Category: Nevin Manimala

J Curr Ophthalmol. 2025 Jun 5;36(3):258-266. doi: 10.4103/joco.joco_79_24. eCollection 2024 Jul-Sep.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To determine the distribution of corneal higher-order aberrations (HOAs) measured by pentacam HR in a rural Iranian population and their relationship with age, sex, and refractive errors.

METHODS: In this study, sampling was performed from villages in the north and southwest of Iran using the multistage stratified random cluster sampling method. The ocular examination included measurement of uncorrected and best-corrected visual acuity, refraction, and slit-lamp biomicroscopy. Finally, all study participants underwent corneal imaging using Pentacam HR.

RESULTS: The mean root-mean-square (RMS) (±standard error) of total HOA in the anterior and posterior corneal surfaces was 0.498 ± 0.004 μm and 0.212 ± 0.001 μm, respectively. The mean RMS of anterior and posterior spherical aberration was 0.270 ± 0.002 μm and -0.134 ± 0.001 μm, respectively. The mean RMS of anterior horizontal and vertical coma was -0.084 ± 0.003 μm and 0.029 ± 0.004 μm, respectively. The mean RMS of posterior horizontal and vertical coma was 0.011 ± 0.001 μm and -0.011 ± 0.001 μm, respectively. The anterior HOAs were significantly different between age, sex, and refractive groups (all P < 0.05). The total anterior HOA had a statistically significant relationship with the male sex, older age, higher mean keratometry (K), and hyperopia. The anterior spherical aberration was significantly directly related to age, mean K, and hyperopia and inversely related to myopia.

CONCLUSIONS: The amounts of HOAs in the present study were different from previous studies, and these residence place differences (urban/rural) in the HOAs should be taken into account when designing refractive surgery nomograms and therapeutic and diagnostic considerations in each population. Moreover, the corneal HOAs, especially on the anterior surface, increased significantly with aging.

PMID:40557405 | PMC:PMC12184854 | DOI:10.4103/joco.joco_79_24

J Curr Ophthalmol. 2025 Jun 5;36(3):272-278. doi: 10.4103/joco.joco_152_24. eCollection 2024 Jul-Sep.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the agreement between topographical and tomographic measurements of the cornea with three methods of Placido-disc, Scheimpflug, and optical coherence tomography in normal eyes with myopic refractive error candidate for keratorefractive surgery.

METHODS: Subjects within the age range of 18-55 years old candidates for keratorefractive surgery with no history of systemic disorder, eye diseases except refractive errors, and ocular surgery were enrolled in the study. The intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman diagrams evaluated the agreement between different devices.

RESULTS: In this study, 97 subjects, including 35 men and 62 women, participated. There was a statistically significant agreement between the three corneal imaging devices’ keratometry measures. Bland-Altman plots show a mean difference of 0.5 diopter (D) for mean anterior keratometry, and 95% limits of agreement reached the value ± 1.00 D for mean anterior astigmatism. Evaluation of the elevation maps showed that the central and maximum elevation of the cornea’s anterior and posterior surfaces with Pentacam and Optopol have poor agreement.

CONCLUSION: Despite an excellent statistical agreement, the differences in the anterior keratometry values may not be clinically acceptable.

PMID:40557401 | PMC:PMC12184861 | DOI:10.4103/joco.joco_152_24

Front Psychol. 2025 Jun 10;16:1569486. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1569486. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: An optimal work environment is essential for the effective performance of healthcare workers, particularly nurse managers, in order to achieve high-quality services. The current study aims to assess and compare nurse managers’ perceptions of the adequacy of support within their work environment and availability of resources in four main hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Through a cross-sectional study design, 260 nurse managers from four main general hospitals in Jeddah and Riyadh were selected using convenience sampling and invited to participate in the study. Their perception of the work environment was assessed using the Quality Work Environment Study (QWEST) questionnaire, which has been proven valid and reliable. Data were stored and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, Version 26) software. In addition to descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests and ANOVA were used to test the significance of the differences between subgroups. Statistical significance was set at a P value of < 0.05.

