bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Correlation between radiographic adenoidnasopharyngeal ratio and clinical symptoms of adenoid hypertrophy in a tertiary health institution in North West Nigeria
Authors: Mohammed Danyaro Rilwanu  , Sule Ahmed Saidu  , Sadisu Muhammad Ma’aji  , Mohammed Danfulani  , Garba Haruna Yunusa  , Akinnibosun-Raji Oluwatosin Hafsat  , Kufre Robert Iseh  , Abdulrahman Ahmad
Published: April 2022

Background: Adenoid hypertrophy is the most common cause of nasopharyngeal airway obstruction in children. The radiographic evaluation of the adenoid hypertrophy using the adenoid-nasopharyngeal ratio is a simple, economical, and reliable method in determination of the position, size, and shape of the adenoids.
Aims and Objectives: The study was conducted to determine the correlation between radiographic adenoid-nasopharyngeal ratio and clinical symptoms of adenoid hypertrophy.
Materials and Methods: This crosssectional prospective study was carried out in the Department of Radiology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, North West Nigeria. A total of 90 consecutive patients aged between 3 and 12 years with clinical symptoms of adenoid hypertrophy were included in the study. All the patients had plain radiography of the post-nasal space. The adenoid-nasopharyngeal ratio (ANR), which is the ratio of the adenoid thickness measured from the maximum convexity of the adenoid to the margin of the basiocciput and the nasopharyngeal depth measured from the posterior border of the hard palate to the anteroinferior aspect of the sphenobasioccipital synchondrosis (Fujioka method), was calculated and scores obtained for each patient were graded into mild (0.50–0.62), moderate (0.63–0.75), and severe (0.76–0.88). The clinical symptoms assessed included snoring, mouth breathing, sleep apnea, otitis media, and recurrent upper airway infections. Each symptom was scored on a 4-point scale and the sum of the scores was graded into mild (0–5), moderate (6–10), and severe (11–15). The data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 22.
Results: A total of 90 patients were involved in the study, their age ranged between 3 and 12 years (mean=6.11±2.77); and male-tofemale ratio was 2:1.5. The mean ANR score was 0.71±0.11 and that of the clinical symptoms score was 8.67±3.23. ANR correlated significantly with the clinical symptoms scores (r=0.901; P<0.0001). The association was significant at ANR grading for mild (χ2=20.91; P=0.003) and severe (χ2=11.39; P=0.022).
Conclusion: This study shows that radiographic ANR can predict the degree of nasopharyngeal airway obstruction especially for mild and severe grading. A severe nasopharyngeal airway obstruction as determined by both ANR and symptom’s severity was observed in the 3–5 years age group.
Evaluation of perceived stress and coronavirus-specific anxiety among hospitalized COVID-19 patients – A cross-sectional study
Authors: Arul Varman P , Ananthi P , Sugirda P
Published: April 2022

Background: COVID-19 pandemic enmeshed all people across the globe in myriad of problems and adversely affected their physical and mental health. Among all, patients who had been infected with COVID-19 might be at higher risk of psychological distress for obvious reasons.
Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to find out the prevalence and level of perceived stress and coronavirus-specific anxiety in patients affected by COVID-19.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on in-patients of a COVID-19 designated hospital who were about to get discharged. After screening the eligible patients with GHQ-12, patients who gave consent were interviewed with perceived stress scale (PSS)-4 and coronavirus anxiety scale.
Results: Mean age of the study population was 41 years and majority (54.4%) belonged to 40–60 years of age. Slight preponderance of females (54.1%) noted and17.4% lost their source of income and encountered acute financial crisis. Mean duration of stay in the hospital was 10.2 (±4.4) days. Mean perceived stress and coronavirus-specific anxiety were 9.6 (±2.2) and 10.39 (±3.1), respectively. Loss of a family member due to COVID-19 infection, active COVID-19 infection in any family member, poor social support, and financial crisis were the factors correlated with higher PSS scores.
Conclusion: Psychosocial factors contributed significantly for the higher level of perceived stress in COVID-19 patients in our study.
Caecal Gurgling - A new sign in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis and its correlation with intra operative findings
Authors: Susavan Das  , Kuiri Shib Shankar , Sayak Roy  , Kanchan Kundu
Published: April 2022

