Hope is Round and Leather: Football Unifies a Strife-Torn Haiti

In lieu of an abstract, below is the first paragraph of the paper. In strife-torn Caribbean nations such as Haiti, hope is hard to come by. Poverty and political conflicts throughout its history too often overshadow the islands\u27 stunning beauty and color. In these warm-climate islands that cry out for structure, only sport responds. In the Caribbean, the calendar year isn\u27t split by the season\u27s winter, spring, fall and summer, but into cricket season and football season (Hislop qtd. in Ferguson vii). Football, the proper and logical term for what America calls soccer, provides an opportunity that is often sought for, but rarely found. While cricket plays its part in the Caribbean, football as a unifying force is a commonality shared all over the world, capable of helping the most troubled areas. In this group of Caribbean nations that is divided no more geography than by political-strife and poverty, football provides hope, unifies the people and nations, and offers cultural pride as shown through Haiti as a lens

"I am a complete woman" : dragon boat and breast cancer survival

Being diagnosed with breast cancer is like receiving a death sentence. While some surrender to their fate with diminished meaning of life, others manage to accept the challenges of their condition and move on with greater appreciation of life. This qualitative study examined the experiences of breast cancer survivors whose engagement with dragon boat enhanced their quality of life despite the traumatic discovery, treatment and long-term effects resulting from the illness. A focus group discussion (FGD) was conducted with three Filipina survivors of breast cancer who were actively engaged in dragon boat paddling. The in-depth discussion among the participants provided rich data on their survival of breast cancer and how dragon boat provided them physical and psychosocial benefits. Thematic analysis of the transcription data from the FGD yielded the following themes: (1) family as source of strength, (2) acceptance of breast cancer, (3) mutually supporting relationships, (4) increased personal strengths, (5) greater appreciation of life and (5) I Am a Complete Woman. Results were discussed within the framework of the Post-Traumatic Growth model (Schaefer and Moos, 1998).Recibir el diagnóstico de cáncer de mama es como recibir una sentencia de muerte. Mientras algunas personas se rinden a su destino con el sentido de vida disminuido, otras logran aceptar los desafíos de su condición y seguir adelante con una mayor apreciación de la vida. Este estudio cualitativo examinó las experiencias de supervivientes de cáncer de mama cuyo compromiso con el barco dragón mejoró su calidad de vida a pesar del descubrimiento traumático, el tratamiento y los efectos a largo plazo derivados de la enfermedad. Se llevó a cabo una discusión de grupo de enfoque con tres supervivientes de cáncer de mama filipinos que participaron activamente en el remo de barco dragón. La discusión en profundidad entre los participantes proporcionó datos enriquecedores sobre su supervivencia al cáncer de mama y cómo el barco dragón les proporcionó beneficios físicos y psicosociales. El análisis temático de los datos de transcritos de la discusión de grupo de enfoque produjo los siguientes temas: (1) la familia como fuente de fuerza, (2) la aceptación del cáncer de mama, (3) las relaciones de apoyo mutuo, (4) fortalezas personales aumentadas, (5) mayor apreciación de la vida y (5) soy una mujer completa. Los resultados se discutieron en el marco del modelo de crecimiento post-traumático (Schaefer y Moos, 1998)

Nanostructured Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Films Prepared by the Sol-Gel Method from Self-Assemblies of PS-b-PAPTES-b-PS Triblock Copolymers

International audienceABA-based triblock copolymers of styrene as block ends and gelable 3-acryloxypropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) as the middle block were successfully prepared through nitroxide-medi- ated polymerization (NMP). The copolymers were bulk self- assembled into films and the degree of phase separation between the two blocks was evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Their morphology was examined through small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), whereas the mechanical properties of the corresponding cross- linked self-assembled nanostructures were characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Acidic treatment of the tri- block copolymers favored the hydrolysis and condensation reactions of the APTES-rich nanophase, and induced a mechanical reinforcement evidenced by the increase of storage modulus val- ues and the shift of the glass transition temperature to higher tem- peratures due to confinement effects. In addition, the lamellar structure of the hybrid films was retained after the removal of the organic part by calcination

