Core competence of midwives in township hospitals and its influencing factors-A cross-sectional study.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the core competence of midwives in township hospitals through a self-assessment questionnaire. The relationship between professional identity and core competence and the factors influencing midwives' core competence was also investigated. Method: Convenience sampling was conducted in 77 township hospitals in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, China, with 150 participants. The questionnaires were distributed online in November 2021. We conducted a descriptive data analysis, a correlation analysis of the two variables of professional identity and core competencies, and multivariate linear regression to analyse the influencing factors, including the sociodemographic information, the Midwife Core Competence Scale, and the Nurses' Professional Identity Scale scores. Results: The mean score for the core competence was 206.43 (±37.45) out of 270. The highest score was for pregnancy care (3.97 ± 0.70) and the lowest was for newborn care (3.72 ± 0.78). The independent sample t-test results and one-way analysis of variance showed that qualifications, midwifery training situation, and midwifery working years had differential effects on midwives' core competencies (P < 0.05). Multiple linear regression showed that qualifications, midwifery working years, and level of professional identity were influencing factors (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The core competencies of midwives in township hospitals were lower than those reported in other studies. Advancements in education, midwifery working years, and professional identity may increase midwives' core competencies.

Global epidemiological features and impact of osteosarcopenia: A comprehensive meta-analysis and systematic review.

Osteosarcopenia is defined as the concurrent occurrence of osteopenia/osteoporosis and sarcopenia. The aim of the current study was to perform a systematic review with meta-analysis to determine the global prevalence, risk factors and clinical outcomes of osteosarcopenia. This review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022351229). PubMed, Cochrane, Medline and Embase were searched from inception to February 2023 to retrieve eligible observational population-based studies. Pooled osteosarcopenia prevalence was calculated with 95% confidence interval (CI), and subgroup analyses were performed. The risk factor of osteosarcopenia and its association with clinical outcomes were expressed as odds ratio (OR) and hazard ratio (HR), respectively. Heterogeneity was estimated using the I2 test. Study quality was assessed using validated instruments matched to study designs. The search identified 55 158 studies, and 66 studies (64 404 participants, mean age from 46.6 to 93 years) were analysed in the final analysis, including 48 cross-sectional studies, 17 cohort studies and 1 case-control study. Overall, the pooled prevalence of osteosarcopenia was 18.5% (95% CI: 16.7-20.3, I2  = 98.7%), including 15.3% (95% CI: 13.2-17.4, I2  = 97.6%) in men and 19.4% (95% CI: 16.9-21.9, I2  = 98.5%) in women. The prevalence of osteosarcopenia diagnosed using sarcopenia plus osteopenia/osteoporosis was 20.7% (95% CI: 17.1-24.4, I2  = 98.55%), and the prevalence of using sarcopenia plus osteoporosis was 16.1% (95% CI: 13.3-18.9, I2  = 98.0%). The global osteosarcopenia prevalence varied in different regions with 22.9% in Oceania, 21.6% in Asia, 20.8% in South America, 15.7% in North America and 10.9% in Europe. A statistically significant difference was found in the subgroups of the study population between the hospital (24.7%) and community (12.9%) (P = 0.001). Frailty (OR = 4.72, 95% CI: 2.71-8.23, I2  = 61.1%), malnutrition (OR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.62-3.40, I2  = 50.0%), female sex (OR = 5.07, 95% CI: 2.96-8.69, I2  = 73.0%) and higher age (OR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.06-1.15, I2 ==86.0%) were significantly associated with a higher risk for osteosarcopenia. Meta-analysis of cohort studies showed that osteosarcopenia significantly increased the risk of fall (HR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.20-1.97; I2  = 1.0%, three studies), fracture (HR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.61-2.81; I2  = 67.8%, seven studies) and mortality (HR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.34-2.28; I2  = 0.0%, five studies). Despite the heterogeneity arising from varied definitions and criteria, our findings highlight a significant global prevalence of osteosarcopenia and its negative impact on clinical health. Standardizing diagnostic criteria for osteosarcopenia would be advantageous in the future, and early detection and management should be emphasized in this patient population.

Association of acute kidney injury with the risk of cognitive impairment or dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Since previous studies have shown a paradoxical relationship between acute kidney injury (AKI) and risk of cognitive impairment, there is an urgent need for a meta-analysis to assess the relationship between AKI and risk of cognitive impairment or dementia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From database inception to October 2023, we searched PubMed, OVID (Medline), Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. This study examined AKI and cognitive impairment or dementia observational studies. Two authors independently assessed cohort and cross-sectional study quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and AHRQ Scale. They also used ROBINS-I to assess bias. The meta-analysis used fixed effects. Sensitivity analysis verified results stability. The funnel plot, Egger test, and Begg test determined publication bias in the results. RESULTS: Seven studies with 423,876 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Patients with AKI were at higher risk of cognitive impairment or dementia compared to those who had not experienced AKI (OR = 1.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.77-1.98, I2=46.0%, p = 0.08). All subgroups showed a substantial connection between AKI and cognitive impairment. Compared to domestic research, the connection was stronger in overseas studies (OR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.66-2.87). Both cognitive impairment and dementia outcomes showed a substantial connection between AKI and cognitive impairment, with OR values of 2.00 (95% CI: 1.44-2.76) and 2.04 (95% CI: 1.66-2.51). CONCLUSIONS: We found that AKI significantly increases cognitive impairment or dementia risk. Thus, early interventions to delay cognitive impairment and prevent adverse outcomes in AKI patients are needed.

The relationship between dietary selenium intake and telomere length among diabetes.

Se is an indispensable trace element for the human body, and telomere length is considered a marker of biological ageing. Previous studies have shown that dietary Se intake is associated with telomere length. However, the relationship between Se intake and telomere length in patients with diabetes has not been well studied. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between dietary Se intake and telomere length in patients with diabetes. We extracted 878 participants with diabetes from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database for 1990-2002. Dietary Se intake was assessed using the 24 h dietary recall method, and telomere length was measured using quantitative PCR. Generalised linear models were constructed to assess the relationship between dietary Se intake and telomere length. After controlling for the confounders, 1 µg increase in dietary Se intake in female patients with diabetes, and telomere length increased by 1·84 base pairs (ß = 1·84 (95 % CI: 0·15, 3·53)), there was a line relationship between dietary Se intake and telomere length in female patients with diabetes and telomere length increased with increasing dietary Se intake within the range of 0-250 µg. The study demonstrates that dietary Se intake is significantly associated with telomere length only in the female population with diabetes in the USA. However, further prospective studies are required to confirm this finding.