A systematic review of public transport accessibility for people using mobility devices
- Unsworth, Carolyn, So, Man, Chua, Julian, Gudimetla, Prasad, Naweed, Anjum
- Authors: Unsworth, Carolyn , So, Man , Chua, Julian , Gudimetla, Prasad , Naweed, Anjum
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Disability and Rehabilitation Vol. 43, no. 16 (2021), p. 2253-2267
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Purpose: Being able to access public transport is vital for mobility device users as this is an affordable way of maintaining community connections and participating in activities that promote quality of life. This systematic review investigated literature on public transport access for people using mobility devices, excluding transit restraint and securement literature. Materials and methods: A systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature in English from 1995 to 2019, with critical appraisal and narrative synthesis. Results: Twenty-six articles were identified, including 14 studies investigating user experiences, seven examining bus formats and floor layouts, and five focusing on bus ramp incidents and optimal design. Studies were generally observational and descriptive, with 12 including analysis of video data. Conclusion: This is the first systematic review of literature related to the accessibility of public transport for people using mobility devices. Topics such as ramp access have been relatively well-researched, as have the experiences of users. However, many gaps remain and there is a need for research to; address the barriers identified through user experiences, discern the best access to stations and stops, as well as floor formats for people to ingress, manoeuvre and egress from a variety of transport modes, and promote universal design principles in the transport sector. Rehabilitation professionals can use the findings of this review to advocate for, and support people using mobility devices to successfully negotiate public transport.Implications for Rehabilitation Accessible public transport is vital to enable people using mobility devices to remain connected in their communities. Despite increased international awareness and adoption of accessibility features by the public transport sector to improve getting to a stop, ingress, manoeuvrability within and egress from conveyances, access for people using wheeled mobility devices cannot be assumed. When prescribing new wheeled mobility devices with clients, rehabilitation professionals and users need to consider public transport access and the suitability of different devices for this purpose. Rehabilitation professionals can undertake skills training with people using wheeled mobility devices to test out access prior to independent travel on public transport and develop strategies to overcome any barriers. © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
The influence of probiotics on gastrointestinal tract infections among children attending childcare : a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Ahmad, Hafiz, Peck, Blake, Terry, Daniel
- Authors: Ahmad, Hafiz , Peck, Blake , Terry, Daniel
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Journal of Applied Microbiology Vol. 132, no. 3 (2022), p. 1636-1651
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Current literature related to the impact of probiotics on the incidence of gastrointestinal tract infections (GITIs) has shown mixed results and no systematic review available with pooled analysis exists. Thus, the aim of this systematic review was to provide contemporary evidence regarding the overall and strain-specific influence of probiotics in preventing GITIs among infants and children attending childcare centres. The review shortlisted 18 RCTs after screening through the initial search results of 779 articles. However, only 15 trials were deemed eligible, addressing at least one outcome in the pooled analysis. It is concluded that the supplementation of probiotics (overall effect) may reduce the risk of GITI episode by 26%, with Lacticaseibacillus paracasei, Limosilactobacillus reuteri and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG being specifically potent probiotic strains in reducing GITI episode, duration of infection and absence from childcare respectively. There is insufficient evidence to determine the effect of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 based on the findings of the trials included in this review. © 2021 The Society for Applied Microbiology
- Authors: Ahmad, Hafiz , Peck, Blake , Terry, Daniel
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Journal of Applied Microbiology Vol. 132, no. 3 (2022), p. 1636-1651
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Current literature related to the impact of probiotics on the incidence of gastrointestinal tract infections (GITIs) has shown mixed results and no systematic review available with pooled analysis exists. Thus, the aim of this systematic review was to provide contemporary evidence regarding the overall and strain-specific influence of probiotics in preventing GITIs among infants and children attending childcare centres. The review shortlisted 18 RCTs after screening through the initial search results of 779 articles. However, only 15 trials were deemed eligible, addressing at least one outcome in the pooled analysis. It is concluded that the supplementation of probiotics (overall effect) may reduce the risk of GITI episode by 26%, with Lacticaseibacillus paracasei, Limosilactobacillus reuteri and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG being specifically potent probiotic strains in reducing GITI episode, duration of infection and absence from childcare respectively. There is insufficient evidence to determine the effect of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 based on the findings of the trials included in this review. © 2021 The Society for Applied Microbiology
Spatial, temporal, and demographic patterns in prevalence of smoking tobacco use and attributable disease burden in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
- Reitsma, Marissa, Kendrick, Parkes, Ababneh, Emad, Abbafati, Cristiana, Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Authors: Reitsma, Marissa , Kendrick, Parkes , Ababneh, Emad , Abbafati, Cristiana , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: The Lancet Vol. 397, no. 10292 (2021), p. 2337-2360
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Ending the global tobacco epidemic is a defining challenge in global health. Timely and comprehensive estimates of the prevalence of smoking tobacco use and attributable disease burden are needed to guide tobacco control efforts nationally and globally. Methods: We estimated the prevalence of smoking tobacco use and attributable disease burden for 204 countries and territories, by age and sex, from 1990 to 2019 as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study. We modelled multiple smoking-related indicators from 3625 nationally representative surveys. We completed systematic reviews and did Bayesian meta-regressions for 36 causally linked health outcomes to estimate non-linear dose-response risk curves for current and former smokers. We used a direct estimation approach to estimate attributable burden, providing more comprehensive estimates of the health effects of smoking than previously available. Findings: Globally in 2019, 1·14 billion (95% uncertainty interval 1·13–1·16) individuals were current smokers, who consumed 7·41 trillion (7·11–7·74) cigarette-equivalents of tobacco in 2019. Although prevalence of smoking had decreased significantly since 1990 among both males (27·5% [26·5–28·5] reduction) and females (37·7% [35·4–39·9] reduction) aged 15 years and older, population growth has led to a significant increase in the total number of smokers from 0·99 billion (0·98–1·00) in 1990. Globally in 2019, smoking tobacco use accounted for 7·69 million (7·16–8·20) deaths and 200 million (185–214) disability-adjusted life-years, and was the leading risk factor for death among males (20·2% [19·3–21·1] of male deaths). 6·68 million [86·9%] of 7·69 million deaths attributable to smoking tobacco use were among current smokers. Interpretation: In the absence of intervention, the annual toll of 7·69 million deaths and 200 million disability-adjusted life-years attributable to smoking will increase over the coming decades. Substantial progress in reducing the prevalence of smoking tobacco use has been observed in countries from all regions and at all stages of development, but a large implementation gap remains for tobacco control. Countries have a clear and urgent opportunity to pass strong, evidence-based policies to accelerate reductions in the prevalence of smoking and reap massive health benefits for their citizens. Funding: Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Muhammad Aziz Rahman" is provided in this record**
- Authors: Reitsma, Marissa , Kendrick, Parkes , Ababneh, Emad , Abbafati, Cristiana , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: The Lancet Vol. 397, no. 10292 (2021), p. 2337-2360
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Ending the global tobacco epidemic is a defining challenge in global health. Timely and comprehensive estimates of the prevalence of smoking tobacco use and attributable disease burden are needed to guide tobacco control efforts nationally and globally. Methods: We estimated the prevalence of smoking tobacco use and attributable disease burden for 204 countries and territories, by age and sex, from 1990 to 2019 as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study. We modelled multiple smoking-related indicators from 3625 nationally representative surveys. We completed systematic reviews and did Bayesian meta-regressions for 36 causally linked health outcomes to estimate non-linear dose-response risk curves for current and former smokers. We used a direct estimation approach to estimate attributable burden, providing more comprehensive estimates of the health effects of smoking than previously available. Findings: Globally in 2019, 1·14 billion (95% uncertainty interval 1·13–1·16) individuals were current smokers, who consumed 7·41 trillion (7·11–7·74) cigarette-equivalents of tobacco in 2019. Although prevalence of smoking had decreased significantly since 1990 among both males (27·5% [26·5–28·5] reduction) and females (37·7% [35·4–39·9] reduction) aged 15 years and older, population growth has led to a significant increase in the total number of smokers from 0·99 billion (0·98–1·00) in 1990. Globally in 2019, smoking tobacco use accounted for 7·69 million (7·16–8·20) deaths and 200 million (185–214) disability-adjusted life-years, and was the leading risk factor for death among males (20·2% [19·3–21·1] of male deaths). 6·68 million [86·9%] of 7·69 million deaths attributable to smoking tobacco use were among current smokers. Interpretation: In the absence of intervention, the annual toll of 7·69 million deaths and 200 million disability-adjusted life-years attributable to smoking will increase over the coming decades. Substantial progress in reducing the prevalence of smoking tobacco use has been observed in countries from all regions and at all stages of development, but a large implementation gap remains for tobacco control. Countries have a clear and urgent opportunity to pass strong, evidence-based policies to accelerate reductions in the prevalence of smoking and reap massive health benefits for their citizens. Funding: Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Muhammad Aziz Rahman" is provided in this record**
