Rape and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Examining the Mediating Role of Explicit Sex-Power Beliefs for Men Versus Women

Many rape survivors exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and recent literature suggests survivors\u27 beliefs about sex and control may affect PTSD symptoms. The present study examined beliefs about sex and power as potential mediators of the relationship between rape and PTSD symptoms for men versus women. Participants (N = 782) reported lifetime history of rape, current PTSD symptoms, and beliefs about sex and power. Women reported higher levels of lifetime history of rape than men (19.7% for women; 9.7% for men). While rape history predicted PTSD symptoms for both genders, beliefs about sex and power were shown to be a significant partial mediator of this relationship for men, but not for women. Results extend the literature on rape and PTSD by suggesting that survivors\u27 beliefs about sex and power are connected and can affect their PTSD symptoms. Additionally, results illustrate how sexual violence against men may reaffirm male gender roles that entail power and aggression, and ultimately affect trauma recovery

Opinion Piece: The case for establishing a minimal medication alternative for psychosis and schizophrenia

The development of severe mental health conditions is strongly linked to our environments, particularly experiences of trauma and adversity. However treatments for severe mental health conditions are often primarily biomedical, centred around medication. For people diagnosed with schizophrenia or psychosis, this is antipsychotic medication. Although antipsychotics have been found to reduce symptoms and risk of relapse, some patients derive little benefit from these drugs, and they can lead to severe adverse effects. Subsequently, a high proportion of people do not want to take antipsychotics and request an alternative. Yet in the UK and in many countries there are currently no guidelines for stopping antipsychotics or formal treatment alternatives, despite such alternatives being available in some countries. For example, in Norway and Vermont (USA), in response to pressure from service user organisations, governments have mandated the establishment of “minimal medication” services. We examine whether everyone with a psychotic condition needs long-term antipsychotic treatment and evidence for alternative models of care. We recommend that healthcare providers should be encouraged to develop a psychosocial treatment package for people with psychosis or schizophrenia that provides a realistic possibility of minimising antipsychotic exposure

HOW SAFE ARE THE CODE OF POINTS LANDING TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS IN ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS? PRELIMINARY RESULTS

To examine the effect of the code of points landing technical requirements in artistic gymnastics, eight female artistic gymnasts performed backward somersault dismounts off a 90 cm vaulting box. Three dimensional motion as well as upper back accelerations were measured for three landing techniques: current competition landing with feet together (FT); competition landing with a step back (SB); landing with feet shoulder width apart (FA). Group average impact forces were lowest for the FA technique; individual analyses showed SB or FA techniques were safer for 75% of gymnasts. Upper back accelerations indicating how well they could control the impact shock did not differ between the three landing techniques. The landing rule in gymnastics does have an effect on the initial and werall impact loads for backward somersault dismounts

Prevalence of micronutrient deficiency in popular diet plans

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Research has shown micronutrient deficiency to be scientifically linked to a higher risk of overweight/obesity and other dangerous and debilitating diseases. With more than two-thirds of the U.S. population overweight or obese, and research showing that one-third are on a diet at any given time, a need existed to determine whether current popular diet plans could protect followers from micronutrient deficiency by providing the minimum levels of 27 micronutrients, as determined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) Reference Daily Intake (RDI) guidelines.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Suggested daily menus from four popular diet plans (<it>Atkins for Life </it>diet, <it>The South Beach Diet</it>, <it>the DASH diet</it>, <it>the DASH diet</it>) were evaluated. Calorie and micronutrient content of each ingredient, in each meal, were determined by using food composition data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. The results were evaluated for sufficiency and total calories and deficient micronutrients were identified. The diet plans that did not meet 100% sufficiency by RDI guidelines for each of the 27 micronutrients were re-analyzed; (1) to identify a micronutrient sufficient calorie intake for all 27 micronutrients, and (2) to identify a second micronutrient sufficient calorie intake when consistently low or nonexistent micronutrients were removed from the sufficiency requirement.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Analysis determined that each of the four popular diet plans failed to provide minimum RDI sufficiency for all 27 micronutrients analyzed. The four diet plans, on average, were found to be RDI sufficient in (11.75 ± 2.02; mean ± SEM) of the analyzed 27 micronutrients and contain (1748.25 ± 209.57) kcal. Further analysis of the four diets found that an average calorie intake of (27,575 ± 4660.72) would be required to achieve sufficiency in all 27 micronutrients. Six micronutrients (vitamin B7, vitamin D, vitamin E, chromium, iodine and molybdenum) were identified as consistently low or nonexistent in all four diet plans. These six micronutrients were removed from the sufficiency requirement and additional analysis of the four diets was conducted. It was determined that an average calorie content of (3,475 ± 543.81) would be required to reach 100% sufficiency in the remaining 21 micronutrients.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings are significant and indicate that an individual following a popular diet plan as suggested, with food alone, has a high likelihood of becoming micronutrient deficient; a state shown to be scientifically linked to an increased risk for many dangerous and debilitating health conditions and diseases.</p

