1,720,959 research outputs found
Pelvic floor disorders in women with breast cancer
No full text© 2022 Udari Nadanisha ColombageProblems related to bladder, bowel, sexual and pelvic floor (PF) muscle function are collectively termed PF disorders. Previous literature suggests that women with breast cancer may experience PF disorders at higher rates following cancer treatment than prior to cancer treatment. A causal pathway for this observation has not been clearly established. Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT), the first-line management for treating PF disorders such as urinary incontinence (UI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP), currently does not appear in breast cancer clinical care pathways. More data about PF disorders in women with breast cancer are required before PFMT can be included in clinical care pathways. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to investigate PF disorders in women with breast cancer.
While the abrupt precipitation of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) after breast cancer treatments is well documented, much less is known about bladder and bowel symptoms in this population. Study one, a systematic review and meta-analysis, assessed the prevalence and impact of bladder and bowel disorders in women with breast cancer. Results showed that 33% of women with breast cancer reported experiencing bladder disorders and 18% reported bowel disorders. The impact of bladder and bowel disorders in studies that used cancer-specific questionnaires was rated as low. Further studies using validated PF-specific questionnaires are required to assess the prevalence and impact of PF symptoms in this population.
To address the research gap identified in the previous study, study two, a cross-sectional study, was conducted to compare the prevalence, distress and impact of PF disorders between women with and without breast cancer. Women in this study with breast cancer had a higher prevalence (although not significant) of UI, and significantly higher distress and impact of UI compared to women without breast cancer. These findings highlight that more studies are needed to understand which subgroups of women with breast cancer (e.g., women who have undergone a specific type of cancer treatment such as chemotherapy) may be most at risk of developing these symptoms.
Study three, a secondary analysis of data collected as part of the previous cross-sectional study (study 2), was conducted to determine the prevalence of PF disorders according to breast cancer characteristics such as breast cancer stage and treatment type. Women in this study who underwent chemotherapy experienced the highest rates of UI (79%) and FI (24%) although this association was not statistically significant. The impact of PF disorders also appeared to increase with more time after breast cancer diagnosis. This demonstrates that the screening and treatment of PF disorders may be indicated as women enter the survivorship phase of their cancer recovery.
Sexual dysfunction is another symptom that has been reported to have long-term negative impacts in women with breast cancer. Sexual function in women with breast cancer who experience UI has not been investigated. Study four, a matched control study using data collected as part of study two, compared the prevalence and severity of sexual dysfunction in matched women with and without breast cancer who experienced UI. Women who participated in this study with breast cancer and experience of UI reported significantly higher rates and severity of sexual dysfunction than women with UI of the same age, body mass index and parity without breast cancer. This finding adds to the existing body of literature that highlights the burden of FSD in women with breast cancer, and implies that clinicians may wish to consider the impact of UI when addressing FSD in this population.
Study five, a cross-sectional study, compared the PF muscle function in women with and without breast cancer. The group of women in this study with breast cancer had reduced PF muscle strength and poorer relaxation ability compared to women without breast cancer. This suggests that PF therapies such as PF muscle training or relaxation techniques may be a therapeutic target to improve PF muscle function in women with breast cancer. Additionally, there is a need to better understand whether women with breast cancer who experience PF disorders are interested in seeking treatment for these symptoms during, or after breast cancer treatment.
Study six, a qualitative study, explored the experiences of women with breast cancer who had PF disorders, and their perceived enablers and barriers to the uptake of treatment for PF disorders during their breast cancer recovery. Women in this study were divided as to whether they felt resigned to, or bothered by PF disorders. Their reactions to the experiences of PF disorders acted as a barrier or enabler to accessing treatment for PF disorders. For those who are interested in treatment for their symptoms, further research is required to investigate whether PF muscle therapies are a feasible treatment option for women with breast cancer.
No trials to date have tested the feasibility of implementing a PFMT program in women with breast cancer. Study seven, a pilot clinical trial, assessed the feasibility of recruiting into a PFMT delivered via telehealth to treat UI in women with breast cancer. Women underwent a 12-week individualised PFMT program using a home-based intra-vaginal pressure biofeedback device (femfit). The consent rate was 100%. A significant decline in the prevalence, frequency and severity of UI was observed in this feasibility study following treatment. Pelvic floor muscle strength increased significantly from pre- to post-intervention, a mean difference of 4.8 mmHg (95%CI 3.9, 5.5). This indicated that PFMT delivered via telehealth may potentially be beneficial in treating UI, particularly stress UI in women with breast cancer.
In conclusion, the findings of this thesis highlight that women with breast cancer may experience PF disorders, particularly UI, at a higher magnitude than women without breast cancer. Women with breast cancer who are bothered by their PF symptoms are interested in receiving information and treatment for PF disorders. This indicates that there may be a role of PF physiotherapy in addressing PF disorders in this population. While further research is required, these findings present an opportunity to place PF physiotherapy in breast cancer care pathways to ultimately improve the quality of life in women with breast cancer
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Leveraging financial technology and innovation for sustainability in the post-Covid eraleveraging financial technology and innovation for sustainability in the post-covid era
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgency of adopting innovative approaches and technological advancements to foster environmental sustainability and social welfare. Financial technology (Fintech) emerges as a key player in this movement, offering solutions to shape a more sustainable world post-pandemic. Leveraging Fintech presents opportunities to advance eco-conscious business practices and facilitate the transition towards sustainable finance models. Moreover, the convergence of Fintech with healthcare holds promise for enhancing access, affordability, and efficiency in healthcare delivery. This chapter aims to explore key sustainability implications of Fintech in three key areas—strategizing Fintech for eco-conscious business and financial empowerment, regulatory innovation and collaboration strategies for accelerating ESG-driven finance, and Fintech’s potential in healthcare services. Furthermore, benefits, costs, opportunities, and threats of leveraging Fintech for sustainability are identified. Policy implications are discussed, emphasizing the need for regulatory frameworks that promote green financing, ethical operations, and digital resilience while addressing disparities in Fintech access and benefits. Overall, embracing Fintech for sustainability signifies a paradigm shift towards a resilient, inclusive, and environmentally conscious future. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
Author-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.
No full textAuthor-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.</p
- …
