Nevin Manimala

Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg. 2025 Jan 27;51(1):85. doi: 10.1007/s00068-025-02766-1.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Electrical injuries (EIs) represent a significant clinical challenge due to their complex pathophysiology and variable presentation, ranging from minor burns to severe internal organ damage. Despite their prevalence in both; domestic and occupational settings, there remains a rareness of systematic guidelines and comprehensive literature to aid clinicians in effectively managing these injuries. Understanding these factors is crucial for developing protocols that can mitigate the risk of delayed complications, such as cardiac arrhythmias, in patients who initially appear stable.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to elucidate the epidemiology, clinical outcomes, and predictors of severe presentation in EIs, providing insights to improve patient assessment and management strategies.

METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted over 4 years. Data were collected from standardized medical records. The group of patients with severe complications included those who presented a life-threatening cardiac, respiratory, neurological, or biological impairment or died within the first 48 h of the EI.

RESULTS: We enrolled 118 cases of electrical injury (EI). Ages ranged from 4 to 82 years, with 31.3% under 15. EI incidence peaked in summer, with 63.5% being home accidents. High-voltage injuries occurred in 13.6%. The most common ED complaints were burns in children (59.5%) and trauma in adults (48.1%). ECG abnormalities correlated with tetany (p = 0.016), and palpitations (p = 0.014). Complications included cardiac arrest (n = 8), rhabdomyolysis (n = 23), and acute renal injury (n = 9). Severe EI was linked to respiratory distress and creatine kinase levels higher than ≥ 253 UI/l. A normal ECG within 1 h post-injury was correlated to a low risk of severe EI. At 2-year follow-up, 43.9% of survivors reported aesthetic sequelae, 25.3% had psychological disorders, and 7% of adults could not return to their previous occupations.

CONCLUSION: EIs are frequent, with diverse clinical presentations requiring multidisciplinary care. Awareness of potential delayed complications is essential, and prevention is crucial.

PMID:39869174 | DOI:10.1007/s00068-025-02766-1

Environ Geochem Health. 2025 Jan 27;47(2):59. doi: 10.1007/s10653-025-02359-2.

ABSTRACT

The accumulation pattern of some inorganic pollutants in quarry sites around Ogun State was modeled using a Fuzzy comprehensive assessment (FCA). Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and naturally occurring radionuclides materials (NORMs) were assessed from soil samples collected from ten quarry sites in three districts (Odeda, Ajebo, and Ijebu Ode) in Ogun State. Three (3) NORMs (⁴⁰ K, ²³⁸U, ^{and 232}Th) were assessed using gamma spectrometer with a NaI detector while ten (10) PTEs (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were determined by digestion method using Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrophotometer. The FCA was used to evaluate soil contamination, and SPSS version 21.0 was used for statistical analysis. Concentration range of PTEs(mg/kg) and NORMs(Bq/kg) in all the site are: As (5.62 ± 0.85 – 15.93 ± 2.40), Cd (BDL-1.26 ± 0.60), Co (5.56 ± 1.34 – 27.25 ± 1.14), Cr (18.68 ± 1.54 -61.43 ± 6.33), Cu (12.40 ± 1.31-82.43 ± 7.94), Fe (15,035.00 ± 81.12 – 36,520.00 ± 292.20), Mn (168.97 ± 5.93 – 353.30 ± 20.84), Ni (5.63 ± 1.99- 25.54 ± 2.50),),Pb (4.44 ± 0.8 – 17.87 ± 2.80) and Zn (42.97 ± 413 – 147.00 ± 7.50); ⁴⁰ K (76.78 ± 44.76-2647.88 ± 179.44), ²³⁸U (3.24 ± 1.82-55.42 ± 24.88),and ²³²Th (5.24 ± 3.90-244.36 ± 89.84). The results were modeled into a membership function matrix of three pollution classes. The FCA of NORMs revealed that 30, 10, and 60% of the sites were pristine, moderately polluted, and heavily polluted.In comparison, the FCA of PTEs confirmed 100% of the sites to be heavily polluted due to the accumulative effect of the PTEs. A high percentage of membership in the extremely impacted class is linked to a high concentration of Fe in all the sites due to the soil’s geological structure and natural activities. At the same time, ⁴⁰ K and ²³⁸U have high-impact membership in all the quarry sites. Based on the findings, there is a need for stringent pollution control measures, targeted monitoring of PTEs and NORMs and the development of region-specific environmental regulations to protect both public health and ecosystems.