Highly Differentiated Human Fetal RPE Cultures Are Resistant to the Accumulation and Toxicity of Lipofuscin-Like Material

PURPOSE. The accumulation of undigestible autofluorescent material (UAM), termed lipofuscin in vivo, is a hallmark of aged RPE. Lipofuscin derives, in part, from the incomplete degradation of phagocytized photoreceptor outer segments (OS). Whether this accumulated waste is toxic is unclear. We therefore investigated the effects of UAM in highly differentiated human fetal RPE (hfRPE) cultures. METHODS. Unmodified and photo-oxidized OS were fed daily to confluent cultures of ARPE-19 RPE or hfRPE. The emission spectrum, composition, and morphology of resulting UAM were measured and compared to in vivo lipofuscin. Effects of UAM on multiple RPE phenotypes were assessed. RESULTS. Compared to ARPE-19, hfRPE were markedly less susceptible to UAM buildup. Accumulated UAM in hfRPE initially resembled the morphology of lipofuscin from AMD eyes, but compacted and shifted spectrum over time to resemble lipofuscin from healthy aged human RPE. UAM accumulation mildly reduced transepithelial electrical resistance, ketogenesis, certain RPE differentiation markers, and phagocytosis efficiency, while inducing senescence and rare, focal pockets of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. However, it had no effects on mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate, certain other RPE differentiation markers, secretion of drusen components or polarity markers, nor cell death. CONCLUSIONS. hfRPE demonstrates a remarkable resistance to UAM accumulation, suggesting mechanisms for efficient OS processing that may be lost in other RPE culture models. Furthermore, while UAM alters hfRPE phenotype, the effects are modest, consistent with conflicting reports in the literature on the toxicity of lipofuscin. Our results suggest that healthy RPE may adequately adapt to and tolerate lipofuscin accumulation

Entrenching decentralisation in Africa: A review of the African charter on the values and principles of decentralisation, local governance and local development

The African Union (AU) adopted the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Decentralisation, Local Governance and Local Development (African Charter on Decentralisation) in 2014. The Charter seeks to promote decentralisation as a vehicle for improving the livelihood of people on the African continent. It is the first to provide a decentralisation framework or model framework for local government for the African continent. Like most international instruments, member states of the AU will only be legally bound by the Charter once they have ratified it. Most Member States of the AU have not ratified the Charter due to varying reasons, including, the fact that the ratification process in many countries is often cumbersome. Non-ratification could also be due to the fact that there is not yet a clear understanding of the meaning and significance of the decentralisation framework which the Charter provides. Thus, the actual impact of the Charter on changing the poor state of local government on the African continent upon coming into operation is as yet unknown. This problem is inflated by the fact that there is present no scholarly commentary on the Charter, given that it is relatively new. This article provides a critical analysis of the Charter, looking at its strengths and weakness, against the background of the international literature on decentralisation and ‘best’ practices on local government

Genetic association study of adiposity and melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) common variants: Replication and functional characterization of non-coding regions

Common genetic variants 3′ of MC4R within two large linkage disequilibrium (LD) blocks spanning 288 kb have been associated with common and rare forms of obesity. This large association region has not been refined and the relevant DNA segments within the association region have not been identified. In this study, we investigated whether common variants in the MC4R gene region were associated with adiposity-related traits in a biracial population-based study. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the MC4R region were genotyped with a custom array and a genome-wide array and associations between SNPs and five adiposity-related traits were determined using race-stratified linear regression. Previously reported associations between lower BMI and the minor alleles of rs2229616/Val103Ile and rs52820871/Ile251Leu were replicated in white female participants. Among white participants, rs11152221 in a proximal 3′ LD block (closer to MC4R) was significantly associated with multiple adiposity traits, but SNPs in a distal 309 LD block (farther from MC4R ) were not. In a case-control study of severe obesity, rs11152221 was significantly associated. The association results directed our follow-up studies to the proximal LD block downstream of MC4R. By considering nucleotide conservation, the significance of association, and proximity to the MC4R gene, we identified a candidate MC4R regulatory region. This candidate region was sequenced in 20 individuals from a study of severe obesity in an attempt to identify additional variants, and the candidate region was tested for enhancer activity using in vivo enhancer assays in zebrafish and mice. Novel variants were not identified by sequencing and the candidate region did not drive reporter gene expression in zebrafish or mice. The identification of a putative insulator in this region could help to explain the challenges faced in this study and others to link SNPs associated with adiposity to altered MC4R expression. © 2014 Evans et al

HMG1A and PPARG are differently expressed in the liver of fat and lean broilers

The expression of nine functional candidates for QT abdominal fat weight and relative abdominal fat content was investigated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the liver, adipose tissue, colon, muscle, pituitary gland and brain of broilers. The high mobility group AT-hook 1 (HMG1A) gene was up-regulated in liver with a ratio of means of 2.90 (P ≤ 0.01) in the «fatty» group (relative abdominal fat content 3.5 ± 0.18%, abdominal fat weight 35.4 ± 6.09 g) relative to the «lean» group (relative abdominal fat content 1.9 ± 0.56%, abdominal fat weight 19.2 ± 5.06 g). Expression of this gene was highly correlated with the relative abdominal fat content (0.70, P ≤ 0.01) and abdominal fat weight (0.70, P ≤ 0.01). The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) gene was also up-regulated in the liver with a ratio of means of 3.34 (P ≤ 0.01) in the «fatty» group relative to the «lean» group. Correlation of its expression was significant with both the relative abdominal fat content (0.55, P ≤ 0.05) and the abdominal fat weight (0.57, P ≤ 0.01). These data suggest that the HMG1A and PPARG genes were candidate genes for abdominal fat deposition in chickens. Searching of rSNPs in regulatory regions of the HMG1A and PPARG genes could provide a tool for gene-assisted selection

Development of a longitudinal integrated clerkship at an academic medical center

In 2005, medical educators at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), began developing the Parnassus Integrated Student Clinical Experiences (PISCES) program, a year-long longitudinal integrated clerkship at its academic medical center. The principles guiding this new clerkship were continuity with faculty preceptors, patients, and peers; a developmentally progressive curriculum with an emphasis on interdisciplinary teaching; and exposure to undiagnosed illness in acute and chronic care settings. Innovative elements included quarterly student evaluation sessions with all preceptors together, peer-to-peer evaluation, and oversight advising with an assigned faculty member. PISCES launched with eight medical students for the 2007/2008 academic year and expanded to 15 students for 2008/2009. Compared to UCSF's traditional core clerkships, evaluations from PISCES indicated significantly higher student satisfaction with faculty teaching, formal didactics, direct observation of clinical skills, and feedback. Student performance on discipline-specific examinations and United States Medical Licensing Examination step 2 CK was equivalent to and on standardized patient examinations was slightly superior to that of traditional peers. Participants' career interests ranged from primary care to surgical subspecialties. These results demonstrate that a longitudinal integrated clerkship can be implemented successfully at a tertiary care academic medical center