Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormone problem characterized by androgen excess and typically leads to the development of small cysts in the ovaries, insulin resistance, hirsutism, irregular menstrual cycles, and hyperandrogenism. While there is no cure for PCOS, treatments like metformin and lifestyle modifications work to manage individual symptoms. While studies in the past have compared individual effects of metformin and lifestyle modifications on symptoms of PCOS, a limited number of studies have compared the effects of metformin with lifestyle modifications, specifically aerobic exercise. This review compared the effects of metformin treatment and exercise interventions on metabolic symptoms, such as high blood glucose and insulin levels in PCOS. Methods: A literature search using Pubmed and Google Scholar was conducted. A total of five articles focusing on metformin were included in the review; some focusing inclusively on the drug itself, others comparing lifestyle modifications alone and modifications combined with metformin. In this review, the lifestyle modification was aerobic exercises, taking the form of exercise regimes (walks, marching in place, or supervised fitness sessions). Results: Results show that metformin improves metabolic symptoms, including blood glucose and insulin levels, significantly more than lifestyle interventions alone; however, if both treatments were combined, these effects were more profound. Discussion: Metformin serves as an effective treatment for metabolic and hormonal symptoms, consequently improving PCOS symptomology. Although exercise is shown to be less effective than metformin, the addition of exercise to metformin treatment further ameliorates symptomology. Conclusion: Combining metformin and aerobic exercise demonstrates the greatest impact on managing PCOS symptoms. Future studies should examine the standardization of an aerobic exercise regimen and pharmaceutical treatments for the management of PCOS.
导言：多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）是一种常见的激素问题，其特点是雄激素过多，通常会导致卵巢出现小囊肿、胰岛素抵抗、多毛、月经周期不规律和雄激素过多。虽然多囊卵巢综合症无法治愈，但二甲双胍和生活方式调整等治疗方法可以控制个别症状。虽然过去的研究比较了二甲双胍和生活方式调整对多囊卵巢综合征症状的个体影响，但只有少数研究比较了二甲双胍和生活方式调整（特别是有氧运动）的影响。本综述比较了二甲双胍治疗和运动干预对多囊卵巢综合征代谢症状（如高血糖和胰岛素水平）的影响。研究方法使用 Pubmed 和 Google Scholar 进行文献检索。共有五篇关注二甲双胍的文章被纳入综述；其中一些文章重点关注药物本身，另一些则比较了单独的生活方式调整和与二甲双胍相结合的生活方式调整。在这篇综述中，生活方式的改变是有氧运动，采取的形式是锻炼计划（散步、原地踏步或有监督的健身课程）。结果结果显示，二甲双胍对代谢症状（包括血糖和胰岛素水平）的改善效果明显优于单独的生活方式干预；但是，如果两种治疗方法结合使用，效果会更加显著。讨论：二甲双胍可有效治疗代谢和激素症状，从而改善多囊卵巢综合症的症状。虽然运动的效果不如二甲双胍，但在二甲双胍治疗的基础上增加运动，可进一步改善症状。结论将二甲双胍与有氧运动相结合，对控制多囊卵巢综合征症状的影响最大。今后的研究应探讨有氧运动疗法和药物疗法在治疗多囊卵巢综合症方面的标准化问题。
{"title":"Comparing The Effects of Metformin and Exercise-Based Lifestyle Interventions for Symptom Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): A Literature Review","authors":"Angela Gao, Jean-Ren Wen","doi":"10.26685/urncst.525","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26685/urncst.525","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormone problem characterized by androgen excess and typically leads to the development of small cysts in the ovaries, insulin resistance, hirsutism, irregular menstrual cycles, and hyperandrogenism. While there is no cure for PCOS, treatments like metformin and lifestyle modifications work to manage individual symptoms. While studies in the past have compared individual effects of metformin and lifestyle modifications on symptoms of PCOS, a limited number of studies have compared the effects of metformin with lifestyle modifications, specifically aerobic exercise. This review compared the effects of metformin treatment and exercise interventions on metabolic symptoms, such as high blood glucose and insulin levels in PCOS. Methods: A literature search using Pubmed and Google Scholar was conducted. A total of five articles focusing on metformin were included in the review; some focusing inclusively on the drug itself, others comparing lifestyle modifications alone and modifications combined with metformin. In this review, the lifestyle modification was aerobic exercises, taking the form of exercise regimes (walks, marching in place, or supervised fitness sessions). Results: Results show that metformin improves metabolic symptoms, including blood glucose and insulin levels, significantly more than lifestyle interventions alone; however, if both treatments were combined, these effects were more profound. Discussion: Metformin serves as an effective treatment for metabolic and hormonal symptoms, consequently improving PCOS symptomology. Although exercise is shown to be less effective than metformin, the addition of exercise to metformin treatment further ameliorates symptomology. Conclusion: Combining metformin and aerobic exercise demonstrates the greatest impact on managing PCOS symptoms. Future studies should examine the standardization of an aerobic exercise regimen and pharmaceutical treatments for the management of PCOS.","PeriodicalId":245521,"journal":{"name":"Undergraduate Research in Natural and Clinical Science and Technology (URNCST) Journal","volume":"10 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139439037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction: Improper cholesterol metabolism results in accumulation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL). High levels of LDL cholesterol deposits in blood vessels, forming plaques and contributing to various cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR) regulates the transcription of genes involved in cholesterol metabolism and is a therapeutic target for cholesterol dysregulation. Studies conducted on immortalized human hepatocytes demonstrate FXR signaling-induced downregulation of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) expression. PCSK9 is an LDL receptor-degrading enzyme whose upregulation is implicated in cholesterol-mediated diseases. Specifically, the FXR target gene SHP (small heterodimer partner) is a transcriptional regulator that has been implicated in an inverse relationship with PCSK9 expression. The biomolecular mechanism mediating this relationship has not been explored, meriting investigation into a potential novel axis of cholesterol metabolism. We hypothesize that SHP is a direct repressor of PCSK9 transcription. Methods: To investigate, we will knock out SHP expression in the liver hepatocyte cell line AML12 using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). To confirm SHP knockout on transcriptomic and proteomic levels, reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting will be performed. To assess SHP binding to the promoter region of PCSK9, an electrophoretic mobility supershift (EMSA) assay will be performed on unstimulated or chenodeoxycolic acid (CDCA)-stimulated AML12 cells that have undergone SHP or control knockouts. Western blotting will quantitate PCSK9 protein expression following SHP knockout in CDCA-stimulated and unstimulated conditions. Results: Results from EMSA are expected to demonstrate SHP binding to the promoter region of PCSK9 in a transcription factor complex to repress transcription. SHP knockout models are expected to show upregulated PCSK9 expression at transcriptomic and proteomic levels. Discussion: If successful, our study presents a novel perspective on cholesterol metabolism by characterizing the inhibitory effect of SHP on PCSK9 expression. This underlines the critical role of FXR signaling in PCSK9 regulation, and knockout models and assay techniques provide valuable evidence of this regulatory role. Conclusion: This study will establish an enhanced understanding of the SHP/PCSK9 pathway within broader pathways of cholesterol metabolism. Further research may explore therapies targeting the SHP/PCSK9 pathway to manage CVD downstream of cholesterol dysregulation.
{"title":"Investigating SHP and PCSK9 Interactions in Cholesterol-Mediated Cardiovascular Diseases: A Research Protocol","authors":"Moon Young Bae, Rachel Kim, Judy Wang","doi":"10.26685/urncst.530","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26685/urncst.530","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Improper cholesterol metabolism results in accumulation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL). High levels of LDL cholesterol deposits in blood vessels, forming plaques and contributing to various cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR) regulates the transcription of genes involved in cholesterol metabolism and is a therapeutic target for cholesterol dysregulation. Studies conducted on immortalized human hepatocytes demonstrate FXR signaling-induced downregulation of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) expression. PCSK9 is an LDL receptor-degrading enzyme whose upregulation is implicated in cholesterol-mediated diseases. Specifically, the FXR target gene SHP (small heterodimer partner) is a transcriptional regulator that has been implicated in an inverse relationship with PCSK9 expression. The biomolecular mechanism mediating this relationship has not been explored, meriting investigation into a potential novel axis of cholesterol metabolism. We hypothesize that SHP is a direct repressor of PCSK9 transcription. Methods: To investigate, we will knock out SHP expression in the liver hepatocyte cell line AML12 using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). To confirm SHP knockout on transcriptomic and proteomic levels, reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting will be performed. To assess SHP binding to the promoter region of PCSK9, an electrophoretic mobility supershift (EMSA) assay will be performed on unstimulated or chenodeoxycolic acid (CDCA)-stimulated AML12 cells that have undergone SHP or control knockouts. Western blotting will quantitate PCSK9 protein expression following SHP knockout in CDCA-stimulated and unstimulated conditions. Results: Results from EMSA are expected to demonstrate SHP binding to the promoter region of PCSK9 in a transcription factor complex to repress transcription. SHP knockout models are expected to show upregulated PCSK9 expression at transcriptomic and proteomic levels. Discussion: If successful, our study presents a novel perspective on cholesterol metabolism by characterizing the inhibitory effect of SHP on PCSK9 expression. This underlines the critical role of FXR signaling in PCSK9 regulation, and knockout models and assay techniques provide valuable evidence of this regulatory role. Conclusion: This study will establish an enhanced understanding of the SHP/PCSK9 pathway within broader pathways of cholesterol metabolism. Further research may explore therapies targeting the SHP/PCSK9 pathway to manage CVD downstream of cholesterol dysregulation.","PeriodicalId":245521,"journal":{"name":"Undergraduate Research in Natural and Clinical Science and Technology (URNCST) Journal","volume":"121 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139146230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction: Spinal cord injury is a prominent neurological complication and is characterized by motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunction. It can cause paralysis depending on the area that is affected within the spinal cord. There have been many attempts to mitigate this condition and regeneration of neurons is one of the leading cures. Graphene is a carbon compound that is made from graphite. This unique one-atom layer is a versatile substance with potential uses in electronics due to its flexibility, conductance properties, and transparency. In the past, the creation of graphene was very expensive but now with the new technology of flash graphene, a method where carbon compounds are zapped into graphene flakes through flash heating, graphene is an accessible material for scaffolds to renew neurogenesis within spinal cord injury patients. Methods: A literature search was conducted using predetermined inclusion criteria and resulted in multiple primary research papers that presented research on graphene as a potential scaffolding agent for spinal cord injury. Results: Graphene based interfaces used within spinal cord injury have shown an increase in cell viability and neuron regeneration. These graphene interfaces do not create a disturbance in the electrical conductances that occur within the neuronal network. Graphene woven technology can also detect subtle muscle, which allows for quantifiable regeneration data. Discussion: With the creation of graphene, the carbon becomes fixed in a solid state and can be used as a conductor within electronics. Graphene usage within the body is not considered toxic as long as it is used within measured concentrations. This technology can be used to significantly impact how patients with spinal cord injury recover, potentially regaining use of their previously paralyzed limbs through neuron regeneration on graphene interfaces such as scaffolds or nanoplatelets.
{"title":"Spinal Cord Injury Repair Using Flash Graphene Based Treatments: A Literature Review","authors":"Riddhi S. Mehta, Kevin Enemuo, Sydney Myers","doi":"10.26685/urncst.526","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26685/urncst.526","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Spinal cord injury is a prominent neurological complication and is characterized by motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunction. It can cause paralysis depending on the area that is affected within the spinal cord. There have been many attempts to mitigate this condition and regeneration of neurons is one of the leading cures. Graphene is a carbon compound that is made from graphite. This unique one-atom layer is a versatile substance with potential uses in electronics due to its flexibility, conductance properties, and transparency. In the past, the creation of graphene was very expensive but now with the new technology of flash graphene, a method where carbon compounds are zapped into graphene flakes through flash heating, graphene is an accessible material for scaffolds to renew neurogenesis within spinal cord injury patients. Methods: A literature search was conducted using predetermined inclusion criteria and resulted in multiple primary research papers that presented research on graphene as a potential scaffolding agent for spinal cord injury. Results: Graphene based interfaces used within spinal cord injury have shown an increase in cell viability and neuron regeneration. These graphene interfaces do not create a disturbance in the electrical conductances that occur within the neuronal network. Graphene woven technology can also detect subtle muscle, which allows for quantifiable regeneration data. Discussion: With the creation of graphene, the carbon becomes fixed in a solid state and can be used as a conductor within electronics. Graphene usage within the body is not considered toxic as long as it is used within measured concentrations. This technology can be used to significantly impact how patients with spinal cord injury recover, potentially regaining use of their previously paralyzed limbs through neuron regeneration on graphene interfaces such as scaffolds or nanoplatelets.","PeriodicalId":245521,"journal":{"name":"Undergraduate Research in Natural and Clinical Science and Technology (URNCST) Journal","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139262943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction: Many individuals suffering from mental illnesses remain undiagnosed due to accessibility barriers. Emerging trends in telemedicine offer innovative solutions to these challenges: remote healthcare delivery such as videoconferencing eliminates the effort and cost of commuting, allowing patients access to mental health care from the comfort of their homes. This literature review examined patients meeting diagnosis criteria for a mental disorder and receiving treatment either in-person or online, with the goal of comparing treatment outcomes, satisfaction, and reliability. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature search directly related to telemedicine as a treatment to mental disorders using PubMed databases, Embase, MEDLINE, and Web of Science databases between database inception to February 2023. All peer-reviewed manuscripts on outcome, reliability, and patient satisfaction on the topic were included. Secondary research, cross-benefit analyses, and summaries of trends were excluded. The results of each study, intervention methods, demographic, and attrition were summarized on Excel. Results: Out of 2034 articles found in the literature search conducted on PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, and Web of Science databases between inception and February 2023, 25 studies that directly relate to telemedicine as a treatment for mental disorders were included. Most of them found no significant differences in outcome and satisfaction between both delivery modalities. Two studies examined the inter-rater reliability of diagnoses between delivery methods, but one reported no significant differences while the other found a significantly higher correlation between the scores of two raters for telemedicine patients. Discussion: The current literature suggest that telemedicine is at least comparable to in-person healthcare in terms of outcome, as most of the reviewed studies found insignificant differences between the two delivery modalities. However, inter-rater reliability of psychiatric interviews using telemedicine and in-person modalities remain uncertain due to the limited number of studies on the topic and the contradicting results of the two papers addressing this issue. Conclusion: Telemedicine may serve as a cost-effective and time-saving method for interventions that do not require the patient to be on-site. Further research comparing clinical interviews and diagnoses between raters from both modalities should be conducted to establish a larger body of evidence on reliability.
导读:由于无障碍障碍，许多患有精神疾病的人仍未得到诊断。远程医疗的新兴趋势为这些挑战提供了创新的解决方案:视频会议等远程医疗保健服务消除了通勤的工作量和成本，使患者能够在舒适的家中获得精神卫生保健。本文献综述检查了符合精神障碍诊断标准并接受面对面或在线治疗的患者，目的是比较治疗结果、满意度和可靠性。方法:使用PubMed数据库、Embase、MEDLINE和Web of Science数据库，从数据库建立到2023年2月，对远程医疗作为精神障碍治疗的直接相关文献进行了全面检索。所有关于结果、可靠性和患者满意度的同行评议手稿均被纳入。二次研究、交叉效益分析和趋势总结被排除在外。每项研究的结果、干预方法、人口统计和人员流失在Excel上进行汇总。结果:在PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE和Web of Science数据库上进行的文献检索中，从成立到2023年2月，发现了2034篇文章，其中25篇研究与远程医疗作为精神障碍治疗直接相关。大多数人发现两种分娩方式的结果和满意度没有显著差异。两项研究考察了不同递送方式之间评分者诊断的可靠性，但一项研究报告没有显著差异，而另一项研究发现远程医疗患者的两个评分者得分之间存在显著较高的相关性。讨论:目前的文献表明，就结果而言，远程医疗至少与现场医疗相当，因为大多数审查的研究发现两种交付方式之间存在显着差异。然而，由于关于该主题的研究数量有限，以及两篇关于该问题的论文的结果相互矛盾，使用远程医疗和面对面模式的精神病学访谈的评估者之间的可靠性仍然不确定。结论:远程医疗可以作为一种成本效益和节省时间的干预方法，不需要患者在现场。应该进行进一步的研究，比较两种模式的评分者的临床访谈和诊断，以建立更大的可靠性证据。
{"title":"Telemedicine for Mental Disorders: A Review of Treatment Outcomes, Patient Satisfaction, and Reliability Comparisons with In-Person Care","authors":"Jiaqi Feng","doi":"10.26685/urncst.508","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26685/urncst.508","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Many individuals suffering from mental illnesses remain undiagnosed due to accessibility barriers. Emerging trends in telemedicine offer innovative solutions to these challenges: remote healthcare delivery such as videoconferencing eliminates the effort and cost of commuting, allowing patients access to mental health care from the comfort of their homes. This literature review examined patients meeting diagnosis criteria for a mental disorder and receiving treatment either in-person or online, with the goal of comparing treatment outcomes, satisfaction, and reliability. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature search directly related to telemedicine as a treatment to mental disorders using PubMed databases, Embase, MEDLINE, and Web of Science databases between database inception to February 2023. All peer-reviewed manuscripts on outcome, reliability, and patient satisfaction on the topic were included. Secondary research, cross-benefit analyses, and summaries of trends were excluded. The results of each study, intervention methods, demographic, and attrition were summarized on Excel. Results: Out of 2034 articles found in the literature search conducted on PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, and Web of Science databases between inception and February 2023, 25 studies that directly relate to telemedicine as a treatment for mental disorders were included. Most of them found no significant differences in outcome and satisfaction between both delivery modalities. Two studies examined the inter-rater reliability of diagnoses between delivery methods, but one reported no significant differences while the other found a significantly higher correlation between the scores of two raters for telemedicine patients. Discussion: The current literature suggest that telemedicine is at least comparable to in-person healthcare in terms of outcome, as most of the reviewed studies found insignificant differences between the two delivery modalities. However, inter-rater reliability of psychiatric interviews using telemedicine and in-person modalities remain uncertain due to the limited number of studies on the topic and the contradicting results of the two papers addressing this issue. Conclusion: Telemedicine may serve as a cost-effective and time-saving method for interventions that do not require the patient to be on-site. Further research comparing clinical interviews and diagnoses between raters from both modalities should be conducted to establish a larger body of evidence on reliability.","PeriodicalId":245521,"journal":{"name":"Undergraduate Research in Natural and Clinical Science and Technology (URNCST) Journal","volume":"106 47","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135136513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition which often begins in early childhood and can involve a spectrum of persistent challenges with social communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviours. Literature in western and non-western countries has demonstrated that parents of children with ASD experience elevated stress relative to parents of neurotypical children. Despite the health-related burdens presented by raising children with ASD, little clinical and research emphasis is placed on reducing parental stress. Furthermore, much of the limited work on parent-centered interventions been conducted in the U.S., and few similar interventions have been developed for the Japanese population. Methods: The Japanese Parent Mentorship Program (JPM) seeks to modify a pre-existing social support intervention (the Colorado Parent Mentorship Program developed for parents of ASD children in the U.S.) to Japanese parents by incorporating dialogue about the culturally relevant stressors, social acceptability, maternal burden, saving the face, and parent-child attachment. To test the efficacy of the JPM at reducing parental stress, a randomized control trial will be conducted with mothers of ASD children who were born and are living in Japan for a minimum of five years. Results: Enrolment into the JPM will be associated with decreased parental stress post-intervention. The social support provided in the JPM will also be a protective moderator on the relationship between parental stress and ASD severity by weakening the overall association between parental stress and ASD severity. Discussion: The JPM can improve health outcomes for parents and their children with ASD by decreasing parental stress and consequently, ASD severity, leading to numerous indirect and positive implications on their physical, emotional, and social well-being. As prompted by the JPM, cultural competence in ASD management, is associated with positive outcomes such as such as increased likelihood of treatment continuation, increased strength of perceived therapeutic alliance and increased perceived treatment benefit. Conclusion: This research contributes to a major gap in the cross-cultural literature about parental stress and ASD. This work can be used to inform intervention strategies in Japan and researchers can emulate this design towards a global shift of providing culturally competent interventions for all.
