Engaging Disadvantaged Youth in the Creative Process

Public Practice is vital for personal and cultural development and it connects individuals to the larger world. Art enables creative exploration, helps build confidence, and enables children in disadvantaged schools to take part in a positive creative process that subsequently affects their school, community, and ability to take control of their future. As more research is conducted in this field, researchers are finding that art levels the "learning field" across socio-economic boundaries, improves student retention and reduces the achievement gap

The effects of resistance training on well-being and memory in elderly volunteers

Objective: to determine the short- and long-term effects of resistance training on muscle strength, psychological well-being, control-beliefs, cognitive speed and memory in normally active elderly people. Methods: 46 elderly people (mean age 73.2 years; 18 women and 28 men), were randomly assigned to training and control groups (n = 23 each). Pre- and post-tests were administered 1 week before and 1 week after the 8-week training intervention. The training sessions, performed once a week, consisted of a 10 min warm-up phase and eight resistance exercises on machines. Results: there was a significant increase in maximum dynamic strength in the training group. This training effect was associated with a significant decrease in self-attentiveness, which is known to enhance psychological well-being. No significant changes could be observed in control-beliefs. Modest effects on cognitive functioning occurred with the training procedure: although there were no changes in cognitive speed, significant pre/post-changes could be shown in free recall and recognition in the experimental group. A post-test comparison between the experimental group and control group showed a weak effect for recognition but no significant differences in free recall. Significant long-term effects were found in the training group for muscular strength and memory performance (free recall) 1 year later. Conclusion: an 8-week programme of resistance training lessens anxiety and self-attentiveness and improves muscle strengt

The Old English Herbal in Cotton Ms. Vitellius C. iii : Studies

Even for experts in the field, early English medicine seems to present difficulties. For the uninitiated, it is a trackless jungle. . . the field of medical and other scientific vernacular manuscripts is still a Yukon territory crying out for exploitation.The MS. designated Vitellius C. iii in the Cotton Collection of the British Museum contains an Old English trans­ lation of a medical complex based upon the Herbarium of the Pseudo-Apuleius. This study is concerned with that herbal complex (f. ll-82v) and with an investigation of the full­ page illustrations in the complex to determine if they can provide any clues toward the solution of some of the vexing problems posed by this MS. No detailed study dealing with the MS., its position in the tradition, and its use has been made in this century. The only published complete edition of the herbal complex appears in Volume I of Leechdoms, Wortcunning and Starcraft of Early England, ed. Thomas O. Cockayne, Rolls Series, Vol. 35 (London, 1864) . This work has recently been re-issued (London, 1961) with a new Introduction by Charles Singer. Problems inhering in the reprint will be discussed below; suffice it to say at this point that Cockayne’s original work and Introduction are still important and will continue to be useful. The first 132 plant chapters of the Herbal were edited again by A. J. G. Hilbelink as Cotton MS Vitellius C III of the Herbarium Apuleii, Academisch Proefschrift (Amsterdam, 1930). Her edi­tion is a collation of the MS. in question with the sister MSS. Bodleian Hatton 76 and B. M. Harley 585; it has the briefest of introductions, but a number of grammatical tables are appended. Recently a number of scholars have undertaken further work with the codex. The Herbal is scheduled for pub­lication in the series Early English Manuscripts in Facsimile, and two dissertation projects dealing with this MS. have been undertaken. The absence of any attempt to synthesize the various approaches to this MS. may be the result of the nature of the classical and medieval herbal. The herbal is a phenomenon with no modern parallels, and modern scholarly disciplines tend to distort our view of it. Historians of medicine and of science, particularly pre-Linnean botany, deal with the herbal tradition and this MS. as evidence of the state of their sciences at a particular time. Art historians are con­ cerned with the tradition and the MS. from the standpoint of the survival of classical art and from the standpoint of the development of plant portrayal from naturalistic to ornamental representation. Paleographers and codicologists assess the textual problems of the many extant MSS. of the Herbarium Apulei in both Latin and the vernacular languages. Students of Old English language and literature find Cotton Vitellius C. iii of particular interest not merely because it is the source of most of our knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon's plant vocabulary, but also because it is witness to the existence of a secular classical tradition in Anglo-Saxon England and be­ cause it tells something about the nature and function of a secular codex in England before the Conquest. Unfortunately, many of these approaches, by their modern frames of reference, impede our understanding of a herbal complex. In this study I intend to draw on these various approaches to Vitellius C. iii in order to assess our current knowledge regarding the codex, the herbal tradition, the position of the OE MSS. in that tradition, and the uses of such a codex. I intend also to deal with details concerning the MS. which have been hitherto overlooked, particularly those concerning the full-page illustrations.--Introduction.Gatch, Milton McC.Includes bibliographical references

Phénoménologie du sexe, phénoménologie du genre, phénoménologie queer

À partir de la publication de L’Être et le Néant en 1943, où Jean-Paul Sartre déplore que les travaux phénoménologiques « n’[aient] pas cru devoir se préoccuper de la sexualité » et proclame compter quant à lui les formes principales de la sexualité humaines parmi les « struc- tures fondamentales » de l’existence humaine, une part importante d’œuvres de phénoménologie vont accorder une attention accrue aux problématiques de sexe, de genre et de sexualité. Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Simone de Bea..

