incidence

Background: Ectopic pregnancy (EP) is a common and serious early pregnancy problem with a significant morbidity rate and the potential for maternal death. Women commonly present with minimal vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain.Objective: The main objective of the study was to evaluate the risk factors, clinical presentation, sites, and management outcomes of ectopic pregnancies. Methodology: It was a prospective descriptive, cross-sectional hospital-based study conducted at Bashair Teaching Hospital during the period January 2021–June 2021.An interview questionnaire was used, and eighty-two (82) women were included after informed consent. Demographic and clinical data concerning personal history, symptoms of presentation, risk, site, and type of management were recorded.Results: Ectopic pregnancy incidence was 2% and most risk factors were infection 29.3%, surgery 15.9%, miscarriage 13.4%, infertility 12.2%, tubal surgery 4.9%, previous ectopic pregnancy 4.9%, intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) 3.6%, and tubal ligation 2.4%. Women presented with bleeding and abdominal pain at 47.5%, bleeding at 18.3%, abdominal pain at 9.7%, and shock at 8.5%.The sites are ampullary (57.3%), fimbria (9.7%), interstitial (8.5%), isthmus (8.5%), ovarian (7.3%), cervical (4.8%), and abdominal (3.6%).Surgical management was 93.9%, medical and surgical management was 3.6% and medical management was 2.4%. A blood transfusion was received at 37.8%.Conclusion: The study concluded that women of reproductive age are at risk of ectopic pregnancy, so healthcare providers and doctors should have a high index of suspicion, prompt diagnosis, and intervention for ectopic pregnancy. Assessment of women at risk factors and modifications will reduce incidence. 

Background and aim: Cirrhosis leads to sarcopenia and to life-threatening complications in decompensated stages. The objective of this study is to show the impact of the loss of muscle mass and function on hepatic decompensations. Methods: Our study compares a group of cirrhotic patients with controls matched with the same sex and age. A questionnaire was created to collect demographic, anthropometric, and cirrhosis characteristics. Several CT scan sections were analyzed and the average measurements have been grouped into tertiles to estimate the impact on cirrhotic complications.Results: Our study included 33 controls and 33 cirrhotic patients of which 59.4% had NASH. Anthropometric characteristics were similar in cirrhotics men and women. Grip strength was significantly lower in cirrhotic men. Using the skeletal muscle index we found 39.39% of cirrhotic patients were sarcopenic mostly men 84.61%. In Cirrhotic men, the density of the psoas and paravertebral muscles was lower than in controls. In women psoas and paravertebral muscle areas were comparable and the total muscle surface in cirrhotic patients was higher. There was a negative correlation between this surface and the density of the psoas (r = -0.293 p = 0.017) indicating the presence of myosteatosis in women. Analysing tertile groups showed a significantly higher incidence of complications related to liver disease and liver failure in patients with the psoas and paravertebral muscle density in the lowest tertile and in the frail population according to the frailty index.Conclusion: Cirrhotic patients have myosteatosis and sarcopenia associated with a higher incidence of complications related to hepatic failure.

Purpose: Lower-extremity (LE) injuries due to prolonged surgery duration in the dorsal lithotomy (DL) position are often morbid and can significantly affect the patient’s short and long-term quality of life. These include the development of lower extremity pressure ulcers, neuropathies, rhabdomyolysis, and compartment syndromes. As compared to other surgeries, this risk is increased in patients undergoing genital gender-affirming surgery (gGAS) due to the relatively long operative time of these surgeries related to their high complexity. Our study aimed to describe our technique for preventing LE injuries in the DL position, and to evaluate our positioning-related post-operative complications and rates.Materials and Methods: We describe our technique for positioning in the dorsal lithotomy position, with an emphasis on injury prevention. We ensure a specific padding technique of the LE, we alert surgical assistants to not lean/rest on the LE, and we schedule LE checks and repositioning throughout the case to prevent and mitigate occult injuries. Herein, we report our clinical positioning-related outcomes and complications among all patients undergoing gGAS procedures lasting >300 minutes between January 2017 to March 2023. Results: A total of 227 patients underwent 310 surgical procedures (156 masculinizing, 154 feminizing gGAS procedures). Mean operative time was 495.5 minutes+/-156.5 minutes (SD) (Range 300–1095 minutes). A total of 6/227 (2.6%) patients (2 masculinizing and 4 feminizing surgical patients) had transient, self-limited LE pain post-op. No (0%) patients had major complications including chronic nerve injury, pressure ulcers, rhabdomyolysis, or compartment syndrome.Conclusions: Our study is the first to describe a replicable technique, and specifically which integrates the OR team and nursing staff, to prevent LE injuries during DL. We show that it is possible to achieve a 0%-to-rare incidence of major LE injury during long-duration surgeries.

