bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors Influencing the Preferences of Older Japanese People for Long-term Care
Authors: Zhang Zihan , Kato Chieko , Yoshiomi Otsuka
Published: April 2023

As global aging increases, the issue of long-term care is becoming increasingly important. This study examined the factors influencing the preferences of older Japanese people for long-term care. Three hundred Japanese people over 65 years old were recruited to participate in this online survey on preferences for long-term care. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was conducted to demonstrate the effects of various variables. The results showed that support from the community, family savings, awareness of family caregiving, psychological indebtedness, and self-efficacy directly affected the preferences for long-term care. Gender, age, social participation, cohabitation, and health status self-assessment indirectly affected the preferences. This study demonstrated the influence of relevant factors, especially psychological factors, on the long-term care preferences of older Japanese people.
The Role of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) in Neurocognitive Disorder Group Interventions: Benefits for Participants and Care Partners
Authors: Belanger Brigitte , Weeks Olivia , Suiters Ashli , Arthur Paul
Published: April 2023

An emerging crisis of care exists in the United States in the treatment of aging adults with neurocognitive disorders (NCD). Families face great obstacles locating resources and finding appropriate caregiving options for their needs. Occupational therapy practitioners are well suited to assist both persons with NCD and their care partners through training and support services to promote safety and independence and maximize participation in activities of daily living. Occupational therapy practitioners increasingly employ Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) programs with tailored activities to foster problem-solving skills to enhance performance and behavior, improving quality of life. This feasibility study employed mixed-methodology to establish a proof of concept by offering a series of six 90-minute AAT group intervention sessions with persons with NCD and care partners at an Alzheimer’s Resource Center in Florida. While quantitative results were not significant, many promising qualitative themes emerged to direct future inquiry in AAT interventions with this population.
Matrix Training With and Without Instructive Feedback
Authors: Rickoski Bryan , Vladescu Jason C. , Breeman Samantha L. , Reeve Sharon A. , Gureghian Danielle L.
Published: April 2023

The current study examined the efficacy and efficiency of incorporating instructive feedback within matrix training to teach children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to label common characters and cities. Experimenters taught one set of responses using a non-overlapping matrix, a second set of responses using an overlapping matrix, and a third set of responses using a non-overlapping matrix along with secondary targets to three individuals with ASD. The results demonstrated that all teaching methods were effective, and all trained and untrained responses were acquired. Matrix training with instructive feedback was equally as efficient as non-overlapping matrix training and overlapping matrix training, requiring about the same number of sessions for each participant to acquire the responses. The findings demonstrated that establishing recombinative generalization through matrix training and instructive feedback is equally and maybe even more effective and efficient than matrix training in isolation in some circumstances.
Dicer Suppresses Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Interleukin-8 Pathway
Authors: Han Xin , Wu Jianhua , Sha Ziyue , Lai Ruixue , Shi Jianfei , Mi Lili , Yin Fei , Guo Zhanjun
Published: April 2023

Background:

Elevated level of interleukin-8 (IL-8) promotes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and contributes to poor prognosis. Previously, we have proved that Dicer inhibits HCC progression. In this study, we evaluated the potential interaction between IL-8 and Dicer as well as their influence on HCC.

Methods:

Hepatocellular carcinoma cells of SMMC-7721 were divided into 2 groups for subsequent analysis: pCMV-Dicer group for Dicer-overexpressing lentivirus transfected cells (pCMV-Dicer cells) and pCMV-NC group for empty lentivirus transfected cells (pCMV-NC cells). Cell Counting kit-8 (CCK8), wound healing, and transwell were used to evaluate the inhibitory effect of Dicer overexpression on proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells. The level of IL-8 was measured by flow cytometry bead-based immunoassays. Male nude BALB/c mice injected with pCMV-Dicer or pCMV-NC cell suspensions was used for transplant of HCC tumor.

Results:

We found that the secretion of IL-8 was reduced in the medium of pCMV-Dicer cells ( P = .027). Recombinant human IL-8 (rhIL-8) reversed the inhibitory effect of Dicer on proliferation ( P < .01), migration ( P = .003), and invasion ( P = .001), whereas IL-8 inhibitor of reparixin enhanced inhibitory effect of Dicer on proliferation ( P < .05), migration ( P = .008), and invasion ( P = .000). Lenvatinib downregulated the IL-8 level of HCC cells ( P = .000) as well as promote Dicer-induced inhibition for HCC cells referring to proliferation ( P < .05), migration ( P = .000), and invasion ( P = .000). Animal experiments also demonstrated that Dicer cooperated with lenvatinib to inhibit the growth of HCC tumors ( P < .05).

Conclusions:

Dicer cooperated with lenvatinib to inhibit HCC growth via downregulating IL-8, and Dicer displayed its potential capability to enhance the anti-tumor effect of lenvatinib.
Navigating the Catholic Church in Belgium: Catholic women on female authority, reforms, and sexual difference
Authors: Huygens Eline
Published: April 2023

Despite being denied access to ordained positions of power, and limited to occupying lay positions, women numerically outnumber men in the Catholic Church in Belgium. Furthermore, their involvement in the Church mostly takes place in what can be considered gender stereotypical domains, such as education and care-providing services. This article explores how Catholic lay women navigate the Belgian Catholic Church and how they reconcile their religion-based aspirations to be involved in the Church, on one hand, and their lack of ordained authority, on the other. Based on empirical research (including in-depth interviews, (online) observations, and informal conversations), this article foregrounds and analyses the narratives of Catholic lay women who are active in the Church. Drawing on difference feminism scholarship and on Braidotti’s postsecular analysis, the article argues that the narratives under consideration should not be read through a secular-liberal conceptualisation of gender equality, but rather through a lens that allows the subjectivities and everyday realities of religious women to be made visible and to be acknowledged.
Changing bodies: A scoping review and thematic analysis of family experience during serious childhood illness
Authors: Maynard Emma , Bennett Megan
Published: April 2023

This scoping review has investigated experiences of children and parents encountering in-patient treatment for serious childhood illness, including current or potential use of technology as a support mechanism. The research questions were 1. What do children experience during illness and treatment? 2. What do parents experience when their child is seriously ill in hospital? 3. What tech and non-tech interventions support children’s experience of in-patient care? The research team identified n = 22 relevant studies for review through JSTOR, Web of Science, SCOPUS and Science Direct. A thematic analysis of reviewed studies identified three key themes reflecting our research questions: Children in hospital, Parents and their children, and Information and technology. Our findings reflect that information giving, kindness and play are central in hospital experiences. Parent and child needs in hospital are interwoven and under researched. Children reveal themselves as active producers of pseudo-safe spaces who continue to prioritise normal child and adolescent experiences during in-patient care.
Sex tech entrepreneurs: Governing intimate data in start-up culture
Authors: Stardust Zahra , Albury Kath , Kennedy Jenny
Published: April 2023

Sextech is currently experiencing a golden age, promising technological innovation to improve sexual health and well-being. However, the privacy and security vulnerabilities of smart sex toys have been the subject of media attention. Dating apps, menstrual trackers and sex toy companies have paid millions in compensation for non-consensually collecting or sharing intimate data. In this article, we share findings from a research workshop with prospective sextech industry professionals about how they approach data governance. The conversations reveal disconnections between the emancipatory, collective and rights-based possibilities offered by feminist and queer tech cultures, broader public interest in data commons and the technosolutionist narratives of start-up cultures. We conclude that there is a need for collaborations between industry, community and researchers to develop approaches to governance that reorganise, redistribute and decentralise the data economy of sex tech.
“Who made my clothes?” How transparency apps bring politics to cultural fields
Authors: Brans Luuc
Published: April 2023

As the climate crisis accelerates, consumers, lawmakers, and activists demand transparent supply chains in industries that form the material backbone of cultural fields such as fashion. Consequently, new apps have emerged that promise to make supply chains transparent by translating opaque production data into easily comprehensible product ratings. Integrating the literature on transparency, cultural intermediaries, and digital consumption apps, this article asks: how do these apps, which I call transparency apps, afford politics in cultural fields and new political ways of consumption? Using fashion as a strategic case of a cultural field with strong material underpinnings, this paper combines a walkthrough analysis of Good On You, Retraced, and Renoon with interviews of employees of the first two. I found these apps to afford a politics of transparency consist of eco-progressive values embedded in ideologies of consumer rights and self-optimization, which elevates the technical-material logic of fashion at the cost of its aesthetic logic. This politics is usually offered in a personalized form resembling platformized cultural production. Transparency apps are thus politicizing cultural intermediaries that simultaneously enable and limit the political contestation of fashion. This article demonstrates how transparency apps bring politics to cultural fields, upsetting usual logics in the process, carrying implications for any cultural field that faces demands for supply chain transparency.
‘We can’t participate like this at football, can we’? Exploring in-person performative prosumer fandom at live PDC darts events
Authors: Davis Leon , Gibbons Tom
Published: April 2023

The nature of prosumption is one of the most important areas of debate within the study of contemporary consumer culture. David L. Andrews and George Ritzer highlighted how the majority of literature in the 21st century has focused on the sociology of sport as a form of consumer culture, and that there is a distinct lack of research into the exploration of fan atmospheres in regard to physical prosumption at live sports events as opposed to virtual spaces. We seek to address this through utilising findings from a 3-year ethnographic study at a range of live Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events across the globe. Our findings extend existing knowledge on prosumer fandom, providing valuable insights for researchers on how sports organisations, when promoting their sporting event, utilise the fans as both producers and consumers to help create fervent atmospheres and market their sport to associated media outlets.
Bearing fault diagnosis method based on complete center frequency distribution feature
Authors: Li Yong , Cheng Gang , Ma Sencai , Li Xin
Published: April 2023

