Search results for: pediatric department

Authors: S. Mantzoukis, M. Gerasimou, P. Christodoulou, N. Varsamis, G. Kolliopoulou, N. Zotos

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Purpose: Patients in Intensive Care Units (ICU) are exposed to a different spectrum of microorganisms relative to the hospital. Due to the fact that the majority of these patients are intubated, bronchial secretions should be examined. Material and Method: Bronchial secretions should be taken with care so as not to be mixed with sputum or saliva. The bronchial secretions are placed in a sterile container and then inoculated into blood, Mac Conkey No2, Chocolate, Mueller Hinton, Chapman and Saboureaud agar. After this period, if any number of microbial colonies are detected, gram staining is performed and then the isolated organisms are identified by biochemical techniques in the automated Microscan system (Siemens) followed by a sensitivity test in the same system using the minimum inhibitory concentration MIC technique. The sensitivity test is verified by a Kirby Bauer test. Results: In 2017 the Laboratory of Microbiology received 365 samples of bronchial secretions from the Intensive Care Unit. 237 were found positive. S. epidermidis was identified in 1 specimen, A. baumannii in 60, K. pneumoniae in 42, P. aeruginosa in 50, C. albicans in 40, P. mirabilis in 4, E. coli in 4, S. maltophilia in 6, S. marcescens in 6, S. aureus in 12, S. pneumoniae in 1, S. haemolyticus in 4, P. fluorescens in 1, E. aerogenes in 1, E. cloacae in 5. Conclusions: The majority of ICU patients appear to be a fertile ground for the development of infections. The nature of the findings suggests that a significant part of the bacteria found comes from the unit (nosocomial infection).

Keywords: bronchial secretions, cultures, infections, intensive care units

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Authors: Meryam Labyad, Karima Fakiri, Widad Lahmini, Ghizlane Draiss, Mohamed Bouskraoui, Nadia Ouzennou

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Background: Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, affecting nearly 235 million people worldwide (OMS). In Morocco, asthma is much more common in children than in adults; the prevalence rate in children between 13 and 14 years of age is 20%.1 This pathology is marked by high morbidity, a significant impact on the quality of life and development of children 2 This requires a rigorous management strategy in order to achieve clinical control and reduce any risk to the patient 3 A search for aggravating factors is mandatory if a child has difficulty maintaining good asthma control. The objective of the present study is to describe asthma control during this confinement period in children aged 4 to 11 years followed by a pneumo-paediatric consultation. For children whose asthma is not controlled, a search for associations with promoting factors and adherence to treatment is also among the objectives of the study. Knowing the level of asthma control and influencing factors is a therapeutic priority in order to reduce hospitalizations and emergency care use. Objective: To assess asthma control and determine the factors influencing asthma levels in children with asthma during confinement following the COVID 19 pandemic. Method: Prospective cross-sectional study by questionnaire and structured interview among 66 asthmatic children followed in pediatric pneumology consultation at the CHU MED VI of Marrakech from 13/06/2020 to 13/07/2020, asthma control was assessed by the Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT). Results: 66 children and their parents were included (mean age is 7.5 years), asthma was associated with allergic rhinitis (13.5% of cases), conjunctivitis (9% of cases), eczema (12% of cases), occurrence of infection (10.5% of cases). The period of confinement was marked by a decrease in the number of asthma attacks translated by a decrease in the number of emergency room visits (7.5%) of these asthmatic children, control was well controlled in 71% of the children, this control was significantly associated with good adherence to treatment (p<0.001), no infection (p<0.001) and no conjunctivitis (p=002) or rhinitis (p<0.001). This improvement in asthma control during confinement can be explained by the measures taken in the Kingdom to prevent the spread of COVID 19 (school closures, reduction in industrial activity, fewer means of transport, etc.), leading to a decrease in children's exposure to triggers, which justifies the decrease in the number of children having had an infection, allergic rhinitis or conjunctivitis during this period. In addition, the close monitoring of parents resulted in better therapeutic adherence (42.4% were fully observant). Confinement was positively perceived by 68% of the parents; this perception is significantly associated with the level of asthma control (p<0.001). Conclusion: Maintaining good control can be achieved through improved therapeutic adherence and avoidance of triggers, both of which were achieved during the containment period following the VIDOC pandemic 19.

Keywords: Asthma, control , COVID-19 , children

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Authors: Derya Duran, Christine Jacknick

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This study explores post-task reflections in an English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) setting, and it specifically focuses on how a teacher performs pedagogical practices such as reformulating, extending and evaluating following students’ spontaneous experience tellings in EMI classrooms. The data consist of 30 hours of video recordings from two EMI content classes, which were recorded for an academic term at a university in Turkey. The course, Guidance, is offered to fourth year undergraduate students as a compulsory course in the Department of Educational Sciences. The participants (n=78) study at the Faculty of Education, majoring in different educational departments (i.e., Computer Education and Instructional Technology, Elementary Education, Foreign Language Education). Using conversation analysis, we demonstrate that the teacher employs a variety of interactional resources to elicit (i.e., asking specific questions) and also provides (i.e., giving scientific information) as much content as possible, which also sheds light on the institutional fingerprints of the current research context. The study contributes to the existing research by unpacking articulation of personal experiences and cultivation of collaborativeness in classroom interaction. Moreover, describing the dialogic nature of these specific occasions, the study demonstrates how teacher and students address learning tasks together (collectivity), how they orient to each other turns interactionally (reciprocity), and how they keep the pedagogical focus in mind (purposefulness).