Background: Acute appendicitis is one of the most common surgical emergencies, with a lifetime prevalence rate of approximately one in seven. The incidence is 1.5–1.9/1,000 in the male and female population and is approximately 1.4 times greater in men than in women. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis is based purely on clinical history andexamination combined with laboratory investigations such as elevated white cell count.
Aims and Objectives: To examine clinical and laboratory findings of patients with right iliac fossa pain attending general surgery outdoor, indoor, and emergency of BSMCH and the relation between caecal gurgling with acute appendicitis andits correlation with intraoperative findings.
Materials and Methods: This study was a hospital-based cross-sectional analytical study. It was conducted in rural-based tertiary care hospital and medical college with a time frame of about 1½years from acceptance of synopsis. The period of study was from January 2019 to May 2020, in the Department of general surgery, Bankura Sammilani Medical College and Hospital, Bankura.
Results: In Acute Appendicitis, 188(68.1%) patients were APL, and 88(31.9%) patients were BPL. In Normal Appendix, 85(68.5%) patients were APL and 39(31.5%) patient were BPL. Association of SES versusThe final diagnosis was not statistically significant (P=0.9315).
Conclusion: Diagnosis of acute appendicitis is mainly clinical. Keeping in view the results of the present study, we conclude that caecal gurgling is an important positive clinical finding in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Incorporating caecal gurgling into Modified Alvarado Scoring System,especially in the patients with a MAS of 5–6 where there is a dilemma whether to operate the patient or not, it aids in our decision-making and thus helps to reduce the rate of negative appendectomies.
An institutional-based observational study of the effect of iodinated contrast media used in computed tomography scan on liver function tests in a tertiary care hospital
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Keshab , Singha Raju , Ahmed Shah Newaz , Kumar Sajjan
Published: April 2022

Background: Iodine-based contrast media are used to obtain contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) images for better visualization of anatomical structures and improved diagnostic accuracy. These contrast agents are water soluble and are primarily eliminated through renal route. Studies on the acute effects of these agents on the hepatic function are very few in literature. This study was conducted to assess the change of serum parameters of hepatic function within 1 week of administration of the contrast agents.
Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to study the acute effect of iodinated contrast media on liver function test.
Materials and Methods: Patients attending radiology department for CECT, pre-advised by physicians as part of the treatment protocol of their specific indication were invited to participate in the study. Patients of either gender with normal kidney function test were included in the study. The study was a single-arm, observational prospective study designed to evaluate the change in liver function tests in the study participants after administration of iodinated contrast agent for CECT. All patients who participated in the study provided written informed consent (n=50). Blood sample was obtained for hepatic function tests before administration of the contrast agent and after 3–7 days of CECT. The parameters observed were serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), serum bilirubin-total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, indirect bilirubin, serum protein-total protein, serum albumin, and serum globulin. Paired t-test was used to find out the significant differences between the respective blood parameters before and after the CECT. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The mean hepatic serum parameters before and after the CECT were found to be in the normal range. There was a nearly statistically significant (P=0.052) but clinically insignificant increase in the mean value of ALP after the CECT (3.020±10.739, 95% confidence interval: −0.032–6.072). Similarly, there was a paradoxical decrease in indirect bilirubin after CECT (P=0.002) which, however, was clinically insignificant (−0.0280±0.0607, 95% confidence interval: −0.0453–−0.0107). There was no statistically or clinically significant difference between the before and after test values in all other parameters.
Conclusion: Iodinated contrast agents used in CECT do not have any clinically significant effects on change in serum hepatic functions within 1 week of administration of the contrast agents. The mild elevation in alkaline phosphatase may be an indication of acute cholestatic effect of the contrast agents on the hepatic parenchyma. Further studies are warranted to decipher the complete and true picture of these agents on hepatic function.
A prospective cohort study of adverse fetomaternal outcomes among overweight, obese, and normal weight pregnant women with term singleton pregnancy in a tertiary care hospital
Authors: Shyamal Dasgupta  , Poulami Roy  , Chiranjit Ghosh  , Biswas Jhuma , Pallabi Das  , Utsa Ghosh  , Avijit Pan  , Swarnakamal Mondal
Published: April 2022

Background: Globally, overweight and obesity are the common risk factors with increasing frequency for adverse fetomaternal outcomes. In resource-poor countries, it is emerging as a threat for favorable pregnancy outcome even with the prevalence of high hunger index.
Aims and Objectives: This study aims to determine the impact of obesity and overweight in pregnancy on fetomaternal outcomes in comparison to normal weight mothers.
Materials and Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in a tertiary care center for 1½ years with singleton term pregnancies and 64 mothers with body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2 (cases) were compared with 64 normal weight mothers with BMI 18.5–24.9 kg/m2 (controls). Maternal and perinatal outcome was analyzed during antenatal, intranatal periods and after delivery along with the follow-up of newborns up to early neonatal period.
Results: After optimizing the two groups in different sociodemographic status, the result shows significantly higher weight gain (P<0.001), incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (P<0.001), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (P<0.001), and macrosomia (P<0.001) in overweight and obese pregnant women than their normal weight counterparts. Increased cesarean section rate (P<0.001), postpartum hemorrhage (P<0.005), neonatal low Apgar score at 5 min (P<0.05), neonatal intensive care unit admission (P<0.05), and higher rate of early neonatal death were also observed in cases group than controls group.
Conclusion: Pre-pregnancy intervention for optimization of maternal weight with proper surveillance of every pregnant mother of this subset and vigilant neonatal care may improve the obstetric and perinatal outcome.
Evaluation of gallbladder mucosal changes about the type of stones in patients undergoing open cholecystectomy: A study of 184 patients
Authors: Shirale Vaishali , Kumar Rajat , Goyal Sunder , Punia Jatin , Tyagi Vikas , Pujani Mukta
Published: April 2022

Background: Cholelithiasis is 7 times more frequent in North India, with an overall incidence of about 2–29%. The number and different morphology of gallstones can cause alterations in the gallbladder (GB) mucosa. GB mucosal change depends on the duration of cholelithiasis, size, number, type of stone, and the gender of the patient. The coexistence of gallstones with cholecystitis, hyperplasia, intestinal metaplasia, and carcinoma is well known in the literature. Incidental gallbladder (GB) carcinoma is revealed in 1% of all cholecystectomies done for benign conditions. The pathological stage of the disease decides the prognosis of the disease.
Aims and Objectives: Gallstones are known to produce various histopathological changes in the GB. We aim to correlate gallstone characteristics such as (number and morphological type) with the type of mucosal response in the GB (inflammation, hyperplasia, metaplasia, and carcinoma).
Materials and Methods: A study of gallstones was done in 184 cases of open cholecystectomies based on the histological changes. One hundred and sixty-five (89.95%) were associated with gallstones, and the rest 19 cases (10.05%) were of acalculous cholecystitis. The changes in the mucosa of the calculous GB (165 cases) were studied, and the correlation between the mucosal changes and the number and type of stones was evaluated. Tissue sections for histopathological studies were taken from the fundus, body, neck, and abnormal-looking areas of the GB.
Results: A gender study revealed a higher incidence of inflammatory changes in males, while GB hyperplasia, intestinal metaplasia, and cancer were found only in females.
Conclusion: Correlation of mucosal changes with a number, duration of disease, and morphological type of stones has suggested that there could be an association with the various GB mucosal changes such as inflammation, hyperplasia, metaplasia, and carcinoma of the GB.
An approach to axillary swellings cytomorphological (fine needle aspiration cytology) study
Authors: Gopika A , Shilpa N , Kusumanjali B
Published: April 2022

Background: The axilla, a triangular area which is located between the upper arm and thorax, contains blood vessels, nerves, lymph nodes, and fat. Axillary swellings can arise from these various mesenchymal tissues present in the axillary area. The most common palpable axillary masses are usually lymph nodes. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is the first line investigative technique with differential diagnosis includes reactive hyperplasia, inflammatory conditions, granulomatous disorders and malignancy. FNAC is a rapid, less invasive, less traumatic, and easily accessible and a cheap diagnostic tool to differentiate the benign or the malignant nature of the swelling.
Aims and Objectives: Study is undertaken to document the spectrum of axillary lesions. Value of FNAC as a rapid diagnostic tool in diagnosing the axillary lesions.
Materials and Methods: Present study is an 18 months cross-sectional study carried out in department of pathology, tertiary care hospital. Patients demographic and clinical data were collected from request forms. Slides were reviewed and analyzed. Data were entered in microsoft excel and analyzed.
Results: Out of total 110 cases analyzed, ratio of female to male is 3.07. There were 41.8% benign and 13.6% malignant cases. 42.7% were inflammatory and 1.9% congenital lesions (ectopic breast). The most common lesions encountered are from lymph node (51.8%) (lymphadenitis-most common) followed by soft tissue tumor (Lipoma – most common). Rare lesions include nonhodgkin lymphoma, hodgkin lymphoma, neurofibroma, and chondroid syringoma.
Conclusion: FNAC is an outpatient-based accurate, rapid procedure helps in timely diagnosis of various axillary lesions including clinically and radiologically ambiguous cases. It also helps to discriminate benign and malignant lesions with less chances of false negative results.
Efficacy of the P-POSSUM scoring system in prediction of post-operative mortality and morbidity in patients undergoing emergency exploratory laparotomy in a tertiary institute in East India
Authors: Sanjay Maitra  , Swathi Sankar  , Aditya Chowdhury  , Mandal Mohanchandra
Published: April 2022

Background: The tenet of any surgery is to reduce the morbidity and mortality. The outcome is not solely dependent on surgeon’s operative expertise alone, but also significantly influencedby a lot  of patient factors. The Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of Morbidity and Mortality (POSSUM), a risk-adjusted scoring system, has already been used in various parts of India. There is scarcity of published research using this tool in the population of Eastern India.
Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the efficacy of modified version Portsmouth-POSSUM (P-POSSUM) scoring system in predicting the postoperative morbidity and mortality in population of East India.
Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in 50 patients of either gender, of age group 13–80 years, undergoing emergency laparotomy and followed up to 30-day post-operative follow-up of all patients till the sample size of 50 was reached. The physiological scores were recorded during admission and the operative severity score was recorded according to the intra-operative findings of operating surgeon. Any post-operative morbidity or death was recorded during hospital stay or on follow-up for a period of 30 days. The Hosmer–Lemeshow test was used for goodness-of-fit in logistics regression for mortality risk prediction model. The ratio of observed and expected rates (O: E ratio) was calculated.
Results: Using the scoring tool, no significant difference was observed between the expected and observed mortality (Chi-square 2.166; df=8; P=0.976, O: E ratio 1.4) but a considerable difference was observed between the observed between the expected morbidity rates (χ²=22.806, df=8, P=0.004, O: E ratio 1.137).
Conclusion: The P-POSSUM score was able to accurately predict the mortality in Eastern India surgical settings. However, the model was not that accurate in prediction of morbidity.
A study to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice on occupational blood and body fluid spill management awareness among nursing students in a tertiary care hospital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Authors: Vidhyashree MD , Ramasubramanian R , Dharaneswari H
Published: April 2022

Background: Nurses form a major taskforce of healthcare providers in hospitals and are hence at a great risk of such exposure. Occupational exposure in the context of this study is the exposure of skin to blood and body fluids. Transmission of these infections puts healthcare providers at major risk. Proper decontamination and taking measures to prevent occupational exposure to blood, mercury and body fluids is a primary method of prevention of disease in a healthcare setup.
Aims and Objectives: To estimate, the level of knowledge, attitude& practice of nursing students regarding the management of blood and body fluid spill. Methodology: A Cross sectional –KAP among Second and third years from Nursing school, Chennai.
Result: Among 98 nursing students, second year nursing 40%, 61%, 40 % shows knowledge, attitude and practice respectively. Third year students shows better than second year which was 57%, 71%, 71 % shows knowledge, attitude and practice respectively. The studied participants had a median (IQR) percentage KAP score of 8(7-9) and 11 (10-13) for second and third year students respectively. Comparison KAP score of the excellent and fair among second and third year students showed the significant p-value (<0.001*) by the Mann- Whitney U test.
Conclusion: Majority of third year nursing students showed better KAP than second year students hence we recommend more mock training classes to improve the knowledge and practice.
A comparative study of single-dose esmolol and single-dose lignocaine in the prevention of intubation-induced tachycardia and hypertension during general anesthesia
Authors: Bandana Paudel  , Samir Ghimire  , Sumitra Paudel
Published: April 2022

Background: During laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation hemodynamic stress response is a great concern.
Aims and Objective: This study aimed to compare single-dose esmolol with single-dose lignocaine in the prevention of intubation induced tachycardia and hypertension during general anesthesia.
Materials and Methods: On 60 patients, a prospective comparative study was done. Patients ranging in age from 20 to 60 years old were included. Individuals with physical status I and II as per the guidelines of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scheduled for elective surgeries under general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation were divided into two groups randomly. Two minutes before intubation, 1.5 mg/kg esmolol and 1.5 mg/kg lignocaine bolus doses were given diluted in 10 ml normal saline. Measurement of the mean heart rate (HR), the mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), and the mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was taken at the base level, during intubation and 1st, 2nd, 3rd,5th, and 10th minute after intubation. Also, mean arterial pressure was calculated based on these values.
Results: The mean heart rate, systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure before starting anesthesia were similar in the Lignocaine group and Esmolol group (p>0.05). The mean heart rate (79.37±5.46 in lignocaine group and 74.63 ±5.411 in esmolol group), mean systolic blood pressure (127 ± 5.387 in lignocaine group and 114.50 ± 6.317 in esmolol group), mean diastolic blood pressure (83.07±3.028 in lignocaine group and 65.10 ± 2.77 in esmolol group)  and mean arterial pressure (98.03±2.883 in lignocaine group and 81.57±2.812 in esmolol group) at intubation and 1,2,3,5 and 10 min after intubation showed a significant decrease in the values in the Esmolol group.
Conclusion: Esmolol when given intravenously as a 1.5 mg/kg bolus dose, is proven to be superior and efficient in dampening the vasopressor response to laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation in comparison with lignocaine given intravenously as 1.5 mg/kg bolus dose during general anaesthesia without inducing unexpected hypotension and bradycardia.
Synthetic Biology: The New Era
Authors: Samudra Guha  , Joyeeta Talukdar  , Abhibrato Karmakar  , Sandeep Goswami  , Arun Kumar  , Ruby Dhar  , Karmakar Subhradip
Published: April 2022

Synthetic biology is an emerging discipline of science, at the intersection of biology, engineering, and chemistry that involves redesigning organisms to have new phenotypes and customized abilities. While synthetic biology seems to have originated from genetic engineering, over the years, it has matured as well as diverged from it. It involves not just the transfer of genes from one or cell to another creating some variants, it also involves the assembly of an altogether novel organism or cell created part by part by the assembly of individual components of the desired function in a logical fashion.  In this minireview, we will explore this new discipline and its possible applications and future promises to serve the humanity
A Fatal Tyre Blast Injury: An Autopsy Case
Authors: Kumar Rajesh , Sheikh Nishat Ahmed
Published: April 2022

