Retinoblastoma in South Asia: A Scoping Review

Introduction: Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh and the Philippines are listed as among the six Asian countries which will be the sources of 43% or almost 4000 new cases of the estimated world’s retinoblastoma cases in 2023. Materials and Methods: Scoping review of literatures using the databases of Pubmed, EMBASE, Scopus, Science Direct, Google scholar and Web of Science databases as well as local and regional databases on clinical features, treatment and outcomes of retinoblastoma patients from Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh and the Philippines was done. A descriptive analysis using the 2017 retinoblastoma database of the Global Retinoblastoma Study Group (GRSG) was added to supplement data for Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines. Results: A total of 17 articles were included in this review. There were 696 retinoblastoma patients involving at least 859 eyes seen in Pakistan from 1997 to 2018 and included in the 7 articles reviewed. There were 617 retinoblastoma patients involving at least 677 eyes seen in Indonesia from 2003 to 2018 and included in the 8 articles reviewed and the GRSG’s database. There were 161 retinoblastoma patients involving 221 eyes identified in the descriptive analysis of the GRSG’s database for Bangladesh. And there were 226 retinoblastoma patients involving 297 eyes seen in the Philippines from 1998-2020 from the 2 articles from the Philippines and the GRSG’s database. Discussion: Lack of awareness on the disease, distant centers, expensive service and cultural unacceptability of treatment were the commonly cited reasons for late consult. However, non-standardized and poor clinical reporting and monitoring, and non-standardized treatment protocols were also contributory to the low survival rates. The current management outcomes of retinoblastoma from the four countries are alarmingly below par with developed countries, India and China. Conclusion: Although advances had been made in the management of retinoblastoma, delay in consultation which often leads to advanced disease was still common. This contributes to low survival rates in the four countries.

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Bezpośrednie inwestycje zagraniczne w Polsce: stan obecny i perspektywy rozwoju

Rocznik Instytutu Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej ◽

10.36874/riesw.2019.1.11 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 245-263

Author(s):

Andrzej Cieślik

Keyword(s):

Multinational Enterprises ◽

Foreign Capital ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Multinational Enterprise ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Transport Costs ◽

Eu Member States ◽

Before And After ◽

National Economies ◽

Made In

In the process of globalization of national economies, multinational enterprises are now playing an increasingly important role. Along with the growth of the importance of these enterprises, the structure of foreign directinvestment (FDI) is also evolving. So far, the majority of FDI was located in highly developed countries, and these investments were made in human capital intensive industries, the majority of which belonged to the services sector. In recent decades, there has been an increase in FDI inflows to developing and transforming countries. It is related to the liberalization and internationalization of their economies, as well as a significant decrease in transport costs and the costs of doing business across national borders. Over the last three decades, Poland also recorded a significant inflow of FDI, becoming one of important recipients of foreign capital among the new EU Member States (EU). The main purpose of this article is to analyze the last three decades of development of companies with foreign capital in Poland. This paper presents a descriptive analysis of FDI trends in Poland, including the number and size of companies with foreign capital, the source of this capital according to the investor’s country of origin, as well as the sectoral and industry structure of FDI in Poland. The results of this analysis allow, among other things, to identify key regularities related to the FDI made in Poland before and after the EU accession, as well as their reference to new theories of a multinational enterprise.

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Migrations and the Settlement of Mindanao

The Journal of Asian Studies ◽

10.2307/2051042 ◽

1965 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 83-103 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Frederick L. Wernstedt ◽

Paul D. Simkins

Keyword(s):

Population Growth ◽

Developed Countries ◽

The Philippines ◽

Natural Increase ◽

Asian Countries ◽

Eastern Asia ◽

Economic Progress ◽

Present Rate ◽

Near Future ◽

Land Pressure

One of the more serious obstacles to economic progress and human betterment in many of the less developed countries is the dense settlement of the present cultivated land, coupled with a rapidly increasing population. In much of southern and eastern Asia where most of the good land has been occupied by relatively dense agricultural populations for centuries and where rapidly declining mortality has sharply increased the rate of population growth, heavy land pressure is both chronic and acute. A rapidly increasing population is particularly characteristic of the Philippines where crude birth rates have remained more or less stable at about 50 per thousand since 1900 and where death rates have dropped progressively and are now about 20 per thousand. The present rate of natural increase, approximately three per cent per year, is not only higher than in most Asian countries, but is also higher than in most countries of the world. If this rate of population growth continues unabated, and the evidence suggests that it is more likely to accelerate rather than diminish in the near future, the population of the Philippines will double well before the end of the present century.

