scholarly journals A Review of COVID-19-Related Publications and Lag Times During the First Six Months of the Year 2020

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 958-962
Author(s):  
Christopher Carvalho ◽  
Matthew Fuller ◽  
Emmanuel Quaidoo ◽  
Ahson Haider ◽  
Jonathan Rodriguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Information ◽  
General Medicine ◽  
World Health ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Medicine Journal ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Lag Times ◽  
Health Organization

Introduction: Considering the need for information regarding approaches to prevention and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), we sought to determine publication lag times of COVID-19-related original research articles published in top general medicine and emergency medicine (EM) journals. We further sought to characterize the types of COVID-19 publications within these journals. Methods: We reviewed 125 top-ranked general medicine journals and 20 top-ranked EM-specific journals for COVID-19-related publications. We abstracted article titles and manuscript details for each COVID-19-related article published between January 1–June 30, 2020, and categorized articles as one of the following: original research; case report; review; or commentary. We abstracted data for preprint publications over the same time period and determined whether articles from the general medicine and EM journals had been previously published as preprint articles. Our primary outcomes were the following: 1) lag time (days) between global cumulative World Health Organization (WHO)-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and publications; 2) lag times between preprint article publication and peer-reviewed journal publication; and 3) lag times between submission and publication in peer-reviewed journals. Our secondary outcome was to characterize COVID-19-related publications. Results: The first original research publications appeared in a general medicine journal 20 days and in an EM journal 58 days after the first WHO-confirmed case of COVID-19. We found median and mean lag times between preprint publications and journal publications of 32 days (19, 49) and 36 days (22) for general medicine journals, and 26 days (16, 36) and 25 days (13) for EM journals. Median and mean lag times between submission and publication were 30 days (19, 45) and 35 days (13) for general medicine journals, and 23 days (11, 39) and 27 days (19) for EM journals. Of 2530 general medicine journal articles and 351 EM journal articles, 28% and 23.6% were original research. We noted substantial closing of the preprint to peer-reviewed publication (160 days pre-pandemic) and peer-reviewed journal submission to publication (194 days pre-pandemic) lag times for COVID-19 manuscripts. Conclusion: We found a rapid and robust response with shortened publication lag times to meet the need for the publication of original research and other vital medical information related to COVID-19 during the first six months of 2020.

scholarly journals Successful Implementation of a Window for Routine Antimicrobial Prophylaxis Shorter than That of the World Health Organization Standard

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 912-916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Misteli ◽  
Andreas F. Widmer ◽  
Walter P. Weber ◽  
Evelyne Bucher ◽  
Marc Dangel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Antimicrobial Prophylaxis ◽  
Skin Incision ◽  
World Health ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Outcome Parameter ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Objective.To evaluate the feasibility of implementation of the refined window for routine antimicrobial prophylaxis (RAP) of 30-74 minutes before skin incision compared to the World Health Organization (WHO) standard of 0-60 minutes.Design.Prospective study on timing of routine antimicrobial prophylaxis in 2 different time periods.Setting.Tertiary referral university hospital with 30,000 surgical procedures per year.Methods.In all consecutive vascular, visceral, and trauma procedures, the timing was prospectively recorded during a first time period of 2 years (A; baseline) and a second period of 1 year (B; after intervention). An intensive intervention program was initiated after baseline. The primary outcome parameter was timing; the secondary outcome parameter was surgical site infection (SSI) rate in the subgroup of patients undergoing cholecystectomy/colon resection.Results.During baseline time period A (3,836 procedures), RAP was administered 30–74 minutes before skin incision in 1,750 (41.0%) procedures; during time period B (1,537 procedures), it was administered in 914 (56.0%; P < .001). The subgroup analysis did not reveal a significant difference in SSI rate.Conclusions.This bundle of interventions resulted in a statistically significant improvement of timing of RAP even at a shortened window compared to the WHO standard.

scholarly journals Thoracic Surgery during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): The Experience of a Level 1 Trauma Center

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Smelt ◽  
Gowthanan Santhirakumaran ◽  
Paul Vaughan ◽  
Ian Hunt ◽  
Carol Tan
Keyword(s):  
Thoracic Surgery ◽  
Trauma Center ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
World Health ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Trauma Service ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Level 1 Trauma Center

