Nevin Manimala

J Strength Cond Res. 2024 Dec 1;38(12):2022-2028. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004927. Epub 2024 Sep 17.

ABSTRACT

Garner, C, Nachtegall, A, Roth, E, Sterenberg, A, Kim, D, Michael, T, and Lee, S. Effects of movement sonification auditory feedback on repetitions and brain activity during the bench press. J Strength Cond Res 38(12): 2022-2028, 2024-Auditory stimulation and feedback have been found to enhance aspects of motor performance such as motor learning, sense of agency, and movement execution. While music is the most common form of auditory stimulation during exercise, movement sonification (MoSo) may better facilitate motor performance through its use of music elements representing dynamic movements. Despite evidence of MoSo’s benefits to motor performance, little is known about MoSo’s influence on resistance exercise. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of MoSo auditory feedback on repetitions and brain activity during bench press. Twenty men performed bench press to failure in 3 sound conditions (no-sound, self-selected music, and MoSo). Repetition maximum (RM) was measured, and brain activity was analyzed using beta power spectral density (PSD) and frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA). A 1-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to compare data across sound conditions. To gain a deeper understanding of brain activity during bench press, a 2-way repeated measures ANOVA was performed to investigate changes in beta PSD and FAA over time using sound and timepoint as independent variables. A 1-way ANOVA showed that FAA in MoSo was significantly higher than in music and no-sound; however, no statistically significant differences were observed in RM and beta PSD between conditions. A 2-way ANOVA revealed that beta PSD and FAA increased significantly as bench press repetitions approached failure. Our study suggests that MoSo auditory feedback may not improve bench press repetitions, but it may increase brain activity during bench press better than listening to music.

PMID:39808805 | DOI:10.1519/JSC.0000000000004927

J Neurosci Nurs. 2025 Jan 13. doi: 10.1097/JNN.0000000000000814. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Patients with brain tumors continue to exhibit a lower quality of life than the general population, even after an extended period after surgery. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the postoperative quality of life of patients with brain tumors in South Korea and explore its determinants. METHODS: This study used a descriptive correlational design and collected data using questionnaires and electronic medical records. The collected data included the participants’ characteristics, anxiety and depression levels, uncertainty, social support, and quality of life. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 29.0, with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 117 subjects, 84 (71.8%) had benign tumors, and 33 (28.2%) had malignant tumors, with an average postoperative duration of 42.7 (51.0) months. Thirty-four participants (29%) reported experiencing depression, whereas the average uncertainty score was 91.8 (12.0) points. The average quality-of-life score was 67.52 (20.31) points, indicating a lower quality of life compared with the general population. Lower average monthly income (β = 0.174, P = .044), higher depression levels (β = -0.413, P < .001), and greater uncertainty (β = -0.230, P = .025) were associated with reduced quality of life. In terms of social support, family support was linked to quality of life but did not have a significant influence (P = .780), whereas healthcare provider support significantly affected quality of life (P = .015). CONCLUSION: This study highlights the persistent decline in the postoperative quality of life of patients with brain tumors due to depression and uncertainty, emphasizing the need for healthcare provider support. Clarifying these challenges, it may serve as a basis for developing nursing interventions to enhance survivors’ long-term quality of life.

PMID:39808787 | DOI:10.1097/JNN.0000000000000814

J Med Internet Res. 2025 Jan 14;27:e60413. doi: 10.2196/60413.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: With increasing adoption of remote clinical trials in digital mental health, identifying cost-effective and time-efficient recruitment methodologies is crucial for the success of such trials. Evidence on whether web-based recruitment methods are more effective than traditional methods such as newspapers, media, or flyers is inconsistent. Here we present insights from our experience recruiting tertiary education students for a digital mental health artificial intelligence-driven adaptive trial-Vibe Up.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the effectiveness of recruitment via Facebook and Instagram compared to traditional methods for a treatment trial and compared different recruitment methods’ retention rates. With recruitment coinciding with COVID-19 lockdowns across Australia, we also compared the cost-effectiveness of social media recruitment during and after lockdowns.

