Effect of Jianpi Xiaowei Decoction on Gastric Function and Quality of Life in Elderly Patients with Chronic Atrophic Gastritis of Liver-Stomach Stagnation Heat Type

[Objectives]To observe the effect of Jianpi Xiaowei Decoction on gastric function and quality of life in elderly patients with chronic atrophic gastritis(CAG)of liver-stomach heat stagnation type.[Methods]Seventy-two elderly patients with CAG of liver-stomach stagnation-heat type were randomly divided into study group and control group.The two groups were treated with Jianpi Xiaowei Decoction and Rabeprazole Enteric-coated Tablets respectively.The curative effect of TCM syndromes,serum pepsinogen I and II(PG-I and PG-II),gastrin-17(G-17)and quality of life(SF-36 table)scores of gastric function indicators before and after treatment were observed.[Results]After treatment,the total effective rate of the study group was 97.22%(35/36),which was significantly higher than that of the control group 77.78%(28/36)(P<0.05).Before treatment,there was no significant difference in the levels of gastric function indicators between the two groups(P>0.05).After treatment,the indicators of the study group were significantly lower than those of the control group(t=12.239,6.010,5.928,10.420,P<0.05).Before treatment,there was no significant difference in SF-36 scores between the two groups(P>0.05).After treatment,the SF-36 scores in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group(t=3.520,10.335,11.300,9.693,P<0.05).[Conclusions]Jianpi Xiaowei Decoction can achieve significant curative effect in the treatment of CAG with liver and stomach stagnation heat type in the elderly,and can significantly improve the key gastrointestinal hormone levels and quality of life of elderly patients.It is worthy of promotion in the same clinical cases.

The relationship between differentiation of self and satisfaction with life amongst Israeli women: A cross cultural perspective

The current study examined the relationships between satisfaction with life and differentiation of self among Jewish and Arab women living inIsrael. The sample included 268 participants: 114 Jewish women and 154 Arab women. For both ethnic groups, satisfaction with life was negatively correlated with emotional cutoff. Among Arab women, satisfaction with life was found positively associated with I-position, marriage duration and education. The examination of cross-cultural differences yielded several findings: Arab women reported higher levels of emotional reactivity and I-position than Jewish women. No cultural differences were found in the levels of fusion with others, emotional cutoff and satisfaction with life. The current findings show that working women, who are highly differentiated, are satisfied with life to a greater extent than non-working women who are poorly differentiated. In general, the research findings provide support to the universality of the Family Systems Theory, and to the argument that differentiation of self is an important factor which may influence emotional wellbeing in all cultures.

Association between Support and Satisfaction with Life among Older Adults in Ekiti, Nigeria: Findings and Implications

Many developing countries like Nigeria lack policy for the care of the older adults and this creates major challenges for the elderly population. The traditional family institution and community support that used to be safety nest are being adversely affected by westernization. This development might have adverse effect on life satisfaction among the older adults. This hospital based cross-sectional study was designed to determine the association between support and life satisfaction among older adults. A total of 128 subjects participated in the study out of which 28.9% were satisfied with life. Expectation of support was mainly from the family, less from the community and very low from the government. The level of support received from all sources generally fell short of expectations. Marital status and source of livelihood were significantly associated with life satisfaction. There is inadequate social support from the government and support from family and community fell below expectations. Expectations of support were the most strongly correlated with life satisfaction. Support for older adults must be addressed in order to meet their expectations and improve their level of satisfaction with life.

Study on the Degree of Rural Empty Nesters' Satisfaction with Life Quality Based on Ordered Logit-ISM Model

It is an ultimate objective to solve the rural supporting problems to improve life satisfaction of empty nesters in rural areas. Based on data of 546 empty nesters in rural areas,the factors influencing life quality satisfaction of empty nesters in rural areas are firstly analyzed using ordered logit model,and then the relationship between various influencing factors is analyzed using ISM. Study shows that health condition,degree of participation in cultural and sports activities,spouse status,family harmony degree,annual family income,degree of worry about life,degree of government and social care and pension mode,have a significant impact on the life quality satisfaction of empty nesters in rural areas.The degree of worry about life,degree of government and social care are surface direct factors; degree of participation in cultural and sports activities,family harmony degree,pension mode are intermediate indirect factors; health condition,spouse status and annual family income are deep root factors.

