The aim of the How Farm Vets Cope project was to co-design, with farm veterinary surgeons, a set of web-based resources to help them and others deal with the different situations that they can face. ...As part of the wider project, participants were recruited for one-to-one semi-structured phone interviews. These interviews focused on elements of job satisfaction and how the participants coped during periods of poor mental wellbeing or with setbacks and failure.
Transcripts of these interviews were analysed using both quantitative methods of sentiment analysis and text mining, including term frequency/inverse document frequency and rapid automated keyword extraction, and qualitative content analysis. The twin aims of the analysis were identifying the important themes discussed by the participants and comparing the results of the two methods to see what differences, if any, arose.
Analysis using the afinn and nrc sentiment lexicons identified emotional themes of anticipation and trust. Rapid automated keyword extraction highlighted issues around age of vets and support, whilst using term frequency/inverse document frequency allowed for individual themes, such as religion, not present across all responses, to be identified. Content analysis supported these findings, pinpointing examples of trust around relationships with farmers and more experienced vets, along with some examples of the difference good support networks can make, particularly to younger vets.
This work has confirmed previous results in identifying the themes of trust, communication and support to be integral to the experience of practicing farm veterinary surgeons. Younger or less experienced vets recognised themselves as benefiting from further support and signposting, leading to a discussion around the preparation of veterinary students for entry into a farm animal vet practice. The two different approaches taken showed very good agreement in their results. The quantitative approaches can be scaled to allow a larger number of interviews to be utilised in studies whilst still allowing the important qualitative results to be identified.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Farmers and those involved in the wider agricultural industry have a high suicide rate. They are also a 'hard to reach' group who make less than average use of mental health services. There is ...therefore a need to understand how best to develop interventions that meet their needs. The aims of this study were to develop a deeper understanding of the farming context and target population and to engage farmers in the shaping of two potential mental health interventions that could be incorporated in a pilot RCT.
The study was informed throughout by a reference group, who assisted in co-production of the research materials. A snowball approach was used to recruit interested individuals who had an association with farming. Twenty one telephone interviews were undertaken and analysed using the six phases of thematic analysis proposed by Braun and Clarke.
Key themes (and sub-themes shown in brackets) related to the study aims were: everyday life (work-life balance; isolation and loneliness); farm management (technology and social media; production, people management, learning and teaching; external pressures; livestock and farm production; financial aspects); demographics (effects of aging); engagement (appropriate wording when talking about mental health; recognising need for help; religion; normalising mental health issues; approaching the conversation); training (mental health training for supporters of the farming community; health & safety and the inclusion of mental health training); and personal stories and experiences, which was an emerging theme.
Recruiting farmers into research studies is best done by meeting farmers where they are found, for example, farmers marts. Accessibility of content, tailoring to the farming community, and guided support are key to effective recruitment and retention.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background
The farming community have high rates of poor mental health, and are relatively ‘hard to reach’ with mental health services. The aim of this study was therefore to undertake a feasibility ...RCT, based on two mental health interventions. These were (1) CBT based ‘Living Life to the Full for Farming Communities’ (LLTTF-F;
www.llttf.com
), and (2) a holistic social and emotional support service delivered by the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI). The feasibility was supplemented by process evaluation.
Methods
This feasibility study aimed to recruit 40 individuals from the farming community who were experiencing a common health problem defined as a score of > = 8 on PHQ-9. A snowball approach was used to recruit interested individuals who had an association with farming. An initial telephone call screened for eligibility and obtained consent to randomisation to the two specified interventions, or to a thirdly group receiving a combination of both LLTTF-F and ‘Social and emotional support’. Participants were permitted to override the randomised option if they expressed a strong preference before the interventions began.