Keywords: conversation analysis, English as a medium of instruction, higher education, post-task reflections

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Authors: Silvia Maria Moya

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After the Great Depression, the number of admissions to psychiatric facilities saw a significant increase. This increase, coupled with the arrival of new antipsychotic drugs, prepared the ground to the psychiatric deinstitutionalization movement in North America. Community services became an essential part of care where the role of the nurse also became crucial in the management of patients. Looking through the archives of the Department of Psychiatry at the Ottawa Montfort Hospital, this project aims to assess the role of the nurse in a multidisciplinary team in a period of psychiatric deinstitutionalization. This research focuses on the different roles of the mental health nurse during the second half of the twentieth century. The case study, used as a methodological approach allows in-depth analysis of the journey of a female patient with long hospital course. The analysis of the document ‘psychiatric evaluation’ on the medical records of outpatient Montfort Hospital – where, on a regular basis, different health professionals of the multidisciplinary team write their notes – allow us to better understand the difficulties of the patient, their problems, their family and work relationships and the evolution of their self-esteem, but most importantly, it allows us to identify the importance of the different nurse`s roles in the team and in the mental health setting. This project therefore reveals that the nurse occupies a larger professional space than the other professionals in the multidisciplinary team and highlights the role of mental health nurses with patients and their families and their leadership role within a multidisciplinary team.

Keywords: mental health, nursing, deinstitutionalization, professional space

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Authors: Joshua N. Edokpayi, John O. Odiyo, Patience P. Shikwambana

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Water is a very rare natural resource in South Africa. Ga-Selati River is used for both domestic and industrial purposes. This study was carried out in order to assess the quality of Ga-Selati River in a mining area of Limpopo Province-Phalaborwa. The pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC) and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) were determined using a Crinson multimeter while turbidity was measured using a Labcon Turbidimeter. The concentrations of Al, Ca, Cd, Cr, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na and Pb were analysed in triplicate using a Varian 520 flame atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) supplied by PerkinElmer, after acid digestion with nitric acid in a fume cupboard. The average pH of the river from eight different sampling sites was 8.00 and 9.38 in wet and dry season respectively. Higher EC values were determined in the dry season (138.7 mS/m) than in the wet season (96.93 mS/m). Similarly, TDS values were higher in dry (929.29 mg/L) than in the wet season (640.72 mg/L) season. These values exceeded the recommended guideline of South Africa Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) for domestic water use (70 mS/m) and that of the World Health Organization (WHO) (600 mS/m), respectively. Turbidity varied between 1.78-5.20 and 0.95-2.37 NTU in both wet and dry seasons. Total hardness of 312.50 mg/L and 297.75 mg/L as the concentration of CaCO3 was computed for the river in both the wet and the dry seasons and the river water was categorised as very hard. Mean concentration of the metals studied in both the wet and the dry seasons are: Na (94.06 mg/L and 196.3 mg/L), K (11.79 mg/L and 13.62 mg/L), Ca (45.60 mg/L and 41.30 mg/L), Mg (48.41 mg/L and 44.71 mg/L), Al (0.31 mg/L and 0.38 mg/L), Cd (0.01 mg/L and 0.01 mg/L), Cr (0.02 mg/L and 0.09 mg/L), Pb (0.05 mg/L and 0.06 mg/L), Mn (0.31 mg/L and 0.11 mg/L) and Fe (0.76 mg/L and 0.69 mg/L). Results from this study reveal that most of the metals were present in concentrations higher than the recommended guidelines of DWAF and WHO for domestic use and the protection of aquatic life.

Keywords: contamination, mining activities, surface water, trace metals

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Authors: Shima Behzadi

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Background: In many human malignant tumors, microRNA expression is aberrant. This study investigates miR-141 as a prognostic marker in colorectal cancer with K-Ras mutation. Materials and methods: In this case-control study, 100 patients, mostly over the age of 50, who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer were selected. The pathology department of the Mostoufi Pathobiology and Genetics Laboratory in Tehran confirmed the presence of colorectal cancer in samples of paraffin-embedded colon tissue. The case group was composed of patients with codon 12 and 13 mutations in exon 2 of the K-Ras gene, while tumor samples of individuals without these mutations in exon 2 of the K-Ras gene were selected as the control group, with patient consent. The changes in the expression of miR-141 were examined in both groups. Results: The study found that 20% of the patients tested positive for codon 12 mutation, and 10% of patients had codon 13 mutation. As a result, in 30 cases, there was a higher level of miR-141 expression. The miR-141 gene expression level in K-Ras positive tumor samples was 1.5 times higher than its expression level in K-Ras negative samples. This increase in expression was statistically significant, with a p-value of less than 0.001, indicating that the observed results are highly statistically significant. Conclusion: The study revealed that the incidence of typical K-Ras gene mutations among the colorectal cancer patients in the sample matches the national average in Iran. Additionally, the expression of miR-141 can serve as a useful biomarker to aid in the prognosis of colorectal cancer.

Keywords: colorectal cancer, K-Ras gene, miR-141 marker, real time PCR, electrophoresis

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Authors: Khaled Alabduljabbar

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Background: Benign, isolated, recurrent sixth nerve palsy is very rare in children. Here we report a case of recurrent abducens nerve palsy with no obvious etiology. It is a diagnosis of exclusion. A recurrent benign form of 6th nerve palsy, a rarer still palsy, has been described in the literature, and it is of most likely secondary to inflammatory causes, e.g, following viral and bacterial infections. Purpose: To present a case of 14 months old girl with recurrent attacks of isolated left sixth cranial nerve palsy following upper respiratory tract infection. Observation: The patient presented to opthalmology clinic with sudden onset of inward deviation (esotropia) of the left eye with a compensatory left face turn one week following signs of upper respiratory tract infection. Ophthalmological examination revealed large angle esotropia of the left eye in primary position, with complete limitation of abduction of the left eye, no palpebral fissure changes, and abnormal position of the head (left face turn). Visual acuity was normal, and no significant refractive error on cycloplegic refraction for her age. Fundus examination was normal with no evidence of papilledema. There was no relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD) and no anisocoria. Past medical history and family history were unremarkable, with no history of convulsion attacks or head trauma. Additional workout include CBC. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, Urgent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and angiography of the brain were performed and demonstrated the absence of intracranial and orbital lesions. Referral to pediatric neurologist was also done and concluded no significant finding. The patient showed improvement of the left sixth cranial nerve palsy and left face turn over a period of two months. Seven months since the first attack, she experienced a recurrent attack of left eye esotropia with left face turn concurrent with URTI. The rest of eye examination was again unremarkable. CT scan and MRI scan of brain and orbit were performed and showed only signs of sinusitis with no intracranial pathology. The palsy resolved spontaneously within two months. A third episode of left 6th nerve palsy occurred 6 months later, whichrecovered over one month. Examination and neuroimagingwere unremarkable. A diagnosis of benign recurrent left 6th cranial nerve palsy was made. Conclusion: Benign sixth cranial nerve palsy is always a diagnosis of exclusion given the more serious and life-threatening alternative causes. It seems to have a good prognosis with only supportive measures. The likelihood of benign 6th cranial nerve palsy to resolve completely and spontaneously is high. Observation for at least 6 months without intervention is advisable.

Keywords: 6th nerve pasy, abducens nerve pasy, recurrent nerve palsy, cranial nerve palsy

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Authors: Anochao Phetcharat

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This research aims to study problems of translation basic knowledge, particularly from English into Thai. The researcher used 38 2nd-year non-English speaking students of Suratthani Rajabhat University as samples. The samples were required to translate an A4-sized article from English into Thai assigned as a part of BEN0202 Translation for Business, a requirement subject for Business English Department, which was also taught by the researcher. After completion of the translation, numerous problems were found and the research grouped them into 4 major types. The normally occurred problems in English-Thai translation works are the lack of knowledge in terms of parts of speech, word-by-word translation employment, misspellings as well as the poor knowledge in English language structure. However, this research is currently under the process of data analysis and shall be completed by the beginning of August. The researcher, nevertheless, predicts that all the above-mentioned problems, will support the researcher’s hypothesizes, that are; 1) the lack of knowledge in terms of parts of speech causes the mistranslation problem; 2) employing word-by-word translation technique hugely results in the mistranslation problem; 3) misspellings yields the mistranslation problem; and 4) the poor knowledge in English language structure also brings about translation errors. The research also predicts that, of all the aforementioned problems, the following ones are found the most, respectively: the poor knowledge in English language structure, word-by-word translation employment, the lack of knowledge in terms of parts of speech, and misspellings.

Keywords: problem, student, Thai, translation

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Authors: Aisha Tarek Noour, Nick Hubbard

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Blended e-Learning (BL) is proving to be an effective pedagogical tool in many areas of business and management education, but there remains a number of barriers to overcome before its implementation. This paper seeks to analyse the views of lecturers towards BL according to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), and identifies the opportunities and challenges for using BL in Logistics Education in an Egyptian higher education establishment. SDT is approached from a different perspective and the relationship between intrinsic motivation (IM), extrinsic motivation (EM), and amotivation (AM) is analysed and related to the opportunities and challenges of the BL method. The case study methodology comprises of a series of interviews with lecturers employed at three Colleges of International Transport and Logistics (CITLs) at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, Maritime and Transport (AAST&MT) in Egypt. A structured face-to-face interview was undertaken with 61 interviewees across all faculty positions: Deans, Associate Professors, Assistant Professor, Department Heads, Part-time instructors, Teaching Assistants, and Graduate Teaching Assistants. The findings were based on "content analysis" of the interview transcripts and use of the NVivo10 software program. The research contributes to the application of SDT within the field of BL through an analysis of the views of lecturers towards the opportunities and challenges that BL offers to logistics educators in Egypt.

Keywords: intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, amotivation, autonomy, competence, relatedness, self-determination theory and blended e-learning

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Authors: Aimen Mohamed Almaloul

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The main focus of this study is investigating the interference of Arabic in the use of English prepositions by Libyan university students. Prepositions in the tests used in the study were categorized, according to their relation to Arabic, into similar Arabic and English prepositions (SAEP), dissimilar Arabic and English prepositions (DAEP), Arabic prepositions with no English counterparts (APEC), and English prepositions with no Arabic counterparts (EPAC). The subjects of the study were the first year university students of the English department, Sabrata Faculty of Arts, Azzawia University; both males and females, and they were 100 students. The basic tool for data collection was a test of English prepositions; students are instructed to fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions and to put a zero (0) if no preposition was needed. The test was then handed to the subjects of the study. The test was then scored and quantitative as well as qualitative results were obtained. Quantitative results indicated the number, percentages and rank order of errors in each of the categories and qualitative results indicated the nature and significance of those errors and their possible sources. Based on the obtained results the researcher could detect that students made more errors in the EPAC category than the other three categories and these errors could be attributed to the lack of knowledge of the different meanings of English prepositions. This lack of knowledge forced the students to adopt what is called the strategy of transfer.

Keywords: foreign language acquisition, foreign language learning, interference system, interlanguage system, mother tongue interference

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Authors: Aadil Khan, Yasser Chomayil, P. P. Venugopalan

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Background: Budd-Chiari syndrome is caused by thrombosis of the hepatic veins and/or the thrombosis of the intrahepatic or suprahepatic IVC. The etiology remains idiopathic in 16% -35% of cases. Malignancy, rheumatological disorder, myeloproliferative disease, inheritable coagulopathy, infection or hyperestrogen state can be identified in many cases. Methodology: Review of case records of the patient presented to Aster Medcity, Emergency Department, Cochin. Introduction:17 years old female was presented to ED with fever, jaundice and abdominal distention since 1 week. O/E: Pallor+, icterus+. Abdomen- gross distension+, shifting dullness+, generalized anasarca+. USG abdomen showed hepatomegaly with mild coarse echotexture and moderate to gross ascites. CT abdomen and chest showed hepatomegaly with thrombosis of all three hepatic vein and moderate ascites suggestive of Budd-Chiari syndrome. Patient was taken for catheter vein thrombolysis. Venogram done the next day revealed almost > 50% opening of the right hepatic vein. Concurrent doppler showed colour and doppler signals in middle hepatic veins. She gradually improved and was discharged home on anticoagulant and adviced regular follow up. Conclusion: Being a rare disease in this young population, high suspicion is required when evaluating young patients with abdominal pain and jaundice.

Keywords: Budd-Chiari syndrome, rare disease, abdominal pain, India

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Authors: Md. Toufiq Hasan

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This research set out to explore the source of stress and coping strategies of undergraduate Occupational Therapy students’ of Bangladesh Health Professions Institute (BHPI) in Bangladesh. For that reason, a quantitative and prospective type survey has been conducted by the researcher with 27 student participants of BHPI Occupational Therapy department whose stress scores were ≥40 according to Zung’s self-rating depression scale. Data was collected by using Bengali and English joined questionnaire of Inventory of College Students’ Recent Life Experience and Ways of Coping Scale. The researcher followed ‘Comprehensive sampling’ procedure to study the entire group of population. From the in-depth analysis to data found some source of stress and coping strategies of the students’. Stress was found significantly more in 2nd year students rather than other years. Female students were more vulnerable for stress rather than male. The age ranges 18-20 years of students are more vulnerable for stress. The main sources of stresses are found that, a lot of responsibilities and too many things to do at once and not enough time to meet their obligation or duties. The important coping strategies are found that, they criticized or lectured their selves, tried not to burn their bridges, but leave things open somewhat and inspired to do something creative. Findings of the study highlighted the need for teachers-students interactive relationship for better academic performance. The study also discloses some important recommendations for the students and teachers. At last the findings of the study will help the Occupational Therapy students and teachers of BHPI.

Keywords: BHPI undergraduate occupational therapy students, stress, source of stress, coping strategies

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Authors: Nabil Hameed Al-Farsi

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This study’s main goal is to develop a model and a maintenance strategy for a cement factory called Arabian Cement Company, Rabigh Plant. The proposed work here depends on Reliability centric maintenance approach to develop a strategy and maintenance schedule that ensures increasing the reliability of the production system components, thus ensuring continuous productivity. The cost-effective maintenance of the plant’s dependability performance is the key goal of durability-based maintenance is. The cement plant consists of 7 important steps, so, developing a maintenance plan based on Reliability centric maintenance (RCM) method is made up of 10 steps accordingly starting from selecting units and data until performing and updating the model. The processing unit chosen for the analysis of this case is the calcinatory unit regarding model’s validation and the Travancore Titanium Products Ltd (TTP) using the claimed data history acquired from the maintenance department maintenance from the mentioned company. After applying the proposed model, the results of the maintenance simulation justified the plant's existing scheduled maintenance policy being reconsidered. Results represent the need for preventive maintenance for all Class A criticality equipment instead of the planned maintenance and the breakdown one for all other equipment depends on its criticality and an FMEA report. Consequently, the additional cost of preventive maintenance would be offset by the cost savings from breakdown maintenance for the remaining equipment.

Keywords: engineering, reliability, strategy, maintenance, failure modes, effects and criticality analysis (FMEA)

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Authors: Lethola Tshikose, Munyaradzi Katurura

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Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a critical role in improving daily healthcare processes. The South African healthcare organizations have adopted Information Systems to integrate their patient records. This has made it much easier for healthcare organizations because patient information can now be accessible at any time. The primary purpose of this research study was to investigate the best practices that can be applied to enhance patient security and confidentiality when using e-health systems in South Africa. Security and confidentiality are critical in healthcare organizations as they ensure safety in EHRs. The research study used an inductive research approach that included a thorough literature review; therefore, no data was collected. The research paper’s scope included patient data and possible security threats associated with healthcare systems. According to the study, South African healthcare organizations discovered various patient data security and confidentiality issues. The study also revealed that when it comes to handling patient data, health professionals sometimes make mistakes. Some may not be computer literate, which posed issues and caused data to be tempered with. The research paper recommends that healthcare organizations ensure that security measures are adequately supported and promoted by their IT department. This will ensure that adequate resources are distributed to keep patient data secure and confidential. Healthcare organizations must correctly use standards set up by IT specialists to solve patient data security and confidentiality issues. Healthcare organizations must make sure that their organizational structures are adaptable to improve security and confidentiality.

Keywords: E-health, EHR, security, confidentiality, healthcare

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Authors: Tsebe Wilfred Molotja, Mahlapahlapane Themane, Kgetja Maruma

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It is globally accepted that reading in the primary schools serves as a foundational basis for good reading skills. This is evident in the students’ academic success throughout their studying life. However, the PIRLS (2016) report on Literacy performance found that primary school learners are not able to read as fluently as expected. The results from ANA (2012) also indicated that South African learners achieved the lowest as compared to other global ones. The purpose of this study is to investigate the approaches employed by educators in developing learners’ reading and writing skills and to workshop them on the best reading and writing approaches to be implemented. The study adopted an explorative qualitative design where 27 educators from primary schools around the University of Limpopo were purposefully sampled to participate in this study. Data was collected through interviews and classroom observation during class visits facilitated by research assistants. The study found that teachers are aware of different approaches to developing learners’ reading and writing skills even thou these are not aligned with the curriculum. However, the problem is with implementation, as the conditions in the classrooms are not conducive for such. The study recommends that more workshops on capacitating teachers with the pedagogical approaches to teaching reading be held. The appeal is also made to the Department of Basic Education that it makes the classrooms to be conducive for teaching and learning to take place.

Keywords: academic success, reading and writing, community based, approaches

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Authors: Melissa Langevin, Natalie Ward, Colleen Fitzgibbons, Christa Ramsey, Melanie Hogue, Anna Theresa Lobos

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Description: Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is used by health care teams to examine adverse events (AEs) to identify causes which then leads to recommendations for prevention Despite widespread use, RCA has limitations. Best practices have not been established for implementing recommendations or tracking the impact of interventions after AEs. During phase 1 of this study, we used simulation to analyze two fictionalized AEs that occurred in hospitalized paediatric patients to identify and understand how the errors occurred and generated recommendations to mitigate and prevent recurrences. Scenario A involved an error of commission (inpatient drug error), and Scenario B involved detecting an error that already occurred (critical care drug infusion error). Recommendations generated were: improved drug labeling, specialized drug kids, alert signs and clinical checklists. Aim: Use simulation to optimize interventions recommended post critical event analysis prior to implementation in the clinical environment. Methods: Suggested interventions from Phase 1 were designed and tested through scenario simulation in the clinical environment (medicine ward or pediatric intensive care unit). Each scenario was simulated 8 times. Recommendations were tested using different, voluntary teams and each scenario was debriefed to understand why the error was repeated despite interventions and how interventions could be improved. Interventions were modified with subsequent simulations until recommendations were felt to have an optimal effect and data saturation was achieved. Along with concrete suggestions for design and process change, qualitative data pertaining to employee communication and hospital standard work was collected and analyzed. Results: Each scenario had a total of three interventions to test. In, scenario 1, the error was reproduced in the initial two iterations and mitigated following key intervention changes. In scenario 2, the error was identified immediately in all cases where the intervention checklist was utilized properly. Independently of intervention changes and improvements, the simulation was beneficial to identify which of these should be prioritized for implementation and highlighted that even the potential solutions most frequently suggested by participants did not always translate into error prevention in the clinical environment. Conclusion: We conclude that interventions that help to change process (epinephrine kit or mandatory checklist) were more successful at preventing errors than passive interventions (signage, change in memory aids). Given that even the most successful interventions needed modifications and subsequent re-testing, simulation is key to optimizing suggested changes. Simulation is a safe, practice changing modality for institutions to use prior to implementing recommendations from RCA following AE reviews.

Keywords: adverse events, patient safety, pediatrics, root cause analysis, simulation

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Authors: Liaqat Ali, Khalid Farooq, Shafieullah Khan, Nasir Orakzai, Qudratullah

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Objectives: To determine the risk factors for high resistance of ciprofloxacin in complicated urinary tract infections. Materials and Methods: It is an analytical study that was conducted in the department of Urology (Team ‘C’) at Institute of Kidney Diseases Hayatabad Peshawar from 1st June 2012 till 31st December 2012. Total numbers of 100 patients with complicated UTI was selected in the study. Multivariate analysis and linear regression were performed for the detection of risk factors. All the data was recorded on structured Proforma and was analyzed on SPSS version 17. Results: The mean age of the patient was 55.6 years (Range 3-82 years). 62 patients were male while 38 patients were female. 66 isolates of E-Coli were found sensitive to ciprofloxacin while 34 isolates were found Resistant for ciprofloxacin. Using multivariate analysis and linear regression, an increasing age above 50 (p=0.002) History of urinary catheterization especially for bladder outflow obstruction (p=0.001) and previous multiple use of ciprofloxacin (p=0.001) and poor brand of ciprofloxacin were found to be independent risk factors for high resistance of ciprofloxacin. Conclusion: UTI is common illness across the globe with increasing trend of antimicrobial resistance for ciprofloxacin against E Coli in complicated UTI. The risk factors for emerging resistance are increasing age, urinary catheterization and multiple use and poor brand of ciprofloxacin.

Keywords: urinary tract infection, ciprofloxacin, urethral catheterization, antimicrobial resistance

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Authors: Hazlin Kadir Shahar, Razaleigh Muhamat Kawangit, Badlihisham Mohd Nasir, Rosmawati Mohamad Rasit

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Stigma and discrimination have become the main topic of discussion when dealing with HIV/AIDS issues. They affect the daily life of People Living With HIV(PLHIV), families, friends and people around them indirectly. This paper discusses the potential measurement in helping to reduce stigma and discrimination existence among Islamic Religious Officers towards PLHIV in Malaysia. These people have been trained with special programmes to tackle the HIV/AIDS issues by using a manual, namely as ‘The Manual of Islam and HIV/AIDS’, specifically designed by the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (JAKIM). The objectives of the training programmes are to give the accurate information about HIV/AIDS and to suggest ways on how to handle the PLHIV issues in Islamic perspective. This research used quantitative methodology by survey. A pilot test had been done over thirty (30) trained Islamic Religious Officers in Malaysia. The findings have shown that the trainings have given a positive impact for them as they managed to acquire the knowledge of HIV/AIDS from both primer and authorized sources such as medical practitioners, Muslim chaplains and social workers. The knowledge they have acquired from the trainings has guided them in changing their perception, thus helping to reduce their own stigma and discrimination towards PLHIV. The training programmes have given them opportunities to practice what they have learned through several outreach sessions as they have had the opportunities to approach PLHIV directly.

Keywords: Islamic religious officers, people with HIV, stigma and discrimination, training programmes

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Authors: Justice Dadzie, Stacy H. Surman, Ruth K. Annan-Brew, Ifesinachi J. Ezugwu, Evans Addison

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This study aimed to explore the correlation between students' performance in educational statistics and research methods in education, as well as investigate potential differences in performance based on their undergraduate programs. A cross-sectional design was employed, and data was collected from 170 students enrolled in master of philosophy programs in the department of education and psychology. The correlation analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between students' performance in intermediate statistics in education and research methods in education. This indicates a close relationship between the two domains. The MANOVA analysis showed no significant differences in the linear combination of intermediate statistics in education and research methods in education scores across the different undergraduate programs. The tests of between-subjects effects further confirmed that the student's performance in intermediate statistics in education and research methods in education did not differ significantly across the different undergraduate programs. These findings contribute to the existing literature by providing insights into the correlation between educational statistics and research methods, and the influence of undergraduate program backgrounds on students' performance in these domains. The strong positive correlation between intermediate statistics and research methods highlights the importance of a solid foundation in statistics for understanding and applying research methods. Moreover, the consistent relationship across different academic backgrounds emphasizes the need for targeted interventions and support systems to enhance graduate students' competencies in these critical areas.

Keywords: educational statistics, research methods, undergraduate programs, students performance

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Authors: Ghada A. Gamea, Nabila A. Yaseen, Ahmed A. Othman, Ahmed S. Tawfik

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Infection with Toxoplasma gondii can cause serious complications in pregnant women, leading to abortion, stillbirth, and congenital anomalies in the fetus. Definitive diagnosis of T. gondii acute infection is therefore critical for the clinical management of a mother and her fetus. This study was conducted on 250 pregnant females in the first trimester who were inpatients or outpatients at Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at Tanta University Hospital. Screening of the selected females was done for the detection of immunoglobulin (IgG and IgM), and all subjects were submitted to history taking through a questionnaire including personal data, risk factors for Toxoplasma, complaint and history of the present illness. Thirty-eight samples, including 18 IgM +ve and 20 IgM-ve cases were further investigated by the avidity and IgE ELISA tests. The seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women was (42.8%) based on the presence of IgG antibodies in their sera. Contact with cats and consumption of raw or undercooked meat are important risk factors that were associated with toxoplasmosis in pregnant women. By serology, it could be observed that in the IgM +ve group, only one case (5.6%) showed an acute pattern by using the avidity test, though 10 (55.6%) cases were found to be acute by the IgE assay. On the other hand, in the IgM –ve group, 3 (15%) showed low avidity, but none of them was positive by using the IgE assay. In conclusion, there is no single serological test that can be used to confirm whether T. gondii infection is recent or was acquired in the distant past. A panel of tests for detection of toxoplasmosis will certainly have higher discriminatory power than any test alone.

Keywords: diagnosis, serology, seroprevalence, toxoplasmosis

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Authors: Shehzad Khan, Jehangir Khan, Shah Babar, Rashid Mahmood, Rizwan Khan, Sanya Hadi

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Ascaris lumbricoides are familiar with the roundworm that causes biliary infections in humans. Nevertheless, ascariasis is primarily found in the jejunum and transferred in numerous body parts with the intake of Ascaris lumbricoides present in food and water. These study methods were implemented at the Saidu Teaching Hospital Radiology Department from December 2021 to January 2023. This study includes the participants suffering from biliary ascariasis admitted or visited Saidu Teaching Hospital in that time frame. Clinical assessment of the participants was done based on the appearance of signs and symptoms present in them. The participant's laboratory test was done to determine the level of basic body parameters. After that ultrasonography was used to diagnose the presence and appearance of worms. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was used to extract worms from biliary channels, and the incidence of post-ERCP biliary ascariasis was accessed with ultrasonography. This study's results show the presence of numerous types of worms in the biliary channels of patients. Also, the level of body parameters, for instance, neutrophil, hemoglobin, and others, were compared at the time of admission and at the time of discharge from the hospital. Furthermore, the incidence of post-ERCP biliary ascariasis was reported as 4% in females, and 1% in males, respectively.

Keywords: Ascaris, biliary, ERCP, ultrasound

Procedia PDF Downloads 101

Authors: Yasamiyan Alolaywi

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The sources of second language acquisition vary and depend on a learner’s preferences and choices; however, undoubtedly, the most effective methods provide authentic language input. This current study explores the effectiveness of watching movies as a means of English language acquisition. It explores university students’ views on the impact of this method in improving English language skills. The participants in this study were 74 students (25 males and 49 females) from the Department of English Language and Translation at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. Data for this research were collected from questionnaires and individual interviews with several selected students. The findings of this study showed that many students watch movies frequently and for various purposes, the most important of which is entertainment. The students also admitted that movies help them acquire a great deal of vocabulary and develop their listening and writing skills. Also, the participants believed that exposure to a target language by native speakers helps enhance language fluency and proficiency. The students learn not only linguistic aspects from films but also other aspects, such as culture, lifestyle, and ways of thinking, in addition to learning other languages such as Spanish. In light of these results, some recommendations are proposed, such as verifying the feasibility of integrating media into a foreign language classroom. While this study covers aspects of the relationship between watching movies and English language acquisition, knowledge gaps remain that need to be filled by further research, such as on incorporating media into the educational process and how movie subtitles can improve learners’ language skills.

