ABSTRACT
Dermatological surgery training across the UK has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with reduced face-to-face clinical activity, trainee redeployment and suspension of specialist rotations. Simultaneously, the new dermatology curriculum implemented in August 2021 has set the bar for surgical competency even higher than previously, while surgical courses and meetings that trainees have relied upon to augment their skills and knowledge have had to be suspended. Achieving curriculum learning outcomes has therefore been very challenging, and has been highlighted at National Dermatology Trainee Meetings, as well as reflected in General Medical Council surveys. In response to these difficulties, the British Society for Dermatological Surgery (BSDS) and the British Association of Dermatologists have sought new ways of delivering aspects of surgical training and established the 'Virtual Surgery Learning Project' (VSLP). A pilot group of senior dermatological surgeons and a dermatology specialist trainee with interests in education and digital technology was set up to map the project in early summer 2021, to explore possible modules and secure technical support from an e-learning company with expertise in producing innovative virtual learning. Five key aspects of surgical training were identified: surgical anatomy of the head and neck, informed consent and medicolegal matters, local anaesthesia, preoperative assessment and biopsy techniques. Over 30 volunteers, comprising dermatology specialist trainees, Mohs fellows and consultants from across the country were then recruited to the project in September 2021 and divided into working groups to design the modules, each led by a consultant with an interest in medical education and/or skin surgery. The five virtual modules are each based on clinical cases encountered in daily practice. They have been developed with a key emphasis on interactive learning and innovative self-assessment features to consolidate teaching outcomes, encourage trainee engagement and facilitate deeper learning. Users can access the 45-60-min modules at their choosing on multiple platforms. The presentation will show the features of the modules, the interactivity and innovations they contain, as well as explore how the modules were developed. While not intended as a replacement for hands-on surgical experience, the VSLP goes a significant way in addressing the shortfall in surgical education and will remain a valuable learning resource, even once working patterns normalize. Furthermore, it is an important step in expanding and improving the BSDS digital education resources available to its membership and establishing a national collaborative surgical education project.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Malaria in pregnancy contributes to substantial morbidity and mortality among women in Uganda. However, there is limited information on the prevalence and factors associated with malaria in pregnancy among women in Arua district, northwestern Uganda. We, therefore, assessed the prevalence and factors associated with malaria in pregnancy among women attending routine antenatal care (ANC) clinics at Arua regional referral hospital in north-western Uganda. METHODS: We conducted an analytic cross-sectional study between October and December 2021. We used a paper-based structured questionnaire to collect data on maternal socio-demographic and obstetric factors and malaria preventive measures. Malaria in pregnancy was defined as a positive rapid malarial antigen test during ANC visits. We performed a modified Poisson regression analysis with robust standard errors to determine factors independently associated with malaria in pregnancy, reported as adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: We studied 238 pregnant women with a mean age of 25.32±5.79 years that attended the ANC clinic, all without symptomatic malaria. Of the participants, 173 (72.7%) were in their second or third trimester, 117 (49.2%) were first or second-time pregnant women, and 212 (89.1%) reported sleeping under insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs) every day. The prevalence of malaria in pregnancy was 26.1% (62/238) by rapid diagnostic testing (RDT), with the independently associated factors being daily use of insecticide-treated bednets (aPR 0.41, 95% CI 0.28, 0.62), first ANC visit after 12 weeks of gestation (aPR1.78, 95% CI 1.05, 3.03), and being in the second or third trimester (aPR 0.45, 95% CI 0.26, 0.76). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of malaria in pregnancy among women attending ANC in this setting is high. We recommend the provision of insecticide-treated bednets to all pregnant women and early ANC attendance to enable access to malaria preventive therapy and related interventions.
