Preadolescent girls' group: theoretical background and program proposal

Call number: LD2668 .R4 HDFS 1988 W54Master of ScienceFamily Studies and Human Service

Masculine Desire and Feminine Imitation: Contextualizing Heterosexual Relationships in Sister Carrie

Theodore Dreiser is generally considered one of the greatest American naturalist authors across the genre. His depiction of life is gritty and harsh, his characters at the mercy of their natural impulses and their unforgiving environment. However, there is also a sentimental element to Dreiser’s work, especially in his portrayal of romantic relationships. In the face of unrelenting adversity, there is a glimmer of possibility in the longing for meaningful human connection, if only under different circumstances. While Dreiser’s naturalistic approach suggests that such relationships can never be truly fulfilling due to either the innate frailty of the participants or the outside forces acting upon them, he does not discount the value of love and affection. This thesis analyzes Dreiser’s first novel, Sister Carrie, and the relationships among its three principal characters: Carrie Meeber, Charles Drouet, and George Hurstwood. Close attention is given to the female perspective, particularly what romantic relationship requires her to compromise or sacrifice. With respect to male desire and female imitation, heterosexual relationships are presented as transactional, the primary motivators of which are biological and socioeconomic, and are informed according to gender

The Value of a Chest CT in the Evaluation of a Newly Detected Brain Tumor

OBJECTIVE: To create a care pathway for patients with a newly detected brain tumor, by examining common diagnostic pathways for patients diagnosed with a primary brain tumor or a central nervous system metastasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients diagnosed atMGH between 1/1/95 and 12/31/97 with a primary brain tumor or a central nervous system metastasis were studied. Only patients who displayed one or two brain lesions and presented to the MGH emergency ward or transferred in from another emergency ward were included in the study. Clinical characteristics, use and results of radiological testing, and final diagnostic procedures were evaluated. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients were selected for the study. The most common ancillary test performed was a chest x-ray; 97.9% of the patients received a chest x-ray, while only 18.8% received a chest CT. None of the chest CT examinations showed a diagnostically significant different from the chest x-ray. Other ancillary scanning was done infrequently. DISCUSSION: A relatively small proportion of patients with a newly detected brain lesion received any type of ancillary testing beyond a chest x-ray. A chest x-ray appeared to change the biopsy site from the brain to another site in about 50% of the cases. Not enough chest CT examinations were done to determine their effectiveness. However, the resuhs seem to indicate that the preliminary diagnosis of the admitting physician is not necessarily based upon the results of a chest x-ray or other ancillary testing

The norovirus NS3 protein is a dynamic lipid- and microtubule-associated protein involved in viral RNA replication

Norovirus (NoV) infections are a significant health burden to society, yet the lack of reliable tissue culture systems has hampered the development of appropriate antiviral therapies. Here we show that the NoV NS3 protein, derived from murine NoV (MNV), is intimately associated with the MNV replication complex and the viral replication intermediate double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). We observed that when expressed individually, MNV NS3 and NS3 encoded by human Norwalk virus (NV) induced the formation of distinct vesicle-like structures that did not colocalize with any particular protein markers to cellular organelles but localized to cellular membranes, in particular those with a high cholesterol content. Both proteins also showed some degree of colocalization with the cytoskeleton marker β-tubulin. Although the distribution of MNV and NV NS3s were similar, NV NS3 displayed a higher level of colocalization with the Golgi apparatus and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, we observed that although both proteins colocalized in membranes counterstained with filipin, an indicator of cholesterol content, MNV NS3 displayed a greater association with flotillin and stomatin, proteins known to associate with sphingolipid- and cholesterol-rich microdomains. Utilizing time-lapse epifluorescence microscopy, we observed that the membrane-derived vesicular structures induced by MNV NS3 were highly motile and dynamic in nature, and their movement was dependent on intact microtubules. These results begin to interrogate the functions of NoV proteins during virus replication and highlight the conserved properties of the NoV NS3 proteins among the seven Norovirus genogroups

“All the Men Here Have the Peter Pan Syndrome— They Don’t Want to Grow Up”: Navajo Adolescent Mothers’ Intimate Partner Relationships—A 15-Year Perspective

