Symptoms of depression, perceived social support, and medical coping modes among middle-aged and elderly patients with type 2 diabetes

Objective: To understand the prevalence of depression in diabetes population, explore the relationship between diabetes and depression, and the impact of comprehensive psychological and behavioral intervention on depression related to diabetes and glucose metabolism.Methods: 71 middle-aged and elderly patients with type 2 diabetes were investigated and evaluated with Self Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Medical Coping Scale (MCWQ) and Social Support Scale (PSSS). Patients who met the research criteria were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group. The number of effective cases in the two groups was 36 and 35 respectively. In addition to conventional diabetes drug treatment, the experimental group was supplemented with comprehensive psychological and behavioral intervention, while the control group was only given conventional treatment. The fasting blood glucose, 2-h postprandial blood glucose, body weight and depression index were measured before and after treatment in the two groups.Results: The prevalence of depression in patients with diabetes was as high as 60%, and that in the elderly control group was 5%; In type 2 diabetes population, depression is negatively related to the total score of social support and medical coping surface, and positively related to avoidance, blood sugar, women, course of disease, education level below junior high school, body mass index, and number of complications in medical coping; The fasting blood glucose, 2-h postprandial blood glucose, body mass index, and depression index of the two groups decreased, and the range and speed of decline in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group; There were significant differences between the two groups in fasting blood glucose, 2-h postprandial blood glucose and depression index; During the follow-up period, the blood glucose and depression index of the experimental group increased.Conclusion: Depression has a high prevalence rate in middle-aged and elderly people with type 2 diabetes, and has a negative impact on blood sugar control in diabetes patients; Psychological and behavioral comprehensive intervention can improve the glucose metabolism and depressive symptoms of middle-aged and elderly patients with type 2 diabetes

Pharmacoeconomic analysis (CER) of Dulaglutide and Liraglutide in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes

AimTo evaluate the treatment effect Fand pharmacoeconomic value of Dugaglutide in women with type 2 diabetes.MethodsWomen (n=96) with type 2 diabetes recruited from June 2019 to December 2021 were randomized into two equal groups. The control group was treated with Liraglutide, and the observation group was treated with Dulaglutide, both for 24 weeks. The blood glucose levels, biochemical index, insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), cost-effect ratio (CER), and drug safety were determined and compared between the two groups.ResultsBlood glucose levels, the biochemical index, and HOMA-IR were lower in both groups after the treatment (P < 0.05), and there was no statistical difference in the blood glucose levels, biochemical index and HOMA-IR between the two groups (P > 0.05). The CER levels did not differ statistically between the two groups (P > 0.05). Both the cost and the incidence of drug side effects during solution injection were lower in the observation group than in the control group after 24 weeks of treatment (P < 0.05).ConclusionBoth Dulaglutide and Liraglutide can reduce blood glucose levels, improve biochemical index, and HOMA-IR levels in women with type 2 diabetes. Dulaglutide is more cost-effective and safe.Clinical trial registrationhttps://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx, identifier ChiCTR1900026514

Factors associated with violence against children in low- and middle-income countries:A systematic review and meta-regression of nationally representative data

Background: This systematic review and meta-regression sought to identify the relative importance of factors associated with physical, emotional, and sexual violence against children in low- and middle-income countries. Understanding of factors associated with violence is important for targeted programming and prevention on the population level. Methods: We searched 17 electronic databases from 1989 to 2018 and reports from child violence surveys. Nationally representative studies that described evidence on potential factors associated with violence against children under 18 years old were included. The search was restricted to the English language. Factors were synthesized quantitatively using robust variance estimation, with 95% confidence intervals, for each violence type. Results: We identified 8,346 unduplicated studies, and 103 publications met our eligibility criteria. The data distribution was uneven across region, country income status, factors, and violence types. Of the 94 eligible studies quantitatively synthesized, no specific factors were significant for physical violence. Lower household socioeconomic status, being a girl, and primary education of mothers and adults in the household were associated with emotional violence, and being a girl was associated with sexual violence. Conclusion: A broad spectrum of factors merit consideration for physical violence policy and prevention among the general population of children in low- and middle-income countries. Conversely, a tailored approach may be warranted for preventing emotional and sexual violence. Information is unequally distributed across countries, factors, and violence types. Greater emphasis should be placed on collecting representative data on the general population and vulnerable subgroups to achieve national reductions in violence against children. </jats:sec

Measuring the dosage of brief and skill-targeted social-emotional learning (SEL) activities in humanitarian settings