PMID:39869147 | DOI:10.1007/s10653-025-02359-2

J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2025 Jan 27;15(1):8. doi: 10.1007/s44197-025-00345-6.

ABSTRACT

Sleep is influenced by various factors, including social, economic, genetic, and medical factors, and work and study schedules. Medical students are highly susceptible to sleep-related problems. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the sleep patterns and quality of medical students and determine their correlation with academic achievement. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the King Abdulaziz University between November 2022 and April 2023. The participants completed an online questionnaire distributed to all medical students via social media channels. The questionnaire included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to assess sleep quality and Epworth Sleepiness Scale to measure excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Academic performance was self-reported by students based on their grade point average. Of the 274 participants, 54.0% were males with a mean age of 22.81 years. Only 21.5% of students reported normal sleep quality during the previous month, with almost 78.5% reporting poor sleep quality and 40.9% experiencing EDS. Notably, no associations were observed between the sleep quality and sleep-wake patterns and academic performance of the students (p = 0.324 and 0.784, respectively). These findings highlight the substantial prevalence of poor sleep quality and EDS among Saudi medical students, consistent with global trends. Unexpectedly, no significant correlation was observed between sleep quality and student academic performance. These findings suggest that the demanding nature of medical education significantly impacts the sleep patterns and overall well-being of students.

PMID:39869139 | DOI:10.1007/s44197-025-00345-6

Epilepsia. 2025 Jan 27. doi: 10.1111/epi.18281. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify prescribing behaviors in women of childbearing potential (WOCP) with epilepsy already taking valproate (VPA), and to investigate the relationship between VPA maintenance, substitution, reduction, or withdrawal as part of polytherapy, and seizure worsening or relapse.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the prescription behaviors and seizure outcomes in WOCP (16-50 years of age) with epilepsy, referred to eight Italian epilepsy centers, who were taking VPA for at least 1 year between 2014 and 2019.

RESULTS: Among 750 women (~12% of all WOCP), 528 (70.4%) maintained VPA unchanged throughout the observation period, 103 (13.7%) replaced VPA with another antiseizure medication (ASM), 90 (12%) reduced VPA, and 29 (3.9%) discontinued VPA in polytherapy. Focal epilepsy was most strongly associated with VPA withdrawal (odds ratio [OR] 2.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.38-6.38), whereas generalized epilepsy was most associated with its non-withdrawal (reduction/switch/maintenance) (OR .31, 95% CI .14-.68). Intellectual disability, higher seizure frequency, and higher VPA doses were linked to VPA continuation. VPA withdrawal from polytherapy was associated with a higher risk of tonic-clonic seizure worsening (OR 2.91, 95% CI 1.09-7.77) compared to non-withdrawal.

SIGNIFICANCE: VPA was rarely withdrawn or substituted in WOCP with epilepsy, in secondary and tertiary care settings following European regulatory restrictions. This likely reflects a population with severe epilepsies where VPA is difficult to replace; whereas women with milder epilepsies likely discontinued VPA earlier, as evidenced by its low overall prescription frequency. Withdrawal of VPA from a polytherapy regimen was associated with a threefold increased risk of seizure exacerbation.

PMID:39869104 | DOI:10.1111/epi.18281

iScience. 2024 Dec 20;28(1):111661. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111661. eCollection 2025 Jan 17.

ABSTRACT

Recent studies showed that humans, regardless of age, education, and culture, can extract the linear trend of a noisy scatterplot. Although this capacity looks sophisticated, it may simply reflect the extraction of the principal trend of the graph, as if the cloud of dots was processed as an oriented object. To test this idea, we trained Guinea baboons to associate arbitrary shapes with the increasing or decreasing trends of noiseless and noisy scatterplots, while varying the number of points, the noise level, and the regression slope. Many baboons successfully learned this conditional match-to-sample task, and their accuracy varied as a sigmoid function of the t-value of the regression, the same statistical index upon which humans also base their answers. The perceptual component of human graphics abilities seems thus to be based on the recycling of a phylogenetically older competence of the primate visual system for extracting the principal axes of visual displays.

