Relative Permeability Modification in Gas Wells with Excessive Water Production- An Experimental Investigation

Polymers have been used as relative permeability modifiers (RPM) to selectively reduce water production with minimum effect on the hydrocarbon phase. The experimental results show that initial rock permeability can be used as an important screening parameter in planning an RPM treatment. The relative pore size alteration due to the RPM treatment impacts on RPM performance. The RPM performance is also significantly fluid flow rate dependent. Therefore, flow rate should be considered during RPM design

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity > 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Stress Distribution Around Two Dental Implant Materials with New Designs: Comparative Finite Element Analysis Study

Background: The introduction of modified thread designs is one of the research areas of interest in the dental implantology field. Two suggested Buttress and Reverse Buttress thread designs in TiG5 and TiG4 models are tested against a standard TiG5 Fin Thread design (IBS®). Purpose: The study aims to compare stress distribution around the suggested designs and Fin Thread design. Methods: Three dental implant models: Fin Thread design, and newly suggested Buttress and Reverse Buttress designs of both TiG5 and TiG4 models were tested using FEA for stress distribution using static (70N, 0°) and (400N, 30°) occlusal loads. Results: The main difference between the suggested Buttress design and Fin Thread design lies in the overload (400N, 30°) condition. Maximum Von Mises stress is less in Buttress design than Fin Thread design. On the other hand the level of Von Mises stress over the buccolingual slop of the cancellous bone in Fin Thread design liess within the lowest stress level. The suggested Reverse Buttress design, on the other hand showed almost uniform stress distribution in both TiG4 and TiG4 models with maximum Von Mises stress higher than the elastic modulus of cancellous bone in overload (400N, 30°) condition. Conclusion: The suggested TiG4 Buttress design might have a minor advantage of stress level in cases of stress overload. In contrast, Fin Thread design shows minimal stress over the buccolingual slop of the cancellous bone. The suggested Reverse Buttress design might be more suitable for the D1 bone quality region with the advantage of almost uniform stress distribution</jats:p

Pattern of peer review proforma of medical journals of Pakistan

Objective: To analyze the contents and format of peer review proforma of Medical journals of Pakistan.&#x0D; Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology Lady reading Hospital Peshawar Pakistan from 3rd August 2018 to 9th February 2019. An email was sent to the chief editors of all the medical journals listed on the official website (www.pmdc.org.pk) of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&amp;DC). They were requested to send peer review proformas of their journals. The received proformas were analyzed for major contents and format or style. The proforma had a structured format when each portion of the manuscript i.e, title, abstract, key words, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion and references were individually sectioned for evaluation. Whereas in the unstructured proformas the reviewer was asked to assess the manuscript as a whole.&#x0D; Results: We received 41 proformas via emails. Majority (82.9%) of the proformas were structured while 17% were unstructured. A scoring or rating system for the manuscript was present in 31.7% of the proformas while 43.9% of the proformas were without any scoring system. Guidelines for the peer reviewers were given in 58.5% of the proformas. The peer review policy (closed or open) was mentioned in only 7.3%. About 9.7% of the proformas asked the reviewers to disclose conflict of interests.&#x0D; Conclusion: A spectrum of contents and format of peer review proformas of medical journals were observed. We found structured peer review proforma with a scoring scale comprehensive and more appropriate for peer review.&#x0D; doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.4.713&#x0D; How to cite this:Shah FA, Ali MA, Nazar Z, Haroon Ur Rasheed. Pattern of peer review proforma of medical journals of Pakistan. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(4):1013-1017. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.4.713&#x0D; This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.</jats:p

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS (R) v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 +/- 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 +/- 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 +/- 4.9 and 7.8 +/- 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 +/- 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity &gt; 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI