bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Application of Platelet-Rich Fibrin and Freeze-Dried Bone Allograft Following Apicoectomy
Authors: Garg Madhur , Srivastava Vipul , Chauhan Raju , Pramanik Saurabh , Khanna Rinee 
Published: July 2023

Background:
Apicoectomy conceptualizes surgically maintaining a tooth with an endodontic lesion that cannot be resolved by conventional endodontic (re-) treatment. To achieve this, continuous improvement in surgical techniques, materials and instruments is being done to enhance the outcome of periapical endodontic surgeries. The purpose of this study was to compare, radiographically, the healing kinetics of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) and mineralized freeze-dried bone allograft (FDBA) in patients undergoing apicoectomy.

Materials and Methods:
Nineteen patients (aged 18–40 years) were included in the study and randomly assigned to groups A or B, where they received PRF or FDBA, respectively. Following apicoectomy, PRF gel and FDBA graft were prepared and placed in the osseous defect followed by placement of PRF membrane for graft stabilization and flap closure. Radiographic follow-up was done at the 1st, 3rd, 6th and 12th months for evaluation of healing using Molven's criteria. Statistical analysis was done with Pearson's and McNemar's Chi-square tests.

Results:
A highly significant difference (P = 0.002) in radiographic healing was observed at 6 months. Complete healing was observed in 50% of cases in Group A whereas in Group B, none of the cases presented with complete radiographic healing. However, at the end of 12 months, complete radiographic healing was observed in both groups.

Conclusion:
Our data suggest that PRF accelerates bone healing as compared to FDBA and is both time and cost-efficient.
Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward mucormycosis among patients discharged from a COVID-19 care tertiary center in South India: A questionnaire-based survey
Authors: Jayagayathri Rajagopalan , Ezhilvathani Namaskaram , Venkatesh Rengaraj 
Published: July 2023

Purpose:
To study the awareness of mucormycosis among discharged inpatients after receiving treatment for COVID-19 infection at a tertiary COVID care center in south India.

Methods:
This was a telephone-based survey conducted using a questionnaire consisting of 38 questions in five sections in the month of June–July 2021. COVID-positive inpatients who had been admitted, treated, and discharged from a government medical college were contacted via phones, and their responses were directly entered into the Google Forms platform.

Results:
A total of 222 participants were included in the study. Among all the participants, a cumulative 66% of participants had some knowledge of mucormycosis and 98/222 (44%) did not have any idea of mucormycosis in spite of being admitted to the hospital. More than 40% of them reported that their prime source of information was through mass communication. Around 81% of the respondents were aware that it can occur after COVID-19 infection. Among them, only 25 knew that systemic steroids were the main risk factor. Sixty-four out of 124 knew that diabetes is a major risk factor. Fifty percent agreed that a vaccine for COVID can prevent mucormycosis.

Conclusion:
Such knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) studies give us an idea of the impact of the measures taken for educating the public. In this study, a cumulative 66% of participants had some knowledge of mucormycosis and 34.7% were diabetics who had better knowledge and practice scores than non-diabetics. Sixty-six point nine percent felt that it was possible to prevent this condition.
Non-pathologic components are associated with reduced visual acuity in myopes after spectacle correction
Authors: Gupta Akansha , Agarwal Pradeep , Sapra Himanshu , Sutar Samir , Chaurasiya Ritesh Kumar 
Published: July 2023

Purpose:
To find the association between reduced best-corrected visual acuity and non-pathologic components after optical correction in individuals with low to high myopia.

Methods:
Myopic children under 16 years of age were reviewed using electronic medical records and the following data were extracted and recorded: participant's age, gender, uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), manifest refraction, and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Spherical equivalent and cylinder were classified into low, moderate, and high categories based on the magnitude range. Similarly, astigmatism was defined into with-the-rule, against-the-rule, and oblique based on the location of the steepest meridian. Reduced BCVA was defined when the decimal visual acuity was less than 0.66 (equivalent to Snellen's acuity of 6/9 or 20/30). Logistic regression was performed to test the factors associated with reduced visual acuity after optical correction in the absence of myopic pathologic changes. Statistical significance was considered if P < 0.05.

