Differences In Mean Scores Research Articles

The Effect of Colchicine on Platelet Function Profiles in Patients with Stable Coronary Artery Disease: The ECLIPSE Pilot Study.

This prospective, single-arm pharmacodynamic study assessed the effect of colchicine (COLC) [Strides Pharma UK Ltd, Watford, Hertfordshire, England] 0.5mg administered orally once daily for 14 days on platelet reactivity with respect to aspirin reaction units (ARUs) and P2Y12 reaction units (PRUs). Twenty-two patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) on dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with daily maintenance aspirin and clopidogrel were recruited. Baseline platelet function was evaluated with the VerifyNow™ ARU and PRU assays (Werfen, Bedford, MA, USA) and assessed post-completion of COLC 0.5mg once daily for 14days. In this study, the median ARU baseline score was 463, and post-COLC it was 436, which was not statistically significant (p = 0.485). The mean difference in scores was -18.31 (95% confidence interval [CI] -74.34 to 37.71, p = 0.504). At baseline, 27.3% of the patients had "aspirin resistance" or were non-responders, compared to 13.6% post-COLC (p = 0.423). The median baseline PRU score was 210, and post-COLC it was 199, which was also not statistically significant (p = 0.581). The mean difference in scores was -7.31 (95% CI -31.1 to 16.5, p = 0.530). At baseline, 50% of the patients had "clopidogrel resistance" or were non-responders, compared to 45.5% post-COLC (p = 0.999). Two patients experienced mild gastrointestinal upset during the trial without interruption of COLC, and there were no serious adverse events or treatment-emergent adverse events. There were no significant differences in ARUs and PRUs post-COLC trial in patients with stable CAD. This pilot pharmacodynamic study could be clinically informative in patients on DAPT. Further studies are required to confirm these exploratory findings. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT06567678, prospectively registered 20/8/2024.

Knowledge of Mandatory Reporting Laws and Recording of Clients’ Abuse Data: Effects of a Sexual Health Curriculum Training for Health Students in Tanzania

ABSTRACT Tanzania mandated reporting laws aim to identify and address child abuse, yet healthcare students’ awareness and reporting are limited. This study assessed training’s impact on their knowledge of reporting laws and handling confidential child abuse data. The study involved 412 medical and nursing students in a randomized controlled trial (RCT), with 206 participants receiving sexual health training and a waitlist control group of equal size receiving no intervention. Baseline and 3-month follow-up assessments evaluated knowledge of mandatory reporting laws and recording practices. At the 3-month follow-up, the control group showed minimal knowledge improvement (+7.5% for item 1, −6% for item 2), whereas the intervention group showed significant gains (23.7% for item 1, 0.7% for item 2). Additionally, notable disparity in total scores for reporting and recording between the groups emerged from baseline to follow-up (t = -3.682, p < .001, Cohen’s d = 0.365). The intervention group (M = 0.527, SD = 1.630) had a larger mean difference score than the control group (M = -0.044, SD = 1.499). Therefore, the training significantly improved students’ knowledge of mandatory reporting laws and the recording of clients’ confidential information.

Effects of an intervention on immigrant parents' knowledge and attitudes toward their children's oral health: A cluster randomized trial in Norway.

There are no interventional studies on the oral health of immigrant children in Norway. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a culturally adapted oral health intervention for parental knowledge, attitude to oral hygiene, attitude to diet, and indulgence (permissiveness toward oral hygiene and sugar intake) concerning their children's oral health. A cluster randomized control trial, including immigrant parents of newborns, was conducted at seven health centers in Bergen (Norway) involving a 2-session one-to-one motivational interviews, toothbrushing demonstrations and pamphlets in the participants' native languages at baseline and after 6 months. Mean differences in outcome scores were assessed and compared between intervention and control groups using generalized linear mixed model. In an intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis (n=345), the estimated mean difference in parental attitude to diet and indulgence between the groups indicated more improvement in the control than in the intervention group in the adjusted models. For all outcomes within both groups, a slight positive change was observed in marginal mean scores from baseline to follow-up. The two culturally adapted intervention sessions had no impact on oral health-related knowledge, attitudes, and indulgence of immigrant parents. These findings suggest that more comprehensive interventions may be needed to improve parental knowledge and attitudes toward children's oral health. Trial Registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05758454.

