Quantifying capacity of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery in Zimbabwe.

Objectives: To evaluate the otolaryngology surgical capacity in Harare, Zimbabwe by analyzing procedural volumes across four hospitals, one private and three public, from 2019 to 2022.

Methods: A retrospective review of hand-written surgical case logs was conducted at Harare Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Institute (HEENT), Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals (PGH), Sally Mugabe Children's Hospital (SMCH), and Sally Mugabe Adult's Hospital (SMAH). Patient age and surgical intervention for all otolaryngology surgeries performed in the operating room from 2019 to 2022 were recorded.

Differentiated thyroid cancer in adolescents - does extent of disease at presentation differ with age?

Objectives: The authors sought to assess whether the age of 18 reflects a true pathological inflection point that justifies transitioning between pediatric and adult paradigms of care with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted for patients aged 12-24 undergoing hemithyroidectomy or total thyroidectomy for papillary or follicular thyroid carcinoma from 2010 to 2020.

Results: A total of 153 patients receiving surgery for DTC were assessed for pathological stage, nodal metastasis, and thyroid neoplasm characteristics.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) Vaccine in America and Overseas: A Narrative Review.

This narrative review examines the role of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine in global tuberculosis (TB) control efforts, with particular emphasis on the differences in vaccination policies between countries, such as the US, where routine BCG administration is not practiced. A significant complication of the BCG vaccine is false positive results in the tuberculin skin test (TST), often leading to misdiagnoses and unnecessary treatments. To address these issues, interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) have emerged as a more specific diagnostic tool that reduces false positives associated with prior BCG vaccination.

Anticancer Activity of Phytochemicals of the Papaya Plant Assessed: A Narrative Review.

Cancer remains to be a pervasive disease as traditional treatments have plateaued in efficacy. Anticancer research continues to grow in an effort to find novel preventive and treatment measures for cancers. The papaya plant produces several biologically active phytochemicals, which exhibit anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti-oxidative properties.

Elucidating antibiofilm as well as photocatalytic disinfection potential of green synthesized nanosilver against multi-drug-resistant bacteria and its photodegradation ability of cationic dyes.

Background: Bioinspired nanomaterials have widely been employed as suitable alternatives for controlling biofilm and pathogens due to their distinctive physico-chemical properties.

Methodology: This study explored the antibiofilm as well as photocatalytic potential of silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized using the cell-free supernatant of Lactobacillus acidophilus for the disinfection of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) strains of enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), Salmonella Typhimurium, S.