DOTS improves treatment outcomes and service coverage for tuberculosis in South Ethiopia: a retrospective trend analysis

Background  

DOTS as a strategy was introduced to the tuberculosis control programme in Southern region of Ethiopia in 1996. The impact of the programme on treatment outcomes and the trend in the service coverage for tuberculosis has not been assessed ever since. The aim of the study was to assess trends in the expansion of DOTS and treatment outcomes for tuberculosis in Hadiya zone in Southern Ethiopia.     

心脏直视手术后患者胃管风险评估及护理对策

目的通过评估和分析心脏直视术后患者留置胃管的护理风险,制定有效的护理对策,确保患者安全。方法对316例心脏直视手术后患者进行详细的留置胃管风险评估和分析,并针对每条风险,制定和实施有效的护理对策。结果316例患者未发生胃管相关不良事件,护理结局良好。结论正确评估心脏直视术后患者留置胃管风险,并采取积极有效的护理措施,可以减少或避免护理不良事件发生,使患者安全得到最大保障。     

Influences of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Obesity and Weight-Related Behaviors among Chinese Children: A Multi-Center Longitudinal Study

COVID-19-related lockdown measures have been affecting children’s weight status and weight-related behaviors, which are often associated with an increase in childhood obesity. However, large-scale longitudinal studies are lacking. Our study aimed to analyze changes in obesity and weight-related behaviors in Chinese children before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide references for addressing the high prevalence of childhood obesity. A prospective multi-center longitudinal survey was conducted among Chinese children (n = 5963), collecting data on weight status, COVID-19-related measures, and lifestyle behaviors. Changes were assessed using t-tests and χ² tests for paired samples, or the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, according to the type and distribution of data. The Generalized Estimating Equations model was used to explore influential factors of obesity. The prevalence of overweight and obesity increased from 9.2% and 8.6% before the pandemic to 10.5% and 10.6% during the pandemic (p < 0.001), respectively. Daily physical activity, sleep duration, and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption decreased while screen time increased. The results of the generalized estimating equations showed that ethnic minority, older age, less daily physical activity, reduced sleep duration, and longer screen time were positively associated with obesity. There is an intensifying trend of obesity in children in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, to which altered weight-related behaviors might have contributed largely. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, especially in social crises, should be highlighted to ease the burden of childhood obesity.     

妇科肿瘤病人化疗期间自我护理能力、自我护理行为与健康教育需求调查分析

[目的]了解妇科肿瘤病人化疗期间自我护理能力、自我护理行为与健康教育需求状况,为制订有效促进病人自护能力、自护行为的健康教育方式提供理论依据。[方法]采用自我护理能力量表(ESCA)、健康促进生活方式量表(HPL)、自制的健康教育需求量表对90例妇科化疗病人进行调查分析。[结果]病人的自我护理能力得分为111.28分±17.63分,自我护理行为得分为122.48分±20.08分,最希望的健康教育方式为医生或护士口头告知。[结论]妇科化疗病人自护能力及行为有待提高,妇科护理工作者可以尝试通过加强健康教育干预,提高病人的自我护理能力,促进自我护理行为。     

Synthesis and Characterization of Electrospun Composite Scaffolds Based on Chitosan-Carboxylated Graphene Oxide with Potential Biomedical Applications

This research study reports the development of chitosan/carboxylated graphene oxide (CS/GO-COOH) composite scaffolds with nanofibrous architecture using the electrospinning method. The concept of designed composite fibrous material is based on bringing together the biological properties of CS, mechanical, electrical, and biological characteristics of GO-COOH with the versatility and efficiency of ultra-modern electrospinning techniques. Three different concentrations of GO-COOH were added into a chitosan (CS)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) solution (the ratio between CS/PEO was 3/7 (w/w)) and were used in the synthesis process of composite scaffolds. The effect of GO-COOH concentration on the spinnability, morphological and mechanical features, wettability, and biological properties of engineered fibrous scaffolds was thoroughly investigated. FTIR results revealed the non-covalent and covalent interactions that could take place between the system’s components. The SEM micrographs highlighted the nanofibrous architecture of scaffolds, and the presence of GO-COOH sheets along the composite CS/GO-COOH nanofibers. The size distribution graphs showed a decreasing trend in the mean diameter of composite nanofibers with the increase in GO-COOH content, from 141.40 nm for CS/PG 0.1% to 119.88 nm for CS/PG 0.5%. The dispersion of GO-COOH led to composite scaffolds with increased elasticity; the Young’s modulus of CS/PG 0.5% (84 ± 4.71 MPa) was 7.5-fold lower as compared to CS/PEO (662 ± 15.18 MPa, p < 0.0001). Contact angle measurements showed that both GO-COOH content and crosslinking step influenced the surface wettability of scaffolds, leading to materials with ~1.25-fold higher hydrophobicity. The in vitro cytocompatibility assessment showed that the designed nanofibrous scaffolds showed a reasonable cellular proliferation level after 72 h of contact with the fibroblast cells.     

