The perception of adolescents’ inter-parental conflict and accompanied emotional security: A descriptive study

How Egyptian adolescents respond to their parents’ inter-parental conflict is relatively unexplored. This descriptive study was completed with adolescents to determine their perceptions of inter-parental conflict and the impact of this on their level of emotional security. Two hundred students from Zagazig city in Egypt aged between 13 and 17 years completed the “Children’s perception of inter-parental conflict scale” and “Security in the inter-parental system scale”. The findings showed that when adolescents witnessed inter-parental conflict they felt scared, sad, emotionally charged or unable to stop thinking about the conflict that they had witnessed. However, participants were unprepared to assist in trying to solve their parents’ conflict. Nurses need to be aware of the negative impact that inter-parental conflict may have on adolescents in their care. Interventions should focus on the preservation of the adolescent’s emotional security to prevent negative psychosocial effects occurring in the future

Coping Strategies of Jordanian Adolescents With Cancer: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Study

Interpretive phenomenological analysis methodology was used to explore coping strategies used by hospitalized Jordanian adolescents with cancer. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with 10 Jordanian adolescents, aged 13 to18 years, who were receiving chemotherapy for cancer. During treatment, participants were confronted with physical, psychosocial, and emotional distresses resulting from the disease process, the treatment, and its associated side-effects. To cope with the impact of their illness, participants utilized 4 coping strategies: "Strengthening spiritual convictions," "Being optimistic and rebuilding hope," "Enhancing appearance," and "Finding self again." The findings of this study can assist health team members to promote positive psychological care to Arab Muslim adolescents with cancer in a supportive and therapeutic treatment environment

Baseline characteristics and treatment pattern of type 2 diabetes patients in Jordan: analysis from the DISCOVER patient population

Introduction: Jordan has limited published data on T2DM and its treatment patterns. This analysis of the DISCOVER study, focusing on Jordan, is aimed at describing the characteristics of patients and treatment patterns according to the real-world setting in T2DM patients initiating a second-line antidiabetic treatment Methods: The DISCOVER study is an ongoing, multi-country, multicenter, observational, prospective, and longitudinal cohort study. The baseline data of patients’ characteristics, clinical and laboratory variables, micro- and macro-complications, and treatment choices were captured on a standardized case report form. Results: Two hundred and seventy-one patients were enrolled from 13 different clinical sites in Jordan. Sixty percent of the patients were male. The participants overall mean age was 53.8 ± 11.3 years with a mean BMI 30.8 ± 5.0 kg/m 2. The mean duration of T2DM was almost 6 years and the mean documented HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose were e 8.4% ± 1.6 and 180.9 ± 63.7 mg/dL, respectively, at the initiation of second-line antidiabetic treatment. Almost 25% of the participants were reported to be either current smokers or ex-smokers. More than 40% of patients had comorbidities such as hypertension or dyslipidemia. Diabetes related microvascular and macrovascular complications were documented in 10.3% and 12.5% of patients, respectively. Metformin (MET) alone was used as a first-line therapy in almost one-half of the patients and in combination with sulfonylurea (SU) in approximately one-third of the patients. The most commonly used second-line therapy was the combination of MET and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) with 29.9% followed by the triple therapy of MET, SU, and DPP-4i with 28%. Conclusion: A substantial number of patients were young with uncontrolled diabetes and at high risk for micro- and macrovascular complications. Therefore, a comprehensive management with early treatment intensification and risk factors modifications are required to achieve target goals

Trends in prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years relating to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Europe: an observational study of the global burden of disease database, 2001-2019

