bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Marginalia of the Apostolus Christinopolitanus of the XII Century: Composition, Paleography, and Orthography
Authors: Bakshaeva A. A.
Published: May 2022

The research features a manuscript of the Galician-Volynian Apostolus Christinopolitanus dated the XII century (The Lviv Historical Museum of Ukraine, No. 37). This manuscript is one of the earliest surviving copies of the Apostolus. It belongs to the Cyrillo-Methodian translation but contains a number of Preslavic readings. This paper focuses on the extratexts, i.e., inscriptions and in-junctions, in the Apostolus Christinopolitanus and presents a paleographic, orthographic, and phonetic analysis of the marginalia made by the three scribes of the manuscript. The author classified the marginalia made by the first scribe. The classification includes such types of postscripts as comments to facilitate the reading and edits to the main text, glosses, scholia, scribe's comments, etc. The analysis confirms that the extratexts were highly unified and standardized. The analysis of the linguistic features of the first scribe’s handwritten appendices shows the unified orthography of the main text and the marginalia, as well as reflects some features of the Old Russian of that time. The extratexts of the Apostolus Christinopolitanus also demonstrated a variety of pronunciations of Old Russian linguistic use. These texts prove the high degree of development of the book norm and the existence of normalizing aspirations in ancient Russian scriptoria.
Versatile Method of Modeling Content and Structure of a Terminological Field
Authors: Zhuravlev A. P.
Published: May 2022

The paper introduces a new method for modeling a terminological field with its content and structure. The method is a foundation for a computer program able to evaluate students’ professional knowledge both in qualitative and quantitative aspects. The method includes several stages: processing the lexical content of a terminological field, revealing elements that structure this content, and graphical representation of the terminological field model. The list of methods included the thesaurus approach and the componential analysis of lexical meaning. The thesaurus approach detects the basic types of semantic relationships between lexical units within a terminological field. The componential analysis explicates elements that arrange these units. The model is represented as a tree graph structure, which is ideal for visualizing multi-level hierarchic structures. This graph consists of two types of elements: terms and structure units. The method is designed to be flexible and versatile so that it can be effectively applied to any terminological field. The method can be applied to a specific terminological field in order to build its model with particular regard to all characteristic features of its content and structure
Wybrany dorobek naukowy pracowników Wydziału Studiów nad Rodziną
Authors: Ozorowski Mieczysław
Published: May 2022

Wydział Studiów nad Rodziną, który swoimi korzeniami sięga działalności abpa K. Majdańskiego w Akademii Teologii Katolickiej i wielu innych osób, wyrażających naukową troskę o małżeństwo i rodzinę, w ciągu pierwszej dekady swojego samodzielnego istnienia w ramach Uniwersytetu Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie kontynuuje badania w dyscyplinie nauk o rodzinie. Choć zespół pracowników naukowo-dydaktycznych nie był duży, bo większość tego czasu liczył kilkanaście osób, to udało się wypracować różne pola poszukiwań naukowych. Celem artykułu jest prezentacja osiągnięć naukowych nauczycieli akademickich, pracujących na Wydziale Studiów nad Rodziną UKSW w Warszawie. Nie jest to kompletna lista ani osób ani ich dorobku. Zostały tu zaznaczone najbardziej znaczące i zaangażowane osoby oraz najważniejsze ich osiągnięcia. Opis ten jest uporządkowany według istniejących wcześniej katedr.
Świętość małżeństwa i rodziny
Authors: Rychlicki Czesław
Published: May 2022

Podjętą w opracowaniu refleksję nad świętością małżeństwa i rodziny rozpoczyna uwaga skoncen- trowana nad powszechnym powołaniem do świętości jako darem Boskiej miłości skierowanym do wszystkich członków Kościoła. Ponieważ świętość Chrystusa polega na zjednoczeniu Jego człowieczeństwa z Boską osobą Słowa, analogicznie świętość człowieka, jako dar udzielony mu przez Boga, ma swoje źródło w przyjętym sakramencie chrztu. Przez chrzest dokonuje się ontyczna przemiana człowieka jednocząc go z Chrystusem. Pośród zróżnicowanych form świętości realizowanej w różnorakich formach życia i działania wierzących szczególny rodzaj wezwania do świętości stanowi powołanie małżonków, realizowane w ich konkretnym akcie wzajemnego darowania siebie. Akt ten odtwarza oblubieńczy dar miłości Chrystusa udzielony Jego Kościołowi. Rodzicielska i wychowawcza funkcja małżonków wskazuje na podwójny wymiar: naturalny i transcendentny. W aspekcie natury małżonkowie w akcie rodzenia i wychowania potomstwa włączają się czynnie w rozwój społeczny, przekazując wartości humanizujące osobę i społeczeństwo. W wymiarze transcendentnym rodzicielski i edukacyjny akt małżonków stanowi współpracę w stwórczym akcie Boga, powołującego człowieka na „obraz i podobieństwo” Boga (Rdz 1, 27), i do udziału w dziele doskonalącym kształtowanie świata, zgodnie z wolą Stwórcy (por. Rdz 1, 28). Z tej racji w rodzinie chrześcijańskiej – w sposób szczególny w jej funkcji wychowawczej – powinien być respektowany prymat chrześcijańskiego wychowania dzieci, dzięki któremu formacja osobowa nabywa wymiaru integralnego.
Pedagogizacja rodziców wyrazem troski o dobro dziecka
Authors: Skreczko Adam
Published: May 2022

Proces wychowania w obecnym czasie jest bardzo złożony i niejednokrotnie konfliktowy. Dzisiaj bardziej niż kiedykolwiek potrzebne jest poważne, głębokie i staranne przygotowanie rodziców do pełnienia zadań wychowawczych. Należy przy tym pamiętać, że pedagogizacja rodziców, jako wyraz troski o dobro dziecka, powinna być prowadzona nie tylko ze znajomością rzeczy, ale i z dużym taktem. W działalności tej mamy do czynienia głównie z osobami dorosłymi posiadającymi utrwalone poglądy i własne doświadczenie życiowe. Reprezentują oni różny stopień rozwoju kulturalnego, religijnego, moralnego i intelektualnego. Stąd przy podejmowaniu tego rodzaju zadań mogą pojawić się różne trudności. Różny jest także poziom i jakość oddziaływań wychowawczych w ich rodzinach.
Formulation and Statistical Evaluation of Tablets Containing Pitavastatin-
Self Nano Emulsifying Drug Delivery Systems
Authors: Selvamuthukumar S. , Gowripattapu Sridevi , Sathis Kumar D.
Published: May 2022

Purpose:

To formulate and characterize tablets containing Pitavastatin that has been loaded with a self-nano emulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS).

Methods:

Pitavastatin SNEDDS were prepared with a variety of oils, surfactants, co-surfactants, and solvents to improve the dissolution rate and bioavailability of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor. The SNEDDS components were preliminarily investigated for drug solubility in various vehicles, excipient miscibility, emulsification rate, and ternary phase diagrams. The tablets were made using a porous carrier made of Aerosil 200 and then loaded with SNEDDS using a simple absorption method. Physical parameters such as tablet hardness, weight variation, disintegration, drug content, and in-vitro drug release were then measured on the tablets.

Results:

Labrafac Lipophilewl1349 (Oil), Tween 80 (Surfactant) and Egg lecithin (Co-surfactant) were selected for the preparation of SNEDDS. Tablets with high porosity suitable for loading with SNEDDS and containing the super-disintegrants, achieved complete dissolution of Pitavastatin from the tablets. In vitro release of Pitavastatin from SNEDDS and the tablets was similar (p < 0.05).

Conclusion:

SNEDDS of Pitavastatin is a promising approach to achieving a solid dosage form of the liquid-loaded drug delivery systems for enhancing the solubility and dissolution rate of the drug, and hence also its bioavailability.
Rational Study of Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Color of Camellia
assamecia Based on Vacuum Drying and Hot Air Drying Effect
Authors: Das Abhijit , Kalita Deka Anamika , Chakraborty Runu , Raychaiudhuri Utpal
Published: May 2022

Background:

The present study was conducted to determine the effect vacuum and
hot air drying on antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity and color of Camellia Assamica collected
from Bokaghat, Chirang, Golaghat and Mongoldoi of Assam.

Objectives:

The objective of this study is to observe effect on antioxidant, antimicrobial activity
and colour of Camellia Assamica and compare the data with hot air oven drying.

Methods:

The scavenging activity of the sample was found to be 93.97% for DPPH and 0.657
(μg/ml); in the color analysis for the vacuum dried sample it was ΔL* = 39.5-54.6 CIE, and the
chroma a*= from –5.0 to –4.01 CIE units CIE units and 15.7-20.7 better than hot air drying.

Results and Conclusion:

Analytically cholorophyll Ch-a =1.51, Ch-b = 1.08 and carotenoids and
Cx+c = 0.64 are determine and the vacuum dried tea extract has shown potent antimicrobial activity
with inhibition zone of 15mm and 10 mm for S. aureus and against E.coli respectively.
Is there a Concordance between CHA2DS2 VASc and HAS-BLED Scores in Middle Eastern Patients with Nonvalvular AF? Analysis of the Jordan Atrial Fibrillation (JoFib) Study
Authors: Jarrah Mohamad I. , Alrabadi Nasr , Alzoubi Karem. H. , Mhaidat Qasim N. , Hammoudeh Ayman
Published: May 2022

Background:

Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation (NVAF) is a common arrhythmia that potentially contributes to stroke and systemic embolization. Anticoagulants may contribute to the risk of bleeding in these patients. Reports of NVAF on Middle Eastern populations are scarce and outdated. This study investigated the concordance between congestive heart failure, hypertension, ≥75 years of age, diabetes mellitus, stroke or transient ischemic attack, vascular disease, 65 to 74 years of age group, sex category (CHA2DS2 VASc), and Hypertension, Abnormal Renal/Liver Function, Stroke, Bleeding History or Predisposition, Labile INR, Elderly, Drugs/Alcohol Concomitantly (HAS-BLED) scores, and the risks of stroke and bleeding in Jordanian NVAF patients.

Methods:

Results were extracted from the Jordan Atrial Fibrillation (JoFib) multicenter registry (NCT03917992). To assess the risk of stroke, a CHA2DS2 VASc score was used. The HAS-BLED score was used to assess the risk of bleeding. Subgroup analysis for males and females was carried out.

