Health Care Approach Research Articles

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Practices: A Narrative Review Elucidating the Impact on Healthcare Systems, Mechanisms and Paediatric Applications.

While research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for the general population is expanding, there remains a scarcity of studies investigating the efficacy and utilisation of CAM practices, specifically in the paediatric population. In accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of the parental utilisation of CAM in their dependents is estimated to reach up to 80%. This literature review identified broad, heterogeneous, and inconclusive evidence regarding CAM's applications and effectiveness, primarily attributed to variance in sociodemographic factors and differences in national healthcare systems. Additionally, the review identified a lack of consensus and polarised positions among mainstream professionals regarding the mechanisms of action, applications, and effectiveness of CAM. This narrative review presents varied results concerning the efficacy of most CAM therapies and their applications; however, some evidence suggests potential benefits for acupuncture, yoga, tai chi, and massage in improving physical and mental health. Moreover, the available evidence indicates that meditation may enhance mental health, while reiki may only influence patients' perceptions of comfort. In light of the intricate and multifaceted nature of herbal medicine, it is imperative to assess its efficacy on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the specific compounds and procedures involved. This comprehensive review serves as a valuable resource for health professionals, offering guidance for personalised healthcare approaches that consider the values and beliefs of patients, thereby facilitating integrated, evidence-based practices aimed at enhancing the quality of healthcare services and patient satisfaction.

The experience of adolescence process among French teenager pregnancies: a mixed-methods study

ABSTRACT Purpose Teenage pregnancy remains a significant global public health concern worldwide. However, it presents a complex phenomenon in developed countries, carrying potential short- and long-term consequences for both mothers and children. Methods This mixed method study used data from the French cross-sectional study “Portraits of adolescents”, which included 6000 girls aged between 13 and 17 years. The quantitative approach involved comparisons between a subgroup with an history of pregnancy and their peers, examining their lived-experience and mental health. The qualitative approach investigated the question “What does being a teenager mean for you?” specifically for the girls who reported an history of pregnancy. Results Teenage pregnancies presented elevated rates of mental health disorders, including dark thoughts, depression, self-harm, participating in dangerous games, attempting suicide and increased use of psychoactive substances. With limited support, in comparison to their peers. The qualitative approach revealed three major themes: “being in action”, “a way of feeling”, and “quality of relationship”. Conclusion This vulnerable subgroup of adolescents suggests the need for a coordinated multidisciplinary healthcare approach, given their limited parental and friend support, with a high risk of experiencing poor mental health. Additionally, these findings portray a “silent sufferer” population characterized by difficulties recognizing or managing emotions due to difficulties in expressing their emotional distress.

PulseNet: Multi-task learning-based non-contact pulse condition diagnosis using multi-scale fusion and transformer

The pulse condition, also called mai xiang, a significant diagnostic indicator in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has increased demand for intelligent diagnosis in recent years. However, the existing intelligent pulse condition diagnosis is mostly sensor-based or contact-dependent, resulting in numerous inconveniences, especially in mobile healthcare. Recently, remote photoplethysmography(rPPG) with the information captured from facial videos has been widely used in non-contact physiological measurements, such as blood pressure and heart rate monitoring. Inspired by these studies, a novel end-to-end rPPG-based method, named PulseNet, is proposed for non-contact pulse condition diagnosis in this paper. In PulseNet, the transformer is employed to extract spatio-temporal features from facial videos, multi-scale fusion is adopted to enhance the feature representation progressively, and multi-task learning is proposed for final pulse condition diagnosis. Besides, we propose the spatio-temporal difference attention (STDA) block in the transformer to aggregate spatio-temporal difference clues of the local region to provide fine-grained spatio-temporal context. We conduct extensive experiments with the proposed method. The results show that PulseNet outperforms the state-of-the-art rPPG-based methods. To the best of our knowledge, our method is the first attempt to detect pulse conditions with the information captured from facial videos, making it a promising non-contact diagnosis approach for mobile healthcare in TCM.

