bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Combating drunken driving: Questioning the validity of blood alcohol concentration analysis
Authors: Ehmke Ursula , Du Toit-Prinsloo Lorraine , Deysel Christelle , Jordaan Joyce , Saayman Gert
Published: November 2022

The reliability and accuracy of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) results presented in South African courts of law in respect of possible driving under the influence (DUI) cases, have in recent years been subjected to intense scrutiny and severe criticism.  Research has shown that multiple factors may negatively impact on the reliability of results obtained from the analysis of such samples - including inappropriate or non-standardised sample management after acquisition thereof.  In particular, long delays between sample acquisition and the analysis thereof may compromise the validity of results.  Such delays may also negatively affect the outcome of both criminal and civil legal proceedings in possible DUI cases.  A retrospective descriptive study was conducted on records from the Pretoria Forensic Chemistry Laboratory (PFCL) regarding the relevant dates pertaining to blood samples from deceased persons which were received for analysis. These parameters included the date of sample acquisition at medico-legal mortuaries, delays in submission of samples to the laboratory and date of actual analysis.  In addition, the expiration dates of sample collection kits were recorded.  Our results show that numerous expired kits were utilised and that there was an average delay of approximately five months between sample acquisition and laboratory analysis thereof.  This delay period varied greatly but appears to correlate with geographical distance of the medico-legal mortuary from the PFCL.  In order to optimise and facilitate the administration of justice in both criminal and civil cases of alleged DUI, these shortcomings should be urgently addressed.  It is argued that the implementation of prescribed measures and standard operating procedures in sample management, together with other interventions such as accreditation of laboratories and improved resourcing of medico-legal and toxicology laboratories, is urgently required.
The killing fields of KZN: Local government elections, violence and democracy in 2016
Authors: De Haas Mary Elizabeth
Published: November 2022

Various government initiatives focus on the promotion of social cohesion for nation building. The impact of social cohesion on levels of violence is also the subject of research. This article argues that despite official rhetoric organs of state - are used  in KwaZulu-Natal to  serve party political interests by targeting cohesive groupings struggling for their constitutional rights. Violence is promoted and nation building retarded.  The main case study cited is that of violence-wracked Glebelands hostel in Durban. Since it is also argued that what is happening in Glebelands is not an isolated case reference is also made to the similar targeting of the shack dwellers’ movement Abahali baseMjondolo.
The state of South Africa’s prisons - ten years after the Jali Commission
Authors: Muntingh Lukas
Published: November 2022

Ten years have lapsed since the Jali Commission’s final report became publicly available and it is therefore an opportune time to assess the state of South Africa’s prison system. The Jali Commission was appointed when it became clear that the state had lost control of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). Ten years on some notable advances have been made in regaining control and addressing corruption and maladministration. However, serious and persistent challenges remain. These are explored looking at policy development, the performance of DCS against set targets, governance and human rights violations. In all four of these areas substantial shortcomings remain and impunity for human rights violations is perhaps the most critical challenge as DCS has been reluctant to acknowledge the scale thereof and take firm leadership on the issue.
Public Order Transparency - Using freedom of information laws to analyse the policing of protest
Authors: Bruce David
Published: November 2022

This article discusses two research projects that have used the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to analyse protest and the policing thereof. A total of 19 information requests were submitted to the South African Police Service and four submitted to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate on behalf of the two projects. After briefly describing information that the SAPS routinely publishes in its annual report, the PAIA framework, and some of the limitations of the process in generating information,  the articles focuses on two sets of issues that emerge from the research process. On the one hand this concerns the issue of quantifying protest, understanding the focus of protest, and related issues of violence. On the other hand this concerns insights emerging from the records that have been disclosed with regard to the recording of the use of force by police in response to protest, and issues relating thereto.   The article concludes by reflecting on the implications and lessons of these exercises in police transparency.
South Africa's Incident Registration Information System (IRIS): Its use and abuse in protest analysis
Authors: Alexander Peter , Runciman Carin , Maruping Boitumelo
Published: November 2022

South Africa’s Incident Registration Information System (IRIS) is a comprehensive, computerised database maintained by the South African Police Service (SAPS). In principle, it records all public order policing activity including all crowd incidents. While IRIS data is, potentially, a unique source for protest event analysis, considerable care is required. We aim to correct misunderstandings about the data advanced by academics and in the media, and expose its misuse by police chiefs and politicians. In particular, the incidents that IRIS reports are not protests, though protests can be found in the raw data. This article is based, in part, on records of 156,230 incidents covering the period 1997-2013.
Book Review: The Spirit of Marikana: The Rise of Insurgent Trade Unionism in South Africa by Luke Sinwell with Siphiwe Mbatha
Authors: Broster Phillip
Published: November 2022