METHODS: Recruitment was completed for 2 pilot trials and 6 minitrials from June 2021 to May 2022. To recruit participants, paid social media advertising on Facebook and Instagram was used, alongside mailing lists of university networks and student organizations or services, media releases, announcements during classes and events, study posters or flyers on university campuses, and health professional networks. Recruitment data, including engagement metrics collected by Meta (Facebook and Instagram), advertising costs, and Qualtrics data on recruitment methods and survey completion rates, were analyzed using RStudio with R (version 3.6.3; R Foundation for Statistical Computing).

RESULTS: In total, 1314 eligible participants (aged 22.79, SD 4.71 years; 1079, 82.1% female) were recruited to 2 pilot trials and 6 minitrials. The vast majority were recruited via Facebook and Instagram advertising (n=1203; 92%). Pairwise comparisons revealed that the lead institution’s website was more effective in recruiting eligible participants than Facebook (z=3.47; P=.003) and Instagram (z=4.23; P<.001). No differences were found between recruitment methods in retaining participants at baseline, at midpoint, and at study completion. Wilcoxon tests found significant differences between lockdown (pilot 1 and pilot 2) and postlockdown (minitrials 1-6) on costs incurred per link click (lockdown: median Aus $0.35 [US $0.22], IQR Aus $0.27-$0.47 [US $0.17-$0.29]; postlockdown: median Aus $1.00 [US $0.62], IQR Aus $0.70-$1.47 [US $0.44-$0.92]; W=9087; P<.001) and the amount spent per hour to reach the target sample size (lockdown: median Aus $4.75 [US $2.95], IQR Aus $1.94-6.34 [US $1.22-$3.97]; postlockdown: median Aus $13.29 [US $8.26], IQR Aus $4.70-25.31 [US $2.95-$15.87]; W=16044; P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Social media advertising via Facebook and Instagram was the most successful strategy for recruiting distressed tertiary students into this artificial intelligence-driven adaptive trial, providing evidence for the use of this recruitment method for this type of trial in digital mental health research. No recruitment method stood out in terms of participant retention. Perhaps a reflection of the added distress experienced by young people, social media recruitment during the COVID-19 lockdown period was more cost-effective.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12621001092886; https://tinyurl.com/39f2pdmd; Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12621001223820; https://tinyurl.com/bdhkvucv.

PMID:39808785 | DOI:10.2196/60413

JMIR Form Res. 2025 Jan 14;9:e66181. doi: 10.2196/66181.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The potential of telehealth psychotherapy (ie, the online delivery of treatment via a video web-based platform) is gaining increased attention. However, there is skepticism about its acceptance, safety, and efficacy for patients with high emotional and behavioral dysregulation.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to provide initial effect size estimates of symptom change from pre- to post treatment, and the acceptance and safety of telehealth dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD).

METHODS: A total of 39 individuals meeting the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [Fifth Edition]) criteria for BPD received 1 year of outpatient telehealth DBT at 3 sites in Germany and Canada. Effect size estimates were assessed using pre-post measures of BPD symptoms, dissociation, and quality of life. Safety was evaluated by analyzing suicide attempts and self-harm. Additionally, acceptance and feasibility, satisfaction with treatment, useability of the telehealth format, and the quality of the therapeutic alliance were assessed from both therapists’ and patients’ perspectives. All analyses were conducted on both the intention-to-treat (ITT) and according-to-protocol (ATP) samples.

RESULTS: Analyses showed significant and large pre-post effect sizes for BPD symptoms (d=1.13 in the ITT sample and d=1.44 in the ATP sample; P<.001) and for quality of life (d=0.65 in the ITT sample and d=1.24 in the ATP sample). Dissociative symptoms showed small to nonsignificant reductions. Self-harm behaviors decreased significantly from 80% to 28% of all patients showing at least 1 self-harm behavior in the last 10 weeks (risk ratio 0.35). A high dropout rate of 38% was observed. One low-lethality suicide attempt was reported. Acceptance, feasibility, and satisfaction measures were high, although therapists reported only moderate useability of the telehealth format.

CONCLUSIONS: Telehealth DBT for BPD showed large pre-post effect sizes for BPD symptoms and quality of life. While the telehealth format appeared feasible and well-accepted, the dropout rate was relatively high. Future research should compare the efficacy of telehealth DBT with in-person formats in randomized controlled trials. Overall, telehealth DBT might offer a potentially effective alternative treatment option, enhancing treatment accessibility. However, strategies for decreasing drop-out should be considered.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00027824; https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00027824.

PMID:39808784 | DOI:10.2196/66181

J Vector Borne Dis. 2024 Oct 5. doi: 10.4103/JVBD.JVBD_56_24. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES: Scrub typhus is an acute febrile zoonotic disease caused by the obligate intracellular gram-negative bacteria Orientia tsutsugamushi. Growing data over the last few years on the Indian subcontinent suggest that it is one of the most widespread but under-reported diseases. The study aimed to document the clinical and paraclinical profile and evaluate complications of scrub typhus in severe and nonsevere pediatric age groups.

METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted in pediatric patients. Frequency, mean, percentage and standard deviation were all included in the descriptive statistical analysis calculation. Multivariate analysis was conducted to predict the severity factor.

RESULTS: A total of 189 patients met the eligibility criteria and were included in the final analysis. The mean and standard deviation (mean ± SD) age of the cohort was 5.54 ± 3.9 years, with a male predominance of 68.2%. The mean ± SD duration of fever was 6.64 ± 1.43 days. Patients with severe scrub typhus experienced complications including hepatic involvement (42, 64.6%), respiratory distress (23, 46.1%), neurological involvement (14, 24.6%), acute kidney injury (10, 15.4%), myocarditis (9, 13.8%), and (16, 24.6%) have multi-organ dysfunction. patients with raised transaminases (> 180 IU/L) have a 3.7 to 4.1 times greater chance of developing severity. Thrombocytopenia is found to be another independent predictor of severe scrub typhus in our study.

INTERPRETATION CONCLUSION: Clinical signs of hepatomegaly, skin rash, and lymphadenopathy were significant predictors of severity. Delays in treatment are a key contributor to the severity of pediatric scrub typhus.

PMID:39808781 | DOI:10.4103/JVBD.JVBD_56_24

J Vector Borne Dis. 2024 Oct 5. doi: 10.4103/JVBD.JVBD_86_24. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES: In malaria infection, quantifying blood parasitemia is a critical step for evaluating the severity of the disease. This has generally been conducted manually, and thus, its accuracy depends on the expertise of technicians. There is an urgent need for an automated technique to overcome manual errors. The aim of the study is to find an alternative method for counting malaria blood parasitemia.

METHODS: This study evaluated the accuracy of automated counting using QuPath compared to manual counting. GraphPad Kappa evaluated agreement between high and low parasitemia in both counting methods using Cohen’s test.

RESULTS: QuPath was revealed to be a promising method that has fair agreement and no statistically significant differences compared to manual counting.

INTERPRETATION CONCLUSION: In conclusion, automated quantification is suggested to be a time- and effort-saving technique and, therefore, a worthwhile alternative to manual counting.

PMID:39808780 | DOI:10.4103/JVBD.JVBD_86_24

J Trauma Nurs. 2024 Nov-Dec 01;31(6):310-318. doi: 10.1097/JTN.0000000000000819. Epub 2024 Nov 7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Patient transitions in critical care require coordination across provider roles and rely on the quality of providers’ actions to ensure safety. Studying the behavior of providers who transition patients in critical care may guide future interventions that ultimately improve patient safety in this setting.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the feasibility of using the Theory of Planned Behavior in a trauma environment and to describe provider behavior elements during trauma patient transfers (de-escalations) to non-critical care units.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study surveyed a convenience sample of 103 multidisciplinary providers who do the cognitive and physical work of transitioning trauma patients from critical care to another non-critical care unit at a U.S. Level I trauma center. Descriptive methods for survey development, analysis, and administration were evaluated.