Improving nursing home safety through Adoption of a practical Resilient Health Care approach

Nursing homes struggle with safety issues, despite decades of intervention. This may, in part, stem from a reliance on a historical perspective that views safety as an intrinsic part of well-designed systems, with errors resulting from knowable, fixable causes. A new perspective (Resilient Health Care) assumes, instead, that in complex systems such as nursing homes, uncertainties and trade-offs occur in the course of everyday work. In this view, Resilient Health Care performance requires adapting to changes at different system levels to maintain high-quality care. An evidence-based program known as LOCK offers nursing homes a practical method for operationalizing a Resilient Health Care perspective. The LOCK program provides structures and processes that support frontline staff to successfully and safely navigate the complex interactions and factors that affect their daily provision of care.Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of AMDA — The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.

Improving Nursing Home Safety through Adoption of a Practical Resilient Health Care Approach

Nursing homes struggle with safety issues, despite decades of intervention. This may, in part, stem from a reliance on a historical perspective that views safety as an intrinsic part of well-designed systems, with errors resulting from knowable, fixable causes. A new perspective (Resilient Health Care) assumes, instead, that in complex systems such as nursing homes, uncertainties and trade-offs occur in the course of everyday work. In this view, Resilient Health Care performance requires adapting to changes at different system levels to maintain high-quality care. An evidence-based program known as LOCK offers nursing homes a practical method for operationalizing a Resilient Health Care perspective. The LOCK program provides structures and processes that support frontline staff to successfully and safely navigate the complex interactions and factors that affect their daily provision of care.

Towards an integrative approach of healthcare: implementing positive health in three cases in the Netherlands

BackgroundThe healthcare system is under tremendous pressure. One possible solution towards relieving some of this pressure is to use Positive Health, which takes ‘health’ as a starting point, rather than ‘illness’. Positive Health provides opportunities for stimulating integrated care.MethodsThree cases in the Netherlands are studied in this paper. Their way of working with Positive Health is investigated through semi-structured and narrative interviews, using realist-evaluation and thematic analyses.ResultsSeven ‘working elements’ are identified that enhance the chances of successfully implementing Positive Health in practice (part 1). The interviews show that healthcare professionals have noticed that people adopt a healthier lifestyle and gain a greater degree of control over their own health. This boosts job satisfaction for healthcare professionals too. The organisations and professionals involved are enthusiastic about working with Positive Health, but still experience barriers (part 2).ConclusionsThe results of this study imply that implementing Positive Health in practice can facilitate collaboration between organisations and professionals from different disciplines, such as healthcare, welfare, and municipal health services. Operating from the perspective of a shared goal, professionals from different disciplines will find it easier to jointly organise activities to foster citizens’ health. Additionally, more attention is paid to non-medical problems affecting people’s well-being, such as loneliness or financial problems.

Experiences and meaningfulness of breast cancer survivorship care in improving the quality of life of immigrant women: A qualitative systematic review.

Holistic healthcare approaches tailored to people's needs can enhance quality of life. However, needs of immigrant women in breast cancer survivorship have received little attention. Language barriers can result in significant challenges to accessing healthcare and difficulty in translating information from healthcare providers into self-management. The purpose of this review was to examine the experiences and meaningfulness of breast cancer survivorship care in improving the quality of life for immigrant breast cancer survivors. A qualitative systematic review using a systematic search of peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed articles of empirical research was conducted. Articles about immigrant women who were diagnosed, treated, and completed their initial course of breast cancer treatment were included. Exclusion criteria were non-immigrant women, men, younger than 18 years, no breast cancer diagnosis, not currently undergoing active or advanced treatment, and not receiving palliative or end-of-life care. Thematic synthesis and qualitative systematic review included studies of survivorship care targeting breast cancer treatment and post-treatment. Articles were obtained from PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar searches, with findings configured according to the JBI methodology. Twenty studies, most of moderate-to high-quality were included. The thematic synthesis identified two overall themes regarding breast cancer survivorship care, as well as subthemes for both. The subthemes of the first theme, challenges and experiences accessing and using healthcare services, were inadequate insurance and benefits, less acculturation and decision-making, discrimination and differential treatment, and influencing sociocultural factors. The subthemes of the second theme, facilitators and barriers to accessing and using healthcare services, included ineffective knowledge and communication, lack of continuity and information, cultural and language barriers, limited access to services, and quality of care. Supporting and engaging immigrant women throughout their breast cancer journey is critical. To do so requires integrating advancements in survivorship care as a systematic approach to lead to a better quality of life and improving patient-reported outcomes.

Exploring Disparities in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Outcomes among Asian and Pacific Islander Subgroups.

