International Healthcare Research Journal (IHRJ)
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Knowledge Attitude and Preparedness among Different Health Professionals Towards Potential Bioterrorism Attacks
Get PDFINTRODUCTION: The threat of bioterrorism, long ignored and denied, has heightened over the past few years. Bioterrorism is the malpractice of microbial agents and their products in-order to create terror or slay humans or animals.AIM: To assess the knowledge, attitude and preparedness regarding bioterrorism among dental, medical and nursing group of colleges in and around Visakhapatnam, India.MATERIALS AND METHOD: A descriptive cross-sectional study with structured self-administered questionnaire with 14 validated questions was done among 1,412 health care providers which includes medical and dental interns, postgraduates, nursing third and final year students and faculty that includes both the practitioners and academicians from 6 medical, 2 dental and 3 nursing colleges in and around Visakhapatnam, India. The data was analysed using, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test and Tukey’s post hoc test.RESULTS: On overall comparison among the three group of colleges, the knowledge, attitude and preparedness concerning bioterrorism is higher in medical colleges, followed by dental colleges and nursing colleges respectively that are statistically significant.CONCLUSION: Most of the study population are willing to help the government during the outbreak of bioterrorism but lack of knowledge is hindering them. Hence the curriculum of medical, dental and nursing colleges must be reformed and training courses are to be planned for better knowledge, preparedness and attitude of doctors as well as nurses
Pregabalin Addiction: Case Report of a Young Adult
Get PDFPregabalin has been used widely for the treatment of neuropathic pain, generalized anxiety disorders and epilepsy. Data is scarce and much is not known about the addictive potential of pregabalin. Herein, we report details of a young adult who got addicted to pregabalin and approached for a smooth withdrawal. The subject had a successful outcome. Literature suggests a growing concern for the abuse of pregabalin. Risk factors associated with the development of addictive behavior with pregabalin need to be assessed
Diabetes Case Burden at Central Regional Referral Hospital, Gelephu, Bhutan; A Retrospective Study
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Diabetes is a metabolic disorder affecting millions of people globally. The incidence of type 2 diabetes is increasing rapidly in Bhutan. Anecdotal evidences show poor compliance and loss to follow up among the Bhutanese population living with diabetes. This study was conducted to understand the case load, age and gender distribution and compliance to follow up among diabetic patients registered at Central Regional Referral Hospital, Gelephu, Bhutan. MATERIALS & METHOD: All the patients diagnosed and registered with Diabetic Clinic between 1st January 2014 to 31st December 2018 were included in the study.RESULTS: There was a sharp increase in number of registered diabetic patients from 641 cases in 2014 to 1590 cases in 2018. A total of 949 new cases were diagnosed and registered during the study period of which 52% were women. The overall diabetes prevalence under Gelephu CRRH catchment area is found to be 2.91% with lowest at Chhudzom (1.01%) and highest in Samtenling Gewog (3.18%). Lost to follow up among new cases for past four years was found to be 3.96%, 5.0%, 6.47% and 5.85% from 2015 to 2018 respectively.CONCLUSION: The ageing population and sedentary lifestyle has contributed to the sharp escalation of type 2 diabetes cases in Gelephu. The hospital recorded total of 1590 cases in 2018 which is a two-fold increase in case load within a span of five years. The current analysis found that loss to follow up was 3.96%, 5.0%, 6.47% and 5.85% from 2015 to 2018 respectively among new cases of diabetes registered with the hospital
Tobacco Cessation During The COVID-19 Pandemic: Is This the Right Time?
Get PDFGuest Editorial By Dr. Sumedha Kushwaha (Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, Manipur
Consequences of Air Pollution on Health: Time to Act Now!!