RESULTS: The perception of nurse managers toward items reflecting work environment ranged from moderate (mean = 3.72, SD = 0.678) regarding support from supervisors regarding acting on values, even if it was at personal cost, to too high to support teamwork to achieve goals and outcomes (mean = 4.13, SD = 0.621). There was no statistically significant difference in the perceived work environment in the studied hospitals. Non-Saudis had a higher positive perception of the work environment (mean = 4.0, SD = 0.52) than Saudis (mean = 3.8, SD = 0.50), P = 0.006. They also showed moderate perceptions of the availability of resources and logistics, with no statistically significant differences between hospitals except for the availability of clerical support staff.

CONCLUSION: Nurse managers generally perceive a moderate-to-high level of empowerment and support, indicating a positive environment across general hospitals. Non-Saudi nurse managers viewed their work environments more positively than Saudi nurse managers did. Although all hospitals had uniform resources, there was variance in clerical support between them. Hospitals should empower clerical staffing levels and adjust them to reduce administrative burdens to enable nurse managers to focus more on clinical leadership and patient care.

PMID:40557370 | PMC:PMC12186654 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1569486

Front Psychol. 2025 Jun 10;16:1444333. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1444333. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of a positive behavior skills development program on adolescents who participate in basketball sports schools.

METHODS: Sixty-two adolescent athletes (Mage 15.83 ± 0.37) took part in this educational experiment. Participants were randomly selected from 2 basketball sports schools chosen from a list of basketball sports schools and divided into experimental (n = 30) and control (n = 32) groups. The experimental group participants were subjected to the effect of the positive behavior skills development program, which aimed to develop positive behavior skills among adolescents participating in basketball sports schools, including taking responsibility, positive self-evaluation, prosocial behavior with teammates, prosocial behavior with opponents, taking social responsibility, cooperation, assertiveness, empathy, self-control, ability to evaluate and convey emotions, ability to utilize one’s positive emotional experience, ability to comprehend and analyze emotions, and ability to control emotions. Positive behavior skills development activities were conducted by one of the researchers together with the sports school coaches. At the beginning and end of the educational experiment, participants from both the experimental and control groups completed the following questionnaires: Personal and Social Responsibility Questionnaire, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, The Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Sport Scale, Social Skills Rating System-Secondary Student form, and Schutte Self-Report Inventory.

RESULTS: The positive behavior skills development activities implemented during the educational experiment had a positive and statistically significant impact on the positive behavior skills of the experimental group adolescents.

DISCUSSION: The findings of the present study could be useful for educational programs developers who may consider integrating elements of this educational program into wider education systems.

PMID:40557363 | PMC:PMC12185424 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1444333

J Food Sci. 2025 Jun;90(6):e70348. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.70348.

ABSTRACT

Fruit drying in the modern food industry requires easily operable, energy-saving, inexpensive, and efficient drying technologies. Furthermore, these technologies are critical for snacks that meet the various dietary sensitivities and requirements of consumers and provide a benefit to overall well-being. In this context, the aim was addressed to produce snacks of apple infused with probiotic microorganism Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. Fresh osmotically dehydrated apple cubes with ultrasound were dried by convectional and microwave-convectional technologies in line with an experimental plan with varying power and temperature levels. The impacts of the treatments on the color and texture quality attributes of the dried apple cubes and the survival of probiotic bacteria were investigated. The Pearson and principal correlation analysis between color and texture parameters showed that hardness (HA) and color changes were proportional to each other. Alongside the microwave-assisted hot air drying, notable alterations were detected particularly in the products’ gumminess, chewiness, HA properties, and redness and yellowness values. In regard to statistical analysis of six mathematical equations used to model the kinetic data, the Midilli and others model offered the best fit for the drying operations. Feed-forward neural network approach was employed to describe the association between drying process inputs and outputs, and it consistently showed its predictive capacity with a high R² value of 0.96008. For the commercial production of the highest probiotic-grade dried apple cubes with quality characteristics, 90 W microwave energy at 50°C may serve as a successful drying operation.

