A retrospective review of the common childhood illnesses and the indications for antibiotic prescription at community hospital in Malawi.

Background: Childhood remains a vulnerable period and a key determiner for adult health. Various illnesses experienced by children in their early years determine future performance and contribution to society. Acute and chronic infectious diseases, undernutrition, and early childhood non-communicable diseases have greatly been linked to intellectual disability, poor childhood development, increased morbidity, and household and healthcare economic costs.

How Is Preoperative Opioid Use Associated With Readmissions and Outcomes in Lower Extremity Trauma?

Background: Opioid use disorder (OUD) has been implicated as a potential risk factor for adverse outcomes and readmissions in various surgical procedures. Patients admitted with an open fracture of the lower extremity often have multifarious pain needs, require surgical procedures, and have prolonged rehabilitation; previous OUD complicates this process. Our goal was to describe at a national level how OUD is associated with readmission, complications, and healthcare expenditure for patients admitted with open lower extremity fractures.

Physiological Changes in Women's Skin During the Menstrual Cycle: A Scoping Review.

Multiple physiological changes occur during the menstrual cycle; many are attributed to fluctuations in estrogen, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and progesterone. These hormones differentially affect the menstrual cycle's follicular, ovulation, and luteal phases. Skin is one of the organs affected by changes in a woman's menstrual cycle.

Eugene Hertoghe (1860-1928): Pioneer in endocrinology and the treatment of hypothyroidism.

Eugène Hertoghe (1860-1928), a Belgian internist and former vice-president of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium, made significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of chronic hypothyroidism. He provided a detailed clinical description of the condition, emphasizing its multisystemic manifestations and hereditary aspects. Hertoghe also documented the therapeutic use of thyroid extract, reporting its effectiveness in alleviating symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Communicating Effectively With Limited English Proficiency Patients: Incorporating Training on Working With Medical Interpreters in the Undergraduate Medical Curriculum.

Introduction: It is imperative for the healthcare providers in the United States to be able to care for the growing number of patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) utilizing professional medical interpreters (MIs). Since little time in undergraduate medical education (UME) is devoted to this competency, an educational workshop on effective communication with MIs and Spanish-speaking LEP patients was developed.

Methods: A two-hour workshop was implemented for first-year medical students, featuring four educational strategies: (1) facilitator-led instructional simulation, (2) interactive didactic, (3) small-group clinical case discussion, and (4) large-group MI simulation.

Enhancing Medical School Student Well-being: A Comprehensive Analysis of Life101 Self-assessment Tool in Pre-clinical Years: Innovations: Utilizing The Life101 Assessment in First Year M.D. Students.

Our study utilized Life101, a new self-assessment inventory, to assess changes in life skill competencies in students over the first year of medical school. Life101 employs nine scales centered around ubiquitous experiences to assess the relationships between beliefs and outcomes. Although not statistically significant, trends were revealed within the data.

Ethical Use of Cadaveric Images in Anatomical Textbooks, Atlases, and Journals: A Consensus Response From Authors and Editors.

Nowadays, consent to use donor bodies for medical education and research is obtained from the body donors and their families before the donation. Recently, the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA) published guidelines that could restrict the appearance of cadaveric images in commercial anatomical resources such as textbooks and other educational products. These guidelines state that the donor must expressly consent to using such images for this purpose.

The Empathy Quandary in Postgraduate Medical Training.

Background: Empathy stands as a cornerstone of humanistic qualities and is essential in healthcare for understanding and alleviating emotional suffering. Despite its necessity, formal empathy training remains elusive in postgraduate medical education across the globe, contributing to decline of humanistic practice among trainees. This study aims to assess and establish the need for empathy training by evaluating the perspectives of postgraduate trainees and faculty.

Effects of Demographic Identities on Psychosocial Burdens of Patients Living in the United States With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease predominantly affecting women, particularly in African American populations. While its physical health impacts are well-documented, patients also face significant psychosocial burdens, including barriers to healthcare access, financial constraints, mental health challenges, and inadequate social support.

Study Goal: This cross-sectional study surveyed 294 SLE patients recruited from Facebook and Reddit social media forums to examine how demographic factors such as age, race/ethnicity, and geographic location influence these burdens.

Female Faculty Representation in Anesthesiology: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Introduction: The presence of female faculty members in anesthesia residency programs is pivotal for enhancing and supporting diversity and gender equity in medical education. This study probes the intricate interplay between the percentage of female faculty and whether program type and geographical location impact the composition of female faculty.

Methods: For this retrospective cross-sectional analysis, we collected data from the Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database Access (FREIDA) system to assess the percentages of female faculty in anesthesia residency programs.

A Rare Case of Triple-Positive Breast Cancer With Eventual Triple-Negative Small Bowel Metastasis.

Invasive lobular breast cancer (ILBC) is a common cause of breast cancer. Prognosis is dependent on many factors such as metastasis location and hormone receptor positivity. A 59-year-old postmenopausal African-American female who was referred to our clinic in May of 2022 presented with a suspicious small bowel lesion seen on surveillance imaging.

A Literature Review on Optimizing Study Strategies in Medical Education: Insights From Exam Scores and Study Resources.

Medical school exams, like those by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), assess essential knowledge and skills for safe patient care, essential for student advancement and securing competitive residencies. Understanding the correlation between exam scores and medical school performance, as well as identifying trends among high scorers, provides valuable insights for both medical students and educators. This review examines the link between study resources and NBME exam scores, as well as psychological factors influencing these outcomes.

Correction to: Infection's Association With Decreased Risk of Breast Cancer.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.14740/wjon1617.].

Unveiling the Rare: A Case of Renal Cell Carcinoma Acrometastasis.

Acrometastasis refers to a rare form of skeletal metastasis affecting sites distal to the knees and elbows, often leading to significant functional impairment and reduced quality of life. This case report details a 65-year-old man with a history of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who presented with persistent pain and swelling in the distal aspect of his left long finger. An incisional biopsy confirmed the lesion as metastatic RCC.

Assessing Tissue Dielectric Constant Values in Tumor Bearing and Healthy Breasts.

This study aimed to investigate, characterize, and provide quantitative reference data on tissue dielectric constant (TDC) values of female breasts when measurements were made to 5 mm depths and determine the utility of these measurements to differentiate between benign and malignant breast tumors. Breast TDC was measured bilaterally in 82 women just prior to an ultrasound-guided diagnostic biopsy of one tumor in one breast. TDC was measured in triplicate over the tumor and the contralateral healthy breast.

The Scarab Technique for Correction of Late-Presenting Sagittal Suture Craniosynostosis.

Introduction: Sagittal synostosis (SS) is the most prevalent form of craniosynostosis. It is the premature fusion of the sagittal suture, resulting in a "boat like" skull shape. Early surgical intervention is crucial to prevent complications, yet no standard procedure exists for patients over 12 months old.

Exploring prostate-specific antigen (PSA) Testing rates and screening disparities in the all of us dataset.

Purpose: To examine prostate cancer (PCa) screening disparities among ethnic groups in the U.S. using the All of Us database.

Effectiveness of Digital Health Interventions (DHI) in Chronic Pain Management: A Scoping Review of Current Evidence and Emerging Trends.

This review aims to address the impact of digital health interventions (DHIs) on chronic pain management, specifically, mHealth, eHealth, wearable devices, virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence. The following study identifies and assesses DHIs' efficacy in specific chronic pain conditions and then extrapolates improved outcomes and patient groups that benefit from their use. Using a systematic methodology, this review synthesizes findings that could improve knowledge for patients and practitioners in chronic pain management while also addressing gaps in understanding the impact of DHIs.

Sympathetic nerves, salivary secretion, and the parched mouth of fear: unraveling historical perspectives on persistent contradiction in physiology textbooks.

We have observed two starkly contradictory notions regarding the sympathetic influence on the salivary outflow in discussions with our students. Most of them believe that sympathetic nerves decrease salivation and are antagonistic to parasympathetic nerves. Some students, however, show awareness of the cooperative stimulatory action of both types of autonomic fibers.

Skin tissue dielectric constant: Time of day and skin depth dependence.

Background: Skin water measurements are used to investigate skin physiology, clinically study dermatological issues, and for conditions like diabetes, oedema, and lymphedema with measurements done at various times of day (TOD). One method used is skin's tissue dielectric constant (TDC), often clinically measured to a single depth of 2.5 mm.

Relationship Between Finger Photoplethysmographic Pulses and Skin Blood Perfusion.

Introduction Photoplethysmography (PPG) measures are important in monitoring peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO). Another parameter is a derived quantity referred to as the peripheral perfusion index (PPI). It is calculated as the ratio of the peak-to-peak pulse amplitude of a PPG signal (PA) to the non-pulsating part of the total PPG signal.