Exophytic Mass Around the Tip of the Nose: Unusual Presentation of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has a predilection for metastatic spread, aggressive behavior. RCC is known for recurrence even after years of presentation. RCC has been linked to uncommon metastatic locations and unusual presenting symptoms from the disseminated illness. Common sites of metastasis include the lungs, liver, bones, brain, and adrenal glands, and many case reports are explaining the ability of RCCs to occur almost anywhere in the body. This case report states the unusual site of recurrence of RCC metastatic spread around the tip of the nose as exophytic growth years following nephrectomy. No such case is reported in the literature. We submit this case to report its occurrence, emphasize the rarity, presentation, diagnostic and therapeutic challenges, as well as a review of the literature. Renal cell carcinoma is the third most common cause of distant head and neck metastases and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of rapidly growing head and neck lesions.

Under-mask beard cover (Singh Thattha technique) for donning respirator masks in COVID-19 patient care.

Tight-fitting filtering facepiece (FFP3) face masks are essential respiratory protective equipment during aerosol-generating procedures in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) environment, and require a fit test to assess mask-face seal competency. Facial hair is considered to be an impediment for achieving a competent seal. We describe an under-mask beard cover called the Singh Thattha technique, which obtained a pass rate of 25/27 (92.6%) by qualitative and 5/5 (100%) by quantitative fit test in full-bearded individuals. Sturdier versions of FFP3 were more effective. For individuals for whom shaving is not possible, the Singh Thattha technique could offer an effective solution to safely don respirator masks.

Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among Libyan Men and Women.

Libya is following the trend observed in developing countries of steadily becoming more obese, such that obesity in Libya has reached epidemic proportions in the twenty-first century. The prevalence of obesity in Libya has more than doubled in the last three decades, with the numbers of overweight and obese adults being continuing to grow. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate and describe the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Libyan men and women. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to examine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among the Libyan population. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select 401 Libyan adults randomly from the Benghazi electoral register. Qualified nurses were allocated to take anthropometric measurements (including visceral fat and Body Mass Index (BMI)) from participants using the Segmental Body Composition Analyser and a portable Stadiometer. The response rate achieved in this cross-sectional study was 78%. Four hundred and one Libyan adult, aged 20-65 years, participated; 253 were female (63%). The prevalence of obesity, overweight, and normal weight among Libyan adults was 42.4%, 32.9%, and 24.7%, respectively. The results also revealed that approximately 75.3% of Libyan adults were overweight and obese, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity in women was significantly higher than that in men (the prevalence of overweight was 33.2% in women compared to 32.4% in men, while the prevalence of obesity was 47.4% in women compared to 33.8% in men, respectively). The findings of this study confirmed that obesity and overweight are the fastest growing issues and have become one of the most serious public health challenges confronting the Libyan authorities. As the obesity epidemic in Libya continues to escalate, with a complete absence of prevention interventions to reduce obesity, more research is desperately needed to follow the trend of gender difference in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Libyans adults across the Libyan state to improve the effective interventions for preventing obesity.

Understanding the risk and protective factors associated with obesity amongst Libyan adults - a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: There are a range of multifaceted behavioural and societal factors that combine to contribute to the causes of obesity. However, it is not yet known how particularly countries' cultural norms are contributing to the global obesity epidemic. Despite obesity reaching epidemic proportions in Libya, since the discovery of oil in 1959, there is a lack of information about obesity in Libyan adults. This study sought to explore the views of key informants about the risk and protective factors associated with obesity among Libyan men and women. METHODS: A series of qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with Libyan healthcare professionals and community leaders. RESULTS: Eleven main themes (risk and protective factors) were identified, specifically: socio-demographic and biological factors, socioeconomic status, unhealthy eating behaviours, knowledge about obesity, social-cultural influences, Libya's healthcare facilities, physical activity and the effect of the neighbourhood environment, sedentary behaviour, Libyan food-subsidy policy, and suggestions for preventing and controlling obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Key recommendations are that an electronic health information system needs to be implemented and awareness about obesity and its causes and consequences needs to be raised among the public in order to dispel the many myths and misconceptions held by Libyans about obesity. The current political instability within Libya is contributing to a less-active lifestyle for the population due to security concerns and the impact of curfews. Our findings have implications for Libyan health policy and highlight the urgent need for action towards mitigating against the obesity epidemic in Libya.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior of Nigerian Students Toward Organ Donation.

