Negotiating identities of ‘responsible drinking’: Exploring accounts of alcohol consumption of working mothers in their early parenting period

Mothers’ alcohol consumption has often been portrayed as problematic: firstly, because of the effects of alcohol on the foetus, and secondly, because of the association between motherhood and morality. Refracted through the disciplinary lens of public health, mothers’ alcohol consumption has been the target of numerous messages and discourses designed to monitor and regulate women's bodies and reproductive health. This study explores how mothers negotiated this dilemmatic terrain, drawing on accounts of drinking practices of women in paid work in the early parenting period living in Northern England in 2017–2018. Almost all of the participants reported alcohol abstention during pregnancy and the postpartum period and referred to low-risk drinking practices. A feature of their accounts was appearing knowledgeable and familiar with public health messages, with participants often deploying ‘othering’, and linguistic expressions seen in public health advice. Here, we conceptualise these as Assumed Shared Alcohol Narratives (ASANs). ASANs, we argue, allowed participants to present themselves as morally legitimate parents and drinkers, with a strong awareness of risk discourses which protected the self from potential attacks of irresponsible behaviour. As such, these narratives can be viewed as neoliberal narratives, contributing to the shaping of highly responsible and self-regulating subjectivities

User involvement and desired service developments in drug treatment: Service user and provider views

Aims - To investigate the existing level of user involvement at selected agencies, to examine views about user involvement from both service-user and provider perspectives and to compare desired service developments. Design/Measurements - As part of a larger project, a series of semi-structured interviews was carried out between 2001 and 2003. Setting - Community-based drug services in Northern England. Participants - Service users (46) and service providers (51). Findings - Overall, the level of service-user involvement was low, with 16% of services having no user involvement at all. Nevertheless, service users expressed a desire for a high level of user involvement, compared with the low aspirations expressed by service providers. Service users' first priority for desired service developments was reduced waiting times, whereas service providers wished for increased provision of complementary therapies. Conclusions - The study highlighted important discrepancies regarding both desired level of user involvement and priorities for service developments between service users und providers. Given the current policies in this field and evidence that user involvement and closer partnerships between users and providers enhances treatment effectiveness, this lack of concurrence might be of major concern and working towards better understanding and balancing users' and providers' needs is highly recommended

Influence of Physicochemical Characteristics and Stability of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles on Biological Effects and Translocation across an Intestinal Barrier—A Case Study from In Vitro to In Silico

A better understanding of their interaction with cell-based tissue is a fundamental prerequisite towards the safe production and application of engineered nanomaterials. Quantitative experimental data on the correlation between physicochemical characteristics and the interaction and transport of engineered nanomaterials across biological barriers, in particular, is still scarce, thus hampering the development of effective predictive non-testing strategies. Against this background, the presented study investigated the translocation of gold and silver nanoparticles across the gastrointestinal barrier along with related biological effects using an in vitro 3D-triple co-culture cell model. Standardized in vitro assays and quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed no significant influence of the applied nanoparticles on both cell viability and generation of reactive oxygen species. Transmission electron microscopy indicated an intact cell barrier during the translocation study. Single particle ICP-MS revealed a time-dependent increase of translocated nanoparticles independent of their size, shape, surface charge, and stability in cell culture medium. This quantitative data provided the experimental basis for the successful mathematical description of the nanoparticle transport kinetics using a non-linear mixed effects modeling approach. The results of this study may serve as a basis for the development of predictive tools for improved risk assessment of engineered nanomaterials in the future

