The effects of a simplified tai-chi exercise program (STEP) on the physical health of older adults living in long-term care facilities : a single group design with multiple time points

Background
Studies support the positive effects that Tai Chi has on the physical health of older adults. However, many older adults residing in long-term care facilities feel too weak to practice traditional Tai Chi, and a more simplified style is preferred.
Objective
To test the effects of a newly-developed, Simplified Tai-Chi Exercise Program (STEP) on the physical health of older adults who resided in long-term care facilities.
Design
A single group design with multiple time points: three pre-tests, one month apart; four post-tests at one month, two months, three months, and six months after intervention started.
Settings
Two 300–400 bed veteran homes in Taiwan.
Participants
The 51 male older adults were recruited through convenience sampling, and 41 of them completed six-month study. Inclusion criteria included: (1) aged 65 and over; (2) no previous training in Tai Chi; (3) cognitively alert and had a score of at least eight on the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire; (4) able to walk without assistance; and (5) had a Barthel Index score of 61 or higher. Participants who had dementia, were wheel-chair bound, or had severe or acute cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, or pulmonary illnesses were excluded.
Methods
The STEP was implemented three times a week, 50 min per session for six months. The outcome measures included cardio-respiratory function, blood pressure, balance, hand-grip strength, lower body flexibility, and physical health actualization.
Results
A drop in systolic blood pressure (p=.017) and diastolic blood pressure (p<.001) was detected six months after intervention started. Increase in hand-grip strength from pre to post intervention was found (left hand: p<.001; right hand: p=.035). Participants also had better lower body flexibility after practicing STEP (p=.038).
Conclusions
Findings suggest that the STEP be incorporated as a floor activity in long-term care facilities to promote physical health of older adults.

The effect of tai chi on psychosocial well-being : a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Objective : This systematic review aimed to critically appraise published clinical trials designed to assess the effect of Tai Chi on psychosocial well-being.

Data Sources : Databases searched included MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, HEALT, PsycINFO, CISCOM, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials of the Cochrane Library, and dissertations and conference proceedings from inception to August 2008.

Review Methods : Methodological quality was assessed using a modified Jadad scale. A total of 15 studies met the inclusion criteria (i.e. English publications of randomized controlled trials with Tai Chi as an intervention and psychological well-being as an outcome measure), of which eight were high quality trials. The psychosocial outcomes measured included anxiety (eight studies), depression (eight studies), mood (four studies), stress (two studies), general mental health three studies), anger, positive and negative effect, self-esteem, life satisfaction, social interaction and self-rated health (one study each).

Results : Tai Chi intervention was found to have a significant effect in 13 studies, especially in the management of depression and anxiety. Although the results seemed to suggest Tai Chi is effective, they should be interpreted cautiously as the quality of the trials varied substantially. Furthermore, significant findings were shown in only six high quality studies. Moreover, significant between group differences after Tai Chi intervention was demonstrated in only one high quality study (the other three significant results were observed in non-high quality studies). Two high quality studies in fact found no significant Tai Chi effects.

Conclusion : It is still premature to make any conclusive remarks on the effect of Tai Chi on psychosocial well-being.

Complementary medicine, exercise, meditation, diet, and lifestyle modification for anxiety disorders : a review of current evidence

Use of complementary medicines and therapies (CAM) and modification of lifestyle factors such as physical activity and exercise, and diet are being increasingly considered as potential therapeutic options for anxiety disorders. The objective of this metareview was to examine evidence across a broad range of CAM and lifestyle interventions in the treatment of anxiety disorders. In early 2012 we conducted a literature search of PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycInfo, and the Cochrane Library, for key studies, systematic reviews, and metaanalyses in the area. Our review found that in respect to treatment of generalized anxiety or specific anxiety disorders, CAM evidence revealed support for the herbal medicine Kava. One isolated study shows benefit for naturopathic medicine, whereas acupuncture, yoga, and Tai chi have tentative supportive evidence, which is hampered by overall poor methodology. The breadth of evidence does not support homeopathy for treating anxiety. Strong support exists for lifestyle modifications including adoption of moderate exercise and mindfulness meditation, whereas dietary improvement, avoidance of caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine offer encouraging preliminary data. In conclusion, certain lifestyle modifications and some CAMs may provide a beneficial role in the management of anxiety disorders.

