The effects of adding transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation (tSCS) to Sit-to-Stand training in people with Spinal Cord Injury: A pilot study

Spinal cord stimulation may enable recovery of volitional motor control in people with chronic Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). In this study we explored the effects of adding SCS, applied transcutaneously (tSCS) at vertebral levels T10/11, to a sit-to-stand training intervention in people with motor complete and incomplete SCI. Nine people with chronic SCI (six motor complete; three motor incomplete) participated in an 8-week intervention, incorporating three training sessions per week. Participants received either tSCS combined with sit-to-stand training (STIM) or sit-to-stand training alone (NON-STIM). Outcome measures were carried out before and after the intervention. Seven participants completed the intervention (STIM N = 5; NON-STIM N = 2). Post training, improvements in International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) motor scores were noted in three STIM participants (range 1.0–7.0), with no change in NON-STIM participants. Recovery of volitional lower limb muscle activity and/or movement (with tSCS off) was noted in three STIM participants. Unassisted standing was not achieved in any participant, although standing with minimal assistance was achieved in one STIM participant. This pilot study has shown that the recruitment of participants, intervention and outcome measures were all feasible in this study design. However, some modifications are recommended for a larger trial

Muscle size and strength : debunking the “completely separate phenomena” suggestion

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in European Journal of Applied Physiology. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3616-

A study of 54 cases of left displacement of the abomasum: February to July 2005

Fifty-four cows with left displacement of the abomasum (LDA) submitted to the hospital facility at Riverview Veterinary Clinic from February to July 2005 were treated by right flank laparotomy and omentopexy. Five cows died (a survival rate 90.7%) and one cow (1.8%) was culled due to recurrence of the LDA post-operatively. Forty-one cows (76%) returned to good production post-operatively. Thirty-nine cows (72%) were pregnant six months after corrective surgery

Mapping children's presence in the neighbourhood

Within the work of Gert Biesta, public spaces are considered as the main fields where processes of civic learning can take place. Learning is always “in place and time”. Place matters, not only as a spatial background or set of conditions , but as a pedagogical process in itself. So in order to facilitate processes of civic learning we need to understand how spaces function as a co-educator in its own right.. In my PhD I studied how the neighbourhood can be understood as a co-educator. The processes through which children are socialised into a given order are not universal, nor neutral. One might state that children grow up into very different orders. The neighbourhood is an important factor into these diversified socialisation processes, but the neighbourhood is also made by its residents and users themselves, including children. This emphasises that socialisation is a relational process and not a functional oneway introduction of children into a prescribed social ordeIn this contribution, a methodological framework will be developed for understanding and studying the neighbourhood of children as a co-educator. The basis of this framework is formed by the synergy between spatial, social and personal dimensions of the neighbourhood

Spatially organizing future genders: an artistic intervention in the creation of a hir-toilet

Toilets, a neglected facility in the study of human relations at work and beyond, have become increasingly important in discussions about future experiences of gender diversity. To further investigate the spatial production of gender and its potential expressions, we transformed a unisex single-occupancy toilet at Uppsala University into an all-gender or ‘hir-toilet’.1 With the aim to disrupt and expose the dominant spatial organization of the two binary genders, we inaugurated the hir-toilet with the help of a performance artist. We describe and analyse internal and external responses thereto, using Lefebvre’s work on dialectics and space. Focusing on how space is variously lived, conceived and perceived, our analysis questions the very rationale of gender categorizations. The results contribute to a renewed critique of binary thinking in the organization of workplaces by extending our understanding of how space and human relations mutually constitute each other

Galactic and Extragalactic Samples of Supernova Remnants: How They Are Identified and What They Tell Us

Supernova remnants (SNRs) arise from the interaction between the ejecta of a supernova (SN) explosion and the surrounding circumstellar and interstellar medium. Some SNRs, mostly nearby SNRs, can be studied in great detail. However, to understand SNRs as a whole, large samples of SNRs must be assembled and studied. Here, we describe the radio, optical, and X-ray techniques which have been used to identify and characterize almost 300 Galactic SNRs and more than 1200 extragalactic SNRs. We then discuss which types of SNRs are being found and which are not. We examine the degree to which the luminosity functions, surface-brightness distributions and multi-wavelength comparisons of the samples can be interpreted to determine the class properties of SNRs and describe efforts to establish the type of SN explosion associated with a SNR. We conclude that in order to better understand the class properties of SNRs, it is more important to study (and obtain additional data on) the SNRs in galaxies with extant samples at multiple wavelength bands than it is to obtain samples of SNRs in other galaxiesComment: Final 2016 draft of a chapter in "Handbook of Supernovae" edited by Athem W. Alsabti and Paul Murdin. Final version available at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20794-0_90-

Thiothymidine combined with UVA as a potential novel therapy for bladder cancer

BACKGROUND: Thiothymidine (S4TdR) can be incorporated into DNA and sensitise cells to DNA damage and cell death following exposure to UVA light. Studies were performed to determine if the combination of S4TdR and UVA could be an effective treatmentfor bladder cancer. METHODS: Uptake and incorporation of S4TdR was determined in rat and human bladder tumour cell lines. Measures of DNA crosslinking and apoptosis were also performed. In vivo activity of the combination of S4TdR and UVA was investigated in an orthotopic model of bladder cancer in rats. RESULTS: Thiothymidine (200 uM) replaced up to 0.63% of thymidine in rat and tumour bladder cancer cells. The combination of S4TdR (10–200 uM) and UVA (1–5 kJm-2) caused apoptosis and cell death at doses that were not toxic alone. Addition of raltitrexed (Astra Zeneca, Alderley Edge, Cheshire, UK) increased the incorporation of S4TdR into DNA (up to 20-fold at IC5) and further sensitised cells to UVA. Cytotoxic effect was associated with crosslinking of DNA, at least partially to protein. Intravenous administration of S4TdR, in combination with UVA delivered directly to the bladder, resulted in an antitumour effect in three of five animals treated. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that the combination of S4TdR and UVA has potential as a treatment for bladder cancer, and give some insight into the mechanism of action. Further work is necessary to optimise the delivery of the two components

The influence of nativity and neighborhoods on breast cancer stage at diagnosis and survival among California Hispanic women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In the US, foreign-born Hispanics tend to live in socioeconomic conditions typically associated with later stage of breast cancer diagnosis, yet they have lower breast cancer mortality rates than their US-born counterparts. We evaluated the impact of nativity (US- versus foreign-born), neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and Hispanic enclave (neighborhoods with high proportions of Hispanics or Hispanic immigrants) on breast cancer stage at diagnosis and survival among Hispanics.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We studied 37,695 Hispanic women diagnosed from 1988 to 2005 with invasive breast cancer from the California Cancer Registry. Nativity was based on registry data or, if missing, imputed from case Social Security number. Neighborhood variables were developed from Census data. Stage at diagnosis was analyzed with logistic regression, and survival, based on vital status determined through 2007, was analyzed with Cox proportional hazards regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Compared to US-born Hispanics, foreign-born Hispanics were more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage of breast cancer (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09-1.20), but they had a somewhat lower risk of breast cancer specific death (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90-0.99). Living in low SES and high enclave neighborhoods was associated with advanced stage of diagnosis, while living in a lower SES neighborhood, but not Hispanic enclave, was associated with worse survival.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Identifying the modifiable factors that facilitate this survival advantage in Hispanic immigrants could help to inform specific interventions to improve survival in this growing population.</p

A Direct Comparison of Two Densely Sampled HIV Epidemics: The UK and Switzerland

Phylogenetic clustering approaches can elucidate HIV transmission dynamics. Comparisons across countries are essential for evaluating public health policies. Here, we used a standardised approach to compare the UK HIV Drug Resistance Database and the Swiss HIV Cohort Study while maintaining data-protection requirements. Clusters were identified in subtype A1, B and C pol phylogenies. We generated degree distributions for each risk group and compared distributions between countries using Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) tests, Degree Distribution Quantification and Comparison (DDQC) and bootstrapping. We used logistic regression to predict cluster membership based on country, sampling date, risk group, ethnicity and sex. We analysed >8,000 Swiss and >30,000 UK subtype B sequences. At 4.5% genetic distance, the UK was more clustered and MSM and heterosexual degree distributions differed significantly by the KS test. The KS test is sensitive to variation in network scale, and jackknifing the UK MSM dataset to the size of the Swiss dataset removed the difference. Only heterosexuals varied based on the DDQC, due to UK male heterosexuals who clustered exclusively with MSM. Their removal eliminated this difference. In conclusion, the UK and Swiss HIV epidemics have similar underlying dynamics and observed differences in clustering are mainly due to different population sizes

Latin American immigrants in Indianapolis: Perceptions of prejudice and discrimination

The article focuses on immigrants’ interactions with the Indiana natives, with emphasis in the city of Indianapolis and its suburbs. More specifically, this study aims at providing an understanding of the experiences of Latin American immigrants with special attention to perceptions of prejudice and discrimination and to feelings of social exclusion. A substantial proportion of Latin American immigrants interviewed indicated that they considered Indiana natives to be prejudiced and that they had personally experienced discrimination. The study reveals specific examples of discrimination experienced by the immigrants at the work place, in housing, in stores, restaurants and by various service providers. The results of the study demonstrate the relevance of the normative and power resource theories to explain prejudice and discrimination