bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
descriptive study of Feto maternal outcomes of obstructed labour in a tertiary care hospital
Authors: Dayal Nootan , Jha Ranju
Published: August 2022

Introduction: Labour is considered abnormal when the presenting part of the foetus cannot progress in to the birth canal, despite strong uterine contractions which leads to various maternal or foetal complications. Obstructed labour accounts for about 8% of all maternal deaths in developing countries like India. Obstructed labour is the single most important cause of maternal death and is one of the leading causes of perinatal mortality. Materials and methods: This prospective study of obstructed labour was conducted from September 2021 to May 2022 (9 months) in the Department of obstetrics and Gynaecology of M.G.M Medical College, Jamshedpur. All patients admitted with obstructed labour were included in the study. Detailed history regarding age, socioeconomic status, parity, previous obstetric history, past history, antenatal care, duration of labour, details of referral and management were recorded. During admission, the general condition of mother was assessed as well as fetal lie, presentation, position and heart sounds were recorded. Results: During the 9 months study period, there were total of 5845 deliveries of which 100 cases were diagnosed to have obstructed labour, incidence being 1.71%.
Analysis of apical extrusion of debris using one curve, Confi Taper, Trushape® 3D conforming and reciproc blue files
Authors: Galande Shraddha , Mattigatti Suddha , Wahane Kapil , Mahaparale Rushikesh , Yadav Nitesh , Raut Swati
Published: August 2022

Aim: To evaluate and compare apical extrusion of debris using One Curve, Confi Taper, TRUShape®3D Conforming and Reciproc Blue file systems. Methods: 60 extracted single rooted mandibular premolar human teeth were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=15). Premolars were instrumented using one of the following instruments ONE CURVE, CONFI TAPER, TRUShape® 3D CONFORMING AND RECIPROC BLUE  FILES. Pre-weighted Eppendorf tubes were used to collect the apically extruded debris during instrumentation. Then the amount of debris collected was calculated by subtracting the weight of the Eppendorf tube before and after preparation. Then the data was analysed using Kruskal wallis test. At 0.5 significant level. Results: Some amount of debris extrusion was found with all the instruments from the apex. Highest amount of apical extrusion of debris was found in Reciproc Blue followed by Trueshape 3D Conforming, Confi Taper and least  apical extrusion seen in One Curve.  Conclusions: Under the limitations of this in-vitro study, the amount of apically extruded  debris measured for the used instruments was REC Blue> Trueshape® 3D Conforming>ConfiTaper> One Curve.
Serial assessment of corrected qt interval and its clinical correlates in patients receiving psychotropic medications
Authors: Gowda Vathsalya S. , Divya K. G. , Sudarshan C. Y. , Begum Shamshad
Published: August 2022

Background & Aims: Psychotropic medications vary in propensity to cause QTC prolongation on electrocardiogram. It can be fatal sometimes. Prospective Indian studies in this area are lacking. Present study was conducted to prospectively assess the changes in QTC in patients receiving psychotropic medications. Settings and Design: Hospital based prospective observational study. Methods: A total of 150 patients aged 18-60 years, diagnosed as having any psychiatric illness and receiving psychotropic medications formed the sample. Psychiatric diagnosis was made according to DSM-5. Baseline ECG was done and psychotropic medications as per the diagnosis of the patient were started. Serial ECGs were performed on them up to one month post treatment. Results: Females constituted 54.7% of the sample. Major Depressive Disorder was the most common diagnosis. The duration of illness was less than 6 months in 47.3% of the patients. The dose of all psychotropic medications prescribed were in the therapeutic range and none of them exceeded the recommended maximum dose. Psychotropic medication was associated with increase in QTC from baseline. The prevalence of QTC prolongation was 1.40% at first follow up and 15% at second follow up. It ranged between 1 ms to 21 ms.
Emulgel
Authors: Ahmed Syed Akhlaque , Verma Sushma , Khan Suhail , Sharma Alka
Published: August 2022

Topical delivery of drugs is one of the ideal routes of administrating a wide range of drug candidates and emulgels are emerging as a novel formulation, which exhibited the characteristics of both the emulsions and gels. Emulgel demonstrated improved penetrability during several studies and it is able to deliver hydrophilic as well as hydrophobic drugs and hence overcome the limitations of traditionally available topical preparations. More stable and effective emulgels can be prepared by nanonizing and micronizing the globules of emulsions, which improves the stability and half-life of Emulgels. The commercial availability along with the presence of strong clinical pipeline of emulgels is indicating towards the acceptance of this formulation while several advantages associated with this approach is also suggesting towards its potential as ideal topical drug delivery system. This article enlisted in-depth information about the emulgels, its components and structure along with the general method of production, evaluation and future scenario of this approach. The article also involved information about the patents insight, commercially available products and previously used drugs for developing stable emulgels.
Improving some coordination process domains between the Guidance Department and research centers in the Baghdad governorate
Authors: Sbeih Farah Emad , AL-Mashhadani Mithal Abdullateef Salman
Published: August 2022

The research objective was to identify the reality of the coordination process between the Guidance Department and research centers in the Baghdad governorate, in terms of organization, planning, implementation, follow-up, and evaluation, and to recognize the problems of the coordination process, between the Guidance Department and research centers, (represented by problems of coordination policy, problems of organizing coordination, problems of the nature of the work mechanism coordination, training and capacity building problems, and funding problems), besides improving the effectiveness of the coordination process between the Guidance Department and research centers, (represented by simplifying the organization of coordination, harmony, and integration between coordination plans, programs, and policies, research partnership, and linkage, means of communication and information technology, training and capacity development, financial and technical support).
Species prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility and detection of virulence factors of enterococci isolated from tertiary care hospital
Authors: Sachan Sadhana , Anubhaw Anubhaw
Published: August 2022

Introduction: Emergence of multidrug resistant nosocomial enterococcus strains emphasizes the need for further investigating enterococci. Objectives: To characterize enterococci from various clinical specimens, to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and to explore the association between virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance.  Material and Methods: Two hundred and eighty three clinical isolates of enterococcus were speciated and subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing using Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. They were screened for vancomycin resistance by vancomycin screening agar method as recommended by Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute 2014, and confirmed by determination of   minimum inhibitory concentration using agar dilution and E test. Genotypic confirmation was done by polymerase chain reaction. Virulence factors (haemolysin, gelatinase and biofilm production) were detected phenotypically. Results: Of the 283 enterococci isolated, 12 species were identified; predominant species was Enterococcus faecalis (82.33%).  High level gentamicin resistance (HLGR) and vancomycin resistance were observed among 55.57% and 6.01% of Enterococcus isolates respectively. All vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) were Enterococcus faecalis and had vanA phenotype and genotype.  Sensitivity to linezolid was 100 per cent among enterococci.  Hemolysin, gelatinase and biofilm production were seen in 15.90%, 12.36%   and 13.43% of enterococcal isolates respectively.
Would augmentation genioplasty using patient-specific PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone) implant meet patient’s expectations?
Authors: Adb El-Aty Salma Hassan , Yassin Salah , El-Monim Ghada Abd
Published: August 2022

Introduction: Patient-specific implants become very valuable in restoring facial contours, including the chin area. Evaluation of patient satisfaction with the esthetic results should be a primary concern. Aim of study: To evaluate the success of augmentation genioplasty using patient-specific PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone) implant in meeting patient’s expectations. Methods: Seven patients were enrolled in this study. They were all having deficient chin that was managed by augmentation genioplasty using patient-specific PEEK implant. Preoperative clinical evaluation was performed for all patients. With the help of MIMICS and 3-MATIC soft wares, diagnosis, virtual planning and final implant design were done. Finally, STL file was sent for milling using PEEK material. Under GA, PSI was inserted through an intra-oral vestibular approach and fixed to the underlying bone using mini-screws. Patient expectations were evaluated by Face-Q questionnaire.  Result: The study was conducted on 7 cases, 3(42.9%) of which were males and 4(57.1%) were females. The mean age of the cases was (22.00±1.29) years. All patients showed high degree of contentment with the procedure. Conclusions: Patient-specific PEEK implant can be used for chin augmentation with good esthetic results close to that of patients’ expectations.
Maintaining cultural identity of Tionghoa Singkawang society in West Jakarta
Authors: Harianto Jeni , Suda I Ketut , Indiani Ni Made
Published: August 2022

This article intends to examine the preservation of the Cultural Identity of the Singkawang Chinese Community in West Jakarta with the aim of earning a living, improving a better life, because it is difficult to find work in Singkawang. They migrate to West Jakarta living in rented houses close to convection businesses, selling food, beverages, and clothes. They come to West Jakarta by renting a house. They also help relatives and friends who don't have a house contract to live with. In West Jakarta it is easier for them to earn money, get various jobs, but until now they have not been able to buy a house, so they do not own a house. Some of them stay at their employer's house or at their boss's house, boarding house or rented house, because they don't have enough money to buy a house, they need to eat and send their children to school. Even though they live in West Jakarta with a metropolitan life, they still live as they are and still maintain their ancestral traditions as the value of local wisdom that is noble. They are not influenced by the consumptive lifestyle, remain humble with the existing life.
Why do we blog and other important questions, answered by 34 science bloggers
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

What started out as a few questions to science bloggers in the

Nature Network Bloggers Forum

, has turned into a collection of more than 30 blog posts not limited to

Nature Network

(big thanks to Bora and others for spreading the word). The following science bloggers answered a set of 10 questions about their blogging (roughly in chronological order):Henry GeeEva AmsenSteffi SuhrStephen CurryMaxine ClarkeMartin
Please help the Nippon Science Support Network
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

