Teresa de la Parra’s «revolution»: to write the Marian abnegation from the lattice

El objetivo de este artículo es desmontar la interpretación tradicional del ensayo de 1930 de la autora venezolana Teresa de la Parra, titulado «Influencia de las mujeres en la formación del alma americana». Investigaciones hechas desde la perspectiva de género señalan que se trata del primer ensayo feminista de la literatura hispanoamericana; sin embargo, un análisis de su contenido podría evidenciar que promueve modelos femeninos patriarcales inscritos en la cultura hispanoamericana por los siglos de adoctrinamiento católico, fortaleciendo el canon androcéntrico del ensayo en el continente.The objective of this article is to dismantle the traditional interpretation made of the 1930’s essay by Venezuelan writer Teresa de la Parra, entitled «The influence of women in the formation of the American soul». Research done from the gender studies perspective declares that this may be the first feminist essay of Hispanic literature; however, a content analysis may be evidence that it promotes patriarchal female models built in the Hispanic culture by centuries of catholic indoctrination, making stronger the continent’s andocentric essay canon

Adverse early life experiences are associated with changes in pressure and cold pain sensitivity in young adults

First paragraph: Over the past two decades, understanding on the importance and impact of early life events on health and well-being in later life has expanded considerably. Accordingly, childhood stress and trauma during this critical period has been demonstrated to elicit profound changes physiological functioning, which in turn is associated with an increased risk of developing conditions such as chronic pain. Preclinical and animal studies have provided evidence for changes in several neurobiological substrates including the stress hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, immune system and epigenetic mechanisms, in the association between early life stress and altered pain processing in later life (1,2). However, clinical data is limited and often conflicted on whether childhood stress and trauma results in increased (3,4) or decreased (4-6) pain sensitivity or experience. The Western Australian pregnancy cohort (Raine) Study commenced in 1989 and has provided longitudinal physiological, psychological and socioeconomic data on a large cohort of parents and offspring over the past 30 years. A recent study by Waller and colleagues published in Pain, utilized data from the Raine study to assess the association between a wide range of early life stressors, pressure and cold sensitivity and pain experience in young adults (7). The authors are to be commended for their rigorous analyses of this large cohort data resulting in robust data which demonstrates that adverse early life experiences are associated with changes in pressure and cold pain sensitivity at 22 years. These data provide further support that early life experiences are associated with altered long-term nociceptive processing. Given the lack of longitudinal studies in this area and the social and economic burden of treating acute and chronic pain, this study provides robust evidence on early life stress as a risk factor for altered pain processing thus providing valuable insight into possible biomarkers and novel treatment strategies for such conditions

A Swiss army knife?:How science challenges our understanding of mindfulness in the workplace

While mindfulness has demonstrated many advantages in the workplace, this paper addresses important issues around the future of mindfulness at work. We begin by clarifying our understanding of mindfulness in the workplace. This is followed by a discussion on the problematic nature of mindfulness-based interventions in workplaces and potential guidance is provided for those who intend to undertake interventions. Finally, we examine how workplaces are naturalistic settings that differ in how they can nurture mindfulness in employees. Ultimately this paper provides organizations and practitioners insight into potential issues in navigating mindfulness at work, while also providing cautionary optimism around the future of mindfulness in the workplace

Exploring safety culture within inpatient mental health units:The results from participant observation across three mental health services

In Australia, acute inpatient units within public mental health services have become the last resort for mental health care. This research explored barriers and facilitators to safe, person-centred, recovery-oriented mental health care in these settings. It utilised participant observations conducted by mental health nurses in acute inpatient units. These units were located in three distinct facilities, each serving different areas: a large metropolitan suburban area in a State capital, a mid-sized regional city, and a small city with a large rural catchment area. Our findings highlighted that, in the three inpatient settings, nurses tended to avoid common areas they shared with consumers, except for brief, task-related visits. The prioritisation of administrative tasks seemed to arise in a situation where nurses lacked awareness of alternative practices and activities. Consumers spent prolonged periods of the day sitting in communal areas, where the main distraction was watching television. Boredom was a common issue across these environments. The nursing team structure in the inpatient units provided a mechanism for promoting a sense of psychological safety for staff and were a key element in how safety culture was sustained.</p