Abstract Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel coronavirus primarily affecting the respiratory system, was initially diagnosed in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Identified as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization, the virus rapidly became a global pandemic. The effects on health care worldwide were unprecedented as countries adapted services to treat masses of critically ill patients.The aim of this study is to analyze the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic had on thoracic surgery at a major trauma center during peak prevalence. Methods Prospective unit data were collected for all patients who underwent thoracic surgery during March 2020 until May 2020 inclusive. Retrospective data were collected from an earlier comparable time period as a comparison. Results In the aforementioned time frame, 117 thoracic surgical operations were performed under the care of four thoracic surgeons. Six operations were performed on three patients who were being treated for SARS-CoV-2. One operation was performed on a patient who had recovered from SARS-CoV-2. There were no deaths due to SARS-CoV-2 in any patient undergoing thoracic surgery. Conclusion This study demonstrates that during the first surge of SARS-CoV-2, it was possible to adapt a thoracic oncology and trauma service without increase in mortality due to COVID-19. This was only possible due to a significant reduction in trauma referrals, cessation of benign and elective work, and the more stringent reprioritization of cancer surgery. This information is vital to learn from our experience and prepare for the predicted second surge and any similar future pandemics we might face.

scholarly journals A Bittersweet Memoir

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-135
Author(s):  
Anita Y. N. Lim
Keyword(s):  
Video Clip ◽  
Early Period ◽  
General Medicine ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
The Novel ◽  
National University ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract I wrote this journal in March 2020 prior to the World Health Organization declaring the COVID-19 infection as a worldwide pandemic on March 11. The situation in Singapore was unfolding even as public healthcare institutions were tasked to lead the charge to contain the novel coronavirus as it was then called. This journal describes my experiences and impressions during my work in an isolation ward at the National University Hospital during this early period. I was to be catapulted into Pandemic Team 3 in the second and third weeks of February 2020. The urgency of hospital measures to respond to the novel coronavirus meant that the general medicine consultant roster which I was on was hijacked to support the pandemic wards. I thought wryly to myself that it was a stroke of genius to commandeer the ready-made roster of senior physicians; it would have been difficult for the roster monster to solicit senior physicians to volunteer when there were still so many unknowns about this virus. Graphic images of the dire situation in Wuhan, China, were circulating widely on social media. It was heart-wrenching to read of Dr. Li Wen Liang’s death. He had highlighted the mysterious pneumonia-causing virus. The video clip of him singing at a karaoke session that went viral underscored the tragedy of a young life cut short. Questions raced in my mind. “Are we helpless to prevent the spread of this virus?” “Is the situation in China to be replicated here in Singapore?” This seemed incredulous, yet, might it be possible? The immediate responses that jumped up within me was “yes, it’s possible, but let’s pray not. Whatever has to be done, must be done.”

scholarly journals Attribution of non-ClinicalTrials.gov registries among WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform-registered trials from 2014 to 2018: A protocol for a meta-epidemiological study

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiro Banno ◽  
Yasushi Tsujimoto ◽  
Yuki Kataoka
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Epidemiological Study ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
World Health ◽  
Study Phase ◽  
Target Sample Size ◽  
Registration Number ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Clinical Trials Registry

Background. The attribution of non-ClinicalTrials.gov registries among registered trials of the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) had increased until 2013. However, the attribution after 2013 is unknown. Moreover, no study has investigated the usage of non-ClinicalTrials.gov registries after 2015 or compared the characteristics of trials under non-ClinicalTrials.gov and ClinicalTrials.gov registries. Methods. This will be a meta-epidemiological study. It will include all trials registered on the ICTRP from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2018. First, we will describe the total attribution of non-ClinicalTrials.gov registries among the ICTRP-registered trials for each year and each registry worldwide. Second, we will compare the recruitment status, target sample size, study type, study design, countries, prospective registration, funding, and study phase of the trials on ClinicalTrials.gov and other registries from 2014 to 2018. Third, we will report on the distribution of primary registries of trials from the top five countries in order of the quantity of registered trials on the ICTRP. Ethics & Dissemination. Ethics approval is not required for this study. This protocol has been registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR). The findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and may be presented at conferences. Trial Registration Number. UMIN000034401

scholarly journals Parenting Patterns with Sibling Rivalry Incidents in Preschooler: A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-60
Author(s):  
Nessy Anggun Primasari ◽  
Siti Riskika ◽  
Niswa Salamung ◽  
Melinda Restu Pertiwi
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Parenting Style ◽  
Parenting Styles ◽  
Sibling Rivalry ◽  
World Health ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Parent Child Interactions ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
Health Organization

