Iris Publishers- Open access Journals in Cancer Research & Clinical Imaging | Analysis of false positivity of FDG PET-CT: Thoracic Surgery Experience

Authored by Fazli Yanik

ntroduction: PET/CT (Positron Emission Tomography) is one of the current methods for tumor detection. PET/CT provides a very effective biological point of view on oncologic imaging. There are hundreds of studies that demonstrate the efficacy of PET/ CT in terms of both diagnosis and treatment planning for thoracic lesions. The aim of this study was to analysis surgically verified the false positivity of FDG PET-CT in our clinic between February 2014 and February 2019.

Material and Methods: Fifty-six patients with PET-CT positive results and preoperatively suspicious diagnosed as malignancy, but whose final histopathological results were reported as benign diseases were included in the study. Patients who had PET/CT due to intrathoracic mass and whose histopathological validation could be reached were included in the study.
Result: Twenty of the patients (34%) were female and 36 of them (66%) male with the mean age 54,7±4,03 (range 30-69) years. Wedge resection by posterolateral thoracotomy in 32 (57%) patients, intraparenchymal punch biopsy by lateral thoracotomy in 10 (18%) patients, wedge resection by VATS in 8 (14%) patients, and intraparenchymal punch biopsy with VATS in 6 (11%) patients was performed to reach a definitive diagnosis. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were observed in any patient. Most frequently detected false positive result was due to tuberculosis in 21 patients and the mean SUVmax value was 5,1 (range 2,5-14). Other false positive results were sarcoidosis, inflammation (pneumonia, abscess, BOOP etc.), intrapanimal lymph node, ruptured hydatid cyst, hamartoma and lastly granulomatosis with polyangiitis by frequency order. When the PET/CT values of all patients were examined, the mean SUV max value in all of the false positive cases was measured as 8,4 (0.6-26).
Conclusion: The use of PET/CT for thoracic lesions has been increasing over the last years. In addition, the detection of false positive lesions and over diagnostics are also increasing. Keep in mind the possible false positives of PET/CT and the results should be evaluated by clinicians according to the demographic, socio-cultural characteristics of countries, and the characteristics of endemic diseases in countries.

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Iris Publishers- Open access Journal of Clinical Case Studies | The Human Heart Electrophysiological Data Visualization: A Review

Authored by Lei Zhang

By the comprehensive mathematical description of cardiac biochemistry, bioelectricity and biophysics, cardiac computational models simulate function and behavior of the heart so that researchers can understand the underlying mechanism of cardiac activity. So, visualize the electrophysiological data is of great importance. In this paper, we review the progress for the development of the visualization method of the human heart electrophysiological data. Cardiac electrical activities are valuable for the investigation of complex heart diseases, e.g., arrhythmias, ischemia, and ventricular fibrillation, and can be invasively measured by medical devices like electrocardiogram (ECG). With the progress in programmed electrical modeling and simulation, electrophysiological simulation has gradually been a promising direction and an essential method for cardiac electrophysiology study to understand the mechanism and functionality of the heart. By simulating the cardiac electrical activities over a wide variety of scales from single ion channel proteins to whole organs, cardiac electrophysiological simulation can help in revealing the mechanisms of normal and abnormal cardiac electrical activities, interpreting of clinical data, and even designing drugs and therapeutic plans. Due to the complex structure of the heart, the large amount of data and the hidden electrophysiological feature, to observe the electrophysiological is a challenging task. Fortunately, researchers have been dedicated to propose visualization method to facilitate the research of electrophysiological simulation.