Considering the difficulty of selecting sensitive fault features in bearing health diagnosis, a fault diagnosis method based on complete center frequency distribution feature (CCFDF) is proposed. By making full use of the sensitivity of the center frequency to the signal spectrum distribution in variational mode decomposition (VMD) and extracting the complete distribution feature of the center frequency under different parameter combinations, CCFDF can effectively characterize the difference in bearing vibration signals under different health conditions and avoid the parameter setting problem in VMD. Finally, two groups of experimental data are used to verify the effectiveness of the method, and the recognition accuracy was 99% and 97%, respectively. Therefore, this method can effectively characterize the difference characteristics of different signals and achieve the final bearing fault diagnosis.
Effects of environmental lighting on students’ sleep, alertness and mood: A field study in a Chinese boarding school
Authors: Xu J , Liu M , Li L , Xia Z
Published: April 2023

A field study was conducted in two classrooms to explore the effects of standard and high light levels on sleep, alertness and mood of boarding high school students in Suzhou, China. 79 participants took part in a 7-week study in winter. After 3-week baseline assessments under standard lighting, participants were exposed to 3-week high light levels, separated by a 1-week washout. One group experienced this condition in the morning and the other experienced it in the evening. Horizontal illuminance was recorded in real time during the experiment and converted to eye-level vertical illuminance and equivalent melanopic lux. Sleep wristbands and questionnaires were used. Morning or evening high light levels significantly improved acute alertness during the increased light level hours compared with standard lighting, but there was no significant difference in sleep or mood. Additionally, compared to the evening high light levels, morning condition was significantly associated with longer deep sleep duration, easier falling asleep and lower negative mood. This study is the first to directly correlate high light conditions and timing of light exposure with subjective and objective sleep, alertness and mood of Chinese boarding high school students, which can provide references for the application of healthy lighting in classrooms.
Conservative Versus Endovascular Treatment for Spontaneous Isolated Superior Mesenteric Artery Dissection: A Clinical and Imaging Follow-up Study
Authors: Ye Mengmeng , Zhou Qingyun , Wu Jiacheng , Zhang Zheng , Li Bo , Zheng Tao , Shao Guofeng
Published: April 2023

Purpose:

Spontaneous isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection (SISMAD) is a rare vascular disease, the treatment strategies for which remain debated. This retrospective study aimed to compare the outcomes of conservative and endovascular treatments in patients with SISMAD.

Materials and Methods:

Fifty-eight patients with SISMAD confirmed by computed tomography angiography admitted to our hospital between November 2017 and May 2021 and received confirmed conservative (n=43) or endovascular (n=15) treatment. The patient demographics, imaging analysis, and follow-up results were analyzed and compared.

Results:

The cohort included 54 males and 4 females with a mean age of 52 years. Abdominal pain was the major complaint (49/58, 84.5%), followed by chest pain (2/58, 3.4%). The mean follow-up was 9.1±7.9 months. The 2 main Sakamoto types were type III (27/58, 46.6%) and type IV (16/58, 27.6%). Most patients in both groups had angle 1 (aortomesenteric angle) and angle 2 (superior mesenteric artery [SMA] course) of over 80°. About 67.3% of patients had long length of dissection (>60 mm). The median distance between the SMA root and the dissection entry site was 1.5 cm, mostly (84.5% of the patients) in the curved segment of the SMA. Telephone follow-ups found that most patients survived pain-free, and none underwent intestinal resection. Only 4 patients, 2 in each group, had recurrent abdominal pain during follow-up and received stenting treatment to achieve complete vascular remodeling. Importantly, we found that the conservative and endovascular therapies achieved similar high remodeling rates (94% and 100%, respectively; p=0.335). The conservative group achieved satisfying vascular remodeling (partial, 35%; complete, 59%), making it as safe and effective a treatment as endovascular therapy.

Conclusions:

Initial conservative management is safe and effective in patients with SISMAD. A high technical success rate and favorable short-term outcomes were associated with endovascular procedures as secondary interventions. It would be helpful to conduct large-scale, prospective, randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up for SISMAD.

Clinical Impact

1. This research provided more detail clinical information, such as evaluation of abdominal pain and measurements of SMA angles, which is all relevant to treatment. 2. What’s more, the most surprising results of follow-up part shown that conservative treatment could reached the remodeling rate as high as endovascular treatment, which was relatively low in other studies. It helps us share our treatment experience with clinicians. 3. In addition, we get limited knowledge about this rare disease, it’s encouraging us to do more researches based on the results we had.
Can Research Heal? Toward Restorative Validity: Axiological Commitments and Methodological Obligations as Contact Zones
Authors: Dazzo Giovanni P.
Published: April 2023