The recent tragic events in Japan have made it difficult or impossible for many Japanese scientists to continue their work. The newly launched Nippon Science Support Network has therefore established a database of positions and stipends in other countries for Japanese students, research fellows and scientific personnel.
Endnote X1 for Macintosh released
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

Thompson Scientific today announced the release of Endnote X1 for Macintosh. New features include Applescript support, group references and better support for Endnote Web. Endnote X1 for Windows was released in June. In addition to the features above, it supports Microsoft Word 2007 and Vista. Endnote is an essential bibliographic tool for scientific publishing.
ResearcherID: Interview with Renny Guida
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

Open Researcher and Contributor ID or ORCID is a community effort to standardize researcher identification. The initiative was first announced last December, and is supported by a growing number of publishers, scholarly societies and academic institutions.
More Gobbledygook at PLoS Blogs
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

Thanks to a lot of hard work both at Nature Network and here at PLoS Blogs, all blog posts and comments from my former blog at Nature Network (August 2007 to August 2010) are now also available here. Special thanks go to Lou Woudley and Brian Mossop who made all this happen. There are of course a few formatting glitches here and there, but I will try to fix them over time.
Some answers for Henry Gee
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

Henry was the first Nature Network blogger to answer a few questions about science blogging that we discussed in the Nature Network Bloggers forum. Some more posts can be found here and here.1. What is your blog about? I am interested in how the internet is changing the way we publish and communicate science. I write from the perspective of someone that consumes and sometimes produces science.
My Personal Plans for 2009
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

The end of the year is always a time to think about the past and the future. Even more so if you also have your birthday (FemaleScienceProfessor calls it Christmas Time Birthdays). Below are some of my plans for the next year. The general theme: more overlap of science blogging with my daytime job as physician treating cancer patients and doing cancer research.Meet fellow science bloggers I'm looking forward to ScienceOnline'09 in January.
Automatically list all your publications in your blog
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

A common feature of blogs written by scientists is a listing of all their publications. Publication lists are a great way to provide background information about your research. Publication lists should provide links to the fulltext versions of these publications, should be nicely formatted - e.g. using a common citation style such as APA - and should be easy to maintain.
And who are you?
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

Dear reader, two weeks ago I moved this blog from Nature Network to

PLoS Blogs

. I hope that most of my old readers have followed me here, and that I might even have a few new readers. Ed Yong recently talked about how he interacts with his many, many blog readers. One important strategy he uses is to ask his readers for feedback in regular intervals – he calls it delurking.
Elsevier launches SciVerse, integrates ScienceDirect + Scopus + More
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

Elsevier on Saturday launched SciVerse, the new Elsevier platform that combines

ScienceDirect

(full-text journal articles) and

Scopus

(abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature). In 2011

SciTopics

(research summaries) will also be integrated and outside developers will be able to build SciVerse

applications

(Elsevier and 3rd party tools that integrate with
UK PubMed Central: Interview with Phil Vaughan
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

PubMed Central was launched in February 2000 by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a free digital archive of journal articles. Just as PubMed, PubMed Central covers research in the life sciences, but not other areas of research, e.g. engineering, physical sciences or astronomy.
NLM DTD: Interview with Pablo Fernicola
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

The Article Authoring Tag Set of the National Library of Medicine (NLM DTD for short)

creates a standardized format for new journal articles that can be used by authors to submit publications to journals and to archives such as PubMed Central.

[1] The Microsoft Word Article Authoring Add-in that was released earlier this year reads and writes this format.
Mendeley: Interview with Victor Henning
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

In the last few months we have seen an ever increasing number of new social networking (Web 2.0) sites for scientists. Good Web 2.0 tools for scientists primarily try to solve a problem. But by adding a social aspect, they will gain useful features that would otherwise not be possible.
Lemon8-XML: Interview with MJ Suhonos
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

Finishing an exciting research project and writing it up in a paper are the first two steps in getting your work published. The next two steps – submitting your paper to a journal and getting it through the review process – have changed dramatically in the last 10-15 years.
Introducing the PID Graph
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

Persistent identifiers (PIDs) are not only important to uniquely identify a publication, dataset, or person, but the metadata for these persistent identifiers can provide unambiguous linking between persistent identifiers of the same type, e.g. journal articles citing other journal articles, or of different types, e.g. linking a researcher and the datasets they produced.
Please join us for the Science Online London Conference in September
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

The Science Online London 2011 Conference takes place September 2-3 at the British Library. I am again one of the organizers (together with

Lou Woodley

from Nature.com and

Kaitlin Thaney

from Digital Science), and I’m getting both excited and nervous the closer we get to September. We have recently posted a first draft of the conference program, and you can see that we are trying something new.
CiteULike: Interview with Kevin Emamy
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

One interesting session at ScienceOnline09 was Social networking for scientists, moderated by Cameron Neylon and Deepak Singh. We now have so many of these social networking sites, that it becomes difficult to differentiate between them and to see how they can interact with each other. One important category is social bookmarking sites for scientists. I spoke with Kevin Emamy from CiteULike to find out more.

