Nevin Manimala

BMC Psychol. 2024 Dec 21;12(1):772. doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-02294-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Various factors associated with attitudes toward the utilization of professional psychological help among the school-going population have been explored, but studies from Arabian Gulf countries are lacking. This study aimed to assess attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, examine how demographic factors and self-esteem are associated with seeking psychological help, and understand the interaction between these variables.

METHODS: A cross-sectional correlational design was used. A random sample of Omani secondary school students (n = 2165) aged 15-18 years completed the demographics sheet, the Scale of Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help (SATSPH), and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. Hierarchical regression analysis with interaction was performed to test the moderating role of self-esteem in the relationship between selected demographics and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help (ATSPH).

RESULTS: Most of the adolescents exhibited poor attitudes toward ATSPH. The findings demonstrated a significant moderating effect of self-esteem on the relationship between demographics (sex and age) and ATSPH (ΔR 2 = 0.002, F (7, 2156) = 4.839, p < 0.001). In terms of sex, women may have more positive attitudes toward seeking help than men. However, when self-esteem is considered, the positive effect of being female can reverse at higher levels of self-esteem, suggesting that men with higher self-esteem may have more positive attitudes toward seeking help than women with higher self-esteem. Furthermore, initially, age was not significant. However, when self-esteem was introduced as a moderator, age was a significant predictor. These findings indicate that the effect of age on seeking professional psychological help is influenced by self-esteem.

CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights that attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help among Omani adolescents are generally poor and are influenced by both demographic factors and self-esteem. Although women tend to have more positive attitudes than men do, this can change with varying levels of self-esteem. Similarly, the effect of age on these attitudes is dependent on self-esteem levels. This underscores the complex interplay between demographic factors and self-esteem in shaping attitudes toward psychological help-seeking behaviors. Therefore, more studies of this nature are warranted.

PMID:39709498 | DOI:10.1186/s40359-024-02294-4

Crit Care. 2024 Dec 21;28(1):429. doi: 10.1186/s13054-024-05155-z.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In septic shock, the classic fluid resuscitation strategy can lead to a potentially harmful positive fluid balance. This multicenter, randomized, single-blind, parallel, controlled pilot study assessed the effectiveness of a restrictive fluid strategy aiming to limit daily volume.

METHODS: Patients 18-85 years’ old admitted to the ICU department of three French hospitals were eligible for inclusion if they had septic shock and were in the first 24 h of vasopressor infusion. Exclusion criteria were acute kidney injury requiring renal replacement therapy, end stage chronic kidney disease, and severe malnutrition. Patients were electronically randomized 1:1 to either an optimized fluid restriction (reducing fluid intake as much as possible in terms of maintenance fluids and fluids for drug dilution during the first 7 days) or standard fluid strategy. The primary outcome was cumulative fluid balance (ml/kg) in the first 5 days. Patients and statisticians were blinded to group arm, but not clinicians.

RESULTS: Between September 2021 and February 2023, 1201 patients were screened and 50 included, with two in the control group withdrawing, thus 48 patients were analyzed (24 in each group). In the first 5 days, the optimized restrictive strategy and control groups received 89.7 (IQR 35; 128.9) and 114.3 (IQR 78.8; 168.5) ml/kg of fluid, respectively (mean difference: 35.9 ml/kg [0.0; 71.8], p = 0.0506). After 5 days, the median cumulative fluid balance was 6.9 (IQR – 13.7; 52.1) and 35.0 (IQR – 7.9; 40.2) ml/kg in the optimized restrictive strategy and control groups, respectively (absolute difference 13.2 [95%CI – 15.2; 41.6], p = 0.42). After 28 days, mortality and the numbers of days alive without life support were similar between groups. The main adverse events were severe hypernatremia in 1 and 2 patients in the fluid restriction strategy and control groups, respectively, and acute kidney injury KDIGO 3 in 4 and 7 patients in the fluid restriction strategy and control groups, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: In ICU patients with septic shock, an optimized restrictive fluid strategy targeting hidden fluid intakes did not reduce the overall fluid balance at day 5. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04947904, registered on 1 July 2021.

PMID:39709493 | DOI:10.1186/s13054-024-05155-z

AIDS Res Ther. 2024 Dec 21;21(1):97. doi: 10.1186/s12981-024-00676-7.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Despite the need for reliable questionnaires to monitor self-management in chronic disease patients, such tools are lacking in developing countries. This study aims to pilot and assess the construct validity of the HIV-SM LMIC questionnaire.

