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Purpose: In the past decade, there has been growing awareness of well-being and its importance and an increase in the development of activities or programmes aimed at improving well-being. The purpose of this study is to investigate what well-being programmes were being offered to prisoners in England and Wales and what benefits and other outcomes were experienced. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a mixed-methods exploratory design in two phases. Phase 1 was a questionnaire survey of all adult prisons in England and Wales, completed by prison staff. In Phase 2, a sample of survey respondents took part in in-depth interviews. Findings: The programmes identified in Phase 1 included physical activities, creative arts, mindfulness, horticulture, reading and animal-assisted activities. Prison staff reported a range of universally positive outcomes shared by all programmes, including enthusiasm from prisoners, enjoyment of the activities and being able to do something different from the usual prison routine. However, in Phase 2, interviewees rarely mentioned direct health and well-being benefits. The impetus for programmes was varied and there was little reference to national policy on health and well-being; this reflected the ad hoc way in which programmes are developed, with a key role being played by the Well-being Officer, where these were funded. Originality/value: The literature on well-being programmes in prisons is limited and tends to focus on specific types of initiatives, often in a single prison. This study contributes by highlighting the range of activities across prisons and elucidating the perspectives of those involved in running such programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK prison population has doubled in the last decade, with the greatest increases among prisoners over the age of 60 years, many of whom are sex offenders imprisoned late in life for 'historical' offences. Occurring in a context of 'austerity' and the wider neoliberal project, an under-researched consequence of this increase has been the rising numbers of 'anticipated' prison deaths; that is, deaths that are foreseeable and that require end of life care. We focus here on 'jail craft'; a nostalgic, multi-layered, narrative or discourse, and set of tacit practices which are drawn on by officers to manage the affective and practical challenges of working with the demands of this changed prison environment. Utilising findings from an empirical study of end of life care in prisons, we propose that the erosion of jail craft depletes protective resources and sharpens the practical consequences of neoliberal penal policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiencing bereavement as a child or young person (CYP) can have long-lasting effects. The societal and environmental burdens of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic exacerbated the experience of loss and grief for many CYP, who were unable to access their usual the support networks. However, it is still unclear what is currently known and not known about the experiences of CYP bereaved during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. This review used the framework of Arksey and O'Malley and included five stages: (1) identifying the research question; (2) identifying relevant studies; (3) study selection; (4) charting the data; (5) collating, summarizing, and reporting the results. The methodological quality of the included studies was also assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool. The PRISMA framework was used for reporting the results. The electronic databases Medline, PsychINFO, CINAHL, and PubMed were searched for relevant articles. A total of three papers meeting the inclusion criteria were included in this review and two main themes identified: (1) support (which included sub-themes; social isolation and the impact on support; support from family and friends; wider support networks); (2) Emotional impact of bereavement during a pandemic. Access to support networks is crucial for CYP to understand and process their emotions relating to their bereavement experience. The pandemic meant that many usual support networks such as family and friends were inaccessible to CYP, who struggled to deal with their experience of grief during this time. Schools are a valuable support mechanism and can help CYP understand their emotions through open discussions about their bereavement. The limited empirical evidence currently available in this area of research demonstrates an important need to further understanding of the long-term impacts of dealing with pandemic-related loss in childhood [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prison populations across the world are increasing. In the United Kingdom, numbers have doubled in the last two decades, and older prisoners now constitute the fastest growing section of the prison population. One key reason for this shifting prisoner demographic is the growing numbers of men convicted of ‘historic’ sexual offences, many of whom are imprisoned for the first time in old age, and housed in prisons not suited to their needs. These demographic changes have profound consequences, including increased demand for health and social care in prison, and rising numbers of anticipated deaths in custody. Using the findings from a recently completed study of palliative care in prison, this paper proposes that older prisoners face a ‘double burden’ when incarcerated. This double burden means that as well as being deprived of their liberty, older people experience additional suffering by not having their health and wellbeing needs met. For some, this double burden includes a ‘de facto life sentence’, whereby because of their advanced age and the likelihood that they will die in prison, they effectively receive a life sentence for a crime that would not normally carry a life sentence. There has been little popular or academic debate concerning the ethical and justice questions that this double burden raises. Drawing on the work of Wacquant and others, the paper proposes that these changes are best understood as unplanned but reasonably foreseeable consequences of neoliberal penal policies. Although the paper focuses on the UK (which by comparison with other European countries has high rates of imprisonment), many of the challenges discussed are emerging in other countries across the world. This paper illustrates starkly how neoliberal policies and discourses have shaped the expansion and composition of the prison population with its consequent implications for health and justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Internationally, evidence on the support needs of family carers who look after a terminally ill adult in home settings is incomplete. Aim: To illustrate the relevance of 'relevant background worries' in family carers' accounts of caring at home for a dying adult. Design: A qualitative cross-sectional observational study was conducted in England, United Kingdom, in 2011-2013 on the experiences of adult family carers (n = 59) of older dying adults (aged 50+ years) with malignant and/or non-malignant conditions. Interviews occurred post-bereavement. This article reports on a subset of participants' interview transcripts (n = 30) where narrative analysis was undertaken. Setting/participants: Carers were interviewed in their home setting, having been purposively recruited via general practitioner practices in two study sites in England. The subset of participants (n = 30) was purposively selected from the parent sample with reference to carers' age, relationship to the patient, family circumstances and study sites. Results: Evidence is provided on the importance of what we conceptualise as carers' 'relevant background worries'; these varied in nature, significance and impact. Four case studies are presented where these worries constituted psychosocial factors that impacted on caregivers' actions and emotional well-being. Two themes are discussed: (1) whether relevant background worries are important enough to be identified and responded to and (2) how such worries could be picked up and managed by professionals. Conclusion: It is argued that the quality of clinical practice could be improved if specialist palliative care teams in community contexts both identified and responded to significant support needs associated with family carers' relevant background worries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mallin, M.A.; Turner, M.I.H.; McIver, M.R.; Toothman, B.R., and Freeman, H.C., 2016. Significant reduction of fecal bacteria and suspended solids loading by coastal best management practices. The Town of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, is a resort island that has periodic stormwater runoff problems, affecting local swimming and shellfishing waters from excessive fecal bacteria loading. In 2013-15, the planning, installation, and before-and-after monitoring of several types of best management practices (BMPs) designed to reduce pollutant loading to estuarine waters occurred. A straight pipe carrying runoff directly into estuarine Banks Channel was replaced by a buried infiltration chamber. The infiltration chamber did not reduce fecal bacteria concentrations but caused 93% stormwater discharge reduction, 96% fecal bacteria, 90% Enterococcus load reductions, and a 99% total suspended solids (TSS) load reduction to Banks Channel. Near the town's municipal area a number of curb cuts, reversed stormwater inlets, and regraded grassed swales were constructed to encourage infiltration of stormwater into the sandy soils of the island. Also in that area a large rain garden was constructed to collect and infiltrate stormwater that formerly drained directly into estuarine Lee's Cut. The set of stormwater volume reduction and treatment BMPs in the municipal area caused fecal coliform bacteria and Enterococcus concentration reductions of 57% and 71%, respectively, 50% stormwater discharge reduction, 28-55% fecal bacteria load reductions, and 99% TSS load reduction. The pollutant concentration and load decreases in the municipal area of Wrightsville Beach are particularly striking because the BMPs only capture about 50% of the runoff from the drainage area that enters the outfall into Lee's Cut. The BMPs installed and tested would be applicable to developed coastal areas in numerous locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: older people aged 80 and over are increasingly providing end-of-life care to spouses at home and often do so for long periods of time, while also trying to manage their own illnesses and disabilities. Little of the research on older spousal carers has focussed on the oldest carers; hence, the needs of this particular population are not fully known. Objective: to explore the experiences of the 'oldest carers' in caring for a dying spouse at home. Methods: secondary analysis was undertaken on a subset of data from a larger qualitative interview study; this dataset comprised 17 interviews from participants aged 80 or over. Framework analysis methods were used, with items derived from the thematic analysis of the main study. Results: the oldest carers in this subset demonstrated high levels of resilience and the ability to adapt to their caring role. Caring until death was accepted as an integral part of the commitment made to their partner as part of the 'wedding contract'. Carers felt they benefitted from the support provided by family, friends and care services; however, their own care needs were not always recognised by health and social care services. Conclusions: these findings underscore the complexity of the oldest carers' experiences and challenges in times of illness and end of life. Healthcare professionals should be alerted to the myriad ways caregiving is enacted in serious illness and seek opportunities for developing supportive interventions specifically for older carers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public Health England (2013) survey data indicates that while the place of death is geographically uneven across England, given a choice, many older people nearing end of life would prefer to die at home. There is, however, a growing critique that policies designed to support home death fail to understand the needs and preferences of older people and the impact on family carers. Such policies also make assumption about within whose home the home death takes place. Hence, there are major gaps in our understanding of firstly, where and how care work undertaken by family members within domestic settings takes place; and secondly, how it can create tensions between home and care that fundamentally disrupt the physical and socio-emotional meaning of home for family carers, impacting on their sense of home post-death. This can have consequences for their own well-being. In this paper we draw on interview data from our 'Unpacking the Home' study to elicit an in-depth understanding of how facilitating a home death can create an ambiguity of place for family carers, where the issues faced by them in caring for a dying older person at home, and the home death itself, can fundamentally reshape the meaning and sense of home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morbid obesity remains as a common and increasing health problem. Due to limited long-term success with nonsurgical weight loss measures for morbid obesity, bariatric surgery is being performed more and more often in both academic and private practice settings and has proven to be an effective treatment option with sustained weight loss, decreased morbidity, reversal of comorbidities, and prolonged life expectancies [Am J Clin Nutr 55:615S-619S, ; Brolin, Nutrition 12:403-404, ; Fisher and Schauer, Am J Surg 184:9S-16S ]. The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, biliopancreatic diversion, and gastric sleeve will be discussed in terms of their expected imaging appearance and potential complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate health professionals’ views about palliative care provision in prisons in the counties of Cumbria and Lancashire in the North West of England. Seventeen prison healthcare staff and nine specialist palliative care staff participated in semi-structured interviews and 16 prison healthcare staff completed a questionnaire designed to measure knowledge, skills and confidence in relation to palliative care. The findings highlighted tensions between the philosophies of care and custody, and the many challenges in providing palliative care in a custodial setting. This paper presents two illustrative case study examples, and suggests ways in which some of these challenges can be overcome in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Transient transfection of mammalian cells in suspension culture has recently emerged as a very useful method for production of research-scale quantities of recombinant proteins. The most commonly used cell lines for this purpose are suspension-adapted HEK and CHO cells. We report here that the plasma exposure in mice of an IL-23R extracellular domain Fc fusion protein (IL23R–Fc) differed dramatically depending on whether the protein was prepared by transient transfection of HEK or CHO cells. Specifically, IL23R–Fc expressed using CHO cells had about 30-fold higher in vivo plasma exposure compared to the HEK-expressed protein. In contrast to their differing plasma exposures, the HEK- and CHO-expressed proteins had equivalent in vitro biological activity. Characterization of the CHO- and HEK-expressed IL23R–Fc proteins indicated that the differences in in vivo plasma exposure between them are due to differential glycosylation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hospice trustees are volunteers who are vital to the governance and management of independent, charitable hospices, yet little is known about their roles and concerns. This paper presents some findings from a qualitative study which explored the views and perspectives of hospice trustees in the UK. Twenty hospice trustees took part in semi-structured telephone interviews, which were analysed using an iterative thematic approach. Nine themes emerged from the analysis, and were grouped into two major categories. One theme, 'becoming a trustee', is presented in this paper to illustrate trustees' concerns about the challenges they face in adapting to change. The pace of change currently facing hospices in the UK is an issue of particular concern to trustees, presenting ongoing challenges for this group of volunteers. The study also raises wider questions about how hospices wish to position themselves in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Morbid obesity is an increasing health problem, and bariatric surgery is becoming a popular treatment option. Radiologists must be familiar with performing and interpreting studies in this patient population. The typical postoperative findings of the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP) procedure for morbid obesity on upper gastrointestinal (UGI) series are presented. An overview of the potential complications that may be diagnosed with contrast studies and computed tomography (CT) is provided in addition to a description of potential pitfalls in interpreting these studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this study was to examine interrelationships between functional biochemical and microbial indicators of soil quality, and their suitability to differentiate areas under contrasting agricultural management regimes. The study included five 0.8 ha areas on a sandy-loam soil which had received contrasting fertility and cropping regimes over a 5 year period. These were organically managed vegetable, vegetable–cereal and arable rotations, an organically managed grass clover ley, and a conventional cereal rotation. The organic areas had been converted from conventional cereal production 5 years prior to the start of the study. All of the biochemical analyses, including light fraction organic matter (LFOM) C and N, labile organic N (LON), dissolved organic N and water-soluble carbohydrates showed significant differences between the areas, although the nature of the relationships between the areas varied between the different parameters, and were not related to differences in total soil organic matter content. The clearest differences were seen in LFOM C and N and LON, which were higher in the organic arable area relative to the other areas. In the case of the biological parameters, there were differences between the areas for biomass-N, ATP, chitin content, and the ratios of ATP: biomass and basal respiration: biomass. For these parameters, the precise relationships between the areas varied. However, relative to the conventionally managed area, areas under organic management generally had lower biomass-N and higher ATP contents. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus colonization potential was extremely low in the conventional area relative to the organic areas. Further, metabolic diversity and microbial community level physiological profiles, determined by analysis of microbial community metabolism using Biolog GN plates and the activities of eight key nutrient cycling enzymes, grouped the organic areas together, but separated them from the conventional area. We conclude that microbial parameters are more effective and consistent indicators of management induced changes to soil quality than biochemical parameters, and that a variety of biochemical and microbial analyses should be used when considering the impact of management on soil quality. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rho-kinase II (ROCK-II) is a serine/threonine kinase that is involved in regulation of smooth muscle contraction and has been shown to contribute to the early stages of axon formation in neurons and the regulation of the neuronal cytoskeleton. Much of what is known about Rho-kinase function comes from cell-biological studies, whereas a paucity of biochemical characterization exists for the enzyme. In an effort to characterize ROCK-II biochemically we have cloned a truncated form of human ROCK-II comprising amino acids 1–543 and overexpressed it in Sf-21 cells. Utilizing the Sf-21/baculovirus expression system we isolated milligram quantities of ROCK-II (1–543) and purified the enzyme to near homogeneity. Optimal expression conditions revealed that infection of Sf-21 cells at a multiplicity of infection of 10 for 72 h yielded maximal protein expression. Expression of ROCK-II (1–543) as an N-terminal Flag fusion protein allowed a single-step purification yielding greater than 90% homogeneous protein as assessed by SDS–PAGE. Enzyme activity was linear over a range of enzyme concentrations and times. Capture of phosphorylated, biotinylated peptides on streptavidin membrane allowed assessment of peptide substrate preference and measurement of steady-state rate constants. The data indicated that an 11-mer peptide containing Ser235/Ser236 of the S6 ribosomal protein and a 12-mer peptide containing Thr508 of LIM kinase were preferred substrates for ROCK-II (1–543). Finally, staurosporine had an IC50 value 215-fold more potent than that of the ROCK inhibitor Y-27632. Collectively these data lay the foundation for the beginning of a biochemical characterization for this enzyme and provide methodology for more detailed biochemical, biophysical, and kinetic analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The effect of crop residue and soil organic matter (SOM) quality on the functional characteristics of soil microbial communities was investigated. Five shoot and root materials with contrasting biochemical qualities were incorporated into soil taken from a cultivated field (FC) and a field edge (FE). These soils had contrasting native SOM qualities, with organic C contents of 0.9 and 2.5%, respectively. The amended soils were incubated under controlled environment conditions before the metabolic characteristics of the soil microbial community were determined by analysis of the activities of 19 hydrolytic enzymes, by substrate utilization within Biolog GN microplates, and C and N mineralization dynamics. For enzyme and Biolog data, metabolic diversity and community level physiological profiles (CLPP) were determined by calculating Shannon''s diversity index and performing canonical variate analysis, respectively. Soil type significantly affected mineralization of N from the residues, although the size and direction of the effect varied according to the crop residue material added. Both enzyme and Biolog metabolic diversity were affected by the type of crop residue incorporated. Enzyme diversity was higher in FE relative to FC soil, but soil type had no effect on metabolic diversity recorded in Biolog microplates. There were significant interactions between soil type and crop residue material for respiration, N mineralization and enzyme diversity. During the early stages of decomposition, there were similarities in the response of enzyme and Biolog CLPP to crop residue quality and soil type. In the high OM soil, there was evidence for convergence of CLPP in treatments receiving low and high quality crop residue types. However, in the low SOM soil, CLPP of low and high quality crop residue treatments were clearly different. The length of time required for the CLPP of residue amended soil to converge with that of unamended control soil depended on both residue and soil type. We conclude that both crop residue and SOM quality can affect the functional diversity of the soil microbial community, and that enzyme and Biolog analyses reflect complementary, but not inter-changeable, analyses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Focuses on the development of a wastewater treatment facility in the village of Wrightstown, Wisconsin. Requirements for the discharge permit renewal process of the Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System; Details of the WPCF plan of Wrightstown; Information on the Integrated Plant Management and Control software suite.

