Flow the wu-wei way: A thematic analysis of charity runners’ experience of wu-wei in enhancing wellbeing and flourishing

There is increasing interest and research into non-Western perspectives on wellbeing and ways of flourishing in different cultures. This study builds on this by investigating the Taoist concept of wu-wei, translated from Chinese as ‘non-action’ or ‘actionless action’, through the experiences of ten runners (age 40 to 63; four identifying as male and six as female) who run for charitable causes and how this contributes towards their wellbeing. Semi-structured interviews were conducted then transcribed, and four core themes and eight subthemes identified using thematic analysis. Analysis showed that the four core themes for participants to achieve wu-wei were experience of suffering or adversity, being fully focused on the present (with an element of mindfulness), having a shared experience with the running community, and adopting a broader perspective on life (including in meaning or purpose). By accepting their experiences of suffering or adversity and pursuing pro-social activities, such as running for charitable causes, participants used mindfulness through running to develop a broader perspective on life and attain wellbeing. The findings indicate that the Taoist concept of wu-wei can be applied in positive psychology when manifested as a key facet of running as a positive psychology intervention suggesting its relevance to the wellbeing literature. This study highlights the importance of embracing cross-cultural approaches to wellbeing by looking at non-Western perspectives and their application to the global population

Invited Submision: Advancing vocational opportunities for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Proceedings from the 1st Annual Canadian ASD Vocational Conference

Along with limited employment opportunities and vocational resources supporting adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), there is a corresponding lack of literature guiding best practices. Gaps in services appear to leave individuals with ASD isolated and inadequately equipped to find stable work. In an attempt to foster advancement, the first annual Canadian conference focusing on vocation and ASD was convened in Toronto, Canada on February 2-3, 2012. Presentations and panel discussions identified salient issues including challenges and innovative strategies. Speakers highlighted the benefits of greater vocational and post-secondary educational participation among adults with ASD, and called for proactive program and policy development in meeting these aims. This paper summarizes conference proceedings and builds upon an emerging base of promising practices and guidelines

Expression of the Human Milk Protein, Beta-Casein : in Transgenic Potato Plants

Mother’s milk is recommended by the nutritional and pediatric communities as the best food for suckling infants. For non breast-fed infants, bovine milk-based formulas have been regarded as a suitable substitute. In the early 1900\u27s, physicians found that foreign proteins in cow milk were responsible for gastrointestinal disease and even digestive collapse of the newborn fed a cow milk-based diet16. The allergenicity of cow milk for the human infant appears to be caused predominantly by p-casein17. In this research, the cDNA encoding human p-casein was introduced into potato cells under the control of the bidirectional, auxin-inducible mannopine synthase gene (mas) promoter by Agrobacterium turnefaciens-mediated leaf disc transformation methods. The presence of the p-casein gene and its transcript in regenerated transgenic plants were confirmed by PCR and RT-PCR analysis respectively. Human p-casein protein was detected in leaves of transgenic plants by immunoblot analysis. The p-casein protein produced by the plants migrated as a single band with a molecular mass of about 30 KDa and was approximately 0.01% of the total soluble protein in transgenic potato tissue

Evasion of interferon-gamma responses by Toxoplasma gondii in murine and human fibroblasts

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology, 2013.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references.Co-evolution of pathogen and host helps drive biological diversity. Unlike viral-host interactions, little is known about the co-evolution of eukaryotic pathogens with their hosts. The intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii is an excellent model organism for co-evolution studies because its hosts include all warm-blooded animals, and genetically diverse Toxoplasma strains may be adapted to specific hosts. Toxoplasma must evade host immunity without killing the host to establish a chronic infection and ensure transmission. Interferon-gamma (IFNγ) activation of non-immune cells is crucial for host defense against Toxoplasma. In murine cells, interferon-inducible immune-related GTPases (IRGs) are essential to the IFN[gamma] response because they disrupt the parasitophorous vacuole (PV). However, Toxoplasma secretes the contents of apical secretory organelles into the host cell during invasion, and some of these proteins strain-specifically promote mouse virulence by inactivating the IRGs. Here, we show that two secreted Toxoplasma factors, the protein kinase ROP18 and the pseudokinase ROP5, determine IRG evasion. We demonstrate that ROP5 binds to and inhibits the oligomerization of Irga6, allowing ROP18 to phosphorylate the IRGs to inhibit PV accumulation. However, humans lack interferon-inducible IRGs, and ROP5 and ROP18 do not affect Toxoplasma growth inhibition in human cells, suggesting these factors specifically evolved to battle the IRG system. Both ROP5 and the IRGs exhibit diversifying selection, and these proteins may provide a model for study of eukaryotic pathogen-host co-evolution. We also uncover a novel mechanism of IFN[gamma]-mediated Toxoplasma growth inhibition in human fibroblasts that correlates with host cell death that cannot be abrogated by inhibiting cell death pathways. Furthermore, we observed parasite egress from IFN[gamma]-stimulated cells before replication, but inhibition of egress did not prevent cell death. Thus, the inhospitable intracellular environment of dying IFN[gamma]-stimulated human fibroblasts triggers parasite egress. This disrupts the intracellular niche, prevents replication and could promote immune clearance or depletion of parasite secretory factors. This work highlights the need for a parasite to balance immune evasion for increased parasite propagation with limiting parasite burden for host and parasite survival. Thus, host immune factors and parasite immune evasion factors have co-evolved, and strain differences may be due to adaptation to different hosts.by Wendy Niedelman Roberts.Ph.D

Nutritional intakes of patients at risk of pressure ulcers in the clinical setting

