Background: Muscle, joint and bone injuries affect mobility and stability, which in turn limits physical activity. Screening tests such as the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) are used to assess an individual’s mobility and stability to determine whether any movement dysfunctions exist. Screening tests aim to establish an individual’s injury risk with the goal of guiding an intervention program. The Evaluation of Mobility Screen (EMS) is a screening test that has been developed at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa. The EMS has been adapted from the FMS by exchanging the Rotatory Stability test for the Seated Rotation test. The current use of screening tools is limited because of the lack of normative data sets that represent the diversity of age, gender and physical activity levels in the general population. Most current published data represent athletes or younger populations. By establishing the relationship between screening outcomes and variables such as age, gender and physical activity level, the effectiveness of screening tests may be improved. Aim: To describe associations between EMS scores for males and females across different age groups and levels of physical activity. Objective: To evaluate and compare differences in EMS scores relating to age, gender and physical activity levels. Methods: This was a quantitative study, with a descriptive, correlational design. The sample consisted of 135 males and 127 females between the ages of 18 and 60. The EMS data were collected at the HighPerformance Centre, in the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, Cape Town. Results: There was no difference between the total scores of males and females (median = 17). The two youngest groups (20-30 and 31-40 years) scored the highest (median = 17), while the oldest group (51-60 years) scored the lowest (median = 15). Gender had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on five subtests (Single Leg Hurdle, Shoulder Mobility, Asymmetric Leg Raise, Stability Push Up and Seated Rotation). Age had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on three subtests (Overhead Squat, Single Leg, Hurdle Split Squat). Physical activity level had a significant effect (p < 0.05) with two subtests (Single leg Hurdle and Stability Push Up). Conclusion: Gender, Age and Physical Activity are associated with changes in EMS scores. EMS total scores declined as age increased. While the total scores remain similar between genders, there were clear variations within the different subtests. The oldest participants (51-60 year) scored the lowest throughout all subtests. Males scored higher in the strength components, while females scored higher in the flexibility components. Physical activity levels did not have a clear pattern as expected but still demonstrated association with two subtests. The results add to the sentiment that the focus should move away from the composite scoring system, and towards analyzing individual subtest scores. Future studies should also investigate if subtest scores can be improved by targeted intervention programs.

