scholarly journals Understanding vernal keratoconjunctivitis in children

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hlupheka L. Sithole
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Inflammatory Cells ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Comprehensive Management ◽  
Causative Factors ◽  
History Of ◽  
Management Challenge

Background: Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a public health problem that mostly affects children in warm subtropical climates. Unfortunately, the causative factors of the disease are not clearly defined, thus posing a serious management challenge to healthcare providers. It is therefore argued that understanding the pathogenesis of the disease and how various inflammatory cells affect the conjunctiva and the cornea may assist in the management of the disease.Aim: As visual impairment and avoidable blindness are indicated, it is advisable for optometrists to understand the clinical presentation of this chronic condition in order to initiate appropriate interventions and/or immediate referrals where necessary.Methods: A thorough literature search was conducted on peer-reviewed publications on VKC and children. All material obtained were then studied and the information extracted was used to document relevant information required for understanding VKC amongst children.Results: The results in the studied material revealed that VKC was prevalent amongst children aged 2 to 18 years, affecting mostly male children of African and Indian origins. Different strategies of management of the disease have been proposed, including but not limited to explaining to parents the nature of the disease, environmental strategies and preventive measures as well as possible surgical intervention.Conclusion: In view of the nature of this disease, healthcare providers should therefore seek to understand the history of the patient better when such patients present for their first consultation in order to develop a comprehensive management approach.

Suicide on the Indian Subcontinent

Crisis ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 104-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murad M. Khan
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Indian Subcontinent ◽  
Interpersonal Relationship ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Important Public Health Problem ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Formidable Challenge ◽  
Causative Factors

Summary: The Indian subcontinent comprises eight countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bhutan, and the Maldives) and a collective population of more than 1.3 billion people. 10% of the world's suicides (more than 100,000 people) take place in just three of these countries, viz. India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. There is very little information on suicides from the other four countries. Some differences from suicides in Western countries include the high use of organophosphate insecticides, larger numbers of married women, fewer elderly subjects, and interpersonal relationship problems and life events as important causative factors. There is need for more and better information regarding suicide in the countries of the Indian subcontinent. In particular, studies must address culture-specific risk factors associated with suicide in these countries. The prevention of this important public health problem in an area of the world with myriad socio-economic problems, meager resources, and stigmatization of mental illness poses a formidable challenge to mental health professionals, policy makers, and governments of these countries.

PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM IN THE HISTORY OF RUSSIAN SOCIOLOGY

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 155-159
Author(s):  
I.E. Levchenko ◽  
◽  
A.Y. Kuznetsov ◽  
E.G. Korniltseva ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
History Of

The use of a Domain Ontology for the Management of Essential Hypertension (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Chavez ◽  
Vanessa Perez ◽  
Angélica Urrutia
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Essential Hypertension ◽  
Medical History ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Domain Ontology ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Snomed Ct ◽  
History Of

BACKGROUND : Currently, hypertension is one of the diseases with greater risk of mortality in the world. Particularly in Chile, 90% of the population with this disease has idiopathic or essential hypertension. Essential hypertension is characterized by high blood pressure rates and it´s cause is unknown, which means that every patient might requires a different treatment, depending on their history and symptoms. Different data, such as history, symptoms, exams, etc., are generated for each patient suffering from the disease. This data is presented in the patient’s medical record, in no order, making it difficult to search for relevant information. Therefore, there is a need for a common, unified vocabulary of the terms that adequately represent the diseased, making searching within the domain more effective. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to develop a domain ontology for essential hypertension , therefore arranging the more significant data within the domain as tool for medical training or to support physicians’ decision making will be provided. METHODS The terms used for the ontology were extracted from the medical history of de-identified medical records, of patients with essential hypertension. The Snomed-CT’ collection of medical terms, and clinical guidelines to control the disease were also used. Methontology was used for the design, classes definition and their hierarchy, as well as relationships between concepts and instances. Three criteria were used to validate the ontology, which also helped to measure its quality. Tests were run with a dataset to verify that the tool was created according to the requirements. RESULTS An ontology of 310 instances classified into 37 classes was developed. From these, 4 super classes and 30 relationships were obtained. In the dataset tests, 100% correct and coherent answers were obtained for quality tests (3). CONCLUSIONS The development of this ontology provides a tool for physicians, specialists, and students, among others, that can be incorporated into clinical systems to support decision making regarding essential hypertension. Nevertheless, more instances should be incorporated into the ontology by carrying out further searched in the medical history or free text sections of the medical records of patients with this disease.