Most of the CiteULike team.
Why BibTeX, RIS and Endnote XML will soon be broken
Authors: Fenner Martin
Published: August 2022

BibTeX is one of the most popular file formats for bibliographies, and is therefore commonly used to transfer bibliographies from one reference manager to another, or to other applications that handle bibliographic references. RIS and Endnote XML are probably the other two bibliographic file formats most commonly used. Most reference managers support all three formats, making it easy to move references around.
Limit the Use of Urinary Catheters in Elderly Patients Presenting to The Emergency Department
Authors: Froom Paul
Published: August 2022

Urinary catheterization has risks, and its use should be limited. Instrumentation of the urinary tract is responsible for up to 80% of nosocomial urinary tract infections. Other side effects are common including urinary retention when attempting to remove the catheter. Urinary catheterization is not indicated to obtain a urine sample for culture in hospitalized elderly patients with a suspected urinary tract infection who cannot provide a urine specimen on demand. The risks of catheterization are clear and urinary culture results can lead to inappropriate treatment, whereas the physician’s clinical assessment rather than the culture results are most important in directing antibiotic therapy.
Necessity Is the Mother of Invention: Advocating for Alternatives to Banked Blood
Authors: Jayaram Anusha , Pendleton Alaska , Dutta Rohini , Roy Nobhojit , P. Raykar Nakul
Published: August 2022

Safe blood is a scarce resource, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Over 50% of blood is donated and utilized in high-income countries such as the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. Although the number of hemorrhage-related deaths each year is unknown, at least 5 million people annually die from trauma-related injuries, overwhelmingly due to hemorrhage. While all blood transfusions carry the potential risk of a transfusion transmissible infection, the unavailability of blood in hemorrhagic emergencies results in almost certain death. Here, we outline three potential domains for interventions: enhancing delivery systems, increasing salvage of blood in operating rooms, and walking blood banks. To truly scale surgical systems and meet the needs of the patients in those systems, it is imperative that we increase access to safe blood now.
Interorganizational Collaborations and Improving Surgical Access to Pediatric Cardiac Care in Pakistan: an NGO’s Perspective
Authors: Akhtar Samaa
Published: August 2022

Infectious diseases, such as diarrhea and pneumonia, account for almost half the global burden of premature death in children in low-and-middle income countries (LMIC). The persistent global response has helped reduce this ratio substantially over time. This should redirect the call to action towards non-communicable diseases. Pediatric congenital heart disease (CHD) can be cited as one of the leading causes of avertible mortality in Pakistan. One of the main reasons is the inability of patient families to access timely surgical treatment. This can be attributed to (i) low prioritization of CHD management by the government (ii) low resources such as workforce, medical supplies and technology and (iii) inadequate financing options. Engaging international stakeholders towards CHD complex care in Pakistan presents challenges. To make surgery more accessible, domestic solutions provide more feasibility. This paper provides a commentary of an NGO’s perspective on integrating Interorganizational Collaborations (IOCs) into the existing CHD infrastructure in Pakistan as an innovative approach to tackling these challenges.
Out-of-pocket Cost of Neurosurgical Bellwether Procedures: A Systematic Review
Authors: Ammar Adam , E. Boykeb Andre , Vital Anchelo , Hamzah Radzi , Javed Saad , Rolle Myron , B. Park Kee
Published: August 2022

Introduction 33 million people worldwide face catastrophic health expenditures each year from surgery and anesthesia. This study aims to collate the current literature on out-of-pocket (OOP) costs of Bellwether neurosurgical procedures in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to provide a basis for calculations of financial burdens, determine deficits in the literature, and guide further research efforts. Methods MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and Relief Web were searched for articles containing data on OOP costs for neurosurgical Bellwether procedures in LMICs. Of 415 relevant publications that were identified, 4 met inclusion criteria. Results One study from Uganda found median direct medical and non-medical costs to be USD 118.06 and USD 84.33, respectively. A study from Vietnam found the total medical care and surgery for head injury OOP cost to be USD 287.30 and USD 63, respectively. A multi-country study found the cost of neuroimaging to vary by country income level and public/private institutions with a range of USD 14 to USD 286. Discussion There is great variability in OOP expenses for neurosurgical Bellwether procedures, but the average cost to the patient did not exceed USD 300. When assessing patient expenditures, attention should be given to average country income, as the cost of a medical expense may be lower in an LMIC but the impact on the patient greater due to lower income. More studies on OOP costs for neurosurgical interventions in LMICs are needed to provide evidence for policy changes geared towards financial risk protection.
Ending Obstetric Fistulas by 2030: The Role of Global Surgery in Rural Communities
Authors: Sivajohan Brintha
Published: August 2022