BACKGROUND: The Nigerian transplantation program is evolving but is currently over-reliant on living donors. If deceased donation is to be viable in Nigeria, it is important to ascertain the views of the public. The objective of the study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of Nigerian international students toward organ donation. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Nigerian international students of the University of Bedfordshire through the use of a modified self-administered questionnaire. The participants were recruited by means of purposive sampling. RESULTS: Of the 110 questionnaires distributed, 103 were returned fully completed (response rate = 93.6%). A significant majority (93.2%) of the participants are aware of organ donation, and 76.7% have a good knowledge on the subject. Furthermore, more than half (52.8%) of the participants have a positive attitude toward organ donation, and less than half (42.8%) have favorable behavior toward it. Higher knowledge does not correlate to either positive attitude or behavior, but a positive attitude is correlated with favorable behavior toward donation. CONCLUSIONS: The attitudes and behavior of the respondents toward organ donation is not commensurate with the level of knowledge they possess. This highlights the urgent need for well-structured educational programs on deceased organ donation.

The Potential Role of Social Capital in the Willingness to be a Deceased Organ Donor: A Case Study of UK Polish Migrants.

BACKGROUND: In the United Kingdom, the demand for transplantable organs exceeds supply, leaving many patients on the active transplant waiting list with the majority on dialysis as the kidney is the most commonly transplanted organ. This is a marked issue across black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities. This article uses the Polish migrant community as a case study for making new theoretical insights into the willingness to become an organ donor in a host country using social capital theory. METHODS: There were 31 participants who took part in interviews and small group discussions. Grounded theory methodology was used as the study explored the relationships between deceased organ donation, religion, and Mauss's gift-exchange theory and the notion of social capital arose as an emergent theme from the study. RESULTS: Elements of social capital were explored with participants such as social networks, civil engagement, trust, and reciprocity. Polish social networks were found to be small and the formation of networks to be influenced by English language skills. Participants were willing to donate organs to others inside and outside of their social networks in the United Kingdom and wanted to help a patient in need and influenced by the overall migrant experience in the United Kingdom and whether they felt a sense of belonging. Overall, participants had mixed experiences and views about trust in the National Health Service. CONCLUSIONS: Through a discussion of the results using a communitarian social capital, cognitive and structural social capital lens, and collective-action theory, it is concluded that an interplay of these social capital theories can reframe debates within organ donation such as reciprocity policies, the relevancy of altruism, and the role of migration experiences and networks in the willingness to donate organs posthumously in a host country.

Role of Religion in Organ Donation-Development of the United Kingdom Faith and Organ Donation Action Plan.

At a national policy level, the United Kingdom is at the forefront of recognizing the role of faith and its impact on organ donation. This is demonstrated by the recommendations of the Organ Donation Taskforce, National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines on organ donation, All-Party Parliamentary Kidney Group, and National Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Taskforce Alliance. Evidence to date shows that further thought is required to ensure the active engagement of faith communities with organ donation in the UK. The "Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020" strategy was launched in July 2013 by National Health Service Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) in collaboration with the Department of Health and Welsh, Scottish, and Northern Irish governments and seeks to increase the number of people, from all sections of the UK's multiethnic and multifaith population, who consent to and authorize organ donation in their life. NHSBT seeks to work in partnership with faith leaders and this culminated in a Faith and Organ Donation Summit. Faith leaders highlight that there is a need for engagement at both national and local levels concerning organ donation as well as diagnosis and definition of death.

A study of urgent and emergency referrals from NHS Direct within England.

OBJECTIVES: The presented study aimed to explore referral patterns of National Health Service (NHS) Direct to determine how patients engage with telephone-based healthcare and how telephone-based healthcare can manage urgent and emergency care. SETTING: NHS Direct, England, UK PARTICIPANTS: NHS Direct anonymised call data (N=1,415,472) were extracted over a representative 1-year period, during the combined month periods of July 2010, October 2010, January 2011 and April 2011. Urgent and emergency calls (N=269,558; 19.0%) were analysed by call factors and patient characteristics alongside symptom classification. Categorical data were analysed using the χ(2) test of independence with cross-tabulations used to test within-group differences. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Urgent and emergency referrals to 999; accident and emergency or to see a general practitioner urgently, which are expressed as call rate per 100 persons per annum. Outcomes related to symptom variations by patient characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity and deprivation) alongside differences by patient characteristics of call factors (date and time of day). RESULTS: Urgent and emergency referrals varied by a range of factors relating to call, patient and symptom characteristics. For young children (0-4), symptoms related to 'crying' and 'colds and flu' and 'body temperature change' represented the significantly highest referrals to 'urgent and emergency' health services symptoms relating to 'mental health' alongside 'pain' and 'sensation disorders' represented the highest referrals to urgent and emergency health services for adults aged 40+ years. CONCLUSIONS: This study has highlighted characteristics of 'higher likelihood' referrals to urgent and emergency care through the delivery of a national nurse-led telephone healthcare service. This research can help facilitate an understanding of how patients engage with both in and out of hours care and the role of telephone-based healthcare within the care pathway.

