The effect of health coaching on blood pressure control and disease self-management among patients in rural area in China: a randomized controlled trial.

The self-management education for patients with hypertension has not been widely provided in rural areas of China. Our study aimed to examine the effect of health coaching intervention on controlling BP and improving self-management skills among rural resident of ≤6 month-history of hypertension. A total of 102 participants were enrolled in the RCT. The control group received usual health guidance and follow-up management; the experimental group received health coaching and follow up management. The primary outcomes were the difference in changes of BP and mean self-management scores. The secondary outcomes included waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), and medication literacy. Participants in the experimental group showed a significantly greater improvement with respect to systolic BP and diastolic BP respectively (133.85 ± 4.74 mmHg vs 127.96 ± 5.42 mmHg;80.94 ± 5.52 mmHg vs 77.37 ± 4.44 mmHg, P < 0.05) and BMI (24.66 ± 2.19 kg/m2 vs 23.44 ± 2.05 kg/m2, P < 0.05) compared with the control group. A significant difference was also observed between the experimental and control groups in terms of self-management and medication literacy at both 3 and 6 months (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in changes of waist circumferences between the two groups (22.6% vs 38.8%). In conclusion, for patients with diagnosed with hypertension within the last 6 months, health coaching maybe is an effective approach to control blood pressure and improve medication literacy and self-management skills.

Low body mass index and disease duration as factors associated with depressive symptoms of Chinese inpatients with chronic heart failure.

Depression is common in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), and is associated with an increased risk of adverse health outcomes. There is a paucity of data on this subject from the developing countries. The aim was to examine the prevalence and related factors of depressive symptoms among Chinese inpatients with CHF. A cross-sectional study was conducted. PHQ-9 questionnaire was used to assess depressive symptoms. The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 7.5%. Low BMI (OR = 4.837, CI = 1.278-18.301, p = 0.02), disease duration 3-5 years (OR = 5.033, CI = 1.248-20.292, p = 0.023) and 5-10 years (OR = 5.848, CI = 1.440-23.744, p = 0.013) were risk factors for depressive symptoms, while being married (OR = 0.304, CI = 0.123-0.753, p = 0.010) was protective factor. We should pay more attention to patients without a spouse, with low BMI and whose disease duration is between 3 and 10 years in Chinese inpatients with CHF.

Attitudes toward depression among rural primary healthcare providers in hunan areas, China: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Mental health services are not sufficient for depression patients in rural areas of China, training in mental health knowledge for primary healthcare providers has been encouraged, but the effect of this encouragement has rarely been reported. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in primary healthcare facilities that sought to include all the primary healthcare providers (registered physicians and nurses) in two cities in Hunan province, China by administering questionnaires that covered depression symptoms, typical depression cases, and the Revised Depression Attitude Questionnaire. RESULTS: In total, 315 primary healthcare providers agreed to participate in the study and finished the questionnaires, of which 12.1% had training in depression. In addition, 62.9% of the rural primary healthcare providers were able to recognize most general depression symptoms, and 8.3% were able to recognize all general depression symptoms. The primary healthcare providers in the survey held a neutral to slightly negative attitude towards depression as indicated by their professional confidence (mean scores 16.51 ± 4.30), therapeutic optimism/pessimism (mean scores 29.02 ± 5.98), and general perspective (mean scores 18.12 ± 3.12) scores. Fewer rural primary healthcare providers knew (28.3%) or applied (2.9%) psychological intervention in the clinic. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated that primary healthcare providers knew about general depression symptoms, but lacked psychological intervention skills and held low confidence in and pessimistic attitudes toward depression care. We therefore speculate that existing psychological training for primary healthcare providers is insufficient in quantity and quality, making the need to explore more effective types of training urgently.

Preparation and Properties of New Thermal Reflective Coating for Asphalt Pavement.

This paper aims to study the applicability of an epoxy resin modification to improve its anti-aging properties, which are conducive to road performance. To achieve this goal, a wide range of laboratory activities were conducted, including an emulsion mixed with epoxy resin and liquid phenolic resin as the coating substrate; surface-modified titanium dioxide, silica, hollow glass beads and sericite powder as functional fillers; then adding pigments and various additives to prepare a new asphalt pavement heat-reflective coating. Secondly, the optimum brushing amount of the coating was obtained, and the cooling effect was clarified. Finally, the road performance was evaluated by testing the coating's skid resistance, wear resistance and impermeability. The results show that the skid resistance, abrasion resistance and impermeability of the heat reflection coating meet the specification requirements.

Association between social support and medication literacy in older adults with hypertension.