Adult inpatients’ perceptions of their fall risk : a scoping review
- Dabkowski, Elissa, Cooper, Simon, Duncan, Jhodie, Missen, Karen
- Authors: Dabkowski, Elissa , Cooper, Simon , Duncan, Jhodie , Missen, Karen
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Healthcare (Switzerland) Vol. 10, no. 6 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Patient falls in hospitals continue to be a global concern due to the poor health outcomes and costs that can occur. A large number of falls in hospitals are unwitnessed and mostly occur due to patient behaviours and not seeking assistance. Understanding these patient behaviours may help to direct fall prevention strategies, with evidence suggesting the need to integrate patients’ perspectives into fall management. The aim of this scoping review was to explore the extent of the literature about patients’ perceptions and experiences of their fall risk in hospital and/or of falling in hospital. This review was conducted using a five-stage methodological framework recommended by Arksey and O’Malley. A total of nine databases were searched using key search terms such as “fall*”, “perception” and “hospital.” International peer-reviewed and grey literature were searched between the years 2011 and 2021. A total of 41 articles, ranging in study design, met the inclusion criteria. After reporting on the article demographics and fall perception constructs and measures, the qualitative and quantitative findings were organised into five domains: Fall Risk Perception Measures, Patients’ Perceptions of Fall Risk, Patients’ Perceptions of Falling in Hospital, Patients’ Fear of Falling and Barriers to Fall Prevention in Hospital. Approximately two-thirds of study participants did not accurately identify their fall risk compared to that defined by a health professional. This demonstrates the importance of partnering with patients and obtaining their insights on their perceived fall risk, as this may help to inform fall management and care. This review identified further areas for research that may help to inform fall prevention in a hospital setting, including the need for further research into fall risk perception measures. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Dabkowski, Elissa , Cooper, Simon , Duncan, Jhodie , Missen, Karen
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Healthcare (Switzerland) Vol. 10, no. 6 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Patient falls in hospitals continue to be a global concern due to the poor health outcomes and costs that can occur. A large number of falls in hospitals are unwitnessed and mostly occur due to patient behaviours and not seeking assistance. Understanding these patient behaviours may help to direct fall prevention strategies, with evidence suggesting the need to integrate patients’ perspectives into fall management. The aim of this scoping review was to explore the extent of the literature about patients’ perceptions and experiences of their fall risk in hospital and/or of falling in hospital. This review was conducted using a five-stage methodological framework recommended by Arksey and O’Malley. A total of nine databases were searched using key search terms such as “fall*”, “perception” and “hospital.” International peer-reviewed and grey literature were searched between the years 2011 and 2021. A total of 41 articles, ranging in study design, met the inclusion criteria. After reporting on the article demographics and fall perception constructs and measures, the qualitative and quantitative findings were organised into five domains: Fall Risk Perception Measures, Patients’ Perceptions of Fall Risk, Patients’ Perceptions of Falling in Hospital, Patients’ Fear of Falling and Barriers to Fall Prevention in Hospital. Approximately two-thirds of study participants did not accurately identify their fall risk compared to that defined by a health professional. This demonstrates the importance of partnering with patients and obtaining their insights on their perceived fall risk, as this may help to inform fall management and care. This review identified further areas for research that may help to inform fall prevention in a hospital setting, including the need for further research into fall risk perception measures. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Coping strategies and burden dimensions of family caregivers for people diagnosed with obsessive–compulsive disorder
- El-Slamon, Marwa, Al-Moteri, Modi, Plummer, Virginia, Alkarani, Ahmed, Ahmed, Mona
- Authors: El-Slamon, Marwa , Al-Moteri, Modi , Plummer, Virginia , Alkarani, Ahmed , Ahmed, Mona
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Healthcare (Switzerland) Vol. 10, no. 3 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: (1) Background: Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic mental disorder that can be a source of emotional, financial and/or social burden for family caregivers. Few studies have investigated family caregiving for patients diagnosed with OCD in relation to the coping strategies being used from a theoretical perspective. This study evaluated the burden and coping strategies of family caregivers for people diagnosed with OCD. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which 123 participants diagnosed with OCD and their caregivers were surveyed using three types of scales: obsessive–compulsive scale; coping scale; and burden scale. (3) Results: Of the participants with OCD and their caregivers, 53% and 31% were male and 47% and 69% were female, respectively. Around 80% of the OCD patients were considered young and their age ranged from 20–40 years old. Forty percent of caregivers in the current study reported a high burden level. The caregivers of those who had severe OCD symptoms had a lower coping level compared to the caregivers of those with less severe symptoms and those urban caregivers were able to better cope than rural caregivers. There was an association between OCD symptom severity and financial, work-related, social and family relationships, mental and health burdens for family caregivers. Meanwhile, the greater coping level of family caregivers, the lesser social and family, mental, and spouse relationship burden (p < 0.05); (4) Conclusions: The family caregivers of people diagnosed with OCD have specific aspects of burden and coping which require support by designing strategic interventions for family caregiver coping. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: El-Slamon, Marwa , Al-Moteri, Modi , Plummer, Virginia , Alkarani, Ahmed , Ahmed, Mona
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Healthcare (Switzerland) Vol. 10, no. 3 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: (1) Background: Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic mental disorder that can be a source of emotional, financial and/or social burden for family caregivers. Few studies have investigated family caregiving for patients diagnosed with OCD in relation to the coping strategies being used from a theoretical perspective. This study evaluated the burden and coping strategies of family caregivers for people diagnosed with OCD. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which 123 participants diagnosed with OCD and their caregivers were surveyed using three types of scales: obsessive–compulsive scale; coping scale; and burden scale. (3) Results: Of the participants with OCD and their caregivers, 53% and 31% were male and 47% and 69% were female, respectively. Around 80% of the OCD patients were considered young and their age ranged from 20–40 years old. Forty percent of caregivers in the current study reported a high burden level. The caregivers of those who had severe OCD symptoms had a lower coping level compared to the caregivers of those with less severe symptoms and those urban caregivers were able to better cope than rural caregivers. There was an association between OCD symptom severity and financial, work-related, social and family relationships, mental and health burdens for family caregivers. Meanwhile, the greater coping level of family caregivers, the lesser social and family, mental, and spouse relationship burden (p < 0.05); (4) Conclusions: The family caregivers of people diagnosed with OCD have specific aspects of burden and coping which require support by designing strategic interventions for family caregiver coping. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Association between symptoms and severity of disease in hospitalised novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) patients : a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Talukder, Ashis, Razu, Shaharior, Alif, Sheikh, Rahman, Muhammad Aziz, Islam, Sheikh
- Authors: Talukder, Ashis , Razu, Shaharior , Alif, Sheikh , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Islam, Sheikh
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare Vol. 15, no. (2022), p. 1101-1110
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Symptoms of the novel coronavirus disease (COVD-19) are well known, although asymptomatic cases were also reported due to this rapidly evolving viral disease. However, there has been limited research with inconsistent findings on symptoms of COVID-19 and disease severity. We aimed to evaluate the association between symptoms and severity of disease in adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 by performing a meta-analysis. Methods: We conducted this study by searching four online databases (Medline, Web of Science, EMBASE and Cochrane library) of published studies that included symptoms of COVID-19 cases and severity of the disease between January 1, 2020, and October 31, 2021. PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines were followed, and only articles published in English were selected. We performed meta-analysis using Mantel-Haenszel random-effects model. Note that we included peer-reviewed studies conducted in Wuhan and published in the English language that reported the clinical characteristics of COVID-19, particularly the symptoms of novel coronavirus patients with their prevalence and distribution of patients based on the severity of the disease. Results: Out of 255 articles identified, a total of twenty articles, including 5390 participants, met the inclusion criteria and were included. Among the participants, 2997 (55.60%) were males, and 974 (18.07%) reported severe conditions. Fever was the most commonly reported symptom in the reported COVID-19 confirmed cases (88.47%, 95% CI: 80.74–93.35%), which was followed by cough, fatigue, and less proportionally dyspnea and myalgia. Dyspnea was the only symptom, which was associated with severity of COVID-19 (OR 2.43, 95% CI: 1.52–3.89). Conclusion: Dyspnoea was found to be associated with severity of COVID-19. People with existing respiratory illnesses, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases need to be careful about the onset of such symptom and should seek medical attention. © 2022 Talukder et al.