An obstetric fistula is an injury sustained during prolonged, obstructed labour that has devastating consequences on a women’s physical, psychological, and social wellness (Nardos et al., 2020). During protracted, obstructed labour, continuous fetal compression on structures in the birth canal and against the bony pelvis causes tissue ischemia and necrosis (Boene et al., 2020). This results in the formation of a pathological connection between the bladder and genital tract (vesicovaginal fistula) or rectum and genital tract (rectovaginal fistula) which leads to symptoms of urinary or fecal incontinence amongst other complications (Kulkarni et al., 2013). Fistula formation during obstructed labour can be partly prevented through timely access to high-quality, emergency obstetric services (ie. Caesarean sections) and routine maternity care. Despite being declared an international public health problem (Wall, 2006), obstetric fistulas are virtually nonexistent in high-income countries (HICs) but are a prevalent maternal morbidity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), especially in rural regions of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (Boene et al., 2020). In 2016, the United Nations declared their commitment to ending obstetric fistulas as an integral part of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and it has been since used as a marker to assess maternal health in many countries (UN, 2016). Many of the underlying sociocultural & systemic factors that contribute to fistulas also contribute to maternal mortality and morbidity (UN, 2016). Despite this call to action, there is a pressing need to enhance global surgical care and strengthen capacity-building systems to prevent and treat the burden of obstetric fistulas.
Out-of-pocket Cost of Essential Neurosurgical Procedures: A Systematic Review
Authors: Ammar Adam , E. Boyke Andre , Vital Anchelo , Hamzah Radzi , Javed Saad , Rolle Myron , B. Park Kee
Published: August 2022

Introduction 33 million people worldwide face catastrophic health expenditures each year from surgery and anesthesia. This study aims to collate the current literature on out-of-pocket (OOP) costs of Bellwether neurosurgical procedures in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to provide a basis for calculations of financial burdens, determine deficits in the literature, and guide further research efforts. Method MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and Relief Web were searched for articles containing data on OOP costs for neurosurgical Bellwether procedures in LMICs. Of 415 relevant publications that were identified, 4 met inclusion criteria. Results One study from Uganda found median direct medical and non-medical costs to be USD 118.06 and USD 84.33, respectively. A study from Vietnam found the total medical care and surgery for head injury OOP cost to be USD 287.30 and USD 63, respectively. A multi-country study found the cost of neuroimaging to vary by country income level and public/private institutions with a range of USD 14 to USD 286. Discussion There is great variability in OOP expenses for neurosurgical Bellwether procedures, but the average cost to the patient did not exceed USD 300. When assessing patient expenditures, attention should be given to average country income, as the cost of a medical expense may be lower in an LMIC but the impact on the patient greater due to lower income. More studies on OOP costs for neurosurgical interventions in LMICs are needed to provide evidence for policy changes geared towards financial risk protection.
When Safeguards Hinder Access: Medicaid and Bilateral Tubal Ligations
Authors: Arbour Kaitlyn , Petrin Christine
Published: August 2022

Nearly half of the 6.1 million pregnancies in the U.S. each year are unintended. While unintended pregnancies have steadily decreased since the 1980s, these pregnancies have become increasingly concentrated among low-income women, with rates up to five times as high for women at 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.[1] Two-thirds of these pregnancies are financed by public programs like Medicaid, which also covers the costs of delivery as well as comprehensive coverage for these newborns through the age of 18.[2]In some states with larger populations of low-income women, public programs cover over 80% of unplanned pregnancies, placing an incredible financial burden on state budgets with several states spending as much as $2 billion annually on unintended pregnancies.2 The national expenditures reach $12.1 billion per year for these pregnancies carried through to delivery.[3] Outcomes for these women tend to be poorer as well, with rates of prematurity soaring seven times as high as unintended pregnancies among high-income earners.[1] As a result, reducing unintended pregnancy is a major public health concern. Permanent contraception via bilateral tubal ligation (BTL) is a highly effective, increasingly popular measure to prevent unintended pregnancy. While the procedure is covered by both public and private insurance programs, a long-standing Medicaid rule unintentionally presents unique barriers to low-income women seeking BTL. By requiring a 30-day waiting period between consent and procedure, the Medicaid Consent to Sterilization section of the Title XIX form creates a series of ethical concerns. This paper will analyze these concerns using the principles of respect for autonomy and justice.
Advocacy Toolbox: Training for Preclinical Medical Students Interested in Surgery
Authors: Zhu Max , Y. Neufeld Miriam , G. Keller Sarah , Leigh Boden Alexandra , G. Janeway Megan , Allee Lisa , Dechert Tracey
Published: August 2022

