The Effects From Oral Administration of Recombinant Interferon-alpha on Piglet Daily Care

The administration of interferon has improved the antiviral and immunomodulatory abilities of piglets, which is conductive to conductive to the prevention of potential diseases or delay the appearance of clinical symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the effects from administration of recombinant interferon-alpha (IFN-α) on the daily care of piglets. The results were compared with compound Chinese herbal, which was proved to improve serum interferon level. Further, the administration routes were compared between oral administration and intramuscular injection. Forty (40) piglets with equal age and weight were randomly divided into four groups: Control group (Group C, without treatment), Group H (treated with compound Chinese herbal), Group K (administered orally with recombinant IFN-α, 1500 IU per day per piglet), and Group J (administered intramuscularly with IFN-α, 4× 106 IU per day per piglet). After the treatment of 15 days, both oral and intramuscular treatment of recombinant IFN-α significantly improved the secretion of IFN-gamma (IFN-γ) (P<0.05), and the effects of intramuscular pathway were faster. In addition, the expression levels of IFN-stimulated genes (MX1 and ISG15) were significantly enhanced (P<0.01), independently of IFN-α treatment time and serum IFN-γ level. Different from other studies, compound Chinese herbal showed weaker effects on interferon stimulation in piglets. The results indicated that oral administration of recombinant IFN-α improved interferon-induced response of piglets at both serum and molecular levels, which may be applied for improving autoimmunity of piglets.

Effectiveness of lower limb rehabilitation protocol using mobile health on quality of life, functional strength and functional capacity among knee osteoarthritis patients who were overweight and obese: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the lower limb rehabilitation protocol (LLRP) using mobile health (mHealth) on quality of life (QoL), functional strength, and functional capacity among knee OA patients who were overweight and obese. Materials and Methods: In the current trial, 114 patients were recruited and randomized into either the rehabilitation group with mobile health (RGw-mHealth) receiving reminders by using mHealth to carry on the strengthening exercises of LLRP and instructions of daily care (IDC), the rehabilitation group without mobile health (RGwo-mHealth) following the strengthening exercises of LLRP and instructions of daily care (IDC) and control group (CG) only following the IDC for duration of 12-weeks. The reminders for using mHealth were provided two times a day for three days a week. Primary outcome measures were QoL assessed by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index summary score, and functional strength by Five-Repetition Sit-To-Stand Test. Secondary outcome measure was functional capacity assessed by the Gait Speed Test. The assessments of QoL, functional strength, and functional capacity were taken at baseline and posttest after 12-weeks of intervention. Results: After 12 weeks of intervention, patients in all three groups had statistically significant improvement in QoL within groups (p < 0.05). Furthermore, patients in the RGw-mHealth and RGwo-mHealth had statistically significant improvement in functional strength and walking gait speed within groups (p < 0.05). The pairwise between-group comparisons (Bonferroni post hoc test) of the mean changes in QoL, functional strength, and functional capacity at posttest assessments revealed that patients in the RGw-mHealth had statistically significant greater mean change in QoL, functional strength and functional capacity relative to both the RGwo-mHealth and CG (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Improvement in QoL, functional strength, and functional capacity was larger among patients in the RGw-mHealth compared with the RGwo-mHealth or CG. Keywords: Osteoarthritis, knee, overweight, rehabilitation. mobile health.

The Effectiveness of Post-Stroke Patient Care Education Intervention in Stroke Caregivers: A Literature Review

Background: Educational interventions about stroke have been carried out by the health workers, one of which is by the nurse. However, the majority of the interventions focus more on the stroke patients than the stroke caregivers. Meanwhile, post-stroke patient care education interventions are urgently needed by the caregivers. Therefore, the author intends to review current literature about post-stroke patient care education interventions on stroke caregivers. Objective: This literature review aims to identify the effectiveness, methods, and impacts of daily care educational interventions for post-stroke patients on stroke caregivers. Methods: The method utilized was by analyzing online databases about the related topics from reputable sources. Seven articles that met the inclusions criteria considering Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) and Quasi-experimental design, time of publication, and English full text were obtained, and the results were presented. Result: Educational intervention could be carried out by several methods, including direct education at the patient's bedside, lectures followed by questions and answers, and booklets, home visits or telephone follow-up. Educational interventions could improve caregiver knowledge and skills in providing daily care for post-stroke patients, reduce burdens, reduce anxiety and improve the caregiver's quality of life. Educational interventions also positively impacted post-stroke patients, including improving the quality of life, functional abilities and the ability to do daily activities (ADL), reducing cognitive impairment, anxiety, and depression.Conclusion: Daily care education interventions for post-stroke patients can reduce the burden on the caregiver, either physical, psychological or social burdens.

A Family Support In Providing Care To The Elderly :Literature Review

The Backgrounds: Family support in providing care to the elderly is very important because it affects the quality of life. Forms of family support are emotional support, instrumental support, informational support, and support for assessment or appreciation. This study aims to determine the description of family support in providing care to the elderly. Search articles using the Garba Garuda database to find 6 articles in the 2012-2021 period according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, which was then carried out by a literature review. From the 5 articles analyzed, the result showed that there were 3 caregories of family support, namely the good category as many a 116 (34,63%) respondents, the sufficient category as many as 175 (52,23%) respondents and the less category as many as 44 (3,13%) responden. This research literature 6 articles have the most family support with good category as many as 175 (52,23%) respondents. Thus, it is necessary to increase support for health promotion related to daily care for the elderly.Keywords: family support,, elderly, elderly care. AbstrakDukungan keluarga dalam permberian perawatan lansia sangat penting karena mempengaruhi kualitas hidup. Bentuk dukungan keluarga yaitu dukungan emosional, dukungan instrumental, dukungan informasional, dan dukungan penilaian atau penghargaan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui gambaran dukungan keluarga dalam pemberian perawatan pada lansia. Pencarian artikel menggunakan database Garba Garuda, dan Researchgate untuk menemukan 6 artikel dalam rentang waktu 2012-2021 sesuai kriteria inklusi dan ekslusi yang kemudian dilakukan literature review. Dari 6artikel yang dianalisa didapatkan hasil bahwa terdapat 3 kategori dukungan keluarga yaitu kategori baik sebanyak 116 (34,63%) responden, kategori cukup sebanyak 175 (52,23%) responden dan katrgori kurang sebanyak 44 (13,13%) responden. Penelitian literatur 6 artikel ini mempunyai dukungan keluarga paling banyak dengan kategori baik sebanyak 175 (52,23%) responden. Dengan demikian perlu adanya peningkatan dukungan promosi Kesehatan terkait perawatan sehari-hari pada lansia.Kata kunci: Dukungan Keluarga, Lansia, Perawatan Lansia.

Early insulin-resistance, T2D and treatment options in childhood

Background T2D (Type 2 Diabetes) represents just the tip of the iceberg of the complex metabolic alterations associated with obesity and other clinical conditions associated to impaired adipose tissue storage. Summary Available data have suggested the presence of a continuous spectrum of metabolic alterations developed in the progression from IR to T2D, most of which are likely preventable through the early characterization of all the multiple risk factors involved. Therefore, the complete characterization of the natural history of the disease and the major modifiable factors represents a milestone in the daily care of young subject at risk for the development of impaired glucose metabolism early in life. This review will focus on the main components defining the risk of IR and T2D in childhood with a specific focus on the main aspects of treatment options available in children and adolescents. Key messages Impaired adipose tissue storage documented in obesity results in a continuous spectrum of metabolic alterations ranging from IR to T2DM. These metabolic alterations are mostly likely preventable through the early characterization of all the multiple risk factors involved. The complete characterization of the disease and of the major modifiable factors represent a milestone in the daily care of young subject at risk for the development of impaired glucose metabolism early in life.

Gender-specific nursing needs of people with multiple sclerosis: A scoping review

Women and men with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience different disease courses and occurring symptoms. These lead to different gender-specific needs. However, gender-specific needs are often elusive for nurses and therefore difficult to address in daily care. Thus, our aim is to describe gender-specific needs of people with MS. A scoping review was conducted, covering papers published between 1999 and 2019. Overall, 26 studies were identified, and a deductive coding process was applied based on Henderson's Nursing Need Theory. The PRISMA-ScR checklist was used to write the scoping review. Different needs of female and male patients with MS are described in eight categories of Henderson’s Nursing Need Theory, occurring in mobility and elimination. The analysis shows differences in communication about the disease, individual needs, and the acceptance of support. To address these differences, training on gender-sensitive care should be offered in nursing education and for nurses.

Caregiving, Loneliness, and Stress: The Role of COVID-19

According to many prior studies, informal caregivers are at risk for heightened loneliness and distress. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new challenges that may be accentuated among caregivers. This study examined caregiving frequency and its relation to loneliness, perceived stress, and negative affect during the COVID-19 pandemic. We then investigated the moderating roles of COVID-19 concerns and impacts, anticipating magnified effects among caregivers. Participants included respondents from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) COVID-19 project sample (n=2108, mean age=69) who reported their caregiving frequency, general concern about COVID-19, related concerns about family members’ health, and social disruptions caused by the pandemic. Controlling for age, gender, and health status, daily caregivers reported significantly greater distress during COVID-19 compared to non-caregivers (p=.036). Higher levels of concern about family members’ health during COVID-19 was significantly associated with greater loneliness among daily caregivers (p = .009), but not among non-caregivers, such that daily caregivers with greater concerns had the highest levels of loneliness. On the other hand, unexpectedly, daily caregivers who experienced fewer social disruptions due to the pandemic reported higher levels of loneliness (p = .002); however, the association was null for non-caregivers. Findings suggest that daily caregivers may be particularly vulnerable to greater loneliness and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. These experiences may exacerbate existing mental health disparities for those providing daily care.

Online Health Information Wants of Caregivers for Persons With Dementia in Social Media

Family caregivers of persons with dementia (PWDs) use social media to obtain and share health information. Yet relatively little is known about the types of information that these caregivers share. We address this gap by analyzing caregivers’ posts (N = 401) in two subreddits, r/Alzheimers and r/dementia, which represent two subgroups on the social media platform Reddit. Our research questions were as follows: (1) What are these caregivers’ main purposes in posting? (2) What types of health information do the caregivers exchange online? (3) What are the characteristics of online posts that receive the caregivers’ greatest attention? Content and correlational analyses revealed that over half of users (57%) posted regarding specific types of health information that they desired to seek and share, whereas the remaining users posted information for sharing only. The health information most commonly posted fell into the following three categories: psychosocial health information, information about patients’ daily care, and characteristics of health conditions. The more health information types that a post contained, the greater the number of people who participated in the subreddit discussions. Further research should examine how social media meet PWD caregivers’ needs for information support.

Active Fathers in the United States: Caught Between De-Gendering Care and Caring Masculinities

The United States occupies a unique position among OECD countries because the US provides little policy support for working parents. Despite the resulting extreme time scarcity, US fathers perform similar amounts of child care as European fathers under more family-friendly policy conditions. Using recent national time use survey data, this paper examines whether time scarcity among American working parents, coupled with limited access to affordable child care and traditional masculine identity ideas, is associated with American fathers’ involvement in the daily care of their young children. Results show that fathers do one third of all care activities, contribute one third of the care time, and perform over one half of the 10 activities analyzed here daily. Multivariate analysis indicates that time scarcity, lack of alternative child care options, and traditional masculine identity affect the degree of fathers’ involvement in daily care activities with their under five year olds. Implications for the development of caring masculinities are discussed.