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Results for “Reality Testing”

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PubMed2002

Evaluation of wastewater toxicity: comparative study between Microtox and activated sludge oxygen uptake inhibition.

Microtox is a frequent toxicity tool for the screening of wastewaters discharged into wastewater treatment plants. There is currently an increasing controversy between this test and others using activated sludge. A Microtox and electrolytic respirometry comparative study for toxicity determination has been performed. Seven organic and five inorganic toxic compounds have been assessed for comparing both methods. Microtox proved to have a higher sensitivity to toxicants but was less representative of effects on activated sludge compared to respirometry. For instance, assays accomplished with LAS, a biodegradable reference surfactant, showed a toxic effect by Microtox but good biodegradability and no toxicity in respirometry. This could be explained by the different nature of the biological material used, as Microtox utilises the seawater Vibrio fischeri, whereas respirometry uses the bacterial consortium in activated sludge. For the evaluation of the potential toxicity of a compound on a WWTP, the preferred biological material be used should be activated sludge itself. Results obtained with any other biological material would be just an approach to reality.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗
PubMed1977

Psychological status after stroke as measured by the Hand Test.

Forty-two patients with recent cerebral vascular accidents (cva) and 32 hospitalized patients without brain damage were administered the Hand Test. The CVA group consisted of 24 patients with right cerebral involvement, 10 patient with left cerebral involvement, and 8 patients with bilateral impairment. The mean age of the brain-damaged group was 48.3 years. The Hand Test was administered from .5 month to 3 months after the insult in the CVA group, and 1 month to 4 years after theinitial appearance of the chief complaint in the non-brain-damaged group. The median test was used to analyze the data. The brain-damaged group showed less aggressive, more withdrawn behavior and have greater difficulty in dealing with reality. The high tendency of brain-damaged patients to withdraw from reality can be viewed as a regressive process due to impaired cognitive functioning and emotional constriction.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2005

A functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) study of cue-induced smoking craving in virtual environments.

Smokers who are exposed to smoking-related cues show cardiovascular reactivity and smoking craving compared with their responses to neutral cues, and increased cue reactivity predicts decreased likelihood of successful cessation. Several brain imaging studies suggested four candidate brain regions that might differ in gray matter volumes and densities between smokers and nonsmokers. However, in these studies, smokers were only exposed to smoking-related objects. In our pilot study utilizing a virtual reality (VR) technique, virtual environments (VEs) were more immersive and evoked smoking craving more effectively than traditionally used methods. In this study, we sought to test whether smokers could experience cue-induced smoking craving inside the MRI scanner by using the VR system. The smoking cue reactivity scenario was based in part on our preliminary task and consisted of 2D and 3D (or VE) conditions. The group mean of participants had increased activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), left anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC), left supplementary motor area, left uncus, right inferior temporal gyrus, right lingual gyrus, and right precuneus in the 2D condition. Areas of differential activation in the 3D condition were as follows: left superior temporal gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, and left inferior occipital gyrus in the 3D condition. This finding is consistent with those of previous studies of nicotine craving showing PFC and ACC activation. However, in the 3D condition, the PFC including the superior frontal gyrus as well as the superior temporal gyrus, inferior occipital gyrus, and cerebellum were activated. Therefore, in the 3D condition, participants seemed to have more attention, visual balance, and coordinating movement than in the 2D condition.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Genetics, history, and identity: the case of the Bene Israel and the Lemba.

The paper examines the impact of genetic research on the religious identity of the Bene Israel Indian Jewish community and the Lemba Judaising group of southern Africa. It demonstrates how DNA tests which happened to support the possibility of the communities' legends of origin affected their self-perception, the way they are viewed by their neighbors, and their image in the West. It is argued that in both cases what accounted most for the Bene Israel and Lemba responses to the tests was the way the results were portrayed in the mass media, the history of the development of Judaism in their communities, and the local realities.

Africa, Southern↗
PubMed1992

Problems and opportunities in toxicity testing arising from species differences in xenobiotic metabolism.

