Fertility and digital technology: narratives of using smartphone app ‘Natural Cycles’ while trying to conceive

Fertility awareness apps, which help to identify the ‘fertile window’ when conception is most likely, have been hailed as ‘revolutionising’ women’s reproductive health. Despite rapidly growing popularity, little research has explored how people use these apps when trying to conceive and what these apps mean to them. We draw on in‐depth, qualitative interviews, adopting a critical digital health studies lens (a sub‐field of science and technology studies), to explore the experiences of cisgender women and partners with one such app, Natural Cycles, in the context of their daily lives. We found that many women valued the technology as a ‘natural’, inobtrusive alternative to biomedical intervention, and a means of controlling and knowing their bodies, amid a dearth of fertility‐related education and care. Yet this technology also intervened materially and affectively into the spaces of their lives and relationships and privileged disembodied metrics (temperature) over embodied knowledge. Meanwhile, app language, advertising and cost have contributed to characterising ‘typical’ users as white, heterosexual, affluent, cisgender women without disabilities. In the context of neoliberal shifts towards bodily self‐tracking, technologies appealing as novel, liberating and ‘natural’ to individuals who can access them may nevertheless reproduce highly gendered reproductive responsibilities, anxieties and broader health and social inequalities.     

Assessing attitudes towards online psychoeducational interventions: Psychometric properties of a Brief Attitudes Scale

Participant attitudes are an explanatory factor for attrition in online health-related interventions. However, its assessment prior to interventions start is uncommon, partly because proper measures are missing. This study presents the psychometric properties of a new scale measuring attitudes towards online psychoeducational interventions (OPIs). Structural validity, reliability and screening performance of the Online Psychoeducational Intervention – Brief Attitudes Scale (OPI-BAS) were studied in a sample of 157 dementia caregivers. Scale cut-off scores were derived to categorise the participants into ‘OPIs sympathisers’ or ‘non-sympathisers’. Groups were compared across sociodemographic and internet use variables. A parsimonious five-item version of OPI-BAS demonstrated good structural validity, with one factor explaining 63.3% of variance. Internal consistency of the scale was high (α = 0.85). OPI-BAS showed good screening performance in identifying individuals with either a preference to use conventional face-to-face or online psychoeducational interventions (area under the curve = 0.84). An optimal cut-off score of 20 was suggested by the receiver operating characteristic graph, providing good sensitivity (74%) and specificity (84%). No significant differences were found between groups on sociodemographic and internet use variables. Attitudes towards OPIs were overall positive, but face-to-face interventions were preferred. This study offers preliminary support to the psychometric quality of OPI-BAS. This short scale has practical applications for research and intervention.     

负压创面治疗技术治疗慢性创面患者的效果

目的探讨在慢性创面患者中应用负压创面治疗技术的效果。方法选取2019年1月至2020年1月天津武清中医院收治的56例慢性创面患者,按照随机数字表法分为对照组和试验组,每组28例。对照组给予普通清创换药治疗,试验组给予负压创面治疗,比较两组植皮时间、愈合时间、住院总费用、疼痛程度。结果试验组植皮时间、愈合时间均短于对照组,住院总费用少于对照组,视觉模拟评分法(VAS)评分低于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论负压创面治疗技术应用于慢性创面患者中的效果显著,能够缩短植皮时间、愈合时间,减少住院费用,减轻疼痛感。     

数字信号处理技术在医学物理实验中的应用

信息社会的发展,在很大程度上取决于信息与信号处理技术的先进性.数字信号处理技术的出现改变了信息与信号处理技术的整个面貌,测量仪器技术与计算机技术深层次的结合正引起测试仪器领域里一场新的革命,一种全新的仪器结构概念导致了新一代仪器--虚拟仪器的出现,它是现代计算机技术、通信技术里测量技术相结合的产物,是传统仪器观念的一次巨大变革.它的出现使得人类的测试技术进入了一个新的发展纪元.本文介绍了用"弱电与非电信号处理系统"这一虚拟仪器进行生物非电信号的采集和分析的应用过程.     

计算机辅助组织工程在组织支架仿生建模和设计中的应用

计算机辅助组织工程(CATE)可以帮助进行复杂组织支架的建模,设计和制造,使很多用于改善替代材料力学及生物学性能的新方法得以实施。CATE通过获取组织的生物学、生物力学及生物化学信息,进行界面的设计、模拟和组织的制作。本文将讲述CATE在骨组织工程支架仿生设计中的应用:介绍运用CATE进行仿生建模,解剖结构重建,组织支架设计,定量CT分析,有限元分析和支架的自由挤压沉积制作。     

知识模式转换在医学科技创新中的作用

医学科技创新是医院赖以生存与发展的动力,医学科技创新的过程也是医学知识模式不断转换的过程,本文从知识模式转换的视角,探讨知识管理对医学科技创新的意义与作用     

基于人工视网膜神经节细胞感受野的图像边缘检测

用光电池组装一个工感受野，在一维上模拟视网膜神经节细胞的零交叉滤波特性，进一步用该工工感受野构建一个图像边缘检测系统，并成功地用系统检测到图像边缘。一与般的基于视觉原理的图像系统相比，这种以人工感受野灵基础的系统，在图像输入的同时即可并行地提取图像边缘信息，而更接近于动物视觉系统原型，此结果将为人工视觉和图像技术的发展提供新的探索。     

离子交换树脂法与活性炭吸附法提取左旋多巴结果比较

以水和盐酸为溶剂从猫豆中提取左旋多巴,并对提取液分别用离子交换树脂法和活性炭吸附法富集左旋多巴,再分别用氨水和醇洗脱,经浓缩、精制得左旋多巴。实验结果表明,前法提取周期较长,平均提取率为2．50％,后法提取周期较短,平均提取率为2．66％,提示后法优于前法。     

双波长薄层扫描法测定小儿退热贴中栀子甙含量

用双波长薄层扫描法对小儿退热贴中栀子甙进行含量测定。加样回收率为９８．２９％,ｒ＝０．９９９７,ＲＳＤ＝０．５６％。本法可控制小儿退热贴质量。     

大肠腺癌DNA和RNA测定与转移及预后的关系

探讨大肠腺癌DNA和RNA含量的变化意义及预后的关系。方法 :对我院 1985年～ 1992年收治的术后随访 74例病人的大肠腺癌石腊标本重新切片 ,用流式细胞技术进行DNA和RNA含量测定 ,探讨其变化意义与转移预后的关系。结果 :大肠腺癌DNA异倍体与组织学类型无关 ,RNA含量与组织学类型关系密切。DNA异倍体和RNA含量大肠腺癌的Dukes’分期、淋巴结转移、其它脏器转移和根治术后复发均有关。术后生存 5年以上病人的DNA异倍体出现率和RNA含量较术后 1年内死亡病人为低 ,两者有显著性差异 (P <0 .0 1)。结论 :DNA和RNA含量测定可作为判断大肠腺癌的恶性程度、估价预后的客观可靠指标。