Stealing the Smile from My Child's Face: A Preliminary Evaluation of the “Being a Dad” Programme in a Northern Ireland Prison

Children who have a parent in prison are a vulnerable group. Research suggests that such children experience a range of poor outcomes in relation to well-being, education and relationships. These outcomes are mediated by a range of factors including contact with the incarcerated parent. Similarly, prisoners who maintain contact with their families are less likely to reoffend. Evidence to support the importance of the prison system recognising and helping to maintain parenting roles for parents in prison is beginning to emerge, and this investigation sought to investigate fathers' views of an innovative parenting intervention implemented in Her Majesty's Prison Maghaberry centred around the Being a Dad programme. Eighteen fathers completed the programme. Data collected after participation indicated that fathers reported a range of positive outcomes including improved understanding of child behaviour and development and improved communication quality. Implications for further parenting support within the prison population are discussed.     

The association between sidewalk length and walking for different purposes in established neighborhoods

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Walking in neighborhood environments is undertaken for different purposes including for transportation and leisure. We examined whether sidewalk availability was associated with participation in, and minutes of neighborhood-based walking for transportation (NWT) and recreation (NWR) after controlling for neighborhood self-selection. METHOD: Baseline survey data from respondents (n=1813) who participated in the RESIDential Environment (RESIDE) project (Perth, Western Australia) were used. Respondents were recruited based on their plans to move to another neighborhood in the following year. Usual weekly neighborhood-based walking, residential preferences, walking attitudes, and demographics were measured. Characteristics of the respondent's baseline neighborhood were measured including transportation-related walkability and sidewalk length. A Heckman two-stage modeling approach (multivariate Probit regression for walking participation, followed by a sample selection-bias corrected OLS regression for walking minutes) estimated the relative contribution of sidewalk length to NWT and NWR. RESULTS: After adjustment, neighborhood sidewalk length and walkability were positively associated with a 2.97 and 2.16 percentage point increase in the probability of NWT participation, respectively. For each 10km increase in sidewalk length, NWT increased by 5.38 min/wk and overall neighborhood-based walking increased by 5.26 min/wk. Neighborhood walkability was not associated with NWT or NWR minutes. Moreover, sidewalk length was not associated with NWR minutes. CONCLUSION: Sidewalk availability in established neighborhoods may be differentially associated with walking for different purposes. Our findings suggest that large investments in sidewalk construction alone would yield small increases in walking.     

Favourable outcome in sclerotherapy for bleeding oesophageal varices in schistosomiasis: Results in 30 patients

Abstract Thirty consecutive patients with bleeding oesophageal varices secondary to schistosomal liver disease received injection sclerotherapy. These formed a part of a prospective study, to evaluate the role of sclerotherapy in the treatment of bleeding oesophageal varices due to different aetiological factors in patients seen at the Gastroenterology Unit, Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital, Saudi Arabia, between December 1980 and July 1984.
Schistosomiasis is endemic in parts of Saudi Arabia. Sclerotherapy has a special place in schistosomal liver disease as liver function is well preserved in this disease. The new antischistosomal drugs are effective and may halt the progress of the disease. However, in many patients portal hypertension with bleeding oesophageal varices is found at diagnosis. Of the patients with schistosomiasis, 63.3% were Group A Child's Classification. Oesophageal varices have been eradicated in 11 cases during the mean follow-up period of 28 months (range 3-44 months). Four patients were referred for surgery because of bleeding gastric varices, two of whom died following operation. One patient, who was also hepatitis B surface antigen positive, died due to re-bleeding from gastric varices. The remaining 25 patients had no recurrence of bleeding and their liver function remained satisfactory.
Surgical procedures for oesophageal varices in schistosomiasis carry the risk of peri-operative and postoperative morbidity and mortality. In contrast, complications following sclerotherapy are minor compared to surgical procedures and none of our patients had any serious sclerotherapy complications.     