IntroductionIn humanitarian settings, social-emotional learning (SEL) programs for children are often delivered using a field-feasible approach where the programs are more easily deployable and adaptable in the field, require minimal training, and depend less on the strict sequence and structure of the program components to elicit the intended treatment effect. However, evidence is lacking on what aspects of this implementation approach enable the SEL programming to be more beneficial to children’s SEL development.MethodIn this study, we propose and evaluate measures for three dimensions of dosage (quantity, duration, and temporal pattern) of two sets of brief and skill-targeted SEL activities (Mindfulness and Brain Games) implemented in 20 primary schools in two low-income chiefdoms of Sierra Leone.ResultsWe find preliminary evidence of predictive validity that these dosage measures could predict children’s attendance and classroom adaptive behavior.DiscussionThis study is the first to develop procedures to measure the dimensions of dosage of brief SEL activities in humanitarian settings. Our findings illuminate the need for future research on optimizing the dosage and implementation design of SEL programming using brief SEL activities

Efficacy of polyethylene glycol loxenatide versus insulin glargine on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, open-label, parallel-group trial

Objective: This trial aimed to evaluate the glycemic control of polyethylene glycol loxenatide measured with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), with the hypothesis that participants given PEG-Loxe would spend more time in time-in-range (TIR) than participants were given insulin glargine after 24 weeks of treatment.Methods: This 24-week, randomized, open-label, parallel-group study was conducted in the Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Longhu Hospital, Shantou, China. Participants with T2DM, who were ≥45 years of age, HbA1c of 7.0%–11.0%, and treated at least 3 months with metformin were randomized (1:1) to receive PEG-Loxe or insulin glargine. The primary endpoint was TIR (blood glucose range: 3.9–10.0 mmol/L) during the last 2 weeks of treatment (weeks 22–24).Results: From March 2020 to April 2022, a total of 107 participants with T2DM were screened, of whom 78 were enrolled into the trial (n = 39 per group). At the end of treatment (weeks 22–24), participants given PEG-Loxe had a greater proportion of time in TIR compared with participants given insulin glargine [estimated treatment difference (ETD) of 13.4% (95% CI, 6.8 to 20.0, p &lt; 0.001)]. The tight TIR (3.9–7.8 mmol/L) was greater with PEG-Loxe versus insulin glargine, with an ETD of 15.6% (95% CI, 8.9 to 22.4, p &lt; 0.001). The time above range (TAR) was significantly lower with PEG-Loxe versus insulin glargine [ETD for level 1: −10.5% (95% CI: −14.9 to −6.0), p &lt; 0.001; ETD for level 2: −4.7% (95% CI: −7.9 to −1.5), p = 0.004]. The time below range (TBR) was similar between the two groups. The mean glucose was lower with PEG-Loxe versus insulin glargine, with an ETD of −1.2 mmol/L (95% CI, −1.9 to −0.5, p = 0.001). The SD of CGM glucose levels was 1.88 mmol/L for PEG-Loxe and 2.22 mmol/L for insulin glargine [ETD -0.34 mmol/L (95% CI: −0.55 to −0.12), p = 0.002], with a similar CV between the two groups.Conclusion: The addition of once-weekly GLP-1RA PEG-Loxe to metformin was superior to insulin glargine in improving glycemic control and glycemic variability evaluated by CGM in middle-aged and elderly patients with T2DM

Association between allergic conditions and risk of prostate cancer: A Prisma-Compliant Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Association between allergic conditions and prostate cancer risk has been investigated for many years. However, the results from available evidence for the association are inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between allergic conditions (asthma, atopy, hay fever and “any allergy”) and risk of prostate cancer. The PubMed and Embase databases were searched to screen observational studies meeting our meta-analysis criteria. Study selection and data extraction from included studies were independently performed by two authors. Twenty studies were considered eligible involving 5 case-control studies and 15 cohort studies. The summary relative risk (RR) for developing prostate cancer risk was 1.04 (95%CI: 0.92–1.17) for asthma, and 1.25 (95%CI: 0.74–2.10) for atopy, 1.04 (95%CI: 0.99–1.09) for hay fever, 0.96 (95%CI: 0.86–1.06) for any allergy. In the Subgroup and sensitivity analysis, similar results were produced. Little evidence of publication bias was observed. The present meta-analysis of observational studies indicates that no indication of an association between allergic conditions and risk of prostate cancer was found, and the meta-analysis does not support neither the original hypothesis of an overall cancer protective effect of allergic conditions, nor that of an opposite effect in the development of prostate cancer

A meta‐analysis of the effect of values affirmation on academic achievement

This meta-analysis assessed the impact of values affirmation on the academic achievement of students under social identity threats in actual classrooms. After a systematic search yielded 58 relevant studies, multilevel analyses identified an overall affirmation effect for identity-threatened students (Hedges’ g = .15), not for identity-nonthreatened students (Hedges’ g = .01). Heterogeneity in the affirmation effect was moderate to high for identity-threatened students, with effect sizes associated with (1) a larger covariate-controlled achievement gap between nonthreatened and threatened students in the control condition, suggestive of psychological underperformance, (2) the availability of financial resources in school, (3) more distal performance outcomes, and (4) the presentation of values affirmation as a normal classroom activity rather than a research study or a nonnormal classroom activity. Affirmation appears to work best when it is delivered as a normal classroom activity and where identity threat co-occurs with resources for improvement and time to await cumulative benefits

Genome-wide analysis of haloacid dehalogenase genes reveals their function in phosphate starvation responses in rice.

