Loneliness, spiritual well-being, and death perception, as well as their risk factors in urological cancer patients.

Cancer patients commonly suffer from loneliness, poor spiritual status, and fear of death; however, these evaluations are rarely revealed in urological cancer patients. Thus, this study aimed to assess the loneliness, spiritual well-being, and death perception, as well as their risk factors in urological cancer patients. A total of 324 urological (including renal, bladder, and prostate) cancer patients and 100 healthy controls were included. The University of California and Los Angeles loneliness scale (UCLA-LS), functional assessment of chronic illness therapy-spiritual well-being (FACIT-Sp), and death attitude profile-revised (DAP-R) scores were evaluated. The results showed that the UCLA-LS score was higher, but the FACIT-Sp score was lower in urological cancer patients than in healthy controls. According to the DAP-R score, fear of death, death avoidance, and approaching death acceptance were elevated, but neutral acceptance was lower in urological cancer patients than in healthy controls. Among urological cancer patients, the UCLA-LS score was highest but the FACIT-Sp score was lowest in bladder cancer patients; regarding the DAP-R score, fear of death and death avoidance were highest, but approaching death acceptance was lowest in bladder cancer patients. Interestingly, single/divorced/widowed status, bladder cancer diagnosis, higher pathological grade, surgery, systemic treatment, and local treatment were independent factors for higher UCLA-LS score or lower FACIT-Sp score. In conclusion, urological cancer (especially bladder cancer) patients bear increased loneliness and reduced spiritual well-being; they also carry higher fear of death, death avoidance, and approaching death acceptance but lower neutral acceptance of death.

Loneliness, spiritual well-being, and death perception, as well as their risk factors in urological cancer patients

Cancer patients commonly suffer from loneliness, poor spiritual status, and fear of death; however, these evaluations are rarely revealed in urological cancer patients. Thus, this study aimed to assess the loneliness, spiritual well-being, and death perception, as well as their risk factors in urological cancer patients. A total of 324 urological (including renal, bladder, and prostate) cancer patients and 100 healthy controls were included. The University of California and Los Angeles loneliness scale (UCLA-LS), functional assessment of chronic illness therapy-spiritual well-being (FACIT-Sp), and death attitude profile-revised (DAP-R) scores were evaluated. The results showed that the UCLA-LS score was higher, but the FACIT-Sp score was lower in urological cancer patients than in healthy controls. According to the DAP-R score, fear of death, death avoidance, and approaching death acceptance were elevated, but neutral acceptance was lower in urological cancer patients than in healthy controls. Among urological cancer patients, the UCLA-LS score was highest but the FACIT-Sp score was lowest in bladder cancer patients; regarding the DAP-R score, fear of death and death avoidance were highest, but approaching death acceptance was lowest in bladder cancer patients. Interestingly, single/divorced/widowed status, bladder cancer diagnosis, higher pathological grade, surgery, systemic treatment, and local treatment were independent factors for higher UCLA-LS score or lower FACIT-Sp score. In conclusion, urological cancer (especially bladder cancer) patients bear increased loneliness and reduced spiritual well-being; they also carry higher fear of death, death avoidance, and approaching death acceptance but lower neutral acceptance of death.

Exposure and Inequality of PM2.5 Pollution to Chinese Population: A Case Study of 31 Provincial Capital Cities from 2000 to 2016.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure has been linked to numerous adverse health effects, with some disadvantaged subgroups bearing a disproportionate exposure burden. Few studies have been conducted to estimate the exposure and inequality of different subgroups due to a lack of adequate characterization of disparities in exposure to air pollutants in urban areas, and a mechanistic understanding of the causes of these exposure inequalities. Based on a long-term series of PM2.5 concentrations, this study analyzed the spatial and temporal characteristics of PM2.5 in 31 provincial capital cities of China from 2000 to 2016 using the coefficient of variation and trend analyses. A health risk assessment of human exposure to PM2.5 from 2000 to 2016 was then undertaken. A cumulative population-weighted average concentration method was applied to investigate exposures and inequality for education level, job category, age, gender and income population subgroups. The relationships between socioeconomic factors and PM2.5 exposure concentrations were quantified using the geographically and temporally weighted regression model (GTWR). Results indicate that the PM2.5 concentrations in most of the capital cities in the study experienced an increasing trend at a rate of 0.98 µg m-3 per year from 2000 to 2016. The proportion of the population exposed to high PM2.5 (above 35 µg m-3) increased annually, mainly due to the increase of population migrating into north, east, south and central China. The higher educated, older, higher income and urban secondary industry share (SIS) subgroups suffered from the most significant environmental inequality, respectively. The per capita GDP, population size, and the share of the secondary industry played an essential role in unequal exposure to PM2.5.

Evolution and restoration of water quality in the process of urban development: a case study in urban lake, China.

Urban development has positive and negative effects on the evolution of enclosed lake water quality. This study aims to quantitatively analyze the water quality evolution of a typical urban lake, the Sha Lake, in the process of urban development. The land use degree comprehensive index (I) was calculated to reveal the level of urban development; water quality index (Smid) and eutrophication index (Tmid) were used to evaluate the water quality changes by fuzzy comprehensive-quantifying assessment (FCQA) method. The urban construction process and the water quality changes in 2000-2018 in the Sha Lake Basin were divided into three stages: (1) in 2000-2006, with the slow urban development, water quality remained stable and the degree of eutrophication improved slightly; (2) in 2007-2009, I increased rapidly to reach 300, Smid and Tmid increased from 90.62 to 92.83 and 75.06 to 87.52, respectively. Water quality deteriorated because of the failure to implement environmental protection measures in time; (3) in 2010-2018, although urban development reached a high level (I > 300), the water network connection project, dredging project, exogenous pollutant control, and sewage pipe network renovation since 2009 were critical measures to improve water quality for a long time. Due to the lag effect on improving water quality, the implementation of environmental protection measures should be synchronized with or even before urban construction. The research results can provide a scientific basis for the urban lake water environment protection in the process of urban development.