Does listening to a personal music player or reading a book during the uptake period of a PET-CT oncology scan cause extra 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG) activity in the skeletal muscles?

Peer reviewe

Beneficial Effect of Low Ethanol Intake on the Cardiovascular System: Possible Biochemical Mechanisms

Low ethanol intake is known to have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular disease. In cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance leads to altered glucose and lipid metabolism resulting in an increased production of aldehydes, including methylglyoxal. Aldehydes react non-enzymatically with sulfhydryl and amino groups of proteins forming advanced glycation end products (AGEs), altering protein structure and function. These alterations cause endothelial dysfunction with increased cytosolic free calcium, peripheral vascular resistance, and blood pressure. AGEs produce atherogenic effects including oxidative stress, platelet adhesion, inflammation, smooth muscle cell proliferation and modification of lipoproteins. Low ethanol intake attenuates hypertension and atherosclerosis but the mechanism of this effect is not clear. Ethanol at low concentrations is metabolized by low Km alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase, both reactions resulting in the production of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). This creates a reductive environment, decreasing oxidative stress and secondary production of aldehydes through lipid peroxidation. NADH may also increase the tissue levels of the antioxidants cysteine and glutathione, which bind aldehydes and stimulate methylglyoxal catabolism. Low ethanol improves insulin resistance, increases high-density lipoprotein and stimulates activity of the antioxidant enzyme, paraoxonase. In conclusion, we suggest that chronic low ethanol intake confers its beneficial effect mainly through its ability to increase antioxidant capacity and lower AGEs

Rescue of long-tail data from the ocean bottom to the Moon: IEDA Data Rescue Mini-Awards

Over the course of a scientific career, a large fraction of the data collected by scientific investigators turns into data at risk of becoming inaccessible to future science. Although a part of the investigators’ data is made available in manuscripts and databases, other data may remain unpublished, non-digital, on degrading or near obsolete digital media, or inadequately documented for reuse. In 2013, Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA) provided data rescue mini-awards to three Earth science investigators. IEDA’s user communities in geochemistry, petrology, geochronology, and marine geophysics collect long-tail data, defined as data produced by individuals and small teams for specific projects, tending to be of small volume and initially for use only by these teams, thus being less likely to be easily transferred or reused. Long-tail data are at greater risk of omission from the scientific record. The awarded projects topics were (1) Geochemical and Geochronological data on volcanic rocks from the Fiji, Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc, and Endeavor segments of the global mid-ocean ridge, (2) High-Resolution, Near-bottom Magnetic Field Data, and (3) Geochemistry of Lunar Glasses. IEDA worked closely with the awardees to create a plan for the data rescue, resulting in the registration of hundreds of samples and the entry of dozens of data and documentation files into IEDA data systems. The data were made openly accessible and citable by assigning persistent identifiers for samples and files. The mini-award program proved that a relatively small incentive combined with data facility guidance can motivate investigators to accomplish significant data rescue

Participatory Design of Purdue University’s Active Learning Center Final Report

Purdue University’s commitment to active learning requires facilities that support small-­‐group work, peer learning, the use of technology, and other classroom innovations. The Active Learning Center is intended to provide classroom space combined seamlessly with library space to meet these needs. Members of the Libraries faculty and staff conducted a series of information-­‐gathering activities to gain insight into the range of activities, work practices and preferences that the new building must support. It is our hope that the building will indeed support these activities, serve as a centrally located, flagship building for Purdue University, and support and inspire learning for years to come

A mixed methods pilot of Beat the Bugs: a community education course on hygiene, self-care and antibiotics

Background: e-Bug is an international health education resource which support World Health Organization (WHO) public health recommendations by educating young people about microbes, hygiene and antibiotics use. The e-Bug team collaborated with Kingfisher Treasure Seekers to develop a six-session course for community groups called Beat the Bugs covering: microbes; hygiene; antibiotic use; and self-care. A pilot was used to inform further development and evaluation. Methods: Pilot courses with 9–12 adults with learning difficulties and young parents were delivered by community leaders and observed by researchers. Participants completed before and after knowledge questionnaires. Two participant focus groups and two course leader interviews explored views on the course and retention of knowledge. Results: Completed questionnaires and qualitative results showed an improvement in participant knowledge in each session; microbes and antibiotics sessions showed the greatest knowledge improvement. Self-care showed the greatest knowledge retention and participants reported behaviour change including an increase in appropriate hand-washing and tooth-brushing. Conclusion: The Beat the Bugs course is a useful intervention for communities to give individuals the knowledge and confidence to manage their own infection and change behaviour around hygiene, self-care and antibiotics. Beat the Bugs is freely available to download

