Burden among caregivers for children with asthma: A mixed-method study in Guangzhou, China

Objective: Research suggests that caregivers of children with asthma experience a substantial amount of stress, though no comprehensive study examines this problem. Here we both quantitatively and qualitatively examined the burden on caregivers of children with asthma. Methods: Surveys were administered to 138 caregivers of asthmatic children by convenience sampling. The Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (ZBI) was used to assess the degree of caregiver burden. In addition, 13 qualitative semi-structured interviews were carried out via purposive sampling and were used to explore the perception of caregivers. SPSS and content analysis were used to analyze quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. Results: We found that caregiver burden (mean = 31.56 ± 14.19) ranged from 24% with no or mild burden, 52% with mild to moderate burden, 22% with moderate to severe burden and 2% with very severe burden. Caregiver burden was also assessed as 5 different dimensions. Self-criticism ranked most burdensome (2.09 ± 1.05), followed by sacrifice (1.57 ± 0.94), embarrassment/anger (1.30 ± 0.80), dependency (1.21 ± 0.77), and lastly, loss of control (1.20 ± 0.84). The highest individually scored item on the ZBI was “fear of the future of the relative” (mean = 3.04). Interviews of caregiver burden were summarized into three main themes, namely: 1) life is too chaotic; 2) negative emotions; and 3) gaps in the medical support system. Conclusions: These findings expand our understanding about the burden caregivers of children with asthma face, and may help to propose targeted strategies to help caregivers adapt to their roles, and maintain and promote the health of themselves and their families

TC: Association between Pro12Ala polymorphism of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma 2 and myocardial infarction in the Chinese Han population. Clin.Cardiol

Purpose: The Pro12Ala polymorphism of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ2 (PPARγ2) gene is reported to be associated with diabetes. However, the gene's association with diabetic retinopathy (DR) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been investigated in numerous epidemiologic studies with controversial results. This metaanalysis aimed to collectively assess the association of the Pro12Ala polymorphism with DR in T2DM. Methods: An electronic literature search was conducted on PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, EMBASE, and the China National Knowledge Internet. A dominant model [(Pro/Ala +Ala/Ala) versus Pro/Pro] was used to ensure adequate statistical power. Crude odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the fixed effect model. Potential sources of heterogeneity and bias were explored. Results: This meta-analysis included genotype data from 2,720 cases with DR and 2,450 controls free of DR from eight eligible publications. The results showed the Ala allele had a protective effect on DR in T2DM (OR=0.81; 95% CI: 0.68-0.98, p=0.03). There was no significant evidence against homogeneity (I 2 =46%, Pheterogeneity=0.07). The sensitivity analysis showed a robust association of the Pro12Ala polymorphism with DR in T2DM after a study involving Caucasians that presented a big effect on heterogeneity (OR=0.75; 95% CI: 0.62-0.91, p=0.003) was excluded. Possible ethnic differences in the association of the Pro12Ala single nucleotide polymorphism and DR were demonstrated; a significant association was illustrated in the Caucasian subgroup (OR=0.74; 95% CI: 0.59-0.94, p=0.01) but was not found in the Asian subgroup (OR=0.77; 95% CI: 0.55-1.07, p=0.12). No publication bias was observed. Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggested a significant association exists between the Pro12Ala polymorphism and DR in T2DM with ethnic differences. The Ala allele had a significant protective effect against DR in T2DM. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the fifth most common cause of irreversible vision loss in working-age adults in the world, accounting for approximately 4.8% of global blindness Epidemiologic studies suggest that the severity of DR closely correlates with the glycemic level and diabetes duration The frequency of the Ala allele of the Pro12Ala polymorphism in the PPAR-γ2 gene has been reported to range from 2% to 18% in healthy people Recently, some reports demonstrated that the Ala allele is associated with reduced risk of diabetic nephropath

Electron doping induced stable ferromagnetism in two-dimensional GdI_3 monolayer

As a two-dimensional material with a hollow hexatomic ring structure, N\'eel-type anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) GdI3 can be used as a theoretical model to study the effect of electron doping. Based on first-principles calculations, we find that the Fermi surface nesting occurs when more than 1/3 electron per Gd is doped, resulting in the failure to obtain a stable ferromagnetic (FM) state. More interestingly, GdI3 with appropriate Mg/Ca doping (1/6 Mg/Ca per Gd) turns to be half-metallic FM state. This AFM-FM transition results from the transfer of doped electrons to the spatially expanded Gd-5d orbital, which leads to the FM coupling of local half-full Gd-4f electrons through 5d-4f hybridization. Moreover, the shortened Gd-Gd length is the key to the formation of the stable ferromagnetic coupling. Our method provides new insights into obtaining stable FM materials from AFM materials.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure

SHAP decision of the RF model (left) and misclassified data (right).

SHAP decision of the RF model (left) and misclassified data (right).</p

PDP for feature APACHE II (left) and SOFA (right).

PDP for feature APACHE II (left) and SOFA (right).</p

Baseline information.

Baseline information.</p

The ROC curves for the LR model (left) and RF model (right).

The ROC curves for the LR model (left) and RF model (right).</p

Confusion matrix of the LR model (left) and RF model (right).

Confusion matrix of the LR model (left) and RF model (right).</p