Living in fear at the unpredictability of mental health issues in the classroom: a phenomenological study of secondary school teachers in encountering students with mental health issues.

Background: The prevalence of mental health issues among secondary school students is on the rise. Secondary school teachers, outside the home environment, are often in a prime position to identify adolescents facing mental health challenges. Limited knowledge regarding the experiences and perspectives of secondary school teachers when encountering this particular group of students, particularly in Asian countries. Objectives: This study aimed to describe the lived experiences of secondary school teachers exposed to students with mental health issues in the classroom in a Chinese context. Methods: A descriptive phenomenological approach within the tradition of Husserl was used. A purposive sampling method was used to collect the participants in Changsha, Hunan, China. Sixteen secondary school teachers participated in this study. Individual, face-to-face interviews were conducted, tape-recorded, and transcripted. Colaizzi's seven-step descriptive phenomenological method was used to do the data analysis. Results: One Central theme: Living in fear at the unpredictability of mental health issues in the classroom and four sub-themes emerged: (1) Worried and anxious by the uncertainty of student mental health issues; (2) Scared and afraid by students' unpredictable behaviors; (3) Afraid of students' failure and its potential outcome; (4) Students having mental health issues are dangerous. Conclusions and implications: The teachers in this study found managing the unpredictability of mental health issues in the classroom deeply distressing and challenging. A comprehensive approach to address the cultural, social, and educational factors influencing secondary school teachers' experiences is encouraged.

Critical care: A concept analysis.

Objective: The terms critical care and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are often used interchangeably to describe a place of care. Defining critical care becomes challenging because of the colloquial use of the term. Using concept analysis allows for the development of definition and meaning. The aim of this concept analysis is to distinguish the use of the term critical care to develop an operational definition which describes what constitutes critical care. Method: Walker and Avant's eight-step approach to concept analysis guided this study. Five databases (CINAHL, Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest Dissertation Abstracts and Medline in EBSCO) were searched for studies related to critical care. The search included both qualitative and quantitative studies written in English and published between 1990 and 2022. Results: Of the 439 papers retrieved, 47 met the inclusion criteria. The defining attributes of critical care included 1) a maladaptive response to illness/injury, 2) admission modelling criteria, 3) advanced medical technologies, and 4) specialised health professionals. Antecedents were associated with illness/injury that progressed to a level of criticality with a significant decline in both physical and psychological functioning. Consequences were identified as either death or survival with/without experiencing post-ICU syndrome. Conclusion: Describing critical care is often challenging because of the highly technical nature of the environment. This conceptual understanding and operational definition will inform future research as to the scope of critical care and allow for the design of robust evaluative instruments to better understand the nature of care in the intensive care environment.

Prevalence and factors associated with anxiety and depression among community-dwelling older adults in Hunan, China: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Older adults' psychological health is a public health issue that cannot be ignored, especially when these psychological health problems and related factors change across different social backgrounds because of rapid changes in traditions and family structures and the epidemic responses after the outbreak of COVID-19 in China. The aim of our study is to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression and their associated factors among community-dwelling older adults in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to May 2021 with 1173 participants aged 65 years or above from three communities in Hunan Province, China who were selected using convenience sampling. A structured questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), the 7-Item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Item (PHQ-9) was used to collect relevant demographic and clinical data and to measure social support status, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms, respectively. Bivariate analyses were conducted to explore the difference in anxiety and depression based on samples' different characteristics. The multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to test for significant predictors of anxiety and depression. RESULTS: The prevalence of anxiety and depression were 32.74% and 37.34%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that being female, being unemployed before retirement age, lacking physical activity, having physical pain, and having three or more comorbidities were significant predictors for anxiety. Subjective social support and support utilization were significant protective factors. Regarding depression, religion, lacking physical activity, having physical pain, having three or more comorbidities were found to be significant predictors. Support utilization was a significant protective factor. CONCLUSIONS: The study group showed a high prevalence of anxiety and depression. Gender, employment status, physical activity, physical pain, comorbidities, and social support were associated with psychological health problems of older adults. These findings suggest that governments should focus on the psychological health problems of older adults by raising community awareness of issues related to older adults' psychological health. They should also screen for anxiety and depression among high-risk groups and encourage individuals to seek supportive counseling.

Night shifts, insomnia, anxiety, and depression among Chinese nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic remission period: A network approach.

