Mechanistic model advancements for optimal calcium removal in water treatment: Integral operation improvements and reactor design strategies.

Drinking water softening has primarily prioritized public health, environmental benefits, social costs and enhanced client comfort. Annually, over 35 billion cubic meters of water is softened worldwide, often utilizing three main techniques: nanofiltration, ion exchange and seeded crystallization by pellet softening. However, recent modifications in pellet softening, including changes in seeding materials and acid conditioning used post-softening, have not fully achieved desired flexibility and optimization.

Genetic Variability Impacts Genotoxic and Transcriptome Responses in the Human Colon after the Consumption of Processed Red Meat Products and Those with Added Phytochemical Extracts.

The PHYTOME study investigated the effect of consuming processed meat products on outcomes related to colorectal cancer risk without testing the impact of genetic variability on these responses. This research aims to elucidate the genetic impact on apparent total N-nitroso compound (ATNC) excretion, colonic DNA adduct formation, ex vivo-induced DNA damage, and gene expression changes in colon biopsies of healthy participants. Through a systematic literature review, candidate polymorphisms were selected and then detected using TaqMan and PCR analysis.

Mechanistic Evidence of (Burm. f.) Wall. ex Nees, DC., Species and a Combination of L., L./ L. and L./ L. in the Treatment of Acute, Uncomplicated Respiratory Tract Infections: A Systematic Literature Review and Expert Interviews.

Reducing inappropriate antibiotic (AB) use by using effective non-antibiotic treatments is one strategy to prevent and reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR). (Burm. f.

Evaluation of the nation-wide implementation of ALS home monitoring & coaching: an e-health innovation for personalized care for patients with motor neuron disease.

Background: To improve the care for patients with motor neuron disease an e-health innovation for continuous monitoring of disease progression and patients' well-being (ALS H&C) was implemented in 10 multidisciplinary rehabilitation settings. The first aim was to evaluate the implementation of ALS H&C by assessing several implementation outcomes, technology acceptance and usability of the innovation according to the end users. The secondary aim was to explore differences in these outcomes between the teams with sustainable and unsustainable implementation.

Effectiveness of herbal medicines to prevent and control symptoms of urinary tract infections and to reduce antibiotic use: A literature review.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a rapidly growing global issue affecting the effective treatment of infectious diseases. This provides a window of opportunity for the use and implementation of well researched effective complementary therapies such as herbal medicines. In this literature review, an overview is provided of the effectiveness of herbal medicine to control symptoms of urinary tract infections and reduce antibiotic use.

Anthroposophic Medicinal Products: A Literature Review of Features, Similarities and Differences to Conventional Medicinal Products, Scientific and Regulatory Assessment.

Background: Regulatory assessment of anthroposophic medicinal products (AMPs) can be challenging due to their specific features.

Objective: The aim of this paper is therefore to provide adequate scientific information on AMPs for regulatory purposes.

Methods: A literature review was executed with database searches in PubMed, Cinahl, Merkurstab, Anthromedics, and https://iaap-pharma.

Safety of Anthroposophic Medicinal Products: An Analysis of Adverse Drug Reactions from German Pharmacovigilance Databases.

Background: Anthroposophic medicinal products (AMPs) are widely used in Europe and world-wide.

Objective: To determine the frequency of reported adverse drug reactions (ADRs) from all AMPs on the market, in absolute numbers and relative to the maximum daily administration doses (MDADs).

Patients And Methods: Retrolective safety analysis of AMP-related ADRs in pharmacovigilance databases of four AMP Marketing Authorisation Holders in Germany.

CHECKLIST USE FOR ASSESSMENT OF SATISFACTION WITH TRANS-TIBIAL PROSTHESES.

Objective: To assess satisfaction of prosthesis users with their prostheses, and the problems they experience with the residual limb, using a checklist, in order to evaluate potential benefits of checklist use and to summarize issues and problems with the prosthesis and/or residual limb presented by prosthesis users.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Subjects: Participants were adult trans-tibial prosthesis users ( = 82) and certified prosthetist orthotist ( = 19) experienced in fitting lower-limb prostheses.

New hydraulic insights into rapid sand filter bed backwashing using the Carman-Kozeny model.

Fluid flow through a bed of solid particles is an important process that occurs in full-scale water treatment operations. The Carman-Kozeny model remains highly popular for estimating the resistance across the bed. It is common practice to use particle shape factors in fixed bed state to match the predicted drag coefficient with experimentally obtained drag coefficients.

Opinions on rehabilitation care of young adults with transversal upper limb reduction deficiency in their transition to adulthood.

Purpose: Young adults with transversal upper limb reduction deficiency experience limitations regarding education, employment and obtaining a driver's license. Contribution of rehabilitation care within these domains has been reported to be inadequate. This study evaluates the needs and suggestions of participants in rehabilitation care.

Corrigendum to "The Contribution of Complementary and Alternative Medicine to Reduce Antibiotic Use: A Narrative Review of Health Concepts, Prevention, and Treatment Strategies".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2019/5365608.].

[Patients with intellectual disabilities].

Almost all physicians see patients with intellectual disabilities in their practices. There are still health disparities between people with intellectual disability and the general population. Consultations with this group of patients can be challenging, but there are ways to improve on them.

Statement to an Insufficient Systematic Review on L. Therapy.

Background: Up to 88% of oncological patients apply complementary therapies and up to 77% apply complementary mistletoe therapy in the context of integrative oncological approaches. An evidence-based consultation of oncological health professionals regarding complementary therapies used in Germany is missing. Therefore, a new S3-Guideline for Complementary Medicine in the Treatment of Oncological Patients is under development and is anticipated to be finalized in November 2020.

