Abstract
Background and Objectives
The purpose of this study was to examine the trajectories of homebound status in older adults and to investigate the risk factors in shaping the pattern of these ...trajectories.
Research Design and Methods
The study sample was a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older (N = 7,607) from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (Round 1–Round 7). Homebound state was defined as never or rarely went out the home in the last month. Homebound trajectories were identified using an enhanced group-based trajectory modeling that accounted for nonrandom attrition. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine risk factors of homebound trajectories.
Results
Three trajectory groups were identified: the “never” group (65.5%) remained nonhomebound; the “chronic” group were largely persistently homebound (8.3%); and the “onset” group (26.2%) had a rapid increase in their risk of being homebound over the 7-year period. The following factors increased the relative risk for being on the “onset” and “chronic” versus the “never” trajectory: older age, Hispanic ethnicity, social isolation, past or current smoking, instrumental activities of daily living limitations, probable dementia, and use of a walker or wheelchair. Male sex and living alone were associated with a lower risk of being on the “chronic” trajectory, whereas depression and anxiety symptoms, chronic conditions, and activities of daily living limitations increased the risk.
Discussion and Implications
The progression of homebound status among community-dwelling older adults followed three distinct trajectories over a 7-year period. Addressing social isolation and other risk factors may prevent or delay the progression to homebound state.
Patient deaths are impactful events for professional caregivers in both their professional and personal lives. The present study aims to explore how both subjective and objective patient death ...experiences are related to various aspects of professional quality of life (ProQOL) among physicians and nurses.
Secondary analyses of cross-sectional data were conducted, and 306 Chinese physicians and nurses whose most recent patient death experience was more than one month prior were included. Objective and subjective patient death experiences were measured based on the number of past patient deaths and the Accumulated Global Changes (AGC) subscale of the Professional Bereavement Scale, respectively. ProQOL was measured with the Professional Quality of Life Scale. Regressions were run following bivariate analyses.
The number of past patient deaths was not significantly linked with any of the three ProQOL scores in either the bivariate analyses or regressions. Meanwhile, higher AGC scores were associated with higher burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction scores after participants' age, occupation (physician/nurse), department, work experience, job commitment, and sense of mission were controlled.
Subjective rather than objective past patient death experiences link significantly with all three aspects of physicians' and nurses' ProQOL. The more professional caregivers think that they have been changed by all past patient deaths in their career, the more they experience burnout and secondary traumatic stress, but, the more satisfied they are with their job and the helping itself.
Full text
Available for:
IZUM, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
The current longitudinal study aims to examine the bidirectional relationship between post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and post-traumatic growth (PTG).
One hundred twenty-two adults in the most ...severely affected area were investigated by self-report questionnaires at 12 months and 18 months after the Wenchuan Earthquake occurred in China.
The autoregressive cross-lagged structure equation analysis revealed that PTG at 12 months post-earthquake could negatively predict PTSS at 18 months post-earthquake above and beyond PTSS stability, whereas PTSS at 12 months post-earthquake could not significantly predict subsequent PTG. Moreover, PTG at 12 months post-earthquake could predict fewer subsequent intrusions, numbing and hyper-arousal symptoms but not avoidance symptoms.
Growth can play a role in reducing long-term post-traumatic stress symptoms, and the implication of a positive perspective in post-trauma circumstance is discussed.
Full text
Available for:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Currently, automatic optical zoom setups are being extensively explored for their applications in search, detection, recognition, and tracking. In visible and infrared fusion imaging systems with ...continuous zoom, dual-channel multi-sensor field-of-view matching control in the process of synchronous continuous zoom can be achieved by pre-calibration. However, mechanical and transmission errors of the zoom mechanism produce a small mismatch in the field of view after co-zooming, degrading the sharpness of the fusion image. Therefore, a dynamic small-mismatch detection method is necessary. This paper presents the use of edge-gradient normalized mutual information as an evaluation function of multi-sensor field-of-view matching similarity to guide the small zoom of the visible lens after continuous co-zoom and ultimately reduce the field-of-view mismatch. In addition, we demonstrate the use of the improved hill-climbing search algorithm for autozoom to obtain the maximum value of the evaluation function. Consequently, the results validate the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method under small changes in the field of view. Therefore, this study is expected to contribute to the improvement of visible and infrared fusion imaging systems with continuous zoom, thereby enhancing the overall working of helicopter electro-optical pods, and early warning equipment.
Full text
Available for:
IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
Introduction
Patient engagement, encompassing both patient experience and opportunities for involvement in care, has been associated with increased patient satisfaction and the overall ...quality of care. Despite its importance, there is limited knowledge regarding patient engagement in the transition from nondialysis‐dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD) to dialysis‐dependent treatment. This systematic review employs meta‐ethnography to synthesize findings from qualitative studies examining patients' experiences of engagement during this transition, with the aim of developing a comprehensive theoretical understanding of patient engagement in the transition from nondialysis‐dependent CKD to dialysis.
Methods
A systematic search of six databases, namely the Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Scopus, Embase, PubMed and Web of Science was conducted to identify eligible articles published between 1990 and 2022. Meta‐ethnography was utilized to translate and synthesize the findings and develop a novel theoretical interpretation of ‘patient engagement’ during the transition to dialysis.
Results
A total of 24 articles were deemed eligible for review, representing 21 studies. Patient engagement during a transition to dialysis was found to encompass three major domains: psychosocial adjustment, decision‐making and engagement in self‐care. These three domains could be experienced as an iterative and mutually reinforcing process, guiding patients toward achieving control and proficiency in their lives as they adapt to dialysis. Additionally, patient engagement could be facilitated by factors including patients' basic capability to engage, the provision of appropriate education, the establishment of supportive relationships and the alignment with values and resources.
Conclusions
The findings of this review underscore the necessity of involving patients in transitional dialysis care, emphasizing the need to foster their engagement across multiple domains. Recommendations for future interventions include the provision of comprehensive support to enhance patient engagement during this critical transition phase. Additional research is warranted to explore the effects of various facilitators at different levels.
Patient or Public Contribution
The studies included in our review involved 633 participants (547 patients, 14 family members, 63 healthcare providers and 9 managers). Based on their experiences, views and beliefs, we developed a deeper understanding of patient engagement and how to foster it in the future.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Background
Pathological and beneficial outcomes have been documented in children and adolescents exposed to disasters, but the patterns of the outcomes are not known. This study was conducted to ...identify patterns of post‐traumatic stress symptoms and post‐traumatic growth and examine the predictors for the patterns among children and adolescents following an earthquake.
Method
Self‐reported measures (post‐traumatic stress symptoms, post‐traumatic growth, disaster exposure, and social support) were assessed among a total of 618 participants (age 12.26 ± 2.75) at 8 months post disaster. Latent profile analysis was utilized to identify the patterns of post‐traumatic stress symptoms and post‐traumatic growth, and multinomial logistic regressions were conducted to examine the predictors for the patterns.
Results
Three patterns were identified. Most of the participants fell into the Thriving pattern and smaller proportions fell into either the Resilient or Stressed and Growing pattern. Loss and injury, subjective fear, and social support could predict the membership in patterns of post‐traumatic stress symptoms and post‐traumatic growth.
Conclusions
Practitioners are suggested to identify the pattern of post‐traumatic stress symptoms and post‐traumatic growth for different children and adolescents, and provide the service targeting their needs.
Full text
Available for:
DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a solid tumor prone to chemotherapy resistance, and combined immunotherapy is expected to bring a breakthrough in HCC treatment. However, the tumor and tumor ...microenvironment (TME) of HCC is highly complex and heterogeneous, and there are still many unknowns regarding tumor cell stemness and metabolic reprogramming in HCC. In this study, we combined single-cell RNA sequencing data from 27 HCC tumor tissues and 4 adjacent non-tumor tissues, and bulk RNA sequencing data from 374 of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) samples to construct a global single-cell landscape atlas of HCC. We analyzed the enrichment of signaling pathways of different cells in HCC, and identified the developmental trajectories of cell subpopulations in the TME using pseudotime analysis. Subsequently, we performed transcription factors regulating different subpopulations and gene regulatory network analysis, respectively. In addition, we estimated the stemness index of tumor cells and analyzed the intercellular communication between tumors and key TME cell clusters. We identified novel HCC cell clusters that specifically express HP (HCC_HP), which may lead to higher tumor differentiation and tumor heterogeneity. In addition, we found that the HP gene expression-positive neutrophil cluster (Neu_AIF1) had extensive and strong intercellular communication with HCC cells, tumor endothelial cells (TEC) and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF), suggesting that clearance of this new cluster may inhibit HCC progression. Furthermore, ErbB signaling pathway and GnRH signaling pathway were found to be upregulated in almost all HCC tumor-associated stromal cells and immune cells, except NKT cells. Moreover, the high intercellular communication between HCC and HSPA1-positive TME cells suggests that the immune microenvironment may be reprogrammed. In summary, our present study depicted the single-cell landscape heterogeneity of human HCC, identified new cell clusters in tumor cells and neutrophils with potential implications for immunotherapy research, discovered complex intercellular communication between tumor cells and TME cells.
