Can Qigong (body mind exercise) improve symptoms of insomnia in cancer survivors? : a feasibility study

Background: Many cancer survivors experience insomnia that significantly affects their quality of life (QOL). Due to the limitations of the current conventional cancer care and inadequate and inconclusive studies of Qigong on insomnia-related outcomes in this population, this pilot study aims to investigate the feasibility and effect of a 3-week Qigong intervention in cancer survivors experiencing insomnia. Methods: Seven cancer survivors aged 40-65, with an Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score of ≥ 11, who had completed radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment and/or at least eight weeks post cancer-related surgery participated in the study. Participants attended face to face sessions two times per week and supervised online home practice three sessions per week for a 3-week period. Feasibility outcomes included recruitment source, compliance to data collection, adherence to Qigong intervention, serious adverse events and experience of trial. Clinical outcome measures of insomnia included subjective ISI score and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global scores collected at Week 0 (baseline), Week 2 (mid-intervention), Week 3 (post-intervention) and Week 4 (one-week follow-up). Results: Retention rate was 71% while adherence rate was 90 % for face to face sessions and 80% for online sessions. Participants reported increased relaxation, improved sleep and reduced stress. Repeated measures ANOVA reported statistically significantly difference in mean ISI values (F(1.963, 7.852) = 5.606, P = 0.031) and PSQI values (F(1.229, 4.915) = 16.508, P = 0.009) over the four time points. Contrasts tests revealed statistically significant reduction in group ISI means between Week 0 (baseline) compared to Week 2 (mean=5.6, ᶯp2 = 0.694, p=0.040), Week3 (mean=7.8, ᶯp2 = 0.838, p=0.010) and Week 4 (mean=6, ᶯp2 = 0.709, p=0.036). The contrast tests also reported statistically significant reduction in group PSQI means between Week 0 (baseline) compared to Week 2 (mean=5.1, ᶯp2 =0.841, p=0.018), Week3 (mean=5.4, ᶯp2 =0.833, p=0.011) and Week 4 (mean=4.7, ᶯp2 =0.835, p=0.011). Non parametric tests reported significant difference in ISI (p=0.006) and PSQI (p=0.007). Conclusion: In summary, this study demonstrated that it is feasible to prescribe the current Qigong intervention with the potential to improve insomnia in cancer survivors. Potential benefits identified indicated the need for larger future trials to further evaluate the effect of Qigong on cancer survivors experiencing insomnia

Francis Daniels Moore: one of the brightest minds in the surgical field.

Francis Daniels Moore was a pioneer ahead of his time who made numerous landmark contributions to the field of surgery, including the understanding of metabolic physiology during surgery, liver and kidney transplant, and the famous Study on Surgical Services of the United States (SOSSUS) report of 1975 that served for decades as a guideline for development of surgical residencies. He was the epitome of what a physician should be, a compassionate and dedicated surgeon, innovative scientist, and a medical professional dedicated to quality medical education across all specialties

The feasibility and effects of Qigong intervention (mind-body exercise) in cancer patients with insomnia : a pilot qualitative study

Background: Up to 80% of cancer patients experience insomnia that significantly affects their quality of life. This pilot qualitative study investigated the feasibility and effects of a 3-week Qigong (mind-body exercise) intervention with a 1-week follow-up in cancer patients experiencing insomnia. Methods: Cancer patients with insomnia who had completed radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment and/or were at least 8weeks post-cancer-related surgery were recruited. Primary outcomes were feasibility outcomes, which included recruitment, retention, attendance, completion of assessment, adverse events and participant feedback via a questionnaire and focus group/individual interview. Secondary outcomes on insomnia severity and sleep quality were measured using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at baseline, mid, post-intervention and follow-up. Results: Seven participants were recruited and two withdrew from the study. The participant retention rate was 71.4% with an overall attendance rate of more than 84% and participants were able to complete all required assessments. An adverse event relating to the worsening of existing musculoskeletal condition was reported. Qualitative analysis of participant feedback identified 4 emerging themes: (1) experience from Qigong intervention; (2) class preferences; (3) barriers to participation; and (4) recommendation for improvement. Participants reported increased relaxation, improved sleep and energy level, better upper body flexibility and reduced stress. Both ISI and PSQI scores improved significantly (P<.05). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that it is feasible to employ the current clinical trial design using Qigong intervention on insomnia in cancer patients. Preliminary data suggest that the intervention may improve sleep outcomes, however, these findings need to be confirmed by future robust randomized controlled trials

'Reinventing' Thai universities: Ajarn, Thailand 4.0 and cross-cultural communication implications for international academia

