Status Variables Research Articles

THE EFFECT OF TECHNOLOGY-BASED MATHEMATICS TEACHING ON MATHEMATICS PERFORMANCE: A SECOND-ORDER META-ANALYSIS

It is mentioned that all types of technological supports used in the mathematics instruction process have positive impacts on student mathematics performance without analyzing their educational dimension of them. In this context, the purpose of this research is to analyze the impact of technology-based mathematics instruction on the mathematics performance of students. 22 meta-analyses about the effects of technology-based mathematics instruction on student performance were carried out between 2017 and 2022; 27 impact sizes collected from these researches are combined with second-order meta-analyses. It is found that technology-based instruction’s impact on mathematics performance is medium-level. On the other hand, in studies about technology-based instruction, it is determined that the location and quality of the article caused important improvements in the mathematics performance of students. On the other hand, technology-based instruction, performance type, grade level, bias status, report type, and year range moderator variables didn’t cause statistical differences. It is determined that technology-based instruction methods increase the mathematics performance of students; however, Digital Tools Based Instruction and Software Based Instruction models are more efficient when compared to the other learning methods. Suggestions based on the research results are presented in the study.

Examining the "White Health Advantage" Effect among Latinos in the United States.

There is consensus regarding the socio-political roots of the concept of race (and ethnicity) in the United States (US). However arbitrary, the US societal constructions of race have meant racial/ethnic minorities experience disproportionate health burdens. The present study examined the so-called "white health advantage" effect in a large sample of US respondents, comparing Latinos (non-White and White) with non-Latino Whites. This cross-sectional study used deidentified data from the Dynata Global COVID Symptoms map project, collected between July 7-14, 2020 (n = 135,075). A dichotomous health status variable was created with respondents answering yes/no to any COVID-19 symptoms (difficulty breathing, coughing, fatigue, fever, and loss of taste or smell). We included relevant predisposing (age, gender, number of children, race, ethnicity, marital status, and education) and enabling factors (housing conditions, income, employment status, business ownership, and number of cars owned - a proxy measure for wealth). Multivariate logistic regression models showed significant differences in health status (as measured by COVID-19 symptoms) when comparing Latinos (non-White, White) and non-Latino Whites. For instance, higher socioeconomic status had a protective effect only among non-Latino Whites. In turn, being married/living with a partner was only associated with COVID-19 symptoms among White Latinos, indicating that the apparent benefits of this "improving" socio-political location are somewhat limited. Our study found significant differences in COVID-19 symptoms when comparing Latinos (non-White, White) and non-Latino Whites. Our findings underscore the importance of further examining health outcomes by racial identities of US Latinos, which can help inform future health equity efforts.

Depressive symptoms and its multifaceted associated factors among young men who have sex with men facing the dual threats of COVID-19 and mpox in China

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the mental health of human beings since 2020, especially the young people and the pre-existing marginalized groups such as men who have sex with men (MSM). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the multi-country outbreak of mpox in 2022 additionally posed a significant stress on the most-affected communities (i.e., MSM). This study investigated the level of depressive symptoms and its multifaceted associated factors among Chinese young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in this unique period. MethodsIn September 2022, a large-scale cross-sectional survey was conducted among YMSM aged 18–29 years across six representative provinces in China. Hierarchical regression analysis was performed to test the various types of associated factors of depressive symptoms. ResultsAmong the 2493 participants, 65.6 % (n = 1638) reported mild to severe depressive symptoms. The hierarchical regression analysis identified that depressive symptoms was significantly positively associated with unemployment, having substance use in the past 6 months, a higher level of MSM self-stigma, incompletion of COVID-19 vaccination, greater mpox risk perception, and presence of mpox related-like symptoms. LimitationsThis study used the facility-based sampling method to recruit the participants, which may lead to selection bias. ConclusionsChinese YMSM faced significant mental health challenges during the concurrent epidemics of COVID-19 and mpox, which was associated with their socio-economic status, risk behaviors, stigma, and multiple diseases-related variables. Proactive measures may hold promise as effective strategies for mitigating mental distress among marginalized groups during public health crises.

