Search

Isa Sezek,1 Mahcube Cubukcu,2 Sec&inodot;l Muderr&inodot;soglu3 1Yesil Kent Family Health Center, Samsun, Turkey; 2Department of Family Medicine, Samsun University Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey; 3Department of Biochemistry, Ondokuz Mayis University, Health Sciences Institute, Samsun, TurkeyCorrespondence: Mahcube Cubukcu, Department of Family Medicine, Samsun University Faculty of Medicine, Canik Kampüsü, Merkez sokak, No: 40-2/1 55080 Canik, Samsun, Turkey, Tel +90 505 233 22 32 ; +903623111500-7125, Fax +903623130200, Email mahcube.cubukcu@samsun.edu.tr; mahcube@gmail.com.trBackground: This study aims to evaluate the care burden and life satisfaction in caregivers who are providing home health care to patients and determine the relationship between life satisfaction and care burden.Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on 133 caregivers who provided home health care to patients and 133 control groups between February and December 2020. Care burden was evaluated using the Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI), and life satisfaction was evaluated using the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS).Results: The mean age of hundred thirty-three caregivers was 52.5± 10.5 years, and that of the control group was 51.2± 9.9 years. The mean ZBI score of the caregivers was 47.0± 16.4. According to the ZBI score, 46.6% of the caregivers had a moderate care burden and 21.8% had a heavy caregiver burden. The caregiver burden was higher in those with a low education level, those without social insurance, those who felt insufficient in care, and those who did not receive help from other family members. The SWLS score of caregivers was significantly lower than that of control group (p< 0.001). The SWLS score was lower in those with a low education level and those without an employee as a caregiver. There was a negative correlation between SWLS and ZBI score (p< 0.001).Conclusion: Caregivers of patients receiving home health-care services are exposed to a significant care burden. The care burden was higher in those with a low education level, those without social insurance, those who felt insufficient in care, and those who did not receive help from other family members. The care burden affects the satisfaction of life.Keywords: caregiver, care burden, home health care, life satisfaction, patients

We report spin transport in CVD graphene-based lateral spin valves using different magnetic contacts. We compared the spin signal amplitude measured on devices where the cobalt layer is directly in contact with the graphene to the one obtained using tunnel contacts. Although a sizeable spin signal (up to ∼2 Ω) is obtained with direct contacts, the signal is strongly enhanced (∼400 Ω) by inserting a tunnel barrier. In addition, we studied the resistance-area product (R.A) of a variety of contacts on CVD graphene. In particular, we compared the R.A products of alumina and magnesium oxide tunnel barriers grown by sputtering deposition of aluminum or magnesium and subsequent natural oxidation under pure oxygen atmosphere or by plasma. When using an alumina tunnel barrier on CVD graphene, the R.A product is high and exhibits a large dispersion. This dispersion can be highly reduced by using a magnesium oxide tunnel barrier, as for the R.A value. This study gives insight in the material quest for reproducible and efficient spin injection in CVD graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The static and dynamic magnetic properties of type-A MnAs/[Ga.sub.0.945][Mn.sub.0.055]As (001) bilayers are examined. The MnAs ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectra have disclosed the presence of a small MnAs fraction with a different orientation.

