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Copyright of Polish Journal of Management Studies is the property of Czestochowa University of Technology, Faculty of Management and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aims: The study aimed to develop and evaluate the effects of a self‐determination theory‐based, nurse‐led, physical activity programme for postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: Between December 2019 and April 2020, this randomized controlled trial recruited 62 postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis from a university‐affiliated hospital in South Korea. The intervention group participated in a self‐determination theory‐based, nurse‐led, physical activity programme that consisted of Tai Chi‐based physical activity, a supportive psychosocial strategy, and interactive counselling for 16 weeks, and the control group continued to undergo their usual care. Results: There were statistically significant group‐by‐time interactions in physical activity and perceived sarcopenia, which favoured the intervention group. Additionally, the intervention group showed significant improvements in the perceived therapeutic efficacy of physical activity, grip strength, walking speed, disease activity score, and health‐related quality of life. Conclusions: The programme developed in this study can be an effective and feasible approach for postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis in improving physical activity, selected osteosarcopenic outcomes, and health‐related quality of life. Further research is required to investigate the long‐term effects of this theory‐based programme for postmenopausal women in diverse settings. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Tai Chi‐based physical activity has been known to be a component of self‐management for rheumatoid arthritis. What this paper adds? It highlights the efficacy of a theory‐based, nurse‐led, physical activity programme to improve the quality of life of postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis.The evidenced‐based programme could be transferred to postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis in clinical settings. The implications of this paper: The self‐determination theory‐based, nurse‐led, physical activity programme can improve physical and psychosocial outcomes in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis.Importantly, this nurse‐led and theory‐based programme is expected to be applicable to postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis in clinical settings, including both hospitals and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aims to identify and synthesize available research reporting parental mental health outcomes related to contact with a stillborn baby. Background: Stillbirth is devastating events for parents. The effects of contact with the stillborn baby on parental mental health are uncertain. Methods: This was a systematic review and meta‐analysis carried out by searching six international electronic databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science, PsycINFO and CNKI databases from inception to 15 January 2023. Review Manager software was used for data analysis. Results: Ten studies were included (n = 3974). Contact with a stillborn baby increased the risks of anxiety, depression and post‐traumatic stress disorder in the short term and increased the risks of anxiety and post‐traumatic stress disorder in the long term. Parents who had contact with a stillborn baby were more satisfied with their decision. Subgroup analysis showed that seeing a stillborn baby had no significant effect on anxiety or depression, but holding a stillborn baby increased the risks of anxiety. Conclusions: Caregivers should respect the parents' decision on whether to have contact with the stillborn baby and provide parents with continuous information, emotional and behavioural support after they have contact with stillborn babies. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Stillbirth is a tragic event for parents and the extended families and can trigger intense grief and devastating psychosocial symptoms.Although some studies have been conducted to investigate the effect of contact with the stillborn baby on parental mental health, there is no consensus on the effectiveness of contact with the stillborn baby. What this paper adds? Contact with stillborn baby, particularly holding a stillborn baby, may increase the risk of harm to parental mental health.Parents were more satisfied with their decision to have contact with a stillborn baby rather than no contact with their stillborn baby. The implications of this paper: This study may provide evidence for managers and caregivers about the development of guidelines for contact with a stillborn baby and promote parental mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are many controversies over the necessity of monitoring gastric residual volume in the nursing care of enteral nutrition. We aimed to conduct an updated meta‐analysis to evaluate the effects of monitoring or not monitoring gastric residual volume on patients' outcomes and complications. Methods: We searched the Cochrane Library database to 15 April 2021 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of gastric residual volume and no gastric residual volume monitoring. Review Manager software was used for data analysis. Results: A total of seven RCTs involving 1240 enteral nutrition patients were included. Gastric residual volume monitoring was associated with reduced incidence of vomiting (OR2.33, 95% CI:1.68–3.24), whereas no gastric residual volume monitoring was associated with reduced incidence of unnecessary interruptions of enteral nutrition (OR0.38,95% CI:0.26–0.55). There were no significant differences on the incidence of abdominal distention (OR1.87, 95% CI:0.82–4.28), diarrhoea (OR1.03,95% CI:0.74–1.43), VAP (OR0.83, 95%CI:0.37–1.89), duration of mechanical ventilation (MD −0.06,95% CI:−1.22–1.10), length of ICU stay (MD −1.33, 95% CI:−3.58–0.91) and mortality (OR0.90,95% CI:0.61–1.34). Conclusions: Not monitoring gastric residual volume is associated with reduced unnecessary interruptions of enteral nutrition related to inadequate feeding and increased risk of vomiting. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Enteral nutrition is vital to the prognosis of critically ill patients.Monitoring the gastric residual volume has been used for the safety of enteral nutrition.The role of gastric residual volume monitoring in critically ill patients remains unclear. What this paper adds? Monitoring gastric residual volume is associated with reduced incidence of vomiting.Not monitoring gastric residual volumes may reduce unnecessary interruptions of enteral nutrition.There are no significant differences on the incidence of abdominal distention, diarrhoea, VAP, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of ICU stay and mortality between patients with or without gastric residual volume monitoring. The implications of this paper: Omission of gastric residual volume monitoring may result in more complete delivery of prescribed enteral nutrition and hence of better nutritional support / status for these patients.The role of gastric residual volume monitoring on enteral safety and nutritional intake of ICU patient needs further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To assess if experimental warming interventions are superior to routine warming interventions in preventing perioperative hypothermia. Background: Perioperative hypothermia is a critical issue for the complications of surgery. There are various kinds of perioperative warming interventions, including experimental and routine warming interventions. Methods: We performed a systematic literature review and meta‐analysis for the randomized clinical trials of experimental warming interventions vs. routine warming interventions in the perioperative period. Findings: A total of 15 studies were included with 983 participants allocated to experimental warming interventions and 939 controls with routine warming interventions, who were receiving a variety of surgeries. The focused outcome was the intraoperative and postoperative body temperature. All included studies were randomized clinical trials. Among the participants receiving operations, the meta‐analysis showed that routine warming intervention groups experienced lower intraoperative and postoperative body temperatures compared to the experimental warming groups. The meta‐analysis results included positive mean differences, significant tests for overall effect and significant heterogeneity in the random‐effects model. Conclusions: In spite of significant heterogeneity, experimental warming interventions are likely to demonstrate superior warming effects when compared to routine warming interventions, as shown by the current meta‐analysis results of randomized clinical trials. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Perioperative hypothermia is a significant factor for prognosis within and after surgery.The difference between experimental and routine nursing interventions for maintaining intraoperative and postoperative body temperature was unknown. What this paper adds? The meta‐analysis showed that routine warming intervention groups experienced significantly lower intraoperative and postoperative body temperatures when compared to experimental warming groups. The implications of this paper: Experimental warming interventions might be associated with superior warming effects.The heterogeneity of surgery type and experimental warming methods might limit the interpretation of findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Security of medical images over an unsecured channel is a challenging task, and for this, several methods have been designed recently. The present paper is also in the same direction, and is an attempt to improve the security of the existing methods. In this paper, a cryptosystem is proposed, which performs encryption and decryption in the CBC (Cipher Block Chaining) mode of operation, and attains the confusion-diffusion properties using the PSN (Permutation-Substitution Network) of cryptography. The permutation is performed by a composite operation, consisting of rotation (via special orthogonal group), reflection, flipping, and pixel-wise shuffling, while substitution is performed by a composite operation of multiplication and multiplicative inverse over Galois field. The Archimedes' constant is utilized for constructing Initialization Vector (IV) to be used in the CBC mode of encryption (and decryption). The proposed approach is able to encrypt monochrome (8-bit, 10-bit, 12-bit, and 16-bit), palette color, and 24-bit color medical images, simultaneously into noisy-like images from the human visual as well as the statistical point of view. The designed approach is empirically assessed via several statistical and security evaluation metrics, such as key sensitivity, chi-squared test, number of pixel change rate, avalanche effect, poker test, peak signal-to-noise ratio, etc. The results of these metrics support the objectives of our proposed approach. Moreover, a thorough comparison is also made with the recent state-of-the-art existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Polish Journal of Management Studies is the property of Czestochowa University of Technology, Faculty of Management and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives: Nausea is one of the most important symptoms of patients undergoing chemotherapy. This study aims to determine the effects of aromatherapy with sour lemon on nausea in patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: A total of 50 patients undergoing chemotherapy were randomly assigned to experimental and placebo (control) groups. The two groups completed the visual analogue scale for nausea before and the first to the fourth week after starting the intervention. The intervention was performed during chemotherapy. Using a dropper, a paper towel was saturated with 3 drops of sour lemon essential oil; however, for the control group, 3 mL of water as a placebo was spread on a paper towel. The intervention in the experimental and control groups was performed once a week for 4 weeks during weekly chemotherapy sessions. Results: At the beginning of the study, no significant difference was observed between the mean score of nausea in the two groups (P>0.05). The first to the