The Ethnographic Moment: Event and Debate in Mediatized Fieldwork

This article introduces the term ‘the ethnographic moment’, which takes up and ‘plays’ with the long-disputed ‘ethnographic present’ in anthropology, as an indicator of changing conditions and requirements for ethnography in the context of mass media and mediation. It argues that event and debate, rather than structure and practice, have become pivotal aspects in thinking and conducting fieldwork that has to deal with the ephemeral. At the same time, it tries to show that an unquestioning acceptance of technological advancement and speed of societal change immunizes us to the thinkable absence of media and obscures analysis of lasting states of injustice and inequality, in whose (re-)production they have a stake.

Varicella zoster virus reactivation after autologous SCT is a frequent event and associated with favorable outcome in myeloma patients.

The occurrence of varicella zoster virus (VZV) reactivation is increased after allogeneic transplantation, whereas limited data are available for herpes zoster (HZ) after autologous SCT (ASCT). We determined the incidence and the prognostic significance of HZ and its correlation with VZV serology in 191 consecutive myeloma patients undergoing high-dose melphalan chemotherapy with ASCT. We found that VZV reactivation occurred in 57 (30%) patients, in 8.5% during induction and in 21.5% after ASCT peaking at 8 months after ASCT. Disease burden due to HZ was assessed as high or rather high in 70% of the patients. By immune fluorescence and Serion Elisa VZV IgG assessment, 90.8% of all patients had specific anti-VZV antibodies at ASCT. Lower specific antibody titers at transplantation were observed in patients with HZ after ASCT than in those without reactivation (P=0.009). Finally, OS was better in myeloma patients with HZ after ASCT compared with patients without HZ (P=0.007). Our data indicate that VZV reactivation after ASCT is a frequent event carrying a significant disease burden and it is associated with improved survival. Low levels of specific VZV antibodies at ASCT suggest increased vulnerability for VZV reactivation.Bone Marrow Transplantation advance online publication, 19 January 2015; doi:10.1038/bmt.2014.290.

Retirement as a “language related major life event” and its consequences on the multilingualism of migrants

The present study investigates life stories of established Italian workforce migrants living in the city of Berne, Switzerland, in regard to “language related major life events” (De Bot, 2007). These events are important in terms of changes happening in the linguistic setting during the life span and influence language development. In this sense, during the process of retirement, a new phase of life begins, which, amongst other things, has to be reorganized in relation to social contact and language use. One of my main questions is how the subjects handle the changes happening within and after the process of retirement in respect to the use of different languages and how this “language related major life event” is constructed and described by the migrants. One of these changes happens due to the fact that, after retirement, the social network at the workplace (the primary source of language input) can get (partially) lost and with it, the use of the local language. The fact that migrants living in Berne are confronted with diglossia (Standard German and Swissgerman), that the Canton of Berne is bilingual (German and French) and that the migrants' mother tongue (Italian) is one of the Swiss national languages, makes this question even more interesting. A second question will consider the influence of the fact that most of the subjects in question lived with the idea of return migration, but as shown in a previous study (Alter/Vieillesse/Anziani, NFP 32, 1999), only a third returned back while another third remained in the host country and the final third chose the commuting option. I will first examine these processes, changes and influences by using quantitative questionnaires in order to obtain general information on demographic data, the social situation, and a self-assessment of linguistic skills. Secondly, I will use qualitative interviews to get in-depth information of the subjects’ life stories and language biographies. The results of this project are meant to deliver insight into different aspects that have not been looked at in detail to this point: which factors of the life stories of Italian workforce migrants, who decided to remain in Switzerland after retirement, influence the linguistic changes in general and the ones happening around retirement in particular.

