METHODS: This study included all doctors working in the EDs of three teaching hospitals. A 17-item online survey instrument that collected information on sex, experience, perceived prevalence, perception, and practice of cognitive assessment was distributed through electronic mail and data messaging services.
RESULTS: Of the 210 participants, 72 were male. The estimated mean with standard deviation prevalence of cognitive impairment in older patients in the ED was 39.5%±19.7%. Among the participating ED doctors, 75.8% performed cognitive testing up to 10% of the time. Moreover, the participants ranked cognitive impairment the lowest compared to the other four chronic conditions in terms of its impact on hospitalization outcomes. Multiple linear regression revealed that the doctors' perceptions of the responsible personnel and the importance of cognitive testing, as well as their lack of expertise, were independently associated with the frequency of testing.
CONCLUSION: Lack of expertise, perception of the importance of cognitive testing, and lack of consensus on which discipline is responsible for performing cognitive testing in older patients in the ED were the limiting factors in performing cognitive testing in the ED. Improving perception and awareness of the importance of cognitive assessment as a screening tool could improve the detection and overall management of older patients.
METHODOLOGY: A panel of 30 laypersons, including raters from both genders equally, aged 19-24 years, evaluated extraoral photographs taken before the treatment of 60 patients (evenly divided between males and females employing a disproportionate stratified sampling method through a computer-generated list) with skeletal class I malocclusion, vertical growth pattern based on the Bjork sum, aged 18-25 years (with an average age of 22 ± 1.53 years), with the photographs taken in three positions (frontal relaxed, frontal during a smile, and relaxed profile). The raters utilized the visual analog scale (VAS) to assign an esthetic quality score to each photograph. Based on the average esthetic scores of each photo, two groups were created: the most attractive group, which received the highest esthetic score, and the least attractive group, which received the lowest esthetic score. After selecting 12 patients for each group, the angles and proportions of the frontal and lateral photos were calculated, and the results were compared between the two groups using an independent-sample t-test to see any significant differences.
RESULTS: The most attractive females had a significantly lower value of mouth width to lower facial height than the least attractive females (P = 0.039). In addition, the most attractive males had a substantially greater value of facial convexity angle than the least attractive males (P = 0.041). Regarding other profile and frontal variables, no statistically significant differences existed between the most and least attractive males and females.
CONCLUSIONS: In patients with vertical growth pattern malocclusion, it is important to consider the chin protrusion of male patients during treatment planning and diagnosis because it enhances masculine features in these patients, as well as the lower facial height of female patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study comprised 47 Year 4 pharmacy students in the pre- and post-practical phases (September 2018 and November 2018), followed by the post-resting phase (May 2019). The data collection form in the Sport Pharmacy course was used for the data collection.
RESULTS: Nearly half of the students initially displayed a normal body mass index (BMI). However, after the post-resting period, there was a noticeable increase in the number of students categorized as obese and those with elevated total cholesterol (TC) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels. Specifically, in the pre-study phase, out of 47 participants, 22 were within the normal BMI (47%), six underweight (13%), nine overweight (19%), and ten obese (21%). The intervention phase showed a slight reduction in the overweight category, while the obese category showed an increase. For TC, the pre-phase had 70% of participants within the normal range, with 26% borderline high and 4% high. Post-study, showed an improvement, likely influenced by controlled dietary intake and physical activity. In the post-resting phase, however, there was a regression as the majority did not adhere to the non-pharmacological regimen. FBG demonstrated significant changes after the intervention, particularly within the normal range (≤ 6.0 mmol/L), showing the only statistically significant change across parameters. While the post-resting phase saw a minor increase, it remained below baseline. Approximately 23% continued diet control, while 32% maintained physical activity. Key motivations included health improvement, visible results, and improved well-being, while lack of motivation, time, and study schedules were primary discontinuation factors.
CONCLUSION: The 10-week intervention significantly impacted FBG but had limited influence on BMI and TC. Post-resting outcomes highlight that only