bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting Cognitive Impairment in Long-COVID Patients: A Demographic and Comorbid Analysis using BrainCheck Cognitive Assessment
Authors: Bohn Camden , Li Jason , Todd Noah , Pater Jessica , Carroll Jeanne , Henriksen Brian , Chang Fen-Lei
Published: January 2023

Background:
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. Now a subset of individuals are experiencing post- acute sequelae of COVID-19, more colloquially known as Long-COVID. Research surrounding the long-term consequences of COVID-19 is now at the height of importance as approximately 5.8% of individuals will be diagnosed with new psychiatric illnesses. Mind long consequences of COVID-19 include brain fog, difficulties with memory, and focusing.
Objective/Methods:
While many of the symptoms associated with Long-COVID have been summarized, the cognitive impairment that takes place was quantified in this study using BrainCheck cognitive assessment. The aim of this study was to utilize a database of over 500 individuals suffering from Long-COVID symptoms and analyze differing levels of cognitive impairment to find correlations with different predispositions and demographics. The focused variables were age, gender, weight, (body mass index) BMI, and hospitalization status. A retrospective chart review was conducted on subjects’ data that was included in the Parkview Post-COVID Clinic (PPCC) registry database.
Results:
The data analysis showed that age was correlated with mental flexibility (p-value = <.001, correlation = 0.31), and executive functioning. The extremes of BMI were associated with impaired mental flexibility (chi-squared = 14.00, p-value = <.001). Finally, hospitalization status at the onset of COVID-19 infection had correlations with impaired short-term memory recognition (p-value = <.05, correlation = 0.17).
Conclusion:
This research project was undertaken to gain a better understanding of the cognitive deterioration that takes place because of COVID-19’s effect on the central nervous system. Furthermore, this research is intended to help predict the levels of cognitive impairment that clinicians can expect for their patients when presenting with Long-COVID symptoms, and spark future research on the neurological implications of COVID-19.
Relationship of Trust and Research Engagement
Authors: Bruns Rebecca , Vinaixa Conor , Haywood Antwione , Ridley-Merriweather Katherine Ellen , Sotto-Santiago Sylk
Published: January 2023

Background/Objective:
Lack of trust is a major barrier to research participation and can lead to disparities in health outcomes. Scales that measure trust in healthcare organizations and biomedical research have never been synthesized into a single tool, nor has such a scale been used to assess attitudes regarding trust in a more focused community. This project aims to measure trust in medical researchers and healthcare institutions in Indiana.
Methods:
A survey was created by combining previously validated trust scales (Shea et al., Mainous et al., and Hall et al.) along with questions about demographic backgrounds. Cognitive interviewing was conducted in three focus groups to finalize survey questions. The questionnaire was sent to participants recruited via email from the All IN for Health registry, a statewide database of volunteers interested in research participation.
Results:
At the time of analysis, 481 participants had completed the survey. About half of respondents were age 60+, and almost three times more women participated than men. The majority had bachelor's degrees or higher (72.5%). About half of participants agree that healthcare organizations cover up their mistakes. Half disagreed that patients get the same medical treatment regardless of race/ethnicity. Almost one in five respondents (17.4%) believe that medical researchers conduct experiments on people without their knowledge.
Conclusion:
Preliminary results suggest additional efforts may be needed to foster trust in healthcare research and organizations. Results may not be generalizable to the entire population due to differences in gender, race/ethnicity, and level of education across initial respondents. One limitation is that recruitment using the All IN for Health registry may have produced biased results. Further studies are needed to understand factors that may influence trust.
Scientific/Clinical/Policy Implications:
Results may influence public outreach and research recruitment to gain trust from Indiana residents and enhance participation in medical research.
Testing specialized pro-resolving mediators on bacteria-derived inflammation in chronic rhinosinusitis
Authors: Robinson Peyton , Edwards Taiya , Smith Laura , Ramakrishnan Vijay
Published: January 2023

Background and Hypothesis:Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is defined by chronic tissue inflammation, and prior work in the field implicates activation of the NFκb pathway. This pathway is activated by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), which recognize molecules associated with pathogens and cellular damage. In CRS subjects, particularly those with nasal polyps, dysregulated pro-resolving processes have been documented. Specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs), including lipoxin A4 and the resolvins, are prime targets for active resolution of the chronic tissue inflammation that defines the disease. We hypothesize that exaggerated pro-inflammatory responses to CRS tissues could be mitigated by application of SPMs in vitro.
Project Methods:CRS polyp tissue was collected from surgical specimens, and submerged in cell culture conditions with 10 ug/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or lipoteichoic acid (LTA) to mimic bacterial pathogens commonly observed in CRS (i.e., P. aeruginosa or S.aureus). Tissues were treated with 50 nM of SPMs, either lipoxin A4, resolvin D1, or resolvin D2. RNA was isolated from treated tissues. RNA was analyzed with Taqman Microarray NF-kB human pathway RT-PCR panel to evaluate expression of NF-kB-associated genes. In tandem, supernatant was collected for analysis of cytokine and chemokine signaling proteins. Protein assays were performed using the Luminex Multiplex Assay to observe modulation of pro-inflammatory immune signaling molecules
Results:LPS and LTA exposures demonstrated robust and different pro-inflammatory responses in ex vivo nasal polyp tissue. Treatment with SPMs was able to at least partially reduce NF-kB activation and the associated inflammatory response at a molecular level.
Conclusion:Inflammation is a complex, temporally precise physiologic process. In chronic inflammatory mucosal diseases such as CRS, repeated acute insults may lead to chronic tissue inflammation. A novel treatment approach leveraging endogenous tissue resolving processes, i.e., SPMs was tested here in vitro and demonstrates potential promise for CRS with nasal polyps.
Machine Learning as a Tool in Detecting Rib Fractures in Pediatric Patients
Authors: Satoor Vamsish , Marine Megan B
Published: January 2023

