Postoperative gastric dilatation causing abdominal compartment syndrome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To study the effect of postoperative gastric dilatation on intra-abdominal pressure (IAP).</p> <p>Design and setting</p> <p>Single case report from a primary teaching hospital.</p> <p>Patients and methods</p> <p>A 72-year-old woman demonstrated a sudden respiratory and cardiovascular collapse following resection of a retroperitoneal sarcoma. This collapse was caused by abdominal compartment syndrome due to gastric dilatation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The patient was re-explored, an enormously distended stomach was found with the nasogastric tube situated in a small sliding hernia which prevented drainage of the distended stomach. Re-positioning of the nasogastric tube, allowed the decompression of the stomach and the patient's condition immediately improved.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Acute abdominal distention following major abdominal surgery may result from acute gastric dilatation, leading to oliguria and increased airway pressures. Untreated gastric dilatation can cause abdominal compartment syndrome.</p

Rapid, multiplexed microfluidic phage display

The development of a method for high-throughput, automated proteomic screening could impact areas ranging from fundamental molecular interactions to the discovery of novel disease markers and therapeutic targets. Surface display techniques allow for efficient handling of large molecular libraries in small volumes. In particular, phage display has emerged as a powerful technology for selecting peptides and proteins with enhanced, target-specific binding affinities. Yet, the process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming when multiple targets are involved.Here we demonstrate for the first time a microfluidic chip capable of identifying high affinity phage displayed peptides for multiple targets in just a single round and without the need for bacterial infection. The chip is shown to be able to yield well-established control consensus sequences while simultaneously identifying new sequences for clinically important targets. Indeed, the confined parameters of the device allow not only for highly controlled assay conditions but also introduce a significant time-reduction to the phage display process. We anticipate that this easily-fabricated, disposable device has the potential to impact areas ranging from fundamental studies of protein, peptide, and molecular interactions, to applications such as fully automated proteomic screening

Comparison and Contrast between Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice and Shamsul’s Two Social Reality Approach in the Portrayal of Identity

This paper analyses Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice, the concept field and habitus and Shamsul Amri’s Two Social Reality, the concept everyday- defined and authority-defined as both theories that function as analytical tools and have similar narratives based on the macro/micro and structure/agency linkage. A comparison and contrast of both theories were analysed to further understand the use of each theory. Findings within the article show both theories have a structural or authoritative emphasis however the theories differ in functionality with Bourdieu’s “Theory of Practice” focusing on power dynamics and social class through direct link between the habitus, field and capital whereas Shamsul’s Two Social Reality focuses on the formation of identity and ethnic dynamics in Malaysia based on the effect of colonialism in the authority-defined and everyday-defined sphere. The main goal of this paper serves to highlight both theories and its application when analysing and tackling different social phenomena and narratives in future research

Effects of Acute Lithium Treatment on Brain Levels of Inflammatory Mediators in Poststroke Rats

Stroke is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Few therapeutic options with proven efficacy are available for the treatment of this disabling disease. Lithium is the gold standard treatment for bipolar disorder. Moreover, lithium has been shown to exhibit neuroprotective effects and therapeutic efficacy as a treatment of other neurological disorders. This study was undertaken to examine the effects of lithium on brain inflammatory mediators levels, fever, and mortality in postischemic stroke rats. Ischemic stroke was induced by occlusion of the mid cerebral artery (MCAO). Pretreatment with a single dose of lithium at 2 hours before MCAO induction significantly reduced the elevation in interleukin- (IL-) 6 and prostaglandin E2 levels in brain of post-MCAO rats, as compared to vehicle-treated animals. On the other hand, lithium did not affect the elevation in IL-1α, IL-10, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor-α levels in brain of post-MCAO rats. Moreover, pretreatment with lithium did not alter post-MCAO fever and mortality. These results suggest that acute pretreatment with a single dose of lithium did not markedly affect post-MCAO morbidity and mortality in rats

