Improving Use of Research in the Third Sector: A Journey with Apex Scotland

This case study describes a project to improve research use in Apex Scotland, and to share the learning with others. It includes details about the problem addressed through the project, what we did, what we found, the challenges faced and what was learnt about supporting the use of research in third sector organisations

Shaping the criminal justice system: the role of those supported by Criminal Justice Service

In Scotland, the development and delivery ofpersonalised social work services has been part of a wider public service reform agenda, building on Changing lives: report of the 21st century review of social work (Scottish Executive, 2006). This agenda has focused on harnessing the strengths, predilections, networks and capacities of those supported by services, to inform the design and delivery of services. To date, the place of criminal justice in this reform agenda has received comparatively limited attention (Weaver, 2011). This Insight focuses on the issue of involving those who have offended in shaping the criminal justice system, exploring the different models of involvement, the effectiveness of different approaches and the implications for Criminal Justice Social Work services

How and why people stop offending: discovering desistance

This is an evidence summary published by the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social services in Scotland (IRISS). It summarises evidence about desistance from crime and provides a series of recommendations for criminal justice policy, systems and practice

Sustaining knowledge exchange and research impact in the social sciences and humanities:Investing in knowledge broker roles in UK universities

Over the last decade, higher education policy in the United Kingdom (UK) has increasingly focused on the impact of academic research. This has resulted in the emergence of specialist knowledge brokers within UK universities in the social sciences and humanities. Our empirical research identified a tension between the research impact agenda and the value placed on knowledge brokerage. Based on interviews with knowledge brokers at the University of Edinburgh, we argue that funding models, short-term contracts, and posts combining knowledge brokerage with other functions result in a transient population and a squeeze on knowledge brokerage, which may limit its effectiveness in achieving research impact. © Policy Press 2013

Mulberry extract to modULate Blood glucosE Responses in noRmoglYcaemic adults (MULBERRY): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: worldwide sugar consumption has tripled during the last fifty years. High sugar intake is associated with weight gain and increased incidence of diabetes and has been linked with increased cardiovascular mortality. Reducing the health impact of dietary sugar and poor quality carbohydrate intake is a public health priority. IminoNorm®, a proprietary mulberry leaf extract (ME), may reduce blood glucose responses following dietary sugar and carbohydrate intake by reducing absorption of glucose from the gut. Previous research has shown that ME can reduce blood glucose and improve insulin responses in healthy subjects and also in subjects with raised fasting blood glucose levels. Mulberry leaf has an excellent safety profile. This pilot study will test a novel, safe, water soluble product in normoglycaemic adults in the UK to determine if it can reduce glucose absorption without increasing plasma insulin concentration.Methods/design: the trial will be a double-blind, individually randomised, four-arm single-dose crossover design to test the effect of three doses of ME in order to determine efficacy, dose response relationship and gastrointestinal side effects with respect to placebo. A total of 40 subjects will participate in this study and attend for four visits receiving each of the four interventions in random order.Discussion: we aim to test the evidence that mulberry leaf extract can reduce blood glucose without a disproportionate increase in blood insulin responses in healthy individuals in a high-quality research study based in the UK. It is hoped that this will lead to further randomised controlled trials and an effective dietary supplement to lower blood glucose concentration

The echocardiography diagnosis of cor pulmonale in a horse

The authors describe the two-dimensional and Doppler signs that characterize the pulmonary hypertension caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a horse

Effect of the association of three drugs in the treatment of congestive heart failure in dogs with mitral myxomatosis

