157 research outputs found

    Using mHealth to improve health care delivery in India: A qualitative examination of the perspectives of community health workers and beneficiaries.

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    BACKGROUND:mHealth technologies are proliferating globally to address quality and timeliness of health care delivery by Community Health Workers (CHWs). This study aimed to examine CHW and beneficiaries' perceptions of a new mHealth intervention (Common Application Software [CAS] for CHWs in India. The objectives of the study were to seek perspectives of CHWs and beneficiaries on the uptake of CAS, changes in CHW-beneficiary interactions since the introduction of CAS and potential barriers faced by CHWs in use of CAS. Further, important contextual factors related to CHW-beneficiary interface and dynamics that may have a bearing on CAS have been described. METHODS:A qualitative study was conducted in two states of India (Bihar and Madhya Pradesh) from March-April 2018 with CHWs (n = 32) and beneficiaries (n = 55). All interviews were conducted and recorded in Hindi, transcribed and translated into English, and coded and thematically analysed using Dedoose. FINDINGS:The mHealth intervention was acceptable to the CHWs who felt that CAS improved their status in the communities where they worked. Beneficiaries' views were a mix of positive and negative perceptions. The divergent views between CHWs and beneficiaries surrounding the use and impact of CAS highlight an underlying mistrust, socio-cultural barriers in engagement, and technological barriers in implementation. All these contextual factors can influence the perception and uptake of CAS. CONCLUSIONS:mHealth interventions targeting CHWs and beneficiaries have the potential to improve performance of CHWs, reduce barriers to information and potentially change the behaviors of beneficiaries. While technology is an enabler for CHWs to improve their service delivery, it does not necessarily help overcome social and cultural barriers that impede CHW-beneficiary interactions to bring about improvements in knowledge and health behaviors. Future interventions for CHWs including mHealth interventions should examine contextual factors along with the acceptability, accessibility, and usability by beneficiaries and community members

    Objectively measured sedentary time, physical activity and kidney function in people with recently diagnosed Type 2 diabetes: a prospective cohort analysis.

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    AIM: To assess the prospective association between objectively measured physical activity and kidney function over 4 years in people with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Individuals (120 women and 206 men) participating in the ADDITION-Plus trial underwent assessment of sedentary time (SED-time), time spent in moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and total physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) using a combined heart rate and movement sensor, and kidney function [estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), serum creatinine and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR)] at baseline and after 4 years of follow-up. Multivariate regression was used to quantify the association between change in SED-time, MVPA and PAEE and kidney measures at four-year follow-up, adjusting for change in current smoking status, waist circumference, HbA1c , systolic blood pressure, triglycerides and medication usage. RESULTS: Over 4 years, there was a decline in eGFR values from 87.3 to 81.7 ml/min/1.73m(2) (P < 0.001); the prevalence of reduced eGFR (eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73m(2) ) increased from 6.1 to 13.2% (P < 0.001). There were small increases in serum creatinine (median: 81-84 μmol/l, P < 0.001) and urine ACR (median: 0.9-1.0 mg/mmol, P = 0.005). Increases in SED-time were associated with increases in serum creatinine after adjustment for MVPA and cardiovascular risk factors (β = 0.013, 95% CI: 0.001, 0.03). Conversely, increases in PAEE were associated with reductions in serum creatinine (β = -0.001, 95% CI: -0.003, -0.0001). CONCLUSION: Reducing time spent sedentary and increasing overall physical activity may offer intervention opportunities to improve kidney function among individuals with diabetes. (Trial Registry no. ISRCTN 99175498).The trial is supported by the Medical Research Council (grant reference no. G0001164), the Wellcome Trust (grant reference no. G061895), National Health Service R&D support funding (including the Primary Care Research and Diabetes Research Networks) and National Institute of Health Research under its Programme Grants for Applied Research scheme (RP-PG-0606-1259). SJG was a member of the NIHR School for Primary Care Research. The Primary Care Unit is supported by NIHR Research funds. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the National Health Service, the NIHR, or the UK Department of Health. VYG was supported by Global Scholarship Programme for Research Excellence-CNOOC grant from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/dme.1288

    Prospective associations between sedentary time, physical activity, fitness and cardiometabolic risk factors in people with type 2 diabetes.