METHOD: The validation of the HIV-SM LMIC questionnaire involved two cross-sectional studies in Ethiopia. The first round, for exploratory factor analysis (EFA), included 261 patients, while the second round, for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), included 300 patients. Data was collected using the Kobo Collect electronic data entry template.

RESULT: The sample adequacy test showed a good value of 0.82. In the first round, 6 of the 32 items were not loaded, forming three factors in the EFA. Four of these items were dropped, but two (PSMB2 and PSMB12) were retained for their content. In the second round, CFA on the remaining 28 items led to dropping 8 more items due to conceptual overlap, resulting in a 20-item questionnaire. The final items were structured into three dimensions: awareness and well-being (4 items), self-regulation (6 items), and self-management practices (10 items).

CONCLUSION: The study refined the original 32-item HIV-SM LMIC questionnaire to a validated 20-item, three-dimensional tool with an acceptable goodness of fit. The authors recommend further cross-cultural and predictive validation and adaptation for newly diagnosed HIV patients, those with poor treatment outcomes.

PMID:39709486 | DOI:10.1186/s12981-024-00676-7

Syst Rev. 2024 Dec 21;13(1):311. doi: 10.1186/s13643-024-02721-y.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Cultural violence includes any offensive behavior regarding ethnicity, race, language, religion, and place of birth devaluing human dignity. The purpose of this study was to investigate workplace cultural violence against nurses by systematic review and meta-analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The guideline of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was followed. The search was independently conducted in ISI, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus by two researchers. We used mesh keywords to recruit publications from different regions of the world between 2002 and 2017. Data was analyzed using meta-analysis and STATA software. To determine the heterogeneity, Q and I² indices were used.

RESULTS: A total of 50 articles were found from which 8 were ultimately included in the systematic review process. The overall rate of workplace cultural violence among nurses was 17.25% (95% CI 16.83-17.66, I² = 99.7%, P = 0.0001). Also, the rate of workplace cultural violence against nurses and patients’ relatives and companions was 8.21% (95% CI 7.61-8.81, I² = 99.7%, P = 0.0001). The meta-regression of cultural violence in terms of sample size and year of study rendered a significant decrease in the violence rate by increasing years and sample size (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Although not all cases of cultural violence are reported and recorded, the rate of cultural violence against nurses is decreasing according to the results of our study. Nevertheless, by providing good services and appropriate education to patients, the overall incidence of cultural violence is expected to be further reduced.

PMID:39709471 | DOI:10.1186/s13643-024-02721-y

BMC Complement Med Ther. 2024 Dec 21;24(1):422. doi: 10.1186/s12906-024-04722-9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: As the primary cause of various preventable illnesses, smoking results in approximately five million premature deaths each year in the US and a multitude of adults living with serious illness. The majority of smokers know the health risks associated with smoking and intend to quit. However, quitting is very difficult partly because of insomnia and stress associated with it. Current tobacco cessation medications are not designed to address these problems, which may have contributed to their limited success in enabling cessation. Novel interventions are thus urgently needed to enhance success rates in tobacco cessation. Based on its historical usage and our preliminary data, kava is such a candidate. Kava, customarily enjoyed by South Pacific Islanders, is known for its relaxing effects, stress-relieving properties, and ability to enhance sleep. In the US, it is marketed and distributed as a dietary supplement due to its recognized calming properties. A pilot trial was performed among active smokers with a one-week ingestion of a kava supplement. The results for the first-time revealed kava’s potential in enabling tobacco cessation with effects on a panel of biological signatures. The primary goal of this trial is to replicate kava’s effects on the biological signatures of tobacco use, stress, and sleep in addition to its compliance and safety among those who smoke.

METHODS: A double-blind randomized placebo controlled two-arm trial will enroll 76 smokers with intention to quit, who will consume AB-free kava at a dietary supplement dose or placebo, 3 times per day for 4 weeks with two follow-ups.

DISCUSSION: The study will (1) monitor the adherence to and safety of AB-free kava consumption among smokers and evaluate changes in smoking habits, and (2) quantify a panel of non-invasive translatable biomarkers to objectively evaluate AB-free kava’s holistic effects on biological signatures associated with tobacco use, stress, and sleep. We hypothesize that AB-free kava is a novel and promising intervention to facilitate tobacco cessation via its holistic effects associated with managing stress and insomnia during abstinence. If the results from this study support our hypothesis, kava could emerge as an affordable and accessible dietary supplement candidate for tobacco cessation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: registered on 04/14/2023 in ClinicalTrials.gov with the identifier NCT05814055.