{"title":"Improving Parental Stress and Child ASD Severity through the Japanese Parent Mentorship Program: A Research Protocol","authors":"Tasneem Patel","doi":"10.26685/urncst.510","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26685/urncst.510","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition which often begins in early childhood and can involve a spectrum of persistent challenges with social communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviours. Literature in western and non-western countries has demonstrated that parents of children with ASD experience elevated stress relative to parents of neurotypical children. Despite the health-related burdens presented by raising children with ASD, little clinical and research emphasis is placed on reducing parental stress. Furthermore, much of the limited work on parent-centered interventions been conducted in the U.S., and few similar interventions have been developed for the Japanese population. Methods: The Japanese Parent Mentorship Program (JPM) seeks to modify a pre-existing social support intervention (the Colorado Parent Mentorship Program developed for parents of ASD children in the U.S.) to Japanese parents by incorporating dialogue about the culturally relevant stressors, social acceptability, maternal burden, saving the face, and parent-child attachment. To test the efficacy of the JPM at reducing parental stress, a randomized control trial will be conducted with mothers of ASD children who were born and are living in Japan for a minimum of five years. Results: Enrolment into the JPM will be associated with decreased parental stress post-intervention. The social support provided in the JPM will also be a protective moderator on the relationship between parental stress and ASD severity by weakening the overall association between parental stress and ASD severity. Discussion: The JPM can improve health outcomes for parents and their children with ASD by decreasing parental stress and consequently, ASD severity, leading to numerous indirect and positive implications on their physical, emotional, and social well-being. As prompted by the JPM, cultural competence in ASD management, is associated with positive outcomes such as such as increased likelihood of treatment continuation, increased strength of perceived therapeutic alliance and increased perceived treatment benefit. Conclusion: This research contributes to a major gap in the cross-cultural literature about parental stress and ASD. This work can be used to inform intervention strategies in Japan and researchers can emulate this design towards a global shift of providing culturally competent interventions for all.","PeriodicalId":245521,"journal":{"name":"Undergraduate Research in Natural and Clinical Science and Technology (URNCST) Journal","volume":" 4","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135241365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Breastfeeding offers substantial benefits to infant health, encompassing physical and neurodevelopmental aspects. National and international guidelines, such as those from the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) and World Health Organization (WHO), recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding with complementary foods until two years of age or beyond. Despite these recommendations, Canada faces challenges in achieving optimal breastfeeding rates, with only 35% of parents exclusively breastfeeding until the recommended six-month mark. This narrative review aims to assess the implementation rate of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in Canada, an intervention established by the WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to promote breastfeeding. Comprehensive searches on Google and official websites of relevant associations and organizations were conducted to gather data on the number of designated Baby-Friendly Hospitals using reports from 2016 to 2022. Our findings reveal that only 3% of the 604 total hospitals in Canada available for receiving Baby-Friendly designation have acquired it. Furthermore, the proportion of designated hospitals is less than one-third in each province. There are varying trends in the number of designated Baby-Friendly Hospitals across Canadian provinces and territories. While some have demonstrated a steady increase over the examined period (e.g. Nova Scotia, Alberta), others exhibited a decline or no change (e.g. Ontario, Prince Edward Island). Several factors may have contributed to the low numbers and trends in BFHI designation, including the COVID-19 pandemic, lack of BFHI implementation in hospital accreditation requirements, and the dispersed efforts towards BFHI-related activities. These results underscore the urgent need for enhanced implementation of the BFHI across Canada.
