Search Results (2,950)

Background: Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and epidemiological projections indicate that its incidence will continue to increase. Gastrointestinal cancers are among the most frequently diagnosed malignant neoplasms. Quality of life is a key component of oncology care and is significantly influenced by nutritional status and dietary habits. Methods: The study included 52 adult patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer. Data were collected using an anonymous questionnaire based on the QEB (Questionnaire of Eating Behaviour) and WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organization Quality of Life – BREF) instruments, supplemented with questions regarding changes in dietary habits and the use of dietary counseling following diagnosis. Nutritional knowledge, dietary habits, and quality of life across four domains (physical, psychological, social, and environmental) were assessed. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and appropriate tests of statistical significance. Results: Cancers of the colon and rectum—reported either as unspecified colorectal cancer or as separately specified colon or rectal cancer—together accounted for the largest share of diagnoses (26 diagnoses, representing 44.8% of the 58 total reported diagnoses). Quality-of-life assessment revealed the lowest scores in the physical domain and the highest scores in the social domain. The youngest participants achieved the highest scores in the psychological domain, whereas the lowest scores across all domains were observed among individuals aged over 60 years. Following diagnosis, 63.5% of participants reported reviewing and modifying their dietary habits; however, the majority had not received dietary counseling. Women reported higher fruit and vegetable consumption than men, while higher educational attainment was associated with greater self-assessed nutritional knowledge. Conclusions: Among patients with gastrointestinal cancers surveyed in this study, the physical domain of quality of life had the lowest WHOQOL-BREF score. Most participants reported modifying their dietary habits after diagnosis, although most had not received formal dietary counseling. Higher educational attainment was associated with higher self-assessed nutritional knowledge. Given the small convenience sample and cross-sectional design, these findings should be considered exploratory. Full article

Type 2 myocardial infarction (T2MI) occurs secondary to an imbalance between myocardial oxygen supply and demand, with systemic conditions serving as the primary precipitating factors. T2MI predominantly affects older adults and is frequently accompanied by multiple chronic comorbidities. Therefore, it often has an atypical clinical course and remains a significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, particularly given the lack of standardized clinical guidelines. Furthermore, the diagnosis of T2MI in women is especially challenging due to sex-related differences in biomarker kinetics and atypical symptom presentation. The aim of this review is to summarize current knowledge on T2MI, discuss modern diagnostic tools, and analyze sex-related differences in this context in order to identify future directions for the development of therapeutic guidelines. The review emphasizes the need for a multimodal approach, integrating biomarkers, individualized clinical decision-making and advanced cardiac imaging, as differentiation between T2MI and T1MI remains a significant challenge. Therefore, both non-invasive and invasive diagnostic strategies may be required to accurately identify patients with T2MI. Although routine coronary angiography in T2MI is not clearly supported by current evidence, it may be useful as a decisive tool for reclassification, particularly when the clinical presentation is ambiguous. Full article

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is an important maternal mental health concern. Knowledge, self-efficacy, and social support may be associated with the recognition and severity of depressive symptoms. This study assessed PPD knowledge among pregnant women/mothers and adults from the broader population in Saudi Arabia and examined the associations of self-efficacy and perceived social support with depressive-symptom scores in the maternal group. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Saudi Arabia from January to March 2021. Convenience and chain-referral sampling were implemented through WhatsApp. The analytical sample included 432 pregnant women/mothers aged ≥18 years and 275 broader-population participants. Arabic-language questionnaires assessed sociodemographic characteristics and PPD knowledge; the maternal-group questionnaire also assessed depressive symptoms, self-efficacy, and perceived social support. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, linear regression, and one-way ANOVA were used. Results: Good PPD knowledge was observed in 73.8% of the maternal group and 77.5% of the broader-population group. Self-efficacy (r = −0.246, p < 0.001) and perceived social support (r = −0.197, p < 0.001) were negatively correlated with depressive-symptom scores. Both variables were statistically significant in the regression model; self-efficacy had the larger absolute standardized coefficient (β = −0.246) compared with perceived social support (β = −0.197). Depressive-symptom scores also differed across categories of age, family income, education, and previous PPD history. Conclusions: The study demonstrated a relatively good level of knowledge about postpartum depression among the surveyed participants. Higher perceived social support and self-efficacy were associated with better maternal mental health outcomes, highlighting their important role in the context of postpartum depression. These findings underscore the relevance of knowledge, social support, and self-efficacy in understanding postpartum mental health among the study population. Full article