La localisation d’ARNm a été découverte en 1983 dans les ovocytes et les embryons des ascidies. Depuis, plusieurs exemples d'ARN localisés ont été trouvés dans de nombreux organismes, y compris les plantes, les levures, les champignons, les insectes, les poissons et les mammifères. Les ARNm localisés contribuent à de nombreuses fonctions biologiques, telles que le développement embryonnaire, la division cellulaire asymétrique, la migration cellulaire, la signalisation, la plasticité neuronale et plein d’autres ...Jusqu'à présent, quelques études ont analysé la localisation d’ARNm de manière systématique. Trois d'entre eux ont été effectués chez la drosophile pendant l'embryogenèse, l'oogenèse ou le stade larvaire et ont analysé environ 16000 ARN au total. Les deux autres études ont été réalisées dans des cellules de mammifères et ont analysé près de 1000 ARNm chacune. Ces études ont montré l'importance de la localisation d’ARNm dans les cellules humaines et son implication dans différents processus biologiques. L'objectif de ma thèse était donc d'augmenter le débit des techniques FISH à l’échelle de molécule unique (smFISH) et d'étudier la localisation d’ARNm dans les cellules HeLa de manière systématique.Une limitation de smFISH est le coût de sondes fluorescentes, qui limite le nombre d'ARNm qui peut être analysé. Par conséquent, j'ai développé un protocole alternatif dans lequel des sondes pour de nombreux gènes ont été synthétisées comme un pool d'oligonucléotides (40 par gène en moyenne, plus de 12000 au total). Les sondes spécifiques d’un ARNm donné ont ensuite été amplifiées par PCR et converties en simple brin par transcription in vitro. J'ai généré un protocole complet, à partir de la conception de la sonde et jusqu'à l'acquisition de l'image. Je me suis intéressé à l’étude des ARNm du cycle cellulaire. En effet, les gènes du cycle cellulaire ont été largement étudiés au niveau de la protéine, mais on sait peu de choses sur la localisation de leurs ARNm. Pendant la mitose, les cellules subissent d'importantes modifications morphologiques et la traduction locale pourrait être un moyen d'atteindre la localisation des protéines. Le screening sur ces ARNm est en cours.Parallèlement à ces expériences, j'ai réalisé des expériences de smFISH sur 100 gènes choisis au hasard et 50 régulateurs de la transition G2/M du cycle cellulaire, en utilisant un protocole de smFISH classique. Dans cette configuration, on disposait d'une collection de lignées cellulaires HeLa, dans laquelle chaque cellule contient un chromosome artificiel bactérien avec le gène d'intérêt marqué au GFP. Par conséquent, en utilisant des sondes qui s'hybridaient à la séquence GFP, je pourrais utiliser le même ensemble de sondes marquées pour étudier la localisation de tous les ARNm. Un autre avantage est que la localisation des protéines pourrait être évaluée simultanément. Mes résultats indiquent que 4 ARNm ont montré une localisation spécifique lors du screening de 100 gènes choisis d’une manière aléatoire et 15 ARNm parmi les 54 régulateurs de la transition G2 / M. Ces ARNm appartiennent à cinq classes de localisation: "blobs", qui sont des agrégats d'ARNm cytoplasmiques; «clusters», qui sont des zones de concentration locale élevée d'ARNm, mais où une molécule unique d’ARNm peut encore être résolu; «nuclear membrane », où les ARNm se concentrent autour de l'enveloppe nucléaire; "spindle", qui sont des ARNm accumulés sur l'appareil de division mitotique, “spots" qui sont des agrégats d'ARNm cytoplasmiques où une molécule unique d’ARNm ne peut pas être résolu, et qui sont plus grands que les blobs. La colocalisation entre l'ARNm et la GFP, qui suggère une traduction locale, n'a été trouvée que pour 1 ARNm.Ces screenings aléatoires et ciblés effectués à petite échelle montrent une fréquence et une diversité inattendues dans les modèles de localisation d’ARNm. Cela ouvre la voie pour effectuer des screenings à plus grande échelle. / MRNA localization was discovered in 1983 in ascidian oocytes and early embryos. Since then many examples of localized RNAs have been found in many organisms, including plants, yeast, fungi, insects, fish and mammals. Localized mRNAs contribute to many biological functions, such as embryonic patterning, asymmetric cell division, cell migration, signaling, neuronal plasticity and others…Until now, only few studies analyzed RNA localization in a systematic manner. Three of them were done in Drosophila, during embryogenesis, oogenesis or larval stage and analyzed around 16000 mRNAs in total. The two other studies were done in mammalian cells and analyzed nearly 1000 mRNAs each. These studies opened a door and raised questions regarding the importance of mRNA localization in human cells and its implication in different biological processes. The goal of my thesis was thus to increase the throughput of single molecule FISH techniques (smFISH) and to study mRNA localization in HeLa cells in a systematic manner.One limitation in smFISH is the cost of the fluorescent oligonucleotide probes, which limits the number of mRNAs that can be analyzed. Therefore, I developed an alternative protocol in which probes for many genes were synthesized as a pool of oligonucleotides (40 per gene in average, more than 12000 in total). Gene-specific probes were then amplified by PCR and converted into single strand by in vitro transcription. I generated a complete protocol, starting from probe design and up to image acquisition. I was interested in studying cell cycle genes. Indeed, cell cycle genes have been extensively studied at the protein level but little is known concerning the localization of their mRNAs. During mitosis, cells go through important morphological modifications and local translation could be a mean of achieving protein localization. This screen is ongoing.In parallel to these experiments, I performed a smFISH based screen on 100 randomly chosen genes and 50 regulators of the G2/M transition of the cell cycle, using a traditional smFISH protocol. In this set-up, I took advantage of a library of HeLa cell lines, in which each cell line contains a bacterial artificial chromosome with the gene of interest tagged with GFP. Therefore, using oligonucleotides hybridizing to the GFP sequence, I could use the same probe set to study the localization of all the tagged mRNAs. A further advantage is that protein localization could be assessed simultaneously. My results indicate that two mRNAs showed a specific localization when screening 100 random genes, and 16 mRNAs among the 50 regulators of the G2/M transition. These mRNAs belong to five localization classes: "blobs", which are cytoplasmic mRNA aggregates; "clusters", which are areas of high local mRNA concentration but where individual mRNA can still be resolved; "nuclear envelope", where mRNAs concentrate around the nuclear envelope; "spindle", which are mRNAs accumulating on the cell division apparatus during mitosis, “spots" which are cytoplasmic mRNA aggregates where individual mRNA can’t be resolved and are bigger than blobs. Interestingly, colocalization between mRNA and GFP, which suggests local translation, was only found for 1 mRNA.These random and targeted screens performed at small-scale show an unexpected frequency and diversity in mRNA localization patterns, therefore pointing to new functions related to this process. This will stimulate future studies aiming at performing screenings at a higher scale.

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer related deaths in Ontario and throughout Canada. The 5-year survival rate for those diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020 was approximately 22.2%. Poor screening techniques is the main cause of low survival rates and late detection. Recent advancements in screening for lung cancer have led researchers to look at the benefits of using low-dose CT (LDCT) scanning to screen patients at high risk for lung cancer in order to detect the cancer in its earlier stages. There is strong evidence that using this new method of testing in lung cancer screening can reduce lung cancer related mortality by increasing the chance that the disease is detected in an earlier stage and in turn improving the patient’s chance at life saving treatment. Lung cancer screening requires LDCT resources and, based on the current recommendations, there is a concern that the new demand for imaging may exceed existing capacity of the imaging centers. This research evaluates impact of the Lung Cancer Screening Pilot for People at High Risk on the imaging resources and aims to answer the question: What would be the system performance for different imaging policies assuming a fixed imaging capacity? Administrative data from the Ottawa Hospital (TOH) as well as data from other research projects were used in order to develop and populate a simulation model. The policies that were assessed include: using biannual screening for patients who receive a negative baseline scan, using annual screening for patients with a negative baseline scan with all suspicious patients returning for a follow-up scan in six months, using annual screening for patients with a negative baseline scan with all suspicious patients returning for a follow-up scan in three months, using biannual screening for patients with a negative baseline scan with all suspicious patients returning for a follow-up scan in six months and using biannual screening for patients with a negative baseline scan with all suspicious patients returning for a follow-up scan in three months. These policies were assessed by looking at wait times for patients to be screened. Possible shift between lung cancer stages was also considered. The impact of this study is to look at system performances for different screening policies that could be used assuming a fixed imaging capacity. It represents a first step for further research should the data that is needed become available.

