bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Active Learning From Early Childhood to Adolescence and Beyond
Authors: Al Suwaidi Sara
Published: February 2024

This chapter will focus on active learning and its application from the early years through adolescence. It will explore effective and impactful approaches and methods that promote critical thinking, engagement, and a love of learning in students of all ages. Active learning is not a brand-new idea; in fact, an early definition of the strategy describes it as “instructional activities involving students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing.” Therefore, rather than just disseminating knowledge, active learning tactics encourage students to partake in activities that call for higher-order thinking, such as reading, talking, and writing. They typically emphasize the value of having pupils reflect on their own attitudes and ideals as well.
Active Learning
Authors: Qablan Ahmad
Published: February 2024

This chapter introduces active learning and how students in various educational settings can best acquire, apply, create, and share knowledge. The chapter presents multiple forms of active learning that have been documented in the literature and deemed imperative to increase student engagement and deepen their understanding. The chapter also discusses the various perspectives concerning the implementation of active learning strategies in various educational contexts. A particular focus is given to the significance of metacognition as a critical skill that enables students to assess their own learning, and to critically assess sources of information. The chapter presents several suggested active learning strategies that are easy to implement in any classroom setting and are useful to connect classroom instruction, assessment, and management together.
Empowering All Students
Authors: Efstratopoulou Maria , Shraim Zubaida , Saleh Hadeel
Published: February 2024

This chapter focuses on innovative teaching strategies for students of determination in UAE. Gamification, project-based learning, and innovative use of technology in special education promise to revolutionize how we educate and support students with special needs in the schools today providing new opportunities for these students. Education nowadays is moving away from rote learning towards dynamic, interactive, and enjoyable educational experiences. Interactive educational approaches have gained considerable momentum not only in mainstream education but also as an important tool in special education. By infusing fun and engagement into learning, teachers have the potential to unlock the talents of students with special educational needs or the gifted and talented. It is the collective responsibility of educators of the future to ensure an inclusive and supportive educational environment for all students, meeting their needs, and supporting them to reach their potential regardless of their abilities or challenges.
Chatbots in Classrooms
Authors: Abdallah Asma Khaleel , Alkaabi Ahmed M. , Mehiar Duaa Abdel Fattah , Aradat Zainab Ali J.
Published: February 2024

In the digital age, businesses must enhance customer experiences, with artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots proving pivotal in this endeavor. These chatbots, powered by AI, deliver personalized customer interactions, reshaping customer engagement. Operating through websites and mobile apps, they address user queries in real-time conversations. This chapter examines the potential of chatbots in education, elucidating benefits for students and educators. Categorization and functions of educational chatbots are explored, alongside insights into their design and development, leveraging machine learning and language processing. The advantages of chatbots for students are underscored. Ethical considerations are essential when deploying chatbots, ensuring security. Overcoming barriers in education, the chapter proposes strategies to optimize chatbot use, fostering effective implementation.
Transforming Education Through Technology and School Leadership
Authors: Badawy Hosam R. I. , Al Ali Fatma Mohamed , Khan Asma Gul Yousaf , Dashti Saad H. G. H. , Al Katheeri Sumaia Abdulla
Published: February 2024

In an era where technological advancements are shaping facet of our lives, education stands as promising domains for positive change. The fusion of technology and school leadership is revolutionizing the way students learn, teachers teach, and administrators manage educational institutions. This chapter explores the pivotal role that technology plays in school leadership, highlighting its potential to create a more effective, equitable, and engaging learning environment, there is no reason to assume a new gadget will result in new teaching practices if our technology integration tactics do not change. Students are producing remarkable work in some iPad courses. Tablets are generally used to duplicate current procedures, nevertheless. School leaders must work with their communities to develop a vision how new technology will improve instruction, support educators in imagining how new technologies can support those visions, and support teachers and students as they transition from using tablets for consumption to using them for curation, creation, and connection.
The Role of Assessment in Driving Continuous School Improvement
Authors: Hamdan Suleiman M. , Fradi Gihan
Published: February 2024

Assessment plays a pivotal role in the school improvement in ensuring its effectiveness, continuity, and impact. Equally important is the utilization of reliable data that enables schools to identify, address and achieve desired improvements. The chapter explores the role of assessments and the use of data in the continuous school improvement process, and examines assessment practices, professional collaboration and assessment literacy that contribute to positive changes in schools. The chapter also highlights the impact of effective assessment practices in improving schools through a study of four private schools in the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates that made significant improvement in their level of educational quality by adopting effective assessment processes.
Instructional Design at the Front Line
Authors: Hayes Catherine
Published: February 2024