Results:

We included 1823 NVAF patients, almost equally distributed among males and females. The overall mean age was 68.2 years. Most patients had a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 (71.5%). Almost half of the patients were smokers, 45.5% had diabetes, and 76.3% had hypertension. Paroxysmal AF was the most common subtype (38%), followed by the permanent (28.6%), long-standing (17.3%), and persistent types (16.1%). Females had a significantly higher CHA2DS2 VASc score than males (p=0.012). For the risk of bleeding, 48.9% of patients had a low risk, 31.5% had intermediate risk, and 19.6% had a high risk. A correlation was found between the two scoring systems. Out of the 357 patients who had a high HAS-BLED score, 354 (99.2%) patients also had a high CHA2DS2 VASc score.

Conclusion:

In almost all NVAF patients with a high risk of bleeding (high HAS-BLED score), the use of anticoagulants is highly recommended and strongly indicated according to the CHA2DS2 VASc score stratification. Therefore, strict strategies of well-controlled administration of anticoagulants should always be considered and followed in Middle Eastern patients with NVAF and a high risk of bleeding.
Prevalence of Suicidal Tendencies and Associated Risk Factors among Nigerian University Students: A Quantitative Survey
Authors: Lawrence Kehinde
Published: May 2022

Objective:

Using a quantitative survey research approach, this study aims to investigate some risk factors associated with suicidal tendencies among undergraduate students in Nigeria. There is concern by society about the recent reported increased rate of suicide among undergraduate students in Nigeria

Methods:

A multistage sampling method was used to select 2 100 undergraduate students in South West Nigeria. A questionnaire consisting of indices of suicidal tendencies was used to collect data and logistic regression was employed as a statistical tool.

Results and Discussion:

Findings suggest that 151 (7.5%) of the respondents with risk factors such as alcoholism (OR = 1.02, {1.01–1.04}) and helplessness (OR = 1.04, {1.01–1.06}) reported strong and significant association (p < 0.05) with suicidal tendencies. Depression (OR = .985, {.960–1.01}), hopelessness (OR = .999, {.971–1.01}), self-worry (OR = 1.00, {.988–1.02}), self-doubt (OR = 1.00, {.983–1.03}), inefficacy (OR = .991, {.966–1.02}), age (OR = 1.00, {.043–2.325}), and gender (OR = 1.04, {.724–1.50}) showed weak and insignificant association with suicidal tendencies (p > 0.05). This study concludes that there is a slight prevalence of suicidal tendencies among undergraduate students, and that there is a need to introduce suicidal prevention education into the university curriculum as a way of containing the prevalence of suicide among adolescents and youths.

Conclusion:

For individuals identified with suicidal tendencies, studies should focus on the development of psychosocial interventions that can be used, such as counselling by psychologists and public health and social health workers. In the interim, urgent regular suicide awareness and prevention programs are suggested.
Human and Civil Right to a Favorable Environment
Authors: Anisimov Aleksey , Ryzhenkov Anatoliy
Published: May 2022

This chapter deals with the main stages of the formation of environmental
rights in international law. The authors define the human right to a favorable
environment as the possibility for every person, people, and the whole humankind to
live with such a state of the Earths biosphere that ensures the maximum level of
physical and mental health, as well as means eliminating global threats to the biosphere
caused by human activity.

It is stated that further development of the system of environmental rights will
inevitably affect human rights and the environment, and the rights of environmental
refugees. The main authorities of Russian citizens and public associations in the field
of environmental protection are studied in terms of Russian legislation. These include
right to establish public associations and non-commercial organizations which carry
out activities in the area of environmental protection; the right to participate in
assemblies, rallies, pickets, processions and demonstrations, referendums and other
activities relating to environmental protection that are not contrary to legislation; the
right of citizens to require state authorities, local government bodies and other
organizations to provide timely, complete and reliable environmental information; the
right to propose organization of a public environmental expert review and participate in
it; the right to file complaints, applications and proposals concerning nature protection
issues and the negative impact of it on state authorities, local government bodies and
other organizations and to obtain timely and substantiated responses; the right of
citizens to file claims in court for compensation for harm caused to the environment, as
well as to their life, health and property, and the right to provide assistance to public
authorities in settlement of environmental protection issues. Further, the authors
consider environmental duties of citizens and their associations as well as state
guarantees of citizens rights (i.e., a set of Russian conditions for the exercise of
environmental rights and means of their protection in case of encroachment on them by
the state or third parties).
Legal Regulation of Environmental Protection in Certain Fields of Human Activity
Authors: Anisimov Aleksey , Ryzhenkov Anatoliy
Published: May 2022

The authors prove that with the purpose to implement the tasks of ensuring
the appropriate quality of the environment in Russia, environmental legislation
provides for a system of measures, which, along with giving a special legal status to
certain specially protected areas or establishing rules and regulations for the protection
and rational use of natural objects, also includes special environmental requirements
mandatory for observance and execution by all legal entities, individual entrepreneurs
and citizens engaged in various types of economic and other activities that have a
negative impact on the environment. The list of these types of activities is not
exhaustive and includes special rules and requirements for real estate construction,
operation of industrial, power and agricultural facilities, transport, etc. The
requirements are comprehensive and thus different from the duties imposed on users of
natural resources and third parties using certain natural resources (forests, water, etc.).
In particular, rules dedicated to the protection of forests from fires contain sufficiently
unique prescriptions that can be used only to protect forests. In a similar manner, the
measures for fauna protection through the maintenance of the Red Data Book are
clearly localized by this natural object. The comprehensive nature of the requirements
for certain types of activities consists in the fact that they are aimed at regulating the
activities threatening several natural objects rather than one. Requirements for
environmentally safe operation of power facilities are a typical example in this case.
Requirements for construction and operation of nuclear power stations are intended to
exclude any repetition of the tragedy of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, when the
radiation had a negative impact on not one component of the natural environment
(land, forests, water, fauna, air) but all at once, and the environment contaminated with
radiation caused harm to the life and health of hundreds of thousands of people. Harm
to nature and the health of citizens from tests of nuclear weapons or from more
peaceful activities, for example, the use of pesticides in agriculture is equally complex
with regard to its consequences. In the latter case, violation of environmental
requirements in the field of chemicalization of agriculture results in harm to land,
surface and ground water bodies.
Legal Regulation of Environmental Protection in Foreign Countries
Authors: Anisimov Aleksey , Ryzhenkov Anatoliy
Published: May 2022

In the era of globalization, international cooperation becomes more
important since no country in the world can solve the problem of global climate change
or pollution of the World Ocean on its own. However, the interpenetration of the most
successful legal rules and institutions of other countries into national legal systems is a
no less significant trend. The study of this comparative aspect makes it possible to
better understand the advantages and disadvantages of Russian environmental
legislation, formulate constructive suggestions for the Russian legislator, and identify
possible ways of bilateral cooperation in environmental issues that are understood in
the national legislation of two or more countries.

Russian environmental legislation is more closely linked to the CIS countries both for
the geographical reason (as neighbors) and because these countries were part of the
USSR for many years, and the approaches to the legal regulation of environmental (and
many other) social relations that were established during that period of our joint history
are still used today. The environmental laws of the Russian Federation, the Republic of
Kazakhstan, and the Republic of Belarus can be compared as an example. The criterion
for comparison is the content of the main environmental legal institutions included in
these laws. The relevant environmental legal institutions in Russia and these countries
can coincide completely, partially, or don’t not coincide at all. The main focus in this
chapter is not so much on comparing the laws of the Republics of Kazakhstan and
Belarus with each other but comparing them with the basic institutions of Russian
environmental law. The fundamental difference between environmental law of the
European Union and the Russian Federation is not only the supranational nature of EU
directives but also the fact that the EU almost does not regulate natural resource
management issues e.g., in terms of the procedure for the provision of natural resources
based on the right of ownership or other rights. This is the scope of national legislation
of the member countries.

Both in Russia and the environmental law of the EU, we can observe a trend of
ecologization of related legislation: it means environmental rules are introduced into
the regulatory acts governing related areas of social relations (transport, power
industry, fight against unemployment, etc.). Moreover, in this chapter, the authors point
out several characteristics of not only the environmental law of the United States but of
Russia, China, the European Union, or many other countries and consider the current
distinctive features of the nature protection policy of China.
Defining Weapon Systems with Autonomy: The Critical Functions in Theory and Practice
Authors: Hayir Nurbanu
Published: May 2022

The rise of the use of Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS) in the battlefield has engendered numerous ongoing legal debates, including that on their legal definition. There have been various approaches with respect to defining them in relation to their interaction with humans, the complexity of the technology behind them, and the features of their functions. The latter has been particularly endorsed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which defines AWS as weapon systems with autonomy in their critical functions of target selection and attack. None of these approaches received unanimous approval by States. Though scholars have addressed the advantages and the disadvantages of the first two approaches, not many amendments have been introduced on the functional approach of the ICRC.

The wording of the ICRC definition is vague and requires a framework on what should be defined as critical as well as on the functions of weapon systems. The critical nature of the function must be determined in relation to its relevance in terms of international humanitarian law (IHL) regulating AWS, which is the most important element in their definition. This analysis will benefit to resolve the impasse in the debate on the legal definition of AWS and further the efforts to regulate them.
Modified Advanced Encryption Standard for Boost Image Encryption
Authors: M. Shafiq Surameery Nigar
Published: May 2022

Cryptography is a field of study that deals with converting data from a readable to an unreadable format. It can provide secrecy, data integrity, authenticity, and non-repudiation services. Security has become a concern for the community because of the technology’s potential use in numerous sectors of any company, market, agency, or governmental body, information. The cryptosystems ensure that data are transported securely and only authorized individuals have access to it. Deeply encrypted data that cannot be deciphered through cryptanalysis are in high demand right now. There are a variety of encryption algorithms that can guarantee the confidentiality of data. For multimedia data, standard symmetric encryption algorithms (AES) can give superior protection. However, using the symmetric key encryption approach on more complicated multimedia data (mainly photos) may result in a computational issue. To address this issue, the AES has been modified to satisfy the high computing requirements due to the complex mathematical operations in MixColumns transformation, which slow down the encryption process. The modified AES uses bit permutation to replace the MixColumns transformation in AES because it is simple to construct and does not require any complex mathematical computation. This research focuses on using the Modified Advanced Encryption Standard (MAES) algorithm with 128 and 256 bit key sizes to encrypt and decrypt image data. The algorithms were implemented using the Python programming language without complex mathematical computation. By comparing the MAES algorithm with the original AES algorithm, the results showed that the MAES requires less encrypting and decryption time with higher efficiency for all file sizes.
Participant Experiences of a COVID-19 Virtual Clinical Study Using the Current Health Remote Monitoring Platform: Case Study and Qualitative Analysis
Authors: Pugmire Juliana , Lever Taylor Jessie , Wilkes Matt , Wolfberg Adam , Zahradka Nicole
Published: May 2022

