Social Functioning Research Articles

Using a Storybook and the Four Resources Model to Foster Critical Literacy in an English as a Foreign Language Classroom

The ideology and social-political viewpoints of the author have an impact on their texts. Students should thus assess their reading and writing assignments from several angles and avoid taking any material at face value. However, there is still a lack of literacy practice in the EFL environment that goes beyond breaking down linguistic elements and comprehending the surface material of the texts. As a result, educators should switch from conventional literacy to critical literacy. Beyond just decoding words, critical literacy interprets them in light of their context to conclude the social, political, and ideological viewpoints expressed in the text. This research aims to determine if using a storybook and the four resources model of critical literacy may help first- semester students in the English Language Education Study Program at Universitas Bale Bandung practice critical literacy. The four resources model suggested by Luke and Freebody (1999) served as the foundation for the text discussions. Focus group interviews, classroom observations, and notebooks they kept while researching a tale were all used to gather the data. The results demonstrated that including an account and four resources help pupils strengthen their critical thinking skills. Through breaking codes exercises, discussion of the storybook during the meaning-making stage, comprehension of the story's structural elements and social function during the text-use phase, and critical discussion of the storybook, the students could identify the writer's language choice and challenge social norms. Despite its drawbacks and limitations, this research shows that critical literacy practice is feasible in EFL contexts, particularly in reading classroom.

UPAYA PENINGKATAN KESEJAHTERAAN SOSIAL BAGI PEMANGKU SEPUH DI KECAMATAN KLATEN UTARA, KLATEN, JAWA TENGAH

Social welfare is a condition that must be realized for all citizens in fulfilling their material, spiritual and social needs so that they can live properly and be able to develop themselves, so that they can carry out their social functions. Community service activities in an effort to increase social welfare for elderly stakeholders have the aim of being a form of devotion to stakeholders (Rsi Yadnya) and fostering a sense of social care as well as increasing and strengthening kinship ties. This activity is carried out through several stages, namely observation, preparation, distribution and activity reports. The target of this activity is the elders in Klaten. The result of this activity was that there were five (5) elderly stakeholders who received basic food packages, the elderly stakeholders felt happy and thanked them very much. the team has cared about and has seen firsthand how the condition of the stakeholders who need a helping hand so the team is also happy because the distribution of these basic food packages can help relieve basic daily needs a little.

Improvement of Quality of Life after Surgical Treatment of Patients with MRONJ: A Prospective Analysis Using the SF-12 and OHIP-14 Questionnaires.

Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a rare, serious, and debilitating disease of unknown cause that can be associated with significant health-related quality of life (HRQOL) impairment. Hematological disease is characterized by a nonhealing exposed jawbone in patients with a history of antiresorptive or antiangiogenic agent use without radiation exposure to the head or neck. Patients and Materials and Methods. This prospective study over the period from May 2020 to December 2021 included a representative sample consisting of 27 patients with at least stage 2 MRONJ lesions who underwent surgical rehabilitation via oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany. Quality of life data were collected over a 6-month postoperative period using the Health-Related QOL (SF-12) and Oral Health-Related QOL (OHIP-14) questionnaires. A total of 27 patients considered in the study had a total of 42 MRONJ lesions, corresponding to a mean of 1.56 necroses per patient. MRONJ lesions were downstaged in 85% of the patients. HRQOL was evaluated with the SF-12 questionnaire. Significant improvements were found in six of the eight categories (General Health (p < 0.001), Bodily Pain (p < 0.001), Mental Health (p < 0.001), Vitality (p < 0.001), Role-Emotional (p=0.028), and Social Functioning (p=0.031)). The OHRQOL score also improved significantly after surgical intervention (p < 0.001). With completed surgical therapy, improvements in HRQOL and OHRQOL are measurable.

