Journal of Ideas in Health (JIDHealth)
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Omenn syndrome: the drama of a family, congenital ichthyosis is not always mundane!
Get PDFBackground: The case we are reporting is about one of the rare manifestations of severe combined immunodeficiency, Omenn syndrome (OS).
Case presentation: A 43-days-old female presented with thick diffuse erythrodermic scaly ichthyosiform lesions on the scalp, face, and trunk since birth. lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and growth retardation as well as eosinophilia and increased serum IgE levels. A pregnancy was planned for an allograft of bone marrow, but the procedure was not carried out due to a persistent post-covid pneumopathy with bilateral parenchymal condensation that resulted in death.
Conclusion: This case report intends to incite clinicians to be alert to this possible diagnosis and not to underrate an immune deficiency in the case of neonatal erythroderma
How organizational climate of silence affects job performance: the role of work engagement and supervisor support among frontline nurses
Get PDFBackground: The growing body of evidence demonstrates both the desirable and undesirable consequences of organizational silence. This study aims to explore the influence of the organizational climate of silence on job performance through the mediating effects of work engagement (WE). Further, the degree to which supervisor support (SS) and work engagement moderate job performance are examined.
Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional design was used for the study. Survey data from 14 hospitals and 15 health centers and community-based health planning services (CHPS) compounds in the Western Region of Ghana. We used the variable-to-sample ratio to determine an appropriate and sufficient sample size of 565 respondents. The hierarchical regression technique was employed in estimating the relationship between the variables.
Results: In selecting an adequate and appropriate sample size for this current study, we relied on the variable-to-sample ratio. Results from the study showed that top management\u27s attitude to silence and the supervisor\u27s attitude to silence had a significant adverse effect on task performance (β=-.090, p< 0.05) and (β=-.110, p< 0.01). Work engagement had no role in mediating top managers\u27 and supervisors\u27 attitudes toward silence, communication opportunities, and task performance. Supervisor support acted as a moderating factor in the relationship between job engagement and task performance. In contrast, despite the direct positive relationship between supervisor support and contextual performance, it failed to moderate the relationship between work engagement and contextual performance.
Conclusion: The study\u27s findings demonstrate the need for health managers and supervisors to become more conscious of silence. The results offer diverse recommendations for encouraging the sharing of relevant ideas, facts, and opinions within the health sector
Empirical evidence from a few selected emerging economies on the impact of governance and health spending on health outcomes
Get PDFBackground: Adverse effects of weak governance on health, is a serious policy subject matter for policymakers, health experts, and researchers. Therefore, this study examines the effect of governance and health expenditure on under-five and adult mortality in emerging economies between 2000 and 2016.
Methods: Employing data from World Bank World Development Indicators, the study applied panel procedures namely cross-sectional dependence test, Westerlund cointegration, and cross-section augmented Dickey-Fuller (CADF) panel unit root test that can deal with the effects of cross-sections in the series. The study examined the long-run relationship between governance and health outcomes by using the panel fully modified least squares (FMOLS) and the fixed effects model for a robust check.
Results: The Westerlund cointegration confirmed that the variables are cointegrated. The panel fully modified least squares (FMOLS) and the fixed effects estimation results show that poor governance (corruption) induces adult mortality in most of the panels. However, good governance (political stability) reduces mortality among children under five and adults in all four panels.
Conclusion: The study supports the hypothesis that governance has inordinate consequences on under-five and adult mortality and therefore it has a huge impact on the health outlook of a population. The findings indicate that health expenditure and urbanization affect health outcomes in lower, upper, and high-income countries in changing economies. Different policy implications are therefore offered based on the study outcome
Seropositivity of Leptospira in rodents, shrews, and domestic animals in Unguja, Tanzania
Get PDFBackground: Leptospirosis is one of the most commonly neglected zoonoses in developing nations including Tanzania. This study aims to find out the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in rodents, shrews, and domestic animals in different regions in Unguja Island, Tanzania.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from January to April 2022. The blood samples were collected from rodents and shrews (n=248), cattle (n=247), goats (n=130), sheep (n=32), and dogs (n=80). The blood samples were allowed to clot in a slanted position and serum samples were harvested. A microscopic agglutination test (MAT) was performed on the sera to check for leptospiral antibodies using five Leptospira serovars as antigens (Sokoine, Lora, Pomona, Grippotyphosa and Hebdomadis).
