Australasian Medical Journal
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Representation of all major medical specializations in latest issues of AMJ
Get PDFAustralasian medical Journal of the current year. As you are aware the Journal was established in the year 2008. Ever since its establishment The Journal strived to present some of the most impactful and contemporary research in medical science that are relevant to the Australasian region and the rest of the world as well.
Assessment of Primary Healthcare Physicians’ Awareness about Shingles in Al-Qassim Province: A Cross-sectional Study
Get PDFBackground: Despite the significant public health implications of shingles (Herpes Zoster), there is a paucity of research examining the awareness levels among primary healthcare physicians, particularly in specific regions such as Al-Qassim Province. Understanding the awareness gaps is crucial for designing targeted interventions that enhance early detection, prevention, and management of shingles. Methods: A descriptive, correlational cross-sectional design was employed for this study. The study was conducted at primary health care centers in Al-Qassim Province. Participants were be selected during the period from January to March 2023. Population of the current study were primary healthcare physicians in Al-Qassim Province, KSA. Study participants were selected by non-probability convenient sampling technique. Study instrument consists of two domains. First is sociodemographic characteristics of participants. Second is KAP assessment regarding shingles. Results: The study included 252 participants. The mean age among study participants was 34.58 + 8.53 years with median age of 31 years. More than half of study participants were males (n= 154, 61.1%) and half of study participants were general practitioners (n= 127, 50.4%). Majority of study participants were Family Medicine practitioners (n= 228, 90.5%). More than half of study participants were Saudi (n= 150, 59.5%). In addition, more than half of study participants had 1-5 years of experience (n= 131, 52%). Notably, 60 participants acknowledge the common occurrence of Shingles while 166 recognize the possibility of multiple occurrences. A significant proportion, 188 participants, are aware of Shingles' transmissibility, and 240 participants understand that older individuals and those with comorbid conditions face a higher risk. Additionally, 231 participants acknowledge the serious impact of Shingles on daily life, with 185 considering the potential need for hospital admission. Most of study participants believed that rash (n= 130, 51.6%) and post-herpatic neuralgia (n= 116, 46%) are the most common complications of shingles. Moreover, more than half of study participants reported that pain associated with shingles is moderate and has a duration of few weeks (n= 144, 57.1%). Furthermore, more than half of study participants said that polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is the diagnostic tool for herpes zoster (n= 132, 52.4%). Noteworthy results include a significant association between age and awareness, with the younger age group (25-35) showing higher awareness compared to older age groups (36-45 and 46-60). Proficiency level also demonstrates a substantial impact, as specialists and consultants exhibit higher awareness compared to general practitioners and residents. Nationality is another significant factor, with Saudis having higher awareness than non-Saudis. Experience plays a role, with those having more than 10 years of experience demonstrating greater awareness. Conclusion: Awareness increased with younger age, competency, Saudi nationality, and professional experience. Shingles' frequency, transmissibility, and impact on susceptible populations were well-known, demonstrating sophisticated views about the illness. These findings show that demographically appropriate education will enhance public health and patient care in the region
Latest perspectives from medial research in Australasian Region
Get PDFAustralasian Medical Journal established in year 2008 is a peer-reviewed International medical and paramedical research Journal that focuses on the distribution and determinants of human health in various clinical contexts. It primarily covers medical research areas such as surgical procedures, pediatrics, pulmonary medicine, musculoskeletal diseases, women's healthcare, genomics, orthopedics, nutrition, hematology, immune system diseases, and relevant fields of studies. Additionally, it addresses paramedical research topics including physiotherapy, anesthesia technology, nursing, and global healt
Development of a Tissue Equivalent Gelatine Phantom for Accuracy Verification of Tissue Elasticity Measurement Using Shear Wave Elastography Ultrasound
Get PDFBackground Shearwave elastography ultrasound (SWE) has been increasing used in the recent decade to quantify tissue stiffness and viscoelastic properties correlate to a disease condition. Aims This study aimed to develop a low cost and reproducible gelatine phantom to verify the accuracy of tissue elasticity measurement using shear wave elastography (SWE). The effect of lesion’s size, stiffness and depth from the surface on the tissue elasticity measurement were also investigated. Methods A breast tissue-equivalent phantom embedded with spherical inclusions of different sizes, stiffness and depth from surface was constructed using gelatine. The elasticity of the spherical inclusions was determined using a commercial SWE system and compared to the elasticity determined using a high precision electromechanical microtester (gold standard for elasticity measurements). Results Statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) was found between the elasticity measured using SWE and electromechanical microtester, whereby the SWE overestimated the tissue elasticity by a mean value of 22.8 ± 15.0 kPa. The size and depth of the spherical inclusions have not imposed any effect on the elasticity measured by SWE, but the depth of shear wave detection was found limited to 8 cm from the surface. Conclusion The gelatine phantom constructed in this study could be used to verify the accuracy of the elasticity measured using SWE. The tissue elasticity measured by the SWE appeared to be overestimated compared to the gold standard. Further research would need to be carried out to determine the offset from the SWE measurement and to account for these differences