This work begins with a simple premise: (re)imagining a healing space for social inquiry. I briefly highlight the work of a critical participatory action research collective—composed of Maya community members, nonprofit staff, and a university-affiliated researcher—and how we explored whether research could provide a restorative function for those experiencing trauma, abuse, and everyday restrictions on free will. We revisited our co-constructed conceptual framework—restorative validity—which paints inquiry as interconnected orientations rooted in relationships, justice, and liberation. By presenting our experiences as counternarratives, I describe how our axiological commitments act in opposition and resist methodological obligations, illuminating Pratt’s conceptualization of contact zones—in this case, a social space where co-researchers’ ethics and values clash with hegemonic research practices. These counternarratives offer a reflexive example of the ethical and axiological considerations that should be examined as collectives approach inquiry as a healing and restorative space. The aim is to educate those interested in questioning dominant paradigms, as well as critically exploring the necessary conditions for restorative validity. These reflections act as an open call: Are we simply too preoccupied with being scientific enough to the detriment of freeing ourselves to imagine, co-construct, and commit inquiry as a healing space? It questions whether our communities of research and practice hold sufficient freedom: Freedom from dominant paradigms. Freedom to challenge methodological practices and empower ourselves to create new forms of inquiry. Forms of inquiry that seek to heal and restore, rather than simply prove a point.
Electronic Dashboard to Improve Outcomes in Pediatric Patients With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Sandblom Lily , Kapadia Chirag , Vaidya Vinay , Chambers Melissa , Gonsalves Rob , Holzmeister Lea Ann , Hoekstra Fran , Goldman Stewart
Published: April 2023

Background and Objectives:

Incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is increasing, and these patients often have poor glycemic control. Electronic dashboards summating patient data have been shown to improve patient outcomes in other conditions. In addition, educating patients on T1DM has shown to improve glycated hemoglobin (A1C) levels. We hypothesized that using data from the electronic dashboard to monitor defined diabetes management activities to implement population-based interventions would improve patient outcomes.

Methods:

Inclusion criteria included patients aged 0 to 18 years at Phoenix Children’s Hospital with T1DM. Patient data were collected via the electronic dashboard, and both diabetes management activities (A1C, patient admissions, and visits to the emergency department) and patient outcomes (patient education, appointment compliance, follow-up after hospital admission) were analyzed.

Results:

This study revealed that following implementation of the electronic dashboard, the percentage of patients receiving appropriate education increased from 48% to 80% (Z-score = 23.55, P < .0001), the percentage of patients attending the appropriate number of appointments increased from 50% to 68.2%, and the percentage of patients receiving follow-up care within 40 days after a hospital admission increased from 43% to 70%. The median A1C level decreased from 9.1% to 8.2% (Z-score = −6.74, P < .0001), and patient admissions and visits to the emergency department decreased by 20%.

Conclusions:

This study shows, with the implementation of an electronic dashboard, we were able to improve outcomes for our pediatric patients with T1DM. This tool can be used at other institutions to improve care and outcomes for pediatric patients with T1DM and other chronic conditions.
Exploring students’ Twitter use in the online classroom across 4 years
Authors: Rohr Linda E , Costello Jane , Squires Laura
Published: April 2023

Online asynchronous courses require close attention to course design to ensure there are strategies in place to foster social presence to build stronger senses of community and to motivate students to engage (content, peers and instructors). Judicious use of social media may serve this purpose. Since its inception, social media, Twitter in particular, has been employed in higher education courses for teaching and learning experiences with a notable impact on student engagement and social presence. This research examines students’ use of Twitter for assessment and interaction in the online asynchronous classroom from 2014 to 2018, to determine if there has been an increase in the length, amount or content within Tweets, and if students report stronger engagement and interaction following the use of Twitter for assessment. While results indicate such a connection exists, students were more focused on completing course requirements than creating connections or interacting with others, and were bothered by the constraints of the Tweet length.
Impact of a Brief Mindfulness Training on Anxiety, Depression, and Subjective Happiness of the First-Year Psychology Students in Russia: Pilot Case Study of Ural Federal University
Authors: Skolzkov Anton , Efremova Evgeniya
Published: April 2023

According to Russian researchers, university studies is among the most stressful activities for a person. First-year university students are particularly vulnerable to stress. The use of mindfulness-based programs to help students reduce and manage stress is gaining popularity around the world. Previous research has shown that such programs can improve the psychological well-being of students by reducing levels of anxiety and depression. In addition, students in helping majors, such as psychology students, would greatly benefit from mastering the skills of managing stress, as anxiety and stress are pertinent to their future profession. This pilot case study assesses the effectiveness of a brief mindfulness training aimed at improving Russian students’ mental and physical health. The participants were 83 first-year undergraduate students from the Psychology Department of the Ural Federal University named after B.N. Yeltsin. Data collection was completed in November 2019. A non-randomized controlled trial was conducted using a brief mindfulness training. The results show that the participants in the experimental group demonstrated significantly lower levels of depression (η2 = .07, p = .00) and significantly higher levels of subjective happiness (η2 = .02, p = .02) than participants in the control group. Also, the participants in the experimental group showed marginally significant lower levels of anxiety (η2 = .02, p = .06). Frequent mindfulness meditation practice and the study of theoretical materials were associated with higher rates of psychological well-being of students. The findings suggest that mindfulness training may be an effective tool in addressing psychological challenges experienced by first-year students of the Psychology Department of Ural Federal University.
Knowledge Mapping of Tourist Experience Research: Based on CiteSpace Analysis
Authors: Guan Hongmei , Huang Taozhen , Guo Xin
Published: April 2023