PMID:40556050 | DOI:10.1111/1750-3841.70348

Environ Technol. 2025 Jun 24:1-22. doi: 10.1080/09593330.2025.2519960. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The support media of upflow anaerobic hybrid reactors (UAHB) facilitates the formation and retention of microbial biofilm and the contact between the influent and microorganisms. Previous studies demonstrated the importance of support media height (SMH) to organic matter removal; however, the influence of this parameter in the UAHB reactor performance under varying conditions is still a gap. The Central Composite Design (CCD) method was applied to optimize the removal of organic matter by varying the cross-sectional area and height of the reactor based on 42 studies. The modelling indicated 72-87% COD removal efficiencies with 0.007 m² cross-sectional area and 0.75 m height, with 5.5 L total volume. Thus, three pilot-scale UAHB reactors, filled with Corrugated Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) rings at different heights (6, 15, and 24 cm), were operated with a hydraulic retention time of 10 h, treating synthetic effluent with a COD of 490 mgO₂ L^-1. Unlike previous studies, this study evaluated identical UAHBs operating in parallel under controlled conditions. The UAHB reactors presented stability, buffering capacity, and neutral pH during the operation. The reactor with higher SMH (24 cm) achieved higher removal efficiencies of turbidity (90%), COD (72.6%), and TS (63%). Variations in SMH affected reactor performance, as corroborated by the negative and ‘very strong’ correlation for turbidity, COD, and TS and a ‘moderate’ correlation for fixed and volatile solids. The novelty of this study lies in its comprehensive assessment of how varying SMH affects UAHB reactor performance, guiding future advancements in its design for efficient wastewater treatment.

PMID:40556044 | DOI:10.1080/09593330.2025.2519960

Ren Fail. 2025 Dec;47(1):2522969. doi: 10.1080/0886022X.2025.2522969. Epub 2025 Jun 24.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Improving the adherence to phosphate management is crucial for reducing the incidence of mortality and complications and improving quality of life for patients undergoing hemodialysis. This study aimed to investigate the factors related to the phosphate control behavior and explore how the Health Belief Model constructs mediating the influence of phosphate-related knowledge on behavior in hemodialysis patients.

METHODS: It was a multicenter cross-sectional study; 333 patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis were recruited from 3 hemodialysis units of Peking University Third Hospital. Questionnaires were used to examine the phosphate management-related knowledge, health belief and behavior. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to identify independent factors associated with phosphate control behavior. Parallel mediation model was used to test perceived threat, benefit, barrier, self-efficacy as potential mediators between phosphate knowledge and behavior.

RESULTS: The adherence of phosphate restriction diet got the lowest score (3.56 ± 0.88). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that health belief explained 17.0% of the variance in phosphate control behavior. Parallel mediation analysis showed that the direct effect of knowledge on behavior was statistically significant (β = 0.19, SE= 0.05). Perceived threat (β = 0.07, p < 0.001) and self-efficacy (β = 0.08, p < 0.001) acted as independent mediators in the relationship between knowledge and behavior. Perceived barrier which did not influenced by knowledge had independent effects on behavior.

CONCLUSION: Perceived threat and self-efficacy mediated the effect of knowledge on phosphate control behavior, while perceived barrier influenced the behavior independently. HBM might be effective at developing phosphate control behavior change interventions.

PMID:40556041 | DOI:10.1080/0886022X.2025.2522969

Eur Psychiatry. 2025 Jun 25;68(1):e82. doi: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2025.10050.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Psychotic disorders are frequently preceded by depressive disorders, and it has been hypothesized that treatment of depression in youth may reduce risk for later psychosis. Using quasi-experimental methods, we estimated the causal relationship between the treatment of adolescent depression with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and the risk of later psychosis.

METHODS: We used data linkage from multiple national Finnish registries for all individuals (n = 697,289) born between 1987 and 1997 to identify depression diagnosed before age 18, cumulative SSRI treatment within three years of diagnosis, and diagnoses of non-affective psychotic disorders by end of follow-up (age 20-29). We used instrumental variable analyses, exploiting variability in prescribing across hospital districts to estimate causal effects. Analyses were conducted using two-stage least squares modelling. Sensitivity analyses examined effects stratified by confounders and effects of specific SSRIs.

