astic energy more efficiently than that of females. Thus, the mechanical properties of the AT should be maintained and/or improved through physical exercise.Poor socio-economic status contributes to undernutrition which, in turn, can increase the risk of academic underachievement. This study wants to determine if stunting, being underweight, and thinness show long term relations with academic performance in primary school girls aged 6 to 13 in the North West province of South Africa. A randomized and stratified longitudinal research design including a baseline and two time-point measurements over seven school years was used. The sample included girls aged 6 to 13 years (N = 198) in the North West province of South Africa. Academic performance in the June school assessments and national and provincial assessments in grades 1, 4, and 7 were used to determine academic performance. Independent t-testing was used to determine differences between thinness, underweight and stunted girls as opposed to a reference group with no undernutrition indices. A repeated measures ANOVA and post hoc Bonferroni adjustment analyzed relations over time. Normal weight girls significantly outperformed stunted girls academically (p less then 0.05) over time. Stunting had prolonged and significant negative influences on language, mathematics, and grade point average (p less then 0.05). Early identification of undernutrition, especially stunting, is important for intervention and the implementation of timely prevention strategies, especially during early childhood years.Brain Breaks® are structured physical activity (PA) web-based videos designed to promote an interest in learning and health promotion. The objective of this study was to examine its effects on decision balance (DB) which consists of the perceived benefits (Pros) and perceived barriers (Cons) of exercise in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A randomised controlled trial was conducted among people with T2DM at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. The intervention group received Brain Breaks videos for a period of four months. The intervention and control groups completed the validated Malay version of DB questionnaire for five times, at pre-intervention, the first month, the second month, the third month, and post-intervention. Multivariate Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance was performed for data analysis. A total of 70 participants were included (male = 39; female = 31) with a mean age of 57.6 years (SD = 8.5). The intervention group showed a significant change in the Pros and Cons factors of DB scores over time. The intervention group showed significantly higher scores for the Pros (p-value less then 0.001) and lower scores for the Cons (p-value = 0.008) factors than the control group. In conclusion, the Brain Breaks video is an effective intervention to improve decisional balance in patients with T2DM to help them in deciding on behaviour change to be more physically active.Face masks are recommended as a means of reducing the spread of COVID-19, but there are practically no studies of interventions to increase face mask use. Over three weeks, nine grocery stores in the Stovner District of Oslo were randomly selected each day to have distribution of free face masks outside their entrance. Free face mask distribution increased the proportion of customers wearing a mask by 6.0 percentage points (adjusted, 95% CI 3.5-8.5). Mean mask usage was 91.7% in the control group and 97.1% in the treatment group (pooled SD 5.3%). Practically all those who wore masks had both nose and mouth covered. We conclude that free distribution of face masks increased their use. Similar trials can be conducted within a short period of time.
Few studies have examined the longer-term psychological impact of COVID-19 in healthcare workers (HCWs).
We examined the 10-week trajectory of insomnia symptoms in HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
HCWs completed a web-based survey at baseline (9 April-11 May 2020) and every 2 weeks for 10 weeks. The main outcome was the severity of insomnia symptoms in the past week. Multivariable-adjusted generalized estimating equation analyses examined factors associated with insomnia symptoms.
= 230 completed surveys at baseline.
= 155,
= 130,
= 118,
= 95, and
= 89 completed follow-ups at weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10, respectively. Prevalence of insomnia symptoms of at least moderate severity was 72.6% at baseline, and 63.2%, 44.6%, 40.7%, 34.7%, and 39.3% at weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10, respectively. In multivariable analyses, factors significantly associated with increased odds of insomnia symptoms were younger age (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.96-1.00), working in a COVID-facing environment (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.15-2.67) and hours worked (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.06-1.27).
The initial high rates of insomnia symptoms improved as time passed from the peak of local COVID-19 cases but four out of ten HCWs still had moderate-to-severe insomnia symptoms ten weeks after baseline.
The initial high rates of insomnia symptoms improved as time passed from the peak of local COVID-19 cases but four out of ten HCWs still had moderate-to-severe insomnia symptoms ten weeks after baseline.Long-term exposure to childhood abuse and occurrence of mental illness are positively correlated. Using long-term tracking data in Korea, we identified the characteristics of children and adolescents who experienced abuse and impact thereof on their psychopathology. Using the Korea Welfare Panel data, 354 teenagers in grades 4-6 of elementary school participated, were assessed at baseline, and monitored 3 years later. They were categorized into Never, Occurrence, Continuation, and Discontinuation groups according to changes in the abuse experienced. Psychopathology was evaluated using K-CBCL. Childhood abuse experience significantly affected psychopathology. At the baseline, the Continuation and Discontinuation groups had a higher severity of psychopathology than the Never group. Psychopathology at the baseline was associated with whether the patient experienced abuse that year. In the follow-up observation, the risk of psychopathology in the Occurrence and Continuation groups was higher than that in the Never group. The Discontinuation group had decreased psychopathology, which was not clinically significant in the follow-up observation (INT aRR = 2.09; 95% CI 0.61-7.13, EXT aRR = 4.23; 95% CI 1.12-16.07). Stopping abuse in late childhood reduces adolescents' psychopathology in the long term, meaning they can recover their normal developmental trajectory according to risk groups and provide effective interventions including discontinuation of abuse.In recent years, there has been increased recognition of the significance and relevance of Holocaust studies to nurses. However, these studies are rarely integrated in the nursing curriculum, and even when they are, the focus is usually on healthcare personnel who collaborated with the Nazi regime. This article aims to bridge this gap by analyzing a comprehensive requisite curriculum on the Holocaust for graduate nursing students. We emphasize the work of Jewish healthcare professionals during the Holocaust and the dilemmas they faced, as well as the trauma and resilience of Holocaust survivors, their treatment today, and implications for treating other patients. This article examines how studying these issues affected the graduate students. It analyzes the reflective accounts written by the students, using qualitative content analysis and Grounded Theory. The findings suggest that students received tools to act professionally and empathetically while demonstrating greater sensitivity to the patients' identity, past experiences, trauma, and how the hospital as a "total institution" affects them. Many of the students developed conscious leadership. The program used a personalized pedagogical approach that contributed to experiential learning but was also emotionally challenging for the participants. We recommend including Holocaust studies as a requisite component in nursing programs worldwide.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common, progressive, irreversible muscular dystrophy. Pulmonary function is crucial for duration of life in this disease. Currently, the European Respiratory Society is focused on digital health, seeking innovations that will be realistic for digital respiratory medicine to support professionals and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The aim of this study was to investigate whether it is possible to monitor pulmonary function at home using an individual electronic spirometry system in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
In this observational, prospective study, conducted from March 2021 to June 2021, twenty boys with DMD (aged 8-16) were enrolled. The patients were recruited from the Rare Disease Centre, University Clinical Centre, of GdaĆsk, Poland. Medical history and anthropometric data were collected, and spirometry (Jaeger, Germany) was performed in all patients at the start of the study. Each patient received an electronic individual spirometer of electronic medical devices at home, e.g., via SMS (short message service).There is a large number of variables, studied in the literature, that affect the integral development of students in the educational stage, but few research analyze the effects that relative age can have on development. The aim of this study is to review and summarize the results obtained, on this subject, in recent research. The methodology used has followed the PRISMA declaration. The final sample is composed by 21 articles, which use data from 24 countries and 32 assessments. The main conclusions indicate that relatively younger children in same class groups (a) obtain significantly lower mean scores in cognitive and motor tests, (b) have a higher repetition rate, and (c) have a less capacity of socialization. Finally, it should be noted that considering the results obtained by the research on relative age effect on child development, some authors propose to adapt educational practices to minimize these effects.Exposure to metals may be associated with renal function impairment, but the effect modified by genetic polymorphisms was not considered in most studies. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and tumor necrotic factor-α (TNF-α) play important roles in renal hemodynamics, and they have been reported to be associated with some renal diseases. The aim of our research is to explore whether genetic variations in EGFR and TNF-α have influence on renal function under exposure to various metals. This cross-sectional study consisted of 376 metal industrial workers, 396 participants of Taiwan Biobank, and 231 volunteers of health examinations. We identified 23 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the EGFR gene and 6 SNPs on the TNF-α gene, and we also measured their plasma concentration of cobalt, copper, zinc, selenium, arsenic, and lead. Multiple regression analysis was applied to investigate the association between various SNPs, metals, and renal function. https://www.selleckchem.com/EGFR(HER).html Our results revealed some protective and susceptible genotypes under occupational or environmental exposure to metals. The individuals carrying EGFR rs2280653 GG might have declined renal function under excessive exposure to selenium, and those with EGFR rs3823585 CC, rs12671550 CC, and rs4947986 GG genotypes might be susceptible to lead nephrotoxicity. We suggest the high-risk population to prevent renal diseases.