Most Viewed Articles

Background: Post exposure chemoprophylaxis can prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in risk healthcare workers; however routine adoptions of these practices by the workers have been limited. Objective: To assess knowledge and attitude of health workers on HIV post-exposure prophylaxis and exposure to sharp injuries in Dessie referral hospital. Methods: Across-sectional study was conducted on 422 health care workers of Dessie referral Hospital. The study subjects were selected by proportional allocation of each sample in its respective department/ward. Simple random sampling method was used to select study participants. The data was cleaned coded and analyzed by using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 23. Finally the result was presented by graphs, pie chart and statements. Results: A total of 422 study subjects were participated in the study. Among 422 participants 72.5% had good knowledge of post exposure prophylaxis for HIV and the rest 27.5% had poor knowledge of post exposure prophylaxis for HIV. Among 422 study participants 75.2% had positive attitude towards PEP. 283(67.1%) of them had exposure to sharp injuries. Conclusion: Generally most of health care workers had good knowledge about post exposure prophylaxis against HIV/AIDS. This study had shown that a significant number of individuals had a negative attitude with regard to post exposure prophylaxis. Therefore, formal training that aims to improve attitudes and support to improve PEP implementation and completion are needed. 

Introduction: The annual rhythm of menarche was proposed to be due to climatic annual variations. The discovery that peaks of incidence of menarche were found in the same months in the North and the South Hemispheres made us to think this hypothesis was not correct. Then we proposed that periods of study (stress) and vacation (relaxation, fiesta) were better factors for this rhythm. If this is so, days of fiesta should present more menarches than current days. In the second hypothesis the age at menarche should be modified by the vacation-study rhythm. Thus, I tested two hypotheses: I) This rhythm and the age at menarche are conditioned by climate factors mostly seasonal variations. II) the contrast between expectancy of fiesta (relaxation) and stress is the main factor of the rhythm and the variation on the age at menarche during the year.Method: The monthly incidence and age at menarche were obtained from samples of girls in Santiago (Chile), Medellín (Colombia), Debrecen (Hungary), Chennai (India) with data collected directly in these countries. A sample from Barrinhas (Riberao Preto, Brazil) was taken from literature. The climatic hypothesis was tested knowing the main climatic parameters by the latitude of these cities. The annual study-vacation rhythm was obtained from the academic calendar at any city and from direct information of our colleagues working in these cities. A correlate between the climatic rhythm and the study-vacation rhythm with the incidence or age at menarche complete the refutation or affirmation of the hypotheses. Also, the expected peaks of menarche at significance fiesta-days or the birthday were studied directly form the calendar of holidays or the cultural information given by our colleagues. Results: In the five samples taken individually or together there were clear contradictions with the climatic hypothesis. On the contrary the fiesta-stress hypothesis shows a clear correlation with the monthly incidence and the age at menarche. Days of national, religious fiesta or the birthday showed greatly significant peaks of menarche. Conclusion: Data refute the climatic hypothesis of the annual rhythm of menarche and agree with the fiesta (vacation)-stress (study) hypothesis.

The nurse in Poland may have a secondary level of education (secondary school or post-secondary) or high level (BSc and MSc). She can have a specialization of one the parts of medicine. After the MSc studies she can take the doctor’s degree. But we must take as a fact that with the high level of education and specialization she can be the Court Expert i.e. in nursing anesthesiology, intensive therapy, nursing first aid, palliative medicine as well as in many other cases. As about nursing we should remember that woman and man can practice this specific profession [1].

Calcium phosphates are of great interest in medicine, biology, agriculture and materials sciences. The present study evaluates the effect of calcium phosphates nanoparticles on biochemical changes in rice. Nanoparticles increased the growth rate and affect the physiology of the plant. Calcium phosphate nanoparticles may help in the formulation of new nano growth promoter and nano-fertilizers for agricultural use. Therefore, it could potentially help in reduction of the quantity of fertilizer applied to crops and contributing to precision farming as it reduces fertilizer wastage and in turn environmental pollution due to agricultural malpractices. However, detail physiological and molecular understanding of its impact on rice crop plant is needed in future to validate its prospective application in agriculture.