The outcome of diabetic retinopathy health education program in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a quasi-experimental study.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) may develop into sight-threatening DR and vision loss if early intervention is not carried out. This study was aimed to assess the effectiveness of DR health education program for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The quasi-experimental research design was applied. The intervention group underwent a web-based DR health education program while the control group was followed up the usual way at an ophthalmology clinic for 1 year. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, repeated measures ANOVA and general linear model to evaluate the mean difference between groups. A total of 180 patients with T2DM were enrolled in the study, with equal number in the control and intervention groups, respectively, with 28% of dropout rate. There was a significant mean difference in knowledge score [F (1178) = 116.57, P = 0.001], diabetes self-care [F (1178) = 116.57, P = 0.001] and visual-related quality of life [F (1178) = 12.70), P = 0.001] between the control and the intervention groups. The intervention group scored the highest in all three categories. Educational interventions positively affected adherence to self-care and visual-related quality of life in type 2 diabetic patients as shown in this study. DRHEP should be considered an added benefit in T2DM management, starting with comprehensive care enrollment.

Changes in stress-related outcomes among graduate students following the Mindfulness Ambassador Program: A pilot study.

Graduate students face numerous demands, high stress levels, and associated challenges to intra- and inter-personal relationships. Mindfulness may help to ease such challenging experiences. The Mindfulness Ambassador Program (MAP) is a promising group-based program that has not yet been studied among graduate students. The primary objectives of this study were to: (1) explore graduate students' perceptions of stress, and their relationships with themselves and meaningful others; (2) explore graduate students' perspectives of and satisfaction with the MAP; and (3) investigate if participation in the MAP elicited changes in graduate students' perceived levels of stress, self-awareness, interpersonal skills, and/or social connectedness. In this one-group, pre/post mixed-methods pilot study, nine participants completed pre-post questionnaires and participated in a semi-structured interview post-intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, thematic analysis, and paired t-tests. Pre-intervention, qualitative themes included participants experiencing moderate-to-high stress levels, intrapersonal conflict, interpersonal relationship challenges, and seeing oneself as a work in progress. Post-intervention themes included better stress management, increased consideration for oneself and others, feelings of connection with others, and overall satisfaction with the MAP. Statistically significant improvements were found from pre- to post-intervention in mean score differences for perceived stress (p = .043), private self-awareness (p = .006), awareness of immediate surroundings (p = .044), and social connectedness (p = .006). Participants reported several benefits from their positive experience participating in the MAP. These findings may be used to inform future mindfulness-based programming for graduate students.

Gestational diabetes and mental health: longitudinal analysis of data from the GEMS randomized trial.

There is limited high-quality evidence about perinatal mental health among women with gestational diabetes. We aimed to assess the risks and longitudinal changes in anxiety, depression, and health-related quality of life comparing women with gestational diabetes and those without among a contemporary cohort of pregnant women. Prospective cohort study of participants in the GEMS Trial. Women with a singleton pregnancy were eligible if they had a 75-g diagnostic oral glucose-tolerance test between 24 and 32 weeks' gestation, provided written informed consent, and completed questionnaires about anxiety, depression, and health-related quality of life at the study time points. There were no differences in risk for anxiety (RR 1.13, 95% CI 0.86, 1.49; p = 0.39) or depression (RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.78, 1.50; p = 0.64) between the two groups at 36 weeks' gestation or 6 months postpartum [anxiety: (RR 1.21, 95% CI 0.90, 1.63; p = 0.21); depression: (RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.55, 1.28; p = 0.43]. However, at 36 weeks' gestation participants with gestational diabetes reported better physical functioning, and at 6 months postpartum, better mental functioning (mean difference (MD) in scores 1.28, 95% CI 0.25, 2.30; p = 0.01) although worse physical functioning (MD -2.99, 95% CI -3.90, -2.07; p = < 0.001) compared to participants without. The risk for poor mental health during the perinatal period does not differ importantly among women diagnosed and treated for gestational diabetes compared to the general pregnant population.