Aim: Kidney stone disease, which can affect people of all ages and whose incidence increases day by day, is becoming a public health problem due to treatment costs. This study aims to determine how factors related to kidney stones affect the diagnosis of the disease when taken together, rather than determining their relationship with the disease one by one.Materials and methods: An open-access dataset containing kidney stone status and associated factors was used in the study. Mann Whitney U test and independent sample t-test were used in data analysis. Logistic regression was performed with the backward variable selection method to determine the factors associated with kidney stones. ROC analysis was used to determine the power of the variables that were significant as a result of logistic regression analysis, individually and together, in discriminating kidney stones.Results: According to the results of logistic regression analysis, gravity, cond, and urea calc variables were found to be associated with kidney stones. With ROC analysis, it can be said that urea, calc, and gravity variables with AUC values above 0.60 can distinguish kidney stones. When the combinations of these variables are examined, the AUC values of the binary combinations are between 0.734 and 0.759, while the AUC value obtained for the triple combination is 0.831.Conclusion: According to the results obtained from the article, it can be said that while the factors associated with the disease and used in the diagnosis have little effect on the diagnosis of the disease alone based on the AUC values obtained from the ROC analysis, it can be said that considering them together increases the accuracy in diagnosis. Therefore, considering the factors thought to be associated with the disease together may be more appropriate in diagnosis and may give more accurate results.

Introduction: Adolescents and young adults often engage in oral sex. However, the factors affecting the development of agreeing with oral sex are not clear enough.Objective: We aimed to assess the degree of agreement with oral sex among high school students and to search for background factors affecting this.Material and method: We conducted a quantitative cross-sectional study among 157 females and 38 male high school students over the age of eighteen by using an anonymous, paper-based, multiple-choice, self-administered questionnaire. For statistical analysis, we used descriptive statistics, two-sample t-tests, and Spearman rank correlation. Results: Of the respondents 67.9% were sexually active and 31.6% of them had more than one sexual partner. Of males 97.1% and of females 84.9% agreed with accepting oral sex. Degree of agreement with oral sex was higher in those who had had partnered sexual experience, and in those females who more frequently met close friends outside of school. Most participants were not in a current relationship with a partner, and for those who were, its duration did not affect the degree of accepting oral sex. The degree of agreement with the proficiency in male sexuality, and the degree of agreement with those dimensions of sexuality that most expressed the sexual drive and the desire to gratify it with the partner showed the strongest positive correlation with the degree of agreement with oral sex. In addition, the degree of agreement with the items of expressing sexual openness showed correlations with the degree of accepting oral sex. Conclusion: The degree of agreement with oral sex is high among high school students. Among the factors influencing this, the intensity of meeting friends seems to be important. We therefore recommend that the schools improve sex education in groups, highlighting the risks of oral sex, to reach the target individuals and their friends as well as their potential partners.

Introduction: Bleeding from varices is a severe complication in patients with cirrhosis. Despite its treatment has been well established in the last three decades the mortality can be still high. This study compares the epidemiological features and the bleeding-related outcomes of a group of patients published about ten years ago with a more recent group of 168 consecutive patients. Methods: The diagnosis, the treatment, and the main outcomes (5-day failure, 5-day and 6-week rebleeding, 5-day and 6-week mortality) of variceal bleeding were evaluated according to the current guidelines.Results: The number of patients with cirrhosis admitted for variceal bleeding every year has progressively decreased in the last ten years. The age sex and severity of liver disease, evaluated with Child Pugh and MELD scores, were comparable in the two series. In the more recent series, there were significantly fewer patients with HCV infection and more patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis. The main outcomes of bleeding were comparable too. Overall, at 6 weeks 36.4% of patients did not overcome the bleeding episode. Conclusion: The decreasing incidence of bleeding from varices is likely attributable to antiviral treatment of HCV and HBV and the larger diffusion of beta-blockers in primary prophylaxis. Despite the larger application of the gold standard therapy, the mortality of variceal bleeding remains high in patients with cirrhosis.