Am I being watched? The role of researcher presence on toddlers' behaviour during 'everyday' pain experiences: A pilot study

Objective: Paediatric research on ‘everyday’ pain experiences is sparse, stemming from a lack of appropriate methodologies. We explored the feasibility of two methodologies for conducting naturalistic observations of ‘everyday’ pains within family’s homes, against an established methodology for day-care observations. Design: Within family homes, video-cameras recorded a typical morning or afternoon (maximum three hours), either with, or without researcher presence. To compare feasibility, children in day-care were observed by researchers for three hours without video-recording. Outcome measures: logistics of observation, child pain behaviours, caregiver responses to child pain. Results: Thirteen children (Mage=45.4 months) were recorded at home, experiencing 14 pain events. Researcher presence increased child distress intensity, but reduced the number of pain events compared to sessions without a researcher. Thirty-two children (Mage=48.4 months) were observed in day-care, experiencing 44 pain events. Children experiencing pain events in day-care exhibited decreased distress and lower personal control than those observed at home. Across all conditions, caregivers engaged mostly in physical comfort. Researcher estimates of child pain were highest if scored while present in the home. Conclusions: Observing everyday pain events within the child’s natural environment is feasible and may provide insight into the social context of childhood pain experiences

Exploring Parental Responses to Pre-Schoolers' "Everyday" Pain Experiences through Electronic Diary and Ecological Momentary Assessment Methodologies

Objective: Parental influence during children’s “everyday” pain events is under-explored, compared to clinical or experimental pains. We trialed two digital reporting methods for parents to record the real-world context surrounding their child’s everyday pain events within the family home. Methods: Parents (N = 21) completed a structured e-diary for 14 days, reporting on one pain event experienced by their child (aged 2.5–6 years) each day, and describing child pain responses, parental supervision, parental estimates of pain severity and intensity, and parental catastrophizing, distress, and behavioral responses. During the same 2-week period, a subsample of parent-child pairs (N = 9) completed digital ecological momentary assessments (EMA), immediately after any chosen pain event. Children reported their current pain while parents estimated the child’s pain and indicated their own distress. Results: “Everyday” pain events frequently featured minor injuries to the child’s head, hands or knees, and child responses included crying and non-verbal comments (e.g., “Ouch!”). Pain events occurred less frequently when parents had been supervising their child, and supervising parents reported lower levels of worry and anxiety than non-supervising parents. Child sex was significantly associated with parental estimates of pain intensity, with parents of girls giving higher estimates than parents of boys. Child age was significantly associated with both the number of pain events and with parental estimates of pain intensity and child distress: the youngest children (2–3 years) experienced the fewest pain events but received higher pain and distress estimates from parents than older children. Hierarchal Linear Modeling revealed that parental estimates of pain severity were significant positive predictors of parental distress and catastrophizing in response to a specific pain event. Furthermore, higher levels of parental catastrophic thinking in response to a specific pain event resulted in increased distress, solicitousness, and coping-promoting behaviors in parents. The EMA data revealed that children reported significantly higher pain intensity than their parents. Conclusion: The electronic pain diary provided a key insight into the nature of “everyday” pain experiences around the family home. Digital daily reporting of how the family copes with “everyday” events represents a viable means to explore a child’s everyday pains without disrupting their home environment

Maternal presence or absence alters nociceptive responding and cortical anandamide levels in juvenile female rats