This study highlights the significant survival disparities among Asian subgroups with pancreatic cancer, utilizing a large national database. By differentiating among East Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islander groups, it underscores the need for tailored research and healthcare approaches. Addressing these differences is essential for developing culturally sensitive interventions and potentially improving outcomes in a disease that uniquely affects these diverse populations.

Oral Health in Children With Mental Health Problems

Despite the often-neglected association between mental health and oral health, their significant interaction highlights the necessity for integrated health care approaches, particularly for vulnerable populations, such as children with disabilities and patients with mental illness. This delineates the unique challenges faced by children with neurodevelopmental disorders and congenital syndromes, necessitating tailored interventions and heightened awareness among caregivers and health care providers. Further, maternal mental health has emerged as a pivotal determinant of oral health outcomes in children, underscoring the need for comprehensive support systems. Acknowledging and mitigating oral health implications within mental health frameworks is important to enhance the overall well-being and quality of life of individuals with mental health conditions. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2024;54(8):e235–e239.]

Epidemiology of Periodontal Diseases in Individuals With Diabetes in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common and prevalent metabolic disorders worldwide. It affects men, women, and children and can cause severe organ damage, includingkidney damage. The two most common types of DM are Type 1 DM and Type 2 DM. Similarly, periodontal disease (PD) affects a significant portion of the population and involves the tissues supporting the teeth. The bidirectional relationship between diabetes and PD is a well-established phenomenon. However, no comprehensive study on the prevalence of PD among diabetic patients has been conducted on the Saudi population. This systematic review aims to examine the current literature on the impact of these conditions on the Saudi population. A literature search was conducted from January 2001 through June 2024 using Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar. An extensive search was performed, duplicates were removed, and inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. Nine studies were selected for review, adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The retrieved studies confirm the relationship between DM and PDs in regional studies. The review highlights the need for integrated healthcare approaches to manage both conditions effectively. Further research is recommended to understand the causal mechanisms and develop comprehensive treatment strategies.

Patient-centered care measures through the eyes of South African Radiographers and patients: A survey approach

BackgroundWorldwide there has been a shift in the ideology within healthcare systems that focuses on ‘people’ rather than the ‘patients’. A patient should not only be perceived by their condition but rather viewed holistically as a person. Within a South African (SA) context, the constitution has been amended to state that all South African citizens have the right to healthcare that is caring, free from harm, and effective. Hence, it can be rationalized that patient-centered care (PCC) is a necessary and vital approach in South African healthcare as well. A study conducted by Hyde and Hardy in the United Kingdom (UK) explored measures of PCC from radiography patients, radiographers, radiography managers, radiography educators, and radiography students' perspectives. This study was duplicated to define informed measures of PCC from a South African perspective. Therefore, this study aimed to gain perspectives on PCC measures in diagnostic radiography within a sample of the South African community. This paper focuses on the perspectives of the clinical radiographer and patient respondents. MethodThis study was conducted using a quantitative approach with the use of an online survey. The Qualtrics software was utilized to design the survey. The survey consisted of three PCC themes; use of technology, comfort and emotional support, and control over the environment. Recruitment of the subgroups was via advertisement in social media, email networks, and word of mouth. ResultsThere were 28 radiographer responses and 14 patient responses. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 28. Patient care while explaining the use of technology in radiography, received positive responses from both respondent groups. Patient care measures that explored comfort and emotional support received varied responses from patients and radiographers. Important PCC concepts, such as asking the patient about their care needs and health problems, were lacking. Patients indicated that radiographers do not include their family members in the discussion of the care needs even though family involvement is a PCC element. ConclusionThe perceptions of PCC measures differed between the two groups which indicated that there are still some gaps in clinical practice. Patient involvement in their care and individualized care should be prioritized. There is a need for family involvement during radiography procedures to be better highlighted within clinical practice. It is also recommended that more importance be placed on PCC during undergraduate training. While service delivery is important, radiographers must not disregard their PCC responsibilities towards the patient.