Thai higher education (Thai HE) is changing. Thailand 4.0, a socioeconomic and educational development policy of the Thai Government, wants universities to ‘reinvent’ themselves into the world’s top - 100 and so draw closer to international ideas of quality assurance, research, impact and teaching. This has, for example, led to a radical proposed revolution in mid - 2020 for Thailand’s academic ranking system, one that is both unexpected and unprepared for. Therefore, using a literature review, alongside policy analysis, we describe publicly available information on Thai academic systems and question the forthcoming proposed changes against the pre-existing systems for academic progression. Through this, we debate the academic expectations and traditions in Thai HE. These are unique, a reflection of a country that prides itself as never having been colonised, yet favouring the borrowing, rejecting and reinterpretation of other academic systems. We propose consideration ofthe cross - cultural communication implications for Thai HE is needed, as it seeks to move towards an international setting. Then, we conclude that critical restructuring of academic ranks would create a more progressive educational policy, in line with international ideas of academia. Meanwhile, it raises further implications for cross - cultural collaboration, as well as communication, which has the potential for a lucrative knowledge exchange between institutes of learning in western higher education and Thailand

Thailand's Ajarn: tracing material-semiotic relationships in Thai Higher Education

Thailand aspires to be a high-income nation through higher education global reform. This article explores Ajarn, the entry-level role and venerated honorific title for university academic faculty in Thailand, who, we contend, are key to international progress. It seeks to explain the relational symmetry between their role and the broader challenges encountered in Thai HE. Using a literature review drawn from sociolinguistics and Actor-Network Theory (ANT) semiotics, furthered by Bruno Latour, John Law, and Michel Callon, we adopt a theoretical material-semiotic approach to trace problems influencing Ajarn. We conclude with recommendations to support Thai HE reforms for collaboration on a global stage. In doing so, we offer an appreciation of the cultural complexity, sociolinguistic history, and capital of the Ajarn role. Indeed, greater cross-cultural understanding of this is needed, as we move, within Thailand, towards transformation in a more internationalised, therefore global, educational system. Journal of Mass Communication, Vol 10: 1 (Pages 157-203). THAIJO

Characterization of plexinA and two distinct semaphorin1a transcripts in the developing and adult cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

Guidance cues act during development to guide growth cones to their proper targets in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Experiments in many species indicate that guidance molecules also play important roles after development, though less is understood about their functions in the adult. The Semaphorin family of guidance cues, signaling through Plexin receptors, influences the development of both axons and dendrites in invertebrates. Semaphorin functions have been extensively explored in Drosophila melanogaster and some other Dipteran species, but little is known about their function in hemimetabolous insects. Here, we characterize sema1a and plexA in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. In fact, we found two distinct predicted Sema1a proteins in this species, Sema1a.1 and Sema1a.2, which shared only 48% identity at the amino acid level. We include a phylogenetic analysis that predicted that many other insect species, both holometabolous and hemimetabolous, express two Sema1a proteins as well. Finally, we used in situ hybridization to show that sema1a.1 and sema1a.2 expression patterns were spatially distinct in the embryo, and both roughly overlap with plexA. All three transcripts were also expressed in the adult brain, mainly in the mushroom bodies, though sema1a.2 was expressed most robustly. sema1a.2 was also expressed strongly in the adult thoracic ganglia while sema1a.1 was only weakly expressed and plexA was undetectable

PCA-based lung motion model

Organ motion induced by respiration may cause clinically significant targeting errors and greatly degrade the effectiveness of conformal radiotherapy. It is therefore crucial to be able to model respiratory motion accurately. A recently proposed lung motion model based on principal component analysis (PCA) has been shown to be promising on a few patients. However, there is still a need to understand the underlying reason why it works. In this paper, we present a much deeper and detailed analysis of the PCA-based lung motion model. We provide the theoretical justification of the effectiveness of PCA in modeling lung motion. We also prove that under certain conditions, the PCA motion model is equivalent to 5D motion model, which is based on physiology and anatomy of the lung. The modeling power of PCA model was tested on clinical data and the average 3D error was found to be below 1 mm.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. submitted to International Conference on the use of Computers in Radiation Therapy 201

A Multiplex Real-Time PCR with High Resolution Melting Analysis for the Characterization of Antimicrobial Resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Resistance to antibiotics used against Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections is a major public health concern. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) testing relies on time-consuming culture-based methods. Development of rapid molecular tests for detecting AMR determinants could provide valuable tools for surveillance, epidemiological studies and to inform individual case management. We developed a fast (<1.5 hrs) SYBR-green based real-time PCR method with high resolution melting (HRM) analysis. One triplex and three duplex reactions included two sequences for N. gonorrhoeae identification and seven determinants of resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs), azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, and spectinomycin. The method was validated by testing 39 previously fully-characterized N. gonorrhoeae strains, 19 commensal Neisseria spp., and an additional panel of 193 gonococcal isolates. Results were compared with culture-based AMR determination. The assay correctly identified N. gonorrhoeae and the presence or absence of the seven AMR determinants. There was some cross-reactivity with non-gonococcal Neisseria species and the detection limit was 10(3)-10(4) gDNA copies/reaction. Overall, the platform accurately detected resistance to ciprofloxacin (sensitivity and specificity, 100%), ceftriaxone (sensitivity 100%, specificity 90%), cefixime (sensitivity 92%, specificity 94%), azithromycin and spectinomycin (both sensitivity and specificity, 100%). In conclusion, our methodology accurately detects mutations generating resistance to antibiotics used to treat gonorrhea. Low assay sensitivity prevents direct diagnostic testing of clinical specimens but this method can be used to screen collections of gonococcal isolates for AMR more quickly than with current culture-based AMR testing