Conectar
by Mengzhen Qin, Mengyuan Qiao, Yuying Dong, Haiyan Wang
ObjectiveCompared with those without such impairment, middle-aged and older adults with sensory impairment (SI) demonstrate a greater prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms, significantly affecting their mental health. We aimed to develop and validate a depression risk prediction model for middle-aged and elderly individuals with SI.
MethodsData from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were randomly partitioned into training and validation sets at a 7:3 ratio. Within the training set, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis and binary logistic regression were used to identify predictor variables, and a risk prediction column‒line graph was subsequently developed, with depression status among middle-aged and elderly individuals with SI as the dependent variable. Predictive performance of the training and validation sets was assessed via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration plots, and decision curve analysis.
ResultsIn total, 5308 middle-aged and older adults with SI were included, with 50.1% (n = 2657) developing depression. Multifactorial logistic regression analysis identified several depression predictors, including sex, education level, place of residence, marital status, self-rated health, life satisfaction, pension insurance status, nighttime sleep duration, functional impairment status, and pain (all P CI = 0.783–0.811) and 0.778 (95% CI = 0.755–0.800), respectively. The Hosmer–Lemeshow values were P = 0.176 and P = 0.606 (P > 0.05), and the calibration curves revealed significant agreement between the model and actual observations. ROC and DCA curves indicated good predictive performance for the column‒line graph.
ConclusionThis study presents a reliable, validated, and acceptable predictive model for depression risk in middle-aged and elderly individuals with SI, and the identified predictors have potential applications in public health policy and clinical practice.
by Hongfei Liu, Wenli Li, Gaoqiang Fan, Qiaoyi Chen, Shulei Zhang, Beibei Zhang
This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) supplementation on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune function, duodenal digestive enzyme activity, and jejunal morphology in growing female minks. Ninety-six 12-week-old minks were randomly assigned to six groups (0, 100, 200, 300, 400, or 500 mg/kg COS), with 8 replicates per treatment and 2 minks per replicate, for an 8-week trial. The results showed that average daily gain (ADG) increased quadratically with increasing COS levels (P P P P P PIn the era of ‘Undetectable = Untransmittable’ (U=U), reductions in condom use and increases in casual partnerships may contribute to elevated risks of coinfection with other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV super-infections among men living with HIV. These trends may reflect a shift in personal attitudes towards sexual behaviour and HIV risk, yet their influence on actual behaviours remains unclear.
To investigate how changes in personal attitudes and safe sex self-efficacy influence sexual decision-making.
Two-wave longitudinal study design.
We conducted a 3-month longitudinal study from March to December 2023 among HIV-positive men (≥ 18 years) initiating ART in Changsha, China. Cross-lagged panel analysis and half-longitudinal mediation analysis were used to examine how changes in personal attitudes influenced sexual behaviours.
427 men living with HIV were included at baseline, and 301 completed the follow-up survey. Sexual behaviours were associated with personal attitudes, namely safe sex fatigue, viral load/transmission beliefs, and sexual sensation seeking. More positive personal attitudes in these domains at baseline predicted lower safe sex self-efficacy over 3 months, while reduced baseline self-efficacy increased the likelihood of engaging in condomless sex and/or multiple sexual partners. All three personal attitude domains had significant indirect effects on sexual behaviours via safe sex self-efficacy.
In the era of U=U, the changed personal attitudes among men living with HIV may lead to the increased likelihood of engaging in condomless sex and/or having multiple sexual partners, and safe sex self-efficacy serves as a mediator in this relationship.
This study highlights the potential influence of attitudinal changes on sexual behaviours among men living with HIV in the ‘U=U’ era. Findings provide valuable evidence for developing more targeted interventions that address not only behavioural outcomes but also underlying personal attitudes.
No patient or public contribution.
To explore the perceptions and experiences of parents caring for children with paediatric feeding disorders requiring feeding tubes (PFD-T).
A descriptive qualitative approach was adopted in this study.
Using purposive sampling, 12 parents were recruited from paediatric inpatient wards and the outpatient paediatric feeding clinic at a tertiary public hospital in Singapore. Data collection was done from July to December 2024. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted with the parents (fathers or mothers) until data saturation. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes from the interview content.
