Tag: pubmed

BMC Womens Health. 2022 Jun 17;22(1):238. doi: 10.1186/s12905-022-01830-x.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health problem and a violation of women’s human rights. Almost one third of women aged 15-49 years who have been in a relationship have experienced to some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner worldwide.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to assess the prevalence of intimate partner violence within the last 12 months and associated factors among reproductive aged women in Liberia.

METHOD: This study was based on a large community-based cross-sectional survey, Liberia Demographic Health Survey (LDHS), conducted From October 16, 2019, to February 12, 2020, in Liberia. The 2019-20 LDHS used a stratified two-stage cluster design. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent intimate partner violence among reproductive age women in Liberia and to control confounders. Adjusted odds ratio and confidence interval (CI) were used to declare statistical significance in the final model. Those variables with p value < 0.05 were considered as statistically significant.

RESULT: The overall prevalence of IPV within the last 12 months was 44.74% (42.73-46.77). age of the women 41% (AOR = 0.59, 95%CI 0.37-0.93), 42% (AOR = 0.58, 95%CI 0.35-0.94), and 59% (AOR = 0.41, 95%CI 0.25-0.68) among women with in the age group of 35-39, 40-44 and 45-49 respectively, south central region (AOR = 0.71, 95%CI 0.52-0.96), women’s primary education (AOR = 1.28, 95%CI 1.01-1.63), female household head (AOR = 0.77, 95%CI 0.61-0.97), husbands higher education (AOR = 0.62, 95%CI 0.39-0.99), positive wife beating attitude (AOR = 1.57, 95%CI 1.29-1.90), husband drinks (AOR = 2.59, 95%CI 2.14-3.15) and Women’s decision making autonomy (AOR = 0.75, 95%CI 0.61-0.93) were significantly associated with IPV.

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of IPV in Liberia was high. Socio-demographic characteristics of women, husbands education, sex of household head, having a positive attitude towards wife-beating, partner’s alcohol drinking habit and women empowerment was significantly associated with IPV in Liberia. Policymakers and program designers have to take into account those factors when they design interventions to reduce IPV in Liberia.

PMID:35715767 | DOI:10.1186/s12905-022-01830-x

BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2022 Jun 17;22(1):275. doi: 10.1186/s12872-022-02717-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Adherence to self-care recommendations in heart failure (HF) patients is essential to improve the patients’ quality of life, prevent hospital admission, and reduce mortality and morbidity. Nevertheless, poor adherence to self-care recommendations remains to be an extensive problem for HF patients. Thus, the aim was to assess adherence to self-care recommendations and associated factors among HF patients in public hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021.

METHODS: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among adult HF patients from February 15 to April 15, 2021, in five public hospitals, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A total of 294 adult HF patients completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire in the Amharic language. The Revised HF Compliance Questionnaire was used to measure the adherence to self-care recommendations of HF patients. Data was collected using the Revised HF Compliance Questionnaire, the Japanese heart failure knowledge scale, the multidimensional scale of perceived social support, and the chronic diseases self-efficacy scale. Study participants were selected through a systematic random sampling technique. Data were entered into Epi-info version 7.1 and then exported to SPSS Version 25 for analysis. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed and the statistical significance of associations between the variables was determined using ORs with 95% CI and p-values < 0.05.

RESULTS: Adherence to self-care recommendations among adult HF patients in public hospitals, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was 32.70%. Being female (AOR 4.66, 95% CI 1.58-13.67), patients who had high family monthly income (AOR 10.32, 95% CI 2.00-5.13), NYHA class III (AOR: 7.01, 95% CI 2.18-22.57) and class IV (AOR: 6.30, 95% CI 1.01-39.22), who had good self-efficacy (AOR 7.63, 95% CI 2.64-21.97), and who had good knowledge about HF (AOR 3.95, 95% CI 1.56-9.95) were more likely to have good adherence to self-care recommendations, p-value < 0.05.

CONCLUSION: This study revealed that 32.70% of adult HF patients had good adherence to self-care recommendations. Factors associated with adherence to self-care recommendations of adult HF patients are sex, family monthly income, NYHA classification, self-efficacy, and knowledge about HF. Therefore, interventions focused on sex, family monthly income, NYHA classification, self-efficacy, and knowledge about HF are required to improve adherence to self-care recommendations of adult HF patients.

