Air regurgitation in patients on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy following dacrocystorhinostomy with or without Lester-Jones tube insertion

Aim: To describe air regurgitation as a complication in patients on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) following dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) surgery with or without Lester–Jones tube (LJT) insertion. Methods: A retrospective review of all patients with air regurgitation on CPAP therapy who previously underwent a DCR/LJT procedure. Patient demographics, lacrimal surgical history, CPAP therapy and outcome were recorded. Results: Four male patients were identified. The mean age at presentation was 54 years. Two patients had an LJT inserted, and two patients had a DCR procedure, one was external, and one was endonasal. All four patients had resolution of their epiphora. Three patients had superficial epithelial keratopathy requiring lubricant therapy. All patients attempted using ointment to act as a barrier over the neo-ostium, which was unsuccessful. One patient had the LJT removed with resolution of the air regurgitation. Two patients changed their CPAP machines to variable, and three patients reduced the pressure of their CPAP therapy without any improvement. All three patients had persistence of air regurgitation at a mean follow-up of 18 months. Conclusions: Air regurgitation can occur following naso-lacrimal surgery in patients on CPAP therapy. Although this is an unusual complication, it should be discussed with the patient at the time of obtaining informed consent.Paul S. Cannon, Simon N. Madge, Dinesh Selv

Young people today: news media, policy and youth justice

The new sociology of childhood sees children as competent social agents with important contributions to make. And yet the phase of childhood is fraught with tensions and contradictions. Public policies are required, not only to protect children, but also to control them and regulate their behaviour. For children and young people in the UK, youth justice has become increasingly punitive. At the same time, social policies have focused more on children's inclusion and participation. In this interplay of conflict and contradictions, the role the media play is critical in contributing to the moral panic about childhood and youth. In this article, we consider media representations of “antisocial” children and young people and how this belies a moral response to the nature of contemporary childhood. We conclude by considering how a rights-based approach might help redress the moralised politics of childhood representations in the media

A broken silence? Mass Observation, Armistice Day and ‘everyday life’ in Britain 1937–1941

Between 1937 and 1941 the social survey organization Mass Observation collected material on the ways that the British people experienced and thought about the commemorative practices that marked the anniversary of the Armistice of 1918. What they found was that while people were largely united in their observation of the rituals of remembrance, their thoughts and feelings about these practices were diverse. For some, the acts of commemoration were a fitting way to pay tribute to both the dead and the bereaved. For others, these acts were hypocritical in a nation preparing for war. This article draws on the Mass Observation material to trace some of the diverse ways that remembrance was embodied in everyday life, practised, experienced and understood by the British people as the nation moved once again from peace to war, arguing that studies of the practices of remembrance alone tell us little about how they have been understood by participants

Parenting, the other oldest profession in the world - a cross-sectional study of parenting and child outcomes in South Africa and Malawi.

Background Parenting quality is important in child development. In the presence of HIV poverty and life stress, parenting may be challenged and child development affected. Methods This study examines cross-sectional associations of situational factors such as poverty, mental health, HIV status, living with a biological parent, and stigma with good parenting and child outcomes (n=989; age=4-13 years) within the Child Community Care study (South Africa and Malawi). A parenting measure was created from 10 variables comprising 6 child and 4 parent ratings. These were highly correlated. Total parenting score was generated on a 10 point continuous scale, with a good parenting cut off then defined as >=8 out of a possible 10. Results Five factors were associated with good parenting. Positively associated with good parenting were being the biological parent of the child, parental mental health and dwelling in households with multiple adults. Poverty and stigma were negatively associated with good parenting. Using multiple mediation analysis, a positive direct effect of good parenting was found on child self-esteem, child behaviour and educational risks with a partial mediation via child depression and trauma. Conclusions These data highlight possible intervention points. Influences on parenting could be seen through being the biological parent, parental mental health, poverty and stigma. In these challenging environments, health, nutrition, mental health, education, and treatment to keep parents alive are all clearly identified as potential pathways to ensure child well-being. 19 </p

Domestic chicken diversity: Origin, distribution, and adaptation

Chicken is the most numerous among the domesticated livestock species. Across cultures, religions, and societies, chicken is widely accepted with little or no taboo compared to other domestic animals. Its adaptability to diverse environmental conditions and demonstrated potential for breeding improvement provide a unique genetic resource for addressing the challenges of food security in a world impacted by climatic change and human population growth. Recent studies, shedding new knowledge on the chicken genomes, have helped reconstruct its past evolutionary history. Here, we review the literature concerning the origin, dispersion, and adaptation of domestic chicken. We highlight the role of human and natural selection in shaping the diversity of the species and provide a few examples of knowledge gaps that may be the focus of future research

Examining the impact of digital technologies on students’ Higher Education outcomes:The case of the Virtual Learning Environment and social media

Digital natives is a term used to describe current higher education (HE) students, whose lives are proliferated by digital technologies. To cater to the needs of this new generation of students, HE institutions increasingly adopt digital tools such as virtual learning environments (VLE) and social media (SM). Little is known, however, about the impact of these digital technologies on students’ HE outcomes. Drawing from service productivity theories, this study aims to address this gap. Through exploratory sequential mixed research methods, we identify five HE outcomes and reveal that Learning-Oriented Outcomes are the most important in HE even when digital technologies are not used; and these outcomes are further enhanced when students use VLE. Learning-Oriented Outcomes, however, are the least important when SM is used in HE; students tend to prioritise outcomes related to Knowledge Transfer instead. Our research findings derive theoretical and practical contributions and open up avenues for future research

Parenting Science Gang : radical co-creation of research projects led by parents of young children

Background Parents are increasingly searching online for information supported by research but can find it difficult to identify results relevant to their own experiences. More troublingly, a number of studies indicate that parenting information found online often can be misleading or wrong. The goal of the Parenting Science Gang (PSG) project was to use the power of the Internet to help parents ask questions they wanted to have answered by scientific research and to feel confident in assessing research evidence. Methods By using Facebook to recruit groups and facilitate interactions, PSG was able to engage fully the target public of parents of young children in the radical co-production of scientific studies, while not creating an undue burden on time or restricting participants due to disability, financial status or location. By giving parents true partnership and control of creation of projects, PSG ensured that the chosen questions were ones that were of most relevance and interest to them. Results This paper presents a summary of eight projects, with three in more detail, designed and implemented by PSG Facebook groups in collaboration with experts. Most projects had health related themes, often prompted by dissatisfaction with treatment of parents by health professionals or by feelings of being marginalised by pregnancy and motherhood, as well as by the lack of evidence for their questions and concerns. The PSG approach meant that these frustrations were channelled into actions. All eight of the PSG groups engaged in meaningful interactions with experts and co-produced studies with the groups defining the questions of interest. Conclusions This radically user-led design meant that the PSG staff and the collaborating experts had to live with a high degree of uncertainty. Nevertheless, PSG achieved its goal of academically productive, truly co-produced projects, but as important were the positive effects it had on many of the participants, both parents and experts. At the point of writing this paper, PSG projects have led to outputs including at least eight papers published, in press or in preparation, seven conference presentations, testimony to the Infant Feeding All-Party Parliamentary Group, and with more to come

Tenure, gender and household structure

Starting with a review of recent literature on gender and housing, this paper goes on to develop a new theory of household structure, in which concepts of gender and generation play a key role. The utility of this theory is then demonstrated in the analysis of data from a survey of households in the City of Salford