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Tobacco Induced Diseases 2023The use of e-cigarettes has steadily increased, and vocational students are one primary target of e-cigarette marketing. This cross-sectional survey research aimed to...
INTRODUCTION
The use of e-cigarettes has steadily increased, and vocational students are one primary target of e-cigarette marketing. This cross-sectional survey research aimed to explore e-cigarette use and examine the factors associated with it.
METHODS
Multistage cluster random sampling was employed to select 1536 students in vocational education institutions. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data from September to December 2019. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to obtain the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) to determine the associated factors of e-cigarette use.
RESULTS
Altogether, 28.7% of the subjects were currently e-cigarette users, 7.4% used e-cigarettes only, and 21.3% were dual users. Various factors were found to be significantly associated with e-cigarette use by 43.7%. Those consisted of sex (male) (AOR=2.183; 95% CI: 1.510-3.157), grade point average (GPA) of <2.5 (AOR=2.363; 95% CI: 1.502-3.717), having neutral attitudes toward e-cigarette use (AOR=2.676; 95% CI: 1.499-4.779) and positive attitudes toward e-cigarette use (AOR=4.171; 95% CI: 2.250-7.734), moderate level of perceived behavioral control on e-cigarette use (AOR=3.520; 95% CI: 2.287-5.418) and low level of perceived behavioral control on e-cigarettes use (AOR=4.959; 95% CI: 3.274-7.511), moderate price of e-cigarettes (AOR=1.436; 95% CI: 1.009-2.044), and e-cigarette use of their parents (AOR=1.827; 95% CI: 1.137-2.938), close friends (AOR=4.327; 95% CI: 2.954-6.338) and idols (AOR=4.604; 95% CI: 1.844-11.497).
CONCLUSIONS
Students should be encouraged to develop negative attitudes toward e-cigarette use and increase their self-confidence to control the use of e-cigarettes. This can be achieved by regularly distributing information on the product's risks. Moreover, students can find inspiration and guidance from peers, close friends, or their idols, who will act as positive role models and inspire them not to initiate e-cigarette use.
PubMed: 37781237
DOI: 10.18332/tid/170421 -
Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases Dec 2023Despite the increasing incidence of aplastic anemia in China, few studies have explored its effect on the patients' quality of life from the perspective of these...
BACKGROUND
Despite the increasing incidence of aplastic anemia in China, few studies have explored its effect on the patients' quality of life from the perspective of these patients. In fact, patients with aplastic disorder live with the disease for a long time, and need to face a variety of difficult realities, including multiple disease symptoms and drug side effects, heavy burden of medical costs, difficulties in social reintegration, and negative emotional distress. Therefore, this study used descriptive qualitative research to explore the direct and rich quality-of-life experiences of patients with aplastic anemia.
METHODS
A total of 19 patients with aplastic anemia were recruited in this study using purposive sampling combined with maximum variation strategy. 5 of the patients with AA were from northern China, and the others were from southern China. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the conventional content analysis method.
RESULTS
This study yielded important information about the experiences of patients with aplastic anemia in China. The content analysis method finally identified 3 themes and 9 sub-themes, including: physical symptoms (declining physical capacity, treatment-related symptoms, changes in body image), psychological symptoms (mood changes related to the stage of the disease, change in self-image, growth resulting from the disease experience), social burden (decline in career development, perceived burden to the family, social stigma). Patients with AA from different regions didn't show much difference in quality of life.
CONCLUSIONS
Aplastic anemia affects the physical, psychological, and social aspects of patients' lives. Therefore, health care providers need to consider the patients' physical response and psychological feelings to provide relevant medical guidance and multi-channel social support that would improve their confidence and quality of life.
CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION
Name: Development and preliminary application of Quality of Life Scale for Patients with Aplastic Anemia. Number: ChiCTR2100047575. URL: http://www.chictr.org.cn/login.aspx?referurl=%2flistbycreater.aspx .
Topics: Humans; Anemia, Aplastic; Quality of Life; Qualitative Research; Emotions; China
PubMed: 38129869
DOI: 10.1186/s13023-023-02993-y -
Health Promotion Perspectives 2023Adolescents' sleep deteriorated over the last decades, urging the need to develop effective interventions. Using participatory action research (PAR) is a promising and...