Introduction: Parenting style is a comprehensive unity between parent-child interactions. Different parenting styles in children have an impact on the incidence of sibling rivalry in preschool children. According to WHO (World Health Organization) the incidence of sibling rivalry in parenting, the known data from research on 52 respondents: democratic parenting (32.7%), authoritarian (3.8%), permissive (46.2%), abandonment (17.3%), there was Sibling Rivalry (65.4%) and there was no Sibling Rivalry (34.6%). This paper aims to assess the effect of parenting style on the incidence of sibling rivalry in preschool children. Method: This writing uses a systematic review design. The data is taken from the Science Direct, Poquest and Google Cendikia databases, with a period of 2016-2020. Search for journals and articles using the keywords parenting (parenting), sibling rivalry, prescooler (pre-school children). Result: There were ten selected journal articles from 2508 journal articles found from three databases. All journal articles say that there is a relationship between the type of parenting style of parents and the incidence of sibling rivalry in preschool children. Discussion: The results of the analysis in this systematic review show that modern parents, who have a level of knowledge that continues to develop, are more proactive in seeking information about parenting styles and sibling rivalry. Conclusion: The majority of parenting styles adopted by parents are democratic parenting so that parents become more pro-active in seeking information about the best parenting styles and the incidence of sibling rivalry.

scholarly journals Smart Phone Apps for Smoking Cessation - A Qualitative Study among Healthcare Providers in Chennai

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (21) ◽  
pp. 1630-1635
Author(s):  
Sree T. Sucharitha ◽  
Pradeep Rangasamy ◽  
Vaishikaa R ◽  
Balaji S.M ◽  
Bindu T ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Tobacco Cessation ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Smart Phone ◽  
General Medicine ◽  
World Health ◽  
Brief Assessment ◽  
Health Organization

BACKGROUND Majority of smokers are aware of health consequences due to smoking but reported inability to quit smoking in multiple studies. Reasons attributed to continued smoking include multiple causes like addiction, habit and stress, as well as face-valid causes such as disease, personality problems, weakness of character, etc. Tobacco cessation services promoted by World Health Organization (WHO) are typically to be initiated by the service provider and include brief opportunistic assessment for smoking cessation widely known as 5A’ and 5R’s for brief assessment. Health interventions are identified by WHO as an effective way to enhance the promotion of tobacco cessation as only three percent of smokers manage to quit without help of intervention. This study explored the awareness of smart phone apps for smoking cessation among private healthcare providers in Chennai. METHODS A qualitative, explorative study through one-on-one, personal interviews among 36 randomly approached and consenting healthcare providers primarily providing tobacco related health care services including dentists, psychiatrists, ear – nose - throat surgeons, general medicine, respiratory medicine, surgeons and obstetricians at six private teaching medical institutes was conducted from July 2020 to October 2020 in Chennai. RESULTS The results showed that majority of the healthcare providers lack awareness of smart phone-based apps for smoking cessation. However, a very small minority3 who were aware were limited by social determinants of health of the clients such as perceived poor digital literacy, unaffordability of internet packages to recommend them. CONCLUSIONS The healthcare providers from various fields lacked the awareness of smart phone apps aiding with smoking cessation with the exception of a minor few3 who acknowledged their existence but were engaged very minimally with these modalities. KEYWORDS Healthcare Providers’ Awareness, Smart Phone Based-Apps, Smoking Cessation Apps, Tobacco Clients, Personal Interviews

Congenital Gliosarcoma: Detailed Clinicopathologic Documentation of a Rare Neoplasm

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 398-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ori Hocwald ◽  
Deborah McFadden ◽  
Horacio Osiovich ◽  
Christopher Dunham
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
World Health ◽  
High Grade ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Increased Intracranial Pressure ◽  
High Grade Astrocytoma ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Antenatal Detection ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Congenital Brain Tumors

Congenital brain tumors are rare. Clinically, they often result in macrocrania, hydrocephalus, and focal neurologic deficits. Fetal onset may result in dystocia and stillbirth. Antenatal detection is becoming more common as the result of neuroimaging, and modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging can assist in narrowing the pathologic differential diagnoses. Teratomas and astrocytomas appear to be the most common congenital neoplasms. Amongst the latter, all grades and many subtypes are represented in the congenital time period, including the diffusely infiltrative forms of astrocytoma. Gliosarcoma is currently considered a variant of glioblastoma (i.e., astrocytoma, World Health Organization grade IV) that exhibits genetically similar yet phenotypically separate histologic regions of high-grade astrocytoma and sarcoma. Only rare instances of congenital gliosarcoma have been reported. We detail the case of a 1-day-old term male who presented with macrocrania, hydrocephalus, and signs of increased intracranial pressure. Pathology revealed evidence of a classic gliosarcoma.

scholarly journals Essay Review: Evidence-Based Analysis of the COVID Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 662-666
Author(s):  
Henry Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Medical Information ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Modern Medicine ◽  
World Health ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Inappropriate Use ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Usual Criterion ◽  
Health Organization

