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ABSTRACTEvaluators utilize a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods to assess outcomes and make recommendations; however, we were unable to find any reference in the literature regarding the incorporation of oral histories for evaluation purposes. Based on our use of oral histories to evaluate a Critical Race Theory (CRT)-based undergraduate research and mentoring program, we learned how oral histories can be used effectively—and meaningfully—for evaluations seeking a deeper understanding of the program participants’ lived experiences. By sharing our (and our narrators’) experiences as we delved into this new methodology, as well as lessons learned about the benefits, limitations, and considerations when incorporating oral histories into evaluations, we show how both can be adapted to honor oral history while also meeting our evaluation needs.

Students with emotional-behavioral disorders (EBDs) often learn in alternative classroom settings to provide more intensive instruction that meets their educational needs. Although research has demonstrated promise for several behavior intervention practices in general education settings, the generalizability of these practices to more restricted environments is unknown. Thus, this meta-analysis aimed to examine the class-wide behavior interventions tested in self-contained learning environments for students with EBDs. Studies investigating behavioral interventions in alternative elementary settings were systematically screened. Fifteen studies with 20 effect sizes met inclusion criteria and results from each study were synthesized. An estimated average effect was calculated (g= 0.93, SE= 0.16), demonstrating that tested interventions are typically effective in self-contained learning environments to improve student behaviors. A thematic analysis and multi-level meta-regression were conducted to determine which elements are most beneficial to students in these unique learning environments. Results indicated that interventions that included relational supports, such as daily parent communication, differentially benefited students (B= 1.26, SE= 0.15). Limitations include the small number of studies meeting inclusion criteria that have investigated behavior interventions in self-contained settings and the need for improved research quality. Implications suggest support for adapting standardized practice elements, such as group contingencies, to improve student behaviors in multiple learning environments.

The optimum method for evaluating disease progression in Parkinson's disease (PD) has not been established, and this has implications for clinical trials. The majority of previous studies have utilized change on the Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) as an index of progression. However, the UPDRS has not been validated for this purpose. We utilized exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to evaluate the longitudinal properties of the UPDRS as an index of disease progression in PD. Data was derived from a representative cohort of 122 PD patients followed from diagnosis and assessed every 18–24 months for up to 7.9 years. For each subject the rate of change of each item on the UPDRS-3 was calculated and an EFA was performed using this data. Results were compared with those of previously published EFAs in cross-sectional PD cohorts. The UPDRS-3 retains a stable factor structure when used as an index of disease evolution. The 27 items reduced to 6 factors which accounted for 61.0% of the variance in disease progression. A dominant factor was identified which incorporated axial (gait/postural stability) symptoms and signs. Our analysis indicates that the UPDRS captures meaningful aspects of disease progression in PD, and that it is possible to identify symptom/sign complexes which evolve independently of one another. Progression in PD is predominantly characterized by the development of axial symptoms and signs. This result has implications for pathogenesis and should also inform natural history models of PD thereby allowing identification of meaningful outcome measures for clinical trials of disease-modifying therapies.

ABSTRACTEvaluation can bring positive, often cathartic effects for those who participate in evaluation activities. Inviting stakeholder feedback conveys respect, a commitment to improvement, and lets program participants know their perspectives are valued. The absence of evaluation, on the other hand, can cause harm to program recipients by conveying the message that their voices don’t matter—and their experiences matter even less. This is particularly the case for programs and policies that mandate participation, such as recent hotel quarantine policies or federal vaccine mandates. In this article, the notion of disempowerment evaluation—the structural avoidance of stakeholder feedback— is introduced and its potential for negatively affecting participant health and well-being is discussed. Implications for evaluators of counseling and mental health programs are discussed.

Background: Lymphoma is a neoplasm of the lymphoid tissue, which may present with localised or systemic clinical signs. Unlike dogs that commonly present with multicentric disease, mostly involving the lymphoid organs (eg, lymph nodes), feline lymphoma can present as visceral (eg, spleen/liver/gut), extranodal (eg, CNS/skin) or nodal in origin, with clinical presentation dependant on the affected organ. This variation in clinical presentation is further complicated by further indolent forms of lymphoma that have been reported; a cat can either present as clinically unwell with intrathoracic or intra‐abdominal forms, or it can present with some subcutaneous or multicentric forms, which may be systemically asymptomatic. Aim of the article: This article discusses the diagnosis and staging of feline lymphoma, the different clinical presentations, and outlines the most commonly used treatment methods.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder that typically manifests between the ages of 30 and 50 years. However, the disease can present at any age, and phenotypic differences between younger and later-onset patients have received limited attention. To compare clinical features of late- (>70 years of age) and younger-onset (<30 years of age) HD patients. Patients presenting to our regional NHS HD clinic with new-onset manifest HD diagnosed over the age of 70 years (LoHD) (n = 18) were compared with a younger cohort who developed disease under the age of 30 years (YoHD) (n = 12). Rate of progression over time on standard cognitive and motor measures was compared. At first clinic presentation, both groups had the same total UHDRS scores. However, the LoHD group had higher chorea scores (F (1,28) = 6.52, p = 0.016), while the YoHD group had more dystonia (F (1,28) = 8.69, p = 0.006) and eye movement abnormalities (F (1,28) = 16.991, p < 0.001). The YoHD group also had a greater rate of motor progression, especially for bulbar measures (F (1, 28) = 6.96, p = 0.013) and bradykinesia (F (1, 28) = 7.99, p = 0.009). No differences were found in the rate of cognitive change (F (1,21) = 1.727, p = 0.203) nor functional capacity (F (1,28) = 1.388, p = 0.249) between the groups. Phenotypic differences between YoHD and LoHD patients were found in terms of initial presentation and rate of motor progression. This has implications for therapeutic trials involving HD patients of different ages, given their different clinical features and progression.

ObjectivesAlterations in dopamine neurotransmission underlie some of the clinical features of Huntington’s disease (HD) and as such are a target for therapeutic intervention, especially for the treatment of chorea and some behavioural problems. However, justification for such an intervention is mainly based on case reports and small open label studies and the effects these drugs have on cognition in HD remain unclear.MethodsIn this study, we used the Enroll-HD observational database to assess the effects of antidopaminergic medication on motor, psychiatric and cognitive decline, over a 3-year period. We first looked at the annual rate of decline of a group of HD patients taking antidopaminergic medication (n=466) compared with an untreated matched group (n=466). The groups were matched on specified clinical variables using propensity score matching. Next, we studied a separate group of HD patients who were prescribed such medications part way through the study (n=90) and compared their rate of change before and after the drugs were introduced and compared this to a matched control group.ResultsWe found that HD patients taking antidopaminergic medication had a slower progression in chorea and irritability compared with those not taking such medications. However, this same group of patients also displayed significantly greater rate of decline in a range of cognitive tasks.ConclusionIn conclusion we found that antidopaminergic treatment is associated with improvements in the choreic movements and irritability of HD but worsens cognition. However, further research is required to prospectively investigate this and whether these are causally linked, ideally in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

Cognitive disturbances occur early in Huntington's disease (HD) and place a significant burden on the lives of patients and family members. Whilst these impairments are typically attributed to deterioration of the frontal-striatal pathways, accumulating evidence suggests that hippocampal dysfunction may also contribute to such impairments. Here, we employ a novel spatial memory task that has previously been shown to elicit impairments in individuals with focal hippocampal lesions, as a means to further investigate the role of hippocampal dysfunction in HD.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a hereditary disorder that typically manifests in adulthood with a combination of motor, cognitive and psychiatric problems. The pathology is caused by a mutation in the huntingtin gene which results in the production of an abnormal protein, mutant huntingtin (mHtt). This protein is ubiquitously expressed and known to confer toxicity to multiple cell types. We have recently reported that HD brains are also characterised by vascular abnormalities, which include changes in blood vessel density/diameter as well as increased blood–brain barrier (BBB) leakage.ObjectivesSeeking to elucidate the origin of these vascular and BBB abnormalities, we studied platelets that are known to play a role in maintaining the integrity of the vasculature and thrombotic pathways linked to this, given they surprisingly contain the highest concentration of mHtt of all blood cells.MethodsWe assessed the functional status of platelets by performing ELISA, western blot and RNA sequencing in a cohort of 71 patients and 68 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. We further performed haemostasis and platelet depletion tests in the R6/2 HD mouse model.ResultsOur findings indicate that the platelets in HD are dysfunctional with respect to the release of angiogenic factors and functions including thrombosis, angiogenesis and vascular haemostasis.ConclusionTaken together, our results provide a better understanding for the impact of mHtt on platelet function.

ABSTRACTThe translation industry, as well as Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and translator training, have undergone numerous changes in the last two decades. These changes might explain why there is often a gap between translator training and professional translation practice. In this paper, we argue that situated learning through the development of a community of practice (CoP) ensures cohesion in individual, group and larger professional contexts. We further argue that reflection elements integrated within the CoP provide a way to narrow the gap between translator training and professional translation practice. Unlike previous studies, in this paper we explore how reflection can be embedded during participation and learning throughout the translation postgraduate curriculum to create a CoP. We detail a case-study of the MA in Translation Studies (MATS) at the University of Portsmouth, UK. On the MATS, reflection – for all participants involved – influences all aspects of the course, thereby developing an adaptable CoP that sets both learners and trainers up with the tools for successful adaptation for their professional life.

•The majority of radiographers prostate and seminal vesicle contours are within a range of clinicians’ contours.•DSC of radiographer prostate and seminal vesicle contours are comparable to clinicians.•There was no significant difference in the HD or MDA between the clinicians and radiographers when compared to a gold standard.

Cancer is a common diagnosis in companion animals and, increasingly, clients choose to pursue treatment for their pets. Veterinary oncology is a rapidly growing field and diagnostic and treatment options for animals with cancer are constantly improving and becoming more widely available. Treatment outcomes can be good, but in many cases definitive treatment is not an option and palliative treatment is necessary. This article explores the palliative care of dogs and cats that have been diagnosed with cancer and summarises the various treatment options, with a particular focus on quality of life and the role of communication in the decision-making process.

Introduction: Huntington’s disease (HD) is an incurable chronic neurodegenerative disorder that typically presents in mid-life with a range of motor, cognitive and affective problems. Patients are currently managed using a combination of drug treatments and non-pharmacological therapies but at present there is no “gold standard” treatment for any aspect of the disease.Areas covered: In this review the empirical evidence supporting the use of drugs commonly used to treat HD was discussed. In particular, we focus on therapeutics that have either reached phase 3 clinical trials or are already in clinical use.Expert opinion: The results confirmed that there is a striking lack of evidence to support the efficacy of the drugs currently used in the management of HD. In fact, many drugs are prescribed on the basis of case reports, open label studies, small double blind placebo control trials of limited duration, or personal clinical experience. However of late, the establishment of large international databases, capturing all patients and their clinical details regardless of stage or geographical location has led to an increase in the number of clinical trials conducted on new therapies. Unfortunately, the same is not true for the existing therapies which look set to remain untested for the foreseeable future.

This paper draws on the advocacy coalition framework and uses content analysis to examine policy arguments and counterarguments over new legislation governing production, distribution and sale of alcohol in Malawi amidst growing concerns about alcohol-related public health problems and moral decay. We analyzed contents and claims reported in major newspapers (50 papers) and technical reports (2) spanning 2010–2013. Ironically, the findings of the study reveal the beverage industry in Malawi has proceeded by publicly endorsing the proposal for new legislation and openly backing the position of the pro-regulation coalition to restore ‘sanity’ to the nation. At the same time, leading actors in the beverage industry have artfully deployed a mixture of economic and nationalistic sentiments and argumentative crossovers to deflect policy narratives of opponents advocating for tighter alcohol legislation and depicting themselves as an earnest partner in the policy-making process; retaining for themselves a measure of credibility on the alcohol policy-making platform. The paper concludes by underscoring the contingent nature of policy argumentation and the role played by economic and cultural factors in shaping policy processes in Malawi.

Background: There is currently little evidence regarding the selection of patients for clinical trials in Parkinson's Disease (PD), especially those involving experimental therapies delivered using invasive techniques. Objective: Understanding which patients are recruited will increase awareness of issues regarding parity of access to clinical trials and have an impact on the wider applicability of results, as well as provoking discussion regarding future improvements in the enrolment process. Methods: TRANSEURO is an open label multi-centre surgical transplant trial which seeks to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of grafts of human foetal ventral mesencephalic tissue in patients with PD. The Cambridge based cohort of TRANSEURO participants (n = 26) was compared with a population representative sample of patients with PD eligible for, but not enrolled in, TRANSEURO (n = 33). Measurements were available in both populations for demographics, neuropsychological tests, tests of motor and non-motor function and quality of life. Results: Patients enrolled in TRANSEURO were younger and had significantly more years of education with higher scores on the revised Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination. This difference was accounted for by memory, fluency and visuospatial subscores. There were significant differences in the Movement Disorder Society Unified PD Rating Scale scores with better motor function but more motor complications in the enrolled group. Those enrolled were also more likely to be under the care of the principal investigator of the study. Conclusions: In this trial our population was younger and more educated with higher cognitive scores and better motor function than eligible PD patients not enrolled. This raises interesting questions about the parity of access to clinical trials of this nature amongst patients with PD.

Background: Apathy is a common feature of Huntington's disease (HD), even from early disease. However, patients are believed to lack insight into their own apathy and therefore clinicians and/or companions are relied upon to estimate the extent of a patient's apathy. In addition, the evolution of apathy over time in HD has not been unequivocally established. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine whether HD patient's self-rated apathy scores were consistent with the scores given by companions who were also asked to rate the patients apathy. Furthermore, the clinical correlates of apathy and its stability over time were examined for both self-rated and companion-rated scores. Methods: Apathy was measured in a large cross-sectional population of HD patients ranging from early to late stage disease (n = 106) using the Apathy Evaluation Scale; a subgroup of whom were followed longitudinally (n = 62) on average 18.7 (1.2 SD) months later. Comparisons were made between self-rated and companion-rated apathy and the relationship between apathy and motor, cognitive and functional performance was explored. Results: Analysis of the cross-sectional data revealed that self-rated and companion-rated apathy were highly correlated, establishing the validity of using self-rated instead of, or in combination with, companion-rated assessments of apathy in future studies. Both self-rated and companion-rated scores had a relationship with motor and functional impairment, but had a complex relationship with cognition. The results of the longitudinal comparison revealed that apathy did not change over time in this cohort. Conclusions: Apathy can be equally well assessed by either patients or companions and does not change significantly over an 18 month period. These findings have implications in the design of studies looking at treating this important aspect of HD.

To examine the associations between teamworking processes and error rates during vascular surgical procedures and then make informed recommendations for future studies and practices in this area.

Parkinson's disease is typically treated with oral dopamine replacement therapies; however, long-term treatment leads to motor complications and, occasionally, impulse control disorders caused by intermittent stimulation of dopamine receptors and off-target effects, respectively. We aimed to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of bilateral, intrastriatal delivery of ProSavin, a lentiviral vector-based gene therapy aimed at restoring local and continuous dopamine production in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease.

Demographic changes highlight the need to address disabilities associated with the costly morbidities of old age, such as dementia. Memory impairment associated with dementia represents a significant challenge for many older people. Difficulties occur in carrying out activities in their entirety or in commencing them at all. Technology has the potential to help individuals overcome the barriers created by cognitive disability in terms of performing activities of daily living and therefore help to maintain independence and enhance quality of life (Czaja, 2005). This literature review examines the current reported research, which employs electronic reminding technology to support individuals with cognitive impairment. These devices range from everyday technologies, such as phones, to sophisticated interactive devices with specifically designed software. A summary of the current evidence base is presented and recommendations for future practice are made.

(Abstracted from BMJ2016;354:i3426)Noninvasive prenatal testing, also known as cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening, is an efficient screening test for Down syndrome with roughly 99% sensitivity and false-positive rates of less than 0.1% in both high-risk and general populations. This study aimed to examine the potential costs and consequences of introducing cfDNA screening in the public sector Down syndrome screening pathway as an additional screening test dependent on the risk generated by current screening.

Obstet Gynecol Surv 2016;71(4):211–213Since 2011, the use of massively parallel sequencing of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in maternal plasma for noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) of fetal aneuploidies has become available in more than 60 countries.

Obstet Gynecol Surv 2016;71(1):13–15Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a severe, autosomal recessive, multisystem condition affecting the respiratory and digestive systems. It is caused by mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a relentless neurodegenerative disease that results in profound disability through a triad of motor, cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms. At present, there are very few therapeutic interventions available with the exception of a limited number of drugs that offer mild symptomatic relief. Although the genetic basis of the disease has been identified, the mechanisms behind the cellular pathogenesis are still not clear and as a result no candidate drugs with the potential for disease modification have been found clinically until now. One of the major limitations in assessing the usefulness of drug treatments in HD is the lack of well-designed, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials. Most studies have been open-label, using a small number of patients and tend to concentrate on the motor features of the disease, primarily the chorea. This review discusses the treatments now used for HD before evaluating the newer drugs at present being explored in both the clinic and in the laboratory in mouse models of the disease.

As part of ILR Review’s new special series “Novel Technologies at Work,” this article introduces a forum composed of five industry studies that examine the drivers and impact of recent and impending technological change. Each of the studies, condensed from longer reports published over the past two years, relies on interviews with sectoral actors and other primary data to determine the relevant technologies confronting workers and managers and the sorts of strategies and policies that will mediate their effects.

