Prevalence of medicine-related challenges in everyday life among lithuanian patients – a community pharmacy-based survey using the 15-stars questionnaire.

The author of the Master's thesis. Vitas Brazauskas Master thesis title. Prevalence of Medicine-related Challenges in Everyday Life Among Lithuanian Patients – a Community Pharmacy-based Survey Using the 15-STARS Questionnaire The aim. Objective: To investigate and describe difficulties in adherence to medication regimens among patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes using the STARS 15 questionnaire developed by researchers at the University of Basel. Methodology of investigation. The quantitative research method is an anonymous questionnaire survey. The Lithuanian version of the STARS-15 questionnaire is used to collect data. The method of selection of subjects is convenient targeted non-probability sampling. Study participants are patients with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, or both of the previously mentioned diseases. The obtained data were processed by the SPSS 29.0.2.0 program, using descriptive statistics methods. Descriptive analysis was used to calculate percentages for categorical variables and means with standard deviations for numerical variables. The chi square criterion of statistical relationship between the characteristics was used to evaluate the qualitative characteristics. Results are considered statistically significant when p<0.05. Research results. In conclusion, women have better knowledge of their medications and their use than men, and better adherence to medication regimens. Statistically significant (p<0.05) questions included medication recognition, difficulty preparing to take the medication, purchasing medication before it runs out, and nonadherence to the medication regimen due to fear of drug habituation. People living in urban areas have better knowledge about their medications and their use than people living in rural areas, and better adherence to medication regimens. The survey showed that people living in rural areas missed doses of their medicine more often than people living in urban areas, and also that people living in rural areas stopped taking one of their medicines without telling their doctor more often than people living in urban areas. The research analysis showed trends and differences between people of different educational levels and their attitudes towards medication use and related habits. People with a higher level of education answered positively more often to questions about whether they recognize their medication and whether they understand the instructions for its use. This shows that these aspects are closely related to the level of education. The majority of the subjects, regardless of the level of education, do not tell the doctor if they stop taking the medication. This shows a possible lack of communication and trust between doctors and patients. Conclusions. After analyzing the obtained statistical data, it can be said that women and people living in urban areas have better knowledge about their medications and adhere better to the medication regimen than men and people living in rural areas. Men are less likely to recognize their medications, have more problems with medication preparation and regimen, and are more likely to not follow their doctor's orders. Also, people living in rural areas experience similar problems more often than urban residents. People with a higher level of education were more likely to respond positively to questions about medication use and have better adherence to the regimen than people with secondary and vocational education. Patients with type 2 diabetes or hypertension and other diseases are more likely to experience difficulties in taking medication. This shows that it is necessary to pay attention to patient education and cooperation with health professionals in order to improve medication habits and improve the treatment process of patients

The associations between conviction rates, personality disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and aggressive behavior.

Relationships of number of convictions, severity of personality disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder to aggressive behavior. Martynas Kostiuska. Vilnius University. Vilnius, 2024, p. 58. The purpose of this work was to determine whether there is a relationship between the number of convictions, severity of personality disorder, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and aggressive behavior. The main goal of this work is to analyze the relationship between the number of convictions, personality disorder and post-traumatic stress with aggressive behavior. A total of 124 male adults participated in the study, of which 81 were criminally charged, and the remaining 51 were not. Subjects ranged in age from 21 to 64 years (M = 37 SD = 10.3). The research participants were interviewed using paper questionnaires. The instruments used in the study were the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ), the PDS - ICD - 11 for measuring the severity of personality disorder, and the Buss - Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ). Correlation and regression analysis and comparison of averages revealed significant relationships between the number of convictions, severity of personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and aggressive behavior. A higher number of convictions statistically significantly predicted aggressive behavior, especially physical and verbal aggression, but did not predict hostility. The severity of the personality disorder significantly predicted aggression, and particularly anger. PTSD significantly predicted aggression and all of its subscales

A CMOS-integrated terahertz near-field sensor based on an ultra-strongly coupled meta-atom /

