Older women living and coping with domestic violence

Although domestic violence is seen as a serious public health issue for women worldwide, international evidence suggests that women aged over 50 who are victims are suffering in silence because the problem is often ignored by health professionals. More UK research is needed to identify the extent of the problem, and services to meet the needs of older women. This study aims to bridge this gap by gaining a deeper understanding of how ‘older women’ cope with domestic violence and how it affects their wellbeing. Eighteen older women who were currently, or had been in an abusive relationship were recruited. Semi-structured interview schedules were used to discuss the personal nature of DV and its effects on wellbeing, ways of coping and sources of support. Findings suggest that living in a domestically violent context has extremely negative effects on older women’s wellbeing leading to severe anxiety and depression. Three-quarters of the women defined themselves as in ‘very poor’ mental and physical health and were using pathogenic coping mechanisms, such as excessive and long-term use of alcohol, prescription and non-prescription drugs and cigarettes. This negative coping increased the likelihood of these women experiencing addiction to drugs and alcohol dependence and endangered their health in the longer term. Our findings suggest that health professionals must receive appropriate education to gain knowledge and skills in order to deal effectively and support older women experiencing domestic violence.

Age-Associated Changes of Brain Copper, Iron, and Zinc in Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Disease-, age-, and gender-associated changes in brain copper, iron, and zinc were assessed in postmortem neocortical tissue (Brodmann area 7) from patients with moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) (n = 14), severe AD (n = 28), dementia with Lewy bodies (n = 15), and normal age-matched control subjects (n = 26). Copper was lower (20%; p < 0.001) and iron higher (10–16%; p < 0.001) in severe AD compared with controls. Intriguingly significant Group*Age interactions were observed for both copper and iron, suggesting gradual age-associated decline of these metals in healthy non-cognitively impaired individuals. Zinc was unaffected in any disease pathologies and no age-associated changes were apparent. Age-associated changes in brain elements warrant further investigation.

KIF2A silencing inhibits the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells and correlates with unfavorable prognosis in breast cancer

Background: Kinesin family member 2a (KIF2A), a type of motor protein found in eukaryotic cells, is associated with development and progression of various human cancers. The role of KIF2A during breast cancer tumorigenesis and progression was studied.

Methods: Immunohistochemical staining, real time RT-PCR and western blot were used to examine the expression of KIF2A in cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues from breast cancer patients. Patients' survival in relation to KIF2A expression was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier survival and multivariate analysis. Breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231 was used to study the proliferation, migration and invasion of cells following KIF2A-siRNA transfection.

Results: The expression of KIF2A in cancer tissues was higher than that in normal adjacent tissues from the same patient (P <0.05). KIF2A expression in cancer tissue with lymph node metastasis and HER2 positive cancer were higher than that in cancer tissue without (P <0.05). A negative correlation was found between KIF2A expression levels in breast cancer and the survival time of breast cancer patients (P <0.05). In addition, multivariate analysis indicated that KIF2A was an independent prognostic for outcome in breast cancer (OR: 16.55, 95% CI: 2.216-123.631, P = 0.006). The proliferation, migration and invasion of cancer cells in vitro were suppressed by KIF2A gene silencing (P <0.05).

Conclusions: KIF2A may play an important role in breast cancer progression and is potentially a novel predictive and prognostic marker for breast cancer.

Young children's food brand knowledge. Early development and associations with television viewing and parent's diet

Brand knowledge is a prerequisite of children's requests and choices for branded foods. We explored the development of young children's brand knowledge of foods highly advertised on television - both healthy and less healthy. Participants were 172 children aged 3-5 years in diverse socio-economic settings, from two jurisdictions on the island of Ireland with different regulatory environments. Results indicated that food brand knowledge (i) did not differ across jurisdictions; (ii) increased significantly between 3 and 4 years; and (iii) children had significantly greater knowledge of unhealthy food brands, compared with similarly advertised healthy brands. In addition, (iv) children's healthy food brand knowledge was not related to their television viewing, their mother's education, or parent or child eating. However, (v) unhealthy brand knowledge was significantly related to all these factors, although only parent eating and children's age were independent predictors. Findings indicate that effects of food marketing for unhealthy foods take place through routes other than television advertising alone, and are present before pre-schoolers develop the concept of healthy eating. Implications are that marketing restrictions of unhealthy foods should extend beyond television advertising; and that family-focused obesity prevention programmes should begin before children are 3 years of age.