Effectiveness of professional-identity-formation and clinical communication-skills programs on medical students’ empathy in the COVID-19 context: comparison between pre-pandemic in-person classes and during-pandemic online classes

BackgroundEnhancing students’ empathy is critical in medical school education. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift from in-person to online classes. However, the effectiveness of online classes for enhancing medical students’ empathy has not been investigated sufficiently and the evidence is limited. This study compared the effectiveness of enhancing empathy between pre-pandemic in-person classes and during-pandemic online classes among medical students in Japan using pre-pandemic and during-pandemic data.MethodsThis is a retrospective observational study. This study measured students’ empathy using the Japanese translation of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Student Version (JSE-S) before and after the special programs for professional identity formation and clinical communication among first- and second-year students who matriculated from 2015–2021. This study categorized the matriculation year groups as “pre-pandemic” and “during-pandemic” groups for the first- and second-year students. This study estimated the adjusted mean score differences of the JSE-S and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from the pre- to post-program between the pre-pandemic and during-pandemic groups in the first and second years using linear regression analysis.ResultsThis study’s participants included 653 first-year students and 562 second-year students. In the first year, the during-pandemic group had a significantly higher mean score difference from the pre- to post-program compared to the pre-pandemic group. The adjusted regression coefficient (95% CI) was 7.6 (5.7 – 9.5), with the pre-pandemic group as the reference. In the second year, there were no significant differences between the two groups.ConclusionsThe results suggest that online classes are not inferior to in-person classes or even slightly better in enhancing medical students’ empathy, which should be clarified by further studies. This study’s findings have important implications for medical education and implementing hybrid class formats to enhance students’ empathy.

Effects of the MyBFF@school obesity intervention program with nutrition education intervention on nutrition knowledge and attitude of secondary schoolchildren: a cluster randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThe increasing global and national prevalence of childhood obesity particularly among schoolchildren has warranted a more viable school-based obesity intervention. Apart from physical activity, nutrition is important in any obesity intervention package. This study examined the effects of the MyBFF@school program with nutrition education intervention (NEI) on nutrition knowledge and attitude of overweight and obese secondary schoolchildren.MethodsThis is a cluster randomized controlled trial which involved schoolchildren aged 13, 14 and 16 years old from 15 out of 415 government secondary schools in central Peninsular Malaysia which were randomly assigned into six intervention (N = 579 schoolchildren) and nine control (N = 462 schoolchildren). The intervention group was given NEI consisting of a nutrition education module carried out by trained personnel for 24 weeks on top of the existing curriculum while the control group only followed the existing school curriculum by the Ministry of Education. The primary outcomes were the nutrition knowledge and attitude score. The mixed effect model taking into consideration the cluster effect was used to assess the changes of nutrition knowledge and attitude scores from baseline until 6 months.ResultsOverall, there was no significant increase in the adjusted mean difference (AMD) of nutrition knowledge score (AMD = 0.33%, Confident Interval (95 CI): -4.35% to 5.01) between the intervention and control group after 6 months of intervention after controlling for nutrition knowledge score at baseline, gender, location and ethnicity. Similarly, after controlling for the nutrition attitude score at baseline, ethnicity, location and gender as well as taking into account the cluster effects, there was no significant increase on the AMD of nutrition attitude score in the overall (AMD = 0.194, (95 CI): -1.17 to 1.56) and also among girls, location (urban vs rural) and Malays. There was also no significant reduction of AMD in the nutrition attitude score among boys and non-Malays.ConclusionMyBFF@school with NEI resulted with no significant improvement for nutrition knowledge and attitude among older schoolchildren. Therefore, to effectively impart the nutrition knowledge and change their nutrition attitude requires an in-depth study and multi-pronged and customized approach.Trial registrationClinical trial number: NCT04155255, November 7, 2019 (Retrospective registered). National Medical Research Register: NMRR-13–439-16563. Registered July 23, 2013. The intervention program was approved by the Medical Research and Ethics Committee (MREC), Ministry of Health Malaysia and Educational Planning and Research Division (EPRD), Ministry of Education Malaysia. It was funded by the Ministry of Health Malaysia.

