Factors associated with health-related quality of life among people living with HIV in South Korea: Tobit regression analysis.

This study investigated health-related quality of life and identified factors affecting it among people with the HIV in South Korea. A total of 243 people living with HIV participated in this cross-sectional survey. Data were collected from five hospitals between November 2021 and August 2022 using structured online questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Spearman's rho analysis, and Tobit regression analysis because a significant ceiling effect was observed for the dependent variable. The mean score for the health-related quality of life was 75.74 ± 16.48. The significant factors that positively influence the health-related quality of life were "employment" (B = 4.57, p = .035), "not participating in the self-help group" (B = 6.10, p = .004), "higher self-efficacy for managing symptoms" (B = 1.32, p = .036), "higher self-efficacy for getting support/help" (B = 0.95, p = .035), and "higher self-efficacy for managing fatigue" (B = 2.80, p < .001) in the Tobit regression analysis. The results suggest that interventions to increase self-efficacy should involve developing programs and policies for people living with HIV. There is a need for efforts to provide healthcare services linked to employment support, as well as to establish a social environment in which they can work without stigma. Further, self-help groups could be utilized as intervention channels.

Three cycles of mobile app design to improve HIV self-management: A development and evaluation study.

Objective: Employing three cycles of Design Science Research (DSR) to develop a mobile app 'ESSC (Excellent Self Supervised HIV Care)' to improve self-management among people living with HIV (PLWH). Methods: This study is based on the DSR framework comprising three iterative cycles. In the Relevance cycle, PLWH participated in a survey of mobile health (mHealth) experiences and needs. In the Rigor cycle, the information-motivation-behavioural skills (IMB) model was applied to foundations of the app, and HIV specialists verified the contents. Experts evaluated the heuristic system and the app quality with the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). In the Design cycle, ESSC was built on the findings of the other two cycles, and end-users tested the usability using uMARS. Results: The contents of the app were developed based on user requirements. The IMB model led ESSC to supplement motivational components for self-management, which built five functions: information contents; health life records including mental and sexual health; interactive counselling with healthcare providers; setting health goals after watching videos; and my page for self-reflection. To reduce social stigma and promote acceptance of the information-driven app, we created animated characters with neutral and bright features. The HIV specialists evaluated content validity as highly appropriate. The MARS score by the overall raters was between 3-acceptable and 4-good: functionality, 4.38; information, 4.12; aesthetics, 3.96; engagement, 3.37; and subjective quality, 3.25. Conclusions: The DSR approach is effective for implementing usable and useful mHealth. The ESSC app would be feasible and contribute PLWH to retention in care.

Network visualization to interpret which healthcare services are central to people living with HIV.

AIM: To employ network analysis to identify the central healthcare service needs of people living with HIV (PLWH) for integrated care. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. METHODS: A list of healthcare services was identified through literature reviews, expert workshops and validity evaluations by PLWH. A total of 243 PLWH participated at five hospitals and self-reported their need for healthcare services on a four-point Likert scale. Centrality of healthcare service needs was analysed using network analysis. RESULTS: The mean score for 20 healthcare service needs was 3.53 out of 4. The highest scoring need, "Precaution for interaction between antiretroviral therapy and other drugs," received a rating of 3.73 but had a centrality of only 0.31. The most central node in the network of healthcare service needs, "Information and coping with opportunistic infections," had a strength centrality of 1.63 and showed significant relationships with "non-HIV-related medical services (e.g., health check-ups)" and "Regular dental services." The correlation stability coefficient, which quantifies the stability of centrality, was 0.44 with an acceptable value. CONCLUSIONS: The most central need was information on opportunistic infections that had connections with many nodes in network analysis. By interpreting the relationships between needs, healthcare providers can design interventions with an integrative perspective. IMPLICATIONS FOR PATIENT CARE: Network visualization provides dynamic relationships between needs that are unknown from the score scale by presenting them graphically and qualitatively. IMPACT: Using network analysis to interpret need assessment offers an integrated nursing perspective. Coping with opportunistic infection is central to connecting the chain of healthcare. This study highlights the multifaceted understanding of patients' needs that nurses gain when they conduct network analysis. REPORTING METHOD: We adhered to the STROBE checklist. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Association of Dietary Sodium-to-Potassium Ratio with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Korean Adults: Findings from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

High-sodium and low-potassium intakes are interdependently linked to hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. We investigated the associations of dietary sodium-to-potassium (Na/K) ratio with cardiometabolic risk factors in 12,996 Korean adults (≥30 years) from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Ⅶ (2016-2018). Food intake was assessed through 24 h dietary recall data. Participants were divided into thirds based on their dietary Na/K ratio, with mean molar Na/K ratios of 1.11 (low), 1.92 (medium), and 3.21 (high). Although no significant associations were found between the dietary Na/K level and the risk of hypertension, obesity, and diabetes in all participants, the high Na/K ratio group had a higher risk of hypertension compared to the low Na/K ratio group in older adults (≥65 years) after adjusting for confounding factors (odds ratio = 1.38, 95% confidence interval: 1.10-1.72). Moreover, a higher Na/K ratio was associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in all participants (p for trend = 0.0020). Within MetS components, abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides, and elevated blood pressure were positively associated with the Na/K level. The food groups positively associated with a lower Na/K ratio were fruits, unsalted vegetables, nuts, potatoes, and dairy products. These findings suggest that a high dietary Na/K ratio may be an important risk factor for hypertension in older adults and MetS in all adults.