- Authors: Talukder, Ashis , Razu, Shaharior , Alif, Sheikh , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Islam, Sheikh
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare Vol. 15, no. (2022), p. 1101-1110
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Symptoms of the novel coronavirus disease (COVD-19) are well known, although asymptomatic cases were also reported due to this rapidly evolving viral disease. However, there has been limited research with inconsistent findings on symptoms of COVID-19 and disease severity. We aimed to evaluate the association between symptoms and severity of disease in adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 by performing a meta-analysis. Methods: We conducted this study by searching four online databases (Medline, Web of Science, EMBASE and Cochrane library) of published studies that included symptoms of COVID-19 cases and severity of the disease between January 1, 2020, and October 31, 2021. PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines were followed, and only articles published in English were selected. We performed meta-analysis using Mantel-Haenszel random-effects model. Note that we included peer-reviewed studies conducted in Wuhan and published in the English language that reported the clinical characteristics of COVID-19, particularly the symptoms of novel coronavirus patients with their prevalence and distribution of patients based on the severity of the disease. Results: Out of 255 articles identified, a total of twenty articles, including 5390 participants, met the inclusion criteria and were included. Among the participants, 2997 (55.60%) were males, and 974 (18.07%) reported severe conditions. Fever was the most commonly reported symptom in the reported COVID-19 confirmed cases (88.47%, 95% CI: 80.74–93.35%), which was followed by cough, fatigue, and less proportionally dyspnea and myalgia. Dyspnea was the only symptom, which was associated with severity of COVID-19 (OR 2.43, 95% CI: 1.52–3.89). Conclusion: Dyspnoea was found to be associated with severity of COVID-19. People with existing respiratory illnesses, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases need to be careful about the onset of such symptom and should seek medical attention. © 2022 Talukder et al.
Can systemic myokine response to an acute exercise bout predict high and low responders to resistance training?
- Bell, Leo, Wallen, M., Talpey, Scott, O'Brien, B.
- Authors: Bell, Leo , Wallen, M. , Talpey, Scott , O'Brien, B.
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Medical Hypotheses Vol. 160, no. (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Resistance training is performed to increase muscle strength and mass. Associated benefits relate to improvements in physical performance as well as reduced risk of mortality. However, the exercise response to resistance training is largely variable. This may be attributed to individual physiological phenotype and flawed methods of standardised training. Recent efforts have been made to identify biomarkers which delineate between high and low responders to resistance training. Myokines associated with exercise-induced muscle secretome are biomarkers that potentially differentiate between individuals that experience large or small increases in muscle mass. However, the repeatability of these biomarkers in response to standardised resistance training is understudied. Therefore, this research seeks to address the inter and intra-reliability of myokines associated with resistance exercise, and if they confidently predict high and low responders to individually standardised resistance training. Development of a screening tool which reliably identifies individual trainability can have potential implications for personalised exercise physiology. © 2022
- Authors: Bell, Leo , Wallen, M. , Talpey, Scott , O'Brien, B.
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Medical Hypotheses Vol. 160, no. (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Resistance training is performed to increase muscle strength and mass. Associated benefits relate to improvements in physical performance as well as reduced risk of mortality. However, the exercise response to resistance training is largely variable. This may be attributed to individual physiological phenotype and flawed methods of standardised training. Recent efforts have been made to identify biomarkers which delineate between high and low responders to resistance training. Myokines associated with exercise-induced muscle secretome are biomarkers that potentially differentiate between individuals that experience large or small increases in muscle mass. However, the repeatability of these biomarkers in response to standardised resistance training is understudied. Therefore, this research seeks to address the inter and intra-reliability of myokines associated with resistance exercise, and if they confidently predict high and low responders to individually standardised resistance training. Development of a screening tool which reliably identifies individual trainability can have potential implications for personalised exercise physiology. © 2022
Defining timeliness in care for patients with lung cancer : a scoping review
- Ansar, Adnan, Lewis, Virginia, McDonald, Christine, Liu, Chaojie, Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Authors: Ansar, Adnan , Lewis, Virginia , McDonald, Christine , Liu, Chaojie , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: BMJ Open Vol. 12, no. 4 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives Early diagnosis and reducing the time taken to achieve each step of lung cancer care is essential. This scoping review aimed to examine time points and intervals used to measure timeliness and to critically assess how they are defined by existing studies of the care seeking pathway for lung cancer. Methods This scoping review was guided by the methodological framework for scoping reviews by Arksey and O'Malley. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycINFO electronic databases were searched for articles published between 1999 and 2019. After duplicate removal, all publications went through title and abstract screening followed by full text review and inclusion of articles in the review against the selection criteria. A narrative synthesis describes the time points, intervals and measurement guidelines used by the included articles. Results A total of 2113 articles were identified from the initial search. Finally, 68 articles were included for data charting process. Eight time points and 14 intervals were identified as the most common events researched by the articles. Eighteen different lung cancer care guidelines were used to benchmark intervals in the included articles; all were developed in Western countries. The British Thoracic Society guideline was the most frequently used guideline (20%). Western guidelines were used by the studies in Asian countries despite differences in the health system structure. Conclusion This review identified substantial variations in definitions of some of the intervals used to describe timeliness of care for lung cancer. The differences in healthcare delivery systems of Asian and Western countries, and between high-income countries and low-income-middle-income countries may suggest different sets of time points and intervals need to be developed. ©
- Authors: Ansar, Adnan , Lewis, Virginia , McDonald, Christine , Liu, Chaojie , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: BMJ Open Vol. 12, no. 4 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives Early diagnosis and reducing the time taken to achieve each step of lung cancer care is essential. This scoping review aimed to examine time points and intervals used to measure timeliness and to critically assess how they are defined by existing studies of the care seeking pathway for lung cancer. Methods This scoping review was guided by the methodological framework for scoping reviews by Arksey and O'Malley. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycINFO electronic databases were searched for articles published between 1999 and 2019. After duplicate removal, all publications went through title and abstract screening followed by full text review and inclusion of articles in the review against the selection criteria. A narrative synthesis describes the time points, intervals and measurement guidelines used by the included articles. Results A total of 2113 articles were identified from the initial search. Finally, 68 articles were included for data charting process. Eight time points and 14 intervals were identified as the most common events researched by the articles. Eighteen different lung cancer care guidelines were used to benchmark intervals in the included articles; all were developed in Western countries. The British Thoracic Society guideline was the most frequently used guideline (20%). Western guidelines were used by the studies in Asian countries despite differences in the health system structure. Conclusion This review identified substantial variations in definitions of some of the intervals used to describe timeliness of care for lung cancer. The differences in healthcare delivery systems of Asian and Western countries, and between high-income countries and low-income-middle-income countries may suggest different sets of time points and intervals need to be developed. ©