Keywords: language acquisition, English movies, EFL learners, perceptions

Procedia PDF Downloads 101

Authors: Roslina Kamaruddin

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The paddy farmer’s performance and ability to improve productivity for increased incomes is driven by their level of farm management practices. Knowledge on the nature and level of sustainable farm management (SFM) practice provides opportunities for supporting the competitive advantages of paddy farmers to sustainably break away from the poverty cycle. Little attention has been given to measuring the performance and impact of SFM for the improvement of paddy farmer's livelihood in Malaysia. Without understanding SFM, it is difficult to make policies and provide targeted, impactful support to paddy farmers. The objective of this study is to assess the level of SFM among paddy farmers by calculating the Sustainable Farm Management Index (SFMI) using the Rice Check (RC) guideline established by the Department of Agriculture. The structured questionnaire was designed to capture the nine elements of farming practices based on the RC and was then distributed to 788 paddy farmers in Malaysia's main granary areas, namely MADA, KADA, and BLS. Each practice was given a score to determine whether the guidelines were followed. The index ranges from 0 to 100, with 0 being unsustainable and 100 being highly sustainable. A multiple regression analysis was employed as well to estimate the effects of SFM adoption on farmer livelihoods. The findings show that adopting SFM has a positive and significant effect on farmers' livelihoods. The paper, therefore, recommends that farmers should be educated on the importance of sustainable farming practices as this is essential for the sustainable livelihood development of poor farmers who rely on government subsidies.

Keywords: sustainable farm management, paddy farming, rice check, granary areas, farmers livelihood

Procedia PDF Downloads 100

Authors: Rita A. Sunday-Kanu

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This article reports on an evaluation of lunch hour concert and its effectiveness in improving undergraduate performance ability. In particular, it examines the aptitude of students in classroom applied music and their reaction/responses to true life concert situations. It further investigated factors affecting students’ confidence during performances, the relationship between stage fright and confidence building in regular concert participation. The Department of Music, University of Port Harcourt runs monthly lunch our concerts which are coordinated by undergraduates for the university community. Forty music students who have participated in or coordinated lunch hour concerts were chosen for this survey. Eight music lecturers who have supervised the monthly lunch hour concert were also chosen for this study. The attitude and view on the effectiveness of lunch hour concert in enhancing students’ performance skills were gotten through questionnaires survey, in-depth interview and participant observation to determine if classroom based applied music alone is as successful in grooming performance genius as the lunch hour concert. Result indicated that students’ participation in lunch hour concert did indeed broaden and strengthened their performance experiences. This observation led to a recommendation that regular community based concerts be considered as a standard for performance practices in the university curriculum since it serves as a preparatory platform for acquiring professional performance skills before graduation.

Keywords: lunch hour concert, performance, performing skill, community concert

Procedia PDF Downloads 178

Authors: Rania Mustafa, Anfal Gadour

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Specialty area: Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Wythenshawe Hospital Accident and Emergency Department. About, Documentation of verbal and written head injury advice given to all adults presenting following a head injury. Our aim was to assess verbal & written head injury advice for an adult patient attending ED in Wythenshawe hospital during the period from January 2022 to May 2022, with a view to evaluating the NICE head injury guidelines concerning discharge advice and also to review the clinical notes to ensure that all adult patients presenting with a head injury are documented to have received both verbal & written head injury advice as per the NICE guidelines. Here we collected data from a random sample over a 1 month period. This data was furtherly filtered to include the adult patient >16 years and resulted in 54 patients with head injuries attending ED during this time period; then patient’s age, sex and hospital number were used to identify the discharge advice for the purpose of chart review and to assess the documentation of head injuries compliance with recommendation for NICE assessment. Data were checked between January 2022 up to May 2022 to allow more intervals for better assessment. Our finding indicates that documentation of verbal advice, 26% of patients were not recorded to have received this in January compared to only 3% in May & Written advice was not recorded in 44% of patients studied in January compared to 1% in May.

Keywords: head, injuries, advice, leaflets

Procedia PDF Downloads 89

Authors: M. Mokhber, J. Hedayati

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From the managerial perspective, it is important to devise an operational plan based on top priorities due to limited resources, diversity of measures and high costs needed to improve safety in infrastructure. Dealing with the high-risk corridors across Iran, this study prioritized the corridors according to statistical data on accidents involving fatalities, injury or damage over three consecutive years. In collaboration with the Iranian Police Department, data were collected and modified. Then, the prioritization criteria were specified based on the expertise opinions and international standards. In this study, the prioritization criteria included accident severity and accident density. Finally, the criteria were standardized and weighted (equal weights) to score each high-risk corridor. The prioritization phase involved the scoring and weighting procedure. The high-risk corridors were divided into twelve groups out of 50. The results of data analysis for a three-year span suggested that the first three groups (150 corridors) along with a quarter of Iranian road network length account for nearly 60% of traffic accidents. In the next step, according to variables including weather conditions particular roads for the purpose of winter safety measures were extracted from the abovementioned categories. According to the results ranking, ‎‏9‏‎ roads with the overall ‎length of about ‎‎‏1000‏‎ Km of high-risk corridors are considered as preferences of ‎safety measures‎.

