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- Edelbring, Samuel, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Experiencing virtual patients in clinical learning : a phenomenological study
- 2011
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Ingår i: Advances in Health Sciences Education. - : Springer. - 1382-4996 .- 1573-1677. ; 16:3, s. 331-345
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Computerised virtual patients (VPs) are increasingly being used in medical education. With more use of this technology, there is a need to increase the knowledge of students experiences with VPs. The aim of the study was to elicit the nature of virtual patients in a clinical setting, taking the students experience as a point of departure. Thirty-one students used VPs as a mandatory part of an early clinical rotation in rheumatology. Using the qualitative approach of phenomenology, we interviewed these students and then analysed data regarding their experiences of VPs as a learning activity. The result shows that students perceived VP activities in relation to actual patients, the clinical context and other learning activities. The VPs represented typical clinical cases which encouraged clinical reasoning and allowed for decision making. The students experienced the activities as integrating biomedical knowledge and clinical experience, providing structure that prepared for the unstructured clinical environment and patient encounters under unstressful conditions. However, the VPs were experienced as lacking the emotional interactivity and complexity of actual patients. Theoretical frameworks of clinical reasoning and experiential learning are suggested as foundations for further educational integration of VPs in the clinical environment. VP activities during clinical rotations provide experiences of clinical reality and allow students to solve problems actively. These features are dependent on VP technology but are also contingent on the surrounding environment.
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| 2. |
- Munters, Li Alemo, et al.
(författare)
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Improved exercise performance and increased aerobic capacity after endurance training of patients with stable polymyositis and dermatomyositis
- 2013
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Ingår i: Arthritis Research & Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1478-6354 .- 1478-6362. ; 15:4, s. R83-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: This randomized, controlled study on patients with polymyositis or dermatomyositis was based on three hypotheses: patients display impaired endurance due to reduced aerobic capacity and muscle weakness, endurance training improves their exercise performance by increasing the aerobic capacity, and endurance training has general beneficial effects on their health status. Methods: In the first part of this study, we compared 23 patients with polymyositis or dermatomyositis with 12 age-and gender-matched healthy controls. A subgroup of patients were randomized to perform a 12-week endurance training program (exercise group, n = 9) or to a non-exercising control group (n = 6). We measured maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) and the associated power output during a progressive cycling test. Endurance was assessed as the cycling time to exhaustion at 65% of VO2 max. Lactate levels in the vastus lateralis muscle were measured with microdialysis. Mitochondrial function was assessed by measuring citrate synthase (CS) and beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (beta-HAD) activities in muscle biopsies. Clinical improvement was assessed according to the International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies Group (IMACS) improvement criteria. All assessors were blinded to the type of intervention (that is, training or control). Results: Exercise performance and aerobic capacity were lower in patients than in healthy controls, whereas lactate levels at exhaustion were similar. Patients in the exercise group increased their cycling time, aerobic capacity and CS and beta-HAD activities, whereas lactate levels at exhaustion decreased. Six of nine patients in the exercise group met the IMACS improvement criteria. Patients in the control group did not show any consistent changes during the 12-week study. Conclusions: Polymyositis and dermatomyositis patients have impaired endurance, which could be improved by 12 weeks of endurance training. The clinical improvement corresponds to increases in aerobic capacity and muscle mitochondrial enzyme activities. The results emphasize the importance of endurance exercise in addition to immunosuppressive treatment of patients with polymyositis or dermatomyositis.
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| 3. |
- Munters, Li Alemo, et al.
(författare)
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Improvement in Health and Possible Reduction in Disease Activity Using Endurance Exercise in Patients With Established Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis : A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial With a 1-Year Open Extension Followup
- 2013
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Ingår i: Arthritis Care and Research. - : Wiley. - 0893-7524 .- 1529-0123 .- 2151-464X .- 2151-4658. ; 65:12, s. 1959-1968
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ObjectiveTo determine the effects of a 12-week endurance exercise program on health, disability, VO2 max, and disease activity in a multicenter randomized controlled trial in patients with established polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM), and to evaluate health and disability in a 1-year open extension study. MethodsPatients were randomized into a 12-week endurance exercise program group (EG; n = 11) or a control group (CG; n = 10). Assessments of health (Short Form 36 [SF-36]), muscle performance (5 voluntary repetition maximum [5 VRM]), activities of daily living (ADL), patient preference (McMaster Toronto Arthritis Patient Preference Disability Questionnaire), VO2 max, and disease activity (International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies criteria of improvement of the 6-item core set) were performed at 0 and 12 weeks. Disability assessments were performed again at 52 weeks in an open extension period. All assessments were performed by blinded observers. ResultsThe EG improved compared to the CG in SF-36 physical function and vitality (P = 0.010 and P = 0.046, respectively), ADL score (P = 0.035), 5 VRM (P = 0.026), and VO2 max (P = 0.010). More patients in the EG (7 of 11) were responders with reduced disease activity compared to none in the CG (P = 0.002). Correlations between VO2 max and SF-36 physical function were 0.90 and 0.91 at 0 and 12 weeks, respectively (P < 0.05). The EG improvement in 5 VRM was sustained up to 52 weeks compared to baseline (5.7 kg; P < 0.001), but not in ADL score or SF-36. ConclusionsEndurance exercise improves health and may reduce disease activity in patients with established PM/DM. This potentially could be mediated through improved aerobic fitness. The results also indicate sustained muscle strength up to 1 year after a supervised program.
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| 4. |
- Nader, Gustavo A., et al.
(författare)
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A Longitudinal, Integrated, Clinical, Histological and mRNA Profiling Study of Resistance Exercise in Myositis
- 2010
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Ingår i: Molecular Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1076-1551 .- 1528-3658. ; 16:11-12, s. 455-464
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Polymyositis and dermatomyositis are orphan, chronic skeletal muscle disorders characterized by weakness, infiltrations by mononuclear inflammatory cells, and fibrosis. Until recently, patients were advised to refrain from physical activity because of fears of exacerbation of muscle inflammation. However, recent studies have shown that moderate exercise training in combination with immunosuppressive drugs can improve muscle performance. Despite the positive effects of exercise training, the molecular mechanisms underlying the exercise-associated clinical improvements remain poorly understood. The present study was designed to define, at the molecular level, the effects of resistance exercise training on muscle performance and disease progression in myositis patients. We evaluated changes in muscle strength, histology and genome-wide mRNA profiles to determine the beneficial effects of exercise and determine the possible molecular changes associated with improved muscle performance. A total of 8 myositis patients underwent a 7-wk resistance exercise training program that resulted in improved muscle strength and increased maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). Training also resulted in marked reductions in gene expression, reflecting reductions in proinflammatory and profibrotic gene networks, changes that were also accompanied by a reduction in tissue fibrosis. Consistent with the exercise-associated increase in VO2max, a subset of transcripts was associated with a shift toward oxidative metabolism. The changes in gene expression reported in the present study are in agreement with the performance improvements induced by exercise and suggest that resistance exercise training can induce a reduction in inflammation and fibrosis in skeletal muscle.
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