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Menstruation poses psycho-physiological challenges globally due to a lack of awareness, unhygienic practices and social stigma. This paper aims to assess the existing body of research on menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) worldwide.

This study focuses on seminal works published in the Scopus Database from 1946 to 2023 for extensive bibliometric analysis, involving 756 bibliographic records analyzed through Biblioshiny and VOSviewer software. The authors use thematic analysis to identify core research themes and sub-themes, coupled with a critical review of the most highly cited articles within each thematic category.

The research into MHH has consistently grown since 2010, with a notable surge in the past five years. Among all countries, the USA emerges as the most active contributor, boasting the highest number of publications and citations. In terms of organizations, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine takes the lead with 54 articles. Further, PLOS ONE and Waterlines were the most productive and influential journals, respectively. The thematic analysis identifies key research foci, including tampons, menstrual health, sanitation, hygiene and bleeding.

Further research could be initiated in areas of menstrual education and awareness, menstrual product safety and effectiveness and menstrual disorders and treatments to address the concerns especially encountered by women from developing countries.

This research provides a comprehensive analysis of 77 years of MHH research, offering valuable insights into key areas of concern and guiding future research directions, ultimately addressing critical global health challenges.

The purpose of this paper is to study the crisis management process for project-based organizations (PBOs) by developing a comprehensive model and propositions.

This paper is based on a conceptual study. A literature review is considered a primary source for studying contemporary research, including 171 publications in total, which embody qualitative, quantitative, conceptual and theoretical studies. For data analysis, content analysis is used, which is comprised of descriptive and thematic analysis.

This study identifies five imperative elements of crisis management for PBOs which include (1) sense-making (information gathering and crisis interpretation), (2) decision-making (accurate and timely decision), (3) response (reactive response), (4) outcome (success/failure) and (5) learning. Based on these findings, this study proposes an integrative model of the interplay between sense-making, decision-making, response, outcome and learning. Furthermore, the findings lead to propositions for each of the elements. The paper contributes to the literature on dynamic capability theory.

This paper explores the crisis management process for PBOs. The proposed model deepens the understanding of the practices and processes of project-based crisis management.

The performance of large-scale projects is often challenged due to major environmental changes that occur during their life. However, literature has paid little attention to the governance adaptations required to respond effectively to these changes. This paper aims to study changes in the project environment over time, the corresponding governance adaptations and their impact on project performance.

To ensure triangulation between two sources of evidence, we used both primary and secondary data sources and examined 14 projects through 2 studies, the first focused on seven documented, illustrative case projects and the second on interviews with senior and project managers involved in seven additional projects.

We found the key environmental changes that should trigger appropriate governance adaptations to be market evolutions, technological advancements and sociopolitical events. However, we also found that these necessary governance adaptations are not commonly implemented timely, sufficiently or effectively.

The paper distills the dynamics of large-scale projects in achieving project effectiveness and raises theoretical propositions on the combination of environmental changes and deficient governance adaptations that, over time, turns efficient projects into ineffective projects and discusses implications for theory and practice.

The purpose of this study is to collect and assess the evidence available on the effect of non nutritive sweeteners on appetite, weight and glycemic regulation. As a replacement for sugars, non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs) are widely being used in different food products with the assumption that these would lower calorie intake and help to manage weight and blood sugar levels better. However, studies using animal models have reported that chronic exposure to NNSs leads to increased food consumption, weight gain and insulin resistance.

Evidence was acquired from systematic reviews or meta-analyses (2016–2021) of relevant clinical studies, especially randomized control trials using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines.

The review showed NNSs exposure did not conclusively induce increased food intake or change in subjective appetite ratings. Appetite biomarkers like ghrelin, gastric inhibitory peptide, C-peptide levels and Peptide YY remained mostly unaffected by NNSs. Meta-analyses of human randomized control studies showed a reduced energy intake and body weight. No significant change was seen in blood glucose levels, post-prandial glycemic or insulin response after consumption of NNSs. Adequate evidence is not available to conclusively say that NNSs influence gut health at doses relevant to human use.