The complexity of treatment-resistant depression: A data-driven approach

BackgroundRecent systematic reviews highlight great variability in defining and assessing treatment-resistant depression (TRD). A key problem is that definitions are consensus rather than data-led. This study seeks to offer a comprehensive socio-demographic and clinical description of a relevant sample. MethodsAs part of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial, patients (N = 129) were managed in primary care for persistent depression and diagnosed with TRD. Data included previous treatment attempts, characteristics of the depressive illness, functioning, quality of life, co-occurring problems including suicidality, psychiatric and personality disorders, physical health conditions, and adverse events. ResultsFindings show a severe and chronic course of depression with a duration of illness of 25+ years. Overall, 82.9 % had at least one other psychiatric diagnosis and 82.2 % at least one personality disorder; 69.8 % had significant musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, or cardiovascular and respiratory physical health problems. All but 14 had severe difficulties in social and occupational functioning and reported severely impaired quality of life. Suicidal ideation was high: 44.9 % had made at least one serious suicide attempt and several reported multiple attempts with 17.8 % reporting a suicide attempt during childhood or adolescence. Of the patients, 79.8 % reported at least one adverse childhood experience. LimitationsPotential for recall bias, not examining possible interactions, and absence of a control group. ConclusionsOur findings reveal a complex and multifaceted condition and call for an urgent reconceptualization of TRD, which encompasses many interdependent variables and experiences. Individuals with TRD may be at a serious disadvantage in terms of receiving adequate treatment.

Health-related quality of life in children and adolescents with Marfan syndrome or related disorders: a controlled cross-sectional study

BackgroundThis cross-sectional controlled study aims to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of children and adolescents with a molecular diagnosis of Marfan syndrome (MFS) or related disorders and to evaluate the factors associated with HRQoL in this population. Sixty-three children with MFS and 124 age- and sex-matched healthy children were recruited. HRQoL was assessed using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™) generic questionnaire. The correlation between HRQoL scores and the different continuous parameters (age, body mass index, disease severity, systemic score, aortic sinus diameter, and aerobic physical capacity) was evaluated using Pearson’s or Spearman’s coefficient. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed on the two health summary self-reported PedsQL™ scores (physical and psychosocial) to identify the factors associated with HRQoL in the MFS group.ResultsExcept for emotional functioning, all other domains of HRQoL (psychosocial and physical health, social and school functions) were significantly lower in children with MFS compared to matched healthy children. In the MFS group, the physical health summary score was significantly lower in female than in male patients (self-report: absolute difference [95%CI] = -8.7 [-17.0; -0.47], P = 0.04; proxy-report: absolute difference [95%CI] = -8.6 [-17.3; 0.02], P = 0.05) and also negatively correlated with the systemic score (self-report: R = -0.24, P = 0.06; proxy-report: R = -0.29, P = 0.03) and with the height Z-score (proxy-report: R = -0.29, P = 0.03). There was no significant difference in the physical health summary scores between the different genetic subgroups. In the subgroup of 27 patients who performed a cardiopulmonary exercise test, self- and proxy-reported physical health summary scores were highly correlated with their aerobic physical capacity assessed by peak oxygen consumption (VO2max) and ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT). In the multivariate analysis, the most important independent predictors of decreased physical health were increased height, decreased body mass index, decreased VAT and use of prophylactic therapy.ConclusionsThis study reports an impaired HRQoL in children and adolescents with MFS or related conditions, in comparison with matched healthy children. Educational and rehabilitation programs must be developed and evaluated to improve exercise capacity and HRQoL in these patients.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03236571. Registered 28 July 2017.

Singapore’s Temasek Model and State Asset Management in China

Since the late 1970s, Singapore has been an important policy reference for China. Some Chinese policymakers viewed Temasek, its government holding company, as a model for state asset management. They studied Singapore’s approach, but ultimately chose a different institutional design when establishing the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) in 2003. China’s engagement with Temasek subsequently concentrated on corporate governance, specifically boards of directors in state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Yet despite the Temasek model’s appeal, its influence in China was limited by the far greater size and indebtedness of the state sector; the weaker role of firm performance in asset and capital allocation; SOEs’ numerous social and welfare functions; lack of willingness to augment firm autonomy; and divergent interpretations of the Temasek model and its reference value. “Policy collage” by Chinese policymakers explains the existence of formal similarities between China and advanced capitalist economies without fundamental convergence in function.

