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Methods: This was an exploratory qualitative research study. Participants were African American, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian women, between the ages of 26 and 38, who have experienced stillbirth within the past 3 years. Participants completed a 20-30 minute phone interview.
Results: Fourteen women participated in the study (M age = 31.02 ± 5.97 years; M time since stillbirth = 1.47 ± 0.94 years). Women’s perceptions about physical activity and mindfulness to cope with grief were coded into the following major themes: perception of health care after stillbirth (satisfaction with the level of care provided), recommendations about inter-conception health care from physician (relating to mental, emotional, and physical health), grief (comfort with communicating with the physician), coping mechanisms, perception of the relationship between physical activity and mood, barriers to participating in physical activity (social and behavioral), pre-pregnancy physical activity, and perception of mindful approach (e.g., yoga) as a coping mechanism.
Conclusion: This was the first study to explore perceptions of health care and the use of physical activity and/or mindful approaches (e.g., yoga) to cope with grief after stillbirth in women of racial/ethnic minority. Findings from this study may help inform health care professionals alter their care practices and introduce physical activity and mindfulness based approaches as coping mechanisms to mothers of stillborn babies.
Five immunocompetent C57BL/6-cBrd/cBrd/Cr (albino C57BL/6) mice were injected with GL261-luc2 cells, a cell line sharing characteristics of human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The mice were imaged using magnetic resonance (MR) at five separate time points to characterize growth and development of the tumor. After 25 days, the final tumor volumes of the mice varied from 12 mm3 to 62 mm3, even though mice were inoculated from the same tumor cell line under carefully controlled conditions. We generated hypotheses to explore large variances in final tumor size and tested them with our simple reaction-diffusion model in both a 3-dimensional (3D) finite difference method and a 2-dimensional (2D) level set method. The parameters obtained from a best-fit procedure, designed to yield simulated tumors as close as possible to the observed ones, vary by an order of magnitude between the three mice analyzed in detail. These differences may reflect morphological and biological variability in tumor growth, as well as errors in the mathematical model, perhaps from an oversimplification of the tumor dynamics or nonidentifiability of parameters. Our results generate parameters that match other experimental in vitro and in vivo measurements. Additionally, we calculate wave speed, which matches with other rat and human measurements.
The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of three widely used wearable sensors in research settings for 24 h monitoring of sleep, sedentary, and active behaviors in middle-aged women.
Methods
Participants were 21 inactive, overweight (M Body Mass Index (BMI) = 29.27 ± 7.43) women, 30 to 64 years (M = 45.31 ± 9.67). Women were instructed to wear each sensor on the non-dominant hip (ActiGraph GT3X+), wrist (GENEActiv), or upper arm (BodyMedia SenseWear Mini) for 24 h/day and record daily wake and bed times for one week over the course of three consecutive weeks. Women received feedback about their daily physical activity and sleep behaviors. Feasibility (i.e., acceptability and demand) was measured using surveys, interviews, and wear time.
Results
Women felt the GENEActiv (94.7 %) and SenseWear Mini (90.0 %) were easier to wear and preferred the placement (68.4, 80 % respectively) as compared to the ActiGraph (42.9, 47.6 % respectively). Mean wear time on valid days was similar across sensors (ActiGraph: M = 918.8 ± 115.0 min; GENEActiv: M = 949.3 ± 86.6; SenseWear: M = 928.0 ± 101.8) and well above other studies using wake time only protocols. Informational feedback was the biggest motivator, while appearance, comfort, and inconvenience were the biggest barriers to wearing sensors. Wear time was valid on 93.9 % (ActiGraph), 100 % (GENEActiv), and 95.2 % (SenseWear) of eligible days. 61.9, 95.2, and 71.4 % of participants had seven valid days of data for the ActiGraph, GENEActiv, and SenseWear, respectively.
Conclusion
Twenty-four hour monitoring over seven consecutive days is a feasible approach in middle-aged women. Researchers should consider participant acceptability and demand, in addition to validity and reliability, when choosing a wearable sensor. More research is needed across populations and study designs.
The positive impacts of yoga on stress, pain, and chronic disease has recently led to the integration of yoga as part of physical therapy (PT) treatment. Due to the lack of training for PTs related to yoga, there is currently a need to provide knowledge and education about how to safely and easily implement therapeutic yoga (TY) as a complementary treatment approach.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to assess the readiness of PTs (those who do not currently prescribe TY to patients) to integrate TY into treatment, and secondly, the feasibility (i.e., acceptability, demand, and practicality) of a 5-week online TY training to improve the readiness of PT’s to utilize TY in their practice.
Methods:
Licensed Physical Therapist’s (n=103) were recruited nationally through social media and email. Eligible and consented participants were asked to register in a 5-week online TY training course, Readiness for Integrating Yoga Therapeutics into Rehabilitation for PTs (intervention). PTs perceptions of TY and the role of safety and confidence in prescribing TY to patients were measured at baseline and post-intervention using a customized survey. Feasibility outcomes were measured after completion of the 5-week online training course with a survey. Feasibility was measured with acceptability, demand, and practicality. Our benchmarks included: (1) at least 70% of PTs would find the course acceptable, (2) at least 60% would finish the course (i.e., demand) and (3) there would be significant improvements in PTs perceptions of TY.
Results:
A total of 95 licensed PTs registered in the 5-week online TY training course, with 60 PTs (63%) completing the intervention and surveys. Of the PTs who completed the 5-week online training course, most PTs felt they were not ready (n=19/60, 31.7%) or somewhat ready (n=25/60, 41.7%) to integrate TY prior to taking the online training. Over half of PTs thought the online training was acceptable (n= 50/60, 83.3%) and finished the course (n=60/95, 63%). There were significant improvements in personal readiness to prescribe TY, safety prescribing TY, confidence to prescribe TY, current understanding/knowledge of TY and feeling adequately trained and educated to use some form of TY techniques with patients.
Conclusion:
Findings suggest a 5-week online TY training course is feasible in improving PTs readiness to prescribe TY, safety prescribing TY, confidence to prescribe TY, current understanding/knowledge of TY and feeling adequately trained and educated to use some form of TY techniques with patients. Future studies are proposed to test the effectiveness of TY training and education opportunities with PTs to further advance the adoption of TY into PT practice.