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.

Childlife干预在儿童隐匿阴茎围术期护理中的应用

分析儿童隐匿阴茎围术期护理中采取Child life干预的效果。方法 选取2022年1月-2023年2月纳入的隐匿性阴茎儿童60例作为观察对象,经随机抽签法分组,对照组、观察组各有30例。两组分别采取常规护理、Child life干预,观察围术期患儿的心理状态,并评估患儿术后疼痛评分及护理满意度、护理依从性。结果 护理前,组间SAS及SDS评分相比,p>0.05;护理后,观察组SAS及SDS评分比对照组低,p<0.05;观察组Wong-Baker分值低于对照组,p<0.05;观察组依从性及护理满意度高于对照组,p<0.05。结论 在隐匿性阴茎儿童围术期护理中采取Child life护理模式可提升患儿的依从性、护理满意度,并改善患儿心理状态,减轻其疼痛感。

Prevalence of color vision deficiency among Chinese college students and their quality of life

AIM:To investigate the prevalence of color vision deficiency(CVD)among college students and their quality of life(QoL)in a Chinese college.METHODS:This cross-sectional study was performed in Sichuan University in Chengdu,China.The questionnaire containing participants’demographic data,as well as CVD related QoL was distributed to students who were screened as CVD[by Color Vision Examination Plates(Version 6)]in 2022 freshman entrance examination.Color blindness QoL(CBQoL)and utility analysis were used to evaluate the QoL of CVD students.RESULTS:There were 381 of 17303(2.20%)students screened as CVD,including 368(4.11%)males and 13(0.16%)females.A total of 317 students completed the questionnaire,the response rate was 83.20%.Only 166 participants(52.3%)knew they have CVD before the physical examination for college entrance examination,while a total of 145 participants(45.74%)hoped to be diagnosed earlier.The medians of CBQoL score and utility were 5.85(range 2.2-6)and 1(range 0-1),respectively.The proportions of students whose QoL is affected by CVD were 67.63%(211/312)and 42.27%(134/317)measured by CBQoL and utility analysis respectively.CONCLUSION:The prevalence of CVD in males is much higher than that in females.The time when CVD students first became aware of their CVD is relatively late.The QoL of the study population is quite high,while a large proportion of students’QoL are affected by CVD.It is suggested that as a congenital defect,CVD screening in China should be earlier,and appropriate guidance and support are needed for CVD patients to help them better adapt to life,study,and work.

Accurate and efficient remaining useful life prediction of batteries enabled by physics-informed machine learning

The safe and reliable operation of lithium-ion batteries necessitates the accurate prediction of remaining useful life(RUL).However,this task is challenging due to the diverse ageing mechanisms,various operating conditions,and limited measured signals.Although data-driven methods are perceived as a promising solution,they ignore intrinsic battery physics,leading to compromised accuracy,low efficiency,and low interpretability.In response,this study integrates domain knowledge into deep learning to enhance the RUL prediction performance.We demonstrate accurate RUL prediction using only a single charging curve.First,a generalisable physics-based model is developed to extract ageing-correlated parameters that can describe and explain battery degradation from battery charging data.The parameters inform a deep neural network(DNN)to predict RUL with high accuracy and efficiency.The trained model is validated under 3 types of batteries working under 7 conditions,considering fully charged and partially charged cases.Using data from one cycle only,the proposed method achieves a root mean squared error(RMSE)of 11.42 cycles and a mean absolute relative error(MARE)of 3.19%on average,which are over45%and 44%lower compared to the two state-of-the-art data-driven methods,respectively.Besides its accuracy,the proposed method also outperforms existing methods in terms of efficiency,input burden,and robustness.The inherent relationship between the model parameters and the battery degradation mechanism is further revealed,substantiating the intrinsic superiority of the proposed method.

