Monday, November 4, 2019

Marketing ad Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Marketing ad - Assignment Example The leading title article is about Lady Gaga and is only related indirectly to the advertisement as the advertisement incorporates reference to music. The advertisement is directed at seemingly young individuals who are both socially conscious and interested in music. This is clear as the ice cream can in the advertisement is being utilized as a stage with the music festival Bonnarroo being prominently featured on a sign within the advertisement. The advertisement asks the reader to simply appreciate the ice cream’s image, and later purchase the ice cream over other ice creams. While there are no other ice cream advertisements, there are there are other advertisements competing for the reader’s attention. Unconsciously I made comparisons between these ads based on a visually or stimulating appealing nature. To me it appears to be a good investment as the ice cream looks delicious and the owners of the company have a positive image. References Rolling Stone. (2011) Issue 1131, May 26th

Saturday, November 2, 2019

The history of Intellectual Property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The history of Intellectual Property - Essay Example The WIPO defined 'intellectual property' as "creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce." Intellectual property "is divided into two categories: industrial property, which includes inventions (patents), trademarks, industrial designs, and geographic indications of source; and copyright, which includes literary and artistic works such as novels, poems and plays, films, musical works, artistic works such as drawings, paintings, photographs and sculptures, and architectural designs. Rights related to copyright include those of performing artists in their performances, producers of phonograms in their recordings, and those of broadcasters in their radio and television programs." (WIPO, 1967) In simple words, intellectual property maybe called a generic term for a set of legal instruments that specify the exclusive rights granted to creators of new innovations. There are two categories of intellectual property r ights: the first, patents, copyright, industrial designs, plant breeders' rights and layout designs for integrated circuits which grant exclusive rights to new innovations and original works of authorship for a limited period.

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Race and Your Community Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Race and Your Community - Personal Statement Example Admittedly, my community, that is Dallas, is notorious for the existence of racism. It seems that the issue of racism is much higher in this city because of the special nature of the demography here. In this area, all the racial groups are almost equal in size. According to the 2000 statistics, Hispanics are the largest group which constitutes nearly 35.55 % of the population followed by 34.56 percent whites. The presence of blacks is estimated at nearly 25.65%. Asians and other races are the minority, which together contribute less than 5% of the total population. Evidently, this mix of population has a specific role in amplifying racial issues. Due to the almost equal proportion of various groups, both politicians and media are eager to utilize racism as a tool for campaign and publicity. In fact, my neighborhood too is a mix of a variety of races, and the difference is visible in the look of people too. There are people who are black in complexion, some who are rather brown in complexion, and there are whites. The fact is that my society is more mixed than many other cities in the US. The difference is visible in communication too. For example the Hispanics, the Whites, and the Asians are easily distinguished for the way they use language. I have come to know that people like the Asians who first reach the place face serious problems communicating, and this situation leads to poor access to vital social services like medicine and other governmental grants. Admittedly, the leaders within my community are highly aware about the situation, and often, it seems as if they intentionally try to use the matter for easy public attention. Though most people and leaders try to avoid hurting other people by avoiding racial comments, some just make the comments publically. An exa mple is the recent statement made by a Dallas County commissioner to an attorney that â€Å"All of you are white. You can go to hell† (Piggy, 2011). The commissioner claims that he got angry because he found the statement of the attorney racial in nature. Though there are allegations of racism every now and then, from my observation, it seems that the leaders try to avoid any racial discrimination in their dealings. And most of the time, the term ‘racism’ does not arise in public offices and services. However, when there are issues involving people from two different races, the first allegation is racial profiling or racial discrimination. When a black child is punished by a white teacher, the situation is often given the color of racism. Similarly, when a black youth is arrested for drug or looting, the media shows the tendency to present the situation in the light of racism. The frequently