PMID:35715744 | DOI:10.1186/s12872-022-02717-3

BMC Public Health. 2022 Jun 18;22(1):1212. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13618-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Spatial variability of COVID-19 cases may suggest geographic disparities of social determinants of health. Spatial analyses of population-level data may provide insight on factors that may contribute to COVID-19 transmission, hospitalization, and death.

METHODS: Generalized additive models were used to map COVID-19 risk from March 2020 to February 2021 in Orange County (OC), California. We geocoded and analyzed 221,843 cases to OC census tracts within a Poisson framework while smoothing over census tract centroids. Location was randomly permuted 1000 times to test for randomness. We also separated the analyses temporally to observe if risk changed over time. COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths were mapped across OC while adjusting for population-level demographic data in crude and adjusted models.

RESULTS: Risk for COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths were statistically significant in northern OC. Adjustment for demographic data substantially decreased spatial risk, but areas remained statistically significant. Inclusion of location within our models considerably decreased the magnitude of risk compared to univariate models. However, percent minority (adjusted RR: 1.06, 95%CI: 1.06, 1.07), average household size (aRR: 1.06, 95%CI: 1.05, 1.07), and percent service industry (aRR: 1.05, 95%CI: 1.04, 1.06) remained significantly associated with COVID-19 risk in adjusted spatial models. In addition, areas of risk did not change between surges and risk ratios were similar for hospitalizations and deaths.

CONCLUSION: Significant risk factors and areas of increased risk were identified in OC in our adjusted models and suggests that social and environmental factors contribute to the spread of COVID-19 within communities. Areas in north OC remained significant despite adjustment, but risk substantially decreased. Additional investigation of risk factors may provide insight on how to protect vulnerable populations in future infectious disease outbreaks.

PMID:35715743 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-022-13618-7

BMC Med Res Methodol. 2022 Jun 17;22(1):174. doi: 10.1186/s12874-022-01625-6.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Sustainable Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) virological suppression is crucial to achieving the Joint United Nations Programme of HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 95-95-95 treatment targets to reduce the risk of onward HIV transmission. Exploratory data analysis is an integral part of statistical analysis which aids variable selection from complex survey data for further confirmatory analysis.

METHODS: In this study, we divulge participants’ epidemiological and biological factors with high HIV RNA viral load (HHVL) from an HIV Incidence Provincial Surveillance System (HIPSS) sequential cross-sectional survey between 2014 and 2015 KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) and random forest analysis (RFA), we analyzed the linkage between socio-demographic, behavioral, psycho-social, and biological factors associated with HHVL, defined as ≥400 copies per m/L.

RESULTS: Out of 3956 in 2014 and 3868 in 2015, 50.1% and 41% of participants, respectively, had HHVL. MCA and RFA revealed that knowledge of HIV status, ART use, ARV dosage, current CD4 cell count, perceived risk of contracting HIV, number of lifetime HIV tests, number of lifetime sex partners, and ever diagnosed with TB were consistent potential factors identified to be associated with high HIV viral load in the 2014 and 2015 surveys. Based on MCA findings, diverse categories of variables identified with HHVL were, did not know HIV status, not on ART, on multiple dosages of ARV, with less likely perceived risk of contracting HIV and having two or more lifetime sexual partners.

CONCLUSION: The high proportion of individuals with HHVL suggests that the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goal of HIV viral suppression is less likely to be achieved. Based on performance and visualization evaluation, MCA was selected as the best and essential exploration tool for identifying and understanding categorical variables’ significant associations and interactions to enhance individual epidemiological understanding of high HIV viral load. When faced with complex survey data and challenges of variables selection in research, exploratory data analysis with robust graphical visualization and reliability that can reveal divers’ structures should be considered.

PMID:35715730 | DOI:10.1186/s12874-022-01625-6

Dis Colon Rectum. 2022 Jan 31. doi: 10.1097/DCR.0000000000002395. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Parastomal hernias are common complications following ostomy surgery and affect the patient’s quality of life. We hypothesized that the patient’s physical activity (or lack thereof) might be associated with presence of parastomal hernia. If so, this might be an actionable target for prevention.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to determine rates of and risk factors for parastomal hernias in patients who underwent surgery resulting in a permanent ostomy.

DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort and survey study. Postal survey included questions about parastomal hernia, symptoms, lifestyle, and validated instruments to measure stoma quality of life and physical activity. Chart abstraction was conducted for clinical comorbidities.

SETTINGS: This study was conducted in single, large academic medical center.

PATIENTS: Patients who underwent operations that included a permanent urostomy, colostomy, and/or ileostomy between 2014 and 2018 were included in the study.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Parastomal hernia (self-reported) and physical activity, measured in total activity metabolic equivalent-minutes/week, were our main outcome measures. Quality of life was also assessed.

RESULTS: A total of 443 of 724 patients responded to the survey (response rate, 61.2%). 212 patients (47.9%) had urostomies, 160 (36.1%) had colostomies, and 99 (22.3%) had ileostomies. 128 patients (29.7%) had a parastomal hernia, with rates of 27.1% for urostomy, 40.0% for colostomy, and 23.7% for ileostomy. There was a statistically-significant association between less exercise and higher incidence of parastomal hernia (median, 579 metabolic equivalent -minutes/week for those with parastomal hernias v. 1689 for those without; p = 0.001).

LIMITATIONS: The association between physical activity and parastomal hernia may be confounded by obesity, or by the fact that parastomal hernia patients may have less physical activity due to their hernia.

CONCLUSIONS: Parastomal hernia rates remain high in modern surgical practice, and hernias are associated with poorer quality of life. This study shows an association between patients’ physical activity and the presence of a parastomal hernia, with a higher rate among patients who exercise less. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B910.

PMID:35714337 | DOI:10.1097/DCR.0000000000002395

Dis Colon Rectum. 2021 Dec 13. doi: 10.1097/DCR.0000000000002176. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Dose-intensified rescue therapy with infliximab for hospitalized patients with ulcerative colitis has become increasingly popular in recent years. However, there is ongoing debate about both the efficacy of these regimens to reduce the rate of colectomy and the associated risks of increased infliximab exposure.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the colectomy and postoperative complication rates in hospitalized patients with severe ulcerative colitis receiving standard infliximab induction therapy (3 doses of 5mg/kg at week 0, 2, 6) and dose-intensified regimens including a higher weight-based dosing or more rapid interval.

DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study.

SETTINGS: This study was conducted at an academic tertiary care hospital.

PATIENTS: A total of145 adult patients receiving inpatient rescue infliximab therapy for the treatment of ulcerative colitis between 2008 and 2020.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was colectomy rate within 3 months of rescue therapy. Secondary outcomes include mid-term colectomy rates as well as perioperative complications in patients receiving colectomy within 3 months of rescue infliximab initiation.

RESULTS: The proportion of dose-intensified regimens increased over time. Unadjusted 3-month colectomy rates were 14% in patients who received standard rescue infliximab dosing, 16% in patients given a single dose-escalated dose, and 24% in patients given multiple inpatient dose-escalated doses. These rates were not statistically significantly different. Of the patients requiring colectomy within 3 months of infliximab rescue, those who received multiple inpatient doses of dose-escalated therapy had a higher percentage of colectomy during the initial hospitalization but a lower rate of perioperative complications.

LIMITATIONS: Retrospective data and limited power to account for heterogeneity of disease.

CONCLUSIONS: No significant difference was found in colectomy rates between patients receiving standard or dose-intensified regimens. However, dose-intensified regimens, including multiple inpatient doses given to patients with more severe disease, were not associated with a greater risk of perioperative complications. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B864.

PMID:35714346 | DOI:10.1097/DCR.0000000000002176

J Biopharm Stat. 2022 Jun 17:1-20. doi: 10.1080/10543406.2022.2080693. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Platform design which allows exploring multiple arms with a common control simultaneously is becoming essential for efficient drug development. However, one of the critical challenges for confirmatory platform trials is immature data for interim decisions, particularly for the treatment arm selection and sample size determination with limited data available. We use a modified conditional power (CP) for both treatment arm selection and sample size determination at interim analysis for the proposed platform trial. The modified CP uses the available data from both primary and surrogate endpoints. We also demonstrated the application in a case study of a lung cancer trial.

