scholarly journals Transcendent Experiences Among Pilgrims to Lourdes: A Qualitative Investigation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmylou Rahtz ◽  
Sara L. Warber ◽  
Sarah Goldingay ◽  
Paul Dieppe
Keyword(s):  
Medical Staff ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
The Self ◽  
Qualitative Investigation ◽  
Divine Presence ◽  
Transcendent Experience

AbstractMillions of pilgrims visit Lourdes each year, often seeking revitalisation rather than miraculous cures. We sought to understand the phenomenon of transcendent experiences. We spoke with 67 pilgrims including assisted pilgrims, young volunteers and medical staff. About two in five reported a transcendent experience: some felt they had communicated or had close contact with a divine presence, while others reported a powerful experience of something intangible and otherworldly. Transcendent experiences are an important feature of pilgrimage to Lourdes and the place offers the faithful a means of connecting with the divine, with nature and with the self.

scholarly journals The Relationship of Nigerian English and Nigerian Pidgin in Nigeria: Evidence from Copula Constructions in Ice-Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-388
Author(s):  
Ogechi Florence Agbo ◽  
Ingo Plag
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Qualitative Investigation ◽  
Test Bed ◽  
Complex Situation ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Deuber (2006) investigated variation in spoken Nigerian Pidgin data by educated speakers and found no evidence for a continuum of lects between Nigerian Pidgin and English. Many speakers, however, speak both languages, and both are in close contact with each other, which keeps the question of the nature of their relationship on the agenda. This paper investigates 67 conversations in Nigerian English by educated speakers as they occur in the International Corpus of English, Nigeria (ice-Nigeria, Wunder et al., 2010), using the variability in copula usage as a test bed. Implicational scaling, network analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis reveal that the use of variants is not randomly distributed over speakers. Particular clusters of speakers use particular constellations of variants. A qualitative investigation reveals this complex situation as a continuum of style, with code-switching as one of the stylistic devices, motivated by such social factors as formality, setting, participants and interpersonal relationships.

Conclusion

2020 ◽  
pp. 661-670
Author(s):  
David W. Kling
Keyword(s):  
Gender Identity ◽  
Socioeconomic Factors ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Self ◽  
Crucial Importance ◽  
Divine Presence ◽  
A Site ◽  
Autobiographical Impulse

The concluding chapter provides summary observations of the book’s themes that highlight the complex, multifaceted dimension of conversion throughout twenty centuries of Christian history. These include the convert’s cognizance of divine presence; the crucial importance of historical context (political, religious, institutional, and socioeconomic factors); continuity and discontinuity (how much of the new displaces the old in conversion?); nominal, incomplete, and “true” conversions; personal testimonies and narratives (the autobiographical impulse attests to the converted life); the role of gender; identity and the self; agency (are converts actors or are they being acted upon?); the mechanisms behind and the motivations for conversion; the body as a site of conversion; the role of music; conversion as event and process; coercive practices; and forms of communication in the converting process.

scholarly journals APASL practical recommendations for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma in the era of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuichiro Shiina ◽  
Rino A. Gani ◽  
Osamu Yokosuka ◽  
Hitoshi Maruyama ◽  
Hiroaki Nagamatsu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Diagnosis And Treatment ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Curative Treatment ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Medical Care System ◽  
Hygiene Measures ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Abstract Background COVID-19 has been giving the devastating impact on the current medical care system. There are quite many guidelines on COVID-19, but only a few on the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during COVID-19 pandemic. Aims We develop these recommendations to preserve adequate clinical practice for the management of HCC. Methods Experts of HCC in the Asia–Pacific region exchanged opinions via webinar, and these recommendations were formed. Results Close contact should be minimized to reduce possible exposure of both medical staff and patients to the novel coronavirus. To prevent transmission of the virus, meticulous hygiene measures are important. With the decrease in regular medical service, the medical staff may be mobilized to provide COVID-19-related patient care. However, diagnosis and treatment of HCC should not be delayed because of COVID-19 pandemic. The management of HCC should be the same as in non-pandemic circumstances. HCC is highly malignant, thus it is recommended not to delay curative treatment such as surgery and ablation. However, a kind of triage is necessary even among patients with HCC when resources are insufficient for all to be treated. Curative treatments should be periodized and cytoreductive or non-curative treatment such as vascular interventions and systemic therapy may be postponed until it can be performed safely with sufficient resources. For patients with confirmed or suspected to be infected with the novel coronavirus, diagnosis and treatment should be postponed until the virus is eliminated or they are confirmed as not being infected with it. Conclusions These are collection of measures implemented by front-line medical professionals. We would evolve these recommendations over time as more real-world data becomes available.

scholarly journals Oropharyngeal Probiotic ENT-K12 Prevents Respiratory Tract Infections Among Frontline Medical Staff Fighting Against COVID-19: A Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Wang ◽  
Xuan Lin ◽  
Xiaochen Xiang ◽  
Wanxin Liu ◽  
Ying Fang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Tract Infections

