How do older adults experience pet companionship? A qualitative study of the affective relationship with pets and its effect on the mental health of older adults during the Covid-19 pandemic

This study aimed to explore the affective relationship of older adults with their pets during the COVID-19 pandemic; and to assess how this contributed to their mental health. This qualitative study included 351 participants aged 65–88 years from Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Spain. All interviews went through content analysis. Findings indicated five themes: (1) Enabling a meaningful affective relationship (86%); (2) Strengthening affective sharing with partner (68%); (3) Easing new affective relationships (61%); (4) Enhancing sensory stimuli and physical touch (55%); and; (5) Feeling physical pleasure (23%). Three main themes emerged from the content analysis regarding the second objective: (1) Fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms (73%); (2) Fewer feelin gs of loneliness (68%); and (3) Fewer mood swings (43%). The affective relationship between older adults and their pets was relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic since it solidified affective relation­ ships with their partners and fostered the creation of new relationships. Additionally, it contributed to a deeper affective relationship with them­ selves, in terms of sensory stimuli, physical touch, and physical pleasure. Owning a pet improved mental health symptoms, namely those associated with depression, anxiety, and mood swings. Introduction The world population is graying. Between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years will nearly double from 12 to 22% (2.1 billion),

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Left bundle branch area versus conventional pacing after transcatheter valve implant for aortic stenosis: the LATVIA study

(Abstract not found)

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“ Double-edged sword ” : the effect of cultural distance on post-disaster tourism destination recovery

Purpose – Some researchers have found that disasters may have a ‘‘blessing in disguise effect’’ that some disaster sites transformed into more popular tourism destinations; however, no studies have analyzed the heterogeneity of the ‘‘blessing in disguise effect’’. This paper aims to explore and determine the effect of cultural distance on international inbound tourist arrivals to a post-disaster tourist destination that could explain this heterogeneous phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach – This study used a threshold regression model and a differences-indifferences (DID) approach to analyze 2000–2016 international tourist arrival data from 13 main origin countries to Sichuan Province before and after the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake in China. Find ings – The effect of cultural distance on post-disaster inbound arrivals from the various origin countries followed a non-linear U-shaped ‘‘double-edged sword’’ pattern rather than displaying a simple linear relationship. Most notably, the disaster appeared to have a more positive effect on arrivals from countries with larger cultural distances, while the effect on arrivals from countries with shorter cultural distances was negative. Originality/value – This study found that cultural distance could explain the heterogeneous ‘‘blessing in disguise’’ phenomenon, and it had both positive and negative impacts on tourism destination recovery; that is, a definite ‘‘double-edged sword effect’’ of cultural distance was found, which could help destination marketing organizations and management departments to design appropriately targeted marketing for post-disaster tourism destination recovery.

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Real-world use of anifrolumab in systemic lupus erythematosus: A retrospective study from a Danish tertiary center (2022 – 2025)

Objective: To evaluate the real-world safety, efficacy, and steroid-sparing effects of anifrolumab in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) treated at a tertiary referral center in Denmark. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of all SLE/discoid lupus patients who received at least one infusion of anifrolumab between May 2022 and February 2025 at Aarhus University Hospital. Clinical and laboratory data were extracted from electronic medical records at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and last follow-up. Disease activity was assessed using SLEDAI-2K, Physician's Global Assessment (PGA), LLDAS, and DORIS criteria. Results: Thirty-six patients (94% female, mean age 52 years) received anifrolumab for a mean of 462 days. Median SLEDAI2K d ecreased from 8 at baseline to 2 at month 3, and to 0 at both month 6 and last follow-up. The proportion achieving SLEDAI-2K = 0 increased from 0% at baseline to 52% at both 6 months and last follow-up. At the last follow-up, 87% achieved both PGA ≤0.5 and LLDAS, while 70% achieved DORIS remission. Prednisolone doses declined by >50%. Skin and musculoskeletal involvement showed the greatest improvement. Herpesvirus-related infections were the most frequent adverse events; two severe cases occurred, though treatment was generally continued. Conclusion: Anifrolumab was associated with rapid, sustained disease control and significant steroid-sparing effects. Herpesvirus infections were common, underscoring the importance

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Fluorescent carbon dot embedded polystyrene particle: an alternative to fluorescently tagged polystyrene for fate of microplastic studies: a preliminary investigation

Laboratory-based experiments using fluorescently labeled microplastic particles are common techniques for studying the fate of microplastic in the environment. However, the stability of fluorescent dyes used to label microplastic particles becomes an issue and can create artifacts due to the leaching of dyes. Here, we synthesize fluorescent polystyrene (PS) particles by embedding carbon dots (CDs), thus eliminating problems associated with the stability of dyes. Polystyrene particles were synthesized by mini-emulsion polymerization. Hydrophobic CDs were obtained from candle soot and were dispersed in the monomer before the mini-emulsion polymerization. The carbon dot embedded polymer particles (CDPS) show blue fluorescence on UV 370 nm excitation. This material could be a viable and more reliable alternative to fluorescently labeled PS particles in microplastic studies.

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