Parenting Expectations, NICU Experiences, and Maternal Psychological Outcomes: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study.

BACKGROUND: Infant neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization increases maternal risk for psychological distress. However, no universal screening standards exist and predicting maternal risk remains challenging. Reconceptualizing maternal distress in relation to differences between parenting expectations and NICU experiences may illuminate commonalities across a range of experiences. PURPOSE: This study explored parenting expectation-experience differences (EEDs) among NICU mothers and assessed correlations between EED scores and psychological outcomes 1 to 5 years post-NICU hospitalization. METHODS: A 3-phase explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used. Pearson's correlation coefficients were used to measure relationships between EED scores and maternal psychological outcomes. Reflexive thematic analysis of one-on-one, semi-structured interviews contextualized EED scores. RESULTS: Most participants (92.9%) reported negative EED scores, indicating NICU experiences fell short of parenting expectations. Significant inverse correlations were found between EED scores and maternal outcomes, including depression ( r = -0.25, P < .01), anxiety ( r = -0.25, P < .01) and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms ( r = -0.41, P < .001), and perceived parenting self-efficacy ( r = -0.28, P < .01). Major qualitative themes included unexpected versus prepared, lost parenting experiences, and surviving and thriving. Data synthesis contextualized EED scores and revealed key differences in meaning ascribed to unmet parenting expectations. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND RESEARCH: Preparing mothers for infant NICU hospitalization and creating a NICU parenting environment, which better supports mothers and their engagement in parenting tasks, may help to reduce differences between parenting expectations and NICU experiences. Further research is needed to elucidate the impacts of parenting EEDs in this population.

Application of Trauma-Informed Care Principles to Care Needs Identified by Mothers of NICU-Hospitalized Children.

Systematic uptake of family-centered care (FCC) interventions remains challenging and frequently suboptimal in many neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Across NICUs in the United States, integrating family members as partners in infant caregiving and decision-making has not been well supported and routine screening and provision of psychological support for parents remains inadequate. Trauma-informed care (TIC) may offer a more comprehensive approach to NICU care which can encompass FCC principles and promote family recovery and resilience by recognizing and responding to the traumas experienced by NICU infants and families. The current paper aimed to understand needs identified by mothers of NICU-hospitalized children and reports a focused analysis of one-on-one interview data (n = 13 mothers) collected during a larger mixed methods study. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to understand needs identified by mothers and to explore how these needs aligned with TIC principles. Six themes were identified and subsequently examined in the context of the principles of TIC: I Just Had No Control, That Really Caught Us Off Guard, So Much Was Already Taken Away, We're People and There Needs To Be More Support and Practices Which Helped. Mothers' care needs were found to align with TIC principles. Findings suggest that implementation of TIC principles in NICU settings can support parental presence, participation in infant care, and mental health and support the potential of TIC as a more comprehensive approach to meeting the needs of NICU parents.

Understanding α-lipoic acid photochemistry helps to control the synthesis of plasmonic gold nanostructures.

We propose the photopolymerization of lipoic acid (LA) as an novel approach to produce a cross-linked polymeric matrix of lipoic acid monomers (PALA) which helps to control the size of plasmonic gold nanostructures when using 3,3,6,8-tetramethyl-1-tetralone as the photo-initiator for the reduction of Au(III) to Au0. A complete characterization of the polymer is included, and the dual behaviour of LA as an in situ stabilizer and reducing agent is investigated. These findings are relevant to the understanding of the photochemical transformation of this biologically relevant compound and would benefit the increasing use of LA and PALA for the synthesis of various nanomaterials.

A novel conceptual model of trauma-informed care for patients with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 illness (PASC).