In 1992 and 1995, data were collected from 29 Navajo Native American adolescent mothers. In 2007 and 2008, data were collected from 21 of the original 29 (72%). Guided by feminist family theory, this investigation sought to (a) examine Navajo adolescent mothers’ intimate partner relationships during the transition to parenthood, (b) identify themes in the young mothers’ intimate partnerships across time, and (c) assess participants’ psychosocial well-being in adulthood. Four themes emerged in the women’s long-term intimate relationships: limited support, substance abuse, infidelity, and intimate partner violence. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed

Autologous Blood and Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections in the Treatment of Achilles Tendinopathy: A Critically Appraised Topic

Clinical Scenario: Achilles tendinopathy is a painful condition commonly affecting the general and athletic population. It presents with localized pain, stiffness, and swelling in the midportion of the Achilles tendon. The physical stress placed on the tendon results in microtrauma, which leads to subsequent inflammation and degeneration. While it is not surprising that this condition affects the physically active, nearly one-third of Achilles tendinopathy cases occur in sedentary individuals. Etiology for this condition stems from a change in loading patterns and/or overuse of the tendon, resulting in microscopic tearing and degenerative changes. There are numerous causes contributing to the maladaptive response in these patients, such as mechanical, age-related, genetic, and vascular factors. The treatment for these patients is typically load management and eccentric strengthening of the gastrocnemius soleus complex. Unfortunately, conservative treatment can lead to surgical intervention in up to 45% of cases. A relatively new phenomenon in the treatment of this condition is the use of autologous blood injections (ABI) and platelet-rich plasma injections (PRPI). This need for a less invasive treatment fostered more investigation into ABI and PRPI to treat these nonresponsive patients. However, the evidence concerning the effectiveness of these treatments in patients with Achilles tendinopathy has not been synthesized. Focused Clinical Question: In patients with Achilles tendinopathy, how do variations of ABI and PRPI compared with a placebo and/or eccentric training affect pain and function

Next-Generation Raman tomography Instrument for Non-Invasive In Vivo Bone Imaging

Combining diffuse optical tomography methods with Raman spectroscopy of tissue provides the ability for in vivo measurements of chemical and molecular characteristics, which have the potential for being useful in diagnostic imaging. In this study a system for Raman tomography was developed and tested. A third generation microCT coupled system was developed to combine 10 detection fibers and 5 excitation fibers with laser line filtering and a Cytop reference signal. Phantom measurements of hydroxyapatite concentrations from 50 to 300 mg/ml had a linear response. Fiber placement and experiment design was optimized using cadaver animals with live animal measurements acquired to validate the systems capabilities. Promising results from the initial animal experiments presented here, pave the way for a study of longitudinal measurements during fracture healing and the scaling of the Raman tomography system towards human measurements

Methodology of a reevaluation of cardiovascular outcomes in the RECORD trial: study design and conduct

Background In 2010, after regulatory review of rosiglitazone licensing, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested a reevaluation of cardiovascular end points in the RECORD trial.<p></p> Methods Automated screening of the original clinical trial database and manual case report form review were performed to identify all potential cardiovascular and noncardiovascular deaths, and nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke events. Search techniques were used to find participants lost to follow-up, and sites were queried for additional source documents. Suspected events underwent blinded adjudication using both original RECORD end point definitions and new FDA end point definitions, before analysis by the Duke Clinical Research Institute.<p></p> Results The reevaluation effort included an additional 328 person-years of follow-up. Automated screening identified 396 suspected deaths, 2,052 suspected MIs, and 468 suspected strokes. Manual review of documents by Duke Clinical Research Institute clinical events classification (CEC) coordinators identified an additional 31 suspected deaths, 49 suspected MIs, and 28 suspected strokes. There were 127 CEC queries issued requesting additional information on suspected deaths; 43 were closed with no site response, 61 were closed with a response that no additional data were available, and additional data were received for 23. Seventy CEC queries were issued requesting additional information for suspected MI and stroke events; 31 were closed with no site response, 20 were closed with a response that no additional data were available, and 19 resulted in additional data.<p></p> Conclusions Comprehensive procedures were used for rigorous event reascertainment and readjudication in a previously completed open-label, global clinical trial. These procedures used in this unique situation were consistent with other common approaches in the field, were enhanced to address the FDA concerns about the original RECORD trial results, and could be considered by clinical trialists designing event readjudication protocols for drug development programs that have been completed.<p></p&gt