Handbook of Electrogastrography

2003 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Activity ◽  
Neuromuscular Disorders ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Clinical Practices ◽  
Physiological Basis ◽  
Gastric Dysrhythmias ◽  
History Of ◽  
Major Section ◽  
Cells Of Cajal

The Handbook of Electrogastrography is the first textbook dedicated to reviewing the physiology of gastric myelectrical activity and the measurement of this electrical activity with electrodes placed on the abdominal surface - the electrogastrogram. The Handbook is divided into three major sections. The first section (Chapters 1-3) focuses on the history of electrogastrography, electrical activity of the interstitial cells of Cajal, the cells from which gastric electrical rhythmicity emanates. The cellular level of gastric electrical rhythmicity provides an understanding of the physiological basis of the electrogastrogram signal. The second major section of the book (Chapters 4-6) incorporates the practical aspects of recording a high quality electrogastrogram and approaches to the analysis of the electrogastrogram using visual inspection and computer techniques. This section focuses on the authors' combined experience of examining EGG recordings for more than sixty years. From this rich research and clinical experience, the clinical application of EGG recordings in an approach to patients with unexplained nausea and vomiting is described. Neuromuscular disorders of the stomach involving gastric dysrhythmias are reviewed. The third major section of the book (Chapters 7-9) comprises many examples of gastric dysrythmias ranging from bradygastrias to tachygastrias and mixed dysrythmias. Current understanding of the mechanisms of gastric dysrhythmias is reviewed. Artifacts in the EGG signal, which may be confused with gastric dysrhythmias, are also presented. The Handbook of Electrogastrography will be a valuable reference for physicians interested in recording gastric electrical activity in clinical practices or in clinical research. Gastroenterologists, internists, psychologists and others with an interest in gastric myoelectrical events will also find extensive and relevant information for recording and interpreting EGGs in the Handbook.

scholarly journals Upskilling health and care workers with augmented and virtual reality: protocol for a realist review to develop an evidence-informed programme theory

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. e050033
Author(s):  
Norina Gasteiger ◽  
Sabine N van der Veer ◽  
Paul Wilson ◽  
Dawn Dowding
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Realist Review ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Programme Theory ◽  
Clinical Educators ◽  
Continued Learning ◽  
Search Quality

IntroductionAugmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are increasingly used to upskill health and care providers, including in surgical, nursing and acute care settings. Many studies have used AR/VR to deliver training, providing mixed evidence on their effectiveness and limited evidence regarding contextual factors that influence effectiveness and implementation. This review will develop, test and refine an evidence-informed programme theory on what facilitates or constrains the implementation of AR or VR programmes in health and care settings and understand how, for whom and to what extent they ‘work’.Methods and analysisThis realist review adheres to the Realist And Meta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards (RAMESES) standards and will be conducted in three steps: theory elicitation, theory testing and theory refinement. First, a search will identify practitioner, academic and learning and technology adoption theories from databases (MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, Embase, Education Resources Information Center, PsycINFO and Web of Science), practitioner journals, snowballing and grey literature. Information regarding contexts, mechanisms and outcomes will be extracted. A narrative synthesis will determine overlapping configurations and form an initial theory. Second, the theory will be tested using empirical evidence located from the above databases and identified from the first search. Quality will be assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), and relevant information will be extracted into a coding sheet. Third, the extracted information will be compared with the initial programme theory, with differences helping to make refinements. Findings will be presented as a narrative summary, and the MMAT will determine our confidence in each configuration.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval is not required. This review will develop an evidence-informed programme theory. The results will inform and support AR/VR interventions from clinical educators, healthcare providers and software developers. Upskilling through AR/VR learning interventions may improve quality of care and promote evidence-based practice and continued learning. Findings will be disseminated through conference presentations and peer-reviewed journal articles.

