Symptomatic surgically treated non-neoplastic cysts of the central nervous system: a clinicopathological study from Pakistan

Objective: To report clinicopathologic features of symptomatic surgically removed non-neoplastic cysts of the central nervous system (CNS). Study Design: Case series. Place and Duration of Study: The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from 2003 to 2012. Methodology: All non-neoplastic CNS cysts reported during the study period were retrieved and reviewed. Age, gender, location, histologic type and clinical features were noted. Results: A total of 124 cysts were diagnosed in the study period. These included 44 epidermoid cysts (mean age 30.5 ± 13.8 years), 35 colloid cysts (mean age 31 ± 13.2 years), 32 arachnoid cysts (mean age 24.8 ± 20.2 years), 6 dermoid cysts, 3 enterogenous cysts and Rathke\u27s cleft cysts each and 1 ependymal cyst. All cyst types mainly presented in young adults in both genders with signs and symptoms of a mass lesion. Conclusion: Non-neoplastic cyst mainly presented like a CNS mass lesion in young adults. Epidermoids were the most common type of these cysts in the present series followed by the colloid and the arachnoid cysts

Implementation and evaluation of a social media-based communication strategy to enhance employee engagement: Experiences from a children\u27s hospital, Pakistan

Social media can complement organizational communication strategy which is integral to employee engagement. However, successful case studies which can allow replication are limited. The objective of the study is to describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of a social media-based communication strategy in a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. The leadership of the pediatric service line developed an intervention plan to engage the employees with the newly reframed vision to improve patient and family experience. An online communication platform-Facebook page-was created for all employees of the pediatric service line. The strategy to influence employees was based on Cialdini\u27s six principles of persuasion. Implementation of the strategy between October 2017 and December 2019 was evaluated for reach, discussion themes, and outcomes using the framework by Murdough (2009). Quantitative indicators included total posts, mean comments, and reactions per post. Posts were qualitatively analyzed with an emergent approach for insights into the discussion. The analysis revealed a total of 9,085 posts, with mean reactions per post of 8.4, mean comments of 7.2, and active viewership by 90% members on average. In terms of post types, photos were the highest (4,779), while videos were the lowest (1,163). Qualitative analysis indicated 54% of the posts were of the theme inspirational and thought provoking, while the greatest engagement was generated on the theme challenges and solution. The authors conclude that the strategy was successfully implemented to maintain active membership, engage employees in meaningful conversations, and have them express intent to execute quality improvement projects

Implementation and Evaluation of a Social Media-Based Communication Strategy to Enhance Employee Engagement: Experiences From a Children's Hospital, Pakistan

Social media can complement organizational communication strategy which is integral to employee engagement. However, successful case studies which can allow replication are limited. The objective of the study is to describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of a social media-based communication strategy in a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. The leadership of the pediatric service line developed an intervention plan to engage the employees with the newly reframed vision to improve patient and family experience. An online communication platform—Facebook page—was created for all employees of the pediatric service line. The strategy to influence employees was based on Cialdini's six principles of persuasion. Implementation of the strategy between October 2017 and December 2019 was evaluated for reach, discussion themes, and outcomes using the framework by Murdough (2009). Quantitative indicators included total posts, mean comments, and reactions per post. Posts were qualitatively analyzed with an emergent approach for insights into the discussion. The analysis revealed a total of 9,085 posts, with mean reactions per post of 8.4, mean comments of 7.2, and active viewership by 90% members on average. In terms of post types, photos were the highest (4,779), while videos were the lowest (1,163). Qualitative analysis indicated 54% of the posts were of the theme “inspirational and thought provoking,” while the greatest engagement was generated on the theme “challenges and solution.” The authors conclude that the strategy was successfully implemented to maintain active membership, engage employees in meaningful conversations, and have them express intent to execute quality improvement projects.publishedVersio

Contactless privacy-preserving head movement recognition using deep learning for driver fatigue detection

Head movement holds significant importance in con-veying body language, expressing specific gestures, and reflecting emotional and character aspects. The detection of head movement in smart or assistive driving applications can play an important role in preventing major accidents and potentially saving lives. Additionally, it aids in identifying driver fatigue, a significant contributor to deadly road accidents worldwide. However, most existing head movement detection systems rely on cameras, which raise privacy concerns, face challenges with lighting conditions, and require complex training with long video sequences. This novel privacy-preserving system utilizes UWB-radar technology and leverages Deep Learning (DL) techniques to address the mentioned issues. The system focuses on classifying the five most common head gestures: Head 45L (HL45), Head 45R (HR45), Head 90L (HL90), Head 90R (HR90), and Head Down (HD). By processing the recorded data as spectrograms and leveraging the advanced DL model VGG16, the proposed system accurately detects these head gestures, achieving a maximum classification accuracy of 84.00% across all classes. This study presents a proof of concept for an effective and privacy-conscious approach to head position classification.</p