Background: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic imposed a heavy workload on nurses with more frequent night shifts, which led to higher levels of insomnia, depression, and anxiety among nurses. The study aimed to describe the symptom-symptom interaction of depression, anxiety, and insomnia among nurses and to evaluate the impact of night shifts on mental distress via a network model. Methods: We recruited 4,188 nurses from six hospitals in December 2020. We used the Insomnia Severity Index, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 to assess insomnia, depression, and anxiety, respectively. We used the gaussian graphical model to estimate the network. Index expected influence and bridge expected influence was adapted to identify the central and bridge symptoms within the network. We assessed the impact of night shifts on mental distress and compared the network structure based on COVID-19 frontline experience. Results: The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and insomnia was 59, 46, and 55%, respectively. Nurses with night shifts were at a higher risk for the three mental disorders. "Sleep maintenance" was the central symptom. "Fatigue," "Motor," "Restlessness," and "Feeling afraid" were bridge symptoms. Night shifts were strongly associated with sleep onset trouble. COVID-19 frontline experience did not affect the network structure. Conclusion: "Sleep maintenance," "Fatigue," "Motor," and "Restlessness" were important in maintaining the symptom network of anxiety, depression, and insomnia in nurses. Further interventions should prioritize these symptoms.

A network analysis of anxiety and depression symptoms among Chinese nurses in the late stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Nurses are at high risk for depression and anxiety symptoms after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to assess the network structure of anxiety and depression symptoms among Chinese nurses in the late stage of this pandemic. Method: A total of 6,183 nurses were recruited across China from Oct 2020 to Apr 2021 through snowball sampling. We used Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale-7 (GAD-7) to assess depression and anxiety, respectively. We used the Ising model to estimate the network. The index "expected influence" and "bridge expected influence" were applied to determine the central symptoms and bridge symptoms of the anxiety-depression network. We tested the stability and accuracy of the network via the case-dropping procedure and non-parametric bootstrapping procedure. Result: The network had excellent stability and accuracy. Central symptoms included "restlessness", "trouble relaxing", "sad mood", and "uncontrollable worry". "Restlessness", "nervous", and "suicidal thoughts" served as bridge symptoms. Conclusion: Restlessness emerged as the strongest central and bridge symptom in the anxiety-depression network of nurses. Intervention on depression and anxiety symptoms in nurses should prioritize this symptom.

Status quo and influencing factors for anxiety, depression, and insomnia among 4 237 nurses in Hunan Province. / 湖南省4 237åæŠ¤å£«ç„¦è™‘ã€æŠ‘éƒã€å¤±çœ çŽ°çŠ¶åŠå½±å“å› ç´ .

OBJECTIVES: Public health emergencies have caused significant psychological burden on nurse and affect their mental health. After the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the nurse's mental health has been paid much attention. This study aims to investigate status and influencing factors for anxiety, depression, and insomnia in nurses during the normalized epidemic period, and to further compare the risk of anxiety, depression, and insomnia among nurses at different levels of hospitals between front-line epidemic nurses and other nurses so as to provide a basis for mental health work, nursing management, and relevant study in hospital. METHODS: A total of 4 237 nurses from all levels of hospitals in Hunan Province participated in the survey in December 2020. A self-designed anonymous questionnaire was used in this study. Anxiety, depression, and insomnia were assessed using Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 items (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), respectively. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to evaluate nurses' anxiety, depression, and insomnia; t-test, analysis of variance, and multiple linear stepwise regression analysis were used to analyze the influencing factors of nurses' anxiety, depression, and insomnia. RESULTS: The scores of GAD-7 among 4 237 nurses were 4.44±4.20, with 10.3% of them experienced moderate to severe level anxiety. The scores of PHQ-9 were 6.03±4.76, with 17.5% of them experienced moderate to severe level depressive symptom. The scores of ISI were 8.37±5.42, with 12.3% of them experienced moderate to severe insomnia. There were significant differences in GAD-7, PHQ-9, and ISI scores among different groups of hospital levels, gender, professional title, position, education level, night shifts, and family monthly income (all P<0.05). Marital status, whether to participate in the front-line, and whether to participate in psychology training groups were not associated with anxiety, depression, and insomnia (all P>0.05). Gender, hospital level, professional title, educational background, more night shifts, and family monthly income were the influencing factors for the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores. Gender, length of service, position, hospital level, educational background, night shifts in the last year, and family monthly income were the influencing factors for ISI score. CONCLUSIONS: There is no difference in the scores of the GAD-7, PHQ-9, and ISI between nurses whether to participate in the front-line, indicating that series of measures for front-line medical staff are effective in China.Meanwhile, some nurses experienced anxiety, depression, and insomnia, and attention should be paid to nurses with low position, more night shifts, lower-level hospitals, and families with low income. It is recommended that management policies, psychological support, and human resource protection should be given to relieve the pressure and maintain the mental health of nurses. At the same time, it is necessary to make mental health knowledge training as a routine training when responding to public health emergencies.

