BACKGROUND Currently there are two main sources of mortality data with cause of death assignments in China. Both sources-the Ministry of Health-Vital Registration system and the Chinese Disease Surveillance Point system-present their own challenges. A new approach to cause of death assignment is a smartphone-based shortened version of a verbal autopsy survey. This study evaluates the feasibilit...

The project "Finger Rehabilitation" aims to design a neuroprosthesis with integrated electronics. The neuroprosthesis should enable spinal cord injured people, with injury at cervical vertebrae level, to increase finger mobility and activity with the use of functional electrical stimulation. The equipment is based on several integrated factors. The user has to be independent from any external h...

BACKGROUND Care for seniors is complex because patients often have more than one disease, one medication, and one physician. It is a key challenge for primary care physicians to structure the various aspects of each patient's care, to integrate each patient's preferences, and to maintain a long-term overview. This article describes the design for the development and feasibility testing of the c...

BACKGROUND Few studies have examined the effectiveness of community-based self-management interventions in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and multiple chronic conditions (MCC). The objectives of this study were to examine the feasibility of implementation in practice (primary) and the feasibility of study methods and potential effectiveness (secondary) of the Aging, Community...

INTRODUCTION Ultrasound has become indispensable in medicine for diagnosis and therapeutics. In Internal Medicine Residency Training Program (IMRTP), there is a deficiency of a structured, competency-based musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSKUS) training despite its growing popularity. METHODS We conducted a feasibility study for incorporating MSKUS in IMRTP and competency assessment. We recruited...

OBJECTIVES Walking is an adaptable, inexpensive and accessible form of physical activity. However, its impact on quality of life (QoL) and symptom severity in people with advanced cancer is unknown. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a community-based walking intervention to enhance QoL in people with recurrent/metastatic cance...

BACKGROUND Increasing physical activity (PA) brings many health benefits, but engaging people in higher levels of PA after their 60s is not straightforward. The Functional Fitness MOT (FFMOT) is a new approach which aims to raise awareness about the importance of components of fitness (strength, balance, flexibility), highlight benefits of PA, engages older people in health behavior change disc...

the aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of coupling an electrochemical process with a biological treatment in order to degrade phosmet, an organophosphorous pesticide. the absence of biodegradability of phosmet by pseudomonas fluorescens and activated sludge was verified in our operational conditions. so, a conventional biological treatment is not appropriate for phosmet polluted...

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS Disadvantaged men suffer substantial harm from heavy drinking. This feasibility study developed and evaluated the methods for a trial of a brief intervention delivered by text messages to disadvantaged men. It aimed to test the methods for recruitment and retention, to monitor engagement with the intervention and assess the overall acceptability of study methods. DESIGN ...

INTRODUCTION This article is part of the Focus Theme of Methods of Information in Medicine on "Methodologies, Models and Algorithms for Patients Rehabilitation". BACKGROUND Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive inflammatory disease that causes damage to multiple joints, decline in functional status, and premature mortality. Thus, effective and frequent objective assessments are necessary...