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Corporate Governance and Risk Management in Improving Company Performance: A Literature Review Study
No full textThis research analyzes the interplay of corporate governance (CG), risk management (RM), and their combined impact on firm performance. As businesses operate in increasingly complex environments, the role of governance and managing risks becomes crucial in ensuring long-term stability and growth. By employing a systematic literature review (SLR) approach, the research investigates relevant journal articles published between 2014 and 2024. The data were sourced from Scopus and Web of Science, using a structured search strategy according to the block-building method to classify search terms. A total of 572 articles were initially selected, and after further screening, 13 key studies were reviewed in-depth. The findings reveal a growing academic focus on the significance of CG and RM in enhancing firm performance. Specifically, the research highlights that companies with strong governance frameworks and effective RM strategies tend to perform better, both in financial terms and sustainability metrics. Moreover, the study identifies certain gaps in existing literature, particularly regarding the integration of sustainability practices and information technology (IT) into RM frameworks. These gaps suggest potential directions for future research to explore more comprehensive approaches in CG and RM, especially in the context of rapidly evolving global business environments. The study underscores the importance of continuous improvement in these areas to drive firm success and resilience
Length of Stay and Associated Factors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Central Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Study
No full textBackground: Global improvements in neonatal survival have been associated with increased admissions of preterm infants to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and longer hospital stays. However, data on the length of stay (LOS) for infants in NICUs and related factors in Saudi Arabia are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the LOS and its associated factors in the NICUs in Central Saudi Arabia.
Methods: In 2023, a retrospective study was conducted in the NICU of King Saud Hospital in Unaizah, Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Neonatal and maternal information was gathered from medical records using questionnaires. Modified Poisson regression models were generated, providing relative risk and a 95.0% confidence interval.
Results: A total of 915 neonates (53.6% males vs 46.4% females) were included in this analysis. Of these, 293 (32.0%) were low birth weight (LBW), 270 (29.5%) were preterm, and 51 (5.6%) had hypothermia. The median interquartile range (IQR) for the neonates’ white blood cell (WBC) count and red cell distribution width (RDW) was 13.8% (10.7–17.8%) and 16.7% (15.4–18.1%) × 10³/mm³, respectively. Their LOS ranged from 1 to 47 days, with a mean of 5.5 days, a median (IQR) of 3.0 (2–6) days, and a 90th percentile of 12 days. Multivariate Poisson analysis indicated that cesarean delivery (aRR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.30–1.47), preterm delivery (adjusted relative risk [aRR] = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.79–2.07), LBW (aRR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.51–1.74), and RDW (aRR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1.01–1.03) were positively associated with LOS, while neonatal jaundice (aRR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.65–0.85) and WBC count (aRR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.98 –0.99) were negatively associated.
Conclusion: The average LOS in this study was 5.5 days. The identified factors could help healthcare providers predict neonatal LOS, thereby enhancing neonatal care management
Patterns of Emergency Surgical Diseases at a Secondary Care Teaching Hospital
No full textBackground: Despite effective recording practices, there are no published data on surgical emergencies at Sohar Hospital. Understanding this data will enable policymakers and surgeons to enhance the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and quality of emergency services, ultimately improving patient care. This study aims to document the patterns of emergency surgical diseases at Sohar Hospital and the immediate outcomes of their management.
Methods: This is a descriptive, prospective study of patients admitted to Sohar’s surgical emergency department between February 10 and March 10, 2023. Ethical approval was obtained, and data collection was performed using a form. Analysis was conducted using SPSS.
Results: The study involved 272 patients. Among them, 31 (11.4%) were trauma patients, while 241 (88.6%) were non-trauma patients. Most trauma patients (80%) were under the age of 42, and 71% experienced road traffic accidents. More than half of the non-trauma patients (53.5%) presented with an acute abdomen, of which 44% reported nonspecific abdominal pain. The most commonly diagnosed acute abdominal condition was appendicitis, followed by cholecystitis, intestinal obstruction, diverticulitis, and peptic perforations. Regarding the immediate outcomes, 46.7% of the patients were treated in the emergency department and discharged, 22.1% were admitted and operated on, 16.2% were admitted and treated conservatively, 7.4% discharged themselves against medical advice, and 5.5% were referred to other specialties. The mortality rate was 2.2%, primarily due to sepsis.