A 49-year-old man sustained an accidental injury when he was changing and inflating the tyre of a truck, and there was a sudden explosion of the truck tyre at the service station, which was by the roadside of the highway. With the pressure of air generated due to the exploding tyre, the victim was blown to around 6 feet away. He was declared dead on admission. The medico-legal examination was conducted, and death was determined to be multiple organ injuries [mainly head, chest, and abdominal injuries] caused by the shock wave produced due to tyre explosion. Tyre blast injuries are not so common. A meticulous post-mortem examination is fundamental in formulating and recording the pattern of traumatic injuries. Preventive occupational measures should be put in place.
Geometry and causal flux in multi-loop Feynman diagrams
Authors: Sborlini German Fabricio Roberto
Published: April 2022

In this review, we discuss recent developments concerning efficient calculations of multi-loop multi-leg scattering amplitudes. Inspired by the remarkable properties of the Loop-Tree Duality (LTD), we explain how to reconstruct an integrand level representation of scattering amplitudes which only contains physical singularities. These so-called causal representations can be derived from connected binary partitions of Feynman diagrams, properly entangled according to specific rules. We will focus on the detection of flux orientations which are compatible with causality, describing the implementation of a quantum algorithm to identify such configurations.
ν-e Scattering radiative corrections in a short baseline experiment
Authors: Miranda Romagnoli Omar Gustavo , Moreno Granados Guadalupe , Moura Celio A.
Published: April 2022

Precision tests in future long-baseline experiments will measure neutrino oscillation properties with high accuracy. Besides, with their near detectors will be possible to perform measurements with high statistics, such as neutrino scattering with electrons, among other neutrino interactions. Near detectors will give the chance to measure the radiative corrections of this process with unprecedented precision. This work will discuss how the test of the radiative corrections in the neutrino-electron scattering may measure the neutrino charge radius.
Preface
Authors: Revista Mexicana de Física RMF
Published: April 2022

Preface

XXXV Annual Meeting of the DPyC-SMF, May 11-13, 2021XIX Mexican School on Particles and Fields, August 9-13, 2021
The Impact of Job Enrichment on Job Satisfaction of Local Government Workers in Temeke Municipal Council of Tanzania
Authors: Wilfred Uronu Lameck
Published: April 2022

This study examines the impact of job enrichment on employee job satisfaction of local government workers in Tanzania. Specifically, the study examines how job characteristics, job meaningfulness, job responsibilities, and knowledge about job results impact employee job satisfaction. The target population of the study is 4000 employees of Temeke Municipal Council in Tanzania from which a sample of 396 respondents were drawn using a stratified simple random sampling technique. Temeke Municipal Council was selected since it is one of the biggest municipalities where the workers are highly dissatisfied due to the big workload and the pressure from the central bureaucracy, but it is not clear to what extent job enrichment is affecting job satisfaction. The data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire with closed-ended questions and analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics and regression analysis with the aid of STATA software. The findings show that job enrichment impacts positively on employees' job satisfaction because all the variables of job enrichments show a strong positive and statistically significant relationship with job satisfaction. This study recommends that job satisfaction among employees of the organizations could be increased through enriching their jobs focusing on job characteristics, job meaningfulness, job responsibilities, and knowledge about job results.

Keywords: Job Enrichment, Job Satisfaction, Local Government Workers, Tanzania
Changing Dynamics of Gender Inequality in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic in India
Authors: Debahuti Brahmachari
Published: April 2022

With the second-largest nation in terms of population, India has been one of the most affected countries by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the repercussions of the ongoing pandemic can be noticed in terms of the widened deeply embedded gender inequalities in India. The post-recovery period would be immensely complex. The fear that the world is witnessing is the amplification of the existing gender gap or inequality. The pandemic has once again proven that the ill effects have a differential impact on both the sexes. Hence, an attempt through this research has been made to understand the changing dynamics of gender inequality in India due to the impact of COVID-19. The main objective of the paper is to find out the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the socio-economic structures that enhance the existing gender inequality, and how far it has impacted the deeply embedded gender inequalities. In this regard, qualitative research methods with descriptive analysis have been used. The literature and narratives available related to various dimensions of gender inequality have been reviewed to understand the differential impacts of the pandemic on women. The need to have an engendering governance outlook has been highlighted. No public health approach should neglect the gendered impact of such a crisis. The research tries to sum up with proactive strategy recommendations that the state should embark upon both as long-term and short-term goals.

Keywords: COVID-19, Pandemic, Gender, Women, Governance, Equality
Respectful Conduct in Public School Community in Sri Lanka: Exploring the Policy and Program Framework
Authors: Visakesa Chandrasekaram
Published: April 2022

In organizational development literature, ‘Respectful conduct’ refers to acceptable standards of behavior rejecting violence, discrimination, bullying, or harassment. In a workplace setting, respectful conduct is ensured by introducing policies on behavioral standards, remedies to address policy breaches, and programs to build staff capacities to implement such policies. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that disrespectful conduct is a common problem in public schools in Sri Lanka, and the school system is poorly equipped to address the issue. Clarifying the existing laws concerning respectful conduct, this article explores policy reforms, remedial pathways, and program mechanisms to solve the problem. The key research question posed in this article is ‘what policy and program initiatives are required to ensure respectful conduct in schools under the existing legal setting in Sri Lanka?’ This research aims to identify gaps in existing policy and program frameworks and propose policy measures to fill the gaps based on the international best practices. The methodology adopted in this study includes a survey of local and international literature on the problem of institutional level disrespectful conduct and appropriate solutions. This study also consists of a policy review conducted by collating the instruments currently being applied in the public school system. Based on the analysis, this study proposes several components of a policy framework, including remedial pathways supplemented by a program mechanism to implement such policies in public schools in Sri Lanka.

Keywords: Discrimination, Harassment, Bullying, Violence, Respect, Schools, Policies, Programs
“Louis Must Die, Because the Nation Must Live”: Blood, National Regeneration, and the Execution of Louis XVI
Authors: Finnsson Ari Hallgrímur
Published: April 2022

When Louis XVI was executed by guillotine on 21 January 1793, he became the central figure in two competing narratives of national regeneration. For revolutionaries, his death established and baptized the new republic in the king’s blood. For royalists, Louis became a Christ-like martyr whose sacrifice would eventually save France from the sin of the Revolution. This article argues that narratives of the execution of Louis XVI provided symmetrically opposite interpretations of the events of 1793. Blood figured importantly in the rhetoric of both groups in almost exactly the same kinds of ways and relied heavily in both cases on the traditions of the pre-revolutionary era. Ultimately, the article seeks to use the symbolic power of Louis’s blood to trace important lines of continuity between the ancien régime, the Revolution, and the Bourbon Restoration. Paying attention to this continuity has two important effects. First, bringing the Revolution and the Restoration into conversation reveals the existence of a common emotional framework. In both cases, political culture operated in part along an interplay of vengeance and sacrifice, symbolized in the form of Louis’s blood. This emotional framework reveals the ways in which Revolutionary narratives about Louis XVI were transpositions of royal mythologies, rather than rejections of them. The continuity of this framework in ultra-royalist attempts to re-establish the legitimacy of the Bourbon regime points to the hybridity of the monarchy after the Revolution and to how the trauma of Revolution was key in narratives of Bourbon authority. Second, exploring the symbolic value of Louis’s blood points to the underlying tensions during this period produced from the coexistence, rather than the replacement, of spectacular, visual notions of sovereignty in the body of the king or of the people, with the emerging authority of legislative bodies and the written word of the law.
Japanese Public Health Concerns in Treaty-Port Manchuria
Authors: Sewell Bill
Published: April 2022

Scholars often portray colonial medicine either as exemplifying the triumph of progress or as a means of expanding imperial authority. Adding to these views a consideration of the range of activities present on the ground reveals activities consistent with both perspectives, but points also to limitations inherent in perceiving these efforts in these two ways. A more focused view also acknowledges the inherently abusive side of the colonial project, underscoring the potential to become categorically worse should the historical context shift. The Japanese imperialist effort in Manchuria in the first half of the twentieth century exhibits this range clearly, resulting as it did in particularly extreme behaviour.
Enfermedad de Peyronie
Authors: Salas Morgan Jose Pablo , Garita Mendez Erik Andres , Angulo Moya Luis Carlos
Published: April 2022

La enfermedad de Peyronie conocida como fibromatosis del pene, es un trastorno del tejido conectivo adquirido, asociado a la aparición de nódulos fibróticos en la túnica albugínea del pene, reduciendo su elasticidad local y encorvando el pene durante a erección. La enfermedad de Peyronie aumenta su frecuencia con respecto a la edad y tiene su mayor incidencia durante la quinta década de vida. Fisiopatológicamente se desconoce con exactitud la causa de formación de las placas fibróticas en la túnica albugínea, principalmente se asocian a micro traumas durante la penetración, también, se han formulado hipótesis como, por ejemplo, la disfunción de metaloproteinasas de la matriz, por las cuales habría una persistencia del tejido fibrótico. Clínicamente existen dos espectros de la enfermedad, la fase aguda y la fase estable, en un paciente con un cuadro agudo se presentará con dolor peneano, cambios en el pene durante la erección como curvaturas o malformaciones, en un cuadro estable, el paciente no tiene dolor peneano durante la erección y presenta una curvatura peneana sin mayor progresión de la malformación. Ambas presentaciones se asocian con afectación psico-social de los pacientes, la cual es de extrema relevancia y debe ser abordada de forma integral con el tratamiento de los síntomas de la enfermedad. Durante la evaluación clínica se tomarán decisiones terapéuticas en relación con la extensión de la curvatura del pene y se podría dar tratamiento médico oral con pentoxifilina o inyecciones intralesionales. Adicionalmente, existe la opción del tratamiento quirúrgico para ciertos casos de la enfermedad.
Leishmaniasis: evaluación clínica y diagnóstico
Authors: Ching Chacón Allan , Villalobos Romero Brenda , Jiménez Vargas María Fernanda
Published: April 2022

La leishmaniosis también conocida como “papalomoyo” es una enfermedad infecciosa crónica parasitaria causada por un protozoo flagelado del género Leishmania, el cual cuenta con más de 20 especies. Su presentación y manifestaciones clínicas son variables, y dependen de la especie y el estado inmunológico del huésped. La población más afectada son los niños y los adultos jóvenes menores de 20 años. Según sus manifestaciones clínicas se puede dividir en: cutánea, visceral y mucocutánea, siendo la de mejor pronóstico la primera de estas. Dentro de los factores de riesgo para esta enfermedad se encuentra: pobreza, desnutrición, migración, condiciones de vivienda inadecuadas y personas que realizan trabajos rurales, como agricultores, granjeros o militares. El diagnóstico puede ser presuntivo o definitivo, las características clínicas de la enfermedad son clave para el diagnóstico presuntivo y el frotis directo es el método de laboratorio más utilizado, cuyo principal objetivo es lograr la visualización de amastigotes en la muestra clínica. La leishmaniosis es conocida como “la gran imitadora” ya que su clínica es compatible con diversas patologías, por lo que debe realizarse diagnóstico diferencial con varias enfermedades. El manejo de dicha patología va a variar dependiendo del tipo de especie y las resistencias presentes.
Risk Evaluation on Security Personnel Managing Illegal Detainees in a Makeshift Covid-19 Low Risk Quarantine and Treatment Centre
Authors: Rusli Mohammad Farhan , Abd Rahman Anita , Moideen Mohd Arshil , Erlendawati Mohd Anuar  , Mahabot Fuad Ridha , Wan Mustapha Wan Mohd Harith , Abd Samad@Mahmood Md Anuar
Published: April 2022

Background:  The COVID-19 pandemic situation in Malaysia has resulted in a whole country approach where a newly built makeshift low risk Covid-19 treatment centre was chosen to house all COVID-19 positive illegal immigrants.  In view of the desperate situation the detained illegal immigrants were in as the risks of them behaving aggressively, taking hostage, running away and escaping from the treatment centre were high this is the first time ever other governmental, non-governmental and security agencies worked alongside healthcare personnel in a biological hazard treatment centre while the clinical management was of no different than any other clinical setup in the country.  

Methodology:  This is a semi-quantitative and integrated type of hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control (HIRARC) approach where it incorporates risk rating and severity rating to cover four elements, which are people, property, environment, and reputation.  Total scores range from 1 to 25 and was further categorized into low, medium and high risk in a color-coded representation.  The assessment was done for two weeks from 27th May 2020 till 11th June 2020.

Result & Discussion: Four types of occupational and security hazards identified were physical, biological, psychological and ergonomics hazards.  this evaluation serves as a good planning tool in optimizing the risk mitigation measures among security personnel working in a biological hazardous environment. Physical hazards with possible violence and riot scored the highest risk while ergonomic issues had the lowest rating. 

Conclusion:  The mapping combination of existing hazard, risk rating and control was able to facilitate organization to prioritise future planning.  With the fluidity of the COVID-19 pandemic, periodical evaluation is recommended to meet dynamic changes such as demands for frontliner manpower strength, the number of existing detainee patients in ward and the evolution of the COVID-19 infection itself to maintain safety and security for all.
Job Satisfaction and Burnout among Registered Nurses in aPrivate Hospital
Authors: Bit-Lian Yee , Woei-Ling Tan , Bin Shuhaimi Nazirul Shahin
Published: April 2022

Background: The nursing profession is not only physically demanding which deal with the function and human health, but also involve the use of mental energy and contribute to mental exhaustion when one is continuously exposed to stressful events and circumstances. This inevitably lead to burnout and with job dissatisfaction. Objectives: This study aims to identify the levels of job satisfaction and burnout issue among registered nurses and to determine the relationships between demographic variable, job satisfaction and burnout among registered nurse in a private hospital in Kajang, Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive with convenient sampling method was used on 167 respondents. The questionnaire consists of Section A: sociodemographic data 6 items, Section B: 22 items on the level of burnout and Section C: 20 items on the level of job satisfaction. Result: The result showed that the level of job satisfaction and burnout among nurses are at high level with mean value are 4.06 and 4.07 respectively. Conclusion: There is moderate to high level of job dissatisfaction and burnout reported by the registered nurses. The findings of this study will provide significant findings to the nursing administrative in addressing the expectation and needs of their registered nurses.
PLANNED TEACHING PROGRAMME THROUGH BOOKLET FOR PRIMI GRAVIDAE WOMEN REGARDING LACATATION PROBLEMS
Authors: Ibrahiem Nadra Mohamed , Ramadan Ali Maha , A. Elbahlowan Gehan , Gida Naglaa , Abdel-Azeem Nahed
Published: April 2022

