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Background: Heart failure (HF) is a chronic and progressive condition that significantly impacts patients’ lives, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing their health outcomes. Among these factors, symptom perception, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and predicted survival are paramount. This study aimed to assess symptom perception, HRQoL and predictive survival among HF patients. Methods: A baseline analysis was carried out in a randomized controlled trial involving patients with HF. Heart Failure Somatic Perception Scale to assess symptom perception, Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-12 to assess HRQoL and Seattle Heart Failure Model to assess predicted survival were used. Results: Among the 160 patients, 62.5 % were between 36 and 59 years of age and were married (88 %). Hypertension and diabetes were reported in 104 and 94 participants respectively, and among them, 65 participants had both hypertension and diabetes. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 33(%), and 56.5 % of the participants were in New York Heart Association functional class III and IV. The average symptom perception score was 27.4 ± 18.3, while the mean HRQoL score was 37.2 ± 14.2. The predicted one-year survival score was 80 ± 11.5, and the predicted five-year survival score was 38.5 ± 21.3. HRQoL showed a significant negative correlation with symptom perception (r = −0.75; p = 0.001) and a positive correlation with one-year survival (r = 0.53; p = 0.001), and five-year survival (r = 0.56; p = 0.001). Conclusion: Patients with HF experience persistent symptoms and poor HRQoL. Symptom severity decreases HRQoL. Understanding HRQoL and symptom perception is crucial for developing effective self-care interventions, which are vital for improving patient outcomes and managing HF effectively.

Bimetallic nanostructures can exhibit significant broadening of Mie resonances compared to monometallic nanoparticles. Here, we study these materials using Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy at a single particle level. This technique is immensely effective to probe direct structure-property correlation of nanoparticles. We are thus able to confirm the broadening of Mie resonances at a single particle level. This effect is analyzed in the context of emergence of a new dielectric constant that originates from metallic interfaces. We employ Coronado-Schatz corrections to the usual dielectric constants of the constituent metals to quantitatively simulate these materials. The resultant materials thus exhibit optical cross-sections that are 38.5 % and 4.2 % of the gold and silver nanoparticle optical cross-section at 2.5 eV and 3.45 eV, respectively. A strong agreement between theory and experiment is observed. We also confirmed the effectiveness of our approach for nanoparticles with different morphologies as well as different compositional ratios. Our study suggests an effective strategy to regulate the dielectric properties of bimetallic nanostructures through interface engineering.

Introduction: Yoga is a type of practice with numerous benefits for health. This systematic review aimed to synthesize evidence on yoga therapy and determine its effects on caregiver stress and mental health among those who provide care for people with dementia. Methods: The Cochrane methodological guidelines were adopted and reported using the PRISMA statement. MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, CINAHL, EMBASE, PROQUEST, Scopus, and Web of Science were among the seven online databases searched between January 2010 and October 2021 for randomized controlled trials. The risk of bias in the trials was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was done using Revman software 5.4 version. Results: Thirteen randomized controlled trials consisting of 522 research participants assessed the impact of yoga on caregiver stress, burden, mental health, and depression. A random effects model on the effect of yoga revealed that yoga is beneficial in caregiver stress reduction and enhancing the psychological well-being of caregivers of people with dementia with statistical significance (95%CI: 0.64–0.89, p

Using first principles based density functional calculation we study the mechanical, electronic and transport properties of single crystalline gold nanowires. While nanowires with the diameter less than 2 nm retain hexagonal cross-section, the larger diameter wires show a structural smoothening leading to circular cross-section. These structural changes significantly affect the mechanical properties of the wires, however, strength remains comparable to the bulk. The transport calculations reveal that the conductivity of these wires are in good agreement with experiments. The combination of good mechanical, electronic and transport properties make these wires promising as interconnects for nano devices.

Background: Staff nurses face frequent emotional situations in their work environment. The constant contact with suffering patients, and the busy work environment, pose tremendous stress on nurses’ physical and emotional health. The Emotional Intelligence skills of empathy, self-awareness, motivation, self-control, and keeping relationships, can help handle difficult emotions and allow nurses to work in an organized, calm, and professional way. This study aims to implement and assess the effectiveness of a training program developed by the investigator, tailored to the mental and emotional needs of staff nurses who are working in an organization. The study also aims to observe any significant change, correlation, and association in the staff nurses’ level of emotional intelligence, intrinsic motivation, self-compassion, emotional labor, and nurse-in-charges’ and patients’ perception of nursing care after the program. Methods: A quasi-experimental (one-group) study design was used in this study. The study will involve 80 staff nurses working in a selected hospital in India. The staff nurses will be selected from the hospital’s general wards using convenience sampling. For the current study, a quasi-experimental design will be used. The investigator will deliver a training program, divided into four sessions of two hours each. Data will be collected from the participants at baseline and 3-months pre-intervention; and post-test data will be collected immediately after the intervention, at 3-month, and 6-month follow-up, to observe any significant change in the study variables before and after the intervention. Results: The current study primarily focuses on the vital aspect of developing emotional needs, for promoting a better work-life balance. Research findings from the study will significantly contribute to the evidence based Emotional Intelligence programs for staff nurses, and if proven effective, could be delivered extensively in the hospitals. Trial registration: The study is registered in June 2019 under the Central Trial Registry of India ( CTRI/2019/08/020592).

