73 research outputs found
Judaism’s Critique of Idolatry and the Beginning of Liberative Religion
No full textAround the globe religion is under attack. Humanists, secularists and atheists depict believers as deluded and dangerous. The aim of this book is to challenge this perception. Sensible Religion defends the validity and emphasises the excitement of the religious quest across the faiths. It demonstrates that the practice of sensible religion is often a courageous path pitted against religious extremism and secularism. Written by committed believers from the major world's faiths, the book endorses the term 'sensible' as expressing religious reasonableness as well as sensitivity to criticism and new insights. Followers of the different traditions live ordinary lives in the mainstream of the world. This volume therefore addresses beliefs and the manner in which these convictions relate to social, political and ethical action. Countering the argument that religion is at root extremist and irrational, Sensible Religion brings together thoughtful and critical reflections by leading thinkers about humanity's spiritual quest.Contents: Foreword, Peter Vardy; Preface, Dan Cohn-Sherbok and Christopher Lewis; The religious quest, Christopher Lewis; A sensible Judaism of love, Michael Lerner; Judaism’s critique of idolatry and the beginning of liberative religion, Melissa Raphael; Islam, Tim Winter; Retrieving the equilibrium and restoring justice: using Islam’s egalitarian teachings to reclaim women’s rights, Sara Khan; Reclaiming jihad, Dawoud el-Alami; The reasonableness of Christianity, Keith Ward; Christianity and sensible religion: a feminist approach, Mary Grey; The ecosystem of religions: a Hindu perspective, Rita D. Sherma; Hinduism: true (satyam), good (shivam) and beautiful (sundaram), Anantanand Rambachan; Is Buddhism sensible?, Dharmachari Subhuti; Buddhism: sense and sensibility, Hozan Alan Senauke; Sikhi(sm) and the 21st century Sikh diaspora, Opinderjit Kaur Takhar; African Traditional Religion, Nokuzola Mndende; Conclusion: sensible religion matters, Dan Cohn-Sherbok; Index
Sacral neuromodulation for faecal incontinence using the new Interstim™ Micro System — A stepwise teaching video
No full textLes problèmes de discipline : certaines variables à considérer
No full textL’auteur étudie l’effet de certaines variables sur la perception des élèves concernant le niveau de dérangement que causent les problèmes de discipline à l’école secondaire. L’analyse de variance pour le groupe total d’élèves a démontré que les trois variables, secteur d’enseignement, sexe de l’élève et école, interagissent et influencent les perceptions d’une manière dépendante. Selon les secteurs, des doubles interactions ont été relevées telles que niveau et école ou sexe et école. L’auteur en arrive à la conclusion qu’il serait utile de réviser la structure de l’école secondaire actuelle, mais il invite à faire un plus grand nombre d’enquêtes avant qu’une décision administrative ne soit prise à ce sujet.The author studies the effect of certain variables on students' perception of the level of disturbance that causes discipline problems in secondary level schools. Analysis of variance for the total group showed that three variables: teaching sector, sex of student, and school interact and influence students' perceptions. For each of the sectors (regular or special education), the author noted two-way interactions for level and school or sex and school. The author concludes that it would be useful to revise the current secondary school structure. However, an administrative decision, should be based on a greater number of surveys of this question.El autor estudia el efecto de ciertas variables relacionadas con la percepción de alumnos de escuela secundaria sobre grado de molestias que causan los problemas de disciplina. El análisis de variantes en el total los alumnos demostró que las tres variantes, sector de enseñanza, sexo del alumno y escuela interactúan e influencian las percepciones en forma dependiente. Según los sectores, se señalan interacciones dobles tales como nivel y escuela, o sexo y escuela. El autor llega a la conclusión que sería conveniente revisar la estructura de la escuela secundaria actual, pero invita a efectuar un mayor número de encuestas antes de tomar alguna decisión administrativa a este respecto.Der Autor untersucht die Wirkung, die gewisse Variabeln auf die Auffassung der Schüler haben bezüglich dem Grad der Störung, die die Disziplinarprobleme in der höheren Schule verursachen. Die Varianzanalyse für die Gesamtheit der befragten Schüler hat gezeigt, dass drei Variabeln, nämlich der Unterrichtssektor, das Geschlecht des Schülers und die Schulgrösse, sich gegenseitig beeinflussen und folglich auch auf die Auffassungen einwirken. Je nach den Sektoren wurden doppelte Wechselbeziehungen aufgedeckt, wie Jahrgang und Schulgrösse oder Geschlecht und Schulgrösse. Der Verfasser zieht daraus den Schluss, dass es gut wäre, die derzeitige Struktur der höheren Schule zu revidieren, aber er wünscht zusätzliche Untersuchungen, ehe eine diesbezügliche Verwaltungsmassnahme getroffen würde
The Effects of Canine-Assisted Therapy in Speech Therapy