Background/Objective:Rib fractures are one of the most specific fractures in child abuse and are among the most common identified, reported in up to 45% of cases. Given rib fractures can be subtle and difficult for even experienced radiologists to identify, a diagnostic tool to improve the detection accuracy would provide value in evaluation of child abuse.The objective of this investigation is to create a machine learning algorithm with the ability to recognize the presence or absence of rib fractures on chest radiographs in pediatric patients less than 3 years old.
Methods:The IU Health radiology archive (DORIS) was searched for reports (Jan 2020-June 2022) for skeletal surveys in patients less than 3 years of age. 3 view chest radiographs (frontal and bilateral oblique) from the surveys were fit into two datasets: no rib fracture or presence of rib fracture. A machine learning model was trained and tested using the constructed datasets with Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) features extracted to refine the prediction accuracy.
Results:The study group contained 100 patients (40 females, mean age 8 months) with 299 radiographs with reported rib fractures. The gender and age-matched control group included 100 patients had 300 radiographs without reported rib fractures. The overall performance accuracy of the trained model was 95.9%. PPV, NPV, sensitivity, and specificity were 96.83%, 88.32%, 87.32%, and 97.09% respectively.
Potential Impact:Given the demonstrated effectiveness of the machine learning model, it could serve as an aid to be used in the interpretation of skeletal surveys for child abuse. More importantly however, it may also be considered as a screening tool in identifying rib fractures in unsuspected patients, such as chest radiographs in the emergency room setting where ribs may not be the primary focus of evaluation and fractures may go overlooked.
Complications and Outcomes Associated with Two-Stage Treatment of Periprosthetic Total Hip Infection
Authors: Schmidt Jacob , Ziemba-Davis Mary , Meneghini R. Michael
Published: January 2023

Background and Hypothesis: Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is treated with implant resection, debridement, and component reimplantation after infection eradication. Treatment consists of either a single surgery or two-stage surgery with intravenous antibiotic therapy between stages. We replicated a recent study which concluded two-stage treatment is associated with high morbidity, hypothesizing that complication rates would be similar, but that morbidity is not always conclusively a consequence of two-stage treatment for PJI
Project Methods: Prospectively documented data on all primary and revision hips undergoing two-stage treatment for PJI by a single surgeon were retrospectively reviewed. Surgical complications were quantified for the interstage and post-reimplantation periods. Chi-squared tests were used to compare current findings to published findings.
Results: Six of seven patient demographics and comorbidities were equivalent in the two studies (p ≥ .278). More complex infections characterized the current study as evidenced by significantly more polymicrobial infections (p < .001). Spacer retention rather than component reimplantation did not occur in the current study but characterized 32 patients (16%) in the comparison study (p = .002). There were no differences in the number of additional interstage septic procedures (p = .402) and fewer post-reimplantation septic surgeries in the current study (p = .018). Using a proposed system which penalizes additional operations required to eradicate infection, treatment success rates at minimum one year follow-up were 73% and 71%, respectively (p = .856). Without these penalties, treatment success in the current study was 93% (equivalent proportion not available for comparison study). All-cause mortality was higher in the current study (18.2% versus 7.6%, p = .044) but only two deaths were related to PJI (unknown for comparison study).
Potential Impact: Study findings suggest that morbidity attributed to two-stage treatment reflect the inherent complexity of this patient group, and not the two-stage treatment itself.
Impact of Metastatic Bone Disease on the Progression of Cachexia in Lung Cancer
Authors: Jines S. Tyler , Valiya Kambrath Anuradha , Poirier Jon-Luc , Collier Christopher D.
Published: January 2023