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an illustrative pedagogical case study that demonstrates that the whole notion of epistemic transformation can be regarded as a means of defining and consequently constructing the goals of scholarship, its place in the construction of knowledge, and perhaps more significantly in the framing of applied researcher epistemic positionality. Contemporary society and the shaping of epistemic context of meaning making and the situational specificity of its practice mean that both professional identity and professionalism are contextualized and framed within metacognition and the capacity of individuals to make sense of both their own sense of self concept and their wider collective contribution to communities of practice.
Cybersecurity Education Across the Middle and High School Curricula
Authors: Gierhart Aaron R. , Kurt-Peker Yesem , Ray Lydia , Wang Lixin
Published: February 2024

Technology and its applications are advancing rapidly, making it challenging to assess the implications of its use. Exacerbating these issues is a lack of cybersecurity professionals in the workforce. In Summer 2022, the researchers implemented GenCyber as a six-day professional development camp for middle and high school teachers, focusing on a broad range of cybersecurity principles. Participants designed two lesson plans to foster cybersecurity learning across the content areas. This case study explored how participants perceived the impacts of GenCyber on their instructional practices. Data sources included their lesson plans and a focus group interview. It was found that participants perceived the camp as impactful on their teaching practices. They were able to address needs and issues of practice, increase student engagement, and foster interdisciplinary and career connections; however, the participants' lesson plans aligned to a limited scope of technology and engineering contexts. Conclusions and implications are shared, including ways to improve future professional development.
Unethical Advertising Techniques and Their Impact on Consumer Shopping Habits
Authors: Domadenik Žiga , Tomažič Tina
Published: February 2024

Sellers and marketers use different strategies to maximise profits, focusing on personalised advertising experiences influencing customer behaviour. However, the advertising industry's varied approaches include unethical practices, such as deception, explored in this chapter. Through a two-part research study, the initial phase involved participants completing a survey. Findings indicated that consumer awareness of deceptive advertising can impact shopping habits. Follow-up interviews with 15 participants provided insights into how deception influenced their behaviour changes. The study, involving 284 individuals, revealed that consumers share negative experiences, potentially harming companies. Proposed implications based on the research include stricter oversight with legislative updates, promoting ethical advertising, redefining advertising literacy, and developing educational programs to address these issues.
Investigation of Academicians' Positive Psychological Capital Perceptions and Problem Solving Skills
Authors: Yıldız Ayşe Elif , Topaylı Enise
Published: February 2024

The study investigates the link between positive psychological capital perceptions and problem-solving skills among 111 academicians from a private university in Istanbul. Utilizing a quantitative, cross-sectional design, data was collected through two scales: the “psychological capital scale” and the “problem solving inventory (PSI).” The former, adapted into Turkish, gauged positive psychological capital across dimensions like optimism, psychological resilience, hope, and self-efficacy. The latter assessed problem-solving skills. Out of 368 selected academicians, 111 complete and reliable responses were analyzed. Findings reveal a significant and positive correlation between positive psychological capital perceptions and problem-solving skills. The academicians' positive psychological capital was identified to moderately explain problem-solving skills (54.2%). Descriptive tests, correlation, and regression analyses were employed for data analysis.
Sustainable Balanced Scorecard as a Tool for Green Management
Authors: Baykal Elif , Yılmaz Öykü
Published: February 2024

Green management practices have become an important management tool to make a difference and gain competitive advantage in the modern business world where sustainability has gained importance. In this study, first, the importance of green management principles and the nature of green human resources practices will be discussed in terms of ensuring sustainability. Then, the nature and features of the balanced report card, which is a corporate performance management tool, will be explained. Afterwards, a model proposal will be made on how the balanced report card can be functionalized in terms of green management and green human resources. In summary, our aim in this study is to facilitate corporate performance report card by focusing on green management principles by creating a sustainable balanced report card example.
Road to Workplace Spirituality Through Sustainable Business Strategies Based on NRBV Approach
Authors: Yorulmaz Halil
Published: February 2024

The natural resource-based view (NRBV) argues that strategy and competitive advantage are based on firm capabilities that contribute to environmental sustainability. In this context, it provides a framework consisting of various interrelated strategies for sustainability. The literature points to making plans and developing strategies to improve workplace spirituality by focusing on spiritual values at the organizational level. It discusses how a corporate social responsibility strategy as a capability that provides a competitive advantage to the company based on NRBV interacts with the three pillars of workplace spirituality—meaningfulness and purposefulness, a sense of community referring to a sense of integration with colleagues—and its compatibility with organizational goals, values, and mission. In this way, theoretical insights are provided by this study to obtain a strategic capability for companies and thus to provide various gains such as organizational sustainability and competitive advantage by developing workplace spirituality.
Steering Transformative Workforce Leadership in Times of Crisis
Authors: Hayes Catherine
Published: February 2024

