Evolution of Jorm's concept of mental health literacy; implications for well-being

Mental health problems are a reality that, according to the WHO, affect more than 450 million people in the world. These disorders have a very high cost, both in terms of social and health care, leading to a poorer quality of life, family costs and discrimination from the rest of society, as a result of the stigma attached to mental health problems. Despite this facts, and the relationship found between well-being and help-seeking, many of those affected do not seek help, partly in an attempt to avoid what the label of being mentally ill carries with it. One of the factors identified for seeking care in cases where the individual's MH is altered, and which is related to stigmatising attitudes, is mental health literacy (MHL), understood as knowledge that helps to recognise, manage and prevent MHPs while reducing stigma. The term MHL was first formally coined in 1997 by Jorm et al. as the set of "knowledge and beliefs about MHPs that aid in their recognition, management or prevention". The authors concluded that MHL includes 3 types of connected concepts: knowledge, attitudes and help-seeking efficacy. However, there is still no consensus on the subject and, as a result, its measurement has been carried out in a rather heterogeneous manner, giving rise to some methodological problems when comparing data. It is from here that the following questions arise: What is MHL? What kinds of issues does the concept encompass in order to establish whether or not a person is MHL literate? What kinds of factors has MHL literacy competence been commonly related to? Although most studies start from Jorm's conception of mental health literacy, when analysing this concept we find different nuances, which need to be taken into account when carrying out future research, especially when developing new instruments for its measurement or implementing educational programmes.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Understanding for Prevention: Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses of Suicide Notes and Forensic Reports

Suicide risk is associated with vulnerabilities and specific life events. The study’s objective was to explore the relevance of data from forensic documentation on suicide deaths to the design of person-centered preventive strategies. Descriptive and thematic analyses were conducted of forensic observations of 286 deaths by suicide, including some with suicide notes. Key findings included the influence of health-and family-related adverse events, emotional states of loss and sadness, and failures of the health system to detect and act on signs of vulnerability, as confirmed by the suicide notes. Forensic documentation provides useful information to improve the targeting of preventive campaigns.Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málag

Quality of life of Brazilian and Spanish cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: an integrative literature review

Objective: characterize the scientific production of Brazil and Spain in regard to methodological aspects and aspects of health-related quality of life experienced by cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in both countries. Method: integrative literature review was conducted using the following databases: CINAHL, MEDLINE, SCOPUS and CUIDEN and the electronic libraries PubMed and SciELO, conducted in September 2013. Results: a total of 28 papers met the inclusion criteria. The synthesis of knowledge was presented in three categories of analysis: assessment of quality of life in different types of cancer; sociodemographic factors that influenced quality of life; and type of cancer and interventions that improve quality of life. Chemotherapy affects health-related quality of life and the most important factors were: age, sex, chemotherapy protocol, type of surgery, stage of the disease, educational level, and emotional intelligence. Complementary therapies such as acupuncture, guided visualization, prayers and exercise were positive and reduced side effects. Conclusion: the results showed a poor level of evidence, since 86% of the studies were cross-sectional descriptive studies; the instrument most frequently used to measure health-related quality of life was EORTC QLQ C-30 and more studies were conducted in Brazil than in Spain.Objetivo: caracterizar la producción científica de Brasil y España en lo que se refiere a los aspectos metodológicos y a los aspectos de la calidad de vida relacionada a la salud, presentados por el paciente con cáncer en tratamiento de quimioterapia de los dos países. Método: revisión integradora de la literatura en las bases de datos: CINAHL, MEDLINE, SCOPUS y CUIDEN y bibliotecas electrónicas PubMed y SciELO, realizado en septiembre de 2013. Resultados: fueron analizados 28 artículos que atendieron los criterios de inclusión. La síntesis del conocimiento fue hecha por tres categorías de análisis: evaluación de la calidad de vida en diferentes tipos de cáncer, factores sociodemográficos que influenciaron la calidad de vida y tipo de cáncer y las intervenciones que mejoraron la calidad de vida. Se evidenció que el tratamiento de quimioterapia afecta la calidad de vida relacionada a la salud, y los factores que más influenciaron fueron edad, sexo, tipo de protocolo de quimioterapia, tipo de cirugía, estado de la enfermedad, nivel de escolaridad e inteligencia emocional. Las terapias complementares, como acupuntura, visualización con imagen guiada, oración y ejercicios, tuvieron efectos positivos en la disminución de los efectos colaterales. Conclusión: los resultados demostraron un nivel de evidencias débil, ya que 86% de los estudios son descriptivos de corte transversal; el instrumento de calidad de vida relacionado a la salud más utilizado fue el EORTC QLQ C-30; y la producción fue predominantemente realizada en Brasil.Objetivo: caracterizar a produção científica do Brasil e Espanha quanto aos aspectos metodológicos e aos aspectos relacionados à qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde, apresentados pelo paciente com câncer em tratamento quimioterápico dos dois países. Método: revisão integrativa da literatura nas bases de dados: CINAHL, MEDLINE, SCOPUS e CUIDEN e bibliotecas eletrônicas PubMed e SciELO, realizado em setembro de 2013. Resultados: foram analisados 28 artigos que atenderam os critérios de inclusão. A síntese do conhecimento foi feita por três categorias de análise: avaliação da qualidade de vida em diferentes tipos de câncer, fatores sociodemográficos que influenciaram a qualidade de vida e o tipo de câncer e as intervenções que melhoram a qualidade de vida. Evidenciou-se que o tratamento quimioterápico afeta a qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde, e os fatores que mais influenciaram foram idade, sexo, tipo de protocolo de quimioterapia, tipo de cirurgia, estádio da doença, nível de escolaridade e inteligência emocional. As terapias complementares, como acupuntura, visualização com imagem guiada, oração e exercícios, tiveram efeitos positivos na diminuição dos efeitos colaterais. Conclusão: os resultados demonstraram nível de evidências fraco, pois 86% dos estudos são descritivos de corte transversal, o instrumento de qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde mais utilizado foi o EORTC QLQ C-30 e a produção foi predominantemente realizada no Brasil

