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An Overview of Parasite Diversity
Published in Eric S. Loker, Bruce V. Hofkin, Parasitology, 2023
Eric S. Loker, Bruce V. Hofkin
To help us better characterize and understand biodiversity, enter the discipline of phylogenetics referring to the study of the evolutionary relationships among organisms based on molecular sequence data or morphological traits. These relationships are conveniently depicted with the use of evolutionary trees. Phylogenetics is often involved in making and evaluating hypotheses about historical patterns of descent and can be thought of as part of a broader subject called systematics, which refers to the study of the diversification of life on Earth, including the relationships among organisms over time. Evolutionary trees are constructed using algorithms that assess the degrees of similarity in DNA or RNA nucleotide sequences or in protein amino acid sequences in the organisms being compared. Many trees are also constructed based on morphological characters or a combination of morphology and sequence data. The optimal ways to construct trees remain a topic of vigorous and ongoing debate, with entire professional societies and journals devoted to the topic.
The Management of Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF)
Published in Andreas P. Kalogeropoulos, Hal A. Skopicki, Javed Butler, Heart Failure, 2023
Jodie L. Kenes, Richard B. Stacey, Bharathi Upadhya
Management goals in patients with HFpEF include relief of symptoms, improvement in functional capacity, prevention of acute exacerbations, and increased survival. A systematic approach should comprise several elements: diagnosis and staging of disease, a search for reversible etiology, judicious use of medications, patient education, enhancement of self-management skills, coordination of care across disciplines, and effective follow-up. A multidisciplinary approach to management reduces acute exacerbations leading to hospitalization, improves quality of life, reduces total costs, and increases survival. Older adults with HF often have severe deconditioning with severe exercise intolerance and should be encouraged to undertake regular moderate physical activity. In Figure 15.1, we summarize a practical approach for the management of HFpEF based on the evidence that is available to date.
Bacteria
Published in Julius P. Kreier, Infection, Resistance, and Immunity, 2022
The word systematics refers to evolutionary classification schemes but often tends to include consideration of any possible relationship and difference among organ-isms. The term is occasionally used synonymously with taxonomy. Nomenclature is the system of names applied to organisms studied in a field of knowledge and the binomial nomenclature originally developed by Carolus Linnaeus is used to name all free-living organisms, i.e., all organisms have two names; a capitalized genus name and a lowercase specific epithet which is frequently an adjective.
Recovery capital among migrants and ethnic minorities: A qualitative systematic review of first-person perspectives
Published in Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 2022
Aline Pouille, Charlotte De Kock, Freya Vander Laenen, Wouter Vanderplasschen
Because a systematic review is a type of secondary data analysis, not having all primary information at hand is often challenging. Although the studies were clear about what was considered helping or hindering, it was not always clarified how these factors facilitated or hindered recovery, which had implications for assigning resources to the personal, social or community level during the analysis. Furthermore, some important concepts were not defined within the included articles. “Culture” emerged as an important concept in substance use recovery, but we discerned, in line with previous research (De Kock, 2019a), that none of the studies specifically defined what was meant with “culture.” “Culture,” “spirituality,” and “religion” were often confounded, urging us to describe these terms conjointly in the review. Hence, the complexity of these concepts could not be reflected within this review and vigilance is warranted for the complex dynamics that are interwoven with what is considered culture, religion and spirituality (Dreher & MacNaughton, 2002). Adopting the included authors’ terminology to describe the results, allowed us to stay close to the data, but also revealed to the use of some concepts that can be considered stigmatizing (Kelly, 2004). Future research should further clarify these concepts and consider the impact of the applied terminology.
Quality of Life in Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures: An Evolutionary Concept Analysis
Published in Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 2022
Sandra J. Cobb, Lora Humphrey Beebe
A concept is a label used to summarize the essence of a phenomenon or to represent the reality of an idea (Morse, 2017). The Evolutionary Method of concept analysis (Rodgers, 2000) was used to explore QOL in PNES. The evolutionary method is systematic and focuses on the dynamic nature of concepts. Because QOL can vary depending on a person’s state of mind and personal philosophies, this method of analysis is ideal for exploring QOL in the context of PNES. A strength of this analytical method is its emphasis on including multiple disciplines in the search for concept clarification. The steps of Rodgers (2000) evolutionary method of concept analysis include identifying the concept of interest and surrogate terms; selecting the setting and sample for data collection; collecting data relevant to identify attributes and contextual basis; analyzing data regarding the concept; identifying an exemplar, if appropriate; and identifying implications, hypotheses, and implications for further development (p. 85).
Using patient complaints to drive healthcare improvement: a narrative overview
Published in Hospital Practice, 2021
Matthew Pearce, Victoria Wilkins, David Chaulk
The main commonality between patient and provider perspectives about complaints is significant confusion surrounding how patient complaints are processed. This can be explained by the lack of national standards or guidelines for how patient complaints should be handled. Many patient complaints are managed by unit level leadership and are not reported to a hospital or system level repository. As such, systematic identification of issues and targeted improvement is challenging. While the main reason for prompt handling of complaints is the desire to address patient needs in a timely manner, this method makes it difficult to identify systemic problems without some sort of systematic data collection and analysis. It is thus natural for complaints to be viewed as singular, which leads to weak change processes implementation. Such processes are unlikely to have a lasting effect or wide impact.