Northern Ireland Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan 2006-2011 (PDF 162 KB)

NI Suicide Prevention Strategy & Action Plan 2006 - 2011

GP Fundholding VFM Study Summary Report (PDF 1932 KB)

November 1999 - covering Management arrangments for GP Fundholding, GP Fundholder Achievements and Involving GPs in Commissioning

New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs (2006-2011) (Online Publication)

Executive Summary and Strategy Document (May 2006) The New Strategic Direction has a set of overarching long-term aims to: • Provide accessible and effective treatment and support for people who are consuming alcohol and/or using drugs in a potentially hazardous, harmful or dependent way. • Reduce the level, breadth and depth of alcohol and drug-related harm to users, their families and/or their carers and the wider community. • Increase awareness on all aspects of alcohol and drug-related harm in all settings and for all age groups. • Integrate those policies which contribute to the reduction of alcohol and drug-related harm into all Government Department strategies. • Develop a competent skilled workforce across all sectors that can respond to the complexities of alcohol and drug use and misuse. • Promote opportunities for those under the age of 18 years to develop appropriate skills, attitudes and behaviours to enable them to resist societal pressures to drink alcohol and/or use illicit drugs, with a particular emphasis on those identified as potentially vulnerable. • Reduce the availability of illicit drugs in Northern Ireland åÊ

New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs (2006-2011) Executive Summary

Executive Summary and Strategy Document (May 2006) The New Strategic Direction has a set of overarching long-term aims to: • Provide accessible and effective treatment and support for people who are consuming alcohol and/or using drugs in a potentially hazardous, harmful or dependent way. • Reduce the level, breadth and depth of alcohol and drug-related harm to users, their families and/or their carers and the wider community. • Increase awareness on all aspects of alcohol and drug-related harm in all settings and for all age groups. • Integrate those policies which contribute to the reduction of alcohol and drug-related harm into all Government Department strategies. • Develop a competent skilled workforce across all sectors that can respond to the complexities of alcohol and drug use and misuse. • Promote opportunities for those under the age of 18 years to develop appropriate skills, attitudes and behaviours to enable them to resist societal pressures to drink alcohol and/or use illicit drugs, with a particular emphasis on those identified as potentially vulnerable. • Reduce the availability of illicit drugs in Northern Ireland

New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs (2006-2011) (PDF 976 KB)

Strategy Document - May 2006

RasGAP-derived fragment N increases the resistance of beta cells towards apoptosis in NOD mice and delays the progression from mild to overt diabetes.

The caspase-3-generated RasGAP N-terminal fragment (fragment N) inhibits apoptosis in a Ras-PI3K-Akt-dependent manner. Fragment N protects various cell types, including insulin-secreting cells, against different types of stresses. Whether fragment N exerts a protective role during the development of type 1 diabetes is however not known. Non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice represent a well-known model for spontaneous development of type 1 diabetes that shares similarities with the diseases encountered in humans. To assess the role of fragment N in type 1 diabetes development, a transgene encoding fragment N under the control of the rat insulin promoter (RIP) was back-crossed into the NOD background creating the NOD-RIPN strain. Despite a mosaic expression of fragment N in the beta cell population of NOD-RIPN mice, islets isolated from these mice were more resistant to apoptosis than control NOD islets. Islet lymphocytic infiltration and occurrence of a mild increase in glycemia developed with the same kinetics in both strains. However, the period of time separating the mild increase in glycemia and overt diabetes was significantly longer in NOD-RIPN mice compared to the control NOD mice. There was also a significant decrease in the number of apoptotic beta cells in situ at 16 weeks of age in the NOD-RIPN mice. Fragment N exerts therefore a protective effect on beta cells within the pro-diabetogenic NOD background and this prevents a fast progression from mild to overt diabetes.

