Critical Narrative Research Articles

The effectiveness of acupuncture treatment in IVF: A critical narrative review

Assisted reproductive technologies, particularly in vitro fertilization, have become integral in addressing infertility concerns. Despite advancements in IVF, challenges persist, leading to exploration of adjunctive therapies. Acupuncture has gained interest as a complementary intervention for individuals undergoing in vitro fertilization. This narrative review synthesises existing literature, critically evaluating methodologies and outcomes of studies investigating acupuncture's role in IVF. The review aimed to provide a nuanced perspective on acupuncture's effectiveness in assisted reproduction, focusing on pregnancy rates, implantation success, and live birth rates. A comprehensive literature search was conducted on databases such as PubMed and Embase, limited to English studies published in the last 10 years. A narrative synthesis approach was employed to summarize findings, addressing variations in study designs and reported outcomes. The results encompass ten selected studies, employing diverse participant numbers and research designs. Manual acupuncture was the predominant technique, with one study utilising electroacupuncture and another incorporating moxibustion. This diversity necessitates a thorough examination to draw meaningful conclusions regarding acupuncture's impact on IVF outcomes. The critical review contributes to the ongoing discourse on integrating traditional and modern therapeutic modalities, fostering a comprehensive understanding of acupuncture's potential synergy with IVF for successful pregnancies.

Differential roles of M1 and M2 microglia in Parkinson’s disease: a critical narrative review

Parkinson's disease (PD) is marked by the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons, leading to debilitating motor and non-motor symptoms. Central to PD pathogenesis is the intricate involvement of microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain. This narrative review delves into the distinct functions of M1 and M2 microglia in the context of PD. M1 microglia exhibit pro-inflammatory characteristics, releasing cytotoxic factors that exacerbate neuronal damage. In contrast, M2 microglia contribute to neuroprotection by secreting anti-inflammatory cytokines and participating in the clearance of cellular debris. The dynamic interplay between these microglial phenotypes is explored, providing insights into their roles in disease progression. Emerging therapeutic strategies aimed at modulating microglial polarization are discussed, emphasizing their potential in PD intervention. By unraveling the nuanced contributions of M1 and M2 microglia in PD, this review not only advances our understanding of neuroinflammatory mechanisms but also underscores the importance of targeted interventions to alleviate disease-associated pathology and preserve neuronal integrity in Parkinson's disease.

Differential roles of M1 and M2 microglia in Parkinson’s disease: a critical narrative review

Parkinson's disease (PD) is marked by the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons, leading to debilitating motor and non-motor symptoms. Central to PD pathogenesis is the intricate involvement of microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain. This narrative review delves into the distinct functions of M1 and M2 microglia in the context of PD. M1 microglia exhibit pro-inflammatory characteristics, releasing cytotoxic factors that exacerbate neuronal damage. In contrast, M2 microglia contribute to neuroprotection by secreting anti-inflammatory cytokines and participating in the clearance of cellular debris. The dynamic interplay between these microglial phenotypes is explored, providing insights into their roles in disease progression. Emerging therapeutic strategies aimed at modulating microglial polarization are discussed, emphasizing their potential in PD intervention. By unraveling the nuanced contributions of M1 and M2 microglia in PD, this review not only advances our understanding of neuroinflammatory mechanisms but also underscores the importance of targeted interventions to alleviate disease-associated pathology and preserve neuronal integrity in Parkinson's disease.

ICU Patient Care: The Role of Aromatherapy in Stress and Sleep Management

This narrative review article explores the integration of aromatherapy, especially using lavender essential oil, in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). It aims to assess the efficacy, safety, and implications of this practice in critical care settings, where patients frequently suffer from stress, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. The study adopts a critical narrative review methodology, systematically examining both qualitative and quantitative literature. The research covers a range of aspects, including the impact of aromatherapy on anxiety and sleep quality, specific effects of lavender essential oil in wound healing, antibacterial, and anxiolytic activities, and its use in nursing practice. While initial findings are promising, indicating potential benefits in reducing anxiety and improving sleep quality, the evidence is not yet robust, with variability in study designs and outcomes. The review highlights the need for more rigorous research, standardization of essential oil use, and incorporation of aromatherapy education in nursing curricula. It concludes that while aromatherapy, particularly with lavender essential oil, shows potential therapeutic effects in ICUs, further research and holistic integration are essential for its effective and safe application in medical practice.

Composing adult lives with a ventilator at the intersection of developmental and neoliberal discourses of time.

This paper explores temporalities and experiences of time drawn from an analysis of interview data from a critical narrative inquiry of the experiences of young adults living with home mechanical ventilation (HMV). The analysis centers the ideological effects of dominant discourses that shape understandings of time in the Euro-Western world and the ways in which young adults' stories prompt a rethinking of time in health research and praxis. Data generation involved interviews and photo-elicitation with five young adults (ages 18-40). A critical narrative analysis of participants' stories surfaced the influence of ableist, developmentalist, and neoliberal discourses of time and the creative resistance that points to the potential of crip orientations to time in opening up possibilities for living. Implications for practice and research are offered.

The nature of glossolalia in the neo-Pentecostal churches in Nigeria

Glossolalia has been a major divisive doctrine in the Christendom, as some Pentecostals claim that it is proof of being a real Christian. This article examined the extent to which tongues-speaking in the neo-Pentecostal churches in Nigeria conforms to New Testament (NT) teaching. It employed narrative criticism and the phenomenological approach. The essay found that glossolalia appeared in the NT in both human and unintelligible languages. As the gift caused disorderliness in the Corinthian church, Paul says it is desirable but should not be allowed to disrupt worship. During worship, there should not be more than three people speaking in tongues, and they should do it in turn. Most importantly, if there is not an interpreter, there should be no tongues-speaking at all. The work further discovered that in the Nigerian neo-Pentecostal churches, it is the unintelligible form of glossolalia that is predominantly practised, and usually without interpretation, thereby contradicting Paul’s order. Moreover, the gift is being feigned by many to prove that they are born-again. In terms of its nature and conduct, therefore, glossolalia in the neo-Pentecostal churches in Nigeria is more of a deliberate practice than a continuation of the NT practice.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The disciplines of NT theology and Christian ethics are implicated in this article. It argues that the glossolalia being practised in the Nigerian neo-Pentecostal churches is virtually a deliberate practice rather than a spiritual gift.

Raced and risky subjects: The interplay of racial and managerial ideologies as an expression of "colorblind" racism.

Contemporary manifestations of race are dynamic and elusive in the forms and shapes they take. "Colourblind" racism is effective at drawing on seemingly objective and race-neutral discourses to obfuscate racialized forms of structural exclusion. Framed by Critical Race Theory and Critical Narrative Analysis this paper presents an example from the Australian context that examines the relationships between a grassroots initiative developed by creatives from the African diaspora and two not-for-profit human services organizations, to illustrate how ideologies of race are enacted and obscured by managerialist ideologies and discourses of risk. Specifically, it shows how harmful dominant cultural narratives of deficit and danger transforms racialized Africans in Australia into "risky subjects." In a managerialist organization, risk must be controlled, and thus risk becomes the rationality for the control of racialized and risky subjects. Resistance to control by those subjects produces forms of organizational defensiveness that are mobilized through managerialist discourses and practices that work to structurally exclude. These findings illustrate the ways ideologies of race work alongside and through other ideological discourses and practices which render racialized dynamics of oppression race-neutral.