Background

During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals with a positive viral test were enrolled in a study, within 48 hours, to remotely monitor their vital signs to characterize disease progression and recovery. A virtual trial design was adopted to reduce risks to participants and the research community in a study titled Risk Stratification and Early Alerting Regarding COVID-19 Hospitalization (RiskSEARCH). The Food and Drug Administration–cleared Current Health platform with a wearable device is a continuous remote patient monitoring technology that supports hospital-at-home care and is used as a data collection tool. Enrolled participants wore the Current Health wearable device continuously for up to 30 days and took a daily symptom survey via a tablet that was provided. A qualitative substudy was conducted in parallel to better understand virtual trial implementation, including barriers and facilitators for participants.

Objective

This study aimed to understand the barriers and facilitators of the user experience of interacting with a virtual care platform and research team, while participating in a fully virtual study using qualitative and quantitative data.

Methods

Semistructured interviews were conducted to understand participants’ experience of participating in a virtual study during a global pandemic. The schedule included their experience of enrollment and their interactions with equipment and study staff. A total of 3 RiskSEARCH participants were interviewed over telephone, and transcriptions were inductively coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Themes were mapped onto the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to identify and describe the factors that influenced study adherence. Quantitative metrics, including adherence to wearable and scheduled tasks collected as part of the RiskSEARCH main study, were paired with the interviews to present an overall picture of participation.

Results

All participants exceeded our definition of a fully adherent participant and reported that participation was feasible and had a low burden. The symptoms progressively resolved during the trial. Inductive thematic analysis identified 13 main themes from the interview data, which were deductively mapped onto 11 of the 14 TDF domains, highlighting barriers and facilitators for each.

Conclusions

Participants in the RiskSEARCH substudy showed high levels of adherence and engagement throughout participation. Although participants experienced some challenges in setting up and maintaining the Current Health kit (eg, charging devices), they reported feeling that the requirements of participation were both reasonable and realistic. We demonstrated that the TDF can be used for inductive thematic analysis. We anticipate expanding this work in future virtual studies and trials to identify barriers and enabling factors for implementation.
An In-Home Medication Dispensing System to Support Medication Adherence for Patients With Chronic Conditions in the Community Setting: Prospective Observational Pilot Study (Preprint)
Authors: Patel Tejal , Ivo Jessica , Pitre Teresa , Faisal Sadaf , Antunes Kristen , Oda Kasumi
Published: May 2022

BACKGROUND

Innovative digital technology systems that support and monitor real-time medication intake are now available commercially; however, there is limited knowledge of the use of such technology in patients’ homes. One such smart medication dispenser, spencer, provides alerts to patients to take their medications and allows for tracking and reporting real-time medication adherence data.

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this study were to examine the use of a smart medication dispenser as a medication adherence and self-management support tool for community dwelling adults over a 6-month period, in addition to usability, usefulness, satisfaction, and impact on caregiver support.

METHODS

This prospective, observational study invited community-dwelling adults aged 45 years and older taking at least one chronic medication and their caregivers to use this smart medication dispenser for their medication administration for 6 months. Adherence was defined as a dose intake within 2 hours post scheduled time. Real-time adherence data were collected using the smart medication dispenser and the AdhereNet platform. Usability, usefulness, and satisfaction were measured using the System Usability Scale and the Usefulness, Satisfaction, and Ease of Use questionnaire, respectively. Caregiver burden was measured on a visual analog scale at baseline and at the end of the 6-month study period.

RESULTS

A total of 58 participants were recruited, of which 55% (32/58) were female with a mean age of 66.36 (SD 11.28; range 48-90) years. Eleven caregiver participants were recruited, of whom 91% (10/11) were female. The average monthly adherence over 6 months was 98% (SD 3.1%; range 76.5%-100%). The average System Usability score was 85.74 (n=47; SD 12.7; range 47.5-100). Of the 46 participants who provided data, 44 (96%) rated the product as easy, 43 (93%) as simple to use, and 43 (93%) were satisfied with the product. Caregiver burden prior to and following smart medication dispenser use for 6 months was found to be statistically significantly different (P<.001; CI 2.11-5.98).

CONCLUSIONS

Smart medication adherence products such as spencer, when connected and clinically monitored, can be a useful solution for medication management and have the potential to improve caregiver burden.
Dr. Internet? The Empowering Role of Online Help-Seeking on Depressive Symptoms: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Preprint)
Authors: Bizzotto Nicole , Marciano Laura , de Bruijn Gert-Jan , Schulz Peter Johannes
Published: May 2022

BACKGROUND

Most research on online help-seeking for mental health issues has focused on the antecedents of this behavior. Therefore, little is known about the outcomes of online help-seeking in general or for specific mental health issues.

OBJECTIVE

This article presents a systematic review of studies on both the antecedents and the consequences of online help-seeking behaviours for depressive symptoms.

METHODS

After a systematic literature search has been carried out in six scientific databases, 42 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis, of which 18 were considered in the meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Results indicate that people with depressive symptoms seek help online differently (e.g., using online support groups, the Internet or specific self-help tools). Additionally, people of Generation Z tend to participate in online support groups more than previous generations. According to the meta-analytic findings, online help-seeking was positively related to empowerment.

CONCLUSIONS

More studies looking at the outcomes are needed together with a more rigorous assessment of online help-seeking behaviours. Ultimately, we propose a summary framework of the literature on this topic, including the antecedents, patterns of use, and outcomes of online help-seeking in the context of depressive symptoms.
“Naturalistic intelligent Health (Nihealth)"-the call for a paradigm shift from ehealth to Nihealth putting the nature in the center (Preprint)
Authors: Rashid Soron Tanjir
Published: May 2022

UNSTRUCTURED

Digital health care services is growing fast during this COVID-19 and the world is moving towards an intelligent health care services. The concern of user centered and individualized care has been always a focus of attention in mHealth, eHealth or iHealth solutions to make the products and services widely acceptable. However, the acceptability of the digital health care solutions remained questionable over the years. One of the reasons behind the limited acceptability might be the lack of importance in considering the full picture of digital health care ecosystem- the influence of nature where the person is living and seeking help from the digital health solutions. I am exploring this area by integrate nature in the digital health solutions and implementing in resource poor settings and I believe the time has come to consider this new concept of “Naturalistic Intelligent Health (NiHealth)” where we bring the natural environment in our intelligent digital health care solutions. When we stay close to nature- the environment where we grow develop and flourish gives us the sense of very familiar to us, our very personal identity blended with the nature and provides comfort, security and attachment. NiHealth aims to bring the same comfort, security and confidence in the digital health care solutions by putting nature in the core of designing of all intelligent health solutions to provide proactive and reactive health care solutions. The adoption of NiHealth concept may increase the acceptability of the digital health solutions and thus may help us to reach millions of people to provide evidence-based care through technologies.
Using wearable inertial sensors to assess mobility of hematological cancer patients and associations with chemotherapy-related symptoms prior to autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (Preprint)
Authors: Skiba Meghan B , Harker Graham R , Guidarelli Carolyn , El-Gohary Mahmoud , Horak Fay , Roeland Eric J , Silbermann Rebecca , Hayes-Lattin Brandon , Winters-Stone Kerri
Published: May 2022

BACKGROUND

Patients with hematologic malignancies undergo induction chemotherapy potentially impairing mobility and worsening symptoms prior to autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (autoHSCT). Wearable sensors may identify patients with altered mobility from chemotherapy-related symptoms before additional treatment who can benefit from early rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE

We conducted a cross-sectional study comparing mobility in patients with hematologic malignancies after chemotherapy and before autoHSCT to healthy, age-matched adult controls and determined relationships between mobility and chemotherapy-related symptoms.

METHODS

Patients pre-autoHSCT (n=78) and controls (n=78) completed prescribed performance tests using wearable inertial sensors to quantify mobility (selected turning, gait, and balance measures previously associated with fall risk); patients completed patient-reported questionnaires to assess chemotherapy-related symptoms (FACT/GOG-NTX4, EORTC QLQ-C30, PROMIS F-SF, VSS-sf, and CES-D). Paired t-tests compared mobility between patients and controls. Stepwise multivariable linear regression models evaluated associations between mobility and symptoms in patients.

RESULTS

Patients (aged 60.3±10.3 years) had significantly worse turning (turn duration (P <0.001), gait (gait speed, stride time, stride time variability, double support time, heel strike angle, stride length, distance traveled (P <0.01)), and balance (coronal sway, range, velocity, and frequency (P <0.05) and sagittal range (P =0.008)) than controls (aged 60.2±10.4 years). In patients, higher nausea was associated with worse stride time variability (ß=0.001; P=0.05) and heel strike angle (ß=-0.088; P =0.02). Pain was associated with worse gait speed (ß=-0.003; P =0.003), stride time variability (ß=0.012; P =0.02), stride length (ß=-0.002; P =0.004), and distance traveled (ß=-0.786; P =0.005). Nausea and pain explained 17-33% and 14-36% of gait variance measured in patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Using wearable inertial sensors, patients about to receive autoHSCT demonstrated worse mobility in multiple domains of gait quality compared to controls, that was in part related to symptoms common to induction therapy. Wearable inertial sensors used in the clinic setting could provide granular information about impending mobility deficits prior to further treatment, which might be remediable through specific rehabilitation and/or symptom management.
Credibility, accuracy and comprehensiveness of readily available internet-based information on treatment and management of Peripheral Artery Disease and Intermittent Claudication: A Systematic Review (Preprint)
Authors: Alexander Shelley , Seenan Chris
Published: May 2022

BACKGROUND

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects millions of people worldwide and a core component of management of the condition is self-management. The internet is an important source of health information for many people. However, the content of websites regarding treatment recommendations for PAD has not been fully evaluated.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess their credibility, accuracy, and comprehensiveness of websites, found via a common search engine, by comparing the content to current guidelines for treatment and management of peripheral artery disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication (IC).

