148 research outputs found
The psychological implications of surviving testicular cancer : impact on body image, sexuality and masculinity
No full textINTRODUCTION:
Men's health generally and testicular cancer in particular are neglected areas of research. This particular malignancy is the most common among young men in the western world (Champion, 1996), and its prevalence is on the increase, however, so too are cure rates. As a consequence there are an increasing number of young male survivors. Impact on sexual function of survivors is well documented in the literature, yet little is mentioned about the impact on the sexuality and masculinity of the young man following treatment. The objective of the research therefore was to explore the impact on survivor's self-perceptions,in particular focusing on the areas of sexuality, masculinity and body image.
METHOD:
The research followed a cross-sectional design,
comparing men at four different stages post-illness. Repertory grid technique was utilised for data collection
purposes, which combined qualitative and quantitative methods. Semi-structured interviews (n = 10) were analysed using content analysis, which formed the basis of a
generic repertory grid. Quantitative data from subsequent grid completion (n = 37)were analysed using a beta version of SPSS to carry out 3-way 3-mode multidimensional unfolding.
RESULTS:
The results suggest that men's self-perceptions change as a consequence of testicular cancer, and that sexuality, masculinity and body image play a part in these changes for some, but not all men. The constructs rated in this study all contribute to the differences in patterns across groups. Results suggest the occurrence of an adjustment process, showing current perceptions of the self as more aligned with retrospective pre-illness perceptions by 24 months post-illness. The majority of men judged repertory grid technique to be a satisfactory means of evaluating self-perceptions relating to the illness experience.
DISCUSSION:
The results of the study have implications for the level of professional support received by men with testicular cancer, both generally and with specific reference to issues of sexuality, masculinity and body image. However the innovative style of this research and the absence of pre-existing evidence in support of the findings, mean that further research will be required to gain a thorough understanding of the psychological implications of surviving testicular cancer with regards to these issues. Specific recommendations are made for further researc
The Possibility of Possibilities: Skills to Grow a Career in Computing and Business
No full textFirst a framework for the journey; one suggested by Gerber [12] uses a hierarchy of behaviours and skill sets associated with the roles of technician, manager, leader and entrepreneur. To this we add the role of innovator which can apply across the range of technician, manager, leader and entrepreneur roles. Using the roles of technician, manager, leader and entrepreneur is not to imply that there are discrete skills and behaviours associated with each role rather that there is a continuum of behaviours
Clinical presentation and follow-up of patients with the attenuated phenotype of mucopolysaccharidosis type I
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Rules, discretion and local responsibility : development control case studies in the urban community of Lyon.
No full textThe research presented in this thesis rests on the premise that the administrative and legal systems of France have a critical bearing on the way that decisions on applications for permissions to build are taken, and the nature of the
decisions themselves. In the knowledge that the French system of law offered a legalistic, regulatory franiework for planning policy and policy implementation, four
specific questions are posed: firstly about the relationship of plans to development control decisions; secondly about the effects of the system on applicants; thirdly about the possibilities for third parties to be involved in, and seek redress from, development control decisions and fourthly about the effects of the decentralisation of development control powers that has taken place since 1983. These questions are then located within a broader discussion of discretion, accountability and the management of uncertainty. The theoretical discussion of the first chapter paves the way for a more detailed presentation of the nature and origins of French local administration and French planning law and procedure which in turn lead to a case study of the 55 communes of the Urban Community of Lyon and eight studies of development control applications which are explored through an examination of the case file documents and interviews with participants. Two sets of conclusions are drawn from the study. The first set concerns the
effects of a legalised system on the making and implementation of planning policy. The first conclusion is that the legalistic approach of the French planning system
appears to create serious difficulties for finding an appropriate expression for policy. In part the problem is shown to be as much a question of ethos as of what is really
possible under the law, amid some examples of practice in Lyon show how flexibility is still possible even within a legalised system. The second conclusion is that once the
rules are departed from, the system offers no alternative means of testing policy in its specific application, although the use of non-statutory consultation meetings in Lyon has gone some way to meeting the problem. The third is that the pattern of zoning and regulations does not appear to help the maintenance of a planning strategy. The fourth is that a legalised system does not promote certainty for either administrators or applicants. The fifth is that a legalised system does not permit third parties to participate in the decision-making and ensures that objections are seen mainly as being about property values.
The second set of conclusions has to do with the question of the power to decide and the accountability of decision-makers. The first is that the legalised system, while offering potential for agency discretion, nevertheless appears to favour officer discretion which on the evidence of the case studies is rife. While offering mayors the possibility of tactical power, it appears to reduce the accountability for decisions taken. Moreover, the control of the legality of decisions is dependent equally upon the discretion of the prefect. The second is that the pattern of crossregulation within the French system of local government has ensured the continuity of dependencies between the principal actors in the planning system. The final
conclusion is that decentralisation has had relatively little effect on the balance of power. In the Lyon conurbation, COURLY would appear to be the principal
beneficiary of the new powers, which would suggest that more power will be concentrated in future at the local level, but that the power will not be any more susceptible to control by the electorate
The prevalence of and survival in Mucopolysaccharidosis I: Hurler, Hurler-Scheie and Scheie syndromes in the UK
No full textAbstract Background Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) is a rare lysosomal storage disease subdivided into three phenotypes of increasing severity: Scheie, Hurler-Scheie and Hurler. To gauge the effectiveness of treatments and to determine the load likely to fall on health-care systems, it is necessary to understand the prevalence and natural progression of the disease especially with regard to life-expectancy. In general such data on the natural history of lysosomal storage diseases is sparse. Methods Analysis of prevalence and patient survival in MPS I disease using a unique longitudinal data set initiated and maintained over a period of more than 20 years by the Society for Mucopolysaccharide Diseases (UK). Results The birth prevalence of MPS I in England and Wales over the period 1981 to 2003 was 1.07/100,000 births and within ± 5% of estimates reported in several studies that examined reasonably large populations. The median survival for MPS I patients (including all phenotypes irrespective of various treatments) was found by Kaplan-Meier analysis to be 11.6 years. This result was driven by the relatively poor survival of patients with the Hurler phenotype who, irrespective of any treatments received, had a median survival of 8.7 years; when censoring for receipt of bone marrow transplant (BMT) was implemented median survival of Hurler patients was diminished to 6.8 years. The difference between these survival curves was statistically significant by log rank test and can be attributed to beneficial effects of BMT and or selection of patients with superior prognosis for intervention with BMT. Survival curves for Hurler patients who received and did not receive BMT were very different. Probability of survival at 2 year after BMT was ~68% and was similar to this after 5 years (66%) and ten years (64%); the mean age of Hurler patients at receipt of BMT was 1.33 years (range 0.1 to 3 years). Follow up was insufficient to determine median survival of the milder phenotypes however, unsurprisingly, this was clearly superior to that for Hurler patients. Conclusion The birth prevalence of MPS I in England and Wales is 1.07/100,000 and the median survival for MPS I patients is 11.6 years.</p
Housing policy and community action in County Durham and County Armagh : A comparative study.
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