Acute injuries in student circus artists with regard to gender specific differences

Purpose: Student circus artists train as both artists and athletes with their bodies holding the key to professional success. The daily training load of student circus artists is often associated with maximum physical and psychological stress with injuries posing a threat to a potential professional career. The purpose of this study is the differentiated analysis and evaluation of work accidents in order to initiate the development of injury preventive programs. Methods: The 17 years of data were obtained from standardized anonymous work accident records of the Berlin State Accident Insurance (UKB) as well as a State Artist Educational School (n = 169, Male: 70; Female: 99) from student artists. Evaluation and descriptive statistics were conducted with Excel 2007 and PASW Statistics 18. Results: The injury risk seems to be relatively low (0.3 injuries/1000h). There are gender specific differences as to the location of injuries. Only 7% of the accidents demand a break of more than 3 days. Injury patterns vary depending on the activity and the employment of props/equipment. 75.2% of work accidents have multifactorial and 24.8% exogenous causes. Conclusions: Because physical fitness is all important in the circus arts there are numerous options for injury prevention programs that should be realized subject to gender-specific differences. Follow-ups on chronic complaints and a more individual approach are indispensable due to the very specific activities in the circus arts

Life satisfaction questionnaire (Lisat-9): reliability and validity for patients with acquired brain injury

The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and discriminant validity of the Dutch version of the life satisfaction questionnaire (Lisat-9 DV) to assess patients with an acquired brain injury. The reliability study used a test-retest design, and the validity study used a cross-sectional design. The setting was the general rehabilitation centre. There were 159 patients over 18 years of age, with an acquired brain injury, in the chronic phase. The main outcome measures were weighted kappa of test and retest data on the nine questions of the Lisat-9 DV and significance levels of differences between subgroups of patients who are expected to differ in terms of Lisat-9 scores, on the basis of other instruments. The results were as follows: the reliability was moderate, with the weighted kappa ranging from 0.41 to 0.64. In terms of validity, subgroups of patients who were expected to differ in terms of the Lisat-9 domains did indeed differ significantly, except for the difference in the Lisat score for 'contact with friends and acquaintances' between subgroups defined by higher or lower scores on the corresponding domain of the Frenchay Activities Index. As there was a plausible explanation for not finding a significant difference between subgroups defined by one of the Frenchay Activities Index domains and significant differences were found between the subgroups defined by other instruments corresponding to the same domain, we conclude that the discriminant validity is good. The reliability was not clearly affected by cognitive disorder or aphasia. The conclusions were that the reliability of the Lisat-9 DV for patients with an acquired brain injury was moderate; the discriminant validity was good

The dancer as a performing athlete: physiological considerations.

The physical demands placed on dancers from current choreography and performance schedules make their physiology and fitness just as important as skill development. However, even at the height of their professional careers, dancers' aerobic power, muscular strength, muscular balance, bone and joint integrity are the 'Achilles heels' of the dance-only selection and training system. This partly reflects the unfounded view, shared by sections of the dance world, that any exercise training that is not directly related to dance would diminish dancers' aesthetic appearances. Given that performing dance itself elicits only limited stimuli for positive fitness adaptations, it is not surprising that professional dancers often demonstrate values similar to those obtained from healthy sedentary individuals of comparable age in key fitness-related parameters. In contrast, recent data on male and female dancers revealed that supplementary exercise training can lead to improvements of such fitness parameters and reduce incidents of dance injuries, without interfering with key artistic and aesthetic requirements. It seems, however, that strict selection and training regimens have succeeded in transforming dance to an activity practised by individuals who have selectively developed different flexibility characteristics compared with athletes. Bodyweight targets are normally met by low energy intakes, with female dance students and professional ballerinas reported to consume below 70% and 80% of the recommended daily allowance of energy intake, respectively, while the female athlete 'triad' of disordered eating, amenorrhoea and osteoporosis is now well recognised and is seen just as commonly in dancers.An awareness of these factors will assist dancers and their teachers to improve training techniques, to employ effective injury prevention strategies and to determine better physical conditioning. However, any change in the traditional training regimes must be approached cautiously to ensure that the aesthetic content of the dance is not affected by new training techniques. Since physiological aspects of performing dance have been viewed primarily in the context of ballet, further scientific research on all forms of dance is required

Life satisfaction and self-efficacy in patients affected by a first stroke living in Kuwait: A two-phase study

