Nevin Manimala

Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2025 Feb 27;18:667-678. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S508434. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Nomophobia, the fear of being without a mobile phone, is increasingly prevalent among university students, impacting their psychological well-being and academic performance. This study assesses the level of knowledge and the psychological, academic, and social outcomes associated with nomophobia among students at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed, involving 350 undergraduate students recruited via convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire adapted from the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q). Statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression, were conducted using IBM SPSS.

RESULTS: The majority of participants (51.4%) exhibited moderate knowledge of nomophobia. Higher nomophobia scores were significantly associated with lower academic performance (r = -0.35, p < 0.001) and greater psychological distress, including anxiety (mean score = 5.2) and panic when phone battery was low (mean score = 4.8). Regression analysis identified gender (β = 0.28, p = 0.001) and smartphone ownership (β = 0.20, p = 0.003) as predictors of nomophobia.

DISCUSSION: The findings highlight nomophobia’s negative impact on students’ academic and psychological well-being, emphasizing the need for educational interventions to promote healthier smartphone usage. Addressing nomophobia through targeted strategies could improve academic outcomes and overall student wellness.

PMID:40035054 | PMC:PMC11874954 | DOI:10.2147/RMHP.S508434

Inj Epidemiol. 2025 Mar 3;12(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s40621-025-00566-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Following the Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, which ruled a New York concealed-carry permitting requirement unconstitutional, laws restricting the public carrying of firearms in “sensitive places,” like college campuses, have received increasing attention. However, there is little evidence for whether permissive campus carry policies increase firearm violence or, via deterrence, reduce general crime on campus. We estimated the effect of implementing state laws allowing the carry of firearms on public college and university campuses on rates of violent crime and burglary.

METHODS: Arkansas, Georgia, and Texas, containing 106 public institutions, implemented permissive campus carry laws in 2017, 2017, and 2016, respectively. Control institutions were all those in states that did not allow the carry of firearms on college campuses for the entire study period (2006-2019) (n = 324 institutions, 21 states). The rates of major violence and burglary per 1,000 enrolled students was obtained from the Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security Statistics website. We use two-way fixed effects difference-in-differences models to estimate state-specific effects and a modified difference-in-differences approach that accounts for variation in treatment timing to generate an overall estimate.

RESULTS: Differences in rates of major violence and burglary were not statistically distinguishable from zero in our main models and sensitivity analyses. The overall estimated difference in the rate of major violence following policy implementation was – 0.01 (- 0.113, 0.093). For burglary, we estimated a difference of – 0.02 (- 0.147, 0.106). Violence rates trended upward in treated states in the last exposure period, but differences were not consistently distinguished from the null.

CONCLUSIONS: This study does not find significant changes in crime rates following state implementation of permissive campus carrying laws. Decision-makers might therefore consider other factors such as the opinions of students, faculty, and staff regarding campus carry policies and feelings of safety, potential impacts on instructional quality and student engagement, and potential impacts on accidental or self-directed harm.

PMID:40033453 | DOI:10.1186/s40621-025-00566-0

Inj Epidemiol. 2025 Mar 3;12(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s40621-025-00566-0.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Following the Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, which ruled a New York concealed-carry permitting requirement unconstitutional, laws restricting the public carrying of firearms in “sensitive places,” like college campuses, have received increasing attention. However, there is little evidence for whether permissive campus carry policies increase firearm violence or, via deterrence, reduce general crime on campus. We estimated the effect of implementing state laws allowing the carry of firearms on public college and university campuses on rates of violent crime and burglary.

METHODS: Arkansas, Georgia, and Texas, containing 106 public institutions, implemented permissive campus carry laws in 2017, 2017, and 2016, respectively. Control institutions were all those in states that did not allow the carry of firearms on college campuses for the entire study period (2006-2019) (n = 324 institutions, 21 states). The rates of major violence and burglary per 1,000 enrolled students was obtained from the Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security Statistics website. We use two-way fixed effects difference-in-differences models to estimate state-specific effects and a modified difference-in-differences approach that accounts for variation in treatment timing to generate an overall estimate.

RESULTS: Differences in rates of major violence and burglary were not statistically distinguishable from zero in our main models and sensitivity analyses. The overall estimated difference in the rate of major violence following policy implementation was – 0.01 (- 0.113, 0.093). For burglary, we estimated a difference of – 0.02 (- 0.147, 0.106). Violence rates trended upward in treated states in the last exposure period, but differences were not consistently distinguished from the null.

