Influence of latent iron deficiency on cognitive abilities in students

The aim of the study is to assess the impact of latent iron deficiency on students' cognitive abilities. Material and methods. The study was conducted during 2018-2021 at the Department of Hygiene and Medical Ecology of Odessa National Medical University. A survey of 188 medical students aged 18-20 was conducted using a screening survey. Estimation of the qualitative content of iron compounds in the diet was performed by a calculation method using the USDA / FDA database. Persons with probable iron deficiency were examined for hemoglobin, erythrocytes, hematocrit (general clinical blood test) and serum ferritin. Additionally, the cognitive abilities of people with latent iron deficiency were assessed using MoSA, TMT, GPB, Schulte tables and TAS-20. As a control, 30 students aged 18-20 years who showed no signs of latent or overt iron deficiency were interviewed. Statistical processing was performed by methods of variance and correlation anamnesis using the software Statistica 13.0 (TIBCO, USA). Results. When evaluating diets, probable iron deficiency was identified in 69 (36.7%) students surveyed. A significant number of students reported signs of iron deficiency, namely general weakness (27 or 14.4%), increased fatigue (30 cases or 15.9%), pale skin and mucous membranes (6 or 3.2%), drowsiness (8 or 4.3%), dry mouth (11 or 5.9%), brittle hair (4 or 2.1%), bleeding gums (3 or 1.6%). In isolated cases, hyposmia, dysgeusia and dysphagia have occurred. Probable iron deficiency was found at the previous stage of the study in 29 (15.4%) patients, they subsequently underwent verifying laboratory tests. In the analysis of the obtained data, the diagnosis of mild iron deficiency anemia was confirmed in 2 (6.9%) girls. Latent iron deficiency was identified in 16 (55.2%) students, among whom girls predominated (10 people or 62.5%). Subsequent studies have shown that a significant number of students with latent iron deficiency showed moderate signs of decreased cognition. Conclusions: 1. The frequency of latent iron deficiency in the surveyed contingent was 8.5%, with an absolute predominance of girls (62.5%). 2. Latent iron deficiency in student youth can be manifested by cognitive impairment, and therefore affect academic performance. 3. The most pronounced correlation was found for ferritin content and severity of alexithymia (r = -0.61).

Association of Late Marriage and Low Childbirth with Cervical Cancer Screening among Korean Women: Results from a Nationwide Survey

This study aimed to identify the association of marriage and childbirth with the adherence to cervical cancer screening among young adult women. Data across four years (2017–2020) of the cross-sectional Korean National Cancer Screening Survey were used. For measuring the adherence to cervical cancer screening, we used the cervical cancer screening rate with recommendation, which was defined as the percentage of women in the population eligible for screening who have had a cervical cancer screening within the past two years. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the association between marriage and adherence to cervical cancer screening. Overall, 3925 women aged 20–39 years were analyzed. Of these, 39.1% were screened for cervical cancer (26.6% unmarried and 57.1% married women). The married women had significantly higher adherence to cervical cancer screening than unmarried women (adjusted odds ratio = 2.80, 95% CI: 2.99–3.44). Compared with unmarried women, adherence to cervical cancer screening was significantly more likely to increase (p for trend, <0.001) in married women with an increased number of births. Our study confirmed that marriage and childbirth influence adherence to cervical cancer screening, suggesting that unmarried women may be vulnerable to cervical cancer.

A remote Tai Chi program for diverse older adults with multisite pain during the COVID-19 pandemic

The goal of this study was to evaluate feasibility and acceptability of a remote Tai Chi program in diverse older adults with multisite pain and risk for falls during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adults aged ≥65y living in diverse Boston neighborhoods were invited through mailed letters to participate in a recruitment and screening survey. Eligible adults were re-contacted to join a 4-week Tai Chi or light exercise program offered online twice weekly. We conducted pre- and post-interviews to assess pain characteristics, fall risk, computer use, and satisfaction with the program. Primary outcomes were class attendance, experience, and program safety. Among 335 survey respondents, 105 (31%) were eligible based on multisite pain and fall history or cane/walker use. Of the eligible respondents, average age was 74y, 75% were women, 62% were Black, and 31% had high school education or less. We assigned 32 participants to 4 Tai Chi (Yang-style Tai Chi tailored to older adults with pain) or 2 light exercise (stretching and strength exercise) groups conducted via zoom; of these, 24 (75%) completed the program. Overall, 79% attended ≥6 of 8 classes. There were no adverse events reported. Regarding experiences with remote exercise, 67% reported it was very easy to join, 88%, very easy to see the instructor and 83%, very easy to participate. For future planning, 29% prefer remote classes, 33% prefer in-person classes, and 38% could do either. In conclusion, remote exercise programming is safe and feasible for diverse older adults who have multisite pain and risk of falls.