Fasting status modifies the association between triglyceride and all-cause mortality : a cohort study
- Authors: Fang, Yan , Wang, Yutang
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Health Science Reports Vol. 5, no. 3 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background and Aims: Both fasting and non-fasting levels of triglyceride have been shown positively associated with all-cause mortality. It is unknown whether fasting status modifies this association. This study aimed to address this question. Methods: This study included 34,512 US adults (27,036 fasting and 7476 nonfasting participants). All-cause mortality was ascertained by linkage to the National Death Index records. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios of triglyceride for mortality. Results: This cohort was followed up for a mean of 13.0 years. During the follow-up, 8491 all-cause deaths were recorded. A 1-natural-log-unit increase in triglyceride was associated with an 8% higher multivariate-adjusted risk of all-cause mortality. Interaction analyses showed that fasting status interacted with triglyceride in predicting all-cause mortality. Sub-analyses showed that a 1-natural-log-unit increase in triglyceride was associated with a 17% higher multivariate-adjusted risk of all-cause mortality in the nonfasting subcohort; however, there lacked such an association in the fasting sub-cohort. Similarly, high (200–499 mg/dL) and very high levels of triglyceride (
- Authors: Fang, Yan , Wang, Yutang
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Health Science Reports Vol. 5, no. 3 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background and Aims: Both fasting and non-fasting levels of triglyceride have been shown positively associated with all-cause mortality. It is unknown whether fasting status modifies this association. This study aimed to address this question. Methods: This study included 34,512 US adults (27,036 fasting and 7476 nonfasting participants). All-cause mortality was ascertained by linkage to the National Death Index records. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios of triglyceride for mortality. Results: This cohort was followed up for a mean of 13.0 years. During the follow-up, 8491 all-cause deaths were recorded. A 1-natural-log-unit increase in triglyceride was associated with an 8% higher multivariate-adjusted risk of all-cause mortality. Interaction analyses showed that fasting status interacted with triglyceride in predicting all-cause mortality. Sub-analyses showed that a 1-natural-log-unit increase in triglyceride was associated with a 17% higher multivariate-adjusted risk of all-cause mortality in the nonfasting subcohort; however, there lacked such an association in the fasting sub-cohort. Similarly, high (200–499 mg/dL) and very high levels of triglyceride (
Precision medicine : an optimal approach to patient care in renal cell carcinoma
- Sharma, Revati, Kannourakis, George, Prithviraj, Prashanth, Ahmed, Nuzhat
- Authors: Sharma, Revati , Kannourakis, George , Prithviraj, Prashanth , Ahmed, Nuzhat
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Frontiers in Medicine Vol. 9, no. (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Renal cell cancer (RCC) is a heterogeneous tumor that shows both intra- and inter-heterogeneity. Heterogeneity is displayed not only in different patients but also among RCC cells in the same tumor, which makes treatment difficult because of varying degrees of responses generated in RCC heterogeneous tumor cells even with targeted treatment. In that context, precision medicine (PM), in terms of individualized treatment catered for a specific patient or groups of patients, can shift the paradigm of treatment in the clinical management of RCC. Recent progress in the biochemical, molecular, and histological characteristics of RCC has thrown light on many deregulated pathways involved in the pathogenesis of RCC. As PM-based therapies are rapidly evolving and few are already in current clinical practice in oncology, one can expect that PM will expand its way toward the robust treatment of patients with RCC. This article provides a comprehensive background on recent strategies and breakthroughs of PM in oncology and provides an overview of the potential applicability of PM in RCC. The article also highlights the drawbacks of PM and provides a holistic approach that goes beyond the involvement of clinicians and encompasses appropriate legislative and administrative care imparted by the healthcare system and insurance providers. It is anticipated that combined efforts from all sectors involved will make PM accessible to RCC and other patients with cancer, making a tremendous positive leap on individualized treatment strategies. This will subsequently enhance the quality of life of patients. Copyright © 2022 Sharma, Kannourakis, Prithviraj and Ahmed.
- Authors: Sharma, Revati , Kannourakis, George , Prithviraj, Prashanth , Ahmed, Nuzhat
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Frontiers in Medicine Vol. 9, no. (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Renal cell cancer (RCC) is a heterogeneous tumor that shows both intra- and inter-heterogeneity. Heterogeneity is displayed not only in different patients but also among RCC cells in the same tumor, which makes treatment difficult because of varying degrees of responses generated in RCC heterogeneous tumor cells even with targeted treatment. In that context, precision medicine (PM), in terms of individualized treatment catered for a specific patient or groups of patients, can shift the paradigm of treatment in the clinical management of RCC. Recent progress in the biochemical, molecular, and histological characteristics of RCC has thrown light on many deregulated pathways involved in the pathogenesis of RCC. As PM-based therapies are rapidly evolving and few are already in current clinical practice in oncology, one can expect that PM will expand its way toward the robust treatment of patients with RCC. This article provides a comprehensive background on recent strategies and breakthroughs of PM in oncology and provides an overview of the potential applicability of PM in RCC. The article also highlights the drawbacks of PM and provides a holistic approach that goes beyond the involvement of clinicians and encompasses appropriate legislative and administrative care imparted by the healthcare system and insurance providers. It is anticipated that combined efforts from all sectors involved will make PM accessible to RCC and other patients with cancer, making a tremendous positive leap on individualized treatment strategies. This will subsequently enhance the quality of life of patients. Copyright © 2022 Sharma, Kannourakis, Prithviraj and Ahmed.
Diet and exercise advice and referrals for cancer survivors : an integrative review of medical and nursing perspectives
- Joseph, Ria, Hart, Nicolas, Bradford, Natalie, Agbejule, Oluwaseyifunmi, Koczwara, Bogda, Chan, Alexandre, Wallen, Matthew, Chan, Raymond
- Authors: Joseph, Ria , Hart, Nicolas , Bradford, Natalie , Agbejule, Oluwaseyifunmi , Koczwara, Bogda , Chan, Alexandre , Wallen, Matthew , Chan, Raymond
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Supportive Care in Cancer Vol. 30, no. 10 (2022), p. 8429-8439
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Purpose: To examine the perspectives of medical and nursing health professionals concerning their roles and responsibilities in providing dietary and exercise advice to cancer survivors, and referrals to allied health professionals. Methods: An integrative review. PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, Web of Science databases, and bibliographies of relevant studies were searched from December 2011 to June 2021. All studies were eligible for inclusion. The Mixed-Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to critically appraise included studies. Data were extracted and synthesised regarding the perspectives of medical and nursing health professionals on their roles, responsibilities, barriers, and facilitators. Results: Twenty-one studies involving 3401 medical and nursing health professionals and 264 cancer survivors of diverse cancer types were included. Ten quantitative, nine qualitative, and two mixed-methods studies were eligible. All included studies met at least 80% of the quality criteria in the MMAT. Major findings include the following: (1) medical and nursing health professionals were unclear on their roles in providing dietary and exercise advice to cancer survivors but agreed they play a key role in referrals to dietitians and exercise professionals; (2) most cancer survivors valued the involvement of their general practitioner when receiving dietary and exercise advice. Conclusion: Although medical and nursing health professionals understand that referrals to allied health professionals form part of their role, there is a lack of clarity regarding their roles to provide dietary and exercise advice to cancer survivors. Future studies should address barriers and facilitators of dietary and exercise advice and referral by medical and nursing health professionals. © 2022, Crown.