Recently, plasmonic-based sensors operating in the terahertz frequency range have emerged as perspective tools for rapid and efficient label-free biosensing applications. In this work, we present a fully electronic approach allowing us to achieve state-of-the-art sensitivity by utilizing a near-field-coupled electronic sensor. We demonstrate that the proposed concept enables the efficient implementation and probing of a so-called ultra-strongly coupled sub-wavelength meta-atom as well as a single resonant circuit, allowing to limit the volume of material under test down to a few picoliter range. The sensor has been monolithically integrated into a cost-efficient silicon-based CMOS technology. Our findings are supported by both numerical and analytical models and validated through experiments. They lay the groundwork for near-future developments, outlining the perspectives for a terahertz microfluidic lab-on-chip dielectric spectroscopy sensor

The value of automatic abdominal aortic aneurysm detection for aortic volume measurement. literature review and volume model development.

For almost 20 years, aortic diameter has been the main parameter used not only for diagnosing aortic aneurysms, but also for surveillance, clinical decision-making and follow-ups after interventions. Despite its widespread use, diameter measurement has some relevant limitations. Therefore, aortic aneurysm volume measurement has recently been reported as a superior and more accurate method than diameter. Although volume measurement excels in detecting aneurysm sac changes post-endovascular interventions and more accurately reflects aneurysm growth, it still not used in daily clinical practice due to technical limitations. Given that high time consumption is considered the primary drawback of volume measurement, leading to a mismatch between workload and workforce, this study aimed to compare the time consumption of manual and fully automatic aortic aneurysm volume measurement. Ten sets of abdominal and pelvic computed tomography angiography (CTA) images from 10 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (totaling 20 CTA image series) were utilized. Aortic and common iliac artery volumes were calculated manually in all patients using the 3mensio and OsiriX software and automatically using the EndoArt artificial intelligence algorithm. The time consumption for each measurement was recorded and then compared. Statistically significantly higher time costs were observed for manual volume calculation compared to fully automatic measurement (p<0.001, based on Wilcoxon's criterion). These findings highlight the benefits of automatic aortic aneurysm volume measurement. Implementing automatic volume measurement in clinical practice would save time, mitigate the mismatch between workload and workforce, and enable more accurate detection of small yet clinically relevant aneurysm size changes

Skaitvardžių reikšmės interpretacija: kairiojo skaitmens nuokrypio, afektinės vertės ir lingvistinių bruožų sąveikos tyrimas.

Originally described as a somewhat puzzling aspect of erroneous price judgements (e.g., judging $4.99 as closer to$4.00 than to $5.00), left-digit bias has since been observed across a wide range of domains, such as medicine, education, and competitive sports. Individually, these observations have all been interpreted as consequences of the imprecise mental mapping between abstract magnitudes (i.e., •••••) and their symbolic representations (i.e., 5), invariant across all aforementioned domains, dimensions, and scales. However, much less work has been done in order to reconcile this psychological perspective with the principles of pragmatics, governing the context-specific constraints of numeral meaning. In an effort to bridge this gap, the current thesis aims to establish how left-digit bias, valence, and selected linguistic features contribute to speakers’ numeral interpretations. Using a combination of experimental and corpus data, aspects of left-digit bias are examined across various scales, sentential contexts, and languages. Based on data from 116 participants, the experimental portion reveals the degree of bias exhibited by English speakers across 30 different measurement scales and sentential contexts, as well as its lack of interaction with attribute-level affective valence. A context-sensitive model of numeral processing is proposed on the basis of these findings. The main assumption of the model is corroborated by corpus data from three different languages. However, further research is needed to establish the sensitivity of the bias to additional linguistic features. The implications of these findings for the relevant subfields of psychology and linguistics are discussed

The role of other people in an internet-based intervention for individuals experiencing tinnitus: participants' perspective.

The role of other people in the context of internet-based psychological interventions for tinnitus is understudied, despite its potential significance for the effectiveness of interventions. The purpose of this study is to better understand how this role unfolds in an online psychological intervention and what the implications of that role are, based on the experiences and perspectives of the participants. The study included 14 respondents (12 women, 2 men, mean age 50 years) who suffer from chronic tinnitus and participated in the “Pagalba tinitui“ program. To analyse the data from the semi-structured interviews inductive thematic analysis was used. Three categories were identified from the data: received social support, perceived social support, and selective self-disclosure. The results revealed that the role of others in the context of online intervention is to elate, support, listen, stay, help, and inform. However, participants do not recognize and appreciate this role. The results of this study show that not only the role of others is important, but also whether this role is recognized. Therefore, to optimize the effectiveness of online psychological interventions, participants should also be taught to recognise and appreciate the role and importance of others

Effects of occupational therapy interventions on children with autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review.

Background: According to 2023 World Health Organization data, about 1 of 100 children in the world has autism spectrum disorders. From 2016 to 2021 in Lithuania the number of persons from 0 to17 years old with registered autism per 100,000 children increased from 105,6 to 238,9. Studies show that occupational therapy has a positive effect on children with autism spectrum disorders self-care and social skills. In the last years, more and more scientists in their studies analyze the effect of different occupational therapy methods on children with ASD. In order to better and effectively help children with ASD and their families, it is necessary to find out which occupational therapy measures are best to apply on children with autism spectrum disorders, and what their effectiveness depends on. The aim of research work: To investigate the effects of different occupational therapy interventions on the self-care and social skills of children with autism spectrum disorders. Tasks of work: 1. To analyze which occupational therapy interventions have an effect on the self-care skills of children with autism spectrum disorders 2. To analyze which occupational therapy interventions have an effect on the social skills of children with autism spectrum disorders 3. To compare the effects of different occupational therapy interventions on children with autism spectrum disorders and to find out which of them are the most effective to improve these children's self-care and social skills. Materials and methods: The systematic review was conducted by using Web Of Science" and "PubMed" databases. The search was conducted based on the PICO method, and the selection was based on the requirements of the PRISMA (preferred reporting item for systematic review and meta-analyses) systematic review model. Studies, which publication date were between 2014 and 2024 (until 10 years old) were searched. The results of the applied intervention were assessed according to significance - &#945; = 0.05 and the effect size - Cohen d coefficient. The RoB-2 instrument was used to determine the quality of articles. Results: 13 articles were included in this systematic review. 12 of these were randomized controlled trials and in one trial allocation to groups was performed by the parents of the participants. After analyzing the selected publications, the interventions were divided into three groups: group therapy, sensory integration therapy, individual therapy. A statistically significant difference (p<0,05) in results between EG and KG self-care skills at the final evaluation was found for 3 of 4 SIT interventions, 3 of 4 GT interventions, and only 1 of 5 IT used by occupational therapist. All SIT and IT interventions, analyzed in the work, statistically significantly improved the social skills of children with ASD, and the authors of only one publication analyzing GT obtained a statistically insignificant difference between their EG and KG. The greatest effect on the self-care skills of children with ASD was the TEACCH structured activity method adapted by GT (d=1.445), and on social skills - SIT according to the Ayres principles (d=1.297) and the intervention used by IT "TEACCH" (d=1.064). Conclusions: The intervention used by occupational therapists, which has the greatest impact on children with ASD self-care skills is "TEACCH" method. In the area of social skills, the greatest positive change of children with ASD was observed by parents after SIT, which was based on the principles of sensory integration described by Ayres, and by specialists - after Self-Regulation Learning (SRL) intervention

Įtaigos metodų analizė Rusijos ir Ukrainos karo propagandos kontekste.

This research paper examines how Russia-Ukraine war related news is presented by social actors who are not directly participating in the war, more specifically, it analyzes how news related to this particular conflict is presented in the American media. By analyzing the posts from the social platform X published by two congresswomen – Nancy Pelosi and Marjorie Taylor Greene, the study aims to investigate what ideas and narratives these congresswomen wanted to convey to their readers and what techniques were employed to achieve this goal. The analysis has revealed that the attitudes of the congresswomen towards the same questions differ, which can be explained not only by the existence of different personal attitudes but also by the representation of different political parties and their ideas. Besides that, the study illustrates how seven propaganda techniques, created by the Institute of Propaganda Analysis (IPA), were employed by congresswomen to persuade people, in such a way demonstrating how propaganda can be easily detected in everyday situations

Feminism under militarization: armenia's case study.

