Relationship between physical activity and individual mental health after traumatic events: a systematic review.

Background: Traumatic events can cause social tension, anxiety, panic and other psychological crises, and can even cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicide. Physical activity has a good role in promoting mental health, and has a great application prospect in individual psychological intervention after traumatic events. However, no systematic review of the relationship between physical activity and individual mental health after traumatic events affecting many people has been published so far, which makes it impossible for people to understand the research status in this field from a holistic perspective.Objective: This review explores the relationship between physical activity and individual psychology, physiology, subjective quality of life and well-being after traumatic events, so as to provide some valuable clues or enlightenment for individual psychological intervention after traumatic events.Method: Relevant literature was searched in five databases, summarised, sorted and studied.Results: Thirty-three study papers were included in this review, the main study findings include: (1) Physical activity is positively correlated with individual mental resilience and subjective well-being after traumatic events, and negatively correlated with anxiety, depression, tension and PTSD. (2) Individuals with higher levels of physical activity have better mental health status after traumatic events than those who do not regularly engage in physical activity. (3) Physical activity can promote sleep quality, self-efficacy, subjective quality of life and various physiological functions of those experiencing traumatic events. (4) Physical activity (including exercise) is regarded as one of the preferred nursing measures to buffer against mental stress and maintain physical and mental health for those experiencing traumatic events.Conclusion: The level of physical activity is positively correlated with individual physical and mental health before and after traumatic events. Physical activity can be used as one of the effective measures to improve individual mental health after traumatic events.

Physical activity can be used as one of the important measures to improve mental health of those experiencing traumatic events.Regular physical activity can reduce the impact of traumatic events on mental health, both before and after the events.

Psychological challenges and related factors of ordinary residents after "7.20" heavy rainstorm disaster in Zhengzhou: a cross-sectional survey and study.

BACKGROUND: In 2021, a once-in-a-century heavy rainstorm suddenly attacked Zhengzhou, an important inland city in northern China. However, there have been no studies on the psychological health of disaster-stricken residents. This study is the first to comprehensively report on the mental health status and related factors of local ordinary residents after the heavy rainstorm. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the mental health status and related influencing factors of local ordinary residents after the flood disaster, and to provide reference for government departments to formulate disaster psychological intervention countermeasures based on evidence-driven strategies. METHODS: The snowball sampling technique was used in this study, and measurement tools of Rainstorm Exposure Questionnaire, Subjective Perception of Rainstorm, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian version (PCL-C), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DAS-21) and Chinese version of Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) were used to evaluate the rainstorm exposure, subjective perception of the rainstorm, psychological symptoms and social support of the disaster-stricken residents within a week after the rainstorm. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the psychological status and related factors of local residents after the rainstorm disaster. RESULTS: A total of 469 valid samples were obtained in this study. All the subjects were in the disaster area and experienced the rainstorm personally, with normal intelligence. The statistical results showed that 25.37% people had experienced at least three rainstorm-related stresses, nearly 20.26% people had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and 39.3%, 53.92% and 65.83% people had depression, anxiety and stress symptoms, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analyses indicated that female (all p < 0.05), the divorced, agricultural workers/farmers (all p < 0.05), students (all p < 0.05), people experiencing at least three rainstorm-related stresses (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01), people with lower satisfaction at the social flood fighting measures (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01) and people with low social support (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01) were all independent risk factors for poor psychological health, and college education or above (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01), the lower degree of worrying about themselves (all p < 0.01), family members (all p < 0.01) and family property (all p < 0.01) were all related to higher psychological health among flood survivors after the disaster. CONCLUSIONS: Rainstorm could cause local residents to have various degrees of psychological symptoms. This study identified factors associated with the psychological health of disaster-stricken residents, which could be used to develop psychological interventions in improving psychological health of local residents.

Cross-sectional investigation and correlation analysis of psychology of college students returning to campus after COVID-19 lockdown lift.