The Difficulties and Mental Health Intervention Need of Doctors and Nurses in Biological Emergencies: A Qualitative Study.

When a biological public health event breaks out, due to the characteristics of their work, doctors and nurses must face risks directly when the situation is unknown. Their difficulties and psychological pressure are unimaginable. However, few studies have investigated the difficulties encountered by those doctors and nurses and their requirements for psychological interventions. This study aimed to explore the difficulties and psychological intervention needs of doctors and nurses during the new biological public health events in China in 2019. We carried out a qualitative study using a phenomenological approach. We used convenience sampling to identify participants who provided direct care and treatment for patients with biological events such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). They participated in semi-structured, in-depth face-to-face interviews. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step method. Analysis of this study was divided into the difficulties encountered by doctors and nurses and their mental health need. The difficulties encountered by doctors and nurses included four themes: being worried about the impact on others, lack of knowledge and skills, difficult patients, being socially isolated, and the feeling of uncertainty. The mental health need was summarized into two parts, needs expressed by doctors and nurses and needs observed by researchers. Doctors and nurses mostly did not feel that they needed any psychological support, but the researchers noticed several signs of stress or potential mental health problems among interviewees. Doctors and nurses faced significant complex and multidimensional difficulties. Many denied needing psychological support, even though the researchers noted signs that it might be helpful. Interventions and support strategies that involve mental health promotion activities should consider individual needs related to doctors and nurses' situation.

Efficacy of Lycopene in the Treatment of Oral Submucous Fibrosis: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this meta-analysis was to systematically evaluate the efficacy of lycopene in improving maximum mouth opening and other clinical symptoms in patients with oral submucous fibrosis (OSF). METHODS: We searched 5 databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and EBSCO. Randomized controlled trials were collected to evaluate the efficacy of lycopene in the treatment of OSF. Each database was searched from inception to April 30, 2019. The RevMan 5.3 software was used for this meta-analysis. RESULTS: The included studies were 7 randomized controlled trials involving 758 patients with OSF. The results of this meta-analysis showed that lycopene was significantly more effective in improving maximum mouth opening in OSF patients than placebo treatment (mean difference [MD]: 3.15; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.19-4.10, P < .0001, I2 = 0%). Compared with control groups, lycopene could significantly increase the maximum mouth opening in patients with OSF after 1 month of treatment (MD, 2.40; 95% CI, 2.22-2.58; P = .91; I2 = 0%), 2 months of treatment (MD, 3.19; 95% CI, 2.87-3.51; P = .93; I2 = 0%), and 3 months of treatment (MD, 4.89; 95% CI, 4.51-5.28; P = .86; I2 = 0%). However, no significant difference was found in alleviation of burning sensation after 1 month (risk ratio [RR], 1.04; 95% CI, 0.89-1.23; P = .73; I2 = 0%), 2 months (RR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.73-1.31; P = .69; I2 = 0%), and 3 months of treatment (RR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.47-1.52; P = .81; I2 = 0%); tongue protrusion (MD, -1.59; 95% CI, -4.15 to 0.97; P = .12; I2 = 58%); and pain associated with the lesion after 1 month (RR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.92-1.21; P = .77; I2 = 0%), 2 months (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.75-1.19; P = .35; I2 = 0%), and 3 months (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.68-1.33; P = .14; I2 = 51%) in patients with OSF between lycopene and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this meta-analysis showed that lycopene is more effective for improving symptoms of maximum mouth opening than placebo groups and control groups, but there were no significant differences in burning sensation, pain associated with lesion, and tongue protrusion in patients with OSF compared with control groups.