Pain management inequities by demographic and geriatric-related variables in older adult inpatients.

Pain is ubiquitous, yet understudied. The objective of this study was to analyze inequities in pain assessment and management for hospitalized older adults focusing on demographic and geriatric-related variables. This was a retrospective cohort study from January 2013 through September 2021 of all adults 65 years or older on the general medicine service at UCSF Medical Center. Primary exposures included (1) demographic variables including race/ethnicity and limited English proficiency (LEP) status and (2) geriatric-related variables including age, dementia or mild cognitive impairment diagnosis, hearing or visual impairment, end-of-life care, and geriatrics consult involvement. Primary outcomes included (1) adjusted odds of numeric pain assessment versus other assessments and (2) adjusted opioids administered, measured by morphine milligram equivalents (MME). A total of 15,809 patients were included across 27,857 hospitalizations with 1,378,215 pain assessments, with a mean age of 77.8 years old. Patients were 47.4% White, 26.3% with LEP, 49.6% male, and 50.4% female. Asian (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.70-0.80), Latinx (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.83-0.99), and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.64-0.93) patients had lower odds of a numeric assessment, compared with White patients. Patients with LEP (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.66-0.74) had lower odds of a numeric assessment, compared with English-speaking patients. Patients with dementia, hearing impairment, patients 75+, and at end-of-life were all less likely to receive a numeric assessment. Compared with White patients (86 MME, 95% CI 77-96), Asian patients (55 MME, 95% CI 46-65) received fewer opioids. Patients with LEP, dementia, hearing impairment and those 75+ years old also received significantly fewer opioids. Older, hospitalized, general medicine patients from minoritized groups and with geriatric-related conditions are uniquely vulnerable to inequitable pain assessment and management. These findings raise concerns for pain underassessment and undertreatment.

Suicidal Risk Factors and Youth Population: A Study on Bangladeshi Urban and Rural areas Perspective.

Suicide is an urgent matter of public health that presents a substantial peril to young populations worldwide. This research aims to conduct a comprehensive overview of the risk factors linked with Suicide among the young population in Bangladesh. Understanding these risk factors could expand targeted prevention strategies and interventions to tackle the issue and endorse mental health. This study utilized quantitative research with a survey questionnaire design to collect data from 764 close family members who committed suicide. The data were randomly selected from Dhaka and Jhenaidah districts in Bangladesh. The study revealed that aged 23-25 years have a higher risk for Suicide, where females 62.96% are at higher risk than males 37.04%. The result finds a significant relationship between family and social environment risk factors. Further findings show that education, married status, family size, and monthly family income variables have various degrees of effect on suicide risk among young people based on their age. Despite the inherent limitations of national surveillance in this study, the research findings catalyze further investigation into delineating specific suicide risk factors. Such endeavors aim to mitigate suicidal behaviors and foster positive psychological development across the lifespan.

Multimorbidity and associated informal care receiving characteristics for US older adults: a latent class analysis

BackgroundOlder adults with varying patterns of multimorbidity may require distinct types of care and rely on informal caregiving to meet their care needs. This study aims to identify groups of older adults with distinct, empirically-determined multimorbidity patterns and compare characteristics of informal care received among estimated classes.MethodsData are from the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). Ten chronic conditions were included to estimate multimorbidity patterns among 7532 individuals using latent class analysis. Multinomial logistic regression model was estimated to examine the association between sociodemographic characteristics, health status and lifestyle variables, care-receiving characteristics and latent class membership.ResultsA four-class solution identified the following multimorbidity groups: some somatic conditions with moderate cognitive impairment (30%), cardiometabolic (25%), musculoskeletal (24%), and multisystem (21%). Compared with those who reported receiving no help, care recipients who received help with household activities only (OR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.05–1.98), mobility but not self-care (OR = 1.63, 95% CI 1.05–2.53), or self-care but not mobility (OR = 2.07, 95% CI 1.29–3.31) had greater likelihood of being in the multisystem group versus the some-somatic group. Having more caregivers was associated with higher odds of being in the multisystem group compared with the some-somatic group (OR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.00-1.18), whereas receiving help from paid helpers was associated with lower odds of being in the multisystem group (OR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.19–0.77).ConclusionsResults highlighted different care needs among persons with distinct combinations of multimorbidity, in particular the wide range of informal needs among older adults with multisystem multimorbidity. Policies and interventions should recognize the differential care needs associated with multimorbidity patterns to better provide person-centered care.

HANDLING OF OVERDISPERSION CASES IN MORBIDITY DATA IN SELUMA REGENCY

The problem of overdispersion as a violation of the assumption of equidispersion in Poisson regression is generally caused by sources of unobserved heterogeneity, missing observations on predictor variables, outliers in the data, errors in the specification of the bridging function, and many observed values that are zero. The purpose of this study is to find out the right model and the variables that affect data that occurs overdispersion and excess zero in the case of the number of days of disruption at work, school, or other daily activities due to health complaints. The methods used were Poisson Regression, Negative Binomial Regression, Hurdle Poisson Regression, Zero Inflated Poisson Regression, Zero Inflated Negative Binomial Regression, and Hurdle Negative Binomial Regression. The data used were morbidity taken from data on the number of days of disruption at work, school or other daily activities due to health complaints in Seluma district, Bengkulu Province. It was found that the best model is Zero Inflated Negative Poisson with the smallest Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) value of 1620.609 and the variables that have a significant effect on the log model and the logit model are marital status and work variables.

Investigating the association between intralimb strength ratio, interlimb strength and range of motion asymmetry index, and functional limitations with fall incidence among older adults: protocol for a prospective cohort study

The present study aims to identify the intralimb strength ratio, interlimb strength and range of motion asymmetry index in elderly individuals and then investigate the association between these asymmetry indices...

Affordability and adherence gains for Medicare Part D low-income subsidy recipients when low-income subsidy benefits expanded in 2024.

The lowest-income beneficiaries enrolled in the Medicare Part D prescription drug program receive "full subsidies" that waive the premium and deductible and impose minimal copayments. Those with slightly higher incomes and assets may be eligible for "partial subsidies." Prior to 2024, individuals receiving partial subsidies faced reduced Part D premiums and deductibles and paid 15% coinsurance. Under provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, recipients of partial subsidies were upgraded to full subsidies beginning in 2024. The objective of this pilot study was to assess whether the new policy is likely to reduce cost-related nonadherence to prescribed medications- a common problem faced by older adults even among those receiving subsidies. To compare cost-related nonadherence among partial- vs full-subsidy recipients with similar characteristics. We used 2019 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data for the study. The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey is uniquely suited for this work because it contains administrative data on low-income subsidy enrollment plus extensive survey-based information on financial resources necessary to establish program eligibility and rates of cost-related nonadherence. Explanatory variables included sociodemographic characteristics, economic resources, work status, and health variables. We found that the partial-subsidy group reported significantly more cost-related nonadherence (39% vs 22%; P = 0.01) arising both from a lower propensity to fill some prescriptions (23% vs 12%; P = 0.03) and to more delays in filling others (29% vs 8%; P = 0.03). The differences were more pronounced for women and racial and ethnic minority groups in contrast to men and majority populations, respectively. Because the study samples were small, we could not conduct a detailed regression analysis. The magnitude of cost-related nonadherence effects associated with partial-subsidy cost sharing suggests that the Inflation Reduction Act policy to expand low-income subsidies may boost medication adherence, most notably among women and racial and ethnic minority groups.

Paper 07: Race and Income Influence Patient Outcomes After Multiligament Knee Injuries

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) variables on patient-reported outcomes and return to work following surgery for a multiligament knee injury. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients at our institution who underwent multi-ligament knee reconstruction between 2012 and 2022. SES variables of interest included median household income, occupation, race, sex, and marital status. International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores were used to assess clinical outcomes. Patients reported whether they had returned to work at final follow-up. Data was available for each SES variable for a subset of the cohort. Chi-square tests and Fisher exact tests were used to compare the proportion of patients who returned to work by race, sex, income, marital status, and job type (sedentary vs. nonsedentary) and to compare the proportion of patients with sedentary jobs within each demographic variable. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare the distribution of IKDC scores at final follow-up across the same demographic variables. Results: There were 144 patients with multiligament knee injuries for whom data on at least 1 SES variable was available with a median final follow-up of 3.2 years. Patients were 73.2% male with an average age of 38.8 years. Overall, 26.8% of patients were married and 56.1% of patients had sedentary jobs. Of the patients who were working before surgery (63% of the total cohort), 56.0% returned to work after surgery. There was a significant difference in the proportion of patients who had sedentary jobs by income (12.5% low income vs. 50.7% high income, p<.001) and who returned to work postoperatively (16.7% low income vs. 75.0% high income, p=.016). Median IKDC scores for white patients were 78.0 versus 65.5 for Black/African American patients; the score distributions in the two groups differed significantly (p=.045). Patient reported outcomes were not significantly different by sex or marital status. Conclusions: Only about half of patients returned to work after multiligament knee injury surgery. White race and higher income were predictive of better patient-reported outcomes following surgery for multiligament knee injuries. Determining the extent to which SES variables influence these outcomes may lead to improvements in rehabilitation and follow-up for diverse patients. Studies with larger cohorts are needed for a more comprehensive comparison of SES variables.

Elemental distributions in the marine sediments off Doha, Qatar: role of urbanisation and coastal dynamics

This research investigates the present status and decadal variability of element distributions in the marine sediments off Doha, on the east coast of Qatar. Twenty elements were considered from 11 sediment sampling stations and 3 dust sampling stations by grouping them into major elements, toxic elements, and other trace elements. The results show elevated concentrations of certain toxic and trace elements, including Ba, Be, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, V, Zn, Mg, and Ti, in the nearshore region, primarily influenced by the settling of dissolved elements under weak hydrodynamic circulations in the Doha Bay. The relatively higher currents in offshore enable quick advection and dispersion of the elements. On the other hand, the dust deposits have caused significant contributions to the Al, As, Mg, Ca, Sr, Fe, Zn, and Cd concentrations. Decadal variability is evident in element concentrations, which are linked to the urbanisation of the capital city in the State of Qatar. The Cu, Ni, V, Zn, and Cd concentrations indicate a notable increase in recent years compared to the last two decades, with values of about 20.7, 17.9, 25.0, 25.9, 0.66 ppm in 2022. In contrast, a few other elements fluctuate between the decades/years. The results pointed out the increased elemental concentrations in the bay due to the vast expansion of infrastructure facilities in the vicinity of Doha Bay in recent years. The Geoaccumulation Index resulted in a slight pollution of Cd, while other elements are unpolluted. The Degree of Contamination reveals low degree of contamination of sediments, and the Pollution Load Index illustrates no significant pollution in the sediments off Doha.

Variational autoencoders for generative modeling of drug dosing determinants in renal, hepatic, metabolic, and cardiac disease states

AbstractPhysiological determinants of drug dosing (PDODD) are a promising approach for precision dosing. This study investigates the alterations of PDODD in diseases and evaluates a variational autoencoder (VAE) artificial intelligence model for PDODD. The PDODD panel contained 20 biomarkers, and 13 renal, hepatic, diabetes, and cardiac disease status variables. Demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements (body weight, body surface area, waist circumference), blood (plasma volume, albumin), renal (creatinine, glomerular filtration rate, urine flow, and urine albumin to creatinine ratio), and hepatic (R‐value, hepatic steatosis index, drug‐induced liver injury index), blood cell (systemic inflammation index, red cell, lymphocyte, neutrophils, and platelet counts) biomarkers, and medical questionnaire responses from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were included. The tabular VAE (TVAE) generative model was implemented with the Synthetic Data Vault Python library. The joint distributions of the generated data vs. test data were compared using graphical univariate, bivariate, and multidimensional projection methods and distribution proximity measures. The PDODD biomarkers related to disease progression were altered as expected in renal, hepatic, diabetes, and cardiac diseases. The continuous PDODD panel variables generated by the TVAE satisfactorily approximated the distribution in the test data. The TVAE‐generated distributions of some discrete variables deviated from the test data distribution. The age distribution of TVAE‐generated continuous variables was similar to the test data. The TVAE algorithm demonstrated potential as an AI model for continuous PDODD and could be useful for generating virtual populations for clinical trial simulations.

Examining the Relationship between Age, Cash Transfers, Loneliness, and Work Participation Decisions of Elderly People in Malaysia

Objective – The enlargement of the ageing population in Malaysia at an expeditious speed has sparked great concerns of many parties. It is anticipated that Malaysia will become an ‘aged nation’ by 2030 as predicted by many statisticians. This study attempted to provide insights into policy design to create a sustainable community for elderly people in Malaysia, which is in line with one of the 17 SDGs, i.e., SDG-11. Methodology – Productive and healthy ageing is the key to form a sustainable community for elderly people. This research offers an in-depth examination of the interconnections among loneliness, intergenerational financial support, and demographic factors as they influence the employment decision-making processes of elderly people in Malaysia. Findings – Through an analysis of the interplay between these elements, our study sheds light on the intricate factors that contribute to the labour force participation of the elderly, enhancing our comprehension of the multifaceted nature of elder employment trends within the nation. To examine and compare the relationship, univariate, bivariate and logistic regression analyses were employed. Novelty – All analyses showed all explanatory variables in this study are significantly related to the labour force participation of elderly men. In the case of elderly women, the loneliness status variable is not significant. There are some limitations acknowledged in this study that limit the study’s findings, and few suggestions for the future study were provided at the end of this study. Type of Paper: Empirical JEL Classification: 14, J18, J22 Keywords: elderly people; gender differences; intergenerational cash transfer; labour force participation; loneliness; sustainability Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Chung, C.F.; Voo, I.C.; Hamid, R.A. (2024). Examining the Relationship between Age, Cash Transfers, Loneliness, and Work Participation Decision of Elderly People in Malaysia, J. Bus. Econ. Review, 9(1), 55–62. https://doi.org/10.35609/jber.2024.9.1(2)

HUBUNGAN ASUPAN PROTEIN DENGAN STATUS GIZI PADA REMAJA PUTRI DI PONDOK PESANTREN, KABUPATEN TUBAN

Introduction : Nutritional problems are health problems that can occur at all ages. Adolescents are one of the groups that easily experience nutritional problems. Nutritional status is a description of the body's condition as a result of the utilization of nutrients from food consumed daily. One of the nutrients, protein, is an important nutrient for growth, repair, maintenance of body tissues and maintaining physiological balance. The aim of this research was to investigate the correlation between protein consumption and nutritional status among teenage girls. Method: This was an analytic research with a cross sectional approach. The sample of this study was 200 female students of islamic boarding school, aged 15-19 years old. Independent variable of protein intake was collected using Recall-24 hour method, dependent variable of nutritional status was measured based on IMT/U indicator, and analyzed statistically with spearman correlation. Result: The results of spearman correlation test showed a p-value=0.000 for the relationship between protein intake and the nutritional status of adolescent girls, there was a tendency for respondents with more protein intake to overweight, while respondents with normal protein intake have normal nutritional status. Conclusion: Protein intake affects nutritional status, the higher the protein intake, the higher the risk of overweight. Suggestions for further research could involve studying the improvement of knowledge and skills of pesantren administrators in preparing balanced nutritional meals for students.