Background/Objective: Cachexia is a systemic wasting syndrome characterized by skeletal muscle mass loss and is estimated to affect 80% of lung cancer patients. Previous studies haveshown that metastatic bone disease may have a role in inducing cachexia, which is mediated bycytokines such as IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-β. To develop therapies for cachexia, a better understanding of the impact of metastatic bone disease and these cytokines on cachexia is needed.
Methods: Patients diagnosed with lung cancer were identified from an institutional database and were designated to one of three cohorts: local disease (n=63), osseous metastatic disease(n=39), and extraosseous metastatic disease (n=39). Body mass index (BMI) at diagnosis and follow up were collected. Change in BMI per year was calculated and the Kruskal-Wallis Test was used to compare groups. In a parallel study, ELISA was performed for IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-β on supernatant collected after 48 hours from the cell lines BEAS-2B (normal lung epithelia), H1299 (lung cancer), and A549 (lung cancer). These groups were compared using a one-way ANOVA.
Results: Median change in BMI was not statistically different (P=.79) among any cohort. The cytokine level varied by cell line. H1299 had significantly increased levels of TGF-β as compared to BEAS-2B (P=.004). A549 had elevated, but not a statistically significant differentlevel of IL-6 as compared to BEAS-2B (P=.17). TNF-α was not present in any cell line.
Conclusion:BMI was not associated with disease state with the numbers available. The parallel study showed cell line specific elevation of TGF-β and IL-6 in lung cancer compared to noncancerous tissues. Together, these findings are inconclusive but support continued investigation into the pathogenesis of cachexia in lung cancer. Future studies will employ imaging-based body composition measurements in these disease cohorts and explore int eractions between tumor, bone, and muscle in vitro.
An Investigation of Differences in White Matter Tract Patterns in Alcohol Use Disorder: Standard Statistical and Covariance Analyses
Authors: Kolleck Kelly , Chumin Evgeny J. , Wu Yu-Chien , Dzemidzic Mario , Yoder Karmen
Published: January 2023

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have been used to demonstrate differences in white matter (WM) in the brains of individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Alcohol use is known to be deleterious on WM integrity, and there are reports of an inverse relationship between WM fractional anisotropy (FA) and self-reported alcohol consumption. Still, the specific WM tracts which are affected remain unclear. This study sought to determine whether alcohol use differentially alters FA and neurite microstructure in WM regions of interest (ROIs). We used diffusion weighted MRI to compare metrics of WM integrity between non- treatment seeking individuals with AUD and social drinkers (SD).
Methods: Thirteen subjects with AUD and 21 SD underwent hybrid diffusion imaging (HYDI) on a 3T Siemens MRI scanner. HYDI data were processed with diffusion tensor imaging and Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Index (NODDI) modeling to produce parametric images of outcome metrics. All parametric images were converted to standard space before extraction of average parameter values from regions of interest defined by the John Hopkins University 1 mm WM atlas. For each metric, independent t-tests were used to test for group differences. Covariance analyses will be used to examine differences in covariance matrix structure between groups.
Results: Compared to social drinkers, participants with AUD had significantly lower FA, higher radial diffusivity, and higher orientation dispersion (OD) in subregions of the corpus callosum (p<0.05). AUD was also associated with higher OD in the cingulate gyri (p<0.01).
Conclusion: Individuals with AUD had significantly altered WM metrics in multiple tracts, consistent with previous research. This is also the first report of NODDI metrics in AUD; the higher OD may reflect WM disorganization. Ultimately, understanding the anatomic variance between groups will help to elucidate connectivity differences that may either predispose individuals to AUD and/or which are disrupted by chronic alcohol consumption.
Phone-Based Memory Test Predicts In-Clinic Memory, MCI Diagnosis, and Alzheimer’s Neuroimaging & Plasma Biomarkers
Authors: Lawrence Brianna , Deardorf Rachael , McDonald Brenna C. , Dage Jeffrey L. , Wang Sophia , Unverzagt Fredrick W. , Moore Paige D. , Apostolova Liana G. , Saykin Andrew J. , Risacher Shannon L.
Published: January 2023

Background: Early detection of dementia has become important for interventions that are developed to slow disease progression. Due to technological advancements, healthcare is trending toward using more telehealth screenings due to the convenience it provides patients. In our research, we evaluate the accuracy of a phone-based memory screen at diagnosing mild cognitive impairment.
Methods: 181 participants from the Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (IADRC)were screened using the Memory and Aging Telephone Screen (MATS) and diagnosed as cognitively normal (CN), subjective cognitive decline (SCD), or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). 177 underwent Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Testing (RAVLT); 103 received Aβ PET scans([18F]florbetapir or [18F]florbetaben); 91 had plasma tau levels measured; and 140 received MRI scans (Freesurfer v6). ANCOVAs were used to evaluate differences between diagnostic groups covarying for age, sex, and education. ROC analysis and logistic regressions were used to predict MCI and Aβ positivity. Partial correlations covarying for sex and age (and education for RAVLT) were conducted to evaluate relationships between MATS scores with RAVLT, brain atrophy, pTau level, and amyloid deposition.
Results: MCI patients showed significantly lower MATS scores for immediate (p<0.001) and delayed recall (p<0.001) compared to controls. Scores on the MATS correlated well with clinical based testing (MATS learning vs RAVLT learning: r2= 0.318, p<0.001). MATS scores showed strong associations for Alzheimer biomarkers: amyloid and tau deposition, hippocampus atrophy, and temporal atrophy. The accuracy of MATS to predict MCI was found to be about 75% with cutoffs of ≤16 for learning and ≤4 for delayed recall.
Conclusion and Potential Impact: The findings support that the phone memory screen can be used to detect dementia early in disease progression. By establishing cutoffs for this screening tool, physicians can easily and quickly detect signs of early Alzheimer’s disease, thus allowing for early intervention to slow disease progression.
The Relationship Between Loneliness and Quality of Life in Older Adults
Authors: Li Claudia , Fowler Nicole
Published: January 2023

Background/Objective: Loneliness is the self-perceived discrepancy in an individual’s desired and actual social relationships. Loneliness is common among older adults and is associated with chronic illness and poorer mental health outcomes. Our objective was to determine the relationship between loneliness and quality of life (QOL) in older adult patients, controlling for depression and anxiety.
Methods: Secondary data analysis was conducted on baseline data from the Caregiver Outcomes of Alzheimer’s Disease Screening (COADS) Trial, an ongoing trial evaluating benefits and risks of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) screening. Patients were≥65 years old with no history of ADRD. Measures include the5-item NIH Toolbox Loneliness measure, QOL, measured by the physical (PCS) and mental health component (MCS) scores of SF-36, and depression and anxiety, measured by PHQ-9 and GAD-7, respectively. We conducted a Spearman correlation and ran unadjusted and adjusted linear regression models to assess the relationship between loneliness and QOL.
Results: Patient mean (SD) age was73.7 (5.1) years; 44.8% male; 91.5% white; 7.5% black. We found that loneliness was moderately correlated with QOL measured by SF-36 MCS (r= -0.43, p<0.001), anxiety (r= 0.44, p<0.001), and depression (r= 0.42, p<0.001), while weakly correlated with QOL measured by SF-36 PCS (r= -0.15, p<0.001). Loneliness was associated with lower MCS (p<0.001) and PCS (p<0.001). After adjusting for depression and anxiety, only MCS (p<0.001) was reduced by loneliness. Additionally, we found a positive association between PCS and patient report of comfortable level of income, before(p=0.002) and after(p=0.002) adjustment.
Conclusion: We found that loneliness was significantly associated with worse quality of life as measured by mental health constructs among older adult primary care patients. Therefore, we recommend primary care providers assess loneliness with their older adult patients and if present, consider interventions aimed at reducing loneliness such as activities that maintainmeaningful social relationships
Histological Examination of the Effects of Thrombopoietin Mimetic Peptide (TMP) and High-Fat Diet on Femur Fracture Healing
Authors: Majety Saveda , Zike Samuel , De Andrade Staut Caio , Alentado Vincent , Mostardo Sarah , Nazzal Murad , Blosser Rachel , Kacena Melissa A.
Published: January 2023

Background and Hypothesis: In the US, 11.3% of the population are diabetic. Impaired bone healing is a complication of diabetes that dramatically impacts quality of life. Thus, it is imperative to find effective, low-risk treatments for patients that can accelerate fracture healing. We propose treatment of femur fractures using a thrombopoietin (TPO) analogue, TMP, will expedite healing, reduce adverse side effects compared to FDA-approved BMP-2, and improve quality of life of diabetic fracture patients.
Experimental Design or Project Methods: Tie2CreERT+ mice were bred with Mplfl/fl mice to generate mice in which the TPO receptor (Mpl) was deleted in cells of the endothelial lineage (Tie2 expressing cells) following tamoxifen induction (3 consecutive daily 10mg/kg doses). Tie2CreERT+ ; Mplfl/fl and Tie2CreERT+ ; Mpl+/+ mice served as experimental and control mice, respectively. Eight-week-old male mice of both genotypes were placed on a low-fat diet (LFD) or high-fat-diet (HFD) for 12 weeks. One week prior to surgery, mice were injected with tamoxifen to induce Cre-recombination. Mice were then subjected to femur fracture and treated with saline or TMP (33nmol/kg/day) for the first week post-surgery. Mice were euthanized at 1-, 2-, and 4-week post-surgery and injured femurs were isolated for histological evaluation of the fracture callus size and composition.
Results: To date only Tie2CreERT+ ; Mplfl/fl specimens have been processed. As expected, untreated HFD mice exhibited impaired fracture healing compared to similarly untreated LFD mice. As would also be expected, no differences were observed in fracture healing histological parameters between saline and TMP treated Tie2 CreERT+ ; Mplfl/fl mice at similar time points post-surgery.
Conclusion and Potential Impact: While ongoing, this study explores the efficacy of using thrombopoietic agents for fracture healing in type 2 diabetes. If promising, thrombopoietic agents could replace, BMP-2 treatment, and may improve the quality of life for individuals experiencing impaired fracture healing.
Anti-PAR2 Blocking Antibody Inhibits the Initiation of Food Allergy
Authors: Martin Anna , Miller Jessica , Cook-Mills Joan
Published: January 2023

Background and Hypothesis: Food allergy is a public health issue of global importance, affecting approximately 8% of children and increasing in prevalence. Previously, our lab discovered that food allergy development is dependent on skin barrier mutations and skin co-exposure to food allergen and environmental allergen such as Alternaria alternata (Alt). Additionally, RNAseq analysis has shown increased expression of ApoE in food allergy, implicating a possible role for PAR2 in food allergy initiation due to PAR2’s involvement in ApoE synthesis. The objective of this study is to determine whether PAR2 regulates the acquisition of food allergy in neonatal mice with skin barrier mutations.
Methods: Flaky tail +/- pups were skin sensitized five times with allergen, starting on postnatal day 3 and then again on postnatal days 6, 9, 13, and 15. On each day of sensitization, pups were given either no injection or an injection of anti-PAR2 blocking antibody, IgG isotype, or saline. Detergent was then applied to the back of each pup followed by application of Alt, peanut (PNE), or Alt+PNE. 48 hrs after the last sensitization, pups were given an oral gavage of PNE, and rectal temperatures were monitored to measure anaphylaxis. Skin, intestine, plasma, and serum were collected 8 hours after gavage for later analysis.
Results: Statistical analysis for the change in temperature was done using the area under the curve by summation of temperature changes at 15, 30, 45, 60, and 80 min for each pup. Only the Alt+PNE group with no injection and the Alt+PNE group with isotype injection had a decrease in temperature that was statistically significant (p<0.05). Thus, anaphylaxis was inhibited in mice that received injections of anti-PAR2 blocking antibodies.
Conclusion: PAR2 is required for the initiation of food allergy. As such, PAR2 may be a potential drug target for intervention in food allergies.
Community Engagement, Motivation and Participation in Health Advisory Boards
Authors: Stamper Gavin , Sotto-Santiago Sylk
Published: January 2023

Purpose: All IN for Health is dedicated to helping improve the lives of Indiana residents through community engagement by increasing health research literacy and promoting health resources. It also provides opportunities to participate in research and clinical studies, hosting a state-wide participant registry. All IN for Health is made possible by the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, combining the research expertise of Indiana University, Purdue University and University of Notre Dame. Its health advisory board is composed of community members and provides advise, feedback and recommendations.
Objective: This study aims to provide health advisory boards (HABs) in Indiana information to understand the motivations and interests of potential board members to be used for recruitment and community outreach.
Methods: In looking for new members of the All IN for Health HAB, 488 applicants answered questions about their motivations for and interests in becoming a part of the HAB. In order to identify what motivates people to get involved, answers were analyzed for common themes via a thematic analysis. All answers remained anonymous, and no personal data was used in the analysis.
Results: Analysis revealed six recurring themes in the motivation to join the HAB and 9 recurring themes were identified about interest in the position. These themes can be grouped by previous diagnosis (family, friends, and self), being a caregiver, the greater good/change and advocacy, and personal experience.
Discussion: These themes are tied together by experience in the healthcare system whether it be as a patient, a caregiver, provider, or researcher. HABs are important as they help connect with communities by listening to community needs, addressing specific topics, helping to build consensus and coordination, among many other benefits. By understanding motivation and interests of potential HAB members we can genuinely put the communities’ interest first in public and population health.
Engaging End-Users to Understand the Usefulness and Applicability of Data Visualization Tools: A Systemic Review
Authors: Wojciechowska Klaudia , Messmore Niki
Published: January 2023

Background:As part of the response efforts to the opioid epidemic, various local and state health departments are developing opioid data dashboards containing visualizations, descriptive information, and downloadable data or reports. Such dashboards can potentially improve our understanding of the opioid epidemic, facilitate community planning, promote evidence-based decision making, and support monitoring and evaluation. However, government resources are primarily devoted to collecting and using data for analysis, rather than for communication or orienting communities toward action. A major challenge for staff preparing data products is the uncertainty about the end users and their desired usage of data. This project studies the degree of success to which data producers have engaged data consumers to understand the usefulness and applicability of their data visualization tools.
Methods:A literature review was conducted to assess end-user experience of visualizations of opioid-related data sets. Peer-reviewed journal articles were found via PubMed. Only studies published between 2015 and 2022 were included. Literature searches involved keywords such as “data dashboards”, “public health data”, and “public health data visualizations”.
Results:At the time of this lit review, there are no studies that assess end-user experience of opioid data visualizations. As such, the scope of the research was broadened to examine whether data producers have gauged community feedback on their public health data visualization products, regardless of the focus of the data. For many studies, researchers concluded that soliciting end-user feedback for the creation of data visualization products is of the utmost importance. When dashboards are designed with the input of end users, the tools improve their workflow because they create new capabilities to explore data dynamically. Too often dashboards emphasize quantitative data, without a foundational understanding of the needs, numerical literacy, and available time and ability of the intended audience.
Effect of different aluminium oxide based nanofluid concentrations on the efficiency of solar water desalination system
Authors: KATIYAR Ajit , GUPTA Naveen Kumar
Published: January 2023