This chapter of the book explores the potential for strategic organisational frameworks and applied methodological perspectives to aid workforce contexts in harnessing the transferable agency of those equipped experientially for leadership in times of unprecedented crisis. Academic research and scholarship must be needs led not methods driven, and as the recent pandemic demonstrated, authentic leadership has never been more important. Transitional change through the crisis of the global pandemic led to shifts to greater acknowledgement of the need for a different type of knowledge creation and replacing the contexts of validity and reliability in empirical research with those of trustworthiness and authenticity. In providing some of these organisational frameworks and methodological perspectives in an accessible manner, many can be systematically applied to the context of everyday strategic planning and institutional management settings so that tangible target outcomes are visible, achievable, and perhaps, most importantly, remain person centered.
Inferring Personality From Social Media User Behaviors Using Dense Net Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Jeba Emilyn J. , Murali M. , Prabakaran N.
Published: February 2024

We live in a world where social media is omnipresent and integrated into our daily lives. People love to express their interests, thoughts, and opinions on these social networking platforms. This information reveals several psychological aspects of their behavior and can be used to predict their personality. To predict this, introduce the method dense net convolutional neural network (DNCNN) is based on predicting the social media users' personality identification. Performed an experimental evaluation on a benchmark dataset for the task of categorizing personality traits into distinct classifications. The review of the dataset yields improved results, showing that the proposed model can really arrange client character attributes when contrasted with cutting-edge models. Posts and status updates can be used to predict the personality of users of social media networks to improve accuracy. These results show that picture features are better predictors of personality than text features, and also found that a profile picture reliably predicts personality with 96% accuracy.
Song Emotion Intelligence Analysis for Psychological Stress Relief
Authors: Huang Xiaoyu , Bakuto Svetlana V.
Published: February 2024

In today's digital and networked era, multimedia content such as images, audio, and video have become an important part of the data transmitted on the Internet's information superhighway. How to manage the stress in the college student population is directly related to the future life and development of college students. In this article, based on domestic and international data mining technology, the authors designed an intelligent analysis system for college students' mental health, pre-processed the data, then analysed these data in detail by using the outlier analysis algorithm in clustering algorithm, and finally mined the intrinsic connection between the psychological problems and attributes by using the Apriori association rule algorithm, so as to provide the decision makers with a reliable basis. This study puts forward reasonable solutions and suggestions for the problems existing in the psychological level of contemporary college students.
Twenty-minute whole blood clotting test delays detection of coagulopathy in snakebite, use international normalised ratio
Authors: Wedasinghe Supun , Isbister Geoffrey K. , Siribaddana Sisira , Silva Anjana
Published: February 2024

No abstract available
A spear flap surgical revision
Authors: De Piano Ernesto , Rubegni Pietro , Cioppa Vittoria
Published: February 2024

A 55-year-old male presented with a recurrent infiltrative basal cell carcinoma of the right nasal ala. Previous incomplete excision was repaired with second intention healing resulting in a contracted ala with columellar deviation and nostril asymmetry. [...]
Il referral del paziente internistico in cardiologia riabilitativa - Position paper FADOI, ITACARE-P
Authors: Dentali Francesco , Fattirolli Francesco , Gnerre Paola , Mastroianni Franco , Mureddu Gian Francesco , Ambrosetti Marco
Published: February 2024

Introduzione

La medicina interna e la cardiologia riabilitativa

Il referral in cardiologia riabilitativa

Lo scenario attuale

Il paziente cardiovascolare in medicina interna

L’organizzazione della rete assistenziale dopo sindrome coronarica acuta

La moderna epidemiologia degli eventi cardiovascolari in Italia

Moderne prove di efficacia dell’intervento di cardiologia riabilitativa

Gruppi di accesso alla cardiologia riabilitativa nell’evoluzione delle raccomandazioni

Modificazioni della rete dei centri di cardiologia riabilitativa

Evoluzione della normativa nazionale

Raccomandazioni operative per il referral del paziente internistico in cardiologia riabilitativa

Conclusioni

Bibliografia
Infective Endocarditis Induced – Decompensation of Chronic Liver Disease Presenting as Hepatic Encephalopathy
Authors: Singh Amritpal , Raina Rohit , Kant Ravi
Published: February 2024

Infective endocarditis (IE) occurs in people of older age, with artificial or damaged heart valves, immunocompromised states, and intravenous (IV) drug abusers as major risk factors. This case report describes a rare presentation of IE in a patient with chronic liver disease (CLD). A 38-year-old female with a history of decompensated CLD due to hepatitis C, presented with high-grade fever with chills, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, melena, and altered mental status. On examination, she had signs of hepatic encephalopathy and a systolic murmur in the aortic area. Imaging studies revealed an aortic valve vegetation with moderate aortic regurgitation, and blood cultures were negative. Treatment with meropenem and teicoplanin was started which resulted in clinical improvement. This case highlights the importance of considering IE in patients with CLD presenting with decompensation and suggests that early diagnosis and treatment are crucial in improving outcomes.
Effect of Video-assisted Teaching on Knowledge and Practice of Preterm Care Bundle amongst Mothers of Preterm Babies
Authors: Joy K. Anju , Vincent Reena , Divakaran Dhanya
Published: February 2024

Background:

Preterm is defined as all births before the completion of 37 weeks of gestation. The complications of preterm birth are the largest direct cause of neonatal deaths, responsible for 35% of the world’s 3.1 million deaths per year.

Aims:

The aims of the study were to assess the effect of video-assisted teaching on knowledge and practice of preterm care bundle amongst mothers of preterm babies.

Methods:

Pre-experimental one-group pre-test–post-test design with purposive sampling was used to collect data from 30 samples admitted in level I neonatal intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital in Kerala. The pre-test was done using a structured knowledge questionnaire and observational practice checklist, followed by video-assisted teaching on the preterm care bundle and reinforced with a demonstration of skills. Post-test was done on the 5th day.

Results:

In the pre-test, 21 (70%) of the samples had inadequate knowledge and 17 (56.67%) had inadequate practice, while in post-test, 29 (96.67%) had adequate knowledge and 30 (100%) had adequate practice on preterm care bundle. The calculated paired t-test value on pre- and post-test knowledge score was 29.24 and calculated paired t-test value on pre- and post-test practice score was 56.63, which was higher than the table value (t29 = 2.04, P < 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation (r = 0.771, P < 0.001) between knowledge and practice of preterm care bundle. There was a significant association (P < 0.05) between pre-test level of knowledge on preterm care bundle with selected socio-demographic and clinical data variables such as area of residence and a highly significant association (P < 0.001) between pre-test level of knowledge on preterm care bundle with parity. There was a significant association (P < 0.05) between pre-test level of practice on preterm care bundle with selected socio-demographic and clinical data variables such as education, area of residence and a highly significant association (P < 0.001) between pre-test level of practice on preterm care bundle with parity. During the study, an investigator found that video-assisted teaching was effective in improving knowledge and practice of preterm care bundle amongst mothers of preterm babies.

Conclusion:

Therefore, video-assisted teaching is an effective method for improving the knowledge and practice amongst mothers of preterm babies as a supportive measure in the NICUs.
A Study of the association of neurocognition with relapse and quality of life in patients of alcohol dependence
Authors: Rure Daisy , Shakya Makhan , Singhal Akanksha , Varma Akshat , Mishra Nimisha , Pathak Umesh
Published: February 2024

Background:

Alcohol is a widely consumed substance associated with around 5.6% of all causes of death. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic relapsing and remitting illness and has been known to be associated with impaired executive functions, processing speed, memory, attention, and fluency. It is also associated with impaired quality of life (QoL), which in turn can affect overall prognosis.

Aim:

To assess neurocognition in patients with alcohol dependence and correlate it with QoL and relapse.

Materials and Methods:

This study was a prospective, longitudinal study of sixty alcohol dependence patients from January 2020 to June 2021 after appropriate ethical approval. Participants were assessed for baseline alcohol dependence, neurocognition (focused, sustained and divided attention; processing speed; verbal and category fluency; working memory; response inhibition; verbal comprehension; verbal learning and memory; visuospatial construction; visual learning and memory) and QoL using Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) battery for neurocognition and WHO-BREF (WHO-Quality of Life-short-form scale) World Health Organization-scale, respectively. A follow-up was conducted in three months to assess relapse in the patients. Statistical analysis was conducted by International Business Machines Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS) v16.

Results:

Mean age of the study participants was 41.3 ± 5.03 years, mean age of onset of alcohol use was 20.88 ± 4.27 years, mean duration of alcohol use of 16.6 ± 7.92 years, and average 14.55 ± 4.86 drinks per day. The mean AUDIT score of the study population was 25.21 ± 7.18. There was significant positive correlation between duration of use and CTT-2; 37 out of 57 participants relapsed to alcohol (three participants had died in follow-up) with mean 37.48 ± 23.27 days of relapse, mean 3.32 ± 1.2 drinking days per week, and mean 6 ± 1.2 drinks per drinking day. There was negative and positive correlation between neurocognition and relapse and between neurocognition and QoL.

Conclusion:

Alcohol use also resulted in impaired cognitive function of the study participants. There was also significant difference in score for neurocognition test between relapse and abstinent group. The significant correlation between neurocognition and QoL as well as neurocognition and relapse proves the deleterious effect of alcohol in every aspect of life.
Super-resolution of Retinal Optical Coherence Tomography Images Using Statistical Modeling
Authors: Jorjandi Sahar , Amini Zahra , Rabbani Hossein
Published: February 2024

Background:

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging has emerged as a promising diagnostic tool, especially in ophthalmology. However, speckle noise and downsampling significantly degrade the quality of OCT images and hinder the development of OCT-assisted diagnostics. In this article, we address the super-resolution (SR) problem of retinal OCT images using a statistical modeling point of view.

