Objectives: Our study aimed to identify the complex interplay between self-efficacy, self-care practice, and glycaemic control among people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (PWDs) to inform the design of more targeted and effective behavioural interventions in primary care.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed with 294 PWDs managed in primary care. The Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale (DMSES) and Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) questionnaire measured patients' self-efficacy and self-care practice.
(1) Background: Asthma exacerbations represent significant clinical events, however, the underlying inflammatory mechanisms and cytokine profiles in patients with frequent exacerbations remain incompletely understood; (2) Methods: In this prospective, cross-sectional study of 120 stable asthma patients, we compared the serum concentrations of eight key cytokines (IL-4, IL-12, IL-13, IL-17, IFN-α, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-1β) between two groups: 60 patients with frequent exacerbations (≥ 2 events per year) and 60 matched controls with few exacerbations (1 event per year); (3) Results: Patients with frequent exacerbations showed significantly higher serum concentrations of IL-4 and IL-13 ( < 0.05), along with an increased prevalence of allergic history and comorbidities (chronic rhinosinusitis, GERD, OSA; all < 0.05).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProduction of affordable coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in low- and lower-middle-income countries is needed. NDV-HXP-S is an inactivated egg-based recombinant Newcastle disease virus vaccine expressing the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A public sector manufacturer in Vietnam assessed the immunogenicity of NDV-HXP-S (COVIVAC) relative to an authorized vaccine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF