140 research outputs found
Cost-effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy for dysfunctional fear of progression in cancer patients
Anxiety and fear are often associated with chronic conditions such as cancer. This paper targets the cost-effectiveness analysis of a cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBT) in comparison to a client-centered, supportive-experiential group therapy (SET) in cancer patients with dysfunctional fear of progression. An incremental cost-effectiveness analysis was performed using data from a randomized controlled trial among cancer patients receiving inpatient rehabilitation. The means, 95% confidence intervals [95% CI], incremental cost-effectiveness graphic and acceptability curve were obtained from 1,000 bootstrap replications. A total of 174 patients were included in the economic evaluation. The estimated means [95% CI] of direct costs and reduction of fear of progression were €9,045.03 [6,359.07; 12,091.87] and 1.41 [0.93; 1.92] for patients in the SET and €6,682.78 [4,998.09; 8,440.95] and 1.44 [1.02; 1.09] for patients in the CBT. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio [95% CI] amounts to minus €78,741.66 [−154,987.20; 110,486.32] for an additional unit of effect. Given the acceptability curve, there is a 92.4% chance that the CBT, compared with the SET, is cost-effective without the need of additional costs to payers. Our main result is the superior cost-effectiveness of the cognitive-behavioral intervention program in comparison to the non-directive encounter group for our sample of cancer patients with high levels of anxiet
Factors related to social support in neurological and mental disorders
Despite the huge body of research on social support, literature has been primarily focused on its beneficial role for both physical and mental health. It is still unclear why people with mental and neurological disorders experience low levels of social support. The main objective of this study was to explore what are the strongest factors related to social support and how do they interact with each other in neuropsychiatric disorders. The study used cross-sectional data from 722 persons suffering from dementia, depression, epilepsy, migraine, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, stroke, and substance use disorders. Multiple linear regressions showed that disability was the strongest factor for social support. Extraversion and agreeableness were significant personality variables, but when the interaction terms between personality traits and disability were included, disability remained the only significant variable. Moreover, level of disability mediated the relationship between personality (extraversion and agreeableness) and level of social support. Moderation analysis revealed that people that had mental disorders experienced lower levels of support when being highly disabled compared to people with neurological disorders. Unlike previous literature, focused on increasing social support as the origin of improving disability, this study suggested that interventions improving day-to-day functioning or maladaptive personality styles might also have an effect on the way people perceive social support. Future longitudinal research, however, is warranted to explore causality
Análisis y tendencias del polen de Chenopodiáceas-Amarantáceas en la atmósfera de cuatro ciudades del sur de España
XV lnternational A.P.L.E. Symposium of Palynolog
Neutron radiobiology studies with a pure cold neutron beam
Data on the radiobiological effects of thermal neutrons are usually obtained from irradiations in a mixed field of
neutrons of different energies and gamma rays or from conversion of proton data with similar energies to those
created in the neutron capture on nitrogen. Experimental data from irradiations in a pure thermal or cold
neutron beam can help to find new values for neutron relative biological effectiveness (RBE) factors, which are
useful for BNCT (Boron Neutron Capture Therapy) and radiation protection applications. We present a new
experimental setup for radiobiological studies at a cold neutron beam at Institut Laue-Langevin, a beam without
fast neutron component and almost no gamma ray contribution. After the irradiation, survival assays are performed
to obtain the survival curves. Finally, comparing with a reference photon irradiation, the thermal
neutron RBE factors can be calculated. The methodology is outlined at the example of A375 melanoma cells for
which new radiobiological data were obtained.We acknowledge financial support for this work from the Fundación
Científica de la Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC) under
grant PS16163811PORR, Junta de Andalucía (Andalusian Regional
Government), under contract P11-FQM-8229, Spanish MINECO and
FEDER funds under contract FIS2015-69941-C2-1-P, the grant agreement
ILL-UGR and the founders of the University of Granada Chair
Neutrons for Medicine: Spanish Fundación ACS and Capitán Antonio.
