European Journal of Medical and Health Research
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Splenetic Torsion on Ectopic Spleen: A Case Report
Get PDFSplenic volvulus, a rare torsion of the spleen around its vascular axis, can lead to severe tissue necrosis without prompt treatment. Underlying anatomical factors such as elongation of the splenic pedicle and ligament laxity increase the risk of torsion. Diagnosis is often made during emergency surgical intervention due to the rarity of the condition and the lack of specificity of symptoms. A 30-year-old woman presented with acute abdominal symptoms accompanied by fever, leading to emergency laparotomy revealing splenic volvulus. Imaging, particularly computed tomography, plays a crucial role in diagnosis. Treatment typically involves splenectomy in cases of necrosis. Wandering spleen, usually caused by ligament hyperlaxity, is a rare but important entity to recognize, often requiring surgical intervention to prevent serious complications
Bilateral Axillary Supernumerary Breasts: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Get PDFSupernumerary breasts or hypermastia are due to the non-regression of mammary buds during embryogenesis, with mammary glandular tissue persisting in the milky line running from the axillary line to the anterointernal surface of the thigh.Diagnosis is difficult in the absence of a nipple, which confuses them with a lipoma or axillary adenopathy.We report the case of bilateral supernumerary breasts discovered in a 34-year-old patient and managed surgically
Afternoon Clinics at Suhar Hospital: Assessment of Patient’s Satisfaction and Perceptions
Get PDFBackground: Afternoon clinics have gained popularity as an alternative to traditional daytime clinics, providing patients with the convenience of scheduling appointments and overcomig potential barriers such as work obligations or transportation issues. Despite their increasing prevalence, there is limited research on the impact of afternoon clinics on patient satisfaction. Therefore, this study seeks to contribute to the existing literature by exploring patient perception and satisfaction with the afternoon clinics at Suhar Hospital.Methods: This cross-sectional survey aimed to assess patient perception and satisfaction with the afternoon clinics at Suhar Hospital. The study targeted outpatients attending both morning and evening clinics during May-June 2023. A total of 100 patients aged 18 years and above participated in the study. At the clinics, patients were provided with a barcoded online self-reported questionnaire to be filled and submitted during their visits. The advances of afternoon appointments was assessed using a five-score likert scale of 11 items and found to have an excellent internal consistency of 0.957. Descriptive and inferential statistics (at 5% level of significance) were utilized to analyze the data.Results: Of the 100 patients submitted the survey, 58% were females, 73% aged 30 years and above, 53% held a university degree and 56% were employed. Most participants (67%) visited the hospital during the morning shift with 44% were visiting endocrine clinics and 68% came for follow-up visits. Overall, 83% of participants expressed satisfaction with health services received at current visits. The majority of afternoon appointments (67%) were first visit while the majority of moring appointments (85%) were follow-up visits. Patients attended afternoon shift expressed a preference for future afternoon appointments while patients attended morning shift preferred future morning appointments. Most respondents (91%) supported the hospital to continue offering afternoon clinics, 95% requested more specialties and 94% suggested providing afternoon appointments for specialized clinics at polyclinics level. As an overall preference, 47% of participants preferred afternoon slot, 15% preferred morning slot while 38% had no specific preference. Participants generally agreed on the advantages of afternoon shift with an average agreement level of 4.12 (SD=0.72) on a scale of 5 scores. However, participants had concerns about potential conflics with study or work schedules (Mean=3.98, SD=1.03), the flexibility of medical record staff to process their visit (Mean=4.03, SD=0.88) and the availability of transportation (Mean=4.04, SD=0.84).Conclusion: Lunching afternoon clinics at Suhar Hospital was an initiative to meet patient needs and expectations. Patients reported an overall satisfaction of afternoon time in terms of reducing waiting times, offering flexible scheduling options and enhancing logistical arrangements. For further improvement of patient access to specialized care, afternoon clinics can be expanded to include more specialties at the level of hospital as well as integrating the service into primary health care. This would allow for greater accessibility and convenience for patients seeking specialized care in various locations
