"I think maybe 10 years seems a bit long." Beliefs and attitudes of women who had never used intrauterine contraception

Aim To explore, in a general practice setting, the concerns, beliefs and attitudes about intrauterine contraception (IUC) reported by women, who had never used the methods. Methods We used a sequential mixed-method (QUAL/quant) approach. A pragmatic, self-selecting sample of 30 women, aged 18–46 years, who had never used IUC), was recruited through seven general practices in South East England. Themes arising from qualitative interviews were used to construct a quantitative survey, completed by a pragmatic sample of 1195 women, aged 18–49 years, attending 32 general practices in the same region, between February and August 2015. Results Qualitative themes were concerns about the long-acting nature of IUC, concerns about body boundaries, and informal knowledge of IUC, especially ‘friend of a friend’ stories. Women were not sure if the devices can be removed before their full 5- or 10-year duration of use, and felt that these timeframes did not fit with their reproductive intentions. Quantitative survey data showed that the most commonly endorsed concerns among never-users were painful fitting (55.8%), unpleasant removal of the device (60.1%), and concern about having a device ’inside me' (60.2%). Conclusions To facilitate fully informed contraceptive choice, information provided to women considering IUC should be tailored to more fully address the concerns expressed by never-users, particularly around the details of insertion and removal, and concerns about the adverse, long-term effects of the device. Women need to be reassured that IUC can be removed and fertility restored at any time following insertion

Victor Frankenstein, Mary Shelley and Prometheus in the Role of Creator.

This paper tries to compare and contrast the fictional characters Victor Frankenstein, Prometheus, and the writer Mary Shelley and their role of creator

Modifications for an Overnight Camp for Children with Chronic Illnesses

An overnight camp is something that almost every child looks forward to attending. Unfortunately, children with chronic illnesses are often not able to attend these types of camps. However, medical camps that institute modifications can make overnight camp stays a reality for children with chronic illnesses. The purpose of this study was to explore modifications made for children with chronic illnesses at a medical camp. The two research questions for this study were: 1) what modifications do overnight camps make for children with chronic illnesses to keep them safe and promote fun, and 2) how can these modifications be applied to nursing practice? To answer these questions, a phenomenological study was conducted, and data was collected by direct observation and semi-structured interviews of parents or guardians and CCK staff members. While physical modifications were very important, the ones that made the most impact on the family and the children were the emotional ones. Based on these findings, it is important for nursing staff to encourage independence and family interaction when treating and caring for this population. Also, although nurses should help children feel “normal,” they should also let them know that their differences make them strong. Finally, a nurse should try to implement modifications that empower the child or family

Molecular Control of Tooth Mesenchymal Stem Cell Activation

Background The continuously growing mouse incisor provides a robust model for studying molecular mechanisms of stem cell (SC) fate determination. While the epithelial SCs are well studied within this model, the identification and characterisation of a mesenchymal SC (MSC) population has yet to be defined. Aims This study aims to identify the molecular signatures of a novel MSC pool within the lower murine incisor. This work aims to investigate the molecular mechanisms governing the maintenance and transition of MSC cells and their progeny, particularly the role of Notch signalling in this process. Methods Isolation of proposed putative MSC containing and known mesenchymal transit amplifying cell (MTAC) containing regions were undertaken. Laser capture microdissection and subsequent comparative analysis of MSC marker expression between populations was performed. Investigation of the molecular mechanisms governing MSC activation and maintenance was undertaken. Specifically, the role of Notch signalling was investigated, through analysis of Notch pathway transgenic mouse models including tissue specific RBP-Jκ knock out, Dlk1 null, and tissue specific Dlk1 overexpressing strains. In vitro models were developed to validate findings. Results MTAC and MSC containing regions exhibited distinct expression signatures of quiescent MSC marker genes. Notch pathway ligands, receptors and downstream effectors were differentially expressed between these populations. Modulation of Notch signalling in vivo impacted the behaviour of incisor MSCs. Manipulation of Dlk1 in vitro identified it as a potent regulator of MTAC maintenance. Conclusions The novel endogenous MSC population exists within the mouse incisor mesenchyme. The MSCs give rise to cells of the MTAC region, which in turn express Notch ligand Dlk1. Dlk1 is pivotal in balancing the lineage differentiation and maintenance of the incisor MSCs. Thus, Notch signalling plays a key role in the molecular regulation of the activation of tooth mesenchymal stem cells

Aircraft Icing Potential and Ice- and Mixed-phase Cloud Microphysics

AbstractCold cloud interactions with aircrafts that fly through them require knowledge of cloud microphysics. Aircrafts must be designed to fly into supercooled clouds, or they must avoid those clouds in order to prevent problems associated with airframe and engine icing. De-icing or anti-icing systems must be engineered to withstand reasonable extremes in terms of ice water content (IWC), supercooled liquid water content (LWC), ice particle size distributions (SDs), and temperature. The aircraft design or certification envelopes (FAR 25, Appendix C; Federal Aviation Administration, 1999) were developed before the advent of modern cloud physics instrumentation. In the case of ice and mixed-phase clouds, data from the aircraft measurements during recent field campaign suggest that cloud temperature is one of the main parameters governing cloud microstructure, the size distributions, and the current icing potential (CIP). This study may help improve airplane icing prediction through better understanding of the ice microphysical properties