Randomised controlled trial of homoeopathy versus placebo in perennial allergic rhinitis with overview of four trial series

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that homoeopathy is a placebo by examining its effect in patients with allergic rhinitis and so contest the evidence from three previous trials in this series. Design: Randomised, double blind, placebo controlled, parallel group, multicentre study. SETTING: Four general practices and a hospital ear, nose, and throat outpatient department. PARTICIPANTS: 51 patients with perennial allergic rhinitis. Intervention: Random assignment to an oral 30c homoeopathic preparation of principal inhalant allergen or to placebo. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes from baseline in nasal inspiratory peak flow and symptom visual analogue scale score over third and fourth weeks after randomisation. RESULTS: Fifty patients completed the study. The homoeopathy group had a significant objective improvement in nasal airflow compared with the placebo group (mean difference 19.8 l/min, 95% confidence interval 10.4 to 29.1, P=0.0001). Both groups reported improvement in symptoms, with patients taking homoeopathy reporting more improvement in all but one of the centres, which had more patients with aggravations. On average no significant difference between the groups was seen on visual analogue scale scores. Initial aggravations of rhinitis symptoms were more common with homoeopathy than placebo (7 (30%) v 2 (7%), P=0.04). Addition of these results to those of three previous trials (n=253) showed a mean symptom reduction on visual analogue scores of 28% (10.9 mm) for homoeopathy compared with 3% (1.1 mm) for placebo (95% confidence interval 4.2 to 15.4, P=0.0007). CONCLUSION: The objective results reinforce earlier evidence that homoeopathic dilutions differ from placebo

Previous injury as a risk factor for re-injury in rock climbing: A secondary analysis of data from a retrospective cross sectional cohort survey of active rock climbers

Background The aim of this article is to report the findings of a secondary analysis of a previous injury study to consider previous injury as a risk factor for reinjury in rock climbing. Methods We completed a secondary analysis of 201 questionnaires that were gathered as part of a retrospective cross-sectional cohort survey that investigated the epidemiology of injuries in a representative sample of British rock climbers. Participants had actively engaged in rock climbing over the previous 12-month period and were recruited from six indoor climbing centres and five outdoor climbing venues (men n=163, mean±SD, age=35.2±11.8 years, participating in rock climbing=13.88+11.77 years; women n=38, mean±SD, age=35.1±10.7 years, participating in rock climbing=11.62+9.19 years). Results Of the 101 participants who sustained a previous injury, 36 were found to have sustained at least one reinjury. The total number of reinjuries was 82, with the average probability of sustaining at least one reinjury being 35.6% (95% CI 34.71% to 36.8%; p<0.001, McNemar's χ2 test) with the relative risk of reinjury being 1.55 (95% CI 1.34 to 1.80). The fingers were the most common site of reinjury (12 participants, 26%; χ2=43.12, df=5, p<0.001). Conclusions Previous injury was found to be a significant risk factor for reinjury, particularly at the site of the fingers. Technical difficulty in bouldering and sport climbing behaviours were significantly associated with repetitive overuse reinjury. As participatory figures increase, so does the likelihood that a high proportion of climbers may sustain a reinjury of the upper extremity

A User-Centred Approach to Reducing Sedentary Behaviour

The use of digital technologies in the administration of healthcare is growing at a rapid rate. However, such platforms are often expensive. As people are living longer, the strain placed on hospitals is increasing. It is evident that a usercentric approach is needed, which aims to prevent illness before a hospital visit is required. As such, with the levels of obesity rising, preventing this illness before such resources are required has the potential to save an enormous amount of time and money, whilst promoting a healthier lifestyle. New and novel approaches are needed, which are inexpensive and pervasive in nature. One such approach is to use human digital memories. This outlet provides visual lifelogs, composed of a variety of data, which can be used to identify periods of inactivity. This paper explores how the DigMem system is used to successfully recognise activity and create temporal memory boxes of human experiences, which can be used to monitor sedentary behaviour

VICTour 1.1: Introducing virtual learning environments and gamification

Game engines are one of the few solutions to providing a true virtual campus tour experience. In this paper, we explore the evolution of the virtual campus tour and thereby the current and future work of game technology within virtual touring. An investigation is conducted into the application of objective-based gamification and its ability to encourage exploration of a virtual world. We also examine virtual campus tours as an alternate form of taught content via virtual learning environments (VLEs). An investigation into the use of head mounted displays to improve immersion is also explored

