On Psychological Continuity and Dementia

This letter responds to the article “On the Authority of Advance Euthanasia Directives for People with Severe Dementia: Reflections on a Dutch Case,” by Henri Wijsbek and Thomas Nys, in the September-October 2022 issue of the Hastings Center Report.     

Factors associated with the perception of parents and children regarding obesity-related terminology used by healthcare professionals in a sample of Korean children and adolescents with obesity

ObjectiveThis study aimed to compare how children with overweight or obesity and their parents perceive the obesity-related terms used by healthcare professionals and investigate the factors associated with these perceptions.MethodsChildren and adolescents aged 8–16 years with overweight or obesity (n = 192) and their parents participated in the cross-sectional study by responding to a 5-point Likert-scale questionnaire on 10 obesity-related terms, including “chubby,” “weight problem,” “weight,” “overweight,” “BMI,” “obese,” “heavy,” “fleshy,” “fat,” and “severely obese.”ResultsFor both children and parents, “chubby” was the most desirable term (mean ± standard deviation: 3.50 ± 1.12 and 2.95 ± 0.83, respectively), and “severely obese” was the least acceptable term (2.83 ± 1.17 and 2.02 ± 1.02, respectively). Although the parents preferred all the terms less than the children did (p < 0.001), “weight problem” was considered most motivating for a child to lose weight (3.93 ± 0.94). Among children, older age and a larger self-perceived body size were associated with a more positive response towards obesity-related terms, whereas having internalized or externalized problems were negatively associated with these terms. Parents with a history of cardiovascular disease considered “severely obese” (β = ?0.419, [95% CI: ?0.739, ?0.099]) and “fat” (β = ?0.457, [95% CI: ?0.750, ?0.164]) less desirable.ConclusionsChildren and adolescents had a higher preference for obesity-related terms than their parents and preferred that healthcare professionals use euphemistic terms such as “chubby,” or neutral terms such as “weight problem.” Children with larger self-perceived body sizes or older age had a higher preference for obesity-related words. The terms used by healthcare professionals to describe excess weight must be motivating and respectful for all family members participating in the treatment.     

基于ADOPT问题解决模式下的个体化护理对口腔正畸患者自我 护理能力的影响

目的 探讨ADOPT问题解决模式下的个体化护理对口腔正畸患者自我护理能力的影响。方法 选 取2021年1月-12月我院正畸科收诊的80例正畸患者作为观察对象，采用自拟抽签法随机分为对照组与观察 组，各40例。对照组采用常规护理，观察组采用ADOPT问题解决模式下的个体化护理，比较两组干预前后 自我管理能力、生活质量以及社会心理适应能力。结果 两组干预后1个月生活质量以及自我管理能力评分 高于干预前，且观察组高于对照组，差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。观察组接受水平、持续担忧、积极 面对评分高于对照组，差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。结论 ADOPT问题解决模式下的个体化护理有助于 提升口腔正畸患者自我管理能力及社会心理适应能力，进而提高患者生活质量。     

呼吸内科PBL教学法在全科医师规培中的应用

目的探索基于呼吸治疗团队教学的以问题为基础的教学法(problem based learning,PBL)在全科住院医师规范化培训中的应用。方法呼吸系统以老年人慢性疾病为主,是全科医学生教育的重要环节。开展PBL教学法的教学探索,以期达到对全科医师的专科疾病培训,使其理解并掌握相关疾病知识,能适应未来医学发展和社会需要,为患者提供更好的社区医疗服务。结果PBL教学法的精髓是发挥问题对学习过程的指导作用,调动学生学习的积极性和主动性,整体提升学生的综合素质和能力。结论在全科医学规范化培训教学中运用PBL教学,带教老师以任务为主线、以学员为主体进行引导,可极大的提高学生的学习兴趣、主动性以及自学能力,从而培养学员的分析问题、解决问题的能力。可以更好的帮助学员形成以患者为中心的临床诊断思路、提高解决临床问题的综合能力及团队合作能力。     

A Multi-Scale DNN Algorithm for Nonlinear Elliptic Equations with Multiple Scales

Algorithms based on deep neural networks (DNNs) have attracted increasing attention from the scientific computing community. DNN based algorithms are easy to implement, natural for nonlinear problems, and have shown great potential to overcome the curse of dimensionality. In this work, we utilize the multi-scale DNN-based algorithm (MscaleDNN) proposed by Liu, Cai and Xu (2020) to solve multi-scale elliptic problems with possible nonlinearity, for example, the p-Laplacian problem. We improve the MscaleDNN algorithm by a smooth and localized activation function. Several numerical examples of multi-scale elliptic problems with separable or non-separable scales in low-dimensional and high-dimensional Euclidean spaces are used to demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the MscaleDNN numerical scheme.     

Effective Two-Level Domain Decomposition Preconditioners for Elastic Crack Problems Modeled by Extended Finite Element Method

In this paper, we propose some effective one- and two-level domain decomposition preconditioners for elastic crack problems modeled by extended finite element method. To construct the preconditioners, the physical domain is decomposed into the "crack tip" subdomain, which contains all the degrees of freedom (dofs) of the branch enrichment functions, and the "regular" subdomains, which contain the standard dofs and the dofs of the Heaviside enrichment function. In the one-level additive Schwarz and restricted additive Schwarz preconditioners, the "crack tip" subproblem is solved directly and the "regular" subproblems are solved by some inexact solvers, such as ILU. In the two-level domain decomposition preconditioners, traditional interpolations between the coarse and the fine meshes destroy the good convergence property. Therefore, we propose an unconventional approach in which the coarse mesh is exactly the same as the fine mesh along the crack line, and adopt the technique of a non-matching grid interpolation between the fine and the coarse meshes. Numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the two-level domain decomposition preconditioners applied to elastic crack problems.     

Gambling and Problem Gambling in Canada in 2018: Prevalence and Changes Since 2002

Objective:The purpose of this study was to provide an updated profile of gambling and problem gambling in Canada and to examine how the rates and pattern of participation compare to 2002.Method:An assessment of gambling and problem gambling was included in the 2018 Canadian Community Health Survey and administered to 24,982 individuals aged 15 and older. The present analyses selected for adults (18+).Results:A total of 66.2% of people reported engaging in some type of gambling in 2018, primarily lottery and/or raffle tickets, the only type in which the majority of Canadians participate. There are some significant interprovincial differences, with perhaps the most important one being the higher rate of electronic gambling machine (EGM) participation in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The overall pattern of gambling in 2018 is very similar to 2002, although participation is generally much lower in 2018, particularly for EGMs and bingo. Only 0.6% of the population were identified as problem gamblers in 2018, with an additional 2.7% being at-risk gamblers. There is no significant interprovincial variation in problem gambling rates. The interprovincial pattern of problem gambling in 2018 is also very similar to what was found in 2002 with the main difference being a 45% decrease in the overall prevalence of problem gambling.Conclusions:Gambling and problem gambling have both decreased in Canada from 2002 to 2018 although the provincial patterns are quite similar between the 2 time periods. Several mechanisms have likely collectively contributed to these declines. Decreases have also been reported in several other Western countries in recent years and have occurred despite the expansion of legal gambling opportunities, suggesting a degree of inoculation or adaptation in large parts of the population.