Assessing internet-based information used to aid patient decision-making about surgery for perianal Crohn's fistula.

BACKGROUND: Decision-making in perianal Crohn's fistula (pCD) is preference sensitive. Patients use the internet to access healthcare information. The aim of this study was to assess the online information and patient decision aids relating to surgery for pCD. METHODS: A search of Google™ and the Decision Aids Library Inventory (DALI) was performed using a predefined search strategy. Patient-focussed sources providing information about pCD surgery were included in the analysis. Written health information was assessed using the International Patient Decision Aids Standards (IPDAS) and DISCERN criteria. The readability of the source content was assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid score. RESULTS: Of the 201 sources found, 187 were excluded, leaving 14 sources for analysis. Three sources were dedicated to pCD, and six sources mentioned pCD-specific outcomes. The most common surgical intervention reported was seton insertion (n = 13). The least common surgical intervention reported was proctectomy (n = 1). The mean IPDAS and DISCERN scores were 4.43 ± 1.65 out of 12 (range = 2-8) and 2.93 ± 0.73 out of 5 (range = 1-5), respectively. The mean reading ease was US college standard. CONCLUSIONS: We found no patient decision aids relating to surgery for pCD. The online sources relating to surgery for pCD are few, and their quality is poor, as seen in the low IPDAS and DISCERN scores. Less than half of the sources mentioned pCD-specific outcomes, and three sources were solely dedicated to providing information on pCD. Healthcare professionals should look to create a patient tool to assist decision-making in pCD

Evaluation of serum CEA, CYFRA21-1 and CA125 for the early detection of colorectal cancer using longitudinal preclinical samples

Blood-borne biomarkers for early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) could markedly increase screening uptake. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CYFRA21-1 and CA125 for the early detection of CRC in an asymptomatic cohort

Non-hexagonal neural dynamics in vowel space

Are the grid cells discovered in rodents relevant to human cognition? Following up on two seminal studies by others, we aimed to check whether an approximate 6-fold, grid-like symmetry shows up in the cortical activity of humans who "navigate" between vowels, given that vowel space can be approximated with a continuous trapezoidal 2D manifold, spanned by the first and second formant frequencies. We created 30 vowel trajectories in the assumedly flat central portion of the trapezoid. Each of these trajectories had a duration of 240 milliseconds, with a steady start and end point on the perimeter of a "wheel". We hypothesized that if the neural representation of this "box" is similar to that of rodent grid units, there should be an at least partial hexagonal (6-fold) symmetry in the EEG response of participants who navigate it. We have not found any dominant n-fold symmetry, however, but instead, using PCAs, we find indications that the vowel representation may reflect phonetic features, as positioned on the vowel manifold. The suggestion, therefore, is that vowels are encoded in relation to their salient sensory-perceptual variables, and are not assigned to arbitrary gridlike abstract maps. Finally, we explored the relationship between the first PCA eigenvector and putative vowel attractors for native Italian speakers, who served as the subjects in our study

Global Assessment of Extinction Risk to Populations of Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka

BACKGROUND: Concern about the decline of wild salmon has attracted the attention of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN applies quantitative criteria to assess risk of extinction and publishes its results on the Red List of Threatened Species. However, the focus is on the species level and thus may fail to show the risk to populations. The IUCN has adapted their criteria to apply to populations but there exist few examples of this type of assessment. We assessed the status of sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka as a model for application of the IUCN population-level assessments and to provide the first global assessment of the status of an anadromous Pacific salmon. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We found from demographic data that the sockeye salmon species is not presently at risk of extinction. We identified 98 independent populations with varying levels of risk within the species' range. Of these, 5 (5%) are already extinct. We analyzed the risk for 62 out of 93 extant populations (67%) and found that 17 of these (27%) are at risk of extinction. The greatest number and concentration of extinct and threatened populations is in the southern part of the North American range, primarily due to overfishing, freshwater habitat loss, dams, hatcheries, and changing ocean conditions. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Although sockeye salmon are not at risk at the species-level, about one-third of the populations that we analyzed are at risk or already extinct. Without an understanding of risk to biodiversity at the level of populations, the biodiversity loss in salmon would be greatly underrepresented on the Red List. We urge government, conservation organizations, scientists and the public to recognize this limitation of the Red List. We also urge recognition that about one-third of sockeye salmon global population diversity is at risk of extinction or already extinct

