Improvising with digital touch

This research is concerned with the use of wearable technology in the process of improvising and how the partnership of the body and technology influences the kinaesthetic awareness of the dancer/choreographer. The project sought to produce a prototype that made touch contact with the skin via patterns of vibration effects. This was achieved by creating a circuit with a haptic motor controller, microprocessor, vibration motor and battery. Contained in two bracelets, the technology was used in a series of workshops enabling participants to explore passive digital touch as stimuli for creative movement. By implementing embodied methods to gather qualitative data, I was able to combine my own embodied participation with movement analysis (Laban Movement Analysis) and the participants' perceptions of the experience. Codes identified from the transcribed interviews and fieldnotes were collated into a matrix with the movement analysis and then thematically analysed, revealing that the experience of repeated touch stimuli marked the continuum of consciousness and facilitated a reference point, creating a heightened awareness or foci for the moving body. I propose that this process disrupts the boundary of the body and plays a significant role in recalibrating the dancers' kinaesthesia

ODP365 The psychological impact of adult-onset craniopharyngioma: the experience of patients and clinicians

Introduction Individuals who experience social and emotional difficulties struggle to maintain successful social relationships and incur an increased risk of developing mood disorders. These, in turn, have been found to have a significant impact on both psychological and physical wellbeing. A small number of medical studies suggest that patients with adult-onset craniopharyngioma (AoC) report a poorer quality of life, however, no psychological research has been carried out. The present study aimed to capture, for the first time, a detailed description of AoC patients’ lives outside the clinic. Specifically, whether they experience a psychological impact from their diagnosis and whether psychological factors may contribute to a poorer quality of life. Methods Both patients with AoC and clinicians with experience of working with patients with AoC were invited to take part in a semi-structured interview. Clinicians were recruited with the view to providing an alternative viewpoint and the possibility to assess potential (mis)matches in perceptions of AoC patients’ social strengths and difficulties. Participants were recruited from three geographically disperse NHS units across the UK. Eight patients and 11 clinicians took part in the study. Interviews were analysed using inductive thematic analysis wherebycodes are identified which represent statements centring on a similar topic that are endorsed by multiple participants. Codes that are frequently used are compiled into larger themes, reflecting broader topics. Results The central theme of 'symptoms’ was consistent across patients and clinicians and consisted of three sub-themes: physical symptoms, psychological symptoms, and the tendency for patients to hide symptoms. Both cohorts stated that weight gain and fatigue were the most common physical symptoms, but these were also closely related to psychological symptoms, such as changing lifestyle patterns and a shrinking social network. Crucially, both cohorts stated that low mood, anxiety, and low self-esteem were common and significant experiences. Both cohorts discussed instances of specific mental health disorders. Conversely, some patients tried to hide symptoms with diminishing or contradictory statements or acknowledged that others had encouraged them to seek help, a theme that was also found with clinicians. In addition to these similarities there were also important differences in perceptions. Firstly, while clinicians believed they were open to or actively discussed a patient's psychological wellbeing during consultations, many patients felt they had never been asked about this. Secondly, while some clinicians were very clear on the extreme negative impact of the condition, patients also described more subtle social impacts. Finally, clinicians felt a sense of frustration regarding poor, unspecialised, under resourced psychological support, a feeling that was not common among patients. Conclusion In conclusion, both patients and clinicians recognised significant psychological impact as a result of AoC. Further research is planned to quantitively assess the topics raised in the present study

The psychological impact of adult-onset craniopharyngioma: A qualitative study of the experience of patients and clinicians.

Purpose ndividuals who experience social and emotional difficulties struggle to maintain successful social relationships and incur an increased risk of developing mood disorders. These, in turn, have a significant impact on psychological and physical wellbeing. A small number of medical studies suggest that patients with adult-onset craniopharyngioma (AoC) report poorer quality of life, however, no in-depth psychological research has been carried out. The present study aimed to capture a rich understanding of whether patients with AoC experience a psychological impact from their diagnosis and whether psychological factors may contribute to a poorer quality of life. Method Both patients with AoC and clinicians with experience of working with patients with AoC were invited to take part in a semi-structured interview. Participants were recruited from three geographically disperse National Health Service (NHS) units across the United Kingdom (UK). Eight patients and 10 clinicians took part in the study. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results Two key themes, with multiple subthemes, were identified: 1) Patients experience psychological impacts of AoC; and 2) Patients also experience common physical symptoms. Conclusions Patients and clinicians recognised significant psychological impact as a result of AoC, and these impacts contributed to overall poorer quality of life. Crucially, both parties also felt that further research into psychological impact of AoC was both interesting and useful