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Iris Publishers- Open access Journals of Pharmacy & Pharmacology Research | Darwin’s Theorem Revised: Survival of The Careerist

Authored by Robert Skopec

 

Psychopathy of the careerist is a developmental disorder marked by emotional deficits and an increased risk for antisocial behavior. It is not equivalent to the diagnosis Antisocial Personality Disorder, which concentrates only on the increased risk for antisocial behavior and not a specific cause-i.e., the reduced empathy and guilt that constitutes the emotional deficit. Our review considers data regarding the neurobiology of this disorder. Dysfunction within the amygdala’s role in reinforcement learning and the role of ventromedial frontal cortex in the representation of reinforcement value is stressed. Data is also presented indicating potential difficulties within parts of temporal and posterior cingulate cortex. Suggestions are made with respect to why these deficits lead to the development of the disorder. Knowledge of recent neurobiology is proving our thesis that Darwin was wrong when formulated his theorem „Survival of the fittest “. Reality in 21 centuries is showing that “Survival of the careerist “based on the Quantum Entanglement Entropy (QEE) is more valid principle of Social Dynamics in our days. Careeristic Competition is the main cause of the QEE leading to increased complications through Coincidences of Social Dynamics.Psychopathy of the careerists is a disorder characterized by pronounced emotional deficits, marked by reduction in guilt and empathy, and involves increased risk for displaying antisocial behavior. The disorder is developmental. Psychopathic traits, particularly the emotional component, are relatively stable from childhood into adulthood [1]. One reason for the attention this classification receives is its strong predictive utility for institutional adjustment and recidivism (i.e., reoffending). Individuals with psychopathy are approximately three times more likely to reoffend than those with low psychopathic traits, and four times more likely to reoffend violently. Admittedly, it is the past antisocial behavior, indexed by psychopathy assessments, that is particularly important in predicting future criminal activity. However, it is the emotional component that characterizes psychopathy; high levels of antisocial behavior can develop from other neurobiological and socio-environmental risk factors. Psychopathy is not equivalent to the DSM-IV diagnosis of conduct disorder or antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) or their ICD-10 counterparts [2]. The psychiatric diagnoses focus on antisocial behavior rather than underlying causes; i.e., the emotion dysfunction seen in psychopathy. Individuals meeting the criteria for antisocial personality disorder are more heterogeneous in their pathophysiology than individuals meeting criteria for careerist psychopathy.

 

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Iris Publishers- Open access Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmacology Research | Role of Psychiatry Nurse in Anti-Manic Drugs

Authored by Mushtaq B

 

Anti-manic drugs are the mood stabilizers that are used to treat mania. There are various types of drugs which are prescribed for anti-manic affect. There is need for the various observations like physiological changes to be monitored while giving these drugs and psychiatric nurse plays a very important role for observation of the various changes and providing appropriate interventions accordingly.

 

As psychiatric nurse is the personnel to be in close proximity and to have close watch for the clients having mania, so the drugs given should be completely supervised by the psychiatric nurse as these drugs have various side-effects which can be threatening to the client.

 

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Iris Publishers- Open access Journal of Nutrition & Food Science | Collagen: Building Nature’s Infrastructure

Authored by... Russell M Jaffe

 

Collagen has been a personal passion of mine since graduate school where my thesis tells the story of how collagen and elastin cross-links are affected by d-penicillamine, a remarkable amino acid. Collagen has been around since metazoan times. Its structure is elegantly simple and simply elegant. Glycine-proline-Any amino acid is a base unit that, when repeated about 1,000 times, becomes one strand of collagen. Three strands wind together to make a single collagen molecule. Collagen is a major part of the infrastructure of all mammals, fish, birds, and crustacean. The infrastructure includes bones and joints, arteries and veins, tendons and fascia. The orienting basement membrane that every cell receives nourishment from and exports metabolic products and wastes has a specialized collagen core.Acupuncture meridians or channels may actually be specialized collagen fibrils. The sentinel cells that emerge from the notochord in early gestation leave a collagen fibril as they migrate to all the systems of the body. Collagen is piezoelectric and this may be important in how acupuncture information is transferred so quickly throughout the body. Piezoelectric means that when compressed, a tiny yet measurable electrical current flows through that specific collagen fibril. The body’s glycosaminoglycans functionally insulate and isolate collagen fibrils. Fibrils of collagen can be referred to as tactoids because they are narrow yet long. A silk thread is a metaphor for collagen. The fibrils are able to coil back on themselves and then stretch out depending on the biomechanical situation. If collagen is simply elegant ropes, elastin is diaphanous rubber bands. The cross-links in connective tissue are derived from the amino acid lysine. The epsilon amino group is removed. Aminoadipic acid semi-aldehyde is formed. From desmosines to lysinonorleucine, the cross-links are all derived from lysine. People who follow the Alkaline Way have diets that are naturally rich in alkaline amino acids such as lysine. Only in an alkaline cell environment is elective, essential protein like collagen produced.

