Switching patients from other inhaled corticosteroid devices to the Easyhaler(®) : historical, matched-cohort study of real-life asthma patients

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Changing Research Communication Practices and Open Scholarship: A Framework for Analysis

"It is important that academics’ research communication practices are explored to complement these system approaches. How do we think about these issues in order to investigate and illuminate changing forms of knowledge creation and communication? The project from which this paper is drawn was interested to answer three interrelated questions: • What are the research communication practices of academics? • What enables or constrains the flow of research communication within these practices? • How closed or open are academics’ scholarly communication practices? This paper describes our thinking as we developed the analytical framework that would enable us to answer these questions. The analytical framework was developed from the conceptual framework we used to shape our study through an iterative process with the data collected.

Seeking Impact and Visibility: Scholarly Communication in Southern Africa

The Scholarly Communication in Africa Programme (SCAP) was a three-year research and implementation initiative that took place between March 2010 and August 2013. Hosted by the University of Cape Town, the programme engaged the Universities of Botswana, Namibia and Mauritius in a process aimed at better understanding the dynamics around scholarly communication in the Southern African higher education environment and advancing the open access agenda for the purpose of increasing the visibility of African research. This work was made possible by a grant from the Canadian International Development Research Center (IDRC). This report synthesizes research and findings from the four institutional case studies conducted at the Universities of Botswana, Cape Town, Mauritius and Namibia. It provides an overview the scholarly communication activity systems at work in these four Southern African universities

Scholarly Communication at the University of Cape Town: Case Study Report

This report, "Scholarly Communication at the University of Cape Town", is one of a series of four institutional case studies. It provides an overview the scholarly communication activity system at UCT

A risk stratification tool to assess commecial influences on continuing medical education

Introduction: Heightened concerns about industry influence on continuing medical education (CME) have prompted tighter controls on the management of commercial funding and conflict of interest. As a result, CME providers must closely monitor their activities and intervene if bias or noncompliance with accreditation standards is likely. Potential for industry influence can be difficult to assess at a stage in the planning process when mitigation strategies can assure balance and content validity. Few tools exist to aid providers in this regard. Methods: A 12-item instrument was designed to assess risk for commercial influence on CME. To determine reliability and validity, a cohort of experienced CME professionals applied the tool to standardized cases representing CME activities in the early stages of planning. Results were compared with the experts\u27 assignment of the same cases to one of four risk categories. A survey of study participants was conducted to ascertain usefulness and potential applications of the tool. Results: Analysis demonstrated strong intraclass correlation across cases (0.90), interrater reliability (94%), and correlation between assessment of risk with and without the tool (Spearman coefficient, 0.93, p \u3c 0.01; weighted kappa, 0.59). Participants found the tool easy to use and of potential benefit to their CME office. Discussion: The Consortium for Academic Continuing Medical Education (CACME) risk stratification tool can help CME providers identify activities that must be closely monitored for potential industry influence, remain aware of factors that place programming at risk for noncompliance with accreditation standards, and substantiate the allocation of resources by the CME office

Scholarly Communication at the University of Namibia: Case Study Report

This report, "Scholarly Communication at the University of Namibia", is one of a series of four institutional case studies. It provides an overview the scholarly communication activity system at UN

Scholarly Communication at the University of Botswana: Case Study Report

This report, "Scholarly Communication at the University of Botswana", is one of a series of four institutional case studies. It provides an overview the scholarly communication activity system at UB

Scholarly Communication at the University of Mauritius: Case Study Report

This report, "Scholarly Communication at the University of Mauritius", is one of a series of four institutional case studies. It provides an overview the scholarly communication activity system at UoM

Comparison of effectiveness of cefovecin, doxycycline, and amoxicillin for the treatment of experimentally induced early Lyme borreliosis in dogs

Background While Koch’s postulates have been fulfilled for Lyme disease; causing transient fever, anorexia and arthritis in young dogs; treatment of sero-positive dogs, especially asymptomatic animals, remains a topic of debate. To complicate this matter the currently recommended antibiotic treatments of Lyme Disease in dogs caused by Borrelia burgdorferi require daily oral administrations for 31 days or longer, which makes non-compliance a concern. Additionally, there is no approved veterinary antimicrobial for the treatment of Lyme Disease in dogs in the USA and few recommended treatments have been robustly tested. In vitro testing of cefovecin, a novel extended-spectrum cephalosporin, demonstrated inhibition of spirochete growth. A small pilot study in dogs indicated that two cefovecin injections two weeks apart would be as efficacious against B. burgdorferi sensu stricto as the recommended treatments using doxycycline or amoxicillin daily for 31 days. This hypothesis was tested in 17–18 week old Beagle dogs, experimentally infected with B. burgdorferisensu stricto, using wild caught ticks, 75 days prior to antimicrobial administration. Results Clinical observations for lameness were performed daily but were inconclusive as this characteristic sign of Lyme Disease rarely develops in the standard laboratory models of experimentally induced infection. However, each antibiotic tested was efficacious against B. burgdorferi as measured by a rapid elimination of spirochetes from the skin and reduced levels of circulating antibodies to B. burgdorferi. In addition, significantly less cefovecin treated animals had Lyme Disease associated histopathological changes compared to untreated dogs. Conclusions Convenia was efficacious against B. burgdorferi sensu stricto infection in dogs as determined by serological testing, PCR and histopathology results. Convenia provides an additional and effective treatment option for Lyme Disease in dogs