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Respiratory health and chronic disease risks in residents of agricultural areas in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand
Respiratory health and chronic disease risks are prevalent concerns in agricultural communities in Northern Thailand, prompting an assessment of these issues among residents in Chiang Mai. A cross-sectional study involving 145 participants was conducted in San Pa Tong District from October to December 2023, utilizing structured questionnaires and spirometry tests to evaluate lung function and chronic health disease risk. The study found that education and income significantly impacted lung function, with better FVC% and FEV1/FVC% predicted values observed in those with primary education and lower income. Lower DM risk was associated with better lung function (P = 0.023). Logistic regression showed a significant increase in lung function impairment among participants with high to very high DM risk (aOR 9.06, p < 0.05). High CV and COPD risk levels also correlated with lung function impairment, though not all results were statistically significant. The results emphasize the intricate interplay between socioeconomic factors, chronic disease risks, and lung function, advocating for public health interventions that holistically address population respiratory and metabolic health.
The relationship between intradialytic hypotension and health-related quality of life in patients undergoing hemodialysis: a cross-sectional study
Direct-acting antivirals (DAA) positively affect depression and cognitive function in patients with chronic hepatitis C
The aim of the study was to determine how depression and cognitive dysfunction in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are affected by treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAA). Fifty-two chronic hepatitis C patients underwent neurocognitive and psychological evaluation before therapy and 5–6 months later. Depression was measured by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), anxiety by State-Trait Anxiety inventory (STAI), neuroticism by Eysenck Personality Inventory (N/EPO-R), while Ruff Figural Fluency Test (RFFT), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), The Grooved Pegboard Test (GPT), and California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) were used to assess neurocognitive function. There was significant positive change in BDI scores (8.8 ± 6.6 vs 6.1 ± 6.1; p < 0.0001) while the most striking improvement in cognitive tests was observed for CVLT sum of immediate recall from Trial-1 to Trial-5 (50.9 ± 10.0 to 54.1 ± 10.0; p = 0.0005) and RFFT, where the number of unique designs increased from 77.2 ± 21.0 to 86.1 ± 28.3 (p < 0.0001). These differences remained significant when patients with advanced (METAVIR grade F3/F4) and those with mild (grade F0/F1/F2) liver disease were analyzed separately, although in general the improvements were more pronounced in the former group. In conclusion, in chronic HCV infection the brain function is markedly improved by DAA treatment.
Chapman-Kolmogorov test for estimating memory length of two coupled processes
Correction: TGM2, HMGA2, FXYD3, and LGALS4 genes as biomarkers in acquired oxaliplatin resistance of human colorectal cancer: A systems biology approach
Comparative analysis of aesthetic preferences in Chinese freehand paintings among Chinese retired elders beyond gender
Correction: Hyperglycemia and steroid use increase the risk of rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis regardless of COVID-19 hospitalization: Case-control study, India
Insights into the effects of geographical sourcing area on nutrient composition and sensory attributes of nine edible insects
Abstract With the rapidly growing world population, climate change uncertainties and depletion of our natural resources, edible insects are seen as sustainable and viable bioresources for food and feed to tackle global food and nutritional security issues, for their nutritional value, taste, and environmental sustainability. In this study, we investigated the effect of geographical distribution on the nutrient composition and sensory attributes of commonly consumed edible insects, namely Acheta domesticus, Apis mellifera, Gnathocera trivittata, Gryllotalpa africana, Imbrasia oyemensis, Locusta migratoria, Macrotermes subhylanus, Nomadacris septemfasciata, and Rhyncophorus phoenicis collected from six different geographical areas namely Fizi, Kabare, Kalehe, Idjwi, Mwenge and Walungu, in the Eastern D. R. Congo. Depending on edible insect species, geographical sourcing area affected significantly macronutrient composition and mineral profile as well as sensory attributes of investigated commonly edible insects. A principal component analysis (PCA-Biplot) indicated that the two axes accounted for up to 97.7% of the observed variability in the nutrient composition and sensory attributes of commonly consumed edible insects sourced from different geographical area. Visualized results after cluster analysis using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) indicated that the geographical sourcing area has substantial and significant effect on the nutrient composition as well as sensory attributes of the studied commonly edible with a stress value of 0.185.
The big three perfectionism scales: A psychometric characterization of a Chinese music student population
Background Perfectionism as a multidimensional personality trait, is closely related to many important factors affecting mental, emotional, and daily life, and thus has received extensive attention from researchers around the world. The Big Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS) is a widely recognized tool in global research, providing a comprehensive framework for assessing perfectionism through three higher-order factors and ten dimensions. Objectives This study aims to translate and validate the BTPS in the context of music student population in mainland China, assessing its cross-cultural reliability and psychometric properties to ensure its applicability within this specific population. Methods This study evaluated the factor structure, convergent validity, predictive validity, and overall validity of the Chinese version of the BTPS. The methodology involved translating the BTPS into Chinese and conducting cross-cultural validation through experiments with a substantial sample of musical expertise from Chinese mainland (n ≥ 442). Results The results aimed to support the hypothesis that the three-factor structural model of the BTPS demonstrates invariance within this population. Preliminary experimental results indicated that the Chinese version of the BTPS has good validity in the musical expertise population in Chinese mainland (Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.86, 0.95 and 0.94 for the three dimensions, respectively), and the significance of the data (KMO > 0.6, p < 0.05) suggests that it can be further analyzed by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and validation factor analysis (CFA). Conclusions Our preliminary results show the feasibility of cross-cultural research on the findings of psychometric instruments from other countries, and the authors’ pioneering work is also of practical significance in enriching the psychometric instruments on perfectionism in China, which will provide a valid basis for a series of future studies on perfectionism related to music psychology.
Wind power prediction using stacking and transfer learning
Correction: Biodiversity hotspot assessment in the Altai Mountains transboundary region based on Mammals and Aves
Evaluation the root canal shape among residents of Moscow region using cone beam computed tomography scanning
Correction: Maladaptive perfectionism can explain the inverse relationship between dispositional mindfulness and procrastination
A personalized recommendation algorithm for English exercises incorporating fuzzy cognitive models and multiple attention mechanisms
Retraction: An immunoinformatics and extensive molecular dynamics study to develop a polyvalent multi-epitope vaccine against cryptococcosis
The role of urinary biomarkers in the diagnosis of acute kidney injury in patients with liver cirrhosis
Correction: Disparity in neonatal abstinence syndrome by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geography, in neonates ≥ 35 weeks gestational age
Linked survey and statutory health insurance data evaluating healthcare utilization patterns and associated factors of persons with diabetes in Germany – latent class analysis
Abstract Persons with diabetes mellitus have complex healthcare needs. Existing disease management programmes (DMPs) are based on a one-size-fits-all approach. However, individuals might require more individualised care. This study aims to identify groups with different patterns of healthcare utilization among people with diabetes in Germany and factors associated with these different patterns. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a random sample from a statutory health insurance (SHI) with diabetes (n = 1332) and linked to longitudinal SHI data. Latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups with similar patterns of healthcare utilization and factors associated with different patterns. Four patterns of healthcare utilization were identified among people with diabetes: ‘low users’ (20.8% of the total sample); ‘low users with ophthalmologist visit’ (45.2%); ‘high users’ (26.5%); and ‘high users with mental health care’ (7.5%). The classes differed significantly in age, sex, type, duration and severity of diabetes, DMP membership, diabetes training, health-related quality of life, and prevalence of depression. The ‘high users with mental health care’ class was for example younger, more female, had a lower quality of life and the highest prevalence of depression. This study may provide a first basis for thinking about targeted care in Germany beyond DMPs.