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Disability and Rehabilitation Sep 2021Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) often present injury-related cognitive and behavioural sequelae hindering a successful professional outcome, even many...
PURPOSE
Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) often present injury-related cognitive and behavioural sequelae hindering a successful professional outcome, even many years after injury. The aim of this study was to investigate cognitive and behavioural factors predicting vocational outcome in the post-acute stages (≥one year) of TBI.
METHODS
A systematic review of empirical research about vocational outcome of individuals with TBI was conducted. Studies published in PubMed and PsycINFO from 1 January 1998 to 31 May 2019 were screened. Only studies using the same injury severity criteria (the Glasgow Coma Scale score and/or the duration of post-traumatic amnesia) were selected.
RESULTS
We found that (1) self-reported symptoms, (2) Functional Independence Measure and Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory Scores, (3) alcohol abuse and mood disorders, and (4) Differentiated Outcome Scale Cognitive Scores in individuals with TBI were highly predictive of the vocational outcome.
CONCLUSION
This systematic review emphasized the link between cognitive and behavioural functioning and vocational rehabilitation in individuals with TBI. However, scientific literature lacks cognitive and behavioural models predicting vocational outcome of these individuals, including academic or vocational training. Such models would allow clinicians to improve vocational guidance of these individuals.Implications for rehabilitationCognitive and behavioural assessment is highly important even many years after traumatic brain injury, especially in a social and professional rehabilitation context.Clinicians should integrate objective measures of cognition and behaviour in post-acute phases of traumatic brain injury.Identifying vocational outcome related cognitive and behavioural patterns of functioning would allow clinicians to improve vocational guidance of adults with traumatic brain injury.
Topics: Brain Injuries, Traumatic; Cognition; Glasgow Coma Scale; Humans; Rehabilitation, Vocational; Vocational Education
PubMed: 31865773
DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2019.1706105 -
Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation Mar 2020Purpose Despite the desire and ability to work, individuals with childhood onset disabilities are under-represented in employment. Vocational interventions alleviate...
The Impact of Vocational Interventions on Vocational Outcomes, Quality of Life, and Community Integration in Adults with Childhood Onset Disabilities: A Systematic Review.
Purpose Despite the desire and ability to work, individuals with childhood onset disabilities are under-represented in employment. Vocational interventions alleviate some barriers to obtaining and maintaining employment for this population. The research question addressed is: What is the impact of vocational interventions on vocational outcomes, quality of life (QoL), and community integration (CI) in adults with childhood onset neurological disabilities including cerebral palsy (CP), spina bifida, and acquired brain injury (ABI)? Methods A literature search was conducted in multiple electronic databases. All experimental and observational studies with comparator group(s) were included. Two reviewers independently completed titles and abstracts screening, full text screening, data abstraction, and risk of bias assessment. Results Seventeen studies were eligible for final inclusion including three randomized-controlled trials, four non-randomized studies, and ten observational studies. Sixteen of seventeen studies included only individuals with ABI, while one study included individuals with CP. Vocational interventions from experimental studies were mainly components of multi-faceted interventions. Most observational studies were from the United States Vocational Rehabilitation Service. Conclusions Vocational interventions may be effective in improving vocational outcomes, QoL, and CI for individuals with ABI. There is limited experimental evidence on interventions that specifically target employment. Observational data suggest that receiving job placement assistance, on-the-job training and supports, counselling/guidance, maintenance, and supported employment successfully predicted employment outcomes.
Topics: Adult; Brain Injuries; Cerebral Palsy; Child; Community Integration; Disabled Persons; Humans; Quality of Life; Rehabilitation, Vocational; Spinal Dysraphism; Young Adult
PubMed: 31535267
DOI: 10.1007/s10926-019-09854-1 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jan 2023COVID-19 accelerated the growth of the digital economy and digital transformation across the globe. Meanwhile, it also created a higher demand for productivity in the...