Hybrid Makerspaces and Networks for the Circular City: A Case Study of Leuven, Belgium

This study addresses the questions of how makerspaces can be drivers for urban circular development and what are the roles of coordinating policy, makers, and materials to achieve success. The network of maker activities in the city of Leuven is a flagship initiative that illustrates the mechanisms that support integrated circular urban production. This study draws on the Pop-Machina project, funded by EC Horizon 2020, which identifies the links between the maker movement and the circular economy in seven European cities. The case study project in Leuven, confirmed as the most impactful amongst those studied in the Pop-Machina project, is examined to assess how local knowledge and policy measures can provide a means of activating a circular maker ecology. Through desk research, spatial urban analysis, and interviews with key stakeholders, this study provides a critical narrative of the development, success factors, and hurdles related to circular making processes in the city. The study introduces the notion of hybrid makerspaces as a manifestation of linking maker activities to create critical mass and share material, human, and spatial resources. It demonstrates how successful hybrid makers are supported by local, national, and international policy on the one hand and by integration with the city’s community, educational, and business groups on the other. It is this constellation of social, political, and spatial conditions that lies at the success of the project.

A postmodernist reading of the Epic Sci-Fi poetry, Adventures of Two captains

Among the works that consider political and social narratives, one can refer to the book "The Adventures of Two Captains," which also represents a kind of postmodern exploration. This work is intertwined with literary techniques, which is one of its prominent features, and serves as a bridge between science fiction stories, utopianism, and critical theories of international relations. However, it should be stated that the mentioned book aims at deconstructing modernist approaches to literature and the power structures that are used while defining global politics. The authors of this work, Elias Aghili and Paul John Amrod, while using epic storytelling intertwined with dystopian and utopian elements, have also used rich literary traditions from both Eastern and Western cultures in this direction. In this regard, this review analyzes the impact of the book on postmodernist discourse, exploring its noted literary techniques and broader thematic issues, especially its critique of power, identity, and narrative in terms of international relations.

Private Practices, Promiscuous Archives

Abstract: This essay mobilizes critical archival studies and Tonia Sutherland’s notion of “the carceral archive” in dialogue with Asian American feminist praxis to propose the framework of promiscuous archives, which seeks to harness the power and resources of archives towards unconventional, liberatory aims directed by community need. I draw principally from the concrete archival practices employed by the “Private Practices: AAPI Artist and Sex Worker Collection” at the Los Angeles Contemporary Archive to ask: What can abolitionist knowledge practices look like? What can archives learn from sex workers? Weaving critique of carceral narratives around sex workers with interrogation of the logics of capture and surveillance that direct archival practice, the essay presents promiscuity as an exploratory strategy of collaboration, proliferation, and usurpation that radically expands the porosity of archives, challenging the temporality, affective charge, and social role of archival repositories.

Narrating Constitutional Dis/Order in Post-1994 South Africa: A Critical Response to Theunis Roux

This comment takes up the invitation to critically engage Theunis Roux’s paper “Grand Narratives of Transition and the Quest for Democratic Constitutionalism in India and South Africa”, focusing only on the latter of his two subject countries. Like Roux, I am interested in examining the impending collapse or fading of liberal constitutionalism as an emancipatory horizon for postcolonial futurity and regard this predicament as one of the major questions for legal, political and social theory today. As both the promises and premises of the South African constitution sustain deep fractures under the pressure of the intractable afterlife of colonial-apartheid and growing dissent against the founding myths of the post-apartheid legal order, we enter a problem-space that demands reckoning. Roux’s approach to this question is to stage an interlocution between what he regards as the two prominent competing grand narratives of postcolonial transition and democratic constitutionalism, which he respectively names the “liberal progressive” (mainstream) narrative (“LPN”) and the “culturalist” or “decolonial” (critical) narrative (“CGN”).

Book Review: Critical Pedagogical Narratives of Long-Term Incarcerated Juveniles: Humanizing the Dehumanized

Book Review: Critical Pedagogical Narratives of Long-Term Incarcerated Juveniles: Humanizing the Dehumanized

Mitigating radiation-induced cognitive toxicity in brain metastases: More questions than answers.

