The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2 virus) has been sustained in China since December 2019, and has become a ...pandemic. The mental health of frontline medical staff is a concern. In this study, we aimed to identify the factors influencing medical worker anxiety in China during the COVID-19 outbreak. We conducted a cross-sectional study to estimate the prevalence of anxiety among medical staff in China from 10 February 2020 to 20 February 2020 using the Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) to assess anxiety, with the criteria of normal (⩽49), mild (50-59), moderate (60-70) and severe anxiety (⩾70). We used multivariable linear regression to determine the factors (e.g. having direct contact when treating infected patients, being a medical staff worker from Hubei province, being a suspect case) for anxiety. We also used adjusted models to confirm independent factors for anxiety after adjusting for gender, age, education and marital status. Of 512 medical staff in China, 164 (32.03%) had had direct contact treating infected patients. The prevalence of anxiety was 12.5%, with 53 workers suffering from mild (10.35%), seven workers suffering from moderate (1.36%) and four workers suffering from severe anxiety (0.78%). After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, education and marital status), medical staff who had had direct contact treating infected patients experienced higher anxiety scores than those who had not had direct contact (β value = 2.33, confidence interval (CI) 0.65-4.00; P = 0.0068). A similar trend was observed in medical staff from Hubei province, compared with those from other parts of China (β value = 3.67, CI 1.44-5.89; P = 0.0013). The most important variable was suspect cases with high anxiety scores, compared to non-suspect cases (β value = 4.44, CI 1.55-7.33; P = 0.0028). In this survey of hospital medical workers during the COVID-19 outbreak in China, we found that study participants experienced anxiety symptoms, especially those who had direct clinical contact with infected patients; as did those in the worst affected areas, including Hubei province; and those who were suspect cases. Governments and healthcare authorities should proactively implement appropriate psychological intervention programmes, to prevent, alleviate or treat increased anxiety.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Recently, studies have been published with inconsistent findings regarding whether ...sarcopenia is a risk factor for mortality in breast cancer patients. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to systematically assess and quantify sarcopenia as a risk factor for mortality in breast cancer patients.
In a systematic literature review of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane CENTRAL Library, we searched for observational studies written in English (from database inception until April 30, 2019) that reported an association between sarcopenia and breast cancer in women who were 18 years or older.
A total of six studies (5497 participants) were included in this meta-analysis. Breast cancer patients with sarcopenia were associated with a significantly higher risk of mortality, compared to breast cancer patients without sarcopenia (pooled HR-hazard ratio = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.25-2.33, I
= 59.1%). In addition, the results of age subgroup analysis showed that participants younger than 55 years with sarcopenia had a lower risk of mortality than participants aged 55 years and older with sarcopenia (pooled HR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.24-1.72 versus pooled HR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.05-3.78), whereas both have an increased risk of mortality compared to non-sarcopenic patients. Subgroup analyses regarding stage at diagnosis revealed an increased risk of mortality in non-metastatic patients compared to participants without sarcopenia (pooled HR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.32-2.78), whereas the association was not significant in metastatic breast cancer patients. Other subgroup analyses were performed using different follow-up periods (> 5 years versus ≤5 years) and the results were different (pooled HR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.23-2.65 versus pooled HR = 1.70, 95% CI: 0.80-3.62).
The present study found that sarcopenia is a risk factor for mortality among female early breast cancer patients. It is imperative that more research into specific interventions aimed at treating sarcopenia be conducted in the near future in order to provide evidence which could lead to decreased mortality rates in breast cancer patients.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background. This meta-analysis summarizes the results from recent studies that examined the use of virtual reality (VR)–based interventions on health-related outcomes in patients with cancer, and ...quantitatively evaluates the efficacy of VR-based interventions. Findings of this meta-analysis can provide direction for future symptom management research. Methods. The search terms included a combination of “virtual reality” OR “virtual environment” OR “head-mounted display” with “oncology” OR “cancer.” Three databases (Medline, PubMed, and CAJ Full-text Database), one search engine (Google Scholar), and the website of ResearchGate, covering the period from December 2013 to May 15, 2019, and including articles published in both English and Chinese, were searched. Data synthesis used the RevMan 5.3 to generate pooled estimates of effect size. Results. A total of 6 empirical studies met the eligibility criteria. VR-based interventions had statistically significant effects on reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, pain, and cognitive function, whereas statistically significant benefit was observed for fatigue (Z = 2.76, P = .006). Conclusion. Most recent studies have primarily examined VR-based interventions for symptom management in the acute stages of cancer care. However, the management of late and long-term side effects is central to cancer survivorship care. There is burgeoning empirical support for further research to evaluate the efficacy of VR-based interventions in cancer rehabilitation.
Previous cohort studies investigating the association between sarcopenic obesity (SO) and all-cause mortality among adult people have been inconsistent. We performed a meta-analysis to determine if ...SO is a predictor of all-cause mortality.