COVID-19 accelerated the growth of the digital economy and digital transformation across the globe. Meanwhile, it also created a higher demand for productivity in the real economy. Hence, the correlation between the digital economy and green productivity is worth studying as COVID-19 prevention becomes the norm. The digital economy overcomes the limitations imposed by traditional factors of production on economic growth and empowers innovative R&D and resource allocation in all aspects. This study delved into the digital economy by focusing on its green value at different levels of development. The study gathered the green-productivity indices and the principal components of the digital economy for each prefecture-level city in China from 2011 to 2019 and meticulously portrayed their trends in spatial and temporal figures. Meanwhile, regression models were used to verify the mechanism through which digital-economy development influences the changes in green productivity. The results showed that: (1) a higher level of digital economy helps to increase urban green total-factor productivity (GTFP) and that the conclusions of this paper still held after potential endogeneity problems were solved through the instrumental-variables approach; (2) the digital economy will drive an increase in urban GTFP by upgrading firms' production technologies and that digital-economy development encourages green patent applications from firms; and (3) as the digital economy develops, it will also drive urban GTFP increases by removing polluting enterprises from the market and that the higher the level of digital-economy development, the greater the number and probability of polluting enterprises exiting the market. In view of this study's results, the government should increase the importance of the digital economy, strengthen the role of the digital economy in promoting urban green development, and provide more guidance on regional green development with the help of the digital economy.
Topics: Humans; Cities; COVID-19; Economic Development; Resource Allocation; China; Efficiency
PubMed: 36674198
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20021442 -
BMC Public Health Nov 2023The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the aviation and education sectors in China. This study examined the relationships between risk perceptions of the pandemic,...
BACKGROUND
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the aviation and education sectors in China. This study examined the relationships between risk perceptions of the pandemic, vocational identity, and employment aspirations of Chinese aviation students.
METHODS
The study used a convenience sampling approach to collect data (n = 276 respondents) from August 2 to 8, 2022. An online survey was sent via WeChat and QQ to Chinese students majoring in aviation service management who were under lockdown at six Chinese schools.
RESULTS
In spite of the strong support for the stringent COVID policies and full awareness of infection risk and protective measures, respondents were worried about the current unstable situation and felt fear for its severity and long-lasting symptoms. The casual path from career commitment to employment aspiration was supported, but high risk perceptions of the pandemic failed to have any psychological effect on the two constructs of vocational identity and employment aspirations.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings not only demonstrate the power of career commitment on employment aspirations but also reveal that a relatively high self-assessment of career proficiency may not necessarily lead to a clear career aspiration, possibly due to poor risk communication and insufficient career planning guidance. Thus, Chinese aviation students should improve their career proficiency and commitment, broaden their career options and adaptability, and have a clear career plan, in order to be well prepared for the fierce job market that will face the next wave of the ongoing pandemic.
Topics: Humans; East Asian People; Latent Class Analysis; Pandemics; COVID-19; Communicable Disease Control; Employment; Students; Aviation
PubMed: 37932723
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17144-y -
Chemical Biology & Drug Design Mar 2022Sphingolipids (SLs) are vital for cells as forming membrane and transducing signals. The first step for de novo biosynthesis of SLs is catalyzed by the...
Sphingolipids (SLs) are vital for cells as forming membrane and transducing signals. The first step for de novo biosynthesis of SLs is catalyzed by the pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT), which has been proven to be a promising drug target for treating various diseases. However, there are few SPT-specific inhibitors have been identified so far. Myriocin, a natural fungal product, is confirmed as the most potent inhibitor of SPT and has been widely used, but studies of its molecular mechanism are still underway. Besides, there is no intact co-crystal structure of SPT-binding myriocin until now. Aiming to uncover the interaction mechanism between SPT- and PLP-binding myriocin at the molecular level, a systematic computational strategy was performed in this present study. Firstly, covalent docking was implemented to preliminarily predict the binding pose SPT/PLP-myriocin aldimine and its structurally similar intermediate SPT/PLP-β-ketoacid aldimine. Secondly, two binding complexes were treated as initial structures to perform molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy calculations. The calculated docking scores and predicted binding energies were consistent with the reported bioactivities. Finally, the binding mechanism of myriocin binding with SPT was meticulously described, and the key residues making favorable contributions were highlighted. Taken together, the current study could provide some important information and valuable guidance for further rational screening, design, and modification of potent specific SPT inhibitors.