Remotely Monitoring and Preventing the Development of Pressure Ulcers with the Aid of Human Digital Memories

There is growing concern, among senior personnel in the National Health Service in the UK, over the increased development of pressure ulcers. The occurrence of pressure ulcers has been attributed to prolong sedentary behaviour. Providing care, for this preventable condition, is costly and time-consuming for patients and medical practitioners. Extra bedside assistance is needed; however, with the workload of medical staff increasing, this is not always practical. In order to prevent the occurrence of pressure ulcers new and novel ways of remotely monitoring patients is essential. An interesting approach worth considering is the use of human digital memories, which provide visual life logs of a patient’s physiological and environmental data. This paper discusses some of the current technologies used within the area and how they might be applied to the management and prevention of pressure ulcers. We have successfully developed a working prototype system to demonstrate the applicability of our approach

Plasma Physics

Contains research objectives and reports on three research projects.United States Atomic Energy Commission (Contract AT(30-1)-1842

A User-Centred Approach to Reducing Sedentary Behaviour

The use of digital technologies in the administration of healthcare is growing at a rapid rate. However, such platforms are often expensive. As people are living longer, the strain placed on hospitals is increasing. It is evident that a usercentric approach is needed, which aims to prevent illness before a hospital visit is required. As such, with the levels of obesity rising, preventing this illness before such resources are required has the potential to save an enormous amount of time and money, whilst promoting a healthier lifestyle. New and novel approaches are needed, which are inexpensive and pervasive in nature. One such approach is to use human digital memories. This outlet provides visual lifelogs, composed of a variety of data, which can be used to identify periods of inactivity. This paper explores how the DigMem system is used to successfully recognise activity and create temporal memory boxes of human experiences, which can be used to monitor sedentary behaviour

Investigating Sharing in Memory for Life Systems

Memory for Life (M4L) systems store and organize life events captured by people in digital form using their cameras, mobile phones and so on. This paper describes M4L systems and the challenges for sharing digital events. Based on the challenges, an investigation is carried out in order to find a suitable technology that allows sharing of digital events according to the social network of a user. For this purpose, Web-based online social networks and peer-to-peer networks are particularly studied. The requirements for a social P2P model for sharing human digital events (HDEs) are suggested as future work

Monitoring and Measuring Sedentary Behaviour with the Aid of Human Digital Memories

There is growing global concern over the growing levels of obesity and the fact that people in general are not as active as they once were. Many believe that this is directly related to poor diet and our increasing reliance on technology, such as television, social networking, computer games, and voice activated home control systems. These kinds of activities increase sedentary behaviour across all age groups and is considered one of the main contributors to obesity and poor health. For this reason decreasing sedentary behaviour is considered a crucial theme within many research programs in health. Ironically, there is general agreement that the use of technology is likely to help researchers understand this type of behaviour. One interesting approach is based upon the use of human digital memories to provide visual lifelogs of a user’s activity and to identify the behaviour patterns of individuals. In this way visual lifelogs provide a way for user’s to evaluate their lifestyle choices. This paper discusses some of the key technologies used to achieve this and considers some of the challenges that still need to be addressed

Bridging the gap between networked appliances and virtual worlds

On-line gaming coupled with virtual world development and social networking are at the forefront of next generation entertainment. In parallel, there is an unprecedented push to equip every device with networking capabilities. However, there is little evidence to suggest that these distinct technological trends will converge rather than just co-exist. There are obvious benefits to support interoperation between real objects and virtual worlds in at least two ways: improving the possibilities for device interactions and improving the functionality that is available within virtual worlds. Moreover, it also allows the physical constraints associated with real objects to be removed, enabling them to enjoy the freedom offered by virtual worlds. To promote this vision, we propose an integration architecture that blurs the gap between real and virtual objects. This supports both conventional and unconventional usage of devices visually connected to digital avatars, thus freeing users to decide how they wish to operate devices. Although much work has been done in both networked appliances and interactive entertainment, there is a need to converge these disciplines to harness the power afforded by new and emerging digital worlds. This will make it easier to interact with devices through the obvious benefits physical disembodiment brings. We present a new approach demonstrated using a working prototype to implement a virtual world capable of operating a remote appliance, either via the device or via its digital avatar. &copy; 2007 IEEE