The HAD superfamily is named after the halogenated acid dehalogenase found in bacteria, which hydrolyses a diverse range of organic phosphate substrates. Although certain studies have shown the involvement of HAD genes in Pi starvation responses, systematic classification and bioinformatics analysis of the HAD superfamily in plants is lacking. In this study, 41 and 40 HAD genes were identified by genomic searching in rice and Arabidopsis, respectively. According to sequence similarity, these proteins are divided into three major groups and seven subgroups. Conserved motif analysis indicates that the majority of the identified HAD proteins contain phosphatase domains. A further structural analysis showed that HAD proteins have four conserved motifs and specified cap domains. Fewer HAD genes show collinearity relationships in both rice and Arabidopsis, which is consistent with the large variations in the HAD genes. Among the 41 HAD genes of rice, the promoters of 28 genes contain Pi-responsive cis-elements. Mining of transcriptome data and qRT-PCR results showed that at least the expression of 17 HAD genes was induced by Pi starvation in shoots or roots. These HAD proteins are predicted to be involved in intracellular or extracellular Po recycling under Pi stress conditions in plants

Investigation on the Lift Force Induced by the Interceptor and Its Affecting Factors: Experimental Study with Captive Model

An interceptor is an appendage widely used for high-speed planing boats to reduce resistance and modify hull attitude by the lift force-induced, but the relationship between the induced lift force and the factors affecting it are still not clear, especially for the vessels other than the planing hull. In this paper, a model test of a series of models is performed to investigate the lift force induced by an interceptor and the influence of the affecting factors systematically. The lift forces induced by the interceptor are tested in the conditions of different velocities, interceptor heights, angles, and drafts in the towing tank. The effects of each factor and the coupled effects are analyzed. It is found by the experimental results that the lift coefficient of the induce lift force in the present investigation is approximately proportional to the square of the non-dimensional velocity and interceptor height, but the effect of the interceptor height is of a limited extent. The influence of angle and draft on the lift force induced by the interceptor cannot be ignored in the present study. The induced lift force is decreased when the angle of the plate is reduced and is enhanced when the draft is increased

ملاحظات المعلمين على التعلّم الاجتماعي العاطفي للمتعلمين: دليل القياس النفسي لتقييم البرامج التعليمية في حالات الطوارئ

يتطلب التقييم الصارم لبرامج التعلم الاجتماعي والعاطفي استخدام التدابير التي توفر معلومات موثوقة وصحيحة حول الاختلافات ذات المعنى في المهارات العاطفية الاجتماعية للأطفال عبر مجموعات العلاج والمراقبة، بالإضافة إلى التغييرات بمرور الوقت. في السياقات المتأثرة بالصراع والأزمات، القليل من التدابير يمكن أن توفر الأدلة المطلوبة لدعم استخدامها في تقييمات البرامج، مما يحد من قدرة الجهات المعنية على تحديد ما إذا كان البرنامج يعمل، ومدى نجاحه، ولمَن. إن ملاحظة المعلمين للتعلم العاطفي الاجتماعي للمتعلمين، والمعروفة باسم TOOLSEL، تبشر بمعالجة هذه الفجوة. TOOLSEL عبارة عن استبيان لتقرير المعلم حول سلوك الأطفال كما هو ملاحظ في إعدادات الفصول الدراسية الطبيعية. يتم استخدامه لتقييم مجموعة من الكفاءات الاجتماعية والعاطفية والسلوكية والمعرفية بين الأطفال في سن المدرسة الابتدائية في البيئات الهشة والمتأثرة بالصراع. في هذه المقالة، باستخدام بيانات من عينة من 3,661 طفلاً سوريًا لاجئًا كانوا مسجلين في مدارس حكومية لبنانية رسمية وكان بإمكانهم الوصول إلى برنامج دعم علاجي غير رسمي، فإننا نقدم أدلة على سلامة القياس النفسي لـ TOOLSEL. نقدم دليلًا تجريبيًا على موثوقية TOOLSEL وصلاحيته، وأن TOOLSEL هيأ مهارات التعلم الاجتماعية والعاطفية للأطفال اللاجئين السوريين بطرق غير متحيزة وقابلة للمقارنة عبر مجموعات العلاج ونوع الجنس والعمر والوقت. نقدم أيضًا توصيات لاستخدام TOOLSEL، بما في ذلك طرق تحسين جدواه وموثوقيته وصلاحيته