Could Better-Quality Employment Improve Population Health? Findings From a Scoping Review of Multi-Dimensional Employment Quality Research and a Proposed Research Direction.

Background: Precarious employment, a specific part of the conceptual spectrum of employment quality (EQ), has been established as an important risk to individual and population health and well-being when compared to a standard employment circumstance. There remains a need, however, to explore whether and how EQ might be used as a tool to not only protect but also advance population health and well-being.

Methods: The purposes of this scoping review were to assess the analytic treatment of the multiple dimensions of EQ and the stances researchers take to characterize the state of knowledge of EQ that supports the idea that better EQ is a health-promoting factor.

Potential risk factors for delayed neurological sequelae and myocardial injury following acute carbon monoxide poisoning: A retrospective study.

Background: Acute carbon monoxide poisoning (COP) has been a common cause of emergency hospital visits over the past decade. Besides the immediate symptoms of poisoning, carbon monoxide exposure can cause various long-term complications, especially delayed neurological sequelae (DNS) and myocardial injury (MI).

Methods: This study retrospectively enrolled 502 patients with COP, including complete collection data, from the Taiwan National Poison Control Center between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2015.

Navigating ethics in HIV data and biomaterial management within Black, African, and Caribbean communities in Canada.

Background: This study explored the ethical issues associated with community-based HIV testing among African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) populations in Canada, focusing on their perceptions of consent, privacy, and the management of HIV-related data and bio-samples.

Methods: A qualitative community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach was employed to actively engage ACB community members in shaping the research process. The design included in-depth qualitative interviews with 33 ACB community members in Manitoba, Canada.

Association between domain-specific physical activity and triglyceride‑glucose (TyG) index among US adults: Evidence from NHANES 2007-2018.

Objectives: The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is not only a reliable marker for insulin resistance, but also has broad applications in assessing the risk of various diseases, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, depression, and Alzheimer's disease. The study aims to investigate the relationship between domain-specific moderate- or vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and TyG index among US adults.

Methods: The participants from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2007-2018) were included.

Prevalence and influencing factors of occupational burnout among healthcare workers in the Chinese mainland during the late 2022 Omicron COVID-19 outbreak: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

China witnessed an Omicron COVID-19 outbreak at the end of 2022. During this period, medical crowding and enormous pressure on the healthcare systems occurred, which might result in the occurrence of occupational burnout among healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aims to investigate the prevalence of occupational burnout and associated mental conditions, such as depressive symptoms, anxiety, PTSD symptoms, perceived social support, resilience, and mindfulness among HCWs of the Chinese mainland during the Omicron COVID-19 outbreak, and to explore the potential risk and protective factors influencing occupational burnout of HCWs.

'Parents Are the First Tutors of Their Child': Parents' Perception of Responsibility on Practicing Speech-Language Home Program During COVID-19 Lockdown.

Background And Objectives: Some families faced difficulties accessing speech therapy in some areas of Malaysia and/or during the COVID-19 lockdown. Therefore, parent-mediated intervention could be one of the ways to solve this issue, as it has been proven to effectively improve communication skills among children with communication disorders. Hence, a Mandarin parental guidebook comprising a series of language stimulation activities was developed to explore the perception of parents of children with communication disorders, ranging from 3 to 6 years old, regarding the feasibility of (1) conducting speech-language home programs and (2) using a home-based parental guidebook as a tool to deliver a speech-language home program.

Challenges faced by the caregivers of the elderly: a cross-sectional survey from India.

Background: Older people often require support due to age-related health issues, thereby increasing their dependency on caregivers. The caregivers often experience burdens of varying nature.

Objective: To assess the dependency level of the elderly and the challenges faced by their caregivers.

Safety Assessment of Graphene-Based Materials.

Graphene is the first 2D atomic crystal, and its isolation heralded a new era in materials science with the emergence of several other atomically thin materials displaying multifunctional properties. The safety assessment of new materials is often something of an afterthought, but in the case of graphene, the initial isolation and characterization of the material was soon followed by the assessment of its potential impact on living systems. The Graphene Flagship project addressed the health and environmental aspects of graphene and other 2D materials, providing an instructive lesson in interdisciplinarity - from materials science to biology.