Introduction Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is associated with significant mortality and well-defined aetiological factors. Previous reports indicate that mortality from COPD is falling worldwide. This study aims to assess the burden of COPD using prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) between 2001 and 2019 in 28 European countries (the European Union and the United Kingdom). Methods We extracted COPD data from the Global Burden of Disease database based on the International Classification of Diseases versions 10 (J41, 42, 43, 44 and 47). Age-standardised prevalence rates (ASPRs), age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs), and DALYs were analysed for European countries by sex for each year (2001–2019) and reported per 100,000 population. We used Joinpoint regression analysis to quantify changing trends in the burden of COPD. Results In 2019, the median ASPR across Europe was 3230/100,000 for males and 2202/100,000 for females. Between 2001 and 2019, the median percentage change in ASPR was − 9.7% for males and 4.3% for females. 23/28 countries demonstrated a decrease in ASPRs in males, and 11/28 demonstrated a decrease in females. The median percentage change in ASMR between 2001 and 2019 was − 27.5% for males and − 10.4% for females. 25/28 and 19/28 countries demonstrated a decrease in ASMR in males and females, respectively. Conclusion In the EU between 2001 and 2019 COPD prevalence has overall increased in females but continues to decrease in males and in some countries, female prevalence now exceeds that of males. COPD mortality in the EU has decreased overall between 2001 and 2019; however, this decrease is not universal, particularly in females, and therefore remains a substantial source of amenable mortality

Trends of HIV-related cancer mortality between 2001 and 2018: an observational analysis

The burden of AIDS-defining cancers has remained relatively steady for the past two decades, whilst the burden of non-AIDS-defining cancer has increased. Here, we conduct a study to describe mortality trends attributed to HIV-associated cancers in 31 countries. We extracted HIV-related cancer mortality data from 2001 to 2018 from the World Health Organization Mortality Database. We computed age-standardized death rates (ASDRs) per 100,000 population using the World Standard Population. Data were visualized using Locally Weighted Scatterplot Smoothing (LOWESS). Data for females were available for 25 countries. Overall, there has been a decrease in mortality attributed to HIV-associated cancers among most of the countries. In total, 18 out of 31 countries (58.0%) and 14 out of 25 countries (56.0%) showed decreases in male and female mortality, respectively. An increasing mortality trend was observed in many developing countries, such as Malaysia and Thailand, and some developed countries, such as the United Kingdom. Malaysia had the greatest increase in male mortality (+495.0%), and Canada had the greatest decrease (-88.5%). Thailand had the greatest increase in female mortality (+540.0%), and Germany had the greatest decrease (-86.0%). At the endpoint year, South Africa had the highest ASDRs for both males (16.8/100,000) and females (19.2/100,000). The lowest was in Japan for males (0.07/100,000) and Egypt for females (0.028/100,000)

Information security: Listening to the perspective of organisational insiders

Aligned with the strategy-as-practice research tradition, this article investigates how organisational insiders understand and perceive their surrounding information security practices, how they interpret them, and how they turn such interpretations into strategic actions. The study takes a qualitative case study approach, and participants are employees at the Research & Development department of a multinational original brand manufacturer. The article makes an important contribution to organisational information security management. It addresses the behaviour of organisational insiders – a group whose role in the prevention, response and mitigation of information security incidents is critical. The article identifies a set of organisational insiders’ perceived components of effective information security practices (organisational mission statement; common understanding of information security; awareness of threats; knowledge of information security incidents, routines and policy; relationships between employees; circulation of stories; role of punishment provisions; and training), based on which more successful information security strategies can be developed

Template-Assisted Synthesis and Characterization of Passivated Nickel Nanoparticles

Potential applications of nickel nanoparticles demand the synthesis of self-protected nickel nanoparticles by different synthesis techniques. A novel and simple technique for the synthesis of self-protected nickel nanoparticles is realized by the inter-matrix synthesis of nickel nanoparticles by cation exchange reduction in two types of resins. Two different polymer templates namely strongly acidic cation exchange resins and weakly acidic cation exchange resins provided with cation exchange sites which can anchor metal cations by the ion exchange process are used. The nickel ions which are held at the cation exchange sites by ion fixation can be subsequently reduced to metal nanoparticles by using sodium borohydride as the reducing agent. The composites are cycled repeating the loading reduction cycle involved in the synthesis procedure. X-Ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron microscopy, Energy Dispersive Spectrum, and Inductively Coupled Plasma Analysis are effectively utilized to investigate the different structural characteristics of the nanocomposites. The hysteresis loop parameters namely saturation magnetization and coercivity are measured using Vibrating Sample Magnetometer. The thermomagnetization study is also conducted to evaluate the Curie temperature values of the composites. The effect of cycling on the structural and magnetic characteristics of the two composites are dealt in detail. A comparison between the different characteristics of the two nanocomposites is also provided