Health advocacy is a critical way to influence health policy and the wellbeing of our patients. Surgeons are increasingly recognizing the impact of the social determinants of health on surgical outcomes. Socially responsible surgery requires surgeons to advocate for their patients and communities to address inequity resulting from disparities related to the social determinants of health. However, further work is needed to teach aspiring surgeons how to advocate effectively. Introduction of surgical advocacy to medical students can help future surgical trainees understand that socially responsible advocacy is the work of surgeons and learn to incorporate advocacy into their future careers. To this end, we have developed a curriculum termed the Advocacy Toolbox: a program centered on surgical mentorship, advocacy didactics, and a longitudinal project. The Advocacy Toolbox aims to equip first year medical students with the tools needed to advocate for their patients and communities in a variety of contexts. The program is currently being implemented with a group of 15 first year medical students, with plans to expand the program in future years.
Structural Racism as a Fundamental Cause of U.S. Health Disparities: A Critical Examination of Race in Orthopaedic Total Joint Replacement Surgery
Authors: G. Feroe Aliya
Published: August 2022

Structural racism has long been and continues to be a fundamental cause of health and health care disparities in the United States. Many tragedies of this past year only reinforce this truth—from the police murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd to the disproportionate burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black communities. There are multiple avenues through which structural racism deepens racial health disparities; racial inequities in healthcare quality and access are just one. The purpose of this review is to describe structural racism, alongside the other forms of racism, such as internalized racism, interpersonal racism, and institutional racism, within the context of the well-described racial disparities in total joint replacements within the field of orthopaedic surgery.
A Global Neurosurgery Approach to Reducing the Burden of Traumatic Acute Subdural Hematoma: A Narrative Review
Authors: Sukaina Mahnoor
Published: August 2022

This narrative review highlights the importance of timely neurosurgical interventional after a person suffers from a motor vehicle accident. Acute subdural hematomas account for 30-70% of traumatic brain injuries. The paper discusses the global burden of TBI as the forerunner of the public health problem, about 50% of the world population will acquire TBI once in their lifetime. There is a severe deficit in the global workforce to meet the neurotrauma, which becomes worse in low-income and middle-income countries especially in sub-Saharan and Southeast Asia. Indication for neurosurgical intervention depends upon several parameters such as clot thickness exceeding 10mm, midline shift greater than 5mm; which possibly increases intracranial pressure (ICP) more than 20 mmHg as a result of mass effect, and abnormal pupillary response such as asymmetrically unilateral or bilaterally dilated. Surgical procedures vary with different circumstances, which include mainly craniotomy, decompressive hemicraniectomy, and burr hole irrigation. Comparison of the outcomes of decompressive craniectomy and craniotomy are discussed under the DECRA and RESCUEicp trials. Robotic telepresence, task-shifting, and task-sharing are alternative interventional strategies and practices to carry various neurosurgical procedures by non-neurosurgeons in LMICs. Reintroduction of the survivors of MVA acquiring TBI into the society is a prime concern, therefore, various neurorehabilitation strategies are discussed. The barriers to becoming neurosurgeons by the young doctors as the core principle of infrastructure, governance by bodies such as World Health Organization and its universal health coverage initiative, and World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies efforts to balance the disparity in LMICs are discussed.
Bridging the Gap in Surgical Patient Education: A Visual-Based Approach
Authors: Chopra Christina , Aref Youssef , Pecora​ Christina , Ghisletta​ Leslie
Published: August 2022

Patient education is an essential aspect of surgical practice, as it improves patient compliance, trust in providers, and health outcomes (Paterick, 2017). Barriers to education, such as language and health literacy, are a challenge to this process (Behmer Hansen, 2020). The Census Bureau’s 2018 American Community Survey found that 38% of English-second-language (ESL) Americans speak English “less than very well” (McHugh, 2019). Despite this, most patient education material is only guaranteed in the English language, and is written at a reading level much higher than the national average (Behmer Hansen, 2020). Beyond issues of informed consent and procedure comprehension, faulty engagement with healthcare providers is a source of great risk to patient health (Sharma, 2018). Failure to meet the low health literacy requirements of a patient population occurs regardless of surgical specialty. Neurosurgical patient education materials have been labeled as difficult to understand, creating a significant barrier in maintaining patient engagement (Ramos, 2019). Orthopedic and hand surgery education materials have also been found to be at unrealistically high reading levels (Hadden 2016, Prince 2019).
The Role of Pediatric Surgeons in Advancing Public Health
Authors: Daodu Oluwatomilayo , Joharifard Shahrzad
Published: August 2022

