Social support and self-esteem on the association between stressful life events and mental health outcomes among college students

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research is to determine whether social support (informal and formal) and self-esteem can moderate the associations between life stress and mental health among college students.     

胃癌手术患者营养风险筛查及营养支持现况分析

目的 分析胃癌手术患者营养风险发生及其营养支持现状,为规范化营养支持提供指导。方法 对2014年2月至2014年7月150例胃癌住院患者术前采用NRS-2002营养风险筛查简表评估其术前营养风险状况。检测患者入院第1~2天和术后第7~10天的体质量、血红蛋白、血清总蛋白、血清清蛋白、血清前清蛋白、白细胞计数、淋巴细胞计数等营养指标以及调查其营养支持情况。结果 150例胃癌患者中,术前有营养不良者72例(占48%),无营养不良者78例(占52%);有营养风险者81例(54%),其中采取营养支持者66例(81.48%),无营养风险者69例(46%),其中采取营养支持者57例(82.61%)。患者术后营养指标除血红蛋白及血清前清蛋白外其他营养指标较术前差异均有统计学意义(P均<0.05)。结论 胃癌手术患者营养不良发生率及有营养风险者比例较高,临床医生对其营养支持不够规范,需采取规范的临床营养风险评估和基于证据的临床营养支持以改善营养状况。     

Ambulatory activity classification with dendogram-based support vector machine: Application in lower-limb active exoskeleton

Ambulatory activity classification is an active area of research for controlling and monitoring state initiation, termination, and transition in mobility assistive devices such as lower-limb exoskeletons. State transition of lower-limb exoskeletons reported thus far are achieved mostly through the use of manual switches or state machine-based logic. In this paper, we propose a postural activity classifier using a ‘dendogram-based support vector machine’ (DSVM) which can be used to control a lower-limb exoskeleton.A pressure sensor-based wearable insole and two six-axis inertial measurement units (IMU) have been used for recognising two static and seven dynamic postural activities: sit, stand, and sit-to-stand, stand-to-sit, level walk, fast walk, slope walk, stair ascent and stair descent. Most of the ambulatory activities are periodic in nature and have unique patterns of response. The proposed classification algorithm involves the recognition of activity patterns on the basis of the periodic shape of trajectories. Polynomial coefficients extracted from the hip angle trajectory and the centre-of-pressure (CoP) trajectory during an activity cycle are used as features to classify dynamic activities.The novelty of this paper lies in finding suitable instrumentation, developing post-processing techniques, and selecting shape-based features for ambulatory activity classification. The proposed activity classifier is used to identify the activity states of a lower-limb exoskeleton. The DSVM classifier algorithm achieved an overall classification accuracy of 95.2%.     

“Everything is so relaxed and personal” – The construction of helpful relationships in individual placement and support

The relationship with professionals is an important factor in relation to the outcome of interventions directed to persons with severe mental problems. However, the current knowledge regarding the development of helpful relationships within Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services is limited. The aim of the study was to investigate how participants in IPS services described their relationship with their IPS coach. The article is based on interviews from a Swedish government evaluation of IPS services, thematically analyzed. The results showed that the relationship with the coach is central for the participants’ success in the service. The main theme, “something different - as a human being” highlighted that the conditions for the relationship are different within IPS as compared to traditional services. The other themes were “here and now action,” “closer to wish-fulfilment – impact on the self,” and “from role to person.” The principles of IPS parallel the results from research about helpful relationships and offers good preconditions for the occurrence of such relationships. This can represent a bridge between evidence based methods and research on helpful relationships, and should be possible to implement in the development of evidence based methods as well as of treatment as usual.     

Preferences for professional versus informal care at end of life amongst African-American drug users with HIV/AIDS

With the advent of antiretroviral therapies, persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIVs) are living longer but with increased impairment and care needs. The purpose of this study was to assess whether a vulnerable population of PLHIVs preferred informal versus professional care when unable to care for themselves, and individual and support network factors associated with preference for informal care. The findings have potential implications for facilitating the population's informal care at end of life. Data were from the BEACON study, which examined social factors associated with health outcomes among former or current drug-using PLHIVs in Baltimore, MD. Structural equation modeling was used to identify individual and support network characteristics associated with PLHIVs' preference for informal (family or friends) compared to professional care. The structural equation model indicated preference for informal care was associated with female sex, greater informal care receipt, reporting one's main partner (i.e., boy/girlfriend or spouse) as the primary source of informal care, and a support network comprised greater numbers of female kin and persons supportive of the participant's HIV treatment adherence. Not asking for needed help to avoid owing favors was associated with preferring professional care. Findings suggest that interventions to promote informal end of life care should bolster supportive others' resources and skills for care provision and treatment adherence support, and should address perceived norms of reciprocity. Such intervention will help ensure community caregiving in a population with high needs for long-term care.     

Use of a Checklist During Observation of a Simulated Cardiac Arrest Scenario Does Not Improve Time to CPR and Defibrillation Over Observation Alone for Subsequent Scenarios

Theory: Immersive simulation is a common mode of education for medical students. Observation of clinical simulations prior to participation is believed to be beneficial, though this is often a passive process. Active observation may be more beneficial. Hypotheses: The hypothesis tested in this study was that the active use of a simple checklist during observation of an immersive simulation would result in better participant performance in a subsequent scenario compared with passive observation alone. Methods: Medical students were randomized to either passive or active (with checklist) observation of an immersive simulation involving cardiac arrest prior to participating in their own simulation. Performance measures included time to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and time to defibrillation and were compared between first and second scenarios as well as between passive and active observers. Results: Seventy-nine simulations involving 232 students were conducted. Mean time to CPR was 18 seconds (SD = 11.6) for those using the checklist and 24 seconds (SD = 15.8) for those who observed passively (M difference = 6 seconds), t(35) = 1.46, p =.153. Time to defibrillation was 94 seconds (SD = 26.4) for those using the checklist and 92 seconds (SD = 23.8) for those who observed passively (M difference = –2 seconds), t(38) =.21, p =.837. Time to CPR was 24 seconds (SD = 15.8) for passive observers and 31 seconds (SD = 21.0; M difference = 7 seconds), t(35) = 1.13, p =.265, for their first scenario counterparts. Time to CPR was 18 seconds (SD = 11.6) for active observers and 36 seconds (SD = 26.2; M difference = 18 seconds), t(24) = 2.81, p =.010, for their first scenario counterparts. Time to defibrillation was 92 seconds (SD = 23.8) for passive observers and 125 seconds (SD = 32.2; M difference = 33 seconds), t(33) = 3.63, p =.001, for their first scenario counterparts. Time to defibrillation was 94 seconds (SD = 26.4) for the active observers and 132 seconds (SD = 52.9; M difference = 38 seconds), t(28) =.46, p =.008, for their first scenario counterparts. Conclusions: Observation alone leads to improved performance in the management of a simulated cardiac arrest. The active use of a simple skills-based checklist during observation did not appear to improve performance over passive observation alone.