Healthcare workers at the frontline are facing a substantial risk of respiratory tract infection during the COVID-19 outbreak due to an extremely stressful work schedule and public health event. A well-established first-line defense on oropharyngeal microbiome could be a promising strategy to protect individuals from respiratory tract infections including COVID-19. The most thoroughly studied oropharyngeal probiotic product which creates a stable upper respiratory tract microbiota capable of preventing upper respiratory tract infections was chosen to evaluate the safety and efficacy on reducing episodes of upper respiratory tract infections for COVID-19 healthcare workers. To our knowledge to date, this is the very first study describing the beneficial effects of oropharyngeal probiotic been administered by healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this randomized controlled trial, we provided the probiotics to frontline medical staff who work in the hospitals in Wuhan and had been in close contact with hospitalized COVID-19 patients for prophylactic use on a daily basis. Our finding suggests that oropharyngeal probiotic administration significantly reduced the incidence of respiratory tract infections by 64.8%, reduced the time experiencing respiratory tract infections and oral ulcer symptoms by 78%, shortened the days absent from work by 95.5%, and reduced the time under medication where there is no record of antibiotic and anti-viral drug intake in the probiotic group. Furthermore, medical staff treated with Bactoblis experienced sustained protection from respiratory tract infections since the 10th day of oropharyngeal probiotic administration resulting in an extremely low incidence rate of respiratory tract infections.

scholarly journals The US Public’s Perception of the Threat of COVID-19 During the Rapid Spread of the COVID-19 Outbreak: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

10.2196/23400 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. e23400
Author(s):  
Xiaolei Xiu ◽  
Anran Wang ◽  
Qing Qian ◽  
Sizhu Wu
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Self ◽  
Medical Conditions ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
The Us ◽  
And Behaviors

Background The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States has made people uncertain about their perceptions of the threat of COVID-19 and COVID-19 response measures. To mount an effective response to this epidemic, it is necessary to understand the public's perceptions, behaviors, and attitudes. Objective We aimed to test the hypothesis that people’s perceptions of the threat of COVID-19 influence their attitudes and behaviors. Methods This study used an open dataset of web-based questionnaires about COVID-19. The questionnaires were provided by Nexoid United Kingdom. We selected the results of a questionnaire on COVID-19–related behaviors, attitudes, and perceptions among the US public. The questionnaire was conducted from March 29 to April 20, 2020. A total of 24,547 people who lived in the United States took part in the survey. Results In this study, the average self-assessed probability of contracting COVID-19 was 33.2%, and 49.9% (12,244/24,547) of the respondents thought that their chances of contracting COVID-19 were less than 30%. The self-assessed probability of contracting COVID-19 among women was 1.35 times that of males. A 5% increase in perceived infection risk was significantly associated with being 1.02 times (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.02-1.02; P<.001) more likely to report having close contact with >10 people, and being 1.01 times (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.01-1.01; P<.001) more likely to report that cohabitants disagreed with taking steps to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19. However, there was no significant association between participants who lived with more than 5 cohabitants or less than 5 cohabitants (P=.85). Generally, participants who lived in states with 1001-10,000 COVID-19 cases, were aged 20-40 years, were obese, smoked, drank alcohol, never used drugs, and had no underlying medical conditions were more likely to be in close contact with >10 people. Most participants (21,017/24,547, 85.6%) agreed with washing their hands and maintaining social distancing, but only 20.2% (4958/24,547) of participants often wore masks. Additionally, male participants and participants aged <20 years typically disagreed with washing their hands, maintaining social distancing, and wearing masks. Conclusions This survey is the first attempt to describe the determinants of the US public’s perception of the threat of COVID-19 on a large scale. The self-assessed probability of contracting COVID-19 differed significantly based on the respondents’ genders, states of residence, ages, body mass indices, smoking habits, alcohol consumption habits, drug use habits, underlying medical conditions, environments, and behaviors. These findings can be used as references by public health policy makers and health care workers who want to identify populations that need to be educated on COVID-19 prevention and health.

scholarly journals Evaluation and improvement of the emergency capacity of medical staff for COVID-19: A cross-sectional study in China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu-Xiao Hu ◽  
Chang-Fu Chen ◽  
Qing Liu ◽  
Gao-Fei Zhang ◽  
Hua-Lin Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
The Self ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Public Health Emergencies

Abstract Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread to 216 countries and territories around the world. Most studies on response to public health emergencies, focus on health systems, local governments or medical organizations, but fewer studies focus on individuals. However, medical staff are the core strength for responding to public health emergencies. The aims of this study are to investigate the status of medical staff’s emergency capacity during the pandemic and to provide intellectual support to further enhance medical staff's ability to ensure the smooth operation of medical rescue. Methods: This study conducted a cross-sectional survey of four hospitals designated to treat patients with COVID-19 in China. Based on the emergency capacity system of medical staff for infectious diseases, an improved Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire was used to evaluate the emergency capacity of medical staff. Linear regression and one-way analysis of variance were used to test the differences in the emergency capacity of medical staff. Spearman correlation analysis was used to study the correlation between the self-efficacy and emergency capacity of medical staff. Results: The overall emergency capacity of the surveyed medical staff was at a medium level. There was a correlation between emergency capacity and age, working years, position, educational background and the area where medical staff worked. Emergency capacity was not related to the hospital grade. Emergency capacity was significantly related to whether medical staff had participated in frontline pandemic prevention work. There was also a positive correlation between emergency capacity and the self-efficacy of medical staff. Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of the training mechanism for emergency personnel. The emergency input for public health emergencies should be increased to improve the emergency capacity of medical staff. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the mental health of medical staff.