A mixed method approach to substantiate quantitative data with qualitative data: Improving clinical judgment in prelicensure nursing students using simulation.

Current literature demonstrates a gap in research involving mixed method study of clinical judgment development in prelicensure nursing students. Clinical judgment of two groups of nursing students were compared using the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR). A mixed method convergent parallel quasi-experimental cross-sectional approach was used to determine if simulation increased clinical judgment skills between beginner and advanced pre-licensure nursing students. The research site included nursing labs housing 20 hospital beds and a five-room medical simulation lab. Student participants were recruited from the Pacific Northwest. A convenience sample included 128 part-time and full-time beginner fundamental and advanced senior nursing students. t-Test differences were compared between quantitative dependent dichotomous independent variables. Differences in mean scores, standard deviations, and number of data values of each group were analyzed. Qualitative analysis of field notes and post simulation reflection logs occurred alongside quantitative findings. Quantitative differences in LCJR scoring (Lasater's Clinical Judgment Rubric) were statistically significant (p<.001) using the unpaired t-test as Cohort B (advanced senior) scored higher than Cohort A (beginner fundamental). Qualitative analysis of the 11 LCJR subset data substantiated quantitative scoring through triangulation. Post-simulation reflection logs revealed comparatively similar qualitative responses for both cohort groups as the need for improvement while expressing emotion during simulation was captured. Recommendations for educators and administrators include the promotion, design, and execution of simulation across the nursing curriculum by well-trained nursing educators. Formative and summative clinical judgment evaluation will solidify this pedagogical feature in simulation and elsewhere. Simulation is considered a valid pedagogy requiring proper execution for the assimilation of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Employment of regular clinical judgment assessment and evaluation should occur across the simulation curriculum. Simulation provides a dedicated time and space for nursing students to practice and reflect upon how they will be better prepared in clinical judgment upon graduation prior to entry to practice.

Effects of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Quadriceps Femoris Muscle Strength and Knee Joint Function in Patients After ACL Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Quadriceps weakness is a common barrier to effective rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES)-the application of electrical currents to induce muscle contraction-has been used as part of the postoperative rehabilitation regimen. To investigate the effects of NMES on the recovery of quadriceps strength and knee function after ACL surgery. Systematic review; Level of evidence, 1. A search was conducted in the Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, and PubMed databases between inception and August 2023 according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Included were randomized controlled trials of patients undergoing NMES as postoperative rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction or repair, with standard physical therapy as the control intervention. The quality of the included studies was assessed according to the Cochrane Collaboration risk-of-bias tool. Lower limb function was assessed qualitatively, and standardized mean differences (SMDs) in muscle strength and Lysholm scores were analyzed quantitatively and pooled using a random-effects model. Eleven studies (N = 202 patients) met our inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis of muscle strength values, which included 9 studies, showed that patients who underwent physical rehabilitation with adjunctive NMES had better recovery and improvement in quadriceps muscle strength compared with standard physical therapy at both short- and long-term follow-ups (≤6 weeks: SMD, 0.53 [95% CI, 0.27-0.79] vs >6 weeks: SMD, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.18-0.99]; p < 0.001). Moreover, subgroup analyses showed that earlier physical rehabilitation with the assistance of NMES resulted in better muscle strength recovery (≤1 week: SMD, 1.48 [95% CI, 0.80-2.17] vs >1 week: SMD, 0.44 [95% CI, 0.21-0.67]; p < 0.001). The meta-analysis of Lysholm scores, which included 3 studies, did not indicate any significant differences between the assisted NMES and control groups. Our study demonstrated that in both short- and long-term follow-up studies, postoperative rehabilitation with NMES after ACL surgery significantly increased quadriceps muscle strength compared with standard rehabilitation alone.