Most studies which are prospective cohort, observational and cross-sectional studies suggest that use of NNSs may promote obesity and metabolic syndrome in adults. Such studies are plagued by confounding variables and reverse causation. Mechanistic evidence is mostly based on in-vitro and in-vivo studies. The same causal pathways may not be operative or relevant in humans.

This review of available literature concludes that to achieve specific public health and clinical goals, the safe use of NNSs for the reduction of intakes of free sugars and energy should be explored. This would be possible by educating the consumer about energy compensation and understanding the nutritional content of artificially sweetened products in terms of calories coming from fat and complex carbohydrates used in the product.

This study was, thus, designed with the objective of examining the usefulness of NNSs in human population, especially with respect to insulin regulation, glycemic control and weight management. Well-designed randomized control trials which control for confounding variables are needed to generate high quality evidence.

Auditory hallucinations (“hearing voices”) are a relatively common experience, which is often highly distressing and debilitating. As mental health services are under increasing pressures, services have witnessed a transformative shift with the integration of technology into psychological care. This study aims to narratively synthesise evidence of technology-enhanced psychological assessment and treatment of distressing voices (PROSPERO 393831).

This review was carried out according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Web of Science were searched until 30th May 2023. The Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) tool assessed methodological quality of studies.

Searching identified 9,254 titles. Fourteen studies (two assessment studies, twelve treatment studies, published 2010–2022, n = 1,578) were included in the review. Most studies were conducted in the UK, the USA or Canada. Technologies included avatar therapy, mobile apps, virtual reality, a computerised Web-based programme and a mobile-assisted treatment. Overall, technology-enhanced psychological assessments and treatments appear feasible, acceptable and effective, with avatar therapy the most used intervention. EPHPP ratings were “strong” (n = 8), “moderate” (n = 5) and “weak” (n = 1).

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic review to investigate these technologies, specifically for distressing voices. Despite the relatively small number of studies, findings offer promising evidence for the clinical benefits of these technologies for enhancing mental health care for individuals with distressing voices. More high-quality research on a wider range of technologies is warranted.

Age-inclusive management practices are crucial for addressing the needs of the older workforce, but there is limited research on these practices. One underexplored area is how workplaces can support older employees dealing with the loss of a loved one. The psychological process of loss differs for older employees and can have adverse effects on their ability to perform in the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to explore how workplaces can provide the necessary tools to support their older grieving employees.

This conceptual paper draws on the job-demand resource model and signaling theory to investigate how flexible work arrangements can support older employees after a bereavement and contribute to optimal employee performance.

Flexible work arrangements are theorized to lead to optimal performance via informational support. An ethical climate and stronger cultural competencies are proposed to strengthen this relationship. A theoretical framework is presented for a comprehensive research approach.

This paper advances the current understanding of age-inclusive management and offers a novel perspective on the benefits of flexible working arrangements.

This study explores how app store awards shape the behavior of leading digital entrepreneurs, focusing on their engagement in technological innovation through feedback and re-signaling mechanisms. It aims to reveal the nudging effect of award signals on entrepreneurial behavior.

In this study, data from 349 leading mobile app entrepreneurs in the UK Google Play Store were collected over an extended period from various sources. Functionality novelty and explorative behavior were assessed by analyzing app release date and permission technologies in comparison to both their own prior apps and those of their closest competitors. Hypothesized relationships were tested using accelerated failure time parametric models.

This study extends the literature on signaling by showing that (1) the top developer award signal served to nudge entrepreneurs to improve the functionality novelty of their apps and those who succeeded were less likely to switch to another product category, (2) the award signal created a window of opportunity for non-award entrepreneurs to respond and those who released new apps around the midpoint of a normal app development cycle significantly improved the likelihood of winning the award in a subsequent round of award-giving, and (3) the effect of functionality novelty on winning the award was more pronounced when non-award entrepreneurs pursued more explorative than exploitative behavior in app development.

The results offer novel insights into an understudied area, specifically the influence of online award signals on nudging entrepreneurs to pursue technological innovation. The research also highlights the crucial role played by the app store as an intermediary signaler.