Background: Liver cancer is a global health concern, with overweight and obese individuals exhibiting an increased risk of its development. Understanding the interplay between obesity-related factors and liver cancer incidence is crucial for early prediction and intervention.Aim: The aim of this investigation was to construct and validate an extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) based machine learning model for the purpose of establishing a one-year liver cancer risk prediction system specifically tailored to overweight and obese patients. In addition, this study sought to compare the predictive performance of the XGBoost model with those of a random forest model and a logistic regression model, while also identifying the most influential predictive features for liver cancer incidence.Methods: A comprehensive retrospective analysis was conducted on MIMIC III data comprising 2,354 patients. To predict the risk of liver cancer development, three machine learning models were developed: XGBoost, random forest, and logistic regression. Feature selection was executed using a stepwise regression procedure encompassing both forward selection and backward elimination.Results: The stepwise regression technique unveiled 14 predictive factors for liver cancer incidence. Among the patient cohort, 132 individuals developed liver cancer within a year of follow-up, while 2,222 did not. Notably, most liver cancer cases occurred in male patients (60%). Statistically significant differences were observed between patients with liver cancer and those without, in terms of age, gender, total bilirubin, platelet, albumin, chloride, potassium, sodium, prothrombin time (PT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). The XGBoost model exhibited an impressive area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 99%, Random Forest (RF) of 99%, and Logistic Regression (LR) of 90%. In a multivariate analysis, total bilirubin, creatinine levels, age, gender, ALT, alkaline phosphate (ALP), PT, calcium, and chloride emerged as independent predictors for liver cancer incidence.Conclusion: The XGBoost model demonstrated superior predictive performance when compared to the RF and LR models. If corroborated through prospective studies, the XGBoost model may prove to be a valuable tool for the early prediction of liver cancer risk in overweight or obese individuals. Such predictive capabilities could, in turn, facilitate the implementation of timely preventive interventions against liver cancer.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory multisystem disorder that commonly affects females during their reproductive years. It is characterized by the presence of autoantibodies and immune complex deposition, the etiology is not known but the interaction of an environmental agent in a genetically susceptible individual is thought to be fundamental. SLE most frequently involves the skin, joints, lungs, heart, kidney, and neuropsychiatric manifestations that may occur during the course of the disease. Mood disorders among SLE patients, particularly depression, are common and important psychiatric manifestations of the disease, in addition to their high incidence and possible deleterious influence on disease progression, so early identification and treatment of depression may have a significant influence on the patient’s quality of life.

Introduction: The evolution of a patient with severe traumatic brain injury may require the use of a tracheostomy as part of respiratory weaning. The central question revolves around the optimal timing to replace intubation with tracheostomy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the hypothesis that early tracheostomy reduces the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), the duration of mechanical ventilation (MV), and the length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU).Materials and methods: This was a retrospective study including all patients admitted to the department over a period of 08 months. Various historical, demographic, clinical, biological, and progression-related covariates were collected upon admission.Results: Among the 69 patients included in the study who underwent surgical tracheostomy, two groups were formed: those who underwent early tracheostomy (within the first 8 days of mechanical ventilation) and those with late tracheostomy (after 8 days). The early group showed a significant reduction in the duration of mechanical ventilation (16 ± 3 days) and length of stay in the intensive care unit (17 ± 3 days) compared to the late group (23 ± 6 days and 30 ± 11 days, respectively). No significant differences were observed regarding the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and mortality between the two groups.Conclusion: This study strengthens the existing literature by demonstrating that early tracheostomy is associated with a reduction in the duration of MV and length of stay in the ICU.

The incidence of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) continues to rise, and obesity continues to be a predominant comorbid condition affecting patients with HFpEF. Recent research sheds light on the important pathophysiologic role that obesity plays in the development of HFpEF, with many areas of opportunity existing for future developments in understanding the etiology and management of the disease. Crucial in these pathophysiologic developments are studies that clearly characterize the obesity phenotype in HFpEF and compare it to presentations of HFpEF in patients without obesity. This paper reviews the existing literature on the obesity phenotype within HFpEF and discusses some of the prevailing ideas behind the pathophysiologic interplay between the conditions, as well as the existing treatments demonstrating improved outcomes in HFpEF.

