Trans Inclusion in Women Only Spaces

Within the past decade, public awareness of transgender identities has grown exponentially, with the Times cover feature by Laverne Cox claiming a 'transgender tipping point'. [1]Transgender is an umbrella used to describe any person whose gender identity (that is, their felt sense of self) differs from the one they were assigned at birth. Judith Butler noted in Gender Trouble that the idea of gender is reified at the moment of birth when a midwife declares: it’s a boy/girl (Butler, 1990)! Transgender people, those who live in identities outside this early declaration, come in many forms: they may choose to transition from their acquired sex into their held gender identity with the assistance of surgery and hormones; they may simply socially transition by changing their name and presentation; or they may not identify as either a man or a woman, defying the binaries that patriarchal society is run on.   [1] http://time.com/132769/transgender-orange-is-the-new-black-laverne-cox-interview

Protocol for the Foot in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis trial (FiJIA): a randomised controlled trial of an integrated foot care programme for foot problems in JIA

<b>Background</b>: Foot and ankle problems are a common but relatively neglected manifestation of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Studies of medical and non-medical interventions have shown that clinical outcome measures can be improved. However existing data has been drawn from small non-randomised clinical studies of single interventions that appear to under-represent the adult population suffering from juvenile idiopathic arthritis. To date, no evidence of combined therapies or integrated care for juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients with foot and ankle problems exists. <b>Methods/design</b>: An exploratory phase II non-pharmacological randomised controlled trial where patients including young children, adolescents and adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and associated foot/ankle problems will be randomised to receive integrated podiatric care via a new foot care programme, or to receive standard podiatry care. Sixty patients (30 in each arm) including children, adolescents and adults diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis who satisfy the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be recruited from 2 outpatient centres of paediatric and adult rheumatology respectively. Participants will be randomised by process of minimisation using the Minim software package. The primary outcome measure is the foot related impairment measured by the Juvenile Arthritis Disability Index questionnaire's impairment domain at 6 and 12 months, with secondary outcomes including disease activity score, foot deformity score, active/limited foot joint counts, spatio-temporal and plantar-pressure gait parameters, health related quality of life and semi-quantitative ultrasonography score for inflammatory foot lesions. The new foot care programme will comprise rapid assessment and investigation, targeted treatment, with detailed outcome assessment and follow-up at minimum intervals of 3 months. Data will be collected at baseline, 6 months and 12 months from baseline. Intention to treat data analysis will be conducted. A full health economic evaluation will be conducted alongside the trial and will evaluate the cost effectiveness of the intervention. This will consider the cost per improvement in Juvenile Arthritis Disability Index, and cost per quality adjusted life year gained. In addition, a discrete choice experiment will elicit willingness to pay values and a cost benefit analysis will also be undertaken

'I'm sure we made it a better study…': Experiences of adults with intellectual disabilities and parent carers of patient and public involvement in a health research study.

Patient and public involvement is considered integral to health research in the United Kingdom; however, studies documenting the involvement of adults with intellectual disabilities and parent carers in health research studies are scarce. Through group interviews, this study explored the perspectives and experiences of a group of adults with intellectual disabilities and a group of parent carers about their collaborative/participatory involvement in a 3-year study which explored the effectiveness of annual health checks for adults with intellectual disabilities. Thematic analysis identified five key themes consistent across both groups; authenticity of participation, working together, generating new outcome measures, dissemination of findings and involvement in future research. Although reported anecdotally rather than originating from the analysis, increased self-confidence is also discussed. The groups' unique perspectives led to insights not previously considered by the research team which led to important recommendations to inform healthcare practice

Mental Health Through Movement

Children’s mental health: ‘has become an issue of real concern, in the media and to both politicians and NHS leaders, over the last five years in particular. It has prompted numerous inquiries, reports, recommendations and pledges by politicians and NHS leaders to improve the situation’: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/22/what-is-happening-withchildrens-mental-health On July 1st 2019, the Local Government Association released statistics to show that: ‘There were 205,720 cases where a child was identified as having a mental health issue in 2017/18, compared with 133,600 in 2014/15- up 54%’: https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/councils-seeing-more-560-child-mentalhealth-cases-every-day It is within this context that the All-Party Parliamentary Group on A Fit and Healthy Childhood presents its 14th Report: ‘Positive Mental Health Through Movement’. With 1 in 10 children now having a mental health diagnosis and 1 in 4 an undiagnosed mental health issue, this, our third Report on the issue of child mental health, addresses the link between positive mental health and physical activity and movement experiences at a time when, paradoxically, today’s children and young people are more inactive and play less than ever before. The growing recognition of a link between mental health and movement is fortuitous because from September 2019, health education in English schools will be statutory alongside the expectation that they will offer their pupils at least 30 ‘active minutes’ per day. The APPG on A Fit and Healthy Childhood welcomes the change whilst recognising that those responsible for implementing the new strategy (including practitioners and families) will need guidance as they help children to develop individual strategies to address future adverse events and foster the positive sense of self that will enable them to lead fulfilled, healthy lives. This Report is therefore presented as a practical contribution to an essential debate. It offers new strategies against the persistence of historical and traditional ways of thinking; examines and collates best practice in the devolved Home Countries as well as the wider world and discusses exactly what is required to ensure that future child mental health strategy is holistic. It is respectful of equalities and is aware that the successful outcome of policies is entirely dependent upon the expertise and confidence of those tasked with the responsibility of delivering them. As the 21st century advances, we consider the effects of the digital age and its impact on children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing and the crucial role of parents and carers who want the best for their children in a societal climate where, all too often, fears of ‘nanny state’ meddling serve to isolate families who suffer in silence – until a disaster that may have been all too predictable and preventable overtakes them, making a private grief a public concern. The trajectory of progress in mental health policy has been ‘stop start’ rather than linear, with legislative change in 1959 and 1983, an increase in spending from 1997- 2010 and radical changes to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in 2000. The Wessely Independent Review of the Mental Health Act is another such milestone: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/independent-review-of-the-mentalhealth-act The APPG on A Fit and Healthy Childhood anticipates that the Government will fulfil its pledge to parents, children and practitioners by introducing much needed mental health legislation - and that our trio of Reports and the holistic theme of this one will help to inform a strategy that works for 21st century children