Infectious diseases, such as diarrhea and pneumonia, account for almost half the global burden of premature death in children in low-and-middle income countries (LMIC). The persistent global response has helped reduce this ratio substantially over time. This should redirect the call to action towards non-communicable diseases. Pediatric congenital heart disease (CHD) can be cited as one of the leading causes of avertible mortality in Pakistan. One of the main reasons is the inability of patient families to access timely surgical treatment. This can be attributed to (i) low prioritization of CHD management by the government (ii) low resources such as workforce, medical supplies and technology and (iii) inadequate financing options. Engaging international stakeholders towards CHD complex care in Pakistan presents challenges. To make surgery more accessible, domestic solutions provide more feasibility. This paper provides a commentary of an NGO’s perspective on integrating Interorganizational Collaborations (IOCs) into the existing CHD infrastructure in Pakistan as an innovative approach to tackling these challenges.
A Hybrid Attention-based LSTM-XGBoost Model for Detection of ECG-based Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: BALCI Furkan
Published: August 2022

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a frequently encountered heart arrhythmia problem today. In the method followed in the detection of AF, the recording of the Electrocardiogram (ECG) signal for a long time (1-2 days) taken from people who are thought to be sick is analyzed by the clinician. However, this process is not an effective method for clinicians to make decisions. In this article, various artificial intelligence methods are tested for AF detection on long recorded ECG data. Since the ECG data is a time series, a hybrid model has been tried to be created with the Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) algorithm, which gives high results in time series classification and regression, and a hybrid method has been developed with the Extreme Gradient Boosting algorithm, which is derived from the Gradient Boosting algorithm. To improve the accuracy of the LSTM architecture, the architecture has been strengthened with an Attention-based block. To control the performance of the developed hybrid Attention-based LSTM-XGBoost algorithm, a public data set was used. Some preprocessing (filter, feature extraction) has been applied to this data set used. With the removal of these features, the accuracy rate has increased considerably. It has been proven to be a consistent study that can be used as a support system in decision-making by clinicians with an accuracy rate of 98.94%. It also provides a solution to the problem of long ECG record review by facilitating data tracking.
Parent-School-Community Involvement in the Academic Performance of Senior High School Students-GAS (Grade 11 and 12) in One Public High School in the New Normal: Towards Project ISLA
Authors: Flores Darry R , Perez Herbert D
Published: August 2022

COVID-19 Pandemic brought changes to the country’s educational system. For education to continue, distance learning was implemented as the learning modality in the country. This abrupt change in the learning modality posed challenge to parents, school, and community involvement in the continuous learning of the students. This study aimed to find out the level of involvement of parents, school, and community in the academic performance of senior high school students- General Academic Strand (Grade 11 and 12). This determined if there is a significant relationship between the involvement of parents, school, and community and the students’ academic performance. This leads to the development of an involvement plan to increase involvement among parents, schools, and the community. The study used a quantitative research design employing a descriptive type of research using constructed checklist-type of questionnaire as the main instrument. Multiple-item tests in line with the most essential competencies were used to measure the academic performance of the students. Respondents were chosen purposively including 56 Grade 11-GAS and 17 Grade 12-GAS students of Jomalig National High School. Gathered data were subjected to weighted arithmetic mean and person-r correlation. The level of involvement of school, parent, and community involvement in the academic performance of the student's GAS (Grade 11 and 12) revealed a computed average mean of 2.81, 2.65, and 2.66 which falls under the interpretation of often. The data revealed a computed r-value for school, parents, and community involvement in the academic performance of students of 0.15, 0.25, and 0.24 respectively, with a p-value of 0.00 at a 0.05 level of significance showing that there is a significant relationship among the three involved in the academic performance of the respondents. The study recommended that a follow-up study implementing the developed project can be employed for the next study.
ISOLATION, IDENTIFICATION, AND DETECTION OF LIGNINOLYTIC CAPABILITY OF SOME FUNGI ISOLATED FROM SOIL SAMPLES IN EGYPT.
Authors: bedaiwy Mohamed , Awadalla Omyma , Metwally Metwally , Samad Amira
Published: August 2022

In the present study, twenty-seven fungal species were isolated, purified, and identified from five mixed soil samples collected from Tanta City, Gharbia Governorate, Egypt. The isolated fungal species belonging to nine genera i.e., Aspergillus, Cephalosporium, Fusarium, Penicillium, Botritrichom, Trichoderma, Alternaria, Cladosporium and Scopulariopsis, in addition to two white rot fungi Ganoderma lucidum and Lentinula edodes obtained from Mushroom Laboratory Culture Collection (MLCC), El-Giza, Egypt. The ligninolytic activities of the isolated fungi were evaluated on PDA plates containing 0.02% guaiacol as a chromogenic reagent. Out of the twenty-nine fungal species tested, only three fungi G. lucidum, L. edodes and T. harzianum (isolate 2) showed ligninolytic potential and reddish-brown color zone formed due to guaiacol oxidation. The three positive fungal strains were screened quantitively for Laccase (Lac; E.C. 1.10.3.2), Manganese dependent peroxidase (MnP; E.C. 1.11.1.13), and Lignin peroxidase (LiP; E.C. 1.11.1.14) activities. The highest total ligninase activity was recorded by G. lucidum followed by L. edodes and T. harzianum, respectively.
Beta-HCG expression on IHC in a case of small cell carcinoma lung: A rare case report
Authors: Singh Sunita , Sharma Bharti , Sheorain Ritesh , Sharma Amita , Yadav Manika
Published: August 2022

