Improving basic life support training for medical students

Mariam Lami, Pooja Nair, Karishma GadhviFaculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, London, UKAbstract: Questions have been raised about basic life support (BLS) training in medical education. This article addresses the research evidence behind why BLS training is inadequate and suggests recommendations for improving BLS training for medical students.Keywords: medical education, basic life suppor

A study of skin closure of surgical wound by subcuticular sutures with polyglactin 910 fast (rapide vicryl) in planned surgery

Background: The skin is the largest and among the most complex organs of the body. Although the skin functions simply as a protective barrier to interface with our environment, its structure and physiology are complex. Suturing is commonly used today as a mean by which wounds are closed to prevent infection and fasten healing with minimal scarring. Cosmetic results of healed wound are also important and as awareness is increasing among general population, they are more concerned with cosmetic scar. Various techniques are developed to give cosmetically better scar, like subcuticular suture, adhesive tapes, staplers, etc.Methods: Study was randomized, prospective, observational and longitudinal including 100 patients, selected according to inclusion criteria.Results: Cosmetic result of the study were good; 87% patients were having good to excellent cosmetic results. And 13% patients were having scar which was cosmetically not good (scar was either hypertrophied or thickened). complication was not significant (only 3% having on post-operative day 5).Conclusions: Surgical wound closure with subcuticular suture with absorbable suture material gives excellent cosmetic results, cheaper and cost-effective compare to other technique of wound closure having similar cosmetic result. As the removal of suture is not required, no follow up visit needed, and it saves the extra time and expenditure of patient

Role of triple assessment modalities in diagnosis of palpable breast lump

Background: One fourth of women suffer from breast disease in their lifetime. Carcinoma of breast is the second most common cancer in the world. Timely and accurate diagnosis of breast lump with early intervention can be life saving. There are various modalities for the diagnosis of breast lump such as USG, FNAC and Mammography, MRI etc. but none of them is perfect. There are numerous reports suggesting that if the results of clinical assessment, mammography and FNAC are all combined, the diagnostic accuracy is nearly 100%. Furthermore, these techniques also provide information about tumor size, number, extent and grade preoperatively.Methods: Study was randomized, prospective, observational and longitudinal including 100 patients, selected according to inclusion criteria.Results: The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of triple test in present study were 98.68%, 87.5%, and 96% respectively. Out of 100, 76 patients were confirmed as having benign lesion and 24 patients having malignant lesion by histopathology examination.Conclusions: Results of triple assessment are same as the results by histopathology examination in majority of cases. It is highly accurate, can be used as a confirmatory diagnostic tool for breast lump, thus there is no need to perform diagnostic open biopsy for breast lump

A Scientometric Study of Highly Cited Journals in Science Discipline Indexed by Scopus and Web of Science

The main objective of this is to explicitly characterize a quantitative analysis by utilizing scientometric study for highly cited journals in scientific discipline indexed by Scopus and WOS. The Paper published during the years 2012-2016 are considered for research analysis with distinct objectives and correlated conclusions. The main purpose of this paper is to analyse the data in a variety of methods such as document types, country, institutions/organisation etc. This study will be beneficial for the research scholars to understand the various areas of research work conducted during 2012-16

A comparative study of laparoscopic cholecystectomy with and without abdominal drain

Background: Laparoscopic surgery has several advantages when compared to open surgery, including faster post-operative recovery and lower pain scores. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the main method of treatment of symptomatic gallstones. Routine drainage after laparoscopic cholecystectomy is an issue of considerable debate.Methods: Study was randomized, prospective, observational and longitudinal including 100 patients, selected according to inclusion criteria.Results: The sub hepatic fluid collection on first ultrasound at 24hrs was higher in drained group than in non-drained groups. Further, the difference became insignificant on subsequent ultrasound at 72hrs. Incidence of post-operative drain site pain was present in 25% of patients with drain (more at drain site). Incidence drain site infection was present in 16.6% of patients in drain group. Majority of the patients with drain group (n=24) required hospital stay for ≥3 days, while for majority of patients without drain group (n=20), required hospital stay was 1 day.Conclusions: An uncomplicated gall stone disease can be treated by laparoscopic cholecystectomy without need for drain with reasonable safety by an experienced surgeon. With no usage of drain, it is significantly advantageous in terms of post-operative pain, use of analgesics and hospital stay

p63 and SOX2 Dictate Glucose Reliance and Metabolic Vulnerabilities in Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a malignancy arising across multiple anatomical sites, is responsible for significant cancer mortality due to insufficient therapeutic options. Here, we identify exceptional glucose reliance among SCCs dictated by hyperactive GLUT1-mediated glucose influx. Mechanistically, squamous lineage transcription factors p63 and SOX2 transactivate the intronic enhancer cluster of SLC2A1. Elevated glucose influx fuels generation of NADPH and GSH, thereby heightening the anti-oxidative capacity in SCC tumors. Systemic glucose restriction by ketogenic diet and inhibiting renal glucose reabsorption with SGLT2 inhibitor precipitate intratumoral oxidative stress and tumor growth inhibition. Furthermore, reduction of blood glucose lowers blood insulin levels, which suppresses PI3K/AKT signaling in SCC cells. Clinically, we demonstrate a robust correlation between blood glucose concentration and worse survival among SCC patients. Collectively, this study identifies the exceptional glucose reliance of SCC and suggests its candidacy as a highly vulnerable cancer type to be targeted by systemic glucose restriction

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background: There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low-and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods: Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results: Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion: For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially

Laparoscopy in management of appendicitis in high-, middle-, and low-income countries: a multicenter, prospective, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide. Differences between high- and low-income settings in the availability of laparoscopic appendectomy, alternative management choices, and outcomes are poorly described. The aim was to identify variation in surgical management and outcomes of appendicitis within low-, middle-, and high-Human Development Index (HDI) countries worldwide. METHODS: This is a multicenter, international prospective cohort study. Consecutive sampling of patients undergoing emergency appendectomy over 6 months was conducted. Follow-up lasted 30 days. RESULTS: 4546 patients from 52 countries underwent appendectomy (2499 high-, 1540 middle-, and 507 low-HDI groups). Surgical site infection (SSI) rates were higher in low-HDI (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.33-4.99, p = 0.005) but not middle-HDI countries (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.76-2.52, p = 0.291), compared with high-HDI countries after adjustment. A laparoscopic approach was common in high-HDI countries (1693/2499, 67.7%), but infrequent in low-HDI (41/507, 8.1%) and middle-HDI (132/1540, 8.6%) groups. After accounting for case-mix, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.71, p < 0.001) and SSIs (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.33, p < 0.001). In propensity-score matched groups within low-/middle-HDI countries, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.23 95% CI 0.11-0.44) and SSI (OR 0.21 95% CI 0.09-0.45). CONCLUSION: A laparoscopic approach is associated with better outcomes and availability appears to differ by country HDI. Despite the profound clinical, operational, and financial barriers to its widespread introduction, laparoscopy could significantly improve outcomes for patients in low-resource environments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02179112