Emotional Functioning Research Articles

Recommended Physiotherapy Modalities for Oncology Patients with Palliative Needs and Its Influence on Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: A Systematic Review.

This review aims to explore the role of physiotherapy in early and traditional palliative care (PC) for oncology patients, focusing on its impact on six patient-reported outcomes (PROMs), namely fatigue, pain, cachexia, quality of life (QoL), physical functioning (PHF), and psychosocial functioning (PSF). The purpose is to assess the effectiveness of various physiotherapy interventions and identify gaps in the current research to understand their potential benefits in PC better. A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science, concluding on 21 December 2023. Two independent reviewers screened the articles for inclusion. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2 was employed to assess the risk of bias, while the GRADE approach was used to evaluate the certainty of the evidence. Nine randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included, with most showing a high risk of bias, particularly in outcome measurement and missing data. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was the only intervention that significantly reduced fatigue, enhanced PHF, and improved QoL and emotional functioning. Graded exercise therapy (GET) did not yield significant results. Combined interventions, such as education with problem-solving or nutritional counseling with physical activity, showed no significant effects. Massage significantly improved QoL and reduced pain, while physical application therapies were effective in pain reduction. Mindful breathing exercises (MBE) improved QoL but had a non-significant impact on appetite. The overall certainty of the evidence was low. Physiotherapy can positively influence PROMs in oncology PC; however, the low quality and high risk of bias in existing studies highlight the need for more rigorous research to confirm these findings and guide clinical practice.

Prior Knowledge, Acceptance, Adaptation, and Challenges Following Stoma Formation among Colorectal Cancer Patients in Northern Peninsular of Malaysia: A Qualitative Study

INTRODUCTION: Stoma formation affects an individual in various ways, including physical, emotional, social, and cognitive functions. Diverse studies report ways of an individual lives with new stoma formation. However, the comprehensive understanding of the entire process by the patient, which includes knowledge before the surgical procedure, as well as the subsequent acceptance, adaptation, and challenges to living with a stoma is lacking. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In-depth interview session were conducted with 12 colorectal cancer patients who have undergone surgical procedures for intestinal stoma formation. The patterns and themes within the data were identified by thematic analysis, involving data familiarisation and coding followed by themes’ generation and refinement of the themes. RESULTS: Four themes and 9 subthemes were identified, which revealed the sufficiency of stoma-related information and understanding prior to surgery as well as positive acceptance of self and family members reflected through their reactions and support. Nonetheless, the challenges were anticipated which highlights the complications of the stoma itself, obstacles surrounding social life, and financial burdens. CONCLUSION: This study provided valuable insights into the experiences of individuals living with a stoma following colorectal cancer surgery. The themes and subthemes highlight the need to address social stigma as well as financial issues to alleviate the burden of stoma-related expenses. Increasing public awareness and improving financial assistance could be a way to enhance the overall quality of life for patients living with stoma

Jujuboside A Regulates Calcium Homeostasis and Structural Plasticity to Alleviate Depression-Like Behavior via Shh Signaling in Immature Neurons.

Depression, a leading cause of disability worldwide, is characterized by dysfunction of immature neurons, resulting in dysregulated calcium homeostasis and impaired structural plasticity. Jujuboside A (JuA), a biologically active compound derived from Semen Ziziphi Spinosae, has demonstrated anti-anxiety and anti-insomnia properties. Recent studies suggest that JuA may be a promising antidepressant, but its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) to induce a depression model. JuA (12.5 mg/kg, 25 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg) was administered orally for 4weeks. Emotional and cognitive function were assessed. Monoamine neurotransmitter levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The number of immature neurons and calcium homeostasis were evaluated by immunofluorescence. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were employed to detect the expression of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling proteins. Additionally, lentiviral vector expressing Shh shRNA (LV-Shh-RNAi) were infused intracerebrally to investigate the role of Shh in JuA's antidepressant effects. JuA significantly ameliorated depressive-like behavior and cognitive dysfunction in CUMS rats, increased monoamine neurotransmitter levels in serum and hippocampal tissue, reduced the number of BrdU/DCX (bromodeoxyuridine/doublecortin)-positive immature neurons, and attenuated calcium ion (Ca2+) concentration and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) levels in immature neurons. JuA also markedly elevated synaptic density and prominence complexity, upregulated Shh, Gli family zinc finger 1 and 2 (Gli1/2), synaptophysin (Syn) and postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) expression in the ventral dentate gyrus (vDG). However, knockdown of Shh in the vDG counteracted JuA's therapeutic effects. These findings collectively suggest that JuA improves depressive-like behavior in CUMS rats by modulating calcium homeostasis and synaptic structural plasticity in immature neurons through the Shh signaling pathway.