Simple Disposable Odor Identification Tests for Predicting SARS-CoV-2 Positivity

Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is a common manifestation of COVID-19 and may be useful for screening. Survey-based olfactory evaluation tends to underestimate the prevalence of OD, while psychophysical olfactory testing during a pandemic has the disadvantage of being time consuming, expensive, and requiring standardized laboratory settings. We aimed to develop a quick, simple, affordable, and reliable test to objectively assess the prevalence and diagnostic accuracy of OD in COVID-19. The olfactory function of 64 COVID-19 inpatients and 34 controls was evaluated using a questionnaire and a simple disposable odor identification test (SDOIT) developed for this study. Four SDOIT models were assessed: 10-SDOIT, 9-SDOIT, 8-SDOIT, and 4-SDOIT, with 10, 9, 8 and 4 samples, respectively. We found a high frequency of self-reported OD in COVID-19 patients, with 32.8% and 42.2% reporting current and recent OD, respectively. Different SDOIT models revealed smell impairment in 54.7–64.1% of COVID-19 patients. The combination of either 10-SDOIT results and self-reported OD, or 8-SDOIT results and self-reported OD, were the best predictors of COVID-19, both with an AUC value of 0.87 (0.85 and 0.86 for the age-matched subjects). OD is a common symptom of COVID-19. A combination of self-reported smell deterioration and OD psychophysically evaluated using SDOIT appears to be a good predictor of COVID-19.

Enhancing Racial/Ethnic Equity in College Student Mental Health Through Innovative Screening and Treatment

Although college campuses are diversifying rapidly, students of color remain an underserved and understudied group. Online screening and subsequent allocation to treatment represents a pathway to enhancing equity in college student mental health. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate racial/ethnic differences in mental health problems and treatment enrollment within the context of a largescale screening and treatment research initiative on a diverse college campus. The sample was comprised of n = 2090 college students who completed an online mental health screening survey and were offered either free online or face-to-face treatment based on symptom severity as a part of a research study. A series of ordinal, binomial and multinomial logistic regression models were specified to examine racial/ethnic differences in mental health problems, prior treatment receipt, and enrollment in online and face-to-face treatment through the campus-wide research initiative. Racial/ethnic differences in depression, anxiety and suicidality endorsed in the screening survey were identified. Students of color were less likely to have received prior mental health treatment compared to non-Hispanic white students, but were equally likely to enroll in and initiate online and face-to-face treatment offered through the current research initiative. Rates of enrollment in online therapy were comparable to prior studies. Online screening and treatment may be an effective avenue to reaching underserved students of color with mental health needs on college campuses. Digital mental health tools hold significant promise for bridging gaps in care, but efforts to improve uptake and engagement are needed.

Videogame Preferences among Adults Interested in Quitting Smoking Cigarettes (Preprint)

UNSTRUCTURED Background: Smoking is the number one preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Although most smokers express a desire to quit smoking, only a small percentage are successful. Serious games have become popular in health sectors as a potential avenue for delivering a scalable treatment that is both accessible and engaging for this population. Objective: Several smoking cessation games have already been developed 1–6, but these games feature a broad range of gameplay elements and are not necessarily driven by existing videogame preferences. The current study evaluated videogame genre preferences among treatment seeking smokers (N = 473). Methods: Participants responded to a screening survey distributed to enroll participants in a serious game intervention for smoking. During this survey, participants were asked to disclose their favorite videogames and reported 338 unique titles. These titles were coded for genre category based on publisher listing and game features. The genres were then analyzed for frequency of reporting overall and across age groups. Results: Action, Roleplaying, and Action-Adventure were the most reported genres among adults 34 and under, whereas Logic and Action were the most reported genres in adults 45 and older. Among adults aged 35 to 44 this shift is observed, with Action, Action-Adventure and Logic being most reported. These data indicate that treatment-seeking smokers have different game preferences across age groups, and provides novel information to inform the development of future serious games targeting smokers that are tailored to the preferences of their age group.