The effectiveness of problem-based learning on reading comprehension of eleventh-grade science students at SMAN 1 Sambit

Reading is one of the most important basic skills in learning English for students to learn. Reading is understanding written text which is a complex activity involving perception and thinking which consists of two processes related to word recognition and understanding. Comprehension is the process of understanding interconnected words, sentences and texts. Therefore, reading cannot be separated from understanding. The purpose of this research is to find out whether there is a significant difference between students who are taught using problem-based learning and have better reading comprehension than students who are not taught using problem-based learning. Researchers applied a quantitative research approach with quasi-experimental design. This research used two classes. The population in this study were all XI Science students at SMAN 1 Sambit, totaling 87 students. The sample in this study was an experimental class with 29 students and a control class with 29 students. Researchers used pre-test and post-test in data collection. Data were analyzed using a t-test formula such as the Independent Sample T-Test. The results showed that the mean post-test for experimental class was 89.82 and the mean post-test for control class was 80.93. This shows that there is a difference in mean scores between the two classes. The T-Test results show a significance value of 0.00 which is smaller than 0.05. Based on these data, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between reading comprehension of students who are taught using problem-based learning than students who are not taught using problem-based learning.

One-year results of an eHealth intervention on anxiety in patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery: randomized clinical trial.

The longitudinal effects of educational interventions in people with abdominal aortic aneurysm are largely unexplored. This prospective study investigated whether the anxiety-lowering effect of an eHealth intervention observed at the 1-month follow-up is maintained 1 year after abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery. Those scheduled for surgical repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm were recruited in a single-centre randomized clinical trial. The control group received care and follow-up per the institution's standard. The intervention group received an eHealth tool along with psychosocial support. The 1-month results have been reported. The primary outcome measure was the anxiety mean score (HADS-A). Of 120 included participants, 96 completed the 1-year follow-up (48 in each treatment group). The mean age was 73 years, a majority (86%) were male and 73% were current or previous smokers. Anxiety symptoms measured with the HADS-A decreased over time in both the intervention group (-0.33) and the control group (-0.35, P = 0.868). The improvements in anxiety symptoms seen in the short-term follow-up were not sustained at the 1-year follow-up. No significant mean score differences were found in the intention-to-treat or per-protocol analyses. In this randomized clinical trial, an eHealth intervention did not result in a sustained reduction in anxiety symptoms compared with standard care in the same cohort. The study provides an insight into the limited acceptability of an eHealth tool in people with abdominal aortic aneurysm and valuable data on the recovery trajectory following open and endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery. Further research is warranted to evaluate the relevance and long-term effectiveness of eHealth interventions in abdominal aortic aneurysm care. NCT03157973 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).

Mother Tongue and Academic Achievement in English Language in Selected Secondary Schools in Ekiti State, Nigeria

