78 research outputs found
Organizing palliative care in the rural areas of Iran: are family physician-based approaches suitable?
No full textHossein Jabbari,1 Saber Azami-Aghdash,2 Reza Piri,3 Mohammad Naghavi-Behzad,4 Mark JM Sullman,5 Saeid Safiri6,7 1Department of Community Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 2Iranian Center of Excellence in Health Management, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 3Students’ Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 4Medical Philosophy and History Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 5School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus; 6Managerial Epidemiology Research Center, Department of Public Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran; 7Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Introduction: The provision of palliative end-of-life care (P/EOLc) for patients, wherever they live, is an increasingly important service, particularly given the increasing rates of cancer and other life-threatening diseases in Iran. However, unfortunately, those living in the rural areas of Iran are greatly disadvantaged with respect to this type of care. Therefore, the present study explored the feasibility of organizing P/EOLc in the rural areas of Iran. Methods: In this qualitative study, two focus group (FG) discussions were held in Tabriz (Iran) with rural family physicians (FPs, n=23) and key P/EOLc stakeholders (n=13). The FG sessions were recorded, transcribed, and the transcriptions checked by participants before the data were subjected to content analysis. Results: While most FPs indicated that they did not have sufficient involvement in providing P/EOLc, they emphasized the necessity of providing P/EOLc through four main themes and 25 subthemes. The four main themes were labeled as “structures and procedures,” “health care provider teams,” “obstacles,” and “strategies or solutions.” Furthermore, according to the main themes and subthemes identified here, the key stakeholders believed that the Iranian health system and the FPs’ team have the potential to provide P/EOLc services in rural areas. Conclusion: The most feasible strategy for providing P/EOLc in Iranian rural areas would be to use the current health care framework and base the process around the FP. Keywords: palliative end-of-life care, rural areas, family physician tea
Google Scholar as a source for citation and impact analysis for a non-ISI indexed medical journal
No full textIt is difficult to determine the influence and impact of journals which are not covered by the ISI databases and Journal Citation Report. However, with the availability of databases such as MyAIS (Malaysian Abstracting and Indexing System), which offers sufficient information to support bibliometric analysis as well as being indexed by Google Scholar which provides citation information, it has become possible to obtain productivity, citation and impact information for non-ISI indexed journals. The bibliometric tool Harzing's Publish and Perish was used to collate citation information from Google scholar. The study examines article productivity, the citations obtained by articles and calculates the impact factor of Medical Journal of Malaysia (MJM) published between 2004 and 2008. MJM is the oldest medical journal in Malaysia and the unit of analysis is 580 articles. The results indicate that once a journal is covered by MyAIS it becomes visible and accessible on the Web because Google Scholarindexes MyAIS. The results show that contributors to MJM were mainly Malaysian (91) and the number of Malaysian-Foreign collaborated papers were very small (28 articles, 4.8). However, citation information from Google scholar indicates that out of the 580 articles, 76.8 (446) have been cited over the 5-year period. The citations were received from both mainstrean foreign as well as Malaysian journals and the top three citors were from China, Malaysia and the United States. In general more citations were received from East Asian countries, Europe, and Southeast Asia. The 2-yearly impact factor calculated for MJM is 0.378 in 2009, 0.367 in 2008, 0.616 in 2007 and 0.456 in 2006. The 5-year impact factor is calculated as 0.577. The results show that although MJM is a Malaysian journal and not ISI indexed its contents have some international significance based on the citations and impact score it receives, indicating the importance of being visible especially in Google scholar
Prognostic value of pathologic grade for patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma: Methodological issues
No full textBurden of diseases due to high systolic blood pressure in the Middle East and North Africa region from 1990 to 2019
No full textAbstract High systolic blood pressure (HSBP) is associated with several metabolic and non-metabolic disorders. This research aimed to document the deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) attributable to HSBP in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region between 1990 and 2019, by age, sex, underlying cause and socio-demographic index (SDI). We used the methodological framework and data drawn from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019 to identify the burden of diseases attributable to HSBP, from 1990 to 2019, in the MENA region. The estimates reported were presented as counts, population-attributable fractions, and age-standardised rates (per 100,000), along with 95% uncertainty intervals. In 2019, 803.6 thousand (687.1 to 923.8) deaths were attributed to HSBP in MENA, which accounted for 25.9% (22.9–28.6%) of all deaths. The number of regional DALYs caused by HSBP in 2019 was 19.0 million (16.3–21.9 million), which accounted for 11.6% (10.1–13.3%) of all DALYs, and was 23.4% (15.9–31.5%) lower than in 1990. The highest age-standardised DALY rate for 2019 was observed in Afghanistan, with the lowest in Kuwait. Additionally, the DALY rate in MENA rose with age for both sexs. Furthermore, a negative linear relationship was found between SDI and the age-standardised DALY rates. The region has a substantial HSBP-related burden. Policymakers and healthcare professionals should prioritize interventions that effectively promote the early detection of HSBP, access to quality healthcare, and lifestyle modifications to mitigate the HSBP burden in the MENA countries
Nighttime cooling of an urban pond
No full textOne of the processes by which open water cools the air during hot summer days is by storing the heat and increasing its own temperature. This heat is then released at night. The aim of this paper is to analyze this cooling process by quantifying the magnitude of turbulent, latent and sensible, heat fluxes in comparison to radiative and ground fluxes. A detailed vertical temperature profile was measured in an urban pond (~70 cm deep with surface area of 3,627 m2) in Delft (NL) using Distributed Temperature Sensing for a period of one month. The results show that, from the total of 2.7 MJm−2 of heat released by the pond on an average summer night, 43% of the thermal energy is emitted as longwave radiation, 39% as latent energy, and only 11% as sensible heat. An additional 0.10–0.32 MJm−2 is transferred into the bottom of the lake. Temperature distribution and cooling of the water profile is influenced by weather conditions during the preceding day. This paper provides an insight into a behavioral pattern of an urban pond at night. The results can shed some light into the potential of urban bodies to increase the air temperature of their surroundings at night.Water Resource
A calorimetric investigation of polymorphism in a layered perovskite: KAlF4
No full textPT: J; CR: BERRY LG, 1976, POWDER DIFFRACTION F BROOKER M, 1985, UNPUB BROSSET C, 1937, Z ANORG ALLG CHEM, V235, P139 BULOU A, 1982, J PHYS C SOLID STATE, V15, P183 BULOU A, 1982, MATER RES BULL, V17, P391 COUZI M, 1985, J PHYS-PARIS, V46, P435 LAUNAY JM, 1984, MATER RES SOC S P, V21, P167 LAUNAY JM, 1985, J PHYS-PARIS, V46, P771 MILLIER B, 1985, J CHEM EDUC, V62, P64 OGASAHARA K, 1979, CHEM PHYS LETT, V68, P457 SCHOONMAN J, 1976, J SOLID STATE CHEM, V16, P413 VANOORT MJM, 1985, J CHEM SOC F1, V81, P3059 WHITE MA, UNPUB WHITE MA, 1984, THERMOCHIM ACTA, V74, P55 WHITE MA, 1985, J CHEM PHYS, V83, P5844; NR: 15; TC: 2; J9: J CHEM THERMODYN; PG: 8; GA: C5290Source type: Electronic(1
Genes, culture and agriculture : an example of human niche construction
No full textK. N. Laland was supported by an ERC Advanced Grant (EVOCULTURE).Theory and empirical data from a variety of disciplines strongly imply that recent human history involves extensive gene-culture coevolution, much of it as a direct result of human agricultural practices. Here we draw on niche-construction theory (NCT) and gene-culture coevolutionary theory (GCT) to propose a broad theoretical framework (NCT-GCT) with which archaeologists and anthropologists can explore coevolutionary dynamics. Humans are enormously potent niche constructors, and understanding how niche construction regulates ecosystem dynamics is central to understanding the impact of human populations on their ecological and developmental environments. We use as primary examples the evolution of dairying by Neolithic groups in Europe and Africa and the rise of the “sickle-cell allele” among certain agricultural groups in West Africa and suggest that these examples are broadly representative of much of human recent history. Although the core aspects of these case studies are familiar, we lay out the examples with a specific NCT-GCT focus, which allows us to highlight how archaeology, when coupled with genetic research, can play an important role in better understanding human history. Finally, we suggest that the NCT-GCT perspective is likely to be of widespread general utility because it inherently promotes consideration of the active agency of humans, and other organisms, in modifying their ecological and developmental niches and naturally draws attention to the various forms of feedback that flow from human activities at multiple levels, in multiple populations, and across multiple species.Peer reviewe