made claim by the media is that, or what they try to make people believe is that, blacks are antisocial creatures who live on violence, theft and drugs. Another area where racism is highly visible is peer groups. Admittedly, the youth prefer to remain within groups of their own race. Within such groups, often comments of racial content take birth, and most of the time, it seems that such groups are behind racial attacks and abuses. I feel that the youth, if alone, will not resort to such activities of racism. As White and Perrone (2001) point out, it is the collective identity and the feeling of security within the group that makes them engage in such rare activities of racism. Though it is not always so, there are many whites who prefer to remain within white groups and blacks who prefer to be with blacks, and the main reason behind this situation is not hatred, but fear of getting maltreated by the other that is injected by the society and the media. Thus, though the administration cries ‘no racism’, there is racism in the air, and everyt hing in the society is first analyzed in the light of racism. A catalyst of racism, as already said, is media. It seems to me that media is bent on crating stereotypes and formulas in the social relations. As Rickford (2011) states, while

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Marketing report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing report - Essay Example Unequivocally, firms have greater emphasis on marketing research to generate useful information that in turn facilitates in modifying business strategies, in decision-making and problem-solving. For instance, the emergence of mass media has greatly affected / influenced the attitudes, perceptions, behaviours, beliefs and lifestyles of people all across the globe, thereby creating new challenges for a firm to thrive in contemporary environment. Marketing research (exploratory, descriptive and causal) is also beneficial in analysing the business potential and viability of products. In addition, it enables the firm to gain insight over underlying factors and critical risks after which firms could amend their strategic objectives and product lines. Nevertheless, the research enables the firms to identify gaps in consumer markets, to innovate and differentiate their procedures and products followed by attainment of cost leadership. An important advantage of marketing research is that it f acilitates change management initiatives. In other words, it helps replacing the old workplace rules, regulations, requirements and criteria by new workplace standards and roles so that the organisations could flourish in an absolutely uncertain, unpredictable, unclear, unstructured and unexpected business environment. A professional or private sports / fitness club initiates marketing research after problem identification (for example – when sales decline because customers are switching to other centres, when top facilities in centre unable to attract maximum customers due to flaws in marketing strategy, when competition increased after inauguration of new clubs at nearby locations and other issues, when customers all across the city are unaware of the club’s product offerings etc.). In simple words, the research enables a sports / fitness club to draw useful inferences regarding external environment and to compare differences in their actual and perceived strengths. Having assessed the aforementioned, the club could then implement more ‘effective’ marketing and advertising strategies that can be utilised to enhance the profitability and long-term monetary gains. This paper will demonstrate the marketing strategies adopted by Lifestyle Aquatic Fitness Centre - a UK based sporting, exercising and gyming centre that provides premium quality fitness services to public across Liverpool. Nonetheless, Lifestyle Fitness has always focused towards brand recognition, innovation, differentiation and value proposition because these aforementioned are the foundations of success and sustainability of any group or business organisation. Indeed, the strategic planners pay special attention to maintain and improve service quality through induction of new equipment, training courses, facilities and sporting activities because it enhances market reputation and goodwill among stakeholders and customers. Total Quality Management principles such as benc hmarking, continuous learning and experimentation etc. are adopted for value creation, which then lead to improvement in sales and profitability. Without any doubt, the aforementioned provides Lifestyle a competitive edge over rivals such as Greens Health, Hercules Health & Fitness Centre, Novotel Liverpool, Absolutions Health Clud and others etc. in fitness and sporting industry .

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Investigation of Effectiveness of Clozapine