Background and objectives: Periodontal disease, as an inflammatory pathology, induces hemodynamic changes that can be evaluated by different unbiased methods such as laser Doppler flowmetry. This clinical investigation assesses laser Doppler as a non-invasive procedure to monitor gingival vascularization and its potential relationship with the response to treatment of periodontal disease.Materials & methods: 45 sites of white Spanish patients with active periodontitis undertake a complete periodontal analysis. This included periodontal pathogens identification along with the monitoring of the gingival margin microvascularization using a Doppler laser at the points exhibiting the most periodontal damage. All assessments were performed before and after periodontal combined treatment PCT (scaling, root planing, and antibiotic therapy prescription) (n = 45 sites).Results: Parameters of periodontal disease showed a positive correlation with pathogen levels. Blood flow readings decreased significantly after PCT (p < 0,05), although this parameter was not statistically correlated with periodontal nor microbial assessments in a significant range.Conclusion: Laser Doppler is a complementary method of monitoring periodontal inflammation to traditional techniques of clinical periodontal evaluation. Further studies are necessary to determine its usefulness as a predictive method of periodontal disease evolution.

Objectives: To check if there is any significant difference in the immediate outcome of pregnancy with diabetes using the new values of FBS & 2hrs post prandial with 75g OGTT for 1 year (from 1st June 2013-31st May 2014) in comparison to the previous data done in the same institute with other values and with international figures. The data in our study included fetal, maternal morbidities, intra partum and postnatal outcomes, in order to help, if possible, on deciding the best values to use for screening for gestational diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, to know the new percentages of gestational diabetes mellitus in SFH by utilizing the new values of Blood Sugar readings. Design: Retrospective cohort study Setting: Security Forces Hospital-Riyadh-Saudi Arabia Patients: Done (from 1st June 2013 – 31st May 2014), on patients who had attended Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This chosen year’s data was compared with data collected in the three previous years using different figures. Main Outcome measured: Average age of mother, maternal aspects of parity, history of GDM, number of abortions``````````````````````````````, estimated blood loss in labor, associated medical disorder, complications of previous pregnancies, methods of control of GDM, gestational age for IOL and associated intrapartum complications. Immediate neonatal outcome in cases of GDM, comparison of birth weights of babies & any specific congenital abnormalities and delayed causes of admission to NICU in the 4 years studied were also reviewed. Results: The percentage of diagnosed cases of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) after screening was 24 % as compared with 14.5% in previous study of 2003-2004 & with the number of screened patients amounting to 93% out of the total number of deliveries between 2013-2014 (in both years universal method of screening was used). The multidisciplinary set up of our GDM specialized clinic which was composed of dieticians, diabetic educators, endocrinologists and obstetric physicians operating together, helped to reduced the use of insulin in combination with diet to only 24% in comparison to 76% of patient using diet and exercise alone. The study showed a mean age of 33years and weight of 77kg. It was also noted that 16% of the patients diagnosed with GDM were multiparous averaging 1-5 deliveries. Almost 62% of patient didn’t give any history of GDM and no history of previous medical diseases. The majority of the patient with GDM delivered without complications during labor, with 30% having vaginal lacerations & 73% of patient had an estimated blood loss of less than 500cc. NICU admissions secondary to hyperbilirubinaemia averaged almost 17% in comparison to previous studies and only one baby expired in a GDM patient. Our study revealed a good fetal and maternal out come with less delivery complications and less incidence of postpartum hemorrhage (5.7%). Conclusion: It is concluded that Universal Screening of Pregnant women whether with previously used glucose value or new ones for gestational diabetes mellitus is a better option, which has proven to improve both maternal and fetal outcomes. The 75 OGTT test is a cost effective test and with both easy accessibility and good screening pick up number (92.5%) of the patients in Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh. Recommendation: We recommend annual follow up for patients, both the mother and the baby after postpartum, to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