scholarly journals Early Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Antibodies as a Serologic Marker of Infection in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (16) ◽  
pp. 2066-2072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao Rongqing ◽  
Maohua Li ◽  
Hao Song ◽  
Jianxin Chen ◽  
Wenlin Ren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Chinese Hamster ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Elisa Kit ◽  
Serologic Marker ◽  
Antibody Levels ◽  
Acid Test

Abstract Background Thousands of medical staff have been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), with hundreds of deaths reported. Such loss could be prevented if there were a serologic assay for SARS-CoV-2–specific antibodies for serological surveillance of its infection at the early stage of disease. Methods Using Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cell–expressed full-length SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein as capturing antigen, a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)/SARS-CoV-2 S1 serology enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit was developed and validated with negative samples collected prior to the outbreak or during the outbreak and positive samples from patients confirmed with COVID-19. Results The specificity of the ELISA kit was 97.5%, as examined against total 412 normal human samples. The sensitivity was 97.1% by testing against 69 samples from hospitalized and/or recovered COVID-19 patients. The overall accuracy rate reached 97.3%. The assay was able to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibody on day 1 after the onset of COVID-19 disease. The average antibody levels increased during hospitalization and 14 days after discharge. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detected in 28 of 276 asymptomatic medical staff and 1 of 5 nucleic acid test–negative “close contacts” of COVID-19 patients. Conclusions With the assays developed here, we can screen medical staff, incoming patients, passengers, and people who are in close contact with the confirmed patients to identify the “innocent viral spreaders,” protect the medical staff, and stop further spread of the virus.

BODY IMAGE CHANGES IN TEEN-AGE DIABETICS

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1971 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-128
Author(s):  
Richard V. Kaufman ◽  
Betsy Hersher
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Physical Illness ◽  
The Self ◽  
Physical Causality ◽  
Intellectual Knowledge ◽  
The Relationship

Fantasies of five diabetic teen-agers about their illness were collected in a study of the relationship between body illness and body image. All of the subjects revealed underlying distortions of their knowledge of the disease process bated on primitive notions about physical causality. The imagery employed was strongly visual and illness was seen as the result of external deprivation, or of various internal abnormalities and deficiencies, such as absence of part of the pancreas, blockage within the pancreas, or dilatation of the stomach. The influence of previous instruction and education by the medical staff was found to be superficial and in all cases the children's intellectual knowledge was incorporated into their own private thought systems. The patients drew what the illness meant to them rather than what they knew about the pathophysiological processes, and in this way demonstrated the link between physical illness and body image. The patients described feeling seriously damaged by the diabetes, and were able to graphically symbolize their conceptions of this damage. Knowledge that the child's illness significantly alters a part of the self contributes to greater precision and effectiveness in communication.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 on the ocular surface: is it truly a novel transmission route?

2020 ◽  
pp. bjophthalmol-2020-316263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuhui Chen ◽  
Huimin Yu ◽  
Ting Mei ◽  
Bo Chen ◽  
Liwen Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Ocular Surface ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Clinical Evidence ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Transmission Route ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Eye Protection ◽  
Ocular Discomfort ◽  
Ocular Distribution

Since December 2019, the novel COVID-19 outbreak has spread rapidly around the globe and infected millions of people. Although the major transmission route of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is considered to be airborne droplets and close contact, the ocular transmission route has been reported with great concern. The current work summarises the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2, the ocular distribution of the major SARS-CoV-2 binding protein, and the experimental and clinical evidence of the ocular transmission route. Although it seems that the likelihood of the ocular surface being an infection gateway is low, SARS-CoV-2 infection or transmission via the ocular surface may cause conjunctivitis and other ocular discomfort. Therefore, good eye protection is an essential safeguard procedure, especially for medical staff.

Self-Presentational Sources of Competitive Stress during Performance

1997 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin James ◽  
David Collins
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Significant Others ◽  
The Self ◽  
Qualitative Investigation ◽  
Social Evaluation ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Competitive Anxiety ◽  
Personal Performance ◽  
General Source

A qualitative investigation was conducted to identify sources of stress and the self-presentational mechanism that may underpin them during competition. Twenty athletes described factors they perceived as stressful during competition. Content analysis revealed eight general sources of stress, including significant others, competitive anxiety and doubts, perceived readiness, and the nature of the competition (e.g., importance). Two thirds (67.3%) of all stress sources appeared to heighten the athletes’ need to present themselves in a favorable way to the audience. Factors that increased perceived likelihood of poor personal performance lowered the athletes’ ability to convey a desired image to their audience. Social evaluation and self-presentation was also identified as a general source of stress in its own right. These findings suggest that (a) these athletes were sensitive about the impressions people form of them during competition, and (b) stress responses maybe triggered by factors that primarily influence the self-presentational implications of performance.

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