PMID:39709468 | DOI:10.1186/s12906-024-04722-9

AIDS Res Ther. 2024 Dec 21;21(1):96. doi: 10.1186/s12981-024-00681-w.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Real-world data on treatment patterns and clinical outcomes for newer drugs, including integrase strand transfer inhibitors, among older people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH) are limited.

METHODS: This cohort study included PWH enrolled in the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) who were prescribed a standard 3-drug antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen containing dolutegravir (DTG), bictegravir (BIC), cobicistat boosted elvitegravir (EVG), raltegravir (RAL), or darunavir/ritonavir (DRV) plus 2 nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors between January 1, 2014, and March 31, 2020, and who were ≥50 years at regimen initiation. The association between regimen and virologic effectiveness or discontinuation was assessed using logistic regression models with inverse probability of treatment weights. Pairwise comparisons were made between DTG-based regimen and each of the other 3-drug regimens, stratified by ART experience.

RESULTS: Among 15,702 PWH (across treatment groups, median age 58-62 years; 94-98% male; 5-11% Hispanic; 44-60% Black; 29-42% White), 5,800 received DTG-based regimens, 2,081 BIC-based regimens, 4,159 EVG-based regimens, 1,607 RAL-based regimens, and 2,055 received DRV-based regimens. Among ART-naïve PWH, there were no statistical differences in the odds of virologic suppression, and 6- and 12-month discontinuations were higher in those on DRV. Among ART-experienced PWH, compared to DTG, those on RAL and DRV were less likely to be suppressed at 6 months (RAL vs DTG: aOR 0.64, 95% CI 0.51-0.81; DRV vs DTG: aOR 0.63, 95% CI 0.51-0.76) and those on EVG and DRV were less likely suppressed at 12 months (EVG vs DTG: aOR 0.82, 95% CI 0.68-0.99; DRV vs DTG: aOR 0.64, 95% CI 0.52-0.80). Those on DRV were more likely to have virologic failure within 12 months (aOR 1.96, 95% CI 1.30-2.97). Six- and 12-month discontinuations were higher in those on RAL and DRV, but less likely for BIC-based regimens.

CONCLUSIONS: DTG-based regimens demonstrated higher levels of effectiveness and durability compared to DRV- or RAL-based regimens and had similar treatment responses as BIC- and EVG-based regimens among ART-experienced older PWH.

PMID:39709467 | DOI:10.1186/s12981-024-00681-w

Cancer Imaging. 2024 Dec 21;24(1):171. doi: 10.1186/s40644-024-00811-7.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Staging of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is commonly based on [¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT, in particular to exclude distant metastases and guide local therapy approaches like resection and radiotherapy. Although it is hoped that PET/CT will increase the value of primary staging compared to conventional imaging, it is generally limited to the characterization of TNM. The first aim of this study was to evaluate the PET parameter metabolic tumor volume (MTV) above liver background uptake as a prognostic marker in lung cancer. The second aim was to investigate the possibility of incorporating MTV into the TNM classification system for disease prognosis in locally advanced NSCLC treated with chemoradiotherapy.

METHODS: Retrospective evaluation of 235 patients with histologically proven, locally advanced NSCLC from the multi-centre randomized clinical PETPLAN trial and a clinical cohort from a hospital registry. The PET parameters SUVmax, SULpeak, MTV and TLG above liver background uptake were determined. Kaplan-Meier curves and stratified Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to investigate the prognostic value of PET parameters and TNM along with clinical variables. Subgroup analyses were performed to compare hazard ratios according to TNM, MTV, and the two variables combined.

RESULTS: In the multivariable Cox regression analysis, MTV was associated with significantly worse overall survival independent of stage and other prognostic variables. In locally advanced disease stages treated with chemoradiotherapy, higher MTV was significantly associated with worse survival (median 17 vs. 32 months). Using simple cut-off values (45 ml for stage IIIa, 48 ml for stage IIIb, and 105 ml for stage IIIc), MTV was able to further predict differences in survival for stages IIIa-c. The combination of TNM and MTV staging system showed better discrimination for overall survival in locally advanced disease stages, compared to TNM alone.

CONCLUSION: Higher metabolic tumor volume is significantly associated with worse overall survival and combined with TNM staging, it provides more precise information about the disease prognosis in locally advanced NSCLC treated with chemoradiotherapy compared to TNM alone. As a PET parameter with volumetric information, MTV represents a useful addition to TNM.

PMID:39709461 | DOI:10.1186/s40644-024-00811-7

BMC Res Notes. 2024 Dec 21;17(1):376. doi: 10.1186/s13104-024-07046-6.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Dengue fever is a rapidly spreading viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes, and it is becoming a global concern. This study aimed to assess the awareness, attitude, and performance of the people in Hormozgan province in carrying out preventive behaviors and dengue fever control methods.