Life after Lockdown: An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Behaviors and Impacts of Avoiding COVID-19 in Individuals at High Risk of Severe COVID-19 and Their Caregivers.

This exploratory qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with adults and caregivers of adults at high risk of severe COVID-19, addressing current COVID-19 avoidance and protective behaviors and how these behaviors impacted their lives. Results were interpreted in a separate think tank session. Insights were developed into a conceptual model of COVID-19 avoidance and protective behaviors and the associated impacts on health-related quality of life and overall functioning. Data were interpreted using a hybrid inductive and deductive thematic analysis. Twelve high-risk individuals and two caregivers were interviewed across four focus groups (April-July 2022). Major behavioral themes included physical distancing, physical and medical protection, quality of support services and networks, and information to make decisions. Major impacts included family, social, and emotional functioning; work and finances; and healthcare access. The final conceptual model comprised 13 behaviors to avoid COVID-19 categorized within four themes, and 13 impacts within five themes. Individuals at high risk of severe COVID-19 and their caregivers continue practicing COVID-19 avoidance behaviors post-lockdown and feel left behind by the general population. Our conceptual model may be used to inform health authorities and other governing bodies' decisions in executing strategies aimed at improving these individuals' lives.

Characterizing Psychological Resources and Resilience in Patients With Bladder Cancer: Associations With Frailty and Quality of Life.

Resilience, the ability to maintain or restore baseline function after a stressor, remains unexplored in patients with bladder cancer. Our objective was to demonstrate the feasibility of prospectively characterizing baseline resilience, related psychological resources, and frailty in patients with bladder cancer and evaluate associations with quality-of-life and mental health outcomes over time. We enrolled patients with bladder cancer (N = 67, September 2020-July 2021) into a prospective, observational, cohort study. At intake, patients completed validated assessments of frailty domains and psychological resources (resilience, psychological capital, self-compassion, and thriving, collectively PsyResources). Validated quality-of-life surveys were completed at 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment selection. Correlation matrices were constructed to quantify correlations between baseline PsyResources and frailty measures (reported with Spearman correlation coefficient [ρ]). Associations between PsyResources and quality-of-life outcomes were evaluated with linear regression. The median age was 71 years (83.6% male), and 77.6% had muscle-invasive bladder cancer (cN+: 21%, M1: 7.6%). Baseline PsyResources were inversely correlated with the Geriatric Depression Scale (ρ = -0.50 to 0.65, P < .0001). Higher baseline PsyResources were associated with improved global symptoms and emotional function and decreased anxiety and depression over time (B: -0.17 to -2.5; P < .05). We present the first prospective characterization of baseline PsyResources in patients with bladder cancer. We observed positive correlations with improved mental health and quality-of-life outcomes over time. Ongoing work is exploring the relationship between resilience, frailty domains, and their role in functional recovery after treatment. Future work is needed to understand associations between PsyResources and treatment tolerance, recovery trajectories, and oncologic outcomes.

Relation between Emotional Recognition, Attachment Styles and Social Functioning among Psychiatric Patients

Relation between Emotional Recognition, Attachment Styles and Social Functioning among Psychiatric Patients

Collective Identity and Ethical Dilemmas Among College Students in Chinese Anonymous Online Communities: Sensory Stimulation and Media Effects of Online Exposure Discourse

This paper explores the dynamics of viral social media exposure posts within anonymous online communities in China, specifically concentrating on college students. Based on theories of effervescence and collective frenzy, this research probes into the emotional triggers and functions of group polarization and social identity reconstruction in the digital sphere. Adopting a mixed-methods approach that integrates semi-structured interviews and surveys, it evaluates participants' interactions with online exposure. The anticipated findings are expected to shed light on how factors like group identity, anonymity, and virality cultivate a carnival-like ambiance in social media exposure. These posts function as instruments for mobilization, provide support for social and political causes, and act as platforms for community building and identity formation. They also offer psychological and emotional outlets, aiding users in processing and expressing personal and societal grievances. The paper aims to deepen people's understanding of how digital interactions influence collective identities and social behaviors.

Awake Surgery for Right Frontal Lobe Glioma: Preserving Emotional Recognition and Facilitating Early Return to Work.

Many glioma patients struggle to return to work after surgery because of higher brain dysfunction. Although the right frontal lobe has historically been considered functionally silent, reports of performing awake surgery to evaluate higher brain functions in patients with tumors in this area have increased. We present two cases of patients who underwent awake surgery for malignant glioma in the right frontal lobe to preserve emotional recognition and facilitate an early return to work. Case 1 was a 48-year-old right-handed woman employed as a nursery school teacher and case 2 was a 21-year-old right-handed man employed in sales. Both had contrast-enhancing right frontal lobe tumors exhibiting high signal intensity on fluid attenuated inversion recovery imaging and underwent awake surgery. During the operation, cortical mapping was performed using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes, calculation, and motor tasks. Resection of sites involved in motor and emotional recognition functions was avoided. In case 1, all regions of high signal intensity were completely resected; in case 2, all regions exhibiting enhancement were resected. Both patients were discharged home without neurological deficits and returned to work within 21 days after surgery. It may be important to focus not only on overall survival and progression-free survival in glioma patients, but also on factors associated with life satisfaction, such as time to return to work after surgery and time until work becomes difficult. Awake surgery aimed at preserving higher brain functions is useful and may also improve life satisfaction.

Using Freely Generated Labels Instead of Rating Scales to Assess Emotion in Everyday Life.

To measure emotion in daily life, studies often prompt participants to repeatedly rate their feelings on a set of prespecified terms. This approach has yielded key findings in the psychological literature yet may not represent how people typically describe their experiences. We used an alternative approach, in which participants labeled their current emotion with at least one word of their choosing. In an initial study, estimates of label positivity recapitulated momentary valence ratings and were associated with self-reported mental health. The number of unique emotion words used over time was related to the balance and spread of emotions endorsed in an end-of-day rating task, but not to other measures of emotional functioning. A second study tested and replicated a subset of these findings. Considering the variety and richness of participant responses, a free-label approach appears to be a viable as well as compelling means of studying emotion in everyday life.

Exploring the Impact of Animal Assisted Interventions on the Occupational Participation of People Living with Dementia

Abstract Background Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI) is defined as a goal-directed intervention designed to promote improvement in social, emotional, physical and cognitive functioning (AAII 2020). AAIs are a growing area in dementia research and practice (Lai et al. 2019). There is a significant gap in implementing and researching AAI in a UK context (Fine 2019). Caring for pets and service animals is considered an instrumental activity of daily living (AOTA 2008) and AAI has been shown to enhance the occupational participation of other client populations (Winkle et al. 2012; Herlache-Pretzer et al. 2017; Andreasen et al. 2017). It is unclear what impact AAI has on the occupational participation of people living with dementia (PLWD). Methods Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was proposed to facilitate deep level interpretations of the experience of occupational participation for PLWD who have an assistance dog. Over a two-month period, the researcher proposed to complete four thirty-minute video observations capturing PLWD participating in a chosen occupation in their home environment. The researcher further proposed to maintain a reflexive journal and document notable observations throughout the research process to enhance the development of themes. Results PLWD have the right to access personally meaningful occupations (WFOT 2006). Assistance dogs may have the potential to facilitate positive occupational experiences such as occupational identity, occupational competence and occupational adaptation. Conclusion Occupational therapists who claim to be guided by the principals of client-centred practice (RCOT 2015a) must strive to look beyond traditional interventions to effectively meet the individual needs and preferences of PLWD (Brodrick and Barry 2016). Education and further research (Fine 2019) are required to raise the profile of AAI in a UK context. Future research would benefit from exploring the experience of occupational participation in social environmental contexts for PLWD (who have an assistance dog), to gain whole experiential accounts of this phenomenon.

The effect of cerebellar lesıons on language in Turkısh speakıng indıvıduals

ABSTRACT Background The cerebellum is approximately 10% of the brain volume and is responsible for attention, language, emotion and cognitive functions. Linguistic processing difficulties and cognitive impairments may be observed in individuals with cerebellar lesions depending on the location and severity of the damage. There is no study evaluating language in Turkish-speaking individuals with cerebellar lesions. Objective To determine the differences in linguistic and visuospatial skills of Turkish speaking individuals with cerebellar lesions compared to control groups, including a right hemisphere lesion group and a healthy control group. Method Fifteen patients with cerebellar lesion (without hemispatial neglect and dysarthria), 15 patients with right hemisphere lesion due to right arter cerebri media (without hemispatial neglect) and 15 healthy control were included. To clarify the language impairment specific to cerebellar lesions, we also included individuals with right hemisphere lesions, which are typically assumed not to present with aphasia. The Language Assessment Test for Aphasia (ADD), Benton Judgment of Line Orientation Test, Benton Facial Recognition Test, Single Letter Deletion Test were used. The “Accident Scene” picture was used for collecting narrative speech samples. After a three group comparison a post-hoc pairwise analysis was performed. Results Among the microstructural parameters in the narrative language analysis, the effort ratio was significantly higher in the cerebellar lesion group compared to the healthy control group. Among the non-verbal cognitive tests, the Benton Facial Recognition Test score was significantly lower in the cerebellar and right hemisphere lesion group compared to the healthy control group. Total score, naming and grammar scores in the ADD test were significantly lower in the cerebellar lesion group compared with the healthy control group. There was no difference between cerebellar and right hemisphere lesions in terms of ADD score, ADD subtests and narrative parameters. Conclusion In Turkish-speaking individuals with cerebellar lesions, verbal productivity may be interrupted by effort behaviours, and standard aphasia assessment tests may reveal impaired grammar and naming performance without a diagnosis of aphasia. In addition to reduced efficiency in verbal production, facial recognition may be impaired. We found no difference between individuals with lesions in the cerebellum and right hemisphere. This suggests that ischemic damage may affect different components of language independently of the diagnosis of aphasia.

Emotional state dynamics impacts temporal memory

ABSTRACT Emotional fluctuations are ubiquitous in everyday life, but precisely how they sculpt the temporal organisation of memories remains unclear. Here, we designed a novel task – the Emotion Boundary Task – wherein participants viewed sequences of negative and neutral images surrounded by a colour border. We manipulated perceptual context (border colour), emotional-picture valence, as well as the direction of emotional-valence shifts (i.e., shifts from neutral-to-negative and negative-to-neutral events) to create events with a shared perceptual and/or emotional context. We measured memory for temporal order and temporal distances for images processed within and across events. Negative images processed within events were remembered as closer in time compared to neutral ones. In contrast, temporal distances were remembered as longer for images spanning neutral-to-negative shifts – suggesting temporal dilation in memory with the onset of a negative event following a previously-neutral state. The extent of negative-picture induced temporal dilation in memory correlated with dispositional negativity across individuals. Lastly, temporal order memory was enhanced for recently-presented negative (versus neutral) images. These findings suggest that emotional-state dynamics matters when considering emotion-temporal memory interactions: While persistent negative events may compress subjectively remembered time, dynamic shifts from neutral-to-negative events produce temporal dilation in memory, with implications for adaptive emotional functioning.

Comparison of patient-reported outcomes between alternative care provider-led and physician-led care for severe sleep disordered breathing: secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial

BackgroundPrevious research has suggested that alternative (respiratory) care providers (ACP) may provide affordable, accessible care for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) that decreases wait-times and improves clinical outcomes. The objective of this study was to compare ACP-led and sleep physician-led care for SDB on patient reported outcome and experiences, with a focus on general and health-related quality of life, sleepiness, and patient satisfaction.MethodsWe conducted a secondary analysis of a randomized trial in which participants with severe SDB were assigned to either ACP-led or physician-led management. We created longitudinal linear mixed models to assess the impacts of treatment arm and timepoint on total and domain-level scores of multiple patient-reported outcome measures and patient-reported experience measures.ResultsPatients in both treatment arms (ACP-led n = 81; sleep-physician = 75) reported improved outcomes on the Sleep Apnea Quality of Life Index, Health Utilities Index, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Patients in each group had similar and clinically meaningful improvements on domains assessing cognition, emotion, and social functioning. The linear mixed models suggested no significant difference between treatment arms on the patient-reported outcomes. However, scores significantly improved over time.ConclusionsManagement of SDB using ACPs was comparable to physician-led care, as measured bypatient-reported outcome and experience measures. While loss to follow-up limits our findings, these results provide some support for the use of this novel health service delivery model to improve access to high quality SDB care.Clinical trial registrationThis is analysis of data from the study registered Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02191085).

