Gas Lamps

My work investigates the role and dynamic of society, culture, and familial influence on the masculinity and femininity within our individuality. It specifically deals with my on going discovery of the masculine side of my personality, and how the feminine roll is influenced, or not influenced, by this. I have been applying Jungian psychology and the theory of individuation, archetypes, and so forth, to my process. I have made several bodies of work in a quest to understand the fundamental roles that femininity and masculinity have affected my choices and individual understanding. Documenting old and new relationships, I make puppets, create installations, write dialogues, journal, and also collaborate, investigating through dating, family, and friendships

Sleep apnea and the impact on cardiovascular risk in patients with Marfan syndrome

Background: Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an inherited connective tissue disorder characterized by ectopia lentis, aortic root dilation and dissection and specific skeletal features. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in MFS has been described earlier but the prevalence and its relation with the cardiovascular risk is still controversial. This study aimed to further investigate these aspects. Methods: In this prospective longitudinal study, we performed an attended polysomnography in 40 MFS patients (60% women, 37 +/- 12.8 years) and evaluated several cardiovascular parameters through echocardiography, resting electrocardiogram, 24 hr-Holter monitoring and serum NT-ProBNP measurements. Results: We found that OSA was present in 42.5% of the patients and that higher body mass index was the most important factor associated with the presence of OSA. We observed that overweight was present in 27.5% of the patients in the whole cohort and in 55.6% if >40 years. Furthermore, when evaluating the impact of OSA on the cardiovascular system, we observed that patients with OSA tended to have higher systolic blood pressure, larger distal aortic diameters and a higher prevalence of ventricular arrhythmia. These differences were, however, not significant after adjusting for confounders. Conclusions: Our study shows a high prevalence of OSA and a high prevalence of overweight in MFS patients. We found some trends between OSA and cardiovascular features but we could not establish a solid association. Our study, however might be underpowered, and a multicenter collaborative study could be very useful to answer some important open questions

A Phenomenological Exploration of Beginning Counselor Educators’ Experiences Developing a Research Agenda

Hermeneutic, phenomenological methodology was used to explore experiences developing a research agenda for five beginning counselor educators. Through in-depth, open-ended interviews, experiences included (a) balance, (b) isolation, and (c) evaluation while references to trusting relationships were manifest across all themes. Recommendations for counselor educators spanning the profession are provided

Apps and wearables for monitoring physical activity and sedentary behaviour: a qualitative systematic review protocol on barriers and facilitators

International audienceObjective: Monitoring of physical activity and sedentary behaviours by mobile phone applications (apps) and wearable technology (wearables) may improve these health behaviours. This systematic review aims to synthesise the qualitative literature on the barriers and facilitators of using apps and wearables for monitoring physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour in adults.Methods: This review protocol is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42017070194). Scientific databases including CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Library and Scopus will be searched for relevant studies published from 1 January 2012 to the date the searches are conducted. Studies will be included if they incorporated adults who used an app or wearable for monitoring physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour; explored the barriers and/or facilitators of using an app and/or wearable; and were published in English. Following duplicate screening of titles and abstracts, full texts of potentially eligible papers will be screened to identify studies using qualitative approaches to explore barriers and facilitators of using apps and/or wearables for monitoring physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour. Discrepancies will be resolved through consensus or by consulting a third screener. Relevant excerpts (quotes and text) from the included papers will be extracted and analysed thematically. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Qualitative Research Checklist will be used to appraise included studies.Conclusion: The results of this work will be useful for those intending to monitor physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour using these technologies

The impact of coaching doctoral students at a university in London

This study explores the impact of coaching doctoral students at a university in London. A mixed methods approach was taken to identify themes which emerged from coaching conversations and the impact of coaching on these. All participants reported positively on their experience, highlighting that coaching enabled action, developed confidence and improved personal effectiveness. Some participants reported that coaching improved their wellbeing. This study suggests ways in which coaching helps postgraduate research students to address challenges they are facing and makes recommendations for the university where the study took place

A systematic review on extracellular vesicles-enriched fat grafting : a shifting paradigm

Background: Recent evidence confirms that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) facilitate angiogenesis mainly through paracrine function. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are regarded as key components of the cell secretome, possessing functional properties of their source cells. Subsequently, MSC-EVs have emerged as a novel cell-free approach to improve fat graft retention rate. Objectives: To provide a systematic review of all studies reporting the use of MSC-EVs to improve graft retention rate. Methods: A systematic search was undertaken using the Embase, PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases. Outcome measures included donor/receptor organism of the fat graft, study model, intervention groups, evaluation intervals, EV research data, in vitro and in vivo results. Results: Of the total 1717 articles, 62 full-texts were screened. Seven studies reporting on 294mice were included. Overall, EV treated groups showed higher graft retention rates compared to untreated groups. Notably, retention rate was similar following EV- and MSC-treatment. In addition to reduced inflammation, graft enrichment with EVs resulted in early revascularization and better graft integrity. Interestingly, hypoxic preconditioning of MSCs improved their beneficial paracrine effects and led to a more proangiogenic EV population, as observed by both in vitro and in vivo results. Conclusions: MSC-EVs appear to offer an interesting cell-free alternative to improve fat graft survival. While their clinical relevance remains to be determined, it is clear that not the cells, but their secretome is essential for graft survival. Thus, a paradigm shift from cell-assisted lipotransfer towards ‘secretome-assisted lipotransfer’ is well on its way