Despite its title, this book does not look exclusively at the massacre that occurred at Marikana on 16 August 2012, when South African police officers shot and killed 34 striking mineworkers and wounded 78 others. Rather, it places that event in the context of a longer, larger struggle for dignity and economic freedom by the working class in South Africa. The authors did not do this to trivialise this significant event but to implore the reader to recognise that it was one moment, one particular incident in a long history of struggle and conflict, one that is not necessarily more important than another. As such, it pursues what George Lipsitz has called the ‘long fetch’, looking into the past and identifying the forces that slowly shaped what may otherwise appear to have been sudden and inexplicable.1 The book does this by attempting to describe the tensions between the various ‘ordinary’ individuals – the striking employees of Lonmin’s platinum mine at Marikana – and their relationships to the labour collectives they started, helped lead, or held to account. It attempts to show how understanding these tensions is crucial to understanding the events that occurred at Marikana, and understanding South Africa as an economic project.
Barnard v Minister of Justice: the minister’s verdict - Deciding on parole for offenders serving life sentences
Authors: Nanima Robert Doya
Published: November 2022

Parole for offenders serving life sentences has ignited questions in media reports and political circles. This complexity becomes a touchy issue when it leaves more questions than answers after the grant or decline to place offenders on parole. This article evaluates the discretion of the minister to decline to grant parole under section 78(2) of the Correctional Services Act 25 of 2008 (CSA). This contribution argues that a minister’s discretion to refuse parole needs to be re- examined in the wake of the decision in Barnard v Minister of Justice, Constitutional Development & Correctional Services and another with regard to its content and context. The paper examines the drafting history to section 78(2) of the Correctional Services Act; evaluates the bounds of the Ministerial powers, and examines its recent application in Barnard. The final step involves recommending a working framework that may reconcile the position.
Violence and injury observatories: Reducing the burden of injury in high-risk communities
Authors: Jabar Ardil , Matzopoulos Richard
Published: November 2022

Background The meaning of an observatory has expanded recently from its origins in astronomy to that of specialised informational repositories and knowledge building centres housing cross-referenced databases with advanced analytic and research capacities. The purpose of the violence and injury observatories is directed toward preventing crime and violence at the local and regional level. Data around the burden of violence and injury for the African continent is limited and often not collected periodically thus limiting the implementation and evaluation of timely violence prevention interventions.MethodsAn observatory is primarily a tool to support the authorities in formulating effective responses to citizen safety and security issues. It is a centre dedicated to systematising information from different sources to produce periodic analyses or studies, to show the development of crime and violence in a given area. These surveillance systems primarily comprise two components: (1) Collection, analysis and interpretation of violence and injury data (2) Dissemination of findings to stakeholders within the safety and security cluster and the general public. There are several important data collection strategies which include health surveys, administrative data, mandatory reports and studies of special groups. Surveillance data initially may be analysed in terms of time, place, and person, by looking at time trends and geographic distribution and comparing age, sex, and population groups. Advanced data analysis methods for surveillance data include space-time clustering, time-series analysis, geospatial analysis, life tables, logistic regression, trend and small area analysis and methods for the forecast of epidemics based on surveillance dataConclusion  Violence and injury observatories seeks to collect comprehensive data on violence and injury data with the system serving as a platform for violence prevention intervention development and evaluation for their respective sites.
Location, location, location: The settling of organised crime in Bedfordview
Authors: Haysom Simone , Shaw Mark
Published: November 2022

Why do ‘crime bosses’ settle in one place and not another? It is an intriguing and under researched question on which little has been written. In South Africa a cluster of individuals associated with organised crime moved into, or were associated with, a particular suburb: Bedfordview, south-east of Johannesburg. The most notorious was Radovan Krejcir, but he himself plugged into an established network of individuals with links to the underworld. This article, based on interviews with people close to high level crime figures or in political or civic leadership roles in Bedfordview, explores why this neighbourhood in particular was chosen. Our analysis suggests that a range of factors coalesced to make Bedfordview, an upper class predominantly white neighbourhood, attractive to organised crime figures. These include a combination of pull factors linked to geography, lifestyle, ethnic and infrastructural reasons that combined in a way that was unique in Johannesburg. Significantly, these were linked with a set of push factors that reflect changes in wider urban development and the upward (and geographic) mobility of a set of ‘businessmen' linked to grey or illegal markets in the city.
More data means better tools for South Africa
Authors: Faull Andrew
Published: November 2022

In February this year, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) released the findings of the 2015/16 Victims of Crime Survey, and announced that it would release the 2016/17 results in November. Victim surveys, though not without fault, capture valuable data relating to crime, justice and safety, that is not typically collected by criminal justice agencies. Much of their value lies in their ability to identify victimisation trends which may or may not appear in police data, and to gauge perceptions and experiences of criminal justice institutions.
Interview with Lieutenant General Gary Kruser, Deputy National Commissioner, South African Police Service
Authors: Burger Johan
Published: November 2022

In 2016 the South African Police Service announced that it was going ‘Back-to-Basics’. To lead this programme, it established a new Management Interventions competency, headed by Lt Gen. Gary Kruser. In February 2017 Dr Johan Burger (ISS) sat down with Kruser to learn more about the new competency.
Aluta continua: Accountability and the Domestic Violence Act, 116 of 1998
Authors: Vetten Lisa
Published: November 2022

In 1998, in an attempt to undo the long-standing neglect of domestic violence,  legislators placed a set of duties on the police in relation to domestic violence and coupled these with a unique system of accountability relations and practices. This articles examines the effect of these in three ways:review both of complaints of misconduct, as well as the station audits conducted in terms of the Domestic Violence Act's prescripts, and analysis of the workings of the Act's accountability mechanisms over time. This shows the Act's system of accountability to have had some success in making domestic violence a policing priority. But this has taken a number of years of interaction across the domains of the political, legal, bureaucratic and the social to accomplish. On this account accountability reveals itself to be a contingent outcome and practice that also takes different forms at different times. It also remains an ambivalent undertaking in relation to domestic violence. While answers may be demanded of the police, oversight of these responses is lodged with an agency possessing limited capacity and weak institutional authority.
Challenges Facing Organised Interests Under a Populist Right-Wing Government in Slovenia
Authors: Novak Meta , Lajh Damjan
Published: November 2022

The development of organised interests (OIs) during the socialist period in Central and Eastern Europe was considerably limited, if not frozen. This was also somewhat the case in Slovenia, where it was mainly OIs close to the government that could operate. In the early 1990s, the interest group system in the now independent country was already recognised as vibrant with the number of OIs growing each year ever since. Yet, Europeanisation processes in particular have led to additional opportunity structures being created for OIs to become involved in policymaking. The biggest obstacle to the development of such interests has become the low level of its professionalisation, given that most are run voluntarily. Around the end of 2020, the political environment for the activities of OIs remained quite favourable, with a few isolated drops in their public image and political attacks on mostly environmental organisations. The change in government in March 2020 saw the backsliding in democracy become more apparent. This included liberal OIs being publicly discredited, the obstruction of largely environmental OIs, and attacks on the media. In this article, we examine how democratic backsliding in Slovenia has affected the articulation, representation, and intermediation of interests. To unravel this puzzle, we analyse the changing conditions for OIs’ operations between March 2020 and April 2022 as introduced by the populist right-wing Slovenian government to help better understand the democratic backsliding seen in the country.
Giro gráfico y activismo textil: el bordado como textimonio político en dos asociaciones craftivistas brasileñas
Authors: Climent-Espino Rafael
Published: November 2022

This essay analyzes textile activism practices of two Brazilian embroidery associations: Linhas do Horizonte and Pontos de Luta. By considering embroideries as textimonies, this article offers an exegesis of embroidery practices, and frame them in the Latin American context within what has been called the graphic turn. Furthermore, a connection between embroidery and the so-called craftivism will be established. I will deal with a limited corpus of embroideries made in the period 2016-2021. Linhas do Horizonte and Pontos de Luta have a clear leftist ideology, their main task being to denounce attacks against the social system and against the reduction of personal freedoms carried out by the administrations of the conservative former president Michel Temer, and the ultra-conservative current president Jair Bolsonaro. The textile activism of these associations has the purpose of creating, through embroidery, textile artifacts to defend a wide range of social causes that they identify themselves with.
Bordando afectos: subjetividad y trueque entre redes de mujeres
Authors: Castellanos Daniela , Castaño Diana Carolina
Published: November 2022

This article explores the affects that emerge through the craft of embroidering among networks of women who self-identify as embroiderers. Our aim is twofold: first, we examine the subjectivities that embroidery elicits and how this practice reconfigures relationships in the worlds inhabited by these women. Second, we explore the exchanges constituted and propelled by different affects that take forms of barters located outside of commercial circuits. Methodologically, the paper draws on ethnographic fieldwork combining participant observation in collective spaces for embroidering performed both face-to-face and virtually, and the written testimonies of other participating women on how their life trajectories get entangled with embroidery. The research also included tracing and following embroidery making, circulations and exchanges as they were registered through Instagram stories. In both contexts we argue that affects are embroidered as substrate of singular lives while strengthening different forms of belonging in/through their exchanges.
Textiles que cuentan. Afectividades remendadas: corporalidades replicadas y su manifestación textil a partir del vestido como dispositivo de memoria y sanación
Authors: Arellano-Luna Mabel
Published: November 2022

Textile is analized in this paper from the point of view of clothing as a way of projection and expansion of the body. Affections, memories, and stories lie in the clothing, which are narrated through textile processes: From confection to the many materials and techniques. In this sense, the yarn is a fiber that configures the narrative and projects mnemic aspects. The narrative is drawn from the clinical narrative and its relationship with textile processes, through which bridges of interaction between both areas are built. In the text, affective analogies associated with the manufacturing processes of the dresses and their relationship with the techniques used are shown (Spanish embroidery and fraying are mainly addressed). The dresses produced for this work are textile stories that narrate memories of their creator, drawn and blurred by means of thread and unraveling.
Crocheteando sentidos. Experiencias del colectivo Tejedores de Resistencia en Bogotá
Authors: Babativa-Chirivi Sandra Milena
Published: November 2022