AIM: This paper proposes a novel, trauma-informed, conceptual model of care for Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 illness (PASC). DESIGN: This paper describes essential elements, linkages and dimensions of the model that affect PASC patient experiences and the potential impact of trauma-informed care on outcomes. DATA SOURCES: PASC is a consequence of the global pandemic, and a new disease of which little is known. Our model was derived from the limited available studies, expert clinical experience specific to PASC survivors and publicly available social media narratives authored by PASC survivors. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: The model provides a critical and novel framework for the understanding and care of persons affected by PASC. This model is aimed at the provision of nursing care, with the intention of reducing the traumatic impacts of the uncertain course of this disease, a lack of defined treatment options and difficulties in seeking care. The use of a trauma-informed care approach to PASC patients can enhance nurses' ability to remediate and ameliorate both the traumatic burden of and the symptoms and experience of the illness. CONCLUSION: Applying a trauma-informed perspective to care of PASC patients can help to reduce the overall burden of this complex condition. Owing to the fundamentally holistic perspective of the nursing profession, nurses are best positioned to implement care that addresses multiple facets of the PASC experience. IMPACT: The proposed model specifically addresses the myriad ways in which PASC may affect physical as well as mental and psychosocial dimensions of health. The model particularly seeks to suggest means of supporting patients who have already experienced a life-threatening illness and are now coping with its long-term impact. Since the scope of this impact is not yet defined, trauma-informed care for PASC patients is likely to reduce the overall health and systems burdens of this complex condition.

The other COVID-19 survivors: Timing, duration, and health impact of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency, timing, and duration of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) and their impact on health and function. BACKGROUND: Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection is an emerging major public health problem that is poorly understood and has no current treatment or cure. PASC is a new syndrome that has yet to be fully clinically characterised. DESIGN: Descriptive cross-sectional survey (n = 5163) was conducted from online COVID-19 survivor support groups who reported symptoms for more than 21 days following SARS-CoV-2 infection. METHODS: Participants reported background demographics and the date and method of their covid diagnosis, as well as all symptoms experienced since onset of covid in terms of the symptom start date, duration, and Likert scales measuring three symptom-specific health impacts: pain and discomfort, work impairment, and social impairment. Descriptive statistics and measures of central tendencies were computed for participant demographics and symptom data. RESULTS: Participants reported experiencing a mean of 21 symptoms (range 1-93); fatigue (79.0%), headache (55.3%), shortness of breath (55.3%) and difficulty concentrating (53.6%) were the most common. Symptoms often remitted and relapsed for extended periods of time (duration M = 112 days), longest lasting symptoms included the inability to exercise (M = 106.5 days), fatigue (M = 101.7 days) and difficulty concentrating, associated with memory impairment (M = 101.1 days). Participants reported extreme pressure at the base of the head, syncope, sharp or sudden chest pain, and "brain pressure" among the most distressing and impacting daily life. CONCLUSIONS: Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection can be characterised by a wide range of symptoms, many of which cause moderate-to-severe distress and can hinder survivors' overall well-being. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study advances our understanding of the symptoms of PASC and their health impacts.

Mechanisms and Methods to Understand Depressive Symptoms.

Depressive symptoms, feelings of sadness, anger, and loss that interfere with a person's daily life, are prevalent health concerns across populations that significantly result in adverse health outcomes with direct and indirect economic burdens at a national and global level. This article aims to synthesize known mechanisms of depressive symptoms and the established and emerging methodologies used to understand depressive symptoms; implications and directions for future nursing research are discussed. A comprehensive search was performed by Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, MEDLINE, and PUBMED databases between 2000-2021 to examine contributing factors of depressive symptoms. Many environmental, psychological, and physiological factors are associated with the development or increased severity of depressive symptoms (anhedonia, fatigue, sleep and appetite disturbances to depressed mood). This paper discusses biological and psychological theories that guide our understanding of depressive symptoms, as well as known biomarkers (gut microbiome, specific genes, multi-cytokine, and hormones) and established and emerging methods. Disruptions within the nervous system, hormonal and neurotransmitters levels, brain structure, gut-brain axis, leaky-gut syndrome, immune and inflammatory process, and genetic variations are significant mediating mechanisms in depressive symptomology. Nursing research and practice are at the forefront of furthering depressive symptoms' mechanisms and methods. Utilizing advanced technology and measurement tools (big data, machine learning/artificial intelligence, and multi-omic approaches) can provide insight into the psychological and biological mechanisms leading to effective intervention development. Thus, understanding depressive symptomology provides a pathway to improve patients' health outcomes, leading to reduced morbidity and mortality and the overall nation-wide economic burden.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2021.1998261 .

Antihistamines for Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV2 (PASC) infection is an emerging global health crisis, variably affecting millions worldwide. PASC has no established treatment. We describe 2 cases of PASC in response to opportune administration of over-the-counter antihistamines, with significant improvement in symptoms and ability to perform activities of daily living. Future studies are warranted to understand the potential role of histamine in the pathogenesis of PASC and explore the clinical benefits of antihistamines in the treatment of PASC.

Photoenolization as a convenient driver for the synthesis of plasmonic nanostructures.

Substituted tetralones such as 3,3,6,8-tetramethyl-1-tetralone undergo photoenolization to produce a photoenol excited state with a lifetime around ~ 3 µs, which involves the carbonyl triplet state of the ketone (τ ~ 1.9 ns), as a precursor; the excited photoenol also has biradical character and is useful for the fast synthesis of gold nanostructures. In the case of excited photoenols like this one, if metal ion trapping fails, they return to the original ketone precursor and remain available for future events that can lead to the target nanoparticles. This study includes the characterization of the photochemistry of the substituted tetralone, and the dual behavior of reaction intermediates, as biradicals and excited states, in energy and electron transfer processes.

Exploring the Mechanism of the Clinical Encounter on Depressive Symptoms in Young Adults: A Path Analysis.

Elucidating mechanisms of how high quality clinical encounters with providers may alleviate depressive symptoms in young adults are critical to reduce psychological morbidity and disability. Guided by Street's Model of Health Communication (SMHC), this study explores the predictive relationships of the clinical encounter, which includes communication functions (patient-provider communication and patient self-appraisal of communication skills with provider) and proximal outcomes (patient activation; PA) to improve health outcomes (depressive symptoms) in young adults. This study of young adults (n = 60) employed path analysis to examine the overall model fit and direct and indirect effects of each variable on depressive symptoms. The final SMHC had excellent model fit (X2 = 2.26, p =.32, TLI =.99, CFI = 1.00, RMSEA =.05). Patient-provider communication and self-appraised communication skills with providers had indirect effects on depressive symptoms and a direct effect on PA; PA had a direct effect on depressive symptoms (R2 =.30, p <.01). Findings elucidate potential novel targets, amenable to behavioral intervention, to improve depressive symptoms within the clinical encounter, and provide a foundation for hypothesis-driven model testing among young adults with depressive symptoms.

Exploring the Relationships Among Level of Contact, Nature of Contact, and Mental Illness Stigma in Adolescent Girls.

This study explored the relationship of individuals' level of contact with someone with mental illness, and the nature of that contact, to mental illness stigma in adolescent females (N = 156). There were no significant associations among stigma and level of contact. The nature of the contact was significantly associated with stigma, such that those who knew someone who received treatment in a psychiatric facility had lower stigma, and those who attributed a deterioration of a past personal relationship to mental illness reported greater stigma.

Preventive strategies to reduce depressive symptoms in overweight and obese young adults.

This study examined the relationships among problem-solving, physical activity self-efficacy, leisure-time physical activity, and depressive symptoms in overweight/obese young adults vulnerable to many health risks. Data from 96 young adults were used. The mean age and body mass index were 24.0±3.3 years old, and 36.9±7.9, respectively. There was a positive association between physical activity self-efficacy and leisure-time physical activity in African Americans, but not in non-African Americans. Better problem solving was associated with fewer depressive symptoms regardless of gender and race.

CREATING A SERIOUS GAME FOR HEALTH.

The prevalence of chronic illnesses continues to increase as does the cost of such care. Teaching self-management skills is more effective than solely providing information and teaching technical skills at improving health outcomes. Serious games for health provide an opportunity to support learning and health-related behavior change using messages and experiences in an engaging and entertaining format. We developed eSMART-HD with the intention of improving interactions between patients with chronic disorders and their health care providers. This paper describes the factors that we considered when creating eSMART-HD, a serious game for health.

IMPACT OF A SERIOUS GAME FOR HEALTH ON CHRONIC DISEASE SELF-MANAGEMENT: PRELIMINARY EFFICACY AMONG COMMUNITY DWELLING ADULTS WITH HYPERTENSION.

Most Americans will acquire a chronic disease during their lifetime. One of the most prevalent chronic diseases that affect Americans is hypertension (HTN). Despite the known comorbidities and increased mortality rate associated with uncontrolled HTN, most community dwelling adults with HTN do not have sufficient blood pressure control Therefore, the aim of this article is to report the preliminary efficacy of a serious game for health to enhance blood pressure control among community dwelling adults with HTN. A nonprobability sample of 116 community dwelling adults with HTN participated in this nonblinded, randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to: (1) an intervention arm that consisted of four exposures to a serious game for health known as eSMART-HD; or (2) an attentional control arm that compromised of four exposures to screen-based HTN education. The primary outcome measure for this trial was blood pressure reduction over a four month observational period. In this study, baseline characteristics and blood pressure measurements were similar between participants in each study arm. There was no significant between-group difference in blood pressure reduction over time. However, there were significant within-group reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressures across time among favoring participants exposed to eSMART-HD. This study establishes the preliminary efficacy of eSMART-HD that can be easily administered to community dwelling adults and facilitate clinically significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Future studies should assess the influential components of this promising serious game for health (eSMART-HD) combined with medication management in larger and more diverse samples of community dwelling adults with HTN.

Advance directives lessen the decisional burden of surrogate decision-making for the chronically critically ill.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To identify the relationships between advance directive status, demographic characteristics and decisional burden (role stress and depressive symptoms) of surrogate decision-makers (SDMs) of patients with chronic critical illness. BACKGROUND: Although the prevalence of advance directives among Americans has increased, SDMs are ultimately responsible for complex medical decisions of the chronically critically ill patient. Decisional burden has lasting psychological effects on SDMs. There is insufficient evidence on the influence of advance directives on the decisional burden of surrogate decision-makers of patients with chronic critical illness. DESIGN: The study was a secondary data analysis of cross-sectional data. Data were obtained from 489 surrogate decision-makers of chronically critically ill patients at two academic medical centres in Northeast Ohio, United States, between September 2005-May 2008. METHODS: Data were collected using demographic forms and questionnaires. A single-item measure of role stress and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CESD) scale were used to capture the SDM's decisional burden. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, chi-square and path analyses were performed. RESULTS: Surrogate decision-makers who were nonwhite, with low socioeconomic status and low education level were less likely to have advance directive documentation for their chronically critically ill patient. The presence of an advance directive mitigates the decisional burden by directly reducing the SDM's role stress and indirectly lessening the severity of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Most SDMs of chronically critically ill patients will not have the benefit of knowing the patient's preferences for life-sustaining therapies and consequently be at risk of increased decisional burden. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Study results are clinically useful for patient education on the influence of advance directives. Patients may be informed that SDMs without advance directives are at risk of increased decisional burden and will require decisional support to facilitate patient-centred decision-making.

The effect of SARS-COV-2 variant on non-respiratory features and mortality among vaccinated and non-fully vaccinated patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of SARS-CoV-2 variants on non-respiratory features of COVID-19 in vaccinated and not fully vaccinated patients using a University of California database. METHODS: A longitudinal retrospective review of medical records (n = 63,454) from 1/1/2020-4/26/2022 using the UCCORDS database was performed to compare non-respiratory features, vaccination status, and mortality between variants. Chi-square tests were used to study the relationship between categorical variables using a contingency matrix. RESULTS: Fever was the most common feature across all variants. Fever was significantly higher in not fully vaccinated during the Delta and Omicron waves (p = 0.001; p = 0.001). Cardiac features were statistically higher in not fully vaccinated during Omicron; tachycardia was only a feature of not fully vaccinated during Delta and Omicron; diabetes and GI reflux were features of all variants regardless of vaccine status. Odds of death were significantly increased among those not fully vaccinated in the Delta and Omicron variants (Delta OR: 1.64, p = 0.052; Omicron OR: 1.96, p < 0.01). Vaccination was associated with a decrease in the frequency of non-respiratory features. CONCLUSIONS: Risk of non-respiratory features of COVID-19 is statistically higher in those not fully vaccinated across all variants. Risk of death and correlation with vaccination status varied.

The impact of decision tools during oncological consultation with lung cancer patients: A systematic review within the I3LUNG project.

INTRODUCTION: To date, lung cancer is one of the most lethal diagnoses worldwide. A variety of lung cancer treatments and modalities are available, which are generally presented during the patient and doctor consultation. The implementation of decision tools to facilitate patient's decision-making and the management of their healthcare process during medical consultation is fundamental. Studies have demonstrated that decision tools are helpful to promote health management and decision-making of lung cancer patients during consultations. The main aim of the present work within the I3LUNG project is to systematically review the implementation of decision tools to facilitate medical consultation about oncological treatments for lung cancer patients. METHODS: In the present study, we conducted a systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines. We used an electronic computer-based search involving three databases, as follows: Embase, PubMed, and Scopus. 10 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included. They explicitly refer to decision tools in the oncological context, with lung cancer patients. RESULTS: The discussion highlights the most encouraging results about the positive role of decision aids during medical consultations about oncological treatments, especially regarding anxiety, decision-making, and patient knowledge. However, no one main decision aid tool emerged as essential. Opting for a more recent timeframe to select eligible articles might shed light on the current array of decision aid tools available. CONCLUSION: Future review efforts could utilize alternative search strategies to explore other lung cancer-specific outcomes during medical consultations for treatment decisions and the implementation of decision aid tools. Engaging with experts in the fields of oncology, patient decision-making, or health communication could provide valuable insights and recommendations for relevant literature or research directions that may not be readily accessible through traditional search methods. The development of guidelines for future research were provided with the aim to promote decision aids focused on patients' needs.

Avatar-based depression self-management technology: promising approach to improve depressive symptoms among young adults.

Major depressive disorder is prevalent among American young adults and predisposes young adults to serious impairments in psychosocial functioning. Without intervention, young adults with depressive symptoms are at high risk for worsening of depressive symptoms and developing major depressive disorder. Young adults are not routinely taught effective depression self management skills to reduce depressive symptoms and preempt future illness. This study reports initial results of a randomized controlled trial among young adults (18-25 years of age) with depressive symptoms who were exposed to an avatar-based depression self-management intervention, eSMART-MH. Participants completed self-report measures of depressive symptoms at baseline and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks follow-up. Participants who received eSMART-MH had a significant reduction in depressive symptoms over 3 months, while individuals in the attention-control condition had no change in symptoms. In this study, eSMART-MH demonstrated initial efficacy and is a promising developmentally appropriate depression self-management intervention for young adults.

How do the Social Determinants of Health Impact the Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19: A Critical Review.

The review critically analyzes the social determinants of health (SDOH) variables in the current literature of patients with post-acute sequelae (PASC) of COVID-19 in the United States. Race, gender, and age were discussed as well as health outcomes, severity of illness, and phenotypes of long-COVID. Most research was retrospectively with samples that had access to health insurance, which did not capture populations with poor or no access to health care. More research is needed that directly addresses the impact on SDOH on PASC. The current literature is sparse and provides little actionable information.

Using Causal Inference to Estimate the Effect of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Prevention on COVID-19 Mortality.

Traditional machine learning (ML) approaches learn to recognize patterns in the data but fail to go beyond observing associations. Such data-driven methods can lack generalizability when the data is outside the independent and identically distributed (i.i.d) setting. Using causal inference can aid data-driven techniques to go beyond learning spurious associations and frame the data-generating process in a causal lens. We can combine domain expertise and traditional ML techniques to answer causal questions on the data. In this paper, we estimate the causal effect of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) on mortality in COVID-19 patients from an observational dataset of over 120,000 patients. With the help of medical experts, we hypothesize a causal graph that identifies the causal and non-causal associations, including the list of potential confounding variables. We use estimation techniques such as linear regression, matching, and machine learning (meta-learners) to estimate the causal effect. On average, our estimates show that taking PrEP can result in a 2.1% decrease in the death rate or a total of around 2,540 patients' lives saved in the studied population.