Oxytocin therapy in hypopituitarism: Challenges and opportunities

SummaryPatients with hypopituitarism display impaired quality of life and excess morbidity and mortality, despite apparently optimal pituitary hormone replacement. Oxytocin is a neuropeptide synthesized in the anterior hypothalamus which plays an important role in controlling social and emotional behaviour, body weight and metabolism. Recent studies have suggested that a deficiency of oxytocin may be evident in patients with hypopituitarism and craniopharyngioma, and that this may be associated with deficits in cognitive empathy. Preliminary data hint at potential benefits of oxytocin therapy in improving these deficits and the accompanying metabolic disturbances that are common in these conditions. However, several challenges remain, including an incomplete understanding of the regulation and mechanisms of action of oxytocin, difficulties in accurately measuring oxytocin levels and in establishing a diagnosis of oxytocin deficiency, and a need to determine both the optimal mode of administration for oxytocin therapy and an acceptable safety profile with long‐term use. This review considers the data linking oxytocin to the neuropsychological and metabolic disturbances evident in patients with craniopharyngioma and hypopituitarism, and describes the challenges that need to be overcome before replacement therapy can be considered as a therapeutic option in clinical practice.</jats:p

Overcoming barriers to the implementation of patient-reported outcomes in cancer clinical trials : The PROMOTION Registry

Acknowledgments We acknowledge the essential contribution of all collaborators of the PROMOTION Registry. This project is funded by a research grant from the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Group. Also, additional support for the conduct of the study was provided by the Italian Group for Adult Hematologic Diseases (GIMEMA). JMB is supported by the MRC ConDuCT Hub for Trials Methodology Research. We also acknowledge Alessandro Perreca for his invaluable contribution in the data management.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Veterinary diagnostic practice and the use of rapid tests in antimicrobial stewardship on UK livestock farms

This is the final version. Available on open access from Frontiers Media via the DOI in this recordData Availability Statement: The datasets generated for this article are not readily available because the data set will be deposited in UKRI depository at termination of contracted research. Requests to access the datasets should be directed to https://www.dialamr.comIn this paper we consider the shifting role, practice and context of veterinary diagnosis in addressing concerns over what is, in the context of the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, considered unnecessary or excessive antimicrobial medicine use in UK livestock farms. With increasing policy and regulatory interest in diagnostic practices and technologies, coupled with an expanding focus on the development and deployment of new rapid and point-of-care on-farm diagnostic testing, this paper investigates current diagnostic practices amongst veterinarians working on dairy, pig and poultry farms in Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland) and, more specifically, veterinarians' use and perceptions of new and emerging rapid and point-of-care diagnostic tests. Drawing on a series of 30 semi-structured interviews with farm animal veterinary professionals across the three sectors, this paper examines the manner in which such tests are both used and anticipated in clinical farm animal veterinary practice and the possible impact rapid test technologies might have on broader farm animal health management and disease control. Analysis of the transcribed interviews reveals a number of complexities around the use of rapid and point-of-care diagnostic tests. The relative rapidity and simplification of such tests, facilitating immediate treatment responses, is held in balance against both the accuracy and the more detailed and documented procedures of established laboratory testing routes. In situations of multifaceted on-farm etiologies, respondents maintained that rapid tests may offer restricted diagnostic capabilities, though in other situations they were found to offer ready confirmation of disease presence. A third complexity arising from the growth of rapid and point-of-care testing and revealed in this study relates to the shifting distribution of responsibilities in animal health care within contemporary food chains. The growing availability of rapid and point-of-care tests effectively diversifies the range of diagnostic actors with consequences for the flow of diagnostic and disease information. The veterinarians in this study identified areas where new rapid and point-of-care tests would be of particular value to them in their clinical practice particularly in addressing concerns over inappropriate antimicrobial use in animal treatment. However, despite the considerable policy advocacy on rapid and point-of-care tests as key tools in shifting diagnostic practice and reducing unnecessary antimicrobial use, veterinarians in this study, while recognizing the potential future role of such tools and technologies, nonetheless viewed diagnostic practice as a far more complex process for which rapid tests might constitute only a part.Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC

Out-of-school learning: variations in provision and participation in secondary schools: Final report to the Campaign For Real World Learning

Despite overwhelming evidence of the benefits of out-of-school learning activities for enhancing cognitive and affective outcomes, there are growing concerns that the provision of such activities is threatened by increasing resource constraints, regulation and risk aversion. This research set out to investigate how schools experience these threats and how they impact on the provision of and participation in out-of-school learning activities

Clinical utility of vinblastine therapeutic drug monitoring for the treatment of infantile myofibroma patients:A case series

Infantile myofibroma is a rare, benign tumour of infancy typically managed surgically. In a minority of cases, more aggressive disease is seen and chemotherapy with vinblastine and methotrexate may be used, although evidence for this is limited. Chemotherapy dosing in infants is challenging, and vinblastine disposition in infants is unknown. We describe the use of vinblastine therapeutic drug monitoring in four cases of infantile myofibroma. Marked inter- and intrapatient variability was observed, highlighting the poorly understood pharmacokinetics of vinblastine in children, the challenges inherent in treating neonates, and the role of adaptive dosing in optimising drug exposure in challenging situations.</p