{"title":"The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative in Canada: A Narrative Review","authors":"Faye Arellano","doi":"10.26685/urncst.516","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26685/urncst.516","url":null,"abstract":"Breastfeeding offers substantial benefits to infant health, encompassing physical and neurodevelopmental aspects. National and international guidelines, such as those from the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) and World Health Organization (WHO), recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding with complementary foods until two years of age or beyond. Despite these recommendations, Canada faces challenges in achieving optimal breastfeeding rates, with only 35% of parents exclusively breastfeeding until the recommended six-month mark. This narrative review aims to assess the implementation rate of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in Canada, an intervention established by the WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to promote breastfeeding. Comprehensive searches on Google and official websites of relevant associations and organizations were conducted to gather data on the number of designated Baby-Friendly Hospitals using reports from 2016 to 2022. Our findings reveal that only 3% of the 604 total hospitals in Canada available for receiving Baby-Friendly designation have acquired it. Furthermore, the proportion of designated hospitals is less than one-third in each province. There are varying trends in the number of designated Baby-Friendly Hospitals across Canadian provinces and territories. While some have demonstrated a steady increase over the examined period (e.g. Nova Scotia, Alberta), others exhibited a decline or no change (e.g. Ontario, Prince Edward Island). Several factors may have contributed to the low numbers and trends in BFHI designation, including the COVID-19 pandemic, lack of BFHI implementation in hospital accreditation requirements, and the dispersed efforts towards BFHI-related activities. These results underscore the urgent need for enhanced implementation of the BFHI across Canada.","PeriodicalId":245521,"journal":{"name":"Undergraduate Research in Natural and Clinical Science and Technology (URNCST) Journal","volume":"48 22","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135820311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laura Kostwinder, Joyce van Paassen, Iliana Keritses, Maria Tavares
The human microbiota consists of 10-100 trillion symbiotic microbial cells critical for one’s digestive system, immune system and for managing neurological symptoms experienced in neurodevelopmental conditions. With early exposure to antibiotics, an individual’s microbiome composition is negatively affected by reducing the diversity of microbial species found in the microbiome and can lead to an imbalance in the Gut-Brain-Axis (GBA). While the direct relationship between the GBA and neurodevelopmental functioning is still unclear, evidence suggests that individuals with a disruptive microbiome and an imbalanced GBA have an increased risk of developing neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To improve microbiome diversity, exposure to a high prebiotic and probiotic diet in the early stages of life can reintroduce beneficial bacteria back into the microbiome and improve microbial diversity. Pre- and pro-biotics can improve microbiome diversity and restore balance to the GBA. With the introduction of a prebiotic and probiotic diet and a balanced GBA, there is a possibility to reduce the severity of ASD symptoms. By reducing the severity of ASD symptoms, the quality of life of those with severe ASD can potentially be improved allowing them to maintain functional independence. This research protocol intends to utilize an automated video tracking system and three-chambered social approach to evaluate the behavioural symptoms in BTBR strain mice which exhibit symptoms before and after administration of pre- and probiotics following antibiotic exposure.
{"title":"The Effects of Prebiotics and Probiotics Following Antibiotic Exposure in a Mouse Model of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Research Protocol","authors":"Laura Kostwinder, Joyce van Paassen, Iliana Keritses, Maria Tavares","doi":"10.26685/urncst.501","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26685/urncst.501","url":null,"abstract":"The human microbiota consists of 10-100 trillion symbiotic microbial cells critical for one’s digestive system, immune system and for managing neurological symptoms experienced in neurodevelopmental conditions. With early exposure to antibiotics, an individual’s microbiome composition is negatively affected by reducing the diversity of microbial species found in the microbiome and can lead to an imbalance in the Gut-Brain-Axis (GBA). While the direct relationship between the GBA and neurodevelopmental functioning is still unclear, evidence suggests that individuals with a disruptive microbiome and an imbalanced GBA have an increased risk of developing neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To improve microbiome diversity, exposure to a high prebiotic and probiotic diet in the early stages of life can reintroduce beneficial bacteria back into the microbiome and improve microbial diversity. Pre- and pro-biotics can improve microbiome diversity and restore balance to the GBA. With the introduction of a prebiotic and probiotic diet and a balanced GBA, there is a possibility to reduce the severity of ASD symptoms. By reducing the severity of ASD symptoms, the quality of life of those with severe ASD can potentially be improved allowing them to maintain functional independence. This research protocol intends to utilize an automated video tracking system and three-chambered social approach to evaluate the behavioural symptoms in BTBR strain mice which exhibit symptoms before and after administration of pre- and probiotics following antibiotic exposure.","PeriodicalId":245521,"journal":{"name":"Undergraduate Research in Natural and Clinical Science and Technology (URNCST) Journal","volume":"7 6","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135934016","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction: Childhood obesity and youth depression are serious ongoing global crises of the 21st century. Many researchers have often attributed this to the well-established association between them. Consequently, psychotherapies are increasingly being integrated into interventions to improve weight status and depression outcomes for individuals with overweight and/or obesity (OW/OB). However, the effectiveness of these interventions has not yet been reviewed for youth with OW/OB. Such youth tend to be at a higher risk of developing comorbid depressive symptoms, which can likely persist into adulthood. Therefore, this narrative review explored the effectiveness of psychotherapy integrations within OW/OB interventions on youth’s weight statuses and their depressive symptoms contemporaneously. Methods: Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, PubMed, and Scopus were accessed. English peer-reviewed empirical articles, reviews, meta-analyses, clinical trials, and pilot studies from the last ten years and those that investigated the effectiveness of OW/OB interventions integrated with psychotherapy among youth (5-18 years) were included. Keywords related to diet, psychotherapy, OW/OB, youth, and depression were used. Non-peer-reviewed sources, reviews lacking sufficient transparency in their methodology, editorials, letters, study protocols, commentaries, preprints, and dissertations were excluded. Results: Four studies, including two pilot studies, were included. Overall, we found high heterogeneity in their intervention components and conditions, study designs, participants, and results. Among youth, all studies found no significant improvements in weight status as per the authors’ set significance thresholds. Mixed results were obtained for the effect on youth’s depressive symptoms. Discussion: There is an alarming lack of recent literature investigating the impact of integrated evidence-based psychotherapies within OW/OB interventions on youth’s weight statuses and depressive symptoms. It is important to investigate their effectiveness in equipping youth with OW/OB with skills to make sustained lifestyle changes and cope with weight discrimination and depressive symptoms. We attributed the weak success of these interventions to the lack of cultural adaptations and standardization of study types, intervention structures, components, and conditions. Conclusion: It is important for researchers to continue investigating the success of such interventions on youth with OW/OB’s physical and mental outcomes simultaneously. This will further inform the interdisciplinary approach needed to deliver appropriate care to these youth.