The collective Tejedores de Resistencia was born on May 8, 2021, in the heat of the National Strike in Colombia. Its purpose is to create a large textile piece made of 6402 granny squares or crocheted squares in yellow, blue, red, and white colors. Through my own experience as a member of the collective and after several virtual meetings held between June and September 2021, this text aims to retrieve some meanings and feelings that have been developing during the process. Particularly, we show the importance of doing as a mechanism that gives meaning to the work, as well as the emotions and sensations overflow. The practices themselves, the agency of the objects and the gatherings in public and virtual spaces, are the center of the analysis exposed below, as an analytical exercise from an ethnographic and introspective point of view.
Evocaciones y resistencias textiles en la obra de tres escritoras indígenas
Authors: Elena-Ríos Mónica
Published: November 2022

El universo textil en los pueblos originarios conforma un entramado complejo. Este trabajo muestra solo una parte que se puede rastrear en los escritos de mujeres pertenecientes a comunidades indígenas. A partir del análisis de estos textos, es posible develar las distintas posibilidades que el textil posee dentro de comunidades particulares. El estudio revisa la obra colectiva de las Mujeres Mayas de Kaqla, quienes se valen de un lenguaje textil para articular un pensamiento propio. Después, se analizan los textos de otras tres escritoras indígenas: la poeta maya Briceida Cuevas Cob, la escritora binnizá Natalia Toledo y la activista ñuu savi Bety Cariño. La obra de estas escritoras subvierte la jerarquía entre saberes y oficios versus conocimiento académico y creaciones artísticas prevalecientes en la cultura occidental hegemónica. Asimismo, permite reconocer la resistencia cultural que implica el portar la indumentaria de cada comunidad.
Círculo digital de bordado como método de investigación feminista
Authors: Tapia-de la Fuente María Belén
Published: November 2022

Por medio de este artículo, doy cuenta del proceso de investigación desarrollado en el estudio Entre bordar y ser mujeres: habitar el cuerpo a través de los hilos, en el que busqué comprender los modos en los cuales el bordado colectivo se constituye en una práctica feminista y una forma de habitar el cuerpo en bordadoras de la zona suroeste de Abya Yala. Para incorporar el bordado en la creación de conocimiento, utilicé como método el círculo de bordado digital, permitiéndome descoser los métodos estructurados y hegemónicos, integrar las geografías y los afectos, desbordar la investigación y bordarla con hilos propios. El uso de las materialidades textiles para producir investigación feminista se volvió un ejercicio innovador, interpelando a las ciencias sociales, para proponer estudios interdisciplinarios y encarnados, que traspasen las fronteras y permitan conocer las experiencias de personas y comunidades a través de sus cromáticas, espacialidades, ritmos y movimientos.
Memorial y archivo textil El Ojo de la Aguja: diálogos entre investigación y activismo, una propuesta para la documentación sin daño
Authors: Colectivo El Ojo de la Aguja  , Cuadros Laura Cristina , Villamizar-Gelves Adriana Marcela , Álvarez-Calle Erika Yuliet , González-Arango Isabel Cristina , Gómez-Ramírez Heidy Cristina
Published: November 2022

Este artículo presenta los aprendizajes del proceso de elaboración de los principios de documentación que guían a El Ojo de la Aguja como memorial y archivo textil de derechos humanos, y la manera en que el encuentro entre activismo textil e investigación académica permitió fortalecer reflexiones y aguzar la mirada como un ejercicio de memoria cuidadosa, orientado hacia una propuesta de documentación sin daño que busca dignificar el legado de los liderazgos silenciados en Colombia. Revisar experiencias de activismo y memoria textil en América Latina posibilitó ubicar al colectivo El Ojo de la Aguja como una propuesta que articula prácticas textiles, activismo y documentación de coyunturas sociopolíticas, mediante un lenguaje que se resignifica para reconstruir hechos del pasado y hacer memoria del presente, en una iniciativa textil que surge como denuncia ante la continuidad de la violencia política en Colombia y el incumplimiento de los Acuerdos de Paz.
Qualitative and safety aspects in the camu-camu production chain
Authors: Faria Cardoso Carlos Eduardo , Flores Trindade Maria Eduarda , Coelho Caroline , Teodoro Anderson , Freitas-Silva Otniel
Published: November 2022

Camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia (Kunth) Mc Vaugh) is a native fruit of Amazon region, which stands out for its high levels of ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds. Such characteristics have increased its demand in the market, with several scientific studies being developed to elucidate its potential. As it is a climacteric fruit, its postharvest life is short. It is due to physiological events such as the growth of microorganisms and physical injuries and, consequently, less quality and poor safety of the product that reaches consumers. Its production system is admittedly fragile as it requires proper handling techniques to preserve both the sensory and nutritional quality of fruits. Thus, this review aimed to present the state-of-the-art of its fruit’s nutritional potential, quality, and post-harvest safety as raw material for the industry and consumers. The decision process outlined in the evidence inclusion protocol of this review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The studies selected for this review followed the flow of identification, selection, and eligibility until their inclusion, allowing the evaluation of the content addressed.
The Significant Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System in Hospitalization and Death of Patients With COVID-19: Psycho-Neuroendocrine-Immune Aspect of Stress
Authors: Zafari Zangeneh Farideh , Shoushtari Maryam Sarmast
Published: November 2022

The primary immune responses to CoV-19 are inter-individual variability against this virus. Studies on the neuro-immune system demonstrate that interactions in these communication pathways can be a reason for several psychiatric disorders and immune-mediated diseases. Stress-related behaviors are significant in the psycho-immune interactions, and even stress-related factors such as socioeconomic status can also play a vital role in these interactions. A literature review on the topic was carried out, and 150 articles were included. Catecholamine and glucocorticoids are stress neurohormones. Noradrenaline as signaling molecules, through macrophages, can be an essential stimulus for cytokine secretion. Glucocorticoids, by both pro-and anti-inflammatory roles in specific conditions, can inhibit the elevation of the inflammatory response by inhibiting the pro-inflammatory macrophage activation and also enhance the anti-inflammatory activity in monocyte/macrophage populations the further eliminate. Stress with this flawed amplification feedback system can disrupt immune homeostasis (cytokine storm) in the patient with COVID-19. This investigation showed that there is a strong link between psycho-neuroendocrine-immune axis organizations against respiratory viral infections during the COVID-19 epidemic. The stress cascade must be responsible for meeting the body's hemostatic challenges in the necessary physiological and metabolic interactions. The motivation of the stress system leads to behavioral/physical variations that are strangely consistent in their qualitative presentation. These variations must be generally adaptive and increase the chances of the individual's survival. In coronavirus respiratory disease, identifying people with acute/chronic psychosocial stress is of particular importance for providing prompt care as soon as possible, as scheduling intervention appears to be an essential factor in reducing stress and hospitalization rate in the intensive care unit (ICU).
The Effect of Superficial Cervical Plexus Blockage With Ultrasound Guidance on Pain After Thyroidectomy
Authors: Nazemian Yazdi Nader Ali , Pestehei Seyed Khalil , Sanatkar Mehdi
Published: November 2022

The main complaint after thyroidectomy is pain upon swallowing. It has been proven that postoperative uncontrolled pain can lead to chronic pain. We investigated the effectiveness of superficial cervical plexus block with ultrasound guidance on pain after thyroidectomy. This is a prospective, double-blind clinical trial study on patients aged 18-60 years who are candidates for thyroidectomy. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. The treatment group underwent superficial cervical plexus block under ultrasound guidance with an injection of 10 ml of ropivacaine 0.2%, and the control group received 10 ml of normal saline after sedation and before general anesthesia. The hemodynamic variables, amount of remifentanil used for hemodynamic stability, the severity of perioperative pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and the need for analgesics were compared between the two groups. The severity of pain in the treatment group at the time of discharge from recovery, 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery was 1.36, 1.76, 1.46, 1.24, and 0.44, respectively and in the control group was 3.12, 3.30, 3.82, 2.96 and 2.02 (P<0.001). The average dose of meperidine administration for pain relief during recovery in the treatment group was 2.8 (±7.84) mg, and in the control group was 9.2 (±11.92) mg (P<0.002). The need for diclofenac for analgesia during 24hours after surgery in the block group was 4 (±19.79) mg and in the control group was 64 (±69.28) mg, (P<0.001). Superficial cervical plexus block can significantly reduce perioperative pain and need analgesic administration during and after thyroidectomy.
The Value of Noninvasive Continuous Cardiac Output Monitoring in Assessment of Hemodynamic Status in Critically Ill Children
Authors: Mohammadpour Masoud , Chegini Victoria , Sharif Zadeh Meisam , Yaghmai Bahareh , Mirzadeh Monirdokht , Zeinaloo Aliakbar
Published: November 2022

