The use of music as an educational intervention for children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)

This study considers the way in which music is currently used as an intervention both therapeutically and within the classroom in mainstream and special education, and asks whether it has further potential to enhance learning for children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). It includes a review of the recent literature regarding the use of music with children with ASD and suggests interventions that are measured against current diagnostic categories. Interventions considered address difficulties and differences within the areas of social interaction, communication, understanding and imagination. The concept of musical ‘special interests’ of children with ASD being harnessed to enhance learning is also considered

The Devonshire Cavendishes: politics and place

The noble Cavendishes were one of the most influential families in the politics and culture of early modern England and beyond. A Companion to the Cavendishes offers a comprehensive account of the Cavendish family's creative output and cultural significance in the seventeenth century. It discusses the writings of individuals including William and Margaret Cavendish, and William's daughters Jane and Elizabeth; family members' work and patronage in other media such as music, architecture, and the visual arts; their participation in contemporary developments in politics, philosophy, and horsemanship; and the networks in which they moved both in England and in continental Europe. It also covers the work of less well-known family members such as the poet and biographer George Cavendish and the composer Michael Cavendish. This volume combines path-breaking scholarship with discussion of existing research, making it an invaluable resource for all those interested in this fascinating and diverse group of men and women

Genetic mapping of APP and amyloid-β biology modulation by trisomy 21

Individuals who have Down syndrome (DS) frequently develop early onset Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative condition caused by the build-up of aggregated amyloid-β and tau proteins in the brain. Amyloid-β is produced by amyloid precursor protein (APP), a gene located on chromosome 21. People who have Down syndrome have three copies of chromosome 21 and thus also an additional copy of APP; this genetic change drives the early development of Alzheimer's disease in these individuals. Here we use a combination of next-generation mouse models of Down syndrome (Tc1, Dp3Tyb, Dp(10)2Yey and Dp(17)3Yey) and a knockin mouse model of amyloid-β accumulation (AppNL-F ) to determine how chromosome 21 genes, other than APP, modulate APP/amyloid-β in the brain when in three copies. Using both male and female mice, we demonstrate that three copies of other chromosome 21 genes are sufficient to partially ameliorate amyloid-β accumulation in the brain. We go on to identify a subregion of chromosome 21 that contains the gene/genes causing this decrease in amyloid-β accumulation and investigate the role of two lead candidate genes Dyrk1a and Bace2 Thus an additional copy of chromosome 21 genes, other than APP, can modulate APP/amyloid-β in the brain under physiological conditions. This work provides critical mechanistic insight into the development of disease and an explanation for the typically later age of onset of dementia in people who have AD-DS, compared to those who have familial AD caused by triplication of APP Significance Statement:Trisomy of chromosome 21 is a commonly occurring genetic risk factor for early-onset Alzheimer's disease, which has been previously attributed to people with Down syndrome having three copies of the APP gene, which is encoded on chromosome 21. However, we have shown that an extra copy of other chromosome 21 genes modifies AD-like phenotypes independently of APP copy number (Wiseman et al. 2018, Brain; Tosh et al. 2021 Scientific Reports). Here, we use a mapping approach to narrow-down the genetic cause of the modulation of pathology; demonstrating that gene(s) on chromosome 21 decrease amyloid-β accumulation in the brain, independently of alterations to full-length APP or C-terminal fragment abundance and that just 38 genes are sufficient to cause this

Exploring barriers to guideline implementation for prescription of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis in Nigeria.

Background: In Nigeria, the prescription of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis for prevention of surgical site infection tends to be driven by local policy rather than by published guidelines (e.g. WHO and Sanford). Objectives: To triangulate three datasets and understand key barriers to implementation using a behavioural science framework. Methods: Surgeons (N = 94) from three teaching hospitals in Nigeria participated in an online survey and in focus group discussions about barriers to implementation. The theoretical domains framework (TDF) was used to structure question items and interview schedules. A subgroup (N = 20) piloted a gamified decision support app over the course of 6 months and reported barriers at the point of care. Results: Knowledge of guidelines and intention to implement them in practice was high. Key barriers to implementation were related to environmental context and resources and concern over potential consequences of implementing recommendations within the Nigerian context applicable for similar settings in low-to-middle-income countries. Conclusions: The environmental context and limited resource setting of Nigerian hospitals currently presents a significant barrier to implementation of WHO and Sanford guidelines. Research and data collected from the local context must directly inform the writing of future international guidelines to increase rates of implementation