BACKGROUND
Adolescents' sleep deteriorated over the last decades, urging the need to develop effective interventions. Using participatory action research (PAR) is a promising and unique approach to target adolescents' sleep. This study aims to describe the process and results of combining PAR and intervention mapping (IM) to guide future researchers on developing and planning of the implementation and evaluation of interventions promoting healthy sleep in adolescents.
METHODS
In each of three intervention schools (two with general and technical education and one with technical and vocational education), an action team including adolescents (age 13- 15 years, n=max. 12) and a researcher was composed to develop and plan the intervention. During weekly sessions (n=ranging from 23 to 34 per school), the action team went through the six steps of IM. A short PAR was performed with parents (n=7) to develop parental intervention components.
RESULTS
Combining PAR and IM resulted in interventions focusing on the importance of healthy sleep, regular sleep patterns and associated behaviors: screen behaviors, physical activity, dietary behavior and relaxation. Several differences in the participatory process (i.e. more guidance needed during brainstorms in the vocational/technical school) and developed intervention (i.e. less intrusive intervention components in the vocational/technical school) were observed between schools.
CONCLUSION
Combining PAR with IM resulted in more extensive interventions than other existing school-based sleep interventions. Future studies should investigate whether a participatory developed sleep intervention could be transferred to another setting using a shorter participatory process.
PubMed: 38235009
DOI: 10.34172/hpp.2023.37 -
Current Oncology (Toronto, Ont.) Jul 2023Cancer is a rapidly rising cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Cervical cancer, in particular, is still one of the leading causes of mortality for...
BACKGROUND
Cancer is a rapidly rising cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Cervical cancer, in particular, is still one of the leading causes of mortality for women in this setting. The uptake of healthcare services is in part influenced by patients' belief systems. We sought to better understand the perception of cancer in the Kom tribe of Northwest Cameroon.
METHODS
A qualitative research study was completed using a semi-structured interview guide and one-on-one interviews with 45 parents of girls aged 9-14 years. These girls were candidates for free HPV vaccination to prevent cervical cancer. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using ATLAS.ti 9.
RESULTS
Thirty-five mothers and ten fathers with a median age of 42 yo were interviewed from Mbingo, Belo, Njinikom, and Fundong. Half of the parents were farmers, with three being herbalists or traditional medicine doctors. Seventy-seven percent had either no or only primary school education. None had had cancer. All knew at least one person with cancer. The most common word for cancer in the Kom language is "". It can refer to a bad infection or cancer. The occurrence of is the result of either a curse placed on you, ancestral retribution, or transgressing the (snail shell spoken over and usually placed in a garden). The implications are that treatment of must involve the traditional doctor who determines the spiritual issue and prescribes a remedy (like a herb or tea) and/or an incantation. Within the context of cancer, this can lead to a delay in diagnosis until the disease is no longer curable by conventional therapies.
CONCLUSION
Ways to bridge biomedical healthcare services and traditional medicine are needed, especially in tribal contexts where the latter is an integral part of daily life.
Topics: Humans; Adolescent; Female; Nuclear Family; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms; Cameroon; Parents
PubMed: 37623000
DOI: 10.3390/curroncol30080519 -
BMC Health Services Research Sep 2023This study aimed to explore the experiences and needs of (ex-)welfare benefit recipients from a large urban municipality in the Netherlands regarding their...
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to explore the experiences and needs of (ex-)welfare benefit recipients from a large urban municipality in the Netherlands regarding their welfare-to-work services and their case workers.
METHODS
Quantitative data from a client satisfaction survey that was filled out by 213 people (response rate 11%) who received welfare-to-work services was combined with results from four group interviews with a total of 15 people receiving welfare-to-work services. Verbatim transcripts from the interviews were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.
RESULTS
The survey results showed that most clients were reasonably satisfied with the welfare-to-work services they received. Four main themes emerged from the interviews: (1) experiences and needs related to the interactions between case workers and benefit recipients; (2) the need for tailored services; (3) the complicating role of the system the case workers operate within; and (4) the existence of differences between case workers regarding how strict they followed the rules and to what extent they connected with their clients on a personal level.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings show that clients were reasonably satisfied with the welfare-to-work services provided by their municipality but that there is still room for improvement. Case workers should have good social skills to build a trusting relationship with the client, welfare-to-work services should be tailored to the individual, and clear concise information should be given to welfare benefit recipients, especially with regard to what benefit recipients can expect of the municipality and the case workers, given their dual role in supporting (re-)integration to work and monitoring benefit eligibility.