A total of three themes and six subthemes were identified, encapsulating the challenges experienced by parents with caregiving and feeding tube management, as well as the sources of support they had. The themes are: (1) A sense of community, (2) Grieving over the loss of normalcy and (3) Facing the unknown.
Parents in this study felt supported being in a community of other parents with children who have PFD-T. It enabled them to gain valuable information and offered them a space where they felt understood. At the same time, they expressed feelings of guilt and isolation, as the caregiving demands led to limited capacity to cater to or interact with other loved ones. Additional challenges parents faced included transitioning between types of feeding tubes and insufficient support from healthcare professionals.
Ethical approval was obtained from the National Health Group Domain Specific Review Board (DSRB 2024/00064) on 8 May 2024.
This study followed the reporting guidelines outlined by the COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative (COREQ) research checklist.
This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct, or reporting.
Ethnic minoritized women face cultural and systemic barriers in accessing antepartum and intrapartum care. Healthcare providers play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges, but their perspectives and experiences in delivering culturally competent care remain underexplored.
To synthesise healthcare providers' experiences and perspectives on providing culturally competent antepartum and intrapartum care for ethnic minoritised women.
A qualitative meta-synthesis study design was employed. Six electronic databases were searched from their inception date till January 2025. The included studies were assessed using the method of the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool, and findings were meta-synthesised using Sandelowski and Barroso's six-step approach. This review was registered via the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews.
Overall, 38 studies were included, and three themes emerged. The first theme revealed how providers' biases and professional training distorted their ability to understand and respect cultural practices. The second theme underscored the impact of systemic barriers such as time constraints, resource scarcity and lack of representation among providers. The final theme highlighted healthcare providers' aspirations for improved communication, targeted training and guidance on building trust to enhance care delivery.
Healthcare providers encounter notable challenges in delivering culturally competent antepartum and intrapartum care, but remain hopeful about bridging gaps in communication and understanding. Practical recommendations include implementing mandatory cultural competency training at all levels of healthcare professional education, increasing resources for interpreters and cultural liaisons and fostering diversity within the healthcare workforce. Future research should explore patient-centred interventions and systemic reforms to improve care for ethnic minoritised women. These findings highlight the need for policies and practices that empower providers to deliver equitable, culturally respectful antepartum and intrapartum care.
No patient or public contribution.
The suicide rate of individuals with schizophrenia is higher than the general population. In clinical practice, it is essential to identify patients with schizophrenia who are at an elevated risk of suicide. However, previous studies may not fully account for potential factors that could influence the suicide risk among schizophrenia patients. Our study leverages machine learning to identify predictive variables from a broad range of indicators.
Cross-sectional.
A total of 131 patients with schizophrenia were recruited at the Mental Health Center of West China Hospital from August 2021 to July 2022. We collected complete blood analysis, thyroid function, inflammatory factors, childhood trauma experiences, psychological impact related to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic, sleep quality, psychological distress, income level and other demographic data. We utilised machine learning algorithms to predict the suicide risk of patients with the above features. The Shapley values were used to illustrate important predictive variables of suicide risk.
We gathered important variables for predicting suicide risk of patients with schizophrenia, such as the Nurses' Observation Scale for Inpatient Evaluation factor, neutrophil count, psychological impact during Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic, prolactin level and plasma thromboplastin component level.
The features identified in this study are anticipated to aid in the clinical identification of suicide risk in individuals with schizophrenia in the future. This study also promoted improvements in the suicide prediction model among patients with schizophrenia.
This study identified key predictive variables for suicide risk in schizophrenia patients using machine learning. Our findings will enhance clinical tools for assessing suicide risk in schizophrenia, potentially leading to more effective prevention strategies. This advancement holds promise for improving suicide prevention efforts and tailoring interventions to individuals' specific risk profiles.
STROBE Statement (for cross-sectional studies).
None.
To investigate the physical activity levels of lung cancer survivors, analyse the influencing factors, and construct a predictive model for the physical activity levels of lung cancer survivors based on machine learning algorithms.
This was a cross-sectional study.