Two GCC boxes and AP2/ERF-domain transcription factor ORA59 in jasmonate/ethylene-mediated activation of the PDF1.2 promoter in Arabidopsis

Plant defense against microbial pathogens depends on the action of several endogenously produced hormones, including jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET). In defense against necrotrophic pathogens, the JA and ET signaling pathways synergize to activate a specific set of defense genes including PLANT DEFENSIN1.2 (PDF1.2). The APETALA2/Ethylene Response Factor (AP2/ERF)-domain transcription factor ORA59 acts as the integrator of the JA and ET signaling pathways and is the key regulator of JA- and ET-responsive PDF1.2 expression. The present study was aimed at the identification of elements in the PDF1.2 promoter conferring the synergistic response to JA/ET and interacting with ORA59. We show that the PDF1.2 promoter was activated synergistically by JA and the ET-releasing agent ethephon due to the activity of two GCC boxes. ORA59 bound in vitro to these GCC boxes and trans-activated the PDF1.2 promoter in transient assays via these two boxes. Using the chromatin immunoprecipitation technique we were able to show that ORA59 bound the PDF1.2 promoter in vivo. Finally, we show that a tetramer of a single GCC box conferred JA/ethephon-responsive expression, demonstrating that the JA and ET signaling pathways converge to a single type of GCC box. Therefore ORA59 and two functionally equivalent GCC box binding sites form the module that enables the PDF1.2 gene to respond synergistically to simultaneous activation of the JA and ET signaling pathways

Trans Inclusion in Women Only Spaces

Within the past decade, public awareness of transgender identities has grown exponentially, with the Times cover feature by Laverne Cox claiming a 'transgender tipping point'. [1]Transgender is an umbrella used to describe any person whose gender identity (that is, their felt sense of self) differs from the one they were assigned at birth. Judith Butler noted in Gender Trouble that the idea of gender is reified at the moment of birth when a midwife declares: it’s a boy/girl (Butler, 1990)! Transgender people, those who live in identities outside this early declaration, come in many forms: they may choose to transition from their acquired sex into their held gender identity with the assistance of surgery and hormones; they may simply socially transition by changing their name and presentation; or they may not identify as either a man or a woman, defying the binaries that patriarchal society is run on.   [1] http://time.com/132769/transgender-orange-is-the-new-black-laverne-cox-interview

Genetic variations among passion fruit species using rapd markers Variação genética entre espécies de maracujá utilizando marcadores rapd

It has been evaluated the genetic variability through the use of RAPD molecular markers on the following passionflower species: Passiflora amethystina, P. caerulea, P. cincinnata, P. coccinea, P. serrato digitata, P. foetida, P. maliformis, P. alata, P. giberti, P. laurifolia, P. macrocarpa, P. nitida, P. setacea, P. suberosa, P. ligularis, P. capsularis, P. edulis Sims and its botanical variety P. edulis Sims f. flavicarpa Deg. In this research work, the analyses of the random amplified polymorphic DNA products (RAPD) were employed to estimate the genetic diversity and the taxonomic linkage within the species above. The total of 21 primers were used in this study which generated 270 different polymorphic products. It was possible to detect that the Passiflora species had shown a similarity of 17,3%, and between Passiflora edulis Sims and Passiflora edulis Sims f. flavicarpa a similarity of 34,35% has been found. The rate of similarity within edulis specie is low, making it clear that a large variability between the yellow and the purple forms exists.<br>Foram avaliadas as variações genéticas através de marcadores moleculares RAPD, as seguintes espécies de maracujá: Passiflora amethystina, P. caerulea, P. cincinnata, P. coccinea, P. serrato digitata, P. foetida, P. maliformis, P. alata, P. giberti, P. laurifolia, P. macrocarpa, P. nitida, P. setacea, P. suberosa, P. ligularis, P. capsularis, P. edulis Sims e sua variedade botânica P. edulis Sims f. flavicarpa Deg. Neste estudo, a análise dos produtos da amplificação ao acaso do DNA polimórfico (RAPD) foi usada para estimar a diversidade genética e as relações taxonômicas entre as espécies. Foram utilizados 21 "primers", que produziram um total de 270 bandas polimórficas. Verificou-se que as espécies de Passiflora apresentaram uma média de similaridade de 17,3%, e entre Passiflora edulis Sims e Passiflora edulis Sims f. flavicarpa, de 34,35%. Pode-se perceber que o valor de similaridade dentro da espécie edulis é baixo, ilustrando a grande variação entre a forma amarela e a roxa de Passiflora edulis