Tag: pubmed

BMC Oral Health. 2024 Dec 24;24(1):1549. doi: 10.1186/s12903-024-05288-1.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Dental anxiety has become a major concern for both dental practitioners and patients and prevents a significant proportion of people from attending dental clinics. The present study aimed to determine dental anxiety and associated factors among adult patients attending a public outpatient dental clinic in a base hospital, in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.

METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 adults aged 18 to 75 years awaiting dental treatment. A validated and pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire was utilised, and it included demographic information, past dental treatment, and the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) which was used to assess dental anxiety. Anxiety scores ranged from 5 to 25, with scores of 5-9 classified as less anxious, 10-18 as moderately anxious, and scores above 18 as extremely anxious. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 28. Descriptive analysis, correlation test, chi-square test and multiple logistic regression were applied for statistical analysis. The significance level was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS: The majority of participants in this sample experienced dental anxiety, with 19% classified as extremely anxious, 70% as moderately anxious, and 11% as less anxious. The mean MDAS score was 14.5 (SD = 4.4). Bivariate analysis revealed that dental anxiety is significantly associated with age group, sex, marital status, employment status, monthly family income, past dental visits, sex of treatment provider and previous dental experiences. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that age, sex and postponing dental treatment appointments were significant predictor variables of dental anxiety.

CONCLUSION: The findings reveal that the majority of participants in this study experience moderate to high levels of dental anxiety. Notably, younger individuals (under 35 years), females, and those who tend to postpone dental appointments were identified as significant predictors of heightened dental anxiety.

PMID:39719588 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-024-05288-1

BMC Med Educ. 2024 Dec 24;24(1):1526. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-06559-9.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: For health science students, publishing in scientific journals is a significant milestone that can positively impact their professional careers, providing recognition and credibility within the academic and professional community. However, despite the apparent increase in scientific production among undergraduate dental students in Latin America and the Caribbean, it remains low compared to other regions. The study aimed to determine the frequency of publication in scientific journals of the documents to obtain the professional title of dental surgeon by undergraduate dental students at a private Peruvian university over seven years.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study considered all records of theses required for the professional title of dental surgeon from the Faculty of Dentistry at a private Peruvian university, as published in its institutional repository between 2017 and 2023. The main variable of the study was publication in scientific journals. In contrast, the year of formal submission of the document to obtain the professional title of dental surgeon, the type of document, the modality of obtaining the professional title, the area of dental specialty according to the American Dental Association, the year of publication, international indexing, impact factor (IF), and journal’s quartile ranking were considered as covariates. Descriptive analysis was conducted to obtain absolute and relative frequencies.

RESULTS: Between 2017 and 2023, 246 documents for the professional title of dental surgeon were published in the institutional repository of a Peruvian university, of which 23 were subsequently published in scientific journals. Of these, 20 (86.96%) were published in internationally indexed scientific journals, 1 (5.00%) was published in journals with an IF ≥ 2, and 2 (10.00%) were published in Q2 category journals.

CONCLUSIONS: The seven-year analysis reveals significant challenges in converting undergraduate dental research at a Peruvian university into published scientific literature, with low rates of research documents achieving publication in scientific journals.

PMID:39719580 | DOI:10.1186/s12909-024-06559-9

BMC Med Educ. 2024 Dec 24;24(1):1525. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-06557-x.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: New Zealand guidelines stipulate that patient consent is obtained for medical student involvement in clinical care, however, patients’ preferences regarding consent for medical student teaching have not been widely explored. This study examined patient preferences for consent for medical student teaching with the aim to increase patient empowerment, to optimise care and to reflect societal expectations more accurately.

METHOD: Observational, semi-qualitative, cross-sectional study of in-patients. Each participant was presented with a series of nine hypothetical clinical scenarios and were allowed a limited number of responses. For each scenario the participants completed a short questionnaire about their preferences for consent. These included their preferred mode of consent (implicit, verbal or written), timing of consent, and who should take their consent. The analysis used descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression mixed models to investigate associations between patient characteristics and chosen mode of consent.

