Bile Duct Leaks from the Intrahepatic Biliary Tree: A Review of Its Etiology, Incidence, and Management

Bile leaks from the intrahepatic biliary tree are an important cause of morbidity following hepatic surgery and trauma. Despite reduction in mortality for hepatic surgery in the last 2 decades, bile leaks rates have not changed significantly. In addition to posted operative bile leaks, leaks may occur following drainage of liver abscess and tumor ablation. Most bile leaks from the intrahepatic biliary tree are transient and managed conservatively by drainage alone or endoscopic biliary decompression. Selected cases may require reoperation and enteric drainage or liver resection for management

How to Practice Academic Medicine and Publish from Developing Countries?

This is an open access book. The book provides an overview of the state of research in developing countries – Africa, Latin America, and Asia (especially India) and why research and publications are important in these regions. It addresses budding but struggling academics in low and middle-income countries. It is written mainly by senior colleagues who have experienced and recognized the challenges with design, documentation, and publication of health research in the developing world. The book includes short chapters providing insight into planning research at the undergraduate or postgraduate level, issues related to research ethics, and conduct of clinical trials. It also serves as a guide towards establishing a research question and research methodology. It covers important concepts such as writing a paper, the submission process, dealing with rejection and revisions, and covers additional topics such as planning lectures and presentations. The book will be useful for graduates, postgraduates, teachers as well as physicians and practitioners all over the developing world who are interested in academic medicine and wish to do medical research

Indications and Contraindications for Liver Transplantation

Patients with chronic liver disease and certain patients with acute liver failure require liver transplantation as a life-saving measure. Liver transplantation has undergone major improvements, with better selection of candidates for transplantation and allocation of scarce deceased donor organs (according to more objective criteria). Living donor liver transplantation came into existence to overcome the shortage of donor organs especially in countries where there was virtually no deceased donor programme. Advances in the technical aspects of the procedure, the intraoperative and postoperative care of both recipients and donors, coupled with the introduction of better immunosuppression protocols, have led to graft and patient survivals of over 90% in most high volume centres. Controversial areas like transplantation in alcoholic liver disease without abstinence, acute alcoholic hepatitis, and retransplantation for recurrent hepatitis C virus infection require continuing discussion

Report on Traditional Dance: Conceptual Model and Pedagogical Issues. Report submitted to the European Union (Socrates-Minerva) for the OpenDance project.

Karkou V and Nundy A. (2007)sch_occpub1998pu

Thermal and visual comfort analysis of adaptive vacuum integrated switchable suspended particle device window for temperate climate

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.In this work, thermal and visual comfort of low heat loss switchable suspended particle device-vacuum (SPD-vacuum) glazing was investigated for less energy-hungry adaptive building’s glazing or façade integration at temperate climate. This SPD-vacuum glazing had 38% visible transmittance in the presence of 110 V applied an alternating voltage and 2% visible transmittance in the absence of electrical power. Outdoor test cell characterisation was employed to measure the thermal and daylighting parameters of this glazing. Solar heat gain or solar factor was calculated using non calorimetric methods and varied between 0.38 (Switch OFF/opaque) to 0.51 (Switch ON/ transparent). Test cell indoor and ambient parameters (incident solar radiation and ambient temperature) were engaged for thermal comfort analysis by using PMV and PPD methods. Visual comfort was analysed from glare potential, useful daylight index, and colour properties. The comfortable thermal environment was attainable using both states of this glazing for a clear sunny day. Acceptable daylight throughout the day was possible for a clear sunny day for opaque state; however clear state offered allowable/comfortable correlated colour temperature (CCT) of 5786.18 K and colour rendering index (CRI) of 94.83

Cost-Effectiveness of Introducing the SILCS Diaphragm in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Though South Africa has high contraceptive use, unintended pregnancies are still widespread. The SILCS diaphragm could reduce the number of women with unmet need by introducing a discreet, woman-initiated, non-hormonal barrier method to the contraceptive method mix. METHODS: A decision model was built to estimate the impact and cost-effectiveness of the introduction of the SILCS diaphragm in Gauteng among women with unmet need for contraception in terms of unintended and mistimed pregnancies averted, assuming that the available contraceptives on the market were not a satisfying option for those women. Full costs were estimated both from a provider's and user's perspective, which also accounts for women's travel and opportunity cost of time, assuming a 5% uptake among women with unmet contraceptive need. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio is computed at five and 10 years after introduction to allow for a distribution of fixed costs over time. A probabilistic sensitivity analysis was conducted to incorporate decision uncertainty. RESULTS: The introduction of the SILCS diaphragm in Gauteng could prevent an estimated 8,365 unintended pregnancies and 2,117 abortions over five years, at an annual estimated cost of US$55 per woman. This comes to a cost per pregnancy averted of US$153 and US$171 from a user's and provider's perspectives, respectively, with slightly lower unit costs at 10 years. Major cost drivers will be the price of the SILCS diaphragm and the contraceptive gel, given their large contribution to total costs (around 60%). CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of the SILCS diaphragm in the public sector is likely to provide protection for some women for whom current contraceptive technologies are not an option. However to realize its potential, targeting will be needed to reach women with unmet need and those with likely high adherence. Further analyses are needed among potential users to optimize the introduction strategy