Hypertension is a global health issue that affects millions of people in the world and is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and kidney failure. Among the many lifestyle factors influencing hypertension, dietary salt consumption has emerged as a key determinant of blood pressure regulation. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between daily salt intake and blood pressure in a group of Cameroonian subjects living in Yaoundé.

We conducted a cross-sectional analytical study, with prospective data collection conducted from March to May 2024. We included people aged 21 and over with known or unknown hypertension, residing in the Biyem-Assi Health District and having given their free and informed consent. Pregnant women, people with chronic kidney disease, people who had recently taken diuretics, and people with secondary hypertension were excluded from the study. We used a stratified random sampling method. The measurement of the association between salt consumption and blood pressure was studied using Pearson's correlation test with a significance threshold of p < 0.05.

Of the 203 participants included in our study, the median age was 36 [25-55] years. They were predominantly female (51.2%), overweight/obese (50.2%), living a sedentary lifestyle (90.6%), and had normal blood pressure (MAP: 97.79 ± 7.71 mmHg). All participants had a high salt intake (5067.23 ± 1195.23 mg), with extremes of 2005.94 mg and 8222.11 mg, the majority (80.8%) having more than double the recommended value, and the majority of family meals (75%) had a sodium content ≥ 0.6 g/100 g. There was a positive linear relationship between salt intake and mean daily blood pressure (r = 0.452, p < 0.001).

This study highlights the importance of reducing salt intake in the strategy for preventing and managing hypertension in Cameroon. Reducing salt intake through education, awareness, and policy changes could contribute to significantly reduce the burden of hypertension in Cameroon.

Endothelium-mediated regulation of vascular tone plays a crucial role in modulating vascular functions, especially in the kidney, a highly vascularized organ. Therapeutic interventions targeting this process, such as endothelin axis blockage, have demonstrated positive results across various kidney diseases. However, the long-term effects remain poorly explored. Mendelian randomization (MR) and Transcriptome-Wide Association Study (TWAS) provide an approach to investigate the lifelong effects of genetically determined variations in endothelial vasoactive pathways on renal outcomes, mimicking a naturally occurring randomized controlled trial.

The primary outcome is the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and secondary outcomes include urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), rapid kidney function decline, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and various cardiovascular events. From published Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWASs), we extracted summary statistics, employed the inverse variance weighted method for the main MR analysis, complemented by various sensitivity analyses, and utilized the S-PrediXcan for Transcriptome-Wide Association Study (TWAS) analysis.

Genetically predicted eNOS pathway activation correlated with higher eGFR (0.03, 95% CI: 0.01-0.05, p = 6.2e-4), reduced risk of CKD (odds ratio 0.47, 95% CI: 0.34-0.64), and rapid kidney function decline (odds ratio 0.47, 95% CI: 0.31-0.72). Transcriptome association studies further confirmed a positive association between gene expression in the eNOS pathway and eGFR. Additionally, the overall endothelial vasoactive effect, represented by the genetically predicted modulation of eNOS, EDNRA, and PDE5A pathways, was significantly associated with higher eGFR (0.03, 95% CI: 0.01-0.04, p = 5.4e-5).

Our results shed light on a significant effect of endothelial vasoactive pathways in kidney-related outcomes, which hold promise for alternative targeted therapies in CKDs.

Disparities in mental health treatment for low-income, Black and Latinx populations have been well recognized. Beyond structural barriers, a noteworthy concern was whether attitudinal barriers played a major role in initiating and maintaining treatment. More specifically, 35- to 60-year-old Black and Latina women have been understudied regarding their attitudes and preferences for mental health treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify attitudinal enablers and barriers that have prevented midlife low-income, Black and Latina women from North Philadelphia from initiating and continuing mental health treatment.

An inductive thematic analysis approach was utilized to inform the sampling, themes, and sub-themes of this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with predominantly 50 midlife Black and Latina women from a larger, longitudinal community-based cohort focused on health improvement in North Philadelphia, whose residents were predominantly minority and low-income. Individual semi-structured interviews, with open-ended questions were performed on our study population. This approach stimulated discussion about the participants' experiences and their feelings that both inhibited and supported accessing mental health treatment. Interviews were conducted, transcribed, and coded to identify themes by the research team. Data analysis was conducted after interviews were coded in 2 research team meetings using flow diagrams.

The participants had a mean age of 50 years old, and the age range was 35-60 years old; most identified themselves as Black (n = 37) and reported being unemployed (n = 33). Nine overall themes were identified which included considerations of access and sustainability of mental health treatment: attitudinal and structural barriers to treatment, the need for confidentiality, the opportunity to learn coping skills, perceived helpfulness of treatment, medication considerations, therapy as an outlet, prior bad experiences with treatment, and relationships with their mental health professionals. Stigma was influential in discouraging women from seeking mental health treatment. Individual provider-related concerns impacted mental health treatment, including the relationship with the therapist. A prior bad experience with mental health treatment was associated with negative feelings about treatment. Positive feelings about mental health treatment included having an outlet, valuing the relationship with their therapist, and noticing beneficial changes because of treatment.