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    AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to examine the prospective associations between objectively measured physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE), sedentary time, moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and cardiometabolic risk factors over 4 years in individuals with recently diagnosed diabetes. METHODS: Among 308 adults (mean age 61.0 [SD 7.2] years; 34% female) with type 2 diabetes from the Anglo-Danish-Dutch Study of Intensive Treatment in People with Screen Detected Diabetes in Primary Care (ADDITION)-Plus study, we measured physical activity using individually calibrated combined heart rate and movement sensing. Multivariable linear regression models were constructed to examine the associations between baseline PAEE, sedentary time, MVPA, CRF and cardiometabolic risk factors and clustered cardiometabolic risk (CCMR) at follow-up, and change in these exposures and change in CCMR and its components over 4 years of follow-up. RESULTS: Individuals who increased their PAEE between baseline and follow-up had a greater reduction in waist circumference (-2.84 cm, 95% CI -4.84, -0.85) and CCMR (-0.17, 95% CI -0.29, -0.04) compared with those who decreased their PAEE. Compared with individuals who decreased their sedentary time, those who increased their sedentary time had a greater increase in waist circumference (3.20 cm, 95% CI 0.84, 5.56). Increases in MVPA were associated with reductions in systolic blood pressure (-6.30 mmHg, 95% CI -11.58, -1.03), while increases in CRF were associated with reductions in CCMR (-0.23, 95% CI -0.40,-0.05) and waist circumference (-3.79 cm, 95% CI -6.62, -0.96). Baseline measures were generally not predictive of cardiometabolic risk at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Encouraging people with recently diagnosed diabetes to increase their physical activity and decrease their sedentary time may have beneficial effects on their waist circumference, blood pressure and CCMR.The trial is supported by the Medical Research Council (grant reference no. G0001164), the Wellcome Trust (grant reference no. G061895), National Health Service R&D support funding (including the Primary Care Research and Diabetes Research Networks) and National Institute of Health Research under its Programme Grants for Applied Research scheme (RP-PG-0606-1259). SJG is a member of the NIHR School for Primary Care Research. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the National Health Service, the NIHR, or the UK Department of Health. We are grateful to Diabetes UK for providing patient information materials.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00125-015-3756-

    Power-law running of the effective gluon mass

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    The dynamically generated effective gluon mass is known to depend non-trivially on the momentum, decreasing sufficiently fast in the deep ultraviolet, in order for the renormalizability of QCD to be preserved. General arguments based on the analogy with the constituent quark masses, as well as explicit calculations using the operator-product expansion, suggest that the gluon mass falls off as the inverse square of the momentum, relating it to the gauge-invariant gluon condensate of dimension four. In this article we demonstrate that the power-law running of the effective gluon mass is indeed dynamically realized at the level of the non-perturbative Schwinger-Dyson equation. We study a gauge-invariant non-linear integral equation involving the gluon self-energy, and establish the conditions necessary for the existence of infrared finite solutions, described in terms of a momentum-dependent gluon mass. Assuming a simplified form for the gluon propagator, we derive a secondary integral equation that controls the running of the mass in the deep ultraviolet. Depending on the values chosen for certain parameters entering into the Ansatz for the fully-dressed three-gluon vertex, this latter equation yields either logarithmic solutions, familiar from previous linear studies, or a new type of solutions, displaying power-law running. In addition, it furnishes a non-trivial integral constraint, which restricts significantly (but does not determine fully) the running of the mass in the intermediate and infrared regimes. The numerical analysis presented is in complete agreement with the analytic results obtained, showing clearly the appearance of the two types of momentum-dependence, well-separated in the relevant space of parameters. Open issues and future directions are briefly discussed.Comment: 37 pages, 5 figure

    Value addition to crop residues: An indigenous resource conserving and soil fertility enhancing technology of India

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    Not AvailableAbstract A two-year field experiment was conducted during the rainy seasons of 2004 and 2005 in the farmers' fields of Mahbubnagar district in Andhra Pradesh, India, to test the practice of cattle shed bedding with groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) shells by preparing Groundnut Shell Manure (GSM) and its application along with Farmers' practice (FP) and in comparison with five treatments namely, FP only, FP and GSM, FP and compost, regenerative (only organics) and Recommended Dose of Fertilizers (RDF), FP and RDF being the checks on rainy season rainfed groundnut and castor (Ricinus communis L.) crops. The results indicated that crops receiving GSM and compost performed well during the deficit rainfall year (2004) as well as during the normal rainfall year (2005) and recorded 12–16% higher yields of groundnut and 9–14% higher yields in castor over the FP. During 2004 which was a deficit rainfall year, GSM and compost application enhanced soil moisture by 14–40%, percentage of filled pods by 59–65% and 100 seed weight by 18% in groundnut while in castor 6–33% improved soil moisture enhanced capsules per plant from 45 to 57% without any significant effect on 100 seed weight. These treatments were followed by groundnut shell applied crop, RDF and regenerative (organics only) treatments. However, during 2005 the order in which higher yields achieved by treatments were GSM application, compost followed by RDF due to well-distributed rainfall. Therefore to sustain yields in rainfed groundnut and castor crops, present experimentation emphasized application of organics to improve soil fertility and drought management ability by recycling crop residues through a simple process of cattle shed bedding. This was an attempt to introduce the practice of cattle shed bedding as value addition to process other locally available crop residues to the practitioners of farming (especially parts of Africa and Latin America).Not Availabl

    Lake Oswego : First Addition neighborhood plan

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    50 pp. Includes maps and figures. Adopted December 3, 1996. Captured January 29, 2007.The First Addition Neighborhood Plan is intended to retain those aspects of the neighborhood that contribute to its quality of life: housing variety and affordability, “small-town” atmosphere, walkable streets and alleys that provide dual access to residential and commercial development and convenience and access to transit and commercial uses. To accomplish this, the Plan proposes land use, transportation, public facility, parking and street design and public institutional use strategies. [From the Plan

    Predictors of change in objectively measured and self-reported health behaviours among individuals with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes: longitudinal results from the ADDITION-Plus trial cohort.