Results:
Overall 44.9% (N = 242/538) of myopes had reduced best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and none of the patients had pathologic myopic lesions. Using logistic regression, we found that high spherical refraction (OR 27.98, 95% CI 14.43–54.25, P < 0.001) and moderate spherical refraction (OR 5.52, 95% CI 2.56–11.91, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with reduced best corrected visual acuity despite any pathological lesions. Additionally, oblique and ATR astigmatism were associated with reduced visual acuity in myopic children with (OR 2.05, 95% CI 0.77–5.42) and (OR 1.59, 95% CI 0.82–3.08).

Conclusion:
Higher magnitude of refractive error components causes reduced visual acuity in the absence of pathologic changes.
Assessment of quality of life in glaucoma patients in a tertiary care center in Eastern India
Authors: Sen Saswati , Mishra Alpana , Das Matuli , Iyer Vanaja , Sethi Mehak 
Published: July 2023

Purpose:
The aim of this study is to assess the quality of life (QOL) in glaucoma patients and find out the sociodemographic factors predicting QOL.

Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care center from August 2021 to February 2022. Subjects diagnosed with glaucoma for at least 6 months were enrolled. After taking informed consent, demographic details and detailed history were collected for all patients. Comprehensive eye examination (visual acuity, intraocular pressure, gonioscopy, fundoscopy, visual field assessment, ocular coherence tomogram assessment) was done for all and they were asked to fill the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS 21.

Results:
One hundred and ninety-nine patients were recruited. Mean age of participants was 57.99 ± 10.76 years. Based on various domains and subgroups, QOL values were significant with respect to income (P = 0.016). Gender-wise QOL in females was lower than that of males with respect to all the domains (P = 0.001). While marital status affected both environmental and social domain, literacy affected only the social domain. A variation in intraocular pressure affected the QOL in the psychological domain. QOL was not significantly associated with the severity of the disease. Gender was the most predominant predictor out of all sociodemographic factors.

Conclusion:
Chronic diseases affect the QOL of individuals in many ways. Glaucoma being a chronic disease hampers patients’ vision irreversibly and by extension the various physical, social, and psychological aspects of the patient’s life as well. Hence, knowledge of the change in QOL it brings about can help plan the treatment, counseling, and management of these patients.
Unheard Voices of Pregnant Health Care Professionals during COVID-19 Pandemic? – A Qualitative Study
Authors: Sindhuri R , Mohan Reenaa , Surendran Pravin , Saranya R 
Published: July 2023

Background:
Pregnant Health Care Professionals (HCPs), who serve as front-line warriors of COVID-19 will invariably experience a stressful pregnancy period. Ensuring their well-being during this COVID-19 pandemic period is a big challenge and guidelines or standard operating procedures (SOP) for the same are non-existent or are scarce.

Objectives:
To explore the challenges and experiences of pregnant HCPs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted among 19 pregnant HCPs (14 Doctors and 5 staff nurses) working in Pondicherry, who were selected using purposive sampling for in-depth interviews. After obtaining informed written consent, face-to-face interviews were conducted until the attainment of the point of saturation. Audio recordings of the interviews were transcribed in English. Transcripts were proofread and manually analyzed for content. Codes obtained from the analysis of transcripts were merged to form broad categories.

Results:
The majority 15 (78.9%) of HCPs belonged to the clinical department and had work experience from 2–4 years. The mean age of the respondents was 29.4 ± 3.6 years. Four broad categories (of challenges), namely, Personnel level (Fear of infection in workplace, Inadequate antenatal care), Family level (Family pressure to quit job, Guilt of spreading the infection to family members), society level (Criticism by neighbor for working, Stigma), and work level challenges (Fear of losing the job, Uncomfortable work environment) emerged from the study.