RESULTS: A total of 72 respondents completed the survey; they included registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and medical doctors, demonstrating a 70% response rate. Statistically significant differences among ICU roles were observed in perceived control (Eta-squared = 0.09, p = .001) and in several anchors in the attitude, subjective norms, and behavioral intent theoretical domains (Cohen’s d ranging from 0.36 to 2.03, p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated variability in theory domains, signaling an opportunity to study a representative sample. It can serve as a blueprint for future behavioral studies designed to examine the Theory of Planned Behavior elements in trauma critical care providers.

PMID:39808771 | DOI:10.1097/JTN.0000000000000819

J Trauma Nurs. 2024 Nov-Dec 01;31(6):281-289. doi: 10.1097/JTN.0000000000000816. Epub 2024 Nov 7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Acute care hospitalization has been associated with older adult home falls after discharge, but less is known about the effects of hospital- and patient-related factors on home fall risk.

OBJECTIVES: This study compares the effects of hospital length of stay, medical condition, history of falls, and home health care on period rates of home falls after discharge from acute care hospitalization.

METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study comparing period rates of home injury falls among older adults (age ≥ 65) occurring after discharge from an acute care hospitalization. Data were collected from state health care utilization administrative records between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2018. We used log-linear Poisson regression to model post-discharge injury fall incidence rates as a function of days since discharge and patient-level covariates.

RESULTS: A total of 736,230 older adults were included in the study cohort. Absolute risk for post-discharge home falls was 7%. Fall rates were highest the first week after discharge at 0.05 per 100 person-days, with a period incidence rate 74.29 times higher than the >90-day discharge period. Fall risk increased with age, with the highest risk in the ≥85 age group. Fall risk increased for a 2-day hospital stay but decreased for 5- to 30-day stays, compared to a 1-day length of stay. Discharge to home health care and history of falls were associated with increased risk.

CONCLUSIONS: Older adults are at highest risk for a home fall the first 7 days after discharge from acute care hospitalization. These findings describe patient-related risk factors that acute care hospitals can use to develop geriatric-specific discharge guidelines intended to reduce home fall risk during the early care transition to home.

PMID:39808766 | DOI:10.1097/JTN.0000000000000816

J Public Health Manag Pract. 2024 Nov 25. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000002091. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

There are multiple surveillance systems working to address the issue of maternal mortality in Missouri. These surveillance systems have key methodological differences in their definitions, terminology, inclusion criteria, and purpose. This study aims to provide an understanding of the practical effects of these programmatic differences regarding what cases are included and how this can impact the interpretations of the data and influence policy decisions. To accomplish this, death certificates identified by the Missouri Vital Statistics program, the Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System, and the Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (PAMR) program were compared. Commonalities and differences were noted, demonstrating the real-world effects of the methodological differences between programs. In particular, the PAMR program includes injury deaths in the count of pregnancy-related deaths, which are not included by other surveillance systems. These differences highlight the importance of understanding the methodology and limitations of a dataset.

PMID:39808744 | DOI:10.1097/PHH.0000000000002091

J Public Health Manag Pract. 2024 Nov 14. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000002088. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The study examines: 1) impacts of COVID-19 on the work of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Education (SNAP-Ed) implementers, 2) facilitators and barriers experienced in making adaptations, and 3) factors that would have helped with preparedness to adapt.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A purposive sample of 181 SNAP-Ed program implementers from across five states completed a survey or interview based on the study aims. Quantitative data was summarized with descriptive statistics and qualitative data was analyzed thematically.

RESULTS: Direct education activities were found to be most impacted during COVID-19 while working to change policies, systems, and environments and indirect education were less impacted. Both positive and negative impacts surfaced. Respondents were most likely to say they were moderately or slightly prepared to make adaptations. Elements of internal organizations, technology, and partners both helped and hindered adapting. Pre-established virtual capacity, formal preparation and planning protocols and procedures, and better and more frequent communication with partners and program leadership would have helped with preparedness.

CONCLUSION: SNAP-Ed needs assessment and implementation processes should integrate and expand upon the lessons learned in the study to enhance future emergency preparedness among program implementers. Program policy should be updated to allow for implementation flexibility during future emergencies.

PMID:39808742 | DOI:10.1097/PHH.0000000000002088