Epidemiological Situation of Leprosy in the Littoral Region of Cameroon
Get PDFPurpose: This study aimed at determining the epidemiological situation of leprosy in the Littoral region of Cameroon.Problem: 20 years after the elimination of leprosy as a public health problem in Cameroon, we wondered about its epidemiological situation across the country and in particular in the Littoral region.Methods: We conducted a quantitative retrospective, descriptive cross-sectional study. The data were collected from the patients’ registers at the Dibamba leprosarium from 2011 to 2021. Using data from the Dibamba leprosarium, which appeared to be the only reference health facility still well engaged in the fight against leprosy in the Littoral region, we were able to create a clear leprosy situational report.Results: 281 cases of leprosy were treated at the Dibamba leprosarium, representing an incidence of 28 cases per year. They came from several regions of the country and even from a neighboring country (Central African Republic). 257 (91.50%) cases came from 20 health districts out of 24 in the Littoral region. Men were more represented with 156 (55.5%) cases. 14 (5%) cases were children under 15 years old, an average of 1 case per year. 22.9% (n= 44) of people affected by leprosy had second degree disabilities. 90.75% (n=255) of cases received were of the multibacillary form (MB). 44.4% (n=125) of female patients had a clinical form of MB.Conclusion: This situational report has shown that the Littoral region is still very endemic for Leprosy. Rapid actions should be taken to definitively stop the transmission of this disease
Nursing in Pakistan: What Does Chat-GPT Answer Regarding the Future of Nursing Education
Get PDFA significant part of Pakistan's healthcare system is nursing. The matter has been the focus of in-depth historical research, is still a pressing concern in the nation as of 2009, and has generated a great deal of academic and professional debate [1]. The Pakistani government declared in 2009 that it intended to raise the standard of nursing in the nation. The primary focus of the health care profession of nursing is on providing care for individuals and families. Everywhere in the world, but particularly in poorer nations like Pakistan, there is a shortage of nurses
Physical Activity and Its Prophylactic Effects on Cognition and Dementia
Get PDFThe dynamics of aging are not identical for all individuals, and certain lifestyle factors are likely to modulate its effects. Among these factors, the regular practice of physical activity is now the subject of increasing research. Many epidemiological, cross-sectional, and interventional studies present a convincing body of evidence in favor of the prophylactic effect of regular physical activity on brain and cognitive health in older adults. Various cognitive functions such as information processing speed, executive functions, or declarative memory appear to function more efficiently under the effect of a 6-month program combining 45 minutes of moderate-to-high-intensity aerobic physical exercise (sustained walking, jogging) and strength training three or more times a week
Navigating Menstrual Hygiene: Insights into the Awareness, Attitudes, and Habits of Adolescent Girls in Iraq
Get PDFBackground: Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is an important aspect of the health and well-being of adolescent girls, especially in developing countries where cultural taboos regarding menstruation and limited access to materials and information create considerable barriers. While the healthcare infrastructure in Iraq has improved in recent years, adolescent girls still experience barriers to accessing information and appropriate menstrual hygiene materials .Objectives: The study aimed to assess the awareness, attitudes, and habits related to menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls (13-19 years) living in Al-Diwaniya city and Afak city in Iraq .Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was completed with 847 adolescent girls from 15 secondary schools between June 2022 to June of 2023. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire on demographic characteristics, menstrual knowledge, attitudes toward menstruation, and practices regarding MHM. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26.0, and descriptive and inferential statistics were employed .Results: The mean age of participants was 16.2 ± 1.8 years. Only 34.7% of girls had adequate knowledge on menstruation, nearly half (42.3%) of girls demonstrated negative attitudes towards their menstrual cycle, and 58.6% reported using appropriate absorbent materials. A third (31.2%) of the girls reported changing their materials at recommended intervals. A positive association was observed between the mother's education level and the girls' menstrual knowledge (p<0.001) .Conclusions: Adolescent girls living in Iraq have poor knowledge and poor practices of MHM. Urgently design educational interventions are needed for adolescent girls in Iraq that address both girls' menstrual knowledge and practices and their mothers' attitudes and knowledge