Results
Thirty-two participants provided baseline and three-month data. All three interventions showed positive improvements on PHQ-9 scores as follows: the ‘combined intervention’ mean baseline score was 18.1 compared to 12.0 at 3-month follow-up (mean change 6.1). ‘Social and emotional support’ mean baseline score was 11.3 compared to 6.7 at 3-month follow-up (mean change 4.6). ‘LLTTF-F CBT-based intervention only’ mean baseline score was 11.8 compared to 4.5 at 3-month follow-up (mean change 7.3). The retention rate was 81% at three months.
In a sub-group of the LLTTF-F CBT-based intervention online materials were supplemented by telephone guided support. This approach received very positive feedback.
Conclusions
Recruitment from the farming community required intense effort, and good engagement can then be retained for at least three months. There is evidence that the interventions used were feasible, and tentative evidence that they had a demonstrable effect on mental wellbeing, with the LLTTFF providing the largest effect on PHQ-9 scores.
Trial Registration Number
ISRCTN27173711, submitted 25/08/2023, confirmed 22/092023.
The 20th century was characterized by the democratization of information through the personal computer and the Internet. The 21th century may be characterized by the democratization of production ...through personal fabrication. Digital fabrication involves automated conversion of a digital design into a physical object through a computer-controlled fabrication system. Personal digital fabrication now makes this feasible in conjunction with a personal computer. Fabrication design software is installed and fabrication hardware is connected to the personal computer. A two or three dimensional design is either created with the software, or an existing model is downloaded from an Internet library. This digital design is used to fabricate a three-dimensional version of the electronic design in what some have termed a "bits to atoms" process. Thus, a digital image of a set of gears could be used to create a working set of gears made of plastic, metal, or other material, depending on the fabricator and the raw material it uses. Here, Bell et al discuss the exploration of digital fabrication as and educational technology.
The constitution of 1936, conferring on every Soviet adult rights to vote, to work, and to worship was certainly something to celebrate. In the opening chapter, Comrade Degtyar declares it to be no ...less than an affirmation that "there are no longer any antogonistic classes" in Soviet society. The class struggle, that fiction that nevertheless was the foundation of Communist Party ideology and the murderous domestic policies of Stalin's Russia, has been tentatively won, he says, capitalism has been destroyed, and the egalitarian socialist state is almost a reality. The promises of the Constitution give the residents of the deteriorating courtyard faith in the Party and in Degtyar to interpret its dogma and guide their actions. But the human rights ostensibly bestowed by the Stalinist constitution were, as we know, illusory, and the central theme of The Courtyard revolves around the betrayal of Soviet citizens' faith as the vision of the constitution and the other promises of Soviet Communism give way to the brutal reality of Stalin's regime.
Urban renewal and activism cannot, of course, only be found in the post-communist space but the massive transformation of many cities during these years of transition has resulted variously in ...deserted industrial areas, overpopulated new districts, and the rapid deforestation of previously public areas. A heated discussion, for instance, breaks out over a slide included in one presentation from a Slovak group that mentions that NGO work can act as a kind of training program for young socially minded people and that some members from their organization had gone on to enter local politics. An attempt to temper this problem gave rise to a scheme to establish public areas of access to civil projects with the cooperation of multi-national corporations. Two Georgian activists told me that their organization's mission to campaign for more parks, better footpaths, and better public transport in Tbilisi was overshadowed by a social media drive to support drug decriminalization - a push supported by local nightclub owners.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Avian pathogenic
(APEC) cause severe respiratory and systemic disease in chickens, commonly termed colibacillosis. Early immune responses after initial infection are highly important for the outcome ...of the infection. In this study, the early interactions between
-expressing APEC strains of serotypes O1:K1:H7 and O2:K1:H5 and phagocytic cells in the lung of
-reporter transgenic chickens were investigated.