 

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Iris Publishers-Open access Journal of Nutrition & Food Science | Acupuncture

Authored by Dalamagka Maria

Acupuncture involves the activation of specific points of the skin, usually by inserting needles. Acupuncture was based on the principles of Chinese traditional medicine. Traditional acupuncturists perceived health in terms of a violent force or energy, called Qi, which circulates between organs along channels that are called meridians. The flow of energy “Qi” must have the right strength and quality in each of these meridians and organs, so as to maintain health. Acupuncture points are located along the meridians and can alter the flow of energy and appear to correspond to the terminal nerve endings. There is a distinct difference between traditional and western acupuncture, but the two approaches overlap significantly. Also, traditional acupuncture is not a treatment recorded sometime in history, but there are significant deviations between different acupuncture schools. Two acupuncturists may choose different points, depth of needle penetration and different needle residence times. As far as Western theories are concerned, acupuncture induces signals in central nerves that alter the transmission through the spinal cord, as well as the perception of pain in the brain. In 1987 Pomeranz suggested the theory that acupuncture stimulation stimulates muscle fibers A-δ and C, which leads to the transmission of signals to the spinal cord and this in turn leads to local release of dynorphin and enkephalin. These local processes are transmitted via centrifugal pathways to the midbrain, where they activate a series of stimulatory and inhibitory spinal cord transporters. The final release of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine in the spinal cord, leads to pre- and postsynaptic inhibition and inhibition of pain transmission. When these signals reach the hypothalamus and the pituitary, they induce the release of the coronary artery and endorphins. Pomeranz’s theory was confirmed by numerous experiments in his research laboratory, but also by other researchers. This fundamental principle for acupuncture-induced analgesia has been explored over the last three decades and with a series of neurophysiological and imaging studies.

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Iris Publishers- Journal of complementary and alternative medicine| Mind-Body Wellness Project: An Exemplar Case

Authored by Masoud Ghaffari

A growing body of literature concerning the inherent stresses of nursing and medical education report especially high stress levels, in some cases higher than those students in other health professions. Nursing students have attributed their stress to academic, financial, work-related, and interpersonal circumstances. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between the stressors that college student’s experience, and an increase in levels of stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms. High stress and anxiety impede concentration, memory, and problem-solving ability, which, in turn, adversely affect academic performance and learning. Purposes of this qualitative participatory action research were to design, implement, and assess the extracurricular wellness project for the first-year undergraduate nursing students. We evaluated: the effectiveness of a holistic wellness program in enhancing first-year nursing students’ overall health (physical, psychological/social, and spiritual), and 2) the effectiveness of the program in enhancing first-year nursing students’ learning and their performance in pathophysiology course. A purposive sample of 156 (N=156) first-year junior nursing students participated in this study. Thematic analysis of data related to effects of holistic wellness program on the students yielded two main themes: 1) observed-felt effects and 2) unobserved-felt effects. This article briefly describes the study; however, the main focus will be on describing practicing “mindfulness” as an exemplar case to maintain and enhance mind-body wellness.

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Iris Publishers- Journal of Complimentary & Alternative Medicine | From Toxins to Drugs: Chemistry and Pharmacology of Animal Venom and other Secretions

 

 

Authored by Andrew G Mtewa 


Animal secretions are currently proving more than before to be one of the best sources of drugs for current and future health complications. Well managed and optimized, their chemical compounds can as well be used to prevent diseases. Insects, mammals, birds and lizards are some of the animals with bioactive peptides. These bioactives come from skin, saliva, venom, excreta, tissues and other fluids among others sources. Animal secretion uses as drugs have been proven both from history of community use as well as from laboratory benches. Drug development and designing from animals requires in-depth studies of the chemistry and pharmacology of the compounds responsible for bioactivities. Peptides form the largest part of these bioactive secretions. They are naturally unstable, and their handling and storage ways need to be optimized to maintain structure and potency which requires focus as well as adequate capital investment in order to get better drugs for health and disease management. The aim of this work was to present some of the pharmacological uses of chemical secretions and venoms from animals.

Venoms are toxic chemicals made up of proteins and peptides naturally tailored to act on vital systems of victims or preys, usually injected or sprayed into active biological systems through claws, spines and fangs among others [1] for both defensive and attack purposes. Venom in animals represents traits of adaption in ecosystems full of competition for resources and dominance for survival [2,3]. In terms of defense, animal venom gets bad from irritations to death from envenomation. Wasps, ants, bees, spiders, scorpion, centipede and millipede stings are the most known causes of envenomation in the whole world. However, most deaths from envenomation (80%) are from snake bites next to scorpion stings with 15% of deaths.

Many potentially bioactive molecules can be extracted and synthesized from the huge number of known venomous animals; at least 700 conus species, 1500 scorpion species, 725 snake species and 37000 spider species among others. These venomous animals are found in almost every country but are abundant in the tropical regions.

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Iris Publishers- Open Access Journal of Archaeology & Anthropology | Human Processing of Rodents in Patagonia: The Relevance of Historical and Ethnographical Data for Archaeological Interpretations

Authored by Analia Andrade

The consumption of small mammals was a widespread practice between indigenous societies worldwide. Modern taphonomic studies carried out upon bone assemblages from archaeological sites in northern Patagonia (Argentina) demonstrate that Caviomorph rodents were also included in the diet of Patagonian populations, both from the steppe and the forests, at least since the Late Holocene. The revision of historical and ethnographical documents written by priests, naturalists and ethnographers during c. XVI-XX allow to corroborate that rodents were intensively exploited in Patagonia, continental and insular. Bones, meat and skin of the animals were employed for diverse purposes, and the gathering activity was guided by women and children.

The consumption and utilization of rodent species by indigenous societies was documented worldwide through diverse cultural practices, both religious and economic [1-6]. The Olduvai Gorge (1.76 Ma, Tanzania) is the earliest archaeological documentation of hominids micromammals consumption [7]. In the Central Andes, the caviidae Cavia porcellus was domesticated since pre-Columbian times [8,9]. and it is included in ritual ceremonies [10,11] Aymara and Quechua populations from the Puna of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile uses the skins of the Abrocoma species, and specimens of Galea musteloides with cranial deformations have been found in tombs suggesting micromammals captivity [12].

While in Patagonia (southern part of South America) the proportions of rodent remains in zooarchaeological contexts are, in many cases, higher than those of other taxa, the role of small mammals in human subsistence was underestimated. The reasons for this underestimation were the preponderance attributed for large and medium sized mammals in human diets, the consideration of rodents as intrusive (and bioturbation agents) into the archaeological sequences and the absence of clear evidences (like cut marks) that could allow to associate them with defined cultural practices. This review discusses the intensity in the exploitation of certain species of rodents in Patagonia. It is argued – based on archaeological, historical and etnographical evidencesthat indigenous societies used this resource integrally since at least the Late Holocene.