Methods:

In the first step, we utilized Weibull mixture model (WMM) as a comprehensive model to establish the specific features of the intensity distribution of retinal OCT data, such as asymmetry and heavy tailed. To fit the WMM to the low-resolution OCT images, expectation–maximization algorithm is used to estimate the parameters of the model. Then, to reduce the existing noise in the data, a combination of Gaussian transform and spatially constraint Gaussian mixture model is applied. Now, to super-resolve OCT images, the expected patch log-likelihood is used which is a patch-based algorithm with multivariate GMM prior assumption. It restores the high-resolution (HR) images with maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimator.

Results:

The proposed method is compared with some well-known super-resolution algorithms visually and numerically. In terms of the mean-to-standard deviation ratio (MSR) and the equivalent number of looks, our method makes a great superiority compared to the other competitors.

Conclusion:

The proposed method is simple and does not require any special preprocessing or measurements. The results illustrate that our method not only significantly suppresses the noise but also successfully reconstructs the image, leading to improved visual quality.
Clinical and laboratory profile of pediatric metachromatic leukodystrophies in a tertiary care center from Southern Part of India
Authors: Gowda Vykuntaraju Kammasandra , Suryanarayana Srividya G , Srinivasan Varunvenkat M , Shivappa Sanjay K , Benakappa Naveen , Bhat Maya , Muthane Yasha
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background:

Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal disorder due to the deficiency of arylsulfatase A enzyme.

Materials and Methods:

This is a retrospective analysis of all clinically suspected MLD cases and confirmed by genetics, enzyme assay, and/or nerve biopsy between June 2015 and May 2020 at a tertiary care center. The clinical profile, enzyme levels, nerve conduction studies, MRI of the brain, and variants ofARSAgene causing MLD were analyzed.

Results:

Out of the 19 cases of MLD, four were juvenile, and the rest were late infantile variants. Eleven were male. The mean age of presentation in the late infantile variant was 28.4 months, and that of the juvenile variant was 44.5 months. The clinical features of the late infantile variant were developmental delay (30.75%), neuroregression (100%), spasticity (66.6%), dystonia (66.6%), small head (60%), whereas the juvenile variant presented with gait difficulties and neuroregression in all (100%), and seizures in 3 (75%). MRI of the brain showed bilateral symmetrical confluent white matter T2 hyperintensities with sparing of subcortical-U-fibers in all cases. The tigroid pattern was seen in two cases. Normal enzyme level was seen in one, but this child had a pathogenic variant PSAP gene resulting in saposin B deficiency. The targeted next-generation sequencing was done in 11/19 cases and showedARSAgene variant in 10 andPSAPgene in one child. Nerve conduction studies were done in 12 children, and all showed features suggestive of demyelinating motor polyneuropathy. Nerve biopsy showed metachromatic granules in four children.

Conclusion:

MLD can present with a developmental delay with or without regression, with or without seizures, with normal or small head. MRI and nerve conduction studies are helpful in diagnosis. Normal enzymes do not rule out MLD. Nerve biopsy may be useful in non-affordable families.
Role of Diagnostic Laparoscopy in Non-specific Abdominal Pain
Authors: Balachandran M. Malavika , Pai B. Srinivas , Patil Sharanabasappa
Published: February 2024

Introduction:

Non-specific abdominal pain is a prevalent and noteworthy health issue that results in healthcare utilisation and affects individuals’ quality of life. The primary focus of treatment approaches is to alleviate the symptoms and address any underlying factors if determined.

Aim of the Study:

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of diagnostic laparoscopy in diagnosing individuals with non-specific abdominal pain and identifying the root cause of their discomfort.

Patients and Methods:

A retrospective selection was made of 60 patients presenting with non-specific abdominal pain. Clinical examinations, medical histories and details of the diagnostic workup were documented and analysed.

Results:

The age of the patients included in the study ranged from 18 to 65 years, with an equal representation of both males and females. A majority (43.3%) of the individuals experienced diffuse pain. Amongst the patients with normal ultrasound reports, a definitive diagnosis was established in 21 out of 23 cases. Diagnostic laparoscopy proved to be valuable in diagnosing 36 out of 37 patients with inconclusive ultrasound reports. Acute appendicitis was identified as the most frequent diagnosis. At the 1-month follow-up, pain subsided in 83% of the individuals.

Conclusion:

In the modern era, diagnostic laparoscopy offers a preferable alternative to exploratory laparotomy, as it enables us to provide a diagnosis with minimal invasiveness and improved quality of life for the patients.
Estimation of Salivary Bone Specific Alkaline Phosphatase as a Biomarker for Assessing Skeletal Maturity Indicator
Authors: Prakash N , Suma S , Devananda D , Raghunath N
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT

Background:

Evaluation of skeletal maturation plays a substantial role in selection of orthodontic treatment strategies. Recently, new noninvasive methods of assessing biological mediators have been introduced to assess skeletal maturity. There is a marked rise in the value of these mediators during pubertal growth spurts. When these mediators emerge as the assessment tool for skeletal maturity determination, it can reduce radiation exposure and beneficial to the patient. Hence, the goal of this study is to validate the calculation of salivary alkaline phosphatase (ALP) as a noninvasive skeletal maturity indicator by estimating the Bone Alkaline Phosphatase (B-ALP) level in whole unstimulated saliva at different stages of skeletal maturity and correlating B-ALP level with different stages of skeletal development using cervical vertebral maturation index (CVMI) and hand-wrist MP3 (third finger middle phalanx).

Materials and Methods:

The test group included 90 subjects aged between 8 and 18 years requiring orthodontic treatment. The salivary samples were collected and examined by ALP kit following the manufacturer’s instructions and assessed using photo-spectrometer at 405 nm. The skeletal age was assessed using handwrist radiographs; skeletal age was determined by modified MP3 staging. Lateral cephalograms of each individual were also collected and tracing done for assessing skeletal age with CVM staging. The collected data were analyzed statistically with analysis of variance for intergroup comparison of ALP levels and Kruskal–Wallis test for intergroup comparison of CVM and MP3 stages.

Results and Conclusion:

Salivary ALP activity during the peak pubertal period was markedly increased when compared to pre- and post-peak values. Salivary ALP activity was in correlation with the cervical vertebral maturation and MP3 stages showing peak values at the pubertal stages. Thus, salivary B-ALP can serve as a noninvasive method of skeletal maturity assessment as an adjunct to conventional skeletal maturity indicators.
Patients with Mental Health Problem and Concerns on COVID-19 Vaccination: A Brief Review
Authors: Sookaromdee Pathum , Wiwanitkit Viroj
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a major global issue. Several millions of people died from the infection all around the world. According to the researchers, patients with severe mental illness should be addressed because they are a vulnerable group with medical and socioeconomic risk factors for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, morbidity, and mortality. At this time, there is no argument about the importance of vaccination for people with underlying mental problems, but vaccine management remains a concern. In this brief study, the authors summarize and review COVID-19 vaccination in individuals with underlying mental disorders.
A Study on the Evaluation of Serum Uric Acid in Patients with Essential Hypertension
Authors: Chandrika Tabitha R. J. , Dara Chennakeshavulu , Sandepogu Triveni Sagar , Darivemula Surendra Babu , Namrata Gogineni Sai , Vijayalakshmi N , Swetha Sivakumar
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT

Background:

Hyperuricemia can lead to nephrolithiasis and gout. It is an essential indicator of diseases like metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and chronic renal disease. It indicates that hyperuricemia is associated with the risk of cardiorenal disease and new-onset hypertension. In older hypertensive patients, hyperuricemia is an essential indicator of cardiovascular risk for the development of hypertension.

Methodology:

A facility-based case-control study to identify the relationship between serum uric acid levels and hypertension, the relation between severity and duration of hypertension and the serum uric acid levels, and the relation between duration of hypertension and serum uric acid levels at tertiary care hospital. Sample size: 400; 200 cases and 200 controls. Adult male and female patients >18 years of age diagnosed as hypertensive according to JNC VII classification for hypertension were included. Patients with comorbidities are excluded. The method of uric acid estimation was done by the VITROS URIC Slide method.

Results:

The mean total cholesterol of cases was 159.18 ± 20.16, and controls were 125.21 ± 21.12. The mean high density lipoproteins (HDL) among cases was 36.33 ± 5.08, and controls were 45.64 ± 5.90. The mean low density lipoproteins (LDL) among cases was 124.99 ± 20.03, and controls were 104.48 ± 12.48. The mean triglycerides among cases was 172.58 ± 31.40, and controls were 131.21 ± 21.50. The mean serum uric acid level among males in the cases group was 6.1 ± 1.79, and among males in the control group, it was 5.2 ± 1.3. The mean serum uric acid level among females in the case group was 6.2 ± 1.92, and among the control group, it was 5.3 ± 1.1. The unpaired t-test was used and was statistically significant with a P value < 0.0001 among the above parameters.

Conclusion:

The study had a direct relationship between hyperuricemia and hypertension. Also, there is a positive correlation between the severity of hypertension and serum uric acid levels and higher hypertension of longer duration when compared to lesser duration.
Comparison of ID NOW COVID-19 with RT-PCR for Diagnosis and Management of COVID-19 Cases
Authors: Rosireddy Mahesh Reddy , Muhammed Yasmin
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

Rapid diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 is a challenging issue for healthcare personnel. Abbott’s ID NOW COVID-19 assay is a rapid instrument based on isothermal nucleic acid amplification method for qualitative estimation of SARS-CoV-2 in nasal, nasopharyngeal, and throat swabs.

