Citizen minds,citizen bodies: the citizenship experience and the government of mentally ill persons

The concept of citizenship is becoming more and more prominent in specific fields, such as psychiatry/mental health, where it is constituted as a solution to the issues of exclusion, discrimination, and poverty often endured by the mentally ill. We argue that such discourse of citizenship represents a break in the history of psychiatry and constitutes a powerful strategy to counter the effects of equally powerful psychiatric labelling. However, we call into question the emancipatory promise of a citizenship agenda. Foucault's concept of governmentality is helpful in understanding the production of the citizen subject, its location within the ‘art of government’, as well as the ethical and political implications of citizenship in the context of mental health.     

Hemodynamic response to intracoronary infusion of atrial natriuretic factor in patients with normal or altered left ventricular function.

To assess the effects of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) on cardiac function, synthetic human ANF was infused directly into the left main coronary artery of eight patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and six subjects with normal left ventricular (LV) function (controls) who underwent cardiac catheterization. ANF infusion at the incremental rates of 60, 125, 400, and 800 ng/min induced a dose-related increase in plasma ANF concentrations in the coronary sinus, from 1,223 +/- 590 to 3,923 +/- 1,123 pg/ml in patients with CHF (p less than 0.01) and from 1,041 +/- 605 to 2,710 +/- 1,741 pg/ml in controls (p less than 0.01). Peripheral plasma ANF concentrations (femoral artery) increased from 538 +/- 278 to 752 +/- 262 pg/ml (p less than 0.01) in patients with CHF and from 193 +/- 63 to 401 +/- 147 pg/ml (p less than 0.01) in controls. The increase in peripheral or coronary sinus plasma ANF concentrations did not differ between patients with CHF and controls. At the three lowest ANF infusion rates, cardiac index (CI), systemic vascular resistance (SVR), and LV contractility assessed by peak positive dP/dt remained unchanged both in patients with CHF and in controls. At the highest ANF infusion rate, CI increased from 2.18 +/- 0.53 to 2.54 +/- 0.49 L/min/m2 (p less than 0.01) and SVR decreased from 14.6 +/- 3.6 to 12.8 +/- 4.5 mm Hg.min/L (p less than 0.01) in patients with CHF. There was no associated change in heart rate (HR), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), cardiac filling pressures, or peak positive dP/dt.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Hyperthyroidism and immune hemolytic anemia following amiodarone therapy]

We report the cases of two patients who, after prolonged amiodarone therapy developed hyperthyroidism and immune haemolytic anaemia. Antibodies were of the IgG type and non-specific at elution. A search for other causes of haemolytic anaemia with positive Coombs' test gave negative results. Antiamiodarone antibodies have recently been discovered; they reflect an immunological disturbance due to this drug and might be responsible for some of the undersirable effects of amiodarone. In our patients, hyperthyroidism and haemolytic anaemia were induced by a dual mechanism: accumulation of amiodarone and induction of an effect of this drug on the immune system.     

Gemins modulate the expression and activity of the SMN complex

Reduction in the expression of the survival of motor neurons (SMN) protein results in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a common motor neuron degenerative disease. SMN is part of a large macromolecular complex (the SMN complex) that includes at least six additional proteins called Gemins (Gemin2-7). The SMN complex is expressed in all cells and is present throughout the cytoplasm and in the nucleus where it is concentrated in Gems. The SMN complex plays an essential role in the production of spliceosomal small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) and likely other RNPs. To study the roles of the individual proteins, we systematically reduced the expression of SMN and each of the Gemins (2-6) by RNA interference. We show that the reduction of SMN leads to a decrease in snRNP assembly, the disappearance of Gems, and to a drastic reduction in the amounts of several Gemins. Moreover, reduction of Gemin2 or Gemin6 strongly decreases the activity of the SMN complex. These findings demonstrate that other components of the SMN complex, in addition to SMN, are critical for the activity of the complex and suggest that Gemin2 and Gemin6 are potentially important modifiers of SMA as well as potential disease genes for non-SMN motor neuron diseases.     