scholarly journals The Relationships between HIV-1 Infection, History of Methamphetamine Use Disorder, and Soluble Biomarkers in Blood and Cerebrospinal Fluid

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1287
Author(s):  
T. Walter ◽  
Jennifer Iudicello ◽  
Debra Cookson ◽  
Donald Franklin ◽  
Bin Tang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Csf Biomarkers ◽  
Immune System Dysfunction ◽  
Immune Biomarkers ◽  
Plasma Factor ◽  
History Of ◽  
Hiv 1

Methamphetamine (METH) use disorder is highly prevalent among people with HIV (PWH) and is a significant public health problem. HIV and METH use are each associated with immune system dysfunction; however, the combined effects on the immune system are poorly understood. This cross-sectional project measured soluble immune biomarkers in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collected from a control group, people with a history of a METH use disorder (METH+), PWH with no history of METH use disorder (HIV+), and PWH with a history of METH use disorder (HIV+/METH+). HIV, METH, and immune dysfunction can also be associated with affective and cognitive deficits, so we characterized mood and cognition in our participants. Two factor analyses were performed for the plasma and CSF biomarkers. Plasma IL-8, Ccl2, VEGF, and 8-isoprostane loaded onto one factor that was highest in the HIV+/METH+ group (p < 0.047) reflecting worse inflammation, vascular injury, and oxidative stress. This plasma factor was also negatively correlated with delayed recall (R = −0.49, p = 0.010), which was worst in the HIV+/METH+ group (p = 0.030 compared to the control group). Overall, these data implicate that combined HIV-1 infection and METH use may exacerbate inflammation, leading to worse cognition.

Adherence to Primary Prevention and Skin Self-Examination Practices by Spanish Melanoma Patients

Dermatology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Irene Torrecilla-Martínez ◽  
Esperanza Manrique-Silva ◽  
Victor Traves ◽  
Celia Requena ◽  
Eduardo Nagore
Keyword(s):  
Primary Prevention ◽  
Cutaneous Melanoma ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
History Of ◽  
High Level ◽  
Self Examination

<b><i>Background:</i></b> The incidence of cutaneous melanoma, an important global public health problem, has been increasing over the last several decades. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> In order to decrease melanoma-related mortality, ways to communicate and implement the correct methods for conducting primary and secondary prevention measures (such as early detection via self-examination) should be investigated. <b><i>Materials and Methods:</i></b> An observational, cross-sectional, retrospective study consisting of 409 patients diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma was conducted. An online questionnaire was created to evaluate knowledge levels, attitudes, and adherence to primary preventive measures and to skin self-examination practices. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The results revealed that even when 43% of the patients perform cutaneous self-examinations, only half of them fully followed the recommendations. Patients aged &#x3c;45 years, female, with a I–II phototype, with an intermediate/high level of education, and with a history of NMSC were more likely to have an adequate degree of knowledge. Moreover, patients aged &#x3c;45 years and with an adequate degree of knowledge more frequently showed an adequate adherence to the primary prevention measures. Finally, patients aged 45–60 years and with an adequate degree of knowledge presented a good adherence to the self-skin examination measures. <b><i>Limitations:</i></b> Possible limitations of this study were memory bias through the influence of age within the study population, and bias due to a greater proportion of subjects with a high education level. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Within the population of patients with melanoma, a high percentage of patients do not rigorously follow the recommended prevention measures. Our study highlights the need to implement awareness in this population to improve the prevention of cutaneous cancer.

