bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nursing considerations during routine dental procedures
Authors: Martin Chelsie
Published: February 2022

In the author's experience, patients that have a dental procedure often recover more slowly than any other routine procedure, as some requirements of a dental patient may not be taken into consideration. This article outlines the nursing considerations that are required during a routine dental procedure. Examples include: awareness of hypothermia risks; being aware of the premedication and pain relief used; and the use of an appropriately sized throat pack to ensure no fluid enters the patient's lungs.
Tibial bone and soft-tissue concentrations following combination therapy with vancomycin and meropenem – evaluated by microdialysis in a porcine model
Authors: Vittrup Sofus Ørbæk , Hanberg Pelle , Knudsen Martin Bruun , Tøstesen Sara Kousgaard , Kipp Josephine Olsen , Hansen Jakob , Jørgensen Nis Pedersen , Stilling Maiken , Bue Mats
Published: February 2022

Aims

Prompt and sufficient broad-spectrum empirical antibiotic treatment is key to preventing infection following open tibial fractures. Succeeding co-administration, we dynamically assessed the time for which vancomycin and meropenem concentrations were above relevant epidemiological cut-off (ECOFF) minimal inhibitory concentrations (T > MIC) in tibial compartments for the bacteria most frequently encountered in open fractures. Low and high MIC targets were applied: 1 and 4 µg/ml for vancomycin, and 0.125 and 2 µg/ml for meropenem.

Methods

Eight pigs received a single dose of 1,000 mg vancomycin and 1,000 mg meropenem simultaneously over 100 minutes and 10 minutes, respectively. Microdialysis catheters were placed for sampling over eight hours in tibial cancellous bone, cortical bone, and adjacent subcutaneous adipose tissue. Venous blood samples were collected as references.

Results

Across the targeted ECOFF values, vancomycin displayed longer T > MIC in all the investigated compartments in comparison to meropenem. For both drugs, cortical bone exhibited the shortest T > MIC. For the low MIC targets and across compartments, mean T > MIC ranged between 208 and 449 minutes (46% to 100%) for vancomycin and between 189 and 406 minutes (42% to 90%) for meropenem. For the high MIC targets, mean T > MIC ranged between 30 and 446 minutes (7% to 99%) for vancomycin and between 45 and 181 minutes (10% to 40%) for meropenem.

Conclusion

The differences in the T > MIC between the low and high targets illustrate how the interpretation of these results is highly susceptible to the defined MIC target. To encompass any trauma, contamination, or individual tissue differences, a more aggressive dosing approach may be considered to achieve longer T > MIC in all the exposed tissues, and thereby lower the risk of acquiring an infection after open tibial fractures. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2022;11(2):112–120.
Could clinical supervision help us to support increasingly complex needs in the community?
Authors: Hough Juliette , Dowding Kerry
Published: February 2022

This paper presents qualitative research exploring the benefits of clinical supervision for workers supporting people experiencing multiple disadvantages. The clinical supervision supported worker wellbeing, lessened compassion fatigue and created space for workers to think creatively, manage risk and develop trauma-informed and reflective practice. Clinical supervision may be one solution to the growing demand, more complex needs and higher stress, burnout and fatigue among workers faced by the voluntary sector following the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is not what you do, it is how you do it: exploring the techniques UK hospices use on Facebook to create online engagement
Authors: Todd Lydia
Published: February 2022

Facebook has become an essential tool for hospices in their engagement with their communities online, and during the COVID-19 pandemic it became a lifeline to many hospices as a way to continue communicating with supporters. Yet, there is a severe lack of academic research into how hospices can use the tool to successfully generate engagement. This piece of research aims to fill this gap and create practical recommendations by comparing Facebook posts curated by hospices of different sizes who use the same technique with different levels of interaction. This highlights that the focus of research needs to move away from what content charities are creating and look at how they are creating it.
High-resolution 3D Fourier ptychographic reconstruction using a hemispherical illumination source with multiplexed-coded strategy
Authors: Sun Minglu , Shao Lina , Zhang Jinrui , Zhu Youqiang , Wu Peilin , Wang Yukun , Diao Zhihui , Mu QuanQuan , Li Dayu , Wang Hongda , Xuan Li
Published: February 2022

Fourier ptychography is a promising and flexible imaging technique that
can achieve 2D quantitative reconstruction with higher resolution
beyond the limitation of the system. Meanwhile, by using different
imaging models, the same platform can be applied to achieve 3D
refractive index reconstruction. To improve the illumination NA as
much as possible while reducing the intensity attenuation problem
caused by the LED board used in the traditional FP platform, we apply
a hemispherical lighting structure and design a new LED arrangement
according to 3D Fourier diffraction theory. Therefore, we could obtain
the illumination of 0.98NA using 187 LEDs and achieve imaging
half-pitch resolutions of ∼174 nm and
∼524 nm for the lateral and axial directions
respectively, using a 40×/0.6NA objective lens. Furthermore, to
reduce the number of captured images required and realize real-time
data collection, we apply the multiplexed-coded illumination strategy
and compare several coded patterns through simulation and experiment.
Through comparison, we determined a radial-coded illumination pattern
that could achieve more similar results as sequential scanning and
increase the acquisition speed to above 1 Hz. Therefore, this
paper provides the possibility of this technique in real-time 3D
observation of in vitro live samples.
Inverted Hartmann mask made by deep X-ray lithography for single-shot multi-contrast X-ray imaging with laboratory setup
Authors: Mikhaylov Andrey , Zakharova Margarita , Vlnieska Vitor , Khanda Ankita , Bremer Sabine , Zuber Marcus , Henrique Pezzin Sergio , Kunka Danays
Published: February 2022

This paper reports on the fabrication and characterization of an inverted Hartmann mask and its application for multi-contrast X-ray imaging of polymer composite material in a laboratory setup. Hartmann masks open new possibilities for high-speed X-ray imaging, obtaining orientation-independent information on internal structures without rotating the object. The mask was manufactured with deep X-ray lithography and gold electroplating on a low-absorbing polyimide substrate. Such an approach allows us to produce gratings with a small period and high aspect ratio, leading to a higher spatial resolution and extension towards higher X-ray energies. Tuning the manufacturing process, we achieved a homogeneous patterned area without supporting structures, thus avoiding losses on visibility. We tested mask performance in a laboratory setup with a conventional flat panel detector and assessed mask imaging capabilities using a tailored phantom sample of various sizes. We performed multi-modal X-ray imaging of epoxy matrix polymer composites reinforced with glass fibers and containing microcapsules filled with a healing agent. Hartmann masks made by X-ray lithography enabled fast-tracking of structural changes in low absorbing composite materials and of a self-healing mechanism triggered by mechanical stress.
Convolutional neural network-based spectrum reconstruction solver for channeled spectropolarimeter
Authors: Huang Chan , Wu Su , Chang Yuyang , Fang Yuwei , Zou Zhiyong , Qiu Huaili
Published: February 2022

Channeled spectropolarimetry is a snapshot technique for measuring the spectra of Stokes parameters of light by demodulating the measured spectrum. As an indispensable part of the channeled spectropolarimeter, the spectrometer module is far from being perfect to reflect the real modulation spectrum, which further reduces the polarimetric reconstruction accuracy of the channeled spectropolarimeter. Since the modulation spectrum is composed of many continuous narrow-band spectra with high frequency, it is a challenging work to reconstruct it effectively by existing methods. To alleviate this issue, a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based spectral reconstruction solver is proposed for channeled spectropolarimeter. The key idea of the proposed method is to first preprocess the measured spectra using existing traditional methods, so that the preprocessed spectra contain more spectral features of the real spectra, and then these spectral features are employed to train a CNN to learn a map from the preprocessed spectra to the real spectra, so as to further improve the reconstruction quality of the preprocessed spectra. A series of simulation experiments and real experiments were carried out to verify the effect of the proposed method. In simulation experiments, we investigated the spectral reconstruction accuracy and robustness of the proposed method on three synthetic datasets and evaluate the effect of the proposed method on the demodulation results obtained by the Fourier reconstruction method. In real experiments, system matrices are constructed by using measured spectra and reconstructed spectra respectively, and the spectra of Stokes parameters of incident light are estimated by the linear operator method. Several other advanced demodulation methods are also used to demodulate the measured spectrum in both simulation and real experiments. The results show that compared with other methods, the accuracy of the demodulation results can be much more improved by employing the CNN-based solver to reconstruct the measured spectrum.
Recycling forward and backward frequency-multiplexed modes in a waveguide coupled to phased time-perturbed microrings for low-footprint neuromorphic computing
Authors: Jalili Sajjad , Memarian Mohammad , Mehrany Khashayar
Published: February 2022

Optical structures can serve as low-power high-capacity alternatives of
electronic processors for more efficient neuromorphic computing, but
can suffer from large footprints and weak scalability. In this work,
properly phased time-perturbed microrings side-coupled to a waveguide
are utilized to realize a compact processor for linear
transformations. We build up a synthetic frequency dimension to
provide sufficient degrees of freedom, where the linear time-varying
structures enable the linear intermixing and transformation of
frequency-multiplexed data. Moreover, non-reciprocal and asymmetric
flow of data in the forward and backward modes, due to phasing of the
perturbations, helped to build up another synthetic dimension and to
avoid physically repeating the processing elements, thus enabling a
much more compact and scalable linear processor.
Boosting anapole-exciton strong coupling in all-dielectric heterostructures
Authors: Wang Jingyu , Yang Weimin , Sun Guoya , He Yonglin , Ren Peiwen , Yang Zhilin
Published: February 2022

The light manipulation beyond the diffraction limit plays an invaluable role in modern physics and nanophotonics. In this work, we have demonstrated a strong coupling with a large Rabi splitting of 151 meV between bulk

