Expertise in colonoscopy intubation does not predict diagnostic accuracy: a simulation-based study

Background and study aims Studies have linked cecal intubation rate with adenoma detection rate; however, the direct association between technical performance during colonoscopy intubation and withdrawal has never been explored. Thus, it remains unclear whether gentle and efficient intubation predicts superior mucosal inspection. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between performance during intubation and withdrawal in a simulation-based setup. Methods Twenty-four physicians with various experience in colonoscopy performed twice on the Endoscopy Training System (ETS). Intubation skills were evaluated by assessing tasks on the ETS related to intubation (scope manipulation and loop management) and use of a computerized assessment tool called the 3D-Colonoscopy Progression Score (3D-CoPS). Diagnostic accuracy was defined by the number of polyps found during the ETS task of mucosal inspection. Pearson’s correlations were calculated to explore associations between intubation skill and diagnostic accuracy. Results The correlation analysis between 3D-CoPS and number of polyps found during mucosal inspection revealed a weak and insignificant correlation (0.157, P = 0.3). Likewise, an insignificant correlation was seen between ETS intubation and number of polyps found (0.149, P = 0.32). Conclusions We found no evidence to support that technical performance during intubation is correlated with mucosal inspection performance in a simulation-based setting.

The effect of Cisplatin on Complete blood count among chemotherapy Sudanese patients at Taiba Cancers Center in Khartoum state 2021

Background: Cisplatin is one of therapy used as anticancer activity in a variety of tumors. Among many chemotherapy drugs that are widely used for cancer, Cisplatin is one of the most compelling ones. Material and methods: This study was Analytical cross sectional study conducted at Taiba Cancer Center, Khartoum, Sudan, during the period July 2021 to November 2021 and aimed to estimate the complete blood count among chemotherapy Sudanese patients treated with Cisplatin. 50 cancer patients treated with cisplatin as chemotherapy selected as a case group and 50 apparently health donor were selected as control group. Three ml of the venous blood was collected in EDTA container. Six sample collected from each patient before each dose of cisplatin. Complete blood count was done by using Sysmex Automated Hematology Analyzer KX 21N.Result: When compared the base line of case value of RBCs, Hb, WBCs, neutrophils, and platelets with control there were insignificant differences (P. value ≥ 0.05). But when compared RBCs, Hb, WBCs, neutrophils, and platelets between the case (baseline) and the cases in cycle 1, 2,3,4 and 5 there was significant decreased among progression of doses (P. value ≤ 0.05). There was insignificant correlation in the duration of the cancer and WBCs, neutrophil count, HGB and platelets count (P. value ≥ 0.05), significant correlation with RBCs in baseline and cycle 2 (P. value < 0.05). When correlate the anatomical location of cancer with WBCs, neutrophil count there was insignificant correlation, and significant correlation with RBC and HGB in cycle 5 and platelets count cycle 2 and cycle 3 Conclusion: The study observed that Cisplatin with combination of drug can effect on the hematological parameters also the chemotherapy was induced anemia, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia.

Prevalence of otomycosis in patients with cerumen impaction due to ear-phone usage during COVID-19

Background: Otomycosis affects about 9% of patients with otitis externa. One of the predisposing factor is impacted cerumen. Earphone usage causes cerumen impaction. In the light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, people are housebound due to prolonged lockdown. Hence people are more technology dependent as working from home and studying online has become the norm. Therefore, usage of earphones has proportionately increased, and the impacted cerumen cases have increased. Methods: This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze data from questionnaire to assess the prevalence of otomycosis among patients with impacted cerumen due to excessive earphone usage, establish associations between otomycosis and symptoms such as pain and hearing loss as well as the correlation between fungal growth and the long hours of earphones usage. The relationship between the age of participants and the usage of earphones during the pandemic was also explored. The data was collected from 100 individuals aged 14 to 51 years who sought treatment for symptomatic impacted wax at an ENT clinic in Malaysia. Results: The mean age of participants was 25.9 years. There was a 31% prevalence of otomycosis among these patients. Otalgia was present in 60% of patients with otomycosis (t value 2.94, coefficient 0.27). Approximately 37% of patients had a large air-bone gap indicating conductive hearing loss. There was an insignificant correlation between otomycosis and the longer hours of earphones usage (t value 1.51, coefficient 0.00015). No correlation was found between age of participants and the total hours of earphone usage (t value 0.63, coefficient 0.0012). Conclusion: This study offers initial evidence that earphone usage could be a predisposing factor in developing otomycosis. However, there was no evidence of longer hours of earphones usage increasing the chances of developing otomycosis. Additionally, symptoms like otalgia and conductive hearing loss could be present in both earwax impaction and otomycosis.

Spatial variability in soil nutrients and fertility mapping using geospatial techniques in Kurnool division of Andhra Pradesh

A revision was undertaken to draw correlation between nutrients available in soil and special indices in chickpea and cotton in the cram area of Kurnool revenue division in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh by means of remote sensing plus GIS techniques. A significant and positive correlation was observed between NDVI and available nitrogen during 2017-18 whereas both OC and nitrogen available had considerable positive correlation with NDVI during 2016-17 in chickpea. A significant and positive correspondence was recorded between the NDVI and organic carbon and nitrogen available in cotton during 2016-17. However, insignificant correlation was observed among NDVI and organic carbon or available nitrogen during 2017-18 under cotton cropping.

Correlation between universities’ Altmetric Attention Scores and their performance scores in Nature Index, Leiden, Times Higher Education and Quacquarelli Symonds ranking systems

Objective: Altmetrics are claimed to measure the scientific, societal, educational, technological and economic impacts of science. They have some of these dimensions in common with university ranking and evaluating systems. Their results are, therefore, expected to be partially convergent with the systems’. Given the importance of the scientific and non-scientific impacts of science, this study investigated the correlations of universities’ altmetrics with their total and dimensional scores in Nature Index, Leiden, Times Higher Education (THE) and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). Methodology: Following a correlational design, it explored an available sample of the universities commonly ranked in the systems in 2017. The data were collected from online documents using checklists and analysed by the Spearman correlation. As Altmetric Attention Score (ASS) is efficient in that it integrates several indicators into a single one, it was used as the proxy of the universities’ social performance. Findings: The universities showed significant positive correlations between their ASSs and their performance scores on the total and dimensional levels, except for industry income in THE, with an insignificant correlation, and proportion of collaborative publication less than 100 km. in Leiden, with an inverse correlation. The correlations ranged from weak to marginally strong. Conclusion: The positive relationships between the universities’ performance and ASSs signified that there existed some similarities in what they measured. However, they were of weak-to-marginally strong powers, implying that the metrics differed in what they measured. The findings contribute to the existing knowledge by providing some evidence of convergence between university-level altmetrics and university performances in various dimensions.

Correlations between Iron Load and CD4 in Adult Transfusion-Dependent Beta Thalassemia

Background. Thalassemia is a hereditary disease, and severe anemia is the main phenotype of major thalassemia. Furthermore, the most important method in the management of this disease is red blood cell transfusion. Regular transfusions administered 1 or 2 times every month improve prognosis and survival. However, there is higher risk of infections and iron overload, especially in transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT). Infections are the second leading cause of death in adult TDT, after heart failure. Higher risk of infection is also influenced by multiple blood transfusions which causes alteration in immune response due to alloimmunization, transfusion-related infections, and iron overload. Meanwhile, iron overload in TDT alters both innate and specific immune responses. Furthermore, previous studies have shown the correlation between ferritin with CD4, but this has not been carried out in Indonesia. Therefore, this study aims to determine the correlations between iron overload (serum ferritin and transferrin saturation) and specific immune cells (CD4). Methods. This is a cross-sectional study, and a total number of 64 subjects were examined consecutively. Chest X-ray and blood sera were obtained. The total number of subjects was 64. The seromarkers HBsAg, anti-HCV, and anti-HIV were tested using the ELISA method. Serum ferritin and transferrin saturation was tested using ECLIA, and lymphocyte subsets were analyzed using flowcytometry. Meanwhile, the correlation between variables was determined using Spearman’s test. Results. The results showed that 4.9% subjects were HBsAg positive, 10.7% were anti-HCV positive, and none were anti-HIV positive. There were 4 subjects with lung tuberculosis based on the 41 chest X-ray. Meanwhile, there was a weak negative and insignificant correlation between serum ferritin with CD4 ( p = 0.75 ; r = −0.04) and a weak positive and insignificant correlation between transferrin saturation with CD4 ( p = 0.133 ; r = 0.19). Conclusion. There were no correlations between iron overload (ferritin) and cellular immunity (CD4) in adult transfusion-dependent thalassemia.