Subject(s)
Malaria , Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic , Female , Pregnancy , Humans , Young Adult , Adult , Prenatal Care , Cross-Sectional Studies , Prevalence , Uganda , Malaria/prevention & control , Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic/prevention & controlABSTRACT
The need to increase the COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity at low to middle-income countries (LMIC) led to a growing focus on Novavax (NVX-CoV2373), a thermostable protein subunit vaccine manufactured using a baculovirus and insect cell system (BICS) platform. This study aimed to conduct a techno-economic analysis to assess the BICS platform of vaccine manufacturing and compare it to the mRNA and the saRNA platform. The data from the Novavax patent for the COVID-19 vaccine formulation and the manufacturing steps were used to simulate the BICS vaccine production in SuperPro Designer. From the techno-economic analysis, the productivity of all platforms was compared in terms of doses/day per L production scale. The saRNA platform's productivity is about 1,000-fold of the BICS platform and 20-fold of the mRNA platform. BICS is a feasible option for LMIC to produce vaccines because the cost per dose is like the saRNA platform, while the mRNA platform's cost per dose is 7 times higher than the BICS and saRNA platforms. However, further optimization is necessary to improve the productivity of the BICS platform to match saRNA's platform. © 2022,International Journal of Technology.All Rights Reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an easily contagious disease, and not much is known about the characteristics of COVID-19, both in terms of susceptibility, severity, and spreadability of various SARS-CoV-2 strains. Patient genomic factors, especially related to genomic polymorphisms that affect the body's immune system, can influence the course of infectious diseases. The aim of this study is to get an adequate picture regarding gene polymorphisms, both susceptibility and related to the clinical degree in COVID-19 patients. Methods: The PCR preparations were carried out in the Biomedical laboratory of the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret. The qualitative PCR (qPCR) examination was sent to the Genetica Science laboratory, Tangerang, West Java. The research subjects were divided into 3 groups, namely COVID-19 patients with no symptoms, COVID-19 patients with mild-moderate symptoms, COVID-19 patients with severe-critical symptoms. The research subjects were taken 6 cc of venous blood (3 cc for examination of serum IL-6 and TNFα levels and 3 cc for DNA examination). Results: Serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the clinical grade group were almost all above normal values. The frequency of TNF-α polymorphisms (-376G/A) all showed homozygote GG. TNF-α (-308G/A) also showed homozygote GG was dominant for SARS CoV2. IL-6 (-572G/C) polymorphism for cases requiring medium and severe clinical degree hospitalization was found to have more C allele than G allele. IL-6 polymorphism (intron A/G) the G allele is less common in cases requiring hospitalization. Conclusion: TNF-α(−308A) allele has an influence on the development of clinical symptoms of SARS CoV2 infection. The rs1800796GG genotype in the IL-6 promoter contributes to milder symptoms in SARS CoV2 infection. Allelic variants of the gene under study may show different effects in other races depending on their interactions with other risk factors. © 2022, Sanglah General Hospital. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The Malaysian people's well-being has suffered as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. The welfare of Malaysians has also been impacted by the pandemic, as the Malaysian government has decided to implement Movement Control Orders (MCO) to prevent the virus from spreading throughout the country. Many Malaysian households' financial well-being has suffered as well due to the crisis consequences. Therefore, this study concentrated on the subjective financial well-being analysis of Malaysians during the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO). This is a quantitative study with 293 respondents, 163 of whom were from the B40 group and 130 from the M40 group. The descriptive analysis and Structure Equation Modelling (SEM) technique were used in the data analysis (SEM). The study found that the impact of expenses on financial well-being is greater in the "B40 income group" than in the "M40 income group." To support the financial well-being of B40 and M40 income groups, the government should implement an effective targeted policies, programmes, and incentives. Following the implementation of MCO in Malaysia, future research should focus on Malaysian households' financial well-being aspect.
ABSTRACT
Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an easily contagious disease, and not much is known about the characteristics of COVID-19, both in terms of susceptibility, severity, and spreadability of various SARS-CoV-2 strains. Patient genomic factors, especially related to genomic polymorphisms that affect the body's immune system, can influence the course of infectious diseases. The aim of this study is to get an adequate picture regarding gene polymorphisms, both susceptibility and related to the clinical degree in COVID-19 patients.Methods: The PCR preparations were carried out in the Biomedical laboratory of the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret. The qualitative PCR (qPCR) examination was sent to the Genetica Science laboratory, Tangerang, West Java. The research subjects were divided into 3 groups, namely COVID-19 patients with no symptoms, COVID-19 patients with mild -moderate symptoms, COVID-19 patients with severe-critical symptoms. The research subjects were taken 6 cc of venous blood (3 cc for examination of serum IL-6 and TNF alpha levels and 3 cc for DNA examination).Results: Serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in the clinical grade group were almost all above normal values. The frequency of TNF-alpha polymorphisms (-376G/A) all showed homozygote GG. TNF-alpha (-308G/A) also showed homozygote GG was dominant for SARS CoV2. IL-6 (-572G/C) polymorphism for cases requiring medium and severe clinical degree hospitalization was found to have more C allele than G allele. IL-6 polymorphism (intron A/G) the G allele is less common in cases requiring hospitalization.Conclusion: TNF-alpha(-308A) allele has an influence on the development of clinical symptoms of SARS CoV2 infection. The rs1800796GG genotype in the IL-6 promoter contributes to milder symptoms in SARS CoV2 infection. Allelic variants of the gene under study may show different effects in other races depending on their interactions with other risk factors.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 impacts the economy, which reduces food shortages and results in increased nutritional problems for children under five is essential. The nutritional problems of children under five are influenced by many factors, including parenting and eating patterns of children under five, which causes the prevalence of overnutrition and undernutrition to increase globally and nationally. This study aims to determine the relationship between parenting and eating patterns with the nutritional status of toddlers using the Mixed Methods research method. The research subjects used were mothers and toddlers. For quantitative analysis, as many as 86 and for qualitative analysis as many as 6 with the criteria of junior high school education and low economic level and domiciled in Yogyakarta. © International Journal of Health Sciences 2021.