11237 research outputs found
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Burden of cardiovascular outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infection in South Korea and Japan: a bi-national population-based cohort study
No full textBackground: Despite the significant global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, limited studies have investigated the long-term cardiovascular sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly among Asian populations. This large-scale, population-based binational cohort study with long-term follow-up aimed to investigate the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the risk of cardiovascular events.Methods: We used binational, large-scale, and population-based cohorts, including a Korean nationwide cohort (K-COV-N; discovery cohort; n=18 989 129) and a Japanese nationwide cohort (Japan Medical Data Center; validation cohort; n=12 218 680). Individuals aged 20 years or older were included from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022. We assessed the long-term risk of incident cardiovascular outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The primary outcome was the risk of cardiovascular diseases based on International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code diagnosis. After propensity score–based overlap weighting, Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios for cardiovascular outcomes. We assessed the time attenuation effect of cardiovascular outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Multiple subgroup analyses were conducted by 16 cardiovascular outcomes, COVID-19 severity, vaccination, and SARS-CoV-2 strain.Results: In the overlap-weighted discovery cohort, 7 960 357 individuals were included (mean age, 48.52 years [SD, 9.33]; men, 4 283 878 [53.82%]). SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with a long-term increased risk of overall cardiovascular outcomes (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.62 [95% CI, 1.60–1.64]), particularly ischemic heart disease (1.81 [95% CI, 1.77–1.84]), heart failure (1.79 [95% CI, 1.73–1.85]), cerebrovascular disorders (1.65 [95% CI, 1.60–1.69]), major adverse cardiovascular events (1.65 [95% CI, 1.60–1.70]), inflammatory heart diseases (1.53 [95% CI, 1.31–1.80]), dysrhythmia (1.44 [95% CI, 1.42–1.46]), and thrombotic disorders (1.42 [95% CI, 1.35–1.48]). The increased risk persisted up to 18 months, with the highest association observed for 1 to 6 months after infection. The risk of cardiovascular diseases was pronounced with COVID-19 severity; however, it decreased with the administration of complete vaccination and subsequent booster doses. A similar risk of cardiovascular outcomes existed across every SARS-CoV-2 era (pre-delta, delta, and omicron). Similar patterns were observed in the validation cohort. The absolute risk of cardiovascular disease events after SARS-CoV-2 infection remained remarkably low (2.12% versus 1.31% in the noninfected population), particularly stroke (0.24% versus 0.13%) and ischemic heart disease (0.73% versus 0.39%).Conclusions: This binational study observed associations between SARS-CoV-2 infection and cardiovascular events during extended follow-up across viral eras. Complete vaccination was linked to lower cardiovascular events. However, the absolute risk of cardiovascular disease events after SARS-CoV-2 infection remained remarkably low, particularly for stroke and ischemic heart disease. Although these findings suggest ongoing vigilance and preventive measures remain crucial, they should be interpreted within the context of these low absolute risks when considering long-term cardiovascular complications.</p
Translation and validation of a (Colombian) Spanish version of the Breast Appreciation Scale (BrAS)
No full textThe construct of breast appreciation is as an important facet of women’s positive body image and is measured using the 9-item Breast Appreciation Scale (BrAS; Swami et al., 2022). However, examinations of the instrument’s psychometric properties in diverse national and linguistic groups remains lacking. Here, we report on the translation and validation of a Colombian Spanish version of the BrAS. A total of 1,979 cisgender women from Colombia completed a translation of the BrAS along with additional measures of body image, disordered eating, and psychological well-being. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis identified a stable unidimensional model of the BrAS, with all nine items retained. Additionally, the BrAS evidenced complete invariance (i.e., through to latent mean invariance) across mothers and non-mothers and was temporally stable after four weeks in a retest sample (n = 102). Evidence of convergent, concurrent, and incremental validity was very strong when based on both latent and observed scores. Greater breast appreciation was notably associated with more positive body image (body appreciation, functionality appreciation), greater breast awareness, and lower breast size dissatisfaction and eating restraint. These results suggest that the psychometric properties of the Colombian Spanish BrAS are robust.</p
‘When They Drop in and They Are Crying’: Experience of University Academics Supporting Students with Mental Health Problems
No full textBackground: University academics are often the first points of contact for students experiencing mental health problems (MHPs) because of the pre-existing relationship between academics and students. Aim: The aim of this review is to explore the experience of university academics who have supported students with MHPs. Methods: This systematic review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidance. Searches were conducted using six databases and were limited to peer-reviewed studies published in the English language between 2013 and 2023. Results: Thematic analyses identified three major themes: academics’ perceptions of mental health problems among students, the role of academics in supporting students and the academics’ perceived barriers to supporting students. Conclusions: Universities need to acknowledge the vulnerability of students’ mental health and prepare to respond appropriately. Improving the mental health literacy of university academics, and providing clarity about roles and mechanisms to support the mental health of university students will be crucial to achieve this.</p
Creating a lean culture by integrating robotics in back-of-house operations: effectual trio or an immense disaster
No full textThe Reason for the Research Study: This study explores the stress levels of chefs who work with collaborative robots (cobots) in commercial kitchens. While cobots are increasingly used to improve efficiency, chefs face significant stress from long hours, staff shortages, and challenging working conditions. There is limited research on the' impact of cobots on chefs' stress. This study is the first to examine the role of age, gender, job experience, and personality in the context of cobot collaboration. By analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, the study provides new insights into whether cobots reduce or increase stress and offers practical recommendations for managing stress in high-pressure kitchen environments.Investigation Approach: This study explores cobots as a potential stressor for chefs through the lens of the Tri-Transactional Model of Stress, examining how socio-demographic and environmental factors and individual perceptions influence stress levels. The research employs self-administered questionnaires, including the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the Big Five Inventory (BFI-44), both of which are commonly used in human-machine teaming (HMT) and stress studies. Additionally, structured interviews with open-ended questions are conducted with chefs and managers. Elements from the Transdisciplinary Stress Model and the Work-Related Stress Model were incorporated into the conceptual framework.Findings: The findings reveal that chefs working with cobots reported higher stress levels than those without cobots, while age, gender, and job experience had no significant influence on stress. Neither Extraversion nor Negative Emotionality showed a statistically significant correlation with stress levels. Additionally, interviews highlighted the crucial role of leadership, management practices, and training in mitigating stress, particularly during the integration of cobots. The study underscores the importance of leadership in addressing the varying perspectives on automation and its potential to reduce stress in high-pressure kitchen environments.Conclusion: In conclusion, while cobots were linked to higher stress levels in chefs, age, gender, job experience, and personality traits had no significant impact. The study highlights the crucial role of leadership, management practices, and training in mitigating stress, particularly during the integration of collaborative robots (cobots).</p
Wildlife Law Reform
No full textThis research conducts a review of UK wildlife law and makes recommendations for new law. The RSPCA (Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and Humane World (Humane World for Animals UK formerly Humane Society International/UK) joint funders of this research wish to pick up where the Law Commission's review of wildlife law was completed in 2015 and seek to update this, in order to be able to establish a case for strengthened wildlife legislation that closes loopholes, removes inconsistencies, contradictions and archaic purposes, in order to improve the protection of all wild animals. The report is a summary of the research
High-order consensus graph learning for incomplete multi-view clustering
No full textIncomplete Multi-View Clustering (IMVC) aims to partition data with missing samples into distinct groups. However, most IMVC methods rarely consider the high-order neighborhood information of samples, which represents complex underlying interactions, and often neglect the weights of different views. To address these issues, we propose a High-order Consensus Graph Learning (HoCGL) model. Specifically, we integrate a reconstruction term to recover the incomplete multi-view data. High-order proximity matrices are constructed, and the self-representation similarity matrices and multiple high-order proximity matrices are learned mutually, allowing the similarity matrices to incorporate complex high-order information. Finally, the consensus graph representation is derived from the similarity matrices through a self-weighted strategy. An efficient algorithm is designed to solve the proposed model. The excellent clustering performance of the proposed model is validated by comparing it with eight state-of-the-art models across nine datasets.</p
Family-based interventions for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textFamily-based interventions involve family members in caring for patients with diabetes, but it is unclear whether they are effective in improving outcomes for type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to determine the effectiveness of family-based interventions in improving glycaemic control in T2DM patients. We identified 6163 abstracts. Eleven RCTs (n = 1421) met our inclusion criteria. The overall findings suggest that family-based interventions are effective in improving HbA1c, at 3–4 months follow-up and when the intervention is delivered by nurses, with modest effects. Consideration should be given to integrating family-based interventions in the primary care among cultures with greater family cohesion.</p
Invisible student engagement among Chinese international students in the UK
No full textResearch with international students has become a subfield in the internationalisation of Higher Education (HE), yet the agentic contributions and achievements of international students are rarely found and acknowledged in the existing literature. As a buzzword and key indicator in educational policy and practice, student engagement remains under-researched when it comes to international student cohorts. The longitudinal, qualitative study reported in this article used Kahu’s conceptual framework of student engagement to critically examine the multidimensional student engagement of 22 Chinese international students in master’s programmes at UK universities. Monthly audio diaries and visually guided interviews allowed for the unpacking of participants’ multifaceted and dynamic processes of student engagement. This paper aims to critically engage with the limited research that uses the lens of student engagement to unpack the complexities of the international student journey, and also to shed light on the invisible student engagement that international students encounter, negotiate and thrive on during this journey. The key factors identified for enhancing student engagement provide suggestions for key stakeholders on how to prepare and support international students. This study highlights the importance of recognising international students as active agents in their educational journeys and advocates for institutional policies that improve inclusive engagement.</p
Building belonging in medical education
No full textBelonging is increasingly recognised as an important component of successful medical education. It affects academic achievement, wellbeing, and professional identity formation. This article examines how this concept applies to undergraduate students on community clinical placements and postgraduate vocational general practice (GP) trainees. Additionally, we consider the broader impact of belonging beyond the learner–on patient safety and quality of care. We explore how structural, cultural and relational factors can promote or hinder a sense of belonging. The shift towards competency-based training, reductions in continuity of care, and changes in the primary care infrastructure and workforce, complicate traditional notions of belonging. This highlights the need for holistic, flexible and inclusive educational practices. Key themes that promote belonging include the importance of connection through peer networks, mentorship, continuity, an inclusive learning environment which fosters psychological safety, and learner autonomy to accommodate differing needs and interests. Forming high quality relationships strengthens all of these. We propose centring a sense of belonging in medical education through a more relational approach. This can better support the development of resilient, reflective and connected general practitioners prepared to meet the evolving needs of primary care.</p
Psychometric properties of the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX) in individuals with a previous cardiac event
No full textThis psychometric study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX) following a cardiac event, and to examine the relationship between self- and informant-ratings. Approximately 7 months post-cardiac event, 196 participants and their informants (N = 179) completed the DEX. Reliability was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis and internal consistency estimates. Construct validity was evaluated using two performance-based neuropsychological tests, the Colour-Word Interference Test and the Trail Making Test (TMT), along with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). A one-factor model showed acceptable fit for the self-assessed DEX (RMSEA = 0.062) with excellent internal consistency (ω > 0.90). Slight positive associations were found between the DEX and the performance-based executive function measures, while strong positive associations emerged between the self-assessed DEX and the HADS. Overall, self-assessed and informant-reported scores did not differ significantly (self-assessed DEX median = 11, Q1–Q3 = 5.75–20; informant-reported DEX median = 11, Q1–Q3 = 4–19, p = 0.924). However, participants with severe executive dysfunction (TMT-B z-scores ≤−2) rated their own symptoms as less severe than informants (p =.001), indicating impaired self-awareness in a subgroup of participants. In conclusion, the DEX provides a useful perspective into general executive dysfunction in daily life but should be complemented with performance-based measures. Trial registration:ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03543371.</p
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