Influence of information anxiety on core competency of registered nurses: mediating effect of digital health literacy.

BACKGROUND: In the information age of health care, nurses often face information overload, leading to negative emotions, e.g., anxiety that may impede the adoption of evidence-based practice and clinical decision-making process. Nurses with higher digital health literacy can effectively process and manage information. Despite this, no research has explored the relationship between information anxiety, digital health literacy, and core competency among nurses. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the mediating effects of digital health literacy on information anxiety and core competency among nurses. METHODS: From July to October 2023, the data for this cross-sectional study were collected. The study surveyed a total of 608 nurses from three tertiary hospitals in Fujian Province, and the survey instruments included a sociodemographic information questionnaire, Chinese revision version of the Digital Health Literacy Instrument (CR-DHLI), Information Anxiety Scale (IAS), and Competency Inventory for Registered Nurses (CIRN). Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis were conducted using SPSS 29.0, and the mediating effect of digital health literacy was examined using Mplus. RESULTS: The mean score of nurses' information anxiety, digital health literacy, and core competency was 3.03 ± 0.91, 2.46 ± 0.56, 2.72 ± 0.88, respectively. And the mediation model of information anxiety on core competency for nurses showed a good model fit index (χ²/df = 2.207, CFI = 0.985, TLI = 0.982, RMSEA = 0.045, SRMR = 0.035). Digital health literacy was positively correlated with nurses' core competency but negatively correlated with information anxiety. The results of path analysis revealed that information anxiety had negative and significant direct effects on NCC (ß = -0.119, P = 0.004) and DHL (ß = -0.297, P < 0.001). DHL had a positive effect on NCC (ß = 0.306, P < 0.001). Digital health literacy played a partial mediating role, accounting for 43.54% of the relationship between information anxiety and nurses' core competency. CONCLUSIONS: Information anxiety among nurses was at relatively high levels, which had a negative impact on the core competency of nurses. This issue requires attention from nursing managers. The mediating role of digital health literacy in the relationship between information anxiety and core competency among nurses has been established. Nursing managers should strengthen the evaluation of nurses' DHL and devise effective support strategies to enhance DHL, thus improving the core competence of nurses in information age.

[Design and application of spectacle frame for eye moxibustion].

The new style spectacle frame for eye moxibustion is designed, which is characterized by adjustable direction, constant temperature and smoke absorption. Combined with mechanical structure design and physical and chemical technology, a new style of moxibustion spectacle frame is designed by means of spring mechanism, damping bearing, filter cotton, etc. The moxibustion spectacle frame includes the right and left eye frames, spectacle legs, nose mask, eye mask, slide rod, screw rod, spring structure, damping bearing, support rod and pin. The eye mask can prevent from the risks induced by the burning moxa stick. A ventilate hole is designed in the lower part of the nose mask to keep breathing unobstructed. In the upper end of the ventilate hole, a filter cotton is placed to prevent from moxa smoke penetrating to the nasal cavity. The spring structure can keep relatively the fixed distance between the combustion area and the acupoints. Such device ensures the safety of eye moxibustion, reduces the complexity of operation and is suitable for moxibustion treatment for all kinds of eye diseases.

Effects of Hand Exercise on Eating Action in Patients With Alzheimer's Disease.

We aim to investigate whether a popular hand exercise could be used to improve the action of eating in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). A 6-month intervention was conducted in 60 patients with AD who live in a nursing home. They were divided into hand exercise and control groups. Patients of the control group maintained their daily routine. The improvement of Edinburgh Feeding Evaluation in Dementia scale in hand exercise group was significantly greater than in the control group ( P = .003). Significant differences in time of autonomous eating and time of simulated eating between patients in the hand exercise and control groups ( P < .05) were noted. The improvements in accuracy of eating action and coordination of eating action from baseline were significant in hand exercise group compared to the control group ( P = .020 and .014, respectively). Hand exercise is a safe and effective intervention to improve the feeding and eating of people with AD.

Effects of Alpha-Synuclein on Primary Spinal Cord Neurons Associated with Apoptosis and CNTF Expression.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) often causes neurological deficits with poor recovery; the treatment, however, is far from satisfaction, and the mechanisms remain unclear. Using immunohistochemistry and western blotting analysis, we found α-synuclein (SNCA) was significantly up-regulated in the spinal caudal segment of rats subjected to spinal cord transection at 3 days post-operation. Moreover, the role of SNCA on neuronal growth and apoptosis in vitro was determined by using overexpressing and interfering SNCA recombined plasmid vectors, and the underlying mechanism was detected by QRT-PCR and western blotting. Spinal neurons transfected with SNCA-shRNA lentivirus gave rise to an optimal neuronal survival, while it results in cell apoptosis in SNCA-ORF group. In molecular level, SNCA silence induced the up-regulation of CNTF and down-regulation of Caspase7/9. Together, endogenous SNCA plays a crucial role in spinal neuronal survival, in which the underlying mechanism may be linked to the regulation both apoptotic genes (Caspase7/9) and CNTF. The present findings therefore provide novel insights into the role of SNCA in spinal cord and associated mechanism, which may provide novel cue for the treatment of SCI in future clinic trials.

[The Effect of Structured Group Reminiscence Therapy on the Life Satisfaction of Institutionalized Elderly].

BACKGROUND: Long-term care institutions have become an option for older people who are dependent in daily living. However, insufficient attention has been focused on assessing the life satisfaction of those currently residing in these institutions in Taiwan. Previous research indicates that group reminiscence may improve the life satisfaction of older adults. However, there is currently no consensus regarding the implementation and evaluation of reminiscence interventions. PURPOSE: To examine the effect of a structured group reminiscence protocol on the life satisfaction of institutionalized older adults. METHODS: The study used a quasi-experimental design. A total of 48 older adults were conveniently recruited from two long-term care institutions in southern Taiwan. The experimental group (n = 23) received 8 weeks of structured-group reminiscence for 40 minutes weekly, while the control group (n = 25) received routine care from the institution. Both groups were evaluated using a life-satisfaction questionnaire before and after the intervention and again four weeks later. RESULTS: Life satisfaction scores were statistically similar on the pre-test and significantly different on both post-test questionnaires for the two groups. The scores for the experimental and control groups were pre-test: 24.22 vs 23.36 (p = .063); post-test I: 27.22 vs 23.32 (p < .001); and post-test II: 26.43 vs 23.00 (p < .001). The mean post-test scores for the experimental group were significantly higher than the pre-test score (p < .001). The generalized estimating equation test showed that the overall score of life satisfaction for the experimental group increased by 0.85-points (p = .042) more than the control group, which is a significant difference. CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The results support that the 8-week structured group reminiscence protocol effectively enhances life satisfaction in older adults. The results of this study may be referenced in the continuing education of nurses working in long-term care institutions in the context of helping nurses organize, facilitate, and evaluate this protocol.

BDNF Overexpression Exhibited Bilateral Effect on Neural Behavior in SCT Mice Associated with AKT Signal Pathway.

Spinal cord injury (SCI), a severe health problem in worldwide, was commonly associated with functional disability and reduced quality of life. As the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was substantial event in injured spinal cord, we hypothesized whether BDNF-overexpression could be in favor of the recovery of both sensory function and hindlimb function after SCI. By using BDNF-overexpression transgene mice [CMV-BDNF 26 (CB26) mice] we assessed the role of BDNF on the recovery of neurological behavior in spinal cord transection (SCT) model. BMS score and tail-flick test was performed to evaluate locomotor function and sensory function, respectively. Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect the location and the expression of BDNF, NeuN, 5-HT, GAP-43, GFAP as well as CGRP, and the level of p-AKT and AKT were examined through western blot analysis. BDNF overexpressing resulted in significant locomotor functional recovery from 21 to 28 days after SCT, compared with wild type (WT)+SCT group. Meanwhile, the NeuN, 5-HT and GAP-43 positive cells were markedly increased in ventral horn in BDNF overexpression animals, compared with WT mice with SCT. Moreover, the crucial molecular signal, p-AKT/AKT has been largely up-regulated, which is consistent with the improvement of locomotor function. However, in this study, thermal hyperpathia encountered in sham (CB26) group and WT+SCT mice and further aggravated in CB26 mice after SCT. Also, following SCT, the significant augment of positive-GFAP astrocytes and CGRP fibers were found in WT+SCT mice, and further increase was seen in BDNF over-expression transgene mice. BDNF-overexpression may not only facilitate the recovery of locomotor function via AKT pathway, but also contributed simultaneously to thermal hyperalgesia after SCT.

Propofol administration improves neurological function associated with inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines in adult rats after traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND: Neurological deficits following traumatic brain injury (TBI) result in dramatic impacts on the survivors, but the effect of propofol and associated mechanism are waiting to be determined. METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into Sham, TBI, TBI+Intralipid and TBI+Propofol group. Modified Feeney method was adopted to generate TBI model from free hammer fall injury, and animals in TBI+Propofol group were immediately treated with propofol administration for 2hours after TBI, rats after TBI without propofol treatment was used as injury control, intralipid as vehicle in propofol was injected in TBI+intralipid group. Then, neurological severity scores (NSS) were evaluated at 1, 3, 7 and 14days. Moreover, the expressions of IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α mRNA and protein were examined using quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, immunohistochemical staining was used to localize cytokines. RESULTS: The NSS increased greatly in the rats induced by TBI, while propofol could effectively decreased NSS, confirming the neuroprotective effect of propofol. Moreover, the mRNA expressions of IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α, at 1, 3, 7days after operation (dpo), were significantly augmented in the injured cortex, compared with sham one. But there was no difference between TBI and TBI+Intralipid group, but markedly decreased after propofol treatment. Additionally, the protein level of IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α in four groups determined by Western blot and immunohistochemistry showed the similar change with mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: Propofol treatment could elicit a robust neuroprotective response, resulting in significant neurological function improvement for TBI rats, which was independent with intralipid. The underlying molecular mechanism may be partially associated with an inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

[Determination of Total Iron and Fe2+ in Basalt].