No full textThe purpose of this exploratory study was to determine how speech-language pathologists utilize canine-assisted treatment in their practices and the speech-language pathologists’ perceptions of the effectiveness of using canine-assistance in speech therapy. A nine-question survey was sent via email to the licensed members of the Mississippi Speech-Language -Hearing Association (MSHA). The author used the source, SurveyMonkey, to acquire and analyze the data. The data was used to determine the prevalence of canine-assisted therapy in speech therapy and to discover if the speech-language pathologists believed this kind of therapy was effective. Additionally, when canine-assisted therapy was used, was there a particular gender, age, disorder, intervention strategy, and/or breed of canine that responded best to canine-assisted treatment
Protocol for the development of SPIRIT and CONSORT extensions for randomised controlled trials with surrogate primary endpoints: SPIRIT-SURROGATE and CONSORT-SURROGATE
No full textIntroduction: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) may use surrogate endpoints as substitutes and predictors of patient-relevant/participant-relevant final outcomes (eg, survival, health-related quality of life). Translation of effects measured on a surrogate endpoint into health benefits for patients/participants is dependent on the validity of the surrogate; hence, more accurate and transparent reporting on surrogate endpoints is needed to limit misleading interpretation of trial findings. However, there is currently no explicit guidance for the reporting of such trials. Therefore, we aim to develop extensions to the SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials) and CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) reporting guidelines to improve the design and completeness of reporting of RCTs and their protocols using a surrogate endpoint as a primary outcome.
Methods and analysis: The project will have four phases: phase 1 (literature reviews) to identify candidate reporting items to be rated in a Delphi study; phase 2 (Delphi study) to rate the importance of items identified in phase 1 and receive suggestions for additional items; phase 3 (consensus meeting) to agree on final set of items for inclusion in the extensions and phase 4 (knowledge translation) to engage stakeholders and disseminate the project outputs through various strategies including peer-reviewed publications. Patient and public involvement will be embedded into all project phases.
Ethics and dissemination: The study has received ethical approval from the University of Glasgow College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences Ethics Committee (project no: 200210051). The findings will be published in open-access peer-reviewed publications and presented in conferences, meetings and relevant forums
Obstruktives Defäkationssyndrom
No full textZusammenfassungDas obstruktive Defäkationssyndrom (ODS) ist eine Form der Verstopfung, die mit einer Stuhlentleerungsstörung verbunden ist. Das Krankheitsbild ist noch nicht vollständig verstanden, dementsprechend ist die Evidenz zur Pathogenese und Therapie limitiert. Prinzipiell werden funktionelle Ursachen, wie der Anismus oder das Puborektalissyndrom, von anatomischen Ursachen unterschieden. Häufige mechanische Hindernisse sind die Rektozele oder eine Intussuszeption, die zu einer erschwerten Defäkation führen können. Zur Auswahl der passenden Therapie ist entscheidend, die kausale Ursache festzustellen. Konservative Behandlungsversuche sollten primär angewendet werden und umfassen unter anderem das Beckenbodentraining, die Biofeedbacktherapie, den Einsatz von Laxanzien oder die anale Irrigation. Es gibt eine große Zahl chirurgischer Therapieoptionen mit unterschiedlichen Vor- und Nachteilen. Gute Fachkenntnis und Erfahrung sind entscheidend, um die geeignete Therapie für den Betroffenen auszuwählen.</jats:p
Factors affecting treatment compliance of patients with multimorbidity
No full textNicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Republic of MoldovaIntroduction. Multimorbidity is a global health challenge, and it’s commonly defined as
the coexistence of 2 or more chronic diseases in the same individual. Roughly 50 million
people in Europe suffer from multimorbidity across all ages and backgrounds. The management of multimorbid patient is complex and it is influenced by different factors. The
compliance to treatment seems to affect the outcomes of multimorbid patients, but the
data in this regard are controversial.
The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors that affect compliance in multimorbidity, in order to improve the management of these patients and boost health outcomes.
Material and methods. A search strategy was developed, and PubMed database was
searched for literature from January 2016 to December 2020, as well as search of reference lists for systemic reviews and meta-analyses and Cochrane guidelines. Information
about publication date, subject category, author, country origin, title, abstract, and keywords were extracted, and the full texts were obtained for co-citation analysis. In total,
74 relevant studies and articles were used.
