This study was carried out to test the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the Stigma Scale of Epilepsy (SSE), with aim to better understand the public stigmatizing attitudes of ...epilepsy in China and help elucidate stigma determinants for interventions.
The SSE was translated into Simplified Chinese Mandarin. In this study, most of the participants were enrolled
convenience sampling by randomly distributing questionnaires on the streets and parts of the participants were recruited by an online platform named Wenjuanxing. We assessed the psychometric properties of the SSE in 310 Chinese native-speaker. Cronbach's alpha was tested for reliability. Index of Content Validity (CVI) was calculated. Exploratory and confirmatory analysis were used to explore the factor structure and verify the validity of SSE.
The Cronbach's alpha is 0.936 for the overall scale, and the CVI value is greater than 0.78. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) extracted SSE six factors: the fear of seizure attacks (factor 1), sympathy for patients with epilepsy (PWEs) (factor 2); difficulties faced by PWEs (factor 3); speculation on PWEs' feeling (factor 4); discrimination against PWEs (factor 5); and knowledge about epilepsy (factor 6). The item 13 was proven to be problematic and has been eliminated. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) ensured the great construct validity (χ
/SD = 1.725, goodness of fit index (GFI) = 0.916, and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.048), convergent validity (the factor loads of each item corresponding to each latent variable >0.6, average variance extracted (AVE) > 0.5, and composite reliability (CR) > 0.7), and discrimination validity (all of the absolute value of correlation coefficient are <0.5,and less than the square root of AVE) of the SSE.
The Chinese version of the SSE scale was a valid and reliable tool to measure epilepsy-associated stigma in the Chinese society.
•The Chinese version of ESS was a valid tool to assess the epilepsy-related stigma.
This study was conducted to test the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the epilepsy stigma scale ...(ESS), which aims to better understand the stigma of patients with epilepsy (PWEs), lays the foundation for future investigation and explores appropriate strategies to mitigate PWEs’ stigma in Chinese culture.
The scale was translated following standard procedures. For psychometric validation, the Chinese version of the ESS was administered to 214 PWEs above the age of 16 who were diagnosed with epilepsy by two trained epileptologists and were taking anti-seizure drugs for at least a month. All of the patients were recruited from Xiangya Hospital of Central South University of China from August 2021 to September 2021.
The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.893 for the entire scale, 0.903 for felt stigma, and 0.688 for enacted stigma. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted and showed that the scale was grouped under two dimensions, and the results of confirmatory factor analysis support the structure.
The Chinese version of the ESS is a valid and reliable tool to assess epilepsy-related stigma in Chinese culture.
Purpose:
To evaluate the knowledge, anxiety, depression, and sleep quality toward COVID-19 among Chinese medical staff from tertiary and basic-level hospitals in central south areas of China.
Method:
...A structured questionnaire was composed of Demographic and clinical characteristics of medical staff, Knowledge toward COVID-19 including epidemiology and clinical manifestations, The Self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). It was administered to medical staff from tertiary hospitals (Group A) (
n
= 407) and basic-level hospitals (Group B) (
n
= 388) during February 2020 and May 2020.
Results:
Medical staff in group A had a stronger knowledge toward COVID-19 than group B (23.69 ± 5.83 & 18.15 ± 6.35,
p
< 0.001). Mild anxiety symptoms were found in both groups. The SAS scores (Mean ± SD) of group B were 58.87 ± 10.17, which was significantly higher than that of group A (52.59 ± 12.09,
p
< 0.001). There were no significant differences in CES-D scores between the two groups (
p
= 0.981). The mean score of total PSQI in group B (8.41 ± 3.03) was statistically higher than that of group A (7.31 ± 3.74,
p
< 0.001). Additionally, the scores of sub-components of group B, including subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep disorder, sleeping medication use and daytime dysfunction, were significantly higher compared to Group A (
p
< 0.05).
Conclusions:
Our study showed greater anxiety, more severe depression and poorer sleep quality among medical staff in central south areas of China during the COVID-19 outbreak. Additionally, compared to the tertiary hospital group, medical staff from basic-level hospitals had poorer knowledge toward COVID-19 and worse mental health conditions. In addition, residence, specialty, title and education level may also be factors of knowledge of COVID-19 and psychiatry problems. In light of this information, more attention should be paid to early identification and intervention of symptoms of anxiety and depression in susceptible medical staff from the basic-level hospitals.
Introduction
Approximately 50% of cases with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) have unexplained etiology. Aberrant expression of transmembrane and ubiquitin‐like domain containing 1 (TMUB1) is ...closely related to a series of diseases, including RSA. However, the function and underlying mechanism of TMUB1 in the occurrence of RSA has not been described.