Investigation of the quality of life,mental status in patients with gynecological cancer and its influencing factors

BACKGROUND Having a gynecological tumor or undergoing treatment can be a traumatic experience for women,as it affects their self-image and sexual relationships and can lead to psychological reactions.Psychological adjustment following cancer occurrence remains a key issue among the survivors.AIM To examine the current status of quality of life(QoL),anxiety,and depression in patients with gynecological cancer and to analyze the factors associated with it.METHODS Data for 160 patients with gynecological malignancies treated at Shanxi Bethune Hospital from June 2020 to June 2023 were collected and analyzed retrospectively.Patients’QoL was assessed using the European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General Questionnaire.Their emotional status was evaluated using the Self-Rating Anxiety/Depression Scale.The associated factors of anxiety and depression were analyzed.RESULTS The overall QoL score of the patients 6 months after surgery was 76.39±3.63 points.This included low levels of social and emotional function and severe fatigue and pain.The scores for physiological,functional,emotional,social,and family well-being exhibited an upward trend following surgery compared with those before surgery.One month after surgery,some patients experienced anxiety and depression,with an incidence of 18.75%and 18.13%,respectively.Logistic analysis revealed that good sleep was a protective factor against anxiety and depression in patients with gynecological tumors,whereas physical pain was a risk factor.CONCLUSION Patients with gynecological malignancies often experience anxiety and depression.By analyzing the factors that affect patients’QoL,effective nursing measures can be administered.

Remaining Useful Life Prediction Method for Multi-Component System Considering Maintenance:Subsea Christmas Tree System as A Case Study

Maintenance is an important technical measure to maintain and restore the performance status of equipment and ensure the safety of the production process in industrial production,and is an indispensable part of prediction and health management.However,most of the existing remaining useful life(RUL)prediction methods assume that there is no maintenance or only perfect maintenance during the whole life cycle;thus,the predicted RUL value of the system is obviously lower than its actual operating value.The complex environment of the system further increases the difficulty of maintenance,and its maintenance nodes and maintenance degree are limited by the construction period and working conditions,which increases the difficulty of RUL prediction.An RUL prediction method for a multi-omponent system based on the Wiener process considering maintenance is proposed.The performance degradation model of components is established by a dynamic Bayesian network as the initial model,which solves the uncertainty of insufficient data problems.Based on the experience of experts,the degree of degradation is divided according to Poisson process simulation random failure,and different maintenance strategies are used to estimate a variety of condition maintenance factors.An example of a subsea tree system is given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Effect of lens surgery on health-related quality of life in preschool children with congenital ectopia lentis

AIM:To evaluate the effect of lens surgery on health-related quality of life(HRQoL)of preschool children with congenital ectopia lentis(CEL).METHODS:A prospective self-controlled study was conducted in Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center.Children aged from 5 to 7y whom were diagnosed with CEL and underwent phacoemulsification with scleral-fixated posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation and their parents were enrolled in this study.All of them completed the child and proxy(parental)PedsQL™4.0 before and after the surgery.Their preoperative scores were compared to their postoperative ones.Subgroup analyses were performed based on gender and preoperative bilateral presenting visual acuity of the children.RESULTS:Thirty-two children with CEL successfully underwent surgery without any complications,among whom 8 had monocular surgery and 24 had binocular surgery.Preoperative and postoperative questionnaires were completed by 32 child-parent pairs.Surgical intervention could significantly improve the vision of affected children(P<0.001).The medians of physical,psychosocial and total health scores self-reported by the children were 68.75(62.50,81.25),65.00(60.00,80.00)and 67.39(60.87,78.26)preoperatively and were 93.75(87.50,100.00),90.00(83.33,96.67)and 89.13(85.32,95.65)postoperatively.The preoperative scores of the affected children were significantly lower in all scales than age-matched healthy children(P<0.001).All the postoperative scores were significantly higher than the preoperative scores in affected children and their parents(P<0.001).In the physical functioning evaluation,the preoperative score reported by parents of girls was higher than parents of boys(P=0.041),and the postoperative score of girls was higher than that of boys(P=0.036).CONCLUSION:CEL is associated with significantly worse quality of life in preschool children.Surgical intervention can significantly improve the HRQoL in affected children from both personal and family perspective.