Results. Compliance is a multidimensional phenomenon, and it refers to the extent to
which a patient’s behavior aligns with agreed recommendations from healthcare providers. Multimorbidity is associated with multiple significant implications: whether physical, psychological, socioeconomic, and treatment challenges that ensue. Non-compliance
to prescribed treatment in multimorbid patients is determined by patient’s beliefs about
treatment, their knowledge about illness, socioeconomic status, level of treatment burden, and barriers such as costs or inadequate healthcare access. Five sets of compliance
determinants are recognized: patient-related (includes beliefs, self-efficacy, and
knowledge about illness); socioeconomic status (poor socioeconomic status, unemployment, lack of effective social support, unstable living conditions, and treatment burdens
such as medication costs); therapy-related (most notable is complexity of medical regimen, duration of treatment, side effects, and medical support availability to deal with
them); health system-related (represent issues due to poor communication); condition related (represent the illness-related demands faced by the patient including number of
conditions, severity of symptoms, level of disability, rate of progression and severity of
disease, as well as the availability of effective treatments). Based on revived research, in
order to increase the compliance in patients with multimorbidity, were applied different
strategies: improvement of the coordination of medical services, promotion of integrated
patient-centered care to optimize therapeutic regimens, increase treatment knowledge,
and engagement of the patient in treatment decisions.
Conclusions. Multimorbidity is associated with poorer medication adherence, and generates multiple challenges related to the complex healthcare needs, multiple consultations, fragmented healthcare services, polypharmacy, increased treatment burden and
costs. The relevant factors affecting compliance in multimorbidity were patient-related,
socioeconomic-related, therapy-related, health system-related, and condition-related. In
order to increase the compliance, we can use patient centered care, empowerment of the
patient and better coordination of care
Technical and functional outcome after sacral neuromodulation using the “H” technique
No full textBackground
Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) is a widely accepted treatment for pelvic floor disorders, including constipation and fecal incontinence (FI). In 2017, a standardized electrode placement method, the H technique, was introduced to minimize failure rates and improve clinical outcomes. We aimed to investigate the technical feasibility and functional outcome of the procedure.
Methods
In this prospective study, we evaluated the first 50 patients who underwent SNM according to the H technique between 2017 and 2020 at a tertiary care hospital. Patient demographic and clinical data were collected, and the impact of various factors on patients’ postoperative quality of life (QoL) was assessed after a follow-up of 40 months. Functional outcome was monitored prospectively using a standardized questionnaire.
Results
Of 50 patients, 36 (72%) reported greater than 50% symptom relief and received a permanent implant (95% CI: 58.3–82.5). We observed 75% success in relieving FI (95% CI: 58.9–86.3) and 64% in constipation (95% CI: 38.8–83.7). Complication occurred in five (10%) patients. Preoperative vs. postoperative physical and psychological QoL, Vaizey score, and obstructed defecation syndrome (ODS) scores revealed significant improvements (all p < 0.01). Male gender was significantly associated with postoperative complications (p = 0.035).
Conclusion
We provide evidence for the technical feasibility and efficacy of the SNM implantation using the H technique. The medium-term results are promising for patients with FI and constipation. Male patients and those with a BMI > 25 are more prone to perioperative complications
Definitions, acceptability, limitations, and guidance in the use and reporting of surrogate endpoints in trials: a scoping review
No full textObjective:
To synthesise the current literature on the use of surrogate endpoints, including definitions, acceptability, and limitations of surrogate endpoints, and guidance for their design/reporting, into trial reporting items.
Study Design and Setting:
Literature was identified through searching bibliographic databases (until March 1st, 2022) and grey literature sources (until May 27th, 2022). Data were thematically analysed into four categories: (1) definitions, (2) acceptability, (3) limitations and challenges, and (4) guidance, and synthesised into reporting guidance items.
Results:
After screening, 90 documents were included: 79% (n=71) had data on definitions, 77% (n=69) on acceptability, 72% (n=65) on limitations and challenges, and 61% (n=55) on guidance. Data were synthesised into 17 potential trial reporting items: explicit statements on the use of surrogate endpoint(s) and justification for their use (items 1-6); methodological considerations, including whether sample size calculations were informed by surrogate validity (items 7-9); reporting of results for composite outcomes containing a surrogate endpoint (item 10); discussion and interpretation of findings (items 11-14); plans for confirmatory studies, collecting data on the surrogate endpoint and target outcome, and data sharing (items 15-16); and informing trial participants about using surrogate endpoints (item 17).
Conclusion:
The review identified and synthesised items on the use of surrogate endpoints in trials; these will inform the development of the SPIRIT-SURROGATE and CONSORT-SURROGATE extensions
Company X Collaborative Thesis Project: IoT B2B
No full textabstract: Smart cities ""utilize information and communication technologies with the aim to increase the life quality of their inhabitants while providing sustainable development"". The Internet of Things (IoT) allows smart devices to communicate with each other using wireless technology. IoT is by far the most important component in the development of smart cities. Company X is a leader in the semiconductor industry looking to grow its revenue in the IoT space. This thesis will address how Company X can deliver IoT solutions to government municipalities with the goal of simultaneously increasing revenue through value-added engagement and decreasing spending by more efficiently managing infrastructure upgrades
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