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Given improvements in neonatal care and the increased survival rates of infants born pre-term, Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) is now the leading cause of visual impairment (VI) in the developed world. In this study, Step VEPS, transient VEPS and Vernier Sweep VEPs all demonstrated unbiased relationships with Preferential looking (PL) cards over the whole range of Visual Acuity (VA) in children with CVI, allowing equations for clinical use to be derived. The results also suggested that a slower, vernier steady-state stimulus of 80% contrast and presented with the Step VEP algorithm could further improve VA agreement with PL and optimise developmental sensitivity. An eye tracking device has proved very useful in the clinical assessment of this cohort. It is also now known that children can have good VA and CVI, and that sweep VEPS can highlight higher processing deficits. As well as negative findings, compensatory neuroplasticity is thought to occur during maturation and it is now realistic to study this mechanism, and other age-related changes across VI with functional tests and neuroimaging (including VEPS). A cross-sectional study of adults would highlight CVI’s ultimate functional limitations.

The problem of the alcohol misuse in Russia is well known; but there is a tendency to exaggerate it, which seems to be used to disguise shortages of the healthcare and public assistance. In this way, responsibility for the relatively low life expectancy is shifted onto the patients, who are supposed to drink excessively. In parallel, there is a tendency to exaggerate successes of the anti-alcohol campaign (1985-1989) and to trivialize the harm caused by the campaign e.g. mass consumption of surrogates [1]. The bias can be illustrated with the example of papers by Yuri Razvodovsky [2-5]. Yuri asked me per e-mail to write a “friendly” letter to the Editor referring to his article. An excerpt from the correspondence is presented here as documentary evidence (Figure 1). In reply, I cited the phrase: “The official statistical data do not support the claims that the… аnti-alcohol campaign contributed to the dramatic growth in fatal poisonings by non-beverage alcohol surrogates” [4] and commented that I witnessed mass poisonings with window cleaner in 1988. Considering the large scale of the window cleaner sales, it was knowingly tolerated by authorities. Poisonings with methanol and organochlorides (used e.g. in dry cleaning) were known to occur as well. Yuri replied that “there are two realities: one, which we both witnessed, and another-official statistics” (Figure 1). Obviously, Razvodovsky should have discussed in his articles the “realities we both witnessed”, i.e. common knowledge and observations, otherwise his papers are misleading. 

When a stock price rises or has a better P/E ratio, this is generally considered a measure of success. Is this true for health insurance stocks? Stock holders certainly are happy, but what about the purchasers of the carriers’ policies? Are patients smiling when the stock price goes up? 

The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is a highly transmittable and pathogenic viral infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which emerged in Wuhan, China and spread around the world (WHO, 2020). The genome of the SARS-CoV-2 has been reported over 80% identical to the previous human coronavirus (SARS-like bat CoV) [1]. As of May 2020, more than 5 million people have been affected worldwide with deaths amounting to 333000, the numbers increasing at an alarming rate day by day.

Background: There is a huge gap in the U.S. health care system when it comes to the prevention of substance abuse and addiction, specifically involving adolescents. It has been determined through literature review that parents in Utah are not informed about/knowledgeable of/aware of the current usage of alcohol/drugs in the adolescent population in this area or the inherent risks involved with consumption/use/misuse/abuse/addiction. Aim: The overarching aim of the doctoral project was to prevent Utah County middle school students from harmful alcohol and drug consumption by involving parents in prevention efforts. The prevention goals of this project included: increased parental knowledge of the brain disease of addiction, warning signs of adolescent drug use, what to do if their child is already using, and increased parental self-efficacy on communicating with teens on this subject. Design: For parents to be productively involved, barriers were broken down through education. The DNP student completed a 15-minute presentation at five separate parent meetings that took place annually during middle school registration at Lehi Jr High. Population: The education was for parents, foster parents, guardians, etc. of first-year middle school students only; an estimated 420 participants were in attendance. Data collection and analysis: A pre-and post- combined self-efficacy and knowledge test was given to the attendees. Data was gathered from 117 appropriately completed tests and analyzed using a paired t-test. The results were studied to evaluate effectiveness of the program relating to parental self-efficacy and knowledge. Findings: The presentation ultimately increased parental self-efficacy and knowledge (p-value <0.01) which in turn increases protective factors and decreases risk factors associated with adolescent substance abuse. Conclusions: The DNP project was successful, and the results assisted in the refinement of the presentation for sharing on a mass level to all Jr. High schools in Utah County, Utah.