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Iris Publishers-Open Access Journal of Archaeology & Anthropology | Pre-Natal and Post-Natal Birth Among Bulu from South Cameroon: An Ethno-Anthropological Reading of the Birth in Negro-Culture

Authored by Paul Ulrich Otye Elom

 

As in all human communities, birth represents for socio culture Bulu a time when we e agree to the woman and newborn attention. This attention actually begins at the first moment of pregnancy and continues until complete weaning of the child who marks the entry of the latter and his mother into social normality. In this context, a real man is one who has children, the one who does not have to be relegated to a seat of jumping whatever his material wealth. The loss of a newborn or the birth of a stillbirth appears as a disease or better a crypto-disease. Taking as a field of study Bulu South-Cam eroun, this article watches that the birth in negro-culture is a social event whose specificity is apprehended taking into account the endosemia or sense of the inside. Whatever the cultural universe, maternity is a delicate period of life when the woman and even the man are subjected to the constraints required by the various specialists of the health and the social entourage. This shows that beyond the physiological, birth also involves the cultural body. In the Bulu of South Cameroon, prenatal and postnatal women are asked to follow a certain number of practices inculcated by the cultural ethos to ensure that the child will come into the world without any problem and that his evolution after birth will be harmonious until the time of weaning , the key moment when the eye on him is less increased and marks in a way his entry into the normal social world, because making him an individual whose development is not more very worrying. Pre-natal and neo-natal shows nt and the birth ensures the survival of the social continuum or simply the perpetuation of cultural life. The debate we are embarking on in this article challenges the cultural elements of the society under study, which show that birth is a social phenomenon that can bring a holistic understanding of the community. With research techniques such as direct observation, in-depth interviews and a method of analysis based on Harold Garfinkel’s ethno-methodological processes and Mbonji Edjenguèlè’s ethno-perspective [1], processes related to ethno-anthropology, our paper will give a talk on the feeding of the pregnant woman, woof breastfeeding and newborn. A presentation on dietary and sexual prohibitions whose transgression can lead to the death of the child and sometimes of the mother. And finally, a presentation on the different social and medical uses to be respected in order to avoid a disharmony of the child’s development. But before all that, let us establish a contextualization of certain concepts.

 

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Iris Publishers- Journal of Forensic Science & Medicine | Legal Consultancy in Forensic Archaeology: An Introduction to Italian Regulations and Professional Ethics 

Authored by Pier Matteo Barone

 

In recent years, professional archaeologists have increasingly been called upon by civil and criminal Courts to act as courtappointed experts all over the world. In Italy, in particular, this professional profile seems to be less popular due to some misunderstandings related to both the tasks and the roles. This article will clarify some legal aspect of being a forensic archaeologist in Italy from theoretical and practical points of view.
The development of the role of archaeologist in the field of forensics can be linked to two main factors: judges are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that archaeological expertise can play a crucial role in shedding light on various cases of civil and criminal offenses [1]. Normally, forensic archaeologists are employed to search for missing persons and/or to find/recover said persons. However, reports of archaeological/cultural offenses (such as violations of the Italian Code of Cultural Heritage or Article 733 of the Italian Penal Code) are on the rise, thus requiring the involvement of archaeologists or cultural heritage experts [2,3].
In this context, it follows that professional archaeologists will become increasingly involved in the field of forensics. They will require the appropriate knowledge of certain regulatory and ethical matters in order to carry out incontestable expert work and provide the Courts with reports of a high standard in terms of both form and substance [1]. In both civil and criminal cases, Judges have the power to appoint a professional, expert or technician as their assistant when they need to settle complex technical issues, carry out investigations or acquire data or judgments that require specific technical, scientific or artistic skills (Article 221 of the Italian Code of Criminal Procedure, hereafter CCrP, and Article 61 of the Italian Code of Civil Procedure, hereafter CCiP.

 

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Iris Publisher- Journal of Forensic Science & Medicine | Why China Still Faces the High Risk of Criminal Injustices? 

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Iris Publishers-Open access Journals in Nursing & Care | Integrative Review of Intervention Programmes for School Health Nurses on Their Activities in School Environment (1)

