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Cost-effectiveness of vaccinating children at school – A commentary
Get PDFBarriers to vaccination can significantly impact the uptake of influenza vaccines among school-aged children. Offering influenza vaccination within schools could reduce these barriers and promote higher vaccination rates.
This commentary critically evaluates an economic evaluation comparing the cost-effectiveness of school-located influenza vaccination (SLIV) programs for elementary and secondary school students against the standard of care, i.e. vaccination in primary care settings.
The economic evaluation suggested that SLIV could be cost-effective, particularly when considering indirect cost savings and spillover effects. However, the commentary highlights an insufficient explanation of the underlying mechanisms of spillover effects in improving cost-effectiveness, and a lack of discussion of similar programs aimed at boosting vaccination rates.
Future research should investigate population preferences, examining why parents and children opt for SLIV or end up taking practice-based vaccination as a spillover effect of the SLIV program. The role played by heterogeneity, exploring factors such as gender, ethnicity, income, and other socioeconomic characteristics should also be investigated to better understand the program's impact on different population groups
Origin of the ring ellipticity in the black hole images of M87*
No full textWe investigate the origin of the elliptical ring structure observed in the images of the supermassive black hole aiming to disentangle contributions from gravitational, astrophysical, and imaging effects. Leveraging the enhanced capabilities of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)'s 2018 array, including improved with a position angle of ξ = 50.1_ degrees. To interpret this measurement, we compared it to general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations spanning a wide range of physical parameters including the thermal or nonthermal electron distribution function, spins, and ion-to-electron temperature ratios in both low- and high-density regions. We find no statistically significant correlation between spin and ellipticity in GRMHD images. Instead, we identify a correlation between ellipticity and the fraction of non-ring emission, particularly in nonthermal models and models with higher jet emission. These results indicate that the ellipticity measured from the emission structure is consistent with that expected from simulations of turbulent accretion flows around black holes, where it is dominated by astrophysical effects rather than gravitational ones. Future high-resolution imaging, including space very long baseline interferometry and long-term monitoring, will be essential to isolate gravitational signatures from astrophysical effects
On the frontline 12: Keeping healthy and safe in the optical practice
No full textTony Douglass considers what legislation affects health and safety in optical practic
Examining the impact of coach mentoring in football
No full textThe aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the Football Association’s (hereafter FA) mentoring programme on coaching expertise. Data was collected through an online survey targeted purposefully at mentors and mentees engaged in the FA mentoring programme. Data was analysed using t-tests to establish a level of coherence between mentors and mentees re: their perceptions on the aims and processes of developing coaching expertise through mentoring. Results showed that there were inconsistencies and confusion with regards to the aims and processes of mentoring. Notably, these findings appeared to emanate from an epistemological gap between the programme’s aims, beliefs, knowledge, and actions of the mentors and mentees, findings which may undermine the goals of mentoring
Perceptions of Stigma Associated with Chronic Knee Pain: Voices of Selected Women in Thailand and Malaysia
Get PDFIntroduction A higher prevalence of knee pain in Southeast Asian countries, compared with non-Asian countries, is an established fact. This article hypothesizes that this fact, combined with personal, cultural, and environmental factors, may influence attitudes towards illness and treatment-seeking behaviour and adherence.
Objective This study aimed to determine current attitudes, stigma, and barriers of women to the management of chronic knee pain and treatment in two Southeast Asian countries.
Methods Fourteen semi-structured interviews explored female lived perceptions of chronic knee pain in Southeast Asia. Using a phenomenological reduction process, open-ended questions allowed participants to voice their perceptions of their experience of this knee condition. Particular foci were potential stigma associated with the perceptions of others, health-seeking attitudes, and attitudes towards exercise.
Results The shared experiences of managing chronic knee pain revealed the impact of their condition on participants' normality of life and their struggles with pain, limitations, and fear for the future. Key individual, interpersonal, organisational and community barriers and facilitators impacted the health seeking attitudes and engagement with conservative rehabilitation programmes.