Background: Measurable residual disease (MRD) status before allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is commonly associated with a high risk of relapse. It is still uncertain whether AHSCT could overcome the negative impact of MRD positivity (MRD+), especially in patients with high-risk Philadelphia negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-negative ALL). Materials and methods: An observational retrospective study was conducted on patients with high-risk Ph-negative ALL who underwent AHSCT between January 2005 and June 2022. The patients selected were in complete remission (CR): with 80% in CR1 (n = 69) and 20% in CR2 (n = 17). Graft sources were bone marrow (BM) in 71% of patients and peripheral blood stem cells in 29% of patients. The conditioning regimen was TBI or chemotherapy-based (CT). Bone marrow MRD level was quantified using 4-6 color multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC). The threshold for MRD positivity was ≥ 0.1%. Results: The study included 86 patients (45 B-ALL and 41 T-ALL) with a median age of 18 years (range, 4–55 years). The median level of MRD pre-AHSCT (pre-MRD) was 0.4×10-3 (range, 0.01-75.6×10-3). After a median follow-up of 25 months (range 1-205 months), the cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) was significantly higher in the MRD+ group (39% vs. 20%, p = 0.04). The median time of relapse post-AHSCT was 14 months (range, 1-203 months) in the MRD+ group and 32 months (range, 4-209 months) in the MRD- group (p = 0.28). Non-relapse mortality (NRM) was 15% in both groups (p = 0.97). The 2-year estimated overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were 61% vs. 74% (p = 0.07) and 58% vs. 70% (p = 0.10) in the MRD+ and MRD- groups, respectively. A subgroup analysis in MRD+ patients showed that a TBI-based conditioning regimen was distinctly associated with lower CIR (22% vs. 60% respectively, p = 0.04), improved OS (82% vs. 36% respectively, p = 0.007) and better EFS (73% vs. 38%, p = 0.04) compared to CT-based. In a multivariate analysis, pre-AHSCT MRD+ status and non-TBI-based conditioning were significantly associated with inferior OS (OR, 2.30; 95% CI, [1.027-5.168], p = 0.04 and OR, 3.91; 95% CI, [1.624-9.418], p = 0.002, respectively). The only predicting factor of lower EFS was the non-TBI-based regimen (OR, 2.82; 95% CI, [1.308-6.097], p = 0.008). Non-TBI-based and CR2 were significantly associated with higher CIR (OR, 6.25; 95% CI, [1.947-20.055], p = 0.002 and OR, 4.74; 95% CI, [1.197-18.791], p = 0.03, respectively). Peripheral stem cell source was significantly associated with higher NRM (OR, 6.55; 95% CI, [1.488-28.820], p = 0.01). Conclusion: High-risk Ph-negative ALL patients with MRD ≥ 10-3 prior AHSCT had lower OS compared to MRD- patients and may benefit from TBI as a conditioning regimen before AHSCT.

An inverted papilloma of the urinary tract is a rare benign lesion. A 35-year-old male presented gross hematuria. Cystoscopy showed one, papillary tumor at the bladder trigone. Transurethral resection was done, and histological examination has concluded in the diagnosis of inverted papilloma. Following resection, the patient was asymptomatic with no hematuria and no recurrence after a five-year cystoscopy control. We report a case of bladder Inverted papilloma and we aim to remind the clinical, histological, and therapeutic features of this rare tumor.

When grouping children with psoriasis depending on TaqI (T/C) genotypes of the VDR gene, the youngest age of disease onset and the longest duration of dermatitis (5.60 ± 0.77 years and 4.90 ± 0.68 years, respectively) showed up in case of the CC genotype. In case of the TT genotype, disease onset coincided with an older age, and the history of present illness was the shortest (10.26 ± 0.64 years and 2.59 ± 0.58 years, respectively). PASI (20.32 ± 3.43) and BSA (40.00 ± 6.11) severity indices were the highest and of statistically significant difference to those in other groups in the presence of the CC genotype. In case of the TC genotype, the index PGA (2.80 ± 0.15) was the lowest and made a statistically significant difference to the values of other groups. A negative correlation between vitamin D levels and the PASI, PGA, BSA was identified in children holding CC and TC genotypes. Conclusion: The clinical presentation of dermatitis and its epidemiological features in children with psoriasis, namely the age of disease onset, duration of exacerbation, body surface area and the intensity of psoriasis symptoms depend on vitamin D serum levels and genotypes of the TaqI polymorphic variant of the VDR gene.

The lockdown, implemented in response to the COVID-19 epidemic, restricted the operation of various sectors in the country and its highlights a good environmental outcome. Thus, a comparison of air pollutants in India before and after the imposed lockdown indicated an overall improvement air quality across major Indian cities. This was established by utilizing the Central Pollution Control Board’s database of air quality monitoring station statistics, such as air quality patterns. During the COVID-19 epidemic, India’s pre-to-post nationwide lockdown was examined. The air quality data was collected from 30-12-2019 to 28-04-2020 and synthesized using 231 Automatic air quality monitoring stations in a major Indian metropolis. Specifically, air pollutant concentrations, temperature, and relative humidity variation during COVID-19 pandemic pre-to-post lockdown variation in India were monitored. As an outcome, several cities around the country have reported improved air quality. Generally, the air quality, on a categorical scale was found to be ‘Good’. However, a few cities from the North-eastern part of India were categorized as ‘Moderate/Satisfactory’. Overall, the particulate matters reduction was in around 60% and other gaseous pollutants was in 40% reduction was observed during the lockdown period. The results of this study include an analysis of air quality data derived from continuous air quality monitoring stations from the pre-lockdown to post-lockdown period. Air quality in India improved following the national lockdown, the interpretation of trends for PM 2.5, PM 10, SO2, NO2, and the Air Quality Index has been provided in studies for major cities across India, including Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Patna, and others.