Large-Area RPE Removal by Microsecond Laser followed by hiPS-RPE transplantation

Cell therapeutics for AMD were often implanted regardless of RPE status in the target zone. This may result in RPE multilayering. Here we study a novel laser to remove RPE without collateral damage prior to RPE implantation to encourage better subretinal integration. Pigment rabbits (n=24) were immunosuppressed with Sirolimus, Doxycyclin and Minocyclin. Using a SLO/ OCT (Heidelberg Engineering) extended with a prototype laser (Meridian Medical; wavelength: 532 nm; pulse duration, 8 µs), a large area of RPE was selectively removed in 19 rabbits. Animals without laser lesions served as controls (n=5). A 25 gauge vitrectomy (Geuder) with removal of posterior hyaloid membrane was performed thereafter. Human iPS-RPE (1000 cells/ µl) were manually injected using a 100 µl syringe (Hamilton) connected to a 38G cannula (MedOne) into the RPE laser lesion, or over healthy RPE in controls, monitored by intraoperative OCT imaging (RESCAN 700, Zeiss). In vivo follow up/ retinal imaging was up to 12 weeks including fluorescein and indocyanine angiography, as well as SD-OCT (Spectralis ®, Heidelberg Engineering). Representative RPE laser wounds exhibited mild late phase FA& ICGA leakage, without abnormal outer retinal or choroidal hyperreflectivity on OCT. By contrast, lesions with earlier leakage on FA/ ICGA showed beam-sized outer retinal hyperreflectivity on OCT, suggesting coagulation. The size of the RPE wounds was typically 10-12mm2.iOCT demonstrated in an immediate and directed spread of the bleb retinal detachment (bRD) within the lasered zone. By contrast, bRDs performed over non-lasered RPE raised slower with a circular spread. Subretinal injection ranged from 5-70µl, with lesser volumes/ larger bRDs areas over lasered regions.At 6 and 12 weeks, none of implanted regions showed FA/ICGA leakage, some lesions had blockage due to hyperpigmentation; on OCT, representative areas showed preserved ellipsoid bands, with some RPE undulations. Lasered/implanted areas with a peripheral hyperpigmentation showed central outer retinal atrophy along with irregular RPE. Control implantation sites showed retinal atrophy and a variably thickened RPE band. Large-area RPE removal with laser disruption is feasible in healthy rabbits and appears to facilitate superior integration of RPE suspension grafts, compared to subretinal injection alone. Future work aims to correlate histology with in vivo imaging. This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually

Youth drinking in decline: What are the implications for public health, public policy and public debate?

Youth drinking has declined across most high-income countries in the last 20 years. Although researchers and commentators have explored the nature and drivers of decline, they have paid less attention to its implications. This matters because of the potential impact on contemporary and future public health, as well as on alcohol policy-making. This commentary therefore considers how youth drinking trends may develop in future, what this would mean for public health, and what it might mean for alcohol policy and debate. We argue that the decline in youth drinking is well-established and unlikely to reverse, despite smaller declines and stabilising trends in recent years. Young people also appear to be carrying their lighter drinking into adulthood in at least some countries. This suggests we should expect large short- and long-term public health benefits. The latter may however be obscured in population-level data by increased harm arising from earlier, heavier drinking generations moving through the highest risk points in the life course. The likely impact of the decline in youth drinking on public and policy debate is less clear. We explore the possibilities using two model scenarios, the reinforcement and withdrawal models. In the reinforcement model, a ‘virtuous’ circle of falling alcohol consumption, increasing public support for alcohol control policies and apparent policy successes facilitates progressive strengthening of policy, akin to that seen in the tobacco experience. In the withdrawal model, policy-makers turn their attention to other problems, public health advocates struggle to justify proposed interventions and existing policies erode over time as industry actors reassert and strengthen their partnerships with government around alcohol policy. We argue that disconnects between the tobacco experience and the reinforcement model make the withdrawal model a more plausible scenario. We conclude by suggesting some tentative ways forward for public health actors working in this space

Women's alcohol consumption in the early parenting period and influences of socio-demographic and domestic circumstances: A scoping review and narrative synthesis