Putting it into words: Emotion vocabulary, emotion differentiation, and depression among adolescents.

Emotion differentiation (ED; the ability to distinguish discrete internal emotion states) may reflect or benefit from knowledge of linguistic labels. The present study uses natural language processing to examine how emotion vocabulary (EV; diversity of unique emotion terms within active vocabulary) relates to ED and depression in an adolescent sample. We tested two competing preregistered (https://osf.io/4j75w/) models regarding the EV-ED link. In the lexical facilitation hypothesis, we posited that larger EV may inform ED, perhaps resulting in larger EVs being associated with greater ED. In the emotional concision hypothesis, we theorized that ED may reflect narrower emotional experiences that are more succinctly labelled, which could result in larger EV being associated with lower ED. A community sample of adolescents (N = 241, ages 14-17, predominantly White) completed interviews, self-report measures, and ecological momentary assessments as part of a larger study conducted between 2014 and 2016. EV was derived using speech samples from transcribed recordings of life stress interviews. In line with the emotion concision hypothesis, EV and ED were inversely related for negative emotions. Moreover, larger negative EV and lower negative ED were each uniquely associated with depression, casting further doubt on whether diverse negative EVs within spontaneous language are fundamentally adaptive for emotional functioning. Replication in more diverse samples is needed to extend generalizability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Patient-reported outcomes in the subpopulation of patients with mismatch repair-deficient/microsatellite instability-high primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer treated with dostarlimab plus chemotherapy compared with chemotherapy alone in the ENGOT-EN6-NSGO/GOG3031/RUBY trial

ObjectiveIn the ENGOT-EN6-NSGO/GOG3031/RUBY trial, dostarlimab+carboplatin–paclitaxel demonstrated significant improvement in progression free survival and a positive trend in overall survival compared with placebo+carboplatin–paclitaxel, with manageable toxicity, in patients with primary advanced...

Nuancing 'Emotional' Social Play: Does Play Behaviour Always Underlie a Positive Emotional State?

This review focuses on social play, a complex behaviour that is often difficult to categorize. Although play has been typically associated with positive emotional states, a thorough examination of the literature indicates that it may relate to different emotional systems, from attachment to conflict. Play oscillates between competition and cooperation, and includes a spectrum in between; thus, quantitatively identifying and demonstrating the emotional nature of play remains challenging. We considered examples from human and non-human animal studies and explored the emotional and neuro-hormonal systems involved in play. We assessed ethological data possibly indicating the emotional states underlying play, and we focused on the cooperative and competitive elements of play. We investigated the relationship between play and affiliative/aggressive behaviours, the communicative meaning of play signals (especially primate play faces), and the motor and possibly emotional contagion function of rapid motor mimicry during play. From all the literature on play, this review selects and combines studies in an innovative way to present the methods (e.g., play indices and social network analysis), tools (e.g., sequential analysis and facial coding software), and evidence indicative of the emotional states underlying play, which is much more complex than previously thought.

Further Evidence on Online Video-Feedback Intervention: Enhancing Parent-Child Interactions and Reducing Disordered Eating in Children.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of an online intervention designed to improve parent-child interactions and address disordered eating behaviors in children. Using remote video-feedback sessions based on observations of mother-child feeding interactions, the intervention offers a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional in-person methods. The study aimed to assess the impact of online intervention on the quality of mother-child interactions during feeding and its effectiveness in reducing psychopathological symptoms in both mothers and children. The intervention was conducted entirely online, with improvements measured using SVIA scores for mother-child interactions and the SCL-90/R Global Severity Index (GSI) for maternal psychopathological symptoms, alongside evaluations of children's emotional and behavioral functioning, particularly anxiety, depression, and aggression. The intervention significantly improved the quality of mother-child interactions across all SVIA subscales and led to reductions in maternal symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as decreases in children's emotional and behavioral symptoms. These findings suggest that online video-feedback interventions can effectively enhance mother-child relationships and reduce psychopathological symptoms in both mothers and children, although further research with larger sample sizes and more robust statistical analyses is needed to confirm these results.