Altruism, gift giving and reciprocity in organ donation: a review of cultural perspectives and challenges of the concepts.

Living and deceased organ donation are couched in altruism and gift discourse and this article reviews explores cultural views towards these concepts. Altruism and egoism theories and gift and reciprocity theories are outlined from a social exchange theory perspective to highlight the key differences between altruism and the gift and the wider implications of reciprocation. The notion of altruism as a selfless act without expectation or want for repayment juxtaposed with the Maussian gift where there are the obligations to give, receive and reciprocate. Lay perspectives of altruism and the gift in organ donation are outlined and illustrate that there are differences in motivations to donate in different programmes of living donation and for families who decide to donate their relative's organs. These motivations reflect cultural views of altruism and the gift and perceptions of the body and death.

Young people's use of NHS Direct: a national study of symptoms and outcome of calls for children aged 0-15.

OBJECTIVES: National Health Service (NHS) Direct provides 24/7 expert telephone-based healthcare information and advice to the public in England. However, limited research has explored the reasons to why calls are made on behalf of young people, as such this study aimed to examine call rate (CR) patterns in younger people to enable a better understanding of the needs of this population in England. SETTING: NHS Direct, England, UK. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: CRs (expressed as calls/100 persons/annum) were calculated for all calls (N=358 503) made to NHS Direct by, or on behalf of, children aged 0-15 during the combined four '1-month' periods within a year (July 2010, October 2010, January 2011 and April 2011). χ² Analysis was used to determine the differences between symptom, outcome and date/time of call. RESULTS: For infants aged <1, highest CRs were found for 'crying' for male (n=14, 440, CR=13.61) and female (n=13 654, CR=13.46) babies, which is used as a universal assessment applied to all babies. High CRs were also found for symptoms relating to 'skin/hair/nails' and 'colds/flu/sickness' for all age groups, whereby NHS Direct was able to support patients to self-manage and provide health information for these symptoms for 59.7% and 51.4% of all cases, respectively. Variations in CRs were found for time and age, with highest peaks found for children aged 4-15 in the 15:00-23:00 period and in children aged <1 in the 7:00-15:00 period. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to examine the symptoms and outcome of calls made to NHS Direct for and on behalf of young children. The findings revealed how NHS Direct has supported a range of symptoms through the provision of health information and self-care support which provides important information about service planning and support for similar telephone-based services.

Concordance facilitates access in diabetes care--service provider perspectives of service improvement and cultural competency.

AIMS: Inequalities between different ethnic groups in diabetes care and outcomes are well documented in the UK. This research sought to explore and understand how national and local policy interventions impacted upon access and the development of culturally competent diabetes services from the care provider perspective. METHODS: This paper describes the care provider perspective of access to diabetes care in ethnically mixed populations from a thematic analysis of 14 semi-structured interviews conducted with professionals, at three study sites, with different roles in the diabetes care pathway. RESULTS: National policy level initiatives to improve quality have led to quality improvements at a practical level. These achievements, however, have been unable to address all aspects of care that service providers identified as important in facilitating access for all patient groups. Concordance emerged as a key process in improving access to care within local systems and barriers to this exist at different levels and are greater for some groups of patients compared with others. CONCLUSIONS: Concordance is a key concept that underpins access and cultural competency in diabetes service improvement. A focus on concordance at different levels within local systems may improve access to quality diabetes care for ethnic minority groups.

An examination of concordance and cultural competency in the diabetes care pathway: South Asians living in the United Kingdom.