Learning and teaching researchers have consistently identified a mismatch between student and tutor expectations and goals. With student diversity increasing along with widening access, student perceptions, misconceptions and attitudes may be just as important to learning and teaching psychology as individual ability and knowledge. We set out in this paper to explore the accounts given by newly recruited psychology students of their beliefs and understandings about the subject of psychology and how psychology students learn. Our findings suggest that, although some of these students' understandings are consistent with the psychology undergraduate programme, there are also beliefs that present challenges and opportunities to tutors and programme designers. At the very least, we suggest, that engagement in an exercise similar to that undertaken in this study may be valuable in enhancing understanding and reshaping the beliefs and expectations of both students and tutors.

The variability of the length and frequency of steps was measured in sighted and visually impaired walkers at three different paces. The variability was low, especially at the preferred pace, and similar for both groups. A model incorporating step counts and step frequency provides good estimates of the distance traveled. Applications to wayfinding technology are discussed.

The authors describe the use of modified baculoviruses containing mammalian expression cassettes (BacMam technology) in steroid nuclear receptor reporter assays designed for screening and profiling agonist and antagonist compounds. Baculo-viruses were constructed that express full-length human genes for mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), glucocorticoid receptor (GR), progesterone receptor A (PR-A), and progesterone receptor B (PR-B) from the cytomegalovirus immediate early promoter. A virus carrying the mouse mammary tumor virus–firefly luciferase (MMTV-Luc) cassette was generated to provide a suitable reporter construct. Feasibility studies with BacMam-MR in single-dose tests of 1000 compounds showed high correlation to the standard transfection-based assay results. Likewise, in dose-response experiments, BacMam-based assays for GR and PR-B produced potency and efficacy values similar to transfection assay results. At various receptor/reporter ratios, the BacMam assays showed good flexibility, demonstrating consistent signal-to-background (S/B) ratios and compound potencies. Increasing transduction time from 24 to 48 h provided no benefit, actually reducing overall assay performance as measured by S/B and Z′ values. The BacMam technology was applied in studies of isoforms PR-A and PR-B, which showed similar responses to a series of agonists. Taken together, the results demonstrate the utility of steroid nuclear receptor BacMam constructs for compound screening procedures with high reproducibility, reduced turnaround time, and lower cost.

The authors describe the use of modified baculoviruses containing mammalian expression cassettes (BacMam technology) in steroid nuclear receptor reporter assays designed for screening and profiling agonist and antagonist compounds. Baculo-viruses were constructed that express full-length human genes for mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), glucocorticoid receptor (GR), progesterone receptor A (PR-A), and progesterone receptor B (PR-B) from the cytomegalovirus immediate early promoter. A virus carrying the mouse mammary tumor virus–firefly luciferase (MMTV-Luc) cassette was generated to provide a suitable reporter construct. Feasibility studies with BacMam-MR in single-dose tests of 1000 compounds showed high correlation to the standard transfection-based assay results. Likewise, in dose-response experiments, BacMam-based assays for GR and PR-B produced potency and efficacy values similar to transfection assay results. At various receptor/reporter ratios, the BacMam assays showed good flexibility, demonstrating consistent signal-to-background (S/B) ratios and compound potencies. Increasing transduction time from 24 to 48 h provided no benefit, actually reducing overall assay performance as measured by S/B and Z' values. The BacMam technology was applied in studies of isoforms PR-A and PR-B, which showed similar responses to a series of agonists. Taken together, the results demonstrate the utility of steroid nuclear receptor BacMam constructs for compound screening procedures with high reproducibility, reduced turnaround time, and lower cost. (Journal of Biomolecular Screening2005:715-724)

Antonio Giuliano and colleaguesargue that ‘anticancer’ supplements could be harmful and hinder chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment, and so their use should be discouraged in cancer patients.

•Faculty writing groups are effective at increasing faculty productivity (i.e., writing of manuscripts, books, grants applications, etc.).•Having protected, uninterrupted writing time allows faculty to prioritize and focus on their writing.•Not only does participation in writing groups increase faculty productivity, it also serves as a venue for faculty to exchange writing tips and challenges, thereby increasing their sense of research community.

The article discusses on planning behind display of merchandising of Golf items, offered by Sarah Mason, golf shop manager at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch in Boerne, Texas. She is also the member of Association of Golf Merchandisers (AGM). She informs about her four principles of planning which involves looks & appearance of items under sight planning, using props with branding under story planning and offering multiple sale under selection planning.