Introducing dip pen nanolithography as a tool for controlling stem cell behaviour: unlocking the potential of the next generation of smart materials in regenerative medicine (vol 10, pg 1662, 2010)

Correction for ‘Introducing dip pen nanolithography as a tool for controlling stem cell behaviour: unlocking the potential of the next generation of smart materials in regenerative medicine’ by Judith M. Curran et al., Lab Chip, 2010, 10, 1662–1670.</p

Distinct aspects of frontal lobe structure mediate age-related differences in fluid intelligence and multitasking.

Ageing is characterized by declines on a variety of cognitive measures. These declines are often attributed to a general, unitary underlying cause, such as a reduction in executive function owing to atrophy of the prefrontal cortex. However, age-related changes are likely multifactorial, and the relationship between neural changes and cognitive measures is not well-understood. Here we address this in a large (N=567), population-based sample drawn from the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN) data. We relate fluid intelligence and multitasking to multiple brain measures, including grey matter in various prefrontal regions and white matter integrity connecting those regions. We show that multitasking and fluid intelligence are separable cognitive abilities, with differential sensitivities to age, which are mediated by distinct neural subsystems that show different prediction in older versus younger individuals. These results suggest that prefrontal ageing is a manifold process demanding multifaceted models of neurocognitive ageing

Nebuliser therapy in the intensive care unit

The relationship between identity, lived experience, sexual practices and the language through which these are conveyed has been widely debated in sexuality literature. For example, ‘coming out’ has famously been conceptualised as a ‘speech act’ (Sedgwick 1990) and as a collective narrative (Plummer 1995), while a growing concern for individuals’ diverse identifications in relations to their sexual and gender practices has produced interesting research focusing on linguistic practices among LGBT-identified individuals (Leap 1995; Kulick 2000; Cameron and Kulick 2006; Farqhar 2000). While an explicit focus on language remains marginal to literature on sexualities (Kulick 2000), issue of language use and translation are seldom explicitly addressed in the growing literature on intersectionality. Yet intersectional perspectives ‘reject the separability of analytical and identity categories’ (McCall 2005:1771), and therefore have an implicit stake in the ‘vernacular’ language of the researched, in the ‘scientific’ language of the researcher and in the relationship of continuity between the two. Drawing on literature within gay and lesbian/queer studies and cross-cultural studies, this chapter revisits debates on sexuality, language and intersectionality. I argue for the importance of giving careful consideration to the language we choose to use as researchers to collectively define the people whose experiences we try to capture. I also propose that language itself can be investigated as a productive way to foreground how individual and collective identifications are discursively constructed, and to unpack the diversity of lived experience. I address intersectional complexity as a methodological issue, where methodology is understood not only as the methods and practicalities of doing research, but more broadly as ‘a coherent set of ideas about the philosophy, methods and data that underlie the research process and the production of knowledge’ (McCall 2005:1774). My points are illustrated with examples drawn from my ethnographic study on ‘lesbian’ identity in urban Russia, interspersed with insights from existing literature. In particular, I aim to show that an explicit focus on language can be a productive way to explore the intersections between the global, the national and the local in cross-cultural research on sexuality, while also addressing issues of positionality and accountability to the communities researched

The use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethnomedicine for the treatment of epilepsy among people of South Asian origin in the UK

Studies have shown that a significant proportion of people with epilepsy use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM use is known to vary between different ethnic groups and cultural contexts; however, little attention has been devoted to inter-ethnic differences within the UK population. We studied the use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethnomedicine in a sample of people with epilepsy of South Asian origin living in the north of England. Interviews were conducted with 30 people of South Asian origin and 16 carers drawn from a sampling frame of patients over 18 years old with epilepsy, compiled from epilepsy registers and hospital databases. All interviews were tape-recorded, translated if required and transcribed. A framework approach was adopted to analyse the data. All those interviewed were taking conventional anti-epileptic drugs. Most had also sought help from traditional South Asian practitioners, but only two people had tried conventional CAM. Decisions to consult a traditional healer were taken by families rather than by individuals with epilepsy. Those who made the decision to consult a traditional healer were usually older family members and their motivations and perceptions of safety and efficacy often differed from those of the recipients of the treatment. No-one had discussed the use of traditional therapies with their doctor. The patterns observed in the UK mirrored those reported among people with epilepsy in India and Pakistan. The health care-seeking behaviour of study participants, although mainly confined within the ethnomedicine sector, shared much in common with that of people who use global CAM. The appeal of traditional therapies lay in their religious and moral legitimacy within the South Asian community, especially to the older generation who were disproportionately influential in the determination of treatment choices. As a second generation made up of people of Pakistani origin born in the UK reach the age when they are the influential decision makers in their families, resort to traditional therapies may decline. People had long experience of navigating plural systems of health care and avoided potential conflict by maintaining strict separation between different sectors. Health care practitioners need to approach these issues with sensitivity and to regard traditional healers as potential allies, rather than competitors or quacks

