The Influence of Spirituality on Medication Adherence And Blood Pressure Among Older Adults With Hypertension

Despite the effectiveness of pharmacological therapies, medication nonadherence is prevalent among older adults with chronic disease. Established correlates of adherence (e.g., access, race/ethnicity, education) do not fully explain the differences in adherence. This study examines whether spirituality contributes to older adults' medication adherence and blood pressure, as well as the indirect pathways by which spirituality may be linked to self-reported adherence behavior, with social support and active coping as putative mediators. A cross-sectional analysis was performed on data from surveys on spirituality, social support, active coping, and adherence behavior administered to a convenience sample of Black and White hypertensive, older adults (≥ 65 years) visiting senior community centers in North Carolina, along with demographic characteristics and blood pressure measurements. Multivariate logistic and linear regressions were used to examine the relationship between spirituality and self-reported medication adherence and blood pressure, respectively, after adjusting for the psychosocial and demographic characteristics. Results revealed that perceived spiritual intensity and active spiritual health locus of control (SHLC) were significantly and positively associated with medication adherence. The psychosocial variables were significantly related to both perceived spirituality and medication adherence but were not significant mediators. High spirituality and active SHLC beliefs were also significantly related to lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures after controlling for adherence and the psychosocial and demographic variables. These findings highlight the importance of spirituality in adherence behavior and health outcomes for some older adults with chronic disease. Better understanding of the mechanisms and role of spirituality in medication-taking behavior and health outcomes will aid researchers and health professionals in the development of culturally sensitive and patient-centered interventions to improve medication adherence and cardiovascular outcomes.Doctor of Philosoph

The role of genetics in racial categorisation of humans

CITATION: Bardien-Kruger, S. & Muller-Nedebock, A. 2020. The role of genetics in racial categorisation of humans, in Jansen, J. & Walters, C. (eds). 2020. Fault lines : a primer on race, science and society. Stellenbosch: SUN PReSS, doi:10.18820/9781928480495/01.The original publication is available at https://africansunmedia.store.it.si/zaOnly very recently in the history of modern humans have we learned how to read the stories hidden in our DNA. The ability to read and interpret DNA has revealed that many things are not as they are perceived to be. For instance, physical features between two people may be strikingly different and therefore be taken to mean that the individuals are fundamentally different, when in fact the DNA of any two humans is almost identical (99.9% the same) on a genetic level. Given the physical differences apparent between populations, much research has gone into studying what makes them different. This type of research, no matter how well intentioned, has led to the pseudoscientific arguments used to justify movements such as the slave trade, the eugenics movement and apartheid in South Africa. Scientists at Stellenbosch University have also played a significant role in highlighting the ‘racial’ differences in the South African population. One such study is the nowretracted Sport Science article.1 In this study, the authors, albeit unwittingly, reinforce racial stereotyping by concluding that so‑called ‘coloured’ women in South Africa have lower cognitive functioning when compared to American age-standardised norms, and that this is due to exposure to a variety of factors with known negative effects on cognitive function. In an attempt to shed some light on the inaccuracies of the assumptions on which this article is based, this chapter will provide some background to racial categorisation from a genetic perspective. It will start with basic concepts in genetics and then expand into some of the more complex concepts and theories supporting the fact that there is no genetic basis for race in humans.Publisher's versio

Multicultural Work in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Helsinki : Current impact on immigrant integration

