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PubMedDate not supplied

Memory enhancement program for community-based older adults: development and evaluation.

The purpose of the study was to develop a multifactorial memory enhancement program for community-dwelling older adults aimed at encouraging positive beliefs and behaviors about memory function and abilities in later life. The study evaluated the effectiveness of cognitive restructuring techniques (56 subjects) as compared to traditional memory training techniques (61 subjects) for purposes of enhancing memory performance. Posttest assessments were conducted after 10 weeks of memory training. Follow-up assessments were conducted 9 weeks later to assess maintenance of memory performance and memory beliefs. Three 2 x 3 (Treatment x Time) repeated measures multivariate analyses of variance were conducted to evaluate the effects of two types of intervention on memory performance, memory perception, and affective symptomatology over time. Results suggest that cognitive restructuring techniques may help community-dwelling older adults gain control over their beliefs about memory and thereby enhance their memory performance.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

[Tracking of the development of fecal bacterial community of diarrhea piglets by 16S rDNA techniques].

PCR and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) were used to track the development of fecal bacterial community of 5 diarrhea piglets. Clone libraries were created from complete 16S rDNA of 42-day fecal sample of piglet 1, 2 and 5. From the library, clones had their V6-V8 regions matched predominant bands on the DGGE gel were then sequenced and their 16S rDNAs subjected to an online similarity search. Results revealed that DGGE profiles from fecal samples of 5 piglets changed form simple to complex, and then returned simple to complex, finally tended to be stable and diverse. DGGE profiles from day 2and 16 fecal samples of 5 piglets were simplest, with high similarity (84%). Their most predominant bands were E. coil. Their Shannon index were 1.38 +/- 0.55 and 1.97 +/- 0.26 respectively. DGGE profiles from day 10 of 5 piglets became quite complex, and had quite low similarity (10%) with DGGE profiles from day 2and 16 fecal samples of 5 piglets. The Shannon index was 2.12 +/- 0.24. E. coil still existed, but it was not the most predominant band. There were significant differences of predominant bands between DGGE profiles from day 27 fecal samples and those from day 35 and 42 fecal samples, with 26.28% and 39.2% of similarity respectively. The predominant bands from day 35 and 42 fecal samples of 5 piglets were tended to be stable, with 55% of similarity. The Shannon index of day 27, day 35 and 42 fecal bacterial communities were 2.19 +/- 0.29, 2.20 +/- 0.17 and 2.14 +/- 0.20 respectively. The fecal bacterial communities of day 42 health piglets were mainly consisted of species of Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Clostridium, Peptostreptococcus and Lactobacillus.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Some ethical issues in community-based rehabilitation initiatives in developing countries.

PURPOSE: This commentary provides both theoretical and practical insights into the concept of community-based rehabilitation (CBR) and its application in developing countries. In doing so it explores current practices in CBR and the debate surrounding them, namely the ethical question and how this may impact on future CBR. The main argument in this account is that disability is a development issue; with widespread poverty, inequality and violation of human rights, and should be addressed within the broader context of community development which may include strategies such as CBR. METHOD: A review and analysis of recent literature on CBR has been conducted including the review of a number of empirical research documents from various CBR initiatives in developing countries. RESULTS: CBR has increasingly been under scrutiny in terms of the extent to which these have succeeded in delivering rehabilitation services to those in need in the community as well as the permitted level of participation and control of disabled people over the rehabilitation process. Many programmes have been unsustainable and it has been difficult to evaluate their full usefulness to disabled people. These issues raise an ethical question about CBR being an appropriate strategy for the rehabilitation of people with impairments in developing countries. CONCLUSION: This background emphasizes that new directions in CBR need to be put in place in order to maximize the realization of the ultimate goal: the greatest participation for disabled people in all spheres of life. Effective rehabilitation programmes should allow people with disability to have greater control in the nature of their rehabilitation and that the role of professionals and other stakeholders is one of allies and resources in the rehabilitation process. Moreover, the participation of community members in the rehabilitation policy should be assured.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

The development of the therapeutic community in correctional establishments: a comparative retrospective account of the 'democratic' Maxwell Jones TC and the hierarchical concept-based TC in prison.

