Breast cancer patients and survivors deal with physical and psychological challenges due to oncological treatments. The existing literature highlights the importance of compassion in reducing the main cancer-related effects in terms of emotions, quality of life, and dysfunctional coping skills. Over the past few years, compassion-based interventions (CBIs) have been considered an interesting approach to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms and improve quality of life and well-being. However, there have not been many studies that show the benefits of these interventions in breast cancer patients and survivors. The primary objective of this systematic review is to provide evidence of the impact of CBIs on specific variables identified in the literature as affected by this pathology. The variables that will be studied are (a) emotional issues (e.g., anxiety, stress, and depression symptoms); (b) quality of life; and (c) positive coping skills. A systematic search during the previous 10 years up to November 2023 was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines across multiple databases, such as PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Nine eligible randomized controlled trials were included in this article, with a total of 813 breast cancer patients and survivors. Findings show that CBIs increased compassion, mindful observation, and acting with awareness skills, leading to a significant reduction of anxiety and stress levels, depression, and negative affect. Additionally, less body image distress and greater body appreciation were reported as a consequence of the interventions. This review shows the CBI’s efficacy on emotions, positive coping skills, and quality of life in breast cancer patients and survivors. Guidelines for future studies are listed to promote CBIs as a clinically useful intervention for breast cancer patients and survivors.

Nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica infections are a leading cause of enteric disease in Canada, most commonly associated with foodborne exposures. Raw frozen breaded chicken products (FBCP) have been implicated in 16 Salmonella outbreaks between 2017 and 2019. This study quantified the impact of the 1 April 2019 requirement by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for manufacturers to reduce Salmonella in raw FBCP. An intervention study approach utilizing the pre–post intervention data with a comparison group methodology was used to: (1) estimate the reduction in FBCP Salmonella prevalence using retail meat FoodNet Canada data; (2) estimate the reduction in the human salmonellosis incidence rate using data from the Canadian National Enteric Surveillance Program; and (3) estimate the proportion of reported cases attributed to FBCP if the human exposure to Salmonella through FBCP was completely eliminated. The FBCP Salmonella prevalence decreased from 28% observed before 1 April 2019 to 2.9% after the requirement implementation. The CFIA requirement was estimated to reduce the human salmonellosis incidence rate by 23%. An estimated 26% of cases during the pre-intervention period can be attributed to FBCP. The CFIA requirement was successful at significantly reducing Salmonella prevalence in retail FBCP, and at reducing salmonellosis burden.

Charisma, often seen as an innate trait, is now understood as leader signaling grounded in values, symbols, and emotions, suggesting it can be developed through interventions. However, the method for cultivating charisma remains unclear. This study examines nonverbal communication strategies, highlighting the potential of body language, facial expressions, and vocal modulation to enhance charisma. Additionally, we introduce a virtual reality training program focused on these cues and explore the role of audience presence in boosting the intervention’s effectiveness by fostering self-awareness and behavioral adjustments. Results of a controlled randomized experiment with virtual reality-trained participants and online charisma assessors demonstrated significant improvements in observer-rated charisma from pre- to post-training compared to the control group. Moreover, training in front of a virtual audience yielded the expected outcomes. This study sheds light on charisma theory, its potential virtual reality training application, and its implications for leadership development.

We have previously demonstrated that calcium plus vitamin D supplementation during adolescent pregnancy reduces the magnitude of transient postpartum bone mass loss. In the present post hoc analysis, we further investigated the effect of calcium plus vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy in hip geometry throughout one year postpartum in Brazilian adolescents with low daily calcium intake (∼600 mg/d). Pregnant adolescents (14–19 years) were randomly assigned to receive calcium (600 mg/d) plus vitamin D3 (200 μg/d) or a placebo from 26 weeks of gestation until parturition. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry images were obtained at 5 (n 30 and 26 for calcium plus vitamin D and placebo, respectively), 20 (n 26 and 21) and 56 (n 18 and 12) weeks postpartum, and hip geometry parameters were analysed by Advanced Hip Assessment software. The effects of the intervention, time point and their interaction were assessed using repeated-measures mixed-effects models. No significant intervention effects or intervention × time interactions were observed on hip geometry parameters (P > 0·05). Time effects were observed in cross-sectional area, cross-sectional moment of inertia and section modulus parameters with decreases from the 5th to the 20th week postpartum followed by recovery from the 20th to the 56th week (P < 0·05). Our findings indicate that the postpartum period is associated with transient changes in the hip geometry of lactating adolescent mothers, regardless of the low calcium intake and the supplementation offered during pregnancy, suggesting that a physiological adaptation of these adolescents to low calcium intake is at play.