Phosphorous alloying in the y=0.06 range allows to engineer ferromagnetic Ga1-xMnxAs1-yPy/(100)GaAs thin films with standard x=0.07 Mn doping in which the easy axes of magnetization can be changed from in-plane to out-of-plane by a small (10 K) temperature rise. Ferromagnetic resonance investigations show the reorientation to be induced by the different temperature dependence of the cubic and uniaxial anisotropy constants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of the exercises administered to stroke patients with the balance trainer (BALANCE-trainer, art.nr. 07001-001™) on balance, level of independence and ambulation parameters. Material and method: Fifty patients with hemiplegia were randomized into either study group or control group. Patients in the control group received 30 sessions of conventional rehabilitation program and patients in the study group were trained with balance trainer in addition to conventional rehabilitation program. Balance level and postural control were evaluated with Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Timed-Up and Go Test (TUG). Their functional statuses were evaluated using Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Evaluations were repeated following the six-week rehabilitation program. Results: Of the 50 participants, 19 were women (38%) and 31 were men (62%). The mean age was 57.1 ± 9.2 years. The time that elapsed after stroke was 87.3 ± 26.3 days. Statistically significant improvements were noted in BBS, TUG and FIM in intra-group evaluations for both groups. Statistically significant improvements were documented in BBS and TUG levels for inter-group evaluation (respectively p =0.038, p =0.025), while the difference in FIM levels was not statistically significant (p >0.05). Conclusion: Positive impact of balance trainer on balance and postural control was demonstrated in stroke patients in the current study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to investigate the effect of an educational intervention on cancer patients receiving palliative care and their caregivers concerning symptom management and family needs., Methods: This study involved 120 participants-60 cancer patients and their respective caregivers-divided into intervention and control groups. Over a 2-week period, the intervention group received a comprehensive educational program focusing on symptom management, while the control group did not receive any educational intervention. The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) and Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) were used to assess patients' symptoms, their intensity, and performance, while the Family Need Scale (FNS) was utilized to evaluate caregivers' needs. These assessments were conducted at the beginning and end of the study. Primary outcomes focused on symptom assessment using ESAS and PPS, along with evaluating caregivers' needs through FNS. Secondary outcomes involved assessing participant satisfaction with the intervention., Results: At the end of the study, comparing initial and second evaluations, both ESAS and PPS scores significantly increased in the intervention and control groups (p = .003, p = .002, respectively). Additionally, a statistically significant decrease in the severity of symptoms, except for lethargy/hypokinesis, was observed in the intervention group compared to the control group. The FNS scale indicated that family needs satisfaction was higher in the intervention group compared to the control group. The data obtained demonstrated that there was a reduction the pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, drowsiness, and shortness of breath levels in the intervention group compared to the control group, but there was no significant difference other than these symptoms., Conclusions: The educational intervention positively impacted symptom management and family needs. Optimizing symptom control would greatly benefit palliative care patients and their caregivers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of polypharmacy, the presence of potentially inappropriate medications and related factors in older adults receiving palliative care. This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed in 213 patients who were served from palliative care services. Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form, Katz Activities of Daily Living Scale and Charlson Comorbidity Index were applied. Polypharmacy was defined as the use of 5 or more medicines while the use of 10 or more medicines was considered as hyper-polypharmacy. PIM was assessed according to the TIME-to START and TIME-to STOP criteria. A total of 213 patients were included, mean age was 78.00 ± 9.08 years. Polypharmacy was present in 59.2 % of the patients and hyper-polypharmacy was present in 10.8 %. There was a statistically significant correlation between polypharmacy and marital status, history of falls, mid-upper arm, and calf circumference (p = 0.017, p = 0.022, p = 0.010, p = 0.003, respectively). The rate of inappropriate medication use of the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal system, analgesics, musculoskeletal system, and nervous system drugs was high. There was at least one inappropriate medication use in 56.3 % of older adults. PIMs use was 18.3 % according to TIME-to-START criteria and was 48.4 % according to TIME-to-STOP criteria. There was a higher rate of PIMs use according to TIME criteria in the group with polypharmacy than non-polypharmacy (p < 0.001). The prevalence of polypharmacy and the presence of PIMs is high in older adults receiving palliative care. Polypharmacy could increase the PIMs use. The use of TIME criteria to evaluate palliative care patients may be helpful in reducing inappropriate medication use., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Mahcube Cubukcu reports non-financial support. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Yasemin Cayir reports financial support was provided by Ataturk University Faculty of Medicine. Yasemin Cayir reports a relationship with Ataturk University that includes: consulting or advisory and non-financial support. Yasemin Cayir has patent issued to TTU-2021-9585. This study was supported by the Scientific Research Projects Fund of Ataturk University (No: TTU-2021-9585) If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.