Background: Reduced physical function and reduced social networks place older adults with hypertension at high risk for medication-related harm. Medication literacy is one of the preventable factors that affect the success of drug therapy for hypertension. However, little is known about the level of medication literacy and its influencing factors in older adults with hypertension. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of social support and medication literacy, and the association between them in older Chinese adult patients with hypertension. Methods: A total of 362 older adult patients with hypertension were investigated using a demographic characteristics questionnaire, the Chinese Medication Literacy Scale for Hypertensive Patients (C-MLSHP) and the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS). Pearson correlation analysis, canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and hierarchical linear regression were used to analyse the relationship between social support and medication literacy. Results: Our results showed that the mean scores for the C-MLSHP and the SSRS for older adult patients with hypertension were 23.89 (SD = 4.66) and 39.22 (SD = 5.53), respectively. The results of the Pearson correlation analysis suggested that the score for social support was positively correlated with the score for medication literacy (r = 0.431, P < 0.01). The results of CCA demonstrate that older adult patients with hypertension who had more subjective (r s = 0.682) and objective support (r s = 0.817) performed better in knowledge (r s = 0.633), skills (r s = 0.631) and behavior literacy (r s = 0.715). Hierarchical linear regression indicated that two dimensions of subjective support (B = 0.252, P < 0.001) and objective support (B = 0.690, P < 0.001) in social support were found to be independent predictors of medication literacy (R2 = 0.335, F = 19.745, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Social support is positively associated with medication literacy in older Chinese adult patients with hypertension. The study highlights the importance of social support in promoting medication literacy among older adult patients with hypertension.

Time management disposition and relevant factors among new nurses in Chinese tertiary hospitals: A cross-sectional study.

Introduction: New nurses struggled with time management, which was a prominent theme in safety care for patients. However, the transition training of time management for new nurses was complicated and ignored by clinical managers. The purpose of this study was to understand the level of new nurses' TMD from a nationwide perspective and detect the influencing factors of the TMD. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study design with a stratified sampling method was sampled in China. Six hundred and seventy new nurses within the first year of employment were recruited. New nurses' time management disposition, job stressors, self-efficacy, clinical communication competence, and safety behavior were measured by corresponding scales. Results: New nurses showed the best sense of time's value, followed by the sense of time efficacy and time monitoring view for time management disposition. The related factors of time management disposition were communication skills, safety behavior, job stressors, and being without a preceptor. New nurses' time management disposition was at a moderate level and they performed worse in time allocation. The highest education, with or without a preceptor, the experience of part-time jobs, and class cadre were significantly influencing the time management disposition of new nurses. Conclusion: Nursing managers should pay attention to new nurses' time management disposition. Reducing the job stressors, improving communication ability, and safe behavior were important measures to improve the time management disposition.

The prevalence of thyroid nodules and its factors among Chinese adult women: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of thyroid nodules in Chinese adult women. To analyze the relationships between lifestyle, metabolic syndrome and thyroid nodules. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study in the tertiary hospital from 2017 to 2019. Included participants underwent thyroid color Doppler ultrasonography, lipids examination, and dietary evaluation. Results: Totally 2,784 participants were included, and 933 participants were found to have thyroid nodule(s) by B-ultrasound. The prevalence of thyroid nodules was 33.3%. Women in 50-59 years (OR: 1.746, 95% CI [1.356-2.249]), older than 60 (2.147 [1.540-2.993]) and occupations with mainly manual work (1.780 [1.367-2.317]) were risk factors for thyroid nodules, while moderate dietary diversity (0.624 [0.476-0.817]) and normal triglycerides level (0.739 [0.604-0.905]) were protective factors. Conclusion: Women over 50 and those whose jobs are mainly manual should enhance screening, follow-up and health management of thyroid nodules. Higher dietary diversity is protective measures against thyroid nodules for adult women and should consider dietary balance and the food varieties, not just increased quantities.

Relationship between lifestyle and metabolic factors and carotid atherosclerosis: A survey of 47,063 fatty and non-fatty liver patients in China.

Background and aims: Carotid atherosclerosis and stenosis are common lesions of the artery wall that form the basis of cardiovascular events. Compared with coronary atherosclerosis, few studies have explored the influencing factors of carotid atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to explore the influencing factors of carotid atherosclerosis and carotid stenosis without and with fatty liver disease (FLD). Methods: A total of 47,063 adults were recruited for this cross-sectional study. The color Doppler ultrasound, including metabolic factors and lifestyle surveys, was used to determine whether the participants had FLD and carotid artery disease. Multiple logistic regression was used to investigate the influencing factors of lifestyle and metabolism of carotid atherosclerosis and stenosis in the participants with and without FLD. Results: In participants without FLD, current alcohol consumption (OR: 0.749, 95% CI: 0.588) and hip circumference (OR: 0.970, 95% CI: 0.961, 0.979) were the main protective factors for carotid atherosclerosis. Systolic blood pressure (OR: 1.022, 95% CI: 1.019, 1.025) and diastolic blood pressure (OR: 1.005, 95% CI: 1.001, 1.010), elevated fasting blood glucose (OR: 1.012, 95% CI: 1.005, 1.019), and non-sedentary behavior (OR: 1.084, 95% CI: 1.014, 1.160) were the main risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis. Hip circumference (OR: 0.932, 95% CI: 0.910, 0.954) and low-density lipoprotein (OR: 0.979, 95% CI: 0.964, 0.994) were protective factors for carotid stenosis. Smoking (OR: 3.525, 95% CI: 1.113, 11.169) and unqualified exercise (OR: 1.402, 95% CI: 1.083, 1.815) were risk factors for carotid stenosis. In participants with FLD, smoking (OR: 0.827, 95% CI: 0.703, 0.973) and hip circumference (OR: 0.967, 95% CI: 0.958, 0.977) were the main protective factors for carotid atherosclerosis. BMI 18.5-23.9 (OR: 1.163, 95% CI: 1.002, 1.351), non-sedentary behavior (OR: 1.086, 95% CI: 1.009, 1.168), and waist circumference (OR: 1.030, 95% CI: 1.022, 1.038) were the main risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis. Conclusion: Based on a large-sample check-up population in China, this study investigated the influencing factors of carotid atherosclerosis and carotid stenosis in fatty liver and non-fatty liver patients and explored the influencing factors of metabolism and lifestyle, which were mainly focused on exercise, sedentary behavior, smoking, alcohol consumption, hip circumference, and blood pressure.

Stepwise Interactive Situated Training Program for Young Nurses' Safety Behavior and Interrupted Coping Behavior.

Young nurses' safety behavior and interrupted coping behavior affect patient safety. A stepped, interactive and situated training program should be evaluated to assist young nurses in improving themselves. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the stepwise interactive situated training program on safety behavior and practice ability with respect to nursing interruptions for young nurses and its influencing factors. This was a quasi-experimental, one-group, self-control and pretest-post-test design study. Six hundred young nurses in two provinces were included. The participants underwent a stepwise interactive situated training program from March to August 2019. The program was delivered by designated head nurses and consisted of five themes: mobilization, theoretical training, operational training, specialized training and self-improvement. Five hundred and sixty-two young nurses completed this study. The safety behavior and the practice of nursing interruption were significantly higher after intervention than before. Professional titles, age and occupational time were the influence factors. The stepwise interactive situated training program was effective at improving young nurses' safety behavior and interrupted coping behavior. Nurses with higher professional titles performed better with regard to the safety behavior and the practice of nursing interruption.

Association Between Positive Mental Character and Humanistic Care Ability in Chinese Nursing Students in Changsha, China.

Aim: To investigate the status of positive mental characters and humanistic care ability among Chinese nursing students, and confirm the association between positive mental characters and humanistic care ability. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Nine hundred eighty-one Chinese nursing students were recruited from hospitals and community healthcare services in Changsha, Hunan, China. Three different self-reported questionnaires were applied: The Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire, Humanistic care ability of Nursing Undergraduates Assessment Scale and Positive Mental Characters Scale for Chinese College Students. Pearson correlation analysis and multiple liner regression analysis were performed to analyze the association between positive mental character and humanistic care ability for Chinese nursing students. Results: The mean scores of nursing students' humanistic care ability and positive mental character were 125.94 ± 21.19, 233.18 ± 38.59, respectively. The Pearson correlation results showed that positive mental character (r = 0.655, P < 0.001) was significantly associated with humanistic care ability. Multiple liner regression analysis indicated that positive mental characters, four dimensions of courage, humanity, justice and transcendence in positive mental character, care from classmates were found to be independent predictors of humanistic care ability. Conclusion: Positive mental characters are important considerations in the development, implementation and evaluation of humanistic care ability interventions.