CONCLUSIONS: This study does not find significant changes in crime rates following state implementation of permissive campus carrying laws. Decision-makers might therefore consider other factors such as the opinions of students, faculty, and staff regarding campus carry policies and feelings of safety, potential impacts on instructional quality and student engagement, and potential impacts on accidental or self-directed harm.

PMID:40033453 | DOI:10.1186/s40621-025-00566-0

Diagn Progn Res. 2025 Mar 4;9(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s41512-025-00185-9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: As populations are aging, the number of older patients with multiple chronic diseases demanding complex care increases. Although clinical guidelines recommend care to be personalized accounting for life expectancy, there are no tools to estimate life expectancy among multimorbid patients. Our objective was therefore to develop and internally validate a life expectancy estimator specifically for older multimorbid adults.

METHODS: We analyzed data from the OPERAM (OPtimising thERapy to prevent avoidable hospital admissions in multimorbid older people) study in Bern, Switzerland. Participants aged 70 years old or more with multimorbidity (3 or more chronic medical conditions) and polypharmacy (use of 5 drugs or more for > 30 days) were included. All-cause mortality was assessed during 3 years of follow-up. We built a 3-year mortality prognostic index and transformed this index into a life expectancy estimator. Mortality risk candidate predictors included demographic variables (age, sex), clinical characteristics (metastatic cancer, number of drugs, body mass index, weight loss), smoking, functional status variables (Barthel-Index, falls, nursing home residence), and hospitalization. We internally validated and optimism corrected the model using bootstrapping techniques. We transformed the mortality prognostic index into a life expectancy estimator using the Gompertz survival function.

RESULTS: Eight hundred five participants were included in the analysis. During 3 years of follow-up, 292 participants (36%) died. Age, metastatic cancer, number of drugs, lower body mass index, weight loss, number of hospitalizations, and lower Barthel-Index (functional impairment) were selected as predictors in the final multivariable model. Our model showed moderate discrimination with an optimism-corrected C statistic of 0.70. The optimism-corrected calibration slope was 0.96. The Gompertz-predicted mean life expectancy in our sample was 5.4 years (standard deviation 3.5 years). Categorization into three life expectancy groups led to visually good separation in Kaplan-Meier curves. We also developed a web application that calculates an individual’s life expectancy estimation.

CONCLUSION: A life expectancy estimator for multimorbid older adults based on an internally validated 3-year mortality risk index was developed. Further validation of the score among various populations of multimorbid patients is needed before its implementation into practice.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02986425. First submitted 21/10/2016. First posted 08/12/2016.

PMID:40033449 | DOI:10.1186/s41512-025-00185-9

Diagn Progn Res. 2025 Mar 4;9(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s41512-025-00185-9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: As populations are aging, the number of older patients with multiple chronic diseases demanding complex care increases. Although clinical guidelines recommend care to be personalized accounting for life expectancy, there are no tools to estimate life expectancy among multimorbid patients. Our objective was therefore to develop and internally validate a life expectancy estimator specifically for older multimorbid adults.

METHODS: We analyzed data from the OPERAM (OPtimising thERapy to prevent avoidable hospital admissions in multimorbid older people) study in Bern, Switzerland. Participants aged 70 years old or more with multimorbidity (3 or more chronic medical conditions) and polypharmacy (use of 5 drugs or more for > 30 days) were included. All-cause mortality was assessed during 3 years of follow-up. We built a 3-year mortality prognostic index and transformed this index into a life expectancy estimator. Mortality risk candidate predictors included demographic variables (age, sex), clinical characteristics (metastatic cancer, number of drugs, body mass index, weight loss), smoking, functional status variables (Barthel-Index, falls, nursing home residence), and hospitalization. We internally validated and optimism corrected the model using bootstrapping techniques. We transformed the mortality prognostic index into a life expectancy estimator using the Gompertz survival function.

RESULTS: Eight hundred five participants were included in the analysis. During 3 years of follow-up, 292 participants (36%) died. Age, metastatic cancer, number of drugs, lower body mass index, weight loss, number of hospitalizations, and lower Barthel-Index (functional impairment) were selected as predictors in the final multivariable model. Our model showed moderate discrimination with an optimism-corrected C statistic of 0.70. The optimism-corrected calibration slope was 0.96. The Gompertz-predicted mean life expectancy in our sample was 5.4 years (standard deviation 3.5 years). Categorization into three life expectancy groups led to visually good separation in Kaplan-Meier curves. We also developed a web application that calculates an individual’s life expectancy estimation.