PMID:39868034 | PMC:PMC11761879 | DOI:10.1016/j.isci.2024.111661

Open Res Eur. 2024 Oct 18;4:93. doi: 10.12688/openreseurope.17205.2. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The NextFood Project ( www.nextfood-project.eu) started work in 2018 to identify ‘Categories of Skills’ that students should be equipped with to address the upcoming global challenges within agrifood and forestry disciplines, and involved concepts such as sustainability, technological adaptation and networking. This study is based on the initial skills and competencies mapping, but takes a different methodological approach. Instead of investigating what the research literature and professionals think are important skills for the future, this study asks how existing education programmes include or exclude these skills in the description of their programs.

METHODS: Python-based web-scraping scripts were used to collect texts from a selection of European Masters program websites, which were then analysed using statistical tools. A total of 14 countries, 27 universities, 1303 European Masters programs, 3305 web-pages and almost two million words were studied using this approach.

RESULTS: While agrifood and forestry Masters programs were aligned with the NextFood Project ‘Categories of Skills’ equal to or more often than unrelated Masters programs, we found evidence for the relative underuse of words associated with networking skills, such as collaboration, communication and teamwork. Agriculture-related programs used these words the least among the agrifood Masters programs. In contrast, agrifood programs used words associated with sustainability and system thinking more than the non-agrifood Masters programs.

CONCLUSIONS: The informatics approach provides evidence that many European agrifood and forestry Masters programs are following the educational paths for meeting future challenges as outlined by the NextFood Project, with the possible exception of networking skills. This approach allows a complementary and time-efficient overview of the current state of education in the agrifood system in Europe.

PMID:39868028 | PMC:PMC11757921 | DOI:10.12688/openreseurope.17205.2

Front Psychol. 2025 Jan 10;15:1435110. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1435110. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Fatigue is a prevalent issue among cancer patients. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an individualized intervention that empowers patients and caregivers to actively participate in the treatment process. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis examined the impact of CBT on fatigue in cancer patients.

METHODS: Articles published up to April 2023 were systematically searched in Scopus, PubMed, and the Web of Science using relevant keywords. All randomized clinical trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of CBT on fatigue in cancer patients were included. Statistical analyses were conducted using Stata version 14, with a significance level set at a p-value of <0.05.

RESULTS: The current systematic review and meta-analysis encompasses 10 RCTs. CBT demonstrated a significant reduction in fatigue scores among cancer patients [standardized mean difference (WMD): -2.50; 95%CI: -3.43, -1.56; I2 = 95.8%, p < 0.001]. This effect was consistent across all subgroup analyses.

CONCLUSION: This study underscores the significant impact of CBT on fatigue in cancer patients. Further randomized clinical trials focusing on various cancer types are warranted to validate and build upon these findings.

PMID:39868024 | PMC:PMC11757875 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1435110

Nurs Res Pract. 2025 Jan 17;2025:9371969. doi: 10.1155/nrp/9371969. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

Artificial intelligence (AI) is constantly improving the quality of medical procedures. Despite the application of AI in the healthcare industry, there are conflicting opinions among professionals, and limited research on its practical application in Saudi Arabia was conducted.

AIM: To assess the nurses’ knowledge regarding the application of AI in practice at one of the Ministry of Health hospitals in Saudi Arabia.

METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional research using convenience sampling in January 2023 involving 307 staff nurses, using a single 11-item questionnaire. In addition, 6 closed-ended questions were used to assess the knowledge, possible risks, and advantages of AI.

