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Evidence Pertaining (evidence + pertaining)
Selected AbstractsGuidelines for treatment of neonatal jaundice.ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 3 2001Is there a place for evidence-based medicine? Treatment of neonatal jaundice continues to be a controversial issue. Arguments that traditional practice results in over-treatment have led to the adoption of more liberal guidelines in some countries. The importation of liberal guidelines from one country to the next, however, is fraught with danger, because differences in epidemiology, sociology and healthcare delivery systems between countries may not be adequately reflected. The unreflected extension of liberalization to non-target groups of patients can expose the latter to significant risk. It is not clear that the evidence on which guidelines for treatment of neonatal jaundice are based satisfy the requirements for evidence-based medicine. Evidence of adequate quality may be hard to obtain. Conclusions: Introduction of more liberal guidelines for the treatment of neonatal jaundice, if at all contemplated, must be adapted to local circumstances, and any available evidence pertaining to local epidemiology, sociology and healthcare organization has to be carefully weighed and incorporated. The time is ripe for a joint international effort to secure adequate funding for basic and applied research within the mechanisms of bilirubin encephalopathy in the newborn. [source] Activity-based restorative therapies: Concepts and applications in spinal cord injury-related neurorehabilitationDEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES RESEARCH REVIEW, Issue 2 2009Cristina L. Sadowsky Abstract Physical rehabilitation following spinal cord injury-related paralysis has traditionally focused on teaching compensatory techniques, thus enabling the individual to achieve day-to-day function despite significant neurological deficits. But the concept of an irreparable central nervous system (CNS) is slowly being replaced with evidence related to CNS plasticity, repair, and regeneration, all related to persistently maintaining appropriate levels of neurological activity both below and above the area where the damage occurred. It is now possible to envision functional repair of the nervous system by implementing rehabilitative interventions. Making the transition from "bench to bedside" requires careful analysis of existing basic science evidence, strategic focus of clinical research, and pragmatic implementation of new therapeutic tools. Activity, defined as both function specific motor task and exercise appears to be a necessity for optimization of functional, metabolic, and neurological status in chronic paralysis. Crafting a comprehensive rehabilitative intervention focused on functional improvement through neurological gains seems logical. The terms activity-based restorative therapies, activity-based therapies, and activity-based rehabilitation have been coined in the last 10 years to describe a new fundamental approach to deficits induced by neurological paralysis. The goal of this approach is to achieve activation of the neurological levels located both above and below the injury level using rehabilitation therapies. This article reviews basic and clinical science evidence pertaining to implementation of physical activity and exercise as a therapeutic tool in the management of chronic spinal cord-related neurological paralysis. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Dev Disabil Res Rev 2009;15:112,116. [source] Mechanisms and management of gingival overgrowth in paediatric transplant recipients: a reviewINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, Issue 4 2003D. Chabria Summary. Increasing numbers of children are receiving solid organ transplants namely kidney, liver, heart and lung. Patient survival rates following such transplants are essentially good with much of the success attributable to the development of Cyclosporine A (CyA), an immunosuppressive drug, that minimizes organ rejection. However the gingival overgrowth (GO) associated with the use of CyA is not only disfiguring but in paediatric recipients, may interfere with normal oral development and function. Objective. The aim of this review is to summarize current knowledge concerning the aetiology, pathogenesis and management of gingival overgrowth. Methods. Literature pertaining to gingival overgrowth is reviewed with particular reference to the paediatric population. Emphasis is placed on summarizing the evidence pertaining to the effectiveness of intervention. Conclusion. CyA undoubtedly causes gingival overgrowth, the effects and levels of which appears to be more severe in younger patients. There is conflicting evidence as to the effectiveness of oral hygiene regimes, antibiotics and surgery in reducing overgrowth. The introduction of an alternative immunosuppressive agent (Tacrolimus) offers potential as it does not appear to cause overgrowth, although research to date is limited by the small sample size of many of the studies. This is an area in which multicentre studies would be of great value. [source] Panbiogeographical study of hagfishes: an anachronistic analysisJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2009J. C. Briggs Abstract In a recent paper by M. J. Cavalcanti and V. Gallo, ,Panbiogeographical analysis of distribution patterns in hagfishes (Craniata: Myxinidae)' (Journal of Biogeography, 2008, 35, 1258,1268), the authors studied the biogeography of an ancient fish family (Myxinidae) in the hope that the contemporary distributions of the species would reveal their past history and that of the ocean basins where they reside. In order to accomplish this task, there are several criteria that should have been met: (1) the ages of the taxa utilized (species) would have to be old enough to reflect the history of the areas where they are found, (2) the identification of the species as listed in the databases would have to be accurate, (3) the geographical locations indicated on the figures would have to be consistent with the statements in the text, and (4) the significance of the vicariant patterns would have to depend on evidence pertaining to the ages of such patterns. Unfortunately, it appears that none of these conditions has been met. It seems apparent that faith in an antiquated method of analysis led to neglect of the necessary steps in the analysis. This leaves little justification for publication of the paper, except to show that hagfishes are very widely distributed. [source] Incentives and the Efficiency of Public Sector-outsourcing ContractsJOURNAL OF ECONOMIC SURVEYS, Issue 5 2005Paul H. Jensen Abstract., Outsourcing the provision of traditionally publicly provided services has become commonplace in most industrialized nations. Despite its