WS

2

excitons and anapole modes in the

WS

2

-Si nanodisk heterostructure array with nanoholes as small as 50 nm radius. This result is acquired by introducing anapole modes to suppress radiative losses to confine light into subwavelength volumes and large spatial overlapping between excitons and strong optical fields. Our work shows that anapole modes may serve as a powerful way to enhance the interaction between light and matter at nanoscales, and it should pave an avenue toward high-performance all-dielectric optoelectronic applications.
Phylogenetic inference of changes in amino acid propensities with single-position resolution
Authors: Klink Galya V. , Kalinina Olga V. , Bazykin Georgii A.
Published: February 2022

Fitness conferred by the same allele may differ between genotypes and environments, and these differences shape variation and evolution. Changes in amino acid propensities at protein sites over the course of evolution have been inferred from sequence alignments statistically, but the existing methods are data-intensive and aggregate multiple sites. Here, we develop an approach to detect individual amino acids that confer different fitness in different groups of species from combined sequence and phylogenetic data. Using the fact that the probability of a substitution to an amino acid depends on its fitness, our method looks for amino acids such that substitutions to them occur more frequently in one group of lineages than in another. We validate our method using simulated evolution of a protein site under different scenarios and show that it has high specificity for a wide range of assumptions regarding the underlying changes in selection, while its sensitivity differs between scenarios. We apply our method to the env gene of two HIV-1 subtypes, A and B, and to the HA gene of two influenza A subtypes, H1 and H3, and show that the inferred fitness changes are consistent with the fitness differences observed in deep mutational scanning experiments. We find that changes in relative fitness of different amino acid variants within a site do not always trigger episodes of positive selection and therefore may not result in an overall increase in the frequency of substitutions, but can still be detected from changes in relative frequencies of different substitutions.
Prevalence and determinants of hypertension in underrepresented indigenous populations of Nepal
Authors: Denekew Tsedenia Workneh , Gautam Yoshina , Bhandari Dinesh , Gautam Guru Prasad , Sherchand Jeevan Bahadur , Pokhrel Amod K. , Jha Aashish R.
Published: February 2022

Indigenous populations residing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are highly underrepresented in medicine and public health research. Specifically, data on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) from indigenous populations remains scarce. Despite the increasing burden of NCDs in the Himalayan region, their prevalence in many indigenous populations remains understudied. The nationally representative public health surveys often do not include the indigenous communities, especially those that reside in rural areas or exist in small numbers. This observational cross-sectional survey study aimed to assess the prevalence of three NCD risk factors namely obesity, hypertension, and tachycardia and identify dietary and lifestyle variables associated with them across underrepresented indigenous populations of Nepal. A total of 311 individuals (53.3% women, 46.7% men) with mean age 43±15 years from 12 indigenous Nepali communities residing in rural (47.9%) or semi-urban (52.1%) areas volunteered to participate in this study. Univariate tests and multivariable logistic regressions were used to analyze the survey data. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 121.3±19.5 mmHg and 81.3±11.8 mmHg respectively. Overall, the prevalence of obesity and tachycardia was low (0.64% and 3.22%, respectively) but hypertension was prevalent at 23.8%. Hypertension was not significantly different across populations, but it was associated with age, BMI, and tobacco use, and collectively, these variables explained 13.9% variation in hypertension prevalence. Although we were unable to detect direct associations between individual determinants of hypertension identified in non-indigenous Nepalis, such as education levels, alcohol consumption, and smoking in this study, having one or more determinants increased the odds of hypertension in the indigenous participants. Furthermore, ~14% of the hypertensive individuals had none of the universally identified hypertension risk factors. The lack of association between previously identified risk factors for hypertension in these individuals indicates that the additional determinants of hypertension remain to be identified in indigenous Nepali populations.
Persistent hypercoagulability in dogs envenomated by the European adder (Vipera berus berus)
Authors: Harjen Hannah J. , Hellum Marit , Rørtveit Runa , Oscarson Malin , Anfinsen Kristin P. , Moldal Elena R. , Solbak Susanna , Kanse Sandip M. , Henriksson Carola E.
Published: February 2022

Background

Envenomation by the European adder,Vipera berus berus (Vbb), is a medical emergency. The overallin vivohaemostatic effects of pro- and anticoagulant components inVbbvenom, and the downstream effects of cellular injury and systemic inflammation, are unclear.

Objectives

To longitudinally describe the global coagulation status of dogs afterVbbenvenomation and compare to healthy controls. A secondary aim was to investigate differences between dogs treated with and without antivenom.

Methods

Citrated plasma was collected at presentation, 12 hours (h), 24 h, 36 h and 15 days after bite from 28 dogs envenomated byVbb, and from 28 healthy controls at a single timepoint. Thrombin generation (initiated with and without exogenous phospholipids and tissue factor), thrombin-antithrombin (TAT)-complexes and the procoagulant activity of phosphatidylserine (PS)-expressing extracellular vesicles (EVs), expressed as PS-equivalents, were measured.