Topics: Humans; Netherlands; Patient Satisfaction; Trust; Vulnerable Populations
PubMed: 37710259
DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-09954-y -
BMJ Open Oct 2023This study investigated the experiences of front-line healthcare workers who had been in close contact with COVID-19 patients and had been quarantined in order to...
BACKGROUND
This study investigated the experiences of front-line healthcare workers who had been in close contact with COVID-19 patients and had been quarantined in order to provide guidance on quarantine measures with more humanistic care when dealing with future public health emergencies.
METHODS
We conducted a qualitative study using semistructured, qualitative, in-depth interviews between April and June 2022. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, followed by a thematic analysis. The study followed the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research.
RESULTS
This study identified the following four themes: (1) personal psychological changes, (2) increased reflection on life and work during quarantine, (3) the important role of others' support and (4) different types of demands during quarantine and isolation. Each theme is supported by several subthemes that further illustrate the participants' experiences.
CONCLUSIONS
Quarantine of close contacts is necessary to prevent outbreaks. Front-line doctors and nurses are at a greater risk of COVID-19 infection than others. The results showed the psychological reactions of ordinary close contacts, and the unique feelings and experiences of doctors and nurses during the epidemic. Therefore, future research should cooperate with multiple departments to assess their needs, provide them with individualised care and love and give them incentives in order to reduce their psychological burden, improve their quality of life and allow them to engage in healthcare with a healthy mind.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Quarantine; Quality of Life; Health Personnel; Qualitative Research
PubMed: 37865408
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073868 -
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry Oct 2023In biomedical research, ultrasonic cavitation, especially inertial cavitation (IC) has attracted extensive attentions due to its ability to induce mechanical, chemical...
In biomedical research, ultrasonic cavitation, especially inertial cavitation (IC) has attracted extensive attentions due to its ability to induce mechanical, chemical and thermal effects. Like ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) microbubbles or droplets, acoustic cavitation can be effectively triggered beyond a certain pressure threshold through the interaction between ultrasound and nucleation particles, leading to an enhanced thrombolytic effect. As a newly developed nanocarbon material, nitrogen-doped annealed nanodiamond (N-AND) has shown promising catalytic performance. To further explore its effects on ultrasonic cavitation, N-AND was synthesized at the temperature of 1000 °C. After systematic material characterization, the potential of N-AND to induce enhanced IC activity was assessed for the first time by using passive cavitation detection (PCD). Based on experiments performed at varied material suspension concentration and cycle number, N-AND demonstrated a strong capability to generate significant cavitation characteristics, indicating the formation of stable bubbles from the surface of the materials. Furthermore, N-AND was applied in the in vitro thrombolysis experiments to verify its contribution to ultrasound thrombolysis. The influence of surface hydrophobicity on the cavitation potentials of ND and N-AND was innovatively discussed in combination with the theory of mote-induced nucleation. It is found that the cavitation stability of N-AND was better than that of the commercial UCA microbubbles. This study would provide better understanding of the potential of novel carbonous nanomaterials as cavitation nuclei and is expected to provide guidance for their future biomedical and industrial applications.
PubMed: 37647744
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2023.106563 -
Frontiers in Genetics 2023Xinjiang Brown cattle are a famous dual-purpose (dairy-beef) cultivated breed in China that occupy a pivotal position within the cattle breeding industry in Xinjiang,...