Investigation of Effectiveness of Clozapine Catarina Scott-Beaulieu Abstract: (250) Background: Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic used for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. It is effective in treating the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia with a reduced chance of extrapyramidal side effects compared with other typical antipsychotics. Clozapine is known to have cardiac side effects including, but not limited to, myocarditis and cardiomyopathy. Approximately 75% of cases, of clozapine-induced myocarditis, occur within the first month of titration, highlighting the need for monitoring. Objectives: To assess the extent to which the monitoring guidelines for myocarditis, at a London mental health trust, are being followed. Method: Patients who were registered with ZTAS from June 2014 to October 2016, at the trust,  Ã‚   were identified. Data was collected based on the audit tool created from the guidelines. Using the patient notes and laboratory data, found using the trusts operating systems, data was collected and stored in the audit tool. Key findings: The monitoring standards were met for full blood count in the week prior to initiation and in week 3. No other standards were met. Conclusion: Introduction: (500-1000) Clozapine is the first atypical antipsychotic created and is used in treatment-resistant schizophrenia, which is defined as a lack of or an inadequate response to at least two antipsychotics.[1] It is a dibenzodiazepine derivative antipsychotic and interferes with dopamine binding with a strong affinity for D4-dopaminergic receptors   and 5-HT2a serotonergic receptor affinity [2], in addition it has an anticholinergic effect and antagonizes histaminergic receptors. [3, 4] Clozapine is useful in treating both the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia [4] and is less likely to cause extrapyramidal side effects when compared to first generation typical antipsychotics such as haloperidol[5, 6]. It has also been shown to significantly reduce the suicidal behaviors in schizophrenic patients [1, 7]. However, it is not used as a first line treatment due to its extensive side effect profile, most recognized being agranulocytosis which occurs in approximately 1% of patients in the first year of treatment [8, 9], explaining the need for regular, mandatory hematological tests for the duration of clozapine treatment. Other side effects include fever [4], metabolic effects and seizures.[4, 6, 10] Agranulocytosis, however, is not the only potentially fatal side effect of clozapine use. There is an increasing number of clozapine-related cardiac complaints reported in the literature, resulting in cardiac effects from clozapine treatment having become more recognized over the past few years. [5, 7] Whilst tachycardia is a common side effect it can be indicative of other, potentially more serious, cardiac effects such as cardiomyopathy and myocarditis. [9] Myocarditis is an inflammatory process of the myocardium, which is often of viral aetiology but may also include bacterial, fungal and drug-induced.[11, 12] The condition presents with a wide range of symptoms such as chest discomfort, flu-like symptoms and abnormal vital signs [9] and most are non-specific.[2] Reported cases of clozapine-induced myocarditis range from 0.15% to 1.2%,[5, 8, 13-15] with the highest incidence being reported in Australia, >1%. [16] Time to onset varies, but over 75% of cases occur within the first month of treatment. [12, 16-18] Endomyocardial biopsy was the gold standard for diagnosing myocarditis, but the procedure has only limited sensitivity and specificity. It was by proposed Ronaldson et al.[18] in 2011 that combining C-reactive protein (CRP) and troponin T/I would give a sensitivity for clozapine-induced myocarditis of 100%. This is a less invasive method of diagnosis, with a higher specificity and sensitivity for myocarditis and has led to the current guidelines that are in place for the monitoring of clozapine treatment. Whilst clozapine-induced myocarditis is still rare, the need for consistent monitoring within the first month of treatment is needed to ensure any possible cases are detected early, allowing for prompt treatment, increasing the chances of a better outcome for the patient.[1] This audit aims to assess the extent to which the monitoring guidelines for myocarditis, at a London mental health trust, are being followed. Assessments will explore the extent to which the recommended additional blood tests, CRP and troponin, are being completed and the extent to which the advised echocardiogram (ECG) are being followed. Additionally, it will aim to check to see if a clinician is checking the above objectives and assess the extent to which the nursing staff are asking the patients about signs and symptoms of myocarditis. Method: (500-1000) This audit was designed to investigate the extent to which the monitoring requirements, in regards to clozapine initiation and titration within the first four weeks of treatment, at a London mental health trust had been completed. The monitoring requirements audited were specific to the detection and diagnosis of myocarditis. Data collection occurred between October 2016 and February 2017. It is a baseline, retrospective audit of case notes and laboratory data. As per the Health Research Authority regulations, this audit did not require ethical approval. Audit standards and audit tool The standards used in this audit were taken from the trusts clozapine guideline, which can be found in table 3. The monitoring requirements for the detection of myocarditis involve an ECG, vital sign monitoring (pulse, blood pressure, temperature) and CRP and troponin T blood tests. These had to