Numerous studies have explored alcohol consumption in pregnancy, but less is known about women's drinking in the early parenting period (EPP, 0-5 years after childbirth). We synthesise research related to three questions: (i) How are women's drinking patterns and trajectories associated with socio-demographic and domestic circumstances?; (ii) What theoretical approaches are used to explain changes in consumption?; (iii) What meanings have been given to mothers' drinking? Three databases (Ovid-MEDLINE, Ovid-PsycINFO and CINAHL) were systematically searched. Citation tracking was conducted in Web of Science Citation Index and Google Scholar. Eligible papers explored mothers' alcohol consumption during the EPP, focusing on general population rather than clinical samples. Studies were critically appraised and their characteristics, methods and key findings extracted. Thematic narrative synthesis of findings was conducted. Fourteen quantitative and six qualitative studies were identified. The (sub)samples ranged from n = 77,137 to n = 21 women. Mothers' consumption levels were associated with older age, being White and employed, not being in a partnered relationship, higher education and income. Three theoretical approaches were employed to explain these consumption differences: social role, role deprivation, social practice theories. By drinking alcohol, mothers expressed numerous aspects of their identity (e.g., autonomous women and responsible mothers). Alcohol-related interventions and policies should consider demographic and cultural transformations of motherhood (e.g., delayed motherhood, changes in family structures). Mothers' drinking should be contextualised carefully in relation to socio-economic circumstances and gender inequalities in unpaid labour. The focus on peer-reviewed academic papers in English language may limit the evidence

Proteogenomic characterization of hepatocellular carcinoma

We performed a proteogenomic analysis of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) across clinical stages and etiologies. We identified pathways differentially regulated on the genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and phosphoproteomic levels. These pathways are involved in the organization of cellular components, cell cycle control, signaling pathways, transcriptional and translational control and metabolism. Analyses of CNA-mRNA and mRNA-protein correlations identified candidate driver genes involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, the Wnt-β- catenin pathway, transcriptional control, cholesterol biosynthesis and sphingolipid metabolism. The activity of targetable kinases aurora kinase A and CDKs was upregulated. We found that CTNNB1 mutations are associated with altered phosphorylation of proteins involved in actin filament organization, whereas TP53 mutations are associated with elevated CDK1/2/5 activity and altered phosphorylation of proteins involved in lipid and mRNA metabolism. Integrative clustering identified HCC subgroups with distinct regulation of biological processes, metabolic reprogramming and kinase activation. Our analysis provides insights into the molecular processes underlying HCCs

Integrative proteogenomic characterization of hepatocellular carcinoma across etiologies and stages.

Proteogenomic analyses of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) have focused on early-stage, HBV-associated HCCs. Here we present an integrated proteogenomic analysis of HCCs across clinical stages and etiologies. Pathways related to cell cycle, transcriptional and translational control, signaling transduction, and metabolism are dysregulated and differentially regulated on the genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and phosphoproteomic levels. We describe candidate copy number-driven driver genes involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, the Wnt-β-catenin, AKT/mTOR and Notch pathways, cell cycle and DNA damage regulation. The targetable aurora kinase A and CDKs are upregulated. CTNNB1 and TP53 mutations are associated with altered protein phosphorylation related to actin filament organization and lipid metabolism, respectively. Integrative proteogenomic clusters show that HCC constitutes heterogeneous subgroups with distinct regulation of biological processes, metabolic reprogramming and kinase activation. Our study provides a comprehensive overview of the proteomic and phophoproteomic landscapes of HCCs, revealing the major pathways altered in the (phospho)proteome

Stress-induced dynamic regulation of mitochondrial STAT3 and its association with cyclophilin D reduces mitochondrial ROS production

Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) has been tied to various physiological and pathological functions, mainly as a transcription factor that translocates to the nucleus upon tyrosine phosphorylation induced by cytokine stimulation. In addition, a small pool of STAT3 resides in the mitochondria where it serves as a sensor for various metabolic stressors including reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mitochondrially-localized STAT3 largely exerts its effects through direct or indirect regulation of the activity of the electron transport chain (ETC). It has been assumed that STAT3 amounts in the mitochondria are static. We showed that various stimuli, including oxidative stress and cytokines, triggered a signaling cascade that resulted in a rapid loss of mitochondrially-localized STAT3. Recovery of the mitochondrial pool of STAT3 over time depended upon phosphorylation of Ser727 in STAT3 and new protein synthesis. Under these conditions, mitochondrially-localized STAT3 also became competent to bind to cyclophilin D (CypD). Binding of STAT3 to CypD was mediated by the N-terminus of STAT3, which was also important for reducing mitochondrial ROS production after oxidative stress. These results outline a role for mitochondrially-localized STAT3 in sensing and responding to external stimuli