Beliefs About Medication and Uptake of Preventive Therapy in Women at Increased Risk of Breast Cancer: Results From a Multicenter Prospective Study

Introduction Uptake of preventive therapies for breast cancer is low. We examined whether women at increased risk of breast cancer can be categorized into groups with similar medication beliefs, and whether belief group membership was prospectively associated with uptake of preventive therapy. Patients and Methods Women (n = 732) attending an appointment to discuss breast cancer risk were approached; 408 (55.7%) completed the Beliefs About Medicines and the Perceived Sensitivity to Medicines questionnaires. Uptake of tamoxifen at 3 months was reported in 258 (63.2%). The optimal number of belief groups were identified using latent profile analysis. Results Uptake of tamoxifen was 14.7% (38/258). One in 5 women (19.4%; 78/402) reported a strong need for tamoxifen. The model fit statistics supported a 2-group model. Both groups held weak beliefs about their need for tamoxifen for current and future health. Group 2 (38%; 154/406 of the sample) reported stronger concerns about tamoxifen and medicines in general, and stronger perceived sensitivity to the negative effects of medicines compared with group 1 (62%; 252/406). Women with low necessity and lower concerns (group 1) were more likely to initiate tamoxifen (18.3%; 33/180) than those with low necessity and higher concerns (group 2) (6.4%; 5/78). After adjusting for demographic and clinical factors, the odds ratio was 3.37 (95% confidence interval, 1.08-10.51; P = .036). Conclusion Uptake of breast cancer preventive therapy was low. A subgroup of women reported low need for preventive therapy and strong medication concerns. These women were less likely to initiate tamoxifen. Medication beliefs are targets for supporting informed decision-making

London's water: city comedy, migration and Middletons

Book synopsis: From its origin as the Roman city of Londinium through to its latest incarnation as a super-diverse World City in the twenty-first century, London's history and culture has been shaped by migration. This book expresses and celebrates the plurality of the capital's cultures and affirms the importance of migration in the making of the modern city through thirty-three short essays written by academics, artists, broadcasters and curators. Subjects range from the mediaeval to the contemporary: buildings and institutions, individuals and communities, objects, visual art, street performances and literary texts. Some contributors focus on famous people and places, like Shakespeare and St Paul's, while others explore less well-known subjects, like the Free German League of Culture (1939-46) or Ignatius Sancho, the eighteenth-century musician, grocer and man-of-letters. It is not only London's cultures which are diverse, migration is also plural. This book engages with the very many human migrations from across the globe and within the British Isles that have taken place over the last two-thousand years, as well as with the movements of plants, animals, and ideologies from other countries and continents, and the movement of natural resources and manmade toxins into and through the city. Composed of a vivid collection of snapshots, the volume offers a kaleidoscopic vision of the city and provides new insights into the successive migrant communities that have come to London and made it their own

Non-elite networks and women

Book synopsis: The Oxford Handbook of Early Modern Women's Writing in English, 1540-1700 brings together new work by scholars across the globe, from some of the founding figures in early modern women's writing to those early in their careers and defining the field now. It investigates how and where women gained access to education, how they developed their literary voice through varied genres including poetry, drama, and letters, and how women cultivated domestic and technical forms of knowledge from recipes and needlework to medicines and secret codes. Chapters investigate the ways in which women's writing was an integral part of the intellectual culture of the period, engaging with male writers and traditions, while also revealing the ways in which women's lives and writings were often distinctly different, from women prophetesses to queens, widows, and servants. It explores the intersections of women writing in English with those writing in French, Spanish, Latin, and Greek, in Europe and in New England, and argues for an archipelagic understanding of women's writing in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and England. Finally, it reflects on--and challenges--the methodologies which have developed in, and with, the field: book and manuscript history, editing, digital analysis, premodern critical race studies, network theory, queer theory, and feminist theory. The Oxford Handbook of Early Modern Women's Writing in English, 1540-1700 captures the most innovative work on early modern women's writing in English at present