Yu-Pei Yang

Background: Oral frailty is an associated factor for frailty and may increase the likelihood of transitioning from pre-frailty to frailty in older patients. Therefore, this study analyzed factors associated with oral frailty in older hospitalized patients with cancer in Taizhou, China. Methods: We included 190 older patients with cancer who were hospitalized from April to June 2024 were selected by convenience sampling in a tertiary hospital in Taizhou. A general information questionnaire and the Mini Nutritional Assessment - Short Form, Oral Health Assessment Tool and Oral Frailty Index-8 were used for the investigation. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with oral frailty. Results: 190 older in-patients with cancer were included in the study, comprising 111 men and 79 women. The proportion at high risk of oral frailty was 54.7% (men: 57.7% vs. women: 50.6%, p = 0.338). Based on the multivariable logistic regression, patients who with oral frailty had significantly higher odds of denture (OR = 7.710, 95% CI: 2.932–20.275, p < 0.001) and malnutrition (OR = 2.607, 95% CI: 1.197–5.678, p = 0.016). The disparity was also found in the sex-stratified subgroup analyses. In women cancer patients, denture (OR = 6.417, 95% CI: 1.717–23.986, p = 0.006) was the significant factor related to oral frailty. In men cancer patients, denture (OR = 15.858, 95% CI: 3.227–77.929, p < 0.001), xerostomia (OR = 12.725, 95% CI: 1.607–100.763, p = 0.016), malnutrition (OR = 2.972, 95% CI: 1.010–8.743, p = 0.048), and poor oral health (OR = 5.279, 95% CI: 1.009–27.632, p = 0.049) were associated with oral frailty. Conclusions: Oral frailty was common among older cancer patients. Denture and malnutrition may help identify patients at increased likelihood of oral frailty. Therefore, early identify and appropriate treatment were required given the differences in the associated factors to oral frailty among men and women older cancer patients.

BACKGROUND Oral health is an integral component of overall health and quality of life across the life course. Incarcerated populations consistently demonstrate poorer oral health status than the general community, a disparity driven by pre-existing social disadvantage—encompassing lower educational attainment, socioeconomic deprivation, and limited healthcare access—further compounded by the prison environment itself. Concurrently, correctional facilities worldwide are experiencing demographic ageing, with growing numbers of older adults in custody who face heightened vulnerability to chronic disease and functional decline. Age-related oral deterioration, including periodontal disease and dental hard tissue loss, is increasingly recognized as both a marker and contributor to systemic morbidity. Despite this, population-level data on oral disease burden among elderly prisoners remain scarce, particularly in Asian contexts. Using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database, this cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of oral cavity, salivary gland, and jaw diseases among elderly prison inmates and to examine gender-specific differences in disease distribution. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to calculate the prevalence of oral diseases among elderly prisoners in Taiwanese prisons by gender. METHODS We used a sample of 2,215 people from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Database (NHIRD). Measured using the clinical version of the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9-CM). This study performed a χ2 test statistical analysis to evaluate differences in the percentage of oral cavity, salivary gland, and jaw bone diseases between sex and age groups. RESULTS The prevalence rate of oral diseases of Taiwanese elderly prisoners was 19.05%, which was higher than the average person. The prevalence of oral diseases among female elderly prisoners is higher than that among male prisoners (32.39% vs. 18.14%, p<0.001). Among all cases of diagnosed oral diseases, the top three diseases were gum and periodontal diseases accounted for 8.71%, dental hard tissue diseases accounted for 7.45%, and oral soft tissue diseases other than specific lesions of the gums and tongue accounted for 3.02%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Oral disease is common among Taiwanese elderly prisoners. Therefore, oral diseases require early prevention and appropriate treatment. It is also necessary to design oral disease health care products based on the prevalence of oral diseases differs between male and female elderly prisoners.

Purpose This study assessed compliance with oral nutritional supplements (ONS) among hospitalized patients with cancer, using the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) model to identify key determinants of compliance and examine how these factors were associated with patients’ practice. Methods An online questionnaire was administered to 132 cancer patients at a tertiary hospital in Taizhou, China. During face-to-face interviews, participants completed a questionnaire included sociodemographic information, an ONS compliance assessment scale, and cancer-related variables. General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), EuroQol Five-Dimensional Scale (EQ-5D), and Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) were also used to evaluate self-efficacy, social support, and overall quality of life, respectively. Independent sample t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess ONS compliance and identify factors associated with patients’ KAP. Results The study ultimately included 127 hospitalized cancer patients. The average scores for the KAP dimensions were 38.61 ± 7.21 (knowledge), 25.36 ± 3.48 (attitudes), and 38.39 ± 6.22 (practices). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that educational level, social support, patient satisfaction, attitudes towards ONS, and family financial burden were associated with knowledge. In addition, self-efficacy, knowledge, and family accompaniment during hospitalization were associated with positive attitudes. Adverse effects (β = 2.85, P = 0.03), knowledge (β = 0.24, P = 0.01), and social support (β = 0.11, P = 0.01) were significantly associated with practices. Conclusion This study revealed that compliance with ONS in hospitalized cancer patients was associated with social support, adverse effects, and knowledge. Nursing staff should tailor assessments to patients’ and families’ specific needs, offering personalized health education plans that align with patients’ educational levels, enhance nutritional knowledge, strengthen social support, and improve self-efficacy and nutritional management.