Acceptance of Anxiety through Art Therapy: A Case Report Exploring How Anthroposophic Art Therapy Addresses Emotion Regulation and Executive Functioning.

Anxiety is a major problem for many individuals, causing impairment in daily life. Art therapy is often deployed and although positive results are communicated in clinical practice, its effectiveness and working mechanisms have hardly been studied. Therefore, it is important to systematically describe the intervention process and to detect the working mechanisms to be able to evaluate them.

Anxiety reduction through art therapy in women. Exploring stress regulation and executive functioning as underlying neurocognitive mechanisms.

Objectives: To explore possible working mechanisms of anxiety reduction in women with anxiety disorders, treated with art therapy (AT).

Methods: A RCT comparing AT versus waiting list (WL) condition on aspects of self-regulation. Stress regulation (heart rate and heart rate variability) and executive functioning (daily behavioural and cognitive performance aspects of executive functioning (EF)) were evaluated in a pre-post design.

Patient-reported quality of care in anthroposophic and integrative medicine: A scoping review.

Objective: To investigate how, and to what extent, patient-reported quality of care is measured in Anthroposophic and Integrative Medicine (AM/IM).

Methods: Scoping review of evaluation studies of patient-reported quality of care and development studies of PREMs and/or PROMs in AM/IM, using five stages of Arksey's methodological framework.

Search Strategy: Literature search in twelve relevant databases.

The Effectiveness of Art Therapy for Anxiety in Adult Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives: Art therapy (AT) as a treatment option for anxiety is regularly employed in clinical practice, but scientific evidence for its effectiveness is lacking, since this intervention has hardly been studied. The aim was to study the effectiveness of AT on anxiety in adult women. The specific type of AT studied was anthroposophic AT.

The Contribution of Complementary and Alternative Medicine to Reduce Antibiotic Use: A Narrative Review of Health Concepts, Prevention, and Treatment Strategies.

Aim: The aim of this narrative review was to explore the potential contributions of CAM to reduce antibiotic use.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews with a specific, limited set of search terms and collected input from a group of expert CAM researchers to answer the question: What is known about the contribution of CAM health and health promotion concepts, infection prevention, and infection treatment strategies to reduce antibiotic use? The worldview-related CAM health concepts enable health promotion oriented infection prevention and treatment aimed at strengthening or supporting the self-regulating ability of the human organism to cope with diseases. There is some evidence that the CAM concepts of health (promotion) are in agreement with current conceptualization of health and that doctors who practice both CAM and conventional medicine prescribe less antibiotics, although selection bias of the presented studies cannot be ruled out.

The effectiveness of art therapy for anxiety in adults: A systematic review of randomised and non-randomised controlled trials.

Background: Anxiety disorders are one of the most diagnosed mental health disorders. Common treatment consists of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy. In clinical practice, also art therapy is additionally provided to patients with anxiety (disorders), among others because treatment as usual is not sufficiently effective for a large group of patients.

Prosthesis satisfaction in lower limb amputees: A systematic review of associated factors and questionnaires.

Background: Factors influencing patient satisfaction with a transtibial prosthesis have been studied fragmentarily. The aims of this systematic review were to review the literature regarding factors of influence on patient satisfaction with a transtibial prosthesis, to report satisfaction scores, to present an overview of questionnaires used to assess satisfaction and examine how these questionnaires operationalize satisfaction.

Methods: A literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Web of Knowledge databases up to February 2018 to identify relevant studies.

An assessment of the scientific status of anthroposophic medicine, applying criteria from the philosophy of science.

Objectives: The objective was to evaluate the scientific status of anthroposophic medicine (AM) according to demarcation criteria proposed in contemporary philosophy of science.

Design: Criteria for what is science were retrieved from eight publications in the philosophy of science, focusing either on science in medicine or on the demarcation between science and pseudoscience or non-science. Criteria were combined, redundancies were excluded, and the final set of criteria was ordered in a logical sequence.

Do NHS GP surgeries employing GPs additionally trained in integrative or complementary medicine have lower antibiotic prescribing rates? Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of national primary care prescribing data in England in 2016.

Objective: To determine differences in antibiotic prescription rates between conventional General Practice (GP) surgeries and GP surgeries employing general practitioners (GPs) additionally trained in integrative medicine (IM) or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) (referred to as IM GPs) working within National Health Service (NHS) England.

Design: Retrospective study on antibiotic prescription rates per STAR-PU (Specific Therapeutic group Age-sex weighting Related Prescribing Unit) using NHS Digital data over 2016. Publicly available data were used on prevalence of relevant comorbidities, demographics of patient populations and deprivation scores.

[Distal femur fracture in a woman with a lower limb prosthesis.].

Background: People who use a lower limb prosthesis can fracture their distal femur after a trivial fall; however, this kind of fracture is uncommon.

Case Description: A 53-year-old woman with a trans-tibial prosthesis fell in her kitchen. She felt pain just above the socket of the prosthesis, was unable to get up and her knee and leg were swollen.

Looking back and moving forward: 50 years of soil and soil fertility management research in sub-Saharan Africa.

Low and declining soil fertility has been recognized for a long time as a major impediment to intensifying agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Consequently, from the inception of international agricultural research, centres operating in SSA have had a research programme focusing on soil and soil fertility management, including the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). The scope, content, and approaches of soil and soil fertility management research have changed over the past decades in response to lessons learnt and internal and external drivers and this paper uses IITA as a case study to document and analyse the consequences of strategic decisions taken on technology development, validation, and ultimately uptake by smallholder farmers in SSA.