- Authors: Joseph, Ria , Hart, Nicolas , Bradford, Natalie , Agbejule, Oluwaseyifunmi , Koczwara, Bogda , Chan, Alexandre , Wallen, Matthew , Chan, Raymond
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Supportive Care in Cancer Vol. 30, no. 10 (2022), p. 8429-8439
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Purpose: To examine the perspectives of medical and nursing health professionals concerning their roles and responsibilities in providing dietary and exercise advice to cancer survivors, and referrals to allied health professionals. Methods: An integrative review. PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, Web of Science databases, and bibliographies of relevant studies were searched from December 2011 to June 2021. All studies were eligible for inclusion. The Mixed-Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to critically appraise included studies. Data were extracted and synthesised regarding the perspectives of medical and nursing health professionals on their roles, responsibilities, barriers, and facilitators. Results: Twenty-one studies involving 3401 medical and nursing health professionals and 264 cancer survivors of diverse cancer types were included. Ten quantitative, nine qualitative, and two mixed-methods studies were eligible. All included studies met at least 80% of the quality criteria in the MMAT. Major findings include the following: (1) medical and nursing health professionals were unclear on their roles in providing dietary and exercise advice to cancer survivors but agreed they play a key role in referrals to dietitians and exercise professionals; (2) most cancer survivors valued the involvement of their general practitioner when receiving dietary and exercise advice. Conclusion: Although medical and nursing health professionals understand that referrals to allied health professionals form part of their role, there is a lack of clarity regarding their roles to provide dietary and exercise advice to cancer survivors. Future studies should address barriers and facilitators of dietary and exercise advice and referral by medical and nursing health professionals. © 2022, Crown.
The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
- Tran, Khanh, Lang, Justin, Compton, Kelly, Xu, Rixing, Acheson, Alistair, Henrikson, Hannah, Kocarnik, Jonathan, Penberthy, Louise, Aali, Amirali, Abbas, Qamar, Abbasi, Behzad, Abbasi-Kangevari, Mohsen, Abbasi-Kangevari, Zeinab, Abbastabar, Hedayat, Abdelmasseh, Michael, Abd-Elsalam, Sherief, Abdelwahab, Ahmed, Abdoli, Gholamreza, Abdulkadir, Hanan, Abedi, Aidin, Abegaz, Kedir, Abidi, Aidin, Aboagye, Richard, Abolhassani, Hassan, Absalan, Abdorrahim, Abtew, Yonas, Ali, Hiwa, Abu-Gharbieh, Eman, Nguyen, Huy, Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Authors: Tran, Khanh , Lang, Justin , Compton, Kelly , Xu, Rixing , Acheson, Alistair , Henrikson, Hannah , Kocarnik, Jonathan , Penberthy, Louise , Aali, Amirali , Abbas, Qamar , Abbasi, Behzad , Abbasi-Kangevari, Mohsen , Abbasi-Kangevari, Zeinab , Abbastabar, Hedayat , Abdelmasseh, Michael , Abd-Elsalam, Sherief , Abdelwahab, Ahmed , Abdoli, Gholamreza , Abdulkadir, Hanan , Abedi, Aidin , Abegaz, Kedir , Abidi, Aidin , Aboagye, Richard , Abolhassani, Hassan , Absalan, Abdorrahim , Abtew, Yonas , Ali, Hiwa , Abu-Gharbieh, Eman , Nguyen, Huy , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: The Lancet Vol. 400, no. 10352 (2022), p. 563-591
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8–54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5–41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9–42·8] and 33·3% [25·8–42·0]). Interpretation: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 30 including Federation University Australia affiliates “Muhammad Aziz Rahman and Huy Nguyen” are provided in this record**
- Authors: Tran, Khanh , Lang, Justin , Compton, Kelly , Xu, Rixing , Acheson, Alistair , Henrikson, Hannah , Kocarnik, Jonathan , Penberthy, Louise , Aali, Amirali , Abbas, Qamar , Abbasi, Behzad , Abbasi-Kangevari, Mohsen , Abbasi-Kangevari, Zeinab , Abbastabar, Hedayat , Abdelmasseh, Michael , Abd-Elsalam, Sherief , Abdelwahab, Ahmed , Abdoli, Gholamreza , Abdulkadir, Hanan , Abedi, Aidin , Abegaz, Kedir , Abidi, Aidin , Aboagye, Richard , Abolhassani, Hassan , Absalan, Abdorrahim , Abtew, Yonas , Ali, Hiwa , Abu-Gharbieh, Eman , Nguyen, Huy , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: The Lancet Vol. 400, no. 10352 (2022), p. 563-591
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8–54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5–41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9–42·8] and 33·3% [25·8–42·0]). Interpretation: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 30 including Federation University Australia affiliates “Muhammad Aziz Rahman and Huy Nguyen” are provided in this record**
An atypical case of autochthonous cutaneous leishmaniasis associated with naturally infected phlebotomine sand flies in Texas, United States
- Kipp, Evan, de Almeida, Marcos, Marcet, Paula, Bradbury, Richard, Benedict, Theresa, Lin, Wuling, Dotson, Ellen, Hergert, Melinda
- Authors: Kipp, Evan , de Almeida, Marcos , Marcet, Paula , Bradbury, Richard , Benedict, Theresa , Lin, Wuling , Dotson, Ellen , Hergert, Melinda
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Vol. 103, no. 4 (2020), p. 1496-1501
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: In the United States, phlebotomine sand flies carrying Leishmania (Leishmania) mexicana are endemic along the southern border. However, relatively little is known about the enzootic and zoonotic transmission of L. (L.) mexicana within the United States, and autochthonous cases of the consequent disease are rarely reported. We investigated an atypical case of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by L. (L.) mexicana in a patient from central Texas which did not respond to a typical antileishmanial chemotherapy. We also investigated sand fly vectors around the patient's residence. PCR followed by DNA sequencing was used for determination of Leishmania spp., sand fly species, and host blood meal source. The L. (L.) mexicana genotype from the patient was identical to one found in a positive sand fly. Moreover, this genotype presented the same single-nucleotide polymorphisms as other historical CL cases acquired in Texas over the last 10 years, but distinct from those originating in Mexico and Central America. Three sand fly species were identified among the samples analyzed (n = 194), the majority of which were Lutzomyia (Dampfomyia) anthophora (n = 190), of which four specimens tested positive for Leishmania and two blood-fed specimens showed the presence of a human blood meal. This study highlights the complexity of clinical management of CL in a setting where the disease is infrequently encountered. The detection of human blood in Lu. (D.) anthophora is the first documentation of anthropophagy in this species. This is the first report of wild-caught, naturally infected sand flies found in association with an autochthonous case of human leishmaniasis and the specific strain of Leishmania (Leishmania) mexicana in the United States. Copyright © 2020 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- Authors: Kipp, Evan , de Almeida, Marcos , Marcet, Paula , Bradbury, Richard , Benedict, Theresa , Lin, Wuling , Dotson, Ellen , Hergert, Melinda
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Vol. 103, no. 4 (2020), p. 1496-1501
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: In the United States, phlebotomine sand flies carrying Leishmania (Leishmania) mexicana are endemic along the southern border. However, relatively little is known about the enzootic and zoonotic transmission of L. (L.) mexicana within the United States, and autochthonous cases of the consequent disease are rarely reported. We investigated an atypical case of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by L. (L.) mexicana in a patient from central Texas which did not respond to a typical antileishmanial chemotherapy. We also investigated sand fly vectors around the patient's residence. PCR followed by DNA sequencing was used for determination of Leishmania spp., sand fly species, and host blood meal source. The L. (L.) mexicana genotype from the patient was identical to one found in a positive sand fly. Moreover, this genotype presented the same single-nucleotide polymorphisms as other historical CL cases acquired in Texas over the last 10 years, but distinct from those originating in Mexico and Central America. Three sand fly species were identified among the samples analyzed (n = 194), the majority of which were Lutzomyia (Dampfomyia) anthophora (n = 190), of which four specimens tested positive for Leishmania and two blood-fed specimens showed the presence of a human blood meal. This study highlights the complexity of clinical management of CL in a setting where the disease is infrequently encountered. The detection of human blood in Lu. (D.) anthophora is the first documentation of anthropophagy in this species. This is the first report of wild-caught, naturally infected sand flies found in association with an autochthonous case of human leishmaniasis and the specific strain of Leishmania (Leishmania) mexicana in the United States. Copyright © 2020 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Pharmacological interventions for the treatment of disordered and problem gambling
- Dowling, Nicki, Merkouris, Stephanie, Lubman, Dan, Thomas, Shane, Bowden-Jones, Henrietta, Cowlishaw, Sean
- Authors: Dowling, Nicki , Merkouris, Stephanie , Lubman, Dan , Thomas, Shane , Bowden-Jones, Henrietta , Cowlishaw, Sean
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Vol. 2022, no. 9 (2022), p.