Effect of Light Therapy on Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

CONTEXT: Light therapy is a non-pharmacological therapy that is currently being studied in cancer-related symptoms and is certificated as a low-risk intervention by FDA. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most common symptom reported by cancer patients. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of light therapy for CRF in cancer patients through a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of four electronic databases targeted randomized clinical trials evaluating light therapy for CRF (CRD42020215446), from inception to May 2021. The primary outcome was changes of CRF scores; secondary outcomes included depression, sleep, and quality of life (QoL). We quantitatively pooled outcomes using meta-analysis with random-effects models and assessed methodological bias. RESULTS: We identified thirteen RCTs representing 551 cancer patients, encompassing breast (n = 5), ovarian or endometrial (n = 1), multiple myeloma (n = 1), lung (n = 1), or combined (n = 5) cancers. The comparison groups included dim light (n = 12) and waiting list (n = 1). Duration of intervention ranged from 1 to 12 weeks. Light intensities ranged from 417.9 to 12,000 lux. Light therapy was associated with a significant improvement in CRF (SMD = 0.45, P = 0.007), depression (SMD = -0.26, P = 0.03) and sleep difficulty (SMD = -2.46, P = 0.0006); a statistically non-significant trend was observed for QoL (SMD = 0.33, P = 0.09). Funnel plots for CRF suggest not significant publication bias. CONCLUSION: Light therapy could be a feasible and effective option for improving CRF in cancer patients. Larger sample, rigor trials design and a standard protocol of intervention are needed to draw more conclusive conclusions.

Physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and depressive symptoms among young, early mature and late mature people: A cross-sectional study of 76,223 in China.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to screen for depressive symptoms in a large sample of Chinese population, and explore the effects of demographic and lifestyle factors on depressive symptoms based on the brain maturity. METHOD: Adults from 8 health management centers in 6 provinces completed an online health self-report questionnaire. Finally, a total of 76,223 valid questionnaires were collected. RESULT: A total of 76,223 participants were included in this study, including 44,167 (57.9%) males and 32,056 (42.1%) females. The percentage of clinically relevant depressive symptoms among young, early mature and late mature participants was 13.5%, 18.5% and 27.3%, respectively. Among young participants, being female was a risk factor for depressive symptoms, while having a bachelor's or graduate degree, being married, smoking, and moderate alcohol consumption were protective factors. And among early mature participants, female, married and other marital status, BMI of 24-27.9 were risk factors, post-graduate education or above, smoking, moderate alcohol consumption and meeting exercise standard were protective factors. Among late mature participants, Compared with junior high school, all other degrees were protective factors, as was meeting physical activity standards, excessive alcohol consumption was a risk factor. CONCLUSION: This study analyzed the association among young, early mature and late mature participants respectively, and proposed strategies for improving healthy lifestyle of Chinese people. Our findings support the need for individualized recommendations to improve mental health based on brain maturity.

Association Between Social Support and Medication Literacy in Chinese Patients With Coronary Heart Disease.

Background: The level of medication literacy is very important to control symptoms and improve the prognosis of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). The positive role of social support is able to promote patient health outcomes. However, few studies have addressed the association between social support and medication literacy in patients with CHD. The purpose of this study is to investigate the status of medication literacy and social support, and confirm the association between them in patients with CHD. Methods: This cross-sectional study investigated 416 participants, and was conducted in a grade a hospital in China. Three different survey instruments were applied: The Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire, the Chinese Version of the Medication Literacy Scale, and the Social Support Rating Scale. Pearson correlation analysis and ordinal logistic regression analysis were performed to analyze data. Results: The results showed that the mean score of medication literacy among the 416 participants was 4.96 ± 4.68, 48.8% (203) participants with inadequate medication literacy. The independent determinants of medication literacy include gender, education level, course of disease, number of medicines, and subjective support in social support. The mean score of social support was 41.05 ± 6.16. The Pearson correlation analysis indicated that social support was positively correlated with medication literacy (r = 0.398, P < 0.01). Conclusion: The study shows that the level of medication literacy and social support for patients with CHD are inadequate. Social support levels could have a positive effect on medication literacy of patients.

Impact of a patient safety leadership program on head nurses and clinical nurses: a quasi-experimental study.

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the impact of a patient safety leadership program on head nurses and clinical nurses in the same nursing unit. METHOD: a pre-post quasi-experimental study that included 60 head nurses and 240 clinical nurses was conducted. Only the head nurses received patient safety leadership program training for 12 months. Before and after the training, the General Self-Efficacy Scale was completed by the head nurses, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Hospital Leadership Behavior Assessment Scale, the Safety Behavior Scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory were completed by the clinical nurses. Descriptive and inferential analyses of the data were performed using absolute and relative frequencies, means and standard deviations, and paired t-tests to assess the effect of the training. RESULTS: both the head nurses' and the clinical nurses' self-efficacy increased significantly (p <0.01) after the training. The leadership behavior of the head nurses and the safety behavior of the clinical nurses also improved significantly (p<0.05). We observed a statistically significant reduction in "emotional exhaustion" and an increase in "personal accomplishment" among the clinical nurses (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: the patient safety leadership program had a positive impact on the head nurses' self-efficacy and leadership behavior and the clinical nurses' self-efficacy, safety behavior and job burnout.

