"There is a chance for me" - Risk communication in advanced maternal age genetic counseling sessions in South Africa

Providing risk information is central to genetic counseling. Many studies have examined risk communication, but the focus has been on professional and patient perspectives. Less information is available on risk communication in interactions. This study aimed to examine genetic counselors' (GCs) risks communication in multicultural genetic counseling sessions with women of advanced maternal age (AMA). Six GCs (2–20 years' experience) conducted AMA sessions in English (women's second language). The sessions were video and voice recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using conversation analysis (CA). CA examines discourse as a topic, i.e. describing the turns, its functions and how these functions are accomplished. Analysis revealed that the GCs presented the risk of having a baby with a chromosome abnormality in several ways and that they invite the women to reflect on the risk information. This discussion was found to be a five step process and showed that the women responded to the invitation to reflect rather than the risk information itself by providing additional information. The counselors in the majority of the sessions responded to this additional information the women provided. It therefore seems that the way in which risks are presented are less important than the meaning of the risks for the women. The research showed the power of interactional research such as CA methodology to gain new insights into old problems. Importantly, the study revealed some on the nuances of risk communication in genetic counseling and has implications for practice

Time varying sound propagation for a large industrial area

The distance between noise sources at a large industrial area and a local community can be in the order of several kilometers. At such distances it may not be clear which sources are the main contributors to possible noise complaints. A long-term monitoring project is described that measures the sound sources in the industrial area and the sound in the nearby residential area. This paper focuses on the time varying sound propagation that is needed to determine the industrial source strengths and the relevance of the sources for the nearby community. Data from a meteorological model is combined with measurements from four geographically distributed meteorological masts via data assimilation. In this way the wind and temperature, as a function of height and time, between all possible source and receiver locations can be determined. Next, the corresponding sound propagation for all transfer paths is obtained near real time as these have been calculated beforehand. It will be shown that this monitoring project captures the time varying industrial noise as perceived in the residential area, whereas a standard noise model uses a constant sound propagation based on an average meteorology. This approach makes a comparison with registered complaints over time meaningful. © 2016, German Acoustical Society (DEGA). All rights reserved

Aquilegia, Vol. 37 No. 2 - Special Issue, 2013, Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society

https://epublications.regis.edu/aquilegia/1142/thumbnail.jp

Translating Pharmacogenomics: Challenges on the Road to the Clinic

Pharmacogenomics is one of the first clinical applications of the postgenomic era. It promises personalized medicine rather than the established “one size fits all” approach to drugs and dosages. The expected reduction in trial and error should ultimately lead to more efficient and safer drug therapy. In recent years, commercially available pharmacogenomic tests have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but their application in patient care remains very limited. More generally, the implementation of pharmacogenomics in routine clinical practice presents significant challenges. This article presents specific clinical examples of such challenges and discusses how obstacles to implementation of pharmacogenomic testing can be addressed

AIDS-related mycoses: the way forward.

The contribution of fungal infections to the morbidity and mortality of HIV-infected individuals is largely unrecognized. A recent meeting highlighted several priorities that need to be urgently addressed, including improved epidemiological surveillance, increased availability of existing diagnostics and drugs, more training in the field of medical mycology, and better funding for research and provision of treatment, particularly in developing countries