14 research outputs found
Measurement of melatonin in body fluids: Standards, protocols and procedures
Abstract: The circadian rhythm of melatonin in saliva or plasma, or of the melatonin metabolite 6‐ sulphatoxymelatonin in urine, is a defining feature of suprachiasmatic nucleus function, the endogenous oscillatory pacemaker. These measurements are useful to evaluate problems related to the onset or offset of sleep and for assessing phase delays or advances of rhythms in entrained individuals. Additionally, they have become an important tool for psychiatric diagnosis, its use being recommended for phase typing in patients suffering from sleep and mood disorders. Thus, the development of sensitive and selective methods for the precise detection of melatonin in tissues and fluids of animals emerges as necessary. Due to its low concentration and the co‐existence of many other endogenous compounds in blood, the determination of melatonin has been an analytical challenge. This review discusses current methodologies employed for detection and quantification of melatonin in biological fluids and tissues
Nurse prescribing of medicines in Western European and Anglo-Saxon countries: a systematic review of the literature
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A growing number of countries are introducing some form of nurse prescribing. However, international reviews concerning nurse prescribing are scarce and lack a systematic and theoretical approach. The aim of this review was twofold: firstly, to gain insight into the scientific and professional literature describing the extent to and the ways in which nurse prescribing has been realised or is being introduced in Western European and Anglo-Saxon countries; secondly, to identify possible mechanisms underlying the introduction and organisation of nurse prescribing on the basis of Abbott's theory on the division of professional labor.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A comprehensive search of six literature databases and seven websites was performed without any limitation as to date of publication, language or country. Additionally, experts in the field of nurse prescribing were consulted. A three stage inclusion process, consisting of initial sifting, more detailed selection and checking full-text publications, was performed independently by pairs of reviewers. Data were synthesized using narrative and tabular methods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>One hundred and twenty-four publications met the inclusion criteria. So far, seven Western European and Anglo-Saxon countries have implemented nurse prescribing of medicines, viz., Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, the UK and the USA. The Netherlands and Spain are in the process of introducing nurse prescribing. A diversity of external and internal forces has led to the introduction of nurse prescribing internationally. The legal, educational and organizational conditions under which nurses prescribe medicines vary considerably between countries; from situations where nurses prescribe independently to situations in which prescribing by nurses is only allowed under strict conditions and supervision of physicians.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Differences between countries are reflected in the jurisdictional settlements between the nursing and medical professions concerning prescribing. In some countries, nurses share (full) jurisdiction with the medical profession, whereas in other countries nurses prescribe in a subordinate position. In most countries the jurisdiction over prescribing remains predominantly with the medical profession. There seems to be a mechanism linking the jurisdictional settlements between professions with the forces that led to the introduction of nurse prescribing. Forces focussing on efficiency appear to lead to more extensive prescribing rights.</p
The debate on Austrian national identity in the First Republic (1918-1938)
This thesis examines the debate over Austrian national
identity in the interwar period (1918-1938), and deconstructs
key components of national identity. These components include
economic, historical, linguistic and certain cultural factors,
the concept of a nation's mission, and the "national
individual". The final area examined is tourism. It is
postulated that tourism permits exploration of the bonds
between humans and the environment which they inhabit, and has
significant implications for national cohesion.
Sources include contemporary and historical texts on the
concept of nationhood and related areas; political, social and
cultural histories pertaining to the First Republic; and
primary source materials including parliamentary and cabinet
minutes; the League of Nations' economic reports on Austria;
newspapers, particularly those of pressure groups; individual
monographs (of economists, teachers, politicians, theorists);
as well as cultural output (literature, poetry, cinema, art,
and satire).
The two sides of the debate can be grouped into arguments
pertaining to Austria's relationship to Germany, and arguments
placing Austria into a wider European context. The roles of
internal cohesion and the influence of the outside world on
national identity are addressed. It is shown that the
contribution of this period to the development of Austrian
national identity has been underestimated: that the
foundations for an independent Austria were laid in these
years. The concept of national identity is explored and
elucidated
'I wondered who'd be the first to spot that': Dad's Army at war, in the media and in memory.
Coffee, Klimt and climbing: constructing an Austrian national identity in tourist literature 1918-1938.
'Classifying the body in the Second World War: British men in and out of uniform'.
This article argues that the imaginary and the experienced body cannot fully be understood without an appreciation of the specific historical context in which they are formed. Offering a case study of military masculinity in Britain in the Second World War, the article examines the significance of the medical examination and subsequent physical classification of potential recruits to the Armed Forces in constructions of the male body. Individual responses, drawn from oral testimonies, are examined to explore the relationship between the discursive and experienced body. These suggest the power of the social body in defining the meaning of the individual body. Nonetheless, despite the dominance of physical classification in the definition of hegemonic masculinity, individual experiences reveal that the concept and meaning of physical grading could be negotiated in ways which introduced less stable and more multiple meanings of the individual body and its relationship to the national body