55,196 research outputs found
Improving the radical cure of vivax malaria (IMPROV): a study protocol for a multicentre randomised, placebo-controlled comparison of short and long course primaquine regimens.
No full textBACKGROUND: Plasmodium vivax malaria is a major cause of morbidity and recognised as an important contributor to mortality in some endemic areas. The current recommended treatment regimen for the radical cure of P. vivax includes a schizontocidal antimalarial, usually chloroquine, combined with a 14 day regimen of primaquine. The long treatment course frequently results in poor adherence and effectiveness. Shorter courses of higher daily doses of primaquine have the potential to improve adherence and thus effectiveness without compromising safety. The proposed multicentre randomised clinical trial aims to provide evidence across a variety of endemic settings on the safety and efficacy of high dose short course primaquine in glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD) normal patients. DESIGN: This study is designed as a placebo controlled, double blinded, randomized trial in four countries: Indonesia, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Ethiopia. G6PD normal patients diagnosed with vivax malaria are randomized to receive either 7 or 14 days high dose primaquine or placebo. G6PD deficient (G6PDd) patients are allocated to weekly primaquine doses for 8weeks. All treatment is directly observed and recurrent episodes are treated with the same treatment than allocated at the enrolment episode. Patients are followed daily until completion of treatment, weekly until 8 weeks and then monthly until 1 year after initiation of the treatment. The primary endpoint is the incidence rate (per person year) of symptomatic recurrent P. vivax parasitaemia over 12 months of follow-up, for all individuals, controlling for site, comparing the 7 versus 14-day primaquine treatment arms. Secondary endpoints are other efficacy measures such as incidence risk at different time points. Further endpoints are risks of haemolysis and severe adverse events. DISCUSSION: This study has been approved by relevant institutional ethics committees in the UK and Australia, and all participating countries. Results will be disseminated to inform P. vivax malaria treatment policy through peer-reviewed publications and academic presentations. Findings will contribute to a better understanding of the risks and benefits of primaquine which is crucial in persuading policy makers as well as clinicians of the importance of radical cure of vivax malaria, contributing to decreased transmission and a reduce parasite reservoir. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01814683 . Registered March 18, 2013
The UN-SUSTAINABLE Match in HCV Recipients. Evidences from the Italian D-MELD Study on Balancing Donor-Recipient Risk Factors
No full textThe UN-SUSTAINABLE Match in HCV Recipients. Evidences from the Italian D-MELD Study on Balancing Donor-Recipient Risk Factor
Improv to improve
No full textIn this study we contribute to a scientific investigation of improvisational theatre on various variables that measure creativity, acceptance and psychological well-being.
In a controlled trail, 30 participants in the intervention group and 28 in the waiting control group completed 6 different tests and questionnaires prior and post to a 6-week improv intervention or waiting time respectively.
The study is now published as
"Improv to Improve: The Impact of Improvisational Theater on Creativity, Acceptance, and Psychological Well-Being", Journal of Creativity and Mental Health, (2021), https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2020.175498
Effects of Improv Comedy on College Students
No full textThis exploratory qualitative study investigated the degree to which participation in college improv comedy affects student development. The study reviews the experiences of students from three different campuses who are involved in improv comedy. Grounded in theories from figured worlds, creativity, student development, memory, cognitive development, identity development, and imagination, this research draws on twelve semi-structured interviews, three group interviews, and three observations of performances. This study answers the following questions: How do college students make meaning of their experience within an improv comedy troupe in relation to academic, social skill, and identity development? What potential does improv comedy have for influencing student growth and development on college campuses? The study provides a historical account of improvisational comedy leading up to the first established improv comedy organizations on college campuses.
Qualitative data analysis revealed themes and subthemes that support student development, including the following: academic, social, identity development and exploration, dropping knowledge, out of thin air, building bridges to new worlds, creating from scratch, teamwork makes the dreamwork, a way with words, hand in hand, fearlessly true to self, widening the gaze, and way of life. The study provides recommendations for integrating improv comedy into curriculum and student affairs practice
Writers Talk 3rd Annual Halloween Special
No full textThe third annual Writers Talk Halloween special, featuring the short story "Hello, Slocum," written by OSU creative writing alumnus Juliet Williams and performed by Fort Hayes theatre students. Also featuring contributions from the OSU student group 8th Floor Improv, and other writing guaranteed to bring a chill to your spine.The media can be accessed here: http://streaming.osu.edu/knowledgebank/cstw12/WT_WCRS_10-24-11_HalloweenSpecial_FortHayes_JulietWilliams_8thFloor.mp3Ohio State University. Center for the Study and Teaching of Writin
The effects of improvisational theatre (improv) vs. group television watching on cognitive ability and mood in people with age-related memory complaints
No full textAs people age, there is a high chance their cognitive abilities will decline. The Baby Boomer population will soon reach an age where this is a major problem. As cognitive ability declines, so does quality of life. Everyday, 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 and this trend will continue for the next 15 years. With potential millions in need of a solution, cost is a major issue as well. Different forms of stimulation, like music and puzzles, have been shown to improve cognitive ability. Improvisational theatre is a form of stimulation that has not been thoroughly researched in older adults. This is a randomized control pilot study for utility and preliminary efficacy of improvisational theatre on cognitive ability and mood in older adults with age-related memory complaints. 11 elderly participants with age-related memory complaints from an assisted living center were randomized into an improv class (n=5) or a television watching control group (n=6). The improv group participated in an improv class once a week, for 8 weeks, lasting one hour per session. The passive stimulation group watched television or a movie for one hour a week at the same time as the improv class, for 8 weeks. The participants were given the following surveys one week prior to the start of the study and again the day of the last session: Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Verbal Fluency Test, Letter-Number Sequencing Test, Geriatric Depression Scale, Memory Functioning Questionnaire and the Functional Activities Questionnaire. The improv group demonstrated an average improvement in executive function, memory self-appraisal, phonemic cognition, and a decrease in mild cognitive impairment. The verbal fluency test, which measures phonemic cognition showed significant improvement with a p-value of 0.037. In the television watching group, there was an average improvement in executive function, phonemic cognition and some aspects of memory self-appraisal. None of which were significant. No adverse events occurred during the study. This study shows that improv has the potential to improve phonemic cognition because there was a significant increase in the study. Though the other areas that were tested (depression, executive function, working memory, memory self-appraisal or mild cognitive impairment) did not improve significantly, all either improved more than the control group or regressed less than the control group. Since this was the first study of its kind, more researchers should explore the effects of improv on cognition in elderly persons. Subjectively, the improv participants improved greatly in their ability to follow and remain active during the various games.</jats:p
All repair and reconstruction. Techniques from the SANTI study group
No full textBackground: Combining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with an anterolateral ligament (ALL) reconstruction results in significant advantages including reduced graft rupture rates, a lower risk of reoperation for secondary meniscectomy, improved knee stability, and higher rates of return to preinjury levels of sport. Indications: The previously reported indications for combined ACL and ALL reconstruction are as follows: ACL reconstruction revision; high-grade pivot shift test; long-term ACL rupture; young patients; pivoting activities; concomitant medial meniscus repair, and, specifically, regarding the ALL repair, it must be an acute surgery (within 15 days from injury). Technique Description: Several modern techniques have been described to repair and reconstruct the ALL. This technical note details a number of these techniques performed by the Scientific Anterior Cruciate Ligament Network International (SANTI) Study Group. Results: First, we describe a combined ACL reconstruction and double-bundle ALL reconstruction using hamstring autograft. Secondly, we describe a single-bundle ALL reconstruction using gracilis autograft. Thirdly, we describe an ALL reconstruction technique using a knotless soft anchor, which provides shallow fixation and prevents tunnel convergence. Finally, we describe a technique for ALL repair. Conclusion: Several techniques have been described to repair and reconstruct the ALL, all offering significant advantages over an isolated ACL reconstruction. Patient Consent Disclosure Statement: The author(s) attests that consent has been obtained from any patient(s) appearing in this publication. If the individual may be identifiable, the author(s) has included a statement of release or other written form of approval from the patient(s) with this submission for publication
Robust automated detection of microstructural white matter degeneration in Alzheimer’s disease using machine learning classification of multicenter DTI data
No full textDiffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based assessment of white matter fiber tract integrity can support the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The use of DTI as a biomarker, however, depends on its applicability in a multicenter setting accounting for effects of different MRI scanners. We applied multivariate machine learning (ML) to a large multicenter sample from the recently created framework of the European DTI study on Dementia (EDSD). We hypothesized that ML approaches may amend effects of multicenter acquisition. We included a sample of 137 patients with clinically probable AD (MMSE 20.6±5.3) and 143 healthy elderly controls, scanned in nine different scanners. For diagnostic classification we used the DTI indices fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) and, for comparison, gray matter and white matter density maps from anatomical MRI. Data were classified using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) and a Naïve Bayes (NB) classifier. We used two cross-validation approaches, (i) test and training samples randomly drawn from the entire data set (pooled cross-validation) and (ii) data from each scanner as test set, and the data from the remaining scanners as training set (scanner-specific cross-validation). In the pooled cross-validation, SVM achieved an accuracy of 80% for FA and 83% for MD. Accuracies for NB were significantly lower, ranging between 68% and 75%. Removing variance components arising from scanners using principal component analysis did not significantly change the classification results for both classifiers. For the scanner-specific cross-validation, the classification accuracy was reduced for both SVM and NB. After mean correction, classification accuracy reached a level comparable to the results obtained from the pooled cross-validation. Our findings support the notion that machine learning classification allows robust classification of DTI data sets arising from multiple scanners, even if a new data set comes from a scanner that was not part of the training sample
Developing an online improv comedy course: an action research study
No full textI explored the development of a 4-week online introduction to improv course, to verify the fit of the games and exercises used in this short course. I employed practitioner action research to develop an understanding of autistic learning needs. A socio-constructivist framework was used in the teaching, and focus groups were conducted after each class to obtain data. I recruited a total of 17 autistic participants for the Zoom-based improv classes, with groups of three to five autistic adults per course. Five courses were completed, and focus groups were run after each class to discuss the trialled improv training. The data collected identified improvements that participants felt would better support their learning. I found that autistic adults were comfortable learning with other autistic learners, and the gradual, informative teaching approach addressed their needs. An autistic teaching assistant was also found to be necessary. However, there were both desired and unwanted content, as well as contradictions about using online versus offline mode of study, and the necessary group size. The findings suggest that these considerations should be taken into account for adult education programmes aimed at autistic learners
Zoom Improv is accessible and enhances medical student empathy
No full textAbstract Background Empathy declines during medical training, despite its importance. Methodology In this randomized controlled trial, we assessed the impact of Zoom improv on medical student empathy using a concurrent mixed-methods approach. Quantitative assessment with three survey tools and qualitative assessment by content analysis of Zoom session field notes were conducted. Results Zoom improv participants had higher empathy scores in perspective-taking and fantasy and lower scores in personal distress compared with the control group. Medical students who participated in Zoom improv exercised emotional expression, active listening, and giving “gifts,” which apply to healthcare settings in which affirming team members with empathic concern can advance communication, patient rapport, and teamwork. Discussion This pilot study highlights promising findings for the incorporation of Zoom improv in medical education, including enhanced empathy, self-reflection, and understanding how these skills impact work in healthcare. Future studies may expand on the optimal timing to teach improv. Future studies conducted on virtual platforms may also further investigate our finding that the fantasy domain of empathy increases after Zoom improv sessions, whereas this increase in fantasy was absent from previous in-person studies. Given the increase in telehealth and virtual medical visits, exercising empathy skills through a screen during training may be an important addition to medical curricula
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