Results

At presentation the envenomated dogs were hypercoagulable compared to controls, measured as increased thrombin generation, TAT-complexes and PS-equivalents. The hypercoagulability decreased gradually but compared to controls thrombin generation and PS-equivalents were still increased at day 15. The discrepancy in peak thrombin between envenomated dogs and controls was greater when the measurement was phospholipid-dependent, indicating that PS-positive EVs contribute to hypercoagulability. Lag time was shorter in non-antivenom treated dogs, compared to antivenom treated dogs <24 h after envenomation.

Conclusions

Hypercoagulability was measured in dogs up to 15 days afterVbbenvenomation. Dogs treated with antivenom may be less hypercoagulable than their non-antivenom treated counterparts. Thrombin generation is a promising diagnostic and monitoring tool forVbbenvenomation.
Study protocol: Effectiveness of patient centered pharmacist care in improving medication adherence, clinical parameters and quality of life among hemodialysis patients
Authors: Paneerselvam Ganesh Sritheran , Aftab Raja Ahsan , Sirisinghe Roland Gamini , Lai Pauline Siew Mei , Lim Soo Kun
Published: February 2022

Background

Patients requiring hemodialysis (HD) often have several chronic comorbidities, which necessitate the use of several medications and hence put them at high risk of polypharmacy. Medication-related problems (MRPs) among HD patients are a serious issue as they can increase morbidity and nonadherence with medications. To overcome this issue, a unique pharmacy practice model including medication review (MR) and motivational interviewing (MI) is needed to improve medication adherence, by reducing MRPs and optimizing therapeutic outcomes. The present study aims to assess the effectiveness of MR and MI in improving medication adherence, quality of life (QOL) and clinical outcomes among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients who are on dialysis.

Method and design

This pre-post study will be conducted prospectively among patients with ESRD who have been on dialysis at the Hemodialysis Unit, Hospital Kuala Lumpur and the Hemodialysis Affiliated Centers of the University Malaya Medical Centre, from August 2020 till August 2021. Medication adherence will be assessed using the General Medication Adherence Scale (GMAS), whilst patients’ HRQOL will be assessed using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form 36 (KDQOL-36). Clinical parameters such as blood glucose level, calcium, phosphate, hemoglobin and serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels will be obtained from medical records. A total of 70 patients will be recruited.

Discussion

We hypothesize that the implementation of pharmacy-based MR and MI may expect an increase in medication adherence scores and increase in HRQOL scores from baseline as well as achieving the clinical lab parameters within the desired range. This would indicate a need for a pharmacist to be involved in the multidisciplinary team to achieve a positive impact on medication adherence among hemodialysis patients.

Trial registration

Ethical approval has been obtained from the National Medical Research and Ethics Committee NMRR:20-1135-54435and Medical Research Ethics Committee, University Malaya Medical Centre MREC ID NO:202127-9811.
Nurses’ use of social media during the COVID-19 pandemic—A scoping review
Authors: Glasdam Stinne , Sandberg Helena , Stjernswärd Sigrid , Jacobsen Frode F. , Grønning Anette H. , Hybholt Lisbeth
Published: February 2022

Background

During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses stand in an unknown situation while facing continuous news feeds. Social media is a ubiquitous tool to gain and share reliable knowledge and experiences regarding COVID-19. The article aims to explore how nurses use social media in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method

A scoping review inspired by Arksey and O’Mally was conducted by searches in Medline, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete and Web of Sciences. Empirical research studies investigating nurses’ use of social media in relation to COVID-19 were included. Exclusion criteria were: Literature reviews, articles in languages other than English, articles about E-health, and articles investigating healthcare professionals without specification of nurses included. Articles, published in January-November 2020, were included and analysed through a thematic analysis. The PRISMA-ScR checklist was used.

Results

Most of the eleven included studies were cross-sectional surveys, conducted in developing countries, and had neither social media nor nurses as their main focus of interest. Three themes were identified: ‘Social media as a knowledge node’, ‘Social media functioned as profession-promoting channels’ and ‘Social media as a disciplinary tool’. Nurses used social media as channels to gain and share information about COVID-19, and to support each other by highlighting the need for training and changes in delivery of care and redeployment. Further, social media functioned as profession-promoting channels partly sharing heroic self-representations and acknowledgment of frontline persons in the pandemic, partly by displaying critical working conditions. Finally, nurses used social media to educate people to perform the ‘right ‘COVID-19’ behaviours in society.

Conclusion

This review provided snapshots of nurses’ uses of social media from various regions in the world, but revealed a need for studies from further countries and continents. The study calls for further multi-methodological and in depth qualitative research, including theoretically framed studies, with a specific focus on the uses of social media among nurses during the pandemic.
The association between stigmatizing attitudes towards depression and help seeking attitudes in college students
Authors: Conceição Virgínia , Rothes Inês , Gusmão Ricardo
Published: February 2022

Depression stigma has been considered a significant barrier to treatment and rehabilitation. This study aimed to understand the effects of gender, previous mental health care, and symptomatology on depression stigma and analyze the impact of depression stigma on help-seeking attitudes. A total of 969 students with a mean age of 18.87 (SD = 1.49) were included in this study and completed the Depression Stigma Scale, the Attitude Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help, the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 questionnaire, and a socio-demographic questionnaire. We analyzed data using SPSS 24.0, with a 95% confidence interval. Participants came from all University schools, and 64.6% were women. Personal stigma and help-seeking attitudes were affected by gender (β(male)= 5.65, CI = 4.07, 7.25) and previous access to mental healthcare services (β(previous help)= -4.35, CI = -5.89, -2.82). Perceived depression stigma was affected gender (β(male)= -2.67, CI = -5.00, -0.34) and symptomatology (β(no symptomatology)= -3.29, CI = -6.09, -0.49). Personal (r = -0.42, p<0.01) and perceived (r = 0.10, p<0.01) depression stigma correlated with help-seeking attitudes, but we detected no direct symptomatology effect on help-seeking attitudes. Personal depression stigma significantly affected help-seeking attitudes (β = -0.15, CI = -0.17, -0.12). Promoting literacy may decrease personal depression stigma and increase professional help-seeking attitudes and behaviors.
MSPM: A modularized and scalable multi-agent reinforcement learning-based system for financial portfolio management
Authors: Huang Zhenhan , Tanaka Fumihide
Published: February 2022

Financial portfolio management (PM) is one of the most applicable problems in reinforcement learning (RL) owing to its sequential decision-making nature. However, existing RL-based approaches rarely focus on scalability or reusability to adapt to the ever-changing markets. These approaches are rigid and unscalable to accommodate the varying number of assets of portfolios and increasing need for heterogeneous data input. Also, RL agents in the existing systems are ad-hoc trained and hardly reusable for different portfolios. To confront the above problems, a modular design is desired for the systems to be compatible with reusable asset-dedicated agents. In this paper, we propose a multi-agent RL-based system for PM (MSPM). MSPM involves two types of asynchronously-updated modules: Evolving Agent Module (EAM) and Strategic Agent Module (SAM). An EAM is an information-generating module with a Deep Q-network (DQN) agent, and it receives heterogeneous data and generates signal-comprised information for a particular asset. An SAM is a decision-making module with a Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) agent for portfolio optimization, and it connects to multiple EAMs to reallocate the corresponding assets in a financial portfolio. Once been trained, EAMs can be connected to any SAM at will, like assembling LEGO blocks. With its modularized architecture, the multi-step condensation of volatile market information, and the reusable design of EAM, MSPM simultaneously addresses the two challenges in RL-based PM: scalability and reusability. Experiments on 8-year U.S. stock market data prove the effectiveness of MSPM in profit accumulation by its outperformance over five different baselines in terms of accumulated rate of return (ARR), daily rate of return (DRR), and Sortino ratio (SR). MSPM improves ARR by at least 186.5% compared to constant rebalanced portfolio (CRP), a widely-used PM strategy. To validate the indispensability of EAM, we back-test and compare MSPMs on four different portfolios. EAM-enabled MSPMs improve ARR by at least 1341.8% compared to EAM-disabled MSPMs.
Prevalence of anemia and associated factors among adult diabetic patients attending Bale zone hospitals, South-East Ethiopia
Authors: Solomon Damtew , Bekele Kebebe , Atlaw Daniel , Mamo Ayele , Gezahegn Habtamu , Regasa Tadele , Negash Getahun , Nigussie Eshetu , Zenbaba Demissu , Teferu Zinash , Nugusu Fikadu , Atlie Gela
Published: February 2022

Background

Anemia found in diabetes patients is often unrecognized like many other chronic diseases. The occurrence of anemia is also an additional burden to the micro vascular complications of patients with diabetes. In the selected study structure no published data were found on the prevalence of anemia and associated factors in diabetic patients. Hence, the findings of this study are very fruitful as an input for further studies and after the repetition of similar studies in different frameworks. It is helpful as input for the development of guidelines at diabetes clinics to request the laboratory assessment of hemoglobin as a routine activity.

Objective

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among diabetic patients who attended Bale zone hospitals.

Methods

A cross-sectional study design was conducted from September 2020–to January 2021 GC among adult diabetic patients who had follow-up at Bale zone hospitals. A total of 238 study participants were determined by single population proportion sample size calculation formula taking prevalence of anemia among adult diabetic patients 19.0%. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Information on demographic and associated factors of anemia in diabetic patients was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Blood sample collection was performed under aseptic conditions by a licensed medical laboratory professional. Data were entered into EpiData version 3.1, cleaned and exported to statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 25 software tools. Logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with anemia in diabetic patients. P-value less than 0.05 and 95% CI were considered as statistically significant. The odds ratios were reported to indicate the strength of associations. Frequencies, percentages, charts and tables were used to summarize the characteristics of study participants.

Results

In this study anemia among adult diabetic patients is 18.1% (95% CI (13.2, 23.0%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that the sex of the study participants and the type of diabetes mellitus were found to be statistically significant to associate with anemia. The odds of having anemia among females are nearly three times higher when compared with males (AOR 2.78, 95% CI 1.40–5.52). In addition, the odds of having anemia among adult diabetic patients who had type II diabetes mellitus (AOR 2.18, 95%CI 1.04–4.54) were 2.18 times higher than those who had type I diabetes mellitus patients.

Conclusion

Nearly one out of five adult diabetic patients had anemia. Sex of the patients and the type of diabetes are associated with anemia among adult diabetic patients.
‘We felt like part of a production system’: A qualitative study on women’s experiences of mistreatment during childbirth in Switzerland
Authors: Meyer Stephanie , Cignacco Eva , Monteverde Settimio , Trachsel Manuel , Raio Luigi , Oelhafen Stephan
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Mistreatment during childbirth is an issue of global magnitude that not only violates fundamental human rights but also seriously impacts women’s well-being. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon by exploring the individual experiences of women who reported mistreatment during childbirth in Switzerland.

Materials and methods

This project used a mixed methods approach to investigate women’s experiences of mistreatment during childbirth in general and informal coercion specifically: The present qualitative study expands on the findings from a nationwide online survey on childbirth experience. It combines inductive with theoretical thematic analysis to study the 7,753 comments women wrote in the survey and the subsequent interviews with 11 women who reported being mistreated during childbirth.

Results

The women described a wide range of experiences of mistreatment during childbirth in both the survey comments and the interviews. Out of all survey participants who wrote at least one comment (n = 3,547), 28% described one or more experiences of mistreatment. Six of the seven types of mistreatment listed in Bohren and colleagues’ typology of mistreatment during childbirth were found, the most frequent of which were ineffective communication and lack of informed consent. Five additional themes were identified in the interviews: Informal coercion, risk factors for mistreatment, consequences of mistreatment, examples of good care, and what’s needed to improve maternity care.

Conclusion

The findings from this study show that experiences of mistreatment are a reality in Swiss maternity care and give insight into women’s individual experiences as well as how these affect them during and after childbirth. This study emphasises the need to respect women’s autonomy in order to prevent mistreatment and empower women to actively participate in decisions. Both individual and systemic efforts are required to prevent mistreatment and guarantee respectful, dignified, and high-quality maternity care for all.
The design of smart classroom for modern college English teaching under Internet of Things
Authors: Nai Ruihua
Published: February 2022

This study aims to improve the efficiency of modern college English teaching. With interactive teaching as the core element, smart classrooms as technical support, and informationization, automation, and interaction as the main body, a smart system for college English teaching is established based on cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoT). The system is built using the B/S architecture and verified by specific example data, to prove the effectiveness of the proposed smart system for college English teaching based on the IoT. It is found that the smart platform for English teaching based on the IoT not only effectively improves the stability of the system, but also enhances the personal experience of students. The coordinated operation of the various modules reduces the response time of the system. When the number of users reaches 500, the average response time of the system is 3.65 seconds, and the memory and occupancy rate of the system are reduced. Students who receive smart classrooms for teaching have a greater improvement in the test results of various aspects of English without teacher intervention. The proposed model can significantly improve the performance of poor students and reduce the gap in learning performance in the class, which provides reliable research ideas for smart teaching in modern colleges and universities.
Life and death of a leprosy sufferer from the 8th-century-CE cemetery of Kiskundorozsma–Kettőshatár I (Duna-Tisza Interfluve, Hungary)—Biological and social consequences of having Hansen’s disease in a late Avar Age population from Hungary
Authors: Spekker Olga , Tihanyi Balázs , Kis Luca , Szalontai Csaba , Vida Tivadar , Pálfi György , Marcsik Antónia , Molnár Erika
Published: February 2022

The aim of our paper is to demonstrate a middle-aged male (KK61) from the 8th-century-CE cemetery of Kiskundorozsma–Kettőshatár I (Duna-Tisza Interfluve, Hungary), who appears to represent the lepromatous form of Hansen’s disease. Leprosy has affected not only the rhinomaxillary region of his face but also his lower limbs, with severe deformation and disfigurement of the involved anatomical areas (saddle-nose and flat-foot deformity, respectively). Consequently, he would have experienced disability in performing the basic activities of daily living, such as eating, drinking, standing or walking; and thus, he would have required regular and substantial care from others to survive. Despite his very visible disease and associated debility, it seems thatKK61was accepted as a member of the community in death, since he has been buried within the cemetery boundaries, among others from his community. In addition, his grave has conformed to the mortuary practices characteristic of the Kiskundorozsma–Kettőshatár I cemetery (e.g., burial orientation, position of the body in the grave, and type and quantity of accompanying grave goods). Although distinction or segregation in life do not preclude normative treatment in death, the long-lasting survival ofKK61with Hansen’s disease implies that he would not have been abandoned but cared for by others.KK61is one of the few published historic cases with leprosy from the Avar Age of the Hungarian Duna-Tisza Interfluve. His case gives us a unique insight into the biological consequences of living with Hansen’s disease and illustrates the social attitude toward leprosy sufferers in early mediaeval Hungary.
The university and the crisis of twenty-first-century citizenship: Towards a global citizenship education to disrupt populist nationalism
Authors: Dorio Jason Nunzio , Pojar Amy , Hou Yuqing
Published: February 2022