Background: Prisoner health is a major global concern, with prisoners often facing limited access to health care and enduring chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and poor mental health due to unsafe prison environments, unhygienic living conditions, and inadequate medical resources. In Taiwan, prison health is increasingly an issue, particularly concerning urinary diseases such as urinary tract infections. Limited access to health care and unsanitary conditions exacerbate these problems. Urinary disease epidemiology varies by sex and age, yet studies in Asia are scarce, and comprehensive data on urinary diseases in Taiwanese prisons remain limited. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of urinary diseases among Taiwanese prisoners and explore the differences in disease prevalence between men and women, as well as across different age groups. Methods: This study used data on prisoners from the National Health Insurance Research Database covering the period from January 1 to December 31, 2013. Prisoners covered by National Health Insurance who were diagnosed with urinary diseases, identified by ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification) codes 580‐599 based on their medical records, and had more than one medical visit to ambulatory care or inpatient services were included. Sex- and age-stratified analyses were conducted to determine the differences in the prevalence of urinary diseases. Results: We examined 83,048 prisoners, including 2998 with urinary diseases. The overall prevalence of urinary system diseases among prisoners was 3.61% (n=2998; n=574, 6.64% in men and n=2424, 3.26% in women). The prevalence rate in men was significantly lower than that in women (prevalence ratio: 0.46, P<.001). In age-stratified analysis, the prevalence rate among prisoners aged >40 years was 4.5% (n=1815), compared to 2.77% (n=1183) in prisoners aged ≤40 years. Prisoners aged >40 years had a higher prevalence (prevalence ratio: 1.69, P<.001). Other disorders of the urethra and urinary tract (ICD-9-CM: 599), including urinary tract infection, urinary obstruction, and hematuria, were the most prevalent diseases of the urethra and urinary tract across age and sex groups. Women and older prisoners had a higher prevalence of most urinary tract diseases. There were no significant sex-specific differences in adjusted prevalence ratios for acute glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome, kidney infections, urethritis (nonsexually transmitted), or urethral syndrome. However, based on the age-specific adjusted prevalence ratio analysis, cystitis was more prevalent among younger prisoners (prevalence ratio: 0.69, P=.004). Conclusions: Urinary system infections and inflammation are common in prisons. Our findings advocate for policy reforms aimed at improving health care accessibility in prisons, with a particular focus on the needs of high-risk groups such as women and older prisoners. Further research linking claims data with prisoner information is crucial to providing more comprehensive medical services and achieving health equity.

Potentially modifiable cancer risk factors have been increasingly recognized among the Chinese population. In this study, we aimed to investigate the perceived significance of these risk factors among senior nursing officers, who play a crucial role in providing healthcare services. We also sought to determine senior nursing officers’ performance in reducing these risk factors. A questionnaire survey regarding 23 potentially modifiable cancer risk factors was conducted in November 2023 with 58 senior nursing officers at Taizhou Hospital in Zhejiang Province, China. The consistent fuzzy preference relation method and importance–performance analysis were used to determine the attribute weights and performance levels. The senior nursing officers considered diabetes, ultraviolet radiation exposure, PM2.5 exposure, excess body weight, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption and secondhand smoking significant. However, performance in reducing secondhand smoking, physical inactivity, excess body weight, PM2.5 exposure, and ultraviolet radiation exposure required improvement. The proposed hybrid multiple-criteria decision-making model enhances our understanding of the perceived significance of 23 modifiable cancer risk factors and performance in reducing them, which could facilitate improvements in health education efforts.

Background: Negative leadership behaviour is very common and pervasive in nursing and healthcare, often leading to adverse effects such as nurses’ silence, decreased job performance, and turnover. However, there is a lack of systematic reviews that summarize negative leadership types and nurses silencing behaviours. Aim: This systematic review examined the relationship between negative leadership behaviour and nurses’ silence. Evaluation: We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang databases from their inception until 30 April 2024 for articles examining the relationship between negative leadership and silent behaviour among nurses. The studies were reviewed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The risk of bias in the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Key Issues: After full‐text analysis, six papers were included in this systematic review. Four of the studies were conducted with nurses, and the remaining two were conducted with all medical staff including nurses. While most studies have shown that negative leadership causes nurses to become increasingly silent, others have shown that appropriate negative leadership behaviour instead reduces nurses’ silence. Conclusions: Negative leadership behaviour can affect the silent behaviour of nurses. Implications for Nursing Management: Hospitals need to take the initiative to build a harmonious and safe working environment, correctly recognize and identify negative management behaviour, take appropriate and effective measures to enhance the positive leadership of nurse managers, and make an effort to prevent nursing staff’s exposure to the negative management of direct leadership and mental health threats, which is a key point that hospital administrators and health policymakers tend to overlook. This is also effective for enhancing the leadership of hospital administrators.