BACKGROUND: The correction-based therapeutic community (TC) is one of the most described treatment modalities for (substance abusing) incarcerated offenders. The origins and development of the therapeutic community have been traced back to two independent traditions: the American hierarchical concept-based TC and the British democratic Maxwell Jones-type TC. Both branches have developed independently, targeting different people and tackling diverse problems. AIMS: To demonstrate that there are clear and undeniable similarities between the 'two' prison-based therapeutic communities. METHOD: A comparative historical review of the literature and a critical discussion and comparison. RESULTS: The links between the democratic and hierarchical therapeutic communities are summarised under five headings: social learning and behavioural modification; permissiveness and modelling; democracy and hierarchy; communalism and community as method; reality testing and 'acting as if'. CONCLUSIONS: The 'two' correction-based therapeutic communities are on converging pathways. Far from being oppositional models, they can be regarded as being complementary.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1989

The effects of atrazine on microcosms developed from four natural plankton communities.

Comparisons were made among Leffler microcosms developed from four different natural communities and exposed to 0, 20, 100, 200, 500, 1,000, and 5,000 micrograms/L atrazine, a commonly used herbicide. Atrazine reduced net primary productivity, pH, and net productivity/respiration ratios in all four microcosm communities. In three of the four communities, the lowest observed (P less than 0.05) effect concentration (LOEL) was 100 micrograms/L. In the fourth community the LOEL was 200 micrograms/L atrazine. The sensitivity and accuracy of bioassays with four different microcosm communities were evaluated by comparing results with values reported for acute and chronic single species bioassays, other types of microcosms, and experimental ponds exposed to similar concentrations of atrazine. The ranges of sensitivity noted in these experiments were less than the range reported for single species bioassays using common test organisms and similar to those reported for other microcosms. The similarity between Leffler microcosm results and the responses reported for the experimental ponds suggests that the Leffler microcosms accurately reflected concentrations causing ecosystem level changes in the experimental ponds.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Community-oriented medical emergency programme: development and evaluation issues.

A community-oriented medical emergency programme for multidisciplinary healthcare professionals on the Higher Professional Diploma in International Healthcare Studies, at the United Medical Education College, London is described. The main aim of the course is to introduce students to the clinical skills of dealing with medical emergency problems and situations. Students are also exposed to how medical emergency is practised in the community. The four-week programme consists of 16 sessions of clinical skills teaching where students are attached to various community clinics, 10 sessions of college teaching, consisting of talks, workshops and interactive small-group work and four sessions encouraging students to learn independently in a self-directed learning format. Student and tutor evaluations of the programme demonstrate that its aims are being met. However, further adaptation of the module to increase the range and quantity of clinical cases for student learning is being planned.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Focus on community: directions for nursing knowledge development.

Nurses are challenged to advance the theoretical foundations of community practice. This paper offers ideas on what has been done and what needs to be done to meet this challenge. Within a community health nursing perspective, the paper defines community, proposes an integrated knowledge development framework that focuses on community, analyses contemporary theoretical and philosophical foundations of community in nursing, considers three world-views in which nursing can be framed, and examines parameters for knowledge development for the future.

Community Health Nursing↗
PubMed2000

Developing the Guide to Community Preventive Services--overview and rationale. The Task Force on Community Preventive Services.

When the GUIDE TO COMMUNITY PREVENTIVE SERVICES: Systematic Reviews and Evidence-Based Recommendations (the Guide) is published in 2001, it will represent a significant national effort in encouraging evidence-based public health practice in defined populations (e.g., communities or members of specific managed care plans). The Guide will make recommendations regarding public health interventions to reduce illness, disability, premature death, and environmental hazards that impair community health and quality of life. The Guide is being developed under the guidance of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services (the Task Force)-a 15-member, nonfederal, independent panel of experts. Subject matter experts, methodologists, and scientific staff are supporting the Task Force in using explicit rules to conduct systematic literature reviews of evidence of effectiveness, economic efficiency, and feasibility on which to base recommendations for community action. Contributors to the Guide are building on the experience of others to confront methodologic challenges unique to the assessment of complex multicomponent intervention studies with nonexperimental or nonrandomized designs and diverse measures of outcome and effectiveness. Persons who plan, fund, and implement population-based services and policies to improve health at the state and local levels are invited to scrutinize the work in progress and to communicate with contributors. When the Guide is complete, readers are encouraged to consider critically the value and relevance of its contents, the implementation of interventions the Task Force recommends, the abandonment of interventions the Task Force does not recommend, and the need for rigorous evaluation of the benefits and harms of promising interventions of unknown effectiveness.