Sex differences in response to HBV vaccination in a cohort of health care workers.

Globally, healthcare workers (HCWs) are at greater risk of contracting Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection than the general population, due to their frequent contact with blood or body fluids. For this reason, WHO underlined the importance of HBV immunization for all HCWs. Although sex is now considered one of the key factors influencing the intensity and duration of the immune response to vaccines, sex-specific analysis of vaccine-induced anti-HBs antibodies is rarely conducted.

Associations between fear of COVID-19 and mental health in Ghana: A sequential mediation model.

Introduction: Although the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has ceased globally, individuals may still suffer from various psychological burdens in the post-COVID-19 era. The present observational cross-sectional study investigated how fear of COVID-19 can affect mental health through mediators including stress, perceived stigma, and preventive behaviors among young adults in Ghana.

Methods: A total of 635 participants aged between 18 and 29 years (mean age = 20.

Chronic Health Conditions in the Workplace: Work Stressors and Supportive Supervision, Work Design, and Programs.

A large and growing number of workers are managing chronic physical and mental health conditions while working, necessitating attention from both researchers and leaders and practitioners in organizations. Much of the current discourse around research and practice in this area is focused on prevention of chronic disease and rehabilitation of disability to help workers return to work. Less commonly attended to are workplace factors that can support the quality of working life and the longevity of working life for workers with chronic health conditions.

Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality associated with mental disorders: a population-based cohort study.

Mental disorders are associated with elevated mortality rates and reduced life expectancy. However, it is unclear whether these associations differ by socioeconomic position (SEP). The aim of this study was to explore comprehensively the role of individual-level SEP in the associations between specific types of mental disorders and mortality (due to all causes, and to natural or external causes), presenting both relative and absolute measures.

What Control Measures Should I Use? Applying the Total Worker Health Hierarchy of Controls to Manage Workplace Fatigue.

Increased fatigue risk has been associated with safety-critical events such as work-related injuries. While control measures are needed to reduce these risks, the wide range and complexities of fatigue risk management strategies can make it difficult for organizations to prioritize efforts given limited resources and time. Given these challenges, the aims of this commentary are two-fold.

Masking in Active Comparator Designs in Pharmacovigilance: A Retrospective Bias Analysis on the Spontaneous Reporting of Thiazolidinediones and Cardiovascular Events.

Introduction: Masking is a reporting bias where drug safety signals are muffled by elevated reporting of other medications in spontaneous reporting databases. While the impact of masking is often limited, its effect when using restricted designs, such as active comparators, can be consequential.

Methods: We used data from the US Food and Drugs Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (1999Q3-2013Q3) to study masking in a real-world example.

Nonacademic predictors of China medical licensing examination.

Background: National Medical Licensing Examination (NMLE) is the entrance exam for medical practice in China, and its general medical knowledge test (GMKT) evaluates abilities of medical students to comprehensively apply medical knowledge to clinical practice. This study aimed to identify nonacademic predictors of GMKT performance, which would benefit medical schools in designing appropriate strategies and techniques to facilitate the transition from medical students to qualified medical practitioners.

Methods: In 1202 medical students, we conducted the deletion-substitution-addition (DSA) and structural equation model (SEM) analyses to identify nonacademic predictors of GMKT performance from 98 candidate variables including early life events, physical conditions, psychological and personality assessments, cognitive abilities, and socioeconomic conditions.

Pulmonary rehabilitation healthcare professionals understanding and experiences of the protected characteristics of service users: A qualitative analysis.

Background: Health inequalities can affect access and uptake to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). An individual's protected characteristics (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation) may contribute to health inequalities. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) experiences of the inclusivity and representativeness of PR services and knowledge of protected characteristics are unknown, however are vital for the identification and resolution of health inequalities.

Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome System Implementation in Outpatient Cardiovascular Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The integration of patient-reported outcome (PRO) assessments in cardiovascular care has encountered considerable obstacles despite their established clinical relevance.

Objective: To assess the impact of a physician- and patient-friendly electronic PRO (ePRO) monitoring system on the quality of cardiovascular care in clinical practice.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This open-label, multicenter, pilot randomized clinical trial was phase 2 of a multiphase study that was conducted from October 2022 to October 2023 and focused on the implementation and evaluation of an ePRO monitoring system in outpatient clinics in Japan.

Association of self-monitoring performance of cognitive performance with personal diurnal preference when sleep-deprived.

In modern society, many workers struggle with sleep deprivation due to their work schedules and excessive workloads. Accurate self-awareness and self-monitoring abilities are crucial for workers to adopt risk-coping strategies and protective behaviors when fatigued. The current study examined the relationship between chronotypes and self-monitoring performance during 24 h of sleep deprivation.

and formula alleviates depressive behaviors microglia regulation in an unpredictable chronic mild stress animal model.

Background And Aim: (CM) and (AM) are medicinal mushrooms with potential applications in the treatment of mood disorders, including depression and anxiety. While research suggests that both CM and AM possess anti-inflammatory properties and hold potential for treating depression when administered separately, there is limited knowledge about their efficacy when combined in a formula, as well as the underlying mechanism involving the modulation of microglia.

Experimental Procedure: Rats received oral administrations of the low-dose formulation, medium-dose formulation, and high-dose formulation over 28 consecutive days as part of the UCMS protocols.

Revisiting Age-Related Normative Hearing Levels in Korea.

Background: Hearing level reference values based on the results of recent audiometry have not been established for the general population of South Korea. This study aimed to evaluate the mean hearing levels of each age group and to measure the annual progression of hearing loss.

Methods: We used the database of the eighth and ninth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2020 to 2022, and included participants with normal tympanic membranes and without occupational noise exposure.

Exploring aspects of mentoring for black and minoritised healthcare professionals in the UK: a nominal group technique study.

Objective: Mentoring plays a crucial role in career development, particularly for black and minoritised ethnic (BME) professionals. However, existing literature lacks clarity on the impact of mentoring and how best to deliver for career success. This study aimed to ascertain perceptions and build consensus on what is important in mentoring for BME healthcare professionals.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on primary care for hypertension in the UK: a population-based cohort study.

Objectives: To describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hypertension diagnosis and management in UK primary care.

Design: Population-based cohort study.

Setting: Over 2000 general practices across the UK contributing to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

Prevalence and Predictors of Overweight and Obesity Among School-Aged Children in the Country of Georgia: A Cross-Sectional Study, 2022.

Background: Childhood overweight and obesity are significant global public health challenges that affect approximately 340 million children worldwide. In Georgia, the prevalence of childhood obesity is alarming, with approximately 28% of 7-year-old children classified as overweight or obese in 2019. This study aimed to investigate the key factors associated with overweight and obesity among school-age children in Georgia.

Strengthening research preparedness for crises: lessons from Norwegian government agencies in using randomized trials and quasi-experimental methods to evaluate public policy interventions.

During public health crises such as pandemics, governments must rapidly adopt and implement wide-reaching policies and programs ("public policy interventions"). A key takeaway from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was that although numerous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) focussed on drugs and vaccines, few policy experiments were conducted to evaluate effects of public policy interventions across various sectors on viral transmission and other consequences. Moreover, many quasi-experimental studies were of spurious quality, thus proving unhelpful for informing public policy.

Occupational noise exposure and maternal pregnancy complications: register-based cohort from urban areas in four Nordic countries.

Objective: To assess the role of occupational noise exposure on pregnancy complications in urban Nordic populations.

Methods: A study population covering five metropolitan areas in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden was generated using national birth registries linked with occupational and residential environmental exposures and sociodemographic variables. The data covered all pregnancies during 5-11 year periods in 2004‒2016, resulting in 373 184 pregnancies.