Search

HIV disclosure to family members might be associated with the health-related quality of life (H-QoL) among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH). However, previous findings of the association were mixed, and few empirical studies had explored the potential mediating mechanisms underlying the relationship. This study aimed to examine the association between disclosure to family members and H-QoL, and the role of social support in the relationship. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1104 PLWH (58.70% male, average age 37.05 years old) in Guangxi, China. Participants provided information on HIV disclosure to family members, perceived social support, H-QoL including physical and mental health dimensions (scored as Physical health score [PHS] and Mental health score [MHS]), and social-demographic characteristics. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and path analysis were applied to examine our hypotheses. Bivariate analysis demonstrated that HIV disclosure to family members was positively correlated with social support but not with PHS and MHS statistically. Social support was positively correlated with PHS and MHS. Path analysis revealed that the direct effects of disclosure on both physical and mental H-QoL were not significant. In contrast, the indirect effects of disclosure on both mental and physical H-QoL through social support were significant, despite of small effect size. The potential mediating role of social support was highlighted in improving PLWH's well-being. Future interventions targeting H-QoL promotion might incorporate disclosure management and communication skills that are likely to elicit social support and invite patients' family members to participate in the interventions as appropriate., Author(s): Tianyue Mi [sup.1] , Guangyu Zhou [sup.2] , Xiaoming Li [sup.1] , Shan Qiao [sup.1] , Xueying Yang [sup.1] , Zhiyong Shen [sup.3] , Yuejiao Zhou [sup.3] Author Affiliations: [...]

Parental HIV disclosure, where parents living with HIV (PLH) communicate their diagnosis to their children, is crucial for family communication. This study assessed intervention effects of a parental HIV disclosure intervention on psychosocial factors, focusing on child's age impact. Data from a randomized controlled trial involving 791 PLH in China were analyzed at baseline (W1), 6-month (W2), and 12-month follow-ups (W3). The study measured effects on psychosocial factors (HIV disclosure knowledge, outcome expectancy, action self-efficacy, and action planning) using the proportional latent change score method. Among PLH with children aged 6–9, the intervention yielded significant intervention effects on knowledge (β = 0.190, p =.004), action self-efficacy (β = 0.342, p =.001), and action planning (β = 0.389, p <.001) from W1 to W2. For PLH with children aged 10-12, the intervention significantly enhanced action self-efficacy (β = 0.162, p =.003) and action planning (β = 0.367, p =.001) from W1 to W2, but there was a reduction in perceived benefits (β = −0.175, p = 0.024) from W2 to W3. For PLH with children aged 13–15, significant intervention effects were observed on action planning, both from W1 to W2 (β = 0.251, p =.045) and from W2 to W3 (β = 0.321, p <.001). These findings highlight the importance of tailoring interventions to consider psychosocial factors and children's developmental stages to enhance HIV disclosure practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vectorial optical fields (VOFs) exhibiting tailored wave fronts and spatially inhomogeneous polarization distributions are particularly useful in photonic applications. However, devices to generate them, made by natural materials or recently proposed metasurfaces, are either bulky in size or less efficient, or exhibit restricted performances. Here, we propose a general approach to design metadevices that can efficiently generate two distinct VOFs under illuminations of circularly polarized lights with different helicity. After illustrating our scheme via both Jones matrix analyses and analytical model calculations, we experimentally demonstrate two metadevices in the near-infrared regime, which can generate vortex beams carrying different orbital angular momenta yet with distinct inhomogeneous polarization distributions. Our results provide an ultracompact platform for bifunctional generations of VOFs, which may stimulate future works on VOF-related applications in integration photonics.

To probe into the community structure of macro-invertebrates of the reservoir water bodies of the Shanxi Hydro-project in Wenzhou City of southeast China, and its responsive relationship with the environmental factors, water quality monitoring and macro-invertebrates sampling survey were carried out in the dry season of January 2022 and the wet season of July 2022, and 18 sampling sites were selected covering the entire water bodies of Shanxi Reservoir and Zhaoshandu Reservoir. During the survey a total of 26 species of macro-invertebrates were collected in the reservoir area, which belonged to 3 phyla, 6 classes, 7 orders and 8 families, the dominant species throughout the year being mainly Branchiura sowerbyi, Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri and Procladius sp., and the macro-invertebrates did not show notable difference about abundance and diversity in the period of dry season-wet season, but the PCoA the Adonis paired test analyses suggested that their community structure varied significantly; the SIMPER analysis showed that the major contributors to the differences in community structure among the regions of Shanxi Hydroproject reservoirs in dry season were four species of Tubificidae, Chironomidae and Viviparidae, and in wet season are five species of Tubificidae and Chironomidae. The results of redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that the environmental factors affecting the macro-invertebrates community structure of the Shanxi Hydroproject reservoirs in dry season were water depth (H), total nitrogen (TN) and orthophosphate (PO43-), and in wet season being transparency (SD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N). Consequently, Shanxi Reservoir is a typical deep-water reservoir, and the dominant populations are dominated by Tubificidae and Chironomidae, being under the influences of water depth and reservoir scheduling; Zhaoshandu Reservoir being affected by the pollutant confluence from the inflowing tributeries, is characterized with a relatively high trophic state and rather good species diversity. The spatial differences of macro-invertebrates community structure in the reservoirs are remarkable, and are affected by environmental factors considerably. Summarily, the achievements of this research will not only enrich the study on typical valley-type reservoirs particularly in southeastern China, but also assist the further investigation of macro-invertebrates in Shanxi Hydroproject, providing the scientific basis for the ecological protection of the reservoirs and the construction of beautiful rivers and lakes in Wenzhou. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have suggested that many HIV/AIDS healthcare providers (HCPs), especially those in resource-poor settings, suffer from various work-related stress because of the complexity of HIV/AIDS patients' medical conditions, occupational exposure, HIV-related stigma, and challenges with patients' physical, mental, and social conditions. However, data are limited regarding how HIV/AIDS HCPs cope with the stress and their perceived effectiveness of these coping strategies. This qualitative study was designed to explore HCPs' coping strategies and their perceptions of effectiveness of these strategies. We conducted in-depth face-to-face interviews with 46 HIV/AIDS HCPs in Guangxi, China. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and imported into NVivo V.11. Data were analyzed using a thematic approach. The analysis of the data revealed six general coping strategies: seeking social support, applying problem-solving strategies, adopting healthy lifestyle, developing self-compassion, using mindfulness-based stress reduction methods, and avoidance and escaping. It is imperative to increase institutional support and develop training programs to improve problem-solving skills, healthy lifestyle, and self-compassion among HIV/AIDS HCPs in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature suggests that organizational readiness for change (ORC) could facilitate adaptation and implementation of new projects or practices in clinical settings. Limited data are available regarding the longitudinal associations between ORC and psychosocial conditions of HCPs. Using six waves of longitudinal data collected between 2013 and 2016 from 357 HIV HCPs in Guangxi, China, we identify sociodemographic and occupational characteristics that impact ORC and examine how occupational stress and burnout affect ORC adjusting for potential cofounders. A mixed effect model was used to assess the associations of ORC with psychosocial variables controlling for key background variables, and within-cluster and within-subject correlation over time. The ORC level was stable over time. Ethnical minority HCPs reported lower ORC compared with those of Han ethnicity. HCPs with administrative responsibility reported significantly lower ORC compared with the ones without administrative responsibility. HCPs with high school education attainment showed lower ORC compared to those with some college education. The ORC level was negatively associated with occupational stress and burnout controlling all the background variables. It is important to integrate reducing stress and alleviating burnout in the workplace into efforts to promote the acceptance and adaptation of new intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]