Shifting the Paradigm:A Fresh Look at Physical Activity Frequency and Its Impact on Mental Health,Life Satisfaction,and Self-Rated Health in Adolescents

As adolescent mental health problems are becoming a more serious issue globally,this paper explores the relationship of physical activity in adolescents and its frequency on mental health as well as examines the mediating effects of life satisfaction and self-rated health in order to provide a reference for the promotion of mental health in adolescents.A sample of 3578 Chinese high school students completed questionnaires assessing their mental health,physical activity frequency,life satisfaction,and self-rated health.The mean SCL-90 value for adolescents was found to be 1.629%,and 24.73%of adolescents had varying degrees of mental health issue.Increased physical activity frequency is positively associated with improved mental health(p<0.001).Additionally,life satisfaction and self-rated health were found to play significant mediating roles in the relationship between physical activity frequency and mental health.Specifically,low-frequency physical activity had the most pronounced mediating effect on mental health through life satisfaction,while high-frequency physical activity exerted the most significant mediating effect on mental health through self-rated health.These findings underscore the importance of promoting physical activity among adolescents and highlight the distinct pathways through which physical activity frequency can influence mental health outcomes.Further research is needed to explore these relationships in diverse populations and settings,as well as to develop targeted intervention.

Effect of comprehensive nursing on the quality of life and swallowing function in individuals diagnosed with ischemic stroke

BACKGROUND Ischemic stroke(IS)is a widely recognized disease characterized by high preva-lence,mortality,morbidity,disability,and recurrence rates.It ranks prominently in terms of mortality,constituting 60%-80%of stroke cases.AIM To explore the impact of comprehensive nursing care on the quality of life and swallowing function in individuals diagnosed with IS.METHODS This study comprised 172 patients with IS admitted to our hospital between February 2018 to March 2021.The participants were divided into two groups,namely the control group(n=80)receiving routine care and the research group(n=92)receiving comprehensive care.Various assessment scales,including the standard swallowing function assessment scale(SSA),National Institutes of Health Stroke scale(NIHSS),European stroke scale(ESS),self-rating anxiety scale(SAS),self-rating depression scale(SDS),Barthel index(BI),and the motor func-tion assessment scale(MAS),were employed to evaluate the improvement in swallowing function,neurological deficits,clinical outcomes,anxiety,depression,daily living activities,and motor function before and after care.Furthermore,the study compared the occurrence of adverse reactions during the nursing period,life quality before and after the intervention,rehabilitation compliance,and nursing satisfaction between the two groups.RESULTS After the nursing intervention,the research group exhibited significantly improved SSA and NIHSS scores compared to the control group(P<0.05).Moreover,both groups demonstrated significant reductions in SAS and SDS scores(P<0.05),with the research group showing more obvious advantages(P<0.05).Compared to the control group,the research group displayed significantly better ESS,BI,and MAS scores(P<0.05),coupled with a lower incidence of adverse reactions(P<0.05).Additionally,the research group demonstrated markedly higher levels of life quality,rehabilitation compliance,and nursing satisfaction compared to the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Comprehensive nursing effectively improved swallowing function,quality of life,and patient satisfaction,high-lighting its clinical significance.

The early life immune dynamics and cellular drivers at single-cell resolution in lamb forestomachs and abomasum

Background Four-chambered stomach including the forestomachs(rumen,reticulum,and omasum)and abomasum allows ruminants convert plant fiber into high-quality animal products.The early development of this four-chambered stomach is crucial for the health and well-being of young ruminants,especially the immune development.However,the dynamics of immune development are poorly understood.Results We investigated the early gene expression patterns across the four-chambered stomach in Hu sheep,at 5,10,15,and 25 days of age.We found that forestomachs share similar gene expression patterns,all four stomachs underwent widespread activation of both innate and adaptive immune responses from d 5 to 25,whereas the metabolic function were significantly downregulated with age.We constructed a cell landscape of the four-chambered stomach using single-cell sequencing.Integrating transcriptomic and single-cell transcriptomic analyses revealed that the immune-associated module hub genes were highly expressed in T cells,monocytes and macrophages,as well as the defense-associated module hub genes were highly expressed in endothelial cells in the four-stomach tissues.Moreover,the non-immune cells such as epithelial cells play key roles in immune maturation.Cell communication analysis predicted that in addition to immune cells,non-immune cells recruit immune cells through macrophage migration inhibitory factor signaling in the forestomachs.Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the immune and defense responses of four stomachs are quickly developing with age in lamb's early life.We also identified the gene expression patterns and functional cells associated with immune development.Additionally,we identified some key receptors and signaling involved in immune regulation.These results help to understand the early life immune development at single-cell resolution,which has implications to develop nutritional manipulation and health management strategies based on specific targets including key receptors and signaling pathways.

Effect of Interface Form on Creep Failure and Life of Dissimilar Metal Welds Involving Nickel-Based Weld Metal and Ferritic Base Metal

For dissimilar metal welds(DMWs)involving nickel-based weld metal(WM)and ferritic heat resistant steel base metal(BM)in power plants,there must be an interface between WM and BM,and this interface suffers mechanical and microstructure mismatches and is often the rupture location of premature failure.In this study,a new form of WM/BM interface form,namely double Y-type interface was designed for the DMWs.Creep behaviors and life of DMWs containing double Y-type interface and conventional I-type interface were compared by finite element analysis and creep tests,and creep failure mechanisms were investigated by stress-strain analysis and microstructure characterization.By applying double Y-type interface instead of conventional I-type interface,failure location of DMW could be shifted from the WM/ferritic heat-affected zone(HAZ)interface into the ferritic HAZ or even the ferritic BM,and the failure mode change improved the creep life of DMW.The interface premature failure of I-type interface DMW was related to the coupling effect of microstructure degradation,stress and strain concentrations,and oxide notch on the WM/HAZ interface.The creep failure of double Y-type interface DMW was the result of Type IV fracture due to the creep voids and micro-cracks on fine-grain boundaries in HAZ,which was a result of the matrix softening of HAZ and lack of precipitate pinning at fine-grain boundaries.The double Y-type interface form separated the stress and strain concentrations in DMW from the WM/HAZ interface,preventing the trigger effect of oxide notch on interface failure and inhibiting the interfacial microstructure cracking.It is a novel scheme to prolong creep life and enhance reliability of DMW,by means of optimizing the interface form,decoupling the damage factors from WM/HAZ interface,and then changing the failure mechanism and shifting the failure location.

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.

Survey and Countermeasures on Current Situation of Life Education for College Students in Local Normal Colleges and Universities

Life education is the precondition of all education.This paper explored the current situation of life education for college students in local normal colleges and universities through questionnaire survey,and traced the history of life education in the world and China.Combined with history and reality,it analyzed the current problems of life education for college students mainly in three aspects,namely,the lack of connectivity in the educational process,the excessive productization of education,and the fragmentation of life education.Finally,it came up with pertinent recommendations in line with these problems.

Impact of cancer diagnosis on life expectancy by area-level socioeconomic groups in New South Wales, Australia: a population-based study

Objective: Improvement in cancer survival over recent decades has not been accompanied by a narrowing of socioeconomic disparities. This study aimed to quantify the loss of life expectancy(LOLE) resulting from a cancer diagnosis and examine disparities in LOLE based on area-level socioeconomic status(SES).Methods: Data were collected for all people between 50 and 89 years of age who were diagnosed with cancer, registered in the NSW Cancer Registry between 2001 and 2019, and underwent mortality follow-up evaluations until December 2020. Flexible parametric survival models were fitted to estimate the LOLE by gender and area-level SES for 12 common cancers.Results: Of 422,680 people with cancer, 24% and 18% lived in the most and least disadvantaged areas, respectively. Patients from the most disadvantaged areas had a significantly greater average LOLE than patients from the least disadvantaged areas for cancers with high survival rates, including prostate [2.9 years(95% CI: 2.5±3.2 years) vs. 1.6 years(95% CI: 1.3±1.9 years)] and breast cancer [1.6 years(95% CI: 1.4±1.8 years) vs. 1.2 years(95% CI: 1.0±1.4 years)]. The highest average LOLE occurred in males residing in the most disadvantaged areas with pancreatic [16.5 years(95% CI: 16.1±16.8 years) vs. 16.2 years(95% CI: 15.7±16.7 years)] and liver cancer [15.5 years(95% CI: 15.0±16.0 years) vs. 14.7 years(95% CI: 14.0±15.5 years)]. Females residing in the least disadvantaged areas with thyroid cancer [0.9 years(95% CI: 0.4±1.4 years) vs. 0.6 years(95% CI: 0.2±1.0 years)] or melanoma [0.9 years(95% CI: 0.8±1.1 years) vs. 0.7 years(95% CI: 0.5±0.8 years)] had the lowest average LOLE.Conclusions: Patients from the most disadvantaged areas had the highest LOLE with SES-based differences greatest for patients diagnosed with cancer at an early stage or cancers with higher survival rates, suggesting the need to prioritise early detection and reduce treatment-related barriers and survivorship challenges to improve life expectancy.

Consequences of early life stress on the structure and function of the adult mouse retina

Early-life stress(ELS)refers to a period of environmental/social deprivation,physica l,sexual or emotional abuse,neglect,severe and/or chronic trauma in the prenatal/early postnatal stage,which is closely related to many adverse psychiatric disorders later in life,such as depressive disorder,substance abuse,dysthymia,panic,anxiety,and suicidal behavior in adulthood(Waters and Gould,2022).

A cup of coffee for a brain long life

Coffee is one of the world's favorite and most popular beverages,the third most popular beverage after water and tea.For many people,it is an indispensable habit before going to work and a socialization tool for the rest of the day.In general,the average consum ption varies from 2 to6 cups per day.What are the health implications?Given this consum ption,the benefits are actually greater than the risks.This is the conclusion of a careful study published in the New England Journal of Medicine(van Dam et al.,2020).

“Child Life”护理理念对支气管肺炎患儿的应用效果

目的观察“Child Life”护理理念应用于支气管肺炎患儿的效果。方法选择2022年6月至2023年6月就诊的支气管肺炎儿童128例,随机数字表法分为试验组和对照组,每组64例。对照组给予支气管肺炎常规护理,试验组在对照组基础上加用“Child Life”护理干预,比较2组患儿心境状态指标、治疗依从优良率、疾病控制进度指标和肺功能情况进行。结果试验组患儿焦虑抑郁评分低于对照组,治疗依从优良率高于对照组,疾病控制进度指标与肺功能指标优于对照组(P<0.05)。结论“Child Life”护理理念应用于支气管肺炎患儿,有利于该类患儿焦虑抑郁情绪的平复、治疗依从度的提升、疾病控制进度的加速与肺功能的改善,值得推广。

Healthy life expectancy with cardiovascular disease among Chinese rural population based on the prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND Limited research has explored the impact of cardiovascular disease(CVD)on healthy life expectancy(HLE)especially in resource-limited areas.This study aimed to investigate the association between CVD and HLE in Chinese rural population.METHODS This study included 11,994 participants aged 45 years and older from the baseline and follow-up surveys of the Henan rural cohort study.Healthy status was measured via a Visual Analogue Scale.The multistate Markov model was applied to estimate the association between CVD and transitions in health,unhealthiness and death.Gender-specific total life expectancy,HLE and unhealthy life expectancy were calculated by the multistate life table method.RESULTS During a mean follow-up time of 3.85(3.84–3.86)years,there were 588 deaths recorded.For individuals with CVD,the risk of switching from health to unhealthiness status was increased by 71%[hazard ratio(HR)=1.71,95%CI:1.42–2.07],the chance of recovery was reduced by 30%(HR=0.70,95%CI:0.60–0.82).Men aged 45 years without CVD could gain an extra 7.08(4.15–10.01)years of HLE and lose 4.00(1.60–6.40)years of unhealthy life expectancy compared to their peers with CVD,respectively.The corresponding estimates among women were 8.62(5.55–11.68)years and 5.82(2.59–9.04)years,respectively.CONCLUSIONS This study indicated that CVD was significantly associated with poorer health status and lower HLE among Chinese rural population.It is an important public health policy to adopt targeted measures to reduce the CVD burden and enhance the quality of life and HLE in resource-limited areas.

Investigating the Influence of Glaucoma on the Quality of Life among Adult Patients

Background: Research exploring the influence of glaucoma on quality of life has gained momentum in recent years. Numerous studies have investigated the multifaceted aspects of quality of life in glaucoma patients, utilizing various assessment tools and methodologies. Objective: To determine the influence that glaucoma has on the quality of life among adult patients. Study site: kitwe teaching eye hospital, Zambia. Method: It was a cross-sectional study that was conducted from 30th June 2022 to 17th April 2023. The study included 106 diagnosed glaucoma patients who were above the age of 55 years. Data was collected using validated 25-item national eye institute visual function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25). The data was analyzed using SPSS version 26 and Microsoft excel to present frequencies and percentages that generated graphical presentation. Results: 62% of the participants worry about their eye sight most of the time, 26% sometimes and 12% a little time. 9% of the participants had little difficulty to read ordinary prints, 14% moderate difficulties and 58% extremely difficult. 40% of the participants could drive despite glaucoma damaging their eyes while 60% could not. Majority of the patients said it was difficult noticing things around them while walking or sitted in one place. There was a significant difference between effects of glaucoma on patients and the existing relationship between glaucoma and quality of life (ANOVA, p = 0.019 and ANOVA, p = 0.023). Conclusion: This study has demonstrated the magnitude of impact that glaucoma has on the Quality of Life (QoL) in diagnosed patients and the relationship between glaucoma and the Quality of Life. Due to the progressive visual loss, the amount of activities these patients would perform is negatively affected especially where social and economic activities are concerned which also affects their monthly earnings for those living in middle to low-income countries. Therefore, social welfare and psycho-social institutions need to increase their support for these glaucoma patients.

Economic Stress, Precariousness and Risk of High Blood Pressure: A Descriptive Survey of Life Models within Households of the Central Region of Cameroon

Context/Objective: High blood pressure (HBP) currently represents the most widespread chronic non-communicable disease in Cameroon. The increase in its prevalence in the country is the result of multiple factors including economic stress imposed by precariousness, poor living conditions, sources of anxiety, anguish, depression and other behavioral disorders. Economic stress is a globalizing concept that integrates into a purely hermeneutic approach, a particular functioning of the nervous system of an individual who faces employment problems and precarious remuneration conditions. The non-satisfaction by an individual of his basic needs due to insufficient financial means can cause him to become irritable, aggressive, and socially and symbolically isolated, thereby increasing the desire to resort to morbid life models such as excessive consumption of narcotics and other psychoactive substances often associated with high blood pressure. The fight against the emergence of BPH is a complex, multifaceted and multifactorial reality that requires taking into account economic stress. The main objective of this survey is to describe the situation of economic stress within the Cameroonian population, which imposes precariousness and life models at risk of high blood pressure. Specifically, we determined the level of household income and the sources of income. Methods: A cross-sectional survey with a descriptive aim among five hundred households in the Central Region of Cameroon was conducted. A probabilistic technique called simple randomness was used. The number of households to be surveyed was determined indirectly using the Cochrane formula. Data collection in face-to-face mode using a physical questionnaire took place from July 1 to August 31, 2023, after obtaining ethical clearance from the Regional Health Research Ethics Committee, Human from the Center and an administrative authorization for data collection. Regarding their processing, the data was grouped during processing in Excel sheets. Normality and reliability tests of the collected data were carried out. For this, the Chi-square test was used for data with a qualitative value and that of Kolmogorov-Sminorf for data with a quantitative value. Descriptive analysis was possible using R software version 3.2, SPSS version 25.0, XLSTAT 2016, PAST and EXCEL programs from Microsoft Office 2013. Results: The main results highlight economic stress, with 45.60% of households surveyed earning less than US$154 per month;55% of household heads were women in single-parent families;14% of household heads were unemployed, 22% worked in the private sector and 19% were self-employed. This general economic situation leads to precarious living conditions, thereby increasing the risk of high blood pressure among the Cameroonian population.