Factors influencing willingness to participate in ophthalmic clinical trials and strategies for effective recruitment.

AIM: To explore the factors influencing individuals' willingness to participate in ophthalmic clinical trials. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted from January to April 2021 among patients and their family members at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, in Guangzhou, China. The survey gathered data on respondents' willingness, demographic and socioeconomic profiles, as well as their reasons and concerns regarding engagement in clinical trials. RESULTS: Of the 1078 residents surveyed (mean age 31.2±13.1y; 65.8% females) in Guangzhou, 749 (69.5%) expressed a willingness to participate in future ophthalmic clinical trials. Specific characteristics associated with greater willingness included a younger age, lower annual income, higher education, prior participation experience, previous ophthalmic treatment, and a better understanding of clinical trials. With the exception of age, these characteristics were significantly linked to a higher willingness. The primary barrier to participation, expressed by 64.8% of those willing and 54.4% of those unwilling, was "Uncertain efficacy". In terms of motivations, the willing group ranked "Better therapeutic benefits" (35.0%), "Professional monitoring" (34.3%), and "Trust in healthcare professionals" (33.1%) as their top three reasons, whereas the unwilling participants indicated "Full comprehension of the protocol" (46.2%) as the key facilitator. CONCLUSION: This study reveals a substantial willingness to participate in ophthalmic clinical trials and demonstrates the predictive role of demographic and socioeconomic factors. Variations in motivators and concerns between willing and unwilling participants highlight the significance of tailored recruitment strategies. Importantly, the need for and trust in healthcare professionals stand out as powerful motivations, underscoring the importance of enhancing physician-patient relationships, adopting patient-centered communication approaches, and addressing individualized needs to improve accrual rates.

The lived experiences of patients undergoing acellular porcine corneal stroma transplantation.

To explore the lived experiences of patients undergoing acellular porcine corneal stroma (APCS) transplantation, a descriptive, qualitative design was performed. A purposive sample of 13 patients who underwent APCS transplantation to treat progressive infectious keratitis were enrolled in the semi-structured, open-ended interviews. The taped and transcribed interviews were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Alterations in the transparency of APCS grafts were accompanied by a gradual improved visual acuity (before surgery: 1.38± 0.91 logMAR; 3mo postoperatively: 0.40±0.24 logMAR, respectively). Accordingly, in terms of lived experiences, the patients generally reported "negative" experiences before the operation and during the early postoperative period, but this was greatly improved 3mo after surgery. Four main themes were derived: anxiety and fear, stigma, lifestyle change, and gratitude and insights. Conclusively, health care professionals should provide holistic care for patients, proactively promoting patients' physical and mental health.

Charge dynamic characteristics in corona-charged polytetrafluoroethylene film electrets.

In this work, the charge dynamics characteristics of injection, transport and decay in porous and non-porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film electrets were investigated by means of corona charging, isothermal and thermal stimulating surface-potential decay measurements. The results showed that the initial surface potential, whether positively or negatively charging, is much higher in non-porous PTFE than in porous PTFE. For porous film the value of initial surface potentials increases with increase of film thickness. Higher charging temperature can remarkably improve charge stability. The charge dynamics are correlated to materials microstructure according to their scanning electron micrographs. For non-porous PTFE films, polarizability change of C-F bonds is the main origin of electret charges; but for porous PTFE film a large number of bulk and interface type traps are expected because of the greater area of interface and higher crystallinity.

[Study of the IR and UV spectra on molecular dipole polymer electret].

The relation between the orientational stability and molecule structure in the molecule dipole polymer electret with second-order optical nonlinearities was studied by means of IR and UV spectra. The effect of the solvents on the structure was discussed when the materials were prepared. The results showed that dipole moment orientation would damaged the conjugate pi system of the chromophore dipole molecule when the specimen was poled around the glass transition temperature. The Cis-Trans photoisomerization and thermal isomerization of azobenzene group was main reason that caused the dipole orientational relaxation. The used solvents when the specimen were prepared will affect material structure and consequently affect the nonlinear optics stability of molecular dipole polymer electrets.