be completed prior to initiation and weekly for the first four weeks after initiation. It is also necessary for clinicians to verify the results of the CRP and troponin T tests, and for the nurses or clinicians to check if the patient has had any signs or symptoms of myocarditis. For the purpose of this audit, criterion 1 and 3 (table 3) will be met if the results of the investigations were documented. Criterion 2 (table 3) will be met if the clinician has made specific reference to CRP and troponin T tests in the patient notes, criterion 4 (table 3) will be met if there is specific reference to questions being asked about myocarditis symptoms. An audit tool was created using the specified mo nitoring requirements mentioned in the clozapine guideline, a template of the audit tool can be found in table x. Identifying patients to be involved in the audit Clozapine patients require regular and frequent prophylactic blood tests in order to initiate and continue treatment. As such, there is a mandatory need for patients to be registered to a clozapine monitoring service database, which collects and stores the results from the weekly blood tests. Zaponex Treatment Access System (ZTAS) is the monitoring company that was used by the trust. ZTAS provided a list of patients who were registered with them whilst under the care of the trust, from June 2014 to October 2016. This resulted in a total of n=57 patients. The patients were selected to be used in the audit after they adhered to the inclusion criteria, which are shown below. Data Collection Data was collected using various information sources at the hospital. Data on haematological tests were collected systematically from ZTAS, bloodresults.co.uk, and the trust clinical portal. ZTAS and bloodresults.co.uk offered information on the standard full blood count (FBC) monitoring that takes place weekly. The trusts clinical portal was used to collect information on other heamatological tests, CRP and troponin T; this source was also used to check any other available FBC test results. RiO, the trusts operating system, was used to collect information on the other standards being measured in this audit (criterion 2, 3 and 4)(table 3). The data collected was stored in the audit tool. ( table x) Inclusion and exclusion criteria The inclusion of the patients in the audit required them to have been registered with ZTAS at the trust between June 2014 and October 2016. It was also necessary for the patient to have started some (at least two) of the required monitoring standards prior to initiation. Prior monitoring requirements included an ECG within a maximum of 3 months prior to initiation and  Ã‚   FBC, CRP and troponin T within 10 days of the initiation date.   Vital sign monitoring such as pulse, blood pressure and temperature were included if they had been completed a maximum of 7 days before initiation. Patients were excluded from the audit if they had been transferred from another trust and were already on a controlled clozapine treatment regime. Method of data analysis Data analysis and statistical analysis was completed using Microsoft Excel 2013. Overview As stated previously, clozapine is associated with an increased risk of myocarditis, which has been fatal in some cases. Preventative monitoring measures for myocarditis are advised at this trust. Baseline troponin T, CRP and ECG should be done prior to beginning treatment and then weekly for the following first four weeks after initiation. These measures are specific in identifying myocarditis, but should also be done in concordance with standard monitoring during treatment. The standard monitoring procedures include pulse, blood pressure and temperature to be completed every other day and FBC weekly. These monitoring procedures are necessary in helping to diagnose myocarditis; symptoms of myocarditis are non-specific, but tend to indicate the presence of an infection (fever) or simulate myocardial infarction (chest pain). Nurses and practitioners are advised to question patients on the appearance of any side effects similar to myocardial infarction to help ascertain if they could h ave myocarditis. Patient demographics and study data In total, n=57 patients were reviewed. Of those, n=3 patients were excluded based upon the inclusion and exclusion criteria described in the method. Of the remaining n=54 patients, n= 6   (11.11%) patients did not initiate clozapine treatment, but n=5 were included in the audit as they had started the monitoring required prior to initiating treatment. Reasons for not initiating treatment are outlined in table 1. A total of n= 3 patients ceased clozapine treatment in week one (n=2) and during week three (n=1); one patient was persistently tachycardic, one patient refused to continue treatment and one patient was severely hypotensive. The patient group (n=53) was predominantly male 66% (n=35), 34% (n=18) were female. The mean age of patients who initiated treatment (n=48) was 34.42 years old, with the youngest patient age being 16.92 years old and the oldest being 65.21 years old. Length of treatment was calculated as the time between a patient commencing clozapine treatment and either ceasing clozapine or the end of the audit period. A total of n=10 patients were excluded from the calculation, as they either did not start