Untersuchung zur Mastzellinfiltration des Magen-Darm- Trakts bei Kindern und Jugendlichen

Objectives: The physiological number and distribution of mast cells (MCs) in the pediatric gastrointestinal (GI) tract is not well defined and reference values of normality are missing. To define a physiological and disease defining cut-off, a systematic histological exploration of MC distribution from the esophagus to the rectum in healthy as well as in patients with gastrointestinal food allergies (GFA) was performed. Methods: Nine pediatric subjects that exhibited unremarkable histopathological evaluations or underwent endoscopy for surveillance reasons after a previous polypectomy of single colonic juvenile polyps served as reference cohort. In all of these subjects, a chronic inflammatory disease (eg, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease) or allergy was excluded. In addition, a group of 15 patients with gastrointestinal complaints suspected to be caused by a GFA were investigated. Immunohistochemistry was performed from all biopsies using CD117 (c-Kit) as a reliable marker to identify MCs in the lamina propria. Results: There were distinct differences of MC counts in all parts of the pediatric GI tract. The highest counts of MCs in both symptomatic patients and control cohort, were found in the duodenum, terminal ileum, cecum and ascending colon. The lowest counts were found in the esophagus. Significant disparities between GFA and healthy subjects were found in the gastric corpus (22.1±4.0/ high power field [HPF] vs 32.0±10.1/HPF; P=0.034) and ascending colon (44.8±10.4/HPF vs 60.4±24.3/HPF; P=0.047). Conclusions: Mucosal MC counts in the pediatric GI tract are higher than previously reported, with a considerable overlap between healthy and GFA patients. These results provide detailed information on distribution and numbers of MCs in pediatric allergic patients while allowing estimates of physiological values in childhood for the first time. With regard to diagnostic procedures in GFA further laboratory parameters have to be integrated.Hintergrund und Ziele: Die physiologische Anzahl und Verteilung von Mastzellen im Magen-Darm-Trakt von Kindern und Jugendlichen ist bisher nicht ausreichend definiert und es existieren zur histopathologischen Beurteilung keine Normalwerte. Unser Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war die Ausarbeitung eben dieser physiologischen Normalwerte sowie der zur Abgrenzung einer Pathologie erforderlichen Grenzwerte. Wir führten eine systematische Untersuchung der Mastzellverteilung vom Ösophagus bis zum Rektum, sowohl bei gesunden Patienten, als auch bei Patienten mit einer gastrointestinalen Nahrungsmittelallergie durch. Methoden: Neun Kinder und Jugendliche, welche in der initialen histologischen Begutachtung keine auffälligen Befunde aufgewiesen hatten und bei denen die endoskopischen Maßnahmen aufgrund notwendiger Überwachung, beispielsweise im Rahmen einer Kontrolle nach Abtragung eines singulären juvenilen Polypen des Darms, durchgeführt wurden, dienten als Referenzkohorte. Bei all diesen Patienten war eine chronisch-entzündliche Erkrankung (z.B. Morbus Crohn, Colitis ulcerosa, Zöliakie) sowie eine allergische Erkrankung ausgeschlossen. Ergänzend erfolgte die Untersuchung von 15 Patienten mit gastrointestinalen Beschwerden, welche auf eine gastrointestinale Nahrungsmittelallergie zurückgeführt wurden. Alle Biopsien wurden mittels Immunhistochemie untersucht. Dabei wurde CD 117 (c-Kit) als zuverlässiger Marker für die Identifizierung der Mastzellen in der Lamina propria genutzt. Ergebnisse: Wir fanden deutliche Unterschiede der Mastzellverteilung in allen Abschnitten des kindlichen Magen-Darm-Trakts. Die höchste Anzahl von Mastzellen in beiden Gruppen, sowohl bei den symptomatischen als auch den Kontrollpatienten, wurden im Duodenum, terminalen Ileum, Coecum und Colon ascendens gefunden. Die niedrigste Anzahl lag im Ösophagus vor. Signifikante Unterschiede zwischen den 2 beiden Gruppen bestanden im Magencorpus (22.1±4.0/ high power field [HPF] vs. 32.0±10.1 /HPF; p=0.034) und im Colon ascendens (44.8±10.4 /HPF vs. 60.4±24.3 /HPF; p=0.047). Schlussfolgerungen: Die Anzahl von Mastzellen in der Schleimhaut des Magen- Darm-Trakts von Kindern und Jugendlichen ist höher als in der Vergangenheit angenommen und berichtet. Dabei besteht eine erhebliche Überschneidung zwischen Gesunden und Patienten mit einer gastrointestinalen Nahrungsmittelallergie. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen detaillierte Informationen bezüglich der Verteilung und der Anzahl von Mastzellen bei Allergiepatienten des Kindesalters und erlauben erstmals eine Abschätzung physiologischer Werte in diesem Altersbereich. Hinsichtlich der Diagnostik von gastrointestinalen Nahrungsmittelallergien sollten begleitend aber weitere Laboruntersuchungen in diese integriert werden