Aim and objective:

The performance of ID NOW was compared with standard reference RT-PCR in 609 patients.

Results and discussion:

The two methods agreed in 90.6% of the cases and disagreed in 9.4% of the cases, and this agreement was statistically significant (Cohen’s Kappa = 0.727, P < 0.001). The diagnostic performance of ID NOW in predicting RT-PCR positivity was as follows: sensitivity of 78%; specificity of 94%; positive predictive value (PPV) of 80%; negative predictive value (NPV) of 94%; and diagnostic accuracy of 91%.

Conclusion:

Hence ID NOW can be used as point-of-care testing in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 and thereby immediately isolate positive cases from negative cases.
New Avenue for Treatment of Dentinal Hypersensitivity Assisted with Tekscan a Diagnostic Tool
Authors: Sachdeva Shivani , Shinde Sanket , Saluja Harish
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT

Background:

Occlusion is dynamic and plays an important role in the functioning of the stomatognathic system. Disturbance in one of the components of the stomatognathic system may result in hypersensitivity of teeth, orofacial pain, migraine, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. Coronoplasty done using articulating paper is the conventional method for occlusal corrections. T-scan is a computerized occlusal analysis system that overcomes the limitations of articulating paper.

Methods:

Patients with Myofacial pain dysfunction syndrome (MPDS) having dentinal hypersensitivity were taken into consideration. The case series included three cases. A joint vibratory analysis (JVA) is performed using a JVA device to rule out any TMJ disorders. T-scan-assisted coronoplasty is performed. Patients are asked to score for dentinal hypersensitivity on the VAS scale pre and postoperative.

Results:

Occlusion and disocclusion time is reduced along with hyperactivity of the muscles after T-scan-assisted coronoplasty. There is a reduction in dentinal hypersensitivity postoperative.

Conclusion:

T-scan quantifies the forces and hence proved a boon in the field of dentistry. The present case series highlights coronoplasty assisted with a T-scan for diagnosis and treatment planning of hypersensitivity of teeth; hence it is the future of dentistry.

Practical Implications:

T-scan is a device that is assisted with electromyography. It projects the forces of mastication at every contact point of maxillary and mandibular teeth and reveals muscular hyperactivity. It can be used in MPDS patients with dental hypersensitivity due to occlusal discrepancy as it can guide elective coronoplasty relieving pain and dentinal hypersensitivity.
A Case Series on Transarterial Embolization in Treatment of Hepatic Artery Pseudoaneurysm (Indian perspective) - our experience in a Single Institute (Centre of Excellence)
Authors: Sarkar Krishnendu , Sarkar Avik , Singh Manish K.
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT

Purpose:

To evaluate the role of transarterial embolization in hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm (HAP) in the Indian population with an analysis of cases done in our hospital in 1 year.

Materials and Methods:

We searched our database on the computer of the School of Digestive and Liver Disease (SDLD) for cases of HAP within the last 1 year (from May 2021 to April 2022) and then reviewed in detail, examining causes, clinical data, laboratory data, treatment given, and any intervention and if yes then its complications and outcome. We then analyzed all the data from the perspective of the Indian population and compared them with those of previous literature.

Result:

Eight patients of HAP were found during investigations, who were admitted to SDLD. Another two patients were referred from another department to GI Radiology of SDLD. Causes were identified as blunt trauma abdomen, chronic pancreatitis, liver biopsy, and liver abscess, with blunt trauma being the most common cause. We found two HAPs in the extra-hepatic location, whereas in the rest of the cases, it was intra-hepatic. Among them, the left hepatic artery was involved in one patient and the right hepatic artery was involved in two patients. All the patients were evaluated carefully by both ultrasonography (USG) and tri-phasic computed tomography of the liver. We successfully embolized all of the total 10 patients of HAP in the last 1 year; however, one patient died due to sepsis. Each patient was followed up by USG.

Conclusion:

HAP is a complication related to blunt injury abdomen, pancreatitis, and post-surgical cases, which should be treated promptly. It can be deadly if left untreated. Successful and prompt intervention can provide good outcomes for these patients and prevent rupture-related complications.
Influence of Saliva Collection Method on the Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) Antibodies in the Saliva: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Kheur Supriya , Sanap Avinash , Raut Chandrashekhar , Shekatkar Madhura , Kharat Avinash , Barthwal Madhusudan , Bhawalkar Jitendra , Kheur Mohit , Bhonde Ramesh
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT

Background:

Although the nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) are considered as the gold standard specimen for the clinical diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), they pose several limitations such as the high risk of exposure, discomfort to the patients, and requirement of trained healthcare professionals.

