Medicina
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Background andObjectives: The aim was to translate and validate the spiritual needs questionnaire for its use in the Lithuanian context. Materials and Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey design was applied. Structural individual interview method (face-to-face) was employed to collect data on spiritual needs of cancer patients. ⋯ Item-total correlations were inspected for the items in each of the four SpNQ-27 factors. Conclusions: The Lithuanian version of Spiritual needs questionnaire demonstrated adequate psychometric properties of the instrument. This instrument, as a screening tool and conversational model, is recommended for clinicians in health care practice to identify patients with spiritual needs.
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Transition-Age Young Adults with Cerebral Palsy: Level of Participation and the Influencing Factors.
Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the level of participation in the context of the developmental transition from adolescence to adult life for young adults with cerebral palsy (CP) and the factors that had an influence on participation. Materials and Methods: Eighty-one young adults (16-21 years old) with CP and with normal or slightly decreased cognitive function participated in this study. Assessments were made using the Rotterdam Transition Profile (RTP) and the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0). ⋯ Conclusions: Young adults with cerebral palsy showed low levels of autonomy in all domains of participation. When addressing a person's improvement in terms of their participation, the promotion of abilities in cognition, mobility, self-care, and life activities should be attempted. Age and gross motor function influenced autonomy in participation, but not in all domains.
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Background and objectives: Maximal heart rate (HRmax) is an important training and testing tool, especially in the context of evaluating intensity in exercise prescription; however, few studies have examined the validity of prediction equations of HRmax in physically active female adolescents and the role of maturation level. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the differences between measured and predicted HRmax in a sample of physically active female adolescents. ⋯ The more matured participants had similar actual HRmax (mean difference -2.4 bpm; 95% CI; -6.5, 1.7; p = 0.242, d = -0.28), difference Fox - actual HRmax (1.5 bpm; 95% CI; -2.6, 5.6, p = 0.466, d = 0.17), and difference Tanaka - actual HRmax (1.7 bpm; 95% CI; -2.4, 5.8; p = 0.414, d = 0.19) to the less matured participants. Conclusions: These findings suggest that age-based prediction equations of HRmax developed in adult populations should be applied with caution in physically active female adolescents, and Tanaka should be preferred instead of the Fox equation.
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In spite of the large diversity of diagnostic and interventional devices associated with gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures, there is little information on the impact of the biomaterials (metals, polymers) contained in these devices upon body tissues and, indirectly, upon the treatment outcomes. Other biomaterials for gastroenterology, such as adhesives and certain hemostatic agents, have been investigated to a greater extent, but the information is fragmentary. Much of this situation is due to the paucity of details disclosed by the manufacturers of the devices. ⋯ There are indications that research is progressing steadily in this field, and the establishment of the subdiscipline of "gastroenterologic biomaterials" is not merely a remote projection. Upon the completion of this article, the gastroenterologist should be able to understand the nature of biomaterials and to achieve a suitable and beneficial perception of their significance in gastroenterology. Likewise, the biomaterialist should become aware of the specific tasks that the biomaterials must fulfil when placed within the GI tract, and regard such applications as both a challenge and an incentive for progressing the research in this field.
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Background and Objectives: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are common pathogens causing urinary tract infections (UTIs). We aimed to investigate the relationship among clinical manifestation, serogroups, phylogenetic groups, and antimicrobial resistance among UPEC. Materials and Methods: One-hundred Escherichia coli isolates recovered from urine and ureteral scrapings were used for the study. ⋯ The E. coli phylogenetic group B2 was most common. These observations extended to pregnant patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria. Conclusions: Due to high rates of resistance, strategies using empirical therapy of second-generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones should be reconsidered in this population.