40,509 research outputs found
The MS Symptom and Impact Diary (MSSID): psychometric evaluation of a new instrument to measure the day to day impact of multiple sclerosis
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to develop further a diary originally devised to measure the impact of multiple
sclerosis (MS) as part of a cost utility study of beta interferon, and to evaluate its reliability, validity, and
responsiveness in an outpatient sample of people with MS.
METHODS: The original diary was further developed using qualitative and quantitative methods to ensure
that it addressed the views of people with MS. The psychometric properties of the MS Symptom and Impact
Diary (MSSID) were evaluated in a sample of 77 people who completed the MSSID daily for 12 weeks.
Internal and testāretest reliability, discriminant and convergent validity, and responsiveness were assessed
using traditional psychometric methods.
RESULTS: The MSSID formed three, internally consistent scales that measured mobility, fatigue, and the
overall impact of MS. The testāretest reliability of the mobility scale was adequate for individual
comparisons (ICC.0.90) and the fatigue and overall impact scales were adequate for group comparisons
(ICC.0.70). The MSSID was able to distinguish between clinical groups depending on clinical course,
indoor ambulation status, and relapse status. It demonstrated associations with other single point
instruments in the expected direction. Compared with single point instruments, its responsiveness was
similar or better, especially in detecting short term improvements in functioning.
CONCLUSIONS: The MSSID may provide a useful complement to currently available instruments to measure
the outcomes of MS within clinical trials. Further research is needed to explore its feasibility in the context
of a randomised controlled trial and its utility for clinicians
Exploring the evidence base for acupuncture in the treatment of Meniereās Syndrome ā A systematic review
Meniereās syndrome is a long-term, progressive disease that damages the balance and hearing
parts of the inner ear. To address the paucity of information on which evidence-based treatment
decisions should be made, a systematic review of acupuncture for Meniereās syndrome was
undertaken. The method used was a systematic review of English and Chinese literature, from
six databases for randomized, non-randomized and observational studies. All studies were
critically appraised and a narrative approach to data synthesis was adopted. Twenty-seven
studies were included in this review (9 in English and 18 in Chinese languages): three randomized
controlled trials, three non-randomized controlled studies and four pre-test, post-test
designs. All but one of the studies was conducted in China. The studies covered body acupuncture,
ear acupuncture, scalp acupuncture, fluid acupuncture point injection and moxibustion.
The studies were of varying quality. The weight of evidence, across all study types, is of beneficial
effect from acupuncture, for those in an acute phase or those who have had Meniereās
syndrome for a number of years. The review reinforces the importance of searching for studies
from English and Chinese literature. The transferability of the findings from China to a
Western context needs confirmation. Further research is also needed to clarify questions
around the appropriate frequency and number of treatment/courses of acupuncture. The
weight of evidence suggests a potential benefit of acupuncture for persons with Meniereās
disease, including those in an acute phase and reinforces the importance of searching for
published studies in the Chinese language
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Therapies in the Treatment of Meniere's Syndrome: Reviewing the Evidence for Acupuncture
Experiences of aiding autobiographical memory using the sensecam
Human memory is a dynamic system that makes accessible certain memories of events based on a hierarchy of information, arguably driven by personal significance. Not all events are remembered, but those that are tend to be more psychologically relevant. In contrast, lifelogging is the process of automatically recording aspects of one's life in digital form without loss of information. In this article we share our experiences in designing computer-based solutions to assist people review their visual lifelogs and address this contrast. The technical basis for our work is automatically segmenting visual lifelogs into events, allowing event similarity and event importance to be computed, ideas that are motivated by cognitive science considerations of how human memory works and can be assisted. Our work has been based on visual lifelogs gathered by dozens of people, some of them with collections spanning multiple years. In this review article we summarize a series of studies that have led to the development of a browser that is based on human memory systems and discuss the inherent tension in storing large amounts of data but making the most relevant material the most accessible
Conclusions from CDF Results on CP Violation in D^0 \to \pi^+\pi^-, K^+K^- and Future Tasks
Within the Standard Model (SM) one predicts both direct and indirect CP
violation in D^0 \to \pi^+\pi^-, K^+K^- transitions, although the effects are
tiny: Indirect CP asymmetry cannot exceed O(10^{-4}), probably even O(10^{-5});
direct effects are estimated at not larger than 10^{-4}. At B factories direct
and indirect asymmetries have been studied with /\tau_{D^0} ~ 1; no CP
asymmetry was found with an upper bound of about 1%. CDF has shown intriguing
data on CP violation in D^0 \to \pi^+\pi^- [K^+K^-] with /\tau_{D^0} ~ 2.4
[2.65]. Also, CDF has not seen any CP violation. For direct CP asymmetry, CDF
has a sensitivity similar to the combination of the B factories, yet for
indirect CP violation it yields a significantly smaller sensitivity of
a_{cp}^{ind}=(-0.01 +- 0.06_{stat} +- 0.05_{syst})% due to it being based on
longer decay times. New Physics models (NP) like Little Higgs Models with
T-Parity (LHT) can produce an indirect CP asymmetry up to 1%; CDF's findings
thus cover the upper range of realistic NP predictions ~ 0.1 - 1%. One hopes
that LHCb and a Super-Flavour Factory will probe the lower range down to
~0.01%. Such non-ad-hoc NP like LHT cannot enhance direct CP violation
significantly over the SM level in D^0 \to \pi^+\pi^-, K^+K^- and D^{\pm} \to
\pi^{\pm}K^+K^- transitions, but others might well do so.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure. V2 has minor corrections and corresponds to the
published versio
A hybrid evaluation approach and guidance for mHealth education applications
Ā© Springer International Publishing AG 2018. Mobile health education applications (MHEAs) are used to support different users. However, although these applications are increasing in number, there is no effective evaluation framework to measure their usability and thus save effort and time for their many user groups. This paper outlines a useful framework for evaluating MHEAs, together with particular evaluation metrics: an efficient hybrid of selected heuristic evaluation (HE) and usability evaluation (UE) factors to enable the determination of the usefulness and usability of MHEAs. We also propose a guidance tool to help stakeholders choose the most suitable MHEA. The outcome of this framework is envisioned as meeting the requirements of different users, in addition to enhancing the development of MHEAs using software engineering approaches by creating new and more effective evaluation techniques. Finally, we present qualitative and quantitative results for the framework when used with MHEAs
Cross infection control measures and the treatment of patients at risk of Creutzfeldt Jakob disease in UK general dental practice
AIMS: To determine the suitability of key infection control measures currently employed in UK dental practice for delivery of dental care to patients at risk of prion diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subjects: Five hundred dental surgeons currently registered with the General Dental Council of the UK. Data collection: Structured postal questionnaire. Analysis: Frequencies, cross-tabulations and chi-squared analysis. RESULTS: The valid response rate to the questionnaire was 69%. 33% of practices had no policy on general disinfection and sterilisation procedures. Only 10 of the 327 responding practices (3%) possessed a vacuum autoclave. 49% of dentists reported using the BDA medical history form but less than 25% asked the specific questions recommended by the BDA to identify patients at risk of iatrogenic or familial CJD. However, 63% of practitioners would refer such patients, if identified, to a secondary care facility. Of the 107 practitioners who were prepared to provide dental treatment, 75 (70%) would do so using routine infection control procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the dental practices surveyed were not actively seeking to identify patients at risk of prion diseases. In many cases, recommended procedures for providing safe dental care for such patients were not in place
En fremgangsmƄde ved bestemmelse af normalomrfide for haematologiske og klinisk kemiske parametre
No abstract availabl
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