What's GABA got to do with it? A potential link between the microbiome, schizophrenia, and the endo-cannabinoid system

The microbiome has been linked to numerous neurological and psychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia. Nevertheless, correlating microbial perturbations to pathophysiological aspects of schizophrenia remains elusive, as study participants are typically medicated when sampled, complicating mechanistic investigation. Here we explored specific microbial and metabolic alterations in schizophrenia patients, while explicitly considering their medications. We recruited 30 patients and 14 healthy controls. Fecal and serum samples were collected for microbiota and (untargeted) metabolome characterization, respectively. While significant differences were detected between microbiome of controls and schizophrenia patients overall, patients not taking GABA-enhancing drugs had profiles similar to the control group. This pattern was preserved, but to a lesser extent, when comparing metabolomes. Several key metabolic pathways differed between patients and controls, even after filtering out those directly related to pharmaceuticals and their metabolism, and the citric acid cycle and amino acid biosynthesis pathways were enriched in the group prescribed antipsychotics without GABA-enhancers. Administration of exogenous GABA affected overall patient homeostasis, not just disease course, supporting our hypothesis that microbiota play a part in cognitive, emotional, and mental function, and that this role must be considered in the full context of an individual's state, including medication.

Impact of COVID-19 on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome-like illness prevalence: A cross-sectional survey.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) can be triggered by infectious agents including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on ME/CFS prevalence is not well characterized. In this population-based cross-sectional study, we enrolled a stratified random sample of 9,825 adult participants in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) integrated health system from July to October 2022 to assess overall ME/CFS-like illness prevalence and the proportion that were identified following COVID-19 illness. We used medical record and survey data to estimate the prevalence of ME/CFS-like illness based on self-reported symptoms congruent with the 2015 Institute of Medicine ME/CFS criteria. History of COVID-19 was based on a positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification test or ICD-10 diagnosis code in the medical record, or self-report of prior COVID-19 on a survey. Of 2,745,374 adults in the eligible population, an estimated 45,892 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 32,869, 58,914) or 1.67% (CI 1.20%, 2.15%) had ME/CFS-like illness. Among those with ME/CFS-like illness, an estimated 14.12% (CI 3.64%, 24.6%) developed the illness after COVID-19. Among persons who had COVID-19, those with ME/CFS-like illness after COVID-19 were more likely to be unvaccinated and to have had COVID-19 before June 1, 2021. All persons with ME/CFS-like illness had significant impairment in physical, mental, emotional, social, and occupational functioning compared to persons without ME/CFS-like illness. In a large, integrated health system, 1.67% of adults had ME/CFS-like illness and 14.12% of all persons with ME/CFS-like illness developed it after COVID-19. Though COVID-19 did not substantially increase ME/CFS-like illness in the KPNC population during the study time period, ME/CFS-like illness nevertheless affects a notable portion of this population and is consistent with estimates of ME/CFS prevalence in other populations. Additional attention is needed to improve awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of ME/CFS.

Quality of life of women with a screen-detected versus clinically detected breast cancer in the Netherlands: a prospective cohort study.

Breast cancer (BC) screening enables early detection of BC, which may lead to improved quality of life (QoL). We aim to compare QoL between women with a screen-detected and clinically detected BC in the Netherlands. We used data from the 'Utrecht cohort for Multiple BREast cancer intervention studies and Long-term evaluation' (UMBRELLA) between October 2013 and March 2022. Patients were categorized as screen-detected or clinically detected. We analysed three questionnaires, namely EORTC QLQ C-30, BR23, and HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) completed by BC patients shortly after diagnosis (T1) and one-year after treatment (T2). Independent t-tests were performed to compare QoL average differences between the two groups. Bonferroni-corrected p-value significance threshold of 0.00057 was used. The magnitude of differences was calculated using Cohen's d. The clinical relevance of QLQ-C30 differences was assessed based on interpretation guideline of EORTC-QLQ-C30 results. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, there were 691 women with screen-detected BC and 480 with clinically detected BC. Generally, screen-detected BC patients reported a better QoL. At T1, their average QLQ-C30 summary score was higher (86.1) than clinically detected BC patients (83.0) (p < 0.0001). Cohen's d for all items ranged between 0.00 and 0.39. A few QLQ-C30 score differences were clinically relevant, indicating better outcomes in emotional functioning, general health, constipation, and fatigue for women with screen-detected BC. In the Netherlands, women with screen-detected BC reported statistically significant and better QoL than women with clinically detected BC. However, clinical relevance of the differences is limited.