Articles

Objective: To determine the factors influencing completion of DOTS in Tuberculosis treatment in the Bahamas.Methods: A quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional survey. Tuberculosis patients aged 18 years and above were considered regardless of the site or the smear status of their TB. The sample size was 40. Data analysis and interpretation were done using the statistical package for the social sciences software (SPSS version 24), through the exploration and calculation of descriptive (frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, and inferential (Anova) statistical methods. Statistical significance was determined to be a p < 0.05. Results: The mean age of the respondents, was 39.9 years, SD 11.65, and 73% of them were men. 63% of participants, 78% of whom were citizens of the Bahamas, reported having no annual income. Seventy-eight percent (31) of the participants said they had insufficient food and drink while they were unwell. More than half of the participants in the survey reported being on at least one pharmaceutical regimen, although 36% said they were not actively taking any of the prescription medications.Conclusion: Less than a third were noncompliant with DOTS, this was influenced by factors such as annual income, no family support, marital status, employment status, and educational level.

In this research, for the purpose of social implementation, we conducted a near-miss demonstration experiment using a car driving in the city and a drive-simulator. Next, we conducted a demonstration experiment to evaluate the reliability of biometric information measured on patients in a medical facility's recuperation ward and residents of a special nursing home. NBC-1100 emits radar waves from a distance of up to 3 meters from an object and uses the reflected waves to measure biological information such as pulse waves and breathing waves. The multi-element pyroelectric effect was used to measure body temperature by detecting infrared radiation emitted from distant objects. This device is unique in that it can measure biological information without being restrained while wearing clothes. In the demonstration test, simultaneous measurements were conducted on nine healthy men aged 45 to 65 using a pharmaceutically approved product (μBP-mp) and a prototype non-contact biological monitor (NBC-1100 manufactured by K&S Co., Ltd.). The demonstration experiments at medical institutions and nursing care facilities were conducted with the consent of residents and their families and were conducted on 30 men and women between the ages of 70 and 94 who were undergoing treatment or in need of care. The tests were conducted on residents with chronic diseases such as dilated gastrostomies, symptomatic epilepsy, hypertension, Alzheimer's disease, and progressive supranuclear palsy. The evaluation method was simultaneous measurement using a master meter (μBP-mp) and a test meter (NBC-1100).

Sensory and sensorimotor conflicts can lead to sensory and motor efficiency disturbances, such as pain and less efficient motor control. Vertical heterophoria (VH) and vertical orthophoria (VO) are respectively the latent vertical misalignment of the eyes when the retinal images are dissociated, or not. Mild VH (< 0.57°) could indicate the presence of a conflict resulting from eye refraction problems and/or a disruption of the somaesthetic cues. Canceling the conflict(s) can immediately restore VO, making it possible to observe an improvement in the mobility of spinal and peripheral joints, the performance in the motor and balance tests after initial alternation, and a decrease in pain. The Maddox Rod Test was used to detect mild VH but doesn’t determine the sensory conflict origin. The aim of this retrospective study is to show its use as a landmark in which sensory afferent conflict could induce symptoms (i.e. pain; decreased range of motion; nonoptimal postural and motor control) and how to manage it, analyzing data from 525 subjects. The clinical process is intended to inhibit or neutralize afferent signals involved in the sensorimotor loops required by the central nervous system in motor control in order to spot the locus of conflict (stomatognathic system, pelvis, plantar afferences, piercings (body art) or/and eye refraction problems). This investigation protocol based on VH detection provides trackers for the therapeutic intervention in the management of nonspecific chronic pain, non-contact injuries, and prevention, and a key role for practitioners in the multidisciplinary management required for patients/athletes, in the world of work/health.

Introduction: In the latest WHO classification of central nervous system tumors, Mitotic Index (MI) counted on Phosphohistone-H3 stained slides (pHH3-MI) has been suggested as a valid proliferative marker in various tumors including in the evaluation of meningioma grading.We aim to report our own experience in assessing the efficiency of the anti-pHH3 antibody as a grading tool for meningiomas.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on a series of 40 meningiomas diagnosed from March 2020 to April 2021 at the Pathology Department of the Military Hospital of Tunis. We attempted immunohistochemistry and compared MI assessed on both pHH3 and HE-stained slides.Results: According to the HE-MI and pHH3-MI, the 40 cases of meningiomas were respectively divided into 35 versus 29 grade 1 cases, four versus eight grade 2 cases, and one versus three grade 3 cases. A highly significant correlation was found between pHH3-MI and HE-MI (p < 0.001). A significantly higher sensitivity in the pHH3 counting method was reported in our study. Discussion: we found, in accordance with the literature, that pHH3-MI is more reliable and accurate in mitotic counting, therefore exhibiting a high sensitivity in tumor grading, reported by an upgrade within 22,5% of the cases.Conclusion: PHH3-MI count facilitated a rapid reliable grading of meningiomas. However, molecular characteristics that could have a potentially significant impact on tumor progression should be the subject of further research.

Cells have emerged as highly promising vehicles for delivering drugs due to their unique advantages. They have the ability to bypass immune recognition, navigate biological barriers, and reach difficult-to-access tissues through sensing and active movement. Over the past couple of decades, extensive research has been conducted to understand how cell carriers can overcome biological barriers and influence drug effectiveness. This has resulted in the development of engineered cells for targeted drug delivery to specific tissues. Despite the presence of exciting developments, a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and potential strategies is necessary for the effective clinical application of cell-based drug carriers. This review provides an overview of recent progress and novel concepts in cell-based drug carriers, as well as their potential for translation into clinical practice. Additionally, we delve into important factors and emerging strategies for designing the next generation of cell-based delivery technologies, with a particular emphasis on achieving greater accuracy and targeted drug administration.

Science is the art of systematic and reproducible measurements, ultimately leading to knowledge supported by a holistic logic. Besides serendipity, there are 6 ways in general to obtain knowledge: authoritarianism; mysticism; rationalism, empiricism; pragmatism; and scepticism. Over the last 100 years, a canonical mythology – cortical spreading depression (CSD) – has prevailed in migraine pathophysiology. Conversely, a well-defined adaptive/protective role has evolved for CSD in locusts, Drosophila, and mammals. Additionally, an elaborate but entirely symptomatic nosologic system has arbitrarily evolved in migraine / primary headache. While the so-called systematic but symptomatic classification system of migraine / primary headache keeps on advancing the data-bank exponentially, the cause-effect nexus continues to obscure the most important systematic and insightful components of the knowledge of primary headache. The first step in advancing the cause-effect mystery of migraine / primary headache is to create a conceptual, consistent, and important adaptive-pathogenetic divide in the massive and disparate data-linked pathophysiology of the disorder. Once certain definitive principles (not laboratory/neuroimaging / genetic/epidemiologic data) emerge in the science of migraine / primary headache, we become empowered to understand the complex but key phenotypic blueprint as well as the neuro-pathophysiology / neuropsychiatry of the entity, including the visual (nasal visual-field sparing digitally-displaceable and eyeball-movement-synchronous scintillating scotomata), the lateralizing fronto-temporal-nuchal headache exclusively involving the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve, and the associated features such as ‘stress’, ‘post-stress’, ‘autonomic storm’, ‘protean’ and ‘spontaneous’ onset and offset, and headache-aborting nausea-vomiting. In this manner, we have also evolved principles to begin to understand the most complex female predominance of migraine patients in adults [F:M=3:1] as well as the decline of prevalence in migraine attacks following menopause and advancing age. The Laws of the Pathophysiology of Migraine encompass the invaluable neurological / neuro-ophthalmological shift in pathophysiology from the brain to the eye.

The aging global population requires a new social model to meet the growing social, economic, and physical needs of seniors. Western social models need to be reconsidered in light of examples that support communal ways of living, which are sustainable through smart city design for more supportive geriatric care systems. To address the complex problems of geriatric care in this growing aging population with specific needs related to increased lifespan and limited financial resources, the use of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), should be considered. As retirement ages rise and funds for retirement continue to decrease automated and sustainable solutions need to be sought. The ethical need to consider citizens not as customers but as decision-makers and to validate the ethical nature of medical decisions made for and by individuals should also be prioritized. This study provides recommendations for a smart city design and highlights the need for reflection on the ethics, modernization, and management of geriatric care. It suggests that technological devices can benefit health system reform by facilitating problem-solving. Overall, this new model integrates communal living and non-Western values with emerging technologies to address the growing need for geriatric care and the well-being of seniors.

In this paper, we use the modulus of continuity to study the rate of A-statistical convergence of the Kantorovich-type (p,q) - analogue of the Balázs–Szabados operators by using the statistical notion of convergence.Mathematics subject classification: Primary 4H6D1; Secondary 4H6R1; 4H6R5.

Forensic laboratories face a backlog of case files, affecting service delivery, causing delays. The backlog points to underfunding, poor planning, and inadequate support, hindering deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis. Resolving casework backlogs may initially seem like a straightforward and attainable measure to improve the arrest of offenders and promote justice. Longer turnaround times impede investigative leads, emphasising the need for efficient strategies and a comprehensive approach to address and prevent backlogs in forensic laboratories. No study has been published on the forensic DNA backlogs in South Africa. The article explicitly addresses one aspect of a Doctor of Philosophy study and aims to ascertain the impact of backlogs in forensic DNA case entries. The study article’s research questions included the following: “What cases are considered as backlog?”; “What is the current backlog in forensic DNA case entries in South Africa?” and “What are the main reasons for the backlog of cases involving forensic DNA?” The prompt processing of DNA evidence is vital not only for safeguarding individuals falsely accused of crimes based on circumstantial evidence but also for aiding prosecutors and providing justice for crime victims.

Inflammation is a natural response of the body to defend itself against potential threats and can be reduced through physical activity, proper nutrition, and the use of herbal medicines, which are medicinal plants. In the study, we aim to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of the volatile and ethanolic fractions of two commonly used medicinal plants, Equisetum arvense, and Baccharis trimera. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation of the fresh leaves of the plants, while the ethanolic extracts were obtained using classical methodologies. All fractions were tested for anti-inflammatory activity, evaluating their ability to stabilize the red blood cell membrane and inhibit the spreading, and phagocytosis by macrophages, at concentrations varying from 200 to 600 µg mL-1. The results of the experiments suggest that the ethanolic fraction of B. trimera shows promising results compared to the positive controls. Our investigations thus contribute to the specialized literature on the use of herbal medicines around nutrition, providing guidance for future studies on these fractions.