Prospective cohort studies that evaluated the association between SO and mortality in older people were identified via a systematic search of three electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library). A random-effects model was applied to combine the results. We considered the methods recommeded by consensuses (dual X-ray absorptiometry,bio-impedancemetry, anthropometric measures or CT scan) to assess sarcopenic obesity.
Of the 603 studies identified through the systematic review, 23 (Participants: 50866) were included in the meta-analysis. The mean age ranged from 50 to 82.5 years.SO was significantly associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality among adult people (pooled HR = 1.21, 95% confidence interval 95% CI = 1.10-1.32, p < 0.001, I
= 64.3%). Furthermore, the subgroup analysis of participants showed that SO was associated with all-cause mortality (pooled HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.06-1.23) among community-dwelling adult people; similarly, this association was found in hospitalized patients (pooled HR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.17-2.33). Moreover, the subgroup analysis demonstrated that SO was associated with all-cause mortality when using skeletal muscle mass (SMM) criteria, muscle strength criteria, and skeletal muscle index (SMI) criteria (HR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.01-1.23; HR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.05-1.33; and HR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.13-2.07, respectively). In addition, we analyzed SO on the basis of obesity definition and demonstrated that participants with a SO diagnosis based on waist circumference (WC) (HR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.09-1.40), body mass index (BMI) (HR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.04-1.59), or visceral fat area (HR = 2.54, 95% CI: 1.83-3.53) have a significantly increase mortality risk compared with those without SO.
Based on our update of existing scientific researches, SO is a significant predictor of all-cause mortality among older people, particularly hospitalized patients. Therefore, it is important to diagnose SO and to treat the condition to reduce mortality rates among older people.
Social media have been increasingly adopted for organizational purposes but their operational implications are not well understood. Firms’ social media initiatives might facilitate information flow ...and knowledge sharing within and across organizations, strengthening firm-customer interaction, and improving internal and external collaboration. In this research we empirically examine the impact of social media initiatives on firms’ operational efficiency and innovativeness. Taking the resource-based view of firms’ information capability, we consider firms’ social media initiatives as strategic resources for operational improvement. We posit that firms’ social media initiatives enhance dynamic knowledge-sharing routines through an information-rich social network, leading to both operational efficiency and innovativeness. Collecting secondary data in a longitudinal setting from multiple sources, we construct dynamic panel data (DPD) models. Based on system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation, we show that firms’ social media initiatives improve operational efficiency and innovativeness. We identify the importance of an information-rich social network to the creation of knowledge-based advantage through firms’ social media initiatives, and discuss the theoretical and managerial implications from the perspective of operations management.
Summary Background Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Mind-body interventions are widely used by cancer patients to reduce symptoms and cope better with disease- and treatment-related ...symptoms. In the last decade, many clinical controlled trials of qigong/tai chi as a cancer treatment have emerged. This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the effects of qigong/tai chi on the health-related outcomes of cancer patients. Methods Five databases (Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and the CAJ Full-text Database) were searched until June 30, 2013. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of qigong/tai chi as a treatment intervention for cancer patients were considered for inclusion. The primary outcome for this review was changes in quality of life (QOL) and other physical and psychological effects in cancer patients. The secondary outcome for this review was adverse events of the qigong/tai chi intervention. Results A total of 13 RCTs with 592 subjects were included in this review. Nine RCTs involving 499 subjects provided enough data to generate pooled estimates of effect size for health-related outcomes. For cancer-specific QOL, the pooled weighted mean difference (WMD) was 7.99 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.07, 11.91; Z score = 4.00, p < 0.0001. The standardized mean differences (SMDs) for changes in depression and anxiety score were −0.69 (95% CI: −1.51, 0.14; Z score = 1.64, p = 0.10), and −0.93 (95% CI: −1.80, −0.06; Z score = 2.09, p = 0.04), respectively. The WMDs for changes in body mass index and body composition from baseline to 12 weeks follow-up were −1.66 (95% CI: −3.51, 0.19; Z score = 1.76, p = 0.08), and −0.67 (95% CI: −2.43, 1.09; Z score = 0.75, p = 0.45) respectively. The SMD for changes in the cortisol level was −0.37 (95% CI: −0.74, −0.00; Z score = 1.97, p = 0.05). Conclusion This study found that qigong/tai chi had positive effects on the cancer-specific QOL, fatigue, immune function and cortisol level of cancer patients. However, these findings need to be interpreted cautiously due to the limited number of studies identified and high risk of bias in included trials. Further rigorous trials are needed to explore possible therapeutic effects of qigong/tai chi on cancer patients.
