Liver Metastases Pattern in Rectal Cancer: A Real-World Analysis in the SEER Database

Background: The liver is a common metastatic site of colorectal cancer. Rectal cancer patients with organ metastases are more liable to show poor prognosis. The hazard and forecast elements of liver metastases are need to be estimated in rectal cancer patients. Methods: The data of newly diagnosed patients of rectal cancer with liver metastases are evaluated according to Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program between 2010 and 2016. The Overall Survival (OS) for dierent subgroups are appraised by Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank tests. Univariate and multivariable logistic analysis and Cox regression are performed to evaluate predictors and elements of the presence of liver metastases in new diagnosis, respectively. Results: There are a total of 6,662 (11.1%) rectal cancer patients paired with liver metastases. Factors including age (below), gender (female), marital status (unmarried), race (black), advanced T or N classification, presence of bone or lung metastases, and the absence of surgical treatments are importantly related to the occurrence of liver metastases. The median survival for liver metastases rectal cancer patients was 16.0 months. Indicators referring to elder age, black race, unmarried status, presence of bone, brain or lung metastases, and the absence of surgical treatments all predicted worse survival. Conclusion: The data of our research provide corresponding risks and prognostic elements for liver metastases rectal cancer patients, which offer a way to predict the occurrence of rectal cancer and guide prophylactic treatment in clinical settings.

Respiratory Disease Screening as an Adverse Effect and Associated Factors of COVID-19 Recovered Patients from Quiha Treatment Center in Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia, 2020: A Community Based Institutional Study

Background: Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an illness caused by a virus that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a new coronavirus that has spread throughout the world. COVID-19 symptoms can range from mild (or no symptoms) to severe illness. In late December 2019, investigation of a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown origin in Wuhan, China resulted in identification of a novel coronavirus. The virus is distinct from both Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), although closely related. Objective: To assess respiratory disease screening as an adverse effect and associated factors of COVID-19 recovered patients from a treatment center in Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia. Methods: A community based quantitative study design was conducted among 600 samples in Mekelle town, Tigray, Ethiopia. Data were collected using a structured and semi-structured questionnaire. Associations between dependent and independent variables were tested using logistic regression with the assumptions of p-values < 0.05 and confidence interval 95% and considered to be statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of respiratory disease after screening using CRQ was 24.3%. Variable like who read and wrote [AOR=2.859, 95% CI: 1.349-6.063, P=0.006]. COVID-19 symptoms such as those who had shortness of breathing [AOR=3.485, 95% CI: 1.776-6.838, P=0.001], sore throat [AOR=4.645, 95% CI: 2.107-10.242, P=0.001], and chest pain pressure was AOR=3.453, 95%CI: 1.484-8.037, P=0.04] were significant factor for respiratory disease. Conclusion: The study found that the prevalence of respiratory disease after screening using CRQ was 24.3%. Variables such as read and write, shortness of breathing, sore throat, and pneumonia were significant factors for respiratory disease.

Pulmonary Tuberculosis Outbreak in a High School, China

This study reports an outbreak of Tuberculosis (TB) in a high school in Hunan province, China during January 2017-April 2018. Contact investigation and TB screening were conducted through symptom screening, tuberculin skin testing, chest radiography and smear examination. Identification of positive isolates and drug susceptibility phenotype were assessed by standard method. Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Units-Variable Number Tandem Repeats (MIRU-VNTR) and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) were performed to investigate the relationships among the positive isolates. A total of 90 students and one teacher were diagnosed active pulmonary TB among 2908 students and 188 staff, with an attack rate of 2.94%. Thirteen positive isolates were identified as drug susceptible Beijing family of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Results of MIRU-VNTR typing and WGS revealed two clones of Mycobacterium tuberculosis circulating during outbreak. One hundred and twenty-nine Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) discriminated the isolates in two clusters; the maximum number of SNPs between any pair of isolates in each cluster was five or fewer. Our findings highlight the importance of early identification and isolation of the TB cases to prevent spread of TB. WGS provides better resolution than MIRU-VNTR to identify recent transmission in TB outbreak.

Evaluating the Health Care the Level of Electronic Health (e-Health) among Healthcare in Developing Countries and It Application in the Management of COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak

Context: Healthcare institution in developing countries is in a state of great despair, with the lack of basic health infrastructure and support services, compounded with the ever increasing number of old people , chronic diseases and the manifestation of new communicable disease such as the ongoing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (SARS-CoV-2, 2019 or COVID-19) pandemic. The massive healthcare disruption cause by the pandemic with respect to the management modality such as social distance and contact tracing re-affirm the importance of adopting the electronic health system in developing countries. This evolutionary trend in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) with the advancement in eHealth is changing the face of health care system globally by bringing healthcare closer to the people in term of cost, accessibility and planning. Despite the well documented benefits of eHealth, the knowledge and the level of adoption of these technologies in most developing countries such as Lesotho is nothing to ride home about (still remains very low). The management of Covid-19 patients has proven that healthcare is not confined; but a structured global system, with people travelling long distances than ever before. Objective: The objective of this article therefore, is aimed at evaluating the state and the level of Electronic Health (e-Health) and its adoption in the management of Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, and to also provide the authorities with information on the importance e-Health technology in this 21 century. The paper therefore reveal that, the level of e-Health in developing country like Lesotho, is still very low, due to lack of political commitment in the provision of needed infrastructure support structures.