In Search of a Common Agenda for Planned Home Birth in America

Leading maternity provider organizations in North America have been in conflict about birth at home and birth centers, debating issues related to safety, access, the value of obstetric intervention, and patient autonomy. In today’s environment, childbirth educators and doulas are often required to explain to parents why physiological birth and evidence-based, low-technology methods of labor and birth care are not available in every setting, and why maternity providers disagree about birth place. There are very few regions in the United States where home birth providers are integrated into interprofessional provider networks that allow for seamless care across birth settings. In October 2011, multidisciplinary leaders met at a Home Birth Consensus Summit in Warrenton, Virginia, to discuss the status of home birth within the greater context of maternity care in the United States. This article describes the intent and outcomes of the summit. Four of the nine consensus statements developed at the summit are of particular interest and importance to mothers and families and, hence, to childbirth educators and advocates. Consumers, educators, and birth advocates are encouraged to widen the circle, identify communications experts, lead individual projects, or serve as advisors.     

Apps and Autonomy: Perceived Interactivity and Autonomous Regulation in mHealth Applications

Thousands of smartphone apps geared toward monitoring health behaviors are released regularly. Even as developers flood the market with mHealth apps, consumers seem overwhelmed with choices and report lack of sustained use, which raises questions about their efficacy. An online survey (N = 513) found that perceived interactivity not only has a direct effect but also exerts an indirect effect via greater autonomous regulation on users’ attitudes and behavioral intentions toward mHealth apps. Frequency of tracking and updating personal data showed significant effects on behavioral intentions. Theoretical and practical suggestions for the design and evaluation of mHealth apps are discussed.     

Diagnostic role of the antibody response to the 38kDa, 16kDa proteins and lipoarabinomannan of mycobacterium tuberculosis

The antibody response to the 38kDa, 16kDa and Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) antigens ofMycobacterium tuberculosis was evaluated using three different ELISAs based on these antigens. The study group included tuberculosis patients (n=52), patients with HIV and TB co-infection (n=10), other chest symptomatics (n=5), HIV infected individuals (n=10), leprosy cases (n=7) and healthy controls (n=75). The results indicate that the 38kDa and LAM based ELISA for IgM/IgG has a low specificity (ranging from 69–85%) and sensitivity (ranging from 55–78%). When three ELISAs are carried out on a single patient the probability of detection of tuberculosis was significantly increased to 95.2% indicating that a single ELISA test is of low sensitivity and that a combination of ELISA’s may be needed to be of any value as a diagnostic test for tuberculosis. Additionally, a western blot assay of the serum antibody response to protein fraction ofM. tuberculosis was analysed in 15 tuberculosis patients and five healthy controls. A multiple antibody response to various M.tuberculosis proteins was observed which varied from patient to patient as compared to controls who showed a single 38–39 kDa protein band positivity. These finding suggest that a western blot assay which determines the antibody response to a set of antigenic components ofM. tuberculosis could be a better serological test for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in our population.     

The Effects of “Friend” Characteristics on Evaluations of an Activist Group in a Social Networking Context

Research suggests that individuals use cues about the popularity of a cause or group to make judgments. This bandwagon phenomenon has found particular support in online contexts. However, perceptions regarding the group may also depend on the identity of those supporters. We employed a 2 × 2 × 2 experiment to test the effect of number of affiliates and affiliate race and age on feelings toward the group, its page, and intended support. Results suggest that feelings are not subject to a consistent bandwagon effect but rather are moderated by race, with White participants exhibiting more positive feelings when seeing a page with few Black affiliates or many White affiliates. This result contrasts with findings for age, which serves to moderate only intended page use.     

Do You Enjoy TV,while Tweeting? Effects of Multitasking on Viewers’ Transportation,Emotions and Enjoyment

The present study seeks to extend the extant body of work on media multitasking by examining the impact of second screen use (tweeting while watching television) on transportation into a narrative and enjoyment of a TV sitcom, mediated through affective experiences. In a between-subjects experiment, participants watched a TV show with or without tweeting about it. The findings support the assumption that media multitasking decreases people’s experience of transportation, which then impairs their emotional responses; reduced emotions further decrease enjoyment of the show. However, trait empathy does not moderate the impact of concurrent TV-viewing and tweeting.     

A comparative study of tumor markers of adenocarcinoma prostate

The present study deals with the evaluation and comparison of the tumor markers for prostatic carcinoma—The Total Acid Phosphatase (ACP Total) and its Prostatic Fraction (ACP PF) estimated by the enzyme kinetic method, an immunoreactive Prostatic Acid Phosphatase (PAP) and Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) estimated by enzyme immunoassay. The comparison of all four markers revealed that there was no perfect positive correlation between any of these four markers. PSA had shown a better correlation with ACP Total and its prostatic fraction ACP PF. No correlation was observed between PSA and PAP. Of the four markers PAP exhibited a very low sensitivity, positive and negative predictive values. PSA had shown an absolute specificity, sensitivity, positive and negative predictive values for adenocarcinoma prostate. PSA levels in all phases of disease showed a 100% correlation with disease status. Being a marker with very high tissue specificity and sensitivity, it is revolutionizing the diagnosis of prostatic carcinoma. Hence, it could be used effectively for screening of elderly people over 50 years of age who are at high risk for developing prostatic carcinoma for early diagnosis of this disease.     

Impact of theoretical chemistry on chemical and biological sciences

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2013 has been awarded to Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel for their studies on development of multi-scale models for complex chemical systems. This article introduces the readers to the theoreticalmethods developed for the study of complex chemical and biological systems and connects the works of the awardees to this vast area of research. The development of quantum chemistry (QC or QM) to study molecules at electronic level is briefly mentioned. The growth of methods based on classical physics to study large systems at the molecular level (MM) is discussed. The origin of hybridQM/MM techniques to perform multi-scale modelling is then presented. Further, the parallel development of molecular simulations, which connects the macroscopic and the microscopic world elucidating the dynamical properties of molecules, is introduced. Finally, the impact of theoretical chemistry on the advancement of our understanding of complex chemical and biological systems is highlighted.     

Superiority of CA 125 over CA 19-9 and CEA for epithelial ovarian malignancies

In this study tumor markers CA 125, CEA and CA 19-9 were evaluated to assess the best tumor marker for epithelial ovarian carcinomas in diagnosis, prognosis and management. The results indicated that CA 125 is the best and the most superior marker today for the epithelial ovarian malignancies irrespective of the histologic type. CA 125 has the highest positivity rate in mucinous tumors compared to CEA and CA 19-9. Combined assay of either CEA or CA 19-9 or both along with CA 125 did not increase diagnostic sensitivity compared to sensitivity achieved by CA 125 alone for epithelial tumors of the ovary. Serum CA 125 concentration correlated well with pretherapy, stable course and recurrence of ovarian carcinoma. CA 125 could be used effectively for diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of the ovarian malignancies as evident from long term follow up of adenocarcinoma ovary.     

Rare case of iatrogenic pan hypopituitarism

Excess glucocorticoids exert feedback suppression on hypothalamus and pituitary, Thereby the release of CRH and ACTH are suppressed which results in bilateral adrenal cortical atrophy, at the same time patients is having features of latrogenic Cushing syndrome. The interesting part of this case is excess glucocorticoids have exerted cross feedback suppression on hypothalamus and pituitary resulting in suppression of release of GHRH, GH and LHRH, LH and FSH also from hypothalamus and pituitary thereby resulting in growth retardation as well as hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism. Combination of feedback and cross feedback effect of excess glucocorticoids are seen in one patient which is an interesting part of the case.