Access to reliable, rapid, and continuous hemodynamic monitoring parameters is essential for early diagnosis and prompt treatment of hemodynamic disorders in critically ill children. The aim of this observational study was to compare the accuracy of continuous non-invasive cardiac output monitoring (NICCOMO) device data with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and inferior vena cava (IVC) ultrasound findings in assessing cardiac output (C.I), circulatory fluid adequacy, and finally Determination of hemodynamic status in patients with Critical conditions hospitalized in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). In this observational study, forty-four critically ill children that were admitted to PICU were evaluated. We used NICCOMO, TTE, and IVC ultrasonography at the same time in critical patients. The association between NICCOMO parameters and echocardiogram cardiac index and IVC quality in ultrasound is compared. The agreement between CI measured by TTE and NICCOMO was assessed using the Bland-Altman analysis method. NICCOMO is not a reliable instrument for determining CI in children with an unstable hemodynamic status. However, the parameters of this device are reliable in assessing the patient's hemodynamic status. Findings showed that 90% of patients in the normal hemodynamic state in NICCOMO have SVR. I in the normal range (P<0.001), and all cases in hypervolemic state had volume overload IVC in ultrasonography analysis. Noninvasive continuous cardiac output monitoring could be used to estimate unstable patients’ hemodynamic status in the initial stages for making timely treatment-related decisions, but its use for accurate cardiac index measurement is not reliable in all cases.
Developing an Intelligent Tool for Breast Cancer Prognosis Using Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Nopour Raoof , Shanbehzadeh Mostafa , Mehrabi Nahid
Published: November 2022

Today, there is ample scientific evidence that Breast Cancer (BC) is a global health challenge given its prevalence and invasive nature. Therefore, early detection of BC can help minimize the devastating effects of the disease. This study aimed to design a Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) based on the best Artificial Neural Network (ANN) configuration to identify patients quickly. Using a single-center registry, we retrospectively reviewed the records of 3380 suspected BC cases. The independence test of Chi-Square at P<0.01 was utilized to select the most important criteria. Then the different ANN configuration was implemented in the Matlab R2013 environment and compared using some evaluation criteria. Finally, the best ANN configuration was obtained. After implementing feature selection, 20 variables were determined as the most relevant factors. The experimental results indicate that the best performance was obtained by the 20-25-1 configuration with PPV=90.9%, NPV=99.7%, Sensitivity=98.9%, Specificity=97.9%, Accuracy=98.1%, and AUC=0.958. The proposed software can identify cases of BC from healthy individuals with optimal diagnostic accuracy. Additionally, it might be integrated as a practical and helpful tool in natural clinical settings for easy and effective disease screening.
Chronic Abdominal Pain Prevalence in Patients Undergoing the Bariatric Surgery With Positive History of H. pylori
Authors: Dalili Amin , Kamali Nasrin , Jangjo Ali , Sadeghi Mostafa , Kiyani Far Fatemeh , Mohammadi Sara , Zafarghandi Masoud Mahdavi
Published: November 2022

Obesity/bariatric surgery is rising as the most effective treatment for obesity. In previous studies, the history of Helicobacter pylori as the main cause of chronic abdominal pain in patients undergoing bariatric surgery has not been discussed. In this study, we determine in a set of patients how much of the number of people with positive H. pylori before the operation in one year later suffered from chronic abdominal pain. A retrospective study was conducted on 320 patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Data were collected by interviewing and referring to the medical records of patients. Of 320 patients, 125 were H. pylori-positive, and from these numbers, 43 had chronic abdominal pain (34.4%). Although in previous studies of bariatric surgery, the history of H. pylori has not been identified as the main cause of chronic abdominal pain after surgery. However, according to the available evidence in this study, with a prevalence of more than one-third of chronic abdominal pain in one year after surgery in patients with a history of preoperative H. pylori, pylori can be a potential cause of postoperative chronic pain.
Burnout, Anxiety, and Professional Self-Concept in Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Iran
Authors: Saberi Alia , Saadat Sajjad , Pourramazani Ali , Eftekhari Fateme , Hatamian Hamidreza , Entezari Marjan
Published: November 2022

The aim of this study was to evaluate the burnout, anxiety, and professional self-concept of nurses according to their demographic and occupational information. 160 nurses from Razi and Poursina hospitals in Iran were selected as a sample in this cross-sectional online survey and answered the tools Demographic and Occupational Information Questionnaire (DOIQ), Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS) and Nurse Self-Concept Questionnaire (NSCQ). Data analysis was performed in two descriptive and inferential sections using SPSS-19 statistics software. The participation rate in this study was 87.5% (n=140). The mean age was 32.56 (SD=7.26) years. The burnout rate in emotional exhaustion (EE) was 24.3%, depersonalization (DP) was 32.1%, and personal accomplishment (PA) was 60.7%, 21.4% of nurses had high anxiety, and 53.6% had low NSCQ. EE score was higher in nurses with less than ten years of experience (t=2.21) and single people (t=-3.18). DP score was higher in people under 35 years (t=3.20), with work experience of fewer than ten years (t=4.34), and single people (t=-3.07). Females in PA reported more burnout (t=-2.43). CDAS score was higher in females (t=3.20). NSCQ score was higher in married people (t=-3.07). CDAS was positively correlated with EE and DP and negatively correlated with PA. NSCQ was negatively correlated with EE and DP and positively correlated with PA. At first, a high CDAS score and then celibacy, less than ten years of work experience, and a low NSCQ score were effective in multiple linear regression analysis for MBI-HSS.
Comparisons of Modulation Transform Function in 2 Monofocal Spherical Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Intra Ocular Lenses
Authors: Abdolahinia Tahereh , Hashemi Hassan , Jafarzadehpour Ebrahim , Yekta Abbasali , Saffarpour Mahshid , Jafarzadehpour Abolfazl , Shanbezadeh Effat , Khabazkhoob Mehdi
Published: November 2022

