Understanding the stigma of psychosis in ethnic minority groups: A qualitative exploration

Psychosis is a mental health difficulty which is widely stigmatized. The stigma of psychosis can lead to detrimental consequences and cause further distress. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of stigma and discrimination of psychosis from the perspective of service users from ethnic minority backgrounds. A total of 21 semistructured interviews were conducted with service users with psychosis from ethnic minority backgrounds examining their experiences of stigma from psychosis. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Five superordinate themes were identified, “social and cultural context of stigma,” “stigma is a family problem,” “stigma and discrimination within mental health services,” “intrapersonal impacts,” and “managing stigma within relationships.” Stigma is a significant concern for people with psychosis from an ethnic minority background. It is important that stigma and discrimination are appropriately assessed and considered within the care of people from ethnic minority backgrounds

Human colon adenocarcinoma HT-29 cell: electrochemistry and nicotine stimulation

Recently, it was demonstrated that colorectal cancer HT-29 cells can secrete epinephrine (adrenaline) in an autocrine manner to auto-stimulate cellular growth by adrenoreceptors activation, and that this secretion is enhanced by nicotine, showing an indirect relation between colorectal cancer and tobacco. The electrochemical behaviour of human colon adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells from a colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line, the hormone and neurotransmitter epinephrine, and nicotine, were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, using indium tin oxide (ITO), glassy carbon (GC) and screen printed carbon (SPC) electrodes. The oxidation of the HT-29 cells, previously grown onto ITO or SPC surfaces, followed an irreversible oxidation process that involved the formation of a main oxidation product that undergoes irreversible reduction, as in the epinephrine oxidation mechanism. The effect of nicotine stimulation of the HT-29 cells was also investigated. Nicotine, at different concentration levels 1, 2 and 15 mM, was introduced in the culture medium and an increase with incubation time, 0 to 3 h and 30 min, of the HT-29 cells oxidation and reduction peaks was observed. The interaction of nicotine with the HT-29 cells stimulated the epinephrine secretion causing an increase in epinephrine release concentration, and enabling the conclusion that epinephrine and nicotine play an important role in the colorectal tumour growth

STM fingerprint of molecule–adatom interactions in a self-assembled metal–organic surface coordination network on Cu(111)

7 páginas, 5 figuras, 3 tablas.-- El pdf del artículo es la versión pre-print.A novel approach of identifying metal atoms within a metal–organic surface coordination network using scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) is presented. The Cu adatoms coordinated in the porous surface network of 1,3,8,10-tetraazaperopyrene (TAPP) molecules on a Cu(111) surface give rise to a characteristic electronic resonance in STM experiments. Using density functional theory calculations, we provide strong evidence that this resonance is a fingerprint of the interaction between the molecules and the Cu adatoms. We also show that the bonding of the Cu adatoms to the organic exodentate ligands is characterised by both the mixing of the nitrogen lone-pair orbitals of TAPP with states on the Cu adatoms and the partial filling of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the TAPP molecule. Furthermore, the key interactions determining the surface unit cell of the network are discussed.This work was financially supported by the European Union through the Marie Curie Research Training Network PRAIRIES (MRTN-CT-2006-035810). Support from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) ‘‘Nanoscale Science’’ and the Wolfermann Naegeli Stiftung is also acknowledged. MP is also grateful for support from the Swedish Research Council (VR).Peer reviewe

NANOTUBES BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE IN MEDIA WITH HIGH SALT CONCENTRATION

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