Making assembly line in supply chain robust and secure using UHF RFID

This paper presents a block-chain enabled inkjet-printed ultrahigh frequency radiofrequency identification (UHF RFID) system for the supply chain management, traceability and authentication of hard to tag bottled consumer products containing fluids such as water, oil, juice, and wine. In this context, we propose a novel low-cost, compact inkjet-printed UHF RFID tag antenna design for liquid bottles, with 2.5 m read range improvement over existing designs along with robust performance on different liquid bottle products. The tag antenna is based on a nested slot-based configuration that achieves good impedance matching around high permittivity surfaces. The tag was designed and optimized using the characteristic mode analysis. Moreover, the proposed RFID tag was commercially tested for tagging and billing of liquid bottle products in a conveyer belt and smart refrigerator for automatic billing applications. With the help of block-chain based product tracking and a mobile application, we demonstrate a real-time, secure and smart supply chain process in which items can be monitored using the proposed RFID technology. We believe the standalone system presented in this paper can be deployed to create smart contracts that benefit both the suppliers and consumers through the development of trust. Furthermore, the proposed system will paves the way towards authentic and contact-less delivery of food, drinks and medicine in recent Corona virus pandemic

Prediction models for childhood asthma: a systematic review

Background The inability to objectively diagnose childhood asthma before age five often results in both under‐treatment and over‐treatment of asthma in preschool children. Prediction tools for estimating a child's risk of developing asthma by school‐age could assist physicians in early asthma care for preschool children. This review aimed to systematically identify and critically appraise studies which either developed novel or updated existing prediction models for predicting school‐age asthma. Methods Three databases (MEDLINE, Embase and Web of Science Core Collection) were searched up to July 2019 to identify studies utilizing information from children ≤5 years of age to predict asthma in school‐age children (6‐13 years). Validation studies were evaluated as a secondary objective. Results Twenty‐four studies describing the development of 26 predictive models published between 2000 and 2019 were identified. Models were either regression‐based (n = 21) or utilized machine learning approaches (n = 5). Nine studies conducted validations of six regression‐based models. Fifteen (out of 21) models required additional clinical tests. Overall model performance, assessed by area under the receiver operating curve (AUC), ranged between 0.66 and 0.87. Models demonstrated moderate ability to either rule in or rule out asthma development, but not both. Where external validation was performed, models demonstrated modest generalizability (AUC range: 0.62‐0.83). Conclusion Existing prediction models demonstrated moderate predictive performance, often with modest generalizability when independently validated. Limitations of traditional methods have shown to impair predictive accuracy and resolution. Exploration of novel methods such as machine learning approaches may address these limitations for future school‐age asthma predictio

Spirometric phenotypes from early childhood to young adulthood : a Chronic Airway Disease Early Stratification study

Acknowledgements Cohort-specific acknowledgements are presented in the supplementary material. We also acknowledge collaboration with the EXPANSE consortium (funded by the EU H2020 programme, grant number 874627). We thank Elise Heuvelin, European Respiratory Society, Lausanne, Switzerland, for her assistance on the current project.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Management and outcomes of gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low, middle and high income countries: Protocol for a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Introduction Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of death in children <5 years of age globally, contributing an estimated half a million deaths per year. Very limited literature exists from low and middle income countries (LMICs) where most of these deaths occur. The Global PaedSurg Research Collaboration aims to undertake the first multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of a selection of common congenital anomalies comparing management and outcomes between low, middle and high income countries (HICs) globally. Methods and analysis The Global PaedSurg Research Collaboration consists of surgeons, paediatricians, anaesthetists and allied healthcare professionals involved in the surgical care of children globally. Collaborators will prospectively collect observational data on consecutive patients presenting for the first time, with one of seven common congenital anomalies (oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation and Hirschsprung''s disease). Patient recruitment will be for a minimum of 1 month from October 2018 to April 2019 with a 30-day post-primary intervention follow-up period. Anonymous data will be collected on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions and outcomes using REDCap. Collaborators will complete a survey regarding the resources and facilities for neonatal and paediatric surgery at their centre. The primary outcome is all-cause in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes include the occurrence of postoperative complications. Chi-squared analysis will be used to compare mortality between LMICs and HICs. Multilevel, multivariate logistic regression analysis will be undertaken to identify patient-level and hospital-level factors affecting outcomes with adjustment for confounding factors. Ethics and dissemination At the host centre, this study is classified as an audit not requiring ethical approval. All participating collaborators have gained local approval in accordance with their institutional ethical regulations. Collaborators will be encouraged to present the results locally, nationally and internationally. The results will be submitted for open access publication in a peer reviewed journal