[Psychometric Properties of the Korean Version of Self-Efficacy for HIV Disease Management Skills].

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the validity and reliability of Shively and colleagues' self-efficacy for HIV disease management skills (HIV-SE) among Korean participants. METHODS: The original HIV-SE questionnaire, comprising 34 items, was translated into Korean using a translation and back-translation process. To enhance clarity and eliminate redundancy, the author and expert committee engaged in multiple discussions and integrated two items with similar meanings into a single item. Further, four HIV nurse experts tested content validity. Survey data were collected from 227 individuals diagnosed with HIV from five Korean hospitals. Construct validity was verified through confirmatory factor analysis. Criterion validity was evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficients with the new general self-efficacy scale. Internal consistency reliability and test-retest were examined for reliability. RESULTS: The Korean version of HIV-SE (K-HIV-SE) comprises 33 items across six domains: "managing depression/mood," "managing medications," "managing symptoms," "communicating with a healthcare provider," "getting support/help," and "managing fatigue." The fitness of the modified model was acceptable (minimum value of the discrepancy function/degree of freedom = 2.49, root mean square error of approximation = .08, goodness-of-fit index = .76, adjusted goodness-of-fit index = .71, Tucker-Lewis index = .84, and comparative fit index = .86). The internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α = .91) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .73) were good. The criterion validity of the K-HIV-SE was .59 (p < .001). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the K-HIV-SE is useful for efficiently assessing self-efficacy for HIV disease management.

Psidium guajava L. leaf extract inhibits adipocyte differentiation and improves insulin sensitivity in 3T3-L1 cells.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Psidium guajava L. (guava) leaves have been shown to exhibit hypoglycemic and antidiabetic effects in rodents. This study investigated the effects of guava leaf extract on adipogenesis, glucose uptake, and lipolysis of adipocytes to examine whether the antidiabetic properties are mediated through direct effects on adipocytes. MATERIALS/METHODS: 3T3-L1 cells were treated with 25, 50, 100 µg/mL of methanol extract from guava leaf extract (GLE) or 0.1% dimethyl sulfoxide as a control. Lipid accumulation was evaluated with Oil Red O Staining and AdipoRed assay. Immunoblotting was performed to measure the expression of adipogenic transcription factors, fatty acid synthase (FAS), and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Glucose uptake under basal or insulin-stimulated condition was measured using a glucose analog 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino]-2-deoxy-D-glucose. Lipolysis from fully differentiated adipocytes was measured by free fatty acids release into the culture medium in the presence or absence of epinephrine. RESULTS: Oil Red O staining and AdipoRed assay have shown that GLE treatment reduced lipid accumulation during adipocyte differentiation. Mitotic clonal expansion, an early essential event for adipocyte differentiation, was inhibited by GLE treatment. GLE inhibited the expression of transcription factors involved in adipocyte differentiation, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα), and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c). FAS expression was also decreased while the phosphorylation of AMPK was increased by GLE treatment. In addition, GLE increased insulin-induced glucose uptake into adipocytes. In lipid-filled mature adipocytes, GLE enhanced epinephrine-induced lipolysis but reduced basal lipolysis dose-dependently. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that GLE inhibits adipogenesis and improves adipocyte function by reducing basal lipolysis and increasing insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in adipocytes, which can be partly associated with antidiabetic effects of guava leaves.

Nurses in advanced roles as a strategy for equitable access to healthcare in the WHO Western Pacific region: a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: The Western Pacific region constitutes one-quarter of the world's population and has diverse health needs. While dialogue on and promotion of advanced practice nurses are ongoing, this study investigated the current responsibilities of nurses in advanced roles, future healthcare needs, and the implications of these components for nurses' professional development within the Western Pacific region. METHODS: This study employed three phases, a descriptive survey on the current status of nurses in advanced roles in the Western Pacific region, followed by a Delphi survey, and exploratory interviews. A total of 55 national experts with clinical, academic, and/or government-related backgrounds from 18 countries participated from December 2017 - December 2018. The descriptive survey via email to identify the status of nurses in advanced roles and a working definition was developed. This formed the basis for the Delphi survey, which identified key barriers and challenges for enhancing the development of nurses in advanced roles within the country (round 1) and for the region (rounds 2 and 3). Lastly, semi-structured individual interviews were conducted to identify strategies for establishing nurses in advanced roles to improve equitable access to healthcare. RESULTS: Thirty-seven roles and characteristics were identified and categorized for nurses performing advanced roles. Emergency care, critical care, elderly health, child health, and rural/remote communities were identified as fields with particular need for nurses in advanced roles in the Western Pacific region. Providing effective services, influencing government leadership, and advocating for health system sustainability were deemed necessary to improve equitable healthcare access. We found that nurses in advanced roles are not limited to clinical tasks within the hospital but are poised for active participation in primary healthcare, education/teaching, professional leadership, quality management, and research. CONCLUSIONS: Demand for nurses in advanced roles is high in the Western Pacific region and 15 items were identified across five core strategic areas to enhance development of nurses in advanced roles. Governmental-level recommendations include establishing legislative protection, improving systems for remuneration, strengthening supportive channels, and conducting national needs assessments.