treatment or the end of treatment time was not able to be calculated; reasons for exclusion are explained in table 2. The mean length of treatment was 387 days  ±268, with the shortest length of treatment being 1 day and the longest being 873 days. Of the 53 patients involved at the start of the audit, 65% (n=35) were initiated on an inpatient basis; this means the patients were initiated at the hospital, on a ward. ECG monitoring A baseline ECG had been completed in 96% (n=51)(Figure 1) of patients within 3 months prior to the commencement of clozapine. One patient refused to have an ECG prior to initiation. The percentage of patients who received ECGs decreased to 20% (n=9), 24% (n=11), 17%(n=8) and 9% (n=4) of patients for the following 4 weeks after commencement respectively. A total of 41 out of 45 (Table 4) patients did not receive an ECG in week four of clozapine titration. During week one, a patient complained of flu like symptoms and was given an ECG to rule out myocarditis; likewise, one patient during week three was given an ECG after complaining of centralized chest pain. Temperature monitoring The quantity of patients who had recorded temperatures fluctuated through-out the weeks, being highest in week two of monitoring (n=. Week four had the lowest recorded amount of temperature monitoring of all 5 weeks at patients 69% (n=31) (table 4). In week one, n=2 patients refused to have measurements taken. Pulse and blood pressure monitoring The amount of patients who did not receive BP monitoring was highest in the week prior to initiating clozapine (n=13) and in week four (n=13). The highest proportion of patients who had their blood pressures taken occurred during week one at 96% (n=44 ), with 63% (n=29) of them having their blood pressure taken once and 34% (n=15) having their blood pressure taken twice (one reading measured whilst lying or sitting and one reading measured whilst standing). Week four had the highest proportion of patients who did not have their pulse measured at 29% (n=13) (table 4). One patient was discontinued from clozapine after one day of treatment when the BP check revealed them to be extremely hypotensive, in conjunction with a rapid pulse. Full blood count monitoring FBC monitoring occurred in the highest proportion of patients throughout the monitoring period; 100%, 98%, 93%, 100% and 96% respectively. CRP and Troponin monitoring The majority (>50%) of patients did not receive CRP or troponin T blood tests throughout the duration of the monitoring period. Figure 2 shows a substantial decrease in the number of patients who had CRP tests prior to initiation (n=25) and the following weeks (n=10, n=11,n=11, n=7 respectively). A large propotion of patients (84%, n= 38) did not receive CRP blood tests during their fourth week of clozapine treatement. The number of patients who received troponin T tests were less than those who received CRP tests. Only 36%(n=19) of patients received troponin T tests prior to initiation, reducing to 26%(n=12), 20%(n=9), 15%(n=7) and 9%(n=4) in the following four weeks after initiation respectively. There were n=14 patients who had no CRP or troponin T tests throughout the entirety of the monitoring period. There were no patients who had weekly CRP and troponin T tests throughout the duration of the mointoring period. Other monitoring parameters In total, the number of patients who had their CRP and troponin checked by clinicians was less than 100% in all cases (69% (n=9), 75% (n=9), 56% (n=6) and 63% (n=5) for weeks one through four respectively).   Due to the lack of data regarding criterion 4 (table 3), there are no results available to be discussed. Summary of main findings FBC monitoring requirements were met in the week prior to monitoring and in week three. All other standards were not met in any of the five weeks. Over all, there was a better outcome seen in the week prior to initiation for most of the standards. CRP and troponin T tests were completed in less than 50% of patients throughout the five weeks measured. Likewise, excluding the week prior to initiation, less than 50% of patients received an ECG for weeks one to four. Limitations Study data was collected using patient notes and the trusts clinical portal, data was therefore reliant on the relevant health care professional entering the information onto the systems. Consequently, the lack of data could be attributed to the lack of documentation of the monitoring, as opposed to the lack of monitoring all together, especially in regards to criterion 4 (table 3). No useful results could be drawn for criterion 4 and criterion 2 may have also been significantly affected by a lack of documentation. The sample size of this audit was small (n=53), any conclusions drawn from this data may not be relevant to a larger sample size. However, in future studies, a larger sample size could be used, if this is not possible the audit could be expanded to include other trusts. Results could also be affected if the patient refused to have the relevant monitoring required, as advised in the trusts clozapine guidelines.    