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Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Cancer-Related Fatigue: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis
Get PDFAlthough acupuncture (AT) is used in the treatment of CRF, the evidence from different systematic reviews (SRs) of AT has not yet been comprehensively evaluated. Moxibustion, which is a treatment method that is well established within Traditional East Asian Medicine, applies the heat of burning herbs towards or onto special points on the skin. Commonly, the herb Artemisia vulgaris, is used. It has been used for palliative cancer care, as well as for CRF. The aim of this overview was to evaluate the efficacy of AT and moxibustion in the management of CRF. Eleven databases were searched through for studies that were published from their dates of inception to February 2022. The study selection, the data extraction, and the assessment were performed independently by two researchers. The methodological and report quality were assessed by using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews-2 (AMSTAR-2) tool. The evidence quality was evaluated by using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Fifteen SRs on AT (n = 10) and moxibustion (n = 5) treatments for CRF were included, and they include 169 randomized controlled trials and 14,392 participants. All of the SRs that were evaluated by the AMASTAR-2 had more than one deficiency, and so all of the SRs were rated as either low or critically low. For the GRADE, 18 outcomes were rated as very-low-quality evidence, 13 as low-quality evidence, 3 as moderate-quality evidence, and 0 as high-quality evidence. Most of the SRs reached the potential benefits of AT for CRF. No serious adverse effects were identified. In conclusion, the evidence suggests that, despite the advantages of AT in terms of the improvement in and the safety of the treatment of CRF, the methodological quality of most of these studies is low, which limits our ability to draw definitive meanings. Further research of high quality is needed in order to confirm these findings.T.Y. Choi, L.A., J.H.J. and M.S.L. were supported by the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Korea (KSN2021210). T.A. is the PI of an ongoing study that is funded by a grant from Pink Ribbon, which is a collaboration between The Norwegian Cancer Association and the Breast Cancer Society (Contract no.: 207697-2019). The funder had no role in the study design, the data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, or the preparation of the manuscript.publishedVersio
Global, regional, and national burden of colorectal cancer and its risk factors, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
Get PDFBackground
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Given the recent increasing trends in colorectal cancer incidence globally, up-to-date information on the colorectal cancer burden could guide screening, early detection, and treatment strategies, and help effectively allocate resources. We examined the temporal patterns of the global, regional, and national burden of colorectal cancer and its risk factors in 204 countries and territories across the past three decades.
Methods
Estimates of incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for colorectal cancer were generated as a part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 by age, sex, and geographical location for the period 1990–2019. Mortality estimates were produced using the cause of death ensemble model. We also calculated DALYs attributable to risk factors that had evidence of causation with colorectal cancer.
Findings
Globally, between 1990 and 2019, colorectal cancer incident cases more than doubled, from 842 098 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 810 408–868 574) to 2·17 million (2·00–2·34), and deaths increased from 518 126 (493 682–537 877) to 1·09 million (1·02–1·15). The global age-standardised incidence rate increased from 22·2 (95% UI 21·3–23·0) per 100 000 to 26·7 (24·6–28·9) per 100 000, whereas the age-standardised mortality rate decreased from 14·3 (13·5–14·9) per 100 000 to 13·7 (12·6–14·5) per 100 000 and the age-standardised DALY rate decreased from 308·5 (294·7–320·7) per 100 000 to 295·5 (275·2–313·0) per 100 000 from 1990 through 2019. Taiwan (province of China; 62·0 [48·9–80·0] per 100 000), Monaco (60·7 [48·5–73·6] per 100 000), and Andorra (56·6 [42·8–71·9] per 100 000) had the highest age-standardised incidence rates, while Greenland (31·4 [26·0–37·1] per 100 000), Brunei (30·3 [26·6–34·1] per 100 000), and Hungary (28·6 [23·6–34·0] per 100 000) had the highest age-standardised mortality rates. From 1990 through 2019, a substantial rise in incidence rates was observed in younger adults (age <50 years), particularly in high Socio-demographic Index (SDI) countries. Globally, a diet low in milk (15·6%), smoking (13·3%), a diet low in calcium (12·9%), and alcohol use (9·9%) were the main contributors to colorectal cancer DALYs in 2019.
Interpretation
The increase in incidence rates in people younger than 50 years requires vigilance from researchers, clinicians, and policy makers and a possible reconsideration of screening guidelines. The fast-rising burden in low SDI and middle SDI countries in Asia and Africa calls for colorectal cancer prevention approaches, greater awareness, and cost-effective screening and therapeutic options in these regions.publishedVersio
Involvement of the default mode network under varying levels of cognitive effort
Get PDFEveryday cognitive functioning is characterized by constant alternations between different modes of information processing, driven by constant fluctuations in environmental demands. At the neural level, this is realized through corresponding dynamic shifts in functional activation and network connectivity. A distinction is often made between resting and task processing and between task-negative and task-positive functional networks. The Default Mode Network (DMN) is classically considered as a resting state (i.e. task-negative) network, upregulated in the absence of cognitive demands. In contrast, task-positive networks have been labelled the Extrinsic Mode Network (EMN). We investigated changes in brain activation and functional network connectivity in an experimental situation of repeated alterations between levels of cognitive effort, following a block-design. Using fMRI and a classic Stroop paradigm, participants switched back and forth between periods of no effort (resting), low effort (word reading, i.e. automatic processing based on learned internal representations and rules) and high effort (color naming, i.e. cognitively controlled perceptual processing of specific features of external stimuli). Results showed an expected EMN-activation for task versus resting contrasts, and DMN-activation for rest versus task contrasts. The DMN was in addition more strongly activated during periods of low effort contrasted with high effort, suggesting a gradual up- and down-regulation of the DMN network, depending on the level of demand and the type of processing required. The often reported “anti-correlation” between DMN and EMN was strongest during periods of low effort, indicating intermittent contributions of both networks. Taken together, these results challenge the traditional view of the DMN as solely a task-negative network. Instead, both the EMN and DMN may contribute to low-effort cognitive processing. In contrast, periods of resting and high effort are dominated by the DMN and EMN, respectively.publishedVersio
Strømmekonserter - mer enn nødløsninger?
Get PDFDigitale teknologier og medieplattformer er grunnleggende for kunst- og kulturfeltet i dag, og de griper inn i stadig flere sider av vårt hverdagsliv. Gjennom seksten artikler fra en rekke norske og internasjonale forskere, undersøker Estetiske praksiser i den digitale produksjonens tidsalder hvordan digitalisering forandrer og preger produksjon, formidling og bruk av kunst og kultur i samtiden, og hvordan de estetiske praksisene selv utforsker, tematiserer og problematiserer endringsprosessene.
Estetiske praksiser i den digitale produksjonens tidsalder tilbyr en bred vifte av perspektiver, begreper og modeller som belyser kunsten og kulturen i dag. Artiklene drøfter strømmekonserter, instagramdikt, massedigitaliseringsprosjekter, kulturpolitikk, hacking som estetisk praksis og scenekunstens forhold til det digitale. De drøfter bruken av sosiale medier på motefeltet, hvordan kulturinstitusjoner endres, digital formidling på det visuelle kunstfeltet og på minnesteder, og – endelig – behovet for å trekke seg tilbake fra det digitale.Estetiske praksiser i den digitale produksjonens tidsalder er resultatet av et forskningsprogram igangsatt av Kulturrådet. Programmet har også mottatt støtte fra Kultur- og likestillingsdepartementet.publishedVersio
Expert ethos and the strength of networks: negotiations of credibility in mediated debate on COVID-19
Get PDFFor public health promotion to succeed, popular support is necessary and the chosen policies and measures have to be perceived as legitimate by the public. In other words, health authorities need to build on and sustain established trust when they recommend a certain policy. When the policy is criticized, this trust is challenged, and the authorities enter into a negotiation of credibility (ethos). In this article, we research a particular instance of such negotiation, drawing lessons for health promotion and for COVID-19 communication.We study a Norwegian television debate in which an MD presented harsh criticism of the health authorities’ chosen crisis response in the early phase of the pandemic. Unpacking the rhetorical constitution of the expert ethos of the MD and of the health authorities, respectively, we find that representatives of the authorities are more open to participation and better at connecting to everyday experiences than the MD, who primarily builds her expert ethos on mastery of scientific language and methods, combined with alarmist rhetoric. Further, we identify main tenets of the public’s reception of the debate through an analysis of 1961 tweets that commented on the program. The analysis indicates that public health authorities might maintain high levels of trust by rhetorically cultivating their positions within institutional and (social) media networks of expertise.publishedVersio
Better together? How evolution of co-branding alliance affects performance
No full textThis study underscores the need to examine alliances via time series. Research that attempts to generalise from data collected at a single point in time is unlikely to be able to capture the dynamics associated with the development of a joint venture and offers limited opportunity to make inferences about the causal order of relationships. The model based on longitudinal data reveals that the stage of an alliance influences the level of vertical control and ambiguity and the effect of control on role ambiguity.Better together? How evolution of co-branding alliance affects performanceThe authors are listed at random as both contributed equally to the development of this article. The U.S.-Norway Fulbright Foundation and the SUPTEK-program (Norwegian Research Council) provided funding for this study. The Norwegian Business School provided financial support for this project. In addition, Robert Dahlstrom received a fellowship from the U.S. Norway Fulbright Foundation that facilitated completion of this research in Oslo, Norway. Olav Haraldseid and his colleagues at Statoil (Equinor) are commended for their cooperation with the authors throughout the seven-year analysis of this strategic alliance. The authors also appreciate the data collection efforts of Vegard Gjeislid, Per Atle Gran, Anders Vaagan, Helena M. Persson, Kristian Wikre, Jan Magnus Eriksen, Lars-Martin Holm, Hans-Arne Thorsdal, Elin Westvik, and Christel Dahl Andersen.acceptedVersio
