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Multiple Benefits (multiple + benefit)
Selected AbstractsA quantitative approach to benefit-risk assessment of medicines , part 1: the development of a new model using multi-criteria decision analysis,PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue S1 2007Filip Mussen PhD Abstract Purpose One of the most important uses of benefit-risk assessment pertains to approval of new medicines by regulatory authorities and the subsequent review of these products during their life-cycle when new safety and/or efficacy data becomes available. At present, there exist no validated, well-accepted models for benefit-risk assessment that have the appropriate degree of sophistication, and as a consequence no models are widely used by regulatory authorities or industry. The aim of the study was therefore to develop a new model for benefit-risk assessment of medicines using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). Methods The MCDA methodology was used for a systematic approach to assess the benefit risk ratio of medicines. The reasons for adopting this approach were (1) taking multiple benefit and risk criteria into account, (2) making a judgement on the evidence and potential uncertainty because of the incompleteness of evidence, and (3) making trade-offs of the benefits against risks. Results It was demonstrated through a seven-step approach how MCDA is used to construct the model. Ten benefit and ten risk criteria were identified to form a value tree. Then fixed scales were established for all criteria and options on the criteria were scored. Weights were assigned for each criteria using swing-weighting. Finally sensitivity analysis was carried. Conclusions This novel approach based on MCDA has the potential for being applied as a new tool for judging and deciding on the benefits and risks, thereby helping regulators and industry in the development and approval of new medicines and their adequate use. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Intercropping for the Improvement of Sorghum Yield, Soil Fertility and Striga Control in the Subsistence Agriculture Region of Tigray (Northern Ethiopia)JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY AND CROP SCIENCE, Issue 1 2005F. Reda Abstract Striga hermonthica is a major biotic constraint in the dry and less fertile areas of northern Ethiopia. Emphasis is being placed on improved cropping systems to address the interrelated problems of Striga and soil fertility decline. The potential benefits of intercropping were investigated at two sites representing different environments for crop yield improvement, soil fertility maintenance and Striga control. Ten food legume and oilseed crop species were compared in inter-row arrangement with sorghum under non-fertilized conditions. In most cases, there was no significant negative impact of intercropping on sorghum growth and development. Among the intercrops, two cowpea varieties , cv. TVU 1977 OD and cv. Blackeye bean , produced the highest supplemental yield of up to 329 and 623 kg ha,1 grain and 608 and 1173 kg ha,1 biomass at Adibakel and Sheraro respectively. Treatment differences on Striga infestation and measured soil fertility indicators were not significant. Nevertheless, valuable grain and biomass obtained from the legume intercrops, without seriously compromising sorghum yield, could offer multiple benefits as a source of protein, additional income, feeds for animals and manure in the subsistence agriculture regions of northern Ethiopia. [source] Effects of culling on spatial associations of Mycobacterium bovis infections in badgers and cattleJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2007HELEN E JENKINS Summary 1Bovine tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, has serious consequences for Britain's cattle industry. European badgers (Meles meles) can transmit infection to cattle, and for many years the British government culled badgers in a series of attempts to reduce cattle infections. 2We investigated the impact of badger culling on the spatial distribution of M. bovis infection in badger and cattle populations in replicated areas in England. 3M. bovis infection was significantly clustered within badger populations, but clustering was reduced when culls were repeated across wide areas. A significant spatial association between M. bovis infections in badgers and cattle herds likewise declined across successive culls. These patterns are consistent with evidence that badgers are less territorial and range more widely in culled areas, allowing transmission to occur over greater distances. 4Prior to culling, M. bovis infections were clustered within cattle populations. Where badger culling was localised, and in unculled areas just outside widespread culling areas, cattle infections became less spatially clustered as badger culling was repeated. This is consistent with expanded badger ranging observed in these areas. 5In contrast, clustering of infection in cattle persisted over time on lands where badgers were repeatedly culled over wide areas. While this lack of a temporal trend must be interpreted with caution, it might reflect persistent infection within, and continued transmission between, cattle herds in areas where transmission from badgers to cattle had been reduced by badger culling. Continued spatial association of infections in cattle and badgers in such areas might partly reflect transmission from cattle. 6Synthesis and applications: Our findings confirm that badger culling can prompt spatial spread of M. bovis infection, a phenomenon likely to undermine the utility of this approach as a disease control measure. Possible evidence of transmission from cattle, both to other cattle and to badgers, suggests that improved cattle controls might yield multiple benefits for TB management. [source] Approaches to landcare,a century of soil conservation in IcelandLAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2005A. Arnalds Abstract Organized soil conservation in Iceland began in 1907, as a response to severe land degradation and desertification that was threatening the existence of several communities. During the first 75 years, many of the most threatening areas of accelerated soil erosion were fenced and seeded with sand stabilizers. These projects had a high success rate, halting the advancement of sand dunes and other forms of highly accelerated erosion. However, they were limited in scope, and often concentrated on the symptoms of the problems rather than the underlying causes, such as improper grazing management. On a national scale, not enough was being achieved in mitigating the extensive ecosystem degradation. This period of soil conservation in Iceland was characterized by single-issue, top-down approaches, a lack of appropriate incentives for soil conservation and weak laws for protection of the rangelands. During the last two decades there has been a gradual shift to more participatory strategies, community involvement, and ecosystem management for multiple benefits. These changes have greatly increased community involvement in projects, stimulated conservation awareness and improved land use. The ties between agricultural policy and soil-conservation issues are also being strengthened, especially by linking part of governmental subsidies for sheep production to land-use factors. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Using Home Gardens to Decipher Health and Healing in the Andes.MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2003Ruthbeth Finerman Home gardens are a pervasive component of Andean agricultural systems, but have been ignored in anthropological and agronomic research. Recent research in the indigenous community of Saraguro, Ecuador, employed a combination of in-depth interviews, free-listing, videotaped walk-throughs, and mapping to explore the role of home gardens, which are established and controlled by women. Findings reveal that, although gardens offer multiple benefits, they are overwhelmingly devoted to the cultivation of medicinal plants, operating as de facto medicine cabinets that supply women with most of the resources they need to treat family illnesses. Results also suggest that the natural history of home gardens mirrors transformations within the family, and that Saraguro women study the contents of their neighbors' gardens, using this knowledge as a foundation for deciphering the owners' economic and health status. New threats to the sustainability of home gardens threaten the foundation of Saraguro's ethnomedical system and women's authority in the home and community. [ethnobotany, gardens, Ecuador, women healers, family health] [source] Adventure therapy for adolescents with cancerPEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER, Issue 3 2004Bonnie Stevens RN Abstract The objective of this study was to describe adolescents' with cancer experience in an adventure therapy program from a health related quality of life (HRQL) perspective. A qualitative descriptive research method was used. Eleven adolescents and five health professionals participated in a guided group adventure therapy expedition in a remote area of Canada. The expedition was videotaped and data were collected using an unstructured interview format with both adolescents and health professionals. Emerging themes were identified using a qualitative descriptive exploratory analysis. Four major themes and related sub-themes were generated. The major themes were: developing connections, togetherness, rebuilding self-esteem, and creating memories. Adventure therapy was viewed by the adolescents and health care professionals as a positive experience with multiple benefits. This preliminary research will contribute to an understanding of adolescents' experiences with cancer and provide a basis for future studies evaluating the impact of adventure therapy on HRQL. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] An Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse's Guide to Professional Writing,PERSPECTIVES IN PSYCHIATRIC CARE, Issue 4 2007Peter C. Campanelli PsyD TOPIC.,Many good ideas are not communicated to the community of mental health practitioners because advanced practice psychiatric nurses (APPNs) are not being well informed about writing for public dissemination. PURPOSE.,This study aims to support APPNs through the various stages of manuscript preparation so they can enlarge the scope of their written contributions to the mental health field. CONCLUSIONS.,An appreciation for the skills, mechanics, and attitudes that support the authoring enterprise can result in APPNs enjoying the multiple benefits that accrue to those who write about their professional activities for clinical, administrative, advocacy, fund-raising, and other purposes. [source] Pros and Cons of Educational Technologies as Methods for Disseminating Evidence-Based TreatmentsCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: SCIENCE AND PRACTICE, Issue 3 2004Jennifer M. Lane The article by Weingardt (this issue) proposes the adoption of instructional design technologies (IDTs) for the dissemination of empirically supported psychological therapies (ESTs). Although the use of such tools for the dissemination of ESTs clearly has multiple benefits, it is important to consider the broader implications of these approaches for clinical research and treatment. We suggest that reliance of educationally based technologies could have important consequences for the way in which the scientist-practitioner relationship is framed. Furthermore, we propose that the adoption of IDT principles raises some significant practical and conceptual concerns about the future directions of psychotherapy research and practice. [source] | |||||||||||||