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Background: The escalating worldwide concerns for mental health, significantly amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, necessitates understanding the impact on vulnerable populations, such as university students. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and implications of depression, anxiety, and stress among university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21). Methods: This study utilized convenience sampling to investigate the mental health of undergraduates in UAE universities using a bilingual DASS-21 questionnaire via Google Forms. Analysis was conducted using SPSS version 29.0, employing descriptive statistics, Chi-squared tests, Mann-Whitney tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Multinomial Logistic Regression to analyze relationships between sociodemographic variables and mental health scores. Results: The study examined 332 students, with most female participants (81 %, n = 269) and individuals aged 18-20 (89.8 %, n = 298). It revealed higher mean DASS scores among females: Depression (M = 15.80, p = 0.030), Anxiety (M = 17.63, p < 0.001), and Stress (M = 22.61, p < 0.001). Fourth-year students exhibited the highest DASS scores for depression (M = 30.33, p = 0.002), anxiety (M = 21.33, p = 0.002), and stress (M = 27.00, p = 0.005). Younger participants aged 18-20 had an odds ratio (OR) of 4.925 for depression, indicating they were approximately five times more likely to experience depression. Conclusions: This study reveals gender, age, and academic-year variations in depression, anxiety, and stress among UAE university students. Specifically, our findings indicate higher levels of anxiety and stress among females and reveal academic-year and age-related patterns in mental health conditions. University support services in the UAE should better address student needs, including counseling focused on high school to university transition challenges.
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BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a liver condition that is prevalent worldwide and associated with significant health risks and economic burdens. As it has been linked to insulin resistance (IR), this study aimed to perform a bibliometric analysis and visually represent the scientific literature on IR and NAFLD. AIM: To map the research landscape to underscore critical areas of focus, influential studies, and future directions of NAFLD and IR. METHODS: This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of the literature on IR and NAFLD indexed in the SciVerse Scopus database from 1999 to 2022. The search strategy used terms from the literature and medical subject headings, focusing on terms related to IR and NAFLD. VOSviewer software was used to visualize research trends, collaborations, and key thematic areas. The analysis examined publication type, annual research output, contributing countries and institutions, funding agencies, journal impact factors, citation patterns, and highly cited references. RESULTS: This analysis identified 23124 documents on NAFLD, revealing a significant increase in the number of publications between 1999 and 2022. The search retrieved 715 papers on IR and NAFLD, including 573 (80.14%) articles and 88 (12.31%) reviews. The most productive countries were China (n = 134; 18.74%), the United States (n = 122; 17.06%), Italy (n = 97; 13.57%), and Japan (n = 41; 5.73%). The leading institutions included the Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy (n = 29; 4.06%), and the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy (n = 19; 2.66%). The top funding agencies were the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in the United States (n = 48; 6.71%), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (n = 37; 5.17%). The most active journals in this field were Hepatology (27 publications), the Journal of Hepatology (17 publications), and the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (13 publications). The main research hotspots were "therapeutic approaches for IR and NAFLD" and "inflammatory and high-fat diet impacts on NAFLD". CONCLUSION: This is the first bibliometric analysis to examine the relationship between IR and NAFLD. In response to the escalating global health challenge of NAFLD, this research highlights an urgent need for a better understanding of this condition and for the development of intervention strategies. Policymakers need to prioritize and address the increasing prevalence of NAFLD.
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BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasingly recognized as a significant health issue. Emerging research has focused on the role of the gut microbiota in NAFLD, emphasizing the gut-liver axis. This study aimed to identify key research trends and guide future investigations in this evolving area. METHODS: This bibliometric study utilized Scopus to analyze global research on the link between the gut microbiota and NAFLD. The method involved a search strategy focusing on relevant keywords in article titles, refined by including only peer-reviewed journal articles. The data analysis included bibliometric indicators such as publication counts and trends, which were visualized using VOSviewer software version 1.6.20 for network and co-occurrence analysis, highlighting key research clusters and emerging topics. RESULTS: Among the 479 publications on the gut microbiota and NAFLD, the majority were original articles (n = 338; 70.56%), followed by reviews (n = 119; 24.84%). The annual publication count increased from 1 in 2010 to 118 in 2022, with a significant growth phase starting in 2017 (R2 = 0.9025, p < 0.001). The research was globally distributed and dominated by China (n = 231; 48.23%) and the United States (n = 90; 18.79%). The University of California, San Diego, led institutional contributions (n = 18; 3.76%). Funding was prominent, with 62.8% of the articles supported, especially by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (n = 118; 24.63%). The average citation count was 43.23, with an h-index of 70 and a citation range of 0 to 1058 per article. Research hotspots shifted their focus post-2020 toward the impact of high-fat diets on NAFLD incidence. CONCLUSIONS: This study has effectively mapped the growing body of research on the gut microbiota-NAFLD relationship, revealing a significant increase in publications since 2017. There is significant interest in gut microbiota and NAFLD research, mainly led by China and the United States, with diverse areas of focus. Recently, the field has moved toward exploring the interconnections among diet, lifestyle, and the gut-liver axis. We hypothesize that with advanced technologies, new opportunities for personalized medicine and a holistic understanding of NAFLD will emerge.
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Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common disease and has been increasing in recent years. To date, no FDA-approved drug specifically targets NAFLD. Methods: The terms "Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease" and "NAFLD" were used in a search of ClinicalTrials.gov on August 24, 2023. Two evaluators independently examined the trials using predetermined eligibility criteria. Studies had to be interventional, NAFLD focused, in Phase IV, and completed to be eligible for this review. Results: The ClinicalTrials.gov database was searched for trials examining pharmacotherapeutics in NAFLD. The search revealed 1364 trials, with 31 meeting the inclusion criteria. Out of these, 19 were finalized for evaluation. The dominant intervention model was Parallel. The most prevalent studies were in Korea (26.3%) and China (21.1%). The most common intervention was metformin (12.1%), with others like Exenatide and Pioglitazone accounting for 9.1%. Conclusion: Therapeutics used to manage NAFLD are limited. However, various medications offer potential benefits. Further investigations are definitely warranted.