RESULTS: Our final sample included 22,666 individuals diagnosed with depression in adolescence, of whom 60.2% (n = 13,650) had used SSRIs. 10.7% of adolescents with depression went on to be diagnosed with a non-affective psychotic disorder. SSRI treatment for adolescent depression was not associated with a reduced risk of developing a psychotic disorder (one-year β = 0.04,CI:-0.01 to 0.09; two-years β = 0.02,CI:-0.06 to 0.09; three-years β = -0.02,CI:-0.08 to 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Our quasi-experimental investigation does not support the hypothesis that treatment of adolescent depression reduces the subsequent risk of psychosis. Our findings question the assumption that treatment of common mental health disorders in youth may impact the risk of developing severe mental illnesses in adulthood.

PMID:40556014 | DOI:10.1192/j.eurpsy.2025.10050

Confl Health. 2025 Jun 24;19(1):36. doi: 10.1186/s13031-025-00679-9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The war in the Gaza Strip has put immense strain on the infrastructure and health services. As a consequence, the population faces increased risks of morbidity and mortality, not only from violence but also from lack of access to healthcare. This study examines how the war affected Palestinians with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Strip.

METHODS: This cross-sectional survey employed a structured questionnaire to recruit 968 patients with six common NCDs from seven leading PHC clinics located in northern and southern Gaza between October and November 2024. The survey collected sociodemographic data, assessed direct war impacts on participants, evaluated accessibility to PHC and medications, and examined health impacts on participants during the war. Following descriptive statistics, inferential analysis investigated the relationships between participants’ perceptions of PHC and their areas of residence or displacement.

RESULTS: Hypertension (64.9%), type II diabetes mellitus (44.4%), and cardiovascular disease (17.1%) were the most frequently reported NCDs. 98.0% of participants were displaced during the war, and 68.1% were still displaced. 29.9% had lost a first-degree relative, and the majority suffered inaccessibility to adequate food and drinking water, lost property and income, and suffered adverse impacts on their sleep and physical exercise habits. 92.8% rated their pre-war quality of life (QoL) as excellent or good, while 81.3% rated their QoL during the war as poor. Adherence to regular follow-ups decreased from 96.7% before the war to 40.7% during the war (p < 0.001). Satisfaction with PHC dropped from 92.9% to 57.33% (p = 0.002). In terms of access to PHC, more than 93% changed their PHC doctor or clinic, and most stated that reaching the clinic was dangerous and necessitated long journeys. Medication unavailability or high cost were the most frequently reported reasons for non-compliance during the war, reported by 42.7% and 18.1%, respectively. Nearly one in five participants spent two or more consecutive months without medication. Participants from the southern enclave were significantly less satisfied with PHC and medications (p = 0.001), and their subjective QoL was significantly worse (p = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS: The study offers important insights into the impacts of high-intensity armed conflicts on people with NCDs. The war in the Gaza Strip has profoundly impacted patients with NCDs and hampered their access to healthcare, leaving the population at risk for higher morbidity and excess mortality rates now and well into the future.

PMID:40556013 | DOI:10.1186/s13031-025-00679-9

Eur J Med Res. 2025 Jun 24;30(1):523. doi: 10.1186/s40001-025-02792-0.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This article aimed to investigate the virulence gene profile of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) clinical isolates and explore potential correlations between virulence genes and antimicrobial resistance.

METHODS: Fifty-six H. pylori strains isolated from gastric biopsy specimens were confirmed through biochemical identification (rapid urease test, oxidase test, and urease biochemical reaction). Virulence genes were detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing against amoxicillin, clarithromycin, levofloxacin, tetracycline, rifampicin, and methicillin was performed via Etest for 41 selected isolates from the original cohort.

RESULTS: Among Tianjin isolates, oipA and luxS gene demonstrated the highest detection rates (96.43% each). The vacA exhibited vacAs1 (89.29%) and vacAm2 (91.07%) as predominant allelic variants. In contrast, babA2 showed the lowest positivity rate (7.14%), followed by cagA (14.29%). Co-occurrence analysis revealed vacAs1 and luxS gene co-expression in 48 isolates (85.71%), with 96.43% of gastritis patients showing concurrent oipA and luxS gene positivity. Etest results demonstrated no statistically significant association between virulence gene profiles and antibiotic resistance (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: In this study provides valuable data and insights into the virulence genes and antibiotic resistance of Helicobacter pylori strains isolated from Tianjin, China, to identify potential virulence gene-related biomarkers.

PMID:40555996 | DOI:10.1186/s40001-025-02792-0