Publications by authors named "Acquaye A"

Objective: Qualitative research methods are based on the analysis of words rather than numbers; they encourage self-reflection on the investigator's part; they are attuned to social interaction and nuance; and they incorporate their subjects' thoughts and feelings as primary sources. Despite appearing well suited for research in child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP), qualitative methods have had relatively minor uptake in the discipline. We conducted a qualitative study of CAPs involved in qualitative research to learn about these investigators' lived experiences, and to identify modifiable factors to promote qualitative methods within the field of youth mental health.

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Community energy initiatives play a significant role at the grassroots level in the transition to Renewable Energy Communities and a low-carbon economy. However, these initiatives are hampered by multiple barriers at the market, institutional, organisational, and individual level. Funding cuts of state-supported feed-in tariff (FiT) policy in major markets such as Germany, Japan, China and the additional capping of the number of new installations that could be accredited under the FiT scheme in the UK.

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Systemic injustice has resulted in significant baseline inequality amongst populations according to gradients of privilege. What is the ethical approach to situations wherein equity may require differential treatment to correct for baseline disadvantages as a necessary means to its attainment? We explore this concept through the issue of patient requests for clinician identity concordance, when patients request a clinician who matches their race, ethnicity, or gender. Firstly, we discuss ethical grounds for refusing requests by exploring the balance between patient autonomy, a physician's obligation to not abandon one's patients, and the right of a clinician to be free from violence of any form.

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Introduction: Almajirai are male children in Northern Nigeria and Southern Niger who study Islam in the almajiranci system. Almajiranci has been associated with non-participation in formal education, abuse, poverty, and underdevelopment. However, the peer-reviewed literature around health among almajirai remains limited.

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Background: Nigeria hosts much of Africa's morbidity and mortality from emergency medical conditions. We surveyed providers at seven Nigerian Accident & Emergency (A&E) units about (i) their unit's ability to manage six major types of emergency medical condition (sentinel conditions) and (ii) barriers to performing key functions (signal functions) to manage sentinel conditions. Here, we present our analysis of provider-reported barriers to signal function performance.

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Primary brain tumor (PBT) patients experience higher levels of distress and anxiety than other solid tumor patients, particularly at the time of clinical evaluation when uncertainty about disease status is high ("scanxiety"). There is promising evidence supporting use of virtual reality (VR) to target psychological symptoms in other solid tumor patients, though PBT patients have not been studied extensively in this context. The primary aim of this phase 2 clinical trial is to establish the feasibility of a remote VR-based relaxation intervention for a PBT population, with secondary aims designed to determine preliminary efficacy of improving distress and anxiety symptoms.

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  • Precision health strategies are essential for managing symptom burden in primary brain tumor patients, addressing the complex and diverse nature of their symptoms.
  • The study used network analysis and unsupervised clustering on data from 1,128 patients to uncover symptoms' interconnections, revealing four key dimensions of symptom burden: cognitive, physical, focal neurologic, and affective.
  • The results indicated four patient subgroups, with notable distinctions in their symptom patterns and severities, potentially guiding the development of personalized symptom management approaches in the future.
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  • Cancer patients often face anxiety during imaging studies, leading to the need for effective management of their distress.
  • A phase 2 clinical trial tested a virtual reality relaxation (VR) intervention for primary brain tumor patients, assessing its feasibility and acceptability before neuroimaging.
  • Out of 55 approached, 20 patients enrolled, with high satisfaction reported (90%) and minimal adverse effects, indicating the potential of VR as a supportive tool for managing psychological symptoms in this population.
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  • Financial toxicity, especially linked to unemployment, has a significant impact on cancer survivors, prompting an evaluation of how it relates to patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in individuals with primary CNS tumors (PCNST).
  • The study, conducted between September 2016 and December 2019 with 277 participants, revealed that Hispanic individuals faced higher unemployment rates and reported greater functional impairments and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQOL) than employed counterparts.
  • Unemployed participants exhibited notably higher levels of depressive (25% vs. 8%) and anxiety symptoms (30% vs. 15%), highlighting the mental health challenges associated with unemployment in this patient group.
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  • Astroblastoma, -altered is a new classification of rare CNS tumors added by the WHO in 2021, characterized by unique DNA methylation patterns and specific genetic fusions but has variable histological features.
  • These tumors are most frequently found in children, especially females, and their clinical outcomes vary widely, with some patients facing multiple recurrences despite aggressive treatment while others do well after surgery alone.
  • The report details the cases of three female adults with these tumors, highlights the need for better clinical data collection, and suggests a standardized method for gathering neuropathological and patient-reported outcomes to enhance understanding of the tumor's clinical diversity.
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Importance: Historically, trust in biomedical research has been lower among minoritized racial and ethnic groups who are underrepresented in and excluded from research, with the same groups experiencing worse health outcomes. Unfortunately, instruments that measure trust may not capture components of trust relevant to minoritized racial and ethnic groups.

Objective: To develop and validate a scale to measure trust in biomedical research among minoritized racial and ethnic groups.