RESULTS: All 307 participants completed the survey and used it for data analysis using SPSS V.25. Kruskal-Wallis and Whitney tests and descriptive statistics were used to identify the significant differences among groups. The study results reveal significant differences between age groups and working locations regarding familiarity with AI and future use of AI. In contrast, a considerable difference exists between licensed years groups regarding familiarity with AI. Surprisingly, education level does not affect AI knowledge. Additionally, the future use of AI is significantly affected by the nurse’s gender.

LIMITATION: Nurses were not included in previous studies on AI, and most nursing participants need more interest in AI.

CONCLUSION: The study’s results showed that nurses have positive opinions of AI in the healthcare industry, which will help them speed up procedures and reduce medical errors. AI applications can expand in healthcare by increasing the use of AI in the healthcare industry to improve care quality and encourage academic institutions to develop best practices for deploying AI applications in the healthcare industry.

PMID:39868007 | PMC:PMC11759569 | DOI:10.1155/nrp/9371969

Surv Methodol. 2024;50(2):347-373. Epub 2024 Dec 20.

ABSTRACT

When seeking to release public use files for confidential data, statistical agencies can generate fully synthetic data. We propose an approach for making fully synthetic data from surveys collected with complex sampling designs. Our approach adheres to the general strategy proposed by Rubin (1993). Specifically, we generate pseudo-populations by applying the weighted finite population Bayesian bootstrap to account for survey weights, take simple random samples from those pseudo-populations, estimate synthesis models using these simple random samples, and release simulated data drawn from the models as public use files. To facilitate variance estimation, we use the framework of multiple imputation with two data generation strategies. In the first, we generate multiple data sets from each simple random sample. In the second, we generate a single synthetic data set from each simple random sample. We present multiple imputation combining rules for each setting. We illustrate the repeated sampling properties of the combining rules via simulation studies, including comparisons with synthetic data generation based on pseudo-likelihood methods. We apply the proposed methods to a subset of data from the American Community Survey.

PMID:39868003 | PMC:PMC11759325

Front Educ (Lausanne). 2023;8:1183994. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2023.1183994. Epub 2024 Jan 4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects about 13% of adolescents and is associated with substance use-related morbidity and mortality. While evidence on effective interventions to reduce alcohol use among adolescents with ADHD is limited, parent-teen communication about alcohol use has been found to be protective. Other approaches, such as educational interventions, hold promise to reduce alcohol-related harms in adolescents with ADHD. Digital technology offers an innovative approach to health behavior change, expanding access to services and may promote learning for neurodiverse youth, including teens with ADHD. INSPIRE, a narrative-centered game-based behavior change environment designed to promote self-regulation and self-efficacy to prevent risky alcohol use has been found to engage a general adolescent population. The goals of this pilot study are (1) to examine the engagement of youth with ADHD in INSPIRE; and (2) to examine if INSPIRE fosters parent-teen communication.

METHOD: Adolescents diagnosed with ADHD aged 14-16 were recruited from developmental medicine clinics and invited to a focus group offered via Zoom. Participants completed a pre-survey, interacted with the INSPIRE game, and answered a post-survey as well as open-ended questions about their gaming experience during the focus group. Engagement was measured through both self-report using subscales from the User Engagement Scale and computer data; survey and qualitative data collected information on parent-teen communication. Univariate statistics described adolescent characteristics, Rank-sum and Fisher’s exact tests examined relationships among variables, and qualitative analysis identified themes in open-ended questions.

RESULTS: Of adolescent participants (N = 40), 45% identified as female, 17.5% Black, 7.5%, Hispanic, and 62.5% White. Post-survey mean engagement subscales of Usability (on a 5-point scale) was 3.67 (SD = 0.74), and Satisfaction was 3.63 (SD = 0.75). Computer data indicated that participants played the game for a median of 24 min. Adolescents shared that playing the game strengthened refusal skills and their ability to navigate social gatherings with alcohol. Post-survey, 63% planned to share information from INSPIRE with a parent.

CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that INSPIRE may support facilitating youth with ADHD to learn the developmental competencies needed to mitigate risk and thrive. INSPIRE warrants further testing to explore its impact on alcohol use in youth with ADHD.

PMID:39868002 | PMC:PMC11759477 | DOI:10.3389/feduc.2023.1183994