Conclusion Improved socio-cultural competency and consideration for an individuals’ intersectional identity and interpersonal relationships are key to designing rehabilitation and conservative management solutions. Co-creating alternative pathways for rehabilitation for individuals that are more distant from health facilities may help reduce socio-cultural barriers at a community level
A RAPID REVIEW OF INTERVENTIONS WHICH CAN ENHANCE EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION (EDI) IN UNIVERSITY-ENTERPRISE COLLABORATIONS
No full textA Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) was conducted to explore the experiences of historically marginalised groups within university enterprise collaborations (UEC) to identify any supportive measures that would improve future ventures. UECs are interactions between Higher Education providers and the business/non-academic sectors that seek to create mutually beneficial returns for each. The benefits of UECs are clear, but it is important to consider factors which may influence the formation and operation of UECs. Specifically, it is essential that UECs are equitable, diverse, and inclusive if they are to work ethically and effectively. Research which has focused on equality, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) has found that certain groups of academics are more likely to face barriers to UEC engagement. For example, although involvement in university enterprise interactions can have a positive effect on the careers of women in academia women are less likely to be the research leads in UEC partnerships. The review was guided by three key research questions: What barriers exist which prevent academics from historically marginalised groups participating in UECs? What interventions can universities put in place to ensure that academics from historically marginalised groups can participate in, and succeed with, UECs? What gaps exist in the current literature regarding EDI within UECs? The results of the rapid evidence assessment identified three barriers which may reduce the participation of academics from historically marginalised groups in UECs; perceptions of entrepreneurs, competing responsibilities, and male oriented entrepreneurial culture. Five interventions that universities can employ to address these barriers are; role models, one size does not fit all, social and business networking with improved coaching and mentoring, increasing the support from the institution for marginalised groups, increasing a sense of belonging. The assessment concludes with discussion of how the literature can develop further to support progress on EDI in UECs
Cardiovascular complications during delivery hospitalizations in inflammatory bowel disease patients
No full textBackground
The relationship between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and cardiovascular outcomes among pregnant women has yet to be thoroughly investigated. Our aim is to assess the odds of cardiovascular disease and cardiac arrhythmias during hospital admissions for delivery and identify contributing factors associated with cardiovascular complications in pregnant women with IBD.
Methods
We performed a retrospective analysis of data from the National Inpatient Sample, obtained from delivery admissions of pregnant women with and without IBD, identified via International Classification of Diseases codes, from 2009 to 2019. Using a regression model, we compared the odds of cardiovascular complications between these two groups, adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors as confounding variables.
Results
Our study included 71,361 pregnancies with IBD and 41,117,443 pregnancies without this condition. The incidence of IBD in pregnancy rose near three-fold increase over the decade. In comparison to pregnancies without IBD, those involving pregnant patients with IBD exhibited an increased likelihood of encountering cardiovascular complications, with an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 1.37 (95% CI, 1.29–1.46). This heightened risk encompasses a range of conditions, including peripartum cardiomyopathy (AOR, 9.45; 95% CI, 3.86–23.15), cardiac arrhythmias (AOR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.59–2.60), and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (AOR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.37–1.66), notably preeclampsia, eclampsia, and the syndrome of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count (HELLP syndrome). Pregnancies with IBD were also associated with three-fold higher odds of venous thromboembolism (AOR, 3.91; 95% CI, 1.45–10.48).
Conclusions
Pregnant patients with IBD had an increased odds of cardiovascular complications during delivery admissions, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and develop targeted prevention strategies for this high-risk population
Canons of Polish cinema and the place of Polish films in global film canons
Get PDFThe aim of this article is to examine the canons of Polish cinema as created for local consumption and for the promotion of Polish cinema internationally, as well as the place of Polish cinema in supra-national canons. It also presents briefly the history of Polish cinema and its main authors as well as the criteria of canonisation used in this essay. It argues that Polish experts tend to single out films with distinct visual style, while ordinary Polish viewers favour comedies. It also discusses the cases of Andrzej Wajda and Roman Polanski, because the former is a director most canonised by the Polish viewers, the second is the most canonised director globally to originate from the Polish soil, although he is not always treated as a Polish director. It also looks at the case of Wojciech Has, whose film The Saragossa Manuscript tops many polls for the best Polish films, despite his career being largely neglected by Polish film historians
Quantification of heading in adult football: a systematic review and evidence synthesis
No full textObjective
This study aims to evaluate the quantification of heading in adult football (soccer) across practice, game and laboratory settings. Additionally, it examines how variables such as technical categorisation, ball properties, gender, position, level and type of play influence acceleration, force, nature and frequency of heading.
Design
A systematic review was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-Protocols guidelines and registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021249268).
Data sources
MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus and ProQuest.
Eligibility criteria for selecting studies
Studies published in English between 2000 and 2024 that quantified subjective and/or objective measures of acceleration, force, nature and frequency of heading in football were included.
Results
Thirty-two articles met the eligibility criteria. Measurements of acceleration, force, nature and frequency were measured in practice and game situations; however, no study reported all measures synchronously from both practice and games in the same investigation. Differences in acceleration (linear/rotational), force, nature and frequency when heading were observed and influenced by gender, playing position, type of header, approach, preceding events, ball properties and neck strength. Acceleration and force were the highest from goal kicks, and a larger frequency of headers was exhibited in training than games. The nature of headers was difficult to report due to inconsistencies in the terms used across the literature to define the type of header or event preceding the header.
Conclusion
Our findings inform the standardisation and accuracy of quantifying heading in football. Future research should focus on quantifying heading in uncontrolled scenarios using valid and reliable technology and verify ball-to-head impacts through video analytics to determine any relevant clinical thresholds for heading