The Conservatives in crisis

The Conservatives in crisis provides a timely and important analysis of the Conservative Party's spell in opposition following the 1997 general election. It includes chapters by leading academic experts on the party and commentaries by three senior Conservative politicians: Lord Parkinson, Andrew Lansley MP and Ian Taylor MP. Having been the dominant force in British politics in the twentieth century, the Conservative Party suffered its heaviest general election defeats in 1997 and 2001. This book explores the party's current crisis and assesses the Conservatives' failure to mount a political recovery under the leadership of William Hague. The Conservatives in crisis includes a detailed examination of the reform of the Conservative Party organisation, changes in ideology and policy, the party's electoral fortunes, and Hague's record as party leader. It also offers an innovative historical perspective on previous Conservative recoveries and a comparison with the revival of the US Republican Party. In the conclusion the editors assess the failures of the Hague period and examine the party's performance under Iain Duncan Smith. The Conservatives in crisis will be essential reading for students of contemporary British politics

The Application of Self-Administered Nutrition Screening Tools and Evaluations of the Impact of Malnutrition on Quality of Life in Individuals with Head and Neck Cancer

Abstract Background: Individuals with head and neck cancer (HNCa) are at an increased risk of malnutrition. Therefore, self-administered nutrition screens which attempt to address their nutritional concerns may yield benefits for treatment outcomes and quality of life (QOL). Methods: 34 participants (26 men, 8 women) completed one demographic and two QOL surveys, two nutrition self-screening tools, a nutrition assessment and an ease-of-use questionnaire. Results of the screens were compared to those of the assessment, and relationships between QOL, nutrition status, and demographics were examined. Results: 32.3% of participants were identified as nutritionally compromised. The sensitivity and specificity for the PG-SGA SF and Pt-Global Application were found to be 81.8% and 100%, and 63.6% and 100%, respectively. Additionally, alterations in nutrition status were found to influence QOL. Conclusions: Data suggest that self-administered nutrition screens may be a viable option which enable proactive identification of nutritional concerns associated with HNCa

Exercise as a Potential Treatment for Drug Abuse: Evidence from Preclinical Studies

Epidemiological studies reveal that individuals who engage in regular aerobic exercise are less likely to use and abuse illicit drugs. Until recently, very few studies had examined the causal influences that mediate this relationship, and it was not clear whether exercise was effective at reducing substance use and abuse. In the past few years, several preclinical studies have revealed that exercise reduces drug self-administration in laboratory animals. These studies have revealed that exercise produces protective effects in procedures designed to model different transitional phases that occur during the development of, and recover from, a substance use disorder (e.g., acquisition, maintenance, escalation, and relapse/reinstatement of drug use). Moreover, recent studies have revealed several behavioral and neurobiological consequences of exercise that may be responsible for its protective effects in these assays. Collectively, these studies have provided convincing evidence to support the development of exercise-based interventions to reduce compulsive patterns of drug intake in clinical and at-risk populations

Surface layer proteins as virulence factors in Clostridiun difficile infection

Clostridium difficile is a nosocomial pathogen possessing Surface Layer Proteins (SLPs), which exhibit adherent and immunostimulatory properties. Using bioinformatics tools, evidence of positive selection (PS) was detected in the SLPs of hypervirulent ribotype (RT) 027, indicating a potential correlation between PS and immunostimulatory properties. The SLPs were purified, and examined for their effect on immune cells. Up-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines was observed, however the strength of the response differed between strains. RT 027 induced a strong inflammatory response relative to the RT 001, with which it exhibits sequence similarity. An animal model of C. difficile infection compared severity of RT 001 and RT 027. RT 001 induced mild disease with full recovery by day 7, while RT 027 exhibited more severe disease with less clearance. Tissue damage was visualised by histology staining. Further staining showed macrophage and neutrophil infiltration of the tissue. qPCR analysis showed induction of Th17-linked pro-inflammatory cytokines at day 3 in response to RT 001, with levels lowering by day 7. RT 027 infected animals showed later production of IL-10. This may contribute to suppressing clearance. A dendritic cell T cell co-culture was also carried out to fully determine the effect of SLPs on the adaptive immune response. These results strongly suggest the importance of SLPs in disease, and that positive selection may be playing a role in driving the emergence of hypervirulent strains