The processes of metabolism and disposition have a major bearing upon the biological properties of xenobiotics, determining both the chemical natures and target concentrations of the compound-derived materials in the body. The occurrence of major quantitative and qualitative differences between animal species in the metabolism of xenobiotics is well documented. Interspecies differences in metabolism represent a major complication in toxicity testing, being responsible for important differences both in the nature and magnitude of toxic responses. As such, they may be both help and hindrance and this presentation will illustrate both these possibilities with appropriate examples. In particular, these differences represent probably the single greatest complicating factor in the use of animal toxicity data as an indication of potential human hazard. Although it is considered desirable to identify a species which metabolizes the test compound like man, this ideal is generally not attainable. While metabolic and toxicokinetic data should be used in the selection of animal species, in reality the choices are constrained by other major factors such as availability, background pathological knowledge and regulatory acceptability. On the other hand, species differences in metabolism may present exploitable opportunities for insights into mechanisms of toxicity and with appropriate supporting data may thereby increase confidence in the animal-to-human extrapolation. The application of the new technologies of transgenesis to the creation of animals expressing the genes for human drug metabolizing enzymes offers the promise of increasing the opportunities and minimizing the problems presented by species differences in xenobiotic metabolism.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Gene therapy and control of angiogenesis.

The technology of gene therapy may be one step ahead of the present understanding of angiogenesis. The results of studies to modulate angiogenesis have been encouraging, however, and several of these studies are in the preclinical and clinical phases of testing. It is likely, therefore, that gene therapy for such diseases as diabetes mellitus and age-related macular degeneration will soon become a practical reality. It must be hoped that the lessons learned will be beneficial to others attempting to modulate angiogenesis in systemic disorders such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.

Eye↗
PubMed2001

Differential diagnosis of dementia: clinical examination and laboratory assessment.

Recent breakthroughs in putative disease-modifying interventions for Alzheimer's disease (AD) underscore the urgency of making the earliest possible diagnosis. In the absence of a convenient and reliable laboratory test for AD, the clinical assessment is still the cornerstone of the diagnostic approach. This article provides a basis for conducting an assessment within the realities of a busy clinical practice for patients complaining of cognitive decline. The assessment will enable the clinician to diagnose the earliest manifestation of AD.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Smoking cues in a virtual world provoke craving in cigarette smokers.

Twenty smoking-deprived cigarette smokers participated in a study to test the ability of smoking cues within a virtual world to provoke self-reported craving to smoke. Participants were exposed to 2 virtual-reality simulations displayed on a computer monitor: a control environment not containing any intentional smoking stimuli and a cue-exposure environment containing smoking stimuli. At various points, participants rated their urge to smoke on a scale of 0-100. Results indicated that baseline urge ratings were equivalent in both conditions, but the maximum increase in urge ratings was significantly higher in the cue-exposure environment than in the control environment. This is comparable to what in vivo studies have reported, but with the advantage of simulating more naturalistic and complex settings in a controlled environment.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Effect of augmented visual feedback from a virtual reality simulation system on manual dexterity training.

Little research has been published about the impact of simulation technology on the learning process of novel motor skills. Especially the role of augmented feedback (FB) on the quality of performance and the transfer of the acquired behaviour to a no-augmented FB condition require further investigation. Therefore, novice dental students were randomly assigned to one of three groups and given the task of drilling a geometrical class 1 cavity. The FB group trained under augmented visual FB conditions, provided by the virtual reality (VR) system (DentSim). The no-FB group practised under normal vision conditions, in the absence of augmented FB. A control group performed the test sessions without participating in any training programme. All preparations were evaluated by the VR grading system according to four traditional (outline shape, floor depth, floor smoothness and wall inclination), and two critical, criteria (pulp exposure and damage to adjacent teeth). Performance analyses revealed an overall trend towards significant improvement with training for the experimental groups. The FB group obtained the highest scores. It scored better for floor depth (P < 0.001), whilst the no-FB group was best for floor smoothness (P < 0.005). However, at the retention tests, the FB group demonstrated inferior performance in comparison with the no-FB group. The transfer test on a traditional unit revealed no significant differences between the training groups. Consequently, drilling experience on a VR system under the condition of frequently provided FB and lack of any tutorial input was considered to be not beneficial to learning. The present data are discussed in view of the guidance hypothesis of FB, which refers to the apprentice's dependence on FB.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Reforming care for persons near the end of life: the promise of quality improvement.