METHODS

A systematic review of websites from hospitals, universities, government, consumer organisations and professional associations in the United States and United Kingdom was conducted. Website recommendations for treatment of PAD/IC were coded against the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines and the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines. Primary outcomes were website credibility (Journal of the American Medical Association 4-item benchmark), accuracy of the website (% of accurate recommendations) and comprehensiveness of website recommendations (% of guideline recommendations that were appropriately covered). Secondary outcomes were readability (Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level) and website quality (HONcode).

RESULTS

After screening, 62 websites were included in analysis. Only 45.2% of websites met credibility requirement by stating they were updated after the NICE guidelines were published. Declaration of authorship, funding and presence of reference lists were less commonly reported. Regarding accuracy, 81.2% of website recommendations were deemed accurate when compared to NICE and AHA recommendations. Comprehensiveness was low, with an average of 40.4% of guideline treatment recommendations being appropriately covered by websites. In most cases, readability scores were found to be too complex for online consumer health information.

CONCLUSIONS

Online information from reputable sources about the treatment and management for PAD and IC are generally accurate but have low comprehensiveness, credibility and readability.
Звернення головного редактора
Authors: Nikonov V.V.
Published: May 2022

No abstract
Патогенетична терапія COVID-19: у центрі уваги глюкокортикоїди
Authors: Bondar M.V. , Pilipenko M.M. , Ovsiienko T.V. , Loskutov O.A.
Published: May 2022

Проблема запобігання надмірній продукції прозапальних цитокінів у разі COVID-19 залишається далеко не вирішеною. Використання стероїдів у лікуванні коронавірусної пневмонії є контраверсійним (суперечливим). На сьогодні недостатньо даних літератури для рутинного застосування стероїдів у програмах інтенсивної терапії COVID-19, и це питання залишається предметом безперервного дослідження і нескінченних дебатів. У даному огляді наукової літератури приділена увага одному із напрямків патогенетичної терапії COVID-19 — запобіганню і усуненню гіперпродукції прозапальних цитокінів за допомогою застосування глюкокортикоїдних препаратів. У статті наведені сучасні міжнародні рекомендації із застосування глюкокортикоїдних препаратів у випадках тяжкого перебігу COVID-19, розглядаються патогенетичні механізми їх дії та побічні ефекти.
Актуальні аспекти токсикокардіології
Authors: Markov Yu.I.
Published: May 2022

В оглядовій статті розглянуті різноманітні аспекти виникнення токсичного ураження серцево-судинної системи, що нерідко трапляється в клінічній практиці. Подібні ситуації спостерігають при поєднанні кількох токсичних чинників (алкоголь, наркотичні речовини тощо), у випадках перевищення терапевтичних доз кардіотропних препаратів, при призначенні хіміотерапії в онкології. Вказані основні патофізіологічні механізми дії токсикантів на серце та напрямки запобігання токсичному ураженню серцево-судинної системи.
Анестезіологічне забезпечення декомпресії серединного нерва у хворих з карпальним тунельним синдромом
Authors: Rushay A.K. , Skiba V.V. , Lysaychuk Yu.S. , Voyennyy I.V.
Published: May 2022

Актуальність. Карпальний тунельний синдром (КТС) є найпоширенішою компресійною нейропатією. У пацієнтів з неефективним консервативним лікуванням при тяжких формах показаний реліз зап’ястного каналу (carpal tunnel release (CTR)), що дозволяє досягти покращення більш ніж у 90 % випадків. Крім адекватної малотравматичної тактики втручання, велике значення у відновленні функції серединного нерва (корекція нейропатичних порушень) має і проведення оптимального періопераційного знеболювання. Метою роботи було поліпшення результатів лікування хворих з карпальним тунельним синдромом шляхом адекватного періопераційного анестезіологічного забезпечення декомпресії серединного нерва. Завданнями роботи було запропонувати мультимодальне періопераційне забезпечення декомпресії серединного нерва; вивчити динаміку больового синдрому; оцінити ефективність запропонованого підходу. Матеріали та методи. Під нашим спостереженням перебували 52 потерпілі з КТС. Втручання проводилося під мультимодальним знеболюванням — провідниковою анестезією. На початку операції в порожнину карпального каналу вводили розчин лідокаїну. За 20–30 хвилин до втручання вводився внутрішньом’язово декскетопрофен, внутрішньовенно — парацетамол. Внутрішньом’язове введення декскетопрофену повторювали через 12 годин. Для оцінки відновлення функції кисті та динаміки нейропатичних порушень у групах з малоінвазивним і відкритим стандартним втручанням був використаний Бостонський опитувальник BCTQ. Динаміку інтенсивності больового синдрому вимірювали за значеннями візуальної аналогової шкали (ВАШ) за 10-бальною оцінкою. Результати. Динаміка показників ВАШ свідчила про незначний біль навіть у групі з відкритим, відносно травматичним втручанням. Вірогідної різниці між показниками груп виявлено не було; больовий синдром під час проведення втручання та в перші 12 годин після нього оцінювався оперованими як слабкий біль. Додаткове знеболювання, тим більше з використанням опіоїдних анестетиків, було не потрібне. До 4 тижнів показники шкал Бостонського опитувальника BCTQ мали статистично невірогідні відмінності, а до 3 та 6 місяців практично не відрізнялися у групах. На всіх етапах спостереження значних статистичних відмінностей між групами не виявлено. Висновки. Проведене мультимодальне періопераційне знеболювання у запропонованому обсязі дозволило досягти гарного знеболювального ефекту, зблизити результати нейропатичної та функціональної реабілітації у хворих різних груп.
Особливості абдомінальної травми у постраждалих з надмірною вагою
Authors: Gogiya M. , Vodka M.
Published: May 2022