Manual lymphatic drainage for lymphedema in patients after breast cancer surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) has a beneficial effect on lymphedema related to breast cancer surgery. However, whether MLD reduces the risk of lymphedema is still debated. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to summarize the current evidence to assess the effectiveness of MLD in preventing and treating lymphedema in patients after breast cancer surgery. METHODS: From inception to May 2019, PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched without language restriction. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the treatment and prevention effect of MLD with a control group on lymphedema in breast cancer patients. A random-effects model was used for all analyses. RESULTS: A total of 17 RCTs involving 1911 patients were included. A meta-analysis of 8 RCTs, including 338 patients, revealed that MLD did not significantly reduce lymphedema compared with the control group (standardized mean difference (SMD): -0.09, 95% confidence interval (CI): [-0.85 to 0.67]). Subgroup analysis was basically consistent with the main analysis according to the research region, the publication year, the sample size, the type of surgery, the statistical analysis method, the mean age, and the intervention time. However, we found that MLD could significantly reduce lymphedema in patients under the age of 60 years (SMD: -1.77, 95% CI: [-2.23 to -1.31]) and an intervention time of 1 month (SMD: -1.77, 95% CI: [-2.23 to -1.30]). Meanwhile, 4 RCTs including, 1364 patients, revealed that MLD could not significantly prevent the risk of lymphedema (risk ratio (RR): 0.61, 95% CI: [0.29-1.26]) for patients having breast cancer surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this meta-analysis of 12 RCTs showed that MLD cannot significantly reduce or prevent lymphedema in patients after breast cancer surgery. However, well-designed RCTs with a larger sample size are required, especially in patients under the age of 60 years or an intervention time of 1 month.

COVID-19: a novel coronavirus and a novel challenge for oral healthcare.

OBJECTIVES: Explore how to manage oral healthcare during the COVID-19 outbreak. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In order to solve oral healthcare during the COVID-19 outbreak, our hospital has taken effective measures: build a team of experts, which provide a 24-h hotline, online video consultation, and online training and push popular science articles on WeChat. For the treatment of emergency patients aside from routine epidemic prevention measures, some special measures for oral treatment need to be added. RESULTS: From January 23, 2020, to March 2, 2020, a total of 3035 patients received oral therapy during the COVID-19 epidemic in our hospital. To our knowledge, no oral health worker or patient has been infected with COVID-19 due to oral treatment, and no patients have complained about the suspension of treatment by complaints hotline. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 is a novel challenge for oral healthcare. Attention should be paid to oral healthcare during the outbreak of COVID-19. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These experiences of oral healthcare can be used as a reference by stomatological hospitals and oral clinics during public health emergencies.

Efficacy of hyaluronidase combined with corticosteroids in treatment of oral submucous fibrosis: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis was performed to systematically evaluate the efficacy of hyaluronidase combined with corticosteroids compared with other drugs in improving maximum mouth opening and alleviating the burning sensation in patients with oral submucous fibrosis (OSF). METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library were searched. RevMan 5.3 software was used for the meta-analysis. RESULTS: Six studies involving 244 patients with OSF were analysed. No significant difference in improvement of maximum mouth opening was found between the hyaluronidase and control groups (lycopene, pentoxifylline, aloe vera, dexamethasone, Turmix [curcumin + piperine] and isoxsuprine) at 1 month (mean difference [MD]: 0.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.92-1.56, P = .61, I2  = 57%), 2 months (MD: 0.49, 95% CI: -0.14-1.12, P = .12, I2  = 41%) or 3 months (MD: 0.40, 95% CI: -1.08-1.87, P = .60, I2  = 92%). Additionally, no statistically significant difference was found in alleviation of the burning sensation between the two groups at 1 month (MD: 0.54, 95% CI: -0.62-1.71, P = .36, I2  = 0%), 2 months (MD: 0.53, 95% CI: -0.85-1.91, P = .45, I2  = 0%) or 3 months (MD: 0.64, 95% CI: -1.07 to 2.35, P = .46, I2  = 0%). CONCLUSIONS: According to this meta-analysis, weak evidence indicates that hyaluronidase combined with corticosteroids has no additional clinical benefit over control drugs (lycopene, pentoxifylline, aloe vera, dexamethasone, Turmix and isoxsuprine) in improving maximum mouth opening and alleviating the burning sensation in patients with OSF. Therefore, more high-quality, multi-centre randomized controlled trials with larger samples are needed to further assess the efficacy of hyaluronidase combined with corticosteroids in the treatment of OSF.

Effects of Olanzapine on Bone Mineral Density, Glucose, and Lipid Metabolism in Schizophrenia Patients.

