Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a global mental health challenge that has disrupted the lives of millions of people, with a considerable effect on university students. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of a brief online Mindfulness and Compassion-based Intervention to promote mental health among first year university students during COVID-19 home confinement. Methods Participants (n=66) were first-year psychology students from a university in Spain with no prior meditation experience. Intervention lasted for 16 days and was designed ad-hoc. Using a pre-post within-subjects design, feasibility was assessed in five domains (acceptability, satisfaction, implementation, practicality, and limited efficacy testing). Participants completed both baseline and post-intervention assessments of perceived stress, anxiety, and self-compassion. Results The intervention showed to be feasible in all domains evaluated. It was implemented as planned with constrained resources, and limited efficacy testing showed promising results. After the intervention, stress and anxiety levels decreased significantly (p<0.001, Hedges's g=0.5146; p<0.001, Hedges's g=0.6068, respectively) whereas self-compassion levels were augmented significantly (p<0.001, Hedges's g=0.6968). Conclusions Our findings suggest that a brief online mindfulness and compassion intervention may be a feasible way of promoting mental health among university students during COVID-19 lockdown. Further studies are required to address the limitations of the present study. We conclude that online interventions may constitute a promising pathway to buffer the mental health burden derived from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the past, urban planners have been quite reluctant to incorporate foresight methods in their professional practice, despite the benefits that they might have gained from using futures studies. Nevertheless, recent initiatives have been taken to bring foresight into the urban realm with differing outcomes: some have attained public notoriety, others have hardly benefitted from public exposure.This paper tries to assess recent foresight exercises applied to cities by evaluating three major issues: (1) have foresight practitioners understood cities complexity?; (2) have urban planners employed adequate tools to generate plausible future visions?; and (3) are city policy makers using foresight studies to limit urban uncertainty? To answer these questions, a selected number of foresight examples were classified in distinctive categories and a set of assessment criteria was established.Five futures studies taxonomies were distinguished. First, intergovernmental bodies have undertaken foresight exercises, which foresee the evolution of cities at a global o regional level. Second, the cities themselves have carried out foresight initiatives carried out, which are mostly linked to strategic planning processes. Third, some universities have developed visions of how cities may evolve in the future. Fourth, technology oriented corporations have explored how Smart Cities may resolve some key challenges faced by contemporary cities. Finally, architects and spatial planners have traditionally expressed on visual and narrative terms how cities should be designed and planned for the coming generations.Obviously, such an array of heterogeneous approaches provides very different outcomes in terms of content and city impact. For undertaking an objective assessment, three criteria groups were established to evaluate different foresight approaches to cities: (a) how urban complexity was understood and interpreted by future visions; (b) what type of forward-looking activities were used to envision the future; and (c) what kind of direct and indirect impacts were generated by the foresight approach.Those criteria were used to assess 20 case studies which either have international relevance or which constitute good illustrative examples of the five taxonomies mentioned before. Mostly secondary documented sources were used to validate cases' assessment. When public information was not considered sufficiently reliable, short electronic surveys were used to complete assessments.Preliminary research outcomes show growing doubts about the appropriateness of the foresight tools employed in cities and about the competency of foresight practitioners in understanding the complex and dynamic nature of contemporary cities. Furthermore, policy makers do not seem to grasp the potential of foresight to formulate urban strategies. In brief, a critical assessment of these initiatives may provide some clues for developing new and more creative ways for envisioning futures in cities.NOTE: This paper is based on partial results of a research pr...
In this preclinical study in a pig model of in-stent restenosis, implantation of nonoverlapping DES was associated with local inflammatory reactions and decreased endothelial repair. Impaired endothelialization was visualized in the struts overlying side branches.
Background: Both stent length and stent overlap are associated with worse outcomes in the percutaneous treatment of diffuse coronary artery disease (dCAD). However, evidence comparing these issues is scarce. We aimed to compare the results between the use of single very long stent (VLS) and ≥2 overlapping stents (OS) in the treatment of dCAD. Methods: Seven hundred twenty-four consecutive lesions were included: 275 treated with a single VLS (≥40 mm) and 449 with ≥2 OS. Procedural characteristics were assessed, and survival analysis was performed to compare the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE; composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, target lesion revascularization [TLR], or stent thrombosis) during a median follow-up of 31 months. Results: Procedures with VLS required less contrast volume (268 ± 122 vs 302 ± 113 cm3; P < .01), fluoroscopy time (16 ± 8 vs 21 ± 16 minutes; P < .01), and procedure duration (37 ± 18 vs 47 ± 27 minutes; P < .01) than the OS procedures. The VLS group showed lower incidence of MACE (4.4% vs 10.7%; P < .01), driven mainly by lower TLR rate (1.1% vs 4.7%; P < .01). The use of OS was an independent predictor of MACE. Conclusions: In this study, the use of VLS for the treatment of dCAD was associated with better outcomes compared to OS.
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