Convenience sampling was used to survey lung cancer survivors across 14 hospitals in eastern, central, and western China. Data on demographic, disease-related, health-related, physical, and psychosocial factors were also collected. Descriptive analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0, and predictors were identified through multiple logistic regression analyses. Four machine learning models—random forest, gradient boosting tree, support vector machine, and logistic regression—were developed and evaluated based on the Area Under the Curve of the Receiver Operating Characteristic (AUC-ROC), accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score. The best model was used to create an online computational tool using Python 3.11 and Flask 3.0.3. This study was conducted and reported in accordance with the TRIPOD guidelines and checklist.
Among the 2231 participants, 670 (30%), 1185 (53.1%), and 376 (16.9%) exhibited low, moderate, and high physical activity levels, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression identified 15 independent influencing factors: residential location, geographical region, religious beliefs, histological type, treatment modality, regional lymph node stage, grip strength, 6-min walking distance, globulin, white blood cells, aspartate aminotransferase, blood urea, MDASI score, depression score, and SRAHP score. The random forest model performed best among the four algorithms, achieving AUC-ROC values of 0.86, 0.70, 0.72, and 0.67, respectively, and was used to develop an online predictive tool (URL: http://10.60.32.178:5000).
This study developed a machine learning model to predict physical activity levels in lung cancer survivors, with the random forest model demonstrating the highest accuracy and clinical utility. This tool enables the early identification of low-activity survivors, facilitating timely, personalised rehabilitation and health management.
The development of a predictive model for physical activity levels in lung cancer survivors can help clinical medical staff identify survivors with relatively low physical activity levels as early as possible. Thus, personalised rehabilitation plans can be formulated to optimise quality of life during their survival period.
Physical activity has been used as a nonpharmacological intervention in cancer patient rehabilitation plans. However, a review of past studies has shown that lung cancer survivors generally have low physical activity levels. In this study, we identified the key factors influencing physical activity among lung cancer survivors through a literature review. We constructed a prediction model for their physical activity levels using machine learning algorithms. Clinical medical staff can use this model to identify patients with low physical activity levels early and to develop personalised intervention plans to improve their quality of life during survival.
The study adhered to the relevant EQUATOR reporting guidelines, the TRIPOD Checklist for Prediction Model Development and Validation.
During the data collection phase, participants were recruited to complete the questionnaires.
To explore the experiences and perceptions of Singaporean parents in managing feeding difficulties among children with developmental disabilities.
A descriptive qualitative study design was used.
Twenty parents were recruited via convenience sampling from a paediatric feeding clinic in a public hospital in Singapore between July and October 2024. One-to-one interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.
Four themes were identified: (1) Feeding as a ‘guessing’ game; (2) mutual understanding within the family and community; (3) beliefs regarding developmental disabilities and feeding difficulties; and (4) challenges in accessing adequate support. There were a total of nine subthemes supporting these themes.
This study revealed that parents of children with developmental disabilities faced challenges in adjusting to their child's feeding preferences, dealing with conflicting views on feeding practices among caregivers, and accessing adequate support. Parents also valued instrumental support from grandparents and domestic helpers, as well as emotional support from online peers. Additional research and targeted interventions are needed to better support parents of children with developmental disabilities in managing feeding difficulties.
Policies should facilitate the provision of feeding-specific resources, treatment, and education for parents. Additionally, healthcare providers should proactively assess feeding-related concerns and address misconceptions to enhance parental awareness of feeding difficulties and how they can improve the feeding practices of their children with developmental disabilities. Future research should obtain a more in-depth understanding of how differing beliefs in feeding difficulties between parents can impact the child's developmental outcomes, as well as the support and resources that may address feeding needs in these children.
This study followed the reporting guidelines outlined by the Consolidated criteria for Reporting Qualitative (COREQ) research checklist.
This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct, or reporting.
To explore the mediating effects of psychological flexibility and anxiety between knowledge and health behaviour in stroke patients, and to provide a reference for improving the health behaviour of stroke patients.
A cross-sectional study.