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Pharmacological interventions for disordered and problem gambling have been employed in clinical practice. Despite the availability of several reviews of the efficacy of pharmacological interventions for disordered or problem gambling, few have employed systematic search strategies or compared different categories of pharmacological interventions. Systematic reviews of high-quality evidence are therefore essential to provide guidance regarding the efficacy of different pharmacological interventions for disordered or problem gambling. Objectives: The primary aims of the review were to: (1) examine the efficacy of major categories of pharmacological-only interventions (antidepressants, opioid antagonists, mood stabilisers, atypical antipsychotics) for disordered or problem gambling, relative to placebo control conditions; and (2) examine the efficacy of these major categories relative to each other. Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Specialised Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO (all years to 11 January 2022). Selection criteria: We included randomised trials evaluating a pharmacological intervention for the treatment of disordered or problem gambling. Eligible control conditions included placebo control groups or comparisons with another category of pharmacological intervention. Data collection and analysis: We used standard methodological procedures, including systematic extraction of included study characteristics and results and risk of bias assessment. Our primary outcome was reduction in gambling symptom severity. Our secondary outcomes were reduction in gambling expenditure, gambling frequency, time spent gambling, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and functional impairment; and responder status. We evaluated treatment effects for continuous and dichotomous outcomes using standardised mean difference (SMD) and risk ratios (RR), respectively, employing random-effects meta-analyses. A minimum of two independent treatment effects were required for a meta-analysis to be conducted (with only meta-analytic findings reported in this abstract). Main results: We included 17 studies in the review (n = 1193 randomised) that reported outcome data scheduled for end of treatment. Length of treatment ranged from 7 to 96 weeks. Antidepressants: Six studies (n = 268) evaluated antidepressants, with very low to low certainty evidence suggesting that antidepressants were no more effective than placebo at post-treatment: gambling symptom severity (SMD
Health empowerment scripts : simplifying social/green prescriptions
- Lawson, Justin, Wissing, Ross, Henderson-Wilson, Claire, Snell, Tristan, Chambers, Timothy, McNeil, Dominic, Nuttman, Sonia
- Authors: Lawson, Justin , Wissing, Ross , Henderson-Wilson, Claire , Snell, Tristan , Chambers, Timothy , McNeil, Dominic , Nuttman, Sonia
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Psychology Vol. 13, no. (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Social prescriptions are one term commonly used to describe non-pharmaceutical approaches to healthcare and are gaining popularity in the community, with evidence highlighting psychological benefits of reduced anxiety, depression and improved mood and physiological benefits of reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and reduced hypertension. The relationship between human health benefits and planetary health benefits is also noted. There are, however, numerous barriers, such as duration and frequencies to participate in activities, access, suitability, volition and a range of unpredictable variables (such as inclement weather, shifting interests and relocating home amongst others) impeding a comprehensive approach to their use on a wider scale. From a multidisciplinary perspective, this commentary incorporates a salutogenic and nature-based approach to health, we also provide a range of recommendations that can be undertaken at the patient level to assist in shifting the acknowledged systemic barriers currently occurring. These include using simple language to explain the purpose of health empowerment scripts, ensuing personal commitment to a minimum timeframe, enabling ease of access, co-designing a script program, providing ongoing motivational support and incorporating mindfulness to counter unexpected disruptions. Copyright © 2022 Lawson, Wissing, Henderson-Wilson, Snell, Chambers, McNeil and Nuttman.
- Authors: Lawson, Justin , Wissing, Ross , Henderson-Wilson, Claire , Snell, Tristan , Chambers, Timothy , McNeil, Dominic , Nuttman, Sonia
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Psychology Vol. 13, no. (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Social prescriptions are one term commonly used to describe non-pharmaceutical approaches to healthcare and are gaining popularity in the community, with evidence highlighting psychological benefits of reduced anxiety, depression and improved mood and physiological benefits of reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and reduced hypertension. The relationship between human health benefits and planetary health benefits is also noted. There are, however, numerous barriers, such as duration and frequencies to participate in activities, access, suitability, volition and a range of unpredictable variables (such as inclement weather, shifting interests and relocating home amongst others) impeding a comprehensive approach to their use on a wider scale. From a multidisciplinary perspective, this commentary incorporates a salutogenic and nature-based approach to health, we also provide a range of recommendations that can be undertaken at the patient level to assist in shifting the acknowledged systemic barriers currently occurring. These include using simple language to explain the purpose of health empowerment scripts, ensuing personal commitment to a minimum timeframe, enabling ease of access, co-designing a script program, providing ongoing motivational support and incorporating mindfulness to counter unexpected disruptions. Copyright © 2022 Lawson, Wissing, Henderson-Wilson, Snell, Chambers, McNeil and Nuttman.