With the increase in incidence and prevalence of myeloid neoplasms in India, it has become a necessity to understand its molecular mechanisms, acquisition of genomic alterations, and understand its primary and secondary resistance pathways which ultimately impact the decision of therapeutics. The objective of this review is to investigate the molecular aspects of this disease type and identify the biomarkers that help with diagnosis, risk assessment, prognosis, and selecting the best line of treatment for a specific myeloid neoplasm. Advancements and innovations in molecular technologies from simplest Real-Time PCR to high throughput next-generation sequencing have played a vital role in screening the most common mutations and fusions to the novel and rare. Molecular technologies have helped to enumerate the genomic landscape of myeloid malignancies. The understanding of both- the mechanisms and the technology is a strong combination as it has helped revolutionize precision oncology and helped in giving better therapeutic choices with better clinical outcomes. The importance of cellular morphology, clinical symptoms, and molecular pathology in assessing the risk of myeloid malignancies is emphasized and summarized in the review. The review concludes that understanding molecular pathogenesis can be improved by using clinical-pathological-molecular strategies for diagnosis and therapy decision-making.

Thyroid cancer, characterized by the development of malignant tumors in the cells of the thyroid gland, impacts the quality of life and well-being of diagnosed patients. This article explores different aspects of this type of cancer, including everything from its typologies, incidence, causes, and risk factors to symptoms, diagnostic methods, and treatment options. Furthermore, the impact on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is addressed, highlighting that, although the prognosis is generally favorable, patients can experience significant negative repercussions. Therefore, the need for further investigation into the priorities of psychological intervention with the population with this problem is emphasized.

Neurologic diseases are recognized to have multifactorial origins well beyond mere genetic predisposition. Nutritional burdens have been identified to contribute to neurodegeneration. Healthy diets are becoming increasingly appreciated to potentially play key roles in both the developing and developed world of reducing incidences of neurologic diseases, while unhealthy diets are acknowledged to be contributing to their rise.

Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN) is a major limiting side effect of many common chemotherapeutics often leading patients to terminate their chemotherapy treatment regimen early. The development of CIPN differs by chemotherapeutic class, with platinum- and taxane-based treatments demonstrating the highest incidence rates. Despite its relatively high prevalence, there are currently no FDA-approved treatments for CIPN, and clinicians must rely on the off-label use of several analgesics and various non-pharmacological approaches to treat CIPN symptoms in patients. Novel insights on the development of CIPN have identified new drug targets leading to several Phase II clinical trials to be initiated. Here, we describe recent advances in drug development for CIPN.

Spinal muscular atrophy is an autosomal recessive neuromuscular disorder characterized by progressive muscle weakness and atrophy. It is one of the most common single-gene disorders with an incidence rate of approximately 1 in 10,000 live births. The clinical manifestations are progressive hypotonia and muscle weakness due to the degeneration of alpha neurons in the anterior horn cells of the spinal cord and motor nuclei in the lower brain stem. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, SMA has five subtypes. Supportive measures can be offered for respiratory, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal complications. Carrier testing for all couples is recommended and this can be done by Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA). Prenatal diagnosis can be offered to carrier couples. Therapies must be given within the newborn period for maximum benefit and before the loss of motor neurons. It is achieved by identifying the SMA babies through Newborn screening. Several new FDA-approved drugs can reduce the progression of symptoms in SMA. However, they cannot offer a definite cure. Clinical follow-up and Neurological assessment demonstrate that SMA children can attain developmental milestones after receiving treatment, which is never normally attained in untreated cases. In utero SMA treatment with Zolgensma would enhance the survival rate and favorable neurological outcomes in the future. Base editing and Gene editing with CRISPR-Cas technologies to target the mutations and restore functional and stable SMN protein levels are the future hopes for a permanent cure of SMA.