Can social dancing prevent falls in older adults? a protocol of the Dance, Aging, Cognition,Economics (DAnCE) fall prevention randomised controlled trial

Background:  Falls are one of the most common health problems among older people and pose a major economic burden on health care systems. Exercise is an accepted stand-alone fall prevention strategy particularly if it is balance training or regular participation in Tai chi. Dance shares the ‘holistic’ approach of practices such as Tai chi. It is a complex sensorimotor rhythmic activity integrating multiple physical, cognitive and social elements. Small-scale randomised controlled trials have indicated that diverse dance styles can improve measures of balance and mobility in older people, but none of these studies has examined the effect of dance on falls or cognition. This study aims to determine whether participation in social dancing: i) reduces the number of falls; and ii) improves cognitive functions associated with fall risk in older people.

Methods/design: A single-blind, cluster randomised controlled trial of 12 months duration will be conducted. Approximately 450 participants will be recruited from 24 self-care retirement villages that house at least 60 residents each in Sydney, Australia. Village residents without cognitive impairment and obtain medical clearance will be eligible. After comprehensive baseline measurements including physiological and cognitive tests and self-completed questionnaires, villages will be randomised to intervention sites (ballroom or folk dance) or to a wait-listed control using a computer randomisation method that minimises imbalances between villages based on two baseline fall risk measures. Main outcome measures are falls, prospectively measured, and the Trail Making cognitive function test. Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses will be performed.

Discussion: This study offers a novel approach to balance training for older people. As a community-based approach to fall prevention, dance offers older people an opportunity for greater social engagement, thereby making a major contribution to healthy ageing. Providing diversity in exercise programs targeting seniors recognises the heterogeneity of multicultural populations and may further increase the number of taking part in exercise.

Hepatitis B Virus transmission and hepatocarcinogenesis: a 9 year retropective cohort of 13676 relatives with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background/Aims
Familial clustering of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is related to perinatal transmission, and is the main cause of familial-type hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The route of HBV transmission differs between the children and siblings of patients with HCC. This study examined the differences in HBV carrier rates and HCC-related mortality between two generations in HCC families.
Methods
From 1992 to 1997, relatives of individuals with HCC were screened prospectively with ultrasonography, alpha-fetoprotein, liver biochemistry tests and viral markers. Total HCC-related deaths during a 9-year period were compared between the generations of index patients and their children.
Results
The study included a total of 13 676 relatives in two generations. More HCC-related deaths occurred in the index patient generation than in the child generation. Furthermore, children of female index patients had higher rates of liver cancer related mortality than children of male index patients. The same was true when the analysis was limited to male HBV carriers. The prevalence of HBsAg in the offspring of HBsAg positive mothers was 66% in the child generation and 72% in the index patient generation. These high prevalences indicated high maternal HBV replication status.
Conclusions
Perinatal transmission and maternal viral load are important risk factors in hepatocarcinogenesis.

Survival of relatives of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background:Families of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) carry a high risk of developing HCC. We determine the number of fatalities in relatives of HCC patients during an 8-year period to understand the risk and cause of HCC in relatives of patients with HCC.
Methods:From 1992 to 1997, 15 410 relatives of HCC patients in three generations were screened prospectively for HCC by ultrasonography, α-fetoprotein, liver biochemistry and viral markers. By using national citizen identification numbers, we searched the total fatalities in relatives of HCC patients between 1992 and 1999 from the national mortality data bank. The results were compared among different viral infection groups.
Results:Of the relatives studied, 37.8% were hepatitis B s antigen (HBsAg) positive (+), 4.3% were anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) (+) and 1.7% were both HBsAg (+) and anti-HCV (+). A total of 399 fatalities, including 139 because of HCC (34.8%), 37 because of liver diseases (9.3%), 88 because of other cancers (22.1%) and 135 because of other diseases (33.8%), were found. Relatives who were HBsAg (+) or anti-HCV (+)showed a lower cumulative survival than did relatives who were negative for both HBsAg and anti-HCV. Relatives with dual infection of hepatitis B and C virus showed the highest mortality due to HCC or terminal liver diseases.
Conclusions:Chronic viral infection rather than a hereditary factor is the main cause of a familial tendency for HCC. Dual infection of hepatitis B and C virus increases the risk of HCC or decompensated liver diseases.
Background:Families of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) carry a high risk of developing HCC. We determine the number of fatalities in relatives of HCC patients during an 8-year period to understand the risk and cause of HCC in relatives of patients with HCC.
Methods:From 1992 to 1997, 15 410 relatives of HCC patients in three generations were screened prospectively for HCC by ultrasonography, α-fetoprotein, liver biochemistry and viral markers. By using national citizen identification numbers, we searched the total fatalities in relatives of HCC patients between 1992 and 1999 from the national mortality data bank. The results were compared among different viral infection groups.
Results:Of the relatives studied, 37.8% were hepatitis B s antigen (HBsAg) positive (+), 4.3% were anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) (+) and 1.7% were both HBsAg (+) and anti-HCV (+). A total of 399 fatalities, including 139 because of HCC (34.8%), 37 because of liver diseases (9.3%), 88 because of other cancers (22.1%) and 135 because of other diseases (33.8%), were found. Relatives who were HBsAg (+) or anti-HCV (+)showed a lower cumulative survival than did relatives who were negative for both HBsAg and anti-HCV. Relatives with dual infection of hepatitis B and C virus showed the highest mortality due to HCC or terminal liver diseases.
Conclusions:Chronic viral infection rather than a hereditary factor is the main cause of a familial tendency for HCC. Dual infection of hepatitis B and C virus increases the risk of HCC or decompensated liver diseases.