This paper examines the practices of three women artists working across the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Drawing on Martin Buber’s philosophy of relation and Vilém Flusser’s analysis of technological mediation, it considers how their practices respond to changing conditions of production across analogue and digital technologies. The methodological approach is informed by autoethnography, using situated first-person experience to extend broader social and cultural critique. While one practice spans the transition between analogue and emerging digital modes, the other two operate within post-digital conditions in which material and technological processes are increasingly entangled. Across these contexts, the artists share recurring concerns with relation, ethics, embodiment, and a renewed emphasis on materiality and the tangible. Rather than treating technology as a determining force, the paper argues that changing technological conditions sharpen philosophical questions of presence, relation, and mediation. Through close attention to materials, processes of making, and artistic encounter, it proposes three interconnected ways of understanding presence as encounter, trace, and mediation. Together, these perspectives demonstrate how relationships become materially tangible through forms of embodiment, residual marks, and technologically mediated environments. In doing so, this paper positions presence as a relational and material site of meaning, showing how contemporary artistic practice can produce encounters that resist the reduction of the other. Full article

The impacts of international tourism on economic performance, sustainable development, natural resources and environmental outcomes have been extensively researched during the last couple of decades in the available body of knowledge. However, the specific role of international tourism on women’s empowerment is rarely researched despite the fact that it creates numerous employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in host economies for women. Accordingly, this research study attempts to examine the impacts of international tourism on women’s empowerment using the framework of Vision 2030 introduced by Saudi Arabia in 2016. Using the ARDL cointegration approach and utilizing annual time series data from 1995 to 2024, this study demonstrates that international tourism has improved women’s empowerment both in the long run as well as in the short run in Saudi Arabia. Besides tourism, this study found that urbanization and female’s labor force participation have accelerated the pace of women’s empowerment both in the long run and short run. In addition, the results underscored that trade openness only matters for women’s empowerment in the long run. Finally, this study demonstrates that internet use is helpful in promoting women’s empowerment in the short run only. The study’s research findings highlight the significance of international tourism as a determinant of women’s empowerment and advocates that the policymakers of Saudi Arabia should introduce gender-inclusive tourism policies. The findings of this research study contribute to the existing body of literature on tourism-led development and gender equality, which is consistent with SDG-5 and Vision 2030 of Saudi Arabia. Full article

Background: Small-scale illegal gold mining, or “Galamsey”, is an important livelihood in Ghana but exposes workers to serious occupational health risks. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences, perceptions of health hazards, and coping strategies of workers from illegal small-scale gold mines in the Atwima Mponua District to inform context-specific interventions and policies. Methods: This qualitative study employed a phenomenological design to explore the occupational health experiences of workers from illegal small-scale gold mines in the Atwima Mponua District. A total of 16 purposively selected workers, ten men and six women, aged 27 to 44 years, with mining experience ranging from 3 to 12 years, working across roles including excavators, washers/panners, chemical processors, ore grinders, and support workers, were interviewed in depth, using a semi-structured interview guide. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data according to Braun and Clarke’s model. Findings: There were four dominant themes: (1) normalization of risk and fatalistic attitudes about mining risks; (2) Respiratory Manifestations and Dust-Related Ailments; (3) chemical exposures and dermatological conditions; and (4) traumatic injuries from pit collapses, mining equipment accidents, and heavy physical labour. Participants demonstrated low levels of knowledge about long-term health outcomes and reported substantial obstacles to accessing healthcare, including fear of legal action, financial constraints, and geographic isolation. Conclusions: Workers from illegal small-scale gold mines in the Atwima Mponua District bear a serious, hidden occupational health burden normalized by poverty and criminalization. Urgent, comprehensive interventions are needed that address legal protection, economic alternatives, accessible healthcare, and harm reduction. Full article

