2,441 research outputs found
Developing a community-based intervention to improve quality of life in people with colorectal cancer: a complex intervention development study
Objectives: To develop and pilot a theory and evidence-based intervention to improve quality of life (QoL) in people with colorectal cancer.
Design: A complex intervention development study.
Setting: North East Scotland and Glasgow.
Participants: Semistructured interviews with people with colorectal cancer (n=28), cancer specialists (n=16) and primary care health professionals (n=14) and pilot testing with patients (n=12).
Interventions: A single, 1â
h nurse home visit 6â12â
weeks after diagnosis, and telephone follow-up 1â
week later (with a view to ongoing follow-up in future).
Primary and secondary outcome measures: Qualitative assessment of intervention feasibility and acceptability.
Results: Modifiable predictors of QoL identified previously were symptoms (fatigue, pain, diarrhoea, shortness of breath, insomnia, anorexia/cachexia, poor psychological well-being, sexual problems) and impaired activities. To modify these symptoms and activities, an intervention based on Control Theory was developed to help participants identify personally important symptoms and activities; set appropriate goals; use action planning to progress towards goals; self-monitor progress and identify (and tackle) barriers limiting progress. Interview responses were generally favourable and included recommendations about timing and style of delivery that were incorporated into the intervention. The pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of intervention delivery.
Conclusions: Through multidisciplinary collaboration, a theory-based, acceptable and feasible intervention to improve QoL in colorectal cancer patients was developed, and can now be evaluated
Crystal Structure and Magnetism of the Linear-Chain Copper Oxides Sr5Pb3-xBixCuO12
The title quasi-1D copper oxides (0=< x =<0.4) were investigated by neutron
diffraction and magnetic susceptibility studies. Polyhedral CuO4 units in the
compounds were found to comprise linear-chains at inter-chain distance of
approximately 10 A. The parent chain compound (x = 0), however, shows less
anisotropic magnetic behavior above 2 K, although it is of substantially
antiferromagnetic (mu_{eff}= 1.85 mu_{B} and Theta_{W} = -46.4 K) spin-chain
system. A magnetic cusp gradually appears at about 100 K in T vs chi with the
Bi substitution. The cusp (x = 0.4) is fairly characterized by and therefore
suggests the spin gap nature at Delta/k_{B} ~ 80 K. The chain compounds hold
electrically insulating in the composition range.Comment: To be published in PR
Why do people fail to turn good intentions into action? : The role of executive control processes in the translation of healthy eating intentions into action in young Scottish adults
Non peer reviewedPublisher PD
Cutting Edge: Suppression of GM-CSF Expression in Murine and Human T Cells by IL-27:suppression of GM-CSF expression in murine and human T cells by IL-27
GM-CSF is a potent pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays a pathogenic role in the CNS inflammatory disease, EAE. As IL-27 ameliorates EAE, we hypothesised that IL-27 suppresses GM-CSF expression by T cells. We found that IL-27 suppressed GM-CSF expression in CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in splenocyte and purified T cell cultures. IL-27 suppressed GM-CSF in Th1, but not Th17 cells. IL-27 also suppressed GM-CSF expression by human T cells in non-polarised and Th1 but not Th17 polarised PBMC cultures. In vivo, IL-27p28 deficiency resulted in increased GM-CSF expression by CNS infiltrating T cells during Toxoplasma gondii infection. While in vitro suppression of GM-CSF by IL-27 was independent of IL-2 suppression, IL-10 up-regulation or SOCS3 signalling, we observed that IL-27-driven suppression of GM-CSF was STAT1 dependent. Our findings demonstrate that IL-27 is a robust negative regulator of GM-CSF expression in T cells which likely inhibits T cell pathogenicity in CNS inflammation
Gamma-ray binaries: pulsars in disguise ?