Basalt is the raw material of basalt fiber. The content of FeO and Fe2O3 has a great impact on the properties of basalt fibers. ICP-OES and dichromate method were used to test total Fe and Fe(2+) in basalt. Suitable instrument parameters and analysis lines of Fe were chosen for ICP-OES. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of ICP-OES is 2.2%, and the recovery is in the range of 98%~101%. The method shows simple, rapid and highly accurate for determination of total Fe and Fe(2+) in basalt. The RSD of ICP-OES and dichromate method is 0.42% and 1.4%, respectively.

Star-shaped D-A small molecules based on diketopyrrolopyrrole and triphenylamine for efficient solution-processed organic solar cells.

Three star-shaped D-A small molecules, (P-DPP)(3)TPA, (4-FP-DPP)(3)TPA, and (4-BuP-DPP)(3)TPA were designed and synthesized with triphenylamine (TPA) as the core, diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) as the arm, and unsubstituted or substituted benzene rings (phenyl, P; 4-fluoro-phenyl, 4-FP; 4-n-butyl-phenyl, 4-BuP) as the end-group. All the three small molecules show relatively narrow optical band gaps (1.68-1.72 eV) and low-lying highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels (-5.09∼-5.13 eV), implying that they are potentially good electron donors for organic solar cells (OSCs). Then, photovoltaic properties of the small molecules blended with [6,6]-phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester (PC(61)BM) as electron acceptor were investigated. Among three small molecules, the OSC based on (P-DPP)(3)TPA:PCBM blend exhibits a best power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.98% with an open-circuit voltage (V(oc)) of 0.72 V, a short-circuit current density (J(sc)) of 7.94 mA/cm(2), and a fill factor (FF) of 52.2%, which may be ascribed to the highest hole mobility of (P-DPP)(3)TPA.

The clinical characteristics of 2,789 consecutive patients in a memory clinic in China.

To explore the clinical characteristics of the Memory Clinic patients at Huashan Hospital and to provide suggestions for future research, we retrospectively reviewed the demographic, cognitive and aetiological data from 2,789 consecutive patients who attended the Memory Clinic of the Department of Neurology at Huashan Hospital from April 2003 to April 2008. The demographical distribution of the patients was as follows: there were more females (58%) than males; 58% of the patients were older than 70 years of age; and most patients (77%) had six or more years of education. The distribution of the diagnoses was as follows: degenerative or vascular dementia, 46.4%; mild cognitive impairment, 22.8%; subjective cognitive impairment, 21.7%; neurosis, 3.3%; organic cognitive impairment, 3.9%; unspecified dementia, 1.2%; and pure amnesia, 0.7%. These results showed that older patients with relatively high levels of education comprised the majority of our sample and a high percentage of the patients showed absent or mild cognitive impairment. Accordingly, future studies should focus on early diagnosis and treatment for dementia. Detailed neuropsychological tests and follow-up assessments are becoming increasingly important in the diagnosis of memory diseases in China.

A preliminary study of the Six-Item Screener in detecting cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVE: The present retrospective study was to explore the clinical value of Six-Item Screener (SIS), which is constituted by 6 items from mini-mental status examination (MMSE), to identify cognitive impairment. METHODS: A total number of 1976 patients aged over 50 years, from the Memory Clinic of Huashan Hospital were employed in a battery of neuropsychological tests including MMSE. Subjects with severe conditions, unable to cooperate, or having been previously enrolled, were excluded from this study. The employed subjects were divided into 3 groups: subjective memory complaints (SMCs) (475 cases), patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (440 cases), and patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) (1061 cases, including 555 mild, 339 moderate, and 167 severe). A total score of MMSE and a score of SIS composed of date, month, year, three-word delayed recall from MMSE were calculated. Data were analyzed based on educational background. RESULTS: The cut-off of SIS score was <2 for illiterate, <3 for elementary, and <4 for junior high school or above. The sensitivity and specificity of SIS for detecting mild AD were 88.5% and 78.3%, respectively, with an overall accuracy of 83.8%, while for detecting MCI, the sensitivity and specificity were 34.3% and 90.1%, respectively, with an overall accuracy of 63.2%. CONCLUSION: SIS is an effective and reliable instrument for dementia detection in outpatient department. However, it has limited value for MCI identification.