In this study, the effect of different concentration of the Aluminium oxide-based nanofluid on the performance of Solar Desalination system was discussed. The Aluminium Oxide was used in different concentrations 1%, 2% and 6% on weight basis. The flow rate was also varied and its effect on the system efficiency was discussed. The nanofluid was compared with the water and there was improvement occurred in the efficiency during variation of incident radiation. With an increase in the concentration of Aluminium oxide nanoparticles, improvement in the efficiency was attained. More efficiency was attained at 6% nanoparticles addition with compared to 1% and 2%. With an increase in mass flow rate of the fluid, the nanofluid also showed better performance in terms of improvement in the efficiency.
Contraceptive discontinuation and switching behavior among family planning clinic clients in Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia
Authors: Lohnan Lucky C. , Chibuzo Samuelson , Afolab-Oboirien Khadijat , Edugbe Adikpe E. , Odonye Caleb E. , Bitrus James
Published: January 2023

Background: Contraceptives are effective ways with which couples can limit or space the number of children they have. Several methods of contraception exist, both modern and traditional methods. Couples have a myriad of these from which to choose from. However, contraceptive discontinuation and switching are a reality. The dynamics of contraceptive use, discontinuation and switching are important markers of how well the programs are meeting the family planning needs of women and couples. The aim of the study was to ascertain the magnitude of women who wanted to discontinue or switch their present contraceptive methods and establish the reasons why.
Methods: Our study was a cross sectional descriptive study of women attending the family planning clinic of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia over a 12 month period. A self-administered structured questionnaire was administered to the family planning clinic clients after obtaining a written informed consent.
Results: Contraceptive discontinuation rate was 36.5%, and the switching rate was 5.2%. The commonest reasons for discontinuing contraception were; desirous of pregnancy (43%), side effects of method (28.2%), husband’s disapproval (16.7%), marital dissolution (4.2%), inconvenience of use (3.1%), failure of method (1.6%) and menopause (0.4%). The reasons for switching were also similar and include; side effects of the method (51.4%), inconvenience of use (16.2%), husband’s disapproval (8.1%), personal choice (5.4%) and marital dissolution (2.7%).
Conclusions: We concluded that the contraceptive discontinuation rate was moderately high, while the switching rate was low. We recommend adequate counseling of clients before contraceptive uptake to forestall this.
Fetal lung volume and pulmonary artery resistance index for prediction of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome
Authors: Hawas Mohamed R. , Nammory Mohammed M. El , El Dorf Ayman A. , Zeid Esmat H. Abo
Published: January 2023

Background: As gestational age grows, the risk of newborn respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) diminishes because the lungs are the last foetal organs to properly mature. While neonatal RDS does not just occur following preterm births, it is often thought of as a disorder of premature babies. This study sought to determine how prenatal lung capacity and foetal Pulmonary artery resistance index (PARI) affected the probability that newborn RDS would occur.
Methods: This prospective observational study was carried out on 200 pregnant women aged 20-35 years, with gestational age between 36-40 weeks and singleton pregnancy. According to neonatal outcome the patients were classified into two groups: group A: 26 cases with noenatal RDS and group B: 174 cases without neonatal RDS. All patients were subjected to 2D ultrasonography and 3D ultrasonography.
Results: Fetal lung volume (FLV) is a significant predictor of neonatal RDS (AUC: 0.820, p <0.001), at a cut off value of ≤35, with 88.5% sensitivity and 68.4% specificity. PARI is not a significant predictor of neonatal RDS. 1 and 5 min Apgar score were significantly lower in neonates who developed RDS and those who didn’t (p<0.001).
Conclusions: 3D FLV and estimated fetal weight measurement using ultrasonography may be a reliable non-invasive indicator of the incidence of newborn RDS in preterm pregnancies when the risk of RDS progression is present. FLV is a significant predictor for neonatal RDS at a cutoff for ≤35 cm3 with sensitivity 88.5% and specificity 68.4%.
Foetal and neonatal outcomes in an era of active management of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy
Authors: Bhardwaj Bikram , Kumar Vaibhaw , Mounica Damalapati , Dhillon G. S. , Kumar H. Sunil
Published: January 2023

Background: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy is one kind of hepatic disorder which is unique to pregnancy. It is associated with many adverse pregnancy outcomes if not intervened at the right time. It requires adequate clinical and biochemical correlation during management.
Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital among 1397 patients who underwent delivery during the study period from 01 July 2021 to 30 Jun 2022. Among the study population, those suspected to be having IHCP were subjected to laboratory tests and confirmed cases were further analysed for incidence and pregnancy outcomes in form of several maternal and fetal factors by appropriate statistical test using IBM SPSS version 20.0
Results: During the study period a total of 1397 patients underwent delivery out of which 174 showed clinical signs suggestive of IHCP. On subjecting these 174 suspected cases to further testing 53 patients were diagnosed with IHCP. The incidence of IHCP was 3.7% of which 28.30% (16/53) were primigravida. There were 22.64% (12/53) IVF pregnancies, 11.3% (6/53) were twin pregnancies. Total 28.30% cases (15/53) of IHCP presented with preterm labour. Of the total, there was 7.5% (4 /53) with meconium-stained liquor. Total 54.71% (29/53) cases underwent normal vaginal delivery, one forceps and one VBAC delivery, 45.28% (24/53) cases were underwent LSCS delivery and of this 70.8% (17/24) were emergency caesarean and 29.2% (7/24) were elective caesarean deliveries, 75% (18/24) were primary caesarean delivery. There were 25.4% (15/59) NICU admissions among new born of cases and 28.8% (17/59) were low birth weight babies. 25.4% (15/59) of neonates were seen to have APGAR score of less than 7 at 5 minute There was no stillbirth noted in diagnosed case of IHCP.
Conclusions: IHCP causes significant maternal and neonatal morbidity and is major contributor of preterm delivery, caesarean delivery, meconium-stained liquor and NICU admission.
Health problems in adolescent girls
Authors: Mendiratta Suman Lata , Dath S. Suman , Yadav Rekha , Mittal Meenakshi , Naaz Farah
Published: January 2023

Background: Adolescents form precious human resources in every country, constitutes large number of populations. Adolescence is a period of rapid physical growth, sexual and psychological changes. The aim of the study is to assess the health problems in Adolescent girls and to take measures to prevent and treat their health problems.
Methods: This prospective study was conducted from October 2014 to September 2016 in Hindu Rao hospital, North DMC medical college. Patients attending to gynecological outpatient department included in this study. The Statical analysis was done by using Microsoft excel.
Results: Majority of patients in our study belongs to 15 to 19 years. Menstrual dysfunction (67.7%) is the most common complaint followed by leucorrhea (14.1%) and infections (10.6%).
Conclusions: Adolescence girls presented with various gynaecological problems in our study. Setting up adolescent friendly clinics and privacy to discuss their problems is desirable for early diagnosis and management.
Study of inflammatory markers for COVID-19 in control population and in pregnant women: a systematic review
Authors: Ahuja Mayuri , Srivastava Ruchi , Agarwal Shelly , Tyagi Bhumesh , Goel Neerja
Published: January 2023

COVID-19 infection is an inflammatory state and has varied presentation ranging from mild to severe condition. The second wave of COVID-19 resulted in greater mortality and morbidity as compared to first wave both in general as well as in pregnant patient. As the progression of disease is rapid and fatal hence there is a need of reviewing relevant inflammatory markers for predicting the disease course and severity. The inflammatory markers considered are Interleukins, CRP, LDH, serum Ferritin, Neutrophil/ lymphocyte ratio and in some cases serum Procalcitonin. These markers are raised in other inflammatory conditions also and therefore the maximum predictability of various markers differs in different conditions. COVID-19 in pregnancy in itself is challenging as it alters the immunity and hemodynamic and therefore the value of these markers in pregnancy can affect the sensitivity and specificity in predicting the severity of the disease. This review will evaluate the role of inflammatory markers in general population as well as pregnancy with regards to their prognostication in assessing the disease severity.
A case report of caesarean myomectomy in a term pregnant woman with fibroid complicating pregnancy: in a tertiary care centre
Authors: Sraddha Allam S. , . Kameswaramma , Manasa Kopperla
Published: January 2023

Uterine leiomyomas are the benign tumors arising from the muscle cells of the uterus. These are the most common tumors observed in reproductive age group and is seen in around 2% pregnant women. The effect of fibroids on the pregnancy varies according to the number, size and their location. Most of the patients are asymptomatic. Recent literature suggests myomectomy during pregnancy and caesarean section is safe in well selected cases with experienced obstetrician in a tertiary care center.
Correlation between quality of healthcare and safety culture in Saudi Arabia organizations
Authors: Alanazi Mansour M. , Alanazi Mohammed R.
Published: January 2023

Background: The current study aimed to examine the association between hospital nurses’ attitudes about the safety culture and patients’ views about the quality of healthcare services delivered to them during their hospitalization.
Methods: This study was cross section study as well as adopted the correlational design. The study used the hospital survey on patient safety culture to assess nurses’ perceptions about the safety culture, and the consumer assessment of healthcare providers and systems survey to assess patients’ experience of care. The current study was conducted in a tertiary healthcare organization in Riyadh city in Saudi Arabia.
Results: The response rates for nurses and patients were 79% and 80%, respectively. In nurses’ sample, the majority 92.9% was female and 90.6% was non-Saudi; while 43.5% of patients were male and the majority was Saudi 97.1%. More than half of the nurses 57.2% were married and 35.4% identified themselves as single. On the other hand, the majority of patients 81.5% were married and 48.7% of patients had a diploma or high school or less.
Conclusions: The results of canonical correlation analysis showed positive and strong correlations between nurses’ perceptions of safety culture (facilitators and threats to patient safety) and patients’ perceptions of quality of healthcare (interpersonal care communication and technical quality of care). The canonical variates for both root pairs (canonical correlation coefficients = 0.89 and 0.81). This finding clearly proves that in workplaces where staffs have more positive perceptions of patient safety culture, patients have more positive experiences of care.
A study on demographical, clinical-radiological, and histopathological profile of bronchial carcinoma in a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh
Authors: Chakrabortty Rajashish , Siddiqua Dibanur Rashid , Rahman Samia , Paul Susanta Kumar
Published: January 2023

