Nevin Manimala

Front Psychiatry. 2023 Aug 29;14:1198851. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1198851. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Khat is a huge, evergreen tree that grows at high altitudes throughout the Arabian Peninsula and in the region stretching from eastern to southern Africa. Cathinone, cathine, and norephedrine are psychoactive ingredients contained in khat. Ethiopian teenagers, especially those in secondary school, frequently use khat. This use of khat may lead to students frequently missing class and experiencing subpar academic performance. However, the study area lacks information regarding the prevalence of khat use and the factors associated with it.

OBJECTIVE: This study’s primary goal is to determine the prevalence of khat chewing and related factors among secondary school students in public schools in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia, in 2022.

METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study design was employed from June 01-June 30, 2022, in three public secondary schools in Harar town in a sample of 485 students. Systematic random sampling was used to choose the study sample. Data were gathered using self-administered questionnaires, and the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) was used to assess khat chewing. Epidata version 4.6 was used to enter the data, while STATA version 14 was used to analyze them. To determine the factors related to khat chewing, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted, and statistical significance was determined at a 95% confidence level with a P-value under 0.05.

RESULTS: Out of 485 eligible participants, 455 responded to this survey, giving a response rate of 93.8%. Overall, 33.2% (95% CI: 29.2%-37.6%) of the sample’s participants reported currently chewing khat. Age ranged from 20 to 25 years (AOR = 2.04; 95% CI: 1.19-3.48), male students (AOR = 7.03; 95% CI: 4.35-12.57), current alcohol user (AOR 6.48; 95% CI: 2.30-18.28), presence of chewer friends (AOR 3.86; 95% CI: 2.38-6.24), and depression (AOR 1.84, 95%CI: 1.02-3.30), were strongly associated with khat chewing at a p-value of < 0.05.

CONCLUSION: Khat chewing was very common among students in Eastern Ethiopia’s public secondary schools. Ages between 20 and 25 years, being a male, being current alcohol users, having chewer buddies, and depression are all significantly linked to khat use. Thus, schools should create and implement audience-specific behavioral change communication to deter and stop students from chewing khat. Additionally, it is important to ban the sale of khat to young adults and adolescents, promote medical care for khat users, and foster peer advocacy for support services.

PMID:37720900 | PMC:PMC10499630 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1198851

Front Psychiatry. 2023 Aug 31;14:1247801. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1247801. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Hemodialysis patients are vulnerable to serious complications such as prolonged hospital stay and psychosocial issues like depression and death anxiety. Studies on psychosocial factors on end-stage renal disease patients’ outcomes during COVID-19 pandemic are limited. We aimed to determine the prevalence of depression and death anxiety among Palestinian hemodialysis patients and the evaluate the relationship between their sociodemographic and clinical characteristics during COVID-19 Pandemic.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenience sampling technique. We recruited 308 hemodialysis patients from five hemodialysis units located in government hospitals in Palestine. Beck Depression Inventory and the Templers Death Anxiety Scale were used to collect data, which were then analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and means), t-test, ANOVA and multiple linear regression models were used for data analysis.

RESULTS: Nearly 66.2% of the sample had depression symptoms, 61.4% met the diagnostic threshold for depression, and 69.8% had death anxiety. Furthermore, the multivariate analysis revealed that having a female identity, residing in a city or refugee camp, and patients who reported not experiencing depression had a significant relationship with death anxiety, while having a higher educational level than 12 years, having one or more chronic co-morbidities, and patients who reported experiencing death anxiety had a significant correlation with depression.

CONCLUSION: Patients receiving hemodialysis frequently experience depression and death anxiety. These patients should receive a psychiatric evaluation in the early stages of their illness so that timely and appropriate psychological interventions can be given in hemodialysis facilities in Palestine during and after future pandemics.

PMID:37720896 | PMC:PMC10501786 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1247801

Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol X. 2023 Sep 6;20:100238. doi: 10.1016/j.eurox.2023.100238. eCollection 2023 Dec.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Though becoming a mother is a joyous experience, the postpartum time can be difficult and stressful for women as they deal with significant physical alterations and adjustments to their daily routines. However, very few studies have focused on the functional well-being of the woman after childbirth. This study aims to find the level of functional status, social support, and anxiety among women attending immunization clinics.

METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional research design was adopted to recruit 220 women in this study from two immunization clinic centers in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Data were collected using a self-reported sociodemographic profile, functional level scale after childbirth, modified multidimensional scale of perceived social support, and postnatal anxiety scale. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests were used for data analysis, including mean, percentage, and Fisher exact.

RESULTS: 59.5 % of women returned to a moderate level of functional status after six weeks postpartum. The majority of women, 98.6 % and 83.6 %, reported high levels of return to personal care and baby care, respectively, whereas 34.7 % had moderate levels of return to home activities and 90 % had low levels of return to community and social tasks. Also, 70 % of women had high perceived social support, and 87.7 % had no anxiety. In this study, normal delivery women had better functional status than their cesarean delivery counterparts. Moreover, functional status was significantly associated with anxiety at six postpartum weeks.

CONCLUSION: After six weeks of childbirth, most women only partially resumed their pre-pregnancy functional state. So, much more time, rest, and support from family members were needed to recover to a fully functional level. Nurses, midwives, and the family members of women should be aware of the critical role that social support plays in enhancing a woman’s functional and psychological status during the postpartum period.

PMID:37720888 | PMC:PMC10502358 | DOI:10.1016/j.eurox.2023.100238

Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2023 Oct;57(5):223-234. doi: 10.1007/s13139-023-00808-3. Epub 2023 Jun 13.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: We aimed to investigate the additional value of preoperative PET/CT and reveal relationships between metabolic parameters, pericolic fat stranding finding, postoperative histopathology, and overall survival in colorectal cancer (CRC).

METHODS: CRC patients who underwent preoperative PET/CT between January 2017-December 2021 were analyzed. Lymph nodes, organ metastases, and metabolic parameters were evaluated from PET/CT. The pericolic fat stranding was evaluated from CT component. Relationships between these factors and postoperative histopathological findings were statistically analyzed. Survival analyses were performed.

RESULTS: Ninety-one patients (59 males, 32 females) were included in the study. All tumors showed high FDG uptake (mean SUVmax 19.5 ± 9.9). SUVmax of the tumor differed significantly at T3 and T4 stages (p = 0.041). A significant correlation was found between MTV, TLG values and the differentiation degree (p = 0.005, 0.003, respectively). PET/CT predicted the N stage with a high accuracy rate (80%). PET/CT found additional metastases that changed treatment decisions in one-third of patients. A relationship was found between tumor length, surgical margin, lymphovascular invasion and pericolic fat stranding. In multivariate analysis, differentiation degree (HR = 26.1, 95%CI 1.672-408.467), MTV (HR = 0.3, 95%CI 0.071-0.841), TLG (HR = 3.5, 95%CI 1.065-11.193), and lymphovascular invasion (HR = 0.2, 95%CI 0.026-0.853, p = 0.033) were independent factors affecting overall survival.

CONCLUSION: Preoperative PET/CT contributes to CRC management by detecting additional metastases as well as predicting prognosis and postoperative findings such as T stage, N stage and tumor differentiation. The SUVmax may differentiate between T3 and T4 tumor. Reporting of pericolic fat stranding may contribute to the estimation of lymphatic invasion and positive surgical margin.

PMID:37720878 | PMC:PMC10504194 | DOI:10.1007/s13139-023-00808-3

Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2023 Sep 12;18:2009-2026. doi: 10.2147/COPD.S426763. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The comorbidity of pulmonary fibrosis and COPD/emphysema has garnered increasing attention. However, no bibliometric analysis of this comorbidity has been conducted thus far. This study aims to perform a bibliometric analysis to explore the current status and cutting-edge trends in the field, and to establish new directions for future research.

METHODS: Statistical computing, graphics, and data visualization tools such as VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Biblimatrix, and WPS Office were employed.

RESULTS: We identified a total of 1827 original articles and reviews on the comorbidity of pulmonary fibrosis and COPD/emphysema published between 2004 and 2023. There was an observed increasing trend in publications related to this comorbidity. The United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom were the countries with the highest contributions. Professor Athol Wells and the University of Groningen had the highest h-index and the most articles, respectively. Through cluster analysis of co-cited documents, we identified the top 17 major clusters. Keyword analysis predicted that NF-κB, oxidative stress, physical activity, and air pollution might be hot spots in this field in the future.