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Smoking cessation interventions in South Asian countries: protocol for scoping review

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-038818 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. e038818

Author(s):

Sajid Iqbal ◽

Rubina Barolia ◽

Laila Ladak ◽

Pammla Petrucka

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

South Asian ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Reference Lists ◽

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Asian Countries ◽

Theses And Dissertations

IntroductionUnfortunately, like many other health risks, smoking rate has been on the rise in developing countries. Half of current smokers in the world reside in only three countries of Asia that include India. Many smoking cessation interventions that were developed and successfully implemented in the context of developed countries have not been equally successful in South Asia. Hence, there is a dire need of culturally relevant smoking cessation interventions. We propose a scoping review with objectives to explore the extent and nature of interventions for smoking cessation and its associated factors in South Asian Region by systematically reviewing the available published and unpublished literature.Methods and analysisThe review has been registered in Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) systematic reviews register and details are given in the Methodology section. The updated framework of JBI for scoping review methodology will be used as guide for conduct of this scoping review. Electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL plus, Proquest Theses and Dissertations, EBSCO Dentistry and Oral Sciences, and Wiley Cochrane Library), reference lists of selected studies and grey literature will be considered for inclusion in this review. The literature search is anticipated to be carried out in December–January 2020. Initially, two reviewers in consultation with a librarian will develop search syntax followed by search from the selected sources. Consequently, the reviewers will screen all the titles, abstracts and full articles to establish relevance of each study for inclusion. Factors associated with smoking cessation will be coded and categorised applying qualitative content analysis, while interventions extracted from the literature will be described with the stated level of effectiveness.

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Development of mNavigator: Digital Health Application to Facilitate Compliance With Standardized Pediatric Cancer Treatment Protocols in Tanzania

JCO Global Oncology ◽

10.1200/go.20.39000 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 44-44

Author(s):

Kristin Schroeder ◽

Yadurshini Raveendran ◽

Kunal Goel ◽

Christina Makarushka ◽

Mwitasrobert Gisiri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Case Management ◽

Cancer Treatment ◽

Pediatric Cancer ◽

Digital Health ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Health Provider ◽

Treatment Protocols ◽

Middle Income ◽

Standardized Treatment ◽

Cancer Treatment Protocols

PURPOSE Use of standardized treatment protocols has been demonstrated to improve outcomes for pediatric patients with cancer. Yet it is challenging to implement standardized treatment protocols in low- and middle-income countries as a result of infrastructure and resource constraints, as well as poor health provider compliance with treatment protocols. At Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) in Tanzania, health provider compliance with standardized paper-based treatment protocols is low at 22%. One-year overall survival rates among pediatric patients with cancer at BMC are 40% and almost one third of patients abandon treatment. We posit that improving protocol compliance in this setting may decrease treatment abandonment and improve survival rates. Use of digital case management systems has been shown to improve compliance with treatment protocols because of the ability to incorporate such features as decision-support algorithms, prompts and alerts, and checklists. The digital health application mNavigator was designed to facilitate health provider compliance with standardized pediatric cancer treatment protocols in Tanzania. METHODS mNavigator was developed by adapting an open-source digital case management platform called CommCare. The three stages of mNavigator development were as follows: workflow mapping and form development; form programming in CommCare; and quality assurance using mock and deidentified patient records to identify errors in information flow or outputs, assess preliminary usability, and determine areas for improvement. Standardized treatment protocols for Burkitt lymphoma and retinoblastoma were initially incorporated into mNavigator. The mNavigator prototype underwent usability testing at BMC before implementation in routine clinical practice. RESULTS Preliminary system usability, acceptance, and satisfaction evaluation demonstrated high usability response scores (> 80%). Perceived benefits of the mNavigator system included a user-friendly interface, improved record keeping, and assistance with patient tracking using standardized treatment protocols. Suggestions for improvement centered on the incorporation of other standardized treatment protocols (eg, Wilms tumor), improving interoperability with existing electronic recordkeeping systems, and making similar systems available for other clinical departments. CONCLUSION To our knowledge, mNavigator is the first digital health case management system specifically developed to improve health provider compliance with pediatric cancer treatment protocols in a low-resource setting. With high usability and acceptability, mNavigator has been implemented in routine clinical practice. Implementation and patient outcomes evaluations are ongoing and will inform the scale-up for use in other low- and middle-income countries.

