Objective: Disasters are complex events making epidemiologic studies and determination of accurate denominators difficult due to the poor nature of available records. However, these data are essential to perform useful calculations and accurate descriptions of disaster medical impacts. This study was undertaken to identify the availability and utility of various information sources in the analysis of a mass casualty disaster. In addition, characteristics of cases presenting for care are described.
Design: This is a retrospective cohort study abstracting medical records and other documents relating to an explosion and fire. Public domain documents are obtained by written request or by filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
Setting: A rural EMS and tertiary hospital.
Cases: Individuals directly exposed to the forces of the explosion.
Outcome Measures: The number of cases detected by various information sources. In addition, the demographics, dispositions, and nature of the physical injuries of the cases are reported.
Results: Seven sources of case information were identified. The most cases were identified by investigative agencies (33) and the fewest by medical records (18). Rates include; injury 0.68, admission 0.20, and operative 0.14, with no deaths. Case locations during the explosion were determined for all cases. No association was noted between admission and location in the building.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates the availability and usefulness of data in the public domain. Using FOIA requests or partnerships with public or private agencies may more clearly define denominator data in epidemiologic evaluations of disasters.
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JMIR Infodemiology
January 2025
Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Ankara, TR.
Background: YouTube is an increasingly used platform for medical information. However, the reliability and validity of health-related information on celiac disease (CD) on YouTube has not been determined.
Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse the reliability and validity of CD-related YouTube videos.
Afr J Reprod Health
November 2024
SAMRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Although South Africa is among the countries with lower under-five mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa, the country has failed to meet the national targets set to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The study aimed to examine multilevel determinants of deaths of children under five in South Africa. Secondary data from the 2016 South Africa Demographic Health Survey was used to conduct bivariate and multilevel logistic regression analyses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Technol
January 2025
Colegio de Postgraduados, Posgrado de Edafología, Microbiología de Suelos, Montecillo, Estado de México, México.
The aim of our study was to characterize the hydrodynamics and mass transfer in a novel internal flat-plate airlift cylindrical reactor to increase the biodegradation of newspaper. We evaluated the degradation kinetics of newspaper in a batch culture with . Gas holdup, mixing time, the Reynolds number, and volumetric mass transfer coefficient () properties were characterized in biphasic and triphasic systems in order to optimize their operational conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOtolaryngol Head Neck Surg
January 2025
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
As qualitative data analysis becomes more frequently applied within the fields of medicine and surgery, it is beneficial to expand our knowledge of the utility, methodology, and interpretation of these techniques. While qualitative research serves a distinct purpose and differs from quantitative research, both can be approached with diligence, with careful techniques that are similarly maintained and respected. In advance of this installment in the Evidence-Based Medicine in Otolaryngology series, we presented a comparison between qualitative and quantitative methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOtolaryngol Head Neck Surg
January 2025
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Objective: The Hispanic health paradox (HHP), the observation that Hispanic people in the United States often experience better health outcomes than non-Hispanic people despite having worse prognostic factors, has not been evaluated for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), a malignancy with marked racial disparities in outcomes. The objective of this study is to evaluate the HHP within the context of HNSCC.
Data Sources: CINAHL, PubMed, and Scopus.
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