Introduction: Leadership style is a way, a system of methods of influence of the leader on subordinates. This is one of the most important factors of the effective work of the institution, the full realization of the ...Introduction: Leadership style is a way, a system of methods of influence of the leader on subordinates. This is one of the most important factors of the effective work of the institution, the full realization of the potential capabilities of people in the team. Leadership style, as an individual way of carrying out management activities, is mostly associated with the person of the manager. The management style is formed under the influence of the relationship between the manager and the team in the process of making and implementing management decisions, individual characteristics and preferences of the manager. The objective of the study was conflicts in the field of healthcare in the system “medical personnel of a healthcare institution—patients and relatives of patients”. The objective of the study was to determine management styles in conflict situations among medical workers. Materials and Methods: With the help of a direct individual survey, according to an anonymous questionnaire developed by us, the opinion of 582 medical workers (422 doctors and 160 nurses) of general hospitals and primary care centers of Chernivtsi and Chernivtsi region regarding the ceilings of behavior in conflict situations was studied. Results: In a conflict situation, the leading form of behavior for medics, both doctors and medical personnel, is the subordinate type (29.6% and 38.1%, respectively). The second most frequent method of conflict resolution is an authoritarian strategy (20.6% for doctors and 15% for nurses), in which personal aspirations and the achievement of one’s own goals come to the fore. Dependent style (17.8% for doctors and 13.75% for nurses) ranks third. A selfish style of behavior in a conflict situation is characteristic of 13.7% of doctors and 13.1% of nurses. A friendly style of behavior during the resolution of conflict situations is characteristic of medical workers at a rather low level (12.3% for doctors and 12.5% for nurses). Aggressive style (5.9% for doctors and 7.5% for nurses) is the least popular as a model of behavior in a conflict situation among respondents. Conclusion: The style of behavior of doctors and nurses in conflict situations is ambiguous, which is due to personal qualities, the degree of leadership, professional relationships and the specifics of the work environment.展开更多
Background A medical content-based image retrieval(CBIR)system is designed to retrieve images from large imaging repositories that are visually similar to a user′s query image.CBIR is widely used in evidence-based di...Background A medical content-based image retrieval(CBIR)system is designed to retrieve images from large imaging repositories that are visually similar to a user′s query image.CBIR is widely used in evidence-based diagnosis,teaching,and research.Although the retrieval accuracy has largely improved,there has been limited development toward visualizing important image features that indicate the similarity of retrieved images.Despite the prevalence of 3D volumetric data in medical imaging such as computed tomography(CT),current CBIR systems still rely on 2D cross-sectional views for the visualization of retrieved images.Such 2D visualization requires users to browse through the image stacks to confirm the similarity of the retrieved images and often involves mental reconstruction of 3D information,including the size,shape,and spatial relations of multiple structures.This process is time-consuming and reliant on users'experience.Methods In this study,we proposed an importance-aware 3D volume visualization method.The rendering parameters were automatically optimized to maximize the visibility of important structures that were detected and prioritized in the retrieval process.We then integrated the proposed visualization into a CBIR system,thereby complementing the 2D cross-sectional views for relevance feedback and further analyses.Results Our preliminary results demonstrate that 3D visualization can provide additional information using multimodal positron emission tomography and computed tomography(PETCT)images of a non-small cell lung cancer dataset.展开更多
The high rates of depression,burnout,and increased risk of suicide among medical students,residents,and physicians in comparison with other careers signal a mental health crisis within our profession.We contend that t...The high rates of depression,burnout,and increased risk of suicide among medical students,residents,and physicians in comparison with other careers signal a mental health crisis within our profession.We contend that this crisis coupled with the inadequate acquisition of interpersonal skills during medical education results from the interaction between a challenging environment and the mental capital of individuals.Additionally,we posit that mindfulness-based practices are instrumental for the development of major components of mental capital,such as resilience,flexibility of mind,and learning skills,while also serving as a pathway to enhance empathy,compassion,self-awareness,conflict resolution,and relational abilities.Importantly,the evidence base supporting the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions has been increasing over the years,and a growing number of medical schools have already integrated mindfulness into their curricula.While we acknowledge that mindfulness is not a panacea for all educational and mental health problems in this field,we argue that there is currently an unprecedented opportunity to gather momentum,spread and study mindfulness-based programs in medical schools around the world as a way to address some longstanding shortcomings of the medical profession and the health and educational systems upon which it is rooted.展开更多
Blood transfusion is a complex activity, involving many actors. As a high-risk activity, it necessitates the implementation of specific methods for effective control. The safety of blood transfusion is significantly i...Blood transfusion is a complex activity, involving many actors. As a high-risk activity, it necessitates the implementation of specific methods for effective control. The safety of blood transfusion is significantly influenced by the beliefs of healthcare workers and organizational factors, constituting two major considerations. We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical survey to examine the knowledge and practices related to transfusion among the medical and paramedical staff at the Pediatric Department (Mother-Child) of CHU Mohammed VI from September 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022. Among the 135 staff members interviewed, only 41% had received training in blood transfusion. A majority (65.2%) of the staff noted that a mismatch in cross-matching led to transfusion complications. Two-thirds (66.7%) identified chills as the primary clinical sign of potential accidents. Regarding elements to monitor during a reaction, hemolysis (78.5%) and temperature (76.3%) were most commonly mentioned. Surprisingly, more than half (53.3%) of the personnel interviewed did not conduct post-transfusion monitoring. This survey highlighted significant deficiencies in knowledge and practices related to transfusion. To address these issues, we recommend implementing guidelines and providing tailored training for the staff, aiming to rectify these deficiencies and enhance overall practices.展开更多
This paper focuses on the optimization method for multi-skilled painting personnel scheduling.The budget working time analysis is carried out considering the influence of operating area,difficulty of spraying area,mul...This paper focuses on the optimization method for multi-skilled painting personnel scheduling.The budget working time analysis is carried out considering the influence of operating area,difficulty of spraying area,multi-skilled workers,and worker’s efficiency,then a mathematical model is established to minimize the completion time. The constraints of task priority,paint preparation,pump management,and neighbor avoidance in the ship block painting production are considered. Based on this model,an improved scatter search(ISS)algorithm is designed,and the hybrid approximate dynamic programming(ADP)algorithm is used to improve search efficiency. In addition,the two solution combination methods of path-relinking and task sequence combination are used to enhance the search breadth and depth. The numerical experimental results show that ISS has a significant advantage in solving efficiency compared with the solver in small scale instances;Compared with the scatter search algorithm and genetic algorithm,ISS can stably improve the solution quality. Verified by the production example,ISS effectively shortens the total completion time of the production,which is suitable for scheduling problems in the actual painting production of the shipyard.展开更多
Ioannis Solos Ph.D.,M.D.(China),L.Ac.currently serves as President and CEO at the Saint George Clinic and Research Institute,Scottsdale,AZ.,and Associate Editor for Chinese Medicine and Culture.Professor Solos has ear...Ioannis Solos Ph.D.,M.D.(China),L.Ac.currently serves as President and CEO at the Saint George Clinic and Research Institute,Scottsdale,AZ.,and Associate Editor for Chinese Medicine and Culture.Professor Solos has earned his Master of Medicine in Traditional Diagnosis at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine,and his Medical Ph.D.in Chinese and Western Integrative Medicine at the Jinan University in Guangzhou.He practices and teaches integrative clinical medicine,Jing Fang(经方TCM formulas),martial lineage acupuncture,and his personalized style of“tendon and fascia reconditioning manipulations for bone and joint disease”.展开更多