Topics: Binding Sites; Enzyme Inhibitors; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated; Molecular Docking Simulation; Molecular Dynamics Simulation; Protein Binding; Serine C-Palmitoyltransferase; Thermodynamics
PubMed: 34862732
DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.13991 -
Acta Dermato-venereologica Mar 2022
Topics: Dermatitis, Atopic; Eczema; Humans; Physicians; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vocational Guidance
PubMed: 35229162
DOI: 10.2340/actadv.v102.205 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2020Technology is changing the way organizations and their employees need to accomplish their work. Empirical evidence on this topic is scarce. The aim of this study is to...
Technology is changing the way organizations and their employees need to accomplish their work. Empirical evidence on this topic is scarce. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the effects of technological developments on work characteristics and to derive the implications for work demands and continuous vocational education and training (CVET). The following research questions are answered: What are the effects of new technologies on work characteristics? What are the implications thereof for continuous vocational education and training? Technologies, defined as digital, electrical or mechanical tools that affect the accomplishment of work tasks, are considered in various disciplines, such as sociology or psychology. A theoretical framework based on theories from these disciplines (e.g., upskilling, task-based approach) was developed and statements on the relationships between technology and work characteristics, such as complexity, autonomy, or meaningfulness, were derived. A systematic literature review was conducted by searching databases from the fields of psychology, sociology, economics and educational science. Twenty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. Empirical evidence was extracted and its implications for work demands and CVET were derived by using a model that illustrates the components of learning environments. Evidence indicates an increase in complexity and mental work, especially while working with automated systems and robots. Manual work is reported to decrease on many occasions. Workload and workflow interruptions increase simultaneously with autonomy, especially with regard to digital communication devices. Role expectations and opportunities for development depend on how the profession and the technology relate to each other, especially when working with automated systems. The implications for the work demands necessary to deal with changes in work characteristics include knowledge about technology, openness toward change and technology, skills for self- and time management and for further professional and career development. Implications for the design of formal learning environments (i.e., the content, method, assessment, and guidance) include that the work demands mentioned must be part of the content of the trainings, the teachers/trainers must be equipped to promote those work demands, and that instruction models used for the learning environments must be flexible in their application.
PubMed: 32457688
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00918 -
Pharmacy Practice 2021Recent New Zealand policy documents aim for pharmacists to be retained, and promote the provision of extended clinical pharmacy services. However, younger pharmacists...
BACKGROUND
Recent New Zealand policy documents aim for pharmacists to be retained, and promote the provision of extended clinical pharmacy services. However, younger pharmacists have expressed dissatisfaction with the profession on informal social for a.
OBJECTIVES
To explore the characteristics, and perspectives of pharmacy as a career, of recent Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm, four-year degree) graduates who have left, or are seriously considering leaving the New Zealand pharmacy profession in the near future and where they have gone, or plan to go.
METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional study with a mixed-method explanatory sequential design. An anonymous online survey among those who completed their pharmacy undergraduate degree (BPharm or equivalent) in 2003 or later and who had left or who were seriously considering leaving the New Zealand pharmacy profession in the next five years, was open from 1 December 2018 to 1 February 2019. Recruitment occurred via University alumni databases, pharmacy professional organisations, pharmaceutical print media, social media and word-of-mouth. Ten semi-structured interviews were then conducted with a purposive sample of survey respondents. Descriptive statistics were generated from the quantitative data and qualitative data were analysed using manifest content analysis.
RESULTS
We received 327 analysable surveys of which 40.4% (n=132) were from those who had already left the New Zealand pharmacy sector at the time of the data collection and the rest (59.6% n=195) were those working within the sector, but seriously considering leaving the profession. Reasons most commonly reported for studying pharmacy were having an interest in health and wanting to work with people. The most common reasons for leaving, or wanting to leave, were dissatisfaction with the professional environment, including inadequate remuneration, and a perceived lack of career pathways or promotion opportunities. A wide range of career destinations were declared, with medicine being most frequently reported.
CONCLUSIONS
Most of the reasons for leaving/considering leaving the profession reported relate to the values and features of the pharmacy profession such as the professional environment, remuneration and career pathways. These findings are consistent with other studies and may represent a barrier to achieving the aims of recent health policy documents.
PubMed: 34221201
DOI: 10.18549/PharmPract.2021.2.2332 -
American Journal of Translational... 2021To explore the advantages of continuous nursing for patients with advanced esophageal cancer after esophageal stent implantation.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the advantages of continuous nursing for patients with advanced esophageal cancer after esophageal stent implantation.
METHODS
A total of 48 patients with advanced esophageal cancer who successfully received esophageal stent implantation in the Department of Oncology, at the First People's Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University were divided into the control group (24 cases, receiving routine discharge guidance) and the experimental group (24 cases, receiving continuous nursing through the issuance of a home nursing instruction handbook, dietary transition guidance after discharge, nutrition and food evaluation, and guidance on daily activities, medication, and prevention of complications, etc.). The quality of life (EORTCQLQ-C30), nutritional status (MNA score and the levels of hemoglobin (Hb), serum total protein (TP) and albumin (Alb)), anxious/depressive mental state (HAMA, HAMD), complications and satisfaction were compared between the two groups.
RESULTS
EORTCQLQ-C30, HAMA and HAMD scores of the two groups three months after discharge were lower than those before discharge, and those of the experimental group were lower than those of the control group (all P<0.05). The MNA score and the levels of Hb, TP and Alb in the experimental group three months after discharge had no significant changes compared with those before discharge (all P>0.05), while the MNA score and the levels of Hb, TP and Alb in the control group three months after discharge were lower than those before discharge and those in the experimental group (all P<0.05). The experimental group's nursing satisfaction was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION
The application of continuous nursing in patients with advanced esophageal cancer after esophageal stent implantation can effectively improve the patients' adverse mental state, nutritional status and quality of life.
PubMed: 34540104
DOI: No ID Found -
Computational and Mathematical Methods... 2022Prostate cancer is a common malignancy elderly male urogenital system, because of the special disease position, and postoperative complications such as urinary...
Prostate cancer is a common malignancy elderly male urogenital system, because of the special disease position, and postoperative complications such as urinary retention, urinary incontinence, and sexual dysfunction, if not treated, can increase the patients' physical pain, anxiety, and other psychological burden; endocrine therapy after surgery can affect self-image and quality of life of patients. Omaha system was originally used for community health nurses, which contains three main contents: problem classification, nursing intervention, and outcome evaluation. The problem classification dimension includes four dimensions: environment, physiology, social psychology, and health-related behavior. The nursing intervention dimension is composed of 75 intervention objectives and four behavior types. Omaha system is a nursing intervention model based on individual psychological, physiological, educational level, and family and social background. The model has good clinical application effect. This study aimed to explore the continuous nursing intervention effect in the nursing of patients with prostate cancer and its psychological impact. A total of 96 prostate patients with cancer who were admitted to Taizhou First People's Hospital from November 2019 to May 2021 were divided into Omaha system care group and routine care group with 48 cases each by random number table method. The routine care group received routine care and discharge guidance, and the Omaha system care group on the basis of the routine care group; continuation care based on the Omaha system was implemented. The differences in mental state, life quality score, serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, average urine flow rate, and self-care ability score were compared between the routine care and Omaha system care group. The results showed that Omaha-based continuation care for prostate cancer is beneficial to reduce bad mood, improve patients' life quality score and self-care ability, and provide certain reference for clinical care of prostate cancer patients.
Topics: Aged; Humans; Male; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Prostatic Neoplasms; Quality of Life; Surveys and Questionnaires; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 35836919
DOI: 10.1155/2022/8735363