Quantitative Measurement of [Na+] and [K+] in Postmortem Human Brain Tissue Indicates Disturbances in Subjects with Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with significant disturbances in the homeostasis of Na+ and K+ ions as well as reduced levels of Na+/K+ ATPase in the brain. This study used ICP-MS to accurately quantify Na+ and K+ concentrations in human postmortem brain tissue. We analyzed parietal cortex (Brodmann area 7) from 28 cognitively normal age-matched controls, 15 cases of moderate AD, 30 severe AD, and 15 dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Associations were investigated between [Na+] and [K+] and a number of variables including diagnosis, age, gender, Braak tangle stage, amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque load, tau load, frontal tissue pH, and APOE genotype. Brains from patients with severe AD had significantly higher (26%; p<0.001) [Na+] (mean 65.43 ± standard error 2.91 mmol/kg) than controls, but the concentration was not significantly altered in moderate AD or DLB. [Na+] correlated positively with Braak stage (r=0.45; p<0.0001), indicating association with disease severity. [K+] in tissue was 10% lower (p<0.05) in moderate AD than controls. However, [K+] in severe AD and DLB (40.97±1.31 mmol/kg) was not significantly different from controls. There was a significant positive correlation between [K+] and Aβ plaque load (r=0.46; p=0.035), and frontal tissue pH (r=0.35; p=0.008). [Na+] was not associated with [K+] across the groups, and neither ion was associated with tau load or APOE genotype. We have demonstrated disturbances of both [Na+] and [K+] in relation to the severity of AD and markers of AD pathology, although it is possible that these relate to late-stage secondary manifestations of the disease pathology.

Doing Focus Groups and Interviews with Recent Migrants to Northern Ireland: A Dynamic Interplay of Ethics, Language and Access

This case describes a qualitative social science research project that was conducted in 2009 and that examined the experiences of recent migrants to Northern Ireland. While background to the research and key findings are presented, the topic forms a backdrop to the case. The following aspects of the study are presented: the theoretical context; formulating the research question, design and methodology; key methodological issues; data collection and analysis; project dissemination; and research funding and reporting. The case pays particular attention to the needs and impact of different groups including the researcher, the funding body, the researcher’s employer and the researched. The significance of access, language and ethics to this study are examined. Finally, the way in which the research unfolded in an often-unpredictable way throughout the implementation process is highlighted in the narrative.

Community pharmacists and people with dementia: a cross-sectional survey exploring experiences, attitudes, and knowledge of pain and its management

Objectives
To explore community pharmacists' experiences with and attitudes towards people with dementia, and to determine the knowledge they have about pain and its management in this patient population. 

Methods
A questionnaire comprising five sections, including the Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire, was mailed, on two occasions, during February and March 2011, to all community pharmacies in Northern Ireland (n=530). 

Results
The response rate was 34.3%. A greater proportion of pharmacists provided pharmaceutical care to people with dementia living at home (91.2%) than those living in care homes (40.1%). Respondents most frequently encountered queries relating to starting and stopping medications, compliance with medication, and availability of formulation types. The mean total score for the Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire measure was 72.8, indicating a positive attitude towards people with dementia, and respondents demonstrated a strong person-centred approach towards this patient population. The majority of respondents recognised the difficulty of assessing pain in people with dementia; however, younger pharmacists (p=0.041) and pharmacists who provided pharmaceutical care to people with dementia (p=0.012) were more likely to be aware of the pain assessment tools for use in people with dementia. Pharmacists appeared uncertain about how to appropriately manage pain in people with dementia.

Conclusions
The study has revealed that community pharmacists often encounter people with dementia, especially those living in their own homes, and they have positive attitudes towards the patient population. However, training in the assessment and management of pain in people with dementia must be developed to further improve their knowledge in this area. 

Just a piece of cloth? German courts and employees with headscarves

On 10 October 2002, and on 24 September 2003, the German Federal Labour Court and the German Federal Constitutional Court each delivered a decision on the consequences of wearing a headscarf for employees. Both courts appeared to protect the individual rights of the woman in question. The Federal Labour Court invalidated the dismissal of a salesperson based on the wearing of a headscarf; the Federal Constitutional Court held that a school teacher must not be denied employment on grounds of wearing a headscarf. However, both courts also left some room for manoeuvre in favour of clothing policies or laicism principles which could be used to justify head-scarf bans. This note discussed the potential and drawback of these cases, especially as regards intersectional inequalities along the lines of gender, religion and ethnicity.