Objective: To conduct a large cross-sectional survey of the mental health of college students during the recovery period of the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) and COVID-19 questionnaire were used to investigate the overall mental health level and cognition of epidemic situation of college students in seven colleges and universities in Shaanxi Province. Results: (1) In the recovery period of COVID-19 epidemic, college students still had psychological and somatic symptoms such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, hostility, and poor appetite or insomnia; (2) female college students, science and engineering college students, freshmen and senior graduates, and some ethnic minority college students were all groups with psychological symptoms; (3) the psychological status of college students was related to their perception of COVID-19 epidemic, and the more knowledge about epidemic prevention and control, the more confident they were in overcoming the epidemic, and the milder the psychological symptoms. Conclusion: College students still have some mental health problems in the recovery period of COVID-19 epidemic, which should be paid attention to by education authorities and colleges and universities.

Simulation of Cardiac Flow under the Septal Defect Based on Lattice Boltzmann Method.

In this paper, the lattice Boltzmann method was used to simulate the cardiac flow in children with aseptal defect. The inner wall model of the heart was reconstructed from 210 computed tomography scans. By simulating and comparing the cardiac flow field, the pressure field, the blood oxygen content, and the distribution of entropy generation before and after an operation, the effects of septal defect on pulmonary hypertension(PH), cyanosis, and heart load were analyzed in detail. It is found that the atrial septal defect(ASD) of the child we analyzed had a great influence on the blood oxygen content in the pulmonary artery, which leads to lower efficiency of oxygen binding in the lungs and increases the burden on the heart. At the same time, it also significantly enhanced the entropy generation rate of the cardiac flow, which also leads to a higher heart load. However, the main cause of PH is not ASD, but ventricular septal defect (VSD). Meanwhile, it significantly reduced the blood oxygen content in the brachiocephalic trunk, but rarely affects the blood oxygen contents in the downstream left common carotid artery, left subclavian artery, and descending aorta are not significantly affected by VSD. It causes severe cyanosis on the face and lips.

Risk classification for conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease in primary care.

There is a pressing need to identify individuals at high risk of conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's disease (AD) based on available repeated cognitive measures in primary care. Using data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), we applied a joint latent class mixed model (JLCM) to derive a 3-class solution: low risk (72.65%), medium risk (20.41%) and high risk (6.94%). In the low-risk group, individuals with lower daily activity and ApoEε4 carriers were at greater risk of conversion from MCI to AD. In the medium-risk group, being female, single, and an ApoEε4 carrier increased risk of conversion to AD. In the high-risk group, individuals with lower education level and single individuals were at greater risk of conversion to AD. Individual dynamic prediction for conversion from MCI to AD after 10 years was derived. Accurate identification of conversion from MCI to AD contributes to earlier close monitoring, appropriate management, and targeted interventions. Thereby, it can reduce avoidable hospitalizations for the high-risk MCI population. Moreover, it can avoid expensive follow-up tests that may provoke unnecessary anxiety for low-risk individuals and their families.

Moderating role of positive aspects of caregiving in the relationship between depression in persons with Alzheimer's disease and caregiver burden.

Improving caregivers' positive perception of their role may be important in reducing their subjective burden when caring for Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients with depression. The purpose of present study was to explore the moderating role of the positive aspects of caregiving (PAC) on the subjective burden on family caregivers when managing depressive behaviors. We conducted a cross-sectional study including 200 pairs of patients with mild AD and their caregivers from three communities and two hospitals in Taiyuan, China in October 2014. The latent variable interaction model based on a two stage least squares (2SLS) regression was fitted. A significant moderating effect of the PAC was found on the relationship between depression in patients with AD and the caregiver burden they cause. Caregivers dealing with patients with low levels of depression but with high levels of the PAC had significantly lower levels of caregiver burden compared to those caregivers with the low levels of PAC. Continuously detecting the patient's mental state combined with caregivers having an optimistic attitude towards life may improve the quality of life for both patients and caregivers.