{"title":"The Effectiveness of Integrating Psychotherapy Into Overweight/Obesity Interventions on Youth’s Weight Status and Depressive Symptoms: A Narrative Review","authors":"Rohina Kumar, Genevieve Ramnarine","doi":"10.26685/urncst.524","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26685/urncst.524","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Childhood obesity and youth depression are serious ongoing global crises of the 21st century. Many researchers have often attributed this to the well-established association between them. Consequently, psychotherapies are increasingly being integrated into interventions to improve weight status and depression outcomes for individuals with overweight and/or obesity (OW/OB). However, the effectiveness of these interventions has not yet been reviewed for youth with OW/OB. Such youth tend to be at a higher risk of developing comorbid depressive symptoms, which can likely persist into adulthood. Therefore, this narrative review explored the effectiveness of psychotherapy integrations within OW/OB interventions on youth’s weight statuses and their depressive symptoms contemporaneously. Methods: Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, PubMed, and Scopus were accessed. English peer-reviewed empirical articles, reviews, meta-analyses, clinical trials, and pilot studies from the last ten years and those that investigated the effectiveness of OW/OB interventions integrated with psychotherapy among youth (5-18 years) were included. Keywords related to diet, psychotherapy, OW/OB, youth, and depression were used. Non-peer-reviewed sources, reviews lacking sufficient transparency in their methodology, editorials, letters, study protocols, commentaries, preprints, and dissertations were excluded. Results: Four studies, including two pilot studies, were included. Overall, we found high heterogeneity in their intervention components and conditions, study designs, participants, and results. Among youth, all studies found no significant improvements in weight status as per the authors’ set significance thresholds. Mixed results were obtained for the effect on youth’s depressive symptoms. Discussion: There is an alarming lack of recent literature investigating the impact of integrated evidence-based psychotherapies within OW/OB interventions on youth’s weight statuses and depressive symptoms. It is important to investigate their effectiveness in equipping youth with OW/OB with skills to make sustained lifestyle changes and cope with weight discrimination and depressive symptoms. We attributed the weak success of these interventions to the lack of cultural adaptations and standardization of study types, intervention structures, components, and conditions. Conclusion: It is important for researchers to continue investigating the success of such interventions on youth with OW/OB’s physical and mental outcomes simultaneously. This will further inform the interdisciplinary approach needed to deliver appropriate care to these youth.","PeriodicalId":245521,"journal":{"name":"Undergraduate Research in Natural and Clinical Science and Technology (URNCST) Journal","volume":"161 12","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136236033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Background: The development of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial in the fight against the pandemic; however, vaccine hesitancy was a growing concern amplified by the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines. This review aims to explore the underlying factors influencing vaccine acceptance and hesitancy, including socio-demographic characteristics and health beliefs. Methods: We conducted a scoping review to examine literature and major factors impacting people's willingness to take COVID-19 vaccines. A literature search was performed using four major literature databases: Medline®, Embase®, CINAHL®, and Scopus®. A total of 30 articles fit the predetermined criteria for this sample search. The articles were independently screened to identify the study location, sampling method, study design, and enablers and barriers to vaccination. Results: Studies were included from five different continents and the findings indicating the following six main areas had significant impact on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance: (1) vaccine safety and efficacy, (2) trust in government and political views, (3) COVID-19 risk perception, (4) cultural factors, (5) knowledge about COVID-19 and public health messaging, and (6) income level and vaccine cost. Various studies had conflicting results highlighting the influence of environmental factors and the need for unique and targeted public health interventions. Conclusion: Identifying and understanding factors that affect vaccine uptake can aid in the development of effective strategies to improve public health. Our findings suggest that additional efforts should be made by healthcare personnel and public health officials in terms of educating the public and understanding the influence of environmental and personal belief factors. Financial barriers should also be carefully considered to overcome accessibility issues in countries where healthcare is not funded by the government.