Neurofibrillary pathology in the human paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei

Severe neurofibrillary changes were identified in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of elderly individuals using markers for Alzheimer’s disease-related intraneuronal pathology. This neurofibrillary pathology is remarkable in that the magnocellular paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei are particularly resistant to Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, the changes were observed even in non-demented controls, indicating that they develop independently of Alzheimer’s disease. The alterations in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei were consistently accompanied by neurofibrillary changes in the mediobasal hypothalamus. Received: 29 October 1996 / Revised, accepted: 24 January 1997     

Vessel ultrastructure in APP23 transgenic mice after passive anti-Abeta immunotherapy and subsequent intracerebral hemorrhage

Passive immunization of amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice with anti-amyloid beta (Abeta) antibodies was shown to reduce Abeta-deposition in brain and to improve cognition. However, immunotherapy may also be accompanied by a significant increase in the frequency of intracerebral hemorrhages. Because hemorrhages are associated with amyloid-laden vessels, this raises the question whether high concentrations of anti-Abeta antibodies may directly or indirectly lead to a structural destabilization of the vessel wall. To address this point, transmission electron microscopy was performed and the ultrastructure of bleeding and non-bleeding vessels in immunized and non-immunized APP23 transgenic animals was analyzed. To localize bleeding vessels, hemosiderin-positive macrophages were visualized by pre-embedding Perl's Berlin Blue histochemistry. Vessels were analyzed morphologically, anomalies evaluated and quantified. Bleeding vessels were, furthermore, reconstructed in three dimensions to analyze the spatial distribution of amyloid deposits and other pathological changes of the vessel wall. This in-depth morphological analysis revealed that bleeding vessels in immunized as well as in non-immunized APP23 mice were surrounded by a higher number of macrophages compared to non-bleeding vessels in the same animals. However, no differences in the number of macrophages or other structural parameters, such as amyloid deposition, were observed between bleeding vessels of immunized and non-immunized mice. No pathologies which may indicate impending bleeding were observed in the vascular wall of non-bleeding vessels. We conclude, that the increased hemorrhage frequency observed after passive immunization with anti-Abeta antibodies does not lead to overt structural changes in the vessel wall of APP23 transgenic mice. Minor structural alterations of the vessel wall, however, cannot be excluded due to the sample size of our study and the high complexity of the three-dimensional vessel wall ultrastructure.     

妇产科护士睡眠质量与心理健康状况调查

[目的]探讨妇产科护士睡眠质量与心理健康之间的关系。[方法]采用匹兹堡睡眠质量调查表、症状自评量表（SCL-90）对我院88名妇产科护士进行调查。[结果]88名妇产科护士中15人睡眠质量较差；对SCL-90因子分析发现，妇产科护士躯体化、强迫2个因子平均分显著高于国内常模（P〈0．05）；相关分析表明：匹兹堡睡眠质量评分与SCL-90各因子分及其总均分除睡眠药物外皆呈显著的正相关，睡眠质量差的护士9吼一90各因子平均分高于睡眠质量好的护士。[结论]妇产科护士睡眠质量与心理健康状况密切相关，应引起有关领导的关注。     

慢性乙型肝炎患者健康信念与治疗依从性的相关性分析

目的了解慢性乙型病毒性肝炎(慢性乙肝)患者的健康信念及其与治疗依从性的关系.方法采用随机分层抽样方法对300例慢性乙肝患者进行调查,内容包括患者的基本情况、健康信念和治疗依从性等.采用SPSS 11.0 统计软件对资料进行分析.结果 300例慢性乙肝患者治疗依从性总得分为35.32±6.95;9.00%患者选择从不就诊,12.67%患者从不服药,40.00%患者未定期到医院检查;治疗依从性与健康信念及其各维度的相关分析中,显示患者的健康信念与治疗依从性呈显著正相关(P<0.05,P<0.01).慢性乙肝患者越能认识到治疗行为的益处及必要性,维护身体健康的动机越强,其治疗依从性越高;而认为治疗慢性乙肝有害、没有必要治疗者其依从性较差.结论慢性乙肝患者的健康信念影响着患者的治疗依从性.为减少或延缓慢性乙肝并发症的发生以及控制疾病的传播,护士应关注慢性乙肝患者的健康信念及其对治疗依从性的影响,使护理干预措施更加系统化.