The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting on Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States, comprising about 10% of the population. With intermittent fasting gaining popularity in the media as a method to lose weight and control chronic illness, patients with diabetes would likely turn to any of the fasting methods in order to better manage their disease. However, there is a paucity of information to support whether intermittent fasting is an effective method to control diabetes, in conjunction with lifestyle modifications and anti-diabetic pharmacotherapy. This review sought to identify clinically relevant human studies that provide evidence that intermittent fasting is beneficial for those who suffer from type 1 or type 2 diabetes. A systematic review of the published literature was performed using PRISMA protocol in order to identify clinical trials that evaluated the effects of fasting in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, specifically focusing on body weight (kg), hemoglobin A1C (%), and blood plasma glucose levels (mmol/L). Four randomized controlled trials and one case report of fasting in adults on anti-diabetic therapy with diabetes were identified. Improvements in weight, A1C, and/or fasting plasma glucose were identified in all of the studies. Patients may approach their health care providers with the desire to utilize fasting as an alternative to effectively manage their diabetes. Providers can use the studies included in this review as well as others that are available as a guide in order to make proper recommendations and monitor their patients safely. However, more studies should be performed in order to make accurate claims regarding the long-term effects of intermittent fasting among patients with diabetes

Best Practices in a Clinical Development Project Management Office (PMO) to Achieve a Reference Standard in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Medications are developed by the pharmaceutical industry starting with the discovery phase, proceeds to preclinical trials, moves into clinical trials (progressing from Phase I to Phase III), and if the data are positive, may lead to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Once approved, post-marketing surveillance for safety is required as long as the drug is marketed to consumers. This phase may also include clinical trial Phase IV studies if additional safety testing is required. This process usually takes between ten to fifteen years, with clinical development taking seven to ten years of that time (1). Clinical development can be facilitated by a clinical development Project Management Office (PMO) at pharmaceutical companies. Clinical development PMOs provide value by establishing processes that can be universally adopted by the pharmaceutical industry. This can help simplify product development, and as a result, accelerate time to market. Clinical development project management is a relatively new field in the pharmaceutical industry, and there are few publications and literary reviews regarding standardized best practices, current best practices, and potential best practices for clinical development. Decreasing the time it takes a drug to reach market can help patients live longer and/or improve their quality of life. Time to market is often driven by the time it takes to test the product in clinical settings. This thesis is focused on analyzing the clinical development project management practices in order to reduce the time to market. The goals of this project were to identify best practices in clinical development project management, compile a reference standard, develop a rubric, evaluate the rubric on a comparator company, and make a recommendation regarding actions required for the comparator company to achieve the reference standard

Educating Medical-Surgical Nurses in a Large Hospital Organization on Sepsis Bundle Elements

Problem: Results from a voluntarily anonymous pre-survey about sepsis revealed that a majority of the seventeen nurses assessed themselves below an expert knowledge \u27\u27 level. The survey results present an opportunity to improve the nurses’ knowledge and confidence in nursing response and improve patient outcomes with sepsis. Context: The quality improvement (QI) project was conducted on a medical-surgical unit in a large Northern California hospital. Intervention: A QI team initiated evidenced-based practice research and created an educational sepsis handout for nurses to increase sepsis knowledge and confidence. Measures: The self-assessment pre-survey would be compared to the responses from the post-survey. The pre-and post-surveys will have the same questions to determine any change. A scale of 0 to 5 with 0 as “do not have any knowledge” and 5 being “expert knowledge” will be utilized. Results: A post-intervention survey could not be conducted due to time constraints. Based on available studies and literature, however, sepsis training and education improved staff knowledge and confidence when dealing with potential septic patients. Conclusion: From evidence-based practice studies, additional education provides nurses with increased knowledge and confidence to recognize and respond to septic patients. Professional improvement programs that offer educational programs to increase nurses’ knowledge can essentially improve nursing practice and affect patient outcomes