Avoidance of healthcare service use and correlates among HIV-positive patients in Vietnam: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: The prevention of HIV/AIDS is not making sufficient progress. The slow reduction of HIV/AIDS infections needs to prioritise hesitancy towards service utilisation, including treatment duration, social support and social stigma. This study investigates HIV-positive patients' avoidance of healthcare services and its correlates.

Structural Equation Model for Social Support and Quality of Life Among Individuals With Mental Health Disorders During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the distribution of social support for mental health problems has likely become unequal. Family- and community-based social support has been recognized as a promising approach for mental disorders; however, limited global frameworks have been applied to developing countries such as Vietnam.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life and social support among patients with mental health disorders in Vietnam and to investigate the factors associated with quality of life among these patients.

Psychological impacts of COVID-19 on Vietnamese health workers over the prolonged restricted COVID-19 responses: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: We assessed the psychological impact posed by COVID-19 and its associated factors on the healthcare workforce nationwide during the peak of Vietnam's fourth outbreak.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Setting: Our study was conducted in 61 provinces of Vietnam.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy of medical students answering various item types.

Background: Traditionally, the effect of assessment item types including true/false questions (TFQs), multiple-choice questions (MCQs), short answer questions (SAQs), and case scenario questions (CSQs) is examined through psychometric qualities or student interviews. However, brain activity while answering such questions or items remains unknown. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can be used to safely measure cerebral cortex hemodynamic response during various tasks.

Characterizing the Development of Research Landscapes in Substance Use and HIV/AIDS During 1990 to 2021.

Mitigating the impacts of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and substance use requires comprehensive and systematic thinking in designing interventions and developing policies. This study describes the growth of research publications from 1991 to 2021 in the Web of Science database and points out current research landscapes in the fields of HIV/AIDS and substance use. Latent Dirichlet Allocation was used for classifying 21 359 papers into corresponding topics.

Crucial choices in a global health crisis: Revealing the demand and willingness to pay for a hypothetical monkeypox vaccine - the PREVENT study.

Background: The latent monkeypox outbreak has become the most emergent public health challenge globally. This study was conducted to assess the acceptability, and willingness to take and pay for a hypothetical Monkeypox vaccine among the Vietnamese general public as well as investigate preference for individual vaccine attributes.

Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted using snowball sampling among 842 respondents in Vietnam in 2022.

Fluoxetine improves bone microarchitecture and mechanical properties in rodents undergoing chronic mild stress - an animal model of depression.

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders associated with reductions in bone mineral density and increased fracture risk. Fluoxetine is a highly prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) in the treatment of depression and is reported to be a risk factor for fractures. The present study examined the effect of fluoxetine on bone microarchitecture and the mechanical properties under chronic mild stress (CMS), a rodent model of depression.

Identifying neuroimaging biomarkers of major depressive disorder from cortical hemodynamic responses using machine learning approaches.

Background: Early diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) could enable timely interventions and effective management which subsequently improve clinical outcomes. However, quantitative and objective assessment tools for the suspected cases who present with depressive symptoms have not been fully established.

Methods: Based on a large-scale dataset (n = 363 subjects) collected with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measurements during the verbal fluency task (VFT), this study proposed a data representation method for extracting spatiotemporal characteristics of NIRS signals, which emerged as candidate predictors in a two-phase machine learning framework to detect distinctive biomarkers for MDD.

Improving the diagnostic accuracy for major depressive disorder using machine learning algorithms integrating clinical and near-infrared spectroscopy data.

Background: Given that major depressive disorder (MDD) is both biologically and clinically heterogeneous, a diagnostic system integrating neurobiological markers and clinical characteristics would allow for better diagnostic accuracy and, consequently, treatment efficacy.

Objective: Our study aimed to evaluate the discriminative and predictive ability of unimodal, bimodal, and multimodal approaches in a total of seven machine learning (ML) models-clinical, demographic, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), combinations of two unimodal models, as well as a combination of all three-for MDD.

Methods: We recruited 65 adults with MDD and 68 matched healthy controls, who provided both sociodemographic and clinical information, and completed the HAM-D questionnaire.

Premenopausal Singaporean Women Suffering from Major Depressive Disorder Treated with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors Had Similar Bone Mineral Density as Compared with Healthy Controls.