Conclusion and Recommendations:
Challenges faced by the pregnant HCPs due to their nature of work remain by and large not addressed. Hence, specific guidelines or SOPs addressing these issues of pregnant health care workers and their swift and strict implementation are the need of the hour.
Investigating the Effect of Welding Fume in Pulmonary Function of Welders in an Automobile Industry
Authors: Saadiani Elham , Hosseinkhani Zahra , Safari-Variani Ali 
Published: July 2023

Context:
Respiratory exposure to welding fumes directly or indirectly, in the long run, can lead to systematic effects among welders.

Aims:
This study aimed to investigate respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function parameters among welders working in the automotive industry.

Material and Methods:
This cross-sectional study was performed among 2304 workers from two groups in the manufacturing and administrative staff (as exposure and control groups). Pulmonary function parameters and respiratory symptoms were collected through periodic spirometry examinations and a standard respiratory symptoms questionnaire. Exposure to welding fumes was obtained from the annual measurement data based on the NIOSH7300 method. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22 and linear and multiple regression statistical tests.

Results:
The mean age of the subjects in the case and control groups were 37.5 and 38.5 years, respectively. All the apparent symptoms of respiratory diseases (cough, sputum) in the welder’s group were more than in the control group. Also, there was a significant difference between the respiratory symptoms in the two groups (P < 0.001). The mean value of all spirometric parameters (FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, FEF25-75, PEF) in the case group (welders) was significantly lower than the control group.

Conclusion:
The results of this study revealed that the variables of age and work experience effectively reduce all spirometric parameters of welders. Also, regarding the effect of metal vapors, a significant relationship has been seen between Cu in welding fume and FEF25-75 and FEV1 spirometric parameters.
The Sero-Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Viruses in Municipal Waste Collectors in Southwest of Iran
Authors: Sarvari Jamal , Joharinia Negar , Shiri Alireza , Vali Atefeh , Beigzadeh Farshid , Davarpanah Mohammad Ali , Atapour Amir , Khoshbakht Rohollah , Jaberi Omid , Hosseini Seyed Younes 
Published: July 2023

Aims:
The present study aimed to investigate the frequency of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) serological markers among waste collectors in the municipality of Shiraz city, southwest of Iran, 2018.

Settings and Design:
In this cross-sectional study, a total of 385 waste collectors from all 10 districts of Shiraz city, southwest of Iran were enrolled. A questionnaire was used to gather occupational and demographic information as well as awareness about viral hepatitis.

Methods and Material:
Their blood samples were collected, and the sera were investigated for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HBs antibody, and anti-HCV antibody using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results:
All the participants were men with a mean age of 41 ± 8 years. Out of 385 participants, 6 (1.5%) subjects were positive for HBsAg, indicative of HBV infection. Moreover, 38 (9.9%) had a protective level of anti-HBs antibodies, while more than 90% had a low level of anti-HBs antibodies. All participants were negative for HCV antibodies.

Conclusion:
According to these findings, evaluation of HBsAg and anti-HBs levels is recommended in the healthy program of waste collector workers (WCWs). However, this occupation might not be a risk factor for the acquisition of HBV and especially HCV infections.
Treatment seeking behavior among patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)—A cross-sectional study from Northern India
Authors: Kaur Ishwarpreet , Singh Amarjeet , Suri Vanita , Kishore Kamal , Rana Satya Vati , Sahni Nancy , Bhattacharya Sudip 
Published: July 2023

BACKGROUND:
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) has now become a common problem among adolescent girls and young women in India. However, little is known about the treatment and satisfaction incurred from it. Our study aimed to assess the treatment-seeking behaviour among patients with PCOS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:
The cross-sectional study was carried out in gynecology OPD of PGIMER, Chandigarh. Women with PCOS, 275, visiting the gynecology OPD were included. The treatment-seeking behavior for PCOS was elucidated among cases using a questionnaire. This included parameters like healthcare consulted, preferred system of medicine, referral pattern, treatment efficacy, and expenses incurred. Univariate descriptive analysis was used to present the results.