The Role of Gender and Social Power in the Use of Advice-giving Strategies in Algerian Arabic

This study explores the influence of gender and social status on advice-giving strategies in Algerian Arabic. The study involved 50 native Algerian Arabic speakers (25 males and 25 females) who completed a Discourse Completion Task. This task, designed to measure the gender and social status variables, presented three types of advice-giving situations: high-to-low, low-to-high, and equal social power. Hinkel’s (1997) taxonomy was used to categorize advice-giving strategies as direct, hedged, or indirect. The study's key finding was that male and female Algerians tend to give direct advice, particularly imperatives, regardless of the advisee’s social status. This suggests that Algerians perceive advice-giving as a cooperative and supportive act that does not require mitigation or implication. Importantly, these findings have practical implications. They can help individuals and organizations avoid cross-cultural misunderstandings with Algerians. In cultures where advice-giving may be perceived as threatening one’s freedom of action, logical thinking ability, and world knowledge, Algerians may be misunderstood as impolite and overly assertive despite their well-intentioned advice.

A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY ON PATIENTS HOSPITALIZED FROM THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT BEFORE AND DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PERIOD

This study aims to evaluate patients hospitalized from the emergency department before and during the pandemic. The research was designed as a retrospective study. All patients (32,544 patients) who came to the emergency department of a training and research hospital for a total duration of two years, consisting of one year before the pandemic and one year during the pandemic, and subsequently required admission, were included in the study. The study compared the monthly average number of admissions, age, gender, diagnosis, discharge status, and mortality rate variables of the patients included. There was a decrease in the number of patients during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. The rate of change (decrease) ranged from 12.6% to 34%. The decrease in the number of patients in the early months of the pandemic (March, April, May, June) exceeded 25%. The mean age, average length of stay and mortality rates of patients admitted from the emergency department increased during the pandemic, and this change was statistically significant (p

MDB-105. CONSTRUCTION OF AN INTERACTIVE MEDULLOBLASTOMA VISUALIZATION PORTAL FROM MOLECULAR AND CLINICAL DATA DERIVED FROM THREE MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL PROTOCOLS (ACNS0331, SJMB03, ACNS0332) TO COMPARE, CONTRAST, AND INVESTIGATE COHORTS AS A MEANS TO REFINE THERAPY

Abstract BACKGROUND Medulloblastoma (MB) patients display a heterogeneous mix of molecular and clinical characteristics that influence tumor behavior and survival. We hypothesized that if these multiple characteristics could be incorporated into an organized, searchable, and interactive dataset, this would advance our understanding and improve treatment of this disease. Consequently, we organized multifaceted datasets into an interactive portal equipped with cutting-edge visualization tools. METHODS Clinical and molecular data from the ACNS0331, SJMB03, and ACNS0332 protocols were collated and harmonized. A data dictionary was built to capture demographics, treatment, histology, methylation classification, mutations, chromosomal copy number variations and outcomes. To display the data, a software framework was applied. Five visualization methods were implemented (summary plots, sample view, scatter plots, sample matrix, and survival plots) in an interconnected manner such that these “cross-talk” with each other. RESULTS Data from 898 patients with MB were incorporated: 131 WNT, 151 SHH, 220 G3, 396 G4. The portal features enabled the creation of custom cohorts that could be instantly queried by any of the dictionary terms. For example, cohorts could be customized to include only cases with a mutation of the user’s choice and analyzed by molecular group, gender, age at diagnosis, or treatment given. Survival of patients with SHH-MB harboring TP53 mutations could be compared to patients with WNT-MB harboring TP53 mutations. Moreover, the influence of MB subtype (e.g. G34_I-VIII), focal amplifications (MYC, MYCN) and whole chromosome aberration phenotype on survival could be queried across treatment regimens accounting for metastatic status and/or additional variables of the user’s choice. CONCLUSION The integration of molecular and clinical data from multiple trials into an interactive visualization data portal presents an unprecedented resource for research and clinical practice. This portal facilitates answering highly specific questions about mutational frequency and patient outcome by molecular and clinical risk factors.