Objective: Malnutrition is a risk factor for pressure ulcers. The aim of this study was to describe the energy and protein intakes of hospitalized patients at risk for pressure ulcers and to identify predictors of eating inadequately

Food, eating and taste : parents' perspectives on the making of the middle class teenager

Original article can be found at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02779536 Copyright Elsevier Ltd.This paper reports findings from a qualitative study of views and understandings of dietary practices in middle class families. Thirty five parents/main food providers of boys and girls aged 13/14 years, living in Eastern Scotland, were interviewed about their and their teenagers’ everyday lives, food, health and family practices. One of our aims was to understand more about the social and cultural conditions which might be promoting more positive dietary health and physical well-being amongst middle class families. Most parents’ accounts appeared rooted in a taken-for-grantedness that family members enjoyed good health, lived in relatively secure and unthreatening environments regarding health and resources, and were able to lead active lives, which they valued. Although controlling teenagers’ eating practices was presented as an ongoing challenge, active supervision and surveillance of their diets was described, as was guiding tastes in ‘the right direction’. Parents described attempts to achieve family eating practices such as commensality, cooking from scratch, and encouraging a varied and nutritional ‘adult’ diet and cosmopolitan tastes, though work and activities could compromise these. These middle class families might be characterized as having future oriented ‘hierarchies of luxury and choice’, in which controlling and moulding teenagers’ food practices and tastes was assigned a high priority.Peer reviewe

Medical student wellbeing - a consensus statement from Australia and New Zealand

Abstract Background Medical student wellbeing – a consensus statement from Australia and New Zealand outlines recommendations for optimising medical student wellbeing within medical schools in our region. Worldwide, medical schools have responsibilities to respond to concerns about student psychological, social and physical wellbeing, but guidance for medical schools is limited. To address this gap, this statement clarifies key concepts and issues related to wellbeing and provides recommendations for educational program design to promote both learning and student wellbeing. The recommendations focus on student selection; learning, teaching and assessment; learning environment; and staff development. Examples of educational initiatives from the evidence-base are provided, emphasising proactive and preventive approaches to student wellbeing. Main recommendations The consensus statement provides specific recommendations for medical schools to consider at all stages of program design and implementation. These are:Design curricula that promote peer support and progressive levels of challenge to students.Employ strategies to promote positive outcomes from stress and to help others in need.Design assessment tasks to foster wellbeing as well as learning.Provide mental health promotion and suicide prevention initiatives.Provide physical health promotion initiatives.Ensure safe and health-promoting cultures for learning in on-campus and clinical settings.Train staff on student wellbeing and how to manage wellbeing concerns. Conclusion A broad integrated approach to improving student wellbeing within medical school programs is recommended. Medical schools should work cooperatively with student and trainee groups, and partner with clinical services and other training bodies to foster safe practices and cultures. Initiatives should aim to assist students to develop adaptive responses to stressful situations so that graduates are prepared for the realities of the workplace. Multi-institutional, longitudinal collaborative research in Australia and New Zealand is needed to close critical gaps in the evidence needed by medical schools in our region

Living at Risk: The Sibling’s Perspective of Early‐Onset Alzheimer’s Disease

Early‐onset Alzheimer’s disease (EOAD) is an increasingly diagnosed condition and is associated with genetic risk factors. This is one of the first studies exploring the lived experience of siblings of individuals with EOAD. We used structured questionnaires and semi‐structured interviews to assess a broad range of siblings’ experiences with and beliefs about EOAD, including knowledge, perceptions of personal risk, level of worry, and effects on life decisions. Participants (n = 24) were predominantly female (62.5%) and middle‐aged (mean = 56.8 years; range 37–83). When asked about risk factors, genetics was cited most frequently (62.5%). Several potential means of reducing AD risk were endorsed, with 54% reporting engagement in behaviors for this purpose (e.g., keeping mentally active). Participants ranged widely in their perceived personal risk of AD (range: 0–100; mean = 35.6%), with higher perceived risk associated with worry about AD (p < 0.01). Understanding siblings’ experiences with EOAD can inform how genetic counselors and healthcare professionals work with this population to facilitate risk communication and decision‐making about testing and healthcare.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147019/1/jgc40239.pd

Patients' perceptions of a pressure ulcer prevention care bundle in hospital : A qualitative descriptive study to guide evidence-based practice

Background: Pressure ulcers place a significant burden on patients and hospitals. Our team developed and tested a pressure ulcer prevention care bundle (PUPCB) in a cluster randomized trial. As part of the process evaluation conducted alongside the trial, we explored patients’ perceptions of the intervention. Aims: To identify patients’ perceptions and experiences of a PUPCB in hospital. Methods: This qualitative descriptive study explored the perceptions of a subset of patients who participated in a trial testing the PUPCB across four intervention hospitals. A trained interviewer conducted semistructured interviews, which were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings: Nineteen patients were interviewed across the four hospitals. Three main themes emerged: (a) importance of personal contact in PUPCB delivery; (b) understanding pressure ulcer prevention (PUP) enhances participation; and (c) individual factors impact patients’ engagement in PUP. Discussion: The extent to which patients adopted the intervention appeared to be influenced by the complexity of education materials, compatibility with patients’ existing knowledge and beliefs, and perceived advantage of the intervention; ability for human interaction; and patient-related facilitators and barriers to participating in PUP care. Linking Evidence to Action: This study found patients accepted a PUPCB that encouraged participation in care, particularly as it involved personal and positive interactions with nurses and provision of information that was easy to understand and resonated with patients