Women and sport leadership: perceptions of Malawi women educated in sport business leadership

Traditional beliefs, cultural expectations and attitudes regarding the position of women in society still exist in the sub-Saharan African patrimonial society. Gender inequality in Africa’s regional and national sport organisations and governance structures is a reality and empirical work on women in sport leadership is lacking. This qualitative investigation is embedded in social constructivism as conceptual framework, which attempted to explore the perceived effect of a sport leadership education program in Malawi. The effect of leadership education is contextually perceived and although the challenge to integrate African leadership and traditional western leadership models is recognised, it was not the aim of this study. The study aimed to understand the leadership experiences of females in a Malawi sport context and sought to reveal if sport leadership development initiatives like this are expected to be merely opportunities to transfer knowledge or if it could affect the self-worth and “voice” of female sport leaders in Malawi. Findings suggest that completing the sport leadership education programme positively affected not only individual self-worth but also the collective voice of female sport leaders. It is proposed that similar courses are expanded and introduced to other sub-Saharan African countries and to research the perceived effect.Key words: Sport leadership education; Gender inequality; Sub-Saharan Africa

Exploring public recreation service delivery under two political ideologies in South Africa: 1948-2006

This study aimed to explore the provision of public recreation to the citizens of South Africa under two distinct political ideologies of ‘Apartheid’ and the current democratic political system. Results from this qualitative and descriptive study of public recreation provision under two distinct political ideologies in South African apartheid and democracy are presented. Five themes emerged from an inductive content analysis: Philosophy and policies of public recreation service provision; Governance of public recreation provision; Legislation related to public recreation provision; Public recreation programmes and initiatives; and Recreation training and education initiatives. Findings suggested that similarities and differences of service provision existed, and neither of the two ideologies succeeded in optimising public recreation provision as instruments of social transformation to support the notion that public recreation benefits all. Although the political ideology of democracy brought progress and structure in terms of recreation policy, legislation, education and training, fragmentation of governance structures, lack of coordination, and a myopic focus on physical recreation were evident under both ideologies. It seems as if most South African citizens continue to be excluded from recreation access and opportunities as a social space conducive to individual exploration, reflecting social, cultural intellectual and spiritual growth.Key words: Public recreation provision; Apartheid ideology; Democracy

Effect of visual cues and practice on decision making of touch rugby players

Researchers have reported that appropriate decision making involves an understanding of choices between options and performing appropriate actions. The ability to identify visual cues that improve decision making and performance is beneficial for sport; however, after a thorough perusal, virtually no published information is available on visual training, decision making and touch rugby. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of visual cues and practice on decision making of touch rugbyplayers. A convenience sample of 18 South African provincial touch rugby players were selected and divided randomly into three groups. Groups were required to analyze touch rugby-specific situations from video clips and determine the best decision for each one. Group 1 participated in a physical training session based on defense in touch rugby and a visual training session which involved analyzing defense patterns. Group 2 only participated in a physical training session based on defense. Group 3acted as a control and was not involved in any additional training sessions. Results from a Kruskal- Wallis test indicated that there was no significant difference (p ≤ 0.10) between the pretest of the three groups. There was, however, a significant difference (p ≤ 0.10) in the post-test among the three groups in terms of body positioning, field positioning, response time and verbal communication with reference to decision making in touch rugby. It is recommended that additional research that replicates theresearch design be performed in order to construct more definitive interventions for decision making in touch rugby