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BRCA1/2 Mutations and Outcomes Among Middle Eastern Patients with Early-Onset Breast Cancer in Oman
Get PDFBackground: High prevalence of Early-Onset Breast Cancer (EOBC) has been reported in Middle Eastern populations. For example, in Oman more than 50% of BC patients are under age 45 at diagnosis. Causes for this high incidence are unknown. Germline BRCA gene mutations have been associated with EOBC, however, prevalence of these mutations and how they relate to EOBC in Oman has not been assessed.
Patients and Methods: Clinical data were collected for BC patients treated at Royal Hospital, Oman between 2010-22. Germline BRCA1/2 gene mutations were identified using sequencing and MLPA. Correlation and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were performed to test relationships between clinico-pathological features, gene mutations and outcomes.
Results: Total of 1336 middle eastern BC patients were included; 611 were aged <45 at diagnosis (45.7%). No significant correlation was found between BRCA1/2 mutation status and EOBC (p=0.229), and the majority of EOBC cases had no family history of BC. EOBC tumours did, however, differ in clinicopathological features; EOBCs were significantly larger (p<0.0001), of higher grade (p<0.0001), and included more HER2-enriched, and triple negative subtypes (p=0.018) compared with later onset cases. Accordingly, survival analyses revealed that EOBC had significantly worse disease-free survival (p=0.002). BRCA gene variants showed a distinct range of mutations including, in BRCA2, three previously unreported mutations and four potential founder recurrent mutations.
Conclusion: Our findings showed that germline BRCA1/2 mutations were not over-represented in EOBC cases in Oman, and therefore are unlikely to be responsible for high EOBC rates
14. Experience, Understanding and Intercultural Competence
Get PDFEthno is JM International’s program for folk, world and traditional music. Founded in 1990, it is aimed at young musicians (up to age 30) with a mission to revive and keep alive global cultural heritage. Originating in Sweden, but now present in over 40 countries, Ethno engages young people through a series of annual international music gatherings as well as workshops, concerts and tours, working together with schools, conservatories and other groups of youth to promote peace, tolerance and understanding (https://ethno.world/about/).
In this chapter, I consider the research questions to what extent should an intercultural music programme also focus on developing intercultural understanding and competency? Is it enough for participants to have an intercultural musical experience without allowing time for critical reflection to develop intercultural competencies? Further to this I consider how the nonformal approach of Ethno may support intercultural understanding and how this contrasts with intercultural programmes in formal HEI institutions. Research findings are drawn from a four-year international research project exploring the hypothesis that Ethno provides transformational socio-cultural and musical significances for participants (www.ethnoresearch.org ). Findings are based on ethnographic fieldwork at Ethno events and interviews with over 250 participants, organisers and ‘artistic mentors’ (on-site musical leaders). The research was conducted by The International Centre for Community music (ICCM) in collaboration with JM International. I also draw upon my HEI teaching with a particular focus on ‘Ethno inspired’ workshops we ran as a means of contrasting the experience of intercultural learning in a formal institution to demonstrate how this research has broadened sociological and musical understandings of other cultures for my university students. Research findings suggest that those attending Ethno gatherings are ready to have intercultural dialogues, they are curious and open toward people that are different. Our research also highlights the importance participants place on being with ‘like-minded people’. The chapter ultimately considers whether there is value in facilitated time for critical reflection during intercultural music gatherings in order to develop intercultural competencies
Lost in Luxury: Climate Change and Silk Consumption in Mid-Qing China (1735–1840 CE)
Get PDFA quantitative approach has been promoted to understand the history of climate and society. Statistical research on luxurious expenses under climate change in past societies remains insufficient, however. Hence, this study statistically examined the association between climate change and the imperial court’s luxury expenses on silk products in mid-Qing China (1735–1840 CE) by including major ecological–social–economic stresses. Results indicated that the Qing imperial court’s silk consumption increased under favorable climatic conditions and a flourishing agrarian economy, and vice versa. Natural disasters and social crises hardly affected the Qing imperial court’s silk consumption, however, suggesting its limited support and inactive attitude toward ecological–social–economic stresses. Such an institutional weakness might have increased social vulnerability, which could have led to Qing China’s decline since the eighteenth century. The study serves as the first attempt to reveal a long-term historical climate–luxury linkage and further provides a supplementary explanation of the economic decline from the perspective of the history of climate and society. Based on past lessons, this study emphasizes institutional activeness to tackle upcoming climate change challenges