CONCLUSION: A life expectancy estimator for multimorbid older adults based on an internally validated 3-year mortality risk index was developed. Further validation of the score among various populations of multimorbid patients is needed before its implementation into practice.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02986425. First submitted 21/10/2016. First posted 08/12/2016.

PMID:40033449 | DOI:10.1186/s41512-025-00185-9

Infect Agent Cancer. 2025 Mar 3;20(1):13. doi: 10.1186/s13027-025-00636-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a major contributor to sexually transmitted infections, especially common in sexually active populations. Although the majority of HPV infections resolve naturally, certain cases can develop into different types of cancer. This study focused on evaluating the prevalence and distribution of HPV genotypes across males and females of different age groups who visited a laboratory in Urmia, Iran.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples from the genital area were obtained from participants in the study. DNA extraction was performed using the Favorgen extraction kit (Favorgen, Taiwan), followed by genotyping through Real-Time PCR. Genotypes were determined using the MehrViru HPV genotyping kit (MehrViru, Iran). Additionally, demographic details, including age, were analyzed in conjunction with the statistical virological data.

RESULTS: Between 2022 and 2023, a total of 447 individuals, including both referred and routine visitors, attended the laboratory, comprising 431 females and 16 males. Of these, 195 tested positive for HPV, resulting in an overall prevalence rate of 43.6%. Among the positive cases, 90 individuals (46.2%) were infected with a single HPV genotype, while 105 cases (53.8%) had multiple genotype infections. The most common genotypes identified were HPV-6 (41.0%), HPV-16 (15.4%), HPV-56 (10.8%), and HPV-90 (10.8%). The least genotype identified was HPV-43, which was detected in 5 cases (2.6%). Additionally, our analysis revealed that women under 30 who tested positive were predominantly infected with the LR genotype, a pattern also seen in the four men in the same age group, all of whom were infected with the LR genotype.

CONCLUSION: Our findings underscore the significant presence of HPV among both females and males visiting the laboratory in Urmia, particularly in individuals under 30 years old. The identification of HPV-6 and HPV-16 as the most prevalent genotypes highlights the importance of age-specific intervention strategies. Although vaccination programs cover HPV-6 and HPV-16, HPV-56 is not included, which underscores the need for comprehensive screening and preventive measures to address the potential long-term impacts of HPV-related diseases.

PMID:40033426 | DOI:10.1186/s13027-025-00636-4

Infect Agent Cancer. 2025 Mar 3;20(1):13. doi: 10.1186/s13027-025-00636-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a major contributor to sexually transmitted infections, especially common in sexually active populations. Although the majority of HPV infections resolve naturally, certain cases can develop into different types of cancer. This study focused on evaluating the prevalence and distribution of HPV genotypes across males and females of different age groups who visited a laboratory in Urmia, Iran.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples from the genital area were obtained from participants in the study. DNA extraction was performed using the Favorgen extraction kit (Favorgen, Taiwan), followed by genotyping through Real-Time PCR. Genotypes were determined using the MehrViru HPV genotyping kit (MehrViru, Iran). Additionally, demographic details, including age, were analyzed in conjunction with the statistical virological data.

RESULTS: Between 2022 and 2023, a total of 447 individuals, including both referred and routine visitors, attended the laboratory, comprising 431 females and 16 males. Of these, 195 tested positive for HPV, resulting in an overall prevalence rate of 43.6%. Among the positive cases, 90 individuals (46.2%) were infected with a single HPV genotype, while 105 cases (53.8%) had multiple genotype infections. The most common genotypes identified were HPV-6 (41.0%), HPV-16 (15.4%), HPV-56 (10.8%), and HPV-90 (10.8%). The least genotype identified was HPV-43, which was detected in 5 cases (2.6%). Additionally, our analysis revealed that women under 30 who tested positive were predominantly infected with the LR genotype, a pattern also seen in the four men in the same age group, all of whom were infected with the LR genotype.

CONCLUSION: Our findings underscore the significant presence of HPV among both females and males visiting the laboratory in Urmia, particularly in individuals under 30 years old. The identification of HPV-6 and HPV-16 as the most prevalent genotypes highlights the importance of age-specific intervention strategies. Although vaccination programs cover HPV-6 and HPV-16, HPV-56 is not included, which underscores the need for comprehensive screening and preventive measures to address the potential long-term impacts of HPV-related diseases.