The association between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment and lower bone mineral density (BMD) remains controversial, and further research is required. This study aimed to compare the BMD, levels of bone formation and bone metabolism markers in medicated premenopausal Singaporean women with major depressive disorder (MDD) and matched healthy controls. We examined 45 women with MDD who received SSRI treatment (mean age: 37.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy during the verbal fluency task of English-Speaking adults with mood disorders: A preliminary study.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) provides a direct and objective assessment of cerebral cortex function. It may be used to determine neurophysiological differences between psychiatric disorders with overlapping symptoms, such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). Therefore, this preliminary study aimed to compare fNIRS signals during the verbal fluency task (VFT) of English-speaking healthy controls (HC), patients with MDD and patients with BD.

Integration of the Cortical Haemodynamic Response Measured by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Amino Acid Analysis to Aid in the Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating condition with a high disease burden and medical comorbidities. There are currently few to no validated biomarkers to guide the diagnosis and treatment of MDD. In the present study, we evaluated the differences between MDD patients and healthy controls (HCs) in terms of cortical haemodynamic responses during a verbal fluency test (VFT) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and serum amino acid profiles, and ascertained if these parameters were correlated with clinical characteristics.

Comparison of Brain Activation Patterns during Olfactory Stimuli between Recovered COVID-19 Patients and Healthy Controls: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Study.

Impaired sense of smell occurs in a fraction of patients with COVID-19 infection, but its effect on cerebral activity is unknown. Thus, this case report investigated the effect of COVID-19 infection on frontotemporal cortex activity during olfactory stimuli. In this preliminary study, patients who recovered from COVID-19 infection ( = 6) and healthy controls who never contracted COVID-19 ( = 6) were recruited.

Attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination and willingness to pay: comparison of people with and without mental disorders in China.

Background: Acceptance and willingness to pay for the COVID-19 vaccine are unknown.

Aims: We compared attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination in people suffering from depression or anxiety disorder and people without mental disorders, and their willingness to pay for it.

Method: Adults with depression or anxiety disorder ( = 79) and healthy controls ( = 134) living in Chongqing, China, completed a cross-sectional study between 13 and 26 January 2021.

Hemodynamic Response to Three Types of Urban Spaces before and after Lockdown during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

(1) Background: Prolonged lockdowns with stay-at-home orders have been introduced in many countries since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have caused a drastic change in the everyday lives of people living in urbanized areas, and are considered to contribute to a modified perception of the public space. As research related to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on mental health and well-being emerges, the associated longitudinal changes of brain hemodynamics in healthy adults remain largely unknown.

Cortical haemodynamic response during the verbal fluency task in patients with bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder: a preliminary functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

Background: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an emerging neuroimaging modality that provides a direct and quantitative assessment of cortical haemodynamic response during a cognitive task. It may be used to identify neurophysiological differences between psychiatric disorders with overlapping symptoms, such as bipolar disorder (BD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD). Hence, this preliminary study aimed to compare the cerebral haemodynamic function of healthy controls (HC), patients with BD and patients with BPD.

An Asia-Pacific study on healthcare workers' perceptions of, and willingness to receive, the COVID-19 vaccination.

Objective: In the fight against COVID-19, vaccination is vital in achieving herd immunity. Many Asian countries are starting to vaccinate frontline workers; however, expedited vaccine development has led to hesitancy among the general population. We evaluated the willingness of healthcare workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy during a decision-making task in patients with major depressive disorder.

Objective: Patients with major depressive disorder tend to exhibit poorer decision-making capacity than the general population, but neurobiological evidence is lacking. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy monitors changes in oxy-haemoglobin concentration in the cerebral cortex. It may provide an objective assessment of neurophysiological responses during decision-making processes.

Asian-Pacific perspective on the psychological well-being of healthcare workers during the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to significant strain on front-line healthcare workers.

Aims: In this multicentre study, we compared the psychological outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in various countries in the Asia-Pacific region and identified factors associated with adverse psychological outcomes.

Method: From 29 April to 4 June 2020, the study recruited healthcare workers from major healthcare institutions in five countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Prefrontal Cortical Activation While Doing Mindfulness Task: a Pilot Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study.

Mindfulness interventions are increasingly used in clinical settings. Neurophysiological mechanisms underlying mindfulness offer objective evidence that can help us evaluate the efficacy of mindfulness. Recent advances in technology have facilitated the use of functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a light weight, portable, and relatively lower cost neuroimaging device as compared to functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).

Efficacy of digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Objectives: Although cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) has been recommended the initial therapy for insomnia, its clinical usage remains limited due to the lack of therapists. Digital CBT-I (dCBT-I) can potentially circumvent this problem. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the short-term and long-term efficacy of dCBT-I for adults with insomnia.