A fully automated self-help biopsychosocial transdiagnostic digital intervention to reduce anxiety and/or depression and improve emotional regulation and well-being: pre-follow-up single-arm feasibility trial
- Klein, Britt, Nguyen, Huy, McLaren, Suzanne, Andrews, Brooke, Shandley, Kerrie
- Authors: Klein, Britt , Nguyen, Huy , McLaren, Suzanne , Andrews, Brooke , Shandley, Kerrie
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: JMIR Formative Research Vol. 7, no. (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Anxiety disorders and depression are prevalent disorders with high comorbidity, leading to greater chronicity and severity of symptoms. Given the accessibility to treatment issues, more evaluation is needed to assess the potential benefits of fully automated self-help transdiagnostic digital interventions. Innovating beyond the current transdiagnostic one-size-fits-all shared mechanistic approach may also lead to further improvements. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to explore the preliminary effectiveness and acceptability of a new fully automated self-help biopsychosocial transdiagnostic digital intervention (Life Flex) aimed at treating anxiety and/or depression, as well as improving emotional regulation; emotional, social, and psychological well-being; optimism; and health-related quality of life. Methods: This was a real-world pre-during-post-follow-up feasibility trial design evaluation of Life Flex. Participants were assessed at the preintervention time point (week 0), during intervention (weeks 3 and 5), at the postintervention time point (week 8), and at 1- and 3-month follow-ups (weeks 12 and 20, respectively). Results: The results provided early support for the Life Flex program in reducing anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire 9), psychological distress (Kessler 6), and emotional dysregulation (Difficulties in Emotional Regulation 36) and increasing emotional, social, and psychological well-being (Mental Health Continuum-Short Form); optimism (Revised Life Orientation Test); and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-3L Utility Index and Health Rating; all false discovery rate [FDR] < .001). Large within-group treatment effect sizes (range |d|=0.82 to 1.33) were found for most variables from pre- to postintervention assessments and at the 1- and 3-month follow-up. The exceptions were medium treatment effect sizes for EQ-5D-3L Utility Index (range Cohen d=
- Authors: Klein, Britt , Nguyen, Huy , McLaren, Suzanne , Andrews, Brooke , Shandley, Kerrie
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: JMIR Formative Research Vol. 7, no. (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Anxiety disorders and depression are prevalent disorders with high comorbidity, leading to greater chronicity and severity of symptoms. Given the accessibility to treatment issues, more evaluation is needed to assess the potential benefits of fully automated self-help transdiagnostic digital interventions. Innovating beyond the current transdiagnostic one-size-fits-all shared mechanistic approach may also lead to further improvements. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to explore the preliminary effectiveness and acceptability of a new fully automated self-help biopsychosocial transdiagnostic digital intervention (Life Flex) aimed at treating anxiety and/or depression, as well as improving emotional regulation; emotional, social, and psychological well-being; optimism; and health-related quality of life. Methods: This was a real-world pre-during-post-follow-up feasibility trial design evaluation of Life Flex. Participants were assessed at the preintervention time point (week 0), during intervention (weeks 3 and 5), at the postintervention time point (week 8), and at 1- and 3-month follow-ups (weeks 12 and 20, respectively). Results: The results provided early support for the Life Flex program in reducing anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire 9), psychological distress (Kessler 6), and emotional dysregulation (Difficulties in Emotional Regulation 36) and increasing emotional, social, and psychological well-being (Mental Health Continuum-Short Form); optimism (Revised Life Orientation Test); and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-3L Utility Index and Health Rating; all false discovery rate [FDR] < .001). Large within-group treatment effect sizes (range |d|=0.82 to 1.33) were found for most variables from pre- to postintervention assessments and at the 1- and 3-month follow-up. The exceptions were medium treatment effect sizes for EQ-5D-3L Utility Index (range Cohen d=
Enhancing dynamic ECG heartbeat classification with lightweight transformer model
- Meng, Lingxiao, Tan, Wenjun, Ma, Jiangang, Wang, Ruofei, Yin, Xiaoxia, Zhang, Yanchun
- Authors: Meng, Lingxiao , Tan, Wenjun , Ma, Jiangang , Wang, Ruofei , Yin, Xiaoxia , Zhang, Yanchun
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Vol. 124, no. (2022), p.
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Arrhythmia is a common class of Cardiovascular disease which is the cause for over 31% of all death over the world, according to WHOs' report. Automatic detection and classification of arrhythmia, as an effective tool of early warning, has recently been received more and more attention, especially in the applications of wearable devices for data capturing. However, different from traditional application scenarios, wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) devices have some drawbacks, such as being subject to multiple abnormal interferences, thus making accurate ventricular contraction (PVC) and supraventricular premature beat (SPB) detection to be more challenging. The traditional models for heartbeat classification suffer from the problem of large-scale parameters and the performance in dynamic ECG heartbeat classification is not satisfactory. In this paper, we propose a novel light model Lightweight Fussing Transformer to address these problems. We developed a more lightweight structure named LightConv Attention (LCA) to replace the self-attention of Fussing Transformer. LCA has reached remarkable performance level equal to or higher than self-attention with fewer parameters. In particular, we designed a stronger embedding structure (Convolutional Neural Network with attention mechanism) to enhance the weight of features of internal morphology of the heartbeat. Furthermore, we have implemented the proposed methods on real datasets and experimental results have demonstrated outstanding accuracy of detecting PVC and SPB. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.
- Zhong, Yaping, Zhao, Huan, Lee, Tsorng-Yeh, Yu, Tianchi, Liu, Ming, Ji, Ji
- Authors: Zhong, Yaping , Zhao, Huan , Lee, Tsorng-Yeh , Yu, Tianchi , Liu, Ming , Ji, Ji
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: BMJ open Vol. 12, no. 9 (2022), p. e065799-e065799
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine COVID-19 patients’ experiences in a Fangcang shelter hospital in China, to provide insights into the effectiveness of this centralised isolation strategy as a novel solution to patient management during emerging infectious disease outbreaks.DesignThis study adopted a qualitative descriptive design. Data were collected by individual semistructured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis.SettingThis study was undertaken in 1 of the 16 Fangcang shelter hospitals in Wuhan, China between 28 February 2020 and 7 March 2020. Fangcang shelter hospitals were temporary healthcare facilities intended for large-scale centralised isolation, treatment and disease monitoring of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases. These hospitals were an essential component of China’s response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.ParticipantsA total of 27 COVID-19 patients were recruited by purposive sampling. Eligible participants were (1) COVID-19 patients (2) above 18 years of age and (3) able to communicate effectively. Exclusion criteria were (1) being clinically or emotionally unstable and (2) experiencing communication difficulties.ResultsThree themes and nine subthemes were identified. First, COVID-19 patients experienced a range of psychological reactions during hospitalisation, including fear, uncertainty, helplessness and concerns. Second, there were positive and negative experiences associated with communal living. While COVID-19 patients’ evaluation of essential services in the hospital was overall positive, privacy and hygiene issues were highlighted as stressors during their hospital stay. Third, positive peer support and a trusting patient–healthcare professional relationship served as a birthplace for resilience, trust and gratitude in COVID-19 patients.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that, while sacrificing privacy, centralised isolation has the potential to mitigate negative psychological impacts of social isolation in COVID-19 patients by promoting meaningful peer connections, companionship and support within the shared living space. To our knowledge, this is the first study bringing patients’ perspectives into healthcare service appraisal in emergency shelter hospitals.
COVID-19 : factors associated with the psychological distress, fear and resilient coping strategies among community members in Saudi Arabia
- Alharbi, Talal, Alqurashi, Alaa, Mahmud, Ilias, Alharbi, Rayan, Islam, Sheikh, Almustanyir, Sami, Maklad, Ahmed, AlSarraj, Ahmad, Mughaiss, Lujain, Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar, Ahmed, Ahmed, Barry, Mazin, Ghozy, Sherief, Alabdan, Lulwah, Alif, Sheikh, Sultana, Farhana, Salehin, Masudus, Banik, Biswajit, Cross, Wendy, Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Authors: Alharbi, Talal , Alqurashi, Alaa , Mahmud, Ilias , Alharbi, Rayan , Islam, Sheikh , Almustanyir, Sami , Maklad, Ahmed , AlSarraj, Ahmad , Mughaiss, Lujain , Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar , Ahmed, Ahmed , Barry, Mazin , Ghozy, Sherief , Alabdan, Lulwah , Alif, Sheikh , Sultana, Farhana , Salehin, Masudus , Banik, Biswajit , Cross, Wendy , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Healthcare (Switzerland) Vol. 11, no. 8 (2023), p.