Malaysian Chinese folk beliefs on Facebook based on LDA topic modelling

In the digital age, as social media evolves into a new and significant centre for the dissemination of Chinese folk beliefs, the Malaysian Chinese have actively shared information about these folk beliefs on their social media platforms. The dissemination has transcended regional barriers, encouraging more Malaysian Chinese across various states to actively participate in public discussions on this topic. This study delves into Malaysian Chinese folk beliefs by analysing data from Facebook. A comprehensive examination of 4012 text posts was conducted using the latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) model for topic modelling. The analysis identified four main themes on social media: ‘Practitioners Worship’, ‘Temple Activities’, ‘Deity Legends’, and ‘Merchandise about Deity Statues’. Based on integrating social construction theory and media ecology theory, the study first explores the varied constructors, including practitioners, temple organisations, media organisations, and merchants. Secondly, Malaysian Chinese folk beliefs on social media present characteristics of utilitarianism, regional diversity, multiple social functions, flowing realms, strong Taoist elements, commercialisation, and a close relationship with the Spring Festival. Furthermore, ‘Safety and Peace’, ‘Pray for Demands’, and ‘Merits and Virtues’ form an interconnected semantic nexus. Hence, the findings theoretically highlight the interaction and significance of social media in the construction and practice of folk beliefs within the Malaysian Chinese community. Practically, this research provides valuable insights into the understanding and dissemination of Malaysian Chinese religious culture in the digital era.

History Matters: The Institutionalization and Innovation Paradox in the Judiciary

The judiciary is a field lacking research in relation to its administration and innovation; however, different theoretical perspectives can be followed. This work reviews this trend while adding to it. An institutional perspective is presented, as is its explanatory potential. This perspective captures the context of the public sector; however, when analyzing its interpretation in terms of innovation, it is revealed to be doubly paradoxical. From the theoretical point of view, institutionalization focuses on the maintenance of processes, while innovation, gradually or abruptly, investigates their disruptions. Nevertheless, institutionalization can be observed as part of the sedimentation of innovation. Institutionalization is presented, in the context of innovation, as a selection mechanism that shapes such innovation. This paradox is presented under the review of organizational institutionalism vis-à-vis innovation and, for its unfolding, considers the adoption of innovation as an adaptation to the prevalent rationalized elements. This presentation is paralleled with the interpretation that innovation is limited by a structure that, sometimes rationalized, forms its trajectory. Considering the social function of the judiciary that is anchored in institutionalism, historical institutionalism is thus added, centrally placing the judiciary in the current institutional matrix and associating its path dependence with the dimensions of its innovation. Based on these outlines, propositions and a suggested agenda for future research are presented.

Legal proof: why knowledge matters and knowing does not

I discuss the knowledge account of legal proof in Moss (2023) and develop an alternative. The unifying thread throughout this article are reflections on the beyond reasonable doubt (BRD) standard of proof. In Section 1, I will introduce the details of Moss’s account and how she motivates it via the BRD standard. In Section 2, I will argue that there are important disanalogies between BRD and knowledge that undermine Moss’s argument. There is however another motivation for the knowledge account: combined with auxiliary claims, that is probabilistic knowledge and moral encroachment, it can provide a general solution to the puzzle of statistical evidence. Section 3 spells out the details. In Section 4, I suggest to combine the knowledge account with pragmatic encroachment, instead of moral encroachment, in order to stay clear of the thorny issues whether corporations have moral rights. In Section 5, I argue that the verdicts of Moss’s account in cases of false justified beliefs and non-luminous knowledge conflict with the BRD standard and thus call for abandoning the account. Based on the social function of the BRD standard, I suggest a replacement for the knowledge account that is also just as potent as a general solution for the puzzle of statistical evidence. While I will grant that knowledge is neither always necessary nor always sufficient for convictions, I will argue that the concept of knowledge nonetheless plays a significant and ineliminable role in legal decision-making.

Kewenangan Eksekusi Riil Pengadilan Negeri terhadap Perkara Konsinyasi Pengadaan Tanah Bagi Pembangunan untuk Kepentingan Umum

Article 98 of the Government Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia Number 19 of 2021 concerning the Implementation of Land Acquisition for Development in the Public Interest states that in the event that compensation money has been entrusted to the District Court but the party is entitled to the land still controls the land object, execution can be requested, however The final product consignment application case is in the form of a determination and not a decision and the ruling is not condemnatory in nature, thus causing problems. This research is a normative juridical research that only examines primary, secondary and tertiary legal materials such as statutory regulations, both Law Number 48 of 2009 concerning Judicial Power and the Herzien Inlandsch Reglement (H.I.R) / Rechtreglement voor de Buitengewesten (Rbg), Republic of Indonesia Government Regulation Number 19 of 2021, Supreme Court Regulation Number 2 of 2021, books and journals. Data collection techniques using document study and analysis were carried out qualitatively, where the results of this research show that there is authority for the Chairman of the District Court to carry out real executions based on the Theory of Authority, Progressive Legal Theory and the Principle of Social Function, and in the future there must be reconstruction and harmonization of norms related to the execution of Land Acquisition consignment cases.

Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder: the relationship between cardiac vagal tone, emotion recognition, and expressive prosody

Children with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder have difficulties with emotion regulation and recognition which impacts their social functioning. Due to its recent definition, there is limited information on the neural mechanisms of this disorder. This exploratory study examined the role of autonomic heart regulation in children with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, motivated by suggestions of reduced autonomic regulation (measured by heart rate variability) associated with psychiatric disorders in adults and children. The cross-sectional design sampled two groups of children, one with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder ( n = 15; 14 male) and the other with typical development ( n = 15; 14 male). Heart rate variability, facial emotion recognition accuracy and speed, and prosody were measured. There were no significant differences in heart rate variability between the two groups before, or during, the tasks. However, children with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder experienced significantly greater difficulty recognising fear in faces compared to controls and confused other negatively valenced emotions. There was also a significant, negative correlation between heart rate variability and prosody modulation (verbal expression of emotion) in the control group, a relationship that was absent in the disruptive mood dysregulation disorder group. These results suggest that atypical autonomic regulation during emotionally evocative situations and difficulty with facial emotion recognition may contribute to the challenges experienced by children with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder. This is valuable knowledge for psychologists, which can contribute to individualised, effective, and comprehensive care that addresses the child’s emotional, social, and relational well-being.

The Existence of Regional-Owned Liability Companies as Profit-Oriented Regional-Owned Enterprises

&lt;p&gt;Regional-Owned Enterprise (“BUMD”) is a business entity owned by the regional government as a source of local revenue, especially to provide benefits to the regional economy based on Good Corporate Governance. In addition to seeking profit, Regional Companies also carry out social functions for the residents of their regions. Before the era of regional autonomy, regional companies were regulated by Law No. 5 of 1962 concerning Regional Companies. Responding to this, the government together with the People's Representative Council (“DPR”) replaced the Law on Regional Companies with the Law on Regional Government and Government Regulations on BUMD. The two regulations were drafted to improve the performance of regional companies, as well as to fill the legal vacuum regarding regulations regarding BUMD. In practice, the purpose of establishing the BUMD has not been achieved because BUMD is required to have a social function in society, which makes it less focused on its main mission. Using a normative juridical research method and statutory approach as well as conceptual approach, this paper comprehensively examines Regional Liability&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;Company (“Perseroda”) regulations and offers an ideal concept for the existence of profit-oriented Perseroda in Indonesia. The legal theories used are the Theory of Three Fundamental Legal Values (Gustav Radbruch) and the Legal Entity Theory. The results of the research show that the most appropriate solution is to have the management of BUMD separate from the Regional Government Law and that the issuance of Government Regulations regarding BUMD is proven yet to be able in addressing the problem of BUMD management. Therefore, it is recommended that the DPR and the Government immediately organize and harmonize regulations regarding BUMD management so as to realize good BUMD governance and performance, especially to support the strength of the regional economy.&lt;/p&gt;

Testing Construct Validity of the Clinical Supervision Scale in Intensive Care Units at Tertiary Care Hospitals in the Northeast of Thailand

Clinical supervision is the process by which supervisors treat their supervisees through interpersonal relationships to help supervisees develop their knowledge of the ability to perform clinical duties to provide quality service. However, from the literature review, it was found that a tool for assessing supervisors’ clinical supervision has not been clearly developed, especially in the context of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), which requires close supervision and monitoring of nurses to provide the highest level of safety for patients. Therefore, the research objective was to analyze the construct validity of the clinical supervision scale in the care units of tertiary hospitals in Northeast Thailand. Methods Participants were 234 nurses in intensive care units at tertiary hospitals located in Northeast of Thailand. Data were collected using a questionnaire as perceived by registered nurses based on the framework of Proctor’s model using the 18-item Clinical Supervision Scale. Content validity was explored by seven experts, and the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for reliability was .967. EFA was conducted to identify factors affecting the function of clinical supervision. CFA was used to ascertain the model fit. Results The EFA showed a three-factor clinical supervision and CFA. The results indicated that the hypothesis model of clinical supervision showed goodness of fit with empirical data throughout the sample (Chi-square = 103.501, df = 100, p-value = .385, CFI = .999, GFI = .955, AGFI= .923, RMSEA =.012). These results were within acceptable ranges, which indicated that the construct validity of the clinical supervision scale in the intensive care unit was consistent with Proctor’s functions: promoting professional accountability and quality control (normative function), skill and knowledge development (formative function), and providing support and personal well-being (restorative function).

A techno-economic scheduling of distribution system including multi-microgrids considering system reconfiguration and bus selector switches

The Microgrid (MG) as an alternative energy system, would reduce power loss, enhance energy consumption efficiency, and improve the system reliability for a sustainable city. Energy scheduling of distribution systems (DSs) including multi-microgrids (MMGs), would result in a multi-objective problem from DS operators’ point of view for a techno-economic operation. In this regard, a multi-objective model for operation scheduling of DS and connected MGs, is proposed in this paper, which also considers the system management solutions such as reconfiguration and determination of the energy trading points for MGs connection. The proposed model is applied to a modified IEEE 33-bus distribution system including 4 MGs. Simulation results and analysis based on the fuzzy satisfying method indicate that the simultaneous consideration of distribution system reconfiguration and Bus Selector Switches (BSSs) for MGs can improve the social welfare function by 4.58 % and reduces the energy losses by 15.82 %.

Analysis Of The Meaningfulness Of Lamang Siarang Traditional Food As A Typical Food Of Sariak Alahan Tigo, Solok District

This research is motivated by the fact that traditional cakes are rarely found because most people tend to like ready-to-eat food, especially in economic activities which are intended to increase the productivity of people's living standards. In the economic world, selling traditional cakes is less popular with the public. This has resulted in the lack of existence of traditional cakes among the public. The cause of the decline in the existence of traditional Indonesian cakes is the influence of globalization which makes traditional Indonesian cakes less popular compared to continental cakes and other than that, traditional cake makers are those who can be said to be elderly and quite a few young people are reluctant to participate in continuing to make traditional Indonesian cakes so that traditional cakes are hard to find. Like Lamang Siarang, it is very rarely known by the wider community because this traditional cake itself is only made on certain occasions and the manufacturing process is complicated and takes quite a long time. In this research, qualitative methods are used to reveal phenomena that occur based on natural facts, researching social life, behavior, function, organization, history and social movements, not controlled or manipulated conditions. The type of research used in this research is qualitative with a descriptive approach. Data was obtained from observations, interviews, and documentation by going directly into the field to obtain data from research informants. After the data obtained was saturated, the research stopped to conduct research on the meaning contained in Lamang Siarang on special days such as weddings, the Prophet's birthday, the 100th anniversary of death, welcoming the holy month of Ramadan and major Islamic holidays.

“How Do We Put the Country Back Together?” Mitigating Affective Polarization Through Mediated Intergroup Contact

ABSTRACT Affective polarization presents an ongoing threat to the political and social functioning of democracies as partisans increasingly dislike and distrust opposing partisans. Because engagement with political media is one way by which citizens understand partisan dynamics, we hypothesize that exposure to positive mediated intergroup contact via an entertainment narrative may be able to attenuate feelings of affective polarization—especially through identification with a character that expresses differing political views—but also that negative intergroup contact via a political debate could exacerbate partisan tensions. This premise is tested in an experiment (N = 544) that juxtaposed real-world examples of political media using excerpts from the U.S. television comedy The Conners and the 2020 U.S. presidential debates. Two common indicators of affective polarization, a feeling thermometer and social distance, were used to measure the affective gap between Democrats and Republicans. For the purposes of our analyses, a brief implicit association test (BIAT) was also conducted to measure participants’ implicit bias toward members of the political outgroup. We find evidence that exposure to positive intergroup contact can attenuate partisan tensions, especially through identification with the character belonging to the opposing political party, but that identification with the co-partisan character can further exacerbate negative affect.

Social cognition in children with neurofibromatosis type 1

ABSTRACT Introduction Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic pathology that can lead to impaired social functioning that has a negative impact on patients’ quality of life. To date, although the hypothesis of impaired social cognition has been proposed as a potential explanation for these difficulties, very few studies have focused on theory of mind in children with NF1. Furthermore, other complex sociocognitive abilities have never been investigated. The aim of the present study was to assess theory of mind, moral reasoning, and social information processing in children with NF1 compared with a control group. Method We administered the Paediatric Evaluation of Emotions, Relationships and Socialization® to 38 children with NF1 aged between 8 years and 16 years 11 months (mean = 11.4, SD = 2.3) and 43 control children with comparable sociodemographic characteristics. Results Patients performed significantly worse than controls on moral reasoning and social information processing tests, but there was no significant difference on theory of mind. Conclusions These results seem to confirm the presence of social cognition difficulties in NF1 that could explain, at least in part, their social difficulties, although not all dimensions are concerned. The differences between the processes we assessed are discussed in relation to the methodologies used to measure them, and raises questions about the complementarity of traditional tools and more ecological assessments.