Quality of Life, Physical and Mental Health, and Economic Evaluation of Family Caregivers of Chronic Dependent Children: INFAPRINT Cohort Study Protocol.

Background: Caregivers for children with complex chronic illnesses may experience emotional and physical strain, especially as concerns attention overload and the perceptions of their own psychosocial situation. These concerns, together with the additional financial cost and the socioeconomic inequalities that arise from caregiving responsibilities, create major challenges to the health status of this population group. Methods: A prospective analytical longitudinal study will be conducted, based on an exposed cohort of adult caregivers (parents or guardians) for children with complex chronic processes, to evaluate the impact of caregiving responsibilities on the health status of this population group. Conclusions and implications: The practical implications of this study are of great significance for clinical practice. The results of this study have the potential to inform the decision-making process in the healthcare sector and guide future research initiatives. The findings of this study will provide crucial insights into the health-related quality of life of caregivers of children with complex chronic illnesses, which will be valuable in addressing the challenges faced by this population group. This information can be used to improve the availability and accessibility of appropriate health services and to facilitate the development of more equitable health outcomes for caregivers of children with complex chronic illnesses. By highlighting the extent to which this population is affected both physically and mentally, the study can contribute to the development of clinical practices that prioritize the health and well-being of caregivers in the care of children with complex chronic illnesses.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málag

Particulate matter exposure during pregnancy is associated with birth weight, but not gestational age, 1962-1992: a cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Exposure to air pollutants is suggested to adversely affect fetal growth, but the evidence remains inconsistent in relation to specific outcomes and exposure windows.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using birth records from the two major maternity hospitals in Newcastle upon Tyne in northern England between 1961 and 1992, we constructed a database of all births to mothers resident within the city. Weekly black smoke exposure levels from routine data recorded at 20 air pollution monitoring stations were obtained and individual exposures were estimated via a two-stage modeling strategy, incorporating temporally and spatially varying covariates. Regression analyses, including 88,679 births, assessed potential associations between exposure to black smoke and birth weight, gestational age and birth weight standardized for gestational age and sex.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Significant associations were seen between black smoke and both standardized and unstandardized birth weight, but not for gestational age when adjusted for potential confounders. Not all associations were linear. For an increase in whole pregnancy black smoke exposure, from the 1^st(7.4 μg/m³) to the 25^th(17.2 μg/m³), 50^th(33.8 μg/m³), 75^th(108.3 μg/m³), and 90^th(180.8 μg/m³) percentiles, the adjusted estimated decreases in birth weight were 33 g (SE 1.05), 62 g (1.63), 98 g (2.26) and 109 g (2.44) respectively. A significant interaction was observed between socio-economic deprivation and black smoke on both standardized and unstandardized birth weight with increasing effects of black smoke in reducing birth weight seen with increasing socio-economic disadvantage.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The findings of this study progress the hypothesis that the association between black smoke and birth weight may be mediated through intrauterine growth restriction. The associations between black smoke and birth weight were of the same order of magnitude as those reported for passive smoking. These findings add to the growing evidence of the harmful effects of air pollution on birth outcomes.</p

Capturing the biological impact of CDKN2A and MC1R genes as an early predisposing event in melanoma and non melanoma skin cancer