{"title":"Contextualizing Vaccine Hesitancy: A Scoping Review of Factors Influencing COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake","authors":"Lotus Alphonsus, Kavita Bailey, Sara Mojdehi","doi":"10.26685/urncst.533","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26685/urncst.533","url":null,"abstract":"Background: The development of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial in the fight against the pandemic; however, vaccine hesitancy was a growing concern amplified by the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines. This review aims to explore the underlying factors influencing vaccine acceptance and hesitancy, including socio-demographic characteristics and health beliefs. Methods: We conducted a scoping review to examine literature and major factors impacting people's willingness to take COVID-19 vaccines. A literature search was performed using four major literature databases: Medline®, Embase®, CINAHL®, and Scopus®. A total of 30 articles fit the predetermined criteria for this sample search. The articles were independently screened to identify the study location, sampling method, study design, and enablers and barriers to vaccination. Results: Studies were included from five different continents and the findings indicating the following six main areas had significant impact on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance: (1) vaccine safety and efficacy, (2) trust in government and political views, (3) COVID-19 risk perception, (4) cultural factors, (5) knowledge about COVID-19 and public health messaging, and (6) income level and vaccine cost. Various studies had conflicting results highlighting the influence of environmental factors and the need for unique and targeted public health interventions. Conclusion: Identifying and understanding factors that affect vaccine uptake can aid in the development of effective strategies to improve public health. Our findings suggest that additional efforts should be made by healthcare personnel and public health officials in terms of educating the public and understanding the influence of environmental and personal belief factors. Financial barriers should also be carefully considered to overcome accessibility issues in countries where healthcare is not funded by the government.","PeriodicalId":245521,"journal":{"name":"Undergraduate Research in Natural and Clinical Science and Technology (URNCST) Journal","volume":"239 3-4","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136236161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal forms of cancer in Canada. Tumour metastasis contributes to most of the deaths, a process heavily influenced by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). While the functions of CAFs have been widely researched, such as their metastasis-promoting secretion of growth factors, their origins remain unclear. This research protocol, therefore, seeks to confirm that PDAC cells are capable of differentiating both fibroblasts and endothelial cells into CAFs by secreting transforming growth-factor beta (TGF-β). Methods: The effects of culturing Hs68 fibroblasts and HMEC-1 endothelial cells in media containing TGF-β will be examined using media supplemented with TGF-β and conditioned media obtained from PANC-1 cells. To confirm these results, TGF-β receptor-inhibited cells will be included also. Proliferation assays, migration assays, RT-qPCR, and western blotting will then be used to determine successful differentiation into CAFs. Results: It is expected that the presence of TGF-β in culture media will lead to the increased proliferation, migration, and presence of CAF cell markers within the cell culture. The inhibited conditions grown in standard media with the added factor are expected to be comparable to their control groups. The same is expected of the inhibited HMEC-1 cells grown in PANC-1 conditioned media, however the Hs68 culture should more closely resemble its uninhibited condition. Discussion: The increased results described above for the uninhibited conditions grown in TGF-β-containing media would indicate the following; that this factor is capable of differentiating Hs68 and HMEC-1 cells into CAFs, and that PANC-1 cells are capable of initiating this change. This would be confirmed by the lack of difference between the inhibited versus control conditions; showing that this secreted factor is indeed responsible for these effects. Conclusion: The results from this protocol will help to solidify fibroblasts and endothelial cells as origins of CAFs, and TGF-β as a CAF-generating factor. By knowing more about their origin, the development of new potential drugs that target the formation of TGF-β is possible. Further directions could include the possibility of in vivo experiments confirming the results of this protocol.
{"title":"Can TGF-β Differentiate Fibroblasts and Endothelial Cells into CAFs?: A Research Protocol","authors":"Mila E. Tkatchouk","doi":"10.26685/urncst.528","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26685/urncst.528","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal forms of cancer in Canada. Tumour metastasis contributes to most of the deaths, a process heavily influenced by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). While the functions of CAFs have been widely researched, such as their metastasis-promoting secretion of growth factors, their origins remain unclear. This research protocol, therefore, seeks to confirm that PDAC cells are capable of differentiating both fibroblasts and endothelial cells into CAFs by secreting transforming growth-factor beta (TGF-β). Methods: The effects of culturing Hs68 fibroblasts and HMEC-1 endothelial cells in media containing TGF-β will be examined using media supplemented with TGF-β and conditioned media obtained from PANC-1 cells. To confirm these results, TGF-β receptor-inhibited cells will be included also. Proliferation assays, migration assays, RT-qPCR, and western blotting will then be used to determine successful differentiation into CAFs. Results: It is expected that the presence of TGF-β in culture media will lead to the increased proliferation, migration, and presence of CAF cell markers within the cell culture. The inhibited conditions grown in standard media with the added factor are expected to be comparable to their control groups. The same is expected of the inhibited HMEC-1 cells grown in PANC-1 conditioned media, however the Hs68 culture should more closely resemble its uninhibited condition. Discussion: The increased results described above for the uninhibited conditions grown in TGF-β-containing media would indicate the following; that this factor is capable of differentiating Hs68 and HMEC-1 cells into CAFs, and that PANC-1 cells are capable of initiating this change. This would be confirmed by the lack of difference between the inhibited versus control conditions; showing that this secreted factor is indeed responsible for these effects. Conclusion: The results from this protocol will help to solidify fibroblasts and endothelial cells as origins of CAFs, and TGF-β as a CAF-generating factor. By knowing more about their origin, the development of new potential drugs that target the formation of TGF-β is possible. Further directions could include the possibility of in vivo experiments confirming the results of this protocol.","PeriodicalId":245521,"journal":{"name":"Undergraduate Research in Natural and Clinical Science and Technology (URNCST) Journal","volume":"65 3","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134910398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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