The Libyan journal of medicine
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The measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic in the academic 2020/2021 included full-time online courses for medical students in Serbia for the first time since the faculty was founded in 1920. The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes and opinions about the full-time online course among medical students and their teachers. A qualitative study was carried out in the autumn of 2021. ⋯ Most participants considered that the online classes had a negative impact on their knowledge and practical skills, but their academic achievement was not inferior compared to previous years. The full-time online course should include conventional on-site teaching. The relevance of acquiring practical skills is strongly emphasized.
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Early detection of alteration of muscle strength, quantity, and quality, and sarcopenia is useful in non-cirrhotic chronic hepatitis B (NC-CHB) patients. Studies, which explored the handgrip strength (HGS) are scarce with questionable results, and no previous case-control study explored the presence of sarcopenia. The aim of this study was to assess the muscle strength [i.e.; HGS absolute (HGSA), HGSA/body mass index (BMI)], muscle quantity [i.e.; appendicular skeletal muscle (ASM), ASM/height2, ASM/total body weight (TBW), ASM/BMI], and muscle quality [i.e.; HGSA/total muscle mass (TMM), HGSA/ASM] of NC-CHB patients. ⋯ One NC-CHB participant had a confirmed sarcopenia. To conclude, both controls and NC-CHB patients had similar HGS values. Only one NC-CHB patient had a confirmed sarcopenia.
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Vitiligo is a multifactorial dermatosis with many etiological hypotheses that have been suggested for its occurrence. To our knowledge, few epidemiological studies are available on vitiligo induction factors and particularly on the role of exposure to chemicals in the onset of the disease has been found. Therefore, there is need to investigate the relationship between vitiligo and chemical exposures in order to understand this mysterious disease. ⋯ Our results suggest that chemical factors play a key role in the occurrence of vitiligo. Therefore, prevention of this dermatosis requires the identification of exposure to the incriminated chemicals in any patient followed for vitiligo. The earlier the diagnosis of 'chemical' or chemically aggravated vitiligo, the better the prognosis for this disease.
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Introduction: Temperature management is an important aspect of the treatment of critically ill patients, but there are differences in the measurement and management of temperature in different Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The objective of this study was to understand the current situation of temperature measurement and management in ICUs in China, and to provide a basis for standardized temperature management in ICUs. Methods: A 20-question survey was used to gather information on temperature management strategies from ICUs across China. ⋯ The most frequent recommendations for promoting temperature management were continuous monitoring and targeted management. Conclusion: Our investigation revealed a high level of variability in the methods of temperature measurement and management among ICUs in China. Since fever is a common clinical symptom in critically ill patients and can lead to prolonged ICU stays, we propose that standardized guidelines are urgently needed for the management of body temperature (BT) in these patients.
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Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with increased cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) even in patients with viral suppression by combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of CVDs in diseased individuals and the general population. Cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is an index of arterial stiffness that has been shown to predict target organ damage. ⋯ In a periurban hospital in Ghana, compared to non-HIV controls or cART-naïve HIV patients, cART-treated HIV patients had increased arterial stiffness measured as CAVI. CAVI is associated with metabolic abnormalities in non-HIV controls and cART-naïve HIV patients, but not in cART-treated HIV patients. Patients on TDF-based regimens had decreased CAVI.