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Prevalence and geographic distribution of haemophilia in Costa Rica

Hämostaseologie ◽

10.1055/s-0037-1619065 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 30 (S 01) ◽

pp. S28-S31 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J. Arroyo ◽

L. Salazar-Sánchez ◽

G. Jiménez-Cruz ◽

P. Chaverri ◽

E. Arrieta-Bolaños ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Coagulation Factors ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Health Centers ◽

Distribution Analysis ◽

Distribution Maps ◽

Immunodeficiency Virus ◽

The Many ◽

Low Prevalence

SummaryHaemophilia is the most frequent hereditary haemorrhagic illness and it is due to the deficiency of coagulation factors VIII (haemophilia A, HA) or IX (haemophilia B, HB).The prevalence of this disease varies according to the country, those having better survival rates having also higher prevalences. Specifically in Costa Rica, there are around 130 HA and 30 HB families. This study reports the prevalence and a spatial distribution analysis of both types of the disease in this country. The prevalence of haemophilia in this country is 7 cases per 100 000 men, for HA it is 6 cases per 100 000 and for HB it is 1 case per 100 000 male inhabitants. The prevalence of this disease is low when compared with other populations. This low prevalence could be due to the many patients that have died because of infection with human immunodeficiency virus during the 1980s. The prevalence of haemophilia in Costa Rica is almost one half of that present in developed countries. Nevertheless, the ratio between HA and HB follows world tendency: 5 : 1. In this study, nationwide geographical distribution maps were drawn in order to visualize the origin of severe cases and how this influences the pattern of distribution for both types of haemophilia. By means of these maps, it was possible to state that there is no association between the sites of maximum prevalence of mutated alleles and ethnicity. With this study, haemophilia prevalence distribution maps can be used to improve efforts for the establishment of hemophilia clinics or specialized health centers in those areas which hold the highest prevalences in this country. Also, this knowledge can be applied to improve treatment skills and offer the possibility of developing focused genetic counseling for these populations.

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Primary Peritoneal Serous Psammocarcinoma: a Case Report

Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases ◽

10.15403/jgld.2014.1121.242.pert ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 253-256 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Răzvan Dan Togănel ◽

Ioan Şimon ◽

Adriana Zolog ◽

Răzvan Simescu ◽

Angela Cozma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adjuvant Chemotherapy ◽

Posterior Wall ◽

Ca 125 ◽

Low Grade ◽

Abdominal Girth ◽

Treatment Protocols ◽

Standardized Treatment ◽

Pelvic Peritonectomy ◽

Optimal Debulking ◽

Douglas Pouch

Background: Psammocarcinomas (PCas) are rare epithelial tumors, usually originating in the ovaries or the peritoneum. These tumors are morphologically characterized by extensive psammomatous calcifications, invasiveness and low-grade cytological features.Case report: We present the case of a 54-year-old woman who was referred to our department with an umbilical tumor and increasing abdominal girth. The patient had had an umbilical hernia for more than 20 years. The CA 125 level was normal. The CT scan showed small peritoneal nodules at the level of the Douglas pouch, including the posterior wall of the uterus, and the entire colon, as well as large nodules located on the caecum and the sigmoid colon. We performed partial enterectomy, total colectomy with ileo-rectal anastomosis, omentectomy, total histerectomy and bilateral adnexectomy, pelvic peritonectomy of the Douglas pouch. Pathology findings were consistent with F.I.G.O. stage IIIC peritoneal PCa. The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy with Taxol and Carboplatin. To date, twelve months after surgery, the follow-up shows no evidence of disease.Conclusion: Standardized treatment protocols are hindered by the rarity of the PCas. However, literature concludes that optimal debulking is mandatory, whereas the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy remains to be elucidated.

