Investigation of some astronomical phenomena in medieval Arabic chronicles

Medieval Arabic observational records of comets, meteors, meteor showers, solar and lunar eclipses are translated from the original Arabic chronicles. A comparison is made between each Arabic cometary record with East Asian observations. Specific investigation of Halley's comet has been made. The frequency of meteor showers is compared with the known prominent meteor showers. The recorded observations of different types of solar and lunar eclipses have been studied. The accuracy in the recording of the time of beginning and ending and the magnitude of the eclipse are also studied and compared with the present-day calculations. In addition, the different methods of recording of the local time of the eclipse and the magnitude are discussed

Naloxone Administration Route in Opioid Overdose: A Review of Vermont EMS Data

Objective: Emergency Medical System (EMS) personnel administer the direct opioid antagonist naloxone in cases of opioid overdose via intramuscular (IM), intravenous (IV), subcutaneous (SQ), intraosseous (IO), or intranasal (IN) routes. Some early studies suggest that the intranasal route of administration is of similar effectiveness to injectable routes. The main objective of our study was to compare the efficacy of intravenous and intraosseous (IV/IO) routes of naloxone administration to the intranasal (IN) route in suspected opioid overdoses in Vermont. Methods: We reviewed retrospective data from Vermont EMS Statewide Incident Reporting Network (SIREN) between April 2014 and August 2016. We included all patients that were entered into SIREN and administered naloxone during the study period. Predictor variables were route of administration, medication dosage, crew member level, and cardiac arrest (yes or no). We conducted a binary logistic regression in SPSS to predict improvement in patient condition. Results: Our sample consisted of 1139 cases of first-dose naloxone administration. 1076 cases contained sufficient data to be analyzed. Patients who experienced a cardiac arrest were less likely to respond to naloxone (OR 10.8, 95% CI (5.908-19.694)). Route of administration, crew member level, and dosage (in the normal therapeutic range of 0.1-2mg) did not have a statistically significant effect on patient response to naloxone. Conclusions: Our findings, in conjunction with other recent research, suggest that intranasal administration is a safe and effective route when compared with intravenous and intraosseous routes. Intranasal administration has several distinct advantages over injectable routes, including the potential to reduce the risk of needle-stick injuries and blood-borne pathogen transmissions and to be handled by individuals with less medical training. In cases of cardiac arrest, we recommend that providers focus on treatments with proven benefit, including CPR and proper ventilation and oxygenation

Referral Patterns Between Allopathic Physicians and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practitioners: A Followup Study

Introduction: • Despite the high prevalence of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) usage, several recent surveys suggest that the vast majority of patient visits to CAM practitioners are self-referred and that communication between conventional and CAM practitioners is limited. • There is a need for a better understandingof factors influencing referral patterns across these two groups of practitioners. • Network analysis provides a useful tool to quantify relationships between members of an interrelated social network. • The goal of this follow up study was to quantify the cross-class referral patterns between conventional and CAM classes of practitioners in Chittenden County Vermont as well as gather additional information on the basis of referrals for future studies. • This study was a preliminary examination of possible reasons for the referral patterns.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1039/thumbnail.jp

Pilot Study of the Effects of Tai Chi on Elderly Fall Risks

Introduction. Falls in the elderly are a significant public health concern. Tai Chi has been shown to reduce falls in this population and increase muscle strength, balance, mood, confidence and sleep.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1087/thumbnail.jp