A crucial challenge in the teaching and learning of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in developing non-Western countries is the irrelevance of much Western learning content, materials, tools, and methods from the perspectives of local communities. Our approach for designing an ICT course is based on the concept of ethnocomputing — finding culturally suitable entry points for un...

BACKGROUND Evidence-based medicine, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), support the inclusion of patients' preferences in health care decisions. In fact there are not many trials which include an assessment of patient's preferences. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that preferences of physicians and of patients can b...

OBJECTIVE Human toxocariasis is a zoonotic infection caused by the larval stages of Toxocara canis (T. canis) and less frequently Toxocara cati (T. cati). A relationship between toxocariasis and epilepsy has been hypothesized. We conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis of available data to evaluate the strength of association between epilepsy and Toxocara spp. seropositivity and to pr...

OBJECTIVES The main objective of this paper is to describe the approach and specific findings of the European Physical Activity Surveillance System (EUPASS) research project. In particular, the analysis presented aims at testing the reliability, comparability and predictive power of different sets of physical activity (PA) indicators. DESIGN First, a panel study based on computer-aided teleph...

BACKGROUND Medication non-adherence is a complex health care problem. Due to non-adherence, substantial numbers of cardiovascular patients benefit from their medication to only a limited extent. In order to improve adherence, a variety of pharmacist-led interventions have been developed. However, even the most effective interventions achieved only a modest positive effect. To be effective, inte...

Helminth parasites of wild and domestic felines pose a direct or potential threat to human health. Since helminths depend on multiple environmental factors that make their transmission possible, it is imperative to predict the areas where these parasites may complete the transmission to potential hosts. Bobcats, Lynx rufus (Schreberer), are the most abundant and widely-distributed wild felid sp...

Toxocara canis/cati are parasitic nematodes that resides in the small intestine of dogs, cats and wild carnivores. They are found worldwide. Female worms are approximately 10 cm long and produce hundreds of embrionated eggs per day. Following several weeks in the environment, the embryo matures to the infective larval stage within the egg. It can remain viable for very long periods of time. The...