Conclusion: The study revealed the pattern of emergency surgical disease at Sohar Hospital, patient demographics, and treatment outcomes. This data is essential for effective resource allocation and improving patient care. Further research is necessary
Correction to “Magnetic graphene oxide increases the biocompatibility and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 antioxidant of human cumulus cells: A lab-trial study” [Int J Reprod BioMed 2024; 22: 709–716]
No full textThe publisher has been informed of an error that occurred on pages 709 (Vol. 22; No. 9) which the p-value sign mistakenly given as > instead of <. The publisher wishes to apologize for this error. The online version of the article has been updated on 31 March 2025 and can be found at https://doi.org/10.18502/ijrm.v22i9.17475
Evaluation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist and antagonist protocols on pregnancy outcomes in POSEIDON groups 3 and 4: A randomized controlled trial
No full textBackground: Women with low ovarian reserve are the capable part of people who refer to infertility centers, this study compares 2 treatment protocols in cases with low ovarian reserve.
Objective: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist and GnRH-antagonist protocols in women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) in POSEIDON groups 3–4 undergoing in assisted reproductive technology (ART).
Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical trial enrolled 158 infertile women with diminished ovarian reserve undergoing ART at the Research and Clinical Center for Infertility, Yazd, Iran from January to October 2024. Women were randomly assigned to either a GnRH-antagonist (n = 84) or a long GnRH-agonist (n = 74). Primary outcomes included clinical pregnancy and secondary outcomes were chemical pregnancy, early abortion rate, ongoing pregnancy, and implantation rate.
Results: No significant differences were observed in baseline values between groups. The GnRH-agonist group had a longer stimulation duration (12.23 vs. 10.60 days, p < 0.001) and a higher total gonadotropin dose (4588.84 vs. 3225.67 IU, p < 0.001) compared to the antagonist group. Clinical pregnancy rates (17.8% vs. 15.8%, p = 0.810) and live birth rates (11.1% vs. 13.2%, p = 0.775) were comparable between the agonist and antagonist groups.
Conclusion: According to acquired data, the GnRH-antagonist and long GnRH-agonist protocols resulted in similar ART outcomes. The antagonist protocol was associated with shorter stimulation and lower gonadotropin consumption. As a result, the antagonist protocol was found to be more cost effective. Larger studies are needed to confirm these results and determine the optimal protocol for this woman group
Prevalence of psychological symptoms in low and high-risk pregnant women: A cross-sectional study
No full textBackground: Common psychological disorders during pregnancy can have obvious harmful effects on both mother and fetus.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of psychological symptoms in low and high-risk pregnant women.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 low-risk and high-risk pregnant women in Afzalipour hospital, Kerman, Iran from December 2017–2018. Participants were selected by census method, and the data collection tool was a 90-item questionnaire named Symptom Checklist-90.
Results: The mean age of pregnant women was 29.1 ± 6.8 yr. 7.6% had gestational diabetes mellitus, 5.9% had pregnancy hypertension, 6.6% had a history of in vitro fertilization, and 17.5% had a history of one miscarriage. 61.2 and 65.5% of high-risk women had depression and anxiety, respectively. A significant difference was observed between low-risk and high-risk women in terms of depression (p = 0.019), anxiety (p = 0.049), and aggression (p = 0.013), and the frequency of these variables was higher in high-risk women than in low-risk women.
Conclusion: According to age, education, and gestational period, the differences between 2 groups (low-risk and high-risk) were significant. Compared with low-risk women, high-risk pregnant women reported a higher prevalence of psychological symptoms in 10 factors. High-risk pregnant women had a significantly higher prevalence of somatization symptoms, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, hostility symptoms, and paranoid ideation than low-risk women. Therefore, educational programs during pregnancy for high-risk women can be useful
Effect of myo-inositol on the prevention of gestational diabetes in high-risk pregnant women: An RCT
No full textBackground: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a rising problem which, if not diagnosed and treated in time, can lead to maternal, fetal, and neonatal complications. Therefore, it is very important to consider predisposing factors and prevention of GDM.