CONCLUSION: This bibliometric analysis demonstrates a continuous increasing trend in literature related to the comorbidity of pulmonary fibrosis and COPD/emphysema. The research hotspots and trends identified in this study provide a reference for in-depth research in this field, aiming to promote the development of the comorbidity of pulmonary fibrosis and COPD/emphysema.

PMID:37720874 | PMC:PMC10505036 | DOI:10.2147/COPD.S426763

J Public Health Res. 2023 Sep 14;12(3):22799036231196732. doi: 10.1177/22799036231196732. eCollection 2023 Jul.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Adult overweight and obesity, in addition to the intake of saturated fat and total serum cholesterol must be monitored as biological risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) provides data on body fat for use in epidemiological settings. However, optimized equations should be used to calculate percentage body fat (%BF). The purpose of this study was to assess the differences between %BF calculated using different published BIA equations and %BF measured by BIA in young South African adults.

DESIGN AND METHODS: In this observational study, differences in calculated %BF were assessed, with different BIA equations retrieved from the literature used in 1128 healthy young adults aged 20-30 years. The %BF (measured by BIA) was compared between equations, between Black and White men and women, respectively.

RESULTS: The results showed statistically significant differences in the %BF calculated from published BIA equations when used in young South African adults (χ² = 946, χ² = 2528, χ² = 2088, respectively, p < 0.0001). In Black and White men and women, respectively, %BF levels were significantly higher when calculated by equations, than when measured by BIA (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION: There seem to be large discrepancies in estimating %BF by BIA equations and these values cannot be used interchangeably for young South African adults. A South African age, ethnicity and sex-specific BIA equation needs to be developed to accurately estimate %BF in young South African adults.

PMID:37720847 | PMC:PMC10503279 | DOI:10.1177/22799036231196732

SSM Popul Health. 2023 Sep 9;24:101508. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101508. eCollection 2023 Dec.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The economic selection hypothesis, which argues that the initial economic situation determines both subsequent health and economic conditions, has been drawn into the debate on causation-selection issues. This study aims to construct a path model with self-rated health and depression score of older adults as health outcomes to measure and compare the social causation forces of wealth accumulation, social selection forces of adulthood health, and economic selection forces of childhood economics, and to examine their gender disparities.

METHODS: Data was obtained from a sample of 19613 older adults aged 45 years or above from the 2014 life history survey and the 2015 routine follow-up survey of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Structural equation modeling analysis was conducted employing the full information maximum likelihood estimation method.

RESULTS: The presence of social causation, social selection, and economic selection were all statistically supported. In self-rated health, social selection forces held the dominant position, while social causation forces were comparable to economic selection forces. In depression score, social selection still exhibited stronger forces than economic selection, but social causation had forces close to social selection and greater than economic selection. The forces of the three hypotheses in self-rated health did not significantly change with gender, but social causation exerted mightier forces than economic selection within the male group, unlike the female group. The forces of economic selection in depression score were greater in females than males and no significant differences were observed among the forces of the three hypotheses in the female group.

CONCLUSIONS: Social causation, social selection, and economic selection operate simultaneously on the self-rated health and depression score of older adults. However, the force magnitudes of the three hypotheses and/or their rankings differ by health outcomes and gender.

PMID:37720820 | PMC:PMC10500472 | DOI:10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101508

Acta Ortop Bras. 2023 Sep 8;31(spe3):e268124. doi: 10.1590/1413-785220233103e268124. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Tibial shaft fracture is the most common long-bone fracture, and the standard treatment is intramedullary (IM) nail fixation. Regardless of the development of this technique pseudoarthrosis remains prevalent.

OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the correlation between wedge fragment size and displacement, displacement of the main fragments of the 42B2 type, and pseudoarthrosis incidence.

METHODS: We retrospectively assessed all patients with 42B2 type fracture treated with IM nailing between January, 2015 and December, 2019. Six radiographic parameters were defined for preoperative radiographs in the anteroposterior (AP) and lateral views. Another six parameters were defined for postoperative radiographs at three, six, and 12 months. The Radiographic Union Score for Tibial Fractures score was used to assess bone healing.