Background: Staff nurses face frequent emotional situations in their work environment. The constant contact with suffering patients, and the busy work environment, pose tremendous stress on nurses' physical and emotional health. The Emotional Intelligence skills of empathy, self-awareness, motivation, self-control, and keeping relationships, can help handle difficult emotions and allow nurses to work in an organized, calm, and professional way. This study aims to implement and assess the effectiveness of a training program developed by the investigator, tailored to the mental and emotional needs of staff nurses who are working in an organisation. The study also aims to observe any significant change, correlation, and association in the staff nurses’ level of emotional intelligence, intrinsic motivation, self-compassion, emotional labour, and nurse-in-charges’ and patients’ perception of nursing care after the program. Methods: A quasi-experimental (one-group) study design will be used in this study. The study will involve 80 staff nurses working in a selected hospital in India. The staff nurses will be selected from the hospital's general wards using convenience sampling. The investigator will deliver a training program, divided into four sessions of two hours each. Data will be collected from the participants at baseline and 3-months pre-intervention; and post-test data will be collected immediately after the intervention, at 3-month, and 6-month follow-up, to observe any significant change in the study variables before and after the intervention. Results: The current study primarily focuses on the vital aspect of developing emotional needs, for promoting a better work-life balance. Research findings from the study will significantly contribute to the evidence-based Emotional Intelligence programs for staff nurses, and if proven effective, could be delivered extensively in hospitals. Trial registration: The study is registered in June 2019 under the Central Trial Registry of India ( CTRI/2019/08/020592).

Background: Staff nurses face frequent emotional situations in their work environment. The constant contact with suffering patients, and the busy work environment, pose tremendous stress on nurses' physical and emotional health. The Emotional Intelligence skills of empathy, self-awareness, motivation, self-control, and keeping relationships, can help handle difficult emotions and allow nurses to work in an organized, calm, and professional way. This study aims to implement and assess the effectiveness of a training program developed by the investigator, tailored to the mental and emotional needs of staff nurses who are working in an organization. The study also aims to observe any significant change, correlation, and association in the staff nurses’ level of emotional intelligence, intrinsic motivation, self-compassion, emotional labor, and nurse-in-charges’ and patients’ perception of nursing care after the program. Methods: A quasi-experimental (one-group) study design was used in this study. The study will involve 80 staff nurses working in a selected hospital in India. The staff nurses will be selected from the hospital's general wards using convenience sampling. For the current study, a quasi-experimental design will be used. The investigator will deliver a training program, divided into four sessions of two hours each. Data will be collected from the participants at baseline and 3-months pre-intervention; and post-test data will be collected immediately after the intervention, at 3-month, and 6-month follow-up, to observe any significant change in the study variables before and after the intervention. Results: The current study primarily focuses on the vital aspect of developing emotional needs, for promoting a better work-life balance. Research findings from the study will significantly contribute to the evidence based Emotional Intelligence programs for staff nurses, and if proven effective, could be delivered extensively in the hospitals. Trial registration: The study is registered in June 2019 under the Central Trial Registry of India ( CTRI/2019/08/020592).

Purpose: To evaluate the agreement in the macular vascular density (MVD) measured by two protocols: 4.5 mm × 4.5 mm and 6 mm × 6 mm. Design: Cross‑sectional observational study. Methods: Healthy volunteers between the age group of 19 and 39 years were recruited. Topcon DRI OCT Triton plus (Topcon Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) was used to acquire the fovea‑centered optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) image using two protocols: 4.5 mm × 4.5 mm and 6 mm × 6 mm. MVD was measured by the manufacturer software in the superficial capillary plexus slab in five regions: central, superior, nasal, inferior, and temporal subfields of early treatment diabetic retinopathy study grid in each protocol. Results: The study included 79 eyes of 40 healthy volunteers. The difference in the mean MVD between two protocols was 3.84% in right eye and 4.2% in left eye in central subfield, 0.93% in right eye and 1.13% in left eye in superior subfield, 0.06% in right eye and 1.45% in left eye in nasal subfield, 1.65% in right eye and 0.7% in left eye in inferior subfield, 0.4% in right eye and 0.54% in left eye in temporal subfield. The measurements were significantly higher in 6 mm × 6 mm in central subfield in both the eyes and in nasal field in the left eye. Whereas, the measurements were significantly higher in 4.5 mm × 4.5 mm in superior and inferior subfield in both the eyes and in temporal subfield in the left eye. Conclusion: The protocols should not be used interchangeably and it is necessary to include recommendation of the field of view to measure MVD while standardizing OCTA reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dengue-induced thrombocytopenia can be life-threatening. However, supportive and symptomatic treatment is the current management protocol. The leaf extract of papaya has shown promising results in improving the platelet count. There are many varieties of Carica papaya such as Washington, Honeydew, Coorg honeydew, Solo, Surya, Red lady, C0-1, CO-3, CO-5, C0-6. Aims and Objectives: The aim is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of two varieties (“Red Lady” and “Solo”) of C. papaya fresh leaf extract in patients diagnosed with dengue-induced thrombocytopenia. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted for 2 months, and 18 dengue-confirmed inpatients with thrombocytopenia (platelet count <1,50,000/μL) were enrolled. The study participants were grouped into the standard “Control” group, “Solo” group who received fresh papaya leaf extract “Solo” and “Red Lady” group who received fresh papaya leaf extract of “Red Lady.” About 30 mL of leaf extract was given thrice daily for 5 days. Results: The mean change from the baseline value of platelets was found to be 59,168/µL for the control group and 57,000/µL for Red Lady, and 93,167/µL for the solo group. The study showed a positive trend with improvement in platelet count in “Solo” Variety group when compared to “Red Lady” group and the control group. The safety results showed that both the papaya leaf extracts have a favorable safety profile. Conclusion: There was an improvement in platelet count in “Solo” variety group when compared to “Red Lady” and the control group. However, the results were not statistically significant. No adverse events were observed during the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]