Background: Bronchial carcinoma has different demographical, clinico-radiological, and histopathological profiles depending on the environment, gender, and racial group. The purpose of this study was to explore the sociodemographical, clinical, radiological, and histopathological patterns of bronchial carcinoma in Bangladesh.
Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the respiratory medicine department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU). The study period was one year from January 2021 to December 2021. Our study documented socio-demographic patterns, smoking habits, history of COPD, clinical features, radiological findings, histopathological patterns of the tumor, and participants' performance status.
Results: One hundred histopathologically confirmed patients with bronchial carcinoma were included in this study. The mean age of the participants was 59.57±10.41 years. The majority of the participants were in the 5th and 6th decade, 35% and 34% respectively. Smokers were 80% in our study. The presenting complaints were cough (87%), shortness of breath (61%), and chest pain (58%). Mass lesions (83%) followed by collapse (8%) were the most common imaging findings. Adenocarcinoma (48%) and squamous cell carcinoma (35%) were the predominant histological types.
Conclusions: The histopathological profiles of bronchial carcinoma are changing and adenocarcinoma is becoming the predominant type in Bangladesh.
Granulocyte to monocyte ratio: leucokinetics in hematic biometry for appendicitis screening
Authors: Castillo Martinez Daniel Benito , Palacios Rivera Doris Michelle , Clemente Castillo Juan Antonio , Altamirano Moreno Karla Itzell , De los Cobos Duran Luis Daniel , Aragón Montes Alejandro
Published: January 2023

Background: Acute appendicitis diagnosis is still challenging and is established with clinical history, physical exam, laboratory tests, and imaging studies. It´s crucial to analyze the blood biometry with physiopathological asses and not with a statistical approach for establishing diagnostic items. The interaction between neutrophils with monocytes is noticeable in the blood biometry, so its relationship could be explained as directly proportional to the neutrophils count because of cellular recruitment and inversely proportional to the monocyte count because of cellular migration.
Methods: A retrospective, transversal and analytic study was conducted, admission blood biometry of all patients (n=160) that went through appendectomy in Pemex´s North Central Hospital between 2014 and 2019 were dissected. Statistical correlation between sensibility and likelihood ratio of granulocyte/monocyte ratio (GMR), leucocyte elevation, and left shift of neutrophil count were contrasted. IBM® SPSS© statistical software performed the statistical analysis.
Results: GMR (1.00) sensitivity showed to be superior to leukocytosis (0.785) and percentage neutrophils (0.846). the same for the negative likelihood ratios (LR-) calculated for GMR (0.00), leukocytosis (0.59) and percentage of neutrophils (0.579).
Conclusions:  GMR showed higher sensibility for detecting immune response in a patient with suspected acute appendicitis compared to leucocyte elevation and left shift of neutrophil count or both.
Changing histological spectrum of adult nephrotic syndrome in comparison to previous study: single centre analysis
Authors: Nath M. Yousuf  , Dar M. Ahmad  , Wani F. Dawood
Published: January 2023

Background: Glomerular diseases are an important cause of chronic renal failure in developing countries. The spectrum of diseases causing nephrotic syndrome is changing globally in the last few decades.
Methods: Patients in the age group 18-60 years with nephrotic syndrome were consecutively included in the study. Renal biopsies were performed in all patients and were subjected to light microscopy, immunofluorescence (IF) and electron microscopy (EM).
Results: 189 patients (67% males) were included in the study. The mean age was 43 years. Primary glomerular diseases accounted for 92.5% of cases while lupus nephritis was the most common secondary glomerular disease. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) accounted for 28.6% of primary glomerular diseases making it the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome. It was followed by membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) in 13.2%, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis in 11.2%, diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis in 10.6% and minimal change disease in 9.5%.
Conclusions: The biopsy diagnosis of FSGS has increased considerably in last few decades and it is now the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome in adults in North India. MGN is the most common lesion in patients over 40 years of age.
A correlation of the spirometric outcomes of follow up patients of COVID-19 pneumonia with their admission time computed tomography severity score on high resolution computed tomography thorax
Authors: Patra Sucharita , Khyalappa Rajesh
Published: January 2023

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Most people who fall sick with COVID-19 experience mild to moderate symptoms and recover without any special treatment. However, some become seriously ill and require serious medical attention. The respiratory system has been the main organ affected by COVID-19 along with other organs such as heart, kidneys and liver. Spirometry is the most common of the pulmonary function tests. Spirometry is helpful in assessing respiratory outcomes that identify conditions such as asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and COPD.
Methods: A total of 100 COVID-19 pneumonia patients coming for follow-up 6-10 weeks post-discharge in OPD at Department of General Medicine, Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, satisfying the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria were enrolled. High resolution computed tomography (HRCT) thorax reports during their admission were collected and Computed tomography severity score (CTSS) was noted. Their spirometry was done and pattern of spirometric outcome noted. Admission-time CTSS and spirometric outcome were correlated.
Results: In majority of the patients, CT severity score during course of illness had strong correlation with spirometric outcome after 6 weeks of follow up and the association was statistically significant.
Conclusions: CT severity score during course of illness had strong correlation with spirometry findings after 6 weeks of follow up. Higher age and higher HRCT score are good predictors for impaired pulmonary function after discharge.