Role of ACR-TIRADS in risk stratification of thyroid nodules

Background: This study was performed to prospectively investigate the diagnostic reliability of the daily use of ACR-TIRADS classification system, in differentiating between a benign and a malignant lesion.Methods: In this prospective observational study, 50 patients with thyroid nodules underwent ultrasound examination and fine needle aspiration. The ultrasound studies were evaluated according to the ACR-TIRADS greyscale characteristics of composition, echogenicity, margins, shape, and echogenic foci. Each feature in a particular USG characteristic was scored and ACR-TIRADS categorization done from 1 to 5. This was compared to FNAC/histopathology findings and risk of malignancy was calculated for each feature and ACR-TIRADS category.Results: Of the 50 nodules included in the study, 38 were found to be benign and 12 were found to be malignant. Risk of malignancy for all ultrasound features showed an increasing trend with higher scored feature. Risk of malignancy for various features were as follows: Composition-cystic (0%), spongiform (0%), solid-cystic (0%) and solid (36%); echogenicity-anechoic(0%), hyperechoic (4%), isoechoic (11%), hypoechoic (47%) and markedly hypoechoic (100%); shape-wider-than-tall (21%) and taller-than-wide (66%); margins-smooth (18%), illdefined (0%), lobulated/irregular (38%) and extrathyroid extension (100%); echogenic foci-none (13%), large comet-tail artefacts (0%), macrocalcification (42%), rim calcification (50%) and punctate echogenic foci (50%). Amongst ACR-TIRADS(TR) categories TR1, TR2 and TR3 had 0% risk while TR4 had 30% and TR5 had 56% risk of malignancy with p value of 0.001.Conclusions: ACR-TIRADS is a high specific, accurate classification system for categorizing the thyroid nodules based on ultrasound features, for assessing the risk of malignancy

AI UNCERTAINTY IN EXPERT DECISION-MAKING: A QUALITATIVE EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more prevalent in everyday work settings, the Information Systems (IS) discipline is perfectly poised to study the sociotechnical repercussions of algorithmic decision-making part of expert’s knowledge work. As expert know-how is tacit and socially situated, there are difficulties in capturing the nuances of the emerging human-machine collaborations. In this article, we review how epistemic uncertainty is evident in experts’ decision-making practices when using AI tools. Building on rich primary studies, a qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) approach was used to bring together and analyze relevant literature on this topic. Our findings unravel sources of expert uncertainty, point to strategies experts use to cope with uncertainty, and what attitudes experts have towards uncertainty when making complex decisions with AI

Drug utilisation and self medication pattern of anti-fungal drugs in dermatology outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital

Background: Fungal infections have become increasingly prevalent. Self-medication is a common health care practice to treat fungal diseases or for symptomatic relief. Because of self-medication drug-sensitive fungal pathogens have gradually developed resistance. Aims and objectives of the study was to define the pattern of antifungal drug use and self-medication pattern for common fungal infections of skin in dermatology outpatient.Methods: The present study was an Observational, descriptive, cross sectional study conducted at Dermatology OPD of MGM Medical College, Kamothe. All adult patients with fungal infections of the skin attending the Dermatology OPD were enrolled. A study performa was specifically designed to record information related to demographic, disease profile and medications prescribed.Results: A total of 200 patient’s prescriptions were analysed. Percentage of drugs prescribed by generic name was found to be 20.26%, Percentage of drugs prescribed from National Essential Drug List 2015 was found to be 79.74%. There were no encounters with antibiotic and parenteral preparations. Only 5.16% of the drugs prescribed were fixed dose combination (FDC) as compared to 94.93% as Monotherapy. Most frequently prescribed anti-fungal agents were the azoles; amongst which Imidazoles (53.33%) were the commonest. Most commonly prescribed individual antifungal was oral Terbinafine (64.81%) and topical was Eberconazole (58.49%). The dosage form most frequently encountered was Cream (92.45%). The prevalence of self-medication for dermatological conditions among patients was 62.26%. Most of the drugs for self-medication were topical (creams) FDC of antifungal and steroids. Around 78% of the self-medication information was obtained from the chemists.Conclusions: The study documented physician preference for Monotherapy than FDC. Prescribers need to be made aware for prescribing generic and essential drugs, thus ensuring rational utilization. They also need to counsel and discourage patients from self-medication

Diverse and healthy cropping systems trial protocol

On-Farm Research Trials are part of TAFSSA’s Work Package 2 (WP2) activities. WP2 emphasizes farm-and landscape-level interdisciplinary research to identify strategies to increase farmers’ profits and nutritional yields, conserve resources, and maintain or enhance ecological services, while also mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from farms and agricultural landscapes. Going beyond typical agriculture-nutrition programs in South Asia we explore field-and landscape-scale crop and animal farm diversification options supporting multiple benefits, including potential nutritional yield, across environmental and socioeconomic gradients of rice and maize-based farming systems. Nalanda district of Bihar in eastern India has been selected as a learning site based on key information on food and nutrition security gaps, environmental stresses and climate challenges as well as the prevalence of commodities and farming systems that offer the greatest potential to achieve TAFSSA’s outcomes

Therapeutic efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine in uncomplicated falciparum malaria in India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is the treatment of choice for uncomplicated falciparum malaria. Artemether-lumefantrine (AL), a fixed dose co-formulation, has recently been approved for marketing in India, although it is not included in the National Drug Policy for treatment of malaria. Efficacy of short course regimen (4 × 4 tablets of 20 mg artemether plus 120 mg lumefantrine over 48 h) was demonstrated in India in the year 2000. However, low cure rates in Thailand and better plasma lumefantrine concentration profile with a six-dose regimen over three days, led to the recommendation of higher dose globally. This is the first report on the therapeutic efficacy of the six-dose regimen of AL in Indian uncomplicated falciparum malaria patients. The data generated will help in keeping the alternative ACT ready for use in the National Programme as and when required.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One hundred and twenty four subjects between two and fifty-five years of age living in two highly endemic areas of the country (Assam and Orissa) were enrolled for single arm, open label prospective study. The standard six-dose regimen of AL was administered over three days and was followed-up with clinical and parasitological evaluations over 28 days. Molecular markers <it>msp</it>-<it>1 </it>and <it>msp</it>-2 were used to differentiate the recrudescence and reinfection among the study subjects. In addition, polymorphism in <it>pfmdr</it>1 was also carried out in the samples obtained from patients before and after the treatment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The PCR corrected cure rates were high at both the sites viz. 100% (n = 53) in Assam and 98.6% (n = 71) in Orissa. The only treatment failure case on D7 was a malnourished child. The drug was well tolerated with no adverse events. Patients had pre-treatment carriage of wild type codons at positions 86 (41.7%, n = 91) and 184 (91.3%, n = 91) of <it>pfmdr1 </it>gene.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>AL is safe and effective drug for the treatment of acute uncomplicated falciparum malaria in India. The polymorphism in <it>pfmdr</it>1 gene is not co-related with clinical outcome. However, treatment failure can also occur due to incomplete absorption of the drug as is suspected in one case of failure at D7 in the study. AL can be a viable alternative of artesunate plus sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine (AS + SP), however, the drug should be used rationally and efficacy needs to be monitored periodically.</p

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI