End-of-life decision-making is a complex process and more challenging when decisions are made for others. Little is known about Thai family members' involvement in decision-making to withdraw life-sustaining treatments (LSTs) from loved ones with serious illnesses. This qualitative study explores the experiences of family caregivers in Southern Thailand regarding decisions related to LST withdrawal. In-depth interviews were used to gather data from fifteen primary caregivers, who were involved in LST withdrawal decision-making. Content analysis was applied, and several techniques, such as member-checking and peer debriefing, were used to enhance trustworthiness. Four main themes were identified: facing dilemmas, weighing up options, making a consensual decision, and accepting the reality of life. The findings pointed out the significant roles played by family meetings and early end-of-life discussion in the process of decision-making to withdraw LSTs from loved ones. Further research on communication among patients' family members and health care providers is recommended.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10497323221116796 | DOI Listing |
BMC Psychol
January 2025
Pattani Hospital, Mueang Pattani District, Pattani, Thailand.
Background: Schizophrenia is a multifactorial disorder influenced by various biological and psychosocial factors. This study aimed to determine the characteristics and associated factors of expressed emotion (EE) among caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia.
Methods: From May to July 2024, a cross-sectional study was conducted with caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia across multiple hospitals in Southern Thailand.
PLoS Pathog
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Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) is a diverse family of variant surface antigens, encoded by var genes, that mediates binding of infected erythrocytes to human cells and plays a key role in parasite immune evasion and malaria pathology. The increased availability of parasite genome sequence data has revolutionised the study of PfEMP1 diversity across multiple P. falciparum isolates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeurogenetics
January 2025
Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia.
Intermediate CAG repeats from 29 to 33 in the ATXN2 gene contributes to the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in European and Asian populations. In this study, 148 ALS patients of multiethnic descent: Chinese (56.1%), Malay (24.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Department of Geoinformatics, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, 17. listopadu 50, 77146, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
The click beetles (Elateridae) represent the major and well-known group of the polyphagan superfamily Elateroidea. Despite a relatively rich fossil record of Mesozoic Elateridae, only a few species are described from the Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber. Although Elateridae spend most of their lives as larvae, our knowledge on immature stages of this family is limited, which is especially valid for the fossils.
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January 2025
Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskiye Gory, 10 GSP-1, Moscow, Russia.
Animal translocations provide striking examples of the human footprint on biodiversity. Combining continental-wide genomic and DNA-barcoding analyses, we reconstructed the historical biogeography of the Asian black-spined toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus), a toxic commensal amphibian that currently threatens two biodiversity hotspots through biological invasions (Wallacea and Madagascar). The results emphasize a complex diversification shaped by speciation and mitochondrial introgression that comprises two distinct species.
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