The study comparatively analysed the socioeconomic characteristics and digital literacy level of Agricultural Extension personnel (AEP) in Ebonyi and Imo States, South-East, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to de...The study comparatively analysed the socioeconomic characteristics and digital literacy level of Agricultural Extension personnel (AEP) in Ebonyi and Imo States, South-East, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to describe the socioeconomic characteristics of agricultural extension personnel in Ebonyi and Imo States, and to ascertain the digital literacy level of AEP in the studied states. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 312 Agricultural Extension personnel (132 from Ebonyi State Agricultural Development Program and 180 from Imo State Agricultural Development Program) for the study. Data were collected through the use of validated and structured questionnaire, and administered through the help of well-trained enumerators. Data were analysed using simple descriptive statistical tools such as percentages mean score, standard deviation and weighted mean. Findings indicated that they were more male in the both States (55.3% and 57.8%) for Ebonyi and Imo State respectively and that the average age of AEP in Ebonyi and Imo States were 44.7 years and 49.2 years respectively. It was further revealed that the majority (77.3% and 82.8%) had B.Sc./HND as their highest academic qualifications, belonged to professional organisations (62.1% and 75%), and were earning an average monthly income of N58,798 and N62,648 for Ebonyi and Imo State respectively. Also, it was revealed that their mean years of service were 12.4 years and 13.4 years for Ebonyi and Imo State respectively. Almost all of them (87.9% and 95.0%) own a smartphone, had access to the internet (80.3% and 90.0%), but do not own a laptop/ipad (82.6% and 72.8%) for Ebon-yi and Imo State respectively. Results further revealed that Agricultural extension personnel in both Ebonyi and Imo State respectively had low digital literacy level ( = 2.41 and 2.32). The study concluded that AEP in Ebonyi and Imo State respectively had similar socioeconomic characteristics and low level of digital literacy. The study recommended that the management of ADPs in both Ebonyi and Imo State should ensure the training of AEP in digital skills to enhance their digital literacy level to enable them use digital technologies in their work.展开更多
Background: Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) remain a common cause of death, functional disability, emotional suffering and economic burden among hospitalized patients. Knowledge of HAIs is important in its prevent...Background: Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) remain a common cause of death, functional disability, emotional suffering and economic burden among hospitalized patients. Knowledge of HAIs is important in its prevention and control. This study seeks to assess the knowledge of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) among medical students in a Tertiary Hospital in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study done in October 2019 among clinical medical students using a Multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire and analyzed using the IBM SPSS 20 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). Ethical approval was granted by Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Ethics Committee, Jos, Plateau State. Results: A total of 219 students in the clinical arm of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences were selected. A higher proportion (97.7%) of respondents knew about Hospital Acquired Infections and 85.4% knew that Hospital Acquired infections occur in the hospital, and (86.3%) considered patients contagious with half (58.9%) considered patients as the most important source of HAIs, followed by care givers (13.2%), then doctors including medical students and interns (10.0%) and lastly nurses (8.7%). The majority of respondents (70.8%) considered Surgical Wound Infections to be the most commonly occurring HAI, followed by UTIs (69.9%), RTIs (61.2%), BSIs (37.0%) and others (0.9%). The clinical thermometer was the instrument that most commonly transmits HAIs (82.6%), then followed by stethoscope (62.1%), white coats (53.9%), and blood pressure cuff (51.1%). Most respondents knew the infectious substances, like blood (96.3%), nasal discharge (82.6%), saliva (85.3%), and faeces (79.4%) transmitted HAIs, 72.6% of the respondents said that they were aware of the recommended hand washing techniques by WHO. Conclusion: The majority of students 91.3% had good knowledge while 8.7% had poor knowledge of HAIs. Lower classes had more respondents with poor knowledge. This finding was statistically significant (p = 0.002, Chi-square 12.819). Students are encouraged to keep up the level of knowledge they have about HAIs. These students can help improve the knowledge of those whose knowledge level is low. Government and NGOs should support sponsorship for capacity-building events targeted at HAIs for healthcare workers and medical students.展开更多
Due to the complex environment of the university laboratory,personnel flow intensive,personnel irregular behavior is easy to cause security risks.Monitoring using mainstream detection algorithms suffers from low detec...Due to the complex environment of the university laboratory,personnel flow intensive,personnel irregular behavior is easy to cause security risks.Monitoring using mainstream detection algorithms suffers from low detection accuracy and slow speed.Therefore,the current management of personnel behavior mainly relies on institutional constraints,education and training,on-site supervision,etc.,which is time-consuming and ineffective.Given the above situation,this paper proposes an improved You Only Look Once version 7(YOLOv7)to achieve the purpose of quickly detecting irregular behaviors of laboratory personnel while ensuring high detection accuracy.First,to better capture the shape features of the target,deformable convolutional networks(DCN)is used in the backbone part of the model to replace the traditional convolution to improve the detection accuracy and speed.Second,to enhance the extraction of important features and suppress useless features,this paper proposes a new convolutional block attention module_efficient channel attention(CBAM_E)for embedding the neck network to improve the model’s ability to extract features from complex scenes.Finally,to reduce the influence of angle factor and bounding box regression accuracy,this paper proposes a newα-SCYLLA intersection over union(α-SIoU)instead of the complete intersection over union(CIoU),which improves the regression accuracy while increasing the convergence speed.Comparison experiments on public and homemade datasets show that the improved algorithm outperforms the original algorithm in all evaluation indexes,with an increase of 2.92%in the precision rate,4.14%in the recall rate,0.0356 in the weighted harmonic mean,3.60%in the mAP@0.5 value,and a reduction in the number of parameters and complexity.Compared with the mainstream algorithm,the improved algorithm has higher detection accuracy,faster convergence speed,and better actual recognition effect,indicating the effectiveness of the improved algorithm in this paper and its potential for practical application in laboratory scenarios.展开更多
Context/objectives: The fight against Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) is a long-term undertaking, which requires available, motivated and well-managed human resources (HR). The administrative management of sk...Context/objectives: The fight against Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) is a long-term undertaking, which requires available, motivated and well-managed human resources (HR). The administrative management of skills on both qualitative and quantitative levels is one of the essential functions of a health system. To better implement policies of fight against High Blood Pressure (HBP) and other chronic diseases, it is important to establish strategies to retain health personnel. This loyalty requires favorable working conditions and consideration of the contribution-reward couple. Good working conditions are likely to reduce the phenomenon of medical nomadism;conversely, poor HR management can contribute to their exodus towards exotic “green pastures”, thus leading to an additional crisis in the Cameroonian health system. The fight against HBP is a complex, multifaceted and multifactorial reality that requires appropriate management model for all types of resources mainly HR. The main objective of this research is to show the impact of poor management of human resources in Cameroon health system on medical nomadism and the ineffectiveness of the fight against High Blood Pressure. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive survey among five hundred (500) health facilities in the center region of Cameroon has been conducted. A stratified probabilistic technique has been used, and the number of health facilities to be surveyed has been determined using the “sample size estimation table” of Depelteau. The physical questionnaires have been printed and then distributed to data collectors. After data collection, the latter were grouped during processing in Excel sheets. The Chi-square test was used for data with a qualitative value and that of Kolmogorov-Sminorf for data with a quantitative value to assess the normality and reliability of data. The Crochach’s Alpha reliability test allowed us to have a summary of the means and variances and then to search for intragroup correlations between variables. Descriptive analysis was possible with the XLSTAT 2016 software. Results: 43.60% of Health Facilities (HF) managers were unqualified. 82.20% of HF managers have staff in a situation of professional insecurity. They are mainly contractual (49.00), decision-making agents (24.40%), casual agents (08.80). The proportion of unstable personnel is average of 22.00% and very unstable, 12.00%.展开更多
This editorial highlights the remarkable advancements in medical treatment strategies for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors(pan-NETs),emphasizing tailored approaches for specific subtypes.Cytoreductive surgery and soma...This editorial highlights the remarkable advancements in medical treatment strategies for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors(pan-NETs),emphasizing tailored approaches for specific subtypes.Cytoreductive surgery and somatostatin analogs(SSAs)play pivotal roles in managing tumors,while palliative options such as molecular targeted therapy,peptide receptor radionuclide therapy,and chemotherapy are reserved for SSA-refractory patients.Gastrinomas,insul-inomas,glucagonomas,carcinoid tumors and VIPomas necessitate distinct thera-peutic strategies.Understanding the genetic basis of pan-NETs and exploring immunotherapies could lead to promising avenues for future research.This review underscores the evolving landscape of pan-NET treatment,offering renewed hope and improved outcomes for patients facing this complex disease.展开更多
Feature Subset Selection(FSS)is an NP-hard problem to remove redundant and irrelevant features particularly from medical data,and it can be effectively addressed by metaheuristic algorithms.However,existing binary ver...Feature Subset Selection(FSS)is an NP-hard problem to remove redundant and irrelevant features particularly from medical data,and it can be effectively addressed by metaheuristic algorithms.However,existing binary versions of metaheuristic algorithms have issues with convergence and lack an effective binarization method,resulting in suboptimal solutions that hinder diagnosis and prediction accuracy.This paper aims to propose an Improved Binary Quantum-based Avian Navigation Optimizer Algorithm(IBQANA)for FSS in medical data preprocessing to address the suboptimal solutions arising from binary versions of metaheuristic algorithms.The proposed IBQANA’s contributions include the Hybrid Binary Operator(HBO)and the Distance-based Binary Search Strategy(DBSS).HBO is designed to convert continuous values into binary solutions,even for values outside the[0,1]range,ensuring accurate binary mapping.On the other hand,DBSS is a two-phase search strategy that enhances the performance of inferior search agents and accelerates convergence.By combining exploration and exploitation phases based on an adaptive probability function,DBSS effectively avoids local optima.The effectiveness of applying HBO is compared with five transfer function families and thresholding on 12 medical datasets,with feature numbers ranging from 8 to 10,509.IBQANA's effectiveness is evaluated regarding the accuracy,fitness,and selected features and compared with seven binary metaheuristic algorithms.Furthermore,IBQANA is utilized to detect COVID-19.The results reveal that the proposed IBQANA outperforms all comparative algorithms on COVID-19 and 11 other medical datasets.The proposed method presents a promising solution to the FSS problem in medical data preprocessing.展开更多
Background:Pen-pal clubs(PPC)are used worldwide for students to learn about different cultures and other skillsets without the need for travel.Many medical students are interested in global health opportunities abroad...Background:Pen-pal clubs(PPC)are used worldwide for students to learn about different cultures and other skillsets without the need for travel.Many medical students are interested in global health opportunities abroad but costs,scheduling,and other barriers allow few to participate in such experiences.It is important that medical students have nuanced global medical perspectives and can contribute to the global medical community.Objective:The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that an international medical student PPC improves medical students'perspectives of cultural competency and global health engagement.Methods:In 2021,a novel medical student PPC was established that began between an American and Japanese medical school.Following a shareholders meeting,it was decided that the number of medical schools involved globally be expanded through previous institutional affiliations and online presences.In total,the club connected 50 American medical students and 52 medical students from 17 high-and middle-income countries.The primary form of communication was online;pen-pals were encouraged to communicate monthly using provided topics,although frequency and way of communication was their discretion.In February 2022,American PPC members were emailed a qualitative survey to assess the PPC's impact.Results:The survey was completed by 42%of American PPC members,95%of which were 22-26 years.Participants were preclinical medical students,60%whom were female and the majority either white(47%)or Asian(43%).Overall,the PPC positively influenced American medical students'perception of global medicine,medical education,and their cultural competency after joining the PPC compared to prior(P=0.004).Conclusion:PPCs encourage medical students to think from a global perspective and foster open-mindedness within varying social and cultural contexts.Having a global communication platform for students during medical school education may be an additional way to train aspiring global leaders.展开更多
Introduction: Medical treatment for POAG is continuous and lifelong treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the cost of this treatment and patients’ income and the impact of this rel...Introduction: Medical treatment for POAG is continuous and lifelong treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the cost of this treatment and patients’ income and the impact of this relationship on treatment compliance. Materials and Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study with a descriptive aim covering sociodemographic data, average incomes, and direct and indirect costs of treatment of 57 patients followed for POAG during the period from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2016 (5 years). Results: The patients were aged 25 to 77 years (mean = 54.4 years) with a male predominance (sex ratio = 1.5). Retirees were the most represented (26.32%), followed by workers in the informal sector (14.04%) and housewives (12.28%). Patients who had an annual income less than or equal to 900,000 CFA francs (€1370.83) per year represented 56.14% and those who did not have health coverage represented 57.89%. The treatment was monotherapy (64.91%), dual therapy (31.58%) or triple therapy (3.05%) and the average ratio of “annual cost of treatment to annual income” was 0.56 with for maximum 2.23 and 0.02 as minimum. Patients who considered the cost of treatment unbearable for their income represented 78.95%. Conclusion: Prevention of blindness due to glaucoma requires early detection but also the establishment of health coverage mechanisms to improve compliance with medical treatment. In addition, consideration should be given to the development of glaucoma surgery in our country, the indication of which could be the first intention in certain patients, considering for those patients, the geographical and financial accessibility of medical treatment. .展开更多
Background: Prevention is one of the safe schemes against the high prevalence of viral Hepatitis. Negative perceptions or perceptions about the risks of hepatitis B among medical students and health care workers may i...Background: Prevention is one of the safe schemes against the high prevalence of viral Hepatitis. Negative perceptions or perceptions about the risks of hepatitis B among medical students and health care workers may influence the behavioral pattern and adoption of preventive measures against the virus and can affect the uptake of the Hepatitis B vaccine. This study assesses the perception of medical students towards Hepatitis B virus infection and Hepatitis B Vaccination in a Private Tertiary Hospital in Jos North Local Government, Plateau State, Nigeria. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study done in August 2021 among 236 clinical medical students using a multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire and analysed using the IBM SPSS 28 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). Ethical approval was granted by Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Ethics Committee, Jos, Plateau State. Results: Two-thirds of respondents were of the opinion that they are at risk of contracting HBV. Half were of the opinion that the risk is very much while a third believed the risk is moderate. Among those who think they are not at risk of contracting HBV, the majority felt so because they are vaccinated while 10.3% believe that they are safe. 43.2% of respondents think that HBV Vaccine is very effective in preventing HBV infection while 39.8% think it is slightly effective, and 7.6% think it is not effective. Almost all respondents, 99.2% are of the opinion that HBV Vaccination is important for students while 0.8% think it is not important. The majority of the respondents at 95.8% were willing to be screened for HBV. The majority (85.6%) of respondents are willing to pay for HBV Vaccine as against 14.4% of respondents who are not willing to pay. Conclusion: Summarily, 21 (8.9%) of the students had a negative perception of Hepatitis B Vaccination, and 215 (91.1%) had a positive perception of Hepatitis B Vaccination. Perception-sustaining events like seminars, workshops, road shows, and campaigns should be organized among students and health workers.展开更多
Automatic segmentation of medical images provides a reliable scientific basis for disease diagnosis and analysis.Notably,most existing methods that combine the strengths of convolutional neural networks(CNNs)and Trans...Automatic segmentation of medical images provides a reliable scientific basis for disease diagnosis and analysis.Notably,most existing methods that combine the strengths of convolutional neural networks(CNNs)and Transformers have made significant progress.However,there are some limitations in the current integration of CNN and Transformer technology in two key aspects.Firstly,most methods either overlook or fail to fully incorporate the complementary nature between local and global features.Secondly,the significance of integrating the multiscale encoder features from the dual-branch network to enhance the decoding features is often disregarded in methods that combine CNN and Transformer.To address this issue,we present a groundbreaking dual-branch cross-attention fusion network(DCFNet),which efficiently combines the power of Swin Transformer and CNN to generate complementary global and local features.We then designed the Feature Cross-Fusion(FCF)module to efficiently fuse local and global features.In the FCF,the utilization of the Channel-wise Cross-fusion Transformer(CCT)serves the purpose of aggregatingmulti-scale features,and the Feature FusionModule(FFM)is employed to effectively aggregate dual-branch prominent feature regions from the spatial perspective.Furthermore,within the decoding phase of the dual-branch network,our proposed Channel Attention Block(CAB)aims to emphasize the significance of the channel features between the up-sampled features and the features generated by the FCFmodule to enhance the details of the decoding.Experimental results demonstrate that DCFNet exhibits enhanced accuracy in segmentation performance.Compared to other state-of-the-art(SOTA)methods,our segmentation framework exhibits a superior level of competitiveness.DCFNet’s accurate segmentation of medical images can greatly assist medical professionals in making crucial diagnoses of lesion areas in advance.展开更多
In recent years, semiconductor survey meters have been developed and are in increasing demand worldwide. This study determined if it is possible to use the X-ray system installed in each medical facility to calculate ...In recent years, semiconductor survey meters have been developed and are in increasing demand worldwide. This study determined if it is possible to use the X-ray system installed in each medical facility to calculate the time constant of a semiconductor survey meter and confirm the meter’s function. An additional filter was attached to the medical X-ray system to satisfy the standards of N-60 to N-120, more copper plates were added as needed, and the first and second half-value layers were calculated to enable comparisons of the facility’s X-ray system quality with the N-60 to N-120 quality values. Next, we used a medical X-ray system to measure the leakage dose and calculate the time constant of the survey meter. The functionality of the meter was then checked and compared with the energy characteristics of the meter. The experimental results showed that it was possible to use a medical X-ray system to reproduce the N-60 to N-120 radiation quality values and to calculate the time constant from the measured results, assuming actual leakage dosimetry for that radiation quality. We also found that the calibration factor was equivalent to that of the energy characteristics of the survey meter.展开更多
Ethical principles form a bedrock to medical practice in any specialty,guiding physicians to appropriate attitudes and behaviors.A formal ethics curriculum can be difficult to generate de novo in an ophthalmology trai...Ethical principles form a bedrock to medical practice in any specialty,guiding physicians to appropriate attitudes and behaviors.A formal ethics curriculum can be difficult to generate de novo in an ophthalmology training program.A number of barriers exist in most ophthalmology departments:trainees may think ethics is of secondary importance compared to core basic and clinical science topics;most ophthalmology faculty have no formal degree in medical ethics;there is limited didactic time with competing academic,clinical,and surgical priorities;work-hours regulations may limit the time available to deliver“para-professional”lectures;and there is a belief that the medical ethics lectures during medical school is a sufficient amount of coursework to last through a physician’s career with no need for continuing professional development.The four pillars of medical ethics are beneficence,non-maleficence,autonomy,and justice.In addition,morals,ethics,and professionalism are important aspects of sound medical practice.A curriculum specific to medical ethics in ophthalmology can be developed in any of our sub-specialties and include lectures,curated readings,case rounds,and clinic wrap-up sessions.Ethical considerations are part of everyday clinical practice,and a structured ethics curriculum can be incorporated into ophthalmology training programs.The concept of backward design can be used to structure the curriculum,starting with the expected outcome,then designing authentic assessments,and finally putting together a learning plan that has students actively involved in ethical discussions.This paper will provide a guide to developing an ethics curriculum for an ophthalmology training program utilizing the concept of backwards design and guide the reader through the process of developing expected learning outcomes,authentic assessments,and a unified learning plan.展开更多
Large-scale wireless sensor networks(WSNs)play a critical role in monitoring dangerous scenarios and responding to medical emergencies.However,the inherent instability and error-prone nature of wireless links present ...Large-scale wireless sensor networks(WSNs)play a critical role in monitoring dangerous scenarios and responding to medical emergencies.However,the inherent instability and error-prone nature of wireless links present significant challenges,necessitating efficient data collection and reliable transmission services.This paper addresses the limitations of existing data transmission and recovery protocols by proposing a systematic end-to-end design tailored for medical event-driven cluster-based large-scale WSNs.The primary goal is to enhance the reliability of data collection and transmission services,ensuring a comprehensive and practical approach.Our approach focuses on refining the hop-count-based routing scheme to achieve fairness in forwarding reliability.Additionally,it emphasizes reliable data collection within clusters and establishes robust data transmission over multiple hops.These systematic improvements are designed to optimize the overall performance of the WSN in real-world scenarios.Simulation results of the proposed protocol validate its exceptional performance compared to other prominent data transmission schemes.The evaluation spans varying sensor densities,wireless channel conditions,and packet transmission rates,showcasing the protocol’s superiority in ensuring reliable and efficient data transfer.Our systematic end-to-end design successfully addresses the challenges posed by the instability of wireless links in large-scaleWSNs.By prioritizing fairness,reliability,and efficiency,the proposed protocol demonstrates its efficacy in enhancing data collection and transmission services,thereby offering a valuable contribution to the field of medical event-drivenWSNs.展开更多
