Development and Preliminary Testing of a Framework to Evaluate Patients’ Experiences of the Fundamentals of Care: A Secondary Analysis of Three Stroke Survivor Narratives.

Development and preliminary testing of a framework to evaluate patients’ experiences of the fundamentals of care: a secondary analysis of three stroke survivor narratives.

Nurs Res Pract. 2013; 2013: 572437
Kitson AL, Muntlin Athlin A

Aim. To develop and test a framework describing the interrelationship of three key dimensions (physical, psychosocial, and relational) in the provision of the fundamentals of care to patients. Background. There are few conceptual frameworks to help healthcare staff, particularly nurses, know how to provide direct care around fundamental needs such as eating, drinking, and going to the toilet. Design. Deductive development of a conceptual framework and qualitative analysis of secondary interview data. Method. Framework development followed by a secondary in-depth analysis of primary narrative interview data from three stroke survivors. Results. Using the physical, psychosocial and relational dimensions to develop a conceptual framework, it was possible to identify a number of “archetypes” or scenarios that could explain stroke survivors’ positive experiences of their care. Factors contributing to suboptimal care were also identified. Conclusions. This way of thinking about how the fundamentals of care are experienced by patients may help to elucidate the complex processes involved around providing high quality fundamentals of care. This analysis illustrates the multiple dimensions at play. However, more systematic investigation is required with further refining and testing with wider healthcare user groups. The framework has potential to be used as a predictive, evaluative, and explanatory tool. HubMed – eating

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Household Cats in Korea and Risk Factors.

Korean J Parasitol. 2013 Jun; 51(3): 357-61
Hong SH, Jeong YI, Kim JY, Cho SH, Lee WJ, Lee SE

Several epidemiological surveys have reported the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in stray cats in Korea, but little information is available on T. gondii infection in household cats. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence and risk factors of T. gondii infection among household cats reared in Seoul, Korea. A total of 474 blood samples were collected from clinically healthy household cats. All samples were tested using ELISA and PCR. The risk factor analysis was based on a questionnaire filled out by the owners. The overall positive rate for ELISA and PCR assays was 2.2% (10/437) and 2.1% (10/474), respectively. With regard to the origin of cats, the positive rates among cats adopted from the animal shelter and veterinary clinic for stray cats were significantly different (P<0.05). Our study demonstrated that the positive rate of T. gondii infection in household cats was low and that this low prevalence was assumed to be associated with keeping the cats indoors and restriction of eating raw food and uncooked meat. Therefore, we suggest that the owners check the origin of the cats prior to adoption to prevent infection of other animals, including humans. HubMed – eating

Distal and proximal factors of health behaviors and their associations with health in children and adolescents.

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013; 10(7): 2944-78
Lämmle L, Woll A, Mensink GB, Bös K

Objective: The aim of the present paper was to analyze factors affecting distal and proximal health behavior within a biopsychosocial model for examining their interactions and associations with respect to health. Methods: Path analysis was based on the nationwide, cross-sectional German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (2003 to 2006). The data was collected from 4,529 participants with an average age of 9.45 years (SD = 4.01). Socio-demographic data, psychosocial factors and health behavior were assessed via questionnaire. Participants also underwent physical fitness tests and a medical examination. Results: Over the five levels of the model analyzed with socioeconomic status, immigration background, and rural-urban differences on the first level; physical activity of relatives and peers, intrinsic motivation, and quality of life on the second level; eating patterns, sedentary behavior, and physical activity on the third level; physical fitness and objective health on the fourth level; and health complaints and subjective health on the fifth level; direct, moderation, and mediation effects could be shown. Conclusions: Several distal and proximal factors are needed to take account of the multivariate complexity of health: e.g., immigration background affected health behaviors only indirectly and the effect of physical activity on objective health was mediated by physical fitness. HubMed – eating

WIPI ?-propellers in autophagy-related diseases and longevity.

Biochem Soc Trans. 2013 Aug 1; 41(4): 962-7
Bakula D, Takacs Z, Proikas-Cezanne T

Autophagy is a catabolic pathway in which the cell sequesters cytoplasmic material, including long-lived proteins, lipids and organelles, in specialized double-membrane vesicles, called autophagosomes. Subsequently, autophagosomes communicate with the lysosomal compartment and acquire acidic hydrolases for final cargo degradation. This process of partial self-eating secures the survival of eukaryotic cells during starvation periods and is critically regulated by mTORC1 (mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1). Under nutrient-poor conditions, inhibited mTORC1 permits localized PtdIns(3)P production at particular membranes that contribute to autophagosome formation. Members of the human WIPI (WD-repeat protein interacting with phosphoinositides) family fulfil an essential role as PtdIns(3)P effectors at the initiation step of autophagosome formation. In the present article, we discuss the role of human WIPIs in autophagy, and the identification of evolutionarily conserved amino acids of WIPI-1 that confer PtdIns(3)P binding downstream of mTORC1 inhibition. We also discuss the PtdIns(3)P effector function of WIPIs in the context of longevity and autophagy-related human diseases, such as cancer and neurodegeneration. HubMed – eating