Authored by Oluwatoyin A Ogunyewo

Aim: This paper reviews descriptive and quasi-experimental studies on the intervention programme developed for school health nurses in order to assist them in different activities which they perform in the school environment. The review was as a result of the need to conduct an integrative review of intervention programmes developed for school health nurses on guiding adolescents about their reproductive health. However, there is a dearth of studies on this particular area, and this prompted the authors to expand the scope to cover the intervention programme developed for school health nurses in other areas of concern.
Methods: Two review questions were raised which prompted the search for articles to provide necessary answers. Computerized database, ancestry and extensive search strategies by titles of research reported in English between 2000 and 2015 located diverse intervention programmes. A total of 1980 articles were retrieved from which 11 were reviewed after series of filtering based on titles, abstracts, full texts, and duplicates had taken place. A broad range of intervention programmes were reported.
Results: The most common intervention programme is training programme which is six in number, followed by education and mentoring programmes which are two each while the number of orientation programme is one. The aims of almost all these programmes was to enhance the knowledge and skills of school health nurses in their areas of practice. Common methodological weakness was small sample.
Conclusion: Integrative review reveals that school health nurses are subject mainly to a training programme in order to enhance their performance in their roles and responsibilities toward adolescents in the secondary school environment.

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Iris Publishers- Open access Journal of Nursing & Healthcare | The Case of Theresa S. An undocumented Immigrant with Lung Cancer

Authored by Phyllis Wood

With soaring health care costs in the United States, the added burden of assisting people who do not legally live in the United States can be overwhelming to health care providers and institutions. For unauthorized immigrants (also known as undocumented or illegal immigrants), few options are available through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), usually limited to emergency services, charity care, or community health centers. Senate Republicans are working hard to repeal the ACA with revising the Senate Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) that would ultimately limit eligibility for some benefits that immigrants have under the current law.
Theresa S. is a forty-year old female who presented to an Urgent Care in Texas with a sore throat and cough which had persisted for three weeks with no relief of her symptoms using over the counter (OTC) medications. She currently does not smoke tobacco but was a 30 pack per year smoker for three years and quit smoking at age 31. She has had second hand smoke exposure her entire life. She does not know her immunization status. Through testing, metastatic lung cancer was discovered. She does not have health insurance and does not make minimum wage. She cannot get public assistance because she is in the United States, illegally.
If you are wondering what might happen to Theresa or others like her, you’re not alone. She does not have a social security number which would likely help her get public assistance for her medical costs. It has cost Theresa S. and her family their entire, modest life savings to come to the United States and they have lived here for three years. Theresa and her family are reluctant to return to Mexico. Theresa’s case is not uncommon.

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Iris Publishers-Open access journal of Nursing & Care | Improving Specialty Care to the Medically Underserved

Authored by Gayle Julie Smith

The purpose of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) scholarly project was implementation of a clinical practice change, use of a DNP student developed patient referral form (PRF), and evaluate medically underserved (MU) patients’ access to and utilization of specialty care services. The major objectives of the scholarly project were to evaluate if PRF implementation improved MU patients’ access to or utilization of specialty care services in an urban community health center (CHC), and to identify barriers to patients utilizing prescribed specialty care services. Donabedian’s Model guided the quality improvement project that utilized data from a retrospective chart review to evaluate an urban CHC’s specialty care referral process before and after the implementation of a DNP student developed PRF (N = 48). The DNP student observed for any difference in MU’s access and utilization of specialty care services after a clinical practice change implementing the patient referral form. Further, the DNP student evaluated potential causes of MU patients not utilizing the prescribed specialty care services. Data analysis showed that there was no statistically significant difference in specialty care access (χ2 (1) = .000, p > .05) and utilization (χ2 (1) = 1.4182, p = 0.2337) after the implementation of a DNP student developed patient referral form. The primary reason MU patients cited as not utilizing specialty care services was lack of knowledge about the appointment. Additional data analysis showed that MU patients who were referred for breast services received appointments at a statistically significantly higher rate than all other specialties (χ2 (3) = 8.800, p = 0.0321). The initial assumption of the DNP student was that specialty care services were not readily accessible to the MU population. However, the results of the scholarly projected refuted this assumption as specialty care services were found to be available to the MU population. However, the services were often not utilized due to a breakdown in the referral process. The use of system-based approaches can improve the coordination and delivery of specialty care services. Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNPs) can address challenges to healthcare access and utilization by supporting patients’ navigation through the complex healthcare system.

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