This short book suggests plausible answers to much of what has seemed inexplicable or unbelievable about what governments, the World Health Organization, and popular media have disseminated about the officially declared global pandemic. The author is a recently graduated Swedish physician who recognized even during his training that many of the generally accepted shibboleths about medical matters are not evidence-based; are often, in fact, contrary to the available evidence. Irrespective of his suggestions about COVID, several points in this book are important for everyone to know: Modern medicine focuses on the handling of emergencies but says “extremely little about how to avoid chronic disease and maximize long term health” (p. 7). More than half of the widely accepted recommendations about nutrition are nonsense, without any basis in solid evidence (p. 8): to eat more fruit, fish, vegetables, whole-grain cereals, and less salt, saturated fat, or meat. Much purportedly scientific medical information stems from inappropriate use of surrogate endpoints and improper statistical analyses (pp. 34–39): The usual criterion for statistical significance (p ≤ 0.05) is arbitrary and very weak. The typical marketing ploy of citing relative rather than absolute risks is highly misleading (pp. 40–46). How deadly is COVID?

scholarly journals Metabolic alterations in meningioma reflect the clinical course

BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Waseem Masalha ◽  
Karam Daka ◽  
Jakob Woerner ◽  
Nils Pompe ◽  
Stefan Weber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Course ◽  
Progression Free Survival ◽  
Tryptophan Metabolism ◽  
World Health ◽  
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Analysis ◽  
Who Grade ◽  
Metabolic Alterations ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Short Time

Abstract Background Meningiomas are common brain tumours that are usually defined by benign clinical course. However, some meningiomas undergo a malignant transformation and recur within a short time period regardless of their World Health Organization (WHO) grade. The current study aimed to identify potential markers that can discriminate between benign and malignant meningioma courses. Methods We profiled the metabolites from 43 patients with low- and high-grade meningiomas. Tumour specimens were analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance analysis; 270 metabolites were identified and clustered with the AutoPipe algorithm. Results We observed two distinct clusters marked by alterations in glycine/serine and choline/tryptophan metabolism. Glycine/serine cluster showed significantly lower WHO grades and proliferation rates. Also progression-free survival was significantly longer in the glycine/serine cluster. Conclusion Our findings suggest that alterations in glycine/serine metabolism are associated with lower proliferation and more recurrent tumours. Altered choline/tryptophan metabolism was associated with increases proliferation, and recurrence. Our results suggest that tumour malignancy can be reflected by metabolic alterations, which may support histological classifications to predict the clinical outcome of patients with meningiomas.

scholarly journals Review of medical image recognition technologies to detect melanomas using neural networks

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (S11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mila Efimenko ◽  
Alexander Ignatev ◽  
Konstantin Koshechkin
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Neural Networks ◽  
Skin Diseases ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
World Health ◽  
Original Research ◽  
English Only ◽  
Pubmed Database ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Background Melanoma is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that has become a world-class problem. According to the World Health Organization estimates, 132,000 cases of the disease and 66,000 deaths from malignant melanoma and other forms of skin cancer are reported annually worldwide (https://apps.who.int/gho/data/?theme=main) and those numbers continue to grow. In our opinion, due to the increasing incidence of the disease, it is necessary to find new, easy to use and sensitive methods for the early diagnosis of melanoma in a large number of people around the world. Over the last decade, neural networks show highly sensitive, specific, and accurate results. Objective This study presents a review of PubMed papers including requests «melanoma neural network» and «melanoma neural network dermatoscopy». We review recent researches and discuss their opportunities acceptable in clinical practice. Methods We searched the PubMed database for systematic reviews and original research papers on the requests «melanoma neural network» and «melanoma neural network dermatoscopy» published in English. Only papers that reported results, progress and outcomes are included in this review. Results We found 11 papers that match our requests that observed convolutional and deep-learning neural networks combined with fuzzy clustering or World Cup Optimization algorithms in analyzing dermatoscopic images. All of them require an ABCD (asymmetry, border, color, and differential structures) algorithm and its derivates (in combination with ABCD algorithm or separately). Also, they require a large dataset of dermatoscopic images and optimized estimation parameters to provide high specificity, accuracy and sensitivity. Conclusions According to the analyzed papers, neural networks show higher specificity, accuracy and sensitivity than dermatologists. Neural networks are able to evaluate features that might be unavailable to the naked human eye. Despite that, we need more datasets to confirm those statements. Nowadays machine learning becomes a helpful tool in early diagnosing skin diseases, especially melanoma.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document