Tourist experience research has been increasing in practitioners and academics. The study collected 1,079 tourist experience related articles published in the Web of Science (WOS) core database to summarize research on tourist experience from 2007 to 2019 and to explore research hotspots and trends related to the topic. CiteSpace analysis was used from the selected 1,045 articles to identify and visualize the evolution of knowledge. The results revealed that the major disciplines for research tourist experience are Hospitality Leisure Sport Tourism disciplines. The most influential authors are mostly from high-yield institutions. The high-yield countries (regions) are in the USA, China, Australia, England and Italy. In addition, three hotspots research topics and contemporary trends are presented.
Subordinate Articulated Dissent as Influenced by Supervisor Behaviors: The Hazards of Humor
Authors: Kelly Stephanie , Zeng Cheng , Cundall Michael K.
Published: April 2023

This study investigated the influence of supervisor communication on subordinates’ articulated dissent behaviors. Through the guidance of construal level theory, it was proposed that supervisor communicative behaviors (solidarity, immediate, and humor) indirectly influenced subordinate articulated dissent through the mediation of subordinates’ burnout and perceived immediacy with their supervisor. The data indicate that supervisor solidarity and immediate behaviors indirectly, positively influence subordinate articulated dissent through the mediation of burnout and perceived immediacy. However, perceived immediacy did not mediate the relationship between supervisor humor and subordinate articulate dissent. Further, supervisor humor increased subordinate burnout, decreasing articulated dissent intentions.
Reappraising the Relationship Between Interview Anxiety and Performance Outcome in a Computer-Mediated Setting
Authors: Shrivastava Archana , Kabra Shradha , Kapoor Meera
Published: April 2023

By adapting methods used to measure anxiety in physical employment interview, this study in the first stage identifies levels of anxiety induced in a computer-mediated interview setting. In the second stage, the study examines the mediating role of practice interview process in reducing interview anxiety and explores the moderating effects of gender and prior work experience on the relationship between remote interview anxiety and performance outcome. It utilizes partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the direct and mediation effect based on 245 responses received from job aspirants. As in a physical interview, anxiety in a remote situation is related to one’s level of preparation and perception of interviewing self-efficacy. The results reveal a significant positive effect of preparation satisfaction on self-efficacy perception of interview performance and significant negative effect of self-efficacy perception and preparation satisfaction on remote interview anxiety. Practice-interview process significantly mediated the performance outcome; however, the moderating effect of gender and work experience was found to be insignificant. Practical implications: Findings from this study have far-reaching implications for educators and professionals working toward mitigating anxiety during the employment selection processes in computer-mediated setting.
The AgeSmart Inventory©: A Multifaceted Tool to Understand Age Bias
Authors: de Medeiros Kate , Kunkel Suzanne , Yu Lei
Published: April 2023

Ageism has been recognized as a global problem leading to poorer health, isolation, and workplace discrimination toward people based on their age. Consequently, there are several tools that measure levels and types of ageism with a focus on the quantification of degrees and types of ageism. While such quantification is valuable, this paper describes the development of an inventory, created over four stages, designed to foster introspective and collaborative thinking about age-directed values. In Stage 1, 34 items were identified through a comprehensive literature review. In Stage 2, the items were evaluated and revised via a focus group discussion. In Stage 3, the revised ASI was administered to a representative U.S. sample ( N = 513). Based on factor and conceptual analysis, a revised version was tested on a second sample ( N = 507) (Stage 4) and again revised. The final ASI consists of 35 age-related statements: 22 psychometrically linked to one of four domains, six related to identity, and seven that, although not aligned with statistical results, are conceptually important. Rather than provide an ageism score, the ASI is a tool for introspection and reflection about individual values and judgements about age which can lead to customized strategies to address potential age biases.
Urban expansion and transportation interaction: Evidence from Akure, southwestern Nigeria
Authors: Faiyetole Ayodele Adekunle , Adewumi Victor Ayodeji
Published: April 2023

The unprecedented increase in population and urbanization dynamics, particularly without the requisite road infrastructure on the African continent, necessitates a more contextual understanding of the interaction between urban expansion and transportation in its cities. The study used Landsat and Google Earth, two readily available data in a resource-constrained context, and population data from 1999 to 2018 to estimate the interactions among roads stock, urban size and corresponding population changes in Akure, a mid-sized capital city in Nigeria, with substantial federal road connectivity. The results suggest strong positive relationships among all the variables of interest. At α = 10%, an increase in road stock causes a significant ( p = 0.064) increase in population. The study reveals a heavier road density as the city expanded, slightly reduced from the core, with an increased stock of roads toward the periphery. These findings could significantly inform how cities evolve and can guide urban and transportation planners on complementary road infrastructure for growing cities. The study recommends that, irrespective of the political dispensation, the government could increase connective and motorable road stock toward the periphery each fiscal year, with promises of sustainability and resilience in the urban system despite the ever-increasing population.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Our Time: A Curriculum that is up to the Task
Authors: Crane Rebecca S. , Callen-Davies Robert , Francis Aesha , Francis Dean , Gibbs Pauline , Mulligan Beth , O’Neill Bridgette , Pierce Williams Nana Korantemah , Waupoose Michael , Vallejo Zayda
Published: April 2023

There is current heightened public consciousness of the intersecting challenges of social and racial injustice, other forms of inequity, and the climate and biodiversity crisis. We examine how these current realities influence how we engage as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Program (MBP) teachers and researchers. Although Kabat-Zinn developed MBSR as a vehicle to enable engagement with both the individual and the collective drivers of distress and flourishing, predominant research and practice trends within the MBP field have prioritised individual wellbeing, and have not been accessible to the full societal demographic. Furthermore, there is increasing recognition that the systemic social inequities that influence access to public services have not been addressed in the MBP field. In response, there is now an increasing trend exploring how MBP participation can influence ‘bigger than self’ concerns, with research, practice and theory suggesting that the inner personal transformation that mindfulness practice enables, supports individuals to compassionately reconnect to self, other and the natural world in ways that foster prosocial behaviour change, and enables awareness building of personal bias and conditioning. In this paper we present perspectives on ways of both retaining fidelity to the existing MBSR program, and simultaneously embracing anti-oppression teaching methods and content, and an inclusive recognition of the micro, meso and macro causes and conditions that drive distress and flourishing. We are a group of racially diverse MBP teachers and trainers from both sides of the Atlantic, who are engaged in training initiatives with people from Black, Latinex, Indigenous, Asian, and People of Color communities.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the consumption patterns of psychotropic drugs and predictors of limited access to medication
Authors: Rachidi Maya , Hatem Georges , Hatem Melissa , Zein Salam , Rachidi Samar , Awada Sanaa
Published: April 2023

Background:

Despite the efforts of the health system to improve access to medications during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, such as online consultations, encouraging generic prescriptions, and other measures to limit the storage of medication, psychotropic patients faced significant challenges in accessing their medications.

Objectives:

This study aimed (1) to compare the consumption of psychotropics before and during the pandemic, (2) to assess the association between having difficulties finding the medications and the general characteristics of the patients, and (3) to assess the predictors of these difficulties.

Design:

A case–control study was performed in which 128 patients (cases) were recruited during the pandemic (July–October 2021), and 256 patients (controls) using psychotropics before the pandemic were matched for age and sex.

Methods:

Data were collected using a uniform survey given to patients using psychotropics and filled out at their time and place preferences.

Results:

More patients used antipsychotics and anti-anxiety medications before the pandemic, while antidepressants were used more during the pandemic. Almost half of the patients reported facing difficulties finding their medications in both time frames. Before the pandemic, these difficulties were noted per increase in age and being employed and were less faced if patients had medical assistance or lived in the north of Lebanon. However, more patients reported having difficulties accessing their medication during the pandemic, with no significant differences.

Conclusion:

The consumption of psychotropic drugs was higher among cases. All patients faced challenges in accessing their medication throughout the pandemic, while older and employed patients had more limitations before the pandemic. Further investigations exploring viable solutions are recommended in order to maintain sustainable access to treatment.
Can precancerous stem cells be risk markers for malignant transformation in the oral mucosa?
Authors: Wang Shan , Ying Liu , Yu Shu-Yi , Bai Jie , Hao Chunbo
Published: April 2023

Accurate assessment of the carcinogenic potential of oral mucosal diseases can significantly reduce the prevalence of oral cancer. We speculate that precancerous stem cells (pCSCs) arise during the evolution of carcinomas based on long-term experimental findings, published literature, and the cancer stem cell (CSC) theory, wherein pCSCs exist in precancerous lesions and have characteristics of both CSCs and normal stem cells. This apparently contradictory feature may be the foundation of the reversible transformation of precancerous lesions. Predicting malignant transformation in potentially malignant oral illnesses would allow for focused treatment, prognosis, and secondary prevention. Currently available clinical assays for chromosomal instability and DNA aneuploidy have several deficiencies. We hope that our study will increase attention to pCSC research and lead to the development of novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of oral cancer by identifying pCSC markers.

Graphical Abstract
Norepinephrine combined with phenylephrine versus norepinephrine in patients with septic shock: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: He Dan , Hu Hai , Hong Liang , Zhang Luming , Lu Xuehao , Gu Wan-jie , Lyu Jun , Yin Haiyan
Published: April 2023

Background

Phenylephrine (PE) and norepinephrine (NE) may be used to maintain adequate blood pressure and tissue perfusion in patients with septic shock, but the effect of NE combined with PE (NE-PE) on mortality remains unclear. We hypothesized that NE-PE would not inferior to NE alone for all-cause hospital mortality in patients with septic shock.