Service User Involvement - SUI Newsletter - Ausgabe August 2022

Dieser Newsletter informiert jährlich über die Aktivitäten des deutschsprachigen Netzwerkes zu Service User Involvement - Erfahrungswissen in der Hochschulbildung. Der Newsletter informiert in seiner Ausgabe 2022 über folgende Aktivitäten: David Dörrer und Karin Terfloth berichten in ihrem Beitrag „Professionalisierung des Service User Involvements durch Qualifikationsangebote“ über den Einsatz von Bildungsfachkräften. Dabei nehmen sie die Benefits für die Menschen mit Behinderungserfahrungen in den Blick und stellen sich die Frage, wie die Qualifizierung ggf. Perspektiven bzw. die Vertretung der Peergruppe verändern kann. In ihrem Beitrag „Service User Involvement in der Ausbildung in Zürich: Ein Pilotprojekt“ stellen Gisela Meier und Michael Herzig eine tatkräftige Initiative für die Implementierung von SUI an der Fachhochschule Zürich vor. Für die Erstellung des Konzeptes werden Studierende, Lehrende, Adressat*innen und Sozialarbeitende einbezogen. Florian Günthert von der FH Esslingen schreibt in seinem Beitrag „Wie erlebt man Wohnungslosigkeit?“ aus der Perspektive eines Studenten über ein SUI Projekt. Aus der Recherche über Wohnungslosigkeit kam das Interesse zustande, die Stimmen derjenigen zu finden, die betroffen sind. Herausgekommen ist eine Blog-Website mit Aussagen und Berichten von interviewten Menschen und Textgrafiken. Ein weiterer Einblick aus der Lehre kommt aus der FH Potsdam von Olivia Aufschlag und Elena Sollmann. Sie berichten in dem Beitrag „Das Format der Werkstätten an der FH Potsdam – Forschungsfragen von Studierenden zu SUI“ von ihren Forschungsergebnissen über die Motivation von Service Usern, ihr Wissen mit angehenden Sozialarbeiter*innen zu teilen. Gerahmt wird der Beitrag durch eine kleine Einleitung zu dem Lehr-Lern-Format der Werkstatt von Marlene-Anne Dettmann. Katharina Scholz bietet in ihrem Beitrag „SUI-Talk mit Erfahrungsexpertinnen und Studentinnen der Sozialen Arbeit auf der Jahrestagung der DGSA“ eine kleine Nachlese zu unserem Panel. Zu Wort kommen dabei auch beteiligte Studentinnen der FH Esslingen und ihre Perspektive auf SUI. Zusätzlich gibt es noch Links zu weiteren Materialien. Sylvia Fahr-Armbruster, Conny Birkemeyer und Oscar Garcia stellen in ihrem Beitrag „Recovery College Stuttgart“ einen neuen Ort der „lebendigen Selbsthilfeszene“ vor. Nach dem Motto „Erfahrungswissen lebendig teilen“ laden Menschen mit Krankheitserfahrungen zum Austausch ein und sind offen für spannende Kooperationen mit Hochschulen. Mit dem Beitrag „SUI in Europa – persönliche Eindrücke aus Nottingham und Amsterdam“ teilt Marlene-Anne Dettmann ihre Beobachtungen zu den Entwicklungen im europäischen Raum, beispielsweise mit praktischen Umsetzungsideen und der sprachlichen Verwendung von „people with lived experience“. Am Ende des Newsletters finden Sie noch Hinweise über aktuelle Publikationen und anstehende Termine zum Thema Service User Involvement. Ich wünsche viel Spaß beim Lesen und freue mich auf Ihre Rückmeldungen und neuen Berichte.Unknow