This study aimed to assess feasibility, acceptability and potential for impact of FOotpaths foR Adolescent MAternal Mental HeAlth (FOR MAMA), a co-designed intervention for pregnant adolescents in Malawi. We used a mixed-methods interventional pre-post cohort design. We recruited pregnant adolescents from a rural health centre in Zomba district, Malawi, all of whom were offered a five-session psychosocial intervention delivered by community healthcare workers. Quantitative feasibility indicators related to participant enrolment, session attendance and intervention completion. Feasibility of intervention delivery was explored using in-depth semi-structured interviews with healthcare workers. Acceptability was investigated through in-depth semi-structured interviews with intervention participants and a service user satisfaction questionnaire. Intervention outcomes were assessed using standardised measures of common mental disorders, financial distress and poor mental health and perceived social support. 19 adolescents aged 15–19 years (mean=17.21, SD=1.18) started the intervention, with 18 (94.7%) completing the programme. Significant improvements (p<0.05) were reported across all outcome measures, with moderate to high pre-post effect sizes. Intervention participants reported high levels of service satisfaction, although healthcare workers (n = 6) reported that some feasibility challenges emerged during recruitment and delivery. The FOR MAMA intervention proved to be an acceptable and feasible psychosocial intervention for pregnant adolescents in Malawi.

A future multilateral investment court (MIC) or multilateral appellate mechanism (MAM) will operate on a plurilateral basis, among States that become parties to the tribunal's constitutive instrument and grant it jurisdiction over disputes under their investment treaties. The creation of a MIC or MAM would involve a significant strengthening and centralization of dispute settlement institutions in the investment treaty regime, which is already overly dependent on law-development by adjudicators, reflected in well-established concerns about loss of State control. Thus, a key challenge in designing a MIC or MAM is to incorporate appropriate control mechanisms that will enable State input, without unduly undermining a MIC or MAM's independence. This article analyses control mechanisms in a MIC or MAM, considering a wide range of questions of institutional design. It highlights two fundamental tensions. One is the tension between independence and accountability. The other tension is between procedural multilateralism and substantive bilateralism. While the procedural law in a MIC or MAM will have been multilateralized, the substantive law the tribunal will interpret and apply will remain contained in mostly bilateral investment treaties, controlled by the parties to those agreements. This article addresses the challenges of designing a multilateral tribunal for a regime that lacks multilateral substantive law and contributes to wider debates over striking an appropriate balance between international judicial independence and Member State control.

During health crises, misinformation may spread rapidly on social media, leading to hesitancy towards health authorities. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted significant research on how communication from health authorities can effectively facilitate compliance with health-related behavioral advice such as distancing and vaccination. Far fewer studies have assessed whether and how public health communication can help citizens avoid the harmful consequences of exposure to COVID-19 misinformation, including passing it on to others. In two experiments in Denmark during the pandemic, the effectiveness of a 3-minute and a 15-second intervention from the Danish Health Authorities on social media was assessed, along with an accuracy nudge. The findings showed that the 3-minute intervention providing competences through concrete and actionable advice decreased sharing of COVID-19-related misinformation and boosted their sense of self-efficacy. These findings suggest that authorities can effectively invest in building citizens’ competences in order to mitigate the spread of misinformation on social media.

Collaboration with African religious congregations can promote psychosocial well-being with greater accessibility. Effective collaboration requires studying congregations as unique intervention contexts. This study explored how an intervention in western Kenya fit within and altered congregational discussion patterns. We conducted a cluster-randomized trial of a church-based intervention to improve family relationships, mental health and sexual health. For each intervention topic covered, we describe baseline and post-intervention changes in church leaders’ beliefs and communication as well as discussion frequency between leaders and members and among members. Mixed-effects logistic regression assessed pre-post change in member-reported discussion frequency. At baseline, members and leaders reported already discussing family, parenting, and emotions frequently and sexuality and finances less frequently. Leaders generally felt they should discuss all topics but were less comfortable and knowledgeable about sexuality and finances than other topics. After the intervention, leader comfort and knowledge increased and discussion frequency increased for nearly all topics, especially those discussed less initially. Good fit between the desires and activities of church members and leaders suggests the potential for further collaboration, especially on mental health and family well-being. Increased discussion of sensitive topics underscores the potential of community-level interventions to affect social norms.

Are publics in great power democracies more likely to approve of foreign armed combatants that comply with international humanitarian law (IHL)? There is a wealth of evidence that armed combatants with an incentive to seek the support of outside compliance constituencies are more likely to adhere to IHL. Yet a key mechanism underlying these claims—that people in great power democracies are more likely to support armed combatants that comply with IHL—has not been directly tested. We address this question using a series of experiments embedded in nationally representative surveys conducted in three democracies that have frequently been involved in foreign interventions: France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We find that belligerents—both governments and rebels—that comply with the laws of war are significantly more likely to garner support from publics in likely intervening countries compared to those who do not comply. In all three countries, compliance with international law caused greater approval of armed combatants as well as greater support for economic or military intervention (although support for military intervention remained relatively low in the treatment groups). This lends support to arguments that, to the extent combatants seek support from outside audiences, this can serve as a mechanism by which international law constrains armed combat.

Globally, mental disorders account for almost 20% of disease burden and there is growing evidence that mental disorders are socially determined. Tackling the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), which address social determinants of mental disorders, may be an effective way to reduce the global burden of mental disorders. We conducted a systematic review of reviews to examine the evidence base for interventions that map onto the UN SDGs and seek to improve mental health through targeting known social determinants of mental disorders. We included 101 reviews in the final review, covering demographic, economic, environmental events, neighborhood, and sociocultural domains. This review presents interventions with the strongest evidence base for the prevention of mental disorders and highlights synergies where addressing the UN SDGs can be beneficial for mental health.