Methods
TMUB1 expression was detected in the placental villous tissues of 30 women with normal miscarriages and 12 women with RSA. The pregnant mice were injected intraperitoneally with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce abortion. Human chorionic trophoblast cells were treated with LPS. Pathological analysis of placental tissues was performed by hematoxylin and eosin staining.
Results
TMUB1 was highly expressed in the placental villous tissues of RSA patients compared to the patients who underwent induced abortions. After LPS administration, the mice exhibited high embryo absorption and pathological alterations, as well as presented an increase in inflammation and apoptosis (the etiology of RSA induction) in placental tissues. Moreover, the upregulated expression of TMUB1 was also found in placental tissues of LPS‐induced mice, and further investigation showed that TMUB1 deficiency blocked embryo loss as well as inhibited apoptotic rate and inflammation after LPS activation. Furthermore, we found that the loss of TMUB1 suppressed the phosphorylation of IkappaB kinase (IKK) α/β and attenuated cytoplasmic‐nuclear translocation of nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) p65 in LPS‐induced cells.
Conclusion
Our results indicate that TMUB1 may involve in the modulation of apoptosis and NF‐κB pathway‐mediated inflammation in RSA. Therefore, TMUB1 may develop as a potential biomarker for RSA treatment.
Our results indicate that transmembrane and ubiquitin‐like domain containing 1 (TMUB1) may involve in the modulation of apoptosis and nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) pathway‐mediated inflammation in recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA).
Neuroinflammation mediated by microglia made a significant contribution in the pathophysiology of epilepsy. Icariin (ICA), a bioactive ingredient isolated from Epimedium, has been shown to present ...both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study was to explore the potential therapeutic effects of icariin on mouse pilocarpine model of epilepsy and its underlying mechanisms in vivo and in vitro. To this end, we firstly measured the serum concentrations of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 from patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and found that patients with a higher seizure frequency showed correspondingly higher inflammatory reaction. Mouse pharmacokinetic study, transmembrane transportation assay, and cell viability assay collectively demonstrated that ICA was able to cross the blood-brain barrier and has good biocompatibility. The acute and chronic epilepsy models were next established in a pilocarpine mouse model of acquired epilepsy. Icariin has been identified that it could cross the blood-brain barrier and enter the hippocampus to exhibit therapeutic effects. ICA treatment dramatically promoted microglial polarization to the M2 phenotype in epilepsy mice both in the acute and chronic phases. Reduced release of M1-associated proinflammatory factors, such as IL-1β and IL-6, corroborates the altered glial cell polarization. Furthermore, ICA alleviated seizure intensity and mortality in acute phase epileptic mice. Models in the chronic group also showed improved general condition, cognition ability, and memory function after ICA treatment. Taken together, our research strongly suggested that icariin has the potential to treat epilepsy via inhibiting neuroinflammation by promoting microglial polarization to the M2 phenotype.
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This study explores the effects of endometrial thickness (EMT) before embryo transfer on newborn birth weight after in vitro fertilization-frozen embryo transfer (IVF-FET).
We collected the medical ...records related to singleton live births after IVF-FET from June 2015 to February 2019. Pregnant women were aged ≤ 42 years at delivery. Afterward, analyses were performed on outcomes related to newborns (birth weight, gestational age, delivery mode, percentage of newborns with low birth weight, and incidence of macrosomia) and pregnant women (pregnancy-induced hypertension, gestational diabetes mellitus, premature rupture of membranes, and placenta previa).
The birth weight was higher in singleton newborns delivered by patients with EMT > 12 mm before embryo transfer than those delivered by patients with a thinner endometrium. The mean birth weight was 85.107 g higher in the EMT ≥ 12 mm group and 25.942 g higher in the 8-12 mm EMT group than in the EMT < 8 mm group. Independent predictors of newborn birth weight included pregnancy-induced hypertension, premature rupture of membranes, placenta previa, newborn sex, gestational age, delivery mode, number of implanted embryos, follicle-stimulating hormone levels, estradiol levels, and pre-pregnancy body mass index.
The weight of newborn singletons is associated with EMT before embryo transfer in patients undergoing the first FET cycle. Specifically, the birth weight is lower for newborns delivered by patients with a thinner endometrium. Accordingly, it is warranted to increase EMT before embryo transfer for improving neonatal outcomes after fertility treatment.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Purpose
The incidence of chromosomal polymorphisms (CP) is increased in infertile couples, but its impact on reproduction is uncertain, especially undergoing assisted reproductive technology ...treatment. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of CP on the outcomes of in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection‐embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI‐ET) treatment
Methods
A total of 1331 infertile couples undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment were involved in this retrospective case–control study. The participants were divided into 4 groups according to CP variations: (i) normal chromosomes (NC) group; (ii) CP group; (iii) both chromosomal polymorphisms (BCP) group; and (iv) double chromosomal polymorphisms (DCP) group. The CP group was further divided into five subgroups: qh+, D/G, inv(9), Yqh+ and Yqh−. The outcomes of IVF/ICSI‐ET treatment were compared among the groups.