The nemesis: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: Leaving in its wake millions of infections, accompanied by an immense magnitude of morbidity and multitude of mortality, and an unfathomable economic toll, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global calamity. An effective and safe COVID-19 vaccine is urgently needed to prevent the disease, thwart the complications and avert deaths resulting from unrestrained transmission of the infection. The hubris: Vaccine development: While most of the platforms of vaccine candidates have focused on the spike (S) protein and its variants as the primary antigen of COVID-19 infection, various techniques involved include nucleic acid technologies (RNA and DNA), non-replicating viral vectors, peptides, recombinant proteins, live attenuated and inactivated viruses. There are novel vaccine technologies being developed using next-generation strategies for precision and flexibility for antigen manipulation relating to SARS-CoV-2 infection mechanisms. The elpis: Updates and prospects: There were nine different technology platforms under research and development to create an effective vaccine against COVID 19. Although there are no licensed vaccines against COVID-19 yet, there are various potential vaccine candidates under development and advanced clinical trials. Out of them, one having undergone phase III clinical trials, has become available in some countries for use among the high-risk groups following emergency use authorization. Other COVID-19 vaccines may soon follow the suit. Conclusion: Hopes and concerns: The hope of benefiting from the vaccine to the extent that it may be the only way to tide over and control the COVID-19 pandemic, is accompanied by the likely fear of adverse effects and opposition in public for COVID-19 vaccination, including the vaccine hesitancy. Further, there is concern among scientific circles that vaccine may have opposite of the desired effect by causing antibody-dependent disease enhancement.

Fifty years of Washington’s fixes for healthcare have brought us to the brink: insurance is unaffordable and care is unavailable, certainly not in time. The way to make healthcare work for We the Patients (all Americans) is to take healthcare authority away from third-parties – government and insurance – and restore the direct doctor-patient connection with no bureaucrat in between. The cure for patient Healthcare is StatesCare combined with market-based medicine. Financial models confirm this approach will make care both affordable and accessible in a timely manner. 

Background: Premarital sexual practice significantly attributes for increase adolescent’s risk of unintended pregnancy, early marriage, abortion and STIs. In Ethiopia adolescents were intended to engage at early initiation to sexual intercourse without having proper protection has been one of the concerns. Study aimed to assess the prevalence of premarital sexual practice and associated factors among high school students. Method: A facilities based study design was employed. Data were collected from 291 randomly selected Negade and Finca Bamo high school students using structured questionnaire from June 1-30, 2018. Bi-variate logistic regression used to identify variables that crudely associated and variables with p - value < = 0.05 fitted to multiple logistic regression. Odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was estimated using multivariable logistic regression to identify independent predictors of premarital sex. Result: Among high school students, 31.2% reported had experienced premarital sexual practices. This shows that premarital sexual practices among high school adolescent’s students were high. Drinking alcohol [AOR = 4.06, 95%CI, (2.06 - 7.99)]. Watching pornographic video [AOR: 2.78, 95%CI, (1.45 - 5.3)] and educational status of mothers [AOR: 0.33; 95% CI (0.13, -0.84)] were significantly associated factors. Conclusion: Drinking alcohol, watching pornography and mother education were predominantly significantly associated. Therefore, an integrated effort needs to be highlighted to deter the health behavioral problems of school adolescents at the early stages. 

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].

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.