Keywords: high-risk corridors, HRCs, road safety rating, road scoring, winter safety measures

Procedia PDF Downloads 178

Authors: Angelis P. Barlampas

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PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the important role of taking an appropriate and detailed history, in order to reach the best possible diagnostic conclusion. MATERIAL: A patient presented to the emergency department due to the sudden onset of continuous abdominal pain, during the last hour and with the clinical symptoms of an acute abdomen. During the clinical examination, signs of peritoneal irritation and diffuse abdominal tenderness were found. The rest of the clinical and laboratory tests did not reveal anything important. From the reported medical history, nothing of note was found, except for the report of a large liver cyst, for which he was advised not to take any further action, except from regular ultrasound examination . METHOD: A computed tomography examination was performed after per os administration of gastrografin, which revealed a hyperdense ascitic effusion, similar in density to that of gastrografin within the intestinal tract. The presence of a large cyst of the left hepatic lobe was confirmed, contacting and pushing against the stomach. In the area of the contact between the liver cyst and the pylorus, there were extraluminal air bubbles and local opacity of the peritoneal fat, with a small hyperdense effusion. Result : The above, as well as the absence of a history of stomach ulcer or recent trauma, or other pathology, argue in favor of acute pyloric perforation, due to mural necrosis, in response to chronic external pressure from the pre-existing large liver cyst.

Keywords: perforation, stomach, large liver cyst, CT abdomen, acute abdominal pain, intraperitoneal leakage, constrast leakage

Procedia PDF Downloads 98

Authors: Dauda Ibrahim Adagye

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Effective internal control system in the bursary unit of tertiary educational institutions is geared toward achieving quality teaching, learning, and research environment and as well assist the management of the institutions, particularly when decisions are to be made. While internal control system exists in all institutions, the outlined objectives above are far from being achieved. The paper; therefore, assesses the effectiveness of internal control system in tertiary educational institutions in Nasarawa State, Nigeria with the specific focus on the Nasarawa state Polytechnic, Lafia. The study is survey; hence, a simple closed-ended questionnaire was developed and administered to a sample of twenty-seven (27) member staff from the Bursary and the internal audit unit of the Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia to obtain data for analysis purposes and to test the study hypothesis. Responses from the questionnaire were analyzed using a simple percentage and chi-square. Findings shows that the right people are not assigned to the right job in the department, budget, and management accounting were never used in the institution’s operations and checking of subordinate by their superior officers is not regular. This renders the current internal control structure of the Polytechnic as ineffective and weak. The paper therefore, recommends that: transparency should be seen as significant, as the institution work toward meeting its objectives, therefore, it means that the right staff is assigned to the right job and regular checking of the subordinates by their ensued superiors.

Keywords: internal control, tertiary educational intuitions, efficiency

Procedia PDF Downloads 213

Authors: Parveen Kundu, Nitika Chawla, Ruchi Agarwal, Swaran Kaur

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Background: Mature cystic teratoma is a benign, most common tumor of the ovary occurring mostly in young and middle-aged females. This study consists of 19 cases of mature cystic teratomas which were received in the Department Of Pathology over a period of two years. There were malignant transformations observed in three cases, which makes it very important for pathologists to thoroughly examine the entire specimen of mature cystic teratomas. Material and Methods: Nineteen reported cases of mature cystic teratomas were received in Deptt. Of Pathology, BPS GMC Khanpur Kalan, Sonepat, over a two-year period from November 2020 to October 2022 and reviewed retrospectively. Data regarding age, size, laterality, gross, morphological features, and surgery performed were retrieved from pathological archives. Results: In our study, the most common age of presentation was the 20-40 year age group. The most common presenting complaint was fullness in the abdomen or abdominal distension. Four out of 19 cases studied cases presented with bilateral ovarian cysts. Tumor size ranged from 6 to 20 cm in diameter. In seven cases, cysts were greater than or equal to 10 cm in diameter. Three cases showed malignant transformation. Conclusion: It is very important to thoroughly examine the contralateral ovary to rule out bilateral presentation. A furthermost thorough examination is advised in tumors of size >10 cm and in tumors with solid areas to rule out any malignant transformation.

Keywords: teratoma, ovary, malignant, transformation

Procedia PDF Downloads 88

Authors: Hasan Sungur, Evrim Baran, Benjamin Ahn, Aliye Karabulut Ilgu, Chris Rehmann, Cassandra Rutherford

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Engineering identity contributes to the professional and educational persistence of women engineers. A crucial factor contributing to the development of the engineering identity is recognition. Those without adequate recognition often do not succeed in positively building their identities. This research draws on Honneth’s recognition theory to identify factors impacting women civil engineers’ feelings of recognition as civil engineers. A survey was composed and distributed to 330 female alumni who graduated from the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at Iowa State University in the last ten years. The survey items include demographics, perceptions of the identity of civil engineering, and factors that influence the recognition of civil engineering identities, such as views of society and family. Descriptive analysis of the survey responses revealed that the perceptions of civil engineering varied widely. Participants’ definitions of civil engineering included the terms: construction, design, and infrastructure. Almost half of the participants reported that the major reason to study civil engineering was their interest in the subject matter, and most reported that they were proud to be civil engineers. Many study participants reported that their parents see them as civil engineers. Treatment of institutions and the workplace were also considered as having a significant impact on the recognition of women civil engineers. Almost half of the participants reported that they felt isolated or ignored at work because of their gender. This research emphasizes the importance of recognition for the development of the civil engineering identity of women

Keywords: civil engineering, gender, identity, recognition

Procedia PDF Downloads 256