RESULTS: There were 123 participants (50% male), median age was 64 years. Patients were admitted to either medical (69%), surgical (22%) or women’s health (9%). Increasing age was statistically significantly associated with a preference for verbal and implicit rather than written consent with the exception of ‘breaking bad news’ and ‘bedside teaching’. The majority of patients preferred verbal consent across all nine clinical scenarios (57-82%), including two surgical scenarios where verbal consent was preferred by 59%. Most patients preferred the supervising doctor to take consent, with no clear preference about the timing.

CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies the patient voice in the consent process for the involvement of medical students in clinical care. Although the patients’ views generally align with an existing national consensus statement, there is variability in the expectations of the patients suggesting flexibility in the consent process is still needed. The preference for older patients for verbal or implicit consent compared with younger patients for more invasive scenarios highlights the need for consideration of inter-generational differences. Most patients in this study were willing to contribute to student learning in all scenarios.

PMID:39719579 | DOI:10.1186/s12909-024-06557-x

BMC Public Health. 2024 Dec 24;24(1):3578. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-21001-x.

ABSTRACT

Although many studies have reported the relationship between female hormone intake and cardiovascular disease (CVD) development, their association has not been fully elucidated and defined, based on data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey intending to assess the health and nutritional status of non-institutionalized children and adults in the United States. This study examined the relationship between female hormone intake and coronary artery disease (CVD) development in 38,745 women, averaging 38.10 ± 12.59 years in age. We explored the association between hormone intake and CVD incidence, considering various social determinants of health (SDOH) with statistical methods like Chi-square tests, logistic regression, and stratified Chi-square analysis. Our findings reveal a complex relationship between female hormone intake and CVD development. Hormones appear to reduce CVD risk in women over 60 years old. However, hormone intake correlates with increased CVD risk in highly educated women. Socioeconomic status also influences this relationship; while hormones pose a risk factor for heart failure and stroke in impoverished or wealthy women, they serve as a protective factor against CVD for middle-income women. Additionally, hormonal intake seems beneficial for women who experienced menarche between 13 and 15 years old, menopause between 30 and 49, and had 7-9 pregnancies, especially when coupled with a diet low in sugar, fat, cholesterol, and adequate folic acid intake. These results indicate that while hormones can prevent CVD under specific conditions, their impact can be detrimental in different SDOH contexts. In conclusion, while appropriate hormone intake can prevent CVD, its effects vary across different demographic and health backgrounds. This underscores the necessity for meticulous screening of SDOH factors in clinical settings to maximize the protective benefits of hormones against CVD.

PMID:39719571 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-024-21001-x

BMC Public Health. 2024 Dec 24;24(1):3579. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-21128-x.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Adverse effects during chemotherapy severely impact the daily diet of breast cancer (BC) patients. Engaging in dietary self-management is crucial for healthy lifestyle and recovery. This study aims to create the Dietary Self-management Behavior Questionnaire (DSMBQ) and preliminarily validate its reliability, validity, and discriminative ability for BC patients undergoing chemotherapy.

METHODS: The questionnaire was developed through a scoping review, patient interviews, and referenced to previous scales. The initial draft item pool underwent two rounds of Delphi expert consultations, creating the draft DSMBQ with 6 predefined dimensions and 98 items. Subsequently, the draft questionnaire underwent three rounds of investigation. The results from the first two surveys were utilized for item selection, the third was to assess the construct of the final DSMBQ. Three groups (n = 158, 385, and 771) were conveniently sampled from three hospitals in Xi’an and Zhengzhou cities. Lastly, 150, 378, and 760 participants, respectively, completed valid questionnaires. Exploratory factor analysis and variability analysis were used to assess the draft questionnaire, and the structure was further examined through confirmatory factor analysis.

RESULTS: The final DSMBQ comprised 22 items organized into 4 dimensions. The cumulative variance contribution rate totaled 62.96%. The Cronbach’s α demonstrated high internal consistency at 0.91, while the split-half reliability coefficient was 0.83, and the test-retest reliability coefficient reached 0.94. Correlation coefficients between the scores of each dimension and the total score ranged from 0.697 to 0.751. With the exception of the normed fit index (NFI) and the non-normed fit index (NNFI) at 0.89 (close to 0.90), all other indicators met statistical requirements. Patients exhibited varying average scores for each dimension of the DSMBQ based on differences in age, education level, Body Mass Index (BMI), menopausal status, and cancer stage (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: The DSMBQ demonstrated good reliability, validation, and discriminative ability in Chinese BC patients undergoing chemotherapy. Tailored to the cultural context, the DSMBQ emerges as a high-quality tool for the nuanced assessment of dietary self-management in BC patients by focusing on lifestyle behavior changes. It holds the potential to enhance subjective initiative and confidence, facilitating increased patient participation in their healthcare.