A convenience sampling method was used to recruit 219 stroke patients from a tertiary hospital in China from July to November 2024. Patients were surveyed using an electronic questionnaire containing demographic questions and validated scales for stroke knowledge, psychological flexibility, anxiety and health behaviour. IBM SPSS v26.0 software and PROCESS Process macro were used for data analysis.
The health behaviour score of stroke patients was 54.2 ± 3.8, and health behaviour was positively correlated with stroke knowledge and negatively correlated with psychological flexibility and anxiety. There was a significant chain-mediated effect of psychological flexibility and anxiety in the relationship between stroke knowledge and health behaviour.
Stroke knowledge not only directly predicts health behaviour in stroke patients, but also indirectly influences the health behaviour of patients through the chain mediation of psychological flexibility and anxiety.
This study highlights the importance of caregivers focusing on the interactions between patient knowledge, psychological flexibility, anxiety and health behaviour when caring for stroke patients. Comprehensive interventions aimed at enhancing stroke patients' knowledge, improving patients' psychological flexibility and reducing anxiety have the potential to improve patient health behaviour.
Patients completed questionnaires.
The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist for cross-sectional studies was applied to report the results.
Background
Gamification uses game-based mechanics, aesthetics, and game thinking to engage people, motivate action, promote learning, and solve problems. However, gaps remain in understanding and implementing gamification in rehabilitation care, necessitating further exploration and clarification of the best evidence for application of gamification.
Objective
To conduct a scoping review of the use of gamification in rehabilitation care for adults with chronic illnesses, summarizing the scope, forms, elements, guiding theories, effectiveness, and ease of use of gamification.
Methods
Eight databases in English or Chinese were searched from January 1, 2011 to May 20, 2024 following the standard scoping review framework.
Results
A total of 24 papers were included. Gamification was applied in the rehabilitation of endocrine, skeletal, circulatory, neurological, and cerebrovascular diseases, primarily using virtual reality and three-dimensional forms. Eight gamification elements were most commonly utilized. Positive outcomes included enhanced rehabilitation knowledge, improved attitudes, better physical function, and increased self-care ability. Most patients found gamified rehabilitation care engaging and easy to use.
Discussion
The application of gamification in adult chronic disease rehabilitation care shows great promise. However, the lack of theory-driven or longitudinal data in some studies highlights the need for more randomized controlled and longitudinal research to explore the effectiveness of gamified intervention. We aimed to investigate the relationship between serum neurofilament light chain (NfL) and grip strength using data from the 2013–2014 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Secondary analysis of cross-sectional, population-based data.
NHANES sample, 2013–2014.
We studied 1925 participants aged 20–75 years.
We applied a multivariable generalised linear regression model, adjusted for several potential confounders, and restrictive cubic spline models to evaluate the association between serum NfL and grip strength. Subgroup analyses were conducted using stratified multivariable linear regression analysis.
We included 1925 participants (average age: 44.8±0.44 years) from the NHANES database. Participants with higher serum NfL levels had a significantly higher prevalence of medical conditions (hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disorder, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cancer) compared with those with lower NfL levels (all p
Our study demonstrates a strong, negative and linear correlation between elevated serum NfL levels and grip strength. Notably, our findings indicate that individuals aged between 60 and 75 years, those with physical inactivity and those with CKD exhibit a more pronounced reduction in grip strength with increasing serum NfL levels.
Substance use disorders (SUDs) are common and highly disabling, causing serious long-term harm to people’s health. Despite the existence of evidence-based interventions for treating SUDs, many individuals remain symptomatic regardless of treatment, and relapse is common. Acupuncture has been examined for the treatment of SUDs, but available evidence is mixed. This comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis aims to provide updated evidence which will include both English and Chinese studies to investigate the effectiveness and safety of different types of acupuncture for the treatment of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use disorders.