PMID:35714331 | DOI:10.1080/10543406.2022.2080693

Clin Nurse Spec. 2022 Jul-Aug 01;36(4):183-189. doi: 10.1097/NUR.0000000000000679.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine if a relationship exists between the coronavirus 2019 pandemic and posttraumatic stress disorder in clinical nurse specialists.

DESIGN: The study used a nonexperimental, correlational, cross-sectional design to explore the relationship between exposure to the coronavirus 2019 pandemic and posttraumatic stress disorder signs and symptoms.

METHODS: The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists distributed the electronic survey from August to October 2020. State affiliates and accrediting bodies distributed the survey from October to December 2020. The survey consisted of the Impact of Events Scale – Revised, which measures signs and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. The target sample size was at least 100.

RESULTS: Statistically significant relationships were identified between the participant demographics, coronavirus 2019 exposure, and signs and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in clinical nurse specialists. Of 129 participants, 30% had Impact of Events Scale – Revised scores that are clinically concerning for posttraumatic stress disorder.

CONCLUSIONS: Clinical nurse specialists can guide policy, practice, and education interventions to combat posttraumatic stress disorder due to the coronavirus 2019 pandemic.

PMID:35714320 | DOI:10.1097/NUR.0000000000000679

J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng. 2022;57(5):357-375. doi: 10.1080/10934529.2022.2067444.

ABSTRACT

The main objective of this study is to present the distribution of different chemical elements in soil samples from the Skopje region, North Macedonia. To determine the level of presence of chemical elements, soil samples are collected from a total of 60 locations. From each location, from an area of 5 × 5 km² samples of soil are collected: topsoil (0-5 cm) and subsoil (20-30 cm). The soil samples were analyzed for 69 elements by using two instrumental methods: inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) for macro-elements and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for trace elements. A factor analysis was applied to analyze the factors affecting the linear combination variables grouped at the same factor. Spatial distribution maps of each factor as well as distribution maps for the analyzed elements were prepared by universal kriging interpolation. It was found that the distribution of most elements follows the lithology of the examined area, except for some elements (Cd, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Pb, and Zn) whose higher contents are found in the area of the city of Skopje as a result of urban and industrial activities (traffic, metal processing, fossil fuel combustion for heating).

PMID:35714291 | DOI:10.1080/10934529.2022.2067444

Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2022 Jun 17:2076525. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2076525. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to investigate HPV vaccination intention among adult married women aged 27 to 45 years and its associated factors, and their spouse/partner’s influence on HPV vaccination decision-making.

METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study. Study participants were recruited through simple random sampling of patients attending obstetrics and gynecology outpatient clinics in a university teaching hospital.Participants were selected based on a computer-generated list of a random list of patients attending the clinic.

RESULTS: A total of 794 complete responses were received (response rate 88.2%). The mean age of the respondents was 32.2 years with a standard deviation (SD) of ±3.9 years.The vast majority (85.3%) would communicate with their spouse/partner with regard to HPV vaccination decision-making. Nearly 30% (over half were of the Malay ethnic group) perceived their spouse/partner would not consent to their HPV vaccination. Over half (54.9%) reported joint decision-making, and 9.1% (the majority of whom were Malay) reported that HPV vaccination was dependent on their spouse/partner’s decision. Intention to vaccinate against HPV was high (74.5%). Factors influencing HPV vaccination intention were spouse/partner’s consent to HPV vaccination (odds ratio [OR] = 4.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.08-6.62), being a postgraduate student (OR = 4.55 ; 95% CI, 2.13-9.72 vs. unemployed/housewife), average household income MYR2000-4000 (OR = 2.09 ; 95%CI, 1.16-3.78 vs. below MYR2000), and an HPV-related knowledge score of 9-20 (OR = 1.60 ; 95% CI, 1.10-2.32 vs. score 0-8).

CONCLUSION: Findings highlight the importance of culture-centered interventions to enhance male partner’s awareness and support for the HPV vaccination of married women.

PMID:35714272 | DOI:10.1080/21645515.2022.2076525