Clustering of patients with overactive bladder syndrome

Features influencing surface acting of different clusters of nursing students in vocational college based on interpretable machine learning: A cross-sectional study

AIM

To explore and explain the mechanisms that influence surface acting in nursing students with different characteristics.

BACKGROUND

Nurses are now expected to deliver patient-centered care which necessitates the emotional labor. Surface acting, a form of emotional labor, can lead to negative outcomes. Given that nursing students are the backbone of the future nursing profession, there is an urgent need to investigate their surface acting tendencies and identify potential factors for early intervention.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

METHODS

This study was surveyed in a vocational college in Gansu, China. Participants completed the general information questionnaire, Bem Sex Role Inventory, Professional Identity Questionnaire of Nursing Students and Surface Acting Scale. K-means cluster analysis was performed, followed by random forest algorithm and SHapley Additive exPlanations based on Python program.

RESULTS

A total of 1241 nursing students from vocational college were investigated and were clustered into 4 groups. The five dimensions of professional identity had higher feature importance in all four groups, with professional self-image having the highest feature importance in Cluster 3. Professional self-image and understanding retention benefits and turnover risks were negative predictors of surface acting in all four groups. Social comparison and self-reflection, independence of career choice and social modeling regarding nursing profession were positively correlated with surface acting in specific groups. In Cluster 1, there exists a positive correlation between professional self-image and the constructs of social comparison and self-reflection; as well as a negative correlation between maternal education and understanding of retention benefits and turnover risks.

CONCLUSIONS

Professional identity significantly influences surface acting behaviors among nursing students, with professional self-image serving as a key negative predictor. Positive family conditions, access to educational resources, parental literacy, masculine or feminine gender roles and first-year nursing students, these traits have implications when dimensions of professional identity are used to predict surface acting behaviors.

Abnormal Resting-State Network Presence in Females with Overactive Bladder

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a global problem reducing the quality of life of patients and increasing the costs of any healthcare system. The etiology of OAB is understudied but likely involves supraspinal network alterations. Here, we characterized supraspinal resting-state functional connectivity in 12 OAB patients and 12 healthy controls (HC) who were younger than 60 years. Independent component analysis showed that OAB patients had a weaker presence of the salience (Cohen's d = 0.9) and default mode network (Cohen's d = 1.1) and weaker directed connectivity between the fronto-parietal network and salience network with a longer lag time compared to HC. A region of interest analysis demonstrated weaker connectivity in OAB compared to HC (Cohen's d > 1.6 or < -1.6), particularly within the frontal and prefrontal cortices. In addition, weaker seed (insula, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex) to voxel (anterior cingulate cortex, frontal gyrus, superior parietal lobe, cerebellum) connectivity was found in OAB compared to HC (Cohen's d > 1.9). The degree of deviation in supraspinal connectivity in OAB patients (relative to HC) appears to be an indicator of the severity of the lower urinary tract symptoms and an indication that such symptoms are directly related to functional supraspinal alterations. Thus, future OAB therapy options should also consider supraspinal targets, while neuroimaging techniques should be given more consideration in the quest for better phenotyping of OAB.

Efficacy of Yun-type pelvic floor optimal training therapy and PFMT on middle aged women with mild to moderate overactive bladder: a randomized controlled trial

Background

The symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB) are highly bothersome to patients. In behavioral therapy, traditional pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) can be boring and monotonous, which can cause poor compliance. It's important to establish a new safe and effective crotch-pelvic floor functional reconstruction training method [Yun-type pelvic floor optimal training (Yun-type training)] for OAB patients.

Methods

This randomized, double-blind, crossover trial recruited a total of 150 women with mild to moderate OAB. Patients were randomly assigned to receive Yun-type training (n=83) or PFMT (n=67). The intervention group was first given Yun-type training for 6 weeks, then switched to PFMT for 6 weeks after 2 weeks of elution. Patients in the control group were first treated with PFMT for 6 weeks, and changed to the use of Yun-type training for 6 weeks after 2 weeks of elution. The primary endpoint was overactive bladder symptom scores (OABSS) after 6 and 14 weeks of Yun-type training and PFMT.

Results

Yun-type training could significantly improve OABSS compared with PFMT after 6 and 14 weeks (P<0.001). Yun-type training was associated with an improvement in urine, urgency, urge urinary incontinence (UUI), urogenital distress inventory-6 (UDI-6), patient's perception of bladder condition (PPBC), voiding volume (VV), incontinence impact questionnaire-7 (IIQ-7), female sexual function index (FSFI), sexual desire, arousal, pain, satisfaction, pelvic floor muscle tone, type I muscle strength, type II muscle strength, and sex partner satisfaction as compared with PFMT after 6 and 14 weeks. Moreover, nocturia, maximum flow rate (Qmax), and climax in the Yun-type training group were significantly improved after 6 weeks, and the average flow rate (Qave) was improved after 14 weeks in the Yun-type training group.

Conclusions

Yun-type training could yield additional benefits on OAB symptoms, sexual function, and sex partner satisfaction as compared with PFMT. The superior sexual function resulting from Yun-type training can be explained by the fact that it can contract deep and superficial muscle layers, resulting in increased vaginal wall pressure and blood flow, which further improves FSFI and sex partner satisfaction. It could lead to a new non-invasive treatment for OAB patients.

Trial Registration

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-INR-17012192.

Urethral function and failure: A review of current knowledge of urethral closure mechanisms, how they vary, and how they are affected by life events

INTRODUCTION

A critical appraisal of the literature regarding female urethral function and dysfunction is needed in light of recent evidence showing the urethra's role in causing stress and urge urinary incontinence.

METHODS

An evidence assessment was conducted using selected articles from the literature that contained mechanistic data on factors affecting urethral function and failure.

RESULTS

Maximal urethral closure pressure (MUCP) is 40% lower in stress urinary incontinence (SUI) than normal controls. Evidence from five women shows relatively equal contributions to MUCP from striated/smooth muscle, vascular-plexus, connective tissue. MUCP varies twofold in individuals of similar age and declines 15% per decade even in nulliparous women. Age explains 57% of the variance in MUCP. This parallels with striated/smooth muscle loss and reduced nerve density. Factors influencing pressure variation minute-to-minute and decade-to-decade are poorly understood. Connective tissue changes have not been investigated. MUCP in de novo SUI persisting 9-months postpartum is 25% less than in age and parity-matched controls. Longitudinal studies do not show significant changes in urethral function after vaginal birth suggesting that changes in urethral support from birth may unmask pre-existing sphincter weakness and precipitate SUI. Mechanisms of interaction between support injury, pre-existing urethral weakness, and neuropathy are unclear.

CONCLUSION

Urethral failure is the predominant cause of SUI and a contributing factor for UUI; potentially explaining why mixed symptoms predominate in epidemiological studies. Age-related striated muscle loss and differences between women of similar age are prominent features of poor urethral closure. Yet, connective tissue changes, vasculature function, and complex interactions among factors are poorly understood.