LS 5039 and LSI +61 303 are unique amongst high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXB)
for their spatially-resolved radio emission and their counterpart at >GeV
gamma-ray energies, canonically attributed to non-thermal particles in an
accretion-powered relativistic jet. The only other HMXB known to emit very high
energy (VHE) gamma-rays, PSR B1259-63, harbours a non-accreting millisecond
pulsar. I investigate whether the interaction of the relativistic wind from a
young pulsar with the wind from its stellar companion, as in PSR B1259-63,
constitutes a viable scenario to explain the observations of LS 5039 and LSI
+61 303. Emission would arise from the shocked pulsar wind material, which then
flows away to large distances in a comet-shape tail, reproducing on a smaller
scale what is observed in isolated, high motion pulsars interacting with the
ISM. Simple expectations for the SED are derived and are shown to depend on few
input parameters. Detailed modelling of the particle evolution is compared to
the observations from radio to TeV energies. Acceleration at the shock provides
high energy electrons that steadily emit synchrotron in X-rays and inverse
Compton scatter stellar light to gamma-rays. Electrons streaming out of the
system emit at IR frequencies and below. The overall aspect of the SEDs is
adequately reproduced for standard values of the parameters. The morphology of
the radio tail can mimic a microquasar jet. Good agreement is found with the
published VLBI map of LS 5039 and predictions are made on the expected change
in appearance with orbital phase. The pulsar wind scenario can provide a
common, viable framework to interpret the emission from all three gamma-ray
binaries.Comment: 20 pages, 20 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Stringent neutron-star limits on large extra dimensions
Supernovae (SNe) are copious sources for Kaluza-Klein gravitons which are
generic for theories with large extra dimensions. These massive particles are
produced with average velocities ~0.5 c so that many of them are
gravitationally retained by the SN core. Every neutron star thus has a halo of
KK gravitons which decay into nu bar-nu, e^+e^- and gamma gamma on time scales
\~10^9 years. The EGRET gamma-flux limits (E_gamma ~ 100 MeV) for nearby
neutron stars constrain the fundamental scale for n=2 extra dimensions to M
>500 TeV, and M>30 TeV for n=3. The upcoming GLAST satellite is a factor ~30
more sensitive and thus may detect KK decays, for example at the nearby neutron
star RX J185635--3754. The requirement that neutron stars are not excessively
heated by KK decays implies M>1700 TeV for n=2, and M>60 TeV for n=3.Comment: Minor changes, matches version to appear in PR
The S troke H yperglycemia I nsulin N etwork E ffort ( SHINE ) trial protocol: a randomized, blinded, efficacy trial of standard vs. intensive hyperglycemia management in acute stroke
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102726/1/ijs12045.pd
Discovery of Two Gravitationally Lensed Quasars with Image Separations of 3 Arcseconds from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
We report the discovery of two doubly-imaged quasars, SDSS
J100128.61+502756.9 and SDSS J120629.65+433217.6, at redshifts of 1.838 and
1.789 and with image separations of 2.86'' and 2.90'', respectively. The
objects were selected as lens candidates from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
(SDSS). Based on the identical nature of the spectra of the two quasars in each
pair and the identification of the lens galaxies, we conclude that the objects
are gravitational lenses. The lenses are complicated; in both systems there are
several galaxies in the fields very close to the quasars, in addition to the
lens galaxies themselves. The lens modeling implies that these nearby galaxies
contribute significantly to the lens potentials. On larger scales, we have
detected an enhancement in the galaxy density near SDSS J100128.61+502756.9.
The number of lenses with image separation of ~3'' in the SDSS already exceeds
the prediction of simple theoretical models based on the standard
Lambda-dominated cosmology and observed velocity function of galaxies.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Effects of Inherent Tissue Anisotropy on Measurements Obtained with a Clinical Ultrasonic Imaging System
Our overall goal is to develop clinically applicable tissue characterization methods, based on quantitative analyses of backscattered ultrasound, which can differentiate normal from diseased heart segments. In implementing these methods there is a need to compensate for the inherent anisotropic properties of the heart that are exhibited in echocardiographic images. [1â4] Furthermore, quantitative tissue characterization methods may be able to exploit the inherent anisotropy of the myocardium to achieve assessment of cardiac properties.[5â9] The specific aims of this investigation were to measure the spectral properties of backscattered ultrasound using a clinical imaging system and to determine effects of inherent tissue anisotropy on measured spectral properties of backscattered ultrasound
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