I vår pro gradu-avhandling undersöker vi den Evangelisk Lutherska kyrkans roll i invandrares integration i Helsingfors. Invandringen till Finland har ökat de senaste åren, speciellt efter att situationen i flera områden i Mellanöstern och Nordafrika blivit oroligare. Internationella organisationen för migration (IOM) har uppmanat religiösa organisationer i Europa till en aktivare roll i integrationsarbete, vilket utgör grunden till vår forskning. Religiösa organisationer har möjlighet att stöda invandrares sociala och kulturella integration, medan det statliga och kommunala integrationsarbetet fokuserar på ekonomisk och strukturell integration. Eftersom avhandlingen är ett gemensamt projekt med två författare, undersöker vi ämnet ur två perspektiv. Ida Snellman undersöker vad multikulturellt arbete i den Evangelisk Lutherska kyrkan innebär och hur de anställda upplever att arbetet inverkar på invandrares integration. Amica Richter undersöker hur invandrare upplever att den Evangelisk Lutherska kyrkan inverkar på deras integration och i vilken mån de upplever att kyrkan kan ta del av integrationsarbetet i Helsingfors. Avhandlingen är en kvalitativ studie och materialet är insamlat genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Idas material består av åtta intervjuer med personer som arbetar med multikulturellt arbete inom den Evangelisk Lutherska kyrkan. Amica har intervjuat åtta personer med invandrar bakgrund, som har deltagit i den Evangelisk Lutherska kyrkans aktiviteter. Vi har använt innehållsanalys för att analysera våra material. Vår teoretiska referensram baserar sig på teorier om socialt kapital. Enligt Idas analys kan den Evangelisk Lutherska kyrkans multikulturella arbete delas upp i multikulturellt arbete med religiöst fokus och arbete som går utöver religion. Dessa två delar av det multikulturella arbetet är närvarande i både finskspråkiga och svenskspråkiga församlingar så väl som i församlingar på övriga språk. Arbetet inverkar på invandrares sociala kapital genom att stärka band till andra invandrare, kristna och majoritetsbefolkningen samt genom att bygga broar till lokala församlingar och till det finska samhället. Ur Amicas analys framgår att invandrare upplever den Evangelisk Lutherska kyrkan som stöd för deras sociala integration genom att erbjuda sociala nätverk och spirituellt stöd. Utöver att kyrkan kan fungera som brobyggare till det finska samhället, har invandrare med olik religiös tillhörighet även skapat band till volontärer, församlingsmedlemmar och till anställda i kyrkan. Kyrkan går mot en alltmer volontärbaserad organisationsmodell och i denna utveckling har invandrare möjlighet att inverka positivt. Ett aktivt deltagande i församlingslivet stöder invandrares integration genom att skapa band och bygga broar. Utgående från denna studie upplevs gemenskapen i församlingen och den interreligiösa dialogen som meningsfull av kristna invandrare såväl som av invandrare med annan eller ingen religiös övertygelse

Tuning LiBH4 for hydrogen storage: Destabilization, additive, and nanoconfinement approaches

Hydrogen technology has become essential to fulfill our mobile and stationary energy needs in a global low-carbon energy system. The non-renewability of fossil fuels and the increasing environmental problems caused by our fossil fuel-running economy have led to our efforts towards the application of hydrogen as an energy vector. However, the development of volumetric and gravimetric efficient hydrogen storage media is still to be addressed. LiBH4 is one of the most interesting media to store hydrogen as a compound due to its large gravimetric (18.5 wt.%) and volumetric (121 kgH2/m3) hydrogen densities. In this review, we focus on some of the main explored approaches to tune the thermodynamics and kinetics of LiBH4: (I) LiBH4 + MgH2 destabilized system, (II) metal and metal hydride added LiBH4, (III) destabilization of LiBH4 by rare-earth metal hydrides, and (IV) the nanoconfinement of LiBH4 and destabilized LiBH4 hydride systems. Thorough discussions about the reaction pathways, destabilizing and catalytic effects of metals and metal hydrides, novel synthesis processes of rare earth destabilizing agents, and all the essential aspects of nanoconfinement are led.Fil: Puszkiel, Julián Atilio. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área de Aplicaciones de la Tecnología Nuclear. Gerencia de Investigación Aplicada CAB. Departamento Fisicoquímica de Materiales; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Gasnier, Aurelien. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área de Aplicaciones de la Tecnología Nuclear. Gerencia de Investigación Aplicada CAB. Departamento Fisicoquímica de Materiales; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Amica, Guillermina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área de Aplicaciones de la Tecnología Nuclear. Gerencia de Investigación Aplicada CAB. Departamento Fisicoquímica de Materiales; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Gennari, Fabiana Cristina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área de Aplicaciones de la Tecnología Nuclear. Gerencia de Investigación Aplicada CAB. Departamento Fisicoquímica de Materiales; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentin

Improvements in the hydrogen storage properties of the Mg(NH2)2-LiH composite by KOH addition