To correlate cytological finding with clinical presentation and antithyroglobulin antibodies

All cases undergoing FNAC for thyroid swelling during study period were included in the study. The data was collected as per the pre-designed proforma including the general profile, clinical examination, laboratory investigations, USG findings and FNAC observations.In our study we found, correlation between antithyroglobulin antibody levels, 100-500 IU/ml (53), 501-1000 IU/ml (87) & &#62;1000 IU/ml (10). Chi square = 8.2068; p-value= 0.7120 (insignificant). Correlation between T3 levels, Normal (18), Low (24) and High (108). Chi square = 12.3129; p-value= 0.3580 (insignificant). Correlation between T4 levels, Normal (00), Low (24) and High (108). Chi square = 19.9758; p-value= 0.00012 (significant). Correlation between T4 levels, Normal (00), Low (24) and High (108). Chi square = 79.0167; p-value&#60;0.00001 (significant). Prospective Observational Study. Antithyroglobulin antibodies may be insignificant statistically, yet they should always be tested for, in order to establish a better understanding of the cases. The ATG levels should be kept in mind before prescribing a treatment regime for such cases. This not only leads the pathologists to continuously seek for better than the present investigations but also leads clinicians to decide a dynamic management regime. Though there is a defined protocol for thyroid work up of clinically diagnosed patients, newer and more sensitive test need to be devised.

Challenges in predicting Greenland supraglacial lake drainages at the regional scale

A leading hypothesis for the mechanism of fast supraglacial lake drainages is that transient extensional stresses briefly allow crevassing in otherwise compressional ice flow regimes. Lake water can then hydrofracture a crevasse to the base of the ice sheet, and river inputs can maintain this connection as a moulin. If future ice sheet models are to accurately represent moulins, we must understand their formation processes, timescales, and locations. Here, we use remote-sensing velocity products to constrain the relationship between strain rates and lake drainages across ∼ 1600 km2 in Pâkitsoq, western Greenland, between 2002–2019. We find significantly more extensional background strain rates at moulins associated with fast-draining lakes than at slow-draining or non-draining lake moulins. We test whether moulins in more extensional background settings drain their lakes earlier, but we find insignificant correlation. To investigate the frequency at which strain-rate transients are associated with fast lake drainage, we examined Landsat-derived strain rates over 16 and 32 d periods at moulins associated with 240 fast-lake-drainage events over 18 years. A low signal-to-noise ratio, the presence of water, and the multi-week repeat cycle obscured any resolution of the hypothesized transient strain rates. Our results support the hypothesis that transient strain rates drive fast lake drainages. However, the current generation of ice sheet velocity products, even when stacked across hundreds of fast lake drainages, cannot resolve these transients. Thus, observational progress in understanding lake drainage initiation will rely on field-based tools such as GPS networks and photogrammetry.

Frontend Innovation And Top Income Inequality: Evidence From Emerging Markets

This paper contributes to the literature on income inequality, by extending existing models to examine the effect of front-end innovation (FEI) on top income inequality. We use a fixed effect panel regression, on annual country level data for twenty four emerging markets, over a twenty four (1995–2018) year period, and find an insignificant correlation between income inequality, and FEI. The instrumental variable estimates however, shows a significant association between measures of FEI and top income shares. Further, we confirm that FEI is weakly related with broad measures of income inequality. Our instrumentation strategy, and robustness checks, suggests that this correlation partly reflects a causality, from FEI to top income inequality. Finally, we show that FEI is necessary for the survival of new ventures, in the crucial early years. Overall, our findings confirm that FEI, is a significant determinant of increases, in entrepreneurial income share.

UTICAJ SORTE I MIKROBIOLOŠKIH PREPARATA NA BROJ I MASU NODULA KOD ORGANSKE PROIZVODNJE PASULJA

Three-year research, in the impact of microbial preparations and Gunatito on bean-root-nodule number and mass in organic production, was published. The highest nodule number and mass was in the year with a more favorable weather conditions, with a higher humidity. The lowest nodule number was in the method with a direct Tiffi application on the pre-sowing seed, whereas the lowest nodule mass was in the control variety. A positive insignificant correlation was determined between nodule number and mass, and yield. Nodulation was variety dependant. EM application 7 days before sowing, and the combination of Guanito before sowing with EM in flowering, showed a positive impact on nodule number and mass.