To compare Modulation Transform Function (MTF) between standard monofocal spherical hydrophobic acrylic Alcon SA60AT (Bausch and Lomb) and hydrophilic acrylic Rayner Superflex (620H) (Rayner) intra-ocular lenses (IOLs). This cross-sectional study was conducted on 68 patients who underwent cataract surgery. The hydrophobic Alcon SA60AT IOL was implanted in 39, and the hydrophilic Rayner Superflex (620H) was implanted in 29 eyes. The OPD Scan III (Nidek) was used to assess MTF in normal pupils under mesopic light conditions 1 and 3 months after the surgery. t-test showed no significant difference in mean MTF between the two IOLs in the 2 follow-ups (P=0.788). The results of repeated measure ANOVA for each type of IOL indicated that MTF increased significantly in the hydrophilic group versus the hydrophobic group in the 3rd month (P=0.033). Moreover, the results of repeated measure ANOVA showed that MTF was affected by the type of IOL and refractive error in the 3rd month (P=0.029, P=0.025). It seems that the material of IOL and post-surgical residual refractive error can affect the visual acuity of pseudophakic patients. Although the hydrophilic IOL provided a better MTF three months after the surgery, studies with longer follow-ups are required to confirm the results.
Multiple Retroperitoneal Abscesses Caused by Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli: A Case Report
Authors: Teressa Maria , Iswandi Purnama Yongkie , Lardo Soroy
Published: November 2022

Diagnosis, and management of retroperitoneal abscesses caused by ESBL (Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase) Escherichia Coli require special attention. A female patient came to the Emergency Department with complaints of abdominal discomfort, bloating, nausea, fever, and urination pain for 1 week, and a physical examination demonstrated an enlarged mass in the left flank for the past 6 months. Laboratory results showed an increase in leukocytes and procalcitonin; hence the antibiotic cefoperazone sulbactam was given as empirical therapy. An abdominal CT scan revealed multiple retroperitoneal abscesses in the left and right hemiabdomen; therefore, levofloxacin and metronidazole were given as additional antibiotics. Percutaneous abscess drainage was performed and from the pus culture obtained grew ESBL Escherichia Coli bacteria. Furthermore, antibiotics were changed to intravenous amikacin according to the results of the susceptibility test. The patient's clinical symptoms improved significantly, and she was discharged and evaluated in the outpatient clinic.
Epidemiological Study of Drug Intoxication in Children
Authors: Cheraghali Fatemeh , Teimoorian Mehrdad
Published: November 2022

The Article Abstract is not available.
Analysis of molecular resistance to azole and echinocandin in Candida species in patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis
Authors: Lotfali Ensieh , Erami Mahzad , Fattahi Mahsa , Nemati Houshang , Ghasemi Zeinab , Mahdavi Elham
Published: November 2022

Background and Purpose: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is considered the most common mucosal infection caused by Candida species. Azoles were considered the firstline treatment for VVC or recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) in both healthy and immunocompromised populations. Recently, azole-resistant isolates, especially among non-albicans Candida samples have been encountered. This study aimed to evaluate the antifungal susceptibility profile of Candida spp. isolated from VVC or RVVC patients and assess the molecular resistance mechanism of Candida spp. to azole and echinocandin.
Materials and Methods: Point mutation analysis was performed on the ERG11 and FKS candidate genes of azole- and caspofungin-resistant Candida albicans and Candida glabrata isolates. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to gain insight into the differential expression of ERG11 mRNA.
Results: Variations in the amino acid D116E were observed in fluconazole- and itraconazole-resistant C. albicans strains, and changes in amino acid E517Q were observed only in fluconazole-resistant C. albicans strains. No polymorphisms were observed in the complete sequence alignment of the ERG11 gene in one azole-resistant C. glabrata isolate. The mutation triggered the changes in the amino acid serine in the reference gene FKS1 by the leucine at position 642 (S642L) of the isolates.
Conclusion: In patients with persistent or recurrent infection, the choice of an antifungal agent is often challenging and requires monitoring of the antifungal susceptibility of the colonizing strain. C. albicans and C. glabrata isolates can be resistant to azole and caspofungin antifungal agents without mutations in the ERG 11 and HS1 regions of the FKS1 gene.
High frequency of Candida krusei colonization in critically ill pediatrics: A cross-sectional study in Children’s Medical Center, Tehran, Iran
Authors: Davari Amirhossein , Jafarzadeh Jalal , Hedayati Mohammad Taghi , Shokohi Tahereh , Abastabar Mahdi , Nikmanesh Bahram , Moazeni Maryam
Published: November 2022

