Hope, meaning in life and religious/spiritual struggle predicts the quality of life in cancer patients with early and advanced malignancy: a structural equation modeling approach.

Purpose: This study examined hope, meaning in life (MIL), and religious/spiritual struggle (RSS) as predictors of the quality of life (QOL) in cancer patients. We hypothesized a positive association of QOL with hope and MIL, whereas a negative association with RSS. The stage of cancer was hypothesized as a moderator variable between QOL and hope. Hope and MIL were assumed as positive predictors and RSS as negative predictor of QOL. Methods: Data stem from the cross-sectional survey study of 300 cancer patients (Mean age = 50.97 ± 13.50 SD). Herth Hope Index, Meaning in Life Scale, Religious Spiritual Struggle Scale and WHO-QOL-BRIEF were used. The correlation coefficient and partial least square structural equation modeling approach (PLS-SEM) were used for assessing the measurement model and the structural model. Results: As hypothesized, QOL was found positively associated with Hope and MIL, but negatively associated with RSS. The stage of cancer was hypothesized as a negative moderator. The three predictors significantly predicted QOL in cancer patients and explained 75.3% of the variance in QOL, and the overall model fit was adequate (SRMR = 0.075). Hope and MIL had a positive impact on QOL (ß = .356, p < 0.01; ß = .355 p < 0.01, respectively), whereas RSS had a negative impact (ß = -.102, p < .05). The Stage of cancer did not moderate the path coefficient between the hope and QOL to a significant degree (ß = .097, p > 0.01). Conclusion: In cancer patients, hope and MIL are facilitators of QOL. Addressing religious and spiritual concerns and struggles is critical to overall QOL improvement.

Analyzing the Impact of Physicochemical Factors on Chlorella vulgaris Growth Through Design of Experiment (DoE) for Carbon Capture System.

The CO2 emission is increasing every year and threatening both humans and the ecosystem. Carbon capture technological innovations have emerged as a potential solution to mitigate this emissions. Due to its high capacity of photosynthetic activity, CO2 sequestration by microalgae, such as Chlorella vulgaris has attracted much attention as a carbon capture system. The growth of this microalgae is influenced by various physicochemical factors. By designing the Design of Experiment (DoE) with Response Surface Methodology (RSM), the effect of several independent factor can be evaluated to optimize Chlorella vulgaris growth condition and CO2 conversion. This study aims to identify the most impact factors affecting C. vulgaris growth through investigating the variations in physicochemical factors of aeration, initial pH, dark light regime, saline, and substrates concentration using DoE. In this study, C. vulgaris was cultivated in batch culture for 10 days with 8 experiments that were designed under various conditions as per experimental run. Biomass growth was observed using optical density and analyzed by first order regression. The result shows that aeration parameters was statistically significant affect microalgae growth, evidence by p-value below 0.05 at all observation points. Runs with aeration treatment showed a prolonged exponential growth phase and delayed onset of the deceleration phase. Additionally, this study also found that the initial pH level also significantly affects growth at the last day of cultivation. Cultures with a higher initial pH reached the stationary phase earlier than those with a lower pH. Thus, the growth of C. vulgaris can be optimized by adding aeration treatment into culture media and regulating initial pH around 8 to enhancing carbon fixation and biomass yield.

Application of geospatial information systems (GIS) for assessment of the distribution of periodontal disease in Makassar City, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia.

Addressing the presence of periodontal disease requires a high level of expertise to detect the disease as well as effective communication to understand patients' problems. Based on basic health data from 2018, the prevalence of this problem in Indonesia is approximately 74%. This study examined the distribution of periodontal conditions in March 2021 in Makassar City, the capital of South Sulawesi Province. To determine the distribution of periodontal disease, a questionnaire was used to find out the severity of this issue. A descriptive observational method, used with a cross-sectional design and a web-based geospatial information system (GIS) application linked to ArcGIS, was conducted. The results showed thatout of the 15 districts in Makassar City, the island district of Sangkarranghad had the highest presence of periodontal disease. Three other districts were classified as also belonging to this low category, while 11 other ones exhibited a medium disease incidence score.