Life Cycle Assessment of CCA-Treated Wood Highway Guard Rail Posts in the US with Comparisons to Galvanized Steel Guard Rail Posts

A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment is done to identify the environmental impacts of chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated timber used for highway guard rail posts, to understand the processes that contribute to the total impacts, and to determine how the impacts compare to the primary alternative product, galvanized steel posts. Guard rail posts are the supporting structures for highway guard rails. Transportation engineers, as well as public and regulatory interests, have increasing need to understand the environmental implications of guard rail post selection, in addition to factors such as costs and service performance. This study uses a life cycle inventory (LCI) to catalogue the input and output data from guard rail post manufacture, service life, and disposition, and a life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) to assess anthropogenic and net greenhouse gas (GHG), acidification, smog, ecotoxicity, and eutrophication potentially resulting from life cycle air emissions. Other indicators of interest also are tracked, such as fossil fuel and water use. Comparisons of guard rail post products are made at a functional unit of one post per year of service. This life cycle assessment (LCA) finds that the manufacture, use, and disposition of CCA-treated wood guard rails offers lower fossil fuel use and lower anthropogenic and net GHG emissions, acidification, smog potential, and ecotoxicity environmental impacts than impact indicator values for galvanized steel posts. Water use and eutrophication impact indicator values for CCA-treated guard rail posts are greater than impact indicator values for galvanized steel guard rail posts.

Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome with a Combination of Curcumin, Green Tea and Selenomethionine Has a Positive Effect on Satisfaction with Bowel Habits

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder impairing patient’s quality of life. Currently, there is no effective treatment for this syndrome. Coltect is a dietary supplement containing curcumin, green tea and selenomethionine. Aim: To investigate the effects of Coltect on IBS symptoms. Methods: A randomized, prospective, placebo-controlled, double blinded, crossover study. The study population included patients diagnosed with IBS by Rome criteria. Subjects were randomized to receive either Coltect or placebo for 4 weeks, and then received the opposite treatment for 4 weeks following a washout period of 2 weeks. The placebo was a pill, identical in color and size to the Coltect pill, with no active ingredients. Patients completed IBS health-related quality of life, severity score and IBS symptom questionnaires before and after each treatment period. Results: The study included 22 patients, ages 22 – 77 years. Coltect had a positive effect on patients’ satisfaction with their bowel habits (as measured on a scale from 0—Very satisfied to 100—Very unsatisfied). Average score was 70.4 ± 33.1 before and 61.8 ± 29.3 after Coltect treatment (p = 0.037). Other parameters, including abdominal pain, bloating, and effects of IBS on daily activity, symptoms, IBS-related quality of life and general health quality of life were unchanged. Conclusion: Coltect seems to have a positive effect on satisfaction with bowel habits.

Contribution of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy to survival and quality of life in patients with pancreatic exocrine insufficiency

The objective of this study was to analyze the current evidence for the use of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) in affecting survival and quality of life in patients with pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI). Systematic searches of the literature were performed using the PubMed database. Articles were selected for inclusion if they reported findings from trials assessing the effects of PERT on quality of life, survival, malabsorption, growth parameters (such as height, body weight and body mass index), or gastrointestinal symptoms (such as abdominal pain, stool consistency and flatulence). PERT improved PEI-related malabsorption and weight maintenance in patients with cystic fibrosis, chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, and post-surgical states. In patients with chronic pancreatitis, PERT improved PEI-related symptoms and quality of life measures. Several small retrospective studies have also suggested that PERT may have a positive impact on survival, but long-term studies assessing this effect were not identified. PERT is effective for treating malnutrition and supporting weight maintenance, and it is associated with improved quality of life and possibly with enhanced survival in patients with PEI. However, there is evidence that not all patients with PEI receive adequate PERT. Future work should aim to assess the long-term effects of PERT on the survival of patients with PEI.

Satisfaction with Life amongst Psychiatrists and General Physicians: demographic and career variables

Background: positive psychology and the science of happiness have impacted many realms in academia, including medicine. Recent reports from several countries suggest that physicians are unhappy with their profession. Aim: to assess levels of happiness amongst Israeli physicians and its’ correlates. Method: participants in professional meetings endorsed the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and a questionnaire detailing personal data (age, gender, marital status, number of children), specialty years as a physician and their state of health. Results: 223 physicians (131 psychiatrists, 92 primary care) completed the survey. The response rate was higher than 75%. Mean SWLS score for all 223 physicians was 23.6 ± 5.7 and did not differ between specialties’ (p = 0.39). No differences from reported norms amongst the general population were found. The only signifycant association with SWLS scores was number of children (r = 0.23;p = 0.0006). Selection bias was inherent in this type of survey. Conclusion: satisfaction with life amongst Israeli physicians is equal to reported national means and may be supported by variables outside the professional sphere.

An Overview and Perspectives On Bidirectional Intelligence: Lmser Duality, Double IA Harmony,and Causal Computation

Advances on bidirectional intelligence are overviewed along three threads,with extensions and new perspectives.The first thread is about bidirectional learning architecture,exploring five dualities that enable Lmser six cognitive functions and provide new perspectives on which a lot of extensions and particularlly flexible Lmser are proposed.Interestingly,either or two of these dualities actually takes an important role in recent models such as U-net,ResNet,and Dense Net.The second thread is about bidirectional learning principles unified by best yIng-yAng(IA)harmony in BYY system.After getting insights on deep bidirectional learning from a bird-viewing on existing typical learning principles from one or both of the inward and outward directions,maximum likelihood,variational principle,and several other learning principles are summarised as exemplars of the BYY learning,with new perspectives on advanced topics.The third thread further proceeds to deep bidirectional intelligence,driven by long term dynamics(LTD)for parameter learning and short term dynamics(STD)for image thinking and rational thinking in harmony.Image thinking deals with information flow of continuously valued arrays and especially image sequence,as if thinking was displayed in the real world,exemplified by the flow from inward encoding/cognition to outward reconstruction/transformation performed in Lmser learning and BYY learning.In contrast,rational thinking handles symbolic strings or discretely valued vectors,performing uncertainty reasoning and problem solving.In particular,a general thesis is proposed for bidirectional intelligence,featured by BYY intelligence potential theory(BYY-IPT)and nine essential dualities in architecture,fundamentals,and implementation,respectively.Then,problems of combinatorial solving and uncertainty reasoning are investigated from this BYY IPT perspective.First,variants and extensions are suggested for AlphaGoZero like searching tasks,such as traveling salesman problem(TSP)and attributed graph matching(AGM)that are turned into Go like problems with help of a feature enrichment technique.Second,reasoning activities are summarized under guidance of BYY IPT from the aspects of constraint satisfaction,uncertainty propagation,and path or tree searching.Particularly,causal potential theory is proposed for discovering causal direction,with two roads developed for its implementation.

Analysis of factors impacting postoperative pain and quality of life in patients with mixed hemorrhoids:A retrospective study

BACKGROUND Hemorrhoids are among the most common and frequently encountered chronic anorectal diseases in anorectal surgery.They are venous clusters formed by con-gestion,expansion,and flexion of the venous plexus in the lower part of the rec-tum.Mixed hemorrhoids bleed easily and recurrently,and this can result in severe anemia.Hence,they may have a negative effect on the health of the patient and surgical treatment is required.Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy has been widely used since 1937 for the treatment of grade III and IV hemorrhoids.How-ever,most patients experience different degrees of postoperative pain that may cause anxiety.with mixed hemorrhoids post-surgery.METHODS The clinical data of patients with mixed hemorrhoids who underwent Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy were collected retrospectively.The basic character-istics of the enrolled patients with mixed hemorrhoids were recorded,and based on the Goligher clinical grading system,the hemorrhoids were classified as grades III or IV.The endpoint of this study was the disappearance of pain in all patients.Quantitative data were presented as mean±SD,such as age,pain score,and QoL score.Student’s t-test was used to compare the groups.RESULTS A total of 164 patients were enrolled.The distribution of the visual analog scale pain scores of all patients at 3,7,14 and 28 d after surgery showed that post-surgery pain was significantly reduced with the passage of time.Fourteen days after the operation,the pain had completely disappeared in some patients.Twenty-eight days after the surgery,none of the patients experienced any pain.Comparing the World Health Or-ganization Quality of Life-BREF self-reporting questionnaire scores of patients between 14 and 28 d after surgery,we observed that the quality-of-life scores of the patients post-surgery had significantly improved.There were six items that were compared at 14-and 28-d post-surgery.The mean QoL score 28 d after surgery(4.79±0.46)was higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(3.79±0.57).The mean health condition score 28 d after surgery(4.80±0.41)was also higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(4.01±0.62).The mean physical health score 28 d after surgery(32.10±2.96)was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(23.41±2.85).The mean psychological health score 28 d after surgery(27.22±1.62)was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(21.37±1.70).The mean social relations score 28 d after surgery(12.21±1.59)was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(6.32±1.66).The mean surrounding environment score 28 d after surgery(37.13±2.88)was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(28.42±2.86).The differences in quality-of-life scores at day 14 and day 28 post-surgery were ob-served to be statistically significant(P<0.001).CONCLUSION Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy can significantly improve the postoperative QoL of patients.Age,sex,and the number of surgical resections were important factors influencing Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy.

Effect of ultra-low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on dysphagia in elderly patients with acute cerebral infarction and quality of life

Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of ultra-low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on dysphagia in elderly patients with acute cerebral infarction and its impact on quality of life.Methods:60 elderly patients with dysphagia caused by acute cerebral infarction were randomly divided into rTMS group and control group,30 cases in each group.Both groups received routine drug therapy and swallowing function training.rTMS group was additionally treated by ultra-low frequency(10mHZ)repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for 14 days.The changes of NIHSS score andADL score and NSE serum level and Wa Tian drinking water experiment and Fujishima Ichiro dysphagia scale score and SWAL-QOL score and SF-36 score were observed between the two groups before and after treatment.The clinical effect was evaluated by Wa Tian drinking water experiment.Results:After treatment,The clinical effective rate in rTMS group was significantly higher compared with that in the control group(P<0.05),NIHSS score and serum NSE level were significantly lower compared with the control group(P<0.05),ADL score and Fujishima Ichiro dysphagia score and SWAL-QOL score and SF-36 scores were significantly higher compared with the control group(P<0.05).After treatment,SF-36 total score(or SWAL-QOL Score)was negatively correlated with NSE serum level and NIHSS score,which was positively correlated with ADL score and Fujishima Ichiro dysphagia scale score score.Conclusion:Ultra-low frequency rTMS therapy can reduce NSE level,effectively improve dysphagia in elderly patients with acute cerebral infarction and significantly improve the elderly patients'life quality.

From the Beginning of the World to the Beginning of Life on Earth

Hypersphere World-Universe Model (WUM) is, in fact, a Paradigm Shift in Cosmology [1]. In this paper, we provide seven Pillars of WUM: Medium of the World;Inter-Connectivity of Primary Cosmological Parameters;Creation of Matter;Multicomponent Dark Matter;Macroobjects;Volcanic Rotational Fission;Dark Matter Reactors. We describe the evolution of the World from the Beginning up to the birth of the Solar System and discuss the condition of the Early Earth before the beginning of life on it.

Efficacy of 5-Fluorouracil and High-Concentration Cisplatin Suspended in Lipiodol by Short-Term Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Portal Vein Tumor Thrombosis

Background: Since advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is potentially fatal, and patients’ quality of life (QOL) often deteriorates during their treatment, improving the prognosis and QOL of patients given chemotherapy is very important. In addition, cost-effective treatments are highly desirable when chemotherapy must be given repeatedly. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and usefulness of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and high-concentration cisplatin by short-term hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (3-day FPL) in advanced HCC patients. Methods: Thirty patients with unresectable advanced HCC were enrolled. The patients underwent hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy via the implanted port system with 5-FU on days 1 - 3 and a fine-powder formulation of cisplatin in suspended pre-warmed lipiodol on day 2 every 4 to 10 weeks. Tumor response was assessed one month later with CT. Results: All patients had evidence of portal vein invasion (Vp2-4). Four patients achieved a complete response (CR), 8 patients achieved a partial response (PR), and 7 patients had stable disease (SD). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 198 days and 452 days, respectively. The OS was significantly longer in the successful disease control group (CR, PR, and SD) than in the progressive disease group (P < 0.005). Conclusions: Three-day FPL was effective and tolerable in advanced HCC patients due to its shorter time of administration than conventional FP therapy. Therefore, repetitive 3-day FPL appears useful and contributes to improving the prognosis and QOL of patients with advanced HCC. In addition, this protocol is a cost-effective treatment.

Assessment of disease specific knowledge and health-relatedquality of life among United States military veterans withinflammatory bowel disease

AIM To evaluate the association between patientdisease knowledge of inflammatory bowel disease （IBD）and health related quality of life （HRQoL） and identifypatient and disease related predictors of patientknowledge of IBD.METHODS： We performed a cross-sectional study ofIBD patients with an established diagnosis of IBD longerthan 3 mo prior to enrollment. The Crohn＇s and colitisknowledge score （CCKNOW） and short inflammatorybowel disease questionnaire （SIBDQ） were selfadministeredto assess patient knowledge of IBDand HRQoL, respectively. Demographic and diseasecharacteristics were abstracted from the electronicmedical record. The correlation between CCKNOWand SIBDQ scores was assessed by a linear regressionmodel. Associations of patient knowledge and thevariables of interest were calculated using ANOVA.RESULTS： A total of 101 patients were recruited.Caucasian race, younger age at diagnosis, and having a college or post-graduate degree were significantlyassociated with higher CCKNOW scores. Patients withCD had higher CCKNOW scores compared to patientswith ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel diseasetype unclassified, P 〈 0.01. There was no significantcorrelation between overall CCKNOW and SIBDQ scores（r^2 = 0.34, P = 0.13）. The knowledge sub-domain ofdiet in CCKNOW was negatively correlated with HRQoL（r^2 = 0.69, P 〈 0.01）.CONCLUSION： IBD diagnosis at a younger age inaddition to Caucasian race and higher education weresignificantly associated with higher knowledge aboutIBD. However, patient knowledge of IBD was notcorrelated with HRQoL. Further studies are required tostudy the effect of patient knowledge of IBD on otherclinical outcomes.

Analysis of the Nursing Effect of Continuity of Care on Elderly Patients with Coronary Heart Disease Unstable Angina and its Impact on Quality of Life

Objective:To analyze the effect of using continuity of care for elderly patients with coronary heart disease(CHD)with unstable angina pectoris(UAP)and its impact on their quality of life.Methods:100 cases of elderly patients with CHD with UAP admitted to our hospital from March 2022 to March 2023 were selected and grouped into an observation group and a control group of 50 cases each according to the randomized number table method.The nursing effect and quality of life of the observation group(continuity nursing)and the control group(routine nursing)were compared.Results:The total effective rate of nursing care was 96.00%observation group and 80.00%for the control group,and the differences were significant(χ2=6.061,P<0.05).Patients in the observation group had fewer episodes(1.42±0.21)times/week and a shorter duration(5.46±0.39)min,which were better than the control group(t=3.465,2.973;P<0.05).The depression self-rating depression scale(SDS)score(42.16±6.64)and anxiety self-rating scale(SAS)score(32.26±7.35)in the observation group were lower and the quality of life was higher as compared to that of the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Continuous nursing care improved the nursing effect of elderly CHD with UAP patients,promoted the alleviation of UAP symptoms,improved patient mentality,and improved their quality of life.Hence,continuous nursing care possesses significant clinical application value.

Effect of resilience on quality of life and anxiety in patients with breast cancer

BACKGROUND The incidence of breast cancer is high,with serious implications in terms of lives and health.Relevant data show that there are approximately 1 million new cases of breast cancer reported annually,with a rising trend.Some patients have poor treatment effects and are prone to anxiety and other negative emotions,which affect their quality of life(QoL).AIM To explore the correlation between mental resilience,QoL,and anxiety in patients with breast cancer.METHODS Using convenience sampling,200 patients with breast cancer were selected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University.These patients were investigated using the Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale,Self-Rating Anxiety Scale,and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire to analyze the impact of resilience in patients with breast cancer on their QoL and anxiety.RESULTS The mean(SD)mental resilience score of the patients with breast cancer was 59.68(±9.84)points,the anxiety score was 49.87(±8.26)points,and the QoL score was 59.73(±8.29)points.Overall,they showed low mental resilience,mild anxiety,and medium QoL.Anxiety was negatively correlated with mental resilience and QoL(r=-0.275,r=-0.289,P<0.05).QoL was positively correlated with mental resilience(r=0.513,P<0.05).Anxiety was a mediating variable between mental resilience and QoL,accounting for 8.58%of the mediating effect.CONCLUSION Regarding psychological elasticity,anxiety plays an intermediary role in QoL among patients with breast cancer.Medical staff can improve patients'mental resilience by reducing their anxiety and improving their QoL.

Impacts of radiation therapy on quality of life and pain relief in patients with bone metastases

Bone metastases(BM)are a common complication in advanced cancer patients,significantly contributing to morbidity and mortality due to their ability to cause pain,fractures,and spinal cord compression.Radiation therapy(RT)is vital in managing these complications by targeting metastatic lesions to ease pain,improve mobility,and reduce the risk of skeletal-related events such as fractures.Evidence supports the effectiveness of RT in pain relief,showing its ability to provide significant palliation and lessen the need for opioid painkillers,thereby enhancing the overall quality of life(QoL)for patients with BM.However,optimizing RT outcomes involves considerations such as the choice of radiation technique,dose fractionation schedules,and the integration of supportive care measures to mitigate treatment-related side effects like fatigue and skin reactions.These factors highlight the importance of personalized treatment planning tailored to individual patient needs and tumor characteristics.This mini-review aims to provide comprehensive insights into the multifaceted impacts of RT on pain management and QoL enhancement in BM patients,with implications for refining clinical practices and advancing patient care through the synthesis of findings from various studies.

Relief of osteoarthritis with a herbal-amino acid supplement: A randomized double-blind placebo controlled trial

A redox active medicinal plant and L-leucine mixture (HLM) was investigated in subjects with established osteoarthritis of the knee in a multi-center, rando- m-ized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial. A total of 96 subjects with osteoarthritis were enrolled and randomized to either placebo (n = 38) or HLM treatment group (n = 38). The HLM group re- ceived a combination of Uncaria tomentosa (300 mg), Boswellia serrata (200 mg), Lepidium meyenii (1000 mg) and L-Leucine (700 mg) given as 3 capsules once a day. The placebo group received matching capsules with carboxymethylcellulose. The treatment period was 8 weeks, with assessments made at days 7, 14, 28 and 56. The primary outcome was reduction in total WOMAC score. VAS pain, tolerability, investigator assessments, use of rescue medication (acetominophen), and safety assessments of vital signs and laboratory assessments were included. Subject randomization was effective for age, gender and disease severity. In the placebo group 32/38 subjects completed the trial and for HLM 35/38. WOMAC scores (pain, stiffness, physical performance and total) steadily declined over the course of the 8 week study in both groups, but the magnitude was significantly greater for HLM (P < 0.05). Total WOMAC was reduced 46.5% for HLM and 25.4 % for placebo. VAS pain was reduced 21.8% in the placebo group (p < 0.002) but the changes were significantly greater (37.8% p < 0.03) with HLM treatment. Investigator’s global assessment rating of good-excellent was 24/35 (69%) for HLM and 14/32 (44%) for placebo (P = 0.05). Rescue medication consumption and tolerability were comparable for HLM and placebo. No safety issues were evident with either group. As expected a placebo effect was observed, nevertheless HLM was clearly more effective in relieving the symptoms of osteoarthritis. This HLM represents a safe and effective new approach to the management of osteoarthritis symptoms.

Association of spiritual well-being with quality of life among undergraduate nursing students

Objective:The study was conducted with the aim of determining the spiritual well-being(SWB)of nursing students and its association with quality of life(QOL).Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted with a sample size of 504 nursing students collected from January 2023 to March 2023 in the nursing institutes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Pakistan,using convenient sampling techniques.A Spiritual Health and Life-Orientation Measure(SHALOM)questionnaire for SWB and K-27 QOL(K-27 QOL)instrument were used for data collection that contains three parts.Results:The number of female participants was in the majority(50.4%)compared to male nurses(49.6%).The overall mean score of SWB of the students was 3.79±0.48,while the mean K-27 QOL score was 3.73±0.57.There were significant differences between the groups of gender(P=0.001),while no significant difference within the groups of semester(P=0.061)and college status(0.285).In QOL,there were significant differences within the groups of semester(P=0.000)and college status(P=0.036)while no significant difference in gender category(P=0.480).SHALOM score is positively and moderately correlated with QOL score(r=0.597,P<0.05).Conclusion:Spiritual practices are one of the important factors that are associated positively with QOL,therefore to enhance the QOL,it will require spiritual practices.

Bullying among people with visual impairment: Prevalence, associated factors and relationship to self-efficacy and life satisfaction

AIM To examine associated factors of bullying and to determine associations between bullying and psychosocial outcomes among individuals with visual impairments(Ⅵ). METHODS We conducted an age-stratified cross-sectional survey of adults with Ⅵ who were recruited from the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted. Data were collected through structural telephone interviews in the period between February and May, 2017. Linear regression models were used to examine factors related to bullying and associations of bullying with self-efficacy and life satisfaction.RESULTS A total of 736 individuals were interviewed. The lifetime and 6-mo prevalence of bullying was 41.7% and8.2%, respectively. The majority of bullied participants reported Ⅵ-specific bullying(65.1%). Victimization of bullying was associated with young age, early onsetage of Ⅵ, and having other impairments. Participants who reported bullying had lower levels of self-efficacy[Adjusted relative risk(ARR): 0.40, 95% confidence interval(CI): 0.19-0.85] and life satisfaction(ARR: 0.68,95%CI: 0.51-0.91).CONCLUSION Bullying is highly prevalent among individuals withⅥ. Our findings suggest that interventions to reduce bullying may be beneficial for improving the well-being and life quality of people with Ⅵ.