Background/Objectives: Antenatal depressive symptoms are common but frequently under-recognized. Although mental health literacy may support symptom recognition and help-seeking, its relationship with antenatal depressive symptoms remains unclear. This study examined the association between overall mental health literacy and antenatal depressive symptoms among women in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Methods: This cross-sectional correlational study included 568 pregnant women consecutively recruited from a university hospital’s obstetrics and gynecology outpatient clinics. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) were administered. Spearman correlation and multivariable linear and logistic regression were used; multiple imputation handled missing covariates. Results: The mean EPDS score was 8.92 ± 5.68, and 41.9% (n = 238) screened positive for elevated depressive symptoms at the EPDS ≥ 10 threshold. A one-standard-deviation increase in the MHLS total score was associated with neither EPDS total scores (B = 0.011, 95% CI: −0.451 to 0.473, p = 0.963) nor EPDS ≥ 10 screening positivity (aOR = 1.093, 95% CI: 0.911 to 1.312, p = 0.337). Unplanned pregnancy (aOR = 1.975, p = 0.001) and third-trimester status (aOR = 1.774, p = 0.014) were associated with higher odds of screening positivity. In exploratory joint analyses, knowledge-oriented literacy was positively and resource-oriented literacy negatively associated with EPDS scores; both remained significant after Holm correction. The resource-oriented association was no longer significant when examined separately. Conclusions: Overall mental health literacy was not associated with antenatal depressive symptom severity or screening positivity. Opposing, model-dependent subscale findings require replication. These findings support assessing depressive symptoms independently of mental health literacy scores and considering pregnancy planning and gestational stage during antenatal psychosocial assessment. Full article

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) and aerobic vaginitis (AV) are usually described as distinct forms of vaginal dysbiosis. BV is characterized by depletion of lactobacilli, overgrowth of anaerobic microorganisms, and biofilm formation, whereas AV is associated with inflammatory changes, epithelial disruption, and predominance of aerobic bacteria. Over the past two decades, this distinction has profoundly influenced the understanding, diagnosis, and management of vaginal disorders. Despite their apparent differences, the relationship between BV and AV remains incompletely understood. Growing evidence indicates that many women exhibit microbiological and microscopic patterns that cannot be readily classified within existing diagnostic frameworks. Intermediate Nugent scores, mixed vaginitis, transitional ecological states, post-treatment microbiota reconstitution, physiological hypoestrogenic conditions, and uncommon inflammatory patterns all challenge the traditional view of BV and AV as strictly separate entities. This narrative review examines the historical evolution of BV and AV concepts, compares their microbiological, immunological, and epithelial characteristics, and evaluates the diagnostic paradigms currently used to identify vaginal dysbiosis. The strengths and limitations of clinical and diagnostic approaches are discussed together with the extent to which contemporary international guidelines reflect current biological knowledge. Particular emphasis is placed on intermediate, mixed, and overlapping states that blur the boundaries between established diagnostic categories. The available evidence supports the clinical usefulness of distinguishing BV and AV as separate clinicopathological entities. However, it also indicates that vaginal ecosystem disturbances frequently extend beyond rigid dichotomous classifications. Current diagnostic categories remain valuable tools for clinical practice, yet they may only partially capture the complexity and dynamic nature of vaginal dysbiosis. Understanding how microbial communities, host responses, epithelial integrity, and physiological factors interact remains a major challenge for future research and clinical interpretation. Full article

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death among women, yet female cardiovascular risk continues to be underrecognized, and women remain underrepresented in many cardiovascular trials. Sex-related differences in hormonal exposure, immune regulation, vascular function, pregnancy-related conditions, and clinical presentation contribute to heterogeneity in cardiovascular disease across the life course. Statins reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular events in women and men, with no consistent evidence of treatment-effect heterogeneity by sex. In addition to lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, statins influence inflammatory signaling, endothelial nitric oxide bioavailability, oxidative stress, thrombosis, and plaque biology. These effects are biologically relevant to atherosclerosis; however, current clinical evidence does not establish that LDL-independent statin effects confer a uniquely greater benefit in women. Historical pathological studies suggested that plaque erosion may contribute relatively more often to acute coronary thrombosis in selected younger women, whereas contemporary optical coherence tomography studies show similar overall frequencies of plaque rupture and erosion between sexes and important age-related variation. Evidence for a female-specific effect of statins on post-myocardial infarction remodeling, cognition, or pharmacogenomic susceptibility is also insufficient. This narrative review distinguishes established clinical evidence from mechanistic plausibility and unresolved sex-specific hypotheses. It emphasizes equitable implementation of guideline-directed lipid-lowering therapy, careful evaluation of statin-associated symptoms, and the need for adequately powered studies reporting sex-stratified estimates and formal treatment-by-sex interactions. Full article

