Estimation of In Vivo Water Content of the Stratum Corneum from Electrical Measurements

In vivo water content in the epidermal stratum corneum can be estimated by means of low frequency susceptance measurements. In the in vitro calibration necessary to find the in vivo water content, the stratum corneum will have a uniform distribution of water across its thickness. However, in vivo stratum corneum has an increasing water concentration profile from the outermost towards the innermost parts. This paper will investigate the possibility of estimating the equilibrium water content in the in vivo stratum corneum non-invasively from electrical susceptance measurements. Given a known shape of the water concentration profile in the in vivo stratum corneum and the dependence of susceptance on the water content, it is possible to calculate the water content in vivo based on analytically derived expressions for the water concentration profile. A correspondence between in vivo and in vitro water content needed for this purpose is also established

Building mutual trust: a framework project for implementing EU common standards in legal interpreting and translation

This edited volume addresses the establishment of core competencies for legal interpreters and translators(LITs) in the European common area, guides to core interpreter training curricula, the training of interpreter trainers, guidance for judicial professionals on working through legal interpreters and an extensive training materials resource bank

The significance of lifeworld and the case of hospice

Questions on what it means to live and die well are raised and discussed in the hospice movement. A phenomenological lifeworld perspective may help professionals to be aware of meaningful and important dimensions in the lives of persons close to death. Lifeworld is not an abstract philosophical term, but rather the opposite. Lifeworld is about everyday, common life in all its aspects. In the writings of Cicely Saunders, known as the founder of the modern hospice movement, facets of lifeworld are presented as important elements in caring for dying patients. Palliative care and palliative medicine today are, in many ways, replacing hospices. This represents not only a change in name, but also in the main focus. Hospice care was originally very much about providing support and comfort for, and interactions with the patients. Improved medical knowledge today means improved symptomatic palliation, but also time and resources spent in other ways than before. Observations from a Nordic hospice ward indicate that seriously ill and dying persons spend much time on their own. Different aspects of lifeworld and intersubjectivity in the dying persons’ room is presented and discussed

The bodily presence of significant others: Intensive care patients' experiences in a situation of critical illness

This study is about intensive care patients and the bodily presence of significant others. The aim of the study is to inquire and understand the patients experience of the body in relation to their significant others during critical illness. Open, unstructured, in-depth interviews with six former intensive care patients provide the data for the study. The phenomenological–hermeneutical analysis points to a theme among ICU patients' experience of conflict between proximity and distance during the bodily presence of their relations. Patients experience different and conflicting forms of responses to the presence of their significant others. Patients experience significant positive confirmation but also negation through this presence. In the ICU situation, the reactions of significant others appear difficult to deal with, yet the physical presence is significant for establishing a sense of affinity. Patients seek to take some responsibility for themselves as well as for their relatives, and are met with a whole spectrum of reactions. Intensive care patients experience the need to be actively, physically present, which often creates sharp opposition between their personal needs and the needs of their significant others for active participation

The implications of autonomy: Viewed in the light of efforts to uphold patients dignity and integrity

This article focuses on Danish patients’ experience of autonomy and its interplay with dignity and integrity in their meeting with health professionals. The aim is to chart the meanings and implications of autonomy for persons whose illness places them in a vulnerable life situation. The interplay between autonomy and personal dignity in the meeting with health care staff are central concepts in the framework. Data collection and findings are based on eight qualitative semi-structured interviews with patients. Patients with acute, chronic, and life threatening diseases were represented including surgical as well as medical patients. The values associated with autonomy are in many ways vitalising, but may become so dominant, autonomy seeking, and pervasive that the patient's dignity is affected. Three types of patient behaviour were identified. (1) The proactive patient: Patients feel that they assume responsibility for their own situation, but it may be a responsibility that they find hard to bear. (2) The rejected patient: proactive patients take responsibility on many occasions but very active patients are at risk of being rejected with consequences for their dignity. (3) The knowledgeable patient: when patients are health care professionals, the patient's right of self-determination was managed in a variety of ways, sometimes the patient's right of autonomy was treated in a dignified way but the opposite was also evident. In one way, patients are active and willing to take responsibility for themselves, and at the same time they are “forced” to do so by health care staff. Patients would like health professionals to be more attentive and proactive

Novel Acid-Activated Fluorophores Reveal a Dynamic Wave of Protons in the Intestine of Caenorhabditis elegans

Unlike the digestive systems of vertebrate animals, the lumen of the alimentary canal of C. elegans is unsegmented and weakly acidic (pH ~ 4.4), with ultradian fluctuations to pH > 6 every 45 to 50 seconds. To probe the dynamics of this acidity, we synthesized novel acid-activated fluorophores termed Kansas Reds. These dicationic derivatives of rhodamine B become concentrated in the lumen of the intestine of living C. elegans and exhibit tunable pKa values (2.3–5.4), controlled by the extent of fluorination of an alkylamine substituent, that allow imaging of a range of acidic fluids in vivo. Fluorescence video microscopy of animals freely feeding on these fluorophores revealed that acidity in the C. elegans intestine is discontinuous; the posterior intestine contains a large acidic segment flanked by a smaller region of higher pH at the posterior-most end. Remarkably, during the defecation motor program, this hot spot of acidity rapidly moves from the posterior intestine to the anterior-most intestine where it becomes localized for up to 7 seconds every 45 to 50 seconds. Studies of pH-insensitive and base-activated fluorophores as well as mutant and transgenic animals revealed that this dynamic wave of acidity requires the proton exchanger PBO-4, does not involve substantial movement of fluid, and likely involves the sequential activation of proton transporters on the apical surface of intestinal cells. Lacking a specific organ that sequesters low pH, C. elegans compartmentalizes acidity by producing of a dynamic hot spot of protons that rhythmically migrates from the posterior to anterior intestine

A qualitative exploration of men's experiences of an integrated exercise/CBT mental health promotion programme

This study investigated qualitatively the experiences of men who took part in a 10 week integrated exercise/psychosocial mental health promotion programme, "Back of the Net" (BTN). 15 participants who completed the BTN programme were recruited to participate in either a focus group discussion (N = 9) or individual interview (N = 6). A thematic analytic approach was employed to identify key themes in the data. Results indicated that participants felt that football was a positive means of engaging men in a mental health promotion program. Perceived benefits experienced included perceptions of mastery, social support, positive affect and changes in daily behaviour. The findings support the value of developing gender specific mental health interventions to both access and engage young men. © 2012 by the Men's Studies Press