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    BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence about predictors of health behaviour change in people with type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to assess change in health behaviours over one year and to identify predictors of behaviour change among adults with screen-detected and recently clinically diagnosed diabetes. METHODS: ADDITION-Plus was a randomised controlled trial of a behaviour change intervention among 478 patients (40-69 years). Physical activity and diet were measured objectively (physical activity at 1 year) and by self-report at baseline and one year. Associations between baseline predictors and behaviour change were quantified using multivariable linear regression. RESULTS: Participants increased their plasma vitamin C and fruit intake, reduced energy and fat intake from baseline to follow-up. Younger age, male sex, a smaller waist circumference, and a lower systolic blood pressure at baseline were associated with higher levels of objectively measured physical activity at one year. Greater increases in plasma vitamin C were observed in women (beta-coefficient [95% CI]: beta = -5.52 [-9.81, -1.22]) and in those with screen-detected diabetes (beta = 6.09 [1.74, 10.43]). Younger age predicted a greater reduction in fat (beta = -0.43 [-0.72, -0.13]) and energy intake (beta = -6.62 [-13.2, -0.05]). Patients with screen-detected diabetes (beta = 74.2 [27.92, 120.41]) reported a greater increase in fruit intake. There were no significant predictors of change in self-reported physical activity. Beliefs about behaviour change and diabetes did not predict behaviour change. CONCLUSIONS: Older patients, men and those with a longer duration of diabetes may need more intensive support for dietary change. We recommend that future studies use objective measurement of health behaviours and that researchers add predictors beyond the individual level. Our results support a focus on establishing healthy lifestyle changes early in the diabetes disease trajectory

    Vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 hospitalisation in adults (≥ 20 years) during Omicron-dominant circulation: I-MOVE-COVID-19 and VEBIS SARI VE networks, Europe, 2021 to 2022

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    Introduction: The I-MOVE-COVID-19 and VEBIS hospital networks have been measuring COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) in participating European countries since early 2021. Aim: We aimed to measure VE against PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 in patients ≥ 20 years hospitalised with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) from December 2021 to July 2022 (Omicron-dominant period). Methods: In both networks, 46 hospitals (13 countries) follow a similar test-negative case-control protocol. We defined complete primary series vaccination (PSV) and first booster dose vaccination as last dose of either vaccine received ≥ 14 days before symptom onset (stratifying first booster into received < 150 and ≥ 150 days after last PSV dose). We measured VE overall, by vaccine category/product, age group and time since first mRNA booster dose, adjusting by site as a fixed effect, and by swab date, age, sex, and presence/absence of at least one commonly collected chronic condition. Results: We included 2,779 cases and 2,362 controls. The VE of all vaccine products combined against hospitalisation for laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 was 43% (95% CI: 29-54) for complete PSV (with last dose received ≥ 150 days before onset), while it was 59% (95% CI: 51-66) after addition of one booster dose. The VE was 85% (95% CI: 78-89), 70% (95% CI: 61-77) and 36% (95% CI: 17-51) for those with onset 14-59 days, 60-119 days and 120-179 days after booster vaccination, respectively. Conclusions: Our results suggest that, during the Omicron period, observed VE against SARI hospitalisation improved with first mRNA booster dose, particularly for those having symptom onset < 120 days after first booster dose.Key public health message: 1. What did you want to address in this study? In order to understand how well the COVID-19 vaccine is performing in Europe against hospitalisation during the period when the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was circulating, we investigated vaccine effectiveness using data from a multi-country study of complete and booster-dose COVID-19 vaccination among adults aged 20 years and over. 2. What have we learnt from this study? Between December 2021 and July 2022, vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 was 43% for complete vaccination. With addition of an mRNA booster dose, effectiveness was 59% overall. It was higher when onset of illness was close to the date of the last vaccination, at 85% when last booster dose was 14–59 days before onset, at 70% for 60–119 days, and falling below 40% for 120–179 days. 3. What are the implications of your findings for public health? In European hospital settings in 2022, during the Omicron period, COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccine provided an improved benefit for preventing hospitalisation, particularly if disease onset was within 4 months of receiving the booster dose.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Ladd's Addition conservation district guidelines

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    28 pp. Bookmarks supplied by UO. Includes maps and figures. Adopted February 10, 1988. Captured November 13, 2007.To protect he historic character of Ladd's Addition, the City has adopted guidelines and criteria for development and preservation, which apply to both public and private actions. The District Guidelines are intended to maintain and enhance those qualities which make Ladd's Addition a unique historic Neighborhood. [From the document

    [RETRACTED] https://www.facebook.com/Green-Otter-CBD-Gummies-100983585715614/ v1

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