Comparison of short-term clinical outcomes between complete laparoscopic and laparoscopic-assisted total gastrectomy For Gastric Upper Cancer: A Meta analysis
Get PDFObjectiveLaparoscopic-assisted total gastrectomy (LATG) is the most commonly used method for laparoscopic treatment of gastric upper gastric cancer. However, because of the difficulties of total laparoscopic reconstruction, especially in vivo esophageal jejunum anastomosis is not easy to complete, resulting in a large number of complete laparoscopic total gastrectomy (TLTG), but it is worth to explore the complete laparoscopy and the clinical value of total gastrectomy. This study from the perspective of evidence-based medicine TLTG treatment of gastric cancer in the safety and feasibility of the recent and effective.MethodsA comparative study of the efficacy of TLTG and LATG in the treatment of upper gastric cancer was published in 2017. Meta-analysis was performed using RenMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 912 patients with gastric cancer were enrolled in this study. Among them, 425 LATG patients and 487 TLTG patients were all Asian populations. The results of meta-analysis showed that there was no significant difference in TLTG between operation time, proximal margin, lymph node dissection, postoperative complications and the most important complication of the anastomotic fistula compared with LATG (MD = -65.91, 95% CI: -114.18 ~ -1.7.65, P < 0.05), but the length of incision was shorter (P < 0.05), but the length of incision was shorter (MD = -4.91, 95 (MD = -1.07, 95% CI: -1.88 ~ -0.26, P < 0.05), the time of premature feeding was earlier (MD = -1.07, 95% CI: -1.88 ~ -0.26, P < 0.05) (MD = -1.55, 95% CI: -2.70 ~ -0.40, P < 0.05). The postoperative hospital stay was shorter (MD = -1.55, 95% CI: -2.70 ~ -0.40, P < 0.05).ConclusionTLTG is safe and feasible in the treatment of upper gastric cancer in Asian population, and has the advantages of quick recovery after incision
Short Term Weight Loss and Surgical Outcomes of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy in Patients with a Body Mass Index ≤ 35 kg/m2
Get PDFBackgroundLaparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is the most commonly performed bariatric operation. Its efficacy for both weight loss and comorbidity resolution in the morbidly obese has been well established.AimsOutcomes in the obese but lower body mass index (BMI) group are not well researched. We report short term outcomes in a patient cohort with a BMI ≤ 35 kg/m2.MethodsConsecutive patients with a BMI ≤ 35 kg/m2 who underwent primary LSG at a single institution between 2010 and 2020 were reviewed from a prospectively collected database. Weight loss outcomes and complications were documented.Results278 patients were included with a mean preoperative BMI of 33.2 kg/m2 and mean age of 45 years. Mean percentage excess weight loss (%EWL) was 97% and 116% at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Clavien-Dindo grade III-V complications occurred in 3.6% of patients and there were no patient deaths.Conclusion These findings demonstrate that in patients with a BMI ≤ 35 kg/m2, LSG provides effective short term weight loss with low rates of postoperative complications. Data with longer term weight loss outcomes is required to establish longevity of these results. Furthermore, longer term data on patient comorbidity profiles, especially glycaemic control and development of diabetes over time, would be beneficial
Effect of hemodiafiltration on sclerostin level and bone specific alkaline phosphatase in comparison with high flux dialysis
Get PDF Background: Sclerostin (sScl), an osteocyte-derived glycoprotein acts as a soluble inhibitor of the Wnt signaling pathway and bone formation. Its serum levels increase with the progression of CKD. The present study investigated the effect of hemodiafiltration (HDF) on sScl and bone specific alkaline phosphatase (BS-AP) in comparison with high flux hemodialysis (HF-HD). Methods: a prospective study was conducted upon 32 ESRD patients; 16 on regular HF-HD and 16 shifted to 3 months of HDF. Results: There was a significant reduction of predialysis sScl and BS-AP with a significant increase in sScl reduction ratio in the HDF group after 3months. SScl had a significant positive correlation with total but not BS-AP. Conclusion: sScl and BS-AP significantly decrease but are poorly correlated with each other in HDF. So either sScl reduction does not translate into better bone turnover or the BS-AP is not a suitable biomarker to assess bone turnover in HDF.
The Knowledge and Practice of Saudi Type 2 Diabetic Patients Regarding Lifestyle Habits in Riyadh City
Get PDFBackground [Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease; on the long term it will lead to a serious damage to certain body organs such as: heart, nerves, eyes, blood vessels and kidneys. Saudi Arabia is considered in top ten countries in the prevalence of DM globally.] Aims [To estimate the level of knowledge and practice in type 2 diabetic patients regarding the effect of lifestyle habits. Also, to estimate the knowledge of diabetic smokers toward smoking cessation benefits and its relation in decreasing diabetic complication, and to estimate the ratio between men and women about the knowledge and practice regarding the effect of lifestyle habits.] Methods [A cross-sectional study was done using a structured questionnaire amongst 332 type 2 diabetic patients seen at the outpatient clinics in 5 hospitals across Riyadh city. Baseline characteristics of the participants were obtained and their knowledge, and practice regarding lifestyle modification were assessed.] Results [ Out of 332 participants almost 84.6% of participants know that physical exercise improves diabetic symptoms but unfortunately 49.4% doesn’t exercise at all. We also found that almost (45.1%) of the participants didn't know about the effect of cigarette smoking/Alcohol on the progression of diabetes, and (50%) of active smokers had no awareness about its effect on the progression of the diseases. Also (13.6%) of the participants didn’t know about the effect of diet on the progression of Type 2 diabetes.] Conclusion [ Despite the high level of awareness on the effects of lifestyles in DM2 patients, in addition to lack of physical limitations, few proportions of patients translated that knowledge into routine physical activity.