The authors studied the response in dogs with varying degrees of congestive heart failure due to\nmyxomatous valve disease the simultaneous administration of three drugs: spironolactone, benazepril\nand magnesium gluconate.\nThe studied patients (25) hadn?t received medication at the time of the first evaluation and that\nassociation was administered at dose of 2 mg / kg; 0.25 mg / kg and 7.5 mg / kg respectively every\n24 hours for a period of four months.\nThe data obtained were processed statistically by performing test for normality ( Shapiro-Wilks test\nand Wilcoxon) and inference based on two-sample (?t? for paired samples)\nThe results showed an overall clinical improvement, verified by history and clinical evaluation,\nimprovement in ECG parameters and significant differences in serum urea and creatinine, in\nthe regurgitate volume and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. No changes in two-dimensional\nechocardiographic parameters studied were observed.Fil: Buzzano, O. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Hospital Escuela. Unidad de Cardiología; ArgentinaFil: Graziano, A. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Hospital Escuela. Unidad de Cardiología; ArgentinaFil: Barrios, J. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Hospital Escuela. Unidad de Cardiología; ArgentinaFil: Lightowler, C. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Hospital Escuela. Unidad de Cardiología; ArgentinaLos autores estudiaron la respuesta de perros con distintos grados de insuficiencia cardiaca congestiva\nmotivada por mixomatosis de la válvula mitral a la administración simultánea de tres drogas:\nespironolactona, benazepril y gluconato de magnesio.\nLos pacientes estudiados (25) no habían recibido ninguna medicación a la fecha del inicio del\nestudio y la mencionada asociación se administró en dosis de 2 mg/kg; 0,25mg/kg y 7,5mg/kg\nrespectivamente, cada 24 horas, por un período de cuatro meses.\nLos datos obtenidos fueron procesados estadísticamente realizando prueba de normalidad ShapiroWilks,\ntest de Wilcoxon e inferencia basada en dos muestras (?t? para muestras apareadas).\nLos resultados obtenidos mostraron una mejoría clínica general, verificada por anamnesis y evaluación\nclínica, una mejoría en los parámetros electrocardiográficos y diferencias significativas en los valores\nde urea y creatinina, en el volumen regurgitante y en la tensión arterial sistólica y diastólica. No se\nobservaron modificaciones de los parámetros ecocardiográficos bidimensionales estudiados

Predicción de fenómenos arrítmicos a través de la variabilidad de la frecuencia cardíaca en caninos

El estudio de la variabilidad de la frecuencia cardíaca (VFC) es una de las técnicas que permiten conocer el balance y efecto de ambas divisiones del sistema nervioso autónomo sobre el corazón del ser humano. El predominio simpático predispone a las arritmias cardíacas. El estudio consiste en realizar una exploración electrocardiográfica ambulatoria (Holter) y compilar las variaciones que se producen en el intervalo RR entre cada latido cardíaco. De acuerdo a los datos obtenidos tras el correspondiente procesamiento estadístico se desprende que en el perro portador de enfermedades cardíacas la VFC dis­minuye tal como acontece en el ser humano y, por lo tanto, cumpliría la misma función como predictor de sucesos arrítmicos

Evaluación de los intervalos sistólicos del ventrículo izquierdo en caninos por ecografía Doppler espectral

Los datos sobre intervalos sistólicos del canino son escasosy dispersos, lo cual motivó la necesidad de obtener sus valores ecográficos de referencia,así como su correlación con la frecuencia cardíaca y el peso corporal, de gran utilidad para elesclarecimiento diagnóstico de las cardiopatías de esta especie. Mediante un ecógrafo DopplerKontron modelo Iris 440 se estudiaron 78 perros clínicamente sanos de diferente sexo,edad, peso y raza. Se obtuvieron valores medios para el período pre–eyectivo (78,2±5,1 mseg),tiempo de eyección del ventrículo izquierdo (172,2±2,8 mseg) y sístole electromecánica total(215,28±15,20 mseg). La relación entre los dos primeros parámetros resultó de 0,415±0,04.Estadísticamente no hubo correlación entre los intervalos sistólicos y el peso corporal delos animales, pero se registraron altas correlaciones (p < 0,01) entre la frecuencia cardíaca yparámetros como tiempo de eyección del ventrículo izquierdo, sístole electromecánica total yrelación entre período pre–eyectivo y tiempo de eyección del ventrículo izquierdo