AIM: To explore whether olanzapine alters bone mineral density (BMD), glucose, and lipid metabolism in schizophrenia patients. METHODS: This study enrolled 150 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), including 101 patients who had over 6-month history of olanzapine use (olanzapine-treated group) and 49 patients who had no history of antipsychotic use (first episode drug-naïve group). 71 subjects with age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers (healthy control group) were also enrolled. All study subjects were from the Chinese Han population recruited in the Second Xiangya Hospital from January 2015 to January 2016. Demographic and physical examination data were collected from all subjects. BMD measurements of the radius+ulna, lumbar spine (L1-4), and left hip were performed via a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry test. Serum lipid, glucose, and insulin levels were analyzed. Psychopathology profiles in all enrolled schizophrenia patients were assessed by the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in age, gender, activity intensity, smoking, or drinking among the three groups. In the majority of evaluated bone areas, the BMD values in olanzapine-treated or drug-naïve patients were lower than those in the control group. However, BMD values in the drug-naïve group showed no difference or even decreased as compared with those in the olanzapine-treated group. Among the olanzapine-treated group, although not observed in every tested region, a positive correlation was found of BMI or HOMA-IR with BMD. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis revealed independent predictive factors associated with BMD in groups/subgroups of schizophrenia patients or healthy controls, including gender, TG, BMI, body weight, HOMA-IR, and FBG. CONCLUSIONS: Schizophrenia, but not the long-term use of olanzapine, correlates with BMD loss in schizophrenia patients. Elevated BMI, TG, FBG, and insulin levels might protect these patients against bone degradation. Our work provides new information to improve the understanding, prevention, and treatment of osteoporosis in schizophrenia patients.

Impact of diabetes on the risk of bedsore in patients undergoing surgery: an updated quantitative analysis of cohort studies.

Diabetes is a major cause of morbidity for patients undergoing surgery and can increase the incidence of some postoperative complications such as bedsores. We conducted a meta-analysis of observational studies to examine whether patients with diabetes undergoing surgery had high risk of bedsore. We performed a systematic literature search in Pubmed, Embase and the Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials database from inception to November 2016. Studies were selected if they reported estimates of the relative risk (RR) for bedsore risk in postoperative diabetic patients compared with that of in non-diabetic patients. Random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to pool the estimates. A total of 16 studies with 24,112 individuals were included in our meta-analysis. The pooled RR of bedsore development for patients with diatetes was 1.77 (95% CI 1.45 to 2.16). The results of subgroup analyses were consistent when stratified by surgery type, study design, research region, sample size, inclusion period, analysis method and study quality. There was evidence of publication bias among studies and a sensitivity analysis using the Duval and Tweedie "trim-and-fill" method did not significantly alter the pooled results (adjusted RR 1.17, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.36).This meta-analysis provides indications that diabetic patients undergoing surgery could have a higher risk of developing bedsores. Further large-scale prospective trials should be implemented to comfirm the association.

Effects of statins on cancer mortality and progression: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 95 cohorts including 1,111,407 individuals.

Statins have been implicated in the regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis and tumor progression in cancer patients and statin use at the time of cancer diagnosis has been reported to be associated with reduced cancer risk and improved survival, irrespective of concomitant anti-cancer therapy. A systematic literature search of relevant databases through May 2015 was conducted to identify studies assessing the prognostic impact of statin use on prognostic outcomes in cancer patients. Literature search identified 95 cohort studies that met the inclusion criteria. A meta-analysis of 55 articles showed that statin use was significantly associated with decreased risk of all-cause mortality (HR 0.70, 95% Cl 0.66 to 0.74) compared with nonusers. The observed pooled estimates were retained for cancer-specific mortality (HR 0.60, 95% Cl 0.47 to 0.77), progression-free survival (HR 0.67, 95% Cl 0.56 to 0.81), recurrence-free survial (HR 0.74, 95% Cl 0.65 to 0.83) and disease-free survival (HR 0.53, 95% Cl 0.40 to 0.72). These associations almost remained consistent across those outcomes when stratified by publication type, tumour location, study design, sample size, initiation of statins, disease stage, research country, follow-up duration or research hospital involved. Subgroup analyses according to initiation of statins showed postdiagnosis statin users (HR 0.65, 95% Cl 0.54 to 0.79) gained significantly more recurrence-free survival benefit than prediagnosis statin users (HR 0.86, 95% Cl 0.77 to 0.96) (p for interaction = 0.018). Statin therapy has potential survival benefit for patients with malignancy. Further large-scale prospective studies emphasising survival outcomes of individual cancer type are strongly encouraged.