Aim:

This study aimed to investigate “saliva” as an alternate source and the influence of the method of saliva collection on the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 detection.

Materials and Methods:

In this cross-sectional study, patients were screened for the COVID-19 infection with NPS. Saliva was collected from the same patients by four different methods (expectoration, drooling, gargling, and using salivary swabs) and stored at 80°C. Saliva samples of the patients who were detected positive for SARS-CoV-2 were analyzed for viral load by RT-qPCR and immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels by ELISA.

Results:

Out of 350 patients screened, 43 patients were included in the study, which were found to be positive for COVID-19 as evidenced by RT-PCR in the NPS (positivity rate-12.2%). Expectorated saliva exhibited 78.5% sensitivity and drooling method showed 22.2% sensitivity, whereas the salivary swab and gargling method yielded 21.42% and 16.66% sensitivity, respectively. Furthermore, the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 detection was reduced to 18.1% and 0.0% in the saliva collected by salivary swab and gargling method above the cycle threshold value 25.0 (NPS).

Conclusion:

Interestingly, salivary IgG showed better concordance with the viral load as compared to the serum IgG (R20.23 vs 0.04, P = 0.044). Expectorated saliva is a better specimen as compared to the drooling, gargling, and salivary swabs for SARS-CoV-2 viral detection for the clinical diagnosis of COVID-19.
To Study the Frontal Lobe Alterations in Patients of Schizophrenia
Authors: Samudra Madhura , Dhamija Sana , Davis Supriya , Gupta Nishtha , Chaudhury Suprakash , Javadekar Archana , Saldanha Daniel
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT

Background:

Schizophrenia is one of the most perplexing of all brain conditions due to its persistent and severe psychotic manifestations with variable cognitive dysfunction. The pathophysiology of schizophrenia being unknown, the fact that brain circuits are involved and the areas frequently affected being the limbic system, forebrain, and the hindbrain becomes a fertile area for exploration.

Aim:

The aim was to study the frontal lobe alterations in patients of schizophrenia.

Materials and Methods:

A cross-sectional, analytical, and comparative study was done in a tertiary care medical college and research center. Forty patients of schizophrenia with 40 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals were included in the study after informed consent and an institutional ethical clearance. Self-made demographic and clinical questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), Stroop test, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were applied to all the subjects.

Results:

A significant difference in cognitive impairment was found in patients as compared to controls, seen by a poor performance of patients in FAB and WCST along with a higher Stroop effect. Duration of illness, family history of psychiatric illness, number of episodes, and comorbid substance use were found to be positive predictors of higher cognitive impairment.

Conclusion:

There is a significant level of frontal lobe dysfunction seen in patients of schizophrenia on Stroop test, FAB, and WCST. Family history of psychiatric illness and substance use, especially tobacco, are the factors worsening cognitive dysfunction, while education plays a protective role.
Impact of Psychiatric Morbidity on Quality of Life and Self-Esteem in Individuals With Permanent Orthopaedic Disability
Authors: Raj Rajnish , Kumar Ajay , Aggarwal Hariom , Chaudhury Suprakash , Goyal Ekram , Puria Alka
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

Individuals with permanent orthopedic disability face many adversities and may suffer more from psychiatric illnesses as compared to the normal population. This may affect their self-esteem and quality of life.

Aim:

To study the impact of psychiatric morbidity on quality of life and self-esteem in subjects with permanent orthopedic disability.

Methodology:

The study was conducted by the Department of Psychiatry, of a tertiary care hospital from August 1, 2018, to August 1, 2019. A total of 50 subjects over the age of 18 years with permanent orthopedic disability were consecutively enrolled in the department of orthopedics. Orthopedical disability of subjects was assessed and diagnosed by one senior consultant of the Orthopaedics department. Clearance from the Institute’s Ethics Committee was obtained before the start of the study. Psychiatric morbidity was screened in the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Psychiatric diagnosis was confirmed by two senior consultants of the Psychiatry department and as per the International Classification of Diseases-10thedition-Clinical Description and Diagnostic Guidelines. Self-esteem and quality of life were assessed on Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSES) and WHO- Quality of Life-BREF (WHO QoL Bref), respectively.

Results:

Statistically significant impact of presence of psychiatric morbidity on Question 1 (P = 0.010), Question 2 (P = 0.002), physical domain (P = 0.001), psychological domain (P = 0.001), social relationship domain (P = 0.001), and environmental domain (P = 0.001) of WHO-QoL-Bref was observed. Subjects with psychiatric illness had lower mean scores as compared to subjects without psychiatric illness. The impact of psychiatric morbidity was also statistically significant on RSES scores (P = 0.000).

Conclusion:

Psychiatric morbidity impacts the quality of life index and self-esteem negatively in individuals with a permanent orthopedic disability.