A critical analysis of the implementation of service user involvement in primary care research and health service development using normalization process theory.

BACKGROUND: There have been recent important advances in conceptualizing and operationalizing involvement in health research and health-care service development. However, problems persist in the field that impact on the scope for meaningful involvement to become a routine - normalized - way of working in primary care. In this review, we focus on current practice to critically interrogate factors known to be relevant for normalization - definition, enrolment, enactment and appraisal. METHOD: Ours was a multidisciplinary, interagency team, with community representation. We searched EBSCO host for papers from 2007 to 2011 and engaged in an iterative, reflexive approach to sampling, appraising and analysing the literature following the principles of a critical interpretive synthesis approach and using Normalization Process Theory. FINDINGS: Twenty-six papers were chosen from 289 papers, as a purposeful sample of work that is reported as service user involvement in the field. Few papers provided a clear working definition of service user involvement. The dominant identified rationale for enrolling service users in primary care projects was linked with policy imperatives for co-governance and emancipatory ideals. The majority of methodologies employed were standard health services research methods that do not qualify as research with service users. This indicates a lack of congruence between the stated aims and methods. Most studies only reported positive outcomes, raising questions about the balance or completeness of the published appraisals. CONCLUSION: To improve normalization of meaningful involvement in primary care, it is necessary to encourage explicit reporting of definitions, methodological innovation to enhance co-governance and dissemination of research processes and findings.

Effect of different mattress designs on promoting sleep quality, pain reduction, and spinal alignment in adults with or without back pain; systematic review of controlled trials.

A significant number of US citizens lack appropriate sleep for several reasons. Back pain has been identified as possible cause for inappropriate sleep in adults. Previously, the quality of mattresses and bedding systems has been correlated to the pain perceived by individuals. However, there is controversy in the literature regarding the type and characteristics of a mattress that best serve the purpose of decreasing spinal pain, and improving spinal alignment and quality of sleep. This study gathered the best available evidence in the literature related to this matter through conducting a systematic review of controlled trials that were published since the year of 2000. In those trials, mattresses were subjectively identified as soft, medium firm, firm, or custom inflated. Articles examining the effect of temperature alterations of mattresses on promoting sleep quality and reducing pain were included as well. Twenty-four articles qualified for inclusion into this systematic review. The methodological quality of the reviewed clinical trials was deemed moderate to high according to the PEDro scale. Results of this systematic review show that a mattress that is subjectively identified as a medium-firm mattress and is custom inflated (self-adjusted) is optimal for promoting sleep comfort, quality, and spinal alignment. Evidence is not sufficient yet regarding the appropriate temperature of the optimum mattress; however, warm temperature has been recommended by authors.

Primary cilia metaplasia in renal transplant biopsies with acute tubular injury.

Primary cilia are hair-like organelles singly distributed along the apical surface of proximal and distal nephron tubules as mechanosensors. The goal of this study was to use electron microscopy to systemically evaluate cilia changes in acute tubular injury (ATI) from both transplant and native renal biopsies. Three groups of cases were included: control group 1-native biopsies without major changes in renal tubules; study group 2-native biopsies with prominent ATI; and study group 3-renal transplant biopsies with prominent ATI (delayed renal function group). Extensive search for ciliary structures along renal tubules was conducted in each case, focused on proximal tubular areas with injured (diminished) apical microvilli. Singly located cilia were found in 3/19 specimens in control group 1, 4/18 in group 2 (native ATI), and 6/24 in group 3 (transplant ATI). Importantly, there were clusters of cilia in proximal tubules with markedly diminished apical microvilli in 3/24 biopsies from 2 patients in group 3, but none from groups 1 and 2. The clusters of cilia ranged from 6 to 15 individual cilia along the apical surface with diminished apical microvilli. Under high magnifications, the cilia demonstrated 9 pairs of peripheral microtubules without a central pair of microtubules, consistent with primary cilia (9 + 0) rather than motile cilia (9 + 2). In summary, the authors found clusters of cilia in proximal tubules with remarkable apical microvillar injury in 3 renal transplant biopsies with ATI, implying a reactive, or repairing, process following tubular injury, thus they name this finding "cilia metaplasia".

Interventions for the management of weight and body composition changes in women with breast cancer.

Weight gain and body composition changes are common during the first year after breast cancer diagnosis. Women who are overweight or obese at the time of diagnosis or who gain weight following diagnosis are at higher risk for adverse clinical outcomes. Unhealthy weight conditions, compounded or caused by weight gain after diagnosis, are a considerable challenge for women with breast cancer during and after treatment. Despite the prevalence of weight gain in women with breast cancer as well as its adverse effects, little research has examined preventive and therapeutic interventions targeting reduction of weight and/or body fat. The purpose of this article is to update the state of knowledge on weight gain and body composition changes in women with breast cancer. Current evidence from weight intervention studies, including diet, exercise, and combined approaches for weight loss-or for prevention of weight gain-are reviewed. Along with published practice guidelines, the currently available information provides guidance for oncology nurses on the methods that can impact unhealthy weight conditions associated with breast cancer.