Nutrition for Hospital Workers During a Crisis: Effect of a Plant-Based Dietary Intervention on Cardiometabolic Outcomes and Quality of Life in Healthcare Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The study tested the effects of a vegan diet on cardiometabolic outcomes and quality of life among healthcare employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overweight hospital employees were enrolled and randomly assigned (in a 1:1 ratio) to an intervention group, which was asked to follow a low-fat vegan diet, or a control group, asked to make no diet changes. However, due to COVID-19 disruptions, all participants remained on their usual diets from March to June (12 weeks), creating a de facto control period, and all (n = 12) started the vegan diet with online classes in June, which continued for 12 weeks. Nine participants completed all final assessments. A crossover ANOVA was used for statistical analysis of differences in cardiovascular health during the control period and during the intervention. Despite the ongoing crisis, body weight decreased (treatment effect -5.7 kg [95% CI -9.7 to -1.7]; P = .01); fasting plasma glucose decreased (-11.4 mg/dL [95% CI -18.8 to -4.1]; P = .007); total and LDL-cholesterol decreased (-30.7 mg/dL [95% CI -53.8 to -7.5]; P = .02; and -24.6 mg/dL [-44.8 to -4.3]; P = .02, respectively); diastolic blood pressure decreased (-8.5 mm Hg [95% CI -16.3 to -.7]; P = .03); and quality of life increased (P = .005) during the intervention period, compared with the control period. A vegan diet improved cardiometabolic outcomes and quality of life in healthcare workers at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Metal nitride-based nanostructures for electrochemical and photocatalytic hydrogen production.

The over-dependence on fossil fuels is one of the critical issues to be addressed for combating greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen, one of the promising alternatives to fossil fuels, is renewable, carbon-free, and non-polluting gas. The complete utilization of hydrogen in every sector ranging from small to large scale could hugely benefit in mitigating climate change. One of the key aspects of the hydrogen sector is its production via cost-effective and safe ways. Electrolysis and photocatalysis are well-known processes for hydrogen production and their efficiency relies on electrocatalysts, which are generally noble metals. The usage of noble metals as catalysts makes these processes costly and their scarcity is also a limiting factor. Metal nitrides and their porous counterparts have drawn considerable attention from researchers due to their good promise for hydrogen production. Their properties such as active metal centres, nitrogen functionalities, and porous features such as surface area, pore-volume, and tunable pore size could play an important role in electrochemical and photocatalytic hydrogen production. This review focuses on the recent developments in metal nitrides from their synthesis methods point of view. Much attention is given to the emergence of new synthesis techniques, methods, and processes of synthesizing the metal nitride nanostructures. The applications of electrochemical and photocatalytic hydrogen production are summarized. Overall, this review will provide useful information to researchers working in the field of metal nitrides and their application for hydrogen production.

Aromatherapy Blend for Postoperative Nausea in Ambulatory Surgery Patients.

PURPOSE: Postoperative nausea (PON) is one of the most common undesirable outcomes after surgery and increases patient dissatisfaction, hospital costs, and risk for postoperative complications. This quality-improvement project implemented and evaluated the effect of aromatherapy on nausea in adult postoperative patients. DESIGN: Quality improvement project evaluating the inhalation of a blend of essential oils through an individual stick via an aroma stick. METHODS: This quality-improvement project was implemented in a postanesthesia care unit (PACU) in the Northeastern United States that averages 300 adult patients per month. Over the course of 12 weeks in the Fall of 2019, the project sample included all PACU registered nurses and patients with PON without allergies to inhalation agents or nasal surgery. FINDINGS: One hundred percent of PACU registered nurses (n = 20) were educated and demonstrated competence in the aromatherapy intervention; 70.6% (n = 36) of patients with PON used an aroma stick for PON treatment. Of the patients receiving the aroma stick for PON, 94.4% (n = 34) had improved PON scores. CONCLUSIONS: Aromatherapy is an effective nonpharmacological treatment in reducing PON score for patients recovering from surgery. These results offer support for nursing practice to use aromatherapy as an additional method to enhance patient experience, improve outcomes, and reduce cost in recovery rooms.

Evaluation of nurse's attitudes toward adult patients of size.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States, with waistlines expanding (overweight) for almost 66% of the population (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004). The attitude of society, which includes healthcare providers, toward people of size has traditionally been negative, regardless of their own gender, age, experience, and occupation. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether bariatric sensitivity training could improve nursing attitudes and beliefs toward adult obese patients and whether nurses' own body mass index (BMI) affected their attitude and belief scores. METHODS: An on-line survey was conducted of nursing attitudes and beliefs regarding adult obese patients. The responses were compared between 1 hospital that offered bariatric sensitivity training and 1 that did not. The primary study measures were 2 scales that have been validated to assess weight bias: Attitudes Toward Obese Persons (ATOP) and Beliefs Against Obese Persons (BAOP). The primary outcome measures were the scores derived from the ATOP and BAOP scales. RESULTS: Data were obtained from 332 on-line surveys, to which 266 nurses responded with complete data, 145 from hospital 1 (intervention) and 121 from hospital 2 (control). The mean ATOP scores for hospital 1 were modestly greater than those for hospital 2 (18.0 versus 16.1, P = .03). However, no differences were found between the 2 hospitals for the mean BAOP scores (67.1 versus 67.1, P = .86). No statistically significant differences were found between the 2 hospitals among the BMI groups for either ATOP or BAOP. Within each hospital, no statistically significant trend was found among the BMI groups for either ATOP or BAOP. The association of BMI with the overall ATOP (r = .13, P = .04) and BOAP (r = .12, P = .05) scores was very weak, although marginally significant. The association of the overall ATOP score with the BAOP score was weak, although significant (r = .26, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Annual bariatric sensitivity training might improve nursing attitudes toward obese patients, but it does not improve nursing beliefs, regardless of the respondent's BMI.

The role of physician extenders in managing patients with chronic hepatitis C.

The number of "physician extenders" (nurse practitioners and physician assistants) caring for patients with chronic hepatitis C is rising rapidly. Their growing role in the management of these patients promises greater efficiency in the delivery of care and more provider interaction with patients. This may yield benefits in terms of patient education and support, management of medication side effects, and patient adherence to treatment regimens. This article reviews the role of physician extenders in the management of patients with hepatitis C and outlines strategies for maximizing their contribution to the care of these patients.