Edinburgh Napier University

About: Edinburgh Napier University is a education organization based out in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 2665 authors who have published 6859 publications receiving 175272 citations.

Promoting sunscreen use and skin self-examination to improve early detection and prevent skin cancer: quasi-experimental trial of an adolescent psycho-educational intervention

Abstract: Skin cancer rates are increasing. Interventions to increase adolescent sunscreen use and skin self-examination (SSE) are required. Quasi-experimental design; 1 control and 4 intervention group schools in Scotland, UK. Participants were 15–16 year old students on the school register. The intervention was a theoretically-informed (Common-Sense Model and Health Action Process Approach) 50-min presentation, delivered by a skin cancer specialist nurse and young adult skin cancer survivor, to students in a classroom, supplemented by a home-based assignment. Outcome variables were sunscreen use intention, SSE intention/behaviour, planning, illness perceptions and skin cancer communication behaviour, measured 2 weeks pre- and 4 weeks post- intervention using self-completed pen and paper survey. School attendance records were used to record intervention up-take; students self-reported completion of the home-based assignment. Pearson’s chi-square test, analysis of variance, and non-parametric Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test were used to measure outcomes and associations between variables. Focus groups elicited students’ (n = 29) views on the intervention. Qualitative data were analysed thematically. Five of 37 invited schools participated. 639 (81%) students in intervention schools received the intervention; 33.8% completed the home-based assignment. 627 (69.6%) of students on the school register in intervention and control schools completed a questionnaire at baseline; data for 455 (72.6%) students were available at baseline and follow-up. Focus groups identified four themes – personal experiences of skin cancer, distaste for sunscreen, relevance of SSE in adolescence, and skin cancer conversations. Statistically significant (p < 0.05) changes were observed for sunscreen use, SSE, planning, and talk about skin cancer in intervention schools but not the control. Significant associations were found between sunscreen use, planning and 2 illness perceptions (identity and consequence) and between SSE, planning and 3 illness perceptions (timeline, causes, control). It is feasible to promote sunscreen use and SSE in the context of an adolescent school-based psychoeducation intention. Further research is required to improve study uptake, intervention adherence and effectiveness. ISRCTN11141528

Inhalation of poorly soluble particles. i. differences in inflammatory response and clearance during exposure

Abstract: Results from animal studies have indicated some uncertainties over the validity of a single general occupational control limit for all types of "particulates (insoluble) not otherwise classified" (PNOC) (ACGIH, 2000). Therefore, to examine the extent to which a given control limit may be valid for nontoxic dusts with different physical characteristics, this study compared the pulmonary effects in rats of inhalation exposure to two poorly soluble dusts of similar density and with relatively low toxicity: titanium dioxide and barium sulfate. The objectives were to compare the dusts in (a) their buildup and clearance in the lungs during inhalation; (b) their transfer to lymph nodes; (c) the changes, with time, in the lavageable cell population; and (d) the pathological change from histology. The exposure aerosol concentrations were selected to achieve similar mass and volume lung burdens for both dusts and to attain "overload" over the common exposure periods of about 4 mo and 7 mo. Despite obtaining similar lung burdens for both dusts, there was significantly more translocation of TiO(2) to the hilar lymph nodes than with BaSO(4). It was also found that clearance of TiO(2) was retarded whereas clearance of BaSO(4) was not. Trends in these data were clarified by the use of a simple model of particle clearance. Retardation of particle clearance and translocation to the lymph nodes are markers of the condition known as "overload" in which the alveolar macrophage-based clearance of particles from the deep lung is impaired. In addition, bronchoalveolar lavage showed that TiO(2) caused significantly more recruitment of inflammatory neutrophils to lungs than BaSO(4). These differences between the dusts were not due to differences in toxicity, solubility, or lung deposition. The explanation that the different responses are due to the different particle size distributions of the two dust types is examined in a companion paper (Tran et al., this issue).