Journal of Semiconductors最新文献

Background: Understanding how patients and relatives can be supported after hospital discharge is a UK research priority. Intensive Care Unit (ICU) discharge summaries are a simple way of providing GPs with the information they require to coordinate ongoing care, but little evidence is available to guide best practice.

Aim: This study aimed at better understanding the information needs of GP staff (GPs and practice nurses) supporting former patients of ICUs and their families following discharge from hospital, and identifying the barriers/facilitators associated with ICU-primary care information transfer.

Design and setting: This was a qualitative exploratory study of practices and participants throughout the UK.

Method: Audiotaped focus group discussions, complemented by small-group/individual interviews, were conducted with 15 former patients of ICUs, four relatives, and 20 GP staff between June and September 2015. Demographic data were captured by questionnaire and qualitative data were thematically analysed.

Results: Findings suggest variability in discharge information experiences and blurred lines of responsibility between hospital and GP staff, and patients/relatives. Continuity of care was affected by delayed or poor communication from the hospital; GPs' limited contact with patients from critical care; and a lack of knowledge of the effects of critical illness or resources available to ameliorate these difficulties. Time pressures and information technology were, respectively, the most commonly mentioned barrier and facilitator.

Conclusion: Effective rehabilitation after a critical illness requires a coordinated and comprehensive approach, incorporating the provision of well-completed, timely, and relevant ICU-primary care discharge information. Health professionals need an improved understanding of critical illness, and patients and families must be included in all aspects of the information-sharing process.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) result from fetal exposure to alcohol during pregnancy. These disorders present a variety of sequelae including involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) with lasting impact on cognitive function and behavior. FASD occur at an alarming rate and have significant personal and societal impact. There are currently no effective treatments for FASD. Recent studies demonstrate that ethanol induces potent neuroinflammation in many regions of the developing brain. Furthermore, anti-inflammatory agents such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ agonists suppress ethanol-induced neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. This suggests that anti-inflammatory agents may be effective in treatment of FASD. Future studies designed to determine the specific mechanisms by which alcohol induces neuroinflammation in the developing CNS may lead to targeted therapies for FASD.

Members of the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) family and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade play a major role in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation. This review concentrates on the role played by these pathways in the development of adipose cells. STATs are activated by both positive and negative modulators of adipocyte differentiation leading to the hypothesis that the STAT pathway may function in adipogenesis. The role of the p42/p44 MAPK pathway in adipocyte differentiation has recently been the subject of contradictory reports. Several molecular mechanisms are proposed to explain the opposing effects of MAPK activation in the programme of adipose cell differentiation.