This study examined the mother tongue and academic achievement of English-language students in selected senior secondary schools in Ekiti State. The study employed the quasi-experimental research design. The instrument for data collection was a semi-structured questionnaire. The instrument was subjected to both validity and radiality tests. Data was collected among 240 students in junior secondary schools in two selected cities in Ekiti State. Data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics (ANCOVA) at P&lt;0.05 significance level. Findings from the study exposed that the mother tongue had a mean score of 16.55, while those taught using the English Language and a combination of English language and mother tongue had mean scores of 17.95 and 17.06 before treatment. On exposure to treatment, students in the mother tongue group had the highest mean score of 32.20, followed by those exposed to a combination of English Language and mother tongue (mean=28.68) while those taught with English Language had the lowest mean score of 24.25. The result shows that achievement mean scores of female students in all the groups slightly outweighed their female counterparts except those taught using the English Language. That is male-mother tongue (mean=31.28), female-mother tongue (mean=33.13), male-English Language (mean=24.47), female-English Language=24.02), male-English Language+ mother tongue (mean=28.20), female-English Language +mother tongue (mean=29.15). The result shows that achievement mean scores of urban students in all the groups slightly outweighed their rural counterparts except those taught using a combination of English Language and mother tongue. That is, rural-mother tongue (mean=33.13), urban-mother tongue (mean=31.20), rural-English Language (mean=24.02), urban-English Language=24.65), rural-English Language+ mother tongue (mean=29.15), urban-English Language +mother tongue (mean=28.68). There is a significant difference in the performance mean scores of students taught using English Language, mother tongue and combination of English Language and mother tongue before and after treatments. The treatment accounted for about 32.4% (Eta2 = 0.324) of the observed variance in the performance mean scores of students. The study concluded that the mother tongue is crucial and must be considered in teaching teaching-learning process for better academic performance of students in the English language.

Prevalence and Correlates of Mental Health Stigma among Pakistani Adolescents and Young Adults

Stigma significantly hinders the effective management of mental illness in Pakistan, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Given that stigmatizing beliefs can vary across different socioeconomic and demographic groups, it is crucial to study these variations within the Pakistani context, as most existing empirical evidence comes from Western contexts. This paper aims to investigate the prevalence of stigmatizing attitudes and explore the relationship between the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of adolescents and young adults and their personal and perceived public stigmatic attitudes towards mental illness in Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1328 adolescents aged 15-24 from twelve public colleges in Layyah. The survey assessed personal and perceived public stigmatic attitudes using instruments that measure social distancing, stigma beliefs, and services stigma. Descriptive statistics and Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA) were employed to evaluate differences in mean scores and determine the statistical significance of the observed variations in the scales. The findings indicate that nearly half of the participants perceived a high level of public social distancing, reflecting a prevalent sense of social avoidance among adolescents in Pakistan. Similarly, a substantial portion exhibited stereotypical attitudes towards mental illness, both personally and publicly. Notably, over 40% of the participants displayed stigmatizing attitudes toward utilizing professional psychiatric services. Factors such as gender, residential area, and father’s occupation significantly influenced these attitudes, with females, rural residents, and children of farmers experiencing heightened stigma. The study underscores the discrepancy between perceived public and personal stigmatic attitudes, reveals high levels of stigma associated with using professional psychiatric services, and illustrates variation in attitudes by socioeconomic and demographic factors.

Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of Co-Designed and Co-Created Healthy Lifestyle Social Media Intervention Programme the Daily Health Coach for Young Women: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial.

Young women spend 50 min daily on social media (SM); thus, SM platforms are promising for health interventions. This study tested the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the co-designed SM intervention the Daily Health Coach (DHC). The DHC is a 3-month healthy lifestyles intervention programme, targeting eating, physical activity, and social wellbeing behaviours in women aged 18-24, via the dissemination of health and nutrition content on social media platform Instagram. The programme was tested using an assessor-blinded, two-arm pilot randomised controlled trial with 46 participants over 12 weeks. Engagement was assessed via SM metrics; acceptability via post-programme questionnaires; and feasibility included retention, randomisation, recruitment, and data collection. Secondary outcomes-dietary quality, physical activity, social influence, disordered eating behaviours, body image, and digital health literacy-were assessed using validated surveys. Analyses included t-tests, chi-squared tests, and linear mixed models. The treatment effects were estimated by testing mean score differences from baseline to 3 months for intention-to-treat populations. The DHC scored 83.6% for programme satisfaction. Over time, a significant decrease in body image disturbance was observed (p = 0.013). A significant group-by-time interaction for digital health literacy (p = 0.002) indicated increased ability to discern evidence-based nutrition information (p = 0.006). The waitlist control group showed increased social influence compared to the intervention group (p = 0.034). No other significant changes were observed. The DHC is a feasible and acceptable method for disseminating nutrition information. Larger studies are needed to determine efficacy.