Manejo perioperatorio y resultados de morbimortalidad tras recambio valvular aórtico transcatéter (TAVI). Experiencia en nuestro centro 2009-2011

El recanvi de vàlvula aòrtica transcateter (TAVI) és un tècnica quirúrgica mínimanent invasiva que permet tractar l´estenosis aòrtica severa. El present estudi tracta de descriure de forma retrospectiva les característiques perioperatories dels pacients sotmesos a TAVI, així com els resultats obtinguts i complicacions. S'ha realitzat un estudi comparatiu entre abordatge transapical i transfemoral, i entre pacients amb Euroscore&30% i &30%. Amb això pretenem descriure i valorar l'experiència i resultats d'aquest tipus d'intervencions en el nostre centre, i comparar-la amb els resultats obtinguts per altres grups de treball

Infection latente a M. tuberculosis, mise a jour 2011 [Latent M. tuberculosis infection, update 2011].

It is estimated that one third of the world population is latently infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and thus at risk of reactivation. Latent tuberculosis (TB) impact in Switzerland is often overlooked. Diagnosis and prophylaxis are insufficiently undertaken, especially for people at higher risk of reactivation due to immunosuppression. Interferon-gamma release assays replace tuberculosis skin tests for diagnosis of latent infection in adults. It is still recommended to treat prophylactically a case of latent TB infection with 9 months of isoniazid; however therapy with rifampicin for 4 months, currently an alternative option, is linked to improved adherence and favorable cost-benefit ratio.

New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs (2006-2011) (PDF 272 KB)

Consultation Outlining proposals for a five-year plan

Protein-Binding Microarray Analysis of Tumor Suppressor AP2α Target Gene Specificity.

Cheap and massively parallel methods to assess the DNA-binding specificity of transcription factors are actively sought, given their prominent regulatory role in cellular processes and diseases. Here we evaluated the use of protein-binding microarrays (PBM) to probe the association of the tumor suppressor AP2α with 6000 human genomic DNA regulatory sequences. We show that the PBM provides accurate relative binding affinities when compared to quantitative surface plasmon resonance assays. A PBM-based study of human healthy and breast tumor tissue extracts allowed the identification of previously unknown AP2α target genes and it revealed genes whose direct or indirect interactions with AP2α are affected in the diseased tissues. AP2α binding and regulation was confirmed experimentally in human carcinoma cells for novel target genes involved in tumor progression and resistance to chemotherapeutics, providing a molecular interpretation of AP2α role in cancer chemoresistance. Overall, we conclude that this approach provides quantitative and accurate assays of the specificity and activity of tumor suppressor and oncogenic proteins in clinical samples, interfacing genomic and proteomic assays.

Health and Social Care Implications of Population Ageing In Ireland 1991-2011

This report has two main objectives. The first is to set out national and health board area population projections for Ireland in the period 1991-2011, with special reference to the elderly population. The second is to consider the implications of the predicted trends in the elderly population for health and social care services over the same period, taking account of official policy objectives and service norms for the health services. Download the Report here

Urologie [Urology in 2011].

In 2011, therapeutic acquisitions in urology allow optimizing management of acute uncomplicated cystitis and acute pyelonephritis by female patients and in men clinical implications of benign prostatic hyperplasia opposed to prostate cancer detection as well as hormonal treatment of advanced prostate cancer.

Clarification of the Meaning of "Beneficial Owner" in the OECD Model Tax Convention: Comment on the April 2011 Discussion Draft

In April 2011, the OECD released an important discussion draft that is intended to clarify the meaning of the term "beneficial ownership" under articles 10, 11 and 12 of the OECD Model (2010). This article discusses these proposals and demonstrates that some refinement is necessary.

Public Service Agreement 2010 - 2014 (Croke Park Agreement) - Departmental Progress Report September 2011

1. Summary of Main Progress Achieved in the Six Month Period April 2011 to September 2011 ICT services and Accounts/Finance services are being provided by the Department to the new Department of Children and Youth Affairs on an ongoing basis.A Special Delivery Unit, as provided for in the Programme for Government, is currently being established.A survey of all staff workloads is currently underway to verify that all staff are appropriately deployed and utilised.   Click here to download PDF 46KB