fourth week after starting the intervention, significant differences were observed between the mean score of nausea in the two groups (P<0.05). The results of the repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that the mean score of nausea changed over time in the experimental group, indicating a gradual decrease in the mean score of nausea (P<0.05). Discussion: Our findings indicated that aromatherapy with sour lemon can be effective in reducing nausea in patients undergoing chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) is applied to the citation curves of articles in six journals and to all citable items in a single field of science (virology, 24 journals) to distinguish among the developmental trajectories in subpopulations. Can citation patterns of highly-cited papers be distinguished in an early phase as "fast-breaking" papers? Can "late bloomers" or "sleeping beauties" be identified? Most interesting, we find differences between "sticky knowledge claims" that continue to be cited more than 10 years after publication and "transient knowledge claims" that show a decay pattern after reaching a peak within a few years. Only papers following the trajectory of a "sticky knowledge claim" can be expected to have a sustained impact. These findings raise questions about indicators of "excellence" that use aggregated citation rates after 2 or 3 years (e.g., impact factors). Because aggregated citation curves can also be composites of the two patterns, fifth-order polynomials (with four bending points) are needed to capture citation curves precisely. For the journals under study, the most frequently cited groups were furthermore much smaller than 10%. Although GBTM has proved a useful method for investigating differences among citation trajectories, the methodology does not allow us to define a percentage of highly cited papers inductively across different fields and journals. Using multinomial logistic regression, we conclude that predictor variables such as journal names, number of authors, etc., do not affect the stickiness of knowledge claims in terms of citations but only the levels of aggregated citations (which are field-specific). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Polish Journal of Management Studies is the property of Czestochowa University of Technology, Faculty of Management and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Moments of the Product and Ratio of Two Correlated Chi-Square Variables," by A. H. Joarder in a 2007 issue.

Purpose Although tablet computers offer advantages in data collection over traditional paper-and-pencil methods, little research has examined whether the 2 formats yield similar responses, especially with underserved populations. We compared the 2 survey formats and tested whether participants' responses to common health questionnaires or perceptions of usability differed by survey format. We also tested whether we could replicate established paper-and-pencil findings via tablet computer. Methods We recruited a sample of low-income community members living in the rural southern United States. Participants were 170 residents (black = 49%; white = 36%; other races and missing data = 15%) drawn from 2 counties meeting Florida's state statutory definition of rural with 100 persons or fewer per square mile. We randomly assigned participants to complete scales (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Inventory and Regulatory Focus Questionnaire) along with survey format usability ratings via paper-and-pencil or tablet computer. All participants rated a series of previously validated posters using a tablet computer. Finally, participants completed comparisons of the survey formats and reported survey format preferences. Findings Participants preferred using the tablet computer and showed no significant differences between formats in mean responses, scale reliabilities, or in participants' usability ratings. Conclusions Overall, participants reported similar scales responses and usability ratings between formats. However, participants reported both preferring and enjoying responding via tablet computer more. Collectively, these findings are among the first data to show that tablet computers represent a suitable substitute among an underrepresented rural sample for paper-and-pencil methodology in survey research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Headache is a symptom that can cause discomfort not only to adults but, also, to children. The effects that headaches have in the daily routine of children and teenagers depend on the condition's cause, and its frequency and intensity. Headache leads to a decrease in daily activity during the crisis and during periods of intercritical, with impact on quality of life. Aim: To determine if the headache of hospitalized children is related to the quality of life and the degree of impact, to the daily life of children of both sexes aged 3-16 years. Methodology: The sample consisted of 52 children hospitalized in pediatric clinic who came to the hospital with a severe headache. The questionnaire used ( Headache Questionnaire- McKenzie Pediatrics 2010) includes questions relating to general information, history and habits of children and the pediatric quality of life (EQ-5D-Y) to record the state of child health days hospitalized and to determine the quality of life. For the statistical analysis used the program SPSS 22.0 Results: The mean age of the children was 6-14 years and the average length of stay 1-5 days. Headache in almost all participants (93%), accompanied by other symptoms with major nausea (19%) and dizziness (29%). Children with headache absent from school, they don't looking after themselves (33%) and not participate in their daily activities-hobby(29%). The quality of life was affected. When children suffering from headache, they feel anxiety, pain and discomfort (67%) and have worse overall, physical and psychosocial quality of life (27%). Conclusions: Although headache was the cause of absent from school, most of the children who hospitalized with headache, showed or no disability, to the activities of their daily life and their quality of life affected moderately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vaccination is one of the basic activities in preventive health care. Data related to vaccination in the elderly Turkish population is limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate the vaccination status and related factors among geriatric individuals. Methods: In this single center, cross sectional study self-reported status of vaccinations for influenza, pneumococcal, tetanus, pandemic influenza A/H1N1 and hepatitis B were recorded in people over 65 years of age. The information was collected separately for the last 12 months and for the last 5 years. Associates of having been vaccinated were also examined systematically. Results: Between June 2010 and June 2011, a total of 810 subjects (age range 65-101) were interviewed. In the last 6 years as a whole, 47.2% (382) of the participants reported at least 1 vaccination. The frequency of getting vaccinated in the last 12 months was higher compared to the last 5 years. Influenza vaccine was the most administered one both in the last 12 months and the last 5 years (33.7%, 12.1%). The most frequent personal reason reported for vaccination was the need for protection against diseases. Healthcare professionals and media were the most effective factors in inducing awareness of vaccination among the elderly. Unwillingness to get vaccinated was linked to the idea of inessentiality as well as having inadequate information. Higher education, male gender and previous diagnosis of pneumonia were linked to increased likelihood of being vaccinated. Conclusions: This study showed considerably low rates of vaccination among elderly outpatients in Turkey. Efforts to increasing awareness of vaccination through healthcare professionals and media releases may help improve preventive patient care in this particular population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance assessment is ubiquitous and crucial in people analytics. Scientific impact, particularly, plays a significant role in the academia. This paper attempts to understand researchers' career trajectories by considering the research community as a social network, where individuals build ties with each other via coauthorship. The resulting linkage facilitates information flow and affects researchers' future impact. Consequently, we systematically investigate the career trajectories of researchers with respect to research impact using the social capital theory as our theoretical foundation. Specifically, for early‐stage and mid‐career academics, we find that connections with prominent researchers associate with greater impact. Brokerage positions, in addition, are beneficial to a researcher's research impact in the long run. For senior researchers, however, the only social network feature that significantly affects their future impact is the reputation of their recently built ties. Finally, we build predictive models on future research impact which can be leveraged by both organizations and individuals. This paper provides empirical evidence for how social networks provide signals on researchers' career dynamics guided by social capital theory. Our findings have implications for individual researchers to strategically plan and promote their careers and for research institutions to better evaluate current as well as prospective employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the second in a series of studies assessing the usability and reliability of a novel voice-based delivery system of mental health screening assessments. The previous study demonstrated the reliability and patient preference of a voice-based format of the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ 9) for measuring major depression compared to a traditional paper format. Through this study, we further examined the Amazon Alexa tool in the administration of the General Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD 7). With a replicated methodology to the first study, 40 newly administered patients completed the GAD 7 in one format at their first session and the alternate format at their follow up. Results from the new in clinic population replicated the findings observed in the first PHQ 9 study: GAD 7 assessment scores for the Alexa and paper version showed a high degree of reliability (α = 0.77), patients showed higher overall positive attitudes for the voice-based GAD 7 format, and subscales for attractiveness, stimulation, and novelty were significantly higher for the voiced-based format. Results also demonstrated 42 (84%) of the 50 patients who completed the voice-based format responded as being willing to use the device from home. With new recommendations of universal screening of anxiety disorders for patients below the age of 65 and rapid changes in virtual mental healthcare, convenient screenings are more important than ever. We believe this novel clinical assessment tool has the potential to improve patient behavioral healthcare while mitigating the workload of healthcare professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In orthodontics, the triage system is used to assess the preadolescents to rule out interventions needed earlier and to assess the nature of orthodontic problems as complex or moderate. The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge and awareness of orthodontic triage and its uses among dental healthcare professionals (DHCP). Materials and methods: A triage awareness questionnaire (TAQ) was formulated and validated as reliable by a panel of five orthodontic specialists which was then circulated online among 400 DHCP. The questionnaire consisted of nine sections that assessed the current knowledge and usage of orthodontic triage among the dental community. Frequencies and percentages were reported for all categorical variables. Chi-square was used to assess the association among the variables. Results: The response rate was 28.2% with the majority of participants being general dentists. Regarding the knowledge and use of triage, 40% of DHCP were only familiar with the word "orthodontic triage" while being unaware of how it works and 79% denied using orthodontic triage. Regarding the management of anomalies, 42% of DHCP preferred extraction as the management of supernumerary teeth (p = 0.013). Practitioners belonging to