Objective: This study aims to investigate the effect of myo-inositol (MI) on the prevention of GDM and other pregnancy outcomes.
Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Arash Women’s hospital and Yas hospital Complex, Tehran, Iran between November 2019 and May 2020 and included 150 women; the study was divided into 2 groups (n = 75/each). Women received 4000 mg of MI plus 400 mg of folic acid daily in the MI group and 400 mg of folic acid in the placebo group from 11–14 gestational weeks for 14 wk. Participants underwent 75 gr oral glucose tolerance test at 24–28 wk and were followed up until delivery.
Results: After adjustment for confounding factors, MI treatment was associated with a significant reduction of GDM (aRR: 0.58, 0.36, 0.91, p = 0.020). However, no significant difference was observed between the 2 groups in cases of other pregnancy outcomes and glycemia at each step of oral glucose tolerance test values.
Conclusion: Our results showed that MI significantly reduced GDM. With insufficient evidences, more studies with an appropriate sample size are recommended
A Hybrid Transformers-based Convolutional Neural Network Model for Keratoconus Detection in Scheimpflug-based Dynamic Corneal Deformation Videos
No full textPurpose: To assess the performance of a hybrid Transformer-based convolutional neural network (CNN) model for automated detection of keratoconus in stand-alone Scheimpflug-based dynamic corneal deformation videos (DCDVs). Methods: We used transfer learning for feature extraction from DCDVs. These feature maps were augmented by self-attention to model long-range dependencies before classification to identify keratoconus directly. Model performance was evaluated by objective accuracy metrics based on DCDVs from two independent cohorts with 275 and 546 subjects. Results: The model’s sensitivity and specificity in detecting keratoconus were 93% and 84%, respectively. The AUC of the keratoconus probability score based on the external validation database was 0.97. Conclusion: The hybrid Transformer-based model was highly sensitive and specific in discriminating normal from keratoconic eyes using DCDV(s) at levels that may prove useful in clinical practice
Asymmetric and Eccentric Laser Pointer Maculopathy in a Teenager
No full textThis is a Photo Essay and does not have an abstract. Please download the PDF or view the article in HTML
Are Self-Drilling, Self-Tapping Screws Effective in Anterior Cervical Fusion Surgery? One Surgeon’s Experience with 50 Consecutive Patients
No full textPurpose
Even though plate and screw designs in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) have evolved to improve fusion stability and enhance patient outcomes, some argue that pre-tapping remained the best option. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outcomes and complications of self-drilling, self-tapping screws and evaluate their efficacy in maintaining instrumentation position in plated ACDFs.
Methods
In this retrospective case series, patients who underwent ACDF with plating and selfdrilling, self-tapping screws from February 2021 to May 2023 were consecutively included. Demographic, radiographic, intraoperative, and postoperative data were collected. Odds ratios (ORs) were also utilized to determine factors associated with abnormal C2-C7 Cobb angles and C2-C7 sagittal vertical axes (SVAs) postoperatively.
Results
A total of 50 patients (26M, 24F, mean age: 56.7 ± 10.4) were included. At the final postoperative radiographic follow-up (251.1 ± 226.5 days), the C2-C7 Cobb angle increased by 21.03%, with the C2-C7 SVA increasing by 3.25%. OR assessment found an association with the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification score of ≥ 3 and abnormal postoperative C2-C7 SVA (5.667, 95% CI: 1.067 to 30.086, p=0.042). Longer operative times (≥91.5 minutes) were less likely to be associated with abnormal postoperative C2-C7 Cobb angles when compared to shorter operative times (0.175, 95% CI: 0.032 to 0.952, p=0.044). No fixation system complications or evidence of radiographic or clinical pseudoarthrosis were noted.
Conclusion
Patients undergoing ACDF with self-drilling, self-tapping screws had excellent postoperative outcomes and no evidence of instrumentation complications, including pseudoarthrosis. This case series demonstrates the safety of ACDF with this screw design. However, future studies should include a larger cohort of patients to provide more accurate guidelines and recommendations