M.P. acknowledges a grant under the program Becas de Iniciación a la Investigación from the Universidad de Granada (Plan Propio de
Investigación). The open access fee was covered by FILL2030, a
European Union project within the European Commission’s
Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant
agreement N°731096
Thermal Neutron Relative Biological Effectiveness Factors for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy from In Vitro Irradiations
The experimental determination of the relative biological effectiveness of thermal neutron
factors is fundamental in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. The present values have been obtained
while using mixed beams that consist of both neutrons and photons of various energies. A common
weighting factor has been used for both thermal and fast neutron doses, although such an approach has
been questioned. At the nuclear reactor of the Institut Laue-Langevin a pure low-energy neutron beam
has been used to determine thermal neutron relative biological effectiveness factors. Different cancer
cell lines, which correspond to glioblastoma, melanoma, and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma,
and non-tumor cell lines (lung fibroblast and embryonic kidney), have been irradiated while using
an experimental arrangement designed to minimize neutron-induced secondary gamma radiation.
Additionally, the cells were irradiated with photons at a medical linear accelerator, providing reference
data for comparison with that from neutron irradiation. The survival and proliferation were studied
after irradiation, yielding the Relative Biological Effectiveness that corresponds to the damage of
thermal neutrons for the different tissue types.Asociacion Espanola Contra el Cancer (AECC)
PS16163811PORRSpanish MINECO
FIS2015-69941-C2-1-PJunta de Andalucia
P11-FQM-8229Campus of International Excellence BioTic
P-BS-64University of Granada Chair Neutrons for Medicine: the Spanish Fundacion ACSAsociacion Capitan AntonioFundacion ACSLa Kuadrilla de IznallozSonriendo Se Puede Gana
Presentación del proyecto I+D+i: “Infancia y Participación. Diagnóstico y Propuestas para una Ciudadanía Activa e Inclusiva en la Comunidad, las Instituciones y la Gobernanza”
Podeu consultar el llibre complet a: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/164579[spa] La participación infantil, esto es, la inclusión de los colectivos infantil y adolescente en la toma
de decisiones es uno de los grandes retos de las sociedades democráticas consolidadas. Las
representaciones sociales bajo las que se considera a niñas, niños y adolescentes como «futuros
ciudadanos», «no capaces» o «semiciudadanos» deben ser superadas para que se reconozca su
condición de ciudadanas y ciudadanos activos en el ahora. El proyecto competitivo que aquí se
presenta pretende hacer una aproximación a los componentes y estrategias que posibilitan el impulso
de la participación infantil. Ha sido concedido en la convocatoria de 2018 «Retos Investigación: Una
manera de hacer Europa», promovida por el MCIU. Aún en sus primeras fases, el valor de esta
comunicación no es tanto el de revelar resultados sino el de poner en conocimiento de la comunidad
científica y la comunidad socioeducativa la investigación que se está llevando a cabo.[eng] Child participation, that is, the inclusion of children and adolescents in the decision-making processes
is one of the great challenges of consolidated democracies. Social representations under which
children and adolescents are regarded as ‘future citizens’, ‘not capable’ or ‘semi-citizens’ must be
overcome for recognition of their status as active citizens in their present. The competitive project
presented here aims to make an approximation to the components and strategies that enable the
promotion of child participation. It has been granted in the 2018 call “Research Challenges: A Way
to Do Europe”, promoted by the MCIU. Still in its early stages, the value of this communication is not
so much to reveal results but to bring to the knowledge of the scientific and the socio-educational
communities the research that is being carried out
Radiobiology data of melanoma cells after low-energy neutron irradiation and boron compound administration
The cold neutron beam at the PF1b line at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), without fast neutrons and a low contribution of gamma rays, is a very suitable facility to measure cell damage following low-energy neutron irradiation. The biological damage associated with the thermal and the boron doses can be obtained in order to evaluate the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. Three different experiments were carried out on the A375 melanoma cell line: the first one in a hospital LINAC, to obtain the reference radiation data, and the other two at the ILL, in which the damage to cells with and without boron compounds added was measured
A Finite Element Subproblem Method for Position Change Conductor Systems
Abstract Analyses of magnetic circuits with position changes of both massive and stranded conductors are performed via a finite element subproblem method. A complete problem is split into subproblems associated with each conductor and the magnetic regions. Each complete solution is then expressed as the sum of subproblem solutions supported by different meshes. The subproblem procedure simplifies both meshing and solving processes, with no need of remeshing, and accurately quantifies the effect of the position changes of conductors on both local fields, e.g. skin and proximity effects, and global quantities, e.g. inductances and forces. Applications covering parameterized analyses on conductor positions to moving conductor systems benefit from the developed approach
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