Family-centered care for child cancer treatment in Ethiopia—A qualitative descriptive study

BackgroundFamilies are the primary source of support and strength in the care process of children with cancer. Family-centered care (FCC) is a healthcare delivery approach that considers parents as both partners and care recipients, characterized by providing care based on dignity and respect, information sharing, participation, and collaboration or partnership. AimThis study aimed to describe the delivery of care based on the family-centered care approach at the Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital pediatric cancer unit. MethodAn exploratory, descriptive qualitative study was conducted from March 2023 to August 2023. Eighteen participants (thirteen parents and five health care providers) were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and translated into English. The translated transcripts were used for inductive, data-driven thematic analysis. ATLAS.ti 9 software was used to assist the analysis process. ResultTwo themes have emerged during the analysis. These are (1) Information sharing, and (2) Enabling and partnership. Under the information sharing theme, we described parents' understanding of child cancer, parents' information-related expectations, the process of obtaining information, adequacy of information received, and factors inhibiting information sharing. Under the enabling and partnership theme, we presented family participation in childcare, discussion among parents, parents' communication with healthcare providers and psychosocial support. ConclusionSuboptimal implementation of family-centered care practice was identified at the pediatric oncology unit. Practice implicationsThe findings from this study indicate the need to strengthen the provision of child cancer-related information, improve communication, and strengthen family participation in childcare.

Efficient artificial intelligence approaches for medical image processing in healthcare: comprehensive review, taxonomy, and analysis

In healthcare, medical practitioners employ various imaging techniques such as CT, X-ray, PET, and MRI to diagnose patients, emphasizing the crucial need for early disease detection to enhance survival rates. Medical Image Analysis (MIA) has undergone a transformative shift with the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques such as Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL), promising advanced diagnostics and improved healthcare outcomes. Despite these advancements, a comprehensive understanding of the efficiency metrics, computational complexities, interpretability, and scalability of AI based approaches in MIA is essential for practical feasibility in real-world healthcare environments. Existing studies exploring AI applications in MIA lack a consolidated review covering the major MIA stages and specifically focused on evaluating the efficiency of AI based approaches. The absence of a structured framework limits decision-making for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in selecting and implementing optimal AI approaches in healthcare. Furthermore, the lack of standardized evaluation metrics complicates methodology comparison, hindering the development of efficient approaches. This article addresses these challenges through a comprehensive review, taxonomy, and analysis of existing AI-based MIA approaches in healthcare. The taxonomy covers major image processing stages, classifying AI approaches for each stage based on method and further analyzing them based on image origin, objective, method, dataset, and evaluation metrics to reveal their strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, comparative analysis conducted to evaluate the efficiency of AI based MIA approaches over five publically available datasets: ISIC 2018, CVC-Clinic, 2018 DSB, DRIVE, and EM in terms of accuracy, precision, Recall, F-measure, mIoU, and specificity. The popular public datasets and evaluation metrics are briefly described and analyzed. The resulting taxonomy provides a structured framework for understanding the AI landscape in healthcare, facilitating evidence-based decision-making and guiding future research efforts toward the development of efficient and scalable AI approaches to meet current healthcare needs.

E-health literacy in stroke patients: Latent profile analysis and influencing factors.

This study sought to explore latent categories of electronic health (e-health) literacy among stroke patients and analyse its influencing factors. A cross-sectional, descriptive exploratory design with the STROBE reporting checklist was applied. Between July and October 2020, 558 stroke participants from three tertiary care hospitals in Henan Province, China, were recruited using a convenience sampling method. A general information questionnaire and the Electronic Health Literacy Scale were used to collect their socio-demographic information and e-health literacy. Latent profile analysis was used to analyse latent categories of e-health literacy in stroke patients. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyse factors influencing latent categories of e-health literacy in stroke patients. Three latent categories of e-health literacy existed, including the low e-health literacy group, the low application-high decision-making group and the high literacy-low decision-making group. Multiple logistic regression showed that education level, presence of comorbidities, willingness to interact with people with mental illness, health information sources, frequency of Internet access, frequency of health information inquiry and willingness to receive remote care were predictors of the participants' latent categories of e-health literacy. Three latent categories of e-health literacy in stroke patients exist, and each latent category's characteristics should be considered while developing health education programmes. It is imperative that healthcare providers understand the requirement of creating tailored and efficient health education programmes for various categories of stroke patients to enhance their e-health literacy. It is imperative to improve Chinese stroke patients' overall e-health literacy. We categorized stroke patients' e-health literacy using advanced LPA. These findings hold implications for healthcare approaches, contributing to the enhancement of stroke patients' e-health literacy, enabling them to apply the acquired e-health information to manage and solve their own health issues. No patient or public contribution.

Comparing healthcare systems between the Netherlands and Australia in management for children with acute gastroenteritis.

Acute gastroenteritis is a highly contagious disease demanding effective public health and clinical care systems for prevention and early intervention to avoid outbreaks and symptom deterioration. The Netherlands and Australia are both top-performing, high-income countries where general practitioners (GPs) act as healthcare gatekeepers. However, there is a lower annual incidence and per-case costs for childhood gastroenteritis in Australia. Understanding the systems and policies in different countries can lead to improvements in processes and care. Therefore, we aimed to compare public health systems and clinical care for children with acute gastroenteritis in both countries. A cross-country expert study was conducted for the Netherlands and Australia. Using the Health System Performance Assessment framework and discussions within the research group, two questionnaires (public health and clinical care) were developed. Questionnaires were delivered to local experts in the Netherlands and the state of Victoria, Australia. Data synthesis employed a narrative approach with constant comparison. In Australia, rotavirus vaccination is implemented in a national program with immunisation requirements and legislation for prevention, which is not the case in the Netherlands. Access to care differs, as Dutch children must visit their regular GP before the hospital, while in Australia, children have multiple options and can go directly to hospital. Funding varies, with the Netherlands providing fully funded healthcare for children, whilst in Australia it depends on which GP (co-payment required or not) and hospital (public or private) they visit. Additionally, the guideline-recommended dosage of the antiemetic ondansetron is lower in the Netherlands. Healthcare approaches for managing childhood gastroenteritis differ between the Netherlands and Australia. The lower annual incidence and per-case costs for childhood gastroenteritis in Australia cannot solely be explained by the differences in healthcare system functions. Nevertheless, Australia's robust public health system, characterized by legislation for vaccinations and quarantine, and the Netherland's well-established clinical care system, featuring fully funded continuity of care and lower ondansetron dosages, offer opportunities for enhancing healthcare in both countries.

Pulmonary embolism: incidence and outcomes in a twelve-year historical series, in Tuscany - Italy (2010-2021).

Pulmonary embolism poses a global health concern. Administrative databases serve as valuable sources for broad epidemiological studies on the prevalence and incidence of major diagnoses or diseases. The primary scope is to provide up-to-date insights into Pulmonary Embolism incidence trends, examining shifts in management and outcomes. This retrospective observational study examines a 12-year dataset from hospitals in the Tuscany Region, covering the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. Administrative data from residents aged 18 and older discharged from hospital between 2010 and 2021 were used for the analysis. Hospitalized pulmonary embolism incidence slightly declined from 2010 to 2019 (64.7 to 60.9 x 100,000; p=0.152). Males under 75 showed a higher incidence rate, while females had higher incidence rates in older age groups. In-hospital and 30-day mortality decreased from 2010 to 2019 (p=0.001 and 0.020 respectively). In 2020, 30-day mortality increased (12.4% vs 10.1%, p=0.029), while in-hospital mortality remained stable. One-year mortality was stable from 2010-2019 but increased in 2020 (32.6% vs 29.4%, p=0.037). Considering the multivariable model, one-year mortality is significantly associated with sex, age, and comorbidities. Our study shows that Pulmonary Embolism persists as a relevant burden in Tuscany region, but with improvements in management over the past decade and a decisive change in pharmacological treatment. Gender-related differences emerge, highlighting the need for a gender-specific healthcare approach.

Applying a Primary Health Care Approach to Closing the Human Resource for Health Gaps for Immunization.

This perspective is focused on the evidence on human resources for health (HRH) solutions for immunization, as a part of a primary health care (PHC) approach.. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and 50 years since the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) clocks 50 years since its inception. was initiated, evidence and experience demonstrate the significant HRH gaps in many countries and globally, and how countries are seeking innovative ways of closing them with limited resources. The aim of this perspective article is to highlight the growing gap between the needs and the realities related to health workforce for PHC, including immunization, and to call for increasing the visibility of HRH within global and national immunization agendas. This perspective highlights key guidelines and tools to improve HRH, such as integrating immunization and primary health care, addressing the mental health needs of the health workforce, addressing gender-related issues, rationalizing the roles and composition of PHC workforce teams, and meeting the surge requirements related to health emergencies.