Background and Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the species distribution and susceptibility pattern of the strains isolated from Candida colonization in pediatric patients staying at pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) and infant ICU of Children’s Medical Center in Tehran, Iran.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the Children’s Medical Center in Tehran, Iran. In total, 440 samples from 56 patients with oral cavity, skin surrounded catheters, and ear, throat, nasal, and urine cultures were collected. All patients were evaluated in terms of Candida colonization on the admission day as well as the days 7, 14, and 28 according to the previous studies. CHROMagar Candida medium was applied for primary/multiple species identification and the isolates were identified by using polymerase chain reaction-based methods to the species-specific complex level. The antifungal susceptibility test was performed according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards protocol published as M27-A3 and M60 documents.
Results: In total, 136 yeast samples from 26 individuals (30.9%) out of 440 samples were considered colonization. The most prevalent species in IICU was C. albicans (27%, n=20) followed by C. krusei (24 %, n=18) and C. parapsilosis (16%, n=12). In PICU, the predominant species was C. krusei (40%, n=24) followed by C. parapsilosis (18%, n=11) and C. dubliniensis (16%, n=10). Among the 40 tested isolates from both units, fluconazole-resistant isolates (n=11, 8.15%) were determined according to the new breakpoints. In the case of echinocandins, 2 isolates, including C. albicans (n=1) and C. krusei (n=1) were resistant against both caspofungin and anidulafungin (totally 1.48%).
Conclusion: In the present study, since C. krusei is intrinsically-resistance against fluconazole, emphasizing the importance of species-level identification of Candida isolates is outstanding. However, according to the antifungal susceptibility testing results, only 7.2% of the strains were resistant to fluconazole. It would be beneficial to monitor the ICU patients who are at high risk of invasive Candida infection.
A comparative study on the production of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes of C. albicans and non-albicans Candida species in HIV+/AIDS patients and healthy individuals
Authors: Fathi Fatemeh , Mahmoudabadi Ali Zarei , Fatahinia Mahnaz
Published: November 2022

Background and Purpose: Oropharyngeal candidiasis is the most prevalent opportunistic fungal infection in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as well as other immunodeficiency disorders, which is caused by various Candida species, mostly Candida albicans. Studies have shown that Candida isolates differ in their pathogenicity. These variations are attributed to virulence factors, host characteristics, and the target tissue. This study aimed to determine and compare the secretion of hydrolytic enzymes in C. albicans and non-albicans Candida species isolated from HIV+ /AIDS patients and healthy individuals.
Materials and Methods: Samples were taken from 201 patients with HIV and 118 healthy individuals. The samples were identified by macroscopic, phenotypic, and molecular methods, and virulence factors were subsequently measured. Statistical differences in enzymatic activity of various Candida isolates were calculated (P<0.0001).
Results: In total, 95 samples (47.20%) from patients and 46 samples (38.90%) from healthy individuals were positive for the growth of different Candida species. There were 39 (41.10%) and 36 (78.30%) C. albicans in patients and healthy individuals, respectively, as well as 56 (58.90%) and 10 (21.70%) non-albicans species in patients and healthy subjects, respectively. All the enzymes produced by Candida species enzymes were at low, medium, and high levels. Hemolysin activity in Candida species isolated from patients was significantly higher, compared to healthy individuals. Moreover, the activity of all C. albicans enzymes in patients was significantly higher than other Candida species.
Conclusion: The C. albicans isolated from HIV-positive individuals secreted higher amounts of exoenzymes, and can cause oropharyngeal candidiasis and become a source of candidiasis for the host.
Synthesis and antifungal activity of novel griseofulvin nanoparticles with zinc oxide against dermatophytic fungi: Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton verrucosum: A primary study
Authors: Hussein S. AL-Janabi Ali Abdul , Bashi Abas Matrood
Published: November 2022

Background and Purpose: Dermatophytoses is an important type of skin disease caused by dermatophytes. The long-term treatment of this disease with standard antifungal agents may be improved through the application of nanotechnology. This study aimed to prepare nanoparticles of griseofulvin with zinc oxide and assess its antifungal action.
Materials and Methods: Nanoparticles of griseofulvin with zinc oxide (GF-ZnO NPs) were prepared. Physical characteristics of new preparation and antidermatophytic action against two species of dermatophytes (Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton verrucosum) were investigated. Testing of two species was considered a primary test for antifungals of griseofulvin nanoparticles.
Results: Physical examination indicated that GF-ZnO NPs had typical nanoparticle characteristics. A new formulation showed effective inhibitory action against two fungal species with higher efficiency than that of griseofulvin. T. mentagrophytes required a higher MIC value (0.0625 µg/mL) of GF-ZnO NPs than that required by T. verrucosum (0.031 µg/mL).
Conclusion: GF-ZnO NPs revealed an effective action against dermatophytes compared to griseofulvin alone. Nanoparticles containing griseofulvin may be used in the development of a novel drug for the treatment of dermatophytosis.