Introduction to a Culturally Sensitive Measure of Well-Being: Combining Life Satisfaction and Interdependent Happiness Across 49 Different Cultures

How can one conclude that well-being is higher in country A than country B, when well-being is being measured according to the way people in country A think about well-being? We address this issue by proposing a new culturally sensitive method to comparing societal levels of well-being. We support our reasoning with data on life satisfaction and interdependent happiness focusing on individual and family, collected mostly from students, across forty-nine countries. We demonstrate that the relative idealization of the two types of well-being varies across cultural contexts and are associated with culturally different models of selfhood. Furthermore, we show that rankings of societal well-being based on life satisfaction tend to underestimate the contribution from interdependent happiness. We introduce a new culturally sensitive method for calculating societal well-being, and examine its construct validity by testing for associations with the experience of emotions and with individualism-collectivism. This new culturally sensitive approach represents a slight, yet important improvement in measuring well-being

The perceived vulnerability to disease scale: Cross‐cultural measurement invariance and associations with fear of COVID‐19 across 16 countries

Using cross‐sectional data from N = 4274 young adults across 16 countries during the COVID‐19 pandemic, we examined the cross‐cultural measurement invariance of the perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD) scale and tested the hypothesis that the association between PVD and fear of COVID‐19 is stronger under high disease threat [that is, absence of COVID‐19 vaccination, living in a country with lower Human Development Index (HDI) or higher COVID‐19 mortality]. Results supported a bi‐factor Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling model where items loaded on a global PVD factor, and on the sub‐factors of Perceived Infectability and Germ Aversion. However, cross‐national invariance could only be obtained on the configural level with a reduced version of the PVD scale (PVD‐r), suggesting that the concept of PVD may vary across nations. Moreover, higher PVD‐r was consistently associated with greater fear of COVID‐19 across all levels of disease threat, but this association was especially pronounced among individuals with a COVID‐19 vaccine, and in contexts where COVID‐19 mortality was high. The present research brought clarity into the dimensionality of the PVD measure, discussed its suitability and limitations for cross‐cultural research, and highlighted the pandemic‐related conditions under which higher PVD is most likely to go along with psychologically maladaptive outcomes, such as fear of COVID‐19

Societal emotional environments and cross-cultural differences in life satisfaction: A forty-nine country study.

In this paper, we introduce the concept of ‘societal emotional environment’: the emotional climate of a society (operationalized as the degree to which positive and negative emotions are expressed in a society). Using data collected from 12,888 participants across 49 countries, we show how societal emotional environments vary across countries and cultural clusters, and we consider the potential importance of these differences for well-being. Multilevel analyses supported a ‘double-edged sword’ model of negative emotion expression, where expression of negative emotions predicted higher life satisfaction for the expresser but lower life satisfaction for society. In contrast, partial support was found for higher societal life satisfaction in positive societal emotional environments. Our study highlights the potential utility and importance of distinguishing between positive and negative emotion expression, and adopting both individual and societal perspectives in well-being research. Individual pathways to happiness may not necessarily promote the happiness of others

Introduction to a culturally sensitive measure of well-being: Combining life satisfaction and interdependent happiness across 49 different cultures

How can one conclude that well-being is higher in country A than country B, when wellbeing is being measured according to the way people in country A think about wellbeing? We address this issue by proposing a new culturally sensitive method to comparing societal levels of well-being. We support our reasoning with data on life satisfaction and interdependent happiness focusing on individual and family, collected mostly from students, across forty-nine countries. We demonstrate that the relative idealization of the two types of wellbeing varies across cultural contexts and are associated with culturally different models of selfhood. Furthermore, we show that rankings of societal well-being based on life satisfaction tend to underestimate the contribution from interdependent happiness. We introduce a new culturally sensitive method for calculating societal well-being, and examine its construct validity by testing for associations with the experience of emotions and with individualism-collectivism. This new culturally sensitive approach represents a slight, yet important improvement in measuring well-being

Contribution of power doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis of renal pathology in infants and children

PURPOSE: To evaluate imaging criteria and compare the predictive value of Power Doppler ultrasonography [PD (US)] with the “golden standard” of reference, i.e. technetium-99m dimercaptosussinic acid (DMSA) scan (⁹⁹ᵐTc-DMSA), in the detection and localization of acute pyelonephritis in children. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Seventy-four (74) infants and children with clinical symptoms and signs consistent with possible upper urinary tract infection were evaluated with Power Doppler sonography and ⁹⁹ᵐTc-DMSA. All children with vesicoureteral reflux, renal collecting system dilatation and other gray-scale anatomic abnormalities were excluded from the study; a total of 147 kidneys were examined, within the first two days (48 hours) after the onset of symptoms. Each kidney was divided into three zones (upper, middle and lower third). Three females with corticomedullary renal abscess were separately studied. RESULTS: Pyelonephritis was diagnosed by PD US in 46 kidneys and by DMSA in 42. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of PD for detecting pyelonephritis, using ⁹⁹ᵐTc-DMSA as the standard of reference, were 73.8%, 85.7%, 67.4% and 89.1%, respectively. The strength of agreement between PD US and DMSA scan was superior for the left, compared to the right kidney. A good strength of agreement between PD US and DMSA scan in the localization of lesions was found. In all three cases of intrarrenal abscess, the characteristic peripheral hypervascularity was noted on PD sonographic evaluation. In a 7-year old girl, with clinical findings consistent with acute pyelonephritis, isolated focal nephritis resulted in a renal abscess, which was diagnosed by gray-scale and PD US, 10 days after the initial evaluation. In another case, 2.5 months after clinically successful treatment, a suspect hyperechoic spot on gray-scale US was noted. On the contrary, PD color signal was normal throughout the kidney, excluding the possibility of a renal scar. CONCLUSIONS: In clinically suspected acute pyelonephritis, Power Doppler ultrasonography has an acceptable specificity and sensitivity, if performed within the first 48 hours, and could be quite helpful for neonates and children under three months of age, where the use of scintigraphy is generally discouraged. PD US can be also helpful in the (differential) diagnosis of intrarenal abscesses.ΣΚΟΠΟΣ: Η διερεύνηση της διαγνωστικής αξίας συγκεκριμένων κριτηρίων για τo δυναμικό υπερηχογράφημα (Power Doppler-PD) στην εκτίμηση της οξείας πυελονεφρίτιδας (ΟΠ) σε παιδιά, χρησιμοποιώντας το σπινθηρογράφημα µε ⁹⁹ᵐTc-DMSA ως µέθοδο αναφοράς. ΥΛΙΚΟ ΚΑΙ ΜΕΘΟ∆ΟΙ: Εβδομήντα τέσσερα (74) βρέφη και παιδιά µε πιθανή κλινικά λοίμωξη του ανώτερου ουροποιητικού υποβλήθηκαν σε απλό και δυναμικό υπερηχογράφημα και σπινθηρογράφημα µε ⁹⁹ᵐTc-DMSA. Παιδιά µε κυστεοουρητηρική παλινδρόμηση, διάταση του πυελοκαλυκικού συστήματος και άλλες ανατομικές ανωμαλίες στο απλό υπερηχογράφημα εξαιρέθηκαν από τη μελέτη. Συνολικά, µελετήθηκαν 147 νεφροί, εντός 48 h από την έναρξη των συμπτωμάτων. Κάθε νεφρός χωρίστηκε σε άνω, µέσο και κάτω τριτημόριο. Μελετήθηκαν, ακόμη, τρία κορίτσια µε φλοιονεφρικό απόστημα. ΑΠΟΤΕΛΕΣΜΑΤΑ: Η διάγνωση της ΟΠ ετέθη µε το PD σε 46 νεφρούς και µε το DMSA σε 42. Η ευαισθησία, η ειδικότητα, η θετική και αρνητική προγνωστική αξία της µεθόδου, έχοντας ως µέθοδο αναφοράς το ⁹⁹ᵐTc-DMSA σπινθηρογράφημα, ήταν 73,8, 85,7%, 67,4% και 89,1%, αντίστοιχα. Η ισχύς συμφωνίας µεταξύ PD και DMSA ήταν υψηλότερη για τον αριστερό, σε σύγκριση µε το δεξιό νεφρό. Παρατηρήθηκε καλή συμφωνία µεταξύ PD και ⁹⁹ᵐTc-DMSA, ως προς την εντόπιση των βλαβών. Στις τρεις περιπτώσεις αποστημάτων, στον έλεγχο µε ΡD US φάνηκε περιφερική αγγείωση του τοιχώματος των αποστημάτων, εύρημα που, στη µία περίπτωση, ήταν σε συμφωνία µε την απεικόνιση µε CT. Σε ένα κορίτσι 7 ετών µε κλινική εικόνα ΟΠ, διαπιστώθηκε υπερηχοϊκή εστία στο απλό υπερηχογράφημα (εστιακή πυελονεφρίτιδα), που µετά από δέκα ημέρες εξελίχθηκε σε αληθές φλοιονεφρικό απόστηµα. Σε άλλη περίπτωση, 2,5 µήνες µετά το πέρας της θεραπείας, στο απλό υπερηχογράφηµα διακρινόταν ύποπτη υπερηχοϊκή περιοχή στο έσω χείλος, ενώ το χρωματικό σήμα από το PD έφτανε µέχρι και τα έξω όρια του φλοιού, αποκλείοντας, έτσι, το ενδεχόμενο νεφρικής ουλής. ΣΥΜΠΕΡΑΣΜΑΤΑ: Σε κλινική υπόνοια ΟΠ, το δυναμικό υπερηχογράφημα αποτελεί αρκετά ευαίσθητη και ειδική µέθοδο. Η µέθοδος είναι ιδιαίτερα χρήσιμη σε νεογνά και βρέφη ηλικίας <3 µηνών, όπου το σπινθηρογράφημα είναι, γενικά, καλό να αποφεύγεται. Ο συνδυασμός ασπρόμαυρου υπερηχογραφήματος και PD είναι ιδιαίτερα χρήσιμος στη (διαφορική) διάγνωση των αποστημάτων του νεφρού