RESULTS:
The majority (68%) of the study participants were less than 25 years of age. The average weight was 66.78 (±13.0) Kg. Half of the participants were students. More than 70% belonged to the upper or upper-middle class. The study participants were diagnosed with PCOS at an average age of 21.4 (±4.7) years. The minimum age reported at diagnosis was 11 years, and the maximum age of diagnosis was 36 years. Most respondents preferred Allopathic treatment followed by homeopathy and Ayurveda. Few also opted for other treatment choices like diet therapy, yoga & meditation, weight loss supplements, and home remedies. Treatment efficacy ranged between 17.3%-34.2%. The majority of respondents reported the treatment to be moderately expensive. Most respondents (58.91%) were hardly influenced, while 16% were quite influenced by PCOS medicine or treatment advertisements.

CONCLUSION:
PCOS patients opt for different treatment options but generally find the treatment less effective and expensive.
Nursing students' perceptions regarding well-being and healthy use of digital technology: A qualitative thematic analysis
Authors: Sahu Maya , Gandhi Sailaxmi , Sharma Manoj Kumar , Mehrotra Seema 
Published: July 2023

BACKGROUND:
The health and well-being of nursing students are of the utmost importance. Well-being is affected by many factors, ranging from day-to-day hassles to severe stressors in students' college lives. In addition to many other challenges, one new component is added with the advancement of technology, that is, the use of digital technology. The objectives of the study were to explore the perceptions of nursing students regarding well-being, its associated factors, digital technology usage and association between well-being and digital technology use.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:
A qualitative descriptive design using focus group discussion (FGD) was adopted in this study. A purposive sampling technique was followed for selecting the participants. Five nursing colleges in the city of Bengaluru from Karnataka state (Central Government-1, State Government–2, and Private-2) were selected based on their willingness to allow their students to be a part of the study. Around 12–15 students from each college who might provide potentially rich data were invited to participate in the study. Six FGDs were conducted during June–August 2018 with a total of 80 participants. All the participants were informed about the study. Written informed consent was obtained. All FGDs were audio recorded, and audiotapes were transcribed. Thematic analysis was done using Atlas.ti software.

RESULTS:
The emerging themes were clustered under the following broad categories: understanding the concept of well-being and associated factors; understanding digital technology; ways to healthy use of digital technology; strategies to maintain well-being; and a felt need for professional help.

CONCLUSION:
This study provides an insight into the experiences of well-being, stress, and use of digital technology among undergraduate nursing students. The findings have led to elicit the components required to develop an intervention program that may help the undergraduate nursing students to enhance well-being as well as promote healthy use of digital technology.
Comparison of happiness in students of a public and private university in Peru
Authors: Aragón-Cruz Walker , Laura-Chauca Sonia , Gómez-Bailón Percy , Fuentes-López José , Barrientos-Paredes Katia , Bedoya-Gonzales María , Yucra-Mamani Yudi , Flores-Gutiérrez Claudia , Cossio-Bolaños Marco , Gomez-Campos Rossana 
Published: July 2023

BACKGROUND:
Happiness is a positive component of mental well-being. In young university students, it is linked to ideals in many areas, such as physical health, mental health, harmonious inter-personal relationships, academic performance, and professional success. The aim of the study was to compare the happiness of university students from a state and private university according to professional areas and age range.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:
A descriptive cross-sectional study with selected 312 university students was conducted. The age range was from 17 to 32 years. The two professional areas surveyed were health sciences and engineering. Happiness was measured using a scale with 11 questions and four dimensions [1: Positive sense of life (three questions), 2: Satisfaction with life (three questions), 3: Personal fulfilment (two questions), and 4: Joy of living (three questions)]. The normality of the data was verified. Differences between sexes, areas, universities and ages were verified by t-test for independent samples. Differences between age ranges were verified by Anova.