As a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and other security challenges, Armenia has been heavily militarized over the past 30 years and is now considered one of the most militarized countries in the world. Patriarchal power relations are also deeply rooted in the country. This disproportionately affects women, as studies show. For example, they face poverty, sexual abuse, they tend to underestimate their own security. In such societies, women have virtually no access to higher-level security debates, and therefore do so mainly through the non-governmental sector. Just as feminist studies have pointed out that the experience of conflict is gendered, so in Armenia women's movements raise issues related to women's rights, the impact of militarisation and conflict, and peace. However, women activists are also affected by militarisation and the changing security situation. The aim of this study is to analyze how feminist women's movements in Armenia are affected by militarisation and conflict, which disproportionately affect women. Also, what are their opportunities to engage on security issues in a way that provides an alternative to the dominant militaristic (male) narrative. In order to achieve this, a qualitative case study was conducted. The data for the study consisted of 8 semi-structured in-depth interviews with women working on the above issues in Armenia, as well as secondary sources. The empirical part of the study was divided into four parts: the impact of militarisation on women, feminism in the context of militarisation (and insecurity), women's involvement in the armed forces, and women's capacity to change the dominant narrative. The study revealed that militarisation, patriarchal power relations and the evolution of conflict have also affected women's movements, leading to changes in their attitudes. After 2020, as Armenia went from a winner to a loser, anti-militarism was increasingly replaced by liberal feminism, and activists became less critical of militarisation and more supportive of military measures because "there is no other choice". This can be explained through a growing sense of insecurity - antimilitarist themes are more popular among women who do not feel existentially threatened by the disappearance of the state .Now that Azerbaijan is threatening Armenia itself, women (as well as society as a whole) feel even more insecure and are more likely to see taking up arms as the only option. This also shows 62 that women are concerned about state security (regardless of their views) and are looking for ways to participate in it. Armenia’s case study shows that liberal feminists are less likely to emphasize the negative effects of militarisation, to support the government, and not to criticize the military. In other words, not to offer any alternative to the dominant militarist narrative. The other group – anti-militarists who criticize militarization, emphasize the negative impact on women – do not feel free to do so, and are less involved. In other words, while the role of women in society seems to be changing (they are encouraged to join the military), inclusion is selective - only those who agree with the dominant narrative are heard. Given that militarisation and conflict negatively affect women, many women's needs remain unmet. In other words, militarisation is further justified by the voices of women activists themselves. The study is significant given that more and more states are militarizing and there is more discussion about the role of women in national defense. The study may also offer some recommendations for future research. 1) A more in-depth analysis of the situation of women in the militaries of patriarchal countries such as Armenia. 2) Comparative studies would be useful to understand more about feminism in militarized and patriarchal states. For example, compare the case of Armenia with that of Azerbaijan

The relationship between antenatal preparation, hospital birth experience and symptoms of postnatal depression in first-time mothers.

This study aimed to understand how preparation for childbirth is related to the experience of childbirth in a hospital and postpartum depression and what are the connections between the experience of childbirth in a hospital and postpartum depression. 1179 women aged from 18 to 45 years. (M = 29,53, SD = 3,9) participated in the research. Research participants from all over Lithuania filled out a survey distributed online. Birth preparation and hospital birth experiences were investigated by a survey developed by Motinystę globojančių iniciatyvų sąjunga, and postpartum depression symptoms were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Analyzing the preparation for childbirth, it was found that women who participate in educational preparation activities were more satisfied with their knowledge about childbirth, and women who participated in psychological preparation activities before childbirth felt better prepared psychologically for it. No significant correlations were found between participation in educational, physical activity preparation activities and medical childbirth experience. Women who participated in educational and psychological preparation for childbirth activities used more non-drug pain relief methods, but experienced similar levels of pain as women who did not participate in such activities. Participation in educational childbirth preparation programs is associated with more active participation in decision-making during childbirth. Women who participated in psychological preparation activities were less satisfied with the care they received during and after childbirth, and women who participated in these activities also faced a higher risk of postpartum depression. More symptoms of postpartum depression were experienced by women who gave birth by caesarean section and those who experienced a higher level of pain. Assessment of psychological preparation for childbirth and satisfaction with knowledge about childbirth are significant predictors of postpartum depression symptoms. The study provides important insights into the perspectives of childbirth preparation