Risk factors of transition from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease and death: A cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of risk factors is essential for developing strategies that prevent or minimise transitions from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and death. The aim of this study was to assess risk factors for progression to AD and death among Chinese individuals with cognitive impairment. METHODS: We conducted a multisite, population-based cohort study on 437 community-dwelling elderly MCI residents in Taiyuan, China from 2010 to 2014. MCI, AD, death from AD and death from a cause other than AD were specified as disease states during the natural history of dementia. Transition-specific Cox model was fitted and hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was estimated. RESULTS: Analyses showed that risk factors played different roles in affecting transitions to AD and death. Risk factors for transition from MCI to AD were being female (HR: 1.82; 95%CI: 1.20-2.77), older age (HR: 3.09; 95%CI: 1.81-5.25), reading occasionally (HR: 1.79; 95%CI: 1.11-2.89), current smoking (HR: 1.74; 95%CI: 1.15-2.65), light-moderate alcohol drinker (HR: 2.24; 95%CI: 1.42-3.53), cerebrovascular disease (HR: 2.70; 95%CI: 1.68-4.34), hyperlipidemia (HR: 1.87; 95%CI: 1.16-3.02) and diabetes (HR: 1.81; 95%CI: 1.18-2.77). Only cerebrovascular disease (HR: 3.04; 95%CI: 1.22-7.58) was a significant risk factor for transition from MCI to death from a cause other than AD. Older age (HR: 10.68; 95%CI: 1.16-97.93) and low level education (HR: 0.14; 95%CI: 0.05-0.44) were significant predictors for transition from AD to death from a cause other than AD. CONCLUSIONS: Participants with advanced age, low-level education, history of harmful alcohol consumption or smoking, cerebrovascular disease, hyperlipidemia, diabetes or who were female were at increased risk of transitioning to AD or death. Strategies to control modifiable risk factors in specific disease stage should be implemented to decrease the conversion to AD or death among Chinese patients with MCI.

Usefulness of real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography to identify and quantify left ventricular dyssynchrony in patients with Kawasaki disease.

OBJECTIVES: The role of left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony in Kawasaki disease is unknown. This study sought to establish values for real-time 3-dimensional (3D) echocardiographically derived LV dyssynchrony parameters and identify and quantify LV dyssynchrony in patients with Kawasaki disease. METHODS: Forty patients hospitalized for Kawasaki disease were analyzed retrospectively, and 40 sex- and age-matched healthy control volunteers were also enrolled. The systolic dyssynchrony index (percentage of the cardiac cycle) from 16 and 12 LV segments on real-time 3D echocardiography was analyzed to calculate LV dyssynchrony (defined as the standard deviation of the time to reach the minimum systolic volume for 16 LV segments) according to a 17-segment model. We analyzed the 3D LV ejection fraction (LVEF), end-diastolic volume, and end-systolic volume in the patients with Kawasaki disease compared to the controls. RESULTS: The 16-segment systolic dyssynchrony index ± SD was significantly higher in the patients with Kawasaki disease: 2.73% ± 0.96% compared to 2.01% ± 0.85% in the controls (P < .05). The 12-segment systolic dyssynchrony index in the patients with Kawasaki disease was 2.65% ± 0.93% compared to 1.98% ± 0.81% in the controls (P< .05). Patients with Kawasaki disease and an LVEF of less than 50% had a significantly higher systolic dyssynchrony index compared to patients with an LVEF of 50% or greater (2.89% ± 0.79% versus 2.26% ± 0.73%; P < .05). The LVEF measured by echocardiography was decreased in the patients with Kawasaki disease, and global systolic function was impaired. The LVEF measured by a biplane method was sufficiently related to the LVEF measured by echocardiography. CONCLUSIONS: Real-time 3D echocardiography is a noninvasive and feasible method for identifying and evaluating LV dyssynchrony in children with Kawasaki disease. Left ventricular dyssynchrony is significantly impaired and related to LV systolic function in patients with Kawasaki disease.

3C3R modified PBL pediatric teaching of Chinese medical students.

A Content, Context, Connection and Researching, Reasoning, Reflecting (3C3R) model is a conceptual framework for problem-based learning (PBL) problem design. We introduced the 3C3R-PBL method into a pediatric teaching plan, and evaluated its effectiveness and feasibility. The 3C3R model was applied in a pediatric problem design teaching plan "why the lips turn purple when a baby is crying". All students were assigned either into a traditional PBL course or into a 9-step 3C3R model PBL course (3C3R-PBL). The performance outcomes of both groups were compared. For the PBL group, the proportion of students scoring ≥4 for content, context, and problem design connection, was 90.8%, 80.3%, and 64.5% respectively, while for tutors, it was 71.4%, 71.4%, and 28.6%; for researching, reasoning, and reflecting, the proportion of students scoring ≥4 was 81.6%, 55.3%, and 40.8%, while for tutors, it was 71.4%, 100%, and 57.1%. The learning difficulty was not considered high with only 31.6% of students and 42.9% of tutors rating the task as difficult. For the 3C3R-PBL group, the proportion of students scoring content, context, and connection, ≥4 was 100%, 98.4%, and 90.5%, while for tutors it was 100%, 100%, 83.3%; for researching, reasoning, and reflecting, the proportion of students scoring ≥4 was 95.2%, 88.9%, and 76.2%, while for tutors it was 100% for all 3 R components. Students and tutors were convinced by the content, case context, research process and reasoning process of both teaching plans, while scores for connection and reflecting were significantly improved when the PBL plan was amended by a 3C3R model (p<0.05) and the case learning difficulty was statistically increased (p<0.05). The 3C3R model, evaluated for the first time in China, was helpful for effective and reliable problem design in a pediatric PBL teaching plan for Chinese students.

[3D virtual endoscopy of heart].

In this paper, we present a virtual endoscopy (VE) for diagnosis of heart diseases, which is proved efficient and affordable, easy to popularize for viewing the interior of the heart. The dual source CT (DSCT) data were used as primary data in our system. The 3D structure of virtual heart was reconstructed with 3D texture mapping technology based on graphics processing unit (GPU), and could be displayed dynamically in real time. When we displayed it in real time, we could not only observe the inside of the chambers of heart but also examine from the new angle of view by the 3D data which were already clipped according to doctor's desire. In the pattern of observation, we used both mutual interactive mode and auto mode. In the auto mode, we used Dijkstra Algorithm which treated the 3D Euler distance as weighting factor to find out the view path quickly, and, used view path to calculate the four chamber plane.

Comparison study of echocardiography and dual-source CT in diagnosis of coronary artery aneurysm due to Kawasaki disease: coronary artery disease.

The identification of coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) in the acute and chronic phase of the disease is of prime importance for assessing the likelihood of acute lesions and cardiovascular sequelae. Occasionally, recognition of distal coronary artery has been proven challenging by traditional echocardiography. Our purpose was to evaluate the clinical application of two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) for detecting CAA caused by Kawasaki disease (KD) and compare with dual-source computed tomography (DSCT). A total of 24 patients with known KD and CAAs were studied by two imaging modalities, i.e., 2DE and DSCT; that is to say, the number, position, shape, and size of each CAA and its association with thrombus, were detected first from echocardiography and then compared with those obtained from DSCT performed on the same day. Meanwhile the diameters of all coronary segments were measured for each patient. Giant aneurysms (GAs) were detected in 5 patients, small and medium coronary aneurysms were identified in 19 patients. The 2DE and DSCT have the same results of proximal coronary artery, whereas conclusion of our comparison of coronary artery visualization indicated that DSCT provided more explicit distal coronary artery than 2DE. A mural thrombus could be clearly delineated in the GAs by DSCT. The 2DE has been demonstrated to be an accurate technique to quantify CAAs in KD. However, DSCT is superior to 2DE for distal coronary artery visualization. Therefore, a combination of echocardiography and DSCT can offer an overview of coronary artery anatomy.

[3D visualization for simulating percutaneous transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect:a pilot clinical study].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical value of 3D visualization method for simulating percutaneous transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect (ASD). METHODS: 3D volume render method was used for visualizing ASD and surrounding structures and 3D modeling method was applied for simulate the shape of occlusion device. The size and the distance between the lower edge of device and atria-ventricular valve of simulation occluder and actual selected atrial septal occluder (ASO) were compared in 30 patients underwent successful transcatheter closure of ASD. RESULTS: The location, geometry, size, extent of ASDs in children were displayed in 3D visualization. No significant difference was found between simulation occluder and ASO size measured from left atrium [(26.07 +/- 5.32) cm vs. (25.91 +/- 5.32) cm] and right atrium [(22.13 +/- 5.31) cm vs. (22.08 +/- 5.26) cm, all P > 0.05]. The distances from simulation occluder to mitral valves [(5.76 +/- 2.39) cm] and to tricuspid valves [(8.25 +/- 2.40) cm] were similar as ASO to atria-ventricular valves [(5.61 +/- 2.26) cm and (8.02 +/- 2.48) cm, respectively, all P > 0.05]. CONCLUSIONS: The simulating percutaneous transcatheter closure of ASD by 3D visualization technique could be a helpful noninvasive approach for ASO selection before the procedure of transcatheter occlusion of ASD.

Three-dimensional echocardiographic virtual endoscopy for the diagnosis of congenital heart disease in children.

Virtual endoscopy (VE) is a new post-processing method that uses volumetric data sets to simulate the tracks of a "conventional" flexible endoscope. However, almost all studies of this method have involved virtual visualizations of the cardiovascular structures applied to computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) datasets. This paper introduces a novel visualization method called the "three-dimensional echocardiographic intracardiac endoscopic simulation system (3DE IESS)", which uses 3D echocardiographic images in a virtual reality (VR) environment to diagnose congenital heart disease. The aim of this study was to analyze the feasibility of VE in the evaluation of congenital heart disease in children and its accuracy compared with 2DE. Three experienced pediatric cardiologists blinded to the patients' diagnoses separately reviewed 40 two-dimensional echocardiographic (2DE) datasets and 40 corresponding VE datasets and judged whether abnormal intracardiac anatomy was present in terms of a five-point scale (1 = definitely absent; 2 = probably absent; 3 = cannot be determined; 4 = probably present; and 5 = definitely present). Compared with clinical diagnosis, the diagnostic accuracy of VE was 98.7% for ASD, 92.4% for VSD, 92.6% for TOF, and 94% for DORV, respectively. Diagnostic accuracy of VE was significantly higher than that of 2DE for TOF and DORV except for ASD and VSD. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for VE was closer to the optimal performance point than was the ROC curve for 2DE. The area under the ROC curve was 0.96 for VE and 0.93 for 2DE. Kappa values (range, 0.73-0.79) for VE and 2DE indicated substantial agreement. 3D echocardiographic VE can enhance our understanding of intracardiac structures and facilitate the evaluation of congenital heart disease.

3D Visualization of Echocardiogram and Blood Flow.

Congenital heart defect is a leading cause of children mortality. Two-dimensional echocardiography is a safe and noninvasive diagnostic tool and two-dimensional images can be reconstructed to a three-dimensional model. However, for some complex congenital heart diseases, the visualization of three-dimensional cardiac tissue structure alone is not enough. Visualization of blood flow patterns in a human heart is important to evaluate cardiac disease of patients. Color flow imaging is a well-established ultrasound mode and very valuable for visualizing the distribution of blood flow in a specific region of interest. However, blood flow patterns in a human heart have three-dimensional complex structure and change dynamically, but the output of color flow imaging is usually presented as a two-dimensional image on a cross section of a heart. The authors make use of an echocardiography system to acquire the data which include cardiac tissue structure and blood flow patterns, and construct an interactive visualization system for the three-dimensional heart and blood flow. With the visualization system, which possesses interactivity and a changeable view, users can easily understand the inner cardiac structure and blood flow in the heart. The images that we use are not only from actual patient data, but also from isolated porcine hearts and hearts of living dogs.