Autonomic function and prothrombotic activity in women after an acute coronary event

BACKGROUND: The link between decreased heart rate variability (HRV) and atherosclerosis progression is elusive. We hypothesized that reduced HRV relates to increased levels of prothrombotic factors previously shown to predict coronary risk. METHODS: We studied 257 women (aged 56 +/- 7 years) between 3 and 6 months after an acute coronary event and obtained very low frequency (VLF), low frequency (LF), and high frequency (HF) power, and LF/HF ratio from 24-hour ambulatory ECG recordings. Plasma levels of activated clotting factor VII (FVIIa), fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor antigen (VWF:Ag), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) activity were determined, and their levels were aggregated into a standardized composite index of prothrombotic activity. RESULTS: In bivariate analyses, all HRV indices were inversely correlated with the prothrombotic index explaining between 6% and 14% of the variance (p < 0.001). After controlling for sociodemographic factors, index event, menopausal status, cardiac medication, lifestyle factors, self-rated health, metabolic variables, and heart rate, VLF power, LF power, and HF power explained 2%, 5%, and 3%, respectively, of the variance in the prothrombotic index (p < 0.012). There were also independent relationships between VLF power and PAI-1 activity, between LF power and fibrinogen, VWF:Ag, and PAI-1 activity, between HF power and FVIIa and fibrinogen, and between the LF/HF power ratio and PAI-1 activity, explaining between 2% and 3% of the respective variances (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Decreased HRV was associated with prothrombotic changes partially independent of covariates. Alteration in autonomic function might contribute to prothrombotic activity in women with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Independent association of sleep quality, fatigue, and vital exhaustion with platelet count in patients with a previous venous thromboembolic event

Elevated platelet count might reflect increased inflammation as an etiological factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Poor sleep, fatigue, and exhaustion are all associated with inflammation and are also common sequelae of chronic psychological stress that previously predicted increased risk of VTE. We hypothesized that platelet count would be high in patients with VTE who sleep poorly and who are fatigued and exhausted. We investigated 205 patients scheduled for thrombophilia work-up > or =3 months after an objectively diagnosed venous thromboembolic event. They completed the Jenkins Sleep Questionnaire to rate subjective sleep quality and the short forms of the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory and Maastricht Vital Exhaustion Questionnaire. Platelet count was determined by a mechanical Coulter counter. Analyses controlled for age, sex, body mass index, time since the index event, and medication. After taking into account these covariates, poorer sleep quality (p = 0.001; DeltaR(2)= 0.046), high fatigue (p = 0.008; DeltaR(2)= 0.032), and vital exhaustion (p = 0.050; DeltaR(2)= 0.017) were all associated with elevated platelet count. In addition, high level of fatigue mediated the relationship between poor sleep quality and elevated platelet count (p = 0.046). Poor sleep quality, high levels of fatigue, and vital exhaustion were identified as correlates of an elevated platelet count in patients with a previous episode of VTE. Given the emerging role of inflammatory processes in VTE, the findings suggest a mechanism through which behavioral and chronic psychological stressors might contribute to incident and recurrent venous thrombotic events.

Performance Analysis and Comparison between Legacy-PSM and U-APSD

This paper evaluates the performance of the most popular power saving mechanisms defined in the IEEE 802.11 standard, namely the Power Save Mode (Legacy-PSM) and the Unscheduled Automatic Power Save Delivery (U-APSD). The assessment comprises a detailed study concerning energy efficiency and capability to guarantee the required Quality of Service (QoS) for a certain application. The results, obtained in the OMNeT++ simulator, showed that U-APSD is more energy efficient than Legacy-PSM without compromising the end-to- end delay. Both U-APSD and Legacy-PSM revealed capability to guarantee the application QoS requirements in all the studied scenarios. However, unlike U-APSD, when Legacy-PSM is used in the presence of QoS demanding applications, all the stations connected to the network through the same access point will consume noticeable additional energy.

Chronic posttraumatic stress and its predictors in patients living with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator

Patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) show clinically relevant depression and anxiety, but little is known about their levels of posttraumatic stress. We assessed chronic posttraumatic stress attributable to a traumatic cardiac event and its predictors in patients at two time points after ICD placement.

Secondary prevention through cardiac rehabilitation: physical activity counselling and exercise training: key components of the position paper from the Cardiac Rehabilitation Section of the European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation

Cardiac patients after an acute event and/or with chronic heart disease deserve special attention to restore their quality of life and to maintain or improve functional capacity. They require counselling to avoid recurrence through a combination of adherence to a medication plan and adoption of a healthy lifestyle. These secondary prevention targets are included in the overall goal of cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Cardiac rehabilitation can be viewed as the clinical application of preventive care by means of a professional multi-disciplinary integrated approach for comprehensive risk reduction and global long-term care of cardiac patients. The CR approach is delivered in tandem with a flexible follow-up strategy and easy access to a specialized team. To promote implementation of cardiac prevention and rehabilitation, the CR Section of the EACPR (European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation) has recently completed a Position Paper, entitled 'Secondary prevention through cardiac rehabilitation: A condition-oriented approach'. Components of multidisciplinary CR for seven clinical presentations have been addressed. Components include patient assessment, physical activity counselling, exercise training, diet/nutritional counselling, weight control management, lipid management, blood pressure monitoring, smoking cessation, and psychosocial management. Cardiac rehabilitation services are by definition multi-factorial and comprehensive, with physical activity counselling and exercise training as central components in all rehabilitation and preventive interventions. Many of the risk factor improvements occurring in CR can be mediated through exercise training programmes. This call-for-action paper presents the key components of a CR programme: physical activity counselling and exercise training. It summarizes current evidence-based best practice for the wide range of patient presentations of interest to the general cardiology community.

'New perspectives on well-known issues': patients' experiences and perceptions of safety in Swiss hospitals

Patients' reports of safety-related events and perceptions of safety can be a valuable source for hospitals. Patients of eight acute care hospitals in Switzerland were surveyed for safety-related events and concerns for safety. In workshops with hospitals areas for improvement were analyzed and priorities for change identified. To evaluate the benefit of the approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with hospital risk managers. 3,983 patients returned the survey (55% response rate). 21.4% reported at least one definite safety event, and the mean number of 'definite' incidents per patient was 0.31 (95% CI=0.29 to 0.34). 3.2% were very concerned and 14.7% were somewhat concerned about medical errors and safety. Having experienced a safety-related event, younger age, length of stay, poor health and a poor education increased the probability of reporting concerns. With some exceptions, results confirmed the hospitals' a priori expectations regarding the strengths and weaknesses of their institutions. Risk managers emphasized the usability of results for their work and the special value of referring to the patient's perspective at their home institutions. A considerable fraction of patients subjectively experiences safety-related events and is concerned about safety. Patient-generated data introduced a new quality into the discussion of safety issues within hospitals, and some expected that patients' experiences and concerns could affect patient volumes. Though the study is limited by the short time horizon and the lack of follow-up, the results suggest that the described approach is feasible and can serve as a supplemental tool for risk identification and management.

[A million football fans in a city of 120,000 inhabitants--a nightmare for emergency medicine and disaster management? Euro 2008 and the "Orange wonder of Berne"]

The 2008 European Football Championship 2008 (Euro 08) is the largest sporting event ever organized in Switzerland. One million visitors came to the city of Berne during the event and the local airport in Bern/Belp registered 261 extra flights. For each football game there were 33,000 fans in the stadium and 100,000 fans in the public viewing zones.The ambulance corps and the Department of Emergency Medicine (ED) at Inselspital, University Hospital Berne, were responsible for basic medical care and emergency medical management. Injuries and illnesses were analyzed by a standardized score (NACA score). The preparation strategy as well as costs and patient numbers are presented in detail.A total of 30 additional ambulance vehicles were used, 4,723 additional working days (one-third medical professionals) were accumulated, 662 ambulance calls were registered and 240 persons needed medical care (62% Swiss, 28% Dutch and 10% other nationalities). Among those needing treatment 51 were treated in 1 of the 4 city hospitals. No injuries with NACA grades VI and VII occurred (NACA I: 4, NACA II: 17, NACA III: 16, NACA IV: 10 and NACA V: 4 patients). The city of Berne compensated the Inselspital Bern with a total of 112,603 Euros for extra medical care costs. The largest amount was spent on security measures (50,300 Euros) and medical staff (medical doctors 22,600 Euros, nurses 29,000 Euros). Because of the poor weather and the exemplary behavior of the fans, the course of events was rather peaceful.

Safety and exercise tolerance of acute high altitude exposure (3454 m) among patients with coronary artery disease

OBJECTIVES: To assess the safety and cardiopulmonary adaptation to high altitude exposure among patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS: 22 patients (20 men and 2 women), mean age 57 (SD 7) years, underwent a maximal, symptom limited exercise stress test in Bern, Switzerland (540 m) and after a rapid ascent to the Jungfraujoch (3454 m). The study population comprised 15 patients after ST elevation myocardial infarction and 7 after a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction 12 (SD 4) months after the acute event. All patients were revascularised either by percutaneous coronary angioplasty (n = 15) or by coronary artery bypass surgery (n = 7). Ejection fraction was 60 (SD 8)%. beta blocking agents were withheld for five days before exercise testing. RESULTS: At 3454 m, peak oxygen uptake decreased by 19% (p < 0.001), maximum work capacity by 15% (p < 0.001) and exercise time by 16% (p < 0.001); heart rate, ventilation and lactate were significantly higher at every level of exercise, except at maximum exertion. No ECG signs of myocardial ischaemia or significant arrhythmias were noted. CONCLUSIONS: Although oxygen demand and lactate concentrations are higher during exercise at high altitude, a rapid ascent and submaximal exercise can be considered safe at an altitude of 3454 m for low risk patients six months after revascularisation for an acute coronary event and a normal exercise stress test at low altitude.

Anger, hostility, and posttraumatic stress disorder in trauma-exposed adults: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis synthesizes the available data on the strength of association between anger and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and between hostility and PTSD, covering 39 studies with trauma-exposed adults. Effect sizes did not differ for anger and hostility, which could therefore be combined; effect sizes for anger expression variables were analyzed separately. The analyses revealed large effects. The weighted mean effect size (r) was .48 for anger–hostility, .29 for anger out, .53 for anger in, and -.44 for anger control. Moderator analyses were conducted for anger–hostility, showing that effect sizes were substantially larger with increasing time since the event and that effect sizes were larger in samples with military war experience than in samples that had experienced other types of traumatic events.

Regulation of endothelial cell cytoskeletal reorganization by a secreted frizzled-related protein-1 and frizzled 4- and frizzled 7-dependent pathway: role in neovessel formation

Consistent with findings of Wnt pathway members involved in vascular cells, a role for Wnt/Frizzled signaling has recently emerged in vascular cell development. Among the few Wnt family members implicated in vessel formation in adult, Wnt7b and Frizzled 4 have been shown as involved in vessel formation in the lung and in the retina, respectively. Our previous work has shown a role for secreted Frizzled-related protein-1 (sFRP-1), a proposed Wnt signaling inhibitor, in neovascularization after an ischemic event and demonstrated its role as a potent angiogenic factor. However the mechanisms involved have not been investigated. Here, we show that sFRP-1 treatment increases endothelial cell spreading on extracellular matrix as revealed by actin stress fiber reorganization in an integrin-dependent manner. We demonstrate that sFRP-1 can interact with Wnt receptors Frizzled 4 and 7 on endothelial cells to transduce downstream to cellular machineries requiring Rac-1 activity in cooperation with GSK-3beta. sFRP-1 overexpression in endothelium specifically reversed the inactivation of GSK-3 beta and increased neovascularization in ischemia-induced angiogenesis in mouse hindlimb. This study illustrates a regulated pathway by sFRP-1 involving GSK-3beta and Rac-1 in endothelial cell cytoskeletal reorganization and in neovessel formation.