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Nano Drug Delivery in Treatment of Oral Cancer, A Review of the Literature

Current Drug Targets ◽

10.2174/1389450120666190319125734 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (10) ◽

pp. 1008-1017 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Vandita Kakkar ◽

Manoj Kumar Verma ◽

Komal Saini ◽

Indu Pal Kaur

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Oral Cancer ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Oral Submucous Fibrosis ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Cancer Therapeutics ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Current Treatment ◽

Poor Overall Survival ◽

Hereditary Disorders

Oral Cancer (OC) is a serious and growing problem which constitutes a huge burden on people in more and less economically developed countries alike. The scenario is clearly depicted from the increase in the expected number of new cases in the US diagnosed with OC from 49,670 people in 2016, to 49,750 cases in 2017. The situation is even more alarming in India, with 75,000 to 80,000 new cases being reported every year, thus making it the OC capital of the world. Leukoplakia, erythroplakia, oral lichen planus, oral submucous fibrosis, discoid lupus erythmatosus, hereditary disorders such as dyskeratosis congenital and epidermolisys bullosa are highlighted by WHO expert working group as the predisposing factors increasing the risk of OC. Consumption of tobacco and alcohol, genetic factors, and human papilloma virus are assigned as the factors contributing to the aetiology of OC. On the other hand, pathogenesis of OC involves not only apoptosis but also pain, inflammation and oxidative stress. Inspite of current treatment options (surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy), OC is often associated with recurrence and formation of secondary primary tumours resulting in poor overall survival rates (∼50%). The intervention of nano technology-based drug delivery systems as therapeutics for cancers is often viewed as a cutting edge for technologists. Though ample literature on the usefulness of nano-coutured cancer therapeutics, rarely any product is in pipeline. Yet, despite all the hype about nanotechnology, there are few ongoing trials. This review discusses the current and future trends of nano-based drug delivery for the treatment of OC.

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Establishing a Working Definition of User Experience for eHealth Interventions: A Scoping Review of Self-Reported User Experience Measures and Delphi Consultation with eHealth Researchers and Adolescents (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.25012 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Amanda S Newton ◽

Sonja March ◽

Nicole D Gehring ◽

Arlen K Rowe ◽

Ashley D Radomski

Keyword(s):

User Experience ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Intervention Development ◽

Health Condition ◽

Working Definition ◽

Perceived Impact ◽

Behavioural Factors ◽

Definition Of ◽

Ehealth Intervention

BACKGROUND Across eHealth intervention studies involving children, adolescents, and their parents, researchers have measured users’ experiences to assist with intervention development, refinement, and evaluation. To date, there are no widely agreed-on definitions or measures of ‘user experience’ to support a standardized approach for evaluation and comparison within or across interventions. OBJECTIVE We conducted a scoping review with subsequent Delphi consultation to (1) identify how user experience is defined and measured in eHealth research studies, (2) characterize the measurement tools used, and (3) establish working definitions for domains of user experience that could be used in future eHealth evaluations. METHODS We systematically searched electronic databases for published and gray literature available from January 1, 2005 to April 11, 2019. Studies assessing an eHealth intervention that targeted any health condition and was designed for use by children, adolescents, and their parents were eligible for inclusion. eHealth interventions needed to be web-, computer-, or mobile-based, mediated by the internet with some degree of interactivity. Studies were also required to report the measurement of ‘user experience’ as first-person experiences, involving cognitive and behavioural factors, reported by intervention users. Two reviewers independently screened studies for relevance and appraised the quality of user experience measures using published criteria: ‘well-established’, ‘approaching well-established’, ‘promising’, or ‘not yet established’. We conducted a descriptive analysis of how user experience was defined and measured in each study. Review findings subsequently informed the survey questions used in the Delphi consultations with eHealth researchers and adolescent users for how user experience should be defined and measured. RESULTS Of the 8,634 articles screened for eligibility, 129 and one erratum were included in the review. Thirty eHealth researchers and 27 adolescents participated in the Delphi consultations. Based on the literature and consultations, we proposed working definitions for six main user experience domains: acceptability, satisfaction, credibility, usability, user-reported adherence, and perceived impact. While most studies incorporated a study-specific measure, we identified ten well-established measures to quantify five of the six domains of user experience (all except for self-reported adherence). Our adolescent and researcher participants ranked perceived impact as one of the most important domains of user experience and usability as one of the least important domains. Rankings between adolescents and researchers diverged for other domains. CONCLUSIONS Findings highlight the various ways user experience has been defined and measured across studies and what aspects are most valued by researchers and adolescent users. We propose incorporating the working definitions and available measures of user experience to support consistent evaluation and reporting of outcomes across studies. Future studies can refine the definitions and measurement of user experience, explore how user experience relates to other eHealth outcomes, and inform the design and use of human-centred eHealth interventions.

