Gender equality and managers' work in elderly and social care: A structural equation modelling approach.

AIM: The study explores whether, and how, gender equality is associated with key aspects related to operative managers' improvement work. We explore the possible associations between gender equality and; prioritization of social regulations in operative decision-making, engagement in operative improvement work, group dynamics challenges and collaboration between managers and subordinates. BACKGROUND: Regarding organizational relations and preconditions for providing good care and developing operative work in the social and elderly care sector, the value of having organizational gender equality is unknown. METHOD: Associations were analysed using structural equation modelling of questionnaire data. The questionnaire was distributed to first-line managers in a large city in Sweden (n = 598, response rate 56%). RESULTS: Positive perceptions of organizations' gender equality were significantly associated with more engagement in operative improvement work, fewer group dynamics challenges and higher priority of social regulations in unit decision-making, also when controlling for confounders. Gender equality had no association with managers' collaboration with subordinates in this study. CONCLUSION(S): This study demonstrates that equal opportunities for male and female workers could benefit operative managers' improvement work. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Organizations that strive to improve conditions for operative work, which strengthen preconditions for service development, should include values of gender equality.

Toric IOL implantation in a patient with keratoconus and previous penetrating keratoplasty: a case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Cataract surgery in patients with keratoconus with or without previous penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) can be demanding due to difficulties in selecting the intraocular lens (IOL) and predicting the refractive outcome. We report a case of cataract surgery in a patient with keratoconus and previous PKP in one eye. CASE PRESENTATION: A 71-year-old man with bilateral cataract and advanced bilateral keratoconus and previous PKP in the left eye. Preoperatively, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/150, with - 5.75 sph - 9.75 cyl 72°, in the right eye and 20/40, with - 0.25 sph - 5.0 cyl 50°, in the left eye. The patient was subjected to phacoemulsification with implantation of a spherical IOL in the right eye and a toric IOL in the left eye. BCVA postoperatively was 20/80 with + 1.25 sph - 3 cyl 65° in the right eye and 20/25 with - 0.5 sph - 3.25 cyl 80° in the left eye. CONCLUSIONS: Correction of post-PKP astigmatism and cataract with phacoemulsification and implantation of a toric IOL can be an effective and safe choice. Predicting the refractive outcome in cataract surgery is difficult in patients with advanced keratoconus even when using non-toric IOLs, and the surgeon should be aware of different sources of biometric errors and the possible consequences.

Implantation of toric intraocular lenses in patients with cataract and keratoconus: a case series.

PURPOSE: To describe the results of phacoemulsification and implantation of toric intraocular lenses (IOLs) in patients with cataract and keratoconus. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospective study of 4 patients (4 eyes) with cataract and keratoconus who underwent phacoemulsification with implantation of a toric IOL. Two different toric IOLs were used: AcrySof IQ SN6AT9 and AT Torbi 709M(P). Corneal tomography was performed preoperatively using Scheimpflug technique with Pentacam. Astigmatism was regular or slightly irregular in all patients. Postoperatively, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), astigmatism, spherical equivalent, and complications were recorded for all patients. Follow-up time was between 4 weeks and 7 months. RESULTS: BCVA increased and astigmatism decreased in all patients. BCVA increased from 20/50 to 20/40 in patient 1, from 20/63 to 20/20 in patient 2, from 20/40 to 20/32 in patient 3, and from hand motion to 20/40 in patient 4. Astigmatism decreased from -6.12 to -3.75 D in patient 1, from -4.62 to -1.75 D in patient 2, from -9.0 to -3.0 D in patient 3, and from -8.0 to -2.75 D in patient 4. One patient developed pseudophakic cystoid macular edema, but at last follow-up after 6 months the edema had resolved. Another patient developed posterior capsular opacification after 2 months. No misalignment of the axis of the IOL was observed. CONCLUSION: Correction of both astigmatism and cataract with phacoemulsification and implantation of a toric IOL can be an effective and safe choice for patients with cataract and keratoconus. However, predicting the refractive outcome in cataract surgery is difficult in patients with keratoconus, and the surgeon should be aware of different sources of biometric errors and the possible consequences.

Influence of molecular weight and degree of substitution of various carboxymethyl celluloses on unheated and heated emulsion-type sausage models.

Four carboxymethyl celluloses (CMCs) differing in molecular weight (MW) and degree of substitution (°DS) were initially characterized in NaCl solution (0.1 M) and on properties of emulsion-type sausage models. The impact of the different CMCs (0-2 wt%) on the rheological behavior and firmness of an emulsion-type sausage models containing 1.8wt% NaCl was studied. Rheology (unheated/heated) and firmness (heated) showed an increasing effect with increasing CMC concentrations. Addition of>1wt% CMC led to a decrease in storage modulus of the unheated/heated batter and to a decrease in firmness of heated independent of the CMC-type used. CLSM revealed that high amounts of CMCs prevented formation of a coherent protein matrix. Water-binding capacity indicated that CMC contributed to the water-retention capability of sausage batters. Small differences between the CMCs were observed using various °DS and similar MW. Results indicate that the addition of low CMC concentrations (≤0.5wt%) may help to reduce fat content.

Impact of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) on functional characteristics of emulsified sausages.

Inclusion of fibers, such as carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), at the expense of fat or protein in meat batters could be used to produce healthier sausages while lowering production costs. To study the impact of CMC/MCC on structural/functional characteristics of emulsified sausages, standard-fat Lyoner-style sausages were formulated with CMC/MCC at concentrations of 0.3-2.0%. Methods of analysis included rheology, water binding capacity (WBC), texture measurements, and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM). WBC, texture measurements, and rheology all indicated that addition of CMC (>0.7%) led to destabilization of the batter, which upon heating could no longer be converted into a coherent protein network, a fact that was also revealed in CLSM images. In contrast, MCC was highly compatible with the matrix and improved firmness (1405-1651N/100g) with increasing concentration compared to control (1381N/100g) while keeping WBC (4.6-5.9%) with <2% MCC at the level of the control (4.8%). Results were discussed in terms of molecular interactions of meat proteins with celluloses.

Effects of psychosocial work factors on lifestyle changes: a cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of the demand-control-support model, the effort-reward imbalance model, and emotional demands on smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and body mass index. METHODS: This is a 2-year prospective cohort study of 3224 public sector employees. Measures were assessed with questionnaires. Multiple regression analyses were used to predict changes in lifestyle factors. RESULTS: Low reward predicted smoking, low-decision latitude predicted being inactive, and high demands predicted high-alcohol consumption but only for men at follow-up even after controlling for potential confounders. There were no other significant findings in the expected direction except for some of the confounders. CONCLUSIONS: We found only limited and inconsistent support for the hypothesis that a poor psychosocial work environment is associated with an adverse lifestyle.