44 research outputs found

    You can’t flight, you need to fight – a qualitative study of mothers’ experiences of feeding extremely preterm infants

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    Aim To describe mother\u27s experiences of feeding their extremely preterm infant. Background When an infant is born extremely preterm, there is a long rocky road for the mother if she wants to breastfeed. Some manage to reach their goals, others do not. Studies of feeding extremely preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are scarce. Design A qualitative method with an inductive approach. Methods Nine mothers giving birth to extremely preterm infants were interviewed by telephone after discharge from the NICU. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed with qualitative content analysis. The COREQ checklist was followed. Results The overall theme was “you can\u27t flight, you need to fight.” The theme reflects the mothers’ will to do the best for their infants even if the struggle with milk expression and breastfeeding practice evoked feelings of helplessness, exposure, worry and disappointment. The categories forming the theme were as follows: The wish to provide own breastmilk; For the infant\u27s best; Loss of control; and Help to reach the goals. Conclusion The mothers had a strong will to provide breastmilk to their infants but requested more support in order to be successful. Relevance to clinical practice There is a need for evidence‐based support programmes for mothers of extremely preterm infants to encourage them to persevere with milk expression and breastfeeding over time

    Physical Education Teacher’s Professional Learning of Implementing a Health Promotion Intervention in the Practice of a Research Circle

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    Scholars recommend that health promotion researchers engage practitioners in the analysis and reporting phase and expand their ability to share their research beyond academia. The purpose of this study was to draw benefit from physical education (PE) teachers’ discussions and reflections of the implementation of a health promotion intervention in school during research circle meetings. The health promotion intervention ‘Pulse for Health and Learning’ (PuLH) focused on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, incorporating a child-centred coaching approach. This study has an action research approach. The research circle consisted of PE teachers (N = 22, approximately 18 per meeting) from eight primary and middle schools (from grades 4 to 9) in eight municipalities in Sweden and three researchers. The theory of ‘practice architectures’ was employed to interpret, discuss, and clarify what enables and constrain PE teachers’ implementation of the health promotion intervention. During the analysis, three discourses were identified: technical-rational discourse, participating discourse, and steering and supporting discourse. The practice architectures both enabled and constrained the implementation of PuLH. The research circle meetings stimulated critically conscious acting and decision-making through collaboration between PE teachers and together with researchers which improved the implementation of PuLH and contributed to PE teachers’ professional development

    The long-term effects of naprapathic manual therapy on back and neck pain - Results from a pragmatic randomized controlled trial

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Back and neck pain are very common, disabling and recurrent disorders in the general population and the knowledge of long-term effect of treatments are sparse. The aim of this study was to compare the long-term effects (up to one year) of naprapathic manual therapy and evidence-based advice on staying active regarding non-specific back and/or neck pain. Naprapathy, a health profession mainly practiced in Sweden, Finland, Norway and in the USA, is characterized by a combination of manual musculoskeletal manipulations, aiming to decrease pain and disability in the neuromusculoskeletal system.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Subjects with non-specific pain/disability in the back and/or neck lasting for at least two weeks (n = 409), recruited at public companies in Sweden, were included in this pragmatic randomized controlled trial. The two interventions compared were naprapathic manual therapy such as spinal manipulation/mobilization, massage and stretching, (<it>Index Group</it>), and advice to stay active and on how to cope with pain, provided by a physician (C<it>ontrol Group</it>). Pain intensity, disability and health status were measured by questionnaires.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>89% completed the 26-week follow-up and 85% the 52-week follow-up. A higher proportion in the Index Group had a clinically important decrease in pain (risk difference (RD) = 21%, <it>95% CI: 10-30</it>) and disability (RD = 11%, <it>95% CI: 4-22</it>) at 26-week, as well as at 52-week follow-ups (pain: RD = 17%, <it>95% CI: 7-27 </it>and disability: RD = 17%, <it>95% CI: 5-28</it>). The differences between the groups in pain and disability considered over one year were statistically significant favoring naprapathy (p ≤ 0.005). There were also significant differences in improvement in bodily pain and social function (subscales of SF-36 health status) favoring the Index Group.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Combined manual therapy, like naprapathy, is effective in the short and in the long term, and might be considered for patients with non-specific back and/or neck pain.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN56954776.</p

    Metabolic Effects of n-3 PUFA as Phospholipids Are Superior to Triglycerides in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet: Possible Role of Endocannabinoids

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    Background n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, namely docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and can ameliorate many of obesity-associated disorders. We hypothesised that the latter effect will be more pronounced when DHA/EPA is supplemented as phospholipids rather than as triglycerides. Methodology/Principal Findings In a ‘prevention study’, C57BL/6J mice were fed for 9 weeks on either a corn oil-based high-fat obesogenic diet (cHF; lipids ~35% wt/wt), or cHF-based diets in which corn oil was partially replaced by DHA/EPA, admixed either as phospholipids or triglycerides from marine fish. The reversal of obesity was studied in mice subjected to the preceding cHF-feeding for 4 months. DHA/EPA administered as phospholipids prevented glucose intolerance and tended to reduce obesity better than triglycerides. Lipemia and hepatosteatosis were suppressed more in response to dietary phospholipids, in correlation with better bioavailability of DHA and EPA, and a higher DHA accumulation in the liver, white adipose tissue (WAT), and muscle phospholipids. In dietary obese mice, both DHA/EPA concentrates prevented a further weight gain, reduced plasma lipid levels to a similar extent, and tended to improve glucose tolerance. Importantly, only the phospholipid form reduced plasma insulin and adipocyte hypertrophy, while being more effective in reducing hepatic steatosis and low-grade inflammation of WAT. These beneficial effects were correlated with changes of endocannabinoid metabolome in WAT, where phospholipids reduced 2-arachidonoylglycerol, and were more effective in increasing anti-inflammatory lipids such as N-docosahexaenoylethanolamine. Conclusions/Significance Compared with triglycerides, dietary DHA/EPA administered as phospholipids are superior in preserving a healthy metabolic profile under obesogenic conditions, possibly reflecting better bioavalability and improved modulation of the endocannabinoid system activity in WA

    Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors

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    Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe

    What factors are decisive for the home care staff to choose to remain within their profession

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    Omvårdnadspersonalen, såsom undersköterskor och vårdbiträden inom hemtjänsten utför ett viktigt uppdrag ändå debatteras det på sociala medier att samma yrkesgrupp flyr sina uppdrag på grund av låg lön, obekväma arbetstider samt dålig status. Det är därför av intresse att belysa faktorer som omvårdnadspersonal finner vara av vikt för att vilja stanna kvar och utvecklas inom hemtjänsten. Syftet med uppsatsen är att finna de nyckelfaktorer som får hemtjänstens omvårdnadspersonal i kommunal verksamhet att välja stanna kvar inom sin yrkesprofession. Författarna valde att använda sig av semistrukturerade intervjuer för att finna faktorer som omvårdnadspersonalen uppger främja ett hållbart yrkesliv. Tio omvårdnadspersonal inom kommunal hemtjänst intervjuades. Materialet analyserades genom kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultatet gav fyra kategorier, arbetsmiljö, kommunikation, organisatoriska faktorer och status. Arbetsmiljön omfattar fysiska och psykosociala aspekter. Kommunikation handlar om interaktion och samspel mellan verksamhetens professioner samt omsorgstagaren. Organisatoriska faktorer innefattar arbetsverktyg, ekonomi och kompetens. Sista kategorin är status och handlar om medias påverkan och värderingar. Samverkan, delaktighet, kommunikation mellan professionerna inom verksamheten samt möjligheten att påverka utförandet av sina arbetsuppgifter och arbetstider likväl att det sker en kontinuerlig kompetensutveckling inom ramen för yrkesutövningen är positiva faktorer för att stanna kvar i sin yrkesutövning

    Voices from Pupil Participation in the Health Promotion Intervention “Pulse for Learning and Health [PuLH]” in Primary and Middle School

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    In order to improve the learning conditions and health of schoolchildren, the Pulse for Learning and Health [PuLH] program in Sweden has introduced additional mandatory moderate to vigorous physical activity [MVPA] that lasts for 30 min three times a week. The PE teachers used a child-centered coaching approach to support all pupils. The aim of this study was to explore pupils’ perception and experience of PuLH that has been implemented in primary and middle schools in Sweden. We have taken into account children’s rights perspectives and adopted an exploratory and interpretive approach. In total, 73 pupils (34 girls, 39 boys, grades 4–9) were recruited through purposive sampling. 13 focus group interviews (n = 71) and individual interviews (n = 2) were carried out. All interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The analysis resulted in three major themes: ‘promotes academic performance and a learning school environment’, ‘promotes health and well-being’, and ‘individual and structural barriers’. From children’s perspective, the results highlight the importance of teachers and principals taking into account the interests and needs of all pupils, to have a well-planned MVPA intervention and to deal with issues regarding body ideals. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funders: Department of Research and Development within Education, Region Jönköping County, Sweden &amp; the following municipalities: Aneby, Eksjö, Gislaved, Habo, Mullsjö, Nässjö, Vaggeryd and Tranås &amp; CVHI, School of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University.</p

    Complexation of aluminum with DNA.

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    The extent of complexation of aluminum(III) with DNA (Calf thymus, Sigma type I) was estimated by means of two experimental techniques: potentiometric titration with a fluoride selective indicator electrode and dialysis followed by aluminum determination by graphite furnace AAS. Both types of experiments indicate that aluminum(III) is bound to DNA. The data are treated by assuming an ion exchange reaction with the phosphate diester groups. Using Rt to denote the concentration of these groups the values of log [AlMn-3R]/(Rt-3[AlMn-3R])[Al3+] decrease from approx. 7.6 to 5.6 when the concentration of sodium chloride is increased from 1 to 100 mM. In the pH range 4.5-5.5 the ion exchange constant increases approximately 0.5 log units. Dialysis gives lower values for the complex formation constant than potentiometry

    You can't flight, you need to fight -A qualitative study of mothers experiences of feeding extremely preterm infants

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    Aim To describe mothers experiences of feeding their extremely preterm infant. Background When an infant is born extremely preterm, there is a long rocky road for the mother if she wants to breastfeed. Some manage to reach their goals, others do not. Studies of feeding extremely preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are scarce. Design A qualitative method with an inductive approach. Methods Nine mothers giving birth to extremely preterm infants were interviewed by telephone after discharge from the NICU. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed with qualitative content analysis. The COREQ checklist was followed. Results The overall theme was "you cant flight, you need to fight." The theme reflects the mothers will to do the best for their infants even if the struggle with milk expression and breastfeeding practice evoked feelings of helplessness, exposure, worry and disappointment. The categories forming the theme were as follows: The wish to provide own breastmilk; For the infants best; Loss of control; and Help to reach the goals. Conclusion The mothers had a strong will to provide breastmilk to their infants but requested more support in order to be successful. Relevance to clinical practice There is a need for evidence-based support programmes for mothers of extremely preterm infants to encourage them to persevere with milk expression and breastfeeding over time
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