Universal School Meals and Associations with Student Participation,Attendance, Academic Performance,Diet Quality,Food Security,and Body Mass Index: A Systematic Review

The school environment plays an important role in children’s diets and overall health, and policies for universal free school meals have the potential to contribute to positive child health outcomes. This systematic review evaluates studies examining the association between universal free school meals and students’ school meal participation rates, diets, attendance, academic performance, and Body Mass Index (BMI), as well as school finances. The search was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A search for studies published in economically developed countries published through December 2020 was performed in PubMed, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Thomson Reuters’ Web of Science, and Academic Search Ultimate, followed by examining the references in the resultant literature. A total of 47 studies were identified and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was applied to assess bias. Nearly all studies examining universal free school meals found positive associations with school meal participation. Most studies examining universal free school meals that included free lunch found positive associations with diet quality, food security, and academic performance; however, the findings of studies examining only universal free breakfast were mixed. Research findings were similarly mixed when examining attendance as an outcome. Concerns about adverse outcomes on student BMI were not supported by the literature; in fact, several studies detected a potentially protective effect of universal free school meals on BMI. Research examining the impact of universal free meals on school finances was limited, but suggest that lower-income school districts in the U.S. may have positive financial outcomes from participation in universal free school meal provisions. Additionally, providing free meals to students may be associated with improved household incomes, particularly among lower-income families with children. Further research is needed to examine the financial implications of universal free meals for both school districts and families. Overall, universal free school meals may have multiple benefits for students and countries should consider universal free school meal provisions with strong nutrition guidelines. (PROSPERO registration: CRD42020221782).     

Patient-Reported Outcomes as Independent Prognostic Factors for Survival in Oncology: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

ObjectivesAssessment of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in oncology is of critical importance because it provides unique information that may also predict clinical outcomes.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of prognostic factor studies to examine the prognostic value of PROs for survival in cancer. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed for studies published between 2013 and 2018. We considered any study, regardless of the research design, that included at least 1 PRO domain in the final multivariable prognostic model. The protocol (EPIPHANY) was published and registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42018099160).ResultsEligibility criteria selected 138 studies including 158 127 patients, of which 43 studies were randomized, controlled trials. Overall, 120 (87%) studies reported at least 1 PRO to be statistically significantly prognostic for overall survival. Lung (n = 41, 29.7%) and genitourinary (n = 27, 19.6%) cancers were most commonly investigated. The prognostic value of PROs was investigated in secondary data analyses in 101 (73.2%) studies. The EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire was the most frequently used measure, and its physical functioning scale (range 0-100) the most frequent independent prognostic PRO, with a pooled hazard ratio estimate of 0.88 per 10-point increase (95% CI 0.84-0.92).ConclusionsThere is convincing evidence that PROs provide independent prognostic information for overall survival across cancer populations and disease stages. Further research is needed to translate current evidence-based data into prognostic tools to aid in clinical decision making.     

Effect of paf antagonists on the cytotoxic activity of antineoplastic ether phospholipids

The capability of the methoxy-substituted 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-methyl-rac-glycero-3-phosphocholine (ET-18-OCH3 or Edelfosine) and the two aza-alkylphospholipids BN 52205 and BN 52211 to bind to the PAF receptor was analysed in rabbit platelet membranes. Ether phospholipid concentrations were tested between 10(-5) M and 10(-11) M. The results indicate that ether phospholipids are not able to bind to the PAF receptor and do not prevent PAF binding to its receptor. Moreover, the cytotoxic effect of three potent PAF antagonists, BN 52021, BN 50730 and BN 50739, were analysed in HL60 promyelocytic cells. These cells were pre-and co-treated with PAF antagonists and ether phospholipids. The data show that the three PAF antagonists failed to counteract the activity of ET-18-OCH3, BN 52205 and BN 52211 thus demonstrating that the cytotoxic effect of these new anti-neoplastic drugs is not mediated by the PAF receptor.     

Minority recruitment in hereditary breast cancer research.

Although recruitment of ethnic and racial minorities in medical research has been evaluated in several studies, much less is known about the methods used to recruit these populations to participate in cancer genetics research. This report reviews the resources that have been used to identify and recruit ethnic and racial minorities to participate in hereditary breast cancer research. Overall, hospital-based resources were used most often to identify potential subjects, and active recruitment methods were used most frequently to enroll eligible subjects. This review suggests that there appears to be a finite number of resources and strategies to identify and recruit potential subjects to participate in cancer genetics research; however, options for improving awareness about cancer genetics research among ethnic and racial minorities have not been extensively evaluated. To study ethnic and racial minority participation in cancer genetics research, stronger evaluation components will need to be integrated into research methods. Both observational and experimental studies are needed to determine resources that are most effective for identifying potential subjects who are ethnic and racial minorities and to evaluate the effects of different recruitment strategies on enrollment decisions among these populations.     

Correction to: Gene Editing Rescues in Vitro T Cell Development of RAG2-Deficient Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in an Artificial Thymic Organoid System

Journal of Clinical Immunology - A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10875-021-01030-6