Introduction: Lactation issues are a painful ailment that affects postpartum women and leads to failed breastfeeding. As a result, there is a strong need to improve women's awareness and self-care behaviors related to breast problems especially among primi gravidae. Aim: to evaluate the effect planned teaching programed through booklet for primi gravidae women regarding Lactation problems. A quasi-experimental design was utilized. Setting: The study was done at antenatal clinic of Suez Canal university Hospital. A Purposive sample that consisted of 200 primi gravidae women was divided into two groups (control group comprising 100 pregnant women and study group comprising 100 pregnant women) using structured interview schedule, observational checklist regarding lactation and lactation problem were used for data collection. The procedure passed through four phases; interviewing and assessment, designing, implementation, and evaluation phase. Results: Pre intervention study design showed that the majority of the sample in both the study and control groups had poor lactation and it is related with knowledge and practices compared to post intervention. About 74% of the study group had good knowledge, whereas the control group had no significant difference from pre intervention (P ≤ 0.001). It was seen that 72.0% of the study group-initiated breast feeding directly after delivery compared to only 25.0% of the control group. 63% of control versus 39% in study faced breast problems. Conclusion In pre-intervention, most of the members of both study and control group primi moms had poor knowledge and practice about breastfeeding and breastfeeding issues, according to the study's findings. As a result, the program and the booklet distributed were effective in increasing knowledge and practice of lactation problems in primi gravidae. The findings confirm the research hypothesis that women who enroll in the program and receive the booklet are able to avoid and overcome lactation disorders than those who did not. Recommendation: Classes for Mother are necessary to educate primi gravidae mothers regarding the bases of breastfeeding and breast-feeding problems during pregnancy that will help to reduce the risk of various complications and breastfeeding disorders.
Differentiation of lumbar disc herniation and lumbar spinal stenosis using natural language processing–based machine learning based on positive symptoms
Authors: Ren GuanRui , Yu Kun , Xie ZhiYang , Liu Lei , Wang PeiYang , Zhang Wei , Wang YunTao , Wu XiaoTao
Published: April 2022

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to develop natural language processing (NLP)–based machine learning algorithms to automatically differentiate lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) based on positive symptoms in free-text admission notes. The secondary purpose was to compare the performance of the deep learning algorithm with the ensemble model on the current task.

METHODS

In total, 1921 patients whose principal diagnosis was LDH or LSS between June 2013 and June 2020 at Zhongda Hospital, affiliated with Southeast University, were retrospectively analyzed. The data set was randomly divided into a training set and testing set at a 7:3 ratio. Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) models were developed in this study. NLP algorithms were assessed on the testing set by the following metrics: receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, area under the curve (AUC), accuracy score, recall score, F1 score, and precision score.

RESULTS

In the testing set, the LSTM model achieved an AUC of 0.8487, accuracy score of 0.7818, recall score of 0.9045, F1 score of 0.8108, and precision score of 0.7347. In comparison, the XGBoost model achieved an AUC of 0.7565, accuracy score of 0.6961, recall score of 0.7387, F1 score of 0.7153, and precision score of 0.6934.

CONCLUSIONS

NLP-based machine learning algorithms were a promising auxiliary to the electronic health record in spine disease diagnosis. LSTM, the deep learning model, showed better capacity compared with the widely used ensemble model, XGBoost, in differentiation of LDH and LSS using positive symptoms. This study presents a proof of concept for the application of NLP in prediagnosis of spine disease.
A novel surgical planning system using an AI model to optimize planning of pedicle screw trajectories with highest bone mineral density and strongest pull-out force
Authors: Ma Chi , Zou Da , Qi Huan , Li Chentian , Zhang Cheng , Yang Kedi , Zhu Feng , Li Weishi , Lu William W.
Published: April 2022

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of a novel artificial intelligence (AI) model in identifying optimized transpedicular screw trajectories with higher bone mineral density (BMD) as well as higher pull-out force (POF) in osteoporotic patients.

METHODS

An innovative pedicle screw trajectory planning system called Bone’s Trajectory was developed using a 3D graphic search and an AI-based finite element analysis model. The preoperative CT scans of 21 elderly osteoporotic patients were analyzed retrospectively. The AI model automatically calculated the number of alternative transpedicular trajectories, the trajectory BMD, and the estimated POF of L3–5. The highest BMD and highest POF of optimized trajectories were recorded and compared with AO standard trajectories.

RESULTS

The average patient age and average BMD of the vertebral bodies were 69.6 ± 7.8 years and 55.9 ± 17.1 mg/ml, respectively. On both sides of L3–5, the optimized trajectories showed significantly higher BMD and POF than the AO standard trajectories (p < 0.05). On average, the POF of optimized trajectory screws showed at least a 2.0-fold increase compared with AO trajectory screws.

CONCLUSIONS

The novel AI model performs well in enabling the selection of optimized transpedicular trajectories with higher BMD and POF than the AO standard trajectories.