The Care Pathway project used a multilevel and multimethod approach to explore access to the care pathway for diabetic renal disease. Taking what was known about the outcomes of ethnic minority patients with diabetic renal disease; the study sought to explore and further understand how and why South Asian patients' experiences may be different from the majority of population in relation to access. Through improved understanding of any observed inequalities, the study aimed to inform the development of culturally competent diabetes services. The design incorporated audits of patient indicators for diabetes and renal health at key points in the pathway: Diagnosis of diabetes and referral to specialist renal services in two years- 2004 and 2007, and qualitative individual interviews with patients and providers identified through the 2007 samples. This article describes the care provider perspective of access to diabetes care from a thematic analysis of 14 semistructured interviews conducted with professionals, at three study sites, with different roles in the diabetes pathway. National policy level initiatives to improve quality have been mirrored by quality improvements at the local practice level. These achievements, however, have been unable to address all aspects of care that service providers identified as important in facilitating access to all patient groups. Concordance emerged as a key process in improving access to care within the pathway system, and barriers to this exist at different levels and are greater for South Asian patients compared to White patients. A conceptual model of concordance as a process through which access to quality diabetes care is achieved and its relation to cultural competency is put forward. The effort required to achieve access and concordance among South Asian patients is inversely related to cultural competency at policy and practice levels. These processes are underpinned by communication.

Death and organ donation: meeting the needs of multiethnic and multifaith populations.

Deceased donation in the UK relies upon family consent. Approaching a family at the tragic time of a loved one's death requires significant emotional resilience from staff. The UK is comprised of individuals who have a number of life and death values which are, to some extent, based upon their faith, culture, and ethnicity. This paper seeks to provide an overview of some of key issues relating to death, death rituals, faith, and how these may impact upon organ donation. This should be of benefit to staff dealing closely with recently bereaved families and who will be requesting organ donation from them.

Caring for older adults with diabetes mellitus: characteristics of carers and their prime roles and responsibilities.

AIMS: Expanding prevalence of diabetes has a major health impact on older people and the burden experienced by their informal carers. We report research which aimed to examine the burden on carers and highlight their input into diabetes care. METHODS: Of 98 diabetes patients aged over 59 years, 89 regularly received help with day-to-day activities or looking after from someone else and, of these, 83 carers consented to interview. Patients and carers were administered questionnaires related to the management of diabetes and personal strain (including Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire, EuroQol, Caregiver Strain Scale and General Health Questionnaire). RESULTS: A substantial unmet need of older people with diabetes mellitus, in relation to domestic activities and diabetes care, was highlighted. Patient and carer diabetes knowledge was low. Primary carers were generally female relatives from the same household, not in paid employment. Twenty-seven carers (33%) provided > or = 35 h of care work each week. Most carers experienced a moderate level of stress, but 11 (14%) regularly felt overwhelmed. Thirty-three carers (40%) said they had never received any information on diabetes from professionals. Help most frequently wanted was advice and support in relation to accessing community services and about finances, benefits and/or allowances. CONCLUSIONS: Both patient and carer diabetes education strategies are required. Instruction for carers in the basic care of patients with diabetes is also needed and should be targeted. As many as one in seven carers felt regularly overwhelmed and lacked adequate support. Finally, 26 carers (31%) were entitled to benefits which they did not claim.

Relation between central corneal thickness and intraocular pressure in Punjabi population.

OBJECTIVE: The motive of this study was to determine the variation of central corneal thickness (CCT) in the Punjabi population and to examine its relationship with intraocular pressure (IOP) using a non-contact tonometer. The study and results emphasize the effects of age, sex and refraction on this relationship, which is important for the diagnosis and prevention of glaucoma in adequate time. METHODS: The study design was a cross-sectional, population-based survey. The participants were 279 females and 253 males of Punjab Province, India, in the age group of 21-70 years. The CCT was measured using an ultrasonic pachymeter, and the IOP was measured using an air-puff tonometer in all subjects. RESULTS: The mean values of CCT and IOP were observed to vary imprecisely with age. The measurement of both parameters was also affected by sex and refraction. The linear regression analysis suggests that the mean value of CCT grows progressively with increasing value of mean IOP. A significant positive correlation was identified between CCT and IOP in the age group of 21-70 years. The authors inferred that this correlation value varies prominently with age for both sexes, which needs to be investigated further. CONCLUSIONS: The authors suggest that CCT is a noteworthy source of variation in IOP measurements for males as well as females belonging to different age groups, when assessing IOP as a risk for glaucoma in the Punjabi population.