The Drakensberg Declaration on the Control of Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease in Africa

This paper reviews some research studies on tillage methods influencing soil and moisture conservation in the eastern African countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Ethiopia during the past four decades. Most of these studies were conducted in marginal rainfall (semi arid ) areas and on shallow soils of various textures (sandy clay loam, sandy clay, clay and loam). The studies were meant to establish the effects of tillage and residue management practices on physico-chemical soil properties (i.e. structure, bulk density, soil moisture and organic matter contents), runoff and infiltration. This review emphasizes the importance of appropriate tillage and residue management methods (contour bunds and terraces, minimum tillage, tied ridging, mulching and conventional tillage) in providing soil conditions favourable for soil moisture conservation and subsequent crop performance and yield on smallholder farm

Communication of the brand "Škoda" and "Citroen" in social networks

Bakalaura darba Zīmolu "Škoda" un "Citroen" komunikācija sociālajos tīklos, mērķis ir veikt zīmolu "Škoda" un "Citroen" sociālo tīklu komunikācijas analīzi Latvijā, un to savstarpēji salīdzināt. Darbā tiek apskatīti zīmolu sociālo tīklu konti vietnēs draugiem.lv, twitter.com un facebook.com. Pētnieciskais jautājums : kāda ir zīmolu komunikācija sociālajos tīklos un kā mērķauditorija ir ar to apmierināta? Darba teorētisko daļu veido teorētiskais raksturojums par zīmolu, sociālajiem tīkliem, kā arī mārketinga komunikāciju. Darbā pielietotās pētījuma metodes : kvantitatīvā kontentanalīze un aptauja. Pētījuma rezultāti : zīmolu "Škoda" un "Citroen" ievietotais saturs pētāmajos tīklos ir vienāds, lai arī sociālie tīkli pēc to uzbūves un mērķa ir atšķirīgi.The aim of the bachelor thesis Communication of the brand "Škoda" and "Citroen" in social networks is to analyze brands "Škoda" and "Citroen" communication in social networks in Latvia and to mutually compare them. In research brands will be examined in the following networks – draugiem.lv, facebook.com and twitter.com. The main question of the research: what is the brand communication in social networks like and how the audience is satisfied with it? The theoretical part explains the brand, social networks as well as marketing communications. Research methods applied in the work are quantitative content analysis and survey. Research results: content inserted in examined networks by brands "Škoda" and "Citroen" is equal, although the design and purpose of social networks is different

Nurses strategies to address self-care aspects related to medication adherence and symptom recognition in heart failure patients: An in-depth look

OBJECTIVE: Despite an increasing body of knowledge on self-care in heart failure patients, the need for effective interventions remains. We sought to deepen the understanding of interventions that heart failure nurses use in clinical practice to improve patient adherence to medication and symptom monitoring. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMETHODS: A qualitative study with a directed content analysis was performed, using data from a selected sample of Dutch-speaking heart failure nurses who completed booklets with two vignettes involving medication adherence and symptom recognition. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanRESULTS: Nurses regularly assess and reassess patients before they decide on an intervention. They evaluate basic/factual information and barriers in a patients behavior, and try to find room for improvement in a patients behavior. Interventions that heart failure nurses use to improve adherence to medication and symptom monitoring were grouped into the themes of increasing knowledge, increasing motivation, and providing patients with practical tools. Nurses also described using technology-based tools, increased social support, alternative communication, partnership approaches, and coordination of care to improve adherence to medications and symptom monitoring. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanCONCLUSION: Despite a strong focus on educational strategies, nurses also reported other strategies to increase patient adherence. Nurses use several strategies to improve patient adherence that are not incorporated into guidelines. These interventions need to be evaluated for further applications in improving heart failure managementFunding Agencies|Philips Research||Heart-Cycle||European Community|FP7-216695|</p

Prognostic Value of Thrombus Volume and Interaction With First-Line Endovascular Treatment Device Choice

BACKGROUND: A larger thrombus in patients with acute ischemic stroke might result in more complex endovascular treatment procedures, resulting in poorer patient outcomes. Current evidence on thrombus volume and length related to procedural and functional outcomes remains contradicting. This study aimed to assess the prognostic value of thrombus volume and thrombus length and whether this relationship differs between first-line stent retrievers and aspiration devices for endovascular treatment.METHODS: In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, 670 of 3279 patients from the MR CLEAN Registry (Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands) for endovascularly treated large vessel occlusions were included. Thrombus volume (0.1 mL) and length (0.1 mm) based on manual segmentations and measurements were related to reperfusion grade (expanded Treatment in Cerebral Infarction score) after endovascular treatment, the number of retrieval attempts, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and a shift for functional outcome at 90 days measured with the reverted ordinal modified Rankin Scale (odds ratio &gt;1 implies a favorable outcome). Univariable and multivariable linear and logistic regression were used to report common odds ratios (cORs)/adjusted cOR and regression coefficients (B/aB) with 95% CIs. Furthermore, a multiplicative interaction term was used to analyze the relationship between first-line device choice, stent retrievers versus aspiration device, thrombus volume, and outcomes.RESULTS: Thrombus volume was associated with functional outcome (adjusted cOR, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.71-0.97]) and number of retrieval attempts (aB, 0.16 [95% CI, 0.16-0.28]) but not with the other outcome measures. Thrombus length was only associated with functional independence (adjusted cOR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.24-0.85]). Patients with more voluminous thrombi had worse functional outcomes if endovascular treatment was based on first-line stent retrievers (interaction cOR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.50-0.89]; P=0.005; adjusted cOR, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.55-1.0]; P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, patients with a more voluminous thrombus required more endovascular thrombus retrieval attempts and had a worse functional outcome. Patients with a lengthier thrombus were less likely to achieve functional independence at 90 days. For more voluminous thrombi, first-line stent retrieval compared with first-line aspiration might be associated with worse functional outcome.</p