Search

Research demonstrates that young people value mental health support that is tailored to their needs and preferences, rather than a "one size fits all" offer, which is often not equitably accessible (National Children's Bureau, 2021). Understanding young people's lived experiences across different sociocultural contexts is important. The aim of this research was to conduct an international qualitative study on the views of young people with lived experience and professionals, on proposed aspects of personalised support for anxiety and/or depression. Participatory action focus groups were conducted with N = 120 young people with lived experience of anxiety and/or depression (14–24 years) and with N = 63 professionals in Brazil, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Portugal, South Africa, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Data were analysed using the rigorous and accelerated data reduction (RADaR) technique. Overall, although some country-specific differences were found in terms of what aspects of support young people found to be most important, individual preferences were considered stronger, furthering the view that support should be personalised to the needs of the individual young person. Young people experiencing anxiety and/or depression should be able to choose for themselves which aspects of support they would prefer in their own care and support plans, with families and mental health professionals providing guidance where appropriate, rather than removing the young person from the decision-making process altogether. It should also be ensured that the aspects of personalised support can be understood by young people and professionals from different contexts, including marginalised and minoritised groups and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Men are less likely to seek help for their mental health than women, but less is known about the specific patterns of help-seeking in adolescent boys and young men. This is concerning as adolescent boys and young men have high suicide rates but a low take-up of services. It is therefore of particular importance that the access needs of this group are understood. This review sought to identify the barriers and facilitators faced by adolescent boys and young men in help-seeking for affective mental health disorders. A search of the PubMed, APA PsycInfo, and Cochrane databases identified 3961 articles, of which 12 met the inclusion criteria. Six of the studies were qualitative, five were quantitative and one used mixed methods. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed the quality of the articles. Five key themes were identified, including the impact of social norms, with the subthemes of conformity to masculine norms and self-stigma, limited availability of information about mental health, and ‘male-friendly’ mental health literacy campaigns. Other themes referred to the help-seeking preferences of adolescent boys and young men, in terms of informal or formal and online or offline help-seeking. Some of the factors were well-researched (e.g., conformity to masculine norms as a barrier) whereas other factors (e.g., self-compassion as a facilitator) were less researched. These barriers and facilitators need to be considered in the development of future strategies to improve the help-seeking behaviour of adolescent boys and young men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The book brings to light the rich history of various dishes and spices, and how these dishes are relatable to different cuisines. At the same time, the book gives an idea of taste of a particular dish, describes its complexity, the heaviness and lightness and also provides an overview of each recipe. The book "Companion to Pakistani Cuisine" by Shanaz Ramzi can be referred to as an encyclopaedia which draws attention towards the history and evolution of various cuisines the country is globally known for. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Older patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are a heterogeneous population with varying degrees of frailty. An electronic frailty index such as the Veterans Affairs Frailty Index (VA‐FI) can potentially help identify vulnerable patients at high risk of poor outcomes. Methods: NSCLC patients ≥65 years old and diagnosed in 2002–2017 were identified using the VA Central Cancer Registry. The VA‐FI was calculated using administrative codes from VA electronic health records data linked with Medicare and Medicaid data. We assessed associations between the VA‐FI and times to mortality, hospitalization, and emergency room (ER) visit following diagnosis by Kaplan–Meier analysis and multivariable stratified Cox models. We also evaluated the change in discrimination and calibration of reference prognostic models after adding VA‐FI. Results: We identified a cohort of 42,204 older NSCLC VA patients, in which 55.5% were classified as frail (VA‐FI >0.2). After adjustment, there was a strong association between VA‐FI and the risk of mortality (HR = 1.23 for an increase of four deficits or, equivalently, an increase of 0.129 on VA‐FI, p < 0.001), hospitalization (HR = 1.16 for four deficits, p < 0.001), and ER visit (HR = 1.18 for four deficits, p < 0.001). Adding VA‐FI to baseline prognostic models led to statistically significant improvements in time‐dependent area under curves and did not have a strong impact on calibration. Conclusion: Older NSCLC patients with higher VA‐FI have significantly elevated risks of mortality, hospitalizations, and ER visits