Full text
Available for:
IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Fermented vegetables are typically traditional foods made of fresh vegetables and their juices, which are fermented by beneficial microorganisms. Herein, we applied high-throughput sequencing and ...culture-dependent technology to describe the diversities of microbiota and identify core microbiota in fermented vegetables from different areas of Hainan Province, and abundant metabolic pathways in the fermented vegetables were simultaneously predicted. At the genus level,
bacteria were the most abundant.
was the most abundant species, followed by
, and
. These species were present in each sample with average absolute content values greater than 1% and were thus defined as core microbiota. Analysis results based on the alpha and beta diversities of the microbial communities showed that the microbial profiles of the fermented vegetables differed significantly based on the regions and raw materials used, and the species of the vegetables had a greater effect on the microbial community structure than the region from where they were harvested. Regarding microbial functional metabolism, we observed an enrichment of metabolic pathways, including membrane transport, replication and repair and translation, which implied that the microbial metabolism in the fermented vegetables tended to be vigorous. In addition,
and
were calculated to be major metabolic pathway contributors. Finally, we constructed a network to better explain correlations among the core microbiota and metabolic pathways. This study facilitates an understanding of the differences in microbial profiles and fermentation pathways involved in the production of fermented vegetables, establishes a basis for optimally selecting microorganisms to manufacture high-quality fermented vegetable products, and lays the foundation for better utilizing tropical microbial resources.
To identify lifestyle patterns in emerging adults and examine the association of lifestyle patterns with overweight and depression.
Data was from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey ...between 2011 and 2018. A latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted with 2,268 US emerging adults based on sedentary behavior, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, diet, sleep, alcohol drinking, and cigarette smoking. The associations of lifestyle groups with overweight and depression were examined by logistic regression and were further stratified by employment status.
The LCA results favored a four-class solution: "unhealthy but non-substance use" (59%), "healthy but sleepless and drinking" (12%), "unhealthy lifestyle" (15%), and "healthy but sedentary" group (14%). Compared to the "unhealthy lifestyle" group, participants in the "unhealthy but non-substance use" (coef. = -1.44, SE = 0.27; OR = 0.40, 95% CI 0.26, 0.61), "healthy but sleepless and drinking" (coef. = -1.49, SE = 0.35; OR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.20, 0.72), and "healthy but sedentary" (coef. = -1.97, SE = 0.34; OR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.14, 0.57) groups had lower depression severity and reported fewer depressive symptoms. Moreover, lifestyle groups and health outcomes showed different relationships among employed and unemployed participants.
This study found that the combinations of lifestyle behaviors had synergistic effects on mental health, and such effects differed by employment status.
Quercetin is a flavonoid with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Quercetin has potentially beneficial therapeutic effects for several diseases, including cigarette smoking–induced chronic ...obstructive pulmonary disease (CS-COPD). Many studies have shown that quercetin’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties have positive therapeutic potential for CS-COPD. In addition, quercetin’s immunomodulatory, anti-cellular senescence, mitochondrial autophagy–modulating, and gut microbiota–modulating effects may also have therapeutic value for CS-COPD. However, there appears to be no review of the possible mechanisms of quercetin for treating CS-COPD. Moreover, the combination of quercetin with common therapeutic drugs for CS-COPD needs further refinement. Therefore, in this article, after introducing the definition and metabolism of quercetin, and its safety, we comprehensively presented the pathogenesis of CS-COPD related to oxidative stress, inflammation, immunity, cellular senescence, mitochondrial autophagy, and gut microbiota. We then reviewed quercetin’s anti-CS-COPD effects, performed by influencing these mechanisms. Finally, we explored the possibility of using quercetin with commonly used drugs for treating CS-COPD, providing a basis for future screening of excellent drug combinations for treating CS-COPD. This review has provided meaningful information on quercetin’s mechanisms and clinical use in treating CS-COPD.