Efficacy of tocilizumab in the treatment of COVID‐19: An umbrella review
No full textTocilizumab is an interleukin (IL)‐6 receptor inhibitor that has been proposed as a therapeutic agent for treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). The aim of this umbrella review was to determine the efficacy of tocilizumab in treating COVID‐19, and to provide an overview of all systematic reviews on this topic. We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, the Web of Science collection, the Cochrane library, Epistemonikos, and Google Scholar, as well as the medRxiv preprint server. These databases were searched up to 30 September 2021, using the following keywords: ‘SARS‐CoV‐2’, ‘COVID‐19’, ‘tocilizumab’, ‘RHPM‐1’, ‘systematic review’, and ‘meta‐analysis’. Studies were included if they were systematic reviews (with or without meta‐analysis) investigating the efficacy or safety of tocilizumab in confirmed COVID‐19 patients. The AMSTAR 2 checklist was used to assess quality of the included articles, while publication bias was examined using Egger's test. A total of 50 eligible systematic reviews were included. The pooled estimates showed significant reductions in clinical failure (risk ratio (RR) 0.75; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.61–0.93), deaths (RR 0.78; 95%CI, 0.71–0.85) and the need for mechanical ventilation (RR 0.77; 95%CI, 0.64–0.92) for those receiving tocilizumab compared with the control group. Also, an emerging survival benefit was demonstrated for those who received tocilizumab, over those in the control group (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.52; 95%CI, 0.43–0.63). In addition, tocilizumab substantially increased the number of ventilator‐free days, compared with the control treatments (weighted mean difference (WMD) 3.38; 95%CI, 0.51–6.25). Furthermore, lymphocyte count (WMD 0.26 × 10(9)/L; 95%CI, 0.14–0.37), IL‐6 (WMD 176.99 pg/mL; 95%CI, 76.34–277.64) and D‐dimer (WMD 741.08 ng/mL; 95%CI, 109.42–1372.75) were all significantly elevated in those receiving tocilizumab. However, the level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (WMD −30.88 U/L; 95%CI, −51.52, −10.24) and C‐reactive protein (CRP) (WMD ‐104.83 mg/L; 95%CI, −133.21, −76.46) were both significantly lower after treatment with tocilizumab. Tocilizumab treatment reduced the risk of intubation, mortality and the length of hospital stay, without increasing the risk of superimposed infections in COVID‐19 patients. Therefore, tocilizumab can be considered an effective therapeutic agent for treating patients with COVID‐19
Burden of diseases attributable to excess body weight in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019
No full textBackground: To investigate the global, regional, and national burden of the diseases attributable to excess body weight (EBW) from 1990 to 2019, stratified by age, sex, underlying cause, and sociodemographic index (SDI). Methods: Using the Comparative Risk Assessment approach of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study 2019, the burden of diseases attributable to EBW was reported for the period from 1990 to 2019. For adults, EBW was defined as a body mass index (BMI) exceeding 25 kg/m2, while for children aged 1 to 19 years, EBW was determined according to the standards set by the International Obesity Taskforce. The burden was reported in terms of numbers, proportions, and age-standardised rates per 100,000, accompanied by corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). Results: In 2019, there were an estimated 5.0 million deaths (95% UI: 3.2–7.1) and 160.3 million DALYs (106.0–218.9) attributable to EBW worldwide. The age-standardised DALY rate attributable to EBW increased by 18.0% (2.2–42.3) from 1990 to 2019, with notable regional variations. Southeast Asia and South Asia exhibited the highest age-standardised DALY rates. Conversely, the age-standardised death rate due to EBW showed no significant change, with an increase of 4.9% (-7.3 to 24.6) over the same period. Significant regional variations were again observed, particularly in Southeast Asia and South Asia, which recorded the highest age-standardised death rates. Moreover, a non-linear association was observed between the SDI and the regional age-standardised DALY rate of diseases attributable to EBW. Conclusions: The global burden of EBW has increased over the past three decades. This trend aligns with socio-demographic indices and is influenced by the physical activity levels and dietary habits of these populations
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