61 research outputs found

    Evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Dementia Care Mappingâ„¢ to enable person-centred care for people with dementia and their carers (DCM-EPIC) in care homes: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

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    Background Up to 90 % of people living with dementia in care homes experience one or more behaviours that staff may describe as challenging to support (BSC). Of these agitation is the most common and difficult to manage. The presence of agitation is associated with fewer visits from relatives, poorer quality of life and social isolation. It is recommended that agitation is treated through psychosocial interventions. Dementia Care Mappingâ„¢ (DCMâ„¢) is an established, widely used observational tool and practice development cycle, for ensuring a systematic approach to providing person-centred care. There is a body of practice-based literature and experience to suggests that DCMâ„¢ is potentially effective but limited robust evidence for its effectiveness, and no examination of its cost-effectiveness, as a UK health care intervention. Therefore, a definitive randomised controlled trial (RCT) of DCMâ„¢ in the UK is urgently needed. Methods/design A pragmatic, multi-centre, cluster-randomised controlled trial of Dementia Care Mapping (DCMâ„¢) plus Usual Care (UC) versus UC alone, where UC is the normal care delivered within the care home following a minimum level of dementia awareness training. The trial will take place in residential, nursing and dementia-specialist care homes across West Yorkshire, Oxfordshire and London, with residents with dementia. A random sample of 50 care homes will be selected within which a minimum of 750 residents will be registered. Care homes will be randomised in an allocation ratio of 3:2 to receive either intervention or control. Outcome measures will be obtained at 6 and 16 months following randomisation. The primary outcome is agitation as measured by the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory, at 16 months post randomisation. Key secondary outcomes are other BSC and quality of life. There will be an integral cost-effectiveness analysis and a process evaluation. Discussion The protocol was refined following a pilot of trial procedures. Changes include replacement of a questionnaire, whose wording caused some residents distress, to an adapted version specifically designed for use in care homes, a change to the randomisation stratification factors, adaption in how the staff measures are collected to encourage greater compliance, and additional reminders to intervention homes of when mapping cycles are due, via text message. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN82288852. Registered on 16 January 2014. Full protocol version and date: v7.1: 18 December 2015

    Structure of the D2 dopamine receptor bound to the atypical antipsychotic drug risperidone

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    Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that has been implicated in processes as diverse as reward, addiction, control of coordinated movement, metabolism and hormonal secretion. Correspondingly, dysregulation of the dopaminergic system has been implicated in diseases such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and nausea and vomiting. The actions of dopamine are mediated by a family of five G-protein-coupled receptors. The D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) is the primary target for both typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs, and for drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease. Unfortunately, many drugs that target DRD2 cause serious and potentially life-threatening side effects due to promiscuous activities against related receptors. Accordingly, a molecular understanding of the structure and function of DRD2 could provide a template for the design of safer and more effective medications. Here we report the crystal structure of DRD2 in complex with the widely prescribed atypical antipsychotic drug risperidone. The DRD2-risperidone structure reveals an unexpected mode of antipsychotic drug binding to dopamine receptors, and highlights structural determinants that are essential for the actions of risperidone and related drugs at DRD2. © 2018 Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature. All rights reserved

    Age, growth, and mortality of the New Zealand geoduck clam, Panopea zelandica (Bivalvia : Hiatellidae) in two north island populations

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    There is increasing interest in developing fisheries and aqauculture industries for the New Zealand geoduck clam, Panopea zelandica (Quoy and Gaimard, 1835). However, little is known about the age structure, growth rates and mortality of different populations of P. zelandica. Annual bands in polished shell sections were used to obtain estimates of age, growth rates and mortality of p. zelandica at two sites in northern New Zealand. Panopea zelandica in Kennedy Bay ranged from 3 to 85 years

    Growth rates of the venus clam Ruditapes largillierti grown under experimental culture conditions in New Zealand

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    The growth rates and survivorship of juvenile and adult Ruditapes largillierti grown i mesh bags on two commercial oyster farm leases were assessed from March 1997 to January 1998. Clams in Okiwi Bay grew faster than those in the Mahurangi Harbour. Subtidal clams i Okiwi Bay grew faster than inmtertidal clams (1.6 and 1.2 mm month-1, respectively). However in the Mahurangi Harbour clams grew faster in the intertidal: growth rates ranged from 1 to 1.2 mm month -1. This was attributed to increased siltation occurring in the subtidal regions around the oyster farms in the mahurangi Harbour. No growth was recorded for adult clasm ongrown i the Mahurangi Harbour. Survivorship of both juvenile and adult clams was generally high; initial mortalities (~10%) in the Mahurangi Harbour were atrtibuted to the stress of transportation. However, intertidal clams in the Okiwi Bay experienced 20% mortality in January 1998, probably resulting from desiccation due to the high temperatures that occurred during this period. The results presented here suggest that R. largillierti may be suitable for commercial culture
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