Background: Over recent decades, Latin America has undergone significant population aging, accompanied by persistent inequalities that adversely affect healthcare access, particularly among Indigenous populations. This scoping review aimed to map and synthesize the available evidence on healthcare access for older Indigenous women in the region, identifying relevant dimensions, barriers, facilitators, and existing knowledge gaps. Methods: A systematic search was performed in scientific databases and gray literature up to 19 June 2026, including studies published between 2020 and 2026 in Spanish, English, or Portuguese. The PCC framework (Population, Concept, Context) was applied. Following a multi-reviewer selection process involving seven reviewers and data extraction using a standardized matrix, the findings were narratively synthesized in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Results: Eleven sources of evidence were included, representing six Latin American countries and including one regional review; qualitative approaches were the most common among the primary studies. Eight dimensions of accessibility were identified: geographic, economic, cultural, organizational, linguistic, functional, administrative, and social. Principal barriers included geographic isolation, poverty, a lack of cultural and linguistic relevance, bureaucratic hurdles, structural racism, and a scarcity of disaggregated data. Facilitators encompassed family and community networks, traditional medicine, local leadership, social programs, and technological/intercultural adaptations such as telemedicine. Compared with the Levesque framework, approachability, appropriateness, and formal system-navigation mechanisms were not clearly represented in the Latin American evidence, while engagement was insufficiently characterized. Conclusions: The findings indicate that structural and cultural barriers continue to persist. Full article

Problematic pornography consumption (PPC) during adolescence has been associated with negative perceptions of one’s own body image, pressure to conform to beauty standards, self-objectification, and dissatisfaction with one’s own image, whereas sexuality education may promote critical thinking, self-knowledge, and healthy relationships. This cross-sectional study analyzed the relationship between received sexuality education, body self-esteem, and problematic pornography use among 1177 adolescents and young people aged 12 to 21 years, including 541 women and 636 men. The Body Self-Esteem Scale, the short version of the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale, and an ad hoc questionnaire on received sexuality education were administered. Overall, 50.30% of adolescents reported having received sexuality education training, although it was mostly brief and had limited capacity to address their questions. In total, 19.63% of adolescents were at risk of negative body-image evaluation, and 10.62% were at high risk of body self-esteem problems. Moreover, 31.08% showed indicators of problematic pornography use, with higher levels among male adolescents and an increase associated with age. No significant associations were observed between the perceived quality of sexuality education and body self-esteem or PPC. However, PPC was negatively associated with body self-esteem among women. The results suggest the need to strengthen systematic, early, and comprehensive sexuality education programs. Full article

The proliferation of solo female travel as a cultural and social practice has been accompanied by a narrow representational default: the solo female traveller of tourism marketing, and of much scholarship, remains implicitly white, Western, middle-class, able-bodied, and heterosexual. This paper addresses that narrowing by developing ‘compound mobility friction’, a conceptual tool for understanding how overlapping social positions (race, class, age, sexuality, and nationality) interact multiplicatively, rather than merely additively, to shape women’s access to, experience of, and safety within independent travel. The paper is conceptual in orientation: it develops and illustrates the concept through an interpretive synthesis of publicly available survey data, industry intelligence reports, and published scholarship on digital travel cultures, rather than through original coding of a bounded corpus of digital texts. Organised around four intersecting axes (race and ethnicity, class, age, sexuality and gender identity) the discussion illustrates how constraints on solo female travel are likely to be unevenly distributed, and how marginalised travellers may perform additional, uncompensated labour of research, risk assessment, and community-based knowledge production that mainstream travel safety discourse does not reliably provide. The paper’s contribution is twofold: it offers compound mobility friction as an analytical vocabulary that is distinct from, and more precise than, adjacent concepts such as intersectionality and mobility justice, and it identifies concrete implications for tourism research methodology, destination marketing, and travel safety infrastructure. Full article