METHOD: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 1401 in Bandar Abbas, Iran. A total of 642 men and women participated in the study, and a researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic information, awareness, attitude, and performance. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

FINDINGS: The study included 642 citizens of Bandar Abbas, with the majority being male. The average scores for awareness, attitude, and performance were relatively low, indicating insufficient knowledge and weak preventive behaviors regarding dengue fever.

CONCLUSION: The findings suggest a need for educational programs to increase awareness and preventive behaviors among the citizens, especially in essential areas such as protected coverage against mosquito bites and inspection of water accumulation sites in homes. It is also important for health centers and mass media to provide more information and education about dengue fever and its prevention.

PMID:39709455 | DOI:10.1186/s13104-024-07046-6

BMC Health Serv Res. 2024 Dec 21;24(1):1636. doi: 10.1186/s12913-024-12038-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Maternal and child health remains a global priority, with antenatal care (ANC) recognized as essential for ensuring positive pregnancy outcomes. Despite significant improvements, in low- and middle-income countries, ANC service utilization remains low in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper contributes to the understanding of the evolution and determinants of ANC service utilization among women of reproductive age in Rwanda.

METHODS: This review focused on studies published between 2010 and 2024 and examined the factors associated with ANC utilization in Rwanda. Two reviewers independently performed screening of the abstracts and full texts and conducted data extraction and synthesis. The aggregated odds ratios for various factors associated with ANC service utilization were presented in forest plots, created using GraphPad Prism version 10.

RESULTS: The review included 11 studies and 1 report on ANC service utilization in Rwanda. By 2019-2020, 47% of women had received ANC in the first trimester, and 59% had four or more visits. Higher education levels, better wealth status, health insurance coverage, and small household size are associated with adequate ANC service utilization. Conversely, a significant distance from health facilities and unwanted pregnancies were associated with lower odds of adequate ANC utilization. Delayed ANC was more likely among women with higher parity, those who lacked social support, and those with no or only primary education.

CONCLUSION: Rwanda has made considerable strides in improving ANC services. Addressing barriers such as distance to healthcare facilities, education, and economic disparities is crucial for enhancing maternal and child health outcomes. This review underscores the need for targeted interventions to achieve the World Health Organization recommendations of 8 antenatal care visits and sustainable development goals related to maternal and child health in Rwanda.

PMID:39709445 | DOI:10.1186/s12913-024-12038-0

J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2024 Dec 21;20(1):107. doi: 10.1186/s13002-024-00748-y.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Ethiopia is recognized as a significant center of origin for a wide variety of plant species, particularly those with medicinal properties. A substantial segment of the population across the nation depends on these therapeutic plants for their primary healthcare needs. Many communities, both rural and urban, engage in traditional medicine practices, passing down their knowledge orally from one generation to the next. Consequently, this study was undertaken to record the traditional medicinal plants and the related indigenous knowledge in the Yeki district of Southwest Ethiopia.

METHODS: Between March 2024 and August 2024, semi-structured interviews, in-person meetings, group discussions, and escorted field trips were used to gather quantitative ethnobotanical data. A total of 132 informants 100 men and 32 women were interviewed in order to gather ethnobotanical data. The informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL), plant part value, preference ranking, and direct matrix ranking were among the quantitative techniques that were employed. Furthermore, the study used a variety of statistical tests, such as independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, correlation, and regression with R software version 4.3.2, to compare the ethnobotanical knowledge of various informant groups.

RESULT: A total of 98 species of traditional medicinal plants from 81 genera and 45 plant families were identified in the current study. The Asteraceae (11 species) were the largest family used by local peoples, followed by Solanaceae (8 species). The most commonly used plant parts were leaves and roots, and the primary technique for making remedies was crushing. The respiratory systems disease categories had the second highest consensus score (ICF: 0.90), after the dermal disease category (ICF: 0.91). The number of medicinal plants reported by respondents across gender, age groups, educational level, and informant’s type varied significantly (P < 0.05). Various medicinal species can be found in the area’s vegetation, but they are threatened by deforestation, agricultural extension, firewood, modernization, IAS, charcoal production, and material culture.

CONCLUSION: The results highlight the extensive variety of medicinal plants and the accompanying traditional knowledge present in the Guraferda district. The elevated ethnobotanical indices justify the need for additional phytochemical and pharmacological research. It is advisable to implement integrated conservation strategies to tackle the challenges confronting these precious plant resources.

PMID:39709441 | DOI:10.1186/s13002-024-00748-y