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Strategies for reducing out of pocket payments in the health system: a scoping review

Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation ◽

10.1186/s12962-021-00301-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Faride Sadat Jalali ◽

Parisa Bikineh ◽

Sajad Delavari

Keyword(s):

Health System ◽

Health Systems ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Health Financing ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

System A ◽

Out Of Pocket Payments ◽

Review Study ◽

Developing And Developed Countries

Abstract Background Direct out-of-pocket payments (OOP) are among the most important financing mechanisms in many health systems, especially in developing countries, adversely affecting equality and leading vulnerable groups to poverty. Therefore, this scoping review study was conducted to identify the strategies involving OOP reduction in health systems. Methods Articles published in English on strategies related to out-of-pocket payments were Searched and retrieved in the Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Embase databases between January 2000 and November 2020, following PRISMA guidelines. As a result, 3710 papers were retrieved initially, and 40 were selected for full-text assessment. Results Out of 40 papers included, 22 (55%) and 18 (45%) of the study were conducted in developing and developed countries, respectively. The strategies were divided into four categories based on health system functions: health system stewardship, creating resources, health financing mechanisms, and delivering health services.As well, developing and developed countries applied different types of strategies to reduce OOP. Conclusion The present review identified some strategies that affect the OOP payments According to the health system functions framework. Considering the importance of stewardship, creating resources, the health financing mechanisms, and delivering health services in reducing OOP, this study could help policymakers make better decisions for reducing OOP expenditures.

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LINC-42. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL OVERVIEW OF CHILDHOOD CNS TUMORS IN THE NEUROSURGICAL UNIT IN YEREVAN, ARMENIA

Neuro-Oncology ◽

10.1093/neuonc/noaa222.475 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (Supplement_3) ◽

pp. iii386-iii386

Author(s):

Nune Karapetyan ◽

Samvel Danielyan ◽

Gevorg Tamamyan ◽

Armen Tananyan ◽

Liana Safaryan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Center ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Cns Tumors ◽

Malignant Neoplasms ◽

Low Grade ◽

Embryonal Tumors ◽

Low Grade Gliomas ◽

Neurosurgical Treatment

Abstract BACKGROUND Central nervous system (CNS) tumors are the second most common malignant neoplasms among children worldwide. The current paper aims to analyze the situation in pediatric neuro-oncology in Armenia from the neurosurgical perspective. METHODS We have collected data of pediatric patients with CNS tumors treated in the Neurosurgery department of “Surb Astvasamayr” Medical Center from 01.01.2010 till 01.12.2019. Incidence by gender, age at diagnosis, and histopathology results were calculated. Survival rates were calculated based on the follow-up results performed until 30.12.2019. RESULTS Hospital-based data showed that during the previous 10 years 47 patients with CNS tumors received neurosurgical treatment in the unit, among them 66% were females. 38.3%, 31.9% and 29.8% of diagnosed patients were aged 0–4, 5–9, and 10–18 respectively. In 41 cases, the disease was not disseminated at diagnosis. The most common observed malignancies were low-grade gliomas (21.3%) and embryonal tumors (19.1%), followed by high-grade gliomas (14.9%) and ependymal tumors (8.5%). Follow-up information only for 33 patients is available. From them, 14 are dead and 19 alive. Survival rates in most common groups were 62.5%, 80%, 50%, and 50% respectively. The median follow-up time was 18 months (range 1–113 months). CONCLUSION Similar to the data reported in the literature, low-grade gliomas, and embryonal tumors are the most frequent pediatric CNS tumors in Armenia. On the other hand, the pediatric CNS tumor survival rates are lower compared to those reported in developed countries.

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