EFFECT OF HELICOBACTER PYLORI ERADICATION ON HEPATIC STEATOSIS, NAFLD FIBROSIS SCORE AND HSENSI IN PATIENTS WITH NONALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS: a MR imaging-based pilot open-label study

Context Limited clinical data suggest Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection may contribute to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) pathogenesis. Objectives The effect of Hp eradication on hepatic steatosis (magnetic resonance imaging), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score and HSENSI (Homocysteine, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis Index) in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients. Methods Thirteen adult patients with biopsy-proven nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, asymptomatic for gastrointestinal disease, underwent 13C urea breath test; Hp positive patients received eradication therapy until repeat test become negative. Hepatic fat fraction, standard biochemical tests and calculation of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score and HSENSI were performed at baseline and month 12. Results Hepatic fat fraction was similar for between and within group comparisons. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score showed a non-significant trend towards decrease in Hp(+) [-0.34 (-1.39-0.29) at baseline and -0.24 (-0.99-0.71) at month 12; P = 0.116], whereas increase in Hp(-) group [-0.38 (-1.72-0.11) and -0.56 (-1.43-0.46), respectively; P = 0.249]. HSENSI was significantly decreased only in Hp(+) group [1.0 (1.0-2.0) at baseline and 1.0 (0-1.0) at month 12; P = 0.048]. Conclusions Hp eradication had no long-term effect on hepatic steatosis, but showed a trend towards improvement in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score and HSENSI. These results warrant larger studies with paired biopsies