1,721,013 research outputs found
Evaluating statistical and informatics competencies in medical students in a blended learning course
No full textThe paper reports on a case study aimed at investigating the use of technology in high-school in the subjects of informatics and statistics, as well as if the blended learning approach used in the same subjects - taught at the university level - was useful to introduce the students into scientific research. To this aim, a self-reported questionnaire was used, at the beginning and at the end of the courses of informatics and statistics. The results show limited use of technology in high school, at least on these subjects (15%), unless for spreadsheets (24%) and central tendency indicators (26%). Furthermore, the students reported that increased their ability to read scientific papers. As for the final outcomes, the students have small failing rates (3% and 9% for statistics and informatics, respectively) which are in-line with the self-reported knowledge on the subjects
Proctologic Surgery Prioritization After the Lockdown: Development of a Scoring System
Full text linkIntroduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has shown a very critical impact on surgical procedures all over the world. Italy faced the deepest impact from the beginning of March 2020. Elective operations, screening, and follow-up visits had been suspended giving priority to urgent and oncologic surgery. Patients: An observational study was carried out in the Surgical Coloproctology Unit of the Val Vibrata Hospital on 152 patients awaiting a proctological surgical treatment during the national lockdown. Methods: In order to monitor the health status of patients and reschedule postlockdown surgical activities, patients were interviewed by telephone submitting a questionnaire based upon the judgment of an expert senior clinician. Following the interview, we calculated a severity index for all the proctologic diseases (hemorrhoidal disease, anal fissure, anal sepsis, slow transit or obstructed defecation, incontinence), classifying the patients according to the score. Mean age of patients was 53 (±16) years, and there were 84 males (55.3%) and 68 females (44.7%). In total, 31% of our patients suffered from anal fissure, 28% suffered from hemorrhoidal disease, 14% suffered from anal sepsis, and the remaining patients suffered from benign anorectal diseases to a lesser extent. Results: A total of 137 patients were available and divided into three classes: priority surgery (PS) with 49 patients (36.2%), deferrable surgery (DS) with 25 patients (18.1%), and long-term surgery (L-TS) with 63 patients (45.6%). There was a significant correlation between the perceived health status reported during the interview and the priority class index (Spearman's rho = 0.97, p < 0.001). Differences related to age and sex were not significant (F-test = 0.43, p = 0.653; chi-squared test = 0.693, p = 0.707). 49 patients in class PS needed a prompt surgical treatment, while 24 patients allocated in class DS and 65 patients allocated in class L-TS could wait for a new ride plan for surgery. Conclusion: New tools, such as this simple score obtained during the telephone interview, can be useful for prioritization of patients on the waiting list for surgical coloproctology after the lockdown without further clinical examination and hospital access
Quality of health care services as perceived by the customers: issues of method or context? | [La qualità del servizio sanitario come percepita dagli utenti: questioni di metodo o di contesto?].
No full textEffectiveness and safety of a mixture of diosmin, coumarin and arbutin (Linfadren®) in addition to conventional treatment in the management of patients with post-trauma/surgery persistent hand edema: a randomized controlled trial
No full textObjective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of oral administration of Linfadren® in addition to conventional treatment in patients with post-trauma/surgery persistent hand edema. Design: Parallel-group randomized controlled trial. Setting: Outpatient rehabilitation center. Subjects: A total of 60 outpatients (mean age 48.5 (standard deviation (SD) = 12.3) years) with post-trauma/surgery persistent hand edema. Interventions: Patients were randomized to either receive six-week conventional treatment plus Linfadren® (Study Group) or conventional treatment (Control Group). Main Measures: Primary outcome was hand edema as measured by figure-of-eight method. Secondary outcomes were hand function, patient’s overall perceived treatment effectiveness and rescue medication request. Tolerability of Linfadren® was also evaluated. Assessments were performed at baseline, at the end of treatment and three months after the end of treatment. Results: All patients completed the six-week program and 57 patients (95%) completed the three-month follow-up. At six weeks, the Study Group had significantly greater improvement in hand edema (423.3 (SD = 23.8) mm vs 439.4 (SD = 22.6) mm; P = 0.009) and upper limb function (Quick Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire: 23.6 (SD = 13.6) vs 37.7 (SD = 15.9); P = 0.005) compared to the Control Group. Moreover, the percentage of patients who perceived treatment as effective was significantly higher in the Study Group than in the Control Group both after treatment (70% vs 37%, P = 0.002) and at follow-up (77% vs 30%, P < 0.0001). The rescue medication request was not different between groups. No adverse events were recorded. Conclusion: Linfadren® in addition to conventional treatment was safe and more effective than conventional treatment alone in patients with post-trauma/surgery persistent hand edema
Where Am I? Searching for the Tangle in the Developmental Topographical Disorientation
No full textThe Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD) is a pathological condition that impairs an individual’s ability to orient in space, even in the most familiar environments. It is a lifelong selective condition in individuals without brain damage or without impaired general cognitive functions. Here, we aimed at characterizing 54 individuals with DTD identified in a previous study, aged between 18 and 35 years and assessed through a 4-year-long online survey. To this purpose, we compared them with 54 matched healthy participants. We described the demographics, sense of direction, town knowledge, navigational strategies, left-right confusion as well as agnosic disorders (for landmarks, faces and objects). This novel study attempts to characterize the phenotype of DTD, providing an important contribution to the worldwide definition of a condition that was first described only 13 years ago, but which, considering the growing number of cases complaining of the disorder, deserves continuous and increasing attention