The Role of Psychological Variables on Medication Adherence in Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of psychological variables in medication adherence in OCD. Methods: This descriptive and correlational study was carried out at Tehran Institute of Psychiatry in Tehran. The statistical population of the present study includes all OCD patients referred to the Tehran Institute of Psychiatry. The participants were selected by available sampling method. The patients completed the demographic questionnaire, Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Scale-Second Edition (Y-BOCS-II), Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (VOCI), Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS), Drug Attitude Questionnaire (DAI-10), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Special Support (MSPSS), Coping strategies scale of Lazarus and Folkman (WOCQ), and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) was used to analyze the data. Results: The variable of education status (r=0.18) had a positive relationship and the variable of hospitalization history (r=-0.26) had a negative relationship with medication adherence. Medication adherence is only negatively associated with obsessive thoughts (r=- 0.18, r=-0.20). Duration of drug use (r=0.27), attitude to treatment (r=0.25) and social support (r=0.54) had a positive relationship with medication adherence. Among the various dimensions of temperament and character, four dimensions of harm avoidance (r=-0.29), reward dependence (r=-0.44), persistence (r=-0.20) and self-transcendence (r=0.32) had a significant correlation with medication adherence. Variables of social support, reward dependence, persistence, harm avoidance and education status had the highest regression effect on medication adherence. Conclusion: Medication adherence is one of the behaviors that predicts successful treatment and reduces the negative side effects and severity of the OCD.

Association of parent-child health parameters and lifestyle habits - the “epi-family health” longitudinal study protocol

BackgroundLifestyle and habits, cardiovascular risk factors (CRF), bone and mental health, dietary habits, physical activity, among others are developed in childhood and adolescence. Family environment has shown to play an important role in these outcomes. However, whether the parent-child relationship lifestyle habits and health parameters can be influenced by physical activity patterns still unclear. The objective of this study will be to monitor and investigate the associations between lifestyle habits between parents and their children longitudinally, as well as verify whether in more active parents, the possible associations with lifestyle habits are different from those of parents considered less active.MethodsThe sample will consist of parents (father, mother, or both) and their children /adolescents. The participants will be recruited through public call by flyers spread across all the regions of the city and also through social media. The health parameters will include cardiovascular (cardiac autonomic modulation, blood pressure and resting heart rate), bone mineral density, anthropometric indices, handgrip strength, mental health (quality of life, anxiety and depression symptoms and stress), self-reported morbidities and musculoskeletal pain. Lifestyle habits will include physical activity levels, sedentary behavior, sleep parameters, eating patterns, smoking and alcohol consumption. Sociodemographic variables of age, sex, ethnicity and socioeconomic status will be considered as covariates. The follow-up visits of data collection will be scheduled after a period of 12 months from the baseline assessment during every twelve months.DiscussionThe family environment has great potential to determine lifestyle habits in children and adolescents. Based on the results presented in the present study, we hope that health promotion actions can be better designed in the family environment.

Prognostic Assessment of HLM Score in Heart Failure Due to Ischemic Heart Disease: A Pilot Study.

Background: Ischemic heart disease (IHD) represents the main cause of heart failure (HF). A prognostic stratification of HF patients with ischemic etiology, particularly those with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), may be challenging due the variability in clinical and hemodynamic status. The aim of this study is to assess the prognostic power of the HLM score in a population of patients with ischemic HF and in a subgroup who developed HF following ACS. Methods: This is an observational, prospective, single-center study, enrolling consecutive patients with a diagnosis of ischemic HF. Patients were stratified according to the four different HLM stages of severity, and the occurrence of CV death, HFH, and worsening HF events were evaluated at 6-month follow-up. A sub-analysis was performed on patients who developed HF following ACS at admission. Results: The study included 146 patients. HLM stage predicts the occurrence of CV death (p = 0.01) and CV death/HFH (p = 0.003). Cox regression analysis confirmed HLM stage as an independent predictor of CV death (OR: 3.07; 95% IC: 1.54-6.12; p = 0.001) and CV death/HFH (OR: 2.45; 95% IC: 1.43-4.21; p = 0.001) in the total population of patients with HF due to IHD. HLM stage potentially predicts the occurrence of CV death (p < 0.001) and CV death/HFH (p < 0.001) in patients with HF following ACS at admission. Conclusions: Pathophysiological-based prognostic assessment through HLM score is a potentially promising tool for the prediction of the occurrence of CV death and CV death/HFH in ischemic HF patients and in subgroups of patients with HF following ACS at admission.