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2012 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc.Life satisfaction and self-efficacy are important aspects of stroke rehabilitation. Previous research focuses on Western stroke survivors, neglecting the stroke experience in the Middle East. This research was conducted in Kuwait and entailed both quantitative and qualitative phases to obtain a more comprehensive, clinically relevant understanding of self-efficacy and life satisfaction during stroke rehabilitation in this culture. The aims were to: 1) investigate the relationships between self-efficacy and life satisfaction in female patients affected by stroke (Phase 1); and 2) explore health professionals' views regarding the importance of self-efficacy and possible strategies for enhancing self-efficacy during rehabilitation, through semi-structured interviews (Phase 2). Significant correlations were found between patients' general self-efficacy, and psychosocial adaptation self-efficacy following stroke. Self-efficacy (both general and psychosocial adaptation) showed significant correlations with life satisfaction post-stroke. Health professionals (more than half of whom were physiotherapists) recognised the importance of self-efficacy within stroke rehabilitation and identified five main ways to increase self-efficacy during stroke rehabilitation. These were to: 1) motivate and encourage patients; 2) provide more education about stroke and rehabilitation; 3) identify change; 4) offer a high-quality environment and therapy; and 5) set goals. In conclusion, psychosocial self-efficacy was identified as having a stronger relationship to life satisfaction compared with general self-efficacy within this sample of Kuwaiti female patients. Health professionals suggested various strategies for enhancing self-efficacy and thereby life satisfaction post-stroke during the rehabilitation process in Kuwait. Despite the collectivist culture of Kuwait, the findings indicate that the patient's own confidence and sense of responsibility for progress may be relevant to rehabilitation

Frédéric Ramel. 2006. Les Fondateurs Oubliés : Durkheim, Simmel, Weber et Mauss et les Relations Internationales. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France. 117 pp. ISBN: 2 13 055075 4.

Neste livro, Frédéric Ramel tenta extrair, de entre a vasta obra dos quatro grandes clássicos da sociologia, pedaços de uma história da sociologia das relações internacionais. Nenhum dos autores considerados dedicou uma obra maior a este tema, pelo que Ramel vai ter que partir de obscuros opúsculos, pequenas partes de livros, lições e artigos dispersos para reconstruir o pensamento de cada um deles sobre a nação, a natureza das relações entre os estados, a política internacional, a guerra e a paz..

Physical Fitness, Menstrual Cycle Disorders and Smoking Habit in Croatian National Ballet and National Folk Dance Ensembles

The study investigated differences in morphological, motor and functional abilities between folk and ballet dancers. The sample comprised 51 female subjects: Croatian National Ballet (N=30) and Croatian National Folk Ensemble »LADO« (N=21). The data regarding menstrual cycle, menarche, number of births and smoking habit were collected and the morphological, motor and functional abilities measured. Significant correlations between the amount of fat tissue and number of births were found in both groups. Folk dancers were as tall as ballet dancers but weighted more and had a larger body frame (p<0.001). Ballet dancers were more flexible but there were no differences in absolute maximal oxygen uptake (2.65 vs. 2.35 L/min, p=0.101). Still, as the ballet dancers weighted less, their relative maximal oxygen uptake was significantly higher (37.62 vs. 50.22 mL/kg/min, p<0.001). Also, a high number of 45% of smokers among professional ballet and professional folk dancers was foun

Ergotherapie in der Handtherapie : psychische Folgen traumatischer Handverletzungen und Behandlungsempfehlungen für die Ergotherapie

Hintergrund: Eine schwere traumatische Handverletzung hat weitreichende Folgen. Die Funktion der betroffenen Hand ist verändert, Alltagsaktivitäten und Partizipation beeinträchtigt. HandtherapeutInnen wissen, dass psychische Folgen Einfluss auf das Resultat der Rehabilitation haben. Allerdings fehlen evidenzbasierte Behandlungsempfehlungen, um ergotherapeutische Massnahmen bei psychischen Schwierigkeiten gezielt in den Rehabilitationsprozess implementieren zu können. Ziel: Die vorliegende Arbeit zielt auf die Darlegung der Folgen traumatischer Handverletzungen, Entwicklung sowie Implementierung praxisrelevanter Empfehlungen für den Umgang mit psychischen Folgen in der Ergotherapie in der Handtherapie im Allgemeinen und konkret im beschriebenen Praxisumfeld ab. Methode: Es handelt sich um ein literaturbasiertes Praxisentwicklungsprojekt. Durchführung einer strukturierten Literatursuche in PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, MEDLINE, PsycINFO sowie dem «Journal of Hand Therapy», «Hand», Sage Journals und «Hand», mit den Stichworten traumatische Handverletzung, psychische Folgen, posttraumatische Belastungsstörung (PTBS), Rehabilitation, psychologische Intervention, KAWA, Kohärenz, Resilienz, Betätigung, Ergotherapie. Die Aufarbeitung der Literatur erfolgt durch das Projektteam, anschliessend Konsensfindung im Team. Ein Pilotversuch erfolgt Ende 2018, die Implementierung ist für 2019 geplant. Ergebnisse: In den ersten Wochen nach traumatischer Handverletzung beobachten HandtherapeutInnen psychische Symptome gezielt und strukturiert. Die Erhebung psychischer Schwierigkeiten empfiehlt sich drei Monate nach Verletzung. Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), Disabilities of Hand, Arm and Shoulder (DASH) und Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) sind relevante Assessments. Wichtig ist eine zielorientierte, klientenzentrierte Rehabilitation, der Erhalt von Rollen und Partizipation, sowie Aktivierung psychosozialer Ressourcen. Massnahmen wie Edukation, kognitive Verhaltenstherapie, Bewältigungsstrategien und Ansätze der Salutogenese fliessen in den ergotherapeutischen Prozess ein. Zu einem guten Projektstart hat die Bedarfserhebung beigetragen, eine strukturierte Planung und ein engagiertes Projektteam gewähren einen guten Projektverlauf. Schlussfolgerung: ErgotherapeutInnen übernehmen eine wichtige Rolle bei der Rehabilitation traumatischer Handverletzungen und derer psychischer Folgen. Die Erkenntnisse aus der Literatur fliessen in das Praxisprojekt ein. Strukturierte Planung und Umsetzung des Projektes sind Voraussetzung für die Zielerreichung