This study provided deeper insight from the unique community of low-income, primarily Black and Latina women in North Philadelphia. Our findings suggested that efforts to decrease stigma and educate this population of women about the significance and prevalence of mental health disorders may improve the disparities in mental health treatment in this population of midlife women. Continued emphasis on strengthening the connection between the woman and her therapist/psychiatrist and improving access to community-based interventions may help address treatment disparities in midlife women in North Philadelphia.

Hashimoto's disease is a thyroid disorder characterized by elevated antibody levels and altered gland structure seen on ultrasound. It is a common autoimmune disease, primarily affecting women. The disease has both physical and psychological consequences. Studies indicate an increased risk of mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety disorders. There is very little research in the literature focused on the quality of life of patients with Hashimoto's disease and social support. The aim of the study was to verify the hypothesis that social support predicts health-related quality of life in patients with Hashimoto's disease, both directly and indirectly. 143 women (aged 19-67) participated in the study. Participants completed a series of questionnaires. The mediation analyses have revealed that disease acceptance mediates the relationship between social support and the perceived impact of Hashimoto's disease on quality of life. The present study thus provides new knowledge in the understudied area of social support, acceptance, and quality of life in women with Hashimoto's disease. It is crucial to highlight the importance of ensuring the availability of psychological support for patients diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

This study was to examine the validity of the Japanese version of MemScreen (MemScreen-J), a touchscreen MCI screening test. 20 patients with MCI aged 65-90 years at the Juntendo Tokyo Koto Geriatric Medical Center were recruited as cases in December 2023. Non-cases were recruited from local residents in Toon City, Ehime Prefecture in February 2024 and 40 residents, without a medical history of MCI, aged 58-84 years were included in the present study. MemScreen-J test, a self-administered screening test in the form of a digital application, downloadable on a tablet, was administered to participants to assess their cognitive function. Defining the group at high risk of MCI based on a MemScreen-J test score of 28 or lower achieved the best Youden index in the study sample, with a sensitivity of 0.75 and a specificity of 0.98. MemScreen-J appeared to be a valid screening tool among persons at the prodromal stage of dementia, given reasonably high accuracy in detection of MCI. This innovative neuropsychological test could be the first step in a diagnostic approach to cognitive complaints in a community, identifying persons at the preclinical stage of dementia.

Objective: To explore the relationship between work engagement, job burnout, and mental health among full-time and part-time student management staff in universities in Xinjiang, and to provide a scientific basis for developing differentiated mental health intervention measures. Methods: By using the method of cluster random sampling, 1267 student management staff from five universities in Urumqi were selected as the research subjects from March 2020 to December 2021. Data collection was conducted using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9) , the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) , and the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) . Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship among work engagement, job burnout and mental health. Multivariate logistic regression was adopted to analyze the influencing factors of mental health, and the mediating effect of job burnout was analyzed through the mediating effect test. Results: The detection proportions of job burnout and psychological disorders were 80.5% (525/652) and 38.5% (251/652) among full-time personnel, and 75.3% (463/615) and 30.2% (186/615) among part-time personnel, respectively. Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that work engagement was negatively correlated with psychological disorders (r(s)=-0.720, -0.760, P<0.001) and job burnout (r(s)=-0.776, -0.700, P<0.001) in both full-time and part-time personnel, while job burnout was positively correlated with psychological disorders (r(s)=0.804, 0.718, P<0.001) . Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that high work engagement (full-time: OR=0.05, 95%CI: 0.02-0.18; part-time: OR=0.02, 95%CI: 0.01-0.04) was a protective factor for mental health (P<0.001) , whereas job burnout (full-time: OR=10.85, 95%CI: 3.50-33.58; part-time: OR=3.71, 95%CI: 1.76-7.76) was a risk factor for mental health (P<0.001) . Mediating effect tests demonstrated that job burnout played a partial mediating effect between work engagement and mental health, with mediating effect proportions of 57.3% and 27.9% for full-time and part-time personnel, respectively. Conclusion: The detection proportions of job burnout and psychological disorders among full-time and part-time student management staff in Xinjiang universities are relatively high, and job burnout acts as a mediating variable between work engagement and mental health. Universities should enhance the work engagement level of student management staff to prevent and alleviate job burnout, and thereby improving their mental health status.

The construction industry worldwide increasingly depends on migrant and ethnic minority construction workers (MECWs), a population disproportionately affected by workplace accidents and health risks. This disparity highlights an urgent need to address safety and health issues specific to this vulnerable group. While there is a growing body of research on the topic, a systematic review to consolidate findings and identify key knowledge gaps is necessary. This review examines safety- and health-related research concerning MECWs, including non-migrant minorities, given the frequent overlap in terminology and the shared vulnerabilities commonly reported in the literature.

This study conducts a science mapping-based review of the safety and health of MECWs to gain a full understanding of this research over the past two decades (2003 to 2024) and explore the current research landscape, identify gaps, and suggest future directions.

A total of 81 bibliographic records retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, and Engineering Village databases were scrutinized. Through qualitative content analysis, an in-depth qualitative discussion was conducted.

The geographical distribution, the most productive institutions and journals, keyword co-occurrences, and citations of articles were quantitatively identified. Through qualitative content analysis, eight main research topics were identified: safety challenges, strategies for safety enhancement, advancements in safety training, safety communication, safety climate, safety behaviors, physical health, mental health, and comparisons with local counterparts. The main findings within each topic were integrated and compared, and research gaps were discussed. A research framework that connects current research topics with future directions was developed.

This review provides insights to guide future research efforts and develop more effective policies and interventions for the MECW population, ultimately enhancing their safety and health.

Surf lifesavers form a key part of Australia's first responder workforce. Patrolling members can start from 13 years old, with potential exposure to traumatic incidents. Protective factors may mitigate the trauma exposure. This study investigated protective factors associated with mental health outcomes among adolescent surf lifesavers (13-17 years), including in response to exposure to potentially traumatic events.

An online survey was developed to collect data from Australian surf lifesavers (13-17 years). Measures included demographic factors, stressful life events, post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), self-efficacy, social support, and attitudes toward mental health problems. Hierarchical regressions and moderation analyses explored the relationships between variables.

There were 118 responses collected with overall mean age 15.4 years (SD = 1.3). PTSS was moderately to strongly positively correlated with all trauma domains. Higher self-efficacy and social support scores were correlated with lower PTSS. Hierarchical regressionshowed that Trauma within SLS, social support, self-efficacy and attitudes toward mental health were significantly associated with the outcome in the final regression model (F(5,110) = 17.87, p < 0.001), with the protective factors collectively explaining 28% of the variance in PTSS. Negative attitudes were positively associated with PTSS, while social support and self-efficacy scores were both negatively associated with PTSS.

This study highlights the critical and protective interplay between social support, self-efficacy, mental health attitudes and trauma exposure among adolescent surf lifesavers. The findings will guide the development of targeted interventions to support younger patrolling members with an emphasis on supportive interventions to improve resilience and wellbeing in young emergency service personnel exposed to trauma.

This study highlights the importance of encouraging protective factors with young individuals in emergency service roles, with practical implications for mental health professionals, emergency service agencies, surf lifesaving organizations, and policymakers interested in promoting the wellbeing of adolescent emergency service personnel.

While much is known about the complexities of fall-related risks among older adults, less is known about the risk for falls among men, and especially older non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic men with chronic conditions. To address this crucial gap in safety research, this study examined factors associated with incident falls (1 fall) and recurrent falling (2+ falls) among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic men ages ≥60 years with ≥1 chronic condition.

Collected with a cross-sectional, web-delivered questionnaire, data were analyzed from a national sample of 779 non-Hispanic Black (58.8%) and Hispanic (41.2%) men. To assess incident and recurrent falls, the number of self-reported falls in the past year was trichotomized (0 falls vs. 1 fall vs. 2+ falls) and used as the dependent variable. A multinomial logistic regression was fitted to assess factors associated with incident and recurrent falls. The model adjusted for sociodemographics, disease characteristics, health status, and social support.

On average, participants were aged 66.8 (±5.4) years and reported 3.8 (±2.7) chronic conditions. Seventy-three percent of men reported 0 falls, 12.6% reported 1 fall, and 14.4% reported 2+ falls in the past year. Relative to men reporting 0 falls, Hispanic men (P < 0.05), men with worse general health status (P < 0.05), and those with clinical depression (P < 0.05) were more likely to report incident and recurrent falls, respectively. Men with more comorbidities (P < 0.05) and those with less help/support to manage health problems (P < 0.05) were more likely to report recurrent falls.

Findings highlight the importance of multi-component interventions to prevent falls by strengthening disease self-management, addressing mental health, and introducing social support.

This study contributes to the understanding of fall-related risks among older non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic men with chronic conditions and highlights the need for interdisciplinary collaboration in fall prevention efforts.

As cannabis legislation evolves globally, concerns over driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) are increasing. The heterogeneity of DUIC risk among cannabis users remains poorly understood with most research originating from North America. In light of Germany's recent cannabis legalization and the raised legal tetrahydrocannabinol threshold for drivers, identifying high risk subpopulations is essential. This study aims to identify distinct DUIC risk profiles among German cannabis users.

We utilized Latent Class Analysis on 2023 pre-legalization survey data, involving 563 German drivers who use cannabis at least monthly. The analysis incorporated environmental and individual risk factors and risky traffic behaviors, like DUIC, as indicators. Sociodemographic characteristics were included as covariates to predict latent class membership.

Three distinct DUIC risk classes were identified. The majority (48%) fell into the "low risk" class, engaging minimally in DUIC and other risky behaviors. The "DUIC-specific risk" class (30%) demonstrated high engagement in DUIC, also among peers, and a low perceived risk associated with DUIC, but no other risky behaviors. The "global risk" class (22%) engaged in various risky behaviors and was burdened by multiple risk factors. Membership in the "global risk" class was associated with younger age, while the "DUIC-specific risk" class was linked to both younger age and male gender.

Our findings highlight the heterogeneity among individuals engaging in DUIC, suggesting tailored prevention strategies be developed based on these profiles, ranging from educational campaigns to mental health support and providing alternative transportation options.