RESULTS:
This study showed that there were no differences in happiness between EU and UP students when compared by gender, professional area, and age ranges.

CONCLUSIONS:
These results suggest that during the period of university studies, happiness values remain stable in both types of universities.
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy outcome with taxane-based versus non-taxane protocols in gastric cancer
Authors: Kianersi Shirin , Salari Sina , Rezvani Hamid , Araskhan Mohammad A. , Shirangi Alireza , Fathi Mohammad R. , Ghorbi Mahmoud D. 
Published: July 2023

BACKGROUND:
Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide. One of the chemotherapy agents, taxanes is important in increasing patients' survival. The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of taxane-based drugs versus non-taxanes in neoadjuvant chemotherapy in non-metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) in Iranian patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:
In a historical cohort method, 65 patients between 18 and 75 years old who suffered from non-metastatic GA were included. Nineteen and 21 and 25 patients, had undergone DCF (docetaxel, cisplatin, 5fluorouracil) and FLOT (5fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, docetaxel) and FOLFOX6 (oxaliplatin, leucovorin, 5fluorouracil) regimens, respectively, between 2018 and 2021. Survival criteria consisting of progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), progression rate, and mortality rate were evaluated using the Kaplan–Meier method, in a three-year follow-up period.

RESULTS:
The majority of patients were male (72.3%), with a median age of 65 years. Most of the patients had lesions with tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) stage IIIb (27.7%) and poor differentiated pathological grade (49.2%). OS time had a significant correlation with the low TNM stage (P = 0.01), well-differentiated pathological grade (P = 0.005), and FLOT vs. FOLFOX protocol (20.3 vs. 12.2 months, respectively. P =0.04). FLOT regimen had significantly better OS survival vs. DCF regimen (20.3 vs. 15.4 months, respectively, P = 0.03). No significant correlation was observed between survival criteria and other factors like gender, age, past medical history, Karnofsky scale, and tumor location in the stomach. The taxane-based arm (sum of DSF and FLOT) had no superiority over the non-taxane arm in survival criteria.

CONCLUSION:
FLOT protocol, as a taxane-based regimen had better survival compared to FOLFOX protocol in neoadjuvant chemotherapy in gastric non-metastatic adenocarcinoma.
Quality of life and its relation with sleep habits of children with epilepsy from Eastern India
Authors: Joseph Hepsi Bai , Digal Malini , Benny Anna , Singh Dolly , Vijayan Lakshmi , Kaur Sukhsimran , Noshi Tumyir 
Published: July 2023

BACKGROUND:
Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic disorders of the central nervous system. The quality of life of children with epilepsy is influenced by various factors including their sleep. To assess the quality of life and sleep habits among children with epilepsy and to determine the association of QOL and sleep habits, with sociodemographic and clinical variables.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:
A cross-sectional study was carried out among 50 epileptic children aged 4–18 years, recruited using a convenient sampling technique from the IPDs and OPDs of the Paediatrics department of a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India. The data were collected using QOLCE-16 and CSHQ from parents of children with epilepsy. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as ANOVA and Pearson correlation test.

RESULTS:
The overall mean score of QOL was 50.78 ± 17.98, with the cognitive domain having the highest mean score of 65.50 ± 27.79 and the social domain having the lowest mean score of 29.87 ± 22.81. The overall mean sleep score was found to be 56.98 ± 8.13. Daytime sleepiness, parasomnias, and bedtime resistance were found to be frequent sleep problems in children with epilepsy. There was a significant negative correlation between QOL and sleep disturbances in children with epilepsy (r = −0.65, P ≤ 0.001).

CONCLUSION:
The QOL of children with epilepsy should be improved to reduce the effect of sleep problems. Epilepsy children should be treated appropriately with due focus on medication compliance as it was found to be one of the determinants in improving their QOL.