Fatigue Analysis of Novel Aortic Valve Stent Using Finite Element Analysis
Get PDFAortic stenosis and Regurgitation are the common heart valve diseases that about 20% of the US population get diagnosed with each year. Recent advances in minimally invasive surgical techniques like transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) have paved the way for high-risk patient treatment with minimal hospital stay and use of anesthetic. While the patient data on prosthetic stent based aortic valve durability from the last decade has instilled confidence, this data is still considered inadequate for large scale adoption of TAVR therapy for low and medium risk patients. As one of the leading failure modes for the Nitinol based prosthetic stents is material fracture due to cycling fatigue, it is critical to identify a method to accurately predict it. While the historic scientific literature available indicates the presence of stress based, strain based and damage-tolerance analysis-based assessments of fatigue behavior of Nitinol material, there still exists a gap specifically for accurate prediction of fatigue life of Nitinol based prosthetic stents using computational methods like finite element analysis. This article presents a case study of estimating the fatigue life of novel aortic valve when subjected to physiological loading conditions using FEA while using minimal computational resources. This FEA and strain-based approach using constant-life diagram method of fatigue estimation will allow for preliminary evaluation of fatigue life and make design and process changes before fabrication and testing of prosthetic aortic
Factors Impacting Leaflet Coaptation and Durability in Prosthetic Heart Valves
Get PDFThe treatment of Aortic regurgitation using TAVR has not met with excellent outcomes that TAVR did with Aortic stenosis treatment due to differences in patient anatomies, and manifestation of the disease at the native valve annulus. With exception of JenaValve device which relies on proprietary clipping mechanism to anchor the valve, off-label use of TAVR devices that are otherwise indicated for use only to treat AS disease, relied on valve-in-valve for anchoring to prevent paravalvular leakage and valve embolization. The under-expansion of the inside valve due to stiffness and geometry of the outside valve has an impact on leaflet coaptation leading to additional stresses on the leaflets and decreased durability. This article explores the stent frame and leaflet design considerations and their impact on valve durability in AR patient anatomies that rely predominantly on valve-in-valve configuration for anchoring
Assessment of Micronutrient Deficiency through Dietary Intake, Food Consumption Practices and Nutritional Status Amongst Women of Reproductive Age in Kongowea, Mombasa County
Get PDFMicronutrient deficiencies are a public health concern among women of reproductive age (WRA) and children aged below five years in low and middle-income countries. Random sampling in a cross-sectional study was used to assess the nutritional status and dietary diversity of 184 women of reproductive age (15-49 years), estimated by data obtained on food frequency, 24-hour recall and dietary diversity using a structured, validated questionnaire. The data was analyzed using Nutri-survey software and transferred to SPSS version 20 and was analysed using descriptive statistics. The BMI status indicated that 47.6% were normal, 42.9% were overweight and 9.5% were obese. The mean energy intake was 2132.6±626.7, protein 49.6±10.2, iron 12.5±2.02 and zinc 9.13±2.14. The results indicate that the respondents in this study were below optimum in the intake of some vitamins and minerals. The vitamins consumed below the RDA included vitamin A (15.8%), vitamin B2 (49.4% and 31.4%), vitamin C (13.3% and 27.7%) and vitamin D (87.0% and 77.8%). The minerals consumed below the RDA in both age categories were sodium (55.1% and 42.4%), potassium (36.5% and 38.8%), calcium (68.8% and 67.8%) and iron (16.7% and 3.9%). The most consumed foods were starch cereals and the least consumed were meat and fish. There is need for nutrition education aimed at improving proper nutrition and increased micronutrient intake among women of reproductive age