Introduction: Beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) belongs to the glycoprotein hormone family and is usually used to exclude pregnancy in patients. It comprises of two subunits (α and β polypeptide chains) which are joined by noncovalent bonds. HCG is a specific marker for trophoblastic tumors of placenta and gestational tumors. Ectopic secretion of β-HCG by other tumors is rare. Lung cancer with beta-HCG production is rare, and only a few case reports have been published in the literature.
Case history: We reported a case of 40 years old male who presented with a history of cough, chest pain, abdominal pain and superior vena cava syndrome. On CT chest mediastinal mass, right sided pleural effusion along with right lung collapse was noted. Biopsy was taken from the lesion. Biopsy was processed accordingly and IHC was performed and final diagnosis of small cell carcinoma lung with beta-HCG expression on IHC was made.
Discussion and conclusion: Based on reports in the medical literature, beta-HCG expressing lung tumors are very rare. No case reports on beta HCG expressing small cell carcinoma of lung could be found by us in the reported literature. We reported an extremely rare case of beta-HCG expressing small cell carcinoma lung using IHC in a 40 years old male patient.
Importance of computed tomography imaging in the diagnosis of lung abnormalities caused by COVID-19 infection
Authors: Bojicic Amila , Sehic Adnan , Julardzija Fuad , Bajrovic Jasmina , Prevljak Sabina , Jusic Meris
Published: August 2022

Objective: Determination of the importance of computed tomography in the diagnosis of pulmonary infection caused by COVID-19 infection, to compare computed tomography and computed tomography in detecting pathological changes caused by COVID-19 infection, and to prove the sensitivity and specificity of computed tomography.

Method: The results of prospective and retrospective studies were used to write this review article, by systematic selection on Internet scientific databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, Crossref.

Results: Based on a systematic review of the literature, it was established that chest CR is the first diagnostic method of choice, due to its wide availability.

Conclusion: CT is a highly sensitive diagnostic method, and is recommended for more severe stages of the disease and accelerated exacerbation of the disease, in patients with slow regression of radiographic findings and in patients recovering from COVID-19 with impaired lung function.
A cross-sectional study of comparison of elevated levels of serum Homocysteine in intracranial and extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis groups.
Authors: Asole Dyaneshwar , Thakre Mahendra , Ashok PP
Published: August 2022

Introduction: The primary goal of this study was to compare serum homocysteine levels in acute ischemic strokes caused by extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ECAS) and intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS)groups in order to see if there was a link between elevated serum homocysteine levels and ICAS.
Methodology: The present study was a cross-sectional study done by the department of neurology at a tertiary level hospital in Mumbai. Various clinical, radiological & laboratory parameters including serum Homocysteine were compared between patients with ECAS and ICAS stroke.
Results: The study enrolled a total of 150 patients, with 110 in the ECAS group and 40 in the ICAS group. We observed that mean serum Homocysteine levels were 2.42 µg/ml in the ECAS group and 4.88 µg/ml in the ICAS group (p=0.01). High serum Homocysteine levels were more common in the ICAS group than in the ECAS group (55 percent versus 33.6 percent, p = 0.01). The lipid profile was found to be similar in the two study groups, except for low HDL, which was observed in 70 (64%) of the ECAS patients as compared to 17 (43%) of the ICAS (p-value < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in the caparison of demographic and other risk factor profiles between ECAS and ICAS patients.
Conclusions: High serum Homocysteine levels were found to be more common in the ICAS group than in the ECAS group.
A Large Fetal Venous Malformation
Authors: Nunes Joana , Matias Jos , Carmo Leonor , Ramalho Carla , Vilan Ana
Published: August 2022

A 28-year-old woman was referred to our institution at 35 weeks after an ultrasound diagnosis of an oral fetal lesion. Magnetic resonance showed a mass originating from the anterior part of the tongue with some areas of internal heterogeneity, possibly representing vascular structures. The multidisciplinary team decided to perform a cesarean delivery at 38 weeks. A large, well-defined bluish/purple exophytic mass arising from the apex of the tongue was confirmed right after birth, and a vascular anomaly was suspected. Precocious complete surgical excision and oral motor rehabilitation and feeding were performed. According to the 2018 International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies Classification (ISSVA), histological analysis confirmed a venous vascular malformation. Although rare, venous malformations represent the most common type of congenital vascular malformation. They are considered simple and slow-flow vascular malformations. Airway compromise may be a major concern when aerodigestive system involvement is present. Anatomic deformities and their functional and psychosocial impact are also important concerns. Herein, prompt recognition of an oral fetal mass allowed cautious delivery and postnatal management. It highlights the importance of careful prenatal diagnosis in managing potentially life-threatening congenital malformations.