Germline mutations in CDKN2A and/or red hair color variants in MC1R genes are associated with an increased susceptibility to develop cutaneous melanoma or non melanoma skin cancer. We studied the impact of the CDKN2A germinal mutation p.G101W and MC1R variants on gene expression and transcription profiles associated with skin cancer. To this end we set-up primary skin cell co-cultures from siblings of melanoma prone-families that were later analyzed using the expression array approach. As a result, we found that 1535 transcripts were deregulated in CDKN2A mutated cells, with over-expression of immunity-related genes (HLA-DPB1, CLEC2B, IFI44, IFI44L, IFI27, IFIT1, IFIT2, SP110 and IFNK) and down-regulation of genes playing a role in the Notch signaling pathway. 3570 transcripts were deregulated in MC1R variant carriers. In particular, genes related to oxidative stress and DNA damage pathways were up-regulated as well as genes associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer and Huntington. Finally, we observed that the expression signatures indentified in phenotypically normal cells carrying CDKN2A mutations or MC1R variants are maintained in skin cancer tumors (melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma). These results indicate that transcriptome deregulation represents an early event critical for skin cancer development

Starlikeness of Libera transformation (II) (Applications of Complex Function Theory to Differential Equations)

The GEOTRACES Intermediate Data Product 2017 (IDP2017) is the second publicly available data product of the international GEOTRACES programme, and contains data measured and quality controlled before the end of 2016. The IDP2017 includes data from the Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Southern and Indian oceans, with about twice the data volume of the previous IDP2014. For the first time, the IDP2017 contains data for a large suite of biogeochemical parameters as well as aerosol and rain data characterising atmospheric trace element and isotope (TEI) sources. The TEI data in the IDP2017 are quality controlled by careful assessment of intercalibration results and multi-laboratory data comparisons at crossover stations. The IDP2017 consists of two parts: (1) a compilation of digital data for more than 450 TEIs as well as standard hydrographic parameters, and (2) the eGEOTRACES Electronic Atlas providing an on-line atlas that includes more than 590 section plots and 130 animated 3D scenes. The digital data are provided in several formats, including ASCII, Excel spreadsheet, netCDF, and Ocean Data View collection. Users can download the full data packages or make their own custom selections with a new on-line data extraction service. In addition to the actual data values, the IDP2017 also contains data quality flags and 1-σ data error values where available. Quality flags and error values are useful for data filtering and for statistical analysis. Metadata about data originators, analytical methods and original publications related to the data are linked in an easily accessible way. The eGEOTRACES Electronic Atlas is the visual representation of the IDP2017 as section plots and rotating 3D scenes. The basin-wide 3D scenes combine data from many cruises and provide quick overviews of large-scale tracer distributions. These 3D scenes provide geographical and bathymetric context that is crucial for the interpretation and assessment of tracer plumes near ocean margins or along ridges. The IDP2017 is the result of a truly international effort involving 326 researchers from 25 countries. This publication provides the critical reference for unpublished data, as well as for studies that make use of a large cross-section of data from the IDP2017. This article is part of a special issue entitled: Conway GEOTRACES - edited by Tim M. Conway, Tristan Horner, Yves Plancherel, and Aridane G. González

Association of Melanocortin-1 Receptor Variants with Pigmentary Traits in Humans: A Pooled Analysis from the M-Skip Project

BACKGROUND: The melanocortin-1-receptor (MC1R) gene regulates human pigmentation and is highly polymorphic in populations of European origins. The aims of this study were to evaluate the association between MC1R variants and the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), and to investigate whether risk estimates differed by phenotypic characteristics. METHODS: Data on 3527 NMSC cases and 9391 controls were gathered through the M-SKIP Project, an international pooled-analysis on MC1R, skin cancer and phenotypic characteristics. We calculated summary odds ratios (SOR) with random-effect models, and performed stratified analyses. RESULTS: Subjects carrying at least one MC1R variant had an increased risk of NMSC overall, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC): SOR (95%CI) were 1.48 (1.24-1.76), 1.39 (1.15-1.69) and 1.61 (1.35-1.91), respectively. All of the investigated variants showed positive associations with NMSC, with consistent significant results obtained for V60L, D84E, V92M, R151C, R160W, R163Q and D294H: SOR (95%CI) ranged from 1.42 (1.19-1.70) for V60L to 2.66 (1.06-6.65) for D84E variant. In stratified analysis, there was no consistent pattern of association between MC1R and NMSC by skin type, but we consistently observed higher SORs for subjects without red hair. CONCLUSIONS: Our pooled-analysis highlighted a role of MC1R variants in NMSC development and suggested an effect modification by red hair colour phenotype