Oral Cancer (OC) or squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity accounts for approximately 3% of all cancers worldwide, with increased incidence in developing countries. The use of tobacco is directly associated with approximately 80% of oral cancers, especially in older men over 40 years of age. As nearly one-third of the Indian population over 15 years consume smokeless tobacco in one or the other forms, a recent increase has been observed in OC incidence among women and young adults. Lately, the sexual behaviors of young & homosexuals have resulted in the emergence of oropharyngeal cancers due to infection with HPV 16. About 60% of oral cancer cases in India have a five-year survival rate, and this can be improved to 70% to 90% by mere early detection in stages I and II and with various treatment modalities. Despite the well-known benefits of oral cancer screening for the whole population in developing countries remains controversial. It is imperative to address the cultural barriers and societal norms, which limit the acceptability and participation in screening programs in India and many developing countries. This unique challenge of increasing OC morbidity in India and developing countries requires horizontal integration of the health systems with new services focused on cancer control, which gives the best chance for long-term survival, improved outcomes, and affordable care!This article is based on the author’s experience of overseeing 1 case of early detection and 2 cases of delayed diagnosis, outcomes and relevant literature review, and current guidelines for the management of OC.

The burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continues to increase with over one million curable STIs occurring daily worldwide. Sex disparity in the rates of testing for STIs can compromise the efforts to reduce the incidence of STIs. The study aimed to explore the barriers to facility-based screening for STIs among men in Ghana. A qualitative exploratory design was employed in this study. Using a semi-structured interview guide, individual in-depth interviews were conducted among purposively sampled men from November 2019 to January 2020. Data saturation was achieved at the ninth participant. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically through Braun and Clarke’s approach. Four themes emerged from the analyses: (1) lack of privacy from healthcare providers, (2) mistrust of healthcare providers, (3) the burden of handling thoughts of positive status, and (4) fear of stigmatisation. These barriers deterred men from seeking clinic-based screening for STIs. The barriers were multi-factorial and a major hindrance to ensuring that people are aware of their STI status through screening and diagnosis. It is imperative to consider these barriers when designing STI screening interventions and policies to help promote facility-based screening for STIs among men in Ghana.

Background: Maternal splenic cyst during pregnancy appears to be a rare pathology whose treatment is not codified. The most feared complication is rupture during pregnancy. It occurs in 60% of cases in the third trimester of pregnancy, leading to significant maternal-fetal morbidity and mortality. Case report: We describe the successful management of a 24-year-old patient, G1P0, with a history of a recurrent splenic cyst. She presented with a giant splenic cyst measuring 28 cm in diameter at 30 weeks of amenorrhea. A cesarean section was performed at 37 weeks gestation. A splenectomy was performed on day 21 postpartum.Conclusion: The incidence of splenic cysts is extremely rare during pregnancy. The diagnosis must be made as early as possible to undertake appropriate treatment before the appearance of maternal-fetal complications.

Calorie restriction has been shown to slow the aging process in numerous organisms including primates. Caloric excess states, such as type 2 diabetes, are associated with accelerated aging and the incidence and severity of chronic diseases. The nutrient-sensing pathways and intestinal microbiome are important systems that affect aging and chronic disease development. This manuscript reviews the various pathways involved with aging and chronic disease development and examines the pharmacological manipulation of these systems which appear to slow aging and the chronic diseases of aging in experimental model organisms and collaborating human data when available. Finally, the abundance of experimental and human data suggesting the newer diabetic medications, the sodium-glucose transport inhibitors, are potent anti-aging agents is provided.

The article presents data from recent publications and own data on screening studies with interpretation of chest radiographs using artificial intelligence CAD (Computer-Assisted Diagnosis), which, according to WHO recommendations, provides more accurate clinical thresholds for deciding who needs to take a sputum test. Another aspect of the WHO recommendations is the cost-effectiveness of CAD as a tool for triaging patients with tuberculosis symptoms in low-income countries with a high incidence of tuberculosis. Compared with smear microscopy and GeneXpert, without preliminary sorting, the use of mobile digital X-ray machines equipped with a CAD tool reduces costs, allowing sorting of individuals suspected of having tuberculosis for testing on GeneXpert, while reducing the time to start tuberculosis treatment.Thus, conducting a study using portable X-ray machines using a CAD program is a low-cost and easy-to-implement method, does not require large funds, does not require separate rooms, is highly effective, has good image quality, allows you to quickly clarify individuals suspected of having tuberculosis, differentiating it from other pathological changes in the lungs.Our experience shows that machine analysis of chest computed tomography data, due to the higher resolution capabilities of the method and the absence of fundamental disadvantages of radiography, including the effect of shadow summation, the presence of “blind” zones, etc., is finding increasing application in both diagnostics and screening of respiratory diseases. Our use of this tool allowed us to identify additional new cases of phthisio-onco-pulmonary diseases in field conditions.