A multicenter study on transfer, walking and stair climbing in persons with stroke admitted to specialized rehabilitation

Background: Walking on even surface and stair walking capacity are prerequisites for independence, and these capacities are often referred to as primary goals in rehabilitation after stroke

Ocena jakości życia pacjentów po udarze mózgu

Introduction. Quality of life (QOL) has been defined as a person’s perception of their social, cultural and self-worth position in the society and its effect on the person’s goals, expectations and apprehensions in life. It is a wide-ranging concept including physical health, mental state, level of independence and social relationships.Aim. The aim of the study was to asses the quality of life of patients after a cerebral stroke.Material and Methods. The study was carried out in a group of 106 patients after a cerebral stroke and hospitalized in the neurological ward. The age of the patients was ranged 32–90 years (mean age 59.12±13.04). Females constituted 56.00% of the studied group. The majority of patients were married (57.55%). The study material was obtained with the use of WHOQOL-Bref scale and Barthel scale.Results. The patients’ assessment of their general quality of life was at a mean level of 3.18±0.943 and their assessment of the state of health was 2.96±0.94. Distribution of the mean values in specific domains of life was as follows: social (55.00±21.61), environmental (54.23±16.67), somatic (53.89±18.17), psychological (46.53±17.23). Evaluation of the patients with Barthel scale classified the majority of them into Category II (51.90%), while Category I included 41.50% of patients; only 6.60% were in the worst state and qualified for Category III.Conclusions. Self-assessment of the patients recovering from a cerebral stroke was at a reduced level. The patients’ functional agility significantly affected their assessment of the quality of life. The type of stroke, education and place of living had a considerable effect on self-assessment of the quality of life in the patients recovering from a cerebral stroke. (JNNN 2017;6(4):163–169)Wstęp. Jakość życia (QOL) została określona jako postrzeganie przez osoby ich pozycji w życiu w kontekście systemów kultury i wartości, w których żyją relacji do ich celów, oczekiwań i obaw. Jest to szeroko pojęta koncepcja obejmująca zdrowie fizyczne, stan psychiczny, poziom niezależności, relacje społeczne.Cel. Celem badań było dokonanie oceny jakości życia pacjentów po udarze mózgu.Materiał i metody. Badania przeprowadzono w grupie 106 pacjentów po przebytym udarze mózgu, hospitalizowanych w oddziale neurologii. Wiek badanych zawierał się w przedziale 32–90 lat (średnia 59,12±13,04). Kobiety stanowiły 56,00% badanej grupy. Większość pacjentów pozostawało w związku małżeńskim (57,55%). Materiał badawczy zebrano za pomocą skali WHOQOL-Bref oraz skali Barthel.Wyniki. Pacjenci ocenili ogólną jakość swojego życia na poziomie średniej 3,18±0,94 a stan swojego zdrowia na 2,96±0,94. Rozkład średnich w poszczególnych dziedzinach jakości życia kształtował się następująco: socjalna (55,00±21,61), środowiskowa (54,23±16,67), somatyczna (53,89±18,17), psychologiczna (46,53±17,23). Dokonując oceny badanych skalą Barthel stwierdzono, że najwięcej badanych znalazło się w kategorii II (51,90%). W kategorii I było 41,50% osób, a tylko 6,60% było w najcięższym stanie i zakwalifikowano je do kategorii III.Wnioski. Samoocena jakości życia przez pacjentów po udarze mózgu była na obniżonym poziomie. Sprawność funkcjonalna badanych znacząco wpływała na samoocenę ich jakości życia. Rodzaj udaru, wykształcenie oraz miejsce zamieszkania miały znaczący wpływ na samoocenę jakości życia przez pacjentów po udarze mózgu. (PNN 2017;6(4):163–169