private setups performed visual inspection in growing patients for assessment of their facial features (p = 0.012). Clinicians with more than one year of experience referred young patients to orthodontic specialists for the management of crossbite (p = 0.024). Younger clinicians (25–35 years) with more than one year of experience referred adult patients to orthodontists for correction of their unesthetic smile (p = 0.013). Conclusions: This paper provides foundational data for the development of future policies and protocols supporting structured, evidence-based approaches to patient management via use of orthodontic triage. This study underscores the importance of targeted educational interventions to enhance understanding and implementation of orthodontic triage principles in clinical practice. Further probing is necessary to discern the disparity between understanding the orthodontic triage and effective employment of its components among practicing dental healthcare professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the moment the SARS-CoV-2 virus was identified in December 2019, the COVID-19 disease spread around the world, causing an increase in hospitalisations and deaths. From the beginning of the pandemic, scientists tried to determine the major cause that led to patient deaths. In this paper, the background to creating a research model was diagnostic problems related to early assessment of the degree of damage to the lungs in patients with COVID-19. The study group comprised patients hospitalised in one of the temporary COVID hospitals. Patients admitted to the hospital had confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2. At the moment of admittance, arterial blood was taken and the relevant parameters noted. The results of physical examinations, the use of oxygen therapy and later test results were compared with the condition of the patients in later computed tomography images and descriptions. The point of reference for determining the severity of the patient's condition in the computer imagery was set for a mild condition as consisting of a percentage of total lung parenchyma surface area affected no greater than 30%, an average condition of between 30% and 70%, and a severe condition as greater than 70% of the lung parenchyma surface area affected. Patients in a mild clinical condition most frequently had mild lung damage on the CT image, similarly to patients in an average clinical condition. Patients in a serious clinical condition most often had average levels of damage on the CT image. On the basis of the collected data, it can be said that at the moment of admittance, BNP, PE and HCO3− levels, selected due to the form of lung damage, on computed tomography differed from one another in a statistically significant manner (p < 0.05). Patients can qualify for an appropriate group according to the severity of COVID-19 on the basis of a physical examination and applied oxygen therapy. Patients can qualify for an appropriate group according to the severity of COVID-19 on the basis of BNP, HCO3 and BE parameters obtained from arterial blood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informal healthcare providers (IHPs) often serve as the first point of contact for healthcare services for non-communicable diseases in urban slums and their ability to identify risk factors and symptoms of the diseases is crucial for early detection and management. This paper assesses level of knowledge of hypertension and diabetes mellitus (DM) among IHPs. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in eight slums in Enugu and Onitsha cities in south-eastern Nigeria. Data was collected from 238 IHPs including patent medicine vendors, traditional birth attendants, traditional bonesetters, and herbalists. Knowledge scores were computed for each respondent. Adequate knowledge was set at ≥ 50% score and inadequate knowledge at < 50%. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors/independent variables associated with adequate knowledge among IHPs. Independent variables in the regression model were seven items that describe the profile of IHPs and can influence their access to information on non-communicable diseases. Knowledge of risk factors and symptoms of hypertension and DM among IHPs was low since only 21 (8.82%) and 19 (7.98%) of them had adequate knowledge of hypertension and DM, respectively. In regression analysis, IHPs who had received formal training in the past demonstrated significantly higher levels of knowledge, with odds of adequate knowledge in hypertension being 14.62 times greater for trained providers, and the odds of adequate knowledge of both non-communicable diseases being 21.34 times greater for trained providers. Training of IHPs is needed to address the critical knowledge deficit of risk factors and symptoms of hypertension and DM. This would contribute to better health outcomes and reduced disease burden in urban slums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Evidence shows that 20%–30% of patients who aspirate do so silently. Research to date has not demonstrated clear evidence to indicate which patients are at higher risk of silent aspiration. Our aim was to use univariate logistic regression analysis of retrospective case review to determine potential patterns of silent aspiration. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 455 fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) reports. The patients were divided into four groups: G1 – neurological diseases (n = 93), G2 – head and neck surgery (n = 200), G3 – gastroenterological diseases (n = 94) and G4 – other patients (n = 68). Data included the occurrence or absence of saliva penetration or aspiration, of silent fluid/solid food penetration or aspiration, type of penetration or aspiration, occurrence of cranial nerve paresis, radiotherapy and tracheostomy. Univariate logistic regression was used to evaluate independent risk factors of silent aspiration in the study population. Three models with different independent variables were considered. Results: There is a statistically significant difference in the frequency of occurrence of silent penetration and aspiration within the groups (p < 0.001), with intraglutative being most frequent. Fluid and food penetration and aspiration correlated with saliva penetration and aspiration in all groups (p < 0.001). Cranial nerve paresis (IX and X), radiotherapy and tracheostomy correlate with saliva penetration and aspiration (p = 0.020 for cranial nerve paresis; p = 0.004 for radiotherapy; p < 0.001 for tracheostomy). One hundred and fifteen patients (45.81%) in the subgroup of patients with intraglutative aspiration had cranial nerve paresis (IX, X or IX–X). Conclusions: Patients who should be prioritised or considered to be at a higher need of instrumental swallowing evaluation are those with IX and X cranial nerve paresis, tracheostomy and those who have had radiotherapy, with saliva swallowing problems, especially after paraganglioma, thyroid and parathyroid glands and middle and posterior fossa tumour surgery. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: Clinical signs of penetration or aspiration include coughing, throat clearing and voice changes, while silent penetration or aspiration patients aspirate without demonstrating any clinical symptoms. The most common consequences of silent aspiration include aspiration pneumonia, recurrent lower respiratory tract infections and respiratory failure. Additionally, malnutrition and dehydration can be indicators of silent aspiration. Patients may unknowingly reduce their oral intake and lose weight. Retrospective studies have shown that 20%–30% of patients aspirate silently (e.g. patients after stroke, acquired brain injury, head and neck cancer treatment, prolonged intubation). Clinical examination of swallowing can miss up to 50% of cases of silent aspiration. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: Currently, silent aspiration is often discussed in neurological literature, but its applications to head and neck surgery are limited. In this study, we identify head and neck surgery patients who should be prioritised or considered to be in higher need of instrumental swallowing evaluation due to a higher risk of silent aspiration. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: Post‐treatment structural changes can result in lower cranial nerve paresis (IX, X, XII) and face injury, in which vagus and glossopharyngeal nerves are injured. After tracheostomy and radiotherapy, patients with problems swallowing saliva need careful clinical examination, particularly cranial nerve examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal input plays an important role in influencing linguistic development during the first years of life, and it is evident that mothers adapt their language according to their child's characteristics. Recently, it was demonstrated that maternal input addressed to children with sex chromosome trisomies (SCTs) at 8 months of age is prosodically and functionally different from that addressed to typically developing (TD) peers. Aims: The study aimed at analysing maternal input at 24 months when the presence of a language delay could be more evident than during the preverbal stage. We were interested in examining if maternal input was influenced by a diagnosis of SCT (by comparing children with SCT and TD children) or by children's linguistic level (by comparing children with weak lexical ability versus children with typical lexical ability regardless of the presence of genetic diagnosis). Methods and Procedures: Forty‐four mother–child dyads in which the children had an SCT and 20 mother–child dyads in which the children were TD participated in the study. Of these 64 dyads, 23 children (21 with SCTs and two TD children) formed the group of children with weak lexical ability (children with a vocabulary size lower than 50 words at 24 months). Maternal utterances were collected during one video‐recorded play session and were then coded considering both the linguistic and functional features of the input. Outcomes and Results: The results showed that the input addressed to 24‐month‐old children with SCTs is as rich and complex as that addressed to TD peers. Moreover, no significant differences in the functions expressed by maternal input were found (all ps > 0.05). Comparing the children with weak lexical ability and the children with typical lexical ability in our sample, having a poor vocabulary at 24 months of age showed a significant influence on the maternal input features: the input addressed to children with weak lexical ability was characterised by a higher presence of attention getters (U = 217.00, p = 0.007) and a lower proportion of questions (U = 236.00, p = 0.017) than that of mothers of typically‐talking children. Conclusions and Implications: At 24 months of age, it seems that the presence of a language delay and not belonging to the clinical group of children with SCTs influences the functional characteristics of the maternal input. It is important to support the parents of children with SCTs during the communication process and later during their child's development, leading them to observe their children's manifested skills rather than looking for possible predicted difficulties. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: Studies in the literature demonstrated how mothers can generally adapt their input to their child's characteristics. To our knowledge, only two recent studies analysed the maternal input addressed to children with SCT at 8 months of age, highlighting significant differences. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: The maternal input addressed to children with SCT at 24 months of age is not different from that addressed to TD children. At 24 months of age, the mothers adapt their input to the verbal competence shown by their child (weak lexical ability versus typically‐talking), while belonging to the clinical group does not show an influence. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: All the participants of the present study received prenatal diagnosis disclosure by an expert team of professionals, and they were all involved in a longitudinal study aimed at monitoring the children's development and supporting their parents. These results show that giving clear and complete information about possible development paths to parents of children with SCTs during diagnosis disclosure is crucial. Moreover, supporting the parents during the communication process and later during their child's development is fundamental, leading them to observe their children's manifested skills rather than looking for possible predicted difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study examines the effect of a Theory of Mind (ToM) intervention on ToM abilities and social–emotional functioning in adolescents with developmental language disorder (DLD) or who are deaf/hard of hearing (D/HH). It emphasizes the importance of self‐reflection and measurement for personal growth. The research design incorporates both subjective and objective measures to evaluate the intervention's efficacy. Aims: To investigate the impact of the ToM intervention on ToM abilities and social–emotional functioning in adolescents with DLD or who are D/HH. It hypothesizes that participants in the intervention groups will show improved ToM and social–emotional functioning compared with those in the control groups. Methods & Procedures: Adolescents with DLD or who are D/HH were recruited through collaboration with educational institutions. The study utilized a pre‐/post‐test design, assigning participants to either the intervention or the control group. The ToM intervention involved targeted activities to enhance ToM abilities. ToM abilities and social–emotional functioning were assessed using standardized tests and self‐report questionnaires. Statistical analyses compared outcomes between the intervention and no intervention groups. Outcomes & Results: The findings reveal subjective improvements in social–emotional functioning among the D/HH intervention group. However, no significant effects on objective ToM measures were observed. These results highlight the need for further investigation and refinement of interventions in these areas. Future research should focus on improving intervention strategies and exploring additional objective measures to gain a comprehensive understanding of the intervention's impact on ToM and social–emotional functioning in this population. Conclusions & Implications: The ToM intervention shows subjective benefits in improving social–emotional functioning among D/HH adolescents. However, it does not yield significant effects on objective ToM measures. These findings emphasize the ongoing need to refine interventions targeting ToM abilities and social–emotional functioning in this population. Future studies should explore alternative strategies and incorporate additional objective measures to enhance understanding and outcomes. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject: Before this study, it was known that ToM interventions have the potential to enhance ToM abilities. However, the specific effects of such interventions on subjective and objective measures for ToM and social–emotional functioning in adolescents with DLD or who are D/HH remained unclear, necessitating further research. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge: This study adds to the existing knowledge by demonstrating subjective improvements in social–emotional functioning among adolescents who are D/HH and underwent a ToM intervention. However, no significant effects on objective ToM measures were observed. These findings highlight the need for refining interventions and exploring additional measures to better understand the intervention's impact. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: The subjective improvements in social–emotional functioning observed in this study have important clinical implications. They suggest that ToM interventions can positively impact the social well‐being of adolescents who are D/HH. However, the lack of significant effects on objective ToM measures emphasizes the need for further research and intervention refinement to address specific areas of improvement in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pictures drawn by people with aphasia (PWA) are often more challenging to understand than those drawn by healthy people. There are two types of objects: those that tend to be drawn symbolically (symbolically drawn objects—SOs) and those that are likely to be drawn realistically (realistically drawn objects—ROs). Aims: To compare the identification rate and number of misunderstanding types between SOs and ROs drawn by PWA and healthy controls (HCs). To reveal trends in the misunderstandings of drawings by PWA, and to identify the language or cognitive abilities related to the identification rate of pictures drawn by PWA. Methods & Procedures: We designed a drawing task involving SOs and ROs. A total of 18 PWA and 30 HCs completed the task, and respondents identified the drawings. The identification rate and number of misunderstandings were analysed with two‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) including group (PWA and HCs) and object type (SOs and ROs). The misunderstandings were divided into four categories varying in semantic and morphological similarity; these ratios were examined with a chi‐square test. The relationships of language and cognitive abilities with the identification rate were investigated with multiple regression analyses. Outcomes & Results: There was a significant effect of the interaction between group and object type on the identification rate (F(1.1387) = 3.90, Mean Squared Error (MSE) = 4139.67, p = 0.04): the identification rates for ROs were lower in the PWA than in the HCs. For the number of misunderstanding types, an interaction was observed between group and object type (F(1.56) = 8.26, MSE = 26.93, p < 0.01): the number of misunderstanding types for ROs in the PWA was greater than that in the HCs. The misunderstanding patterns differed between ROs and SOs (χ2(3) = 694.30, p < 0.001, V = 0.37). ROs were semantically related, whereas SOs were morphologically related. The identification rates of ROs and SOs were correlated only with Kanji writing scores (ROs: β = 3.66, p = 0.01; SOs: β = 6.57, p < 0.01). Conclusions & Implications: In drawings by the PWA, SOs had a higher identification rate, while ROs had a lower identification rate and a greater variety of misunderstandings. SOs may increase drawing motivation. Interventions to improve the identifiability of SOs and ROs should reflect each character. Identification rates were correlated only with Kanji writing scores. The PWA, whose native language was Japanese and had preserved Kanji writing abilities, and their communication abilities may be increased through drawing. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: PWA often have impaired drawing abilities and draw pictures that third parties misinterpret. Some objects tend to be drawn symbolically, and some are drawn realistically. However, it is not clear whether there is a difference between these types of drawings depicted by PWA in identifiability and the tendency to be misunderstood by ordinary people. In addition, the relationships between language or cognitive abilities and the identification rate of drawn pictures are not clear. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge: The identification rate differed between SOs and ROs. In drawings by PWA, SOs had a higher identification rate, while ROs had a lower identification rate and the greatest variety of misunderstandings. Approximately half of the misunderstandings were related to the target object. SOs tended to be confused with morphologically related objects, while ROs tended to be confused with semantically related objects. Identification rates were correlated only with Kanji writing scores. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: To motivate PWA's drawing, it is suitable to begin with SOs. Examining drawing ability from the perspective of SOs and ROs increases the chance of identifying drawing ability. PWA whose native language is Japanese and have preserved Kanji writing abilities may be able to increase their communication abilities through drawing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Training parents to implement language and communication intervention strategies is an effective approach to promote language development for children with language delay. Aims: This study introduces an online parent training program conducted in Hubei province, China, which was designed to help parents of language‐delayed children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), developmental language disorder (DLD) or global developmental delay (GDD) apply language intervention strategies into daily interactions and promote their children's language development at home. Methods & Procedures: The Bethel Hearing and Speaking Training Center Family Training for Early Communication & Language Development (Bethel Family Training Program, BFT) (Bethel HSTC, 2020) was designed to improve the language and communication skills for children with language delay in a naturalistic way. The caregivers (including parents, grandparents and other main caregivers) participated in an 8‐h online program, including lectures on milestones in child language development, common misunderstandings of child language development, and three basic family language intervention strategies ('Looking together, playing together, and talking together') incorporating active learning through video analysis and discussion. Tongji Hospital in Hubei then continued with 3 months of online home intervention monitoring to all the caregivers via weekly online Q&As led by BFT certified speech therapists' team. The Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS) was carried out before the online parent training program and after the 3‐month online home intervention monitoring. Outcomes & Results: 146 families whose children aged 12–68 months with language delay participated in the online training program. The results of the GDS assessments conducted before and after the program showed that not only did the developmental quotient (DQ) of language improve, but so did the DQ of social behaviour and adaptive behaviour (p < 0.001). There is no between‐group difference in the application of three strategies between the ASD group and the DLD or GDD group (p > 0.05). Furthermore, both caregivers' ability to apply 'looking together, playing together, talking together' strategies and the effective interaction time played important roles in improving the child's language abilities. Conclusion & Implications: The online parent training focusing on improving daily interaction with children through speech–language stimulation strategies promoted the development of language skills. It is an economic and practical approach for children with language delay who have limited access to local language intervention programs. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: Parent‐implemented language intervention is an effective approach at improving children's language development. Telepractice is an appropriate model of service delivery for audiologists and speech–language therapists and may be the primary mode of service delivery or may supplement in‐person services. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge: This paper explores the effectiveness of an online parent training program and provides new evidence that online training on language support strategies (looking together, playing together, talking together) followed by home intervention monitoring works for Mandarin‐speaking children and it is equally effective for children with ASD and non‐ASD diagnosis. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: Developmental behavioural paediatricians and speech–language therapists in countries and areas that lack sufficient training resource for every child will have the option to deliver parent training and home intervention monitoring online, which will save time and cost considerably while offering convenience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traumatic injury survivors often experience negative health consequences, impacting recovery. No studies have assessed the feasibility of evaluating the resiliency of hospitalized trauma patients using the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10). Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the most efficient method to collect survey responses on the CD-RISC-10. Methods: This cross-sectional study used a convenience sample of admitted patients with traumatic injury. Patients were randomized to complete the CD-RISC-10 using pen and paper, tablet, or workstation on wheels. Results: Of the 161 patient surveys, the tablet-based survey took the shortest time to complete (2 minutes, 21 seconds), and the paper survey resulted in the lowest percentage of missed questions (0.5%). Trauma patients reported high levels of resiliency. Conclusion: The CD-RISC-10 can be easily administered to trauma patients. Clinicians should balance efficiency and patient preferences when deciding on a survey collection method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) remains a major global public health problem. SAM cases are treated using ready‐to‐use therapeutic food (RUTF) at a dosage of ∼200 kcal/kg/day per the standard treatment protocol (STD). Emerging evidence on simplifications to the standard protocol, which among other adaptations, includes reducing the daily RUTF dosage, indicates that it is effective and safe for treating children with SAM. In response to a foreseen stock shortage of RUTF, the government of Afghanistan endorsed the temporary use of a modified treatment protocol in which the daily RUTF dosage was prescribed at 1000 kcal/day (irrespective of body weight) until the child achieved moderate acute malnutrition status (weight‐for‐height z‐score ≥ −3 or mid‐upper arm circumference [MUAC] ≥ 115 mm), at which point 500 kcal/day was prescribed until cured (modified treatment protocol [MTP]). In this paper, we report the results of this nonweight‐based daily RUTF dosage experience. Data of 2042 children with SAM, treated using either the STD protocol (n = 269) or the MTP protocol (n = 1773) from August 2019 to March 2021 in five provinces, were analyzed. The per‐protocol analyses confirmed noninferiority of MTP protocol when compared to STD protocol for recovery rate [93.3% vs. 90.2%; ∆ (95% confidence interval, CI) = 3.1 (−0.9; 7.2) %] and length‐of‐stay [82.6 vs. 75.6 days; ∆ (95% CI) = 6.9 (3.3; 10.5) days], considering the margin of noninferiority of −10% and +14 days, respectively. Weight gain velocity was smaller in the MTP protocol group than in the STD protocol group [3.7 (1.7) vs. 5.2 (2.9) g/kg/day; ∆ (95% CI) = −1.5 (−1.8, −1.2); p < 0.001]. The STD group had a significantly higher mean than the MTP group for absolute MUAC gain [∆ (95% CI) = 1.7 (1.0; 2.3) mm; p < 0.001] and the MUAC velocity [∆ (95% CI) = 0.29 (0.20; 0.37) mm/week; p < 0.001]. Our results confirm the noninferiority of a nonweight‐based daily dosage and support the endorsement of this modification as an alternative to the standard protocol in resource‐constrained contexts. Key messages: More evidence supporting the use of the nonweight‐based daily ready‐to‐use therapeutic food (RUTF) dosage for treating uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition (SAM), in specific contexts, is needed.Our real‐world prospective nonrandomized study showed that the fixed nonweight‐based daily RUTF dosage protocol is as effective as the standard weight‐based protocol for treating uncomplicated SAM in children <5 in the Afghanistan context.Our findings support the reflection of a nonweight‐based daily RUTF dosage in resource‐constrained contexts in national and global policies and guidelines to improve coverage of all children in need of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim(s): To assess the effectiveness of sub‐epidermal moisture (SEM) assessment technology in the detection of early‐stage pressure damage in a critical care unit (CCU) and dark skin tone patients and its impact on hospital‐acquired pressure injury (HAPI) incidence. Design: Quality improvement study employing Kurt Lewin's change model emphasizing planning, implementation, evaluation and sustainable change. Methods: The study evaluated 140 adult patients admitted to the CCU over a 24‐week period, from July to December 2022. Retrospective analysis of standard PI care pathways was performed in 90 patients admitted during a 12‐week pre‐implementation period. Fifty patients were admitted through the subsequent 12‐week implementation period. SEM assessments were performed daily at the sacrum and heels and interventions were applied based on SEM assessments; SEM delta ≥0.6 indicating localized oedema or persistent focal oedema. Statistical analyses were performed on anonymized data. Results: Pre‐implementation HAPI incidence was 8.9% (N = 8/90). All eight patients were African American with varying skin tones. A 100% reduction in HAPI incidence was achieved in the implementation period which included 35 African American patients. The relative risk of HAPI incidence was 1.6 times higher in the pre‐implementation group. Conclusion: Implementing SEM assessment technology enabled equitable PI care for all population types and resulted in a 100% reduction of PIs in our CCU. Objective SEM assessments detected early‐stage PIs, regardless of skin tone and enabled providing interventions to specific anatomies developing tissue damage as opposed to universal preventive interventions. Implications: PI care pathways relying on visual and tactile skin assessments are inherently biased in providing equitable care for dark skin tone patients. Implementing SEM assessments empowers healthcare practitioners in driving objective clinical interventions, eliminates bias and enables positive PI health outcomes. Impact: Implementing SEM assessment technology had three main effects: it detected early tissue damage regardless of skin tone (detection effect), enabled anatomy‐specific interventions (treatment effect) and prevented PIs across all population types (prevention effect). The authors have adhered to the Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence (SQUIRE) 2.0 guidelines. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution. What does this paper contribute to the wider global clinical community? Addressing health inequities in pressure injury prevention; Demonstrated effectiveness across patient populations; Resource optimization and enhanced patient safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Philippines is a source of labor for many countries. Roughly 10 million overseas Filipinos are working and living outside of the Philippines. This paper examines the association between sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, educational level, and income) and self-rated physical and mental health, access to healthcare, and health habits among immigrant Filipinos living in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. Through convenience sampling, Filipino migrants (n = 103) aged 18 years and above participated in the online survey between October 2022 and March 2023. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis and chi-square. Almost all respondents self-rated their health as excellent and very good. Female respondents are more affected by mental health. Most are enrolled in the Universal Health System of Spain (public insurance). There is more utilization of private health insurance among respondents aged 60 years and above and high-wage earners. Cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking are associated with males. More than half of the respondents perform weekly exercise occasionally or never. These findings suggest a potential need for targeted interventions with an emphasis on the practice of preventive health and the promotion of healthy lifestyles, especially among financially disadvantaged migrants with lesser health access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of our paper is to investigate the properties of the classical phase-dispersion minimization (PDM), analysis of variance (AOV), string-length (SL), and Lomb–Scargle (LS) power statistics from a statistician's perspective. We confirm that when the data are perturbations of a constant function, i.e. under the null hypothesis of no period in the data, a scaled version of the PDM statistic follows a beta distribution, the AOV statistic follows an F distribution, and the LS power follows a chi-squared distribution with two degrees of freedom. However, the SL statistic does not have a closed-form distribution. We further verify these theoretical distributions through simulations and demonstrate that the extreme values of these statistics (over a range of trial periods), often used for period estimation and determination of the false alarm probability (FAP), follow different distributions than those derived for a single period. We emphasize that multiple-testing considerations are needed to correctly derive FAP bounds. Though, in fact, multiple-testing controls are built into the FAP bound for these extreme-value statistics, e.g. the FAP bound derived specifically for the maximum LS power statistic over a range of trial periods. Additionally, we find that all of these methods are robust to heteroscedastic noise aimed to mimic the degradation or miscalibration of an instrument over time. Finally, we examine the ability of these statistics to detect a non-constant periodic function via simulating data that mimics a well-detached binary system, and we find that the AOV statistic has the most power to detect the correct period, which agrees with what has been observed in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The Mexican government has pursued multiple initiatives to improve healthcare coverage and financial protection. Yet, out-of-pocket health spending and use of private sector providers in Mexico remains high. In this paper, we sought to describe the characteristics of public and private healthcare users, describe recent visit quality across provider types, and to assess whether perceiving the public healthcare sector as poor quality is associated with private health sector use. Methods and findings: We analyzed the cross-sectional People's Voice Survey conducted from December 2022 to January 2023. We used Chi-square tests to compare contextual, individual, and need-for-care factors and ratings of most recent visits between users of public (social security and other public providers) and private sector providers (stand-alone private providers and providers adjacent to pharmacies). We used a multivariable Poisson regression model to assess associations between low ratings of public healthcare sources and the use of private care. Among the 811 respondents with a healthcare visit in the past year, 31.2% used private sources. Private healthcare users were more educated and had higher incomes than public healthcare users. Quality of most recent visit was rated more highly in private providers (70.2% rating the visit as excellent or very good for stand-alone private providers and 54.3% for pharmacy-adjacent doctors) compared to social security (41.6%) and other public providers (46.6%). Those who perceived public health institutions as low quality had a higher probability of seeking private healthcare. Conclusion: Users rated public care visits poorly relative to private care; at the population level, perceptions of poor quality care may drive private care use and hence out-of-pocket costs. Improving public healthcare quality is necessary to ensure universal health coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The All of Us Research Program (Program) is an ongoing epidemiologic cohort study focused on collecting lifestyle, health, socioeconomic, environmental, and biological data from 1 million US-based participants. The Program has a focus on enrolling populations that are underrepresented in biomedical research (UBR). Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are a key recruitment stream of UBR participants. The Program is digital by design where participants complete surveys via web-based platform. As many FQHC participants are not digitally ready, recruitment and retention is a challenge, requiring high-touch methods. However, high-touch methods ceased as an option in March 2020 when the Program paused in-person activities because of the pandemic. In January 2021, the Program introduced Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) to help participants complete surveys remotely. This paper aims to understand the association between digital readiness and mode of survey completion (CATI vs. web-based platform) by participants at FQHCs. Methods: This study included 2,089 participants who completed one or more surveys via CATI and/or web-based platform between January 28, 2021 (when CATI was introduced) and January 27, 2022 (1 year since CATI introduction). Results and discussion: Results show that among the 700 not-digitally ready participants, 51% used CATI; and of the 1,053 digitally ready participants, 30% used CATI for completing retention surveys. The remaining 336 participants had “Unknown/Missing” digital readiness of which, 34% used CATI. CATI allowed survey completion over the phone with a trained staff member who entered responses on the participant’s behalf. Regardless of participants’ digital readiness, median time to complete retention surveys was longer with CATI compared to web. CATI resulted in fewer skipped responses than the web-based platform highlighting better data completeness. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of using CATI for improving response rates in online surveys, especially among populations that are digitally challenged. Analyses provide insights for NIH, healthcare providers, and researchers on the adoption of virtual tools for data collection, telehealth, telemedicine, or patient portals by digitally challenged groups even when in-person assistance continues to remain as an option. It also provides insights on the investment of staff time and support required for virtual administration of tools for health data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This paper focuses on the evaluation of the impact of the use of compensation bonuses during a pandemic on the economic situation of companies. Methods: In order to achieve this objective, a primary quantitative survey in the form of a questionnaire survey was conducted in Czech enterprises and two research questions were set. The research questions were answered by testing four hypotheses, which focused on testing the relationship between the use of compensation bonuses and the nature of the change in the economic situation of the enterprise in terms of sector, size and prevailing business relationship. The parametric two-sample onefactor ANOVA and Pearson's Chi-squared test were used to test the hypotheses. Main findings: The results showed that the use of compensation bonuses was associated with a negative change in the economic situation of the firms. Differences in the magnitude of the effect were observed in terms of the prevailing business relationship and the size of the enterprises. The business sector did not affect the strength of the association between bonus use and change in economic situation. Limitations of the paper: the paper focuses on observing the short-term trend and is limited to Czech enterprises during the pandemic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the incidence of scheduled training provided to develop the leadership skills of pilots, prior to their operation as the captain of an aircraft in scheduled airline operations, and the subsequent maintenance of their leadership skills after becoming a captain. Method/Approach: The approach used in this paper involved a survey of suitably qualified aviation captains and co-pilots. A total of 741 usable responses were received. The differences between the Captains and Co-pilots responses to the questions related to leadership training were examined using the chi square test. Results/Findings: The majority of both captains (51.0%) and co-pilots (57.1%) had not received training in leadership theory -- this did not systematically differ between the two groups (χ² = 5.88279). In response to the question on leadership practical training the majority of both captains (63.3%) and co-pilots (72.6%) had not received practical training -- this did not systematically differ between the two groups (χ² = 6.2756). In response to the question on ongoing or recurrent leadership training the majority of both captains (52.9%) and co-pilots (69.8%) had not received ongoing or recurrent training -- this however, did systematically differ between the two groups (χ² = 18.106). Implications: The paper provides a review of the issues related to the training requirements of leadership skills for captains of aircraft in commercial passenger operations of aviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participation in political activities is a critical aspect of social development because it leads to highly sensitive decisions and choices that provide direction for society. The paper examines the factors associated with participation in unconventional political activities (UPAs) in Nigeria. The social contagion theory was adopted to guide the study. Data for the study were generated using a web-based survey of 888 respondents from Lagos and Cross River States. The test of the association between the dependent and independent variables was done using the chi-square test. The results indicate that age, gender, education level, and religious affiliation were statistically significant for unconventional political activities. The findings presented in the paper provide evidence of the individuals who are more likely to participate in unconventional political activities in Nigeria. Authorities in Nigeria should dissuade the suppression of unconventional political activities through the use of extrajudicial molestation and witch hunts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To assess the effects of COVID‐19 pandemic on clinical variables as part of the routine clinical monitoring of patients with chronic diseases in primary care. Design: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted in primary care centres of the Andalusian Health Service. Methods: Data were recorded before the pandemic (T1), during the declaration of the state of emergency (T2) and in the transition phase (T3). The Barthel index and the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) were used to analyse functional and cognitive changes at the three time points. HbA1c, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, BMI and lipid levels were assessed as clinical variables. Descriptive statistics and non‐parametric chi‐square test were used for analysis. STROBE checklist was used for the preparation of this paper. Results: A total fo148 patients with chronic conditions were included in the analysis. Data analysis revealed in T2 only significant reductions in BMI, total levels of cholesterol and HDL during the onset of the pandemic. Barthel Index, SPMSQ, blood pressure and triglycerides and LDL levels worsened in T2, and the negative effects were maintained in T3. Compared to pre‐pandemic values, HbA1c levels improved in T3, but HDL levels worsened. Conclusions: COVID‐19 has drastically disrupted several functional, cognitive and biological variables. These results may be useful in identifying clinical parameters that deserve closer attention in the case of a new health crisis. Further studies are needed to assess the potential impacts of each specific chronic condition. Impact: Cognitive and functional status, blood pressure and triglycerides and LDL levels worsen in short term, maintaining the negative effects in medium‐term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To actively respond to the challenges posed by population aging, people are paying more and more attention to healthy behavioral lifestyles, and the impact of social capital as an informal system on health behaviors cannot be ignored. This paper explores the impact of social capital on health behaviors of middle-aged and older adults based on 2020 CHARLS data. Using binary logistic regression models, we discussed the association between social capital and five health behaviors. The results suggest that structural social capital significantly increases physical activity and physical examination behaviors among middle-aged and older adults but also decreases the probability of abstinence behaviors. Cognitive social capital increases the probability that middle-aged and older adults will have a reasonable amount of sleep and physical activity. However, it also decreases the probability that smoking cessation behaviors will occur. Further attention needs to be paid to the role of social capital, the creation of a harmonious social environment and the enhancement of social trust, the strengthening of communities and grass-roots social organizations, and the provision of more platforms for the participation of middle-aged and older adults in social activities, to improve the quality of the healthy lives of middle-aged and older adults and, in turn, to promote the establishment of healthy behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Although Jordan has made significant progress toward expanding the utilization of facility‐based intrapartum care, prior research highlights that poor service quality is still persistent. This study aimed to identify quality gaps between women's expectations and perceptions of the actual intrapartum care received, while exploring the contributing factors. Methods: Utilizing a pre–post design, quality gaps in intrapartum care were assessed among 959 women pre‐ and postchildbirth at a prominent tertiary hospital in northern Jordan. Data were gathered using the SERVQUAL scale, measuring service quality across reliability, responsiveness, tangibles, assurance, and empathy dimensions. Results: The overall mean gap score between women's expectations and perceptions of the quality of intrapartum care was −0.60 (±0.56). The lowest and highest mean gap scores were found to be related to tangibles and assurance dimensions, −0.24 (±0.39) and −0.88 (±0.35), respectively. Significant negative quality gaps were identified in the dimensions of assurance, empathy, and responsiveness, as well as overall service quality (p < 0.001). The MLR analyses highlighted education (β = 0.61), mode of birth (β = −0.60), admission timing (β = −0.41), continuity of midwifery care (β = −0.43), physician's gender (β = −0.62), active labour duration (β = 0.37), and pain management (β = −0.33) to be the key determinants of the overall quality gap in intrapartum care. Conclusion: Our findings underscore the importance of fostering a labour environment that prioritizes enhancing caregivers' empathetic, reassuring, and responsive skills to minimize service quality gaps and enhance the overall childbirth experience for women in Jordan. Patient or Public Contribution: This paper is a collaborative effort involving women with lived experiences of childbirth, midwives, and obstetrics and gynaecologist physicians. The original idea, conceptualization, data generation, and coproduction, including manuscript editing, were shaped by the valuable contributions of stakeholders with unique perspectives on intrapartum care in Jordan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study explored the familiarity, perceptions and confidence of Australian radiology clinicians involved in reading screening mammograms, regarding artificial intelligence (AI) applications in breast cancer detection. Methods: Sixty-five radiologists, breast physicians and radiology trainees participated in an online survey that consisted of 23 multiple choice questions asking about their experience and familiarity with AI products. Furthermore, the survey asked about their confidence in using AI outputs and their preference for AI modes applied in a breast screening context. Participants' responses to questions were compared using Pearson's χ 2 test. Bonferroni-adjusted significance tests were used for pairwise comparisons. Results: Fifty-five percent of respondents had experience with AI in their workplaces, with automatic density measurement powered by machine learning being the most familiar AI product (69.4%). The top AI outputs with the highest ranks of perceived confidence were 'Displaying suspicious areas on mammograms with the percentage of cancer possibility' (67.8%) and 'Automatic mammogram classification (normal, benign, cancer, uncertain)' (64.6%). Radiology and breast physicians preferred using AI as second-reader mode (75.4% saying 'somewhat happy' to 'extremely happy') over triage (47.7%), pre-screening and first-reader modes (both with 26.2%) (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The majority of screen readers expressed increased confidence in utilising AI for highlighting suspicious areas on mammograms and for automatically classifying mammograms. They considered AI as an optimal second-reader mode being the most ideal use in a screening program. The findings provide valuable insights into the familiarities and expectations of radiologists and breast clinicians for the AI products that can enhance the effectiveness of the breast cancer screening programs, benefitting both healthcare professionals and patients alike. What is known about the topic? Artificial intelligence (AI) holds promise in providing computer-aided detection in health