This protocol is guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analysis Protocols. A thorough search for relevant studies in multiple electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, Wan-fang and China Biomedical Database) and clinical trial registries will be conducted. Population-Intervention-Comparator-Outcomes-Study design criteria will be adopted for study inclusion. Only randomised controlled trials analysing the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for SUDs will be included. Two reviewers will independently conduct the study selection, data extraction and quality assessment, and disagreements will be solved by a third senior reviewer or by contacting study authors. Frequency and quantity of substance use, abstinence rate, withdrawal symptoms, treatment drop-out and relapse rates are primary outcomes. Functional status, health-related quality of life and adverse events are secondary outcomes. The risk of bias and quality of evidence will be assessed by the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomised trials and guidelines of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation working group, respectively. When sufficient data is available, subgroup analyses will be performed to further compare the differences in the primary and secondary outcomes based on the type of substance use, acupuncture, co-intervention status, comparison group, measurement tools, length of follow-up, risk of bias of included studies and countries of studies conducted.
No private information is used in the entire process of the systematic review. Therefore, ethical approval is not required. Findings of the proposed systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and/or disseminated through conference presentations.
The protocol has been archived in the Prospero repository (PROSPERO 2024 CRD42024566389).
Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a complicated reproductive endocrine disease seriously affecting physiological function and fertility in women. Its clinical features include amenorrhoea or infrequent menstruation, oestrogen deficiency and elevated levels of gonadotropins. At present, conventional treatments for POI in clinical practice are unable to fundamentally improve ovarian function or solve fertility problems, and often have certain side effects. Adipose tissue-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) contains various cell types, including adipose-derived stem/stromal cells, stromal cells, endothelial cells, fibroblasts and macrophages. Recently, SVF has shown tremendous potential in treating many refractory diseases, offering a promising therapeutic option for improving ovarian function. Although SVF has shown therapeutic effects in animal models of POI, there is insufficient evidence demonstrating the efficacy and safety of autologous SVF in women with POI.
This study is a single-centre randomised controlled trial designed to explore the efficacy and safety of using autologous SVF in improving pregnancy outcomes in patients with infertility diagnosed with POI. A total of 308 women meeting the eligibility criteria will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the SVF group or the control group. The control group will receive conventional assisted reproductive technology treatment, including in vitro fertilisation, embryo transfer and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. In the SVF group, patients will undergo bilateral intraovarian injections of the SVF suspension under ultrasound guidance. Their in vitro fertilisation cycles will commence 4–8 weeks after SVF injection. The primary outcome of this trial is the cumulative clinical pregnancy rate within 6 months. Aside from this, secondary outcomes including menstrual volume and duration, ovarian volume, antral follicle count, and serum levels of anti-mullerian hormone and sex hormone (oestrogen and follicle-stimulating hormone) will be measured. All adverse events will be monitored and recorded within a 6-month follow-up period. Additionally, pregnancy outcomes and the health status of the offspring will be tracked through telephone follow-up for 2 years.
This trial has been reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Peking University Third Hospital (approval number: IRB00006761-M2024330). We will ensure that each patient has signed informed consent before participation in the trial. The findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
To investigate the incidence and the factors associated with paternal postpartum depression amongst new fathers in Singapore.
A prospective repeated measures study was conducted from September 2023 to March 2024.
A total of 200 fathers aged 21 years and above who had a neonate born at full term and no serious health events for both mother and neonate were recruited from a local hospital via convenience sampling. Fathers completed questionnaires at the third trimester of pregnancy (baseline) and 1 month postpartum. Multiple regression analyses were used to identify significant factors associated with postpartum depression in fathers.
The incidence of paternal postpartum depression was 5.26% at 1 month post-childbirth, using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS). Using the Gotland Male Depression Scale (GMDS), 7% of the fathers were identified with high risk of depression and 14.3% of the fathers had moderate depressive symptoms. Paternal postpartum depression at 1 month post-childbirth could be predicted by paternal postpartum depression scores at baseline measured by EPDS and GMDS, as well as by baseline perceived social support and parental self-efficacy at 1 month post-childbirth.
This study found that a considerable number of fathers in Singapore are at risk of postpartum depression. There is an urgent need for the development of more comprehensive tools to measure postpartum depression in fathers that are culturally adapted to the local context.
Early screening during antenatal visits enables timely intervention and access to support, benefiting the entire family. Nurses could help fathers to be more involved by extending patient education and teaching infant care skills to both parents. When counselling patients, the involvement of extended family members and navigating new roles as caregivers of a new baby and breadwinners are important considerations for new parents.
This study is the first of its kind to measure the incidence of postpartum depression amongst new fathers in an urban multicultural Asian setting, like Singapore. The study found that the incidence of postpartum depression in fathers were 5.26% when measured using EPDS and 14.3% when measured using GMDS at 1 month postpartum. These findings could inform future family-centred and father-specific interventions to improve the mental health outcomes of new parents.
This study adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) reporting guideline.
No patient or public contribution.
To develop a deep learning-based smart assessment model for pressure injury surface.
Exploratory analysis study.
Pressure injury images from four Guangzhou hospitals were labelled and used to train a neural network model. Evaluation metrics included mean intersection over union (MIoU), pixel accuracy (PA), and accuracy. Model performance was tested by comparing wound number, maximum dimensions and area extent.
From 1063 images, the model achieved 74% IoU, 88% PA and 83% accuracy for wound bed segmentation. Cohen's kappa coefficient for wound number was 0.810. Correlation coefficients were 0.900 for maximum length (mean difference 0.068 cm), 0.814 for maximum width (mean difference 0.108 cm) and 0.930 for regional extent (mean difference 0.527 cm2).
The model demonstrated exceptional automated estimation capabilities, potentially serving as a crucial tool for informed decision-making in wound assessment.
This study promotes precision nursing and equitable resource use. The AI-based assessment model serves clinical work by assisting healthcare professionals in decision-making and facilitating wound assessment resource sharing.
The STROBE checklist guided study reporting.
Patients provided image resources for model training.
To evaluate the prevalence of frailty and its impact on quality of life (QoL) in older Chinese breast cancer (BC) patients, which have not been thoroughly reported in this population.
A prospective multi-centre cross-sectional registry study.
Data were collected from Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking University Third Hospital and Beijing Chaoyang District San Huan Cancer Hospital between October 2021 and July 2023.
BC patients aged over 65 years were enrolled in this study. They completed three assessment scales including the FRAIL scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), to screen for frailty, related factors and QoL. Clinical and pathological data were also collected. Analysis of frailty and prefrailty risk factors was performed via logistic regression. A multivariable linear regression model was used to evaluate the mean differences in scores for each QoL domain between patients with different frailty statuses.
A total of 946 patients were enrolled from three hospitals in Beijing between October 2021 and July 2023. Their median age was 69 years and 73.6% of them had early-stage breast cancer. Further, 37.2% of these patients had ≥ 1 comorbidity. The prevalence of frailty was 8.8% and frailty was more common in those with aged ≥ 75 years (22.3%), those with advanced tumours (15.6%), those with anxiety (31.3%) and those with depression (29.3%). More than half (57.2%) of the patients were prefrail. Regression analysis revealed that older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.12 [95% CI 1.07–1.17], p < 0.001), an advanced tumour (OR 2.27 [1.33–3.89], p = 0.003), anxiety (OR 2.74 [1.37–5.48], p = 0.004) and depression (OR 3.84 [1.97–7.49], p < 0.001) were significantly associated with frailty. After adjusting for other factors, different frailty states were shown to be independent influencing factors for QoL in both the functional and the symptom domains (all p < 0.05).
Our study provides data on the prevalence of frailty and prefrailty in older Chinese patients with BC. Both conditions are closely related to poor QoL. It is helpful for oncologist and clinical care to making intervention and better treatment decisions.
The study adhered to the STROBE checklist.
This study provides detailed data on the prevalence of frailty in older Chinese patients with BC and correlative factors. It suggests that clinical care should fully assess patients' frailty before making treatment decisions and provide early intervention for related factors.
Patients participated in the implementation of the project (including the informed consent and questionnaire process). No other public contribution to this research.
This study provides data on the prevalence of frailty in Chinese older BC patients and correlative factors. It indicates that clinicians should fully assess patients' frailty before making treatment decisions and provide early intervention for related factors.
ChiCTR2200056070
This study aimed to explore the risk factors related to home-based operation management leading to the occurrence of peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis (PDAP).
An observational research was conducted.
A retrospective analysis was conducted among patients with maintenance peritoneal dialysis (PD) between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2022. The patients were grouped according to the occurrence of PDAP. General characteristics and home operational data were collected and logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors for PDAP associated with home operations. This study complied with the Appendix S1.