The global resurgence of populist nationalism (PN) is grounded in divisive identity politics, affirms commitments to oppressive systems and provokes a crisis of citizenship. With universities being a significant battleground of this contention, the anti-globalist fervour towards xenophobia and against global ideologies and institutions has significant implications for critical possibilities of global citizenship education (GCE). However, research on how institutions are responding to PN, and how critical GCE programmes and pedagogies can disrupt exclusionary, violent forms of nationalism are limited. This study uses critical discourse analysis of 30 GCE programmes and asks: to what extent are discourses within university GCE programmes oriented to promote the disruption of the resurgence of PN? Findings indicate that most GCE programmatic discourses are not well oriented to promote the disruption of PN. Therefore, the article offers possible questions to consider when centring the disruption of PN in transformative models of GCE.
Critical education for democracy under discourses of authoritarianism and nationalism
Authors: Camicia Steven , Si Shouqing
Published: February 2022

The rise of authoritarianism and exclusionary nationalism has shown a critical need to teach students how to build, maintain and participate in democratic communities. This requires students to understand how authoritarianism and nationalism exclude people and perspectives in communities. While inclusionary nationalism can create an identity that unites people, we focus upon the divisive form of nationalism that is exclusionary. This article first describes the context for critical education for democracy in the face of authoritarianism and nationalism. We follow with a conceptual analysis of critical education for democracy. This involves the ways that students can identify antidemocratic discourses in order to promote democratic discourses. The model that we present relies upon student discourse analysis and elements of greeting, rhetoric and narrative for increasing inclusion in democratic communities. We conclude with illustrations of classroom inquiries, discussions and deliberations that can build student understanding of authoritarianism, nationalism and democracy.
Teacher education for democracy in Sarajevo and San Francisco: Pedagogical tools to connect theory and practice
Authors: Pace Judith L. , Kasumagić-Kafedžić Larisa
Published: February 2022

The rise of nationalism that deepens hatred of the ‘other’, long-standing divisions and legacies of oppression threaten democracy around the globe. Despite the urgency of advancing transformative democratic education in the face of these daunting challenges, in real classrooms, most teachers do not take up this endeavour. Teacher education has a vital role to play in preparing teachers to educate democratic civic agents in contentious political contexts. This article presents teaching practices from two teacher educators from very different locations, Sarajevo and San Francisco, who equip pre-service teachers with pedagogical experiences and curricular tools that prepare them for five distinctive roles. These roles empower novices to bring transformative democratic education into their future classrooms.
Research on Teaching Global Issues: Pedagogy for Global Citizenship Education, J. P. Myers (ed.) (2020)
Authors: Demir Vahap
Published: February 2022

Review of: Research on Teaching Global Issues: Pedagogy for Global Citizenship Education, J. P. Myers (ed.) (2020)

Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, 188 pp.,

ISBN 978-16-48020-51-3, p/bk, $45.99
Un delito en busca de justificación: la humillación o descrédito de colectivos discriminados
Authors: Laurenzo Patricia
Published: February 2022

El presente trabajo está destinado a estudiar el contenido y alcance del delito de humillación, menosprecio o descrédito de colectivos discriminados que introdujo la reforma penal de 2015 en el artículo 510.2 a) del Código penal y que se ha identificado de forma unánime como un delito de odio. Se parte de un análisis crítico de la aplicación que están haciendo del mismo los tribunales de justicia para luego centrarse en el significado de la categoría conceptual de delitos de odio. A partir de ahí se propone una interpretación restrictiva basada en los fines del derecho penal antidiscriminatorio.
Nalbuphine as an Adjuvant to Bupivacaine for Supraclavicular Brachial Plexus Block under Ultrasonography Guidance
Authors: Mehta Shweta Saurin , Patel Nidhiben Sureshbhai , Patel Krupa Ambalal , Panchani Palak Pankaj
Published: February 2022

BACKGROUND Regional blocks remain as a widely-accepted essential component of comprehensive anaesthesia care. Peripheral nerve blocks with local anaesthetics provide good operating conditions. However, even with the longest acting local anaesthetics, the duration of analgesia may not be sufficient. So, various drugs are used as an adjuvant to local anaesthetic to enhance analgesic efficiency and the duration of the block. This study was done to determine the analgesic efficacy of nalbuphine with bupivacaine (0.5 %) compared to bupivacaine (0.5 %) alone in supraclavicular brachial plexus block under USG guidance for various elective upper limb surgeries. METHODS This study was carried out in 60 adult patients of ASA grade I/II of either sex, between 18-50 years of age posted for various elective upper limb surgeries. The patients were randomly allocated into two groups; each group containing 30 patients. Group B: received Inj. bupivacaine 0.5 % 20 ml and 1 ml normal saline, Group N: received Inj. bupivacaine 0.5 % 20 ml and Inj. nalbuphine 1 ml (10 mg). Onset and duration of motor and the sensory blocks were accessed. Intraoperative and postoperative hemodynamic monitoring was done. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were noted. RESULTS Nalbuphine added to bupivacaine for supraclavicular approach of brachial plexus block hastened the onset of sensory and motor block, but it was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). However, it prolonged the duration of sensory and motor blocks (P < 0.0001). The mean duration of analgesia was significantly longer in Group N (578.73 ± 23.77 min) than in Group B (470.83 ± 11.73 min) (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the addition of nalbuphine to bupivacaine in the ultrasound-guided supraclavicular approach of brachial plexus block produces adequate anaesthesia with prolonged duration of sensory and motor blockade and postoperative analgesia. KEY WORDS Bupivacaine, Nalbuphine, Supraclavicular Brachial Plexus Block.
Clinical End Result in Indian Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Institution without Onsite Surgical Facilities
Authors: Saji Agnel , Raj Agra Shyni , Neeraakal George Mathew
Published: February 2022