Xinjiang Brown cattle are a famous dual-purpose (dairy-beef) cultivated breed in China that occupy a pivotal position within the cattle breeding industry in Xinjiang, China. However, little information is available on the genetic background of this breed. To fill this research gap, we conducted a whole-genome screen using specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing to examine the genetic structure and diversity of 130 Xinjiang Brown cattle-grazing type (XBG, traditional type) cattle. A subsequent joint analysis incorporating two ancestral breeds, specifically 19 Brown Swiss (BS) foreign and nine Kazakh (KZ) Chinese cattle, as well as 20 Xinjiang Brown cattle-housing type (XBH) cattle, was used to explore the genetic background of the Xinjiang Brown cattle. The results showed that, after nearly a century of crossbreeding, XBG cattle formed a single population with a stable genetic performance. The genetic structure, genetic diversity, and selection signature analysis of the two ancestral types showed highly different results compared to that of XBH cattle. Local ancestry inference showed that the average proportions of XGB cattle within the BS and KZ cattle lineages were 37.22% and 62.78%, respectively, whereas the average proportions of XBH cattle within the BS and KZ cattle lineages were 95.14% and 4.86%, respectively. Thus, XGB cattle are more representative of all Xinjiang Brown cattle, in line with their breeding history, which involves crossbreeding. Two complementary approaches, fixation index and mean nucleotide diversity, were used to detect selection signals in the four aforementioned cattle breeds. Finally, the analysis of 26 candidate genes in Xinjiang Brown cattle revealed significant enrichment in 19 Gene Ontology terms, and seven candidate genes were enriched in three pathways related to disease resistance (, , and ) and the endocrine system (, , , and ). Finally, development of the core SNPs in XBG cattle yielded 8,379 loci. The results of this study detail the evolutionary process of crossbreeding in Xinjiang Brown cattle and provide guidance for selecting and breeding new strains of this species.
PubMed: 38283146
DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1348329 -
Materials (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2024As derivatives of metal halide perovskite materials, low-dimensional metal halide materials have become important materials that have attracted much attention in recent...
As derivatives of metal halide perovskite materials, low-dimensional metal halide materials have become important materials that have attracted much attention in recent years. As one branch, zinc-based metal halides have the potential for practical applications due to their lead-free, low-toxicity and high-stability characteristics. However, pure zinc-based metal halide materials are still limited by their poor optical properties and cannot achieve large-scale practical applications. Therefore, in this work, we report an organic-inorganic hybrid zero-dimensional zinc bromide, (TDMP)ZnBr, using transition metal Mn ions as dopants and incorporating them into the (TDMP)ZnBr lattice. The original non-emissive (TDMP)ZnBr exhibits bright green emission under the excitation of external UV light after the introduction of Mn ions with a PL peak position located at 538 nm and a PLQY of up to 91.2%. Through the characterization of relevant photophysical properties and the results of theoretical calculations, we confirm that this green emission in Mn:(TDMP)ZnBr originates from the T → A optical transition process of Mn ions in the lattice structure, and the near-unity PLQY benefits from highly localized electrons generated by the unique zero-dimensional structure of the host material (TDMP)ZnBr. This work provides theoretical guidance and reference for expanding the family of zinc-based metal halide materials and improving and controlling their optical properties through ion doping.
PubMed: 38591378
DOI: 10.3390/ma17030562 -
Heliyon Mar 2024Students in higher vocational education are always encountering various challenges. The way they attempt to conquer these challenges influences their success in...
Students in higher vocational education are always encountering various challenges. The way they attempt to conquer these challenges influences their success in achieving their academic goals. With the development of the times, the needs of students in China's vocational colleges to cope with challenges are also changing. In order to understand the changing needs of these students to cope with the challenges, based on Trautwein and Bosse's academic counseling demand model and Knowles's demand theory, this study adopted semi-structured interviews, key event collection methods, and purposive sampling to select 12 students of different grades majoring in art and design in a higher vocational college in Guangzhou, China. With reference to related studies on the key academic needs of students, interview outlines were designed, interviews were conducted, and coding and analysis were performed. Students' experiences were categorized according to learning-related, individual, organization, and social constructs. The study results showed that the academic counseling needs of China's higher vocational art and design students mainly focused on the learning-related construct, such as understanding the courses and course systems they were majoring in, setting and realizing academic goals, coping with setbacks, pressure and other students' comprehensive evaluation. This was followed by dealing with personal and financial issues, building social circles and peer relationships, and so on. Therefore, for students to overcome challenges and achieve academic goals, it is helpful to strengthen the collaboration between professional teachers and counselors, the influence of peers, the focus on academic consulting work related to learning, and to explore and carry out guidance on students' individual needs in higher vocational colleges.
PubMed: 38509979
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27708