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Bakgrund: Bröstcancer är den allra vanligaste cancerformen hos kvinnor. I Sverige drabbas omkring 8000 kvinnor av denna sjukdom varje år och cirka 1500 avlider. Från och med 1986 erbjuds alla kvinnor mellan 40-74 år att delta i regelbundna mammografikontroller. Det har gjort att allt fler kvinnor diagnostiseras tidigt i sjukdomsförloppet och att antalet dödsfall reducerats. Trots fördelarna med mammografi upplever många kvinnor undersökningen som smärtsam och påfrestande. Det är därför viktigt att få en ökad förståelse för kvinnors upplevelser för att på så sätt skapa en förutsättning för ökat välbefinnande. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att belysa kvinnors upplevelse i samband med mammografiscreening. Metod: Litteraturstudien baserades på 8 vetenskapliga artiklar. Sökningen av artiklar gjordes i databaserna CINAHL och PsychINFO. Artiklarna granskades och analyserades av författarna innan ett resultat sammanställdes. Resultat: Resultatet visade att tidigare erfarenheter påverkade attityderna kring mammografiscreening. Majoriteten fann undersökningen smärtsam och att bemötandet av personalen var en viktig aspekt som påverkade upplevelsen. Det visade sig att det fanns ett genomgående behov av information kring undersökningen samt att väntan på resultatet var en tid fylld med oro och ovisshet. Slutsats: Trots att många kvinnor upplever fysiska såväl som psykiska obehag i samband med mammografi är de motiverade att fortsätta medverka i screeningundersökningar. Med anledning av detta är det viktigt för röntgensjuksköterskan att ha en förståelse och kunskap om kvinnors upplevelser så det finns möjlighet att motverka dessa obehag så långt det är möjligt.

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This study was a pilot investigation of the initial validity of a newly developed behaviour-screening instrument for early intervention service providers. Group Special Education, Early Intervention (GSE/EI) (2005) adapted the Canterbury Behaviour Screening Protocol (CBSP) from a widely used behaviour-screening instrument the Early Screening Project. The CBSP consisted of 49 items in 2 checklists. GSE/EI identified 10 early childhood centres with a total roll of 712 to participate in the study. Staff were asked to categorise children's problem behaviours as either withdrawn/isolated or aggressive/oppositional, using profiles provided. Next, they were asked to nominate 2 children in each category, and an additional 2 children in either category, and to rank them from most concerning to least concerning. Centres identified 25 children in the withdrawn/isolated category, and 28 children in the aggressive/oppositional category. Staff completed checklists for children with parent/carer consent, which were scored according to preset protocols. Scores on the CBSP were assigned risk values ranging from "extreme" to "no risk". The estimated prevalence of "high" to "extreme" behaviour problems was 7.2% based on CBSP protocols and teacher nominations. The level of agreement between teacher rank and CBSP score was 79%, and this determined the initial specificity. Next, independent observations of the behaviour of the nominated children were conducted during free play periods at the centres by an observer blind to the children's nominated category, teacher ranking or checklist score. Risk levels were assigned based on the observation scores, using a cut-off value of 37% time spent in problem behaviour for girls and 40% for boys. There was agreement in terms of teacher rank and observation scores, (categorised into either "no risk" and "at/high/extreme risk) for 65% for children in the withdrawn/isolated category, and 75% for children in the aggressive/oppositional category. The level of agreement between the CBSP score and the observations (categorised into either "no risk" or "at/high/extreme" risk) was 40% for children in the withdrawn/isolated category, and 46% for children in the aggressive/oppositional category. Using the cut-off values, a prevalence estimate for high risk or extreme risk for behaviour disorders, based on independent observation of children, was 3.2%. Centre staff completing a feedback form determined the social validity of the CBSP. Although responses were generally favourable, a number of suggestions were also made to improve the procedure. Despite limitations in the design of the draft, the CBSP shows promise for a first step in a screening procedure designed to screen New Zealand early childhood centres for children who may be at risk for developing behaviour and/or social emotional problems. The independent observation may also be useful as a second step, prior to extensive eligibility assessment. A number of suggestions were made for future drafts such as addressing the limitations specified, conducting the CBSP with a greater number of children, and determining the concurrent validity, and test-retest reliability.

No description available.

No description available.