Decision Making↗
PubMed2001

The development of a survey instrument for community health improvement.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a survey instrument that could be used both to guide and evaluate community health improvement efforts. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: A randomized telephone survey was administered to a sample of about 250 residents in two communities in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania in the fall of 1997. METHODS: The survey instrument was developed by health professionals representing diverse health care organizations. This group worked collaboratively over a period of two years to (1) select a conceptual model of health as a foundation for the survey; (2) review relevant literature to identify indicators that adequately measured the health constructs within the chosen model; (3) develop new indicators where important constructs lacked specific measures; and (4) pilot test the final survey to assess the reliability and validity of the instrument. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The Evans and Stoddart Field Model of the Determinants of Health and Well-Being was chosen as the conceptual model within which to develop the survey. The Field Model depicts nine domains important to the origins and production of health and provides a comprehensive framework from which to launch community health improvement efforts. From more than 500 potential indicators we identified 118 survey questions that reflected the multiple determinants of health as conceptualized by this model. Sources from which indicators were selected include the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, the National Health Interview Survey, the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey, and the SF-12 Summary Scales. The work group developed 27 new survey questions for constructs for which we could not locate adequate indicators. Twenty-five questions in the final instrument can be compared to nationally published norms or benchmarks. The final instrument was pilot tested in 1997 in two communities. Administration time averaged 22 minutes with a response rate of 66 percent. Reliability of new survey questions was adequate. Face validity was supported by previous findings from qualitative and quantitative studies. CONCLUSIONS: We developed, pilot tested, and validated a survey instrument designed to provide more comprehensive and timely data to communities for community health assessments. This instrument allows communities to identify and measure critical domains of health that have previously not been captured in a single instrument.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Microarray-based analysis of subnanogram quantities of microbial community DNAs by using whole-community genome amplification.

Microarray technology provides the opportunity to identify thousands of microbial genes or populations simultaneously, but low microbial biomass often prevents application of this technology to many natural microbial communities. We developed a whole-community genome amplification-assisted microarray detection approach based on multiple displacement amplification. The representativeness of amplification was evaluated using several types of microarrays and quantitative indexes. Representative detection of individual genes or genomes was obtained with 1 to 100 ng DNA from individual or mixed genomes, in equal or unequal abundance, and with 1 to 500 ng community DNAs from groundwater. Lower concentrations of DNA (as low as 10 fg) could be detected, but the lower template concentrations affected the representativeness of amplification. Robust quantitative detection was also observed by significant linear relationships between signal intensities and initial DNA concentrations ranging from (i) 0.04 to 125 ng (r2 = 0.65 to 0.99) for DNA from pure cultures as detected by whole-genome open reading frame arrays, (ii) 0.1 to 1,000 ng (r2 = 0.91) for genomic DNA using community genome arrays, and (iii) 0.01 to 250 ng (r2 = 0.96 to 0.98) for community DNAs from ethanol-amended groundwater using 50-mer functional gene arrays. This method allowed us to investigate the oligotrophic microbial communities in groundwater contaminated with uranium and other metals. The results indicated that microorganisms containing genes involved in contaminant degradation and immobilization are present in these communities, that their spatial distribution is heterogeneous, and that microbial diversity is greatly reduced in the highly contaminated environment.

Biomass↗
PubMed2000

End-of-life care directives among African Americans: lessons learned--a need for community-centered discussion and education.

African Americans appear to be less likely to know about advance directives and, even if known, to complete them. This small, exploratory study used a community-centered educational group discussion to assess African Americans' knowledge, attitudes, and utilization of end-of-life care directives before the occurrence of a health crisis. McNemar and paired t tests were computed to detect immediate changes in participants' initial and final perceptions about advance directives before and after the group discussion. Findings indicated further education is needed to clarify the terms used for advance directives. African Americans rely on a family-centered approach to end-of-life decision making, especially in the absence of written advance directives. They are open to community forums to discuss end-of-life care choices if presented the opportunity. Culture plays an essential role in this issue. There is a need for community health nurses to develop community-based educational programs that are not a "one-size-fits-all" approach.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hospitals' partnerships, outreach benefit Los Angeles communities. Daniel Freeman Hospitals, Inglewood and Marina del Rey, Calif.

