Systematically searching for and assessing the literature for self-management of chronic pain: a lay users’ perspective

Background: The Engaging with older adults in the development of strategies for the self management of chronic pain (EOPIC) study aims to design and develop self management strategies to enable older adults to manage their own pain. Involving older adults in research into chronic pain management will better enable the identification and development of strategies that are more appropriate for their use, but how can perspectives really be utilised to the best possible outcomes? Method: Seven older adults were recruited through a local advertising campaign to take part. We also invited participants from the local pain services, individuals who had been involved in earlier phase of the EOPIC study and a previous ESRC funded project. The group undertook library training and research skills training to facilitate searching of the literature and identified sources of material. A grading tool was developed using perceived essential criteria identified by the older adults and material was graded according to the criteria within this scale. Results: Fifty-seven resources from over twenty-eight sources were identified. These materials were identified as being easily accessible, readable and relevant. Many of the web based materials were not always easy to find or readily available so they were excluded by the participants. All but one were UK based. Forty-four items were identified as meeting the key criteria for inclusion in the study. This included five key categories as follows; books, internet, magazines, leaflets, CD’s/Tapes. Conclusion: This project was able to identify a number of exemplars of self management material along with some general rules regarding the categories identified. We must point out that the materials identified were not age specific, were often locally developed and would need to be adapted to older adults with chronic pain. For copyright issues we have not included them in this paper. The key message is really related to the format rather than the content. However, the group acknowledge that these may vary according to the requirements of each individual older adult and therefore recommend the development of a leaflet to help others in their search for resources. This leaflet has been developed as part of Phase IV of the EOPIC study

Curriculum implementation exploratory studies: Final report

Throughout the history of schooling in New Zealand the national curriculum has been revised at fairly regular intervals. Consequently, schools are periodically faced with having to accommodate to new curriculum. In between major changes other specifically-focused changes may arise; for example, the increased recent emphasis upon numeracy and literacy

Group 1: Non-Market Work

This discussion group focussed on questions surrounding non-market work. Some of these questions included: Do our official statistics adequately describe work in New Zealand society of they only provide information about paid employment and the work of working proprietors? How do we define “work” given that we need to include work that does not involve monetary exchanges? How do we value unpaid work? What are the equity issues and policy implications of non-market work

The Grizzly, November 5, 1982

Clinic Offered for Ski-Bums • Outstanding Choral Students Chosen • U.C. Poses for Posterity • Letters to the Editor: Greeks Piqued • USGA Notes • President\u27s Corner • Ropes and Chains or Can You Eat Plasterboard? • Protheatre Presents Comedy at its Best • The Messiah is Coming! • The World\u27s Largest Picture at Ursinus: Get Yours Now! • Take That, West Chester! • Soccer Season Ends With Win Over Widener • Bear Pack Waltzes to Victory • Bears Battle But Lose War • Lady Bears Dominatehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1087/thumbnail.jp

The Iowa Homemaker vol.7, no.10

The Iowa Homemaker Has a Birthday by Ruth Morrison, page 1 Chow Mein versus Chop Suey by Frances Thomas, page 2 Veishea, 1928 by Ruth M. Davis, page 3 News Bits by Margaret Davidson and Rosemary Koeberle, page 4 Sandwiches for Your Spring Menu by Caroline E. Morrell, page 5 4-H Club by Mrs. Edith Barker, page 6 State Association Page by Marcia E. Turner, page 8 Home Economics Research at Iowa State by Melba Nisewanger, page 10 Editorial, page 11 Who’s There and Where by Vera Caulum, page 12 Window Boxes by Gladys Parker, page 1

Testing Protein Leverage in Lean Humans: A Randomised Controlled Experimental Study

A significant contributor to the rising rates of human obesity is an increase in energy intake. The ‘protein leverage hypothesis’ proposes that a dominant appetite for protein in conjunction with a decline in the ratio of protein to fat and carbohydrate in the diet drives excess energy intake and could therefore promote the development of obesity. Our aim was to test the ‘protein leverage hypothesis’ in lean humans by disguising the macronutrient composition of foods offered to subjects under ad libitum feeding conditions. Energy intakes and hunger ratings were measured for 22 lean subjects studied over three 4-day periods of in-house dietary manipulation. Subjects were restricted to fixed menus in random order comprising 28 foods designed to be similar in palatability, availability, variety and sensory quality and providing 10%, 15% or 25% energy as protein. Nutrient and energy intake was calculated as the product of the amount of each food eaten and its composition. Lowering the percent protein of the diet from 15% to 10% resulted in higher (+12±4.5%, p = 0.02) total energy intake, predominantly from savoury-flavoured foods available between meals. This increased energy intake was not sufficient to maintain protein intake constant, indicating that protein leverage is incomplete. Urinary urea on the 10% and 15% protein diets did not differ statistically, nor did they differ from habitual values prior to the study. In contrast, increasing protein from 15% to 25% did not alter energy intake. On the fourth day of the trial, however, there was a greater increase in the hunger score between 1–2 h after the 10% protein breakfast versus the 25% protein breakfast (1.6±0.4 vs 25%: 0.5±0.3, p = 0.005). In our study population a change in the nutritional environment that dilutes dietary protein with carbohydrate and fat promotes overconsumption, enhancing the risk for potential weight gain

Immunization with one Theileria parva strain results in similar level of CTL strain-specificity and protection compared to immunization with the three-component Muguga cocktail in MHC-matched animals