Idiopathic cholangiopathy in a biliary cast syndrome necessitating liver transplantation following head trauma

The development of total biliary casts is very unusual, especially in patients who have not undergone liver transplantation. The aetiology of these casts is uncertain but several factors are believed to play a role, including periods of fasting, haemolysis, cholangitis and recent surgery. Resultant bile stasis and/or gallbladder hypocontractility promote sludge and subsequent stone formation. Here we present the case of a previously well 66-year-old woman who developed a total biliary cast several weeks after being involved in a road traffic accident during which she sustained head injuries but no obvious liver insult. This cast was removed at laparotomy but the patient had resultant diffuse biliary tree abnormalities and persistent cholestasis and subsequently required a liver transplant. The possible aetiologies of biliary cast formation and subsequently cholangiopathy necessitating transplantation in this patient are described.     

Tuning the endothelial response: differential release of exocytic cargos from Weibel‐Palade bodies

Essentials

• Endothelial activation initiates multiple processes, including hemostasis and inflammation.
• The molecules that contribute to these processes are co‐stored in secretory granules.
• How can the cells control release of granule content to allow differentiated responses?
• Selected agonists recruit an exocytosis‐linked actin ring to boost release of a subset of cargo.

Summary

Background

Endothelial cells harbor specialized storage organelles, Weibel‐Palade bodies (WPBs). Exocytosis of WPB content into the vascular lumen initiates primary hemostasis, mediated by von Willebrand factor (VWF), and inflammation, mediated by several proteins including P‐selectin. During full fusion, secretion of this large hemostatic protein and smaller pro‐inflammatory proteins are thought to be inextricably linked.

Objective

To determine if secretagogue‐dependent differential release of WPB cargo occurs, and whether this is mediated by the formation of an actomyosin ring during exocytosis.

Methods

We used VWF string analysis, leukocyte rolling assays, ELISA, spinning disk confocal microscopy, high‐throughput confocal microscopy and inhibitor and siRNA treatments to demonstrate the existence of cellular machinery that allows differential release of WPB cargo proteins.

Results

Inhibition of the actomyosin ring differentially effects two processes regulated by WPB exocytosis; it perturbs VWF string formation but has no effect on leukocyte rolling. The efficiency of ring recruitment correlates with VWF release; the ratio of release of VWF to small cargoes decreases when ring recruitment is inhibited. The recruitment of the actin ring is time dependent (fusion events occurring directly after stimulation are less likely to initiate hemostasis than later events) and is activated by protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms.

Conclusions

Secretagogues differentially recruit the actomyosin ring, thus demonstrating one mechanism by which the prothrombotic effect of endothelial activation can be modulated. This potentially limits thrombosis whilst permitting a normal inflammatory response. These results have implications for the assessment of WPB fusion, cargo‐content release and the treatment of patients with von Willebrand disease.

     

Drivers of Inpatient Hospital Experience Using the HCAHPS Survey in a Canadian Setting

ObjectiveTo identify factors associated with patients’ overall rating of inpatient hospital care.ConclusionsOur results are novel in the Canadian population. Several questions for future research have been generated, in addition to opportunities for quality improvement within our own organization.     

Identification of an oncogenic form of the thrombopoietin receptor MPL using retrovirus-mediated gene transfer

Thrombopoietin and its receptor (MPL) are important regulators of megakaryopoiesis. We have identified an activating mutation of MPL using a combination of a retrovirus-mediated gene transfer and polymerase chain reaction-driven random mutagenesis. This point mutation causes a single amino acid substitution from Ser498 to Asn498 in the transmembrane region and abrogates factor-dependency of all interleukin-3-dependent cell lines tested. Murine interleukin-3- dependent Ba/F3 cells expressing the mutated but not the normal form of MPL were tumorigenic when transduced into syngeneic mice. Analysis of intracellular signaling pathways indicated that the mutant MPL protein constitutively activated two distinct signaling pathways, SHC-Raf-MAPK and JAK2-STAT3/STAT5.