Acculturation Strategies and Pap Screening Uptake among Sub-Saharan African Immigrants (SAIs)

Although regular cervical cancer screening can prevent cervical cancer, screening utilization remains low among immigrant population including sub-Saharan African immigrants (SAIs). Acculturation is a complex process, which can lead to adoption of positive or negative health behaviors from the dominant culture. Acculturation strategies are the varying ways in which individuals seek to go about their acculturation by either maintaining or rejecting their own cultural values ip or accepting or rejecting the host culture\u27s cultural values. Cervical cancer screening behaviors among SAI women may be influenced by their acculturation strategies. We conducted a secondary analysis of data to examine the relationship between acculturation strategies and Pap screening among 99 SAI women recruited from community settings. Data were collected on Pap screening behavior and acculturation strategy. Traditionalists and Integrationists were the dominant acculturation strategies; 32.3% women were Traditionalists and 67.7% Integrationists. From the logistic regression models, Integrationists had seven times the odds of having ever been screened compared to Traditionalists (OR = 7.08, 95% CI = 1.54-28.91). Cervical cancer screening interventions should prioritize Traditionalists for cancer screening. Acculturation strategies may be used to tailor cancer prevention and control for SAIs. More research among a larger SAI women sample is warranted to further our understanding of Pap screening patterns and acculturation strategies

Choked accretion onto Kerr-Sen black holes in Einstein-Maxwell-Dilation-Axion gravity

We study the choked accretion process of an ultrarelativistic fluid onto axisymmetric Kerr-Sen black holes in Einstein-Maxwell-Dilation-Axion theory. We calculate the solution describing the velocity potential $\Phi$ of a stationary, irrotational fluid, which satisfies the stiff equation of state and draw the streamlined diagram of the quadrupolar flow solution. We investigate how parameters affect the solution's coefficient and stagnation point. The injection rate, ejection rate, and critical angle are discussed in detail at the end of the article. If the inner and outer event horizons of the black hole are satisfied, then we can find that the ratio of the ejection rate to the setting rate increases with an increase in the dilation parameter.Comment: 25pages,10 figure

Type D Personality Predicts Poor Medication Adherence in Patients with Heart Failure in the USA

Type D (distressed) personality and medication nonadherence have been associated with poor health outcomes. Type D personality is associated with poor medication adherence in patients with coronary artery disease. However, the relationship between type D personality and medication adherence in patients with heart failure (HF) remains unknown

Health-Related Quality of Life, Functional Status, and Cardiac Event-Free Survival in Patients With Heart Failure

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL), functional status, and cardiac event-free survival are outcomes used to assess the effectiveness of interventions in patients with heart failure (HF). However, the nature of the relationships among HRQOL, functional status and cardiac event-free survival remains unclear

Preoperative strain ultrasound elastography can predict occult central cervical lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer: a single-center retrospective study

ObjectiveTo determine whether preoperative ultrasound elastography can predict occult central cervical lymph node metastasis (CCLNM) in patients with papillary thyroid cancer.MethodsThis retrospective study included 541 papillary thyroid cancer patients with clinically negative lymph nodes prior to surgery between July 2019 and December 2021. Based on whether CCLNM was present on postoperative pathology, patients were categorized as CCLNM (+) or CCLNM (-). Preoperative clinical data, conventional ultrasound features, and ultrasound elastography indices were compared between the groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to identify the independent predictors of occult CCLNM.ResultsA total of 36.60% (198/541) patients had confirmed CCLNM, while 63.40% (343/541) did not. Tumor location, bilaterality, multifocality, echogenicity, margin, shape, vascularity, capsule contact, extrathyroidal extension, aspect ratio, and shear wave elasticity parameters were comparable between the groups (all P > 0.05). Univariate analysis showed statistically significant differences between the two groups in age, sex, tumor size, calcification, capsule invasion, and strain rates ratio in strain ultrasound elastography (all P < 0.05). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the independent predictors of occult CCLNM were age (OR = 0.975, 95% CI = 0.959-0.991, P = 0.002), sex (OR = 1.886, 95% CI = 1.220-2.915, P = 0.004), tumor size (OR = 1.054, 95% CI = 1.014-1.097, P = 0.008), and strain rates ratio (OR = 1.178, 95% CI = 1.065-1.304, P = 0.002).ConclusionPreoperative strain ultrasound elastography can predict presence of occult CCLNM in papillary thyroid cancer patients and help clinicians select the appropriate treatment strategy