Socio-economic factors associated with cancer stigma among apparently healthy women in two selected municipalities Nepal.

Cancer is the primary cause of death globally, and despite the significant advancements in treatment and survival rates, it is still stigmatized in many parts of the world. However, there is limited public health research on cancer stigma among the general female population in Nepal. Therefore, this study aims to determine the prevalence of cancer stigma and its associated factors in this group. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 426 healthy women aged 30 to 60 years who were residents of Dhulikhel and Banepa in central Nepal. We measured cancer stigma using the Cancer Stigma Scale (CASS). CASS measures cancer stigma in six domains (awkwardness, avoidance, severity, personal responsibility, policy opposition, financial discrimination) on a 6-point Likert scale (strongly disagree to agree strongly) with higher mean stigma scores correlating with higher levels of stigma. We utilized Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) with multivariable linear regression to identify the socio-demographic factors associated with the CASS score. Overall, the level of cancer stigma was low, with a mean stigma score of 2.6 (0.6), but it was still present among participants. Stigma related to personal responsibility had the highest levels, with a mean score of 3.9 (1.3), followed by severity with a mean score of 3.2 (1.3), and financial discrimination with a mean score of 2.9 (1.6). There was a significant association between the mean CASS score and older age (mean difference in stigma score: 0.11 points; 95% CI: 0.02-0.20) as well as lower education (difference: -0.02 points; 95% CI: -0.03 to -0.003), after adjusting for age, ethnicity, education, marital status, religion, occupation, and parity. While overall cancer stigma was low, some domains of stigma were higher among women in a suburban area in central Nepal; thus, indicating that cancer stigma persists in this region despite its low overall prevalence.

Development and Examination of an Educational Program Combining E-Learning and Face-to-Face Training That Nurtures Inflammatory Bowel Disease Nurse Specialists

Introduction: The number of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Japan has continued to increase, leading to diverse and complex patient backgrounds. Despite these challenges, the education of IBD nurse specialists has not kept pace with the evolving circumstances. Therefore, our research aimed to develop and validate an educational program for the training of IBD nurse specialists. Methods: We designed an educational program targeting nurses involved with IBD care. The program included e-learning on the assessment of IBD activity and self-care support, as well as face-to-face group discussions. The understanding and practice of disease activity assessment and self-care support were evaluated before and after the e-learning sessions and face-to-face training. Face-to-face training satisfaction was assessed using the Course Interest Survey (CIS) scale and summarized through descriptive statistics. Results: Overall, data from 19 participants were analyzed. Scores for understanding and practice of disease activity assessment and self-care support increased across all training processes. Moreover, the items that significantly increased before and after e-learning were “inflammation” (p = 0.012), “IBD recognition” (p = 0.026), and “treatment” (p = 0.013) in terms of understanding and “inflammation” (p = 0.036) in terms of practice. The items that increased significantly from e-learning to face-to-face training were “inflammation” (p = 0.042), “subject symptoms” (p = 0.018), and “treatment” (p = 0.017) in terms of understanding. No significant differences in mean scores for understanding and practice were observed between the two groups. According to the CIS scale, the “attention” and “relevance” factors indicate that the training design was highly interesting and relevant. However, the “confidence” factor received a slightly lower average score than did the other factors. Conclusion: The educational program showed promising implications for the development of IBD nurse specialists. However, further consideration is needed to devise training content that fosters confidence in clinical practice.

Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition Through Captioned Viewing: A Meta‐Analysis

AbstractSecond language (L2) viewing with captions (i.e., L2 on‐screen text) is now a proliferating as well as promising area of L2 acquisition research. The goal of the present meta‐analysis was to examine (a) the relationship between captioned viewing and incidental vocabulary learning and (b) what variables related to learners, treatment, methodology, and vocabulary tests moderate the captioning effect. Synthesizing 89 effect sizes from 49 primary studies (i.e., independent experiments), we fitted a multilevel meta‐analysis model with restricted maximum likelihood estimation to calculate the overall effect size based on a standardized mean difference of gain scores between captioned viewing and uncaptioned viewing groups. The results showed a medium effect of captioning on L2 vocabulary learning, g = 0.56, p &lt;.001. Moderator analysis indicated moderating effects of instructional level, target audience of video materials, and administration of vocabulary pretest. These results are discussed with the aim of guiding future research and language learning through viewing.

Quality of life in long-term breast cancer survivors in Sub-Saharan Africa: the African Breast Cancer-Disparities in Outcomes study.

In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), breast cancer survivors' (BCS) quality of life (QoL) remains understudied. We compared QoL in BCS to cancer-free (CF) women across SSA settings with different levels of development, healthcare systems, ethnic compositions, and HIV prevalence. In 2022-2023, all 5 + year BCS from the African Breast Cancer-Disparities in Outcomes study and age-matched CF women from the community setting answered the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire in Namibia, Nigeria, and Uganda. For each WHOQOL-BREF domain and general item, we estimated BCS-CF adjusted mean differences (AMD) in scores in absolute percentage points (p.p.). Overall, 862 women (BCS 357 vs. CF 505) (mean age ± SD, 57.5 ± 12.5 vs. 55.1 ± 11.2; tertiary education, 30% vs. 20%) were included. BCS reported higher/better overall QoL (AMD (95% CI) 10.65 p.p. (7.56, 13.74), i.e., ~ 40% of a change in QoL category), general health (5.84 (2.71, 8.98)), psychological (3.46 (1.43, 5.49)), social relationships (3.94 (1.25, 6.63)), and environment scores (4.27 (1.88, 6.67)) than CF women. There was no BCS-CF difference for physical health in all settings (1.52 (- 0.82, 3.87)), psychological health in Namibian Black women (0.58 (- 2.90, 4.06)), and social relationships in Nigeria (- 0.33 (- 5.81, 5.14)). BCS reported both lower energy and sexual life satisfaction than CF women. In SSA, long-term BCS have slightly better QoL than CF women except for physical health. Areas for which BCS scored lower or similar than CF women may indicate BCS' QoL issues. BCS-only studies using cancer-specific QoL questionnaires are needed to better characterize BCS' QoL in SSA.

Student evaluation of teaching (SET) in dental faculty: is it influenced by grouping the students according to their averages?

Purpose/objectives: Student evaluation of teaching (SET) is a crucial method for assessing teaching performance in higher education. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of grouping students by their academic averages on SET results in dental education. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 109 dental students were divided into five groups based on their academic averages: 48 in the top 30%, 15 in the top 10%, 17 in the middle 10%, 16 in the lower 10%, and 48 randomly selected from the bottom 30%. These groups completed questionnaires evaluating five university professors across four aspects: teaching methods, academic proficiency, communication and behavior, and organization and discipline in theoretical lessons. Two weeks later, internal reliability was assessed by redistributing the questionnaires to 10% of participants. Statistical analyses were performed using Chi-Square and ANOVA with SPSS 18, considering results significant at P &lt; 0.05. Results: The internal reliability of the statements was moderate. Significant differences in mean scores among rater groups were observed for teaching methods (P = 0.001), academic proficiency (P = 0.043), and communication and behavior (P = 0.012). However, no significant difference was found for organization and discipline (P = 0.855). Conclusion: Grouping students according to their averages may influence SET in certain teaching aspects. However, this approach does not appear to affect professors' organization and discipline evaluation.