Focuses on a study which presented the crystallization, three-dimensional structure determination and refinement of the inactive duck delta II crystallin mutant H162N complexed with the substrate argininosuccinate. Catalytic site and loss of catalytic activity in the H162N mutant; Conformational variation of the 280s loop; Comparison between domain 1 of the four monomers of the H162N structure.

Describes intragenic complementation as a phenomenon which occurs when a multimeric protein is formed from subunits produced y different mutant alleles of a gene. Factors associated with the observation of intragenic complementation; Concept of the structural basis of intragenic complementation; Role of argininosuccinate lyase in intragenic complementation.

Presents information on a study about a consumer training project designed to facilitate a seamless transition between state hospital and community care for individuals with severe mental illness. Three objectives that has been evaluated in the study; Criteria used in the methodology of the study; Discussion of the result.

Focuses on Jonah 3:10-4:11 which includes Jonah fleeing from God. Jonah's description of God in Jonah 4:2; Number of times Nineveh is mentioned in chapter 3; Reference to the conversation between Jonah and God.

The role of epithelial--stromal interactions in the progression of human papillomavirus-associated squamous intraepithelial lesions to invasive cervical cancer is poorly understood. Using the Matrigel artificial basement membrane assay as a model of keratinocyte invasion, the effects of selected growth factors on penetration of human papillomavirus 16-immortalized keratinocytes through Matrigel were studied. Also studied in this model were the effects of conditioned media from fibroblast lines derived from normal cervical tissues (normal fibroblasts) and adjacent cervical cancer biopsies (tumor-associated fibroblasts) and from primary keratinocytes. Addition of basic fibroblast growth factor, transforming growth factor-α, and hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor or conditioned media from tumor-associated fibroblasts to the Matrigel resulted in near-doubling of penetration of human papillomavirus 16-immortalized keratinocytes, whereas transforming growth factor-β, platelet derived growth factor-β, or conditioned media from primary keratinocytes decreased penetration 10-fold. Antibodies to basic fibroblast growth factor abrogated the stimulatory effects of conditioned media from tumor-associated fibroblasts on keratinocyte penetration, whereas antibodies to transforming growth factor-β abrogated the inhibitory effects of conditioned media from normal fibroblasts on keratinocyte penetration. S1 nuclease protection and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed increased expression of transforming growth factor-β and decreased expression of basic fibroblast growth factor in normal compared with tumor-associated fibroblasts. Messenger RNA in situ hybridization of five cervical cancer biopsies demonstrated basic fibroblast growth factor expression in stromal cells surrounding nests of invading keratinocytes. Epithelial--stromal interactions mediated by growth factors such as transforming growth factor-β and basic fribroblast growth factor modulate penetration of human papillomavirus 16-immortalized keratinocytes through Matrigel in vitro and these interactions may also be operative in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author talks about the need for palliative care in prisons across the globe. Topics discussed include the growth of worldwide prison population; the challenges providing palliative care in a prison environment including the restricted size of prison cells, lack of access to equipment, and issues related to medications; and the role of public perceptions and attitudes towards prisoners in it.

