scholarly journals Assessment of indoor and outdoor airborne fungi in an Educational, Research and Treatment Center

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasrin Rostami ◽  
Hossien Alidadi ◽  
Hossein Zarrinfar ◽  
Pegah Salehi

Hospital environments contain different types of microorganisms. Airborne fungal are one of these microbes and the major sources of hospitals indoor contamination that will be able to cause airborne fungal diseases. The total count and diversity of the airborne filamentous and yeasts fungi were investigated in indoor and outdoor air of selective wards of Emam Reza Educational, Research and Treatment Center. This cross-sectional study was performed during the fall season. One hundred and ninety-two environmental samples of indoor and outdoor air from hematology, infectious diseases, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) wards were collected by open plate technique (on Sabouraud dextrose agar media) once a week. The cultures were then examined and evaluated according to macroscopic and microscopic examination criteria. In this study, 67 (62.03%) of indoor samples and 81 (96.42%) of outdoor samples were positive for fungi. The most isolated fungi were yeast species (17.12%), <em>Penicillium</em> spp. (16.34%), <em>Alternaria</em> spp. (14.39%), <em>A.</em> <em>niger</em> (11.28%), <em>A</em>. <em>flavus</em> (8.95%), respectively. Almost all of the wards showed high rates of contamination by various fungi. However, the analysis of the data showed that indoor air of hematology ward had the highest fungal pollution. In contrast, the outdoor air of ENT had the highest fungal pollution. Thus, these results demonstrated that the cleansing and disinfection procedures in the hospital wards should be improved yet.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Berhanu Gulo ◽  
Laura Miglierina ◽  
Francesca Tognon ◽  
Silvia Panunzi ◽  
Ademe Tsegaye ◽  
...  

Background: In neonatal intensive care units (NICU) setting, parents' experience and satisfaction permit to evaluate clinical practice and improve the care of infants and parents. Little is known about this topic in low resource settings. The aim of this study was to (1) translate, adapt and validate the EMpowerment of PArents in THe Intensive Care-Neonatology (EMPHATIC-N) questionnaire in two languages in Ethiopia (2) explore parents' satisfaction with the care received in the NICUs in three hospitals; and, (3) explore socio-demographic characteristics and level of the NICU influence on the EMPATHIC-N domains.Methods: This was a cross-sectional multicenter study. Participants were recruited from three different NICUs in Ethiopia upon discharge. We reduced the original EMPATHIC-N instrument to 38 items, culturally adapted and validated it in two local languages. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was applied to verify the factor structure of the questionnaire, investigating the relationship between items and the five latent domains. Single item scores and the aggregate scores of the domains were investigated across NICUs and in the sample overall. Differences in the distribution of the domain scores were tested according to socio-demographic participants' characteristics. The scores of four general questions about overall experience and satisfaction were investigated in relation to the participant's characteristics and NICU levels. Qualitative data were collected using four open-ended questions and a synthesis of results was provided.Results: Almost all the parents answered to the questionnaire (92%, n = 386). Questionnaire items on satisfaction on average scored more than four. The highest mean scores were obtained for Parental participation (median: 5.17; iqr: 4.67–5.62), while they were lower for Organization/Hospital environment (median: 4.67; iqr:4.33–5.17). Different levels of parent satisfaction were observed across the NICU levels showing a statistically higher satisfaction in level II NICU compared to the other levels. Education, place of residence and length of stay were associated with parental satisfaction and experience.Conclusion: This study validated two Ethiopian versions of the EMPATHIC-N questionnaire to assess parents' experience and satisfaction during their child's stay in the NICU. The differences found across the three levels of NICU suggest the need to further investigate the determinants of satisfaction.


Author(s):  
Randriamahavonjy R. ◽  
Rakotonirina Andriamaro M. ◽  
Ratsiatosika Andriamanetsiarivo T. ◽  
Housni I. ◽  
Abasse B. A. ◽  
...  

Background: Umbilical cord prolapse is a major obstetrical emergency that threatens the fetal prognosis during labor. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiologic and clinical profile of pulsatile cord prolapse at the Befelatanana University Hospital of Obstetric Gynecology.Methods: It is about a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at the Befelatanana University Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Antananarivo over a period of 3 years, from January 1st, 2012 to December 31st, 2014. We have identified all cases of umbilical cord prolapse. We studied obstetric, neonatal and maternal parameters.Results: We found 70 cases of pulsatile umbilical cord prolapse, a prevalence of 0.28% of deliveries. The average age of the patients was 28 ± 3.2 years with extremes ranging from 18 to 43 years. Multiparous women predominated with (51.43%) Pregnancy was long term, with 71.43% of cases associated with placenta praevia, lateral prolapse of the limb, long cord and contracted pelvis. The prolapse of the cord was 1st degree with 44.29% of cases. All patients had received (100%) of oxygen therapy. Almost all patients were caesarized (95.71%). Neonatal complications were represented by admission to neonatal intensive care unit (32.86%), perinatal asphyxia (31.43%), prematurity (28.57%), neonatal infection (4.29%) and neonatal death (10%).Conclusions: The umbilical cord prolapse is relatively rare. Fetal extraction in the shortest possible time, especially when the cord is externalized, which is the main determining factor of neonatal prognosis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-104
Author(s):  
Maksudur Rahman ◽  
Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun ◽  
MAK Azad Chowdhury ◽  
Abu Sayeed Munsi

Background: Recently it has been apprehended that sildenafil, a drug which has been successfully using in the treatment of PPHN and erectile dysfunction in adult, is going to be withdrawn from the market of Bangladesh due to threat of its misuses. Objective: The aim of this study was to see the extent of uses of sildenafil in the treatment of PPHN and importance of availability of this drugs in the market inspite of its probable misuses. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), special baby care unit (SCABU) and cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) of Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital from June, 2017 to May 2018. Neonates with PPHN were enrolled in the study. All cases were treated with oral sildenefil for PPHN along with others management according to hospital protocol. Data along with other parameters were collected and analyzed. Results: Total 320 patients with suspected PPHN were admitted during the study period. Among them 92 (29%) cases had PPHN. Male were 49(53 %) cases and female were 43(47%) cases. Mean age at hospital admission was 29.7±13.4 hours. Based on echocardiography,13(14%) cases had mild, 38 (41%) cases moderate and 41(45%) cases severe PPHN. Mean duration of sildenafil therapy was 11.9±7.1 days. Improved from PPHN were 83 (90%) cases. Mortality was 10% (9). Conclusion: In this study it was found that the incidence of PPHN is 29% among the suspected newborns. Sildenafil is successfull in improving the oxygenation of PPHN and to decrease the mortality of neonates. DS (Child) H J 2019; 35(2) : 100-104


Author(s):  
Ashley K. Dores ◽  
Gordon H. Fick ◽  
Frank P. MacMaster ◽  
Jeanne V. A. Williams ◽  
Andrew G. M. Bulloch ◽  
...  

To assess whether exposure to increased levels of outdoor air pollution is associated with psychological depression, six annual iterations of the Canadian Community Health Survey (n ≈ 127,050) were used to estimate the prevalence of a major depressive episode (2011–2014) or severity of depressive symptoms (2015–2016). Survey data were linked with outdoor air pollution data obtained from the Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium, with outdoor air pollution represented by fine particulate matter ≤2.5 micrometers (μm) in diameter (PM2.5), ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Log-binomial models were used to estimate the association between outdoor air pollution and depression, and included adjustment for age, sex, marital status, income, education, employment status, urban versus rural households, cigarette smoking, and chronic illness. No evidence of associations for either depression outcomes were found. Given the generally low levels of outdoor air pollution in Canada, these findings should be generalized with caution. It is possible that a meaningful association with major depression may be observed in regions of the world where the levels of outdoor air pollution are greater, or during high pollution events over brief time intervals. Future research is needed to replicate these findings and to further investigate these associations in other regions and populations.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kochu Therisa Karingada ◽  
Michael Sony

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic lockdown has caught many educational institutions by surprise and warranted an abrupt migration from offline to online learning. This has resulted in an education change, without any time for due consideration, as regards its impact on musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) on students. The purpose of this study is to investigate MSD related to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional study was conducted on undergraduate students in India. In total, 261 students participated in this online survey.FindingsThe study finds that around 80% of students have reported some symptom in the head, neck and eyes since they started online learning. In total, 58% have reported MSD symptom in the right shoulder and 56% in the right hand fingers. Besides, more than 40 % of students experienced some MSD symptoms, in almost all the body parts studied, due to online learning. Correlation analysis is conducted between time spent on online learning per day and MSD symptoms.Originality/valueThis is the first study conducted on MSD and online learning during COVID-19 pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-8
Author(s):  
Amna Khan ◽  
Anila Farhat ◽  
Hamayun Anwar ◽  
Sajid Shamim ◽  
Mujeeb Ur Rehman ◽  
...  

Objective: To determine the frequency of hypocalcemia in neonates with unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia receivingphototherapy.Study design and setting: Cross sectional study conducted at neonatal intensive care unit, King Abdullah Teaching Hospital,Mansehra for one year from December 2017 to November 2018.Methodology: Total 213 full term stable neonates of either gender with jaundice were studied in this study. Out of which,143 with unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia were exposed to phototherapy while 70 neonates with exaggerated physiologicalhyperbilirubinemia taken as control were not exposed to phototherapy. Serum calcium level was determined through bloodtest before and after 24 hours of phototherapy. SPSS version 22 was used to analyze the data. Frequency and percentageswere used to describe categorical variables like gender and hypocalcemia. Hypocalcemia was stratified by age and genderto see effect modifiers. Post stratified chi-square test was applied in which p value = 0.05 was considered as significancevalue.Results: In study group, 143 neonates who received phototherapy had mean age of 7 days ± 2.62 SD. Total 65% neonateswere male and 35% neonates were female. Mean serum calcium level of neonates before and after provision of phototherapywas 9.28 mg/dl ± 0.23 and 8.54 mg/dl ± 0.68 respectively, which is statistically significant. The frequency of hypocalcemiawas 40% in neonates with unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia after 24 hours of phototherapy.Conclusion: Hypocalcemia is an important complication in neonates with unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia after continuousphototherapy. Hypocalcemia has clinical impact and adds to morbidity, and if left untreated, can lead to mortality.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amruta A. Bamanikar ◽  
Shetal Shah ◽  
David Aboudi ◽  
Soumya Mikkilineni ◽  
Clare Giblin ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives Maternal race, marital status, and social environment impact risk of preterm delivery and size for gestational age. Although some paternal characteristics such as age are associated with pregnancy outcomes, the influence of the paternal presence, race/ethnicity and adverse life events is not well known. The objective of the study was to assess birth outcomes in mothers with a paternal presence compared to those without during the post-partum period. The secondary aim was to determine whether paternal race is associated with birth outcomes. Methods This was a cross-sectional study using parental surveys linked with birth certificate data from 2016 to 2018. Adverse birth composite outcomes (ABCO) including small for gestational age (SGA), prematurity or neonatal intensive care unit admission (NICU) were assessed. Results A total of 695 parents were analyzed (239 single mothers and 228 mother-father pairs). Compared to mothers with a father present, mothers without a father present exhibited increased odds of ABCO, prematurity and NICU. Non-Hispanic Black fathers had increased odds of ABCO and NICU compared to Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW). Hispanic fathers had increased odds of NICU compared to NHW. Conclusions Paternal absence in the post-partum period and paternal race were both independently associated with ABCO and NICU. Assessment of paternal presence and paternal race in clinical practice may help identify opportunities for additional support necessary to optimize birth outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (31) ◽  
pp. 2865-2869
Author(s):  
Praveen Mulki Shenoy ◽  
Amith Ramos ◽  
Narasimha Pai ◽  
Bharath Shetty ◽  
Aravind Pallipady Rao

BACKGROUND The papillary muscle basal connections have significant clinical implications. Variety of studies done on its morphology and function by various specialists in different departments. A close look on these revealed the interconnections of papillary muscles to one another and to the interventricular septum of both ventricles is related to uncoordinated contractions of papillary muscles, leading to hyper or hypokinesia or prolapse or even its rupture. METHODS Our study done in 25 formalin soaked hearts revealed after the deep and meticulous dissection, reflecting the walls of ventricles laterally the numerous interconnections of papillary muscles at its bases and IVS. Ventricles are opened by inverted ‘L’ shaped incision and its reflected more laterally till all the papillary muscles is visible in one frame after incising the moderator band. The connections were noted, measured, photographed, tabulated, compared with similar studies and analysed with experts with respective fields. RESULTS Almost all the specimens did have the interconnections. Further the post mortem findings of the cardiac related deaths with involvement of papillary muscles suggest damage to such ‘bridges’. The moderator band extensions to the base of right APM, and its extension to the posterior groups is noted in all the specimens. The bridge from the IVS to bases of both the groups of papillary muscles is noted in left ventricle. In90% of specimens the one PPM is found to be loosely connected, more so in left ventricle. CONCLUSIONS We are of a conclusion that such basal interconnections and to the interventricular septum are responsible for rhythmic contractions of papillary muscles of both ventricles. Since the AV valves have to open simultaneously, interconnections becomes mandatory as the impulse has to reach it before it reaches the trabeculae carniae. One of the Posterior papillary muscles is loosely connected to other papillary muscles, may be the reason for its rupture, more so in left ventricle. KEYWORDS Papillary Muscle, Interbasal Connection, Moderator Band, Valvular Prolapse, AV Valves


1970 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 141-150
Author(s):  
Mausumi Basu ◽  
Palash Das ◽  
Biman Roy ◽  
Jayanta Kumar Baruah

Background: Diseases affecting the cornea constitute a major cause of blindness. Corneal transplantation offers the potential for sight restoration. Due to non-availability of healthy cornea, many people continue to live in a dark world.Objectives: To assess the awareness and perception of undergraduate medical students towards eye donation.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students of Kolkata on August 2010 using a pre-designed, pre-tested, semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire. The data were analyzed using Epi-info software package version 6.04.Results: Almost all (98.9%) participants knew that eyes can be donated and 70.8% were aware at the time of eye collection. However, only 43.7% respondents knew whom to approach for pledging their eyes for donation; 80.7% were either willing (76.0%) or had already pledged (4.7%) to donate their eyes. Television was the major source (78.1%) of information on eye donation. Nobility was the main motivation (87.7%) and 75.5% felt the need for helping the blind. Of these medical students, 19.3% were unaware and did not pledge eye donation due to objection by family members and dislike of the idea of separating their eyes.Conclusion: The present study revealed that medical students were well aware of eye donation with a favorable attitude towards it and most of them were inclined to pledge for eye donation. The perceived reasons for not donating eyes need to be considered while creating awareness about eye donation in the community. Students can be actively involved as volunteers in eye donation campaigns and after proper training in counselling techniques, they can act as counsellors for eye donation activities.


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