Analysis of ceiling effects occurring with speech recognition tests in adult cochlear-implanted patients

This article presents a simple method of analysing speech test scores which are biased through ceiling effects. Eighty postlingually deafened adults implanted with a MED-EL COMBI 40/40+ cochlear implant (CI) were administered a numbers test and a sentence test at initial device activation and at 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months thereafter. As a measure for speech recognition performance, the number of patients who scored at the `ceiling level' (i.e. at least 95% correct answers) was counted at each test interval. Results showed a quick increase in this number soon after device activation as well as a continuous improvement over time ( numbers test: 1 month: 51%; 6 months: 73%; 24 months: 88%; sentence test: 1 month: 33%; 6 months: 49%; 24 months: 64%). The new method allows for the detection of speech recognition progress in CI patient samples even at late test intervals, where improvement curves based on averaged scores are usually assuming a flat shape. Copyright (C) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

Isolation of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli O157 from goat caecal contents and carcasses in the Somali region of Ethiopia

Background: Toxigenic E. coli is an important cause of gastroenteritis in developing countries. In Ethiopia, gastroenteritis due to foodborne disease is a leading cause of death. Yet, there is no surveillance for E. coli O157 and little is known about the carriage of this pathogen in Ethiopia’s livestock. Also, antimicrobial resistance patterns are not well known in this part of the world. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014 to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of E. coli O157 in goat meat, caecal content, and environmental samples collected at a large abattoir in the Somali region of Ethiopia. The samples were enriched in modified tryptone broth containing novobiocin, and plated onto sorbitol MacConkey agar. Isolates were confirmed using indole test and latex agglutination. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted using the disc diffusion method. Results: A total of 235 samples, including 93 goat carcass swabs, 93 caecal contents, 14 water, 20 hand and 15 knife swabs were collected. Overall, six (2.5%) samples were contaminated with E. coli O157 of which two (2.1%) were isolated from caecal contents, three (3.2%) from carcass swabs and one (7.1%) from water. All isolates were resistant to at least two antibiotics. Two isolates (33.3%) were resistant to over five antimicrobials tested. Abattoir facilities and slaughter technique were conducive to carcass contamination. Conclusions: This study highlights how poor hygiene and slaughter practice can result in contaminated meat, which is especially risky in Ethiopia because of the common practice of eating raw meat. The presence of multidrug-resistant strains of E. coli O157 in goats in a remote pastoralist system may be due to natural resistance and/or transfer of resistance from humans

Staffelübergabe

E. Freitag-Eecker hat vor einem Jahr die DGSv-Delegation in die ANSE an B. Baumann übergeben. Die beiden Autorinnen tauschen sich im Gespräch über ihre Verbandszugehörigkeit, Veränderungen im Verbandsleben, Identitäts- und Abgrenzungsfragen und den Umgang mit Differenz aus. Sie fordern, dass der Verband nach innen und nach außen die Funktion des Heteretopos einnehmen, und damit zum Ort werden solle, an dem gesellschaftliche Entwicklungen repräsentiert, gewendet und zurückgespiegelt werden

A Cross-Sectional, Abattoir-Based Study

Abstract Toxigenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) are an important cause of gastroenteritis in developing countries. In Ethiopia, gastroenteritis due to food-borne disease is a leading cause of death. Yet, there is no surveillance for E. coli O157 and little is known about the carriage of this pathogen in Ethiopia’s livestock. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and levels of antimicrobial resistance of E. coli O157 in goat meat, feces, and environmental samples collected at a large abattoir in the Somali region of Ethiopia. The samples were enriched in modified tryptone broth containing novobiocin, and plated onto sorbitol MacConkey agar. Isolates were confirmed using indole test and latex agglutination. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted using the disk diffusion method. A total of 235 samples, including 93 goat carcass swabs, 93 cecal contents, 14 water, 20 hand, and 15 knife swabs were collected. Overall, six (2.5%) samples were contaminated with E. coli O157 of which two (2.1%) were isolated from cecal contents, three (3.2%) from carcass swabs, and one (7.1%) from water. All isolates were resistant to at least two of the 18 antimicrobials tested. Two isolates (33.3%) were resistant to more than five antimicrobials. Abattoir facilities and slaughter techniques were conducive to carcass contamination. This study highlights how poor hygiene and slaughter practice can result in contaminated meat, which is especially risky in Ethiopia because of the common practice of eating raw meat. We detect multi-resistance to drugs not used in goats, suggesting that drugs used to treat human infections may be the originators of antimicrobial resistance in livestock in this ecosystem. The isolation of multidrug-resistant E. coli O157 from goats from a remote pastoralist system highlights the need for global action on regulating and monitoring antimicrobial use in both human and animal populations

Emotional and social repercussions of stroke on patient-family caregiver dyads: Analysis of diverging attitudes and profiles of the differing dyads

For patients, the social and emotional repercussions of stroke include shame, personality changes, and upheavals experienced by the couple (i.e. patient and main family caregiver). These impacts on the couple ‘patient/family caregiver’ are scarcely documented. Focusing on the perceptions of the patients and the family caregivers living at home, two years after a stroke occurrence, the aims of the study were to analyse the concordance of attitudes towards the emotional and social repercussions of stroke and to determine the profiles of the differing dyads. Two researchers conducted separate face-to-face structured interviews with stroke survivors and their family caregivers. Eleven items, identified through a content analysis of interviews and after a qualitative process of generating questionnaire items, assessed the commonly experienced impact of stroke on the family, the social repercussions of stroke, and its emotional effects on the stroke survivors. The kappa concordance coefficient was used to determine the response convergence between patients and family caregivers. Four items, selected by a panel of experts, were included in logistic regressions (i.e., demographic characteristics and patients’ impaired functions) to identify the differing dyadic profiles. Family caregivers’ and patients’ attitudes towards the social repercussions of stroke were similar. Patients with motor deficiencies tended to underestimate the upheaval brought to their couple by stroke, whereas caregivers of language-impaired patients tended to underestimate their feelings of shame and demeaning. Communication disturbances, but also residual physical disabilities in stroke survivors, may affect the understanding of each other’s attitudes within dyads. In order to avoid dysfunctional relationships between family caregivers and patients, healthcare professionals need to pay special attention to this issue, especially in cases of aphasia and motor deficiencies

Language specific preferences in anaphor resolution: Exposure or gricean maxims?

International audienceIn this paper we will present evidence for language specific preferences in anaphor resolution from two series of experiments in English, German, and French. For within sentence anaphor resolution with "before" subclauses, we will show that English and German follow the generally assumed preference for the first mentioned NP or subject of the sentence, whereas French shows a clear preference for the object of the matrix clause. We will argue that our data can most easily be explained by a usage-based account, linking comprehension preferences to production preferences

Quality of doctor-patient communication in cardiovascular diseases and secondary preventive adherence. The role of gender

The doctor-patient communication intervenes on the preventive behaviours of chronic patients by reducing their risk factors – in cardiovascular diseases: hypertension, overweight, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes. What are the associations between the quality of communication and the improvement of secondary preventive behaviours? How does gender influence these relationships? Methods: 1,289 patients who underwent a coronary angiography in 2008/09 in Luxembourg completed a self-administered questionnaire at the time of the visit, and at a five-year follow-up. The probability of improving each preventive eating behaviour (decrease of salt, sugar, fat consumption and increase of fruits/vegetables), and the quality of doctor-patient communication (5-item scale) were evaluated using logistic regression models. Sex was introduced in interaction with the communication score. Findings: Among hypertensive respondents, a higher quality of communication was associated with a higher probability of decreasing the salt intake in women (OR [95% CI]: 1.139 [1.060; 1.223]) whereas in men, the OR was only 1.086 [1.017; 1.159]. ORs were also higher in women among patients with hypertension, overweight and hypercholesterolemia regarding the increase of fruits/vegetables consumption; among patients with diabetes and hypercholesterolemia regarding sugar decrease or cessation; and among patients with overweight and hypercholesterolemia regarding fat reduction or stop. ORs were slightly higher among men only among diabetic and obese patients, regarding the increase of fruits/vegetables consumption. Discussion: The quality of the communication showed an effect on the adoption of secondary preventive eating behaviours, especially in women patients. Motivational interviews could encourage, especially men patients, to adhere to the recommendations about lifestyle change