The Internet of Medical Things(Io MT) is regarded as a critical technology for intelligent healthcare in the foreseeable 6G era. Nevertheless, due to the limited computing power capability of edge devices and task-rel...The Internet of Medical Things(Io MT) is regarded as a critical technology for intelligent healthcare in the foreseeable 6G era. Nevertheless, due to the limited computing power capability of edge devices and task-related coupling relationships, Io MT faces unprecedented challenges. Considering the associative connections among tasks, this paper proposes a computing offloading policy for multiple-user devices(UDs) considering device-to-device(D2D) communication and a multi-access edge computing(MEC)technique under the scenario of Io MT. Specifically,to minimize the total delay and energy consumption concerning the requirement of Io MT, we first analyze and model the detailed local execution, MEC execution, D2D execution, and associated tasks offloading exchange model. Consequently, the associated tasks’ offloading scheme of multi-UDs is formulated as a mixed-integer nonconvex optimization problem. Considering the advantages of deep reinforcement learning(DRL) in processing tasks related to coupling relationships, a Double DQN based associative tasks computing offloading(DDATO) algorithm is then proposed to obtain the optimal solution, which can make the best offloading decision under the condition that tasks of UDs are associative. Furthermore, to reduce the complexity of the DDATO algorithm, the cacheaided procedure is intentionally introduced before the data training process. This avoids redundant offloading and computing procedures concerning tasks that previously have already been cached by other UDs. In addition, we use a dynamic ε-greedy strategy in the action selection section of the algorithm, thus preventing the algorithm from falling into a locally optimal solution. Simulation results demonstrate that compared with other existing methods for associative task models concerning different structures in the Io MT network, the proposed algorithm can lower the total cost more effectively and efficiently while also providing a tradeoff between delay and energy consumption tolerance.展开更多
文摘Introduction: Leadership style is a way, a system of methods of influence of the leader on subordinates. This is one of the most important factors of the effective work of the institution, the full realization of the potential capabilities of people in the team. Leadership style, as an individual way of carrying out management activities, is mostly associated with the person of the manager. The management style is formed under the influence of the relationship between the manager and the team in the process of making and implementing management decisions, individual characteristics and preferences of the manager. The objective of the study was conflicts in the field of healthcare in the system “medical personnel of a healthcare institution—patients and relatives of patients”. The objective of the study was to determine management styles in conflict situations among medical workers. Materials and Methods: With the help of a direct individual survey, according to an anonymous questionnaire developed by us, the opinion of 582 medical workers (422 doctors and 160 nurses) of general hospitals and primary care centers of Chernivtsi and Chernivtsi region regarding the ceilings of behavior in conflict situations was studied. Results: In a conflict situation, the leading form of behavior for medics, both doctors and medical personnel, is the subordinate type (29.6% and 38.1%, respectively). The second most frequent method of conflict resolution is an authoritarian strategy (20.6% for doctors and 15% for nurses), in which personal aspirations and the achievement of one’s own goals come to the fore. Dependent style (17.8% for doctors and 13.75% for nurses) ranks third. A selfish style of behavior in a conflict situation is characteristic of 13.7% of doctors and 13.1% of nurses. A friendly style of behavior during the resolution of conflict situations is characteristic of medical workers at a rather low level (12.3% for doctors and 12.5% for nurses). Aggressive style (5.9% for doctors and 7.5% for nurses) is the least popular as a model of behavior in a conflict situation among respondents. Conclusion: The style of behavior of doctors and nurses in conflict situations is ambiguous, which is due to personal qualities, the degree of leadership, professional relationships and the specifics of the work environment.
文摘Background A medical content-based image retrieval(CBIR)system is designed to retrieve images from large imaging repositories that are visually similar to a user′s query image.CBIR is widely used in evidence-based diagnosis,teaching,and research.Although the retrieval accuracy has largely improved,there has been limited development toward visualizing important image features that indicate the similarity of retrieved images.Despite the prevalence of 3D volumetric data in medical imaging such as computed tomography(CT),current CBIR systems still rely on 2D cross-sectional views for the visualization of retrieved images.Such 2D visualization requires users to browse through the image stacks to confirm the similarity of the retrieved images and often involves mental reconstruction of 3D information,including the size,shape,and spatial relations of multiple structures.This process is time-consuming and reliant on users'experience.Methods In this study,we proposed an importance-aware 3D volume visualization method.The rendering parameters were automatically optimized to maximize the visibility of important structures that were detected and prioritized in the retrieval process.We then integrated the proposed visualization into a CBIR system,thereby complementing the 2D cross-sectional views for relevance feedback and further analyses.Results Our preliminary results demonstrate that 3D visualization can provide additional information using multimodal positron emission tomography and computed tomography(PETCT)images of a non-small cell lung cancer dataset.
基金Supported by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development(CNPq),No.312499/2022-1São Paulo Research Foundation(FAPESP),No.2023/00823-9,and No.2023/01251-9.
文摘The high rates of depression,burnout,and increased risk of suicide among medical students,residents,and physicians in comparison with other careers signal a mental health crisis within our profession.We contend that this crisis coupled with the inadequate acquisition of interpersonal skills during medical education results from the interaction between a challenging environment and the mental capital of individuals.Additionally,we posit that mindfulness-based practices are instrumental for the development of major components of mental capital,such as resilience,flexibility of mind,and learning skills,while also serving as a pathway to enhance empathy,compassion,self-awareness,conflict resolution,and relational abilities.Importantly,the evidence base supporting the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions has been increasing over the years,and a growing number of medical schools have already integrated mindfulness into their curricula.While we acknowledge that mindfulness is not a panacea for all educational and mental health problems in this field,we argue that there is currently an unprecedented opportunity to gather momentum,spread and study mindfulness-based programs in medical schools around the world as a way to address some longstanding shortcomings of the medical profession and the health and educational systems upon which it is rooted.
文摘Blood transfusion is a complex activity, involving many actors. As a high-risk activity, it necessitates the implementation of specific methods for effective control. The safety of blood transfusion is significantly influenced by the beliefs of healthcare workers and organizational factors, constituting two major considerations. We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical survey to examine the knowledge and practices related to transfusion among the medical and paramedical staff at the Pediatric Department (Mother-Child) of CHU Mohammed VI from September 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022. Among the 135 staff members interviewed, only 41% had received training in blood transfusion. A majority (65.2%) of the staff noted that a mismatch in cross-matching led to transfusion complications. Two-thirds (66.7%) identified chills as the primary clinical sign of potential accidents. Regarding elements to monitor during a reaction, hemolysis (78.5%) and temperature (76.3%) were most commonly mentioned. Surprisingly, more than half (53.3%) of the personnel interviewed did not conduct post-transfusion monitoring. This survey highlighted significant deficiencies in knowledge and practices related to transfusion. To address these issues, we recommend implementing guidelines and providing tailored training for the staff, aiming to rectify these deficiencies and enhance overall practices.
基金Sponsored by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China(Grant No.MIIT[2019]359)。
文摘This paper focuses on the optimization method for multi-skilled painting personnel scheduling.The budget working time analysis is carried out considering the influence of operating area,difficulty of spraying area,multi-skilled workers,and worker’s efficiency,then a mathematical model is established to minimize the completion time. The constraints of task priority,paint preparation,pump management,and neighbor avoidance in the ship block painting production are considered. Based on this model,an improved scatter search(ISS)algorithm is designed,and the hybrid approximate dynamic programming(ADP)algorithm is used to improve search efficiency. In addition,the two solution combination methods of path-relinking and task sequence combination are used to enhance the search breadth and depth. The numerical experimental results show that ISS has a significant advantage in solving efficiency compared with the solver in small scale instances;Compared with the scatter search algorithm and genetic algorithm,ISS can stably improve the solution quality. Verified by the production example,ISS effectively shortens the total completion time of the production,which is suitable for scheduling problems in the actual painting production of the shipyard.