We describe the clinical and pathological findings of the hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in two children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Both patients presented with microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and subsequently developed renal failure. The diagnosis of HUS was confirmed by renal histopathology in both patients. None of these children presented with bloody diarrhea, evidence of circulating antibody response to Escherichia coli O157 lipopolysaccharide, or other known risk factors for HUS, except for the presence of HIV infection. Each patient was treated with intravenous plasma infusion and renal replacement therapy. Their clinical course was characterized by non-oliguria and lack of significant hypertension throughout the acute phase of the disease. Despite these favorable clinical parameters, both patients developed endstage renal failure. The etiology of this atypical HUS characterized by poor renal survival remains unknown and the role of HIV infection in its pathogenesis, although possible, is unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An ageing prison population with complex health needs combined with punitive sentencing practices means palliative care for incarcerated individuals is increasingly important. However, there is limited evidence regarding the models of care delivery in high-income countries, and their associated challenges and benefits. Aim: To develop a typology of models of palliative care provision for incarcerated individuals, synthesise evidence of their outcomes and describe facilitators of and challenges in delivering different models of palliative and end-of-life care in prisons. Design: Scoping review following Arksey and O'Malley, with narrative synthesis. The protocol was registered prospectively (reviewregistry1260). Data sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, the Social Sciences Citation Index and grey literature were searched on 15th March 2023. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used for quality appraisal. Results: A total of 16,865 records were screened; 22 peer-reviewed articles and 18 grey literature sources met the inclusion criteria. Three models were identified: Embedded Hospice, Outsourcing Care and Community Collaboration. The Embedded Hospice model shows potential benefits for patients and prisons. Outsourcing Care may miss opportunities for comprehensive care. Collaborative Care relies on proactive prison-community relationships that could be formalised for improvement. Psychosocial and bereavement needs of those dying in prison and their caregivers lack sufficient documentation. Conclusion: Further research is needed to evaluate prison hospice costs and examine how prison hospices impact compassionate release usage. Beyond the USA, policies might formalise care pathways and recognise best practices. Further investigation to address psychosocial needs of people in prison with life-limiting illnesses and post-death bereavement support is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to understand the conceptualisation and development of a novel way of providing end‐of‐life care in a Cottage Hospice setting, with a focus on the role of family carers and volunteers within this care model. A participatory action research design enabled a situational analysis, together with change processes. The study setting was a hospice in the South of England, and its network of wider associates in the local health economy. Participants were purposively sampled to provide relevant information. Data collection (2017–2018) included documents (e.g., meeting minutes) and interviews (individual and group) with external (e.g., GPs) and internal (e.g., staff, managers, volunteers, patients, family carers) stakeholders. These were followed by action cycles conducted by a core action group which explored issues related to family and young carers, the relationship between the main and Cottage Hospices and workforce engagement with the change process. Iterative, inductive, thematic analysis was followed by axial coding facilitated within NVivo. Twenty‐six individual and eight follow‐up interviews, two group interviews and five discrete action cycles were completed. At the core was a focus on disruption of the norm of professionally provided and mediated care, with three main themes: imagining the future of Cottage Hospice (growing demand, a home‐like space, innovative roles for families and volunteers); developing the role of family caregivers (making agreements, meeting needs, social inclusion and the 'unknown' expectations) and quality and safety issues (negative perceptions, personalised care and volunteer roles). Change was viewed as both a threat and an opportunity. Cottage Hospice represents the possibility of a truly new way of meeting the needs of dying people and their families, and could act as a template for progressive service developments elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) has emerged as the imaging modality of choice for evaluating the abdomen and pelvis in trauma patients. MDCT readily detects injury of the solid organs as well as direct and indirect features of bowel and/or mesenteric injury-an important advance given that unrecognized bowel and mesenteric injuries may result in high morbidity and mortality. Nonetheless, challenges persist in the interpretation of abdominal and pelvic CT images in trauma patients. Difficulty in interpretation may result from lack of familiarity with or misunderstanding of CT features of bowel and/or mesenteric injury. Moreover, due to major technical advances afforded by MDCT, new CT features of bowel and/or mesenteric injuries have been recognized. Beading and termination of mesenteric vessels indicating surgically important mesenteric injury is an example of one of these new features. MDCT also allows for the detection of small or trace amounts of isolated intraperitoneal fluid in trauma patients, although the clinical management of these patients is still controversial. This pictorial essay illustrates the spectrum of typical, atypical, and newly reported MDCT features of bowel and mesenteric injuries due to blunt trauma. The features that help to differentiate these injuries from pitfalls are emphasized in these proven cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the provision of high quality end-of-life care to dying prisoners. It mentions that bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi and train robber Ronnie Biggs have both been released from prison on compassionate grounds as they are sick. It is said that despite the negative reaction of the public toward the move, both meet the criteria of the British Ministry of Justice. Data from a 2009 study shows that prison health-care teams are working with local providers of specialist palliative care to ensure end-of-life care to prisoners.

The article focuses on virus crystals as nanocomposite scaffolds. Patterning the nanostructure of monolithic solids to make ordered motifs is a powerful tool for material design. Several chemical strategies for generating such materials rely on porous templates. Protein and virus crystals have traditionally played a pivotal role in structural biology where thousands of crystals with unique symmetries have been grown for macromolecular structure determinations. In this work, virus crystals was used as templates to form large scale solids containing nanoscopic order. The body centered cubic crystal of cowpea mosaic virus was used as an example template.