Daniel Freeman Hospitals in in Los Angeles committed $11.2 million to its community benefits program, which includes charitable care, reimbursement shortfalls, outreach and community service programs. The Catholic hospitals are part of the Carondelet Health System. Their mission follows the example of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet who, in France in 1600, departed from the cloistered community life to go beyond the convent and care to people in their local communities. Daniel Freemen Hospitals, with campuses in Inglewood and Marina del Rey, Calif., reach out to their communities by developing partnerships to advance community health in a diverse ethnic, age and economic-level population.

Catholicism↗
PubMed1991

[Development of a procedure for community psychological field research: the Contact Analysis Questionnaire].

Numerous community psychology oriented research designs do not sufficiently take into consideration real processes of exchange between person and environment. With the target to enrich community psychology empirically we developed a structured interview scheme for the description of interpersonal transactions. Random samples of self-registered social interactions can be analysed ex posteriori context- and contentwise by the "Kontaktanalysebogen". Following explications and instructions for each paragraph first results concerning objectivity and acceptance in field research are reported. Target groups in particular are individuals threatened by social isolation, e.g. former mental patients. Some empirical results of our own study are given.

Halfway Houses↗
PubMed1995

[Exchange of information between community and central health authorities. Development of an EDP system for information processing in the communities].

The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs has started a research program introducing information technology into the float of information between central and local authorities. The prospect is to make a better platform for statistics and planning. This article describes the process of designing a computer program designed to meet the needs of the local authorities. The result is a program that integrates sending and receiving of data with preparation of the local annual report. An evaluation revealed that the need of such computer tools and support is greatest in the small municipalities.

Health Planning Support↗
PubMed1998

The epidemiology of diabetes mellitus and diabetic retinopathy.

An apparent epidemic of diabetes is occurring in adults worldwide. This trend seems to be associated with socioeconomic and lifestyle changes. The population of developing countries and some communities within developing countries are at higher risk. Diabetic eye disease and its complications, especially diabetic retinopathy, are a leading cause of blindness and visual dysfunction in adults in economically developed societies. Epidemiological studies of the impact of diabetic eye disease in developing countries are scarce. Risk factors for the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy include, among others, hyperglycemia, genetic factors, race, duration of the disease, arterial hypertension, and proteinuria.

Blindness↗
PubMed2002

Using the Internet to develop an international learning community of pharmacists.

Until recent years, the level of interaction across a profession, necessary to provide for an optimum learning environment which supports professional development, has only been significantly possible in face-to-face interaction and has therefore been place and time dependent. With the explosive development of the internet, communication barriers are breaking down and international interaction, networking and collaboration is becoming increasingly possible. This short report describes the manner in which an Internet-based postgraduate study programme, entitled "Enhancing Pharmacy Practice" has made use of these communication opportunities to develop an international learning community of pharmacists. Programme evaluation data collected from surveys completed online by participants and content analysis of online discussion groups during the first four modules of the programme, demonstrates that there is a high level of interaction amongst participants. It also suggests that this interaction has contributed to the learning experience and professional growth of the participants and impacted positively upon their practice.

Cooperative Behavior↗
PubMed2006

Role of phyllosphere fungi of forest trees in the development of decomposer fungal communities and decomposition processes of leaf litter.

The ecology of endophytic and epiphytic phyllosphere fungi of forest trees is reviewed with special emphasis on the development of decomposer fungal communities and decomposition processes of leaf litter. A total of 41 genera of phyllosphere fungi have been reported to occur on leaf litter of tree species in 19 genera. The relative proportion of phyllosphere fungi in decomposer fungal communities ranges from 2% to 100%. Phyllosphere fungi generally disappear in the early stages of decomposition, although a few species persist until the late stages. Phyllosphere fungi have the ability to utilize various organic compounds as carbon sources, and the marked decomposing ability is associated with ligninolytic activity. The role of phyllosphere fungi in the decomposition of soluble components during the early stages is relatively small in spite of their frequent occurrence. Recently, the roles of phyllosphere fungi in the decomposition of structural components have been documented with reference to lignin and cellulose decomposition, nutrient dynamics, and accumulation and decomposition of soil organic matter. It is clear from this review that several of the common phyllosphere fungi of forest trees are primarily saprobic, being specifically adapted to colonize and utilize dead host tissue, and that some phyllosphere fungi with marked abilities to decompose litter components play important roles in decomposition of structural components, nutrient dynamics, and soil organic matter accumulation.

Ecosystem↗