Cross-docking: A systematic literature review

This paper identifies the major research concepts, techniques, and models covered in the cross-docking literature. A systematic literature review is conducted using the BibExcel bibliometric analysis and Gephi network analysis tools. A research focus parallelship network (RFPN) analysis and keyword co-occurrence network (KCON) analysis are used to identify the primary research themes. The RFPN results suggest that vehicle routing, inventory control, scheduling, warehousing, and distribution are most studied. Of the optimization and simulation techniques applied in cross-docking, linear and integer programming has received much attention. The paper informs researchers interested in investigating cross-docking through an integrated perspective of the research gaps in this domain. This paper systematically reviews the literature on cross-docking, identifies the major research areas, and provides a survey of the techniques and models adopted by researchers in the areas related to cross-docking

Simulation education: challenges and suggested practices as nursing faculty members’ experience in the Malaysian nursing curriculum

INTRODUCTION: The benefits of utilizing simulation in nursing education to mimic clinical environments are well known. Simulation education has been readily embraced and is increasingly expanding as an innovative approach to the teaching and learning process involved in preparing nursing students for clinical placement. To date, little of the research specifically addresses, in the Malaysian context, the experiences of nursing faculty members (NFMs) in terms of their preparation for the use of this approach. Objective: The aim was to explore NFMs’ experiences of simulation education implemented in the curriculum. Methodology: This study adopted a qualitative design. Focus group discussions were conducted with 23 NFMs in Malaysia and recruited using purposeful sampling. The participants took part in focus group discussions and audio-recorded interviews. The data were analysed using the NVIVO software and the thematic analysis approach. The data analysis indicated they valued its positive impact on learning outcomes, the student experience and the ability to simulate more complex scenarios during training. Results: Inadequate training, lack of resources and lack of prior planning, negatively influenced the intention to use and effectively implement simulation in the curriculum. Discussion & Conclusion The study indicated that NFMs perceived simulation education as a learning pedagogy that can improve students' learning if used effectively. They believed that to realise the potential of simulation, more support should be provided through training, the availability of necessary resources, and improved planning and organisatio

Nurse-identified patient care and health services research priorities in the United Arab Emirates: a Delphi study

Background: The need for improved research on ill health has been recognized internationally and locally in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE Nursing and Midwifery Council recently committed to enhancing the status and contributions of nursing in healthcare research across the UAE by establishing a National Committee for Research Development. This study using a Delphi method to identify research priorities from the perspective of nurses delivering frontline healthcare. Methods: A two-phase Delphi design was implemented with 1032 nurses participating in phase one of the study and 1339 in phase two. Results: The most important priority was patient safety and healthcare professionals’ awareness of international patient safety goals (including staffing levels and shift length) and potential effects on patient safety. Other important priorities were infection control practices and management of communicable diseases. Conclusions: These priorities may inform nursing research programs to improve patient care and health outcomes in the UAE and similar contexts worldwide

Does Religiosity Moderate Personal Tax Compliance? A Study Involving In-House Tax Professionals of Malaysian Businesses

This study limns the moderating impact of religiosity made on the in-house tax professionals who deal with tax affairs in the corporate sectors in Malaysia. Therefore, we intend to produce a seminal article, wherein religiosity is tested for its moderating effect between the determinants such as peers’ tax compliance, tax audit, service quality of tax authority, satisfaction with government spending, and the level of tax compliance among the tax affairs officers. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques have been chosen to collect data from the tax professionals of the Malaysian businesses. A total of 392 respondents have managed to participate in this survey questionnaire to disclose their opinion. “SmartPLS’ is used to analyse the data. The finding reveals that religiosity does not moderate the relationship between the determinants and the level of tax compliance among the Malaysian tax professionals. The interpretation of the relationship between the “Factors of Personal tax compliance’ (Independent variables) among the tax affairs officers of the Malaysian businesses and the “Personal tax compliance behaviour’ (Dependent variable) can be explained by 83.9 percent by the variance studied. To produce an extensive and expeditious report of exploration on the said nexus of personal tax compliance and the taxpayers’ decision on the corporate tax compliance, the selection of one type of data collection approach is not sufficient. Therefore, the future researchers are advised to make research with the collection of supplementary data, such as interviews, as their primary data collection so that the robustness of their findings could be strengthened