Virtual Reality (VR) technologies have increasingly been considered potentially valuable tools in dementia-related research and could serve as non-pharmacological therapy to improve quality of life (QoL) and wellbeing for persons with dementia (PwD). In this scoping review, we summarize peer-reviewed articles published up to Jan-21, 2021, on the use of VR to promote wellbeing in PwD. Eighteen manuscripts (reporting on 19 studies) met the inclusion criteria, with a majority published in the past 2 years. Two reviewers independently coded the articles regarding A) intended clinical outcomes and effectiveness of the interventions, B) study sample (characteristics of the participants), C) intervention administration (by whom, what setting), D) experimental methods (design/instruments), and E) technical properties of the VR-systems (hardware/devices and software/content). Emotional outcomes were by far the most common objectives of the interventions, reported in seventeen (89.5%) of the included articles. Outcomes addressing social engagement and personhood in PwD have not been thoroughly explored using VR. Based on the positive impact of VR, future opportunities lie in identifying special features and customization of the hardware/software to afford the most benefit to different sub-groups of the target population. Overall, this review found that VR represents a promising tool for promoting wellbeing in PwD, with positive or neutral impact reported on emotional, social, and functional aspects of wellbeing.

Introduction: There are limited published data regarding the recent incidence trends of cancer in Iraqi Kurdistan. Methods: The present study assessed the epidemiological estimates of cancer incidence, as well providing a projection of future cancer trends in the upcoming decade by analysing the population-based cancer registry between 2013 and 2019, in both the Erbil and Duhok governorates. A retrospective analysis was performed on data retrieved from the Medical Statistics Department at the Ministry of Health, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Results: The total number of female cancer patients was higher in both governorates, and the total incidence of patients with cancer increased by over 2x between 2013 and 2019 in Erbil and Duhok, from 73 to 174 patients/100,000 individuals for women, and 36 to 85 patients/100,000 individuals for men. Analysis indicated that the percentage of patients with cancer is projected to increase by >2x in the current decade, from 3,457 cases to 4,547 and 4,449 cases in the Erbil governorate; and from 1,365 to 2,633 and 2,737 cases in 2028 based on LSTM and bi-LTSM analysis in the Duhok governorate. Lung cancer (LC) and female breast cancer (BC) were the most prominent types of cancers diagnosed since 2013 in both the Erbil and Duhok governorates. Conclusion: The striking pattern of trends for both present and future cancer incidence rates require urgent solutions and comprehensive efforts to control risk factors that promote the increasing incidence of cancer in these two KRG governorates.

There is limited published data on recent cancer incidence trends in Iraqi Kurdistan. Therefore, this study assesses epidemiological estimates of cancer incidence as well as the projection of future cancer trends in the upcoming decade by analysing the population-based cancer registry from 2013 to 2019 in both Erbil and Duhok governorates. A retrospective study was conducted on data retrieved from the Medical Statistics Department at the Ministry of Health, KRG. The total number of female cancer patients was higher in both governorates, and the total number of patients more than doubled from 2013 to 2019 in Erbil and Duhok, from 73 to 174 patients/100,000 population for women, and 36 to 85 patients/100,000 population for men. Data analysis indicates that the percentage of cancer patients is projected to increase in the decade from 2020-2030 from 107.4% to 234.3% in 2030 in Erbil governorate; and from 106% to 163% in Duhok governorate. Female breast cancer and lung cancer are the most prominent types of cancers since 2013 in Erbil and Duhok governorates. The striking pattern of trends for both present and future cancer incidence rates require the urgent solutions and comprehensive efforts to control risk factors that promote the continuity of cancer diseases in these two KRG governorates.

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