Fatma A. Taha^1,2,*, Osama Amoudi¹, Fareed Alnozha¹, Reda Abuelatta¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.17, No.4, pp. 399-419, 2022, DOI:10.32604/chd.2022.020174

Abstract Background: Adult patients with congenital heart disease (ACHD) might be at high risk of Coronavirus disease- 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to report on a one-year tertiary center experience regards COVID-19 infection in ACHD patients. Methods: This is a one-year (March-2020 to March-2021) tertiary-center retrospective study that enrolled all ACHD patients; COVID-19 positive patients’ medical records, and management were reported. Results: We recorded 542 patients, 205 (37.8%) COVID-19-positive, and 337 (62.2%) COVID-19-negative patients. Palliated single ventricle and Eisenmenger syndrome patients were more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection (P < 0.05*). Cardiovascular COVID-19 complications were arrhythmias in 47 (22.9%) patients, heart failure… More >

Yang Wang¹, Jinlong Lin^1,*, M. James C. Crabbe^2,3,4, Xiao-Guang Yue⁵

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.24, No.3, pp. 385-398, 2022, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2022.020664

Abstract Health status is widely regarded as a correlate of depressive symptoms. However, health assessments based on clinical diagnosis in rural areas with poor medical conditions are very limited. Self-rated health (SRH) serves as a simple and convenient evaluation indicator, which may be used as an independent predictor of depressive symptoms. To confirm the relationship between SRH and depressive symptoms in rural adults, a longitudinal survey of rural households in China was conducted using the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) from 2012 to 2016. Propensity score matching and logistic regression analysis were used to explore the association. After data cleansing, 3,127… More >

Halimatus Sakdiah Minhat^1,2,*, Hazwan Mat Din², Raja Nurzatul Efah Raja Adnan²

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.23, No.3, pp. 409-416, 2021, DOI:10.32604/IJMHP.2021.015526

Abstract Population ageing puts pressure on the workforce and increase the demands for aged workforce. The demographic shifts have made the issue of healthier workers, especially those of advanced age and physically related job scopes, a fundamental aspect to employing older workers. Hence, this study aimed to explore the best practices to employ older adults into the social care sector. The social care sector was chosen in view of the nature of job and declining demand among younger workers. A qualitative study was conducted involving series of focus group discussions (FGD) with social care workers of long-term care centers in the… More >

Jianming Lu^1,*, Liangliang Xiang², Huw Wiltshire³

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.18, No.3, pp. 123-129, 2021, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2021.015993

Abstract Surface topography is a no-invasive, radiation-free method that can measure sufficient surface spine parameters by the structured back surface scan and a precise anatomical landmarks recognition. The purpose of the present study was to measure the spine shape parameter changes within the day via the DIERS Formetric 4D analysis system. Ten male healthy volunteers were recruited to participate in the experiment. All participants were sedentary people with the average sitting time during study or work t ≥ 8 h and without any back disease in the past six months. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, which set time points within… More >

Kelly Ferri^1,*, Maite Doñate^2,3, Mireia Parra^2,3, Guillermo R. Oviedo¹, Myriam Guerra-Balic¹, Laia Rojano-Doñate⁴, Nicole Blackburn⁵, Ricard Serra-Grima^2,3

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.6, pp. 585-595, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.016189

Abstract Background: Aerobic capacity (AC) in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) is often reduced, mainly due to low confidence levels towards physical activity (PA). The main objective of this study was to estimate the association between PA level and AC (measured as peak of oxygen consumption, VO_2peak) in adults with CHD. Methods: A total of 183 individuals (83 women and 100 men; mean (SD) age 36.9 (11.0) years old) from Vall d’Hebron Hospital, Barcelona-Spain in 2019, participated in this cross-sectional study. The AC was assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) using a treadmill ramp protocol. Considering values of metabolic equivalent… More >

Gabriele Egidy Assenza¹, Biagio Castaldi^2,*, Serena Flocco³, Giovanni Battista Luciani⁴, Giovanni Meliota⁵, Gabriele Rinelli⁶, Ugo Vairo⁵, Silvia Favilli⁷, Board of the Italian Society of Pediatric Cardiology

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.5, pp. 427-431, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.016713

Abstract COVID-19 pandemic continues to strike across the world with increasing number of infected patients, severe morbidity and mortality, social life and economy disruption. Universal access to vaccine prophylaxis will be pivotal in controlling this infection and providing individual level protection. However, mismatch between vaccine request and vaccine availability, as well as constraints in logistics of vaccine campaign is creating a transition phase of progressive but still incomplete inclusion of group of individuals in the vaccination process. Selected patients living with chronic and multisystemic disease may present increased propensity of adverse outcome, should Sars-Cov-2 infection develop. In these patients, expedite access… More >

Junhyoung Kim^1,*, Kevin K. Byon², Jaehyun Kim³

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.23, No.2, pp. 155-166, 2021, DOI:10.32604/IJMHP.2021.015232

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between types of leisure activities and happiness, life satisfaction, and health perception of older Korean adults during the COVID-19 era. Using snowballing and purposive sampling methods, 123 respondents participated in the study. The results show that participation in outdoor activities and home-based activities served as a strong predictor of happiness, life satisfaction, and health perceptions among older Korean adults. These findings suggest that engaging in outdoor activities and home-based activities is likely to increase the psychological and mental health of older Korean adults during the COVID-19 era. More >

Geena Kim¹, Hong Ryang Kil^2,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.3, pp. 211-220, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.013724

Abstract Background: The influence of the timing of transcatheter atrial septal defect (ASD) closure on ventricular remodeling at 6 months after ASD closure is unclear. This study investigated changes in cardiac remodeling after transcatheter closure of large ASDs according to patient age at the time of the procedure. Methods: In this study, 41 children and 43 adults underwent percutaneous closure of a large ASD. Cardiac remodeling was assessed by two-dimensional echocardiography and electrocardiography before and at 6 months after ASD closure. Results: The age of the children and adults were 2.8 ± 3.1 and 50.0 ± 15.6 years, respectively. The Qp/Qs… More >

Prisca Eser^1,*, Thomas Gruber¹, Thimo Marcin¹, Claudia Boeni^1,2, Kerstin Wustmann³, Christina DeLuigi¹, Matthias Greutmann⁴, Daniel Tobler⁵, Markus Schwerzmann³, Matthias Wilhelm¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.16, No.1, pp. 73-84, 2021, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2021.013051

Abstract Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether patients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) benefit from exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) short- and long-term with regard to improvement of cardiorespiratory fitness. Methods: Cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPET) completed by ACHD patients between January 2000 and October 2019 were analysed retrospectively. Linear mixed models were performed for peak oxygen consumption (VO₂) with patients as random effect and age, sex, disease classification, preceding surgery (≤3 months) and preceding CR (≤4 weeks for short term and >4 weeks for long term) as fixed effects. Results: 1056 CPETs of 311 ACHD patients with… More >

Yi Yang^1,2,* , Tao Li³

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.22, No.4, pp. 249-259, 2020, DOI:10.32604/IJMHP.2020.014321

Abstract This study is aimed to explore relations between chronic diseases, activities of daily living (ADLs) disability and depression among older adults, particularly ADLs disability mediational effects on the correlation between chronic diseases and geriatric depression. Records of 5931 participants at age 60 and above from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2015 were used as valid samples for data relating to their chronic diseases index, ADLs scale and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. Our findings confirm that among older adults, 75.9% are afflicted with chronic diseases and 52.5% have ADLs difficulty or disability, and that there… More >