Актуальність. У зв’язку зі значною поширеністю надмірної ваги та ожиріння набуває все більшої актуальності вивчення їх впливу на перебіг критичних станів і травм. Результати досліджень впливу ваги на механізми та наслідки травми досить суперечливі, і ця проблема вимагає подальшого вивчення. Метою дослідження було вивчення особливостей абдомінальних і поєднаних ушкоджень у постраждалих з надмірною вагою. Матеріали та методи. Вивчені тяжкість і структура травми залежно від стану харчування у 240 осіб з абдомінальною травмою, які перебували на лікуванні у 2017–2020 рр., з середнім віком 37,1 ± 13,2 року (від 18 до 88 років), у групах постраждалих, розподілених залежно від індексу маси тіла. Результати. Встановлено, що в постраждалих зі збільшеною вагою поєднана травма зустрічалась рідше, але при ожирінні частіше спостерігалась множинна абдомінальна травма. Частота та тяжкість ушкоджень окремих органів черевної порожнини не мали суттєвої різниці між групами, з тенденцією до менш частого виявлення розривів печінки. У постраждалих з абдомінальною травмою рідше виявлялись торакальні ушкодження, які були менш тяжкими, менш часто виявлялись переломи ребер і розриви легень. Менш часто виявлялась поєднана черепно-мозкова травма, менш часто спостерігалась тяжка черепно-мозкова та скелетна травма. Висновки. У структурі постраждалих з надмірною вагою збільшена частка жінок і пацієнтів віком від 45 років і старше, особливо у групі осіб з ожирінням. В цій групі також спостерігається тенденція до збільшення частоти серцево-судинної патології та вірогідне збільшення частоти бронхолегеневих захворювань. У постраждалих з абдомінальною травмою з надмірною вагою відзначається більша частота множинних ушкоджень органів живота, але менша частота поєднаної, торакальної і черепно-мозкової травми та тяжких ушкоджень. Вплив надмірної ваги й ожиріння на особливості первинної травми слід враховувати при визначенні тактики лікування.
Education Policy in Developing Countries: Addressing the Challenge of Managing Overseas Scholarship Programs through Performance Measurement
Authors: N. D. Nsiegbe Lasbrey
Published: May 2022

Education and development–whether personal, social, economic or technological–are inextricably bound. In recognition of this, governments, societies and private organizations commit huge financial resources to the funding of education. However, funding for students’ higher education through scholarships suffers a huge disadvantage against funding for higher education institutions. This is more so in developing countries that are even in need of high quality education obtainable in the developed economies through overseas scholarship schemes for deserving candidates. Governments and Sponsoring organizations such as Nigeria’s Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), World Bank’s Overseas Scholarships for Developing Countries, America’s USAID, United Nations’ UNESCO or the Commonwealth Scholarship Programs therefore need to deploy performance assessment mechanisms to effectively and regularly monitor the performances of the beneficiaries of the overseas scholarship schemes throughout the course duration of their studies with a view to recalling back home any under-performing candidate(s) to avoid wasted resources.The deliverables of this Research Paper, therefore, include:1) The Nsiegbe Performance Assessment Model for Overseas Scholarship Schemes.2) A Performance Measurement Formula, known as, The Nsiegbe Formula for Scholarship Schemes Performance Measurement. 3) A Student Performance Assessment Plan.
Campus Population Changes in Depression Severity Correlated with the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Marconi Agustina , Hanson Bjorn , Kachel Ellie , Crass Megan , C Falk-Hanson Elizabeth
Published: May 2022

Introduction: Mental health consequences during COVID-19 Pandemic burdened societies. Objective: The aim is to assess the average PHQ-9 in medical visits during pandemic months and compare it with historical data, adapting an existing methodology. Methodology: we used average PHQ-9 score from medical departments, comparing 2020 Fall term data to historical baseline. The increase above baseline and threshold was reported as percentage. We compared the observed average for the current period with the expected average and the higher limit of the 95% confidence interval (CI 95%) derived from historical five years of data. Also, we analyzed the PHQ-9 difference between female and male students for the whole period. Results: Average PHQ-9 for total sample, females and males increased. Difference female- male in scoring was significant. Discussion: In line with national and international literature, our population showed increases in depressive scoring during pandemic months. Women had a higher percentage of increase.