BACKGROUND Primary percutaneous coronary intervention is one of the treatment options for STelevation myocardial infarction and is relatively safer and superior to thrombolytic therapy. The decrease in time to reperfusion leads to decreased infarct size and hence incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE). This knowledge has led to the concept of off-site percutaneous coronary intervention centres (without surgical backup). However, performing primary percutaneous coronary intervention at centres without surgical backup has been controversial. Controversy arises regarding the safety and efficacy of primary percutaneous coronary intervention in centres without onsite surgical backup. No such studies have been available among Indian population regarding the outcome in patients undergoing primary coronary intervention in centres without surgical backup. Thus, our study focusses on one year clinical outcomes in Indian patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention without on-site surgical backup.1-8 METHODS It was done as an observational, single centre, retrospective study. It included 139 patients, who were diagnosed with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who underwent primary PCI from February 2019 to June 2020 at Rajah Hospital, Thrissur, Kerala, India. The primary endpoint of the study was occurrence of major adverse cardiac events, a sum of target vessel revascularisation (TLR), cardiac death, and myocardial infarction at one year after procedure. RESULTS 83.45 % were males. 30.21% were hypertensives and 48.92 % were diabetics. There were four cardiac deaths at 30-day follow-up and 4 (2.87 %) events of TLR at one-year follow-up. And additionally, the mean age of population was 56.05 years. CONCLUSIONS Considering these results, it can be concluded that mainly in the developing countries like India; primary PCI can be performed safely at PCI centres which lack the facility of on-site surgical backup. KEY WORDS ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, Coronary Artery Disease.
A Study on Experience of Human Cadaveric Dissection
Authors: Karkera Shilpa
Published: February 2022

BACKGROUND The objectives of the present study were to evaluate first- year medical student’s behaviours, experiences, and emotions regarding cadaver dissection. The evaluation was performed during the 2017-2018 academic year, six months after starting the dissection course. METHODS A questionnaire was administered to a group of 150 first-year medical students at Bangalore Medical College, Bangalore. For each question the students responded “Yes,” “No”, or “Undecided”. Statistical analysis was performed after collection of the questionnaire responses. RESULTS The results showed 95% students agreed that cadaver dissection provided the best and easiest way to study anatomy. Also, 90% were excited during their first visit to the dissection hall, and 79% were satisfied that dissection of a cadaver was ethically acceptable. The majority of the students around 90% declared that dissection of a cadaver was the best one. CONCLUSIONS Dissection is still considered by several doctors as a valuable source of learning anatomy. However, the future of teaching anatomy does not depend on any single method. It is, in fact, the right combination of all available resources and using them in an interactive way that maximizes outcomes. KEY WORDS Behaviours; Cadaveric Dissection; Medical Students; Ethical.
A Comparative Study of Functional Outcome of Extra Articular Distal Radius Fractures Treated with POP Casing Versus Percutaneous Pinning
Authors: Dasari Venkateswara Rao , Chinta Shyam Kumar , Ch. R.S. Ayyappa Naidu , Pinnaka Prudhvi
Published: February 2022

BACKGROUND Fractures of the distal radius are common among elderly patients. These injuries result from low energy force. Depending on the functional demand and the nature of the fracture, these fractures may be treated with some form of surgical stabilization. The recovery period of this fracture can be substantial, and the type of treatment for activities of daily living can be significant. The purpose of this study was to assess the functional outcome of extra-articular distal radius fractures treated with casing alone or pinning with casing. METHODS A comparative randomized study comprised of 30 patients with extra-articular distal radius fractures. 15 patients from each group were followed at six weeks and 12 weeks respectively, and the functional outcome was assessed at the end of 3 months after the initiation of treatment. RESULTS Patients who were treated by percutaneous pinning have no better functional outcome than those treated with casing alone, but the complication rate is higher in the casing group than those in the pinning group (P-value: 0.010). The radiological and functional outcome has no statistical difference. CONCLUSIONS Both the methods, i.e., casing alone and percutaneous pinning with the casing, have a similar functional outcome, but pinning is superior to casing since there were fewer complications in the pinning group. KEY WORDS Extra-Articular Distal Radius Fractures, Pinning, Casing