This audit is the first one to be completed at this trust, therefore it cannot be compared to any previous data. However, the results are being measured against set standards (table x) and can be used to compare to future audits. Results in context      Ã‚   Clozapine is highly effective in the management of treatment-resistant schizophrenia; it reduces the risk of suicidal behaviours[5, 6]and it is effective in the treatment of both the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia.[1] It is not widely used due to its extensive side effect profile [8], most recognised being haematological disorders, such as agranulocytosis and neutropenia which have strict monitoring protocols in place.   However, cardiac side effects of clozapine treatment have become more widely recognised over the past few years.[5] Myocarditis is an inflammatory condition of the myocardium, which is normally attributed to viral aetiology. Clozapine-induced myocarditis is a rare, but potentially fatal result of treatment. Over 75% of cases occur within the first month of treatment, making it important to monitor for myocarditis during the first four weeks of treatment.[2, 14-16] A study by Ronaldson et al.[18] developed an evidence-based monitoring tool, based on 75 cases and 94 controls for routine monitoring up to 28 days. It suggested that an ECG, CRP and troponin I/T should be completed at baseline, with routine vitals every other day. CRP and troponin I/T tests should also be repeated on days 7, 14, 21 and 28. This study proposes that combining CRP and troponin tests provides a 100% sensitivity for myocarditis. The trusts clozapine guidelines also suggest the same monitoring protocol, with the addition of an ECG every week, for the first four weeks. Individuals with schizophrenia have a 20% shorter life expectancy than that of the general population and a greater vulnerability to several illnesses (diabetes, coronary heart disease).[19] Due to the nature of the illness and the heightened health risks associated with schizophrenia and the antipsychotic medications used in its treatment, it is important to adhere to the relevant monitoring protocols. It is evident, from the results, that the proposed guidelines for the monitoring of clozapine-induced myocarditis are not being met. Likewise, a number of studies have shown a poor adherence to standards in the monitoring of antipsychotic medications.[20] Physicians may have doubts about the relevance of monitoring, or feel that it is not necessary as the incidence of myocarditis is very low; rate of incidence occur in approximately 0.15-1.2%[1, 13, 21] of patients. If we consider other medications with stringent monitoring protocols, such as insulin, due to health care professionals awareness of this medication and the implications if the standards are not met, there is often a higher standard of monitoring. There may also be an implication of cost; extensive monitoring is often expensive, making it appear to be an unnecessary expense, particularly when the chances of myocarditis occurring are very low. Health care professionals may have a lack of awareness of the need for the monitoring of myocarditis, and the implications if these are not met. The incidence of fatality due to clozapine-induced myocarditis can be as high as 50%[1], making it important to abide by the set guidelines. The monitoring guidelines are made to reduce the harm caused to patients and reduce the possibility of fatalities. However, a delayed diagnosis could result in poorer outcomes for the patients.[1] The standards allow for earlier detection and diagnosis of myocarditis, reducing the chance of poorer outcomes. The results of this audit indicate a need for an increased awareness of clozapine-induced myocarditis among health care professionals. This would improve the clinicians awareness of the need for the monitoring of myocarditis and highlight the implications if the standards are not met. A standardised questionnaire could be created to monitor the signs and symptoms of myocarditis and be used by nurses to document the results, this could be incorporated into the clinical notes. This baseline audit emphasises the need for future re-audits, to evaluate whether the standards have improved. Table 1: Reasons for not initiating treatment Number of patients (n) Consistent amber results 1 Patient changed mind/ refused 2 Previous health conditions made the patient unsuitable to start clozapine 2 Unknown 1 Total 6 Table 2: Reasons for not being included it length of treatment calculation Number of patients (n) Never initaited clozapine 6 Patient transferred to another trust 2 Patient returned to country of origin (unknown if they continued treatment) 2 Total 10 Table 3: Policy Title Clozapine Guide Trust-Wide Medication Policy Date July 2016 Local/National Local Standard Setting Criterion 1 Criterion 2 Criterion 3 Criterion 4 Criterion Full blood count, including troponin T, CRP, neutrophil and white blood cell count should be done prior to initiating clozapine and then weekly for the first four weeks. A clinician verifies the blood test results every week before treatment can be approved. An ECG is to be performed prior to clozapine commencement and every week for the first four weeks after initiation of clozapine. A nurse or physician enquires about the signs and symptoms of myocarditis weekly for the first 4 weeks of titration. Target 100% 100% 100% 100% Exceptions None None None None Table 4: Monitoring Prior to initiating (Total number of patients n=53) Week 