Age, Cognitive Factors, and Acceptance of Living with the Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Short-Term Perspective

Acceptance of Illness and Coping with Stress among Patients Undergoing Alcohol Addiction Therapy

(1) Background: Acceptance of illness is a process in which a person with an illness accepts its presence and treats it as an integral part of their life. With regard to alcoholism, acceptance of illness is one of the important elements of the healing process. (2) Methods: The study group consisted of 104 residents in an addiction treatment ward. Questionnaires SOC-29, AIS and PSS-10 were used to check levels of coherence, stress and acceptance of illness. The analysis was based on regression analysis. Patient age was analysed as a moderator of correlations between perceived indicators. Moderation analysis was based on the simple moderation model. (3) Results: The level of perceived stress correlated negatively with all areas of the sense of coherence and with acceptance of illness. All areas of the sense of coherence correlated with acceptance of illness positively. (4) Conclusions: The acceptance of illness by the patient is a factor that can be motivating for further treatment, through a positive approach to illness and strengthening the sense of control in experiencing it. The combination of strengthening behavioural, cognitive and motivational resources can be used in the treatment of people experiencing the challenges of addiction to alcohol.

The role of cognitive appraisals and illness-related beliefs in adaptation to life with rheumatoid arthritis: variable- and person-centered approach

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a serious chronic disease that affects daily functioning and quality of life. Two studies were conducted to analyze the role of cognitive variables (namely cognitive appraisals and illness-related beliefs) in adaptation to life with chronic disease. A total of 150 people with rheumatoid arthritis (47 men and 103 women) were assessed both stationary (N = 69) and online (N = 81). The results of study 1 indicate that cognitive appraisals explain a greater percentage of variance than coping strategies with regard to the severity of depressive symptoms and the level of acceptance of living with the disease. In turn, the second study found that social support mediates the relationship between selected cognitive appraisals (loss, challenge and value) and anxiety. The latent profile analysis showed that the subgroups distinguished according to the illness-related beliefs levels differed in cognitive appraisals, but do not in the level of anxiety. The results indicate that cognitive appraisals, in line with theoretical assumptions, seem to be the key psychological factor determining the level of adaptation to life with rheumatoid arthritis. Social resources mediate the relationship between selected cognitive appraisals and anxiety. Cognitive appraisals are modeled through illness-related beliefs, which, in turn, can be modified, e.g. as part of psychological intervention.

Computational analysis to investigate the anti-rheumatic potential of plant-based small molecule inhibitor targeting tumor necrosis factor α

Objective: This study aimed to assess the anti-rheumatic potential of Dodonaea viscosa and to evaluate its bioactive small molecules for their beneficial effects in the management of rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: In vitro bioactivity assays were performed to assess the healing potential of D. viscosa and statistical analysis was performed by using the linear regression technique. In silico analysis was performed to identify the key inhibitors of the disease to target TNF-α. The plant extract was prepared using ethanol solvent via the Soxhlet method. Phytochemical and bioactivity testing was performed. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was conducted for bioactive plant compounds. Disease-specific target was shortlisted by HUB gene analysis. Molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulations were run for validation of the results. Results: Phytochemical studies verified the presence of phenols, flavonoids, steroids, sterols, saponins, coumarins, tannins, and terpenoids. The significant antioxidant potential of plant extract was evaluated by the DPPH and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assays, while the anti-inflammatory potential was evaluated by the protein denaturation and Human Red Blood Cell (HRBC) membrane stabilization assays. In silico studies revealed that nine of the 480 compounds found in D. viscosa (ethanol extract) had drug-like properties. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) was selected as a key disease gene through HUB gene analysis. Results of molecular docking and MD simulation analysis demonstrated that 4-(1-hydroxy-3-oxo-1H-isoindol-2-yl) benzoic acid (PubChemID 18873897), had the best binding affinity with TNF-α amongst all nine compounds. Conclusion: 4-(1-hydroxy-3-oxo-1H-isoindol-2-yl) benzoic acid (PubChemID 18873897), have the potential to be a good small molecule inhibitor of TNF-α against rheumatoid arthritis.

The relationship between primary cognitive appraisals, illness beliefs, and adaptation to rheumatoid arthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that negatively affects functioning; however, the relationship between cognitive appraisals and illness-related beliefs and adaptation indices remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review was to assess the relationship between cognitive appraisals, illness beliefs and indicators of adaptation to life with a chronic disease, such as the severity of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and quality of life.

METHODS

A database search was carried out between May 13 and 18, 2022, with no time restrictions. Thirty studies (5 related to cognitive appraisals, 25 related to illness beliefs) were identified.

RESULTS

The studies identified in the review were of satisfactory quality. An analysis of the articles allowed for a meta-analysis focusing on the relationship between the belief related to illness consequences and the severity of depressive symptoms, which gave an overall correlation estimate of 0.50 [0.44-0.56].

CONCLUSION

Both cognitive appraisals and illness beliefs are related to indicators of rheumatoid arthritis adaptation, such as depressive symptom severity, anxiety and acceptance levels. Further longitudinal research would be crucial in further elucidating the impact of cognitive factors on adjustment level and its trajectories over time.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

Review was pre-registered at https://osf.io/gd9cw (DOI:http://10.17605/OSF.IO/GD9CW).