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- Description: (1) Background: COVID-19 caused the worst international public health crisis, accompanied by major global economic downturns and mass-scale job losses, which impacted the psychosocial wellbeing of the worldwide population, including Saudi Arabia. Evidence of the high-risk groups impacted by the pandemic has been non-existent in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study examined factors associated with psychosocial distress, fear of COVID-19 and coping strategies among the general population in Saudi Arabia. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in healthcare and community settings in the Saudi Arabia using an anonymous online questionnaire. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) were used to assess psychological distress, fear and coping strategies, respectively. Multivariate logistic regressions were used, and an Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) was reported. (3) Results: Among 803 participants, 70% (n = 556) were females, and the median age was 27 years; 35% (n = 278) were frontline or essential service workers; and 24% (n = 195) reported comorbid conditions including mental health illness. Of the respondents, 175 (21.8%) and 207 (25.8%) reported high and very high psychological distress, respectively. Factors associated with moderate to high levels of psychological distress were: youth, females, non-Saudi nationals, those experiencing a change in employment or a negative financial impact, having comorbidities, and current smoking. A high level of fear was reported by 89 participants (11.1%), and this was associated with being ex-smokers (3.72, 1.14–12.14, 0.029) and changes in employment (3.42, 1.91–6.11, 0.000). A high resilience was reported by 115 participants (14.3%), and 333 participants (41.5%) had medium resilience. Financial impact and contact with known/suspected cases (1.63, 1.12–2.38, 0.011) were associated with low, medium, to high resilient coping. (4) Conclusions: People in Saudi Arabia were at a higher risk of psychosocial distress along with medium-high resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, warranting urgent attention from healthcare providers and policymakers to provide specific mental health support strategies for their current wellbeing and to avoid a post-pandemic mental health crisis. © 2023 by the authors.
- Authors: Alharbi, Talal , Alqurashi, Alaa , Mahmud, Ilias , Alharbi, Rayan , Islam, Sheikh , Almustanyir, Sami , Maklad, Ahmed , AlSarraj, Ahmad , Mughaiss, Lujain , Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar , Ahmed, Ahmed , Barry, Mazin , Ghozy, Sherief , Alabdan, Lulwah , Alif, Sheikh , Sultana, Farhana , Salehin, Masudus , Banik, Biswajit , Cross, Wendy , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Healthcare (Switzerland) Vol. 11, no. 8 (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: (1) Background: COVID-19 caused the worst international public health crisis, accompanied by major global economic downturns and mass-scale job losses, which impacted the psychosocial wellbeing of the worldwide population, including Saudi Arabia. Evidence of the high-risk groups impacted by the pandemic has been non-existent in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study examined factors associated with psychosocial distress, fear of COVID-19 and coping strategies among the general population in Saudi Arabia. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in healthcare and community settings in the Saudi Arabia using an anonymous online questionnaire. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) were used to assess psychological distress, fear and coping strategies, respectively. Multivariate logistic regressions were used, and an Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) was reported. (3) Results: Among 803 participants, 70% (n = 556) were females, and the median age was 27 years; 35% (n = 278) were frontline or essential service workers; and 24% (n = 195) reported comorbid conditions including mental health illness. Of the respondents, 175 (21.8%) and 207 (25.8%) reported high and very high psychological distress, respectively. Factors associated with moderate to high levels of psychological distress were: youth, females, non-Saudi nationals, those experiencing a change in employment or a negative financial impact, having comorbidities, and current smoking. A high level of fear was reported by 89 participants (11.1%), and this was associated with being ex-smokers (3.72, 1.14–12.14, 0.029) and changes in employment (3.42, 1.91–6.11, 0.000). A high resilience was reported by 115 participants (14.3%), and 333 participants (41.5%) had medium resilience. Financial impact and contact with known/suspected cases (1.63, 1.12–2.38, 0.011) were associated with low, medium, to high resilient coping. (4) Conclusions: People in Saudi Arabia were at a higher risk of psychosocial distress along with medium-high resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, warranting urgent attention from healthcare providers and policymakers to provide specific mental health support strategies for their current wellbeing and to avoid a post-pandemic mental health crisis. © 2023 by the authors.
Progress toward HIV elimination goals : trends in and projections of annual HIV testing and condom use in Africa
- Nguyen, Phuong, Gilmour, Stuart, Le, Phuong, Onishi, Kazunari, Kato, Kosuke, Nguyen, Huy
- Authors: Nguyen, Phuong , Gilmour, Stuart , Le, Phuong , Onishi, Kazunari , Kato, Kosuke , Nguyen, Huy
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: AIDS Vol. 35, no. 8 (2021), p. 1253-1262
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- Description: Objectives: To estimate trends in and projections of annual HIV testing and condom use at last higher-risk sex and to calculate the probability of reaching key United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS)'s target. Design: We included 114 nationally-representative datasets in 38 African countries from Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys with 1 456 224 sexually active adults age 15-49 from 2003 to 2018. Methods: We applied Bayesian mixed effect models to estimate the coverage of annual HIV testing and condom use at last higher-risk sex for every country and year to 2030 and the probability of reaching UNAIDS testing and condom use targets of 95% coverage by 2030. Results: Seven countries saw downward trends in annual HIV testing and four saw decreases in condom use at higher-risk sex, whereas most countries have upward trends in both indicators. The highest coverage of testing in 2030 is predicted in Swaziland with 92.6% (95% credible interval: 74.5-98.1%), Uganda with 90.5% (72.2-97.2%), and Lesotho with 90.5% (69.4%-97.6%). Meanwhile, Swaziland, Lesotho, and Namibia will have the highest proportion of condom use in 2030 at 85.0% (57.8-96.1%), 75.6% (42.3-93.6%), and 75.5% (42.4-93.2%). The probabilities of reaching targets were very low for both HIV testing (0-28.5%) and condom use (0-12.1%). Conclusions: We observed limited progress on annual HIV testing and condom use at last higher-risk sex in Africa and little prospect of reaching global targets for HIV/AIDS elimination. Although some funding agencies are considering withdrawal from supporting Africa, more attention to funding and expanding testing and treatment is needed in this region. © 2021 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.
- Authors: Nguyen, Phuong , Gilmour, Stuart , Le, Phuong , Onishi, Kazunari , Kato, Kosuke , Nguyen, Huy
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: AIDS Vol. 35, no. 8 (2021), p. 1253-1262
- Full Text:
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- Description: Objectives: To estimate trends in and projections of annual HIV testing and condom use at last higher-risk sex and to calculate the probability of reaching key United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS)'s target. Design: We included 114 nationally-representative datasets in 38 African countries from Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys with 1 456 224 sexually active adults age 15-49 from 2003 to 2018. Methods: We applied Bayesian mixed effect models to estimate the coverage of annual HIV testing and condom use at last higher-risk sex for every country and year to 2030 and the probability of reaching UNAIDS testing and condom use targets of 95% coverage by 2030. Results: Seven countries saw downward trends in annual HIV testing and four saw decreases in condom use at higher-risk sex, whereas most countries have upward trends in both indicators. The highest coverage of testing in 2030 is predicted in Swaziland with 92.6% (95% credible interval: 74.5-98.1%), Uganda with 90.5% (72.2-97.2%), and Lesotho with 90.5% (69.4%-97.6%). Meanwhile, Swaziland, Lesotho, and Namibia will have the highest proportion of condom use in 2030 at 85.0% (57.8-96.1%), 75.6% (42.3-93.6%), and 75.5% (42.4-93.2%). The probabilities of reaching targets were very low for both HIV testing (0-28.5%) and condom use (0-12.1%). Conclusions: We observed limited progress on annual HIV testing and condom use at last higher-risk sex in Africa and little prospect of reaching global targets for HIV/AIDS elimination. Although some funding agencies are considering withdrawal from supporting Africa, more attention to funding and expanding testing and treatment is needed in this region. © 2021 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.