Methods

This single-center, retrospective cohort study included adult patients with septic shock. According to the infusion type, patients were divided into the NE-PE or NE group. Multivariate logistic regression, propensity score matching and doubly robust estimation were used to analyze the differences between groups. The primary outcome was the all-cause hospital mortality rate after NE-PE or NE infusion.

Results

Among 1, 747 included patients, 1, 055 received NE and 692 received NE-PE. For the primary outcome, the hospital mortality rate was higher in patients who received NE-PE than in those who received NE (49.7% vs. 34.5%, p < 0.001), and NE-PE was independently associated with higher hospital mortality (odds ratio = 1.76, 95% confidence interval = 1.36–2.28, p < 0.001). Regarding secondary outcomes, patients in the NE-PE group had longer lengths of stay in ICU and hospitals. Patients in the NE-PE group also received mechanical ventilation for longer durations.

Conclusions

NE combined with PE was inferior to NE alone in patients with septic shock, and it was associated with a higher hospital mortality rate.
Clinical efficacy of a new surgical technique of oral mucosal epithelial transplantation for severe ocular surface disorders
Authors: Zhu Yuan-Fang , Qiu Wen-Ya , Xu Ye-Sheng , Yao Yu-Feng
Published: April 2023

Background

Severe ocular surface disorders are one of the major blinding diseases, and a paucity of original tissue obscures successful reconstruction. We developed a new surgical technique of direct oral mucosal epithelial transplantation (OMET) to reconstruct severely damaged ocular surfaces in 2011. This study elaborates on the clinical efficacy of OMET.

Methods

A retrospective review of patients with severe ocular surface disorders who underwent OMET from 2011 to 2021 at the Department of Ophthalmology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine was conducted. Patients who were followed up for at least 3 months postoperatively and had sufficient pre or postoperative records were included. Surgical efficacy was evaluated by comparing the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), corneal transparency, neovascularization grade, and symblepharon grade. Additionally, postoperative ocular surface impression cytology was used to study the morphology of the newborn epithelial cells.

Results

Forty-eight patients (49 eyes; mean age: 42.55 ± 12.40 years, range:12–66 years) were enrolled in the study. The etiology included chemical burns (30 eyes), thermal burns (16 eyes), explosive injuries (1 eye), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (1 eye), and multiple pterygiums (1 eye). The mean follow-up period was 25.97 ± 22.99 months. Postoperatively, 29 eyes (59.18%) showed improved corneal transparency, 26 eyes (53.06%) had improved BCVA, 47 eyes (95.92%) had a stable epithelium until the final follow-up, 44 eyes (89.80%) had a reduced neovascularization grade. Of the 20 eyes with preoperative symblepharon, 15 (75%) were completely resolved, and five (25%) were partially resolved. Impression cytological studies showed no postoperative conjunctival invasion onto the corneal surface.

Conclusions

OMET is a safe and effective surgical technique for reconstruction in severe ocular surface disorder by maintaining a stable epithelium and reducing the neovascularization and symblepharon grade.
Association between birth by caesarian section and anxiety, self-harm: a gene-environment interaction study using UK Biobank data
Authors: Jia Yumeng , Cheng Shiqiang , Liu Li , Cheng Bolun , Liang Chujun , Ye Jing , Chu Xiaomeng , Yao Yao , Wen Yan , Kafle Om Prakash , Zhang Feng
Published: April 2023

Background

Limited efforts have been paid to explore the underlying genetic mechanisms of birth by caesarian section (CS) affecting the risks of adult anxiety and self-harm.

Methods

Using UK Biobank cohort, the logistic regression model was first applied to evaluate the associations of adult anxiety and self-harm with birth by CS. Using birth by CS as exposure variables, genome-wide by environment interaction study (GWEIS) was then applied by PLINK2.0 to identify associated genes interacting with birth by CS for anxiety and self-harm.

Results

In the observational study, significant associations were observed between birth by CS and anxiety (odds ratio (OR) = 1.24; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.12–1.38; P = 4.86 × 10− 5), and self-harm (OR = 1.12; 95% CI, 1.01–1.24; P = 2.90 × 10− 2). GWEIS revealed multiple suggestive genes interacted with birth by CS for anxiety, such as DKK2 (rs13137764, P = 1.24 × 10− 9, adjusted P = 2.68 × 10− 7) and ATXN1 (rs62389045, P = 4.38 × 10− 8, adjusted P = 3.55 × 10− 6). For self-harm, significant gene-environment interactions of birth by CS on self-harm were detected, such as ALDH1A2 (rs77828167, P = 1.62 × 10− 8; rs116899929, P = 1.92 × 10− 8) and DAB1 (rs116124269, P = 3.20 × 10− 8; rs191070006, P = 3.63 × 10− 8).