Post-postfeminism? New feminist visibilities in postfeminist times

This article contributes to debates about the value and utility of the notion of postfeminism for a seemingly “new” moment marked by a resurgence of interest in feminism in the media and among young women. The paper reviews current understandings of postfeminism and criticisms of the term’s failure to speak to or connect with contemporary feminism. It offers a defence of the continued importance of a critical notion of postfeminism, used as an analytical category to capture a distinctive contradictory-but-patterned sensibility intimately connected to neoliberalism. The paper raises questions about the meaning of the apparent new visibility of feminism and highlights the multiplicity of different feminisms currently circulating in mainstream media culture – which exist in tension with each other. I argue for the importance of being able to “think together” the rise of popular feminism alongside and in tandem with intensified misogyny. I further show how a postfeminist sensibility informs even those media productions that ostensibly celebrate the new feminism. Ultimately, the paper argues that claims that we have moved “beyond” postfeminism are (sadly) premature, and the notion still has much to offer feminist cultural critics

Patient and caregiver priorities for medication adherence in gout, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis: nominal group technique

Objectives: This study aimed to identify and prioritize factors important to patients and caregivers with regard to medication adherence in gout, osteoporosis (OP) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to describe the reasons for their decisions. Methods: Patients with gout, OP and RA, and their caregivers purposively sampled from five rheumatology clinics in Australia, identified and ranked factors considered important for medication adherence using nominal group technique and discussed their decisions. An importance score (scale 0-1) was calculated, and qualitative data were analysed thematically. Results: From 14 focus groups, 82 participants (67 patients, 15 caregivers) identified 49 factors. The top five factors based on the ranking of all participants were trust in doctor (importance score 0.46), medication effectiveness (0.31), doctor's knowledge (0.25), side effects (0.23), medication taking routine (0.13). The order of the ranking varied by participant groupings with patients ranking trust in doctor the highest whilst caregivers ranked side effects the highest. Five themes reflecting the reasons for factors influencing adherence were: motivation and certainty in supportive individualised care; living well and restoring function; fear of toxicity and cumulative harm; seeking control and involvement; and unnecessarily difficult and inaccessible. Conclusions: Factors related to the doctor, medication properties and patients' medication knowledge and routine were important for adherence. Strengthening doctor-patient trust and partnership, managing side effects, and empowering patients with knowledge and skills for medicine-taking could enhance medication adherence in patients with rheumatic conditions

Selection Signatures in Worldwide Sheep Populations

The diversity of populations in domestic species offers great opportunities to study genome response to selection. The recently published Sheep HapMap dataset is a great example of characterization of the world wide genetic diversity in sheep. In this study, we re-analyzed the Sheep HapMap dataset to identify selection signatures in worldwide sheep populations. Compared to previous analyses, we made use of statistical methods that (i) take account of the hierarchical structure of sheep populations, (ii) make use of linkage disequilibrium information and (iii) focus specifically on either recent or older selection signatures. We show that this allows pinpointing several new selection signatures in the sheep genome and distinguishing those related to modern breeding objectives and to earlier post-domestication constraints. The newly identified regions, together with the ones previously identified, reveal the extensive genome response to selection on morphology, color and adaptation to new environments

Taxonomy based on science is necessary for global conservation

Peer reviewe

Health, education, and social care provision after diagnosis of childhood visual disability

Aim: To investigate the health, education, and social care provision for children newly diagnosed with visual disability.Method: This was a national prospective study, the British Childhood Visual Impairment and Blindness Study 2 (BCVIS2), ascertaining new diagnoses of visual impairment or severe visual impairment and blindness (SVIBL), or equivalent vi-sion. Data collection was performed by managing clinicians up to 1-year follow-up, and included health and developmental needs, and health, education, and social care provision.Results: BCVIS2 identified 784 children newly diagnosed with visual impairment/SVIBL (313 with visual impairment, 471 with SVIBL). Most children had associated systemic disorders (559 [71%], 167 [54%] with visual impairment, and 392 [84%] with SVIBL). Care from multidisciplinary teams was provided for 549 children (70%). Two-thirds (515) had not received an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP). Fewer children with visual impairment had seen a specialist teacher (SVIBL 35%, visual impairment 28%, χ2p < 0.001), or had an EHCP (11% vs 7%, χ2p < 0 . 01).Interpretation: Families need additional support from managing clinicians to access recommended complex interventions such as the use of multidisciplinary teams and educational support. This need is pressing, as the population of children with visual impairment/SVIBL is expected to grow in size and complexity.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited