Update in clinical allergy and immunology

In the recent years, a tremendous body of studies has addressed a broad variety of distinct topics in clinical allergy and immunology. In this update, we discuss selected recent data that provide clinically and pathogenetically relevant insights or identify potential novel targets and strategies for therapy. The role of the microbiome in shaping allergic immune responses and molecular, as well as cellular mechanisms of disease, is discussed separately and in the context of atopic dermatitis, as an allergic model disease. Besides summarizing novel evidence, this update highlights current areas of uncertainties and debates that, as we hope, shall stimulate scientific discussions and research activities in the field.

Cognitive impairment and cortical reorganization in children with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes

Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is associated with mild cognitive deficits, especially language impairment. This study aimed to clarify whether children with BECTS with left- or right-hemispheric, or bilateral focus have specific neuropsychological language deficits when compared to healthy controls, whether these deficits correlate functionally with language network organization (typical vs. atypical), and whether cofactors such as duration, handedness, and medication have a relevant impact on language reorganization processes.

Predictors of substance use reduction in an epidemiological first-episode psychosis cohort

Aim To assess the predictors of a significant decrease or cessation of substance use (SU) in a treated epidemiological cohort of first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients. Method Participants were FEP patients of the Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre in Australia. Patients' medical files were reviewed using a standardized file audit. Data on 432 patients with FEP and baseline co-morbid substance use disorder (SUD) were available for analysis. Predictors of reduction/cessation of SU at follow up were examined using logistic regression analyses. Results In univariate analyses, a reduction/cessation of SU was predicted by baseline measures reflecting higher education, employment, accommodation with others, cannabis use disorder (CUD) only (rather than poly-SUDs), better global functioning and better premorbid social and occupational functioning, later age at onset of psychosis, and a diagnosis of non-affective psychosis. In multivariate analysis, CUD alone and better premorbid social and occupational functioning remained significant predictors. Conclusions Addressing SUDs and social and occupational goals in people with FEP may offer opportunities to prevent SUDs becoming more severe or entrenched. Further longitudinal research on recovery from SU and FEP is needed to disentangle directions of influence and identify key targets for intervention.

Investigation on the structural and magnetic properties of sputtered TbFe2/Fe3Ga heterostructures

We have analyzed the structural and magnetic properties of as-grown and annealed [TbFe2/Fe3Ga]n heterostructures grown by sputtering. Evidence of the bcc structure in the Fe3Ga layers has been found. The diffraction peak related to this structure shifts to high angles with the annealing temperature. Also, we have observed a change in the microstructure of the Tb-Fe layers when the thickness layer is reduced in the as-grown heterostructures. Moreover, the Tb content is lower than 33% of the TbFe2 Laves phase and it depends on the layer thickness. The thermal treatments promote the increase of the Tb content, but only in the heterostructures with thick layers. The strong lattice mismatch between the Tb-Fe and Fe-Ga layers seems to prevent a complete Tb diffusion upon the annealing process. Thus, the crystallization of the TbFe2 Laves phase is inhibited in the heterostructures with thin layers, although our experimental results indicate the presence of potential magnetostrictive TbFeGa alloys

Communicable disease and immunization programs. Hearing, Ninety-first Congress, second session ... March 13, 1970.

Hearings on H.R. 11913, 12067, 12116, 12153, 13482, 15961, 16168, and S. 2264.

Student Independent Projects Environmental Studies 2011: A Values Profile for a Healthy, Sustainable Corner Brook Community

We now live in a world where urbanization has become the norm. Approximately half the world now lives in cities(O'brien, 2008). In recent years for a province like Newfoundland and Labrador which has relied heavily on one industry, the fishery, this statistic holds a lot of meaning. For well over a century there has been a continuing movement from Newfoundland to other parts of Canada and the US. Between 1971 and 1998 alone, net out-migration amounted 20% of the provinces population. This exodus has become a significant part of Newfoundland culture (Bowering Delisle, 2008). Communities have declining populations because families can no longer afford to live in their communities. For places like Corner Brook though citizens do not feel the urge to move to bigger urban centers like St. John's or places on the mainland. The purpose of this paper is to outline values which maybe keeping Corner Brook residents from uprooting their families to move to bigger urban centers such as St. John's, in order to be able to support ther families, get experience in their fields or to just acquire a job like many other people around the province.

Global Mental Health: Five Areas for Value-Driven Training Innovation.

OBJECTIVE: In the field of global mental health, there is a need for identifying core values and competencies to guide training programs in professional practice as well as in academia. This paper presents the results of interdisciplinary discussions fostered during an annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture to develop recommendations for value-driven innovation in global mental health training. METHODS: Participants (n = 48), who registered for a dedicated workshop on global mental health training advertised in conference proceedings, included both established faculty and current students engaged in learning, practice, and research. They proffered recommendations in five areas of training curriculum: values, competencies, training experiences, resources, and evaluation. RESULTS: Priority values included humility, ethical awareness of power differentials, collaborative action, and "deep accountability" when working in low-resource settings in low- and middle-income countries and high-income countries. Competencies included flexibility and tolerating ambiguity when working across diverse settings, the ability to systematically evaluate personal biases, historical and linguistic proficiency, and evaluation skills across a range of stakeholders. Training experiences included didactics, language training, self-awareness, and supervision in immersive activities related to professional or academic work. Resources included connections with diverse faculty such as social scientists and mentors in addition to medical practitioners, institutional commitment through protected time and funding, and sustainable collaborations with partners in low resource settings. Finally, evaluation skills built upon community-based participatory methods, 360-degree feedback from partners in low-resource settings, and observed structured clinical evaluations (OSCEs) with people of different cultural backgrounds. CONCLUSIONS: Global mental health training, as envisioned in this workshop, exemplifies an ethos of working through power differentials across clinical, professional, and social contexts in order to form longstanding collaborations. If incorporated into the ACGME/ABPN Psychiatry Milestone Project, such recommendations will improve training gained through international experiences as well as the everyday training of mental health professionals, global health practitioners, and social scientists.

Beata Walter: Die berufliche Orientierung junger Menschen. Untersuchungen zur Verantwortung von Gesellschaft und Pädagogik. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang 2010 [Rezension]

Rezension von: Beata Walter: Die berufliche Orientierung junger Menschen. Untersuchungen zur Verantwortung von Gesellschaft und Pädagogik. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang 2010 (331 S.; ISBN 978-3-6316-0342-0)