Carotid atherosclerosis is a common arterial wall lesion that causes narrowing and occlusion of the arteries and is the basis of cardiovascular events. Dietary habits, lifestyle, and lipid metabolism ...should be considered integrally in the context of carotid atherosclerosis (CAS). However, this area has been investigated less often in China. To understand the prevalence of CAS in China and the impact of dietary diversity and habits, lifestyle, and lipid metabolism on CAS as well as its predictive factors, a cross-sectional study was performed in two northern and southern Chinese tertiary hospitals from 2017 to 2019. Included participants underwent carotid artery color Doppler ultrasonography, blood lipid examination and dietary evaluation. In total, 11,601 CAS patients and 27,041 individuals without carotid artery lesions were included. The prevalence of CAS was 30.0% in this group. High BMI (OR: 1.685, 95% CI 1.315-2.160), current (1.148 1.077-1.224) or ex-smoking (1.349 1.190-1.529), abstinence from alcohol ((1.223 1.026-1.459), social engagement (1.122 1.050-1.198), hypertension (1.828 1.718-1.945), and total cholesterol (1.438 1.298-1.594) were risk factors for CAS, while higher dietary diversity according to DDS-2 (0.891 0.805-0.989), HDL-C (0.558 0.487-0.639), sugar-sweetened beverages (0.734 0.696-0.774), and no midnight snack consumption (0.846 0.792-0.903) were protective factors. This current study demonstrated that higher dietary diversity was a protective factor against CAS in a healthy population. In addition, current recommendations of healthy lifestyle and dietary habits for preventing CAS should be strengthened. In addition, dietary diversity should concentrate on food attributes and dietary balance, rather than increased quantities.
The aim of this network meta-analysis was to evaluate the comparative effects of neuropsychological interventions for cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI), and to rank the best intervention ...options for adult cancer patients with CRCI. Twenty-seven eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched, and a total of six interventions identified: cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT), cognitive rehabilitation (CR), cognitive training (CT), meditation/mindfulness-based interventions, psychoeducation, and supportive care. In terms of effectiveness, the relative effect size of CBT, CR, and CT in managing subjective cognition had statistically significant differences – 0.94 (0.43–1.44), 0.54 (0.03–1.05), and 0.47 (0.13–0.81), respectively. The most effective interventions to manage the objective cognition of attention were meditation or mindfulness-based interventions: intervention effect size was 0.58 (0.24–0.91). The relative effect size of CT had a statistically significant difference in managing verbal memory, and the intervention effect size was 1.16 (0.12–2.20). The relative effect size of psychoeducation in managing executive function compared with control had a statistically significant difference, which was 0.56 (0.26–0.86). For managing information processing speed, the most effective intervention was CT and the effect size was -0.58 (-1.09—-0.06). This network meta-analysis found that CT is the most effective intervention for managing the objective cognition of verbal memory and processing speed; meditation/mindfulness-based interventions may be the best option for enhancing attention; psychoeducation is the most effective intervention for managing executive function; CT may be the best option for managing verbal fluency as the intervention ranking probability. For the management of subjective cognition, CBT may be the most effective intervention.
Although a number of studies have been conducted on the relationship between environmental management and firm performance, most of them are conducted in the Western context. Due to the unique social ...and economic environments in China, the performance implications of environmental management might be quite different in the Chinese context. We examine the impact of corporate environmental initiatives (CEIs) on the market value of firms in China. We find that, in contrast to the findings in the Western context, Chinese investors react negatively to CEI announcements. The negative reaction is more significant when the announcements are related to processes rather than products, and for state-owned enterprises rather than privately-owned corporations. However, there is no difference whether the CEI is self-declared or third-party endorsed. Overall, our research indicates that Chinese investors consider CEIs to be in conflict with shareholder interest. In particular, CEIs in state-owned enterprises might be considered by investors as signals that firms need to sacrifice profits to shoulder more social responsibility.
Low-diversity diets and sedentary status are risk factors for depressive symptoms, while knowledge workers were ignored before. The purpose of this current study was to examine the relationship ...between dietary diversity, sedentary time spent outside of work, and depressive symptoms among knowledge workers.
This was a multicenter and cross-sectional design that included 118,723 knowledge workers. Participants self-reported online between January 2018 and December 2020. Demographic information, the Dietary Diversity Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, dietary habits (which included eating three meals on time, midnight snacking, overeating, social engagement, coffee consumption, sugary drink consumption, smoking and alcohol use), sedentary time spent outside of work and physical activity were investigated.
The relationships between demographic information, dietary habits and dietary diversity, and depressive symptoms were estimated. Compared with the first and second levels of dietary diversity, the third level of dietary diversity (OR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.84-0.98) reduced the risk of depressive symptoms. Knowledge workers with different degrees of sedentary status (2-4 h (OR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.07-1.14), 4-6 h (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.17-1.26), and > 6 h (OR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.43-1.56), presented a progressively higher risk of depressive symptoms.
High amounts of sedentary time spent after work and low levels of dietary diversity are risk factors for depressive symptoms. In addition, an irregular diet and overeating are also major risk factors for knowledge workers.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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