prevalence, there still is no consensus in the academic literature on the magnitude (and determinants) of expected cost savings to the government, nor the sources of those savings. This article considers the arguments for (and against) outsourcing and then examines the empirical evidence pertaining to whether any observed savings occur and whether they persist over time. In addition, we examine the existing evidence for the ,redistribution hypothesis' and the ,quality-shading hypothesis', which critics have used to argue that outsourcing lowers government expenditure by lowering wages and conditions and/or lower quality services. Finally, we consider the impact of contract design on outsourcing outcomes. While the power of incentives is a strong theme in economics, recent work has suggested that high-powered incentives may be suboptimal for many public sector services, because they may crowd out intrinsic motivation, particularly in instances where agents are highly motivated. We discuss the implications of this insight for the efficiency of public sector outsourcing. [source] Recommendations for the use of icodextrin in peritoneal dialysis patientsNEPHROLOGY, Issue 1 2003Review Article SUMMARY: Icodextrin is a starch-derived, high molecular weight glucose polymer, which has been shown to promote sustained ultrafiltration equivalent to that achieved with hypertonic (3.86%/4.25%) glucose exchanges during prolonged intraperitoneal dwells (up to 16 h). Patients with impaired ultrafiltration, particularly in the settings of acute peritonitis, high transporter status and diabetes mellitus, appear to derive the greatest benefit from icodextrin with respect to augmentation of dialytic fluid removal, amelioration of symptomatic fluid retention and possible prolongation of technique survival. Glycaemic control is also improved by substituting icodextrin for hypertonic glucose exchanges in diabetic patients. Preliminary in vitro and ex vivo studies suggest that icodextrin demonstrates greater peritoneal membrane biocompatibility than glucose-based dialysates, but these findings need to be confirmed by long-term clinical studies. This paper reviews the available clinical evidence pertaining to the safety and efficacy of icodextrin and makes recommendations for its use in peritonal dialysis. [source] Husserlian Meditations and Anthropological Reflections: Toward a Cultural Neurophenomenology of Experience and RealityANTHROPOLOGY OF CONSCIOUSNESS, Issue 2 2009CHARLES D. LAUGHLIN PH.D. ABSTRACT Most of us would agree that the world of our experience is different than the extramental reality of which we are a part. Indeed, the evidence pertaining to cultural cosmologies around the globe suggests that virtually all peoples recognize this distinction,hence the focus upon the "hidden" forces behind everyday events. That said, the struggle to comprehend the relationship between our consciousness and reality, even the reality of ourselves, has led to controversy and debate for centuries in Western philosophy. In this article, we address this problem from an anthropological perspective and argue that the generative route to a solution of the experience,reality "gap" is by way of an anthropologically informed cultural neurophenomenology. By this we mean a perspective and methodology that applies a phenomenology that controls for cultural variation in perception and interpretation, coupled with the latest information from the neurosciences about how the organ of experience,the brain,is structured. [source] Emergence and composition of the traditional-modern bicultural self of people in contemporary Taiwanese societiesASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2006Luo Lu In the present paper, a preliminary statement on the traditional-modern bicultural self in contemporary Taiwan was proposed and our presentation was organized in four parts. First, a theoretical and conceptual analysis was attempted to describe the emergence and composition of the traditional-modern bicultural self of the contemporary Taiwanese people. The cultural and social roots of such a bicultural self were explored, and its constituting elements delineated and their interrelations analyzed. Second, relevant empirical evidence pertaining to this particular model of the Chinese bicultural self was reviewed. Third, our present model was related and compared against various existing bicultural self models. Finally, directions and issues for future research on the Chinese bicultural self were discussed. [source] Evidence-based Reviews and Databases: Are They Worth the Effort?ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2007Developing Evidence Summaries for Emergency Medicine A broad range of relevant evidence-based resources within and outside of emergency medicine (EM) collates and summarizes research evidence pertaining to many questions relevant to clinical emergency care. Such resources may or may not constitute the equivalent of health care recommendations, and their relationship to clinical decision-making may be complex. Many efforts in evidence-based medicine resource development, and their products, are marginally relevant to EM practice but may serve as useful models for parallel EM relevant efforts. A trade-off exists between synthesis quality and ease of practitioner access and use. Keeping all such resources up to date is a major challenge. Although observational evidence suggests that dynamic interactivity and information retrieval technology may enhance practitioner utilization, little evidence exists supporting the absolute or comparative effectiveness of different kinds of resources and databases in enhancing evidence uptake or changing clinician behavior. [source] Research Review: Sibling placement in foster care: a review of the evidenceCHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 4 2007Karla Washington ABSTRACT This research review was undertaken to explore the current evidence pertaining to sibling placement in the foster care system. The review specifically addresses the following questions: (1) Which theories inform research on siblings in foster care? (2) Which designs and methodology are used to study brothers and sisters in out of home placement? (3) How do researchers define ,siblings' when investigating child placement? and (4) What are the findings of studies pertaining to siblings in the foster care system? This review suggests that incorporation of theory into research regarding siblings in foster care is quite limited. Additionally, few studies clearly state how siblings were identified and defined. A major strength of the research, however, is the diversity of design and methodology used. Overall, the evidence presented in this review strongly supports keeping sibling groups intact unless there is a compelling reason for separate placements. [source] | |||||||||||||