Assessment of performance feedback as a teaching-learning tool in the operating room at the National Referral Hospital, Bhutan: a prospective pre-post interventional study.

Background: Effective, efficient, and enduring feedback on performance improves and accelerates learning in medical education. Basic teaching methods like providing constructive feedback would enhance educational quality. However, briefing and debriefing culture is almost absent in our operating room.

A mixed methods evaluation of 99DOTS digital adherence technology uptake among adolescents treated for pulmonary tuberculosis in Uganda.

Introduction: Adolescents and young adults are at risk of poor adherence to tuberculosis (TB) treatment and subsequently worse TB treatment outcomes. Digital adherence technologies, including the mobile phone-based 99DOTS platform, can support TB treatment, but there is limited data on their use among adolescents.

Objective: To evaluate factors associated with the uptake of 99DOTS among adolescents with TB.

Plasma proteomics for novel biomarker discovery in childhood tuberculosis.

Failure to rapidly diagnose tuberculosis disease (TB) and initiate treatment is a driving factor of TB as a leading cause of death in children. Current TB diagnostic assays have poor performance in children, and identifying novel non-sputum-based TB biomarkers to improve pediatric TB diagnosis is a global priority. We sought to develop a plasma biosignature for TB by probing the plasma proteome of 511 children stratified by TB diagnostic classification and HIV status from sites in four low- and middle-income countries, using high-throughput data-independent acquisition mass-spectrometry (DIA-PASEF-MS).

EEG background activity, seizure burden and early childhood outcomes in neonatal encephalopathy in Uganda: a prospective feasibility cohort study.

Background: Intrapartum-related neonatal encephalopathy (NE) is a leading cause of childhood mortality and morbidity. Continuous electroencephalography (EEG) is gold standard for neonatal brain monitoring; however, low-income country data is lacking. We examined EEG in a Ugandan cohort with NE to describe feasibility, background activity, seizure prevalence and burden, and associations with clinical presentation and outcome.

A diagnostic challenge of a giant Para-ovarian cyst in an adolescent girl in a low resource setting- a case report.

Introduction And Importance: Presentation of a giant para-ovarian cysts is rarely reported in the literature, with varying symptoms, methods of treatment, and complications. Herein, we highlight the diagnostic challenges faced in a low resource setting in the diagnosis of a giant para-ovarian cyst in a 17-year-old girl.

Case Presentation: A 17-year-old, virginal girl who presented with vague abdominal pain with an abdomino-pelvic mass of about 24 weeks pregnancy uterus size was diagnosed as a case of huge benign ovarian cyst with normal tumour markers.

Retrospective characterization of seizure semiology and treatment using continuous video-EEG monitoring in neonatal encephalopathy in Uganda.

Objective: Neonatal encephalopathy (NE) is a leading cause of childhood death and disability, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Detection of NE-related seizures is challenging. We explored NE seizure semiology and management in Uganda.

Epidemiology of cleft lip and palate in Bhutan, 2015-2022.

Background: The epidemiology of cleft lip (CL) and cleft palate (CLP) has not previously been described in the context of the Bhutan and Bhutanese populations. Using National Birth Defects Surveillance Data and other vital statistics, we present the comprehensive epidemiology of the cleft lip and palate in Bhutan.

Methodology: The National Birth Defects Surveillance Data Registry from 2015 to 2022 is reviewed retrospectively, covering 8 years of birth defect surveillance in the country from records maintained with three referral hospitals in the country.

Clinical Profile and Risk Factors for Complication of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus at the National Referral Hospital, Bhutan: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study.

Background And Aim: Globally, diabetes mellitus is a major public health concern affecting 10.5% of the population. Nearly 90% of these people have Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

A rare case of monostotic Melorheostosis of right ulna presenting with chronic forearm pain - Case report.

Introduction: Melorheostosis is extremely rare non-cancerous lesion of bone mainly affecting the long bones and soft tissues. The incidence is 0.9 per million population.

A predictive score for early in-patient tuberculosis mortality: A case-control study.

Introduction: In-hospital mortality rates for tuberculosis (TB) patients are high within the first seven days of admission. This study sought to identify predictors of early inpatient mortality and assess the performance of a predictive score for early mortality in a Ugandan tertiary hospital.

Materials And Methods: A case-control study was conducted at Kiruddu National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda.

The burden and distribution of cystic echinococcosis in Bhutan: a retrospective study.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE), caused by is a neglected zoonosis posing a significant public health challenge. Little is known about human CE in Bhutan. This study was conducted to gain an understanding of the burden, distribution, and potential risk factors of CE in Bhutan.

Protein Expression in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer and Associated Clinicopathological Factors in Uganda.

gene dysfunction seen in epithelial ovarian carcinomas often results from germline mutations, somatic mutations, and promoter methylation. Identification of tumors with loss of protein expression has shown to have therapeutic and prognostic implications. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of protein in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and the associated clinicopathological characteristics.

The factors affecting the survivability of malignant cancer patients with deep vein thrombosis among subjects with gynecologic and non-gynecologic cancer: An ambispective cohort study.

Background: Gynecologic cancer is a significant public health concern worldwide, with three of the top ten most common cancers affecting women. The increasing incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and the disproportionately poor outcomes in cancer patients necessitates urgent intervention. This study aimed to analyze the factors affecting the survivability of cancer patients with DVT, especially among gynecologic and non-gynecologic cancers.

Web application for assisting non-dermatology physicians in learning and managing patients with common cutaneous adverse drug reactions: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Background: Cutaneous adverse drug reactions (CADRs) remain a challenge for non-dermatologists. Medical-related applications to assist in learning about and managing patients with CADRs are scarce. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a web application for non-dermatologists in managing CADRs by comparing the knowledge scores of users and non-users.

Readiness to manage Ebola Virus Disease among emergency healthcare workers in Uganda: a nationwide multicenter survey.

Background: Emerging infectious diseases like the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) pose significant global public health threats. Uganda has experienced multiple EVD outbreaks, the latest occurring in 2022. Frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) are at increased risk, yet there is insufficient evidence of existing knowledge of EVD of these HCWs.

Pattern and Prevalence of Retinal Vein Occlusion in Bhutan: A 3-Year National Survey at Vitreoretinal Clinics.

Purpose: We conducted this study to determine the pattern and prevalence of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in Bhutan to inform national health policy as no data has been compiled previously.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional survey was conducted over 3 years, including all new RVO cases. For patients with bilateral RVO, one eye was chosen randomly.

Identifying AWaRe indicators for appropriate antibiotic use: a narrative review.

Introduction: Quality indicators (QIs) are widely used tools for antibiotic stewardship programmes. The Access, Watch, Reserve (AWaRe) system has been developed by the WHO to classify antibiotics based on their spectrum of activity and potential selection of antibiotic resistance. This review aimed to identify existing indicators for optimal antibiotic use to inform the development of future AWaRe QIs.

Treatment-resistant depression: molecular mechanisms and management.

Due to the heterogeneous nature of depression, the underlying etiological mechanisms greatly differ among individuals, and there are no known subtype-specific biomarkers to serve as precise targets for therapeutic efficacy. The extensive research efforts over the past decades have not yielded much success, and the currently used first-line conventional antidepressants are still ineffective for close to 66% of patients. Most clinicians use trial-and-error treatment approaches, which seem beneficial to only a fraction of patients, with some eventually developing treatment resistance.