care, however, current research suggests that standalone AI applications in clinical practice fall short of matching the accuracy of a single radiologist. What does this paper add? The study showed a significant preference among clinicians for using AI as a supplementary tool, serving as a second-reader. Such an integrated approach, where AI aids in flagging suspicious areas on mammograms or offers automatic classification, reflects the ideal cooperation between breast screening readers and AI systems. What are the implications for practitioners? These insights shed light on clinicians' familiarity with and expectations of AI tools that can boost the effectiveness of breast screening programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pediatric colorectal specialists care for patients with a variety of defecation disorders. Anorectal (AR) manometry testing is a valuable tool in the diagnosis and management of these children. This paper provides a summary of AR manometry techniques and applications as well as a review of AR manometry findings in pediatric patients with severe defecation disorders referred to a pediatric colorectal center. This is the first study describing multi-year experience using a portable AR manometry device in pediatric patients. Methods: An electronic medical record review was performed (1/2018 to 12/2023) of pediatric patients with defecation disorders who had AR manometry testing. Demographics, diagnostic findings, and outcomes are described. Key Results: A total of 297 unique patients (56.9% male, n = 169) had AR manometry testing. Of these, 72% (n = 188) had dyssynergic defecation patterns, of which 67.6% (n = 127) had fecal soiling prior to treatment. Pelvic rehabilitation (PR) was administered to 35.4% (n = 105) of all patients. A total of 79.5% (n = 58) of the 73 patients that had fecal soiling at initial presentation and completed PR with physical therapy and a bowel management program were continent after therapy. AR manometry was well tolerated, with no major complications. Conclusions: AR manometry is a simple test that can help guide the management of pediatric colorectal surgical patients with defecation disorders. As a secondary finding, PR is a useful treatment for patients with dyssynergic stooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kidney transplantation is a life-saving intervention for end-stage renal disease; yet, the persistent gap between organ demand and supply remains a significant challenge. This paper explores the escalating discard rates of deceased donor kidneys in the United States to assess trends, discard reasons, demographical differences, and preservation techniques. Data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients from 2010 to 2021 was analyzed using chi-squared tests for trend significance and logistic regression to estimate odds ratios for kidney discard. Over the last decade, discard rates have risen to 25% in 2021. Most discarded kidneys came from extended criteria donor (ECD) donors and elevated kidney donor profile index (KDPI) scores. Kidney biopsy status was a significant factor and predictor of discard. Discard rates varied greatly between Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network regions. Of reasons for discard, "no recipient located" reached a high of 60%. Additionally, there has been a twofold increase in hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) since 2010, with transportation difficulties being the main reason for the discard of perfused kidneys. Our findings suggest a need to recalibrate organ utilization strategies, optimize the use of lower-quality kidneys through advanced preservation methods, and address the evolving landscape of organ allocation policies to reduce kidney discard rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. This study aims to elucidate the gender gaps in the strategies for maintaining the social participation and interaction of older adults with people in a local community. Methods. The subjects were 130 older adults aged 65 years or older and independently living in their homes in Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. The authors conducted an anonymous questionnaire survey on paper and performed multiple regression analysis for men and women separately using the Lubben Social Network Scale-6 (LSNS-6) as the dependent variable. Results. Among the independent variables used for the analysis, those that significantly influenced LSNS-6 in men were social activities related to the daily life satisfaction of the elderly (SARDS). The independent variables that significantly influenced LSNS-6 in women were SARDS, sense of coherence-13 (SOC-13), and the number of family members living with the subjects. Discussion. Health promotion is not associated with interaction with people in men compared with women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Working in pediatric palliative care (PPC) impacts healthcare and allied professionals' work-related quality of life (QoL). Professionals who lack specific PPC training but who regularly provide services to the affected children have articulated their need for support from specialized PPC (SPPC) teams. Objectives: This study had two objectives: (1) to evaluate whether the availability of a SPPC team impacted the work-related QoL of professionals not specialized in PPC; and (2) to explore the work-related QoL of professionals working in PPC without specialized training. Design: Repeated cross-sectional comparative effectiveness design. Methods: One hospital with an established SPPC program and affiliated institutions provided the intervention group (IG). Three hospitals and affiliated institutions where generalist PPC was offered provided the comparison group (CG). Data were collected by paper-pencil questionnaire in 2021 and 2022. The Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL 5) questionnaire was used to assess work-related QoL, yielding separate scores for burnout (BO), secondary traumatic stress (STS) and compassion satisfaction (CS). A descriptive statistical analysis was performed and general estimation equations were modelled. To increase the comparability of the IG and CG, participants were matched by propensity scores. Results: The 301 participating non-PPC-specialized professionals had overall low to moderate levels of BO and STS and moderate to high levels of CS. However, none of these scores (BO: p = 0.36; STS: p = 0.20; CS: p = 0.65) correlated significantly with support from an SPPC team. Compared to nurses, physicians showed higher levels of BO (1.70; p = 0.02) and STS (2.69; p ⩽ 0.001). Conclusion: Although the study sample's overall work-related QoL was satisfactory, it showed a considerable proportion of moderate BO and STS, as well as moderate CS. To provide tailored support to professionals working in PPC, evidence regarding key SPPC support elements and their effectiveness is needed. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov ID, NCT04236180. Plain language summary: Work-related quality of life in professionals involved in pediatric palliative care - Why was this study done? Caring for children suffering from life-limiting conditions and their families impacts professionals' work-related Quality of Life (QoL). Professionals without specific training often provide pediatric palliative care (PPC) to children and their families. - What did the researchers do? We aimed to determine whether the work-related the QoL of professionals without specialised PPC training would be positively influenced when they were supported by PPC specialists. We also wanted to explore what person-specific factors might correspond with higher or lower work-related QoL. Work-related QoL was analysed in relation to burnout (BO), secondary traumatic stress (STS), and compassion satisfaction (CS). These variables' levels were assessed with a questionnaire survey in 2021 and 2022. - What did the researchers find? The 301 participating professionals had overall low to moderate levels of BO and STS and moderate to high levels of CS. There was no substantial difference in work-related QoL in the professionals supported by PPC specialists compared to those who did not receive specialist support. Physicians showed higher levels of BO and STS than nurses. - What do the findings mean? Although the studied professionals' overall work-related QoL was satisfactory, there is a considerable proportion of moderate BO and STS scores in professionals working with children suffering from life-limiting conditions. Further research should explore the specific needs of professionals not specialised in PPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Disfluency is a multifactorial concept that can be linked to several of the language production levels, in both typical and atypical populations. In children, the language system is still developing and few studies have explored disfluency patterns. In typical development (TD), in particular, studies have shown discrepancies according to the language being considered. In neurodevelopmental disorders, such as developmental dyslexia (DD), it is still unclear whether the pattern of disfluency is similar to TD. Aims: To analyse the type of disfluency and their evolution in French children aged 8–12 years. Also to compare the pattern of disfluency in DD and TD, and to test whether disfluencies were correlated with reading difficulties. Methods & Procedures: A total of 25 children with DD and 21 children with TD aged 8–12.6 years produced an autobiographical narrative. Seven types of disfluencies were coded: part‐word repetitions; repetitions of monosyllabic words; other types of repetitions (words and phrases); filled pauses; revisions—substitutions; revisions—additions; and abandoned utterances. We compared the proportion of each disfluency in DD and TD. Spearman correlations were then performed between disfluencies, reading performance and age. Outcomes & Results: The results showed that both DD and TD children mainly produced filled pauses, repetitions of monosyllabic words and substitutions. Both groups displayed a high rate of disfluency (> 10%). No correlations with age were found. Correlations with reading performance were significant in the TD group only. Conclusions & Implications: The study showed that DD is not characterized by a specific pattern of disfluency. Additionally, disfluency rates were similar in children aged 8–12 years. In contrast to other languages, the current study suggests that French‐speaking children have a high rate of disfluency. The study also suggests that disfluency should be interpreted with caution in DD, given that TD children also have a high rate of disfluency. Therefore, it seems important to adapt the pathological threshold of disfluency to the language being spoken in order to avoid an overestimation of the prevalence of these deficits in French‐speaking children. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject: TD children produce a high rate of disfluency, which is also influenced by the language being spoken. No study looked at the effect of DD on disfluency production. Nonetheless, problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience may impact lexical development and speech fluency. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge: In our study, both groups (French‐speaking children) produced a substantial amount of disfluency as compared with other languages (> 10%). Additionally, the pattern of disfluency was similar in TD and DD (namely, filled pauses, prolongations repetitions of monosyllabic words and substitutions). In the DD group, disfluency production was not correlated with reading performance. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: These results indicate that it is crucial to consider the language being spoken when examining disfluency in order to avoid an overestimation of language difficulties in some languages, such as in French. Moreover, the production of disfluencies in DD should not be considered as language dysfunction since the pattern of disfluency what quite similar in TD and DD, and did not correlate with their reading difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Objective: As bleeding is a serious complication during and after hysterectomy, this paper aims to compare the short-term outcomes of ChitoHem and Surgicel use in posterior bladder bleeding during hysterectomy. Materials & Methods: In the present clinical trial, 46 patients who were candidates for abdominal hysterectomy in Hajar Hospital in Shahrekord, were randomly divided into two groups. In group A, superficial cauter and Surgicel were used and in group B, superficial cauter and ChitoHem were used to control bleeding. Hematocrit and hemoglobin levels were determined before, and six and 12 hours after surgery. Drain discharge volume, time to stop bleeding and bleeding volume were also determined. The pain was determined by the VAS scale at the time of recovery, 48 hours postoperatively, and one and three months postoperatively. Data were analyzed by SPSS statistical software. Results: Based on repeated-measures test, the mean of hemoglobin in the studied times showed a significant difference, so that in six and 12 hours after surgery they were significantly less than the ones before surgery, but their mean was not significantly different between the two groups. The mean pain score one month after surgery in group B was significantly lower than group A (P <0.001). The mean volume of drainage and clotting time in group B were significantly lower than group A (P <0.01). The mean volume of intraoperative bleeding, the frequency of vaginal bleeding and cuff-related complications were not significantly different in the two groups. Conclusion: The results of the present study show that ChitoHem is probably effective in reducing bleeding during hysterectomy surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lives of caregivers can be deeply impacted by having a child with a developmental disability (DD). To offset those impacts, caregivers may engage in accommodations, or strategies to bolster everyday functioning. The nature and extent of these accommodations can provide insight into how the family is doing and what supports are needed from a family-centered perspective. This paper presents the development and preliminary validation of the Accommodations & Impact Scale for Developmental Disabilities (AISDD). The AISDD is a rating scale that measures day-to-day accommodations and impacts of raising a child with a DD. A sample of 407 caregivers of youth with DDs (Mage = 11.7 years; 63% males) completed the AISDD, along with measures of caregiver strain, daily challenges, child adaptive behavior, and behavior and emotional regulation. The AISDD is a unidimensional, 19-item scale with excellent internal consistency (ordinal alpha =.93) and test–retest (ICC =.95) reliability. Scores were normally distributed and sensitive to age (r = −.19), diagnosis (ASD + ID > ASD > ID), adaptive functioning (r = −.35), and challenging behaviors (r =.57). Finally, the AISDD showed excellent convergent validity with similar measures of accommodations and impacts. These findings support the use of the AISDD as a valid and reliable tool for measuring accommodations among caregivers of individuals with DDs. This measure shows promise in its ability to identify which families may need additional support for their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As surveillance is a key strategy for malaria elimination in South Africa, ensuring strong surveillance systems is a National Department of Health priority. Historically, real time tracking of case trends and reporting within 24 h—a requirement in South Africa's National surveillance guidelines—has not been possible. To enhance surveillance and response efficiency, a mobile surveillance tool, MalariaConnect, was developed using Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) technology. It was rolled out in health facilities in malaria endemic areas of South Africa to provide 24-h reporting of malaria cases. Methods: To evaluate the efficiency of the mobile tool to detect an outbreak data were extracted from the paper based and MalariaConnect reporting systems in Bushbuckridge from 1 January to 18 June 2017. These data were subject to time series analyses to determine if MalariaConnect provided sufficient data reliably to detect increasing case trends reported through the paper system. The Chi squared test was used to determine goodness of fit between the following indicator data generated using MalariaConnect and paper reporting systems: timeliness, completeness, and precision. Results: MalariaConnect adequately tracked case trends reported through the paper system. Timeliness of reporting increased significantly using MalariaConnect with 0.63 days to notification compared to 5.65 days using the paper-system (p < 0.05). The completeness of reporting was significantly higher for the paper system (100% completion; p < 0.05), compared to confirmed MalariaConnect cases (61%). There was a moderate association between data precision and the reporting system (p < 0.05). MalariaConnect provided an effective way of reliably and accurately identifying the onset of the malaria outbreak in Bushbuckridge. Conclusion: Timeliness significantly improved using MalariaConnect and in a malaria elimination setting, can be used to markedly improve case investigation and response activities within the recommended 72-h period. Although data completeness and precision were lower compared to paper reporting, MalariaConnect data can be used to trigger outbreak responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vähänikkilä H, Miettunen J, Tjäderhane L, Larmas M, Nieminen P. The use of time-to-event methods in dental research: a comparison based on five dental journals over a 11-year period. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2012; 40 (Suppl. 1): 36-42. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract - Objectives: Time-to-event methods are used in multivariate data analysis to describe the relationship between patient variables and the timing of an outcome event. The aims of this study were to evaluate the reporting of statistical techniques and results in dental research papers with special reference to time-to-event (TTE) methods and to create guidelines for the appropriate reporting of these methods. Methods: All the original research reports published in five dental journals in 1996, 2001, 2005, 2006, and 2007 were reviewed. The evaluation covered 1985 articles that were based on the systematic collection and statistical analysis of research data. Differences between TTE approaches and others were assessed in terms of the justification for the number of cases, description of procedures, statistical references, software used, and statistical figures and tables provided. Results: Fifty-six papers (2.8% of the total) used time-to-event methods, the frequency of which increased slightly from 1996 to 2007 ( P = 0.061). Statistical procedures were described more extensively in the papers, which used TTE methods. Reporting of the statistical methodology in papers using other methods was in general inadequate. Conclusions: TTE methods are underused in dental research. Authors could well take heed of these results when designing their research, so as to make more use of such methods and to present the results in a manner that is in line with the policy and presentation of the leading dental journals. Authors could also improve their statistical reporting with the help of the guidelines presented here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of TNF-α blockers on ulcerative colitis (UC) and their safety. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of TNF-α blockers for treatment of UC were retrieved from databases. Heterogeneity test was performed on all data to select effects models. Finally, sensitivity analysis was carried out, and a funnel plot was drawn to evaluate publication bias. Results: A total of nine RCTs conformed to the inclusion criteria. Of 1,226 patients with UC, 806 were given a TNF-α blocker, and 420 were given placebo or other drugs as control. Infliximab was used in eight papers and adalimumab in one paper. Placebo was used in seven papers and hormones in two papers. Short-term response, short-term relief, long-term response, and long-term relief were better in the TNF-α blocker group than in the control group ( P < 0.05). TNF-α blockers decreased the colectomy rate ( P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in mucosal healing and quality of life between the two groups ( P > 0.05). The rates of adverse reactions were similar in the two groups ( P > 0.05), but the rate of severe adverse reactions was significantly lower in the TNF-α blocker group than in the control group ( P < 0.05). The funnel plot of each parameter was symmetrical with the lower part broader than the upper. Conclusions: TNF-α blockers have better therapeutic effects on moderate or severe UC, which shows little response to conventional therapy. TNF-α blockers can induce short-term response, maintain long-term clinical response and clinical relief, and decrease the colectomy rate and the severe adverse reaction rate, but they fail to improve quality of life and mucosal healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 12 months from July 1977 to June 1978, out of 168 papers in the British Journal of Psychiatry, 139 (83 per cent) presented numerical results. A total of 63 papers contained statistical errors and at least one drew unsupportable conclusions. In many cases the errors were not considered to be severe, but they were often sufficient to raise doubts about some inferences. It is suggested that more consultation of investigators with medical statisticians, a basic training in statistical methods in the preclinical years, and more extensive statistical refereeing are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Writing is an important and complex skill, which could be enhanced by teaching students effective writing strategies such as outlining. Electronic outlining ‐ integrated feature in Microsoft® Word – has been shown to enhance students' writing performance. However, little is known about the optimal didactic approach for electronic outlining. Objective: This study examined the effects of learning to use electronic outlining either via observational learning or via learning‐by‐doing on students' argumentative writing performance. Methods: Students (N = 129, 10th‐grade) were assigned with their complete class to one of three conditions: a control (traditional pen and paper outlines via learning‐by‐doing), outline (electronic outlines via learning‐by‐doing) or observation (electronic outlines via observational learning) condition. Students followed an argumentative writing lesson‐series that differed across conditions in terms of planning strategies and didactic approaches used. To examine the influence of the different conditions on students' writing, argumentative texts were used as pre‐ and post‐tests, and the quality was evaluated with an analytic assessment protocol. In addition, data regarding students' perceived mental effort and the organisation of the writing process were collected. Finally, students' attitudes towards electronic outlining were assessed. Results and Conclusion: Although the overall text structure had improved after the lesson series, no significant differences were found between conditions. Electronic outlining increased the total amount of time dedicated to the texts as well as the revision ratio. Students in the observation condition showed a higher pause ratio and a lower fluency on the post‐test as compared to students who learned by doing (both control and outline conditions). With regard to perceived mental effort, students in the outline and control conditions perceived significant decreases over tasks, as opposed to those in the observation condition. In conclusion, the self‐reports indicate that students in the outline condition appropriated electronic outlining significantly better than those in the observation condition, suggesting that practice enhanced students' appropriation of electronic outlining. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Planning as a writing strategy helps students organise their writing and reduce mental effort.Electronic outlining is an effective and efficient tool to support a planning strategy.Observational learning is an effective didactic approach in writing education. What this paper adds: Traditional planning and electronic outlining via either observational learning or learning‐by‐doing affect writing products equally.Tool appropriation is greater for students who learned‐by‐doing. Implications for practice: Importance of elaborated and explicit (strategy) instruction.Advantage of video‐based modelling for teacher efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]