Scientific Mothering: Workload negotiations for early and mid- career researchers in an Athena Swan gold-awarded department
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A Matter of Distinction? A Case Study Examining the Development of a Sporting Habitus Amongst Male Sixth-Form Pupils in a Private School in the United Kingdom
Get PDFThis research project explores how upper-middle-class private school pupils are socialised into and through sports. Particularly around major sporting events such as the Olympics, there has often been commentary in the mass media regarding the extent to which former private school pupils tend to be overrepresented in Team GB within many elite-level sports. However, a need remains to research the experiences and underpinning processes that contribute to the sporting participation patterns of private school students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore private school pupils' lived experiences and better understand how they are socialised into and through sports. Primary socialisation within the family and secondary socialisation within primary school, private school, and other external agents such as sports clubs were discussed. The research findings show that an individual’s sporting habitus is not static but changes and develops throughout their lifetime depending upon the 'fields' they are exposed to. Pierre Bourdieu's (1984) theoretical ideas relating to [(Habitus) (Capital)] + Field = Practice proved helpful in enabling the research to conceptualise and interpret how parental and family upbringing shaped this relationship and, therefore, provides the theoretical lens used to analyse this phenomenon. Participants demonstrated a robust sporting habitus, regularly engaging in sports and physical activity inside and outside school. The social class background of an individual affects the volumes of economic, social, cultural and physical capital they possess. Members of the upper-middle classes, therefore, seek to invest in developing different forms of capital for their children linked to the sporting 'tastes' and 'distinctions' of their class (Bourdieu 1984)
The relationship between physical function and psychological symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease. A Systematic review and meta-analysis. CNS, Neuroscience and Therapeutics
Get PDFAims: This systematic review and meta-regression analysis aimed to examine available literature reporting measures of physical function, anxiety and/or depression and whether any relationships exist between these measures in individuals with Parkinson’s Disease.
Methods: MEDLINE, CINAHL, AMED, and APA PsychInfo databases were systematically searched. Screening, quality assessment, and data extraction were completed alongside meta-regression analysis.
Results: Of 1,175 studies retrieved, 40 were selected for analysis with only one study assessing the relationship between physical and psychological outcomes within their cohort. 27 studies were also eligible for meta-regression analysis - a total sample of 1,211 participants. Meta-regression analysis of 5 combinations of paired physical and psychological outcomes showed a significant moderating effect of symptoms of depression (Beck Depression Index) on mobility (Timed-Up-and-Go Test) (Coefficient = 0.3675, 95% CI 0.0901 to 0.6450, P = 0.0123) and balance (Berg Balance Score) scores (Coefficient = -1.2518, 95% CI -1.7687 to -0.7349, P = 0.0002).
Conclusion: Although physical and psychological outcomes of interest were used in all included studies, only one examined their relationship. Our analysis suggests that symptoms of depression may influence measures of mobility and balance. Specifically, as the severity of symptoms of depression increase, performance on measures of mobility and balance worsen.
Keywords: Parkinson’s Disease, Systematic Review, Meta-Regression, Physical, Psychological, Symptom Interactio
Khat-chewing, adiaphorization and morality: Rethinking ethics in the age of the synopticon
Get PDFIn June 2014, the U.K. Government made khat (Catha edulis) a Class C drug under the U.K. Misuse of Drugs Act. Based on limited evidence, this decision went against the Government's own Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) and has divided members of the British-Somali diaspora, where khat is a popular form of recreation. The Government’s decision to ban khat highlights broader questions regarding how ethical legislation is implemented within post-industrial societies, exposing postcolonial power systems that ‘Other’ migrant groups through synoptic control. Based on qualitative interviews with members of the Somali diaspora and external agencies in Northern England, the research explores how this system fails to consider khat's complex moral position while framing users and those living within the diaspora as deviant
Post-Disaster Needs Assessment as a strategic recovery planning process
No full textDespite the widespread promotion and adoption of PDNAs for flood recovery in many communities, our understanding of their effectiveness in building back better is still unclear and has received little scientific attention within the academic and policy spaces. This understanding is crucial for effective planning and implementation of sustainable flood management in communities at local, national and international levels. Therefore, using a scoping review, the goal of this chapter is threefold: first, to present how the PDNA approach has been applied in flood recovery; second to evaluate the effectiveness of the PDNA in flood recovery; and third to emphasize future research and emerging priorities for PDNA in flood recovery