Psycho-education programme for temporomandibular disorders: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are by far the most predominant condition affecting the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), however many patients have mild self-limiting symptoms and should not be referred for specialist care. The aim of this pilot study was to develop a simple, cost-effective management programme for TMDs using CD-ROM. 41 patients (age 18–70) participated in this study, patients were divided into three groups: the 1st group were involved in an attention placebo CD-ROM (contain anatomical information about the temporomandibular system), the 2nd group received information on CD-ROM designed to increase their control and self efficacy, while the 3rd group received the same programme of the 2nd group added to it an introduction to self-relaxing techniques followed by audio tape of progressive muscle relaxation exercises. Each of the groups was asked to complete a number of questionnaires on the day of initial consultation and six weeks afterwards. RESULTS: The two experimental groups (2nd & 3rd) were equally effective in reducing pain, disability and distress, and both were more effective than the attention placebo group (1st), however the experimental groups appeared to have improved at follow-up relative to the placebo-group in terms of disability, pain and depressed mood. CONCLUSION: This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility and acceptability of the design. A full, randomized, controlled trial is required to confirm the efficacy of the interventions developed here

Citizen science for observing and understanding the Earth

Citizen Science, or the participation of non-professional scientists in a scientific project, has a long history—in many ways, the modern scientific revolution is thanks to the effort of citizen scientists. Like science itself, citizen science is influenced by technological and societal advances, such as the rapid increase in levels of education during the latter part of the twentieth century, or the very recent growth of the bidirectional social web (Web 2.0), cloud services and smartphones. These transitions have ushered in, over the past decade, a rapid growth in the involvement of many millions of people in data collection and analysis of information as part of scientific projects. This chapter provides an overview of the field of citizen science and its contribution to the observation of the Earth, often not through remote sensing but a much closer relationship with the local environment. The chapter suggests that, together with remote Earth Observations, citizen science can play a critical role in understanding and addressing local and global challenges

Private Narratives and Infant Views: Iconizing 1970s Militancy in Contemporary Argentine Cinema

This is the author's accepted manuscript, made available with the permission of the publisher.This article analyses the connections between the subjective turn in the representation of militancy, iconicity, and historical examination in Infancia clandestina, a recent Argentine film that portrays the 1970s armed struggle through a child’s lens. Breaking with the leading interpretation that praises the movie because of its original exposition of left-leaning violence, I contend that this coming-of-age story fits within a version of militancy that originated in the mid-1990s and that has become quite common since the advent of the Kirchner administration in 2003. This particular version relies on a privatized and archaic image of activism that is at the core of the global iconization of 1970s militancy. An analysis of the filmic use of an infant perspective and of anime-style cartoons illuminates how contemporary Argentine cinema both registers and participates in this iconizing process

Facial Skin Coloration Affects Perceived Health of Human Faces

Numerous researchers have examined the effects of skin condition, including texture and color, on the perception of health, age, and attractiveness in human faces. They have focused on facial color distribution, homogeneity of pigmentation, or skin quality. We here investigate the role of overall skin color in determining perceptions of health from faces by allowing participants to manipulate the skin portions of color-calibrated Caucasian face photographs along CIELab color axes. To enhance healthy appearance, participants increased skin redness (a*), providing additional support for previous findings that skin blood color enhances the healthy appearance of faces. Participants also increased skin yellowness (b*) and lightness (L*), suggesting a role for high carotenoid and low melanin coloration in the healthy appearance of faces. The color preferences described here resemble the red and yellow color cues to health displayed by many species of nonhuman animals

Variability in the use of pulse oximeters with children in Kenyan hospitals: A mixed-methods analysis.

BACKGROUND: Pulse oximetry, a relatively inexpensive technology, has the potential to improve health outcomes by reducing incorrect diagnoses and supporting appropriate treatment decisions. There is evidence that in low- and middle-income countries, even when available, widespread uptake of pulse oximeters has not occurred, and little research has examined why. We sought to determine when and with which children pulse oximeters are used in Kenyan hospitals, how pulse oximeter use impacts treatment provision, and the barriers to pulse oximeter use. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We analyzed admissions data recorded through Kenya's Clinical Information Network (CIN) between September 2013 and February 2016. We carried out multiple imputation and generated multivariable regression models in R. We also conducted interviews with 30 healthcare workers and staff from 14 Kenyan hospitals to examine pulse oximetry adoption. We adapted the Integrative Model of Behavioural Prediction to link the results from the multivariable regression analyses to the qualitative findings. We included 27,906 child admissions from 7 hospitals in the quantitative analyses. The median age of the children was 1 year, and 55% were male. Three-quarters had a fever, over half had a cough; other symptoms/signs were difficulty breathing (34%), difficulty feeding (34%), and indrawing (32%). The most common diagnoses were pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria: 45%, 35%, and 28% of children, respectively, had these diagnoses. Half of the children obtained a pulse oximeter reading, and of these, 10% had an oxygen saturation level below 90%. Children were more likely to receive a pulse oximeter reading if they were not alert (odds ratio [OR]: 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09, 1.55, p = 0.003), had chest indrawing (OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.17, 1.40, p < 0.001), or a very high respiratory rate (OR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.43, p < 0.001), as were children admitted to certain hospitals, at later time periods, and when a Paediatric Admission Record (PAR) was used (OR PAR used compared with PAR not present: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.98, 2.94, p < 0.001). Children were more likely to be prescribed oxygen if a pulse oximeter reading was obtained (OR: 1.42, 95% CI:1.25, 1.62, p < 0.001) and if this reading was below 90% (OR: 3.29, 95% CI: 2.82, 3.84, p < 0.001). The interviews indicated that the main barriers to pulse oximeter use are inadequate supply, broken pulse oximeters, and insufficient training on how, when, and why to use pulse oximeters and interpret their results. According to the interviews, variation in pulse oximeter use between hospitals is because of differences in pulse oximeter availability and the leadership of senior doctors in advocating for pulse oximeter use, whereas variation within hospitals over time is due to repair delays. Pulse oximeter use increased over time, likely because of the CIN's feedback to hospitals. When pulse oximeters are used, they are sometimes used incorrectly and some healthcare workers lack confidence in readings that contradict clinical signs. The main limitations of the study are that children with high levels of missing data were not excluded, interview participants might not have been representative, and the interviews did not enable a detailed exploration of differences between counties or across senior management groups. CONCLUSIONS: There remain major challenges to implementing pulse oximetry-a cheap, decades old technology-into routine care in Kenya. Implementation requires efficient and transparent procurement and repair systems to ensure adequate availability. Periodic training, structured clinical records that include prompts, the promotion of pulse oximetry by senior doctors, and monitoring and feedback might also support pulse oximeter use. Our findings can inform strategies to support the use of pulse oximeters to guide prompt and effective treatment, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. Without effective implementation, the potential benefits of pulse oximeters and possible hospital cost-savings by targeting oxygen therapy might not be realized