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Psychological health in children and adolescents, a study four years after the earthquake
No full textCOVID-19 Impact on Substance Use (Tobacco, Alcohol, Cannabis) and Stress in Medical Students
Full text linkThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented challenges globally, impacting various aspects of daily life, including education. This study examines the effects of the pandemic on stress levels and substance use among Italian medical students. Two independent surveys were conducted: 388 medical students were interviewed before the epidemic, and 222 medical students a year after the COVID-19 epidemic began. Results revealed significant changes in stress levels, with a reduction in mild stress and an increase in severe stress during the post-pandemic period, rising from 23% (95% CI: 19%-28%) to 46% (95% CI: 39%-52%). While tobacco smoking prevalence remained stable (25% vs 27%), the proportion of students exhibiting high levels of nicotine dependence increased (3.64%) compared to the period before the pandemic (1.80%). Alcohol consumption rates remained consistent (66%), with no significant differences in the distribution of risky alcohol consumption between the two periods (p = 0.535). Surprisingly, there was a significant decrease in cannabis use post-pandemic (16% vs 6%), though problematic use among users persisted (49% vs 46%). Multivariable analysis confirmed associations between stress and tobacco smoking (AdjOR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.11-3.53; p = 0.020), as well as alcohol consumption (AdjOR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.01-2.89; p = 0.047). Furthermore, male students were more likely to engage in alcohol (AdjOR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.47-3.19; p < 0.001) and cannabis use (AdjOR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.07-3.00; p = 0.027). The study highlighted the complex interplay between stress and substance use among medical students, underscoring the importance of targeted interventions to address stress-related substance use and support the well-being of medical students, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research should explore longitudinal trends and the effectiveness of interventions in mitigating stress-related substance use among this vulnerable population
Psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology-based meditation (PNEIMED) training reduces salivary cortisol under basal and stressful conditions in healthy university students: Results of a randomized controlled study
Full text linkBackground: Meditation represents an effective and safe practice to lower distress and promote well-being. PsychoNeuroEndocrinoImmunology-based Meditation (PNEIMED) is a validated method that can reduce stress-related symptoms and salivary cortisol secretion. To date, few randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have assessed cortisol levels through salivary samples, collected both in the morning phase and during acute mental stress elicitation, in healthy young subjects following brief meditation training. Aim: The present study aims to investigate, in healthy young undergraduate students, the effects of a brief PNEIMED training course on HPA axis by measuring salivary cortisol levels. Methods: Forty students attending the Faculty of Psychology, without comorbidities and previous experience of meditation, were enrolled in the study. Twenty subjects were randomly assigned to 30 h of PNEIMED training (intervention group, IG), and twenty subjects were randomly assigned to 30 h of academic lessons (control group, CG). Salivary cortisol measures included basal morning (t0 = baseline time, collected 30 min after waking) and under stress-eliciting task values. Cortisol measurement under the stress-eliciting task was provided through the Subtraction Stress Task (SST) at scheduled time intervals (t1 = 5 min pre-SST, t2 = 10 min post-SST, t3 = 30 min = post-SST). Salivary cortisol was measured among all subjects (IG + CG) at the beginning (pre-test) and at the end (post-test, four days later) of the study. Results: ANOVA between-group analysis of basal diurnal salivary cortisol showed a significant hormone deflection in the IG at the end of the PNEIMED course (post-test) when compared to the CG (IG post-test 5.64 ± 4.2 vs CG post-test 9.44 ± 4.9; F1,38 = 6.838; p = 0.013). RM-ANOVA within-group analysis for the IG also showed that time and condition effects were statistically significant, with Ftime = 5.438; p = 0.002 and Fcondition = 10.478; p = 0.004, respectively. The IG group presented a significant reduction in basal morning cortisol at the end of the PNEIMED course (post-test) compared to the salivary concentration at baseline (pre-test) (IG pre-test 9.42 ± 6.0 vs IG post-test 5.64 ± 4.2; F1,38 8,354; p = 0.009). RM-ANOVA for the control group showed only the main effect of time (F1,38 = 40.348; p < 0.001). Regarding cortisol measures under the SST-stress eliciting task, ANOVA between-groups analysis showed higher cortisol levels in the IG than in the CG before the PNEIMED course, with significant differences between groups at time t2 and time t3. After the PNEIMED course, the cortisol levels in the IG had decreased, although the differences between groups were not significant. Interestingly, ANOVA within-groups analysis showed that in the IG, the cortisol levels post-test (after the PNEIMED course) were lower than at pre-test (before the PNEIMED course), showing a significant difference of cortisol salivary concentration between conditions at t3 (F = 5.326; p = 0.032). In the control group, the post-hoc analyses for pairwise comparisons between conditions (pre-test vs post-test) did not show significant differences. Conclusion: Although the low number of subjects enrolled in the study does not allow for definitive conclusions to be drawn, the present findings confirmed the capability of the PNEIMED method to lower stress hormone secretion both at baseline and under acute mental stimulation in a group of young naïve practitioners and make a contribution to the existing literature by increasing the number of published RCTs about the topic
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