Die genetische Variante c.131C>T im humanen SPG4-Gen: Entwicklung eines Detektionsverfahrens und Ermittlung der Prävalenz in Familien mit einer Hereditären Spastischen Paraplegie und in Kontrollindividuen

Die hereditäre spastische Paraplegie ist eine heterogene Gruppe der neurodegenerativen Erkrankungen. Die Hauptgruppe bildet die SPG4-assozierte autosomal dominante Form der HSP. Eine der wenigen Basensubstitutionen, die zu einem Aminosäureaustausch am N´-Terminus des Genprodukts Spastin führen, ist der Nukleotidaustausch c.131C>T (p.44S>L). Im Rahmen der dieser Arbeit wurde ein sicheres und schnelles, RFLP-basiertes Detektionsverfahren entwickelt und etabliert, mit dessen Hilfe ermittelt werden konnte, dass es sich bei dem c.131T-Allel um einen seltenen Polymorphismus handelt (Prävalenz 1,43 %). Durch Stammbaumanalysen konnten weitere Hinweise für einen modifizierenden Effekt des c.131T-Allels auf den Phänotyp einer HSP ermittelt werden. Heterozygote c.131TAllelträger, die eine krankheitsverursachende SPG4-Mutation in trans geerbt haben, sind auch in dieser Arbeit früher und schwerer an einer HSP erkrankt, während heterozygote c.131T-Träger nicht betroffen sind; der Nukleotidaustausch wird unabhängig von einer HSP vererbt

Recurrent melanocytic nevi and melanomas in dermoscopy: results of a multicenter study of the International Dermoscopy Society

IMPORTANCE Differentiating recurrent nevi from recurrent melanoma is challenging. OBJECTIVE To determine dermoscopic features to differentiate recurrent nevi from melanomas. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective observational study of 15 pigmented lesion clinics from 12 countries; 98 recurrent nevi (61.3%) and 62 recurrent melanomas (38.8%) were collected from January to December 2011. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Scoring the dermoscopic features, patterns, and colors in correlation with the histopathologic findings. RESULTS In univariate analysis, radial lines, symmetry, and centrifugal growth pattern were significantly more common dermoscopically in recurrent nevi; in contrast, circles, especially if on the head and neck area, eccentric hyperpigmentation at the periphery, a chaotic and noncontinuous growth pattern, and pigmentation beyond the scar's edge were significantly more common in recurrent melanomas. Patients with recurrent melanomas were significantly older than patients with recurrent nevi (mean [SD] age, 63.1 [17.5] years vs 30.2 [12.4] years) (P<.001), and there was a significantly longer time interval between the first procedure and the second treatment (median time interval, 25 vs 8 months) (P<.001). In a multivariate analysis, pigmentation beyond the scar's edge (P=.002), age (P<.001), and anatomic site (P=.002) were significantly and independently associated with the diagnosis of recurrent melanoma in dermoscopy. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Dermoscopically, pigmentation beyond the scar's edge is the strongest clue for melanoma. Dermoscopy is helpful in evaluating recurrent lesions, but final interpretation requires taking into account the patient age, anatomic site, time to recurrence, growth pattern, and, if available, the histopathologic findings of the first excision

Extracorporeal cytokine adsorption reduces systemic cytokine storm and improves graft function in lung transplantation

OBJECTIVES Ischemia-reperfusion injury often coincides with a cytokine storm, which can result in primary graft dysfunction following lung transplantation. Our previous research has demonstrated allograft improvement by cytokine adsorption during ex vivo lung perfusion. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of in vivo extracorporeal cytokine adsorption in a large animal model. MATERIALS AND METHODS Pig left lung transplantation was performed following 24 hours of cold ischemic storage. Observation period after transplantation was 24 hours. In the treatment group (n = 6), extracorporeal CytoSorb adsorption was started 30 minutes before reperfusion and continued for 6 hours. A control group (n = 3) did not receive adsorber treatment. RESULTS During adsorption, we consistently noticed a significant decrease in plasma proinflammatory interleukin (IL)-2, trends of less proinflammatory, tumor necrosis factor- α, IL-1α, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor as well as significantly reduced systemic neutrophils. In addition, a significantly lower peak airway pressure was detected during the 6 hours of adsorption. After 24 hours of observation, when evaluating the left lung allograft independently, we observed significantly improved CO2 removal, partial pressure of oxygen/inspired oxygen fraction ratio, and less acidosis in the treatment group. At autopsy, bronchoalveolar lavage results exhibited significantly lower recruitment of cells and less pro-inflammatory IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 in the treatment group. Histologically, the treatment group had a strong trend, indicating less neutrophil invasion into the alveolar space. CONCLUSIONS Based on our findings, cytokine adsorption during and after reperfusion is a viable approach to reducing posttransplant inflammation following lung transplantation. CytoSorb may increase the acceptance of extended criteria donor lungs, which are more susceptible to ischemia-reperfusion injury