Most people in developed countries will live with a serious, eventually fatal, chronic condition for months or years before dying; yet, the delivery of health care services has only just recently begun adapting to this reality. Quality improvement methods have been effective in helping clinical services to make substantial changes quickly. Quality improvement requires stating an aim, measuring success, and testing possible improvements. The testing of changes requires a clinical team to Plan, Do, Study, and Act on new insights (the "PDSA cycle"). Repeated PDSA cycles generate deep understanding of complex systems and make sustainable improvements rapidly. This paper discusses a composite case study in a nursing home setting, which builds on experience with multisite collaborative efforts and introduces quality improvement methods in the context of end-of-life care.

Advance Directives↗
PubMed1988

Microbiology and food hygiene in mass catering.

Serious consequences can arise from lack of hygiene in mass catering. The uncritical use of routine microbiological tests purporting to measure hygiene merely creates a false sense of security. The microbiological safety of food is achieved by as far as possible ensuring the absence of pathogenic microorganisms and by all means preventing their multiplication. The Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point concept is used to identify microbiologically vulnerable points in the food production process and to determine the most appropriate methods of control to be applied, usually such methods as improved handling techniques, monitoring of temperature and more intensive supervision. Microbiological testing is of value in the initial analysis, at appropriate intervals for verifying the effectiveness of control measures, and in demonstrating to food handlers the reality of the microbial risk if good hygienic standards are not maintained.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed2003

Training brain retraction in a virtual reality environment.

A computer based virtual reality system is presented allowing the user to train skills related to brain retraction. The system is designed and the core training system implemented and tested. The initial test shows promising results.

Brain↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Mythomania: an identity quest].

The romantic fictions of the mythomaniac are fascinating in the conviction they arouse in others and in the ambiguous connections their author keeps with reality. When behind his fables, Mr D. reveals a demand for love, it essentially represents a desperate search of identity realized through stories he successively tests with us. So, confronting him without any therapeutical support to the imaginary nature of his productions would just mean depriving him of any possible meaning.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Developing curricula to promote preventive medicine skills. The Teaching Immunization for Medical Education (TIME) Project. TIME Development Committee.

CONTEXT: Vaccines are underused in the United States, resulting in needless morbidity. Many experts have concluded that clinician education is critical to increasing the nation's vaccination rates. OBJECTIVE: To develop and evaluate case-based curricular materials on immunizations that promote preventive medicine skills. DESIGN: Before-and-after trial of an educational intervention. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Medical schools and primary care residency programs from 20 institutions across the United States participated in the Teaching Immunization for Medical Education (TIME) project. INTERVENTION: A multidisciplinary team developed learning objectives, abstracted clinical cases, and created case-based modules that use contextual learning and small-group interaction to solve clinical and public health problems. The case-based methods are multistation clinical teaching scenarios (MCTS) and problem-based learning (PBL). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Knowledge gained by learners from pretest to posttest and the overall ratings of the sessions by learners and facilitators based on evaluation questionnaires. RESULTS: Pretest and posttest results were obtained on a total of 1122 learners for all modules combined. For the MCTS method, mean scores increased from the 10-item pretest to the posttest by 3.1 items for measles, 3.8 for influenza, 1.8 for hepatitis B, 3.9 for pertussis, 1.9 for adult vaccination, 1.9 for childhood vaccination, and 2.6 for Haemophilus influenzae type b (P<.01 for each). For the PBL method, mean scores increased by 3.4 items for measles, 3.3 for influenza, 2.6 for hepatitis B, and 2.5 for pertussis (P<.01 for each). Most learners (MCTS, 98%; PBL, 89%) and most facilitators (MCTS, 97%; PBL, 100%) rated the sessions overall as very good or good. CONCLUSIONS: Use of TIME modules increases knowledge about immunizations, an essential step to improving vaccination practices of future clinicians. Given the realities of decreased faculty time and budgets, educators face major challenges in developing case-based curricula that prepare learners for the 21st century. Nationally tested libraries of cases such as the TIME modules address this dilemma.

Adult↗