Demethylation drug 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine-induced upregulation of miR-200c inhibits the migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of clear cell renal cell carcinoma in vitro.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.3892/ol.2016.4364.].

[Retracted] Upregulation of microRNA­27b contributes to the migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells via the inhibition of sprouty2­mediated ERK signaling.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editors' attention by a concerned reader that the Transwell cell migration assay data shown in Fig. 4C were strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in other articles by different authors. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article had already been published elsewhere, or were already under consideration for publication, prior to its submission to Molecular Medicine Reports, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. The authors were asked for an explanation to account for these concerns, but the Editorial Office did not receive any reply. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [the original article was published in Molecular Medicine Reports 13: 2267­2272, 2016; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2016.4779].

Sexual dysfunction and activity avoidance in female kidney transplant patients.

Sexual dysfunction is common after kidney transplantation and has an adverse effect on patients' quality of life. This paper aims to evaluate the female sexual function, activity avoidance, and kidney function among a convenience sample of patients who had a kidney transplant. A cross-sectional study was conducted that included 250 patients had undergone a kidney transplant procedure >3 months ago, from multiple transplant centers and answered a self-reported sociodemographic questionnaire, the female version of the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale, and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia-13. A correlation was found between sexual function and activity avoidance (r = .361, p < .001, n = 250) as well as between activity avoidance and kidney function (r = .198, p = .012, n = 250). Less education, having no child, post-transplant time for <36 months, and smoking (active and passive) were risk factors for female sexual dysfunction after kidney transplantation. The results suggest that physicians that the importance of recognize the relationship between fear of sexual activity and sexual function and that they should provide patients with more education and guidance on post-transplant sexual behaviors.

Prevalence and Determinants of Psychological Distress in Adolescent and Young Adult Patients with Cancer: A Multicenter Survey.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the current prevalence and determinants of psychological distress and the association of distress with general information, character strengths, medical coping, and social support in Chinese adolescents and young adults (AYAs) aged 15-39 years with cancer. METHODS: A multicenter survey was carried out. Eight hundred and nine patients completed the Chinese version of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network distress thermometer (DT), the three-dimensional inventory of character strengths, the medical coping modes questionnaire, and the Social Support Rating Scale. RESULTS: The current prevalence of psychological distress in Chinese AYAs with cancer was 83.4%. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that gender, age, educational level, marriage, monthly income, exercise intensity, cancer classifications, treatments, self-control, confrontation, avoidance, and subjective support were all associated with distress. AYA cancer patients who were female, younger, or divorced or had a lower monthly income, education level, or exercise intensity were more likely to have higher level of distress. Compared to AYAs with other cancer classifications, patients with digestive system malignancies, breast cancers, and head and neck malignancies had a higher prevalence of distress. Patients receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy were more likely to be distressed. The higher the self-control, confrontation, avoidance, and subjective support scores were, the lower the prevalence of distress was among AYA cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of psychological distress in AYA cancer patients was relatively high. Potential interventions targeting exercise intensity, character strengths, medical coping, and social support may decrease the prevalence of psychological distress in this patient population.

What influences new graduate nurses' core competencies transformation to clinical in China? A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The core competencies of new graduate nurses (NGNs) have significant health outcomes in the clinical environment. However, these nurses experience a theory-practice gap, which creates a barrier in the transition process when they first enter the clinical workplace. OBJECTIVE: To understand the general overview of the transition of the core competencies of NGNs to clinical practice in China and the influencing factors. DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-sectional study design consisting of a multi-stratified grounded random sample from 31 hospitals in seven regions nationwide. PARTICIPANTS: 2400 NGNs were recruited by email. METHODS: The Competencies Inventory for Registered Nurse (CIRN) was applied to evaluate NGNs' core competencies. RESULTS: NGNs performed best on leadership and worst on critical thinking or research aptitude. Core competencies were predicted by depressive symptoms, worked for two-three years, having a nurse-in-charge title, professional values, department, happiness, etc. Besides, the preceptor program also has significant to core competencies. CONCLUSION: The average level of Chinese NGNs' core competencies was at a moderate level, which wasn't well optimized. It is recommended to adopt appropriate interventions to support NGNs. With an increase in work years and the accumulation of more work experience, the corresponding core competencies of NGNs will also improve. Preceptor institutions, limiting first-degree recruitment, and early ICU or operating room department rotations can be carried out by nursing educators to improve core competencies.