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  • * Patients with sleep disturbances also experienced a higher overall symptom burden, including significantly more depressive and anxiety symptoms, as well as increased feelings of drowsiness and distress.
  • * The findings suggest that addressing sleep disturbances in PBT patients could improve their overall symptom experience and quality of life, highlighting the need for future research on sleep patterns and potential interventions.
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  • The study focused on the importance of clinical outcomes assessments (COAs) for patients with malignant glioma, specifically looking at symptoms and functions recommended by the RANO-PRO Working Group.
  • Using a cohort of 336 patients from a larger study, researchers analyzed how symptoms like pain and cognitive issues and functions like weakness and ability to work relate to disease progression over time.
  • Findings suggest that these COAs are relevant indicators of disease status and may change as the disease progresses, providing vital information for both clinical care and research.
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  • Cognitive impairments are common in patients with primary CNS tumors, and traditional neuropsychological assessments are often too lengthy for routine use, prompting the study of the brief Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) during in-person and telehealth visits.
  • The study involved 71 adults with CNS tumors who took the MoCA, revealing an average score of 25 in-person and 26 via telehealth, with a notable percentage scoring abnormally; satisfaction surveys indicated healthcare providers found the MoCA useful in both settings.
  • Findings demonstrated a correlation between lower MoCA scores and worse symptoms, emphasizing the importance of incorporating both objective cognitive measures and patient-reported outcomes for a comprehensive understanding of patient cognition in neuro-oncology care.
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Introduction: Despite an increasing aging population, older adults (≥ 65 years) with primary brain tumors (PBTs) are not routinely assessed for geriatric vulnerabilities. Recent reports of geriatric assessment (GA) in patients with glioblastomas demonstrated that GA may serve as a sensitive prognosticator of overall survival. Yet, current practice does not include routine evaluation of geriatric vulnerabilities and the relevance of GA has not been previously evaluated in broader cohorts of PBT patients.

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  • Patients with primary brain tumors often experience mobility issues, and this study assesses the effectiveness of two mobility tests, Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) and Five-Times Sit-to-Stand (TSS), in evaluating these challenges in a neuro-oncology clinic setting.
  • During a 6-month period, 66 adult patients completed these tests alongside the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory, revealing that 94% successfully completed the mobility assessments, highlighting the tests' feasibility.
  • Results indicated that factors like older age, being newly diagnosed, corticosteroid use, and poorer performance status significantly correlated with longer test completion times, suggesting these tests could be useful in clinical settings for better understanding patient mobility.
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  • Survivorship for individuals with primary CNS cancers starts at diagnosis and presents both opportunities and challenges that require collaboration among stakeholders to improve care.
  • In June 2021, a virtual workshop was held by NCI-CONNECT, where experts made recommendations and working groups analyzed key issues related to advancing survivorship care in neuro-oncology.
  • The workshop resulted in several action items, including improving access to care, enhancing education for patients and providers, creating a toolkit for support, and establishing competencies for training neuro-oncology providers.
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  • Neuro-oncology has expanded significantly since 2010, but diversity among clinical trial participants and professionals has seen only modest gains, prompting a survey to identify ways to improve inclusivity in the field.
  • In summer 2020, a survey by the Society for Neuro-Oncology collected data from 386 members across various regions, focusing on personal and professional characteristics and experiences with bias and mentorship.
  • The results revealed high levels of unconscious biases faced by non-White respondents, a lack of mentorship opportunities, and highlighted the need for targeted diversity initiatives to enhance representation in neuro-oncology.
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  • Primary CNS tumors lead to significant symptoms and a poor prognosis, prompting a study on long-term survivors (≥5 years) to evaluate their reported outcomes.
  • Data from 248 adult survivors revealed that while 42% reported no moderate-to-severe symptoms, many experienced issues like fatigue and cognitive difficulties, with significant anxiety and depression reported by some.
  • The study highlights the need for tailored survivorship care programs, as survivors exhibited diverse symptom experiences regardless of tumor characteristics, indicating ongoing support and research are essential.
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Background: It remains unknown how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed neuro-oncology clinical practice, training, and research efforts.

Methods: We performed an international survey of practitioners, scientists, and trainees from 21 neuro-oncology organizations across 6 continents, April 24-May 17, 2020. We assessed clinical practice and research environments, institutional preparedness and support, and perceived impact on patients.

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Climate change and environmental degradation have contributed in compromising the soil nutrient integrity of cocoa farmlands, yet sustainable nutrient recycling innovation in cocoa waste management has received less research attention. Utilizing experimentation methodology in an agroforestry system composed of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) and a Nitrogen-fixing Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.

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The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on the 11th of March 2020, but the world is still reeling from its aftermath. Originating from China, cases quickly spread across the globe, prompting the implementation of stringent measures by world governments in efforts to isolate cases and limit the transmission rate of the virus. These measures have however shattered the core sustaining pillars of the modern world economies as global trade and cooperation succumbed to nationalist focus and competition for scarce supplies.

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Purpose: Diffuse midline gliomas are rare midline CNS malignancies that primarily affect children but can also affect adults. While radiation is standard treatment, prognosis remains fatal. Furthermore, due to its sensitive anatomic location, many physicians have been reluctant to perform biopsies without potential for improved prognosis.

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Although collaboration is vital in addressing global environmental sustainability challenges, research understanding on stakeholder engagement in climate-smart production innovation adoption and implementation, remains limited. In this paper, we advance knowledge about stakeholder collaboration by examining the roles played by stakeholders in scaling-up ecological sustainability innovations. Using the illustrative context and case of green cocoa industry in Ghana, the analysis identified three distinctive phases of stakeholder engagement in ecological sustainability innovations implemented from 1960 to 2017.

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