RESULTS: Of 355 patients with tibial shaft fractures, 51 were included in the study. There were 41 (82.0%) male patients, with a mean age of 36.7 years, 37 (72.5%) had open fractures, and 28 (54.9%) had associated injuries. After statistical analysis, the factors that correlated significantly with nonunion were wedge height > 18 mm, preoperative translational displacement of the fracture in the AP view > 18 mm, and final distance of the wedge in relation to its original anatomical position after IM nailing > 5 mm.

CONCLUSION: Risk factors for nonunion related to the wedge and42B2 fracture are wedge height > 18 mm, initial translation in the AP view of the fracture > 18 mm, and distance > 5 mm of the wedge from its anatomical position after IM nailing. Evidence level III; Retrospective comparative study .

PMID:37720813 | PMC:PMC10502966 | DOI:10.1590/1413-785220233103e268124

J Obes Metab Syndr. 2023 Sep 18. doi: 10.7570/jomes22032. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Sleep plays a complex role in metabolic regulation, and the underlying linkage has not been clearly defined. We investigated the association between sleep duration and metabolic disorders in Filipino immigrants to Korea.

METHODS: We analyzed 410 participants from the 2014 to 2016 baseline population of the Filipino Women’s Diet and Health Study. Usual sleep duration was self-reported, and anthropometric parameters were measured directly. Blood glucose, lipid, and insulin levels were examined from fasting serum samples. We used general linear models to acquire least squares (LS) means and logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios to test the cross-sectional association between sleep duration and metabolic markers with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS: We found a statistically significant linear association between increased sleep duration and elevated triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). LS means (95% CI) of <5, 5-6, 7-8, and>8 hours of sleep were 81.74 (71.43 to 93.54), 85.15 (76.65 to 94.59), 86.33 (77.84 to 95.75), and 105.22 (88.07 to 125.71), respectively, for triglycerides (P trend=0.049) and 174.52 (165.02 to 184.57), 180.50 (172.79 to 188.55), 182.51 (174.83 to 190.53), and 190.16 (176.61 to 204.74), respectively, for total cholesterol (P trend=0.042). For LDL-C, the LS means (95% CI) were 97.34 (88.80 to 106.71), 100.69 (93.73 to 108.18), 104.47 (97.35 to 112.1), and 109.43 (96.94 to 123.54), respectively (P trend=0.047). Statistical significance persisted after additional adjustment for body mass index. The association with triglycerides was limited to current alcohol drinkers (P interaction=0.048).

CONCLUSION: Longer sleep duration was associated with increased triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL-C levels. The association with triglycerides was more pronounced among moderate alcohol drinkers.

PMID:37718118 | DOI:10.7570/jomes22032

J Safety Res. 2023 Sep;86:52-61. doi: 10.1016/j.jsr.2023.06.007. Epub 2023 Jun 16.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: A framework of collaboration between safety professionals and design engineers was proposed that provided direction for utilizing analysis of quantitative and qualitative data to prevent worker injury. This interdisciplinary, context-steeped approach can be utilized across a variety of industries to promote risk reduction by designing equipment and processes to prevent common workplace injuries in the first place. Safety professional expertise in regional worker’s compensation claims analysis (including statistical analysis on a quantitative basis and qualitative analysis of trends in written injury descriptions of circumstance) provided the starting point for identifying industries of interest for this approach.

METHOD: Followed by education of design engineers on safety approaches (including hazard identification, the ANSI/ASSP Z590.3 consensus-based standard), tools such as risk assessment matrices and methods for effective on-site work observation and interviews with workers affords transfer of knowledge. Design engineers then utilize safety influenced design problem identification and goal criteria to create and select concepts for eventual detail design and prototype testing on-site. This approach was implemented in a case-study at a Midwest greenhouse industry facility site in summer of 2019. Two problem areas were identified and addressed with two unique engineering designs that were prototyped and utilized at the facility with success.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This approach can apply to other industries and collaborative teams in the future to prevent worker injury by design.

PMID:37718070 | DOI:10.1016/j.jsr.2023.06.007