Associations between authoritative parenting and the sun exposure and sun protective behaviours of adolescents and their friends.

addresses: School of Psychology, Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Exeter EX44QG, UK. [email protected]: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tThis is a postprint of an article published in Psychology and Health, 2011, Vol. 26, Issue 5, pp. 549 – 565 © 2011 copyright Taylor & Francis. Psychology and Health is available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/gpsh20/currentAssociations between the sun exposure and sun protective behaviours of adolescents and their friends were examined along with the role played by authoritative parenting and other family and peer socialisation factors. Four hundred and two adolescents (198 males, 204 females) participated in the research. It was found that these adolescents and their friends shared similar sun exposure and sun protective behaviours and had similar parenting backgrounds. Parental authoritativeness was positively associated with the use of sun protection, even after the effects of other familial and peer variables were controlled, but not with the time spent sunbathing which was associated with friends' behaviours. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed

Associations between authoritative parenting and the sun exposure and sun protective behaviours of adolescents and their friends

Associations between the sun exposure and sun protective behaviours of adolescents and their friends were examined along with the role played by authoritative parenting and other family and peer socialisation factors. Four hundred and two adolescents (198 males, 204 females) participated in the research. It was found that these adolescents and their friends shared similar sun exposure and sun protective behaviours and had similar parenting backgrounds. Parental authoritativeness was positively associated with the use of sun protection, even after the effects of other familial and peer variables were controlled, but not with the time spent sunbathing which was associated with friends’ behaviours. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed

Detection of Citrobacter koseri carrying beta-lactamase KPC-2 in a hospitalised patient, Greece, July 2011

Microbial Biotechnolog

BRF1 accelerates prostate tumourigenesis and perturbs immune infiltration

BRF1 is a rate-limiting factor for RNA Polymerase III-mediated transcription and is elevated in numerous cancers. Here, we report that elevated levels of BRF1 associate with poor prognosis in human prostate cancer. In vitro studies in human prostate cancer cell lines demonstrated that transient overexpression of BRF1 increased cell proliferation whereas the transient downregulation of BRF1 reduced proliferation and mediated cell cycle arrest. Consistent with our clinical observations, BRF1 overexpression in a Pten-deficient mouse (Pten BRF1 ) prostate cancer model accelerated prostate carcinogenesis and shortened survival. In Pten BRF1 tumours, immune and inflammatory processes were altered, with reduced tumoral infiltration of neutrophils and CD4 positive T cells, which can be explained by decreased levels of complement factor D (CFD) and C7 components of the complement cascade, an innate immune pathway that influences the adaptive immune response. We tested if the secretome was involved in BRF1-driven tumorigenesis. Unbiased proteomic analysis on BRF1-overexpresing PC3 cells confirmed reduced levels of CFD in the secretome, implicating the complement system in prostate carcinogenesis. We further identify that expression of C7 significantly correlates with expression of CD4 and has the potential to alter clinical outcome in human prostate cancer, where low levels of C7 associate with poorer prognosis

Demographic, clinical, and pathological features of early onset pancreatic cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Early onset pancreatic cancer (EOPC), i.e. pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) occurring in patients below 50 years of age, is rare and there is limited information regarding risk factors, molecular basis and outcome. This study aimed to determine the demographic and clinicopathological features and survival figures for EOPC. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients treated at the Royal London Hospital for PDAC between September 2004 and September 2015 was performed. Data on demographics, risk factors, presentation, pathological features, treatment and survival outcome were compared in EOPC and older PDAC patients. RESULTS: Of 369 PDAC cases identified, 35 (9.5%) were EOPC. Compared to older patients, EOPC patients were more frequently male (71% vs 54%, p = 0.043) and less commonly of British origin (37% vs 70%, p = 0.002). There was no significant difference regarding the prevalence of any of the risk factors known to be associated with older PDAC patients. Fewer EOPC patients presented with resectable disease (23% vs 44%, p = 0.015) and more received adjuvant chemo/radiotherapy (60% vs 46%, p = 0.008). The overall median survival and stage specific survival did not differ significantly between the two groups, although a longer survival for localized disease was seen in EOPC patients (25 months (12.9-37, 95%CI) vs 13 months (10.5-15.5 95%CI) for older PDAC patients). CONCLUSIONS: The EOPC patients had different demographics and were more likely than their older PDAC counterparts to be male. Typically they presented with more advanced disease, received more aggressive treatment, and had on overall similar survival outcome

Inhibition of hydroxyapatite formation in the presence of titanocene–aminoacid complexes: an experimental and computational study

Organometallic compounds have been used in various fields of chemistry, medicine and materials science. Central metal, stereochemical configuration and functional groups of the substitutes give to the organometallic compounds very special and selective properties. These properties have been used successfully in selective-antitumor-targeting, as well as anti-arthritic drugs. In the present investigation we study the influence of two organometallic compounds on the inhibition of crystallization of hydroxyapatite. These compounds are complexes of Ti(IV) with the general formula [Cp2Ti(aa)2]2+2Cl−, where Cp = η5-C5H5 cyclopentadienyl and aa the amino acid glycine or alanine. The experiments were conducted according to the constant composition technique in supersaturated solutions containing calcium and phosphate ions. The kinetic results indicate a surface diffusion controlled mechanism of the hydroxyapatite (HAP) crystals. The experiments prove that the presence of [Cp2Ti(Ala)2]2+2Cl− and [Cp2Ti(Gly)2]2+2Cl− complexes affects drastically the profile formation rate of the HAP crystals under biological conditions. The complex with the amino acid alanine provides a stronger inhibition of the formation rate comparing to the complex with glycine. The experimental observations are supported by computer calculations. © 2014, Springer Science+Business Media New York

Exploring the initial experience of hospitalisation to an acute psychiatric ward.

BACKGROUND: Patient-reported satisfaction with inpatient psychiatric services, within the first few days of admission, is related to positive future outcomes. Despite its predictive value, little is known about this initial experience and what underlies these appraisals. The aim of this study was to qualitatively explore the initial experience of being admitted to an inpatient psychiatric ward. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 61 recently admitted patients across five psychiatric hospitals in London, England. Participants were purposively sampled to ensure a mix of experiences including people with high and low satisfaction scores as measured by the Client Assessment of Treatment. Thematic analysis was used to identify, analyse and report patterns within the data, with content analysis applied to determine whether certain themes were more common to either negative or positive appraisals. RESULTS: Four broad themes were evident 1) 'Best place for me right now?' 2) 'Different from out in society' 3) 'Moving from uncertainty to being informed' and 4) 'Relating & Alienating'. Individuals with very positive appraisals spoke most frequently of helpful relationships with both staff and other patients, and feeling cared for. They also spoke of having had previous admissions and the assessment process on entering the ward suggesting that these may be valuable experiences. Conversely, the group with very negative appraisals spoke of relationships that were alienating or where there was a perceived abuse of power. They described restrictions to their freedom, compared hospital to prison and generally had the view that hospital makes you worse. CONCLUSIONS: The experience of hospital within the first few days of admission determines whether an individual has a positive or negative experience of their inpatient care. Reducing the impact of uncertainty and promoting good relationships may help services to improve the initial experience of hospital admission and ultimately improve future outcomes for patients.European Commission 7th Framework Programme, Grant agreement number is 602645 to S.P