scholarly journals Adult Ocular Toxocariasis Mimicking Ciliary Body Malignancy

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad M. Mansour ◽  
Bachir Abiad ◽  
Fouad I. Boulos ◽  
Ramzi Alameddine ◽  
Fadi C. Maalouf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Case Report ◽  
Local Excision ◽  
Rapid Growth ◽  
Ciliary Body ◽  
Inflammatory Cells ◽  
Toxocara Canis ◽  
Unusual Presentation ◽  
Medial Rectus ◽  
Ocular Toxocariasis ◽  
History Of

Purpose. To discuss an unusual presentation of ocular toxocariasis.Methods. Case report.Results. A 40-year-old woman presented with decreased vision in the left eye with a long history of recurrent red eye from uveitis. Eosinophilia and positive ELISA titers forToxocara canisfavored the diagnosis of ocular toxocariasis. Over 3 months, an anterior scleral mass had a rapid growth raising the possibility of medulloepithelioma, which rarely can mimic uveitic syndromes. Surgical plan changed from local excision to enucleation. Histopathology demonstrated a large homogeneous mass of chronic inflammatory cells with inflammation of the overlying thinned out sclera, medial rectus insertion, and limbal cornea. The triad of peripheral granuloma, eosinophilia, and positive blood serology established the diagnosis of ocular toxocariasis.Conclusions. Ocular toxocariasis can mimic ocular malignancy such as medulloepithelioma in adults and rarely presents as an anterior scleral mass.

Eosinophilic Angiocentric Fibrosis

2004 ◽  
Vol 128 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevgen Önder ◽  
Arzu Sungur
Keyword(s):  
Nasal Obstruction ◽  
Inflammatory Cells ◽  
Sinonasal Tract ◽  
Rare Entity ◽  
History Of ◽  
Eosinophilic Angiocentric Fibrosis ◽  
Nasal Septoplasty

Abstract We present the case of a 45-year-old man who presented with medication-resistant chronic bilateral nasal obstruction. The patient had no known history of allergy or any other disease. Nasal septoplasty was performed to relieve his symptoms. Histologically, thick collagen bundles were seen, characteristically whorling around vessels in a fibrotic stroma. Inflammatory cells, rich in eosinophils, were scattered throughout the lesion. No granulomas, necrosis, or vessel destruction were present. A diagnosis of eosinophilic angiocentric fibrosis was made. This neoplasm, which has very characteristic histologic features, is a rare entity of the sinonasal tract.

A case of nodular episcleritis mimicking a solitary giant episcleral mass

2021 ◽  
pp. 112067212110528
Author(s):  
Lan Zhou ◽  
Juanjuan Wang ◽  
Guihua Xu ◽  
Dingding Wang ◽  
Xiaoyi Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Topical Steroid ◽  
Inflammatory Cells ◽  
Systemic Hypertension ◽  
Eye Drops ◽  
Definite Diagnosis ◽  
Imaging Studies ◽  
Immunohistochemical Examination ◽  
History Of ◽  
Inflammatory Drugs

Purpose To describe an atypical nodular episcleritis mimicking a solitary giant episcleral mass, which is not attributed to any systemic diseases and identified only after immunohistochemical examination. Case report A sixty-year-old Chinese woman with systemic hypertension presented with 6-month history of giant, solitary and redness epibulbar mass arising from the superior aspect of her left eye. The lesion gradually enlarged, even with 6-month history of irregular topical steroid eye drops treatment. Imaging studies and laboratory test revealed a 10 mm × 8 mm episcleral mass absence of any infection indicator and autoimmune antibody changes. The mass was completely removed before its extension through the deep scleral, histopathologic examination revealed a nodular episcleritis composed of various chronic inflammatory cells infiltration. Topical steroid eye drops treatment combined with oral steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was then administrated regularly for 1 month, and no recurrence occurred after 1-year follow-up. Conclusion Nodular anterior episcleritis is characterized by underlying chronic inflammation of the anterior episclera and can be presented as asymptomatic episcleral mass. Besides a thorough investigation systemically, tissue biopsy is required for definite diagnosis.

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