Conclusions

Our results suggested that birth by CS was associated with the risk of adult anxiety and self-harm. We also discovered some genes interacted with birth by CS might influence the risk of anxiety and self-harm, which may provide novel clues for the pathogenesis of those mental disorders.
Association between long working hours and mental health among nurses in China under COVID-19 pandemic: based on a large cross-sectional study
Authors: Che Hongwei , Wu Huiying , Qiao Yu , Luan Bonan , Zhao Qingyun , Wang Hongyan
Published: April 2023

Objective

Nurses were more likely to experience mental disorders due to long working hours and irregular schedules. However, studies addressing this issue are scarce; therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between long working hours and mental health in Chinese nurses during the coronavirus disease pandemic.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 2,811 nurses at a tertiary hospital in China from March to April 2022. We collected data on demographic, psychological characteristics, dietary habits, life, and work-related factors using a self-reported questionnaire and measured mental health using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and General Anxiety Disorder-7. Binary logistic regression to determine adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Results

The effective response rates were 81.48%, 7.80% (219), and 6.70% (189) of the respondents who reported depression and anxiety, respectively. We categorized the weekly working hours by quartiles. Compared with the lowest quartile, the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals across the quartiles for depression after adjustment were 0.98 (0.69, 1.40), 10.58 (2.78, 40.32), and 1.79 (0.81, 3.97) respectively, the P for trend was 0.002. The odds ratios across the quartiles for anxiety after adjustment were 0.87 (0.59, 1.30), 8.69 (2.13, 35.46), and 2.67 (1.26, 5.62), respectively, and the P for trend was 0.008.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that extended working hours increased the risk of mental disorders among nurses during the coronavirus disease pandemic, particularly in those who worked more than 60 h per week. These findings enrich the literature on mental disorders and demonstrate a critical need for additional studies investigating intervention strategies.
Prevalence of and factors associated with depression among adult patients living with HIV/AIDs undergoing ART unit in Banadir hospital, Mogadishu Somalia
Authors: Mohamud Abdirahman Khalif , Ahmed Omar Abdullahi , Mohamud Abdulrahman Ahmed , Dirie Najib Isse
Published: April 2023

Background

Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in HIV/AIDs patients, and its prevalence is three times higher in HIV/AIDs patients. Globally, over 35 million people were living with HIV/AIDs, 24.7 million were in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study aims to estimate the prevalence and determine factors associated with depression among HIV/AIDs adult patients in the ART unit at Banadir Hospital Mogadishu, Somalia.

Method

A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted between 1 May and 1 July 2022. Samples were recruited from the HIV/AIDs adult patients attending in ART unit at Banadir Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia. A validated research tool, including sociodemographic, behavioral, clinical, and psycho-social characteristics, three items social support scale, an 11-item HIV stigma scale, and patient health questions-9 (PHQ-9) were used. The interview was conducted privet room in the ART unit. Logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with depression at the significance level a = 0.050.

Result

The overall prevalence of depression among HIV/AIDs patients was 33.5% (95%CI = 28.1–39.0). In the multivariable logistic regression, three factors were associated with depression; the odds of depression were 3.415 times (95%CI=1.465–7.960) greater for those with poor social support than those with moderate-strong social support. Those with moderate and poor treatment adherence had 14.307 times (95%CI=5.361–38.182) greater odds of depression than those with good treatment adherence. Those who use substances had 3.422 times (95%CI=1.727–6.781) greater odds of having depression than those who did not.

Conclusion

People living with HIV in Mogadishu, Somalia, suffer from depression. The implementation to reduce depression should be focused on empowering social support, developing an appropriate approach to increase treatment adherence, and reducing or eliminating substance use.
Suicide risk among veterans using VHA justice-involved services: a latent class analysis
Authors: Holliday Ryan , Kinney Adam R. , Smith Alexandra A. , Forster Jeri E. , Stimmel Matthew A. , Clark Sean C. , Liu Shawn , Monteith Lindsey L. , Brenner Lisa A.
Published: April 2023

Background

Justice-involved Veterans experience notable risk for psychosocial stressors (e.g., homelessness) and psychiatric multimorbidity, which can result in complex clinical presentations. However, research examining how such factors coalesce to impact risk for suicide remains limited.

Methods

We conducted a latent class analysis of 180,454 Veterans accessing Veterans Health Administration (VHA) justice-related services from 2005 to 2018.

Results

A four-model class membership solution was identified. Among these classes, risk for suicide was highest among Veterans with greater psychiatric burden, with risk most notable among those with high VA service use. Veterans seeking healthcare primarily focused on substance use disorders or with low psychiatric burden and service use had a lower risk for suicide.

Conclusions

Psychiatric multimorbidity is salient as it relates to suicide among Veterans accessing VHA justice-related services. Further evaluation of existing VHA services for this population and methods of augmenting and enhancing care for justice-involved Veterans with histories of co-occurring psychiatric conditions may be beneficial in facilitating suicide prevention efforts.