Content comparison of patient-reported outcome instruments used to measure burnout

The aim of this article is to compare the content of patient-reported outcome (PRO) burnout measures and to examine the degree of overlap between them and psychosocial difficulties (PSD) experienced by persons with burnout. The most frequently used PRO and qualitative studies were identified in two systematic literature reviews. Psychosocial difficulties identified in both sources were standardized and a qualitative content comparison was performed. Seven PROs and seven qualitative studies were selected. Energy and drive, emotional functions and work were key themes of both sources. Disparities were observed for problems in areas such as sleep, attention or family relationships, which were reported in several qualitative studies, but are seldom addressed in PROs. Several areas important to persons with burnout, such as family relationships, are seldom measured by currently used PROs. From a biopsychosocial perspective, these instruments cannot therefore be considered comprehensive enough to capture the whole experience of burnout and should be improved.<br/

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

Algoritarismos

Este libro nace con la voluntad de compilar algunos de los trabajos que, desde la llamada frontera del conocimiento, dan cuenta de lo que he venido en denominar Algoritarismos, esto es, las complejas relaciones contemporáneas entre la tecnología y la vida

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

Views and Experiences of Persons with Chronic Diseases about Strategies that Aim to Integrate and Re-Integrate Them into Work: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies

The effectiveness of strategies targeting professional integration and reintegration strongly depends on the experiences of participants. The aim of this systematic literature review is to synthesize European qualitative studies exploring views and experiences of persons with chronic conditions regarding strategies for integration and reintegration into work. The systematic search was conducted in Medline, PsycINFO, CDR-HTA, CDR-DARE and Cochrane Systematic Reviews. Overall, 24 studies published in English between January 2011 and April 2016 were included. Most studies were carried out in Nordic countries or in the UK, and most participants were persons with either mental or musculoskeletal disorders. Ten themes emerged: individual and holistic approach, clarity of strategy and processes, timing of rehabilitation processes, experience with professionals, at the workplace and with peer groups, changes in the understanding of health and work, active involvement in the process, competencies development and motivating aspects of work. Findings highlight, among others, the need to actively involve participants in the return to work process and to provide timely and clearly structured processes and interventions. This review provides stakeholders key information to develop, plan, implement and evaluate interventions to integrate and re-integrate persons with chronic conditions into work in Europe

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