PMID:39719570 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-024-21128-x

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2024 Dec 24:tpmd240393. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.24-0393. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common infectious agents linked to any malignancy. Recent studies report higher H. pylori prevalence and gastric cancer incidence rates in the Navajo Nation than in general U.S. populations. Little is known about barriers to care and treatment. Participants of the 2022 Navajo Healthy Stomach Project who had a positive urea breath test for H. pylori were contacted after 6 months to assess health care services sought, treatment received, and barriers to accessing care. Descriptive statistics identified perceived barriers to care seeking and treatment. Of individuals consented to recontact, 83 were surveyed (69.8% response rate). Just over half (52.8%) reported following up with an allopathic clinician. The most common reasons for not seeking care were lack of time (37.5%) and forgetting (25.0%). Care seeking was more common among those who felt that H. pylori was linked to their gastrointestinal symptoms (P = 0.03) or those less concerned about adverse effects of antibiotics (P = 0.07). Community engagement throughout the research process and intentionally sharing research finding with communities may be strategies to reduce barriers to care seeking after a positive H. pylori infection diagnosis.

PMID:39719117 | DOI:10.4269/ajtmh.24-0393

JMIR Form Res. 2024 Dec 24;8:e60024. doi: 10.2196/60024.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The proliferation of generative artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, has added complexity and richness to the virtual environment by increasing the presence of AI-generated content (AIGC). Although social media platforms such as TikTok have begun labeling AIGC to facilitate the ability for users to distinguish it from human-generated content, little research has been performed to examine the effect of these AIGC labels.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the impact of AIGC labels on perceived accuracy, message credibility, and sharing intention for misinformation through a web-based experimental design, aiming to refine the strategic application of AIGC labels.

METHODS: The study conducted a 2×2×2 mixed experimental design, using the AIGC labels (presence vs absence) as the between-subjects factor and information type (accurate vs inaccurate) and content category (for-profit vs not-for-profit) as within-subjects factors. Participants, recruited via the Credamo platform, were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (with labels) or a control group (without labels). Each participant evaluated 4 sets of content, providing feedback on perceived accuracy, message credibility, and sharing intention for misinformation. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 29 and included repeated-measures ANOVA and simple effects analysis, with significance set at P<.05.

RESULTS: As of April 2024, this study recruited a total of 957 participants, and after screening, 400 participants each were allocated to the experimental and control groups. The main effects of AIGC labels were not significant for perceived accuracy, message credibility, or sharing intention. However, the main effects of information type were significant for all 3 dependent variables (P<.001), as were the effects of content category (P<.001). There were significant differences in interaction effects among the 3 variables. For perceived accuracy, the interaction between information type and content category was significant (P=.005). For message credibility, the interaction between information type and content category was significant (P<.001). Regarding sharing intention, both the interaction between information type and content category (P<.001) and the interaction between information type and AIGC labels (P=.008) were significant.

CONCLUSIONS: This study found that AIGC labels minimally affect perceived accuracy, message credibility, or sharing intention but help distinguish AIGC from human-generated content. The labels do not negatively impact users’ perceptions of platform content, indicating their potential for fact-checking and governance. However, AIGC labeling applications should vary by information type; they can slightly enhance sharing intention and perceived accuracy for misinformation. This highlights the need for more nuanced strategies for AIGC labels, necessitating further research.

PMID:39719080 | DOI:10.2196/60024

J Med Internet Res. 2024 Dec 24;26:e59843. doi: 10.2196/59843.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Adequate health literacy has been shown to be important for the general health of a population. To address this, it is recommended that patient-targeted medical information is written at a sixth-grade reading level. To make well-informed decisions about their health, patients may want to interact directly with peer-reviewed open access scientific articles. However, studies have shown that such text is often written with highly complex language above the levels that can be comprehended by the general population. Previously, we have published on the use of large language models (LLMs) in easing the readability of patient-targeted health information on the internet. In this study, we continue to explore the advantages of LLMs in patient education.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the use of LLMs, specifically ChatGPT (OpenAI), to enhance the readability of peer-reviewed scientific articles in the field of ophthalmology.