Get PDFAir pollution has been shown to significantly affect one’s health and lead to untimely deaths and unnecessary hospitalizations. Studies have demonstrated a direct association between air pollution and different medical conditions including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases; also, climate change is shown to be associated with air pollution. This short communication addresses the consequences of air pollution on health and request people to act now for a brighter, healthier living due to air free of pollutants
COVID-19 and Retinal Toxicity of Anti-Malarials
Get PDFThe use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in the tough time of COVID-19 has gained much attention. The production and use of these drugs has drastically increased in the past few months. However, it is important to know that retinal toxicity is a very rare side effect of these therapies that can lead to permanent vision loss. The mechanism is however unclear, but this toxicity might depend on the tolerance of the subjects exposed. It is important to choose the appropriate dosage which should be customized as per the patient’s condition, age, body weight and comorbidities. Also, to avoid the occurrence of retinopathy, eye examination and ophthalmic screening for the patients being administered these drugs should be done. This review discusses the risk determinants, the clinical presentations and screening techniques of retinal toxicity
Infection Control in Endodontics During COVID Era: A Review
Get PDFThe outbreak of the SARS-C0V-2 pandemic has continued to affect people's lives on a global scale. When the number of infected cases decreased, several countries across the world lifted their lock-down controls and started to open. But the latest re-emergence of COVID-19 cases across Europe once again prompted nations to step back to contain the virus spread. The most prevalent route of transmission is through aerosols and droplet inhalation, which is crucial for dental health workers as most dental procedures generate significant amounts of droplets and aerosols. Thus, it is imperative to follow infection control strategies and patient management protocols to ensure optimum dental care and at the same time prevent nosocomial infection in dental settings. This review provides an insight into the steps taken for infection control and prevention from COVID-19 transmission in endodontic practices
A Suspected Allergic Reaction to Boal Fish (Wallago Attu)
Get PDFConsumption of fish has increased around the globe due to its high nutritional value and this has led to an increase in incidence of allergic reactions to fish. Reactions to fish are not only mediated by the immune system causing allergies but are often caused by proteins, metals, various toxins and parasites. Allergic reactions to fish can range from being mild and self-limiting to serious and life threatening. We report a case of an adult with suspected allergic reaction to Boal fish (Wallago Attu) who developed contact dermatitis during marinating process. Application of steroids and administration of oral antihistaminic led to a quick recovery
Are We Causing Antibiotic Resistance with Antibiotic Abuse? A Study among Dentists
Get PDFINTRODUCTION: With the invention of any new technology their comes the boon and curse both. The invention and use of antibiotics comes a problem of antibiotic resistance which is much more in extent than treating the infectious disease. Keeping this in mind the WHO in 2011 gave the theme “combat drug resistance- No action today, No cure tomorrow” which was very significant. The present study was done with the aim to know the prescription pattern of antibiotics for various dental procedures by dental practitioners.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A specially prepared questionnaire exclusively designed for the study recording all the required relevant general information and information related to antibiotic prescribing patterns was used for data collection. The questionnaire consisted of three sections. The first part of the questionnaire collected the demographic details of the study population like age, gender, Graduate or postgraduate degree, area of specialization and years of practice. In the second section the Questions related to antibiotics use in certain dental clinical procedures and conditions in apparently healthy people were asked from the participants. In the last section of the questionnaire the participants were asked about the questions related to antibiotics use for certain dental clinical procedures in medically compromised cases.RESULTS: Questionnaire response rate of 73% was recorded. The study showed Augmentin to be the first choice of antibiotic by most of the respondents. The study showed that 64% of the endodontists and 74% of the general dentists prescribed antibiotics during root canal therapy where ideally operative intervention would have sufficed. Overuse of antibiotics for routine scaling and extraction was observed.CONCLUSION: The dental profession as a whole needs to acquire a deeper understanding of the global effects of unnecessary antibiotic prescription. Antibiotics when judiciously used are precise life-saving drugs
A Case Report of Apert Syndrome in a Fifty-Eight Year Old Female
Get PDFDefined as a rare type I acrocephalosyndactyly syndrome which is clinically characterized by dysmorphic facial features, craniosynostosis, and severe syndactyly of the hands and feet, Apert Syndrome represents an autosomal dominant inheritance which occurs due to the gene mutations in the receptors of the fibroblast growth factor. Oral lesions include tooth crowding, reduction in the size of the maxilla, impacted teeth, anterior open-bite, ectopic eruption, delayed eruption, thick gingiva and supernumerary teeth. The present case report describes a 58 year old female patient reported with the features of Apert’s syndrome such as dysmorphic facial features, occular anomalies, syndactyly and oral features. The case was referred to a specialized centre of clinical care for further treatment