An interpretive phenomenological analysis of hope in cancer patients: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: In positive psychology, increased recognition of the phenomenon of hope among people suffering from cancer, along with alleviating their negative mental states like anxiety, depression, and fear of death is evident and promising. The aim of the study was to explore the lived experience of hope in cancer patients. MATERIALS: Qualitative phenomenological research approach was used. A semi-structured in-depth interview with open-ended questions was administered to explore the patient's hope related experiences during the journey of cancer. A purposive sampling technique was used to select a total of 10 participants for the study. The size of the sample was decided on the basis of literature for the interpretive phenomenological study. RESULTS: Results revealed five major common themes related to hope during illness: (1) survival expectation; (2) will to live; (3) prognostic clarification; (4) positivity of health providers; and (5) recovery of other patients: A source of hopefulness. CONCLUSION: The lived experiences of cancer patients shows that hope is the positive expectation of survival, which is a source of motivation during their journey of illness. It also denotes goal setting behaviour. Thus, hope is the "will to live" which is related to social support, positive communication with healthcare providers, and recovery of fellow patients.

Alantolactone induces apoptosis in THP-1 cells through STAT3, survivin inhibition, and intrinsic apoptosis pathway.

Cancer is the second foremost cause of mortality in the world, and THP-1 cells play an important role in cancer progression. Alantolactone (ALT), a sesquiterpene lactone compound derived from Inula helenium, has a number of biological activities including antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer. The current study was conducted to investigate the effects of ALT on THP-1 cells and its underlying molecular mechanisms. THP-1 cells were cultured and treated with ALT (20, 40 µM) for 12 hr, and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, cell morphology, live/dead, and apoptosis assays were performed. The gene expressions at the protein level were checked through Western blot. Results show that ALT decreased cell viability and increased cell death and apoptosis. We found that ALT inhibited STAT3 and survivin expression. Furthermore, ALT induced mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis through a decrease in B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-xL and increase in Bax expression, resulting in the release of cytochrome c (Cyt-c) from mitochondria. Cyt-c release from mitochondria further increased cleaved (cl) caspase-3 and cl-PARP expression and led the cells to apoptosis. Therefore, ALT might be a good therapy for the progression due to THP-1 cells.

Nickel and Chromium Ion Levels in Hair and Gingival Crevicular Fluid with the Corrosion of Brackets in Orthodontic Patients: A Longitudinal Study

Objective: To assess the levels of nickel and chromium ions in hair and Gingival Crevicular Fluid (GCF) of orthodontic patients and to evaluate the corrosion of orthodontic bracket surfaces. Material and Methods: Nickel and chromium ion concentrations were measured in hair and GCF of 15 patients (9 females and 6 males, aged 16-28 years old) who had fixed orthodontic treatment using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The samples were taken before treatment (baseline), 4, 8, and 16 months later during treatment. Along with ionic sampling, microscopic sampling was done. One of each patient brackets was removed to get 15 brackets per group. Five brackets were taken randomly from each group to be examined under scanning electron microscope (SEM). Data obtained were analyzed using paired t-tests. Results: After 16 months, compared with the baseline, average hair nickel level changed from 0.125 µg/g to 0.956 µg/g with statistically significant difference (p=0.00); average chromium level changed from 0.090 µg/g to 0.295 µg/g but no significant difference (p>0.05); average GCF nickel level changed from 3.335 µg/g to 10.410 µg/g; average chromium level changed from 1.859 µg/g to 9.818 µg/g. Both of these increases were significant (p=0.000). SEM examinations showed that the corrosion on brackets was seen in the fourth month, and more severely visible after 8 and 16 months of uses. Conclusion: After 16 months of treatment, compared with the baseline, the hair nickel level was increased by 7.7 times; while for chromium was by 3.3 times. Gingival crevicular fluid nickel level was increased by 3.1 times and chromium level was by 5.3 times. The longer time of treatment, the more ions released and the more corrosion of brackets will be.

Social support as a moderator of positive psychological strengths and subjective well-being.

The present study was conducted to examine: (a) the relation of positive psychological strengths, i.e., hope, optimism, self-efficacy, and resiliency, with subjective well-being, and (b) the role of social support as a moderator of positive psychological strengths and subjective well-being. The following hypotheses were proposed: (a) that positive psychological strengths would be positively related with subjective well-being and social support; (b) social support would moderate the relation of positive psychological strengths with subjective well-being. 116 men and 64 women (M age=21.53 yr., SD=4.99, range=33) from India participated. Significant positive relationships were found for positive psychological strengths with subjective well-being and with social support network (family, friends, and others). Regression analysis showed social support significantly moderated the relations of positive psychological strengths with subjective well-being.