METHODS: A total of 12 open access, peer-reviewed papers published by the senior authors of this study (ET and RA) were selected. Readability was assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook tests. ChatGPT 4.0 was asked “I will give you the text of a peer-reviewed scientific paper. Considering that the recommended readability of the text is 6th grade, can you simplify the following text so that a layperson reading this text can fully comprehend it? – Insert Manuscript Text -“. Appropriateness was evaluated by the 2 uveitis-trained ophthalmologists. Statistical analysis was performed in Microsoft Excel.

RESULTS: ChatGPT significantly lowered the readability and length of the selected papers from 15th to 7th grade (P<.001) while generating responses that were deemed appropriate by expert ophthalmologists.

CONCLUSIONS: LLMs show promise in improving health literacy by enhancing the accessibility of peer-reviewed scientific articles and allowing the general population to interact directly with medical literature.

PMID:39719077 | DOI:10.2196/59843

J Int Med Res. 2024 Dec;52(12):3000605241306655. doi: 10.1177/03000605241306655.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate characteristics and outcomes in critically ill patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS).

METHODS: Consecutive adults with GBS who required intensive care unit (ICU) admission at a tertiary-care hospital between 1999 and 2020 were enrolled into this retrospective cohort study. Demographics, clinical data and patient outcomes were compared between patients who did or did not receive mechanical ventilation (MV).

RESULTS: During the study period, the number of ICU admissions gradually rose from approximately 900 to 3000 annually. Forty-three patients had GBS and were included, of whom, 27 (62.8%) received MV for a median of 13 days. The MV group stayed longer in the ICU (median, 26 versus 6 days) and in the hospital (median, 120 versus 39 days) than the non-MV group. Most patients in the MV group (22 [81.5%]) required tracheostomy. At maximum follow-up, Hughes Functional Grading scores were 0 (full recovery) in 11 patients (25.5%), 1-3 in 18 (41.8%), 4-5 in 12 (27.9%), and 6 (death) in two (4.6%, both in the MV group), with higher median Hughes score in the MV group (3 versus 0.5). Complications during ICU and hospital stay included: veinous thromboembolism in five (11.6%), gastrointestinal bleeding in three (7.0%), bacteremia in five (11.6%), bedsore in one (2.3%), and GBS-treatment side effects in four (9.4%) patients; all of these complications occurred within the MV group.

CONCLUSIONS: GBS was an uncommon reason for ICU admission. The findings highlight significant morbidity with GBS, particularly among patients who need MV.

PMID:39719074 | DOI:10.1177/03000605241306655

J Int Med Res. 2024 Dec;52(12):3000605241306405. doi: 10.1177/03000605241306405.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To describe changes in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) epidemiology, its associated clinical outcomes and predictors of severe acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRTI) pre- and post-COVID-19.

METHODS: In this retrospective cohort, we analysed data from electronic medical record of children <5 years who were hospitalized at Jordan University Hospital with RSV-associated ALRTI from 2018 to 2022.

RESULTS: 325 inpatients with respiratory infections were included. Rate of RSV infections decreased from 74% pre-pandemic to 30% post-pandemic. Patients diagnosed with ALRTI post-COVID had significantly higher SpO2, less chronic disease, lower temperature and respiratory rate at admission and fewer days in hospital compared with those diagnosed pre-COVID. Furthermore, patients diagnosed pre-pandemic were significantly more likely to have abnormal X-rays, used more antibiotics and antivirals, and had higher rates of severe disease than those with infection post-COVID.

CONCLUSION: COVID-19 and its associated social restriction measures led to changes in RSV epidemiology, characterized by a decline in rates and clinical severity in the post-pandemic period. However, further studies are needed to characterize the impact of COVID-19 on subsequent RSV seasons.

PMID:39719069 | DOI:10.1177/03000605241306405