"From Vision to Reality: Virtual Reality's Impact on Baffle Planning in Congenital Heart Disease"

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and utility of virtual reality (VR) for baffle planning in congenital heart disease (CHD), specifically by creating patient-specific 3D heart models and assessing a user-friendly VR interface. Patient-specific 3D heart models were created using high-resolution imaging data and a VR interface was developed for baffle planning. The process of model creation and the VR interface were assessed for their feasibility, usability, and clinical relevance. Collaborative and interactive planning within the VR space were also explored. The study findings demonstrate the feasibility and usefulness of VR in baffle planning for CHD. Patient-specific 3D heart models generated from imaging data provided valuable insights into complex spatial relationships. The developed VR interface allowed clinicians to interact with the models, simulate different baffle configurations, and assess their impact on blood flow. The VR space's collaborative and interactive planning enhanced the baffle planning process. This study highlights the potential of VR as a valuable tool in baffle planning for CHD. The findings demonstrate the feasibility of using patient-specific 3D heart models and a user-friendly VR interface to enhance surgical planning and patient outcomes. Further research and development in this field are warranted to harness the full benefits of VR technology in CHD surgical management.

Communal bereavement and the incidence of very low birthweight in Sweden

Prime minister Olof Palme's murder in 1986 and the sinking of the ferry Estonia in 1994 were stressful events for many Swedes, but did that stress affect health? We used an interrupted time-series design to measure the association between these events and the incidence of very low birthweight. Effects of male unemployment, size of the birth cohort, and temperature were controlled in our analysis of data for the period 1973-1995. The incidence of very low birthweight rose significantly in the months following the Palme murder and the Estonia catastrophe. Events that trigger communal bereavement at the scale we study may seem rare but they do occur (e.g., destruction of the World Trade Center and attack on the Pentagon). Events with less visibility, moreover, may induce communal bereavement in smaller populations defined by geography or organizational participation.

The ecological effect of unemployment on the incidence of very low birthweight in Norway and Sweden

Little attention has been paid to the ecological effects of unemployment, despite strong theory suggesting that being socially or economically connected to unemployed persons can induce illness. Theory suggests, for example, that the labor market experience of adult males should affect maternal and infant health. We advance this line of inquiry by testing the hypothesis that quarterly increases in unemployment among Norwegian and Swedish males were associated with increased incidence of very low weight births from 1973 through 1995. Results support the hypothesis. We estimate that approximately 188 very low weight births could have been averted in Norway, and about 329 in Sweden, if quarterly increases in male unemployment had been constrained to the median over the 23-year period. Our findings imply that the social cost of unemployment may be underestimated by focusing on unemployment as an individual risk factor.

Environmental influences on psychological restoration

Research on psychological restoration and restorative environments is a needed complement to work on stress and environmental stressors. Two laboratory experiments tested the utility of two restorative environments theories, one concerned with directed attention capacity renewal and the other with stress reduction and associated changes in emotion. Various strategies were employed to distinguish restorative effects from other effects, to limit the role of arousal reduction in attentional restoration, and to begin mapping the time course for the emergence of outcomes. Both experiments tested for differential emotional and performance effects as a function of photographic environmental simulation (natural or urban environment). Across the experiments the natural environment simulation engendered generally more positive emotional self-reports. That consistent performance effects were not found in either study suggests that attentional restoration as reflected in performance is a more time-intensive process.