Metastatic colorectal cancer to a primary thyroid cancer

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Walks4work: Rationale and study design to investigate walking at lunchtime in the workplace setting

Background: Following recruitment of a private sector company, an 8week lunchtime walking intervention was implemented to examine the effect of the intervention on modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors, and further to see if walking environment had any further effect on the cardiovascular disease risk factors. Methods. For phase 1 of the study participants were divided into three groups, two lunchtime walking intervention groups to walk around either an urban or natural environment twice a week during their lunch break over an 8week period. The third group was a waiting-list control who would be invited to join the walking groups after phase 1. In phase 2 all participants were encouraged to walk during their lunch break on self-selecting routes. Health checks were completed at baseline, end of phase 1 and end of phase 2 in order to measure the impact of the intervention on cardiovascular disease risk. The primary outcome variables of heart rate and heart rate variability were measured to assess autonomic function associated with cardiovascular disease. Secondary outcome variables (Body mass index, blood pressure, fitness, autonomic response to a stressor) related to cardiovascular disease were also measured. The efficacy of the intervention in increasing physical activity was objectively monitored throughout the 8-weeks using an accelerometer device. Discussion. The results of this study will help in developing interventions with low researcher input with high participant output that may be implemented in the workplace. If effective, this study will highlight the contribution that natural environments can make in the reduction of modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors within the workplace. © 2012 Brown et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Concert recording 2018-02-20a

[Track 1]. Fünf Orchesterlieder nach Ansichtenkartentexten von Peter Altenberg, op. 4. I. Seele, wie bist du schöner... [Track 2]. II. Sahst du nach dem Gewitterregen [Track 3]. III. Über die Grenzen des All [Track 4]. IV. Nichts ist gekommen [Track 5]. V. Hier ist Friede / Alban Berg -- [Track 6]. Flowers of heaven. Three songs on Korean poetry for soprano and cello. I. The home village [Track 7]. II. Wildflowers of the mountain [Track 8]. III. Return to heaven / Robert Mueller -- [Track 9]. Buru for voice and chamber ensemble / Suhki Kang -- [Track 10]. Little sketches for soprano and flute / Ivan Elezovic -- [Track 11]. Labyrinth of love for soprano and small chamber ensemble. II. Eros (Sappho fragment 47) [Track 12]. VI. Liz\u27s lament [Track 13]. VIII. Short talk on the sensation of aeroplane takeoff / Michael Daugherty

Small but crucial : the novel small heat shock protein Hsp21 mediates stress adaptation and virulence in Candida albicans

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Improving community ambulation after stroke: the AMBULATE trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It has been reported that following rehabilitation, only 7% of stroke survivors are able to walk at a level commensurate with community participation. Previous research indicates that treadmill and overground walking training can improve walking capacity in people living in the community after stroke. The main objectives of the AMBULATE trial are to determine (i) whether a 4-month treadmill walking program is more effective than a 2-month program, compared to control, in improving walking capacity, health and community participation and (ii) the "threshold" walking speed that results in sufficient walking capacity that makes walking self-sustaining.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>A prospective randomised controlled trial of unsupported treadmill training with a 12 month follow-up with concealed allocation and blinded assessment will be conducted. 210 community-dwelling people after stroke who are able to walk independently but slowly will be recruited and randomly allocated to either a 4 month training group, 2 month training group or the control (no intervention) group. Intervention for the two training groups will occur 3 days per week for 30 minutes each session. Measurements of walking, health and community participation will be taken at baseline, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months and 12 months. This study has obtained ethical approval from the relevant Human Research Ethics Committees.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>By improving stroke survivors' walking ability, it is likely also to improve their general wellbeing by promoting better health and greater community participation. Furthermore, if stroke survivors can reach a point where their walking and community participation is self-sustaining, this will reduce the burden of care on family and friends as well as the economic burden on the health system. Given the major demographic shift in developed nations involving significant growth in the aged population, this research will make an important evidence-based contribution to the promotion of healthy ageing.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>This trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, (ACTRN012607000227493)</p