Hypertension, depression, and health-related quality of life among hospitalized patients in Afghanistan.

In recent decades, hypertension has become the foremost risk factor for disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). The presentstudy investigated the relationship between quality of life, depression, and hypertension among hospitalized patients in Afghanistan. A cross-sectional survey was administered from September 3, 2022, to February 2, 2023, in the Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif provinces of Afghanistan (N = 2059). The prevalence of depression symptoms was 65.8%, and hypertension was 20.9%. Multiple regression analysis indicated that moderate physical functioning, poor role-physical, higher bodily pain, poor general health, poor social functioning, lower role-emotional, and poor mental health significantly predicted depression. Multiple regression analysis indicated that moderate quality of life, poor physical functioning, higher bodily pain, lower energy/fatigue, and depression significantly predicted hypertension. The findings of the present study offer valuable insights for healthcare providers, policymakers, and researchers in developing targeted interventions and policies to enhance the well-being of individuals facing the challenges of depression and hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension and depression was high among patients in the Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif provinces of Afghanistan. Patients with hypertension had poor mental and physical quality of life. Hospitals should therefore implement regular screening for depression and offer psychological counseling for vulnerable patients with hypertension.

The association between vascular access satisfaction and all-cause mortality in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

The mortality is significantly higher in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) than in the general population. It is well-known that vascular access (VA) is critical for MHD patients. But the association between VA satisfaction and all-cause mortality in MHD patients is still not clear. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between VA satisfaction and all-cause mortality in MHD patients with a 30-month follow-up. Two hundred twenty-nine MHD patients in two dialysis centers were enrolled in this observational prospective study. VA satisfaction was assessed using the Short Form Vascular Access Questionnaire (VAQ). Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) score was calculated with Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the influencing factors of all-cause mortality. During the 30-month follow-up period, 35 patients dropped out of the study. Among them, 31 patients died, and 4 patients stopped MHD treatment after renal transplantation. Multivariable analyses showed that the age, VAQ total score, social functioning score and dialysis-related complication score of the VAQ, the total score and MCS of the SF-36 were factors influencing all-cause mortality in MHD patients. The Kaplan-Meier curve further showed that the cumulative survival probability was significantly higher in the MHD patients with VAQ scores <7 at baseline than in patients with VAQ scores ⩾7 (p = 0.031). The present study showed that VA satisfaction was significantly associated with all-cause mortality in MHD patients. These findings suggest that a holistic approach is required for VA choice.

Epigenetic Aging Associations With Psychoneurological Symptoms and Social Functioning in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease.

Objective: Sickle cell disease (SCD), the most common inherited blood disorder in the United States, is associated with severe psychoneurological symptoms. While epigenetic age acceleration has been linked to psychoneurological symptom burden in other diseases, this connection is unexplored in SCD. This study aimed to assess the association between epigenetic age acceleration and psychoneurological symptom burden in SCD. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, emotional impact, pain impact, sleep impact, social functioning, and cognitive function were assessed in 87 adults living with SCD. DNA methylation data were generated from blood specimens and used to calculate epigenetic age using five clocks (Horvath, Hannum, PhenoAge, GrimAge, & DunedinPACE). Associations between epigenetic age acceleration and symptoms were assessed. Results: The sample (N = 87) had a mean (SD) chronologic age was 30.6 (8.1) years. Epigenetic age acceleration was associated with several symptom outcomes. GrimAge age acceleration (β = -0.49, p = .03) and increased DunedinPACE (β = -2.23, p = .004) were associated with worse emotional impact scores. PhenoAge (β = -0.32, p = .04) and the GrimAge (β = -0.48, p = .05) age acceleration were associated with worse pain impact scores. Increased DunedinPACE (β = -2.07 p = .04) were associated with worse sleep impact scores. Increased DunedinPACE (β = -2.87, p = .005) was associated with worse social functioning scores. We did not find associations between epigenetic age acceleration and cognitive function in this sample. Conclusion: Epigenetic age acceleration was associated with worse symptom experiences, suggesting the potential for epigenetic age acceleration as a biomarker to aid in risk stratification or targets for intervention to mitigate symptom burden in SCD.