1 (Total number of patients n=46) Week 2 (Total number of patients n=46) Week 3 (Total number of patients n=46) Week 4   (Total number of patients n=45) ECG Yes 51 (96%) 9 (20%) 11 (24%) 8 (17%) 4 (9%) No 2 (4%) 37 (80%) 35 (76%) 38 (83%) 41 (91%) Blood pressure Taken once 36 (68%) 29 (63%) 26 (56%) 25 (54%) 21 (47%) Taken twice 4 (7.5%) 15 (33%) 15 (33%) 12 (26%) 11 (24%) Not taken 13 (24.5%) 2 (4%) 5 (11%) 9 (20%) 13 (29%) Temperature Yes 39 (74%) 38 (83%) 40 (87%) 37 (80%) 31 (69%) No 14 (26%) 8 (17%) 6 (13%) 9 (20%) 13 (31%) Pulse Yes 42 (79%) 43 (93%) 41 (89%) 37 (80%) 32 (71%) No 11 (21%) 3 (7%) 5 (11%) 9 (20%) 13 (29%) FBC Yes 53 (100%) 45 (98%) 43 (93%) 46 (100%) 43 (96%) No 0 (0%) 1 (2%) 3 (7%) 0 (0%) 2 (4%) CRP Yes 25 (47%) 10 (22%) 11 (24%) 11 (24%) 7 (16%) No 28 (53%) 36 (78%) 35 (76%) 35 (76%) 38 (84%) Troponin Yes 19 (36%) 12 (26%) 9 (20%) 7 (15%) 4 (9%) No 34 (64%) 34 (74%) 37 (80%) 39 (85%) 41 (81%) References 1.Munshi, T.A., et al., Clozapine-induced myocarditis: is mandatory monitoring warranted for its early recognition? Case Rep Psychiatry, 2014. 2014: p. 513108. 2.Aboueid, L. and N. Toteja, Clozapine-Induced Myocarditis: A Case Report of an Adolescent Boy with Intellectual Disability. Case Rep Psychiatry, 2015. 2015: p. 482375. 3.Fineschi, V., et al., Sudden cardiac death due to hypersensitivity myocarditis during clozapine treatment. Int J Legal Med, 2004. 118(5): p. 307-9. 4.Bruno, V., A. Valiente-Gà ³mez, and O. Alcoverro, Clozapine and Fever: A Case of Continued Therapy With Clozapine. Clin Neuropharmacol, 2015. 38(4): p. 151-3. 5.Swart, L.E., et al., Clozapine-induced myocarditis. Schizophr Res, 2016. 174(1-3): p. 161-4. 6.Castle, D., et al., A clinical monitoring system for clozapine. Australas Psychiatry, 2006. 14(2): p. 156-68. 7.Annamraju, S., et al., Early recognition of clozapine-induced myocarditis. J Clin Psychopharmacol, 2007. 27(5): p. 479-83. 8.Murch, S., et al., Echocardiographic monitoring for clozapine cardiac toxicity: lessons from real-world experience. Australas Psychiatry, 2013. 21(3): p. 258-61. 9.Wooltorton, E., Antipsychotic clozapine (Clozaril): myocarditis and cardiovascular toxicity. CMAJ, 2002. 166(9): p. 1185-6. 10.Kar, N., S. Barreto, and R. Chandavarkar, Clozapine Monitoring in Clinical Practice: Beyond the Mandatory Requirement. Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci, 2016. 14(4): p. 323-329. 11.Cohen, R., et al., A Case of Clozapine-Induced Myocarditis in a Young Patient with Bipolar Disorder. Case Rep Cardiol, 2015. 2015: p. 283156. 12.Merrill, D.B., G.W. Dec, and D.C. Goff, Adverse cardiac effects associated with clozapine. J Clin Psychopharmacol, 2005. 25(1): p. 32-41. 13.Ronaldson, K.J., et al., Clinical course and analysis of ten fatal cases of clozapine-induced myocarditis and comparison with 66 surviving cases. Schizophrenia Research, 2011. 128(1-3): p. 161-165. 14.Haas, S.J., et al., Clozapine-Associated Myocarditis. Drug Safety, 2007. 30(1): p. 47-57. 15.Barry, A.R., J.D. Windram, and M.M. Graham, Clozapine-Associated Myocarditis: Case Report and Literature Review. Can J Hosp Pharm, 2015. 68(5): p. 427-9. 16.Ronaldson, K.J., P.B. Fitzgerald, and J.J. McNeil, Clozapine-induced myocarditis, a widely overlooked adverse reaction. Acta Psychiatr Scand, 2015. 132(4): p. 231-40.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Recovering History, Constructing Race: the Indian, Black, and White Roo

Recovering History, Constructing Race: the Indian, Black, and White Roots of Mexican Americans Recovering Aztlan : Racial Formation Through a Shared History (1) Traditionally history of the Americas and American population has been taught in a direction heading west from Europe to the California frontier. In Recovering History, Constructing Race, Martha Mencahca locates the origins of the history of the Americas in a floral pattern where migration from Asia, Europe, and Africa both voluntary and forced converge magnetically in Mexico then spreads out again to the north and northeast. By creating this patters she complicates the idea of race, history, and nationality. The term Mexican, which today refers to a specific nationality in Central America, is instead used as a shared historic and cultural identity of a people who spread from Mexico across the southwest United States. To create this shared identity Menchaca carefully constructs the Mexican race from prehistoric records to current battles for Civil Rights. What emerges is a story in which Anglo-Americans become the illegal immigrants crossing the border into Texas and mestizo Mexicans can earn an upgrade in class distinction through heroic military acts. In short what emerges is a sometimes upside down always creative reinvention of history and the creation of the Mexican "race (?)". Mexicans, as constructed by Menchaca, are a predominantly mestizo population whose mixed ancestry she traces to early Latin American civilizations. In 200 BC the largest city in the Americas, Teotihuacà ¡n, was founded. Teotihuacà ¡n would one day be the site of Mexico City, and by 650 AD there were between 120,000 and 250,000 inhabitants. (2) Groups that inhabited the region fro... ...e, history, and blood. The specific commingling that emerges, however, has common roots in its very diversity. Throughout her tale Menchaca's allegiance is clearly to her race, and while the bias comes through, the history she traces is never the less compelling. The strongest achievement of this book is that it fundamentally shifts the gaze of its reader by reifying race and celebrating its complexity. Notes 1. Aztlan is the quasimythylogical homeland of the Chichimec people who were expelled by their god and traveled south to found civilizations in Mexico. It is theoretically located in present day New Mexico. 2. Martha Menchaca, Recovering History, Constructing Race: the Indian, Black, and White Roots of Mexican Americans (Texas: University of Texas Press, 2001), 29. 3. Menchaca, 47. 4. Menchaca, 50. 5. Menchaca, 199.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Effects of computer games to students

The widespread belief that dopamine regulates pleasure could go down in history with the latest research results on the role of this neurotransmitter. Researchers have proved that it regulates motivation, causing individuals to initiate and persevere to obtain something either positive or negative. The neuroscience journal Neuron publishes an article by researchers at the Universitat Jaume I of Castellon that reviews the prevailing theory on dopamine and poses a major paradigm shift with applications in diseases related to lack of motivation and mental fatigue and depression, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, etc.  and diseases where there is excessive motivation and persistence as in the case of addictions.â€Å"It was believed that dopamine regulated pleasure and reward and that we release it when we obtain something that satisfies us, but in fact the latest scientific evidence shows that this neurotransmitter acts before that, it actually encourages us to act. In o ther words, dopamine is released in order to achieve something good or to avoid something evil,† explains Merce Correa. Studies had shown that dopamine is released by pleasurable sensations but also by stress, pain or loss.These research results however had been skewed to only highlight the positive influence, according to Correa. The new article is a review of the paradigm based on the data from several investigations, including those conducted over the past two decades by the Castellon group in collaboration with the John Salamone of the University of Connecticut (USA), on the role of dopamine in the motivated behaviour in animals. The level of dopamine depends on individuals, so some people are more persistent than others to achieve a goal.â€Å"Dopamine leads to maintain the level of activity to achieve what is intended. This in principle is positive, however, it will always depend on the stimuli that are sought: whether the goal is to be a good student or to abuse of dru gs† says Correa. High levels of dopamine could also explain the behaviour of the so-called sensation seekers as they are more motivated to act. Application for depression and addiction To know the neurobiological parameters that make people be motivated by something is important to many areas such as work, education or health.Dopamine is now seen as a core neurotransmitter to address symptoms such as the lack of energy that occurs in diseases such as depression. â€Å"Depressed people do not feel like doing anything and that's because of low dopamine levels,† explains Correa. Lack of energy and motivation is also related to other syndromes with mental fatigue such as Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis or fibromyalgia, among others. In the opposite case, dopamine may be involved in addictive behaviour problems, leading to an attitude of compulsive perseverance.In this sense, Correa indicates that dopamine antagonists which have been applied so far in addiction problems prob ably have not worked because of inadequate treatments based on a misunderstanding of the function of dopamine (http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2013/01/130110094415. htm) The effect of a dopamine agonist on dysarthric speech production: a case study.AbstractThe effect of Permax (pergolide mesylate), a dopamine agonist, was assessed in an individual with traumatic brain injury. The participant evidenced symptoms of hypokinetic dysarthria. His performance on and off Permax was evaluated in a BABA design. Measures were obtained across physiological systems. There were few differences in the on and off conditions. In the on condition, he evidenced an abnormally large velopharyngeal orifice area, dysfluencies in stimulus sentences, and less precise articulation. However, listeners perceived him to be more animated in the on condition. In addition, he reported better performance in the on condition.The study highlights potential discrepancies among participant report, listener perce ption, and objective measures. Learning outcomes: As a result of this activity, the participant will be able (1) to recognize the effect of dopamine agonists as an adjunct to other pharmacological interventions and (2) to determine potential discrepancies among participant report, listener perception and objective physiological and acoustic measures. (Transitional Learning Center, Department of Communication Disorders, University of Houston, TX 77204-6018, USA. [email  protected] edu/ http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/11565961)