The influence of parental support on child pain experiences is well recognised. Accordingly, animal studies have revealed both short- and long-term effects of early life stress on nociceptive responding and neural substrates such as endocannabinoids. The endocannabinoid system plays an important role in mediating and modulating stress, social interaction, and nociception. This study examined the effects of maternal support or acute isolation on nociceptive responding of female rats to a range of stimuli during the juvenile pre-adolescent period and accompanying changes in the endocannabinoid system. The data revealed that juvenile female Sprague Dawley rats (PND21-24) isolated from the dam for 1 hr prior to nociceptive testing exhibited increased latency to withdraw in the hot plate test and increased mechanical withdrawal threshold in the Von Frey test, compared to rats tested in the presence of the dam. Furthermore, isolated rats exhibited reduced latency to respond in the acetone drop test and enhanced nociceptive responding in the formalin test when compared to dam-paired counterparts. Anandamide, but not 2-AG, levels were reduced in the prefrontal cortex of dam-paired, but not isolated, juvenile rats following nociceptive testing. There was no change in the expression of CB1, FAAH or MAGL; however, CB2 receptor expression was reduced in both dam-paired and isolated rats following nociceptive testing. Taken together the data demonstrate that brief social isolation or the presence of the dam modulates nociceptive responding of juvenile rat pups in a modality specific manner, and suggest a possible role for the endocannabinoid system in the prefrontal cortex in sociobehavioural pain responses during early life

Balancing assessment with “In-Service Practical Training”: A case report on collaborative curriculum design for delivery in the practice setting

Three Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ireland are accredited to provide education and training, successful completion of which, entitles one to register as a pharmacist with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI). Legislation (2014) mandated that these HEIs replace their existing structure (four-year degree followed by a one-year internship), with a five-year ‘integrated Master’s programme’. Integration includes ‘in-service practical training’ (placement) at the beginning of Year 4 (four months), and the end of Year 5 (eight months). Year 4 placements do not have to be ‘patient-facing’. Students receive a Bachelor’s degree at the end of Year 4. The Affiliation for Pharmacy Practice Experiential Learning (APPEL), established by the HEIs, manages student placements, training establishments, preceptor training, the preceptors’ competency assessment process, and the virtual learning environment (VLE) that enables delivery of co-developed online modules aligned with placements in Years 4 and 5. This case report aims to describe the process by which this integration has taken place across and within these HEIs and the challenges faced by educators, students, preceptors, and other stakeholders along the way

Distinctive effects of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in regulating neural stem cell fate are mediated via endocannabinoid signalling pathways

Emerging evidence suggests a complex interplay between the endocannabinoid system, omega-3 fatty acids and the immune system in the promotion of brain self-repair. However, it is unknown if all omega-3 fatty acids elicit similar effects on adult neurogenesis and if such effects are mediated or regulated by interactions with the endocannabinoid system. This study investigated the effects of DHA and EPA on neural stem cell (NSC) fate and the role of the endocannabinoid signalling pathways in these effects. EPA, but not DHA, significantly increased proliferation of NSCs compared to controls, an effect associated with enhanced levels of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) and p-p38 MAPK, effects attenuated by pre-treatment with CB1 (AM251) or CB2 (AM630) receptor antagonists. Furthermore, in NSCs derived from IL-1β deficient mice, EPA significantly decreased proliferation and p-p38 MAPK levels compared to controls, suggesting a key role for IL-1β signalling in the effects observed. Although DHA similarly increased 2-AG levels in wild-type NSCs, there was no concomitant increase in proliferation or p-p38 MAPK activity. In addition, in NSCs from IL-1β deficient mice, DHA significantly increased proliferation without effects on p-P38 MAPK, suggesting effects of DHA are mediated via alternative signalling pathways. These results provide crucial new insights into the divergent effects of EPA and DHA in regulating NSC proliferation and the pathways involved, and highlight the therapeutic potential of their interplay with endocannabinoid signalling in brain repair

Blithewold Mansion: A Vision for the Visitors Center

The Visitor Center is one of the most important programmatic elements of the estate. The building tends to get overlooked due to its small size and unclear signage. It currently houses a ticket booth, an information center and a gift shop, but there isn’t much space leftover for employees, guests or expansion