文摘Ioannis Solos Ph.D.,M.D.(China),L.Ac.currently serves as President and CEO at the Saint George Clinic and Research Institute,Scottsdale,AZ.,and Associate Editor for Chinese Medicine and Culture.Professor Solos has earned his Master of Medicine in Traditional Diagnosis at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine,and his Medical Ph.D.in Chinese and Western Integrative Medicine at the Jinan University in Guangzhou.He practices and teaches integrative clinical medicine,Jing Fang(经方TCM formulas),martial lineage acupuncture,and his personalized style of“tendon and fascia reconditioning manipulations for bone and joint disease”.
文摘The study comparatively analysed the socioeconomic characteristics and digital literacy level of Agricultural Extension personnel (AEP) in Ebonyi and Imo States, South-East, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to describe the socioeconomic characteristics of agricultural extension personnel in Ebonyi and Imo States, and to ascertain the digital literacy level of AEP in the studied states. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 312 Agricultural Extension personnel (132 from Ebonyi State Agricultural Development Program and 180 from Imo State Agricultural Development Program) for the study. Data were collected through the use of validated and structured questionnaire, and administered through the help of well-trained enumerators. Data were analysed using simple descriptive statistical tools such as percentages mean score, standard deviation and weighted mean. Findings indicated that they were more male in the both States (55.3% and 57.8%) for Ebonyi and Imo State respectively and that the average age of AEP in Ebonyi and Imo States were 44.7 years and 49.2 years respectively. It was further revealed that the majority (77.3% and 82.8%) had B.Sc./HND as their highest academic qualifications, belonged to professional organisations (62.1% and 75%), and were earning an average monthly income of N58,798 and N62,648 for Ebonyi and Imo State respectively. Also, it was revealed that their mean years of service were 12.4 years and 13.4 years for Ebonyi and Imo State respectively. Almost all of them (87.9% and 95.0%) own a smartphone, had access to the internet (80.3% and 90.0%), but do not own a laptop/ipad (82.6% and 72.8%) for Ebon-yi and Imo State respectively. Results further revealed that Agricultural extension personnel in both Ebonyi and Imo State respectively had low digital literacy level ( = 2.41 and 2.32). The study concluded that AEP in Ebonyi and Imo State respectively had similar socioeconomic characteristics and low level of digital literacy. The study recommended that the management of ADPs in both Ebonyi and Imo State should ensure the training of AEP in digital skills to enhance their digital literacy level to enable them use digital technologies in their work.
文摘Background: Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) remain a common cause of death, functional disability, emotional suffering and economic burden among hospitalized patients. Knowledge of HAIs is important in its prevention and control. This study seeks to assess the knowledge of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) among medical students in a Tertiary Hospital in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study done in October 2019 among clinical medical students using a Multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire and analyzed using the IBM SPSS 20 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). Ethical approval was granted by Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Ethics Committee, Jos, Plateau State. Results: A total of 219 students in the clinical arm of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences were selected. A higher proportion (97.7%) of respondents knew about Hospital Acquired Infections and 85.4% knew that Hospital Acquired infections occur in the hospital, and (86.3%) considered patients contagious with half (58.9%) considered patients as the most important source of HAIs, followed by care givers (13.2%), then doctors including medical students and interns (10.0%) and lastly nurses (8.7%). The majority of respondents (70.8%) considered Surgical Wound Infections to be the most commonly occurring HAI, followed by UTIs (69.9%), RTIs (61.2%), BSIs (37.0%) and others (0.9%). The clinical thermometer was the instrument that most commonly transmits HAIs (82.6%), then followed by stethoscope (62.1%), white coats (53.9%), and blood pressure cuff (51.1%). Most respondents knew the infectious substances, like blood (96.3%), nasal discharge (82.6%), saliva (85.3%), and faeces (79.4%) transmitted HAIs, 72.6% of the respondents said that they were aware of the recommended hand washing techniques by WHO. Conclusion: The majority of students 91.3% had good knowledge while 8.7% had poor knowledge of HAIs. Lower classes had more respondents with poor knowledge. This finding was statistically significant (p = 0.002, Chi-square 12.819). Students are encouraged to keep up the level of knowledge they have about HAIs. These students can help improve the knowledge of those whose knowledge level is low. Government and NGOs should support sponsorship for capacity-building events targeted at HAIs for healthcare workers and medical students.
基金This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.61861007)Guizhou ProvincialDepartment of Education Innovative Group Project(QianJiaohe KY[2021]012)Guizhou Science and Technology Plan Project(Guizhou Science Support[2023]General 412).
文摘Due to the complex environment of the university laboratory,personnel flow intensive,personnel irregular behavior is easy to cause security risks.Monitoring using mainstream detection algorithms suffers from low detection accuracy and slow speed.Therefore,the current management of personnel behavior mainly relies on institutional constraints,education and training,on-site supervision,etc.,which is time-consuming and ineffective.Given the above situation,this paper proposes an improved You Only Look Once version 7(YOLOv7)to achieve the purpose of quickly detecting irregular behaviors of laboratory personnel while ensuring high detection accuracy.First,to better capture the shape features of the target,deformable convolutional networks(DCN)is used in the backbone part of the model to replace the traditional convolution to improve the detection accuracy and speed.Second,to enhance the extraction of important features and suppress useless features,this paper proposes a new convolutional block attention module_efficient channel attention(CBAM_E)for embedding the neck network to improve the model’s ability to extract features from complex scenes.Finally,to reduce the influence of angle factor and bounding box regression accuracy,this paper proposes a newα-SCYLLA intersection over union(α-SIoU)instead of the complete intersection over union(CIoU),which improves the regression accuracy while increasing the convergence speed.Comparison experiments on public and homemade datasets show that the improved algorithm outperforms the original algorithm in all evaluation indexes,with an increase of 2.92%in the precision rate,4.14%in the recall rate,0.0356 in the weighted harmonic mean,3.60%in the mAP@0.5 value,and a reduction in the number of parameters and complexity.Compared with the mainstream algorithm,the improved algorithm has higher detection accuracy,faster convergence speed,and better actual recognition effect,indicating the effectiveness of the improved algorithm in this paper and its potential for practical application in laboratory scenarios.
文摘Context/objectives: The fight against Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) is a long-term undertaking, which requires available, motivated and well-managed human resources (HR). The administrative management of skills on both qualitative and quantitative levels is one of the essential functions of a health system. To better implement policies of fight against High Blood Pressure (HBP) and other chronic diseases, it is important to establish strategies to retain health personnel. This loyalty requires favorable working conditions and consideration of the contribution-reward couple. Good working conditions are likely to reduce the phenomenon of medical nomadism;conversely, poor HR management can contribute to their exodus towards exotic “green pastures”, thus leading to an additional crisis in the Cameroonian health system. The fight against HBP is a complex, multifaceted and multifactorial reality that requires appropriate management model for all types of resources mainly HR. The main objective of this research is to show the impact of poor management of human resources in Cameroon health system on medical nomadism and the ineffectiveness of the fight against High Blood Pressure. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive survey among five hundred (500) health facilities in the center region of Cameroon has been conducted. A stratified probabilistic technique has been used, and the number of health facilities to be surveyed has been determined using the “sample size estimation table” of Depelteau. The physical questionnaires have been printed and then distributed to data collectors. After data collection, the latter were grouped during processing in Excel sheets. The Chi-square test was used for data with a qualitative value and that of Kolmogorov-Sminorf for data with a quantitative value to assess the normality and reliability of data. The Crochach’s Alpha reliability test allowed us to have a summary of the means and variances and then to search for intragroup correlations between variables. Descriptive analysis was possible with the XLSTAT 2016 software. Results: 43.60% of Health Facilities (HF) managers were unqualified. 82.20% of HF managers have staff in a situation of professional insecurity. They are mainly contractual (49.00), decision-making agents (24.40%), casual agents (08.80). The proportion of unstable personnel is average of 22.00% and very unstable, 12.00%.