Results
There were no differences observed between the eight groups in terms of number of oocytes retrieved, MII rate, fertilization rate, cleaved embryo rate, and quality embryo rate for both females and males (p > 0.05). In both male and female, some of the CP subgroups experienced more oocyte retrieval operations and more embryo transfer operations to achieve pregnancy than the NC groups (p < 0.05). The rates of live births were significantly lower in some of the CP subgroups compared to the NC group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the pregnancy outcomes of ET were affected by CP. It was speculated that this may be associated with the effect of chromosome polymorphism on embryo quality, although this could not be observed or determined by morphological evaluation.
With the increasingly serious problem of China's aging society, the number of people suffering from stroke is increasing every year. Most stroke patients are accompanied by various sequelae and ...complications, which seriously affect the rehabilitation process of patients, increase the possibility of stroke recurrence, and are directly related to stroke mortality. Peer education is an economical, flexible and convenient new education model, which has been widely used in different fields at home and abroad. This review summarizes the domestic and foreign research progress on the application of peer education to stroke patients, in order to provide reference for clinical intervention of stroke patients. (脑卒中是全球第二大死亡疾病, 其发病率呈总体上升且逐渐年轻化的趋势。脑卒中患者大多伴有各种后遗症和并发症, 严重影响患者康复进程, 增加脑卒中复发的风险, 且与脑卒中死亡率直接相关。同伴教育模式是一种经济、灵活、便利的新型教育模式, 在国内外被广泛应用到了不同领域之中。本文对同伴教育应用于脑卒中患者的国内外研究进展进行概述, 以期为脑卒中患者的临床干预提供参考。)
This retrospective study aimed to evaluate pregnancy outcome and newborn health condition for a specific group of infertile patients with unicornuate uterus. A total of 34 patients were confirmed to ...have unicornuate uterus. These patients received 47 cycles of in vitro fertilisation-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection-embryo transfer (ICSI-ET), achieved 21 clinical pregnancies with a clinical pregnancy rate of 60.61%. Full-term delivery rate was 76.47%. Eleven patients gave birth to single neonates, while six patients gave birth to twins. Foetal growth restriction was detected in three foetuses in twins. Obstetric complications were reported in three patients with single foetus (27.27%, 3/11), and four out of six patients with twin pregnancies (66.67%, 4/6). This study demonstrated that Han Chinese women with unicornuate uterus have a good chance to conceive and deliver healthy neonates despite increased risk of complications.
Impact statement
What is already known on this subject: Unicornuate uterus is a rare form of malformation affecting about 1% of infertile patients. Patients with unicornuate uterus have a lower chance of conceiving. It has been reported that assisted reproduction such as in vitro fertilisation-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) was less likely to be successful in patients with unicornuate uterus.
What do the results of this study add: Retrospective study of 34 cases of Han Chinese women with unicornuate uterus offered a new perspective. Half of these 34 patients conceived and delivered 23 neonates (11 singletons and 6 pairs of twins). Complications were more frequent but manageable.
What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research: Our data will serve as a valuable tool for counselling infertile patients with unicornuate uterus with regard to their expected pregnancy outcomes.
This trial was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary astaxanthin on the growth performance and nonspecific immunity of red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkia. Crayfishes with body weight of ...7.15 ± 0.21 g were randomly divided into five groups. One group was fed with basic diet, whereas the other four groups were fed with diets containing 100, 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg astaxanthin. After eight weeks of feeding, 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg astaxanthin increased the body weight, gain rate, survival rate, serum lysozyme (LYZ) activity, protein level, alkaline phosphatase activity, hepatopancreatic superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione peroxidase activity and decreased the feed conversion rate, serum alanine aminotransferase activity and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase activity compared with those of the control group. All levels of astaxanthin improved the resistance to Aeromonas hydrophilia compared with the control group. However, an increased level (400 mg/kg) of astaxanthin caused no further improvement in the efficiency of astaxanthin. Hence, this compound might be used as dietary supplement for crayfish.
•The crayfish body weight increased when treated with astaxanthin.•Survival rate of crayfish increased when treated with astaxanthin.•Immune activity of crayfish increased when treated with astaxanthin.
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