Intrusive media and knowledge work: how knowledge workers negotiate digital media norms in the pursuit of focused work
Get PDFThis article analyses how knowledge workers experience and reflect upon intrusions from digital media in the pursuit of focused work. As a multitude of digital media technologies have become integral to working life, scholars have observed a connectivity paradox in which these technologies are experienced as both helpful and hindering, as integral to but also intruding upon focus and concentration. To understand this important and widespread ambivalence in digital society, we analyze qualitative interviews with knowledge workers in a range of professions. With a theoretical framework drawing on domestication theory, sociology of work and critiques of digital modernity, we highlight how workers negotiate spatial, temporal, and technological conditions, and the conflicted norms that are activated in the process. Our findings indicate that negotiations about digital media technologies come to represent psychological, cultural and social dilemmas that go beyond the individual worker, but are nevertheless experienced as individual cross-pressures to be managed.publishedVersio
Students’ view on applying for part-time work as an on-campus software developer
Get PDFhttps://ojs.bibsys.no/index.php/NIK/article/view/992A majority of students work while they are studying. Working will help them financially, but it may also provide other benefits, such as preparing them for work-life after finishing their studies. As academic institutions, we may offer students part-time work, and hopefully facilitate experiences that will have relevance for their further careers. Earlier studies have investigated how working while studying may impact academic success. There are also reports on how we may rig campus based part-time work so that it will contribute in a positive way in addition to the obvious economic benefit. Some institutions hire students to work as software developers to create or maintain applications of value to the institution. For IT students, this will provide them with valuable experience, and may also increase their confidence. Our contribution is to investigate how students view the possibility of working as a software developer for their own educational institution. Through interviews we try to understand what factors are important for them when evaluating such work possibilities. This will be of value to those who are interested in hiring student developers. It will also provide input to how we may organize such projects in order to keep the students satisfied throughout the project. Our findings suggest that the technology involved in the project is most important. Some students will value that the project involves technology that they already have experienced through their studies. But more importantly, the technology should be relevant for their further careers. Flexibility is also important. The students value the possibility of being able to work when it fits into their time schedule, and also to be able to work remotely. There will also be times when students will need to take a longer break from the project, such as during exams.publishedVersio
Middle-Class “Chavs” From Working-Class Areas? Habitus, the Attainment Gap, and the Commodification of Higher Education Among Communication Students in England
Get PDFThe purpose of the article is to compare and contrast higher education and research among public
relations and journalism students of middle-class and working-class origin. The paper applied Bourdieu’s theory of habitus to analyze prejudices against the working class, explores whether working-class students express an anti-education view, and whether the appreciation of education (and research in particular) is a predominantly middle-class attitude. Focus groups and an online questionnaire were used to obtain views of students at a university in Northern England. Triple coding (open, axial, selective) was used and the data was then analyzed and presented using thematic analysis. Findings show that early socialization about education as well as students’ type of neighborhoods (habitus) influence studies’ views of higher education and research in particular. While the findings show some similarity with views in the literature of the middle-class being more inclined to value education, these findings show that this is true only for those who grow up in middle class areas whereas middle-class students who grew up in working-class areas show working-class attitudes toward education. Equally, working-class students who grew up in middle-class areas show what is usually perceived as a middle-class view of education. Both groups of students show a tendency toward embracing a consumerist view of higher education.publishedVersio
Complement C4 Copy Number Variation is Linked to SSA/Ro and SSB/La Autoantibodies in Systemic Inflammatory Autoimmune Diseases
Get PDFObjective
Copy number variation of the C4 complement components, C4A and C4B, has been associated with systemic inflammatory autoimmune diseases. This study was undertaken to investigate whether C4 copy number variation is connected to the autoimmune repertoire in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS), or myositis.
Methods
Using targeted DNA sequencing, we determined the copy number and genetic variants of C4 in 2,290 well-characterized Scandinavian patients with SLE, primary SS, or myositis and 1,251 healthy controls.
Results
A prominent relationship was observed between C4A copy number and the presence of SSA/SSB autoantibodies, which was shared between the 3 diseases. The strongest association was detected in patients with autoantibodies against both SSA and SSB and 0 C4A copies when compared to healthy controls (odds ratio [OR] 18.0 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 10.2–33.3]), whereas a weaker association was seen in patients without SSA/SSB autoantibodies (OR 3.1 [95% CI 1.7–5.5]). The copy number of C4 correlated positively with C4 plasma levels. Further, a common loss-of-function variant in C4A leading to reduced plasma C4 was more prevalent in SLE patients with a low copy number of C4A. Functionally, we showed that absence of C4A reduced the individuals’ capacity to deposit C4b on immune complexes.
Conclusion
We show that a low C4A copy number is more strongly associated with the autoantibody repertoire than with the clinically defined disease entities. These findings may have implications for understanding the etiopathogenetic mechanisms of systemic inflammatory autoimmune diseases and for patient stratification when taking the genetic profile into account.publishedVersio