Potassium-containing compounds, such as KH, KOH, KNH2 and different potassium halides, have shown positive effects on the dehydrogenation properties of the Li-Mg-N-H system. However, it is still discussed whether the K-compounds modify the thermodynamics of the system or if they have only a catalytic effect. In this work the impact of the addition of two K-containing compounds (0.08 mol% of KCl and KOH) on the hydrogen storage performance of the Mg(NH2)2-LiH composite was studied. The KOH incorporation reduced the dehydrogenation temperature from 197 °C to 154 °C, beginning the process at low temperature (∼70 °C). The doped sample was able to reversibly absorb and desorb 4.6 wt% of hydrogen with improved kinetics; dehydrogenation rates were increased four times, whereas absorptions required 20% less time to be completed in comparison to the pristine material. The thermodynamic destabilization of the Mg(NH2)2-2LiH composite by the addition of a small amount of KOH was demonstrated by an increment of 30% in the dehydrogenation equilibrium pressure. According to detailed structural investigations, the KH formed by the KOH decomposition through milling and thermal treatment, can replace LiH and react with Mg(NH2)2 to produce a mixed potassium-lithium amide (Li3K(NH2)4). The KH role is not limited to catalysis, but rather it is responsible for the thermodynamic destabilization of the Mg(NH2)2-LiH composite and it is actively involved in the dehydrogenation process.Fil: Amica, Guillermina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Enzo, S.. Università Degli Studi Di Sassari; ItaliaFil: Arneodo Larochette, Pierre Paul. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Gennari, Fabiana Cristina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentin

Institutional Strategies to Achieve Diversity and Inclusion in Pharmacy Education

Objective. To evaluate the impact of institutional initiatives to enhance recruitment of minority students as a strategy to increase diversity and inclusion

The unresolved role of mitochondrial DNA in Parkinson's disease: an overview of published studies, their limitations, and future prospects

Parkinson's disease (PD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, has long been associated with mitochondrial dysfunction in both sporadic and familial forms of the disease. Mitochondria are crucial for maintaining cellular homeostasis, and their dysfunction is detrimental to dopaminergic neurons. These neurons are highly dependent on mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and degenerate in PD. Mitochondria contain their own genomes (mtDNA). The role of mtDNA has been investigated in PD on the premise that it encodes vital components of the ATP-generating oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes and accumulates somatic variation with age. However, the association between mtDNA variation and PD remains controversial. Herein, we provide an overview of previously published studies on the role of inherited as well as somatic (acquired) mtDNA changes in PD including point mutations, deletions and depletion. We outline limitations of previous investigations and the difficulties associated with studying mtDNA, which have left its role unresolved in the context of PD. Lastly, we highlight the potential for further research in this field and provide suggestions for future studies. Overall, the mitochondrial genome is indispensable for proper cellular function and its contribution to PD requires further, more extensive investigation

Different pieces of the same puzzle : a multifaceted perspective on the complex biological basis of Parkinson’s disease

The biological basis of the neurodegenerative movement disorder, Parkinson’s disease (PD), is still unclear despite it being ‘discovered’ over 200 years ago in Western Medicine. Based on current PD knowledge, there are widely varying theories as to its pathobiology. The aim of this article was to explore some of these different theories by summarizing the viewpoints of laboratory and clinician scientists in the PD field, on the biological basis of the disease. To achieve this aim, we posed this question to thirteen “PD experts” from six continents (for global representation) and collated their personal opinions into this article. The views were varied, ranging from toxin exposure as a PD trigger, to LRRK2 as a potential root cause, to toxic alpha-synuclein being the most important etiological contributor. Notably, there was also growing recognition that the definition of PD as a single disease should be reconsidered, perhaps each with its own unique pathobiology and treatment regimen

The IPDGC/GP2 Hackathon - an open science event for training in data science, genomics, and collaboration using Parkinson’s disease data

Open science and collaboration are necessary to facilitate the advancement of Parkinson's disease (PD) research. Hackathons are collaborative events that bring together people with different skill sets and backgrounds to generate resources and creative solutions to problems. These events can be used as training and networking opportunities, thus we coordinated a virtual 3-day hackathon event, during which 49 early-career scientists from 12 countries built tools and pipelines with a focus on PD. Resources were created with the goal of helping scientists accelerate their own research by having access to the necessary code and tools. Each team was allocated one of nine different projects, each with a different goal. These included developing post-genome-wide association studies (GWAS) analysis pipelines, downstream analysis of genetic variation pipelines, and various visualization tools. Hackathons are a valuable approach to inspire creative thinking, supplement training in data science, and foster collaborative scientific relationships, which are foundational practices for early-career researchers. The resources generated can be used to accelerate research on the genetics of PD

Unreasonable Fears? Child Contact in The Context of Domestic Violence: A Survey of Mothers’ Perceptions of Harm

An insight into the way courts deal with contact applications in cases of domestic violence under the Children Act 1989