-reporter transgenic chickens express fluorescent protein under the control of elements of the
promoter and enhancer, such that cells of the myeloid lineage can be visualized
and sorted. Chickens were separately inoculated with APEC strains expressing
and culled 6 h post-infection. Flow cytometric analysis was performed to phenotype and sort the cells that harbored bacteria in the lung, and the response of the sorted cells was defined by transcriptomic analysis. Both APEC strains were mainly detected in
-transgene
(
-tg
) and
-tg
MHC II
MRC1L-B
cells and low numbers of APEC were detected in
-tg
MHC II
MRC1L-B
cells. Transcriptomic and flow cytometric analysis identified the APEC
-tg
and
-tg
cells as heterophils and the APEC
-tg
cells as macrophages and dendritic cells. Both APEC strains induced strong inflammatory responses, however in both
-tg
and
-tg
cells, many immune related pathways were repressed to a greater extent or less activated in birds inoculated with APEC O2-
compared to APEC O1-
inoculated birds. Comparison of the immune pathways revealed the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (
) pathway,
and
signaling, heterophil recruitment pathways and the acute phase response, are modulated particularly post-APEC O2-
inoculation. In contrast to
data, APEC O2-
was more invasive in
-tg
cells
than APEC O1-
and had higher survival rates for up to 6 h post-infection. Our data indicate significant differences in the responses induced by APEC strains of prevalent serotypes, with important implications for the design and interpretation of future studies. Moreover, we show that bacterial invasion and survival in phagocyte populations
is not predictive of events in the chicken lung.
Urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) is the 5th most common cancer in Western societies. The most common symptom of UBC is haematuria. Cystoscopy the gold standard for UBC detection, allows direct ...observation of the bladder, but is expensive, invasive, and uncomfortable. This study examines whether an alternative new urine-based diagnostic test, the DCRSHP, is cost-effective as a triage diagnostic tool compared to flexible cystoscopy in the diagnosis of UBC in haematuria patients.
A model-based cost-utility analysis using cost per quality adjusted life year and life year gained, parameterised with secondary data sources.
If the DCRSHP is targeted at haematuria patients at lower risk of having bladder cancer e.g. younger patients, non-smokers, then it can be priced as high as £620, and be both effective and cost-effective. Sensitivity analysis found that DCRSHP is approximately 80% likely to be cost-effective across all willingness to pay values (for a QALY) and prevalence estimates.
This analysis shows the potential for a non-invasive test to be added to the diagnostic pathway for haematuria patients suspected of having UBC. If the DCRSHP is applied targeting haematuria patients at low risk of UBC, then it has the potential to be both effective and cost-effective.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Sensitive and specific urinary biomarkers can improve patient outcomes in many diseases through informing early diagnosis. Unfortunately, to date, the accuracy and translation of diagnostic urinary ...biomarkers into clinical practice has been disappointing. We believe this may be due to inappropriate standardization of diagnostic urinary biomarkers. Our objective was therefore to characterize the effects of standardizing urinary levels of IL-6, IL-8, and VEGF using the commonly applied standards namely urinary creatinine, osmolarity and protein. First, we report results based on the biomarker levels measured in 120 hematuric patients, 80 with pathologically confirmed bladder cancer, 27 with confounding pathologies and 13 in whom no underlying cause for their hematuria was identified, designated "no diagnosis". Protein levels were related to final diagnostic categories (p = 0.022, ANOVA). Osmolarity (mean = 529 mOsm; median = 528 mOsm) was normally distributed, while creatinine (mean = 10163 µmol/l, median = 9350 µmol/l) and protein (0.3297, 0.1155 mg/ml) distributions were not. When we compared AUROCs for IL-6, IL-8 and VEGF levels, we found that protein standardized levels consistently resulted in the lowest AUROCs. The latter suggests that protein standardization attenuates the "true" differences in biomarker levels across controls and bladder cancer samples. Second, in 72 hematuric patients; 48 bladder cancer and 24 controls, in whom urine samples had been collected on recruitment and at follow-up (median = 11 (1 to 20 months)), we demonstrate that protein levels were approximately 24% lower at follow-up (Bland Altman plots). There was an association between differences in individual biomarkers and differences in protein levels over time, particularly in control patients. Collectively, our findings identify caveats intrinsic to the common practice of protein standardization in biomarker discovery studies conducted on urine, particularly in patients with hematuria.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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