Kai Tai Chan

Analyses the work of choreographer and director Kai Tai Chan whose different pathway through dance and theatre opens up discourses about the nature of non-ballet concert dance in Australia. Orthodox paradigms of training and performance making are interrogated and a greater understanding of the relative nature of those practices is established by analysing the competing ideologies, philosophical frameworks and aesthetic understandings of these practitioners.

Performance analysis of cyber security awareness delivery methods

In order to decrease information security threats caused by human-related vulnerabilities, an increased concentration on information security awareness and training is necessary. There are numerous information security awareness training delivery methods. The purpose of this study was to determine what delivery method is most successful in providing security awareness training. We conducted security awareness training using various delivery methods such as text based, game based and a short video presentation with the aim of determining user preference delivery methods. Our study suggests that a combined delvery methods are better than individual secrity awareness delivery method.

An approach to filtering duplicate RFID data streams

In a system where distributed network of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) readers are used to collaboratively collect data from tagged objects, a scheme that detects and eliminates redundant data streams is required. To address this problem, we propose an approach that is based on Bloom filter to detect duplicate readings and filter redundant RFID data streams. We have evaluated the performance of the proposed approach and compared it with existing approaches. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach provides superior performance as compared to the baseline approaches.

The Chi complex and ambiguities of meeting

In his article "The Chi Complex and Ambiguities of Meeting" Paul Carter develops a discussion of interpersonal encounters by mobilizing an apparatus of references, ranging from Jean Genet to Lévinas, Derrida, Bachmann, Merleau-Ponty, and Arendt. The hypothesis is that meeting another person entails and subsumes a non-meeting; a resistance and a refusal. The article pursues the ambiguity at the heart of encountering the other through an investigation of the urban spaces that are allegedly designed to invite and facilitate meetings. The argument put forward is that these spaces are paradoxically designed to avert encounters. This is especially true in the context of a "new social, economic, and institutional life that seems to call into question the very existence of the collectivities referred to as 'community' or 'society'." The unfolding of this proposition describes a space and a topography that are open, supple, and capable of "mutual transformations." The Greek letter Chi, both in its meaning of chaos and Chora ("a process of cleavage in its double meaning"), is employed as a theoretical example of a place that defies rigidity and closeness and that invites us to linger and pause in order to allow the other to meet and be met.

Service quality assessment in provision of library services

Libraries are dynamic organization providing dynamic services to their patrons. However, advances in IT and networking have created a serious competition to libraries from many information service provisioning agents. The purpose of this study is to understand the issue relevant to service quality assessment in libraries and subsequently develop a conceptual model of aligning library quality of service assessment for effective reporting of library value and performance to stakeholders. In this paper, we will focus on the provision of library services and the nature of the relationship and interactions between various components of library services.

Pollution, health and economic growth

This paper examines the growth impacts of aid allocation on healthcare and pollution abatement in an endogenous growth model, and finds that the aid tied to them contributes positively to the equilibrium growth rate. Nonetheless, the growth rate can be reduced or even impaired if the ratio of aid on pollution abatement is lowered.