The emergence of advanced systemic therapies added to the use of cranial radiation techniques has significantly improved outcomes for cancer patients with multiple brain metastases (BM), leading to a considerable increase in long-term survivors. In this context, the rise of radiation-induced cognitive toxicity (RICT) has become increasingly relevant. In this critical narrative review, we address the controversies arising from clinical trials aimed at mitigating RICT. We thoroughly examine interventions such as memantine, hippocampal avoidance irradiation during BM treatment or ina prophylactic setting, and the assessment of cognitive safety in stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Our focus extends to recent neuroscience research findings, emphasizing the importance of preserving not only the hippocampal cortex but also other cortical regions involved in neural dynamic networks and their intricate role in encoding new memories. Despite treatment advancements, effectively managing patients with multiple BM and determining the optimal timing and integration of radiation and systemic treatments remain areas requiring further elucidation. Future trials are required to delineate optimal indications and ensure SRS safety. Additionally, the impact of new systemic therapies and the potential effects of delaying irradiation on cognitive functioning also need to be addressed. Inclusive trial designs, encompassing patients with multiple BM and accounting for diverse treatment scenarios, are essential for advancing effective strategies in managing RICT and the treatment of BM patients.

ОБРАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА И ЕГО КРИТИКА В СУПЕРГЕРОЙСКИХ КОМИКСАХ В ИСТОРИЧЕСКОМ КОНТЕКСТЕ РОССИЙСКО-АМЕРИКАНСКИХ ОТНОШЕНИЙ 1980-Х ГГ

The aim of the study is to determine the specifics of criticism of a politician and the institution of the presidency in popular culture using the example of the critique of Ronald Reagan in the comics during his tenure. The object of the analysis is the representation of the US President in the issues of the industry leaders of print superhero comics; the subject is the mechanisms of criticism of the institution of the presidency. The research methodology is based on a semiotic and iconological analysis of the visual material; a descriptive method is used to introduce the historical context. The image structures are analyzed using the film studies tools (analysis of dramaturgy, camera angles, film editing). The superhero comic book from the 1980s consistently deconstructs the image of the President, and particularly, the media component of that image. The article for the first time identifies the cinematic clichés that the comic book authors use in the construction of a critical narrative about Reagan, analyzes the ways of implementing the motive of the puppet nature of the institution of the presidency and studies the representation modes of the policy towards the USSR. The author concludes that by the end of the 1980s, a steady set of techniques and a repertoire of plots for the critical assessment of the US President had been formed in the superheroics.

Identifying stories of ‘us’: A mixed‐method analysis of the meaning, contents and associations of national narratives constructed by Americans

AbstractHow do lay individuals reconstruct, appropriate or resist culturally sanctioned narratives about their nation's past? The current study examined this question through an open‐ended survey administered to a US sample, stratified by age and gender (N = 399). We identified three major historical narratives that were popular among Americans. Specifically, we identified positive narratives of the nation's progress over time and glorifying narratives of American exceptionalism, alongside a popular counter‐narrative that was critical of the nation as reproducing ongoing cycles of injustice. Representations of national origins were significantly more salient for the narratives of Progress and Glorification, while more recent and lived events were salient for Critical narratives. Progress and Critical narratives were both associated with a constructive orientation to national identity, while Glorifying narratives were associated with blind patriotism. Critical and Glorifying narratives were consistently opposed in their associated political attitudes and in their patterns of endorsement across party affiliations. Overall, it appeared that narratives of progress were most popular and least polarised. We discuss the implications of these findings through the perspective that narratives provide dynamic content for identity construction as well as the means for articulating resistance to hegemony within specific historical and political contexts.

Editorial

Editorial

The Self and the Society: A Critique of Sociocultural Narratives in Media and Literature

Sociocultural narratives inextricably form people’s self-identification or the identity of a group. It is essential to learn about their History through storytelling, whether from books or oral traditions. Oral traditions can be used to track the sociocultural behaviors of the past and those of the present and their rationale. Additionally, Oral Traditions help one understand and become conscious of the context around a specific practice. In sociocultural views, narrative can serve as a starting point for identifying a suitable framework for explaining how people acquire their identity by learning about History. The media can tell societal stories through songs, movies, animations, and even other forms of storytelling. The filmmaker reveals to his audience the identity that has been forgotten or the unrecorded History behind it by making his film based on the sociocultural practices or beliefs of the specific group or individual. The present research aims to scrutinize the role of sociocultural narratives in helping individuals and groups discover their identities by illustrating the relationship between sociocultural viewpoints and oral traditions in both Literature and Media.