following diagnosis. An electronic frailty index can serve as an accessible tool to identify patients with vulnerabilities to inform clinical care and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Brief Educational Workshops in Secondary Schools Trial (BESST) is an England-wide school-based cluster randomised controlled trial assessing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of an open-access psychological workshop programme (DISCOVER) for 16–18-year-olds. This baseline paper describes the self-referral and other recruitment processes used in this study and the baseline characteristics of the enrolled schools and participants. Method: We enrolled 900 participants from 57 Secondary schools across England from 4th October 2021 to 10th November 2022. Schools were randomised to receive either the DISCOVER day-long Stress workshop or treatment as usual which included signposting information. Participants will be followed up for 6 months with outcome data collection at baseline, 3-month, and 6-month post randomisation. Results: Schools were recruited from a geographically and ethnically diverse sample across England. To reduce stigma, students were invited to self-refer into the study if they wanted help for stress. Their mean age was 17.2 (SD = 0.6), 641 (71%) were female and 411 (45.6%) were from ethnic minority groups. The general wellbeing of our sample measured using the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) found 314 (35%) of students exhibited symptoms of depression at baseline. Eighty percent of students reported low wellbeing on the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) suggesting that although the overall sample mean is below the cut-off for depression, the self-referral approach used in this study supports distressed students in coming forward. Conclusion: The BESST study will continue to follow up participants to collect outcome data and results will be analysed once all the data have been collected. Trial registration: ISRCTN registry ISRCTN90912799. Registered on 28 May 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insomnia is a prevalent sleeping disorder associated with increasing cardiovascular (CV) mortality and morbidity. However, data incorporating recent clinical studies evaluating these outcomes is scarce. Hence, we aimed to investigate the association of insomnia with CV mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), all-cause mortality, and incidence of CV disease by conducting the first-ever meta-analysis of real-world data evaluating these CV outcomes. MEDLINE and Scopus databases were queried till August 2022 to identify studies comparing prespecified outcomes in patients with and without insomnia. The primary outcomes were CV mortality and myocardial infarction, while secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality, and CV-disease incidence. All data were pooled using an inverse-variance weighted random-effects model, and results were reported as relative risks (RRs) and p-values. 21 studies were analyzed. Risks for CV mortality and MI were significantly higher in patients with insomnia (RR 1.53, p<0.01, and RR 1.48, p = 0.03, respectively). The risk for all-cause mortality and CV disease incidence was also significantly higher in insomnia patients (RR 1.14, p = 0.03, and RR 1.31, p<0.01, respectively). Individuals with insomnia experience a higher risk of long-term mortality, MI, and incidence of CV disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CK2 genes are overexpressed in many human cancers, and most often overexpression is associated with worse prognosis. Site-specific expression in mice leads to cancer development (e.g., breast, lymphoma) indicating the oncogenic nature of CK2. CK2 is involved in many key aspects of cancer including inhibition of apoptosis, modulation of signaling pathways, DNA damage response, and cell cycle regulation. A number of CK2 inhibitors are now available and have been shown to have activity against various cancers in vitro and in pre-clinical models. Some of these inhibitors are now undergoing exploration in clinical trials as well. In this review, we will examine some of the major cancers in which CK2 inhibition has promise based on in vitro and pre-clinical studies, the proposed cellular and signaling mechanisms of anti-cancer activity by CK2 inhibitors, and the current or recent clinical trials using CK2 inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leptospirosis is an overlooked zoonotic and waterborne disease that is emerging as a global public threat due to morbidity and mortality observed in both animals and humans. The outbreaks are typically related to floods and hurricanes following monsoon rains, during which Leptospiras are washed off in contaminated soil and often settle in water bodies. Wildlife trapping for scientific purposes, industrial animal employment, water-intensive crop farming, sewage work, and open-water swimming are one of the major risk factors contributing to the rapid spread of disease. Occasionally, outbreaks are linked to higher-than-average precipitation and exposure to contaminated floodwaters that may have contributed to a sudden spike in leptospirosis cases in New Caledonia, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Tanzania. This amplifies the risk of leptospirosis in Pakistan and other nations with urban floods. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to address this health emergency considering the recent surge in leptospirosis cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]