Abstract Background The tick-borne protozoan parasite Theileria parva causes a usually fatal cattle disease known as East Coast fever in sub-Saharan Africa, with devastating consequences for poor small-holder farmers. Immunity to T. parva, believed to be mediated by a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response, is induced following natural infection and after vaccination with a live vaccine, known as the Infection and Treatment Method (ITM). The most commonly used version of ITM is a combination of parasites derived from three isolates (Muguga, Kiambu 5 and Serengeti-transformed), known as the “Muguga cocktail”. The use of a vaccine comprising several strains is believed to be required to induce a broad immune response effective against field challenge. In this study we investigated whether immunization with the Muguga cocktail induces a broader CTL response than immunization with a single strain (Muguga). Results Four MHC haplotype-matched pairs of cattle were immunized with either the trivalent Muguga cocktail or the single Muguga strain. CTL specificity was assessed on a panel of five different strains, and clonal responses to these strains were also assessed in one of the MHC-matched pairs. We did not find evidence for a broader CTL response in animals immunized with the Muguga cocktail compared to those immunized with the Muguga strain alone, in either the bulk or clonal CTL analyses. This was supported by an in vivo trial in which all vaccinated animals survived challenge with a lethal dose of the Muguga cocktail vaccine stabilate. Conclusion We did not observe any substantial differences in the immunity generated from animals immunized with either Muguga alone or the Muguga cocktail in the animals tested here, corroborating earlier results showing limited antigenic diversity in the Muguga cocktail. These results may warrant further field studies using single T. parva strains as future vaccine candidates

Combined In Silico, In Vivo, and In Vitro Studies Shed Insights into the Acute Inflammatory Response in Middle-Aged Mice

We combined in silico, in vivo, and in vitro studies to gain insights into age-dependent changes in acute inflammation in response to bacterial endotoxin (LPS). Time-course cytokine, chemokine, and NO2-/NO3- data from "middle-aged" (6-8 months old) C57BL/6 mice were used to re-parameterize a mechanistic mathematical model of acute inflammation originally calibrated for "young" (2-3 months old) mice. These studies suggested that macrophages from middle-aged mice are more susceptible to cell death, as well as producing higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, vs. macrophages from young mice. In support of the in silico-derived hypotheses, resident peritoneal cells from endotoxemic middle-aged mice exhibited reduced viability and produced elevated levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, and KC/CXCL1 as compared to cells from young mice. Our studies demonstrate the utility of a combined in silico, in vivo, and in vitro approach to the study of acute inflammation in shock states, and suggest hypotheses with regard to the changes in the cytokine milieu that accompany aging. © 2013 Namas et al

Veterinary trypanocidal benzoxaboroles are peptidase-activated prodrugs

Livestock diseases caused by Trypanosoma congolense, T. vivax and T. brucei, collectively known as nagana, are responsible for billions of dollars in lost food production annually. There is an urgent need for novel therapeutics. Encouragingly, promising antitrypanosomal benzoxaboroles are under veterinary development. Here, we show that the most efficacious subclass of these compounds are prodrugs activated by trypanosome serine carboxypeptidases (CBPs). Drug-resistance to a development candidate, AN11736, emerged readily in T. brucei, due to partial deletion within the locus containing three tandem copies of the CBP genes. T. congolense parasites, which possess a larger array of related CBPs, also developed resistance to AN11736 through deletion within the locus. A genome-scale screen in T. brucei confirmed CBP loss-of-function as the primary mechanism of resistance and CRISPR-Cas9 editing proved that partial deletion within the locus was sufficient to confer resistance. CBP re-expression in either T. brucei or T. congolense AN11736-resistant lines restored drug-susceptibility. CBPs act by cleaving the benzoxaborole AN11736 to a carboxylic acid derivative, revealing a prodrug activation mechanism. Loss of CBP activity results in massive reduction in net uptake of AN11736, indicating that entry is facilitated by the concentration gradient created by prodrug metabolism.</p

Dietary supplementation with inulin-propionate ester or inulin improves insulin sensitivity in adults with overweight and obesity with distinct effects on the gut microbiota, plasma metabolome and systemic inflammatory responses: a randomised cross-over trial

Objective: To investigate the underlying mechanisms behind changes in glucose homeostasis with delivery of propionate to the human colon by comprehensive and coordinated analysis of gut bacterial composition, plasma metabolome and immune responses. Design: Twelve non-diabetic adults with overweight and obesity received 20 g/day of inulin-propionate ester (IPE), designed to selectively deliver propionate to the colon, a high-fermentable fibre control (inulin) and a low-fermentable fibre control (cellulose) in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. Outcome measurements of metabolic responses, inflammatory markers and gut bacterial composition were analysed at the end of each 42-day supplementation period. Results: Both IPE and inulin supplementation improved insulin resistance compared with cellulose supplementation, measured by homeostatic model assessment 2 (mean±SEM 1.23±0.17 IPE vs 1.59±0.17 cellulose, p=0.001; 1.17±0.15 inulin vs 1.59±0.17 cellulose, p=0.009), with no differences between IPE and inulin (p=0.272). Fasting insulin was only associated positively with plasma tyrosine and negatively with plasma glycine following inulin supplementation. IPE supplementation decreased proinflammatory interleukin-8 levels compared with cellulose, while inulin had no impact on the systemic inflammatory markers studied. Inulin promoted changes in gut bacterial populations at the class level (increased Actinobacteria and decreased Clostridia) and order level (decreased Clostridiales) compared with cellulose, with small differences at the species level observed between IPE and cellulose. Conclusion: These data demonstrate a distinctive physiological impact of raising colonic propionate delivery in humans, as improvements in insulin sensitivity promoted by IPE and inulin were accompanied with different effects on the plasma metabolome, gut bacterial populations and markers of systemic inflammation