Publications by authors named "Ala A"

Objectives: The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is widely used to assess ischemic stroke severity, but its full 11-item version can be time-consuming. This study evaluates the NIHSS-8, a shortened version, for its efficacy compared with NIHSS-11 in an emergency department setting.

Methods: A cohort study was conducted from May 2018 to May 2019 at Imam Reza Hospital, Tabriz, Iran.

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  • Wound healing is crucial for tissue repair, and this study compares the effectiveness of GLUBRAN® Tiss 2 skin adhesive to traditional sutures in managing healing complications.
  • Conducted as a randomized control trial, the research involved one group using sutures and another using the skin adhesive, with patient data collected for a month post-treatment.
  • Results indicated that while demographic factors showed no significant difference, GLUBRAN® Tiss 2 resulted in fewer complications, less scarring, and lower pain scores compared to sutures, making it a promising alternative for head and face wounds.
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Background & Aims: Homozygous Pi∗Z mutation in alpha-1 antitrypsin (Pi∗ZZ genotype) predisposes to pulmonary loss-of-function and hepatic gain-of-function injury. To facilitate selection into clinical trials typically targeting only 1 organ, we systematically evaluated an international, multicenter, longitudinal, Pi∗ZZ cohort to uncover natural disease course and surrogates for future liver- and lung-related endpoints.

Methods: Cohort 1 recruited 737 Pi∗ZZ individuals from 25 different centers without known liver comorbidities who received a baseline clinical and laboratory assessment as well as liver stiffness measurement (LSM).

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Introduction: This scoping review study was conducted with the aim of identifying dimensions of trust in medical care, common trust subjects, and medical trust correlates among available instruments.

Methods: We carried out a scoping review of literature through Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, Google Scholar engine, and various information sources of grey literature, to identify eligible studies up to 2023. We merely included psychometric studies in these areas.

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Background & Aims: Wilson disease (WD) is caused by accumulation of copper primarily in the liver and brain. During maintenance therapy of WD with D-penicillamine, current guidelines recommend on-treatment ranges of urinary copper excretion (UCE) of 200-500 μg/24 h and serum non-ceruloplasmin-bound copper (NCC) of 50-150 μg/L. We compared NCC (measured by two novel assays) and UCE from patients with clinically stable WD on D-penicillamine therapy with these recommendations.

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  • The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of effective treatments, leading to the investigation of Tocilizumab (TCZ), a monoclonal antibody, for managing severe cases of the disease.
  • TCZ has shown potential in reducing mortality rates and adverse events when administered during the inflammatory phase of critical COVID-19 pneumonia, especially when used alongside other therapies like corticosteroids.
  • Despite its benefits, clinicians must consider personalized medicine approaches, as there are gaps in data regarding TCZ's safety in pregnancy and its effectiveness in combination with other treatment strategies.
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As a major component of innate immunity and a positive regulator of interferons, the Stimulator of interferon gene (STING) has an immunotherapy potential to govern a variety of infectious diseases. Despite the recent advances regarding vaccines against COVID-19, nontoxic novel adjuvants with the potential to enhance vaccine efficacy are urgently desired. In this connection, it has been well-documented that STING agonists are applied to combat COVID-19.

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Purpose: The classification of trauma patients in emergency settings is a constant challenge for physicians. However, the Injury Severity Score (ISS) is widely used in developed countries, it may be difficult to perform it in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). As a result, the ISS was calculated using an estimated methodology that has been described and validated in a high-income country previously.

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Introduction: Effective and safe vaccines against COVID-19 are essential to achieve global control of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Using faith centres may offer a promising route for promoting higher vaccine uptake from certain minority ethnic groups known to be more likely to be vaccine hesitant.

Methods: This cross-sectional study explored attendees' perceptions, experiences of being offered, and receiving COVID-19 vaccination in a local mosque in Woking, Surrey, UK.

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Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are promising for generating renewable energy from organic matter and efficient wastewater treatment. Ensuring their practical viability requires meticulous optimization and precise design. Among the critical components of MFCs, the membrane separator plays a pivotal role in segregating the anode and cathode chambers.

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Research ethics committees exist internationally to review research proposals to protect the rights and safety of human participants and researchers involved in research. These committees recruit a panel of expert and lay members, mostly on an unpaid voluntary basis, with relevant scientific experience to appraise these studies. Contemporary data in the UK show that women and people over 55 years old are overrepresented in these committee panels in the Health Research Authority, suggesting that there are potential barriers to inclusivity and participation.

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Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a public health concern in many developing nations around the world. Early detection of latent or subclinical RHD can help in reversing mild lesions, retarding disease progression, reducing morbidity and mortality, and improving the quality of life of patients. Echocardiography is the gold-standard method for screening and confirming latent RHD cases.

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Introduction: The burden of chronic viral hepatitis (CVH) in the UK Nepali population is unknown. We aimed to determine knowledge of liver disease (LD) and prevalence of CVH in this community.

Methods: This was a mixed method (qualitative and quantitative) study guided by a multidisciplinary stakeholder group.

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Meta-analytic structural equation modeling was used to estimate the relative contributions of general cognitive ability or (defined by executive functions, short-term memory, and intelligence) and basic domain-specific mathematical abilities to performance in more complex mathematics domains. The domain-specific abilities included mathematics fluency (e.g.

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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a serious threat to the health of the environment. This study investigated the potential of for the uptake, accumulation, and biodegradation of phenanthrene and pyrene. plants were treated with 10 and 30 mg L concentrations of phenanthrene and pyrene for the experimental duration of ten days.

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Background: In emergency cases, lack of other treatment alternatives may affect a person's decision, but it does not render that decision involuntary. Being able to make choices is a crucial (but not necessary) element of trust. We aimed to develop a tool to evaluate the Trust in Trauma Care in an Emergency Department (TTC-ED) among traumatic patients.

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Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a type of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) in which the function of the heart and/or lungs is partially or completely replaced by a portable system that provides prolonged support to critically ill patients with respiratory or cardiac failure. There are two major variants of ECMO: veno-venous (VV) ECMO and veno-arterial (VA) ECMO. VV ECMO replaces the function of the lung in which it uses a cannula to remove venous blood and oxygenates it using the extracorporeal system, and returns the blood to the right atrium to be pumped to the body.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A case was presented involving a patient with Coronavirus-2 infection who experienced laryngospasm upon their first emergency department visit.
  • * It is important for healthcare providers to recognize that Coronavirus-2 infection may trigger laryngospasm.
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The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) has recently (June 2022) produced new clinical practice guidelines for the investigation and management of haemochromatosis, to replace the previous document published in 2010. Here, we provide an overview of the principal changes recommended for the investigation and management of haemochromatosis arising from these guidelines and highlight particular areas where evidence is lacking and where future focus on specific research would improve patient treatment and outcomes. The guideline provides several important new recommendations that will have a meaningful impact on patient management.

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Healthcare System Management (HSM) is a technique for integrating technology in public hospitals. Knowledge of strategies and decision-making issues is crucial for improving hospital services during the HSM implementation since it directly impacts the efficiency of the hospital and the level of the patient healthcare system. To address the research gap, this study presents a hybrid decision making model that combines the Analysis Hierarchical Process (AHP) method and the Analytic Network Process (ANP) to select Balanced Scorecard Policy (BSP) indicators for evaluating HSM application in a resource-limited background.

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