Results: The overall seropositivity of leptospiral antibodies was 9.68% in rodents and shrews, 14.57% in cattle, 10.01% in goats, 31.25% in sheep, and 26.25% in dogs. The seropositivity of Leptospira varied significantly with animal species (OR=1.9, 95 % CI:1.1-3.3, p=0.03). The most frequently detected serovar was Sokoine (27.89%), followed by Pomona (19.47%), Lora (18.26%), Grippotyphosa (17.98%), and Hebdomadis (8.16%), respectively.
Conclusion: Our study suggests that further research should be conducted to find out factors of high seropositivity of leptospiral in Unguja. Vaccination of domestic animals with vaccines against local Leptospira strains should be encouraged, and rodent control and public awareness should be emphasized
Evaluation of oncology-related healthcare professionals\u27 knowledge and practices on sustainable nutrition, Ankara, Turkey
Get PDFBackground: Increasing population, limited resources, and climate change require adopting more sustainable diets. This study aims to evaluate health professionals\u27 knowledge levels and practices on sustainable nutrition.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2022 and May 2022 at Dr. Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Oncology Training and Research Hospital in Ankara. The research was performed by using the "Stretched Sampling Method". A semi-structured and self-reported online survey was recruited to collect data from healthcare professionals. Data from 298 participants were subjected to descriptive and univariate analyses to evaluate differences in knowledge mean scores and SCOFI scores. The data analysis results with the SPSS 26.0 program were accepted as a 95% confidence interval, with significance p≤0.05.
Result: A total of 298 people participated in the study. The mean age of respondents was 36 years (13±10.8). More than two-thirds (79.2%) were females, more than half (52%) were nurses, 20.5% were doctors, 60.4% had a bachelor\u27s degree, % and 12.8 had a master\u27s degree. Sustainable nutrition knowledge and SCOFI mean scores were 10.71±5.3 (0-24) and 54.09±13.2, respectively. 37.9% of the participants stated that they had heard of the concept of sustainable nutrition before. The sustainable nutrition knowledge of females was lower, and the SCOFI score was higher (P>0.05). The SCOFI score of the 18-25 age group was lower than the other age groups (P<0.05). Sustainable nutrition knowledge means scores increased as the education level increased (P<0.05). Dieticians had the highest sustainable nutrition knowledge and SCOFI score (P<0.05). The SCOFI score of those working in the surgery room and intensive care unit was lower than the other units (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Training for healthcare professionals might increase sustainable nutrition knowledge and awareness
Primary testicular lymphoma in undescended testis of a middle-age man: a case report
Get PDFBackground: Primary testicular lymphoma (PTL) is an uncommon and aggressive form of extra-nodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), accounting for <5.0% of testicular malignancies and 1.0% to 2.0% of NHL cases with a median age at diagnosis of 66 to 68 years. PTL accounts for 1–9% of testicular malignancies and 1–2% of NHLs. There are a handful of described lymphomas in the literature affecting normally positioned testis of aged men, yet none were reported in a cryptorchid middle-aged man. PTL is an extremely aggressive malignancy with poor progression-free survival and overall survival.
Case presentation: A 47-year-old man presented to the urology clinic complaining of multiple painless swellings in the neck and groins. He also complains of back pain, drenching night sweats, a swollen right lower limb, constipation, anorexia, weight loss, and occasional vomiting. The illness\u27s duration is 2 months. He had a right inguinal testis. Histology examination of the excised testis and lymph nodes revealed an advanced “diffuse large beta-cell lymphoma” in both. The patient was referred for oncology care.
Conclusion: It is an extremely rare case of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) in the undescended testis of a middle-aged man. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published case of its kind about the tumor\u27s type, testis anomaly, and patient\u27s age
Experimental inoculation of the Botox perineurally of facial nerve and followed by histological assessment for its effect on the zygomatic bone of rabbits
Get PDFBackground: Botox, derived from the toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum, is an attenuated toxin employed as a treatment for cervical dystonia, overactive bladder, strabismus, cerebral palsy, and non-surgical cosmetic procedures. This study aimed to explore the impact of injecting Botox around the facial nerve on the left side of rabbits, specifically focusing on the histological changes in the zygomatic bone.
Methods: Twenty-five adult rabbits of a local breed, weighing 1500-1800 gm and of both sexes, underwent a 15-day acclimation period prior to the experiment. The rabbits were randomly assigned to four groups (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th). A singular intramuscular injection of Botox at a dose of 3.5 U/kg was administered to the left facial muscles. The rabbits in each group were then sacrificed at distinct time points after injection: day 10, day 15, day 30, and day 45. All rabbits survived until the end of the experiment, at which point they were euthanized with chloroform. Post-euthanasia, the rabbits\u27 facial zygomatic bones were dissected and subjected to histological assessment.
Results: The results indicated notable changes in the zygomatic bone, including prominent vacuoles within the bony matrix, cracks with cellular debris, limited osteocytes, and collagen bundles resembling woven bone. Additionally, in the day 30 group (T3), irregular bone borders and atrophied osteogenic cells were observed, while the day 45 group (T4) exhibited necrotic areas and bone fragments within the bone matrix.
Conclusion: In conclusion, Botox, derived from Clostridium botulinum, serves various medical purposes. The study focused on injecting Botox around rabbits\u27 facial nerves to assess its impact on zygomatic bones histologically. Following a controlled injection and specific time intervals, the examined bone samples exhibited distinct changes, providing insights into Botox\u27s effects on bone morphology
Perceived stress among Sri Lankans during the economic crisis: an online survey
Get PDFBackground: The Sri Lankan population\u27s mental health was undoubtedly significantly impacted by the county’s economic crisis. This study investigated the prevalence of perceived stress and its socio-demographic predictor.
Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey was undertaken in July-August 2022, using google forms. The respondents were assessed for socio-demographics, and the level of stress experienced over the previous month. Ten-item self-reported perceived stress scale (PSS) was used to assess stress levels analysis. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were used.
Results: A total of 1214 respondents, aged ≥18 years were included in the survey. The majority were females (60%). The mean PSS score of this population was 21.95 ±6.09. More than half of the respondents reported moderate levels of stress (68.5%), while 23% registered high levels. A significant association was demonstrated between stress levels and variables age, gender, and residential area. Respondents below the age of 40 years (OR 1.936, 95% CI, 1.365-2.748, P<0.001) were more likely to report higher odds of having increased PSS scores, while men (OR 0.640, 95% CI, 0.491-0.835, P=0.001), and those without children (OR 0.556, 95% CI, 0.409-0.756, P<0.001) had significantly lower odds of reporting PSS.
Conclusion: Respondents experienced moderate to high levels of stress during the financial crisis in Sri Lanka. Higher stress was predicted by younger age, female gender, and having children. The results highlight the urgent need for stress management interventions to boost resilience and improve psychological well-being in this situation.
Intersecting paths: A rare case report of malignant melanoma in a patient with body dysmorphic disorder
Get PDFBackground: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) characterized by excessive and persistent preoccupation with perceived defects or flaws in appearance and has a prevalence of 1.7-2.9%. It is a disorder with a relatively unclear etiology.
Case presentation: A 36-year-old unmarried female presented to the surgery department with a self-inflicted lesion on her right ankle. The patient underwent fine needle aspiration cytology, and later, a wide local excision of the lesion was done. The final histological diagnosis of malignant melanoma was established. On careful psychiatric evaluation, the patient had an excessive and persistent preoccupation with her appearance, which caused severe psychological and social morbidity and drove her to her actions. Thus, the final diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder (DSM V) was established. The patient was put on Fluoxetine and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Conclusion: Given the significantly reduced functionality and quality of life, BDD should be recognized and accurately diagnosed
An automated approach for the kidney segmentation and detection of kidney stones on computed tomography using YOLO algorithms
Get PDFBackground: For effective diagnosis and treatment planning, accurate segmentation of the kidneys and detection of kidney stones are crucial. Traditional procedures are time-consuming and subject to observer variation. This study proposes an automated method employing YOLO algorithms for renal segmentation and kidney stone detection on CT scans to address these issues.
Methods: The dataset used in this study was sourced from the GitHub. The dataset contains a total of 1799 images, with 790 images labeled as \u27containing kidney stones\u27 and 1009 images labeled as \u27not containing kidney stones\u27. U-Net architecture was utilized to precisely identify the region of interest, while YOLOv5 and YOLOv7 architecture was utilized to detect the stones. In addition, a performance comparison between the two YOLO models and other contemporary relevant models has been conducted.
Results: We obtained a kidney segmentation IOU of 91.4% and kidney stone detection accuracies of 99.5% for YOLOv7 and 98.7% for YOLOv5. YOLOv5 and YOLOv7 outperform the best existing models, including CNN, KNN, SVM, Kronecker CNN, Xresnet50, VGG16, etc. YOLOv7 possesses superior accuracy than YOLOv5. The only issue we encountered with the YOLOv7 model was that it demanded more training time than the YOLOv5 model.
Conclusion: The results demonstrate that the proposed AI-based method has the potential to improve clinical procedures, allowing radiologists and urologists to make well-informed decisions for patients with renal pathologies. As medical imaging technology progresses, the incorporation of deep learning techniques such as YOLO holds promise for additional advances in automated diagnosis and treatment planning