Impact of hypoglycaemia on patient-reported outcomes from a global, 24-country study of 27,585 people with type 1 and insulin-treated type 2 diabetes

Aims: Data on the impact of hypoglycaemia on patients' daily lives and diabetes self-management, particularly in developing countries, are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess fear of, and responses to, hypoglycaemia experienced by patients globally. Materials and methods: This non-interventional, multicentre, 4-week prospective study using self-assessment questionnaires and patient diaries consisted of 27,585 patients, >= 18 years, with type 1 diabetes (n = 8022) or type 2 diabetes (n = 19,563) treated with insulin for > 12 months, at 2004 sites in 24 countries worldwide. Results: Increased blood glucose monitoring (69.7%) and seeking medical assistance (62.0%) were the most common responses in the 4 weeks following hypoglycaemic events for patients with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes, respectively. Approximately 44% of patients with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes increased calorie intake in response to a hypoglycaemic episode. Following hypoglycaemia, 3.9% (type 1 diabetes) and 6.2% (type 2 diabetes) of patients took leave from work or study. Regional differences in fear of, and responses to, hypoglycaemia were evident - in particular, a lower level of hypoglycaemic fear and utilisation of healthcare resources in Northern Europe and Canada. Conclusions: Hypoglycaemia has a major impact on patients and their behaviour. These global data for the first time reveal regional variations in response to hypoglycaemia and highlight the importance of patient education and management strategies. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. This is an open access article under thePeer reviewe

La Benzaiten à huit bras : Durgā déesse guerrière sous l'apparence de Sarasvatī

One of the principal ways in which the goddess Benzaiten is represented in Japan is her eight-armed, weapon-bearing form based on her description in the Sutra of Golden Light, most particularly in Yijing's translation. Although Benzaiten originates in India as the riverine goddess of knowledge Sarasvatī, this eight-armed representation has no analogous form as Sarasvatī in India. A close examination of the praise of Benzaiten in the sutra, however, shows that the eight-armed goddess invoked here is actually the battle goddess Durgā. In this article, following a brief introduction of eight-armed Benzaiten, hymns to Durgā in the Mahābhārata epic and in the Harivamśa are presented to provide evidence for the identification of eight-armed Benzaiten with Durgā. Certain early images of Durgā are discussed to show the iconographic similarity with eight-armed Benzaiten. Furthermore, the reasons for the appearance of Durgā under the guise of Sarasvatī in the Sutra of Golden Light are taken up.Ludvik Catherine. La Benzaiten à huit bras : Durgā déesse guerrière sous l'apparence de Sarasvatī. In: Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie, vol. 11, 1999. Nouvelles études de Dunhuang. Centenaire de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient. pp. 293-338

From Sarasvat¢i to Benzaiten

grantor: University of TorontoSarasvati¢ is known in India as the beautiful ' vi¢n&dotbelow;a¢' (zither)-playing goddess of knowledge. In China little remains of her presence. In Japan, on the other hand, she, under the name of Benzaiten XXX, enjoys widespread popularity as a goddess associated primarily with wealth, and depicted either as playing the ' biwa' (lute) or carrying weapons. This study traces the path from Sarasvati¢ to Benzaiten, using the Indian background to elucidate what is found in China and Japan, and resorting to information gathered from China and Japan to detect changes on the Indian front. The conceptual development of Sarasvati¢ from India to Japan is examined here through textual sources, artistic representations, inscriptions, and historical records of India, China, and Japan. The time period covered in India spans from ca. 1500 B.C.E. to ca. 700 C.E.; in China, primarily from the fifth to eighth century; and in Japan, from the seventh to the ninth century. This study is divided into five parts. The first part on the Vedic Sarasvati¢ examines the depiction of the goddess in the 'R&dotbelow;g, Atharva ', and 'Yajur Veda Sam&dotbelow;hita¢s', as well as in the Bra¢hman&dotbelow;as. It revolves around the gradual transformation of the river goddess into the goddess of knowledge. The second part on the Epic and Puranic Sarasvati¢ covers the 'Maha¢bha¢rata ' and the early Pura¢n&dotbelow;as. In the discussion of the ' Maha¢bha¢rata', the resurgence of the importance of the river, alongside the goddess of knowledge, and the proliferation of its ' ti¢rtha'-related myths are taken up. In the Pura¢n&dotbelow;as, the fully developed Brahma¢-Sarasvati¢ myth, the names, worship, and iconography of the goddess are discussed. The iconography of the goddess then leads into the third part on the early Indian images of Sarasvati¢ where Hindu, Jain, and possibly Buddhist images are introduced. The Buddhist Sarasvati¢ is then discussed in the fourth part, which extends from India to China to Japan through the 'Sutra of Golden Light' and its repentance ritual. In the fifth part on the Chinese and Japanese images of Sarasvati¢, the two principal forms of the goddess are discussed and further Japanese developments are summarized.Ph.D