Of 458 PD patients included in this study, 82 were in the peritonitis group. Their average age was 53.34 ± 13.62 years, and the average dialysis vintage was 35.57 ± 32.74 months, with males accounting for 54.6%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age; primary disease, such as diabetes mellitus; dialysis vintage; improper storage of dialysis fluid; failure to verify the quality of protective-caps with povidone-iodine; and improper handwashing were risk factors of PDAP. Daytime ambulatory PD mode was significantly negatively associated with PDAP.
Improper storage of dialysis fluid, failure to check the quality of protective-caps and improper handwashing at home are independent risk factors for PDAP caused by home-based operation management. Nurses should strengthen relevant training or retraining to address this.
These findings serve to highlight the key areas for training in PD management and aim to empower patients to effectively conduct self-management practices.
We appreciate the patient's understanding and support.
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) emerges as a common symptom in pediatric cancer patients during treatment. Exercise interventions are increasingly being used as CRF interventions to improve CRF in children with cancer.
The objective of this meta-analysis was to synthesize the best available evidence concerning the effectiveness of exercise interventions for cancer-related fatigue in children with cancer.
Six databases were extensively searched from inception to December 2023 to identify relevant randomized controlled trials. The risk of bias and methodological quality were assessed using the Cochrane appraisal tool. Pooled effects were calculated using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I 2 test.
Eight trials (n = 465) were finally included. Exercise was statistically more effective than conventional care in improving CRF in children with cancer (SMD = −0.62, 95% CI [−1.21, −0.03]) with high statistical heterogeneity (p = .004; I 2 = 86%). The results of the subgroup analysis showed that intervention duration <12 weeks (p < .05), exercise frequency ≥ 3 times/week (p < .05), and exercise duration <45 min/time (p < .05) were more effective in improving CRF in children with cancer.
Our results suggest that exercise interventions are effective in reducing CRF in children with cancer. We recommend exercise frequency ≥ 3 times/week, exercise duration <45 min/time, and intervention duration <12 weeks.
The study aimed to investigate the current status of physical activity (PA) levels and associated factors among lung cancer survivors who have undergone nonsurgical treatments.
PA has been incorporated as a nonpharmacological intervention in the rehabilitation programmes of cancer patients, playing a crucial role in alleviating symptom burden and enhancing the quality of life among lung cancer survivors. Understanding the potential influencing factors of PA levels aids in formulating targeted intervention strategies.
A multicentre cross-sectional study.
Convenience sampling was utilised to survey lung cancer survivors from the respiratory and oncology departments of 12 hospitals across Eastern, Central and Western China, spanning from June 2023 to January 2024. Social demographic characteristics, disease-related features, health behaviour abilities, psychological factors and levels of PA were collected through a combination of clinical case systems used to record patients' treatment and medical conditions and self-reported questionnaires. Additionally, measurements of grip strength and the 6-min walk test were conducted for patients. Descriptive analysis, bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were conducted.
Only 109 patients (16.2%) achieved high PA levels. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated differences in age, residential location, employment status, religion, lung cancer stage, grip strength, albumin concentration, blood urea, Anderson symptom, depression and health behaviour capacity among lung cancer survivors with varying PA levels.
Significant associations were observed between age ≥ 75 years, residing in urban areas, unemployment, absence of religious beliefs, Stage IV lung cancer, lower grip strength, lower albumin concentration, higher blood urea, higher Anderson symptom scores, lower health behaviour capacity scores, higher depression scores and lower PA levels among lung cancer survivors. These potential factors should be considered when developing PA intervention plans.
This study offers insights for developing subsequent PA intervention programmes. In clinical practice, healthcare professionals should continuously educate patients about the benefits of exercise and help them incorporate PA into their daily lives. Additionally, emphasising multidisciplinary collaboration involving physical therapists, nutritionists and mental health experts is crucial for ensuring safe and effective PA, thereby improving patients' quality of life.
Our study complies with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Checklist: cross-sectional studies.
At the phase of collecting data, participants were recruited to fill the questionnaires.
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2300072609
FreshRSS 