PMID:40033426 | DOI:10.1186/s13027-025-00636-4

BMC Psychol. 2025 Mar 3;13(1):185. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02460-2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although much is known about the positive effects of occupational calling on the career development of college students, relatively little is known about the antecedents of their occupational calling. The present aimed to examine how career success criteria predict college students’ occupational calling.

METHODS: This multi-wave study was conducted on 1366 undergraduates. Participants were selected using the convenience sampling technique. The data collection tools included a demographic information form, Career Success Criteria Scale, Spiritual Transcendence Scale, Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale, and Chinese Calling Scale, all of which were completed online. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS software and path analysis in Mplus software.

RESULTS: Intrinsic fulfillment criteria were positively related to occupational calling (b = 0.21, SE = 0.03, p < 0.001), whereas external compensation criteria were not related to occupational calling (b = -0.04, SE = 0.02, p = 0.08). The positive relationship between intrinsic fulfillment criteria and occupational calling was mediated by spiritual transcendence (b = 0.05, SE = 0.02, 95% CI = [0.02, 0.08]) and psychological needs satisfaction (b = 0.05, SE = 0.01, 95% CI = [0.03, 0.07]).

CONCLUSION: Career success criteria of intrinsic fulfillment criteria have positive effects on college students’ occupational calling. Based on the findings of this study, educators and counselors may leverage these findings to help college students foster their occupational calling that leads to true meaningfulness in work.

PMID:40033420 | DOI:10.1186/s40359-025-02460-2

BMC Psychol. 2025 Mar 3;13(1):185. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02460-2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although much is known about the positive effects of occupational calling on the career development of college students, relatively little is known about the antecedents of their occupational calling. The present aimed to examine how career success criteria predict college students’ occupational calling.

METHODS: This multi-wave study was conducted on 1366 undergraduates. Participants were selected using the convenience sampling technique. The data collection tools included a demographic information form, Career Success Criteria Scale, Spiritual Transcendence Scale, Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale, and Chinese Calling Scale, all of which were completed online. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS software and path analysis in Mplus software.

RESULTS: Intrinsic fulfillment criteria were positively related to occupational calling (b = 0.21, SE = 0.03, p < 0.001), whereas external compensation criteria were not related to occupational calling (b = -0.04, SE = 0.02, p = 0.08). The positive relationship between intrinsic fulfillment criteria and occupational calling was mediated by spiritual transcendence (b = 0.05, SE = 0.02, 95% CI = [0.02, 0.08]) and psychological needs satisfaction (b = 0.05, SE = 0.01, 95% CI = [0.03, 0.07]).

CONCLUSION: Career success criteria of intrinsic fulfillment criteria have positive effects on college students’ occupational calling. Based on the findings of this study, educators and counselors may leverage these findings to help college students foster their occupational calling that leads to true meaningfulness in work.

PMID:40033420 | DOI:10.1186/s40359-025-02460-2

Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2025 Mar 3;24(1):11. doi: 10.1186/s12991-025-00551-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) experience constipation at significantly higher rates compared with the general population. This relationship suggests a potential genetic overlap between these two conditions.

METHODS: We analyzed genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for both SCZ and constipation using a five-part approach. The first and second parts assessed the overall and local genetic correlations using methods such as linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) and heritability estimation from summary statistics (HESS). The third part investigated the causal association between the two traits using Mendelian randomization (MR). The fourth part employed conditional/conjunctional false discovery rate (cond/conjFDR) to analyze the genetic overlap with different traits based on the statistical theory. Finally, an LDSC-specifically expressed gene (LDSC-SEG) analysis was conducted to explore the tissue-level associations.

RESULTS: Our analyses revealed both overall and specific genetic correlations between SCZ and constipation at the genomic level. The MR analysis suggests a positive causal relationship between SCZ and constipation. The ConjFDR analysis confirms the genetic overlap between the two conditions and identifies two genetic risk loci (rs7583622 and rs842766) and seven mapped genes (GPR75-ASB3, ASB3, CHAC2, ERLEC1, GPR75, PSME4, and ACYP2). Further investigation into the functions of these genes could provide valuable insights. Interestingly, disease-related tissue analysis revealed associations between SCZ and constipation in eight brain regions (substantia nigra, anterior cingulate cortex, hypothalamus, cortex, hippocampus, cortex, amygdala, and spinal cord).

CONCLUSION: This study provides the first genetic evidence for the comorbidity of SCZ and constipation, enhancing our understanding of the pathophysiology of both conditions.

PMID:40033405 | DOI:10.1186/s12991-025-00551-3