“You are the only other person in the world that knows that about me”: Family physician stories of proximity to patients experiencing social inequity

Canadians' health outcomes are inextricably tied to social inequities. Family medicine is uniquely situated to provide care that addresses social factors through longitudinal knowledge of patients and the contexts of their lives. However, family physicians have come under increased practice demands shaped by neoliberal ideological structuring of health care, compounding difficulties in providing care for persons experiencing health needs related to social inequities. Nursing scholar Ruth Malone has argued that remaining proximal, or close to patients, is a form of resistance to these demands. Using a critical narrative methodology, this paper presents the stories of 20 family physicians working with persons experiencing health needs related to inequity in Ontario, Canada, that express and expand upon Malone's proximity. We highlight how participants invoke notions of proximity through their stories, describing the role of the family physician in: i) generating physical proximity based on the patients' needs for more time, space, and care; ii) developing narrative proximity through storytelling over time in these shared spaces, both between colleagues and patient communities; and iii) engaging in moral proximity, or recognizing the vulnerabilities of their patients, by going “above and beyond” in their care and advocacy roles inspired by the needs of their patients. The findings add theoretical depth to proximity, extending this conceptualization into a new clinical context. These stories also complement current health services and health policy research that advocates for collaborative primary care approaches, as elements of these approaches are conducive to establishing proximity with patients who need care the most.

Motifs of the Media Narrative ‘Female Migrant Worker’ in Ukrainian, Polish, and Italian Cinema

Lately, the image of a woman-wage earner, a migrant from another country, has become a particular symbol of the economic disadvantage of some countries and a symbol of the search for a better life in a foreign land. In the Ukrainian cultural context, the image of a wage earner in literature is classic: starting with oral folk art and fiction and ending with film images of the modern period. Instead, our study proposes to change slightly the aspect of view to the problem and to analyse it through the prism of gender and national stereotypes, highlighting the critical narratives of the history of migration and employment of women, not only Ukrainian but also Polish. This will remove some of the connotations of cross-national insults or under-appreciation and open up areas for further exploration of such narratives in film content. Stereotyped images broadcast in film material through rigid narratives are even more important for research because, on the one hand, they reflect specific structures of collective ordinary consciousness. On the other hand, they form them. It is, in particular, about the processes of the transgression of stable consciousness concepts through mass media. While analysing film images, we can trace certain constructs of narratives related to a migrant woman trying to earn money in another country. First of all, she appears as rightless, unadapted to another culture, the one who can apply for unskilled work (usually due to the language barrier and other factors), and under challenging conditions, her country is poor and does not give her opportunities; also women earn for family, that suits men completely, so there is an emphasis on the inability of some people at the expense of others, on gender stigmatisation.

Traditional gender roles and patriarchal values: Critical personal narratives of a woman from the Chaoshan region in China

AbstractThis study utilizes the personal critical narrative of myself, a woman from the Chaoshan region in China, as the primary data source to explore the impact of traditional gender roles and patriarchal values on women's personal growth transformation through a feminist lens. Integrating feminist and transformative learning theory, it encompasses my journey, including growing up with traditional patriarchal norms and thinking; being shaped by traditional gender bias without critical thinking; struggles from valuing males over females; and becoming a feminist‐informed and transformative adult education scholar. This study emphasizes the significance of integrating feminist and transformative learning theories into personal narratives and gender issues in adult education. Through dialogic connections, it may inspire self‐transformation in readers, potentially evolving into informed adult learners and feminist practitioners. This understanding can improve culturally sensitive adult education, fostering inclusivity, empowerment, and enhancing Western researchers’ comprehension of societal norms' influence on personal transformation in diverse contexts.