文摘This editorial highlights the remarkable advancements in medical treatment strategies for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors(pan-NETs),emphasizing tailored approaches for specific subtypes.Cytoreductive surgery and somatostatin analogs(SSAs)play pivotal roles in managing tumors,while palliative options such as molecular targeted therapy,peptide receptor radionuclide therapy,and chemotherapy are reserved for SSA-refractory patients.Gastrinomas,insul-inomas,glucagonomas,carcinoid tumors and VIPomas necessitate distinct thera-peutic strategies.Understanding the genetic basis of pan-NETs and exploring immunotherapies could lead to promising avenues for future research.This review underscores the evolving landscape of pan-NET treatment,offering renewed hope and improved outcomes for patients facing this complex disease.
文摘Feature Subset Selection(FSS)is an NP-hard problem to remove redundant and irrelevant features particularly from medical data,and it can be effectively addressed by metaheuristic algorithms.However,existing binary versions of metaheuristic algorithms have issues with convergence and lack an effective binarization method,resulting in suboptimal solutions that hinder diagnosis and prediction accuracy.This paper aims to propose an Improved Binary Quantum-based Avian Navigation Optimizer Algorithm(IBQANA)for FSS in medical data preprocessing to address the suboptimal solutions arising from binary versions of metaheuristic algorithms.The proposed IBQANA’s contributions include the Hybrid Binary Operator(HBO)and the Distance-based Binary Search Strategy(DBSS).HBO is designed to convert continuous values into binary solutions,even for values outside the[0,1]range,ensuring accurate binary mapping.On the other hand,DBSS is a two-phase search strategy that enhances the performance of inferior search agents and accelerates convergence.By combining exploration and exploitation phases based on an adaptive probability function,DBSS effectively avoids local optima.The effectiveness of applying HBO is compared with five transfer function families and thresholding on 12 medical datasets,with feature numbers ranging from 8 to 10,509.IBQANA's effectiveness is evaluated regarding the accuracy,fitness,and selected features and compared with seven binary metaheuristic algorithms.Furthermore,IBQANA is utilized to detect COVID-19.The results reveal that the proposed IBQANA outperforms all comparative algorithms on COVID-19 and 11 other medical datasets.The proposed method presents a promising solution to the FSS problem in medical data preprocessing.
文摘Background:Pen-pal clubs(PPC)are used worldwide for students to learn about different cultures and other skillsets without the need for travel.Many medical students are interested in global health opportunities abroad but costs,scheduling,and other barriers allow few to participate in such experiences.It is important that medical students have nuanced global medical perspectives and can contribute to the global medical community.Objective:The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that an international medical student PPC improves medical students'perspectives of cultural competency and global health engagement.Methods:In 2021,a novel medical student PPC was established that began between an American and Japanese medical school.Following a shareholders meeting,it was decided that the number of medical schools involved globally be expanded through previous institutional affiliations and online presences.In total,the club connected 50 American medical students and 52 medical students from 17 high-and middle-income countries.The primary form of communication was online;pen-pals were encouraged to communicate monthly using provided topics,although frequency and way of communication was their discretion.In February 2022,American PPC members were emailed a qualitative survey to assess the PPC's impact.Results:The survey was completed by 42%of American PPC members,95%of which were 22-26 years.Participants were preclinical medical students,60%whom were female and the majority either white(47%)or Asian(43%).Overall,the PPC positively influenced American medical students'perception of global medicine,medical education,and their cultural competency after joining the PPC compared to prior(P=0.004).Conclusion:PPCs encourage medical students to think from a global perspective and foster open-mindedness within varying social and cultural contexts.Having a global communication platform for students during medical school education may be an additional way to train aspiring global leaders.
文摘Introduction: Medical treatment for POAG is continuous and lifelong treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the cost of this treatment and patients’ income and the impact of this relationship on treatment compliance. Materials and Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study with a descriptive aim covering sociodemographic data, average incomes, and direct and indirect costs of treatment of 57 patients followed for POAG during the period from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2016 (5 years). Results: The patients were aged 25 to 77 years (mean = 54.4 years) with a male predominance (sex ratio = 1.5). Retirees were the most represented (26.32%), followed by workers in the informal sector (14.04%) and housewives (12.28%). Patients who had an annual income less than or equal to 900,000 CFA francs (€1370.83) per year represented 56.14% and those who did not have health coverage represented 57.89%. The treatment was monotherapy (64.91%), dual therapy (31.58%) or triple therapy (3.05%) and the average ratio of “annual cost of treatment to annual income” was 0.56 with for maximum 2.23 and 0.02 as minimum. Patients who considered the cost of treatment unbearable for their income represented 78.95%. Conclusion: Prevention of blindness due to glaucoma requires early detection but also the establishment of health coverage mechanisms to improve compliance with medical treatment. In addition, consideration should be given to the development of glaucoma surgery in our country, the indication of which could be the first intention in certain patients, considering for those patients, the geographical and financial accessibility of medical treatment. .
文摘Background: Prevention is one of the safe schemes against the high prevalence of viral Hepatitis. Negative perceptions or perceptions about the risks of hepatitis B among medical students and health care workers may influence the behavioral pattern and adoption of preventive measures against the virus and can affect the uptake of the Hepatitis B vaccine. This study assesses the perception of medical students towards Hepatitis B virus infection and Hepatitis B Vaccination in a Private Tertiary Hospital in Jos North Local Government, Plateau State, Nigeria. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study done in August 2021 among 236 clinical medical students using a multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire and analysed using the IBM SPSS 28 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). Ethical approval was granted by Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Ethics Committee, Jos, Plateau State. Results: Two-thirds of respondents were of the opinion that they are at risk of contracting HBV. Half were of the opinion that the risk is very much while a third believed the risk is moderate. Among those who think they are not at risk of contracting HBV, the majority felt so because they are vaccinated while 10.3% believe that they are safe. 43.2% of respondents think that HBV Vaccine is very effective in preventing HBV infection while 39.8% think it is slightly effective, and 7.6% think it is not effective. Almost all respondents, 99.2% are of the opinion that HBV Vaccination is important for students while 0.8% think it is not important. The majority of the respondents at 95.8% were willing to be screened for HBV. The majority (85.6%) of respondents are willing to pay for HBV Vaccine as against 14.4% of respondents who are not willing to pay. Conclusion: Summarily, 21 (8.9%) of the students had a negative perception of Hepatitis B Vaccination, and 215 (91.1%) had a positive perception of Hepatitis B Vaccination. Perception-sustaining events like seminars, workshops, road shows, and campaigns should be organized among students and health workers.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2018AAA0102100)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.62376287)+3 种基金the International Science and Technology Innovation Joint Base of Machine Vision and Medical Image Processing in Hunan Province(2021CB1013)the Key Research and Development Program of Hunan Province(2022SK2054)the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province(No.2022JJ30762,2023JJ70016)the 111 Project under Grant(No.B18059).
文摘Automatic segmentation of medical images provides a reliable scientific basis for disease diagnosis and analysis.Notably,most existing methods that combine the strengths of convolutional neural networks(CNNs)and Transformers have made significant progress.However,there are some limitations in the current integration of CNN and Transformer technology in two key aspects.Firstly,most methods either overlook or fail to fully incorporate the complementary nature between local and global features.Secondly,the significance of integrating the multiscale encoder features from the dual-branch network to enhance the decoding features is often disregarded in methods that combine CNN and Transformer.To address this issue,we present a groundbreaking dual-branch cross-attention fusion network(DCFNet),which efficiently combines the power of Swin Transformer and CNN to generate complementary global and local features.We then designed the Feature Cross-Fusion(FCF)module to efficiently fuse local and global features.In the FCF,the utilization of the Channel-wise Cross-fusion Transformer(CCT)serves the purpose of aggregatingmulti-scale features,and the Feature FusionModule(FFM)is employed to effectively aggregate dual-branch prominent feature regions from the spatial perspective.Furthermore,within the decoding phase of the dual-branch network,our proposed Channel Attention Block(CAB)aims to emphasize the significance of the channel features between the up-sampled features and the features generated by the FCFmodule to enhance the details of the decoding.Experimental results demonstrate that DCFNet exhibits enhanced accuracy in segmentation performance.Compared to other state-of-the-art(SOTA)methods,our segmentation framework exhibits a superior level of competitiveness.DCFNet’s accurate segmentation of medical images can greatly assist medical professionals in making crucial diagnoses of lesion areas in advance.
文摘In recent years, semiconductor survey meters have been developed and are in increasing demand worldwide. This study determined if it is possible to use the X-ray system installed in each medical facility to calculate the time constant of a semiconductor survey meter and confirm the meter’s function. An additional filter was attached to the medical X-ray system to satisfy the standards of N-60 to N-120, more copper plates were added as needed, and the first and second half-value layers were calculated to enable comparisons of the facility’s X-ray system quality with the N-60 to N-120 quality values. Next, we used a medical X-ray system to measure the leakage dose and calculate the time constant of the survey meter. The functionality of the meter was then checked and compared with the energy characteristics of the meter. The experimental results showed that it was possible to use a medical X-ray system to reproduce the N-60 to N-120 radiation quality values and to calculate the time constant from the measured results, assuming actual leakage dosimetry for that radiation quality. We also found that the calibration factor was equivalent to that of the energy characteristics of the survey meter.
基金supported by an unrestricted Research to Prevent Blindness grant.
文摘Ethical principles form a bedrock to medical practice in any specialty,guiding physicians to appropriate attitudes and behaviors.A formal ethics curriculum can be difficult to generate de novo in an ophthalmology training program.A number of barriers exist in most ophthalmology departments:trainees may think ethics is of secondary importance compared to core basic and clinical science topics;most ophthalmology faculty have no formal degree in medical ethics;there is limited didactic time with competing academic,clinical,and surgical priorities;work-hours regulations may limit the time available to deliver“para-professional”lectures;and there is a belief that the medical ethics lectures during medical school is a sufficient amount of coursework to last through a physician’s career with no need for continuing professional development.The four pillars of medical ethics are beneficence,non-maleficence,autonomy,and justice.In addition,morals,ethics,and professionalism are important aspects of sound medical practice.A curriculum specific to medical ethics in ophthalmology can be developed in any of our sub-specialties and include lectures,curated readings,case rounds,and clinic wrap-up sessions.Ethical considerations are part of everyday clinical practice,and a structured ethics curriculum can be incorporated into ophthalmology training programs.The concept of backward design can be used to structure the curriculum,starting with the expected outcome,then designing authentic assessments,and finally putting together a learning plan that has students actively involved in ethical discussions.This paper will provide a guide to developing an ethics curriculum for an ophthalmology training program utilizing the concept of backwards design and guide the reader through the process of developing expected learning outcomes,authentic assessments,and a unified learning plan.
文摘Large-scale wireless sensor networks(WSNs)play a critical role in monitoring dangerous scenarios and responding to medical emergencies.However,the inherent instability and error-prone nature of wireless links present significant challenges,necessitating efficient data collection and reliable transmission services.This paper addresses the limitations of existing data transmission and recovery protocols by proposing a systematic end-to-end design tailored for medical event-driven cluster-based large-scale WSNs.The primary goal is to enhance the reliability of data collection and transmission services,ensuring a comprehensive and practical approach.Our approach focuses on refining the hop-count-based routing scheme to achieve fairness in forwarding reliability.Additionally,it emphasizes reliable data collection within clusters and establishes robust data transmission over multiple hops.These systematic improvements are designed to optimize the overall performance of the WSN in real-world scenarios.Simulation results of the proposed protocol validate its exceptional performance compared to other prominent data transmission schemes.The evaluation spans varying sensor densities,wireless channel conditions,and packet transmission rates,showcasing the protocol’s superiority in ensuring reliable and efficient data transfer.Our systematic end-to-end design successfully addresses the challenges posed by the instability of wireless links in large-scaleWSNs.By prioritizing fairness,reliability,and efficiency,the proposed protocol demonstrates its efficacy in enhancing data collection and transmission services,thereby offering a valuable contribution to the field of medical event-drivenWSNs.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.62071377,62101442,62201456)Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province(Grant No.2023-YBGY-036,2022JQ-687)The Graduate Student Innovation Foundation Project of Xi’an University of Posts and Telecommunications under Grant CXJJDL2022003.
文摘The Internet of Medical Things(Io MT) is regarded as a critical technology for intelligent healthcare in the foreseeable 6G era. Nevertheless, due to the limited computing power capability of edge devices and task-related coupling relationships, Io MT faces unprecedented challenges. Considering the associative connections among tasks, this paper proposes a computing offloading policy for multiple-user devices(UDs) considering device-to-device(D2D) communication and a multi-access edge computing(MEC)technique under the scenario of Io MT. Specifically,to minimize the total delay and energy consumption concerning the requirement of Io MT, we first analyze and model the detailed local execution, MEC execution, D2D execution, and associated tasks offloading exchange model. Consequently, the associated tasks’ offloading scheme of multi-UDs is formulated as a mixed-integer nonconvex optimization problem. Considering the advantages of deep reinforcement learning(DRL) in processing tasks related to coupling relationships, a Double DQN based associative tasks computing offloading(DDATO) algorithm is then proposed to obtain the optimal solution, which can make the best offloading decision under the condition that tasks of UDs are associative. Furthermore, to reduce the complexity of the DDATO algorithm, the cacheaided procedure is intentionally introduced before the data training process. This avoids redundant offloading and computing procedures concerning tasks that previously have already been cached by other UDs. In addition, we use a dynamic ε-greedy strategy in the action selection section of the algorithm, thus preventing the algorithm from falling into a locally optimal solution. Simulation results demonstrate that compared with other existing methods for associative task models concerning different structures in the Io MT network, the proposed algorithm can lower the total cost more effectively and efficiently while also providing a tradeoff between delay and energy consumption tolerance.