Background: Restrictive dieting is a common behavior among young adults and may be associated with increased vulnerability to disordered eating. University students represent a population potentially exposed to multiple influences affecting eating behaviors, including academic stress, social pressures, and appearance-related standards promoted through digital media. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between restrictive dietary practices, eating behaviors, and indicators of vulnerability to disordered eating among university students in Poland. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 420 university students aged 19–34 years. Data were collected using an anonymous online questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic questions, the original Restrictive Diet Motivation Questionnaire (RDMQ), and the validated Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-13 (TFEQ-13). Motivational factors were categorized into aesthetic, social, health-related, eating control, and self-discipline, and personal beliefs regarding restrictive dieting. Statistical analyses included the Gamma correlation coefficient, chi-square test, and ordinal logistic regression, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Restrictive dieting was reported by a substantial proportion of participants, with women reporting this behavior more frequently than men. The most prominent motivations were related to appearance, weight control, social influences, and personal beliefs regarding restrictive diets. Participants who followed restrictive diets demonstrated higher levels of cognitive restraint compared with those who did not engage in restrictive dieting. Strong associations were observed between cognitive restraint and aesthetic motivations, personal beliefs regarding restrictive dieting, social motivations, eating control and self-discipline, and health-related motivations. Multivariable analysis confirmed that aesthetic motivation, personal beliefs, previous restrictive dieting, and female sex were independent predictors of higher cognitive restraint. Conclusions: Restrictive dieting among university students is strongly associated with appearance-related motives, dieting-related beliefs, and increased cognitive restraint. In this study, eating disorder risk was inferred from behavioral indicators, particularly cognitive restraint, rather than from clinical diagnostic criteria. These findings highlight the need for preventive strategies promoting evidence-based nutrition knowledge, healthy eating behaviors, and a positive body image among young adults. Full article

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a necessary but insufficient cause of cervical cancer (CC) and reflects a long-standing host–virus equilibrium shaped by immune control, viral persistence, and latency. The transition from cytology-based screening to primary high-risk HPV testing has substantially improved early detection of cervical precancerous lesions but has also introduced new clinical challenges related to fluctuating test results, overdiagnosis, overtreatment, and patient anxiety, whose magnitude may vary across countries depending on screening organization and access to prevention services. This narrative review provides a clinically oriented overview of HPV-based CC screening in the context of evolving knowledge on HPV natural history, persistence, and immune interaction, and discusses the implications for the interpretation of test results and risk stratification. New emerging screening and triage approaches, including molecular biomarkers, exosome-based biomarkers, and artificial-intelligence-supported risk assessment, are reshaping CC prevention strategies by enabling more precise identification of women at risk for clinically significant disease. These tools may be particularly relevant in self-sampling-based screening pathways, where molecular triage strategies can reduce the need for additional clinician-collected samples and improve management of HPV-positive women. At the same time, improved understanding of viral latency and host-related determinants of progression supports a shift from binary test interpretation toward longitudinal and individualized risk assessment. Integrating biological insight with technological innovation may facilitate personalized screening strategies that maintain high sensitivity while reducing unnecessary interventions. An evolutionary-informed and risk-adapted approach to HPV-related disease management is essential to optimize prevention outcomes and preserve the benefits of population-based screening programs. Full article

Sexual and reproductive health research has often centered women’s contraceptive and pregnancy-related experiences, while young men’s perspectives on sexual behavior, STI prevention, and reproductive responsibility remain less visible. This qualitative study explored how young Black heterosexual college men understood sexual health knowledge, masculinity, STI risk, condom use, pregnancy prevention, and readiness for fatherhood. Thirteen self-identified Black college men aged 19–22 years participated in individual semi-structured interviews at a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) in the southern United States. Interviews were conducted online, transcribed, de-identified, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes were identified: fragmented sexual health knowledge and informal learning; learning masculinity through sexual socialization and developing sexual autonomy; experiential learning, STI stigma, and the negotiation of sexual risk; and reproductive responsibility and pregnancy prevention. Participants described limited formal sexual health education, peer and media influences on masculinity, risk judgments shaped by trust and familiarity, and stronger concern for pregnancy prevention than for STI prevention. Findings suggest that sexual health education and campus-based prevention should engage young Black men as reproductive actors with distinct needs, responsibilities, and relational contexts. Programs should integrate STI prevention, condom counseling, partner communication, alcohol-related risk reduction, and reproductive-intention counseling into male-centered, stigma-sensitive approaches. Full article