How is digital technology used to facilitate shared decision-making between healthcare professionals and patients in cardiovascular care? A scoping review

Abstract Introduction Shared decision-making (SDM) is a patient-centred approach in healthcare that emphasizes patient involvement in the decision-making process. Digital technologies (DTs), like Mobile apps and website tools, are on the rise in cardiovascular care (CVC) and healthcare in general. But DTs can play a role in facilitating SDM, for example, with tools such as decision aids (DAs) for patients and quality check frameworks for Health care professionals (HCPs). The aim of this scoping review (ScR) was to identify the types of DTs used to facilitate SDM within the field of CVC and the analysis of how support for SDM is implemented in these technologies; to examine the conceptualizations of SDM utilized in DTs and determine the theories underlying these conceptualizations within the field of CVC; and to present designs, methods, and outcomes of published evaluation studies concerning DTs for SDM within the field of CVC. Methods For this scoping review (ScR), ten databases were searched: eight biomedical and two technical databases between January 2022 and March 2022. After deduplicating the literature, the screening was conducted by the author and was independently double-screened by one of the four contributors. The selected articles were then analysed by the author on SDM and DT. Results From the initial 5719 search results, finished on the 6th of March 2023. 48 articles were included in this ScR. The PRISMA flow diagram is presented in Figure 1. All 48 articles were included after the screening report on one of the 31 applications selected in this ScR. The characteristics of the DTs of the applications were analysed as presented in Table 1. The SDM was all about treatment options, except only one application was on screening tests. Only one application made a direct reference to an SDM model, all the others hat references to literature Defining and explaining SDM. There is an ambiguous outcome of significance in the reported evaluative studies of these applications. making it important to evaluate which characteristics of DTs are efficacious in the variability of the clinical setting. Conclusion There has been an increase in DTs to facilitate SDM in CVC over the past years. Within the scientific literature, there is recognition of a variety of DT characteristics and outcomes of the evaluative studies. It is important to reflect users' needs to choose the right application. It is valuable for developers to see which characteristics of DTs add value to applications.Table 1.Characteristics of DTs

Fostering cultural resilience: assessing the success of a locally engaged and adapted mental health intervention in Gaza.

In ongoing-conflict-affected regions like Gaza, the prevalence of complex and intersecting post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSDs) necessitates innovative interventions. Our study explores a mental health care approach that has been culturally adapted for 15 years to address the complex landscape of PTSD in the Gaza Strip. Tarkiz was initially developed as 'Focusing', a metacognitive approach founded by Eugene Gendlin in 1950s Chicago. Tarkiz has been iteratively adapted and implemented for over a decade in Gaza by a team of local practitioners. The program's unique emphasis lies in its engagement approach, which relies on community participation and partnership building. The aim of this study was to qualitatively explore the perceived success of the program from the perspectives of the practitioners who adapted and delivered the program and the clients who participated in it. Data collection was driven by a multicultural research team, and prioritized capacity-building opportunities for Palestinian practitioners who lead on the development of research questions defining success. This exemplifies a successful science diplomacy model, emphasizing a collaborative approach, cultural sensitivity, and adaptable partnerships essential in global public health.

Investigating the bacterial profiles of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Actinobacteria, Fusobacterium, Firmicutes, and Bacteroides in stool samples from patients with severe depression and healthy individuals

Depression is a multifaceted mental health disorder with complex etiology and significant global burden. Recent research indicates that the gut microbiota plays a role in the pathophysiology of depression, highlighting the potential role of specific bacterial species in influencing mood and cognitive function. In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence, copy numbers, and Ct values of selected bacterial species in stool samples from depressed patients (n=50) compared to control subjects (n=50). Our findings revealed significant differences in the abundance of Fusobacterium spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus spp., Bacteroidetes phylum, Firmicutes phylum, and Actinobacteria spp. between the two groups. Dysregulation of the gut microbiota, characterized by decreased presence of beneficial bacteria (e.g., Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus spp.) and altered abundance of potentially pathogenic bacteria (e.g., Fusobacterium spp.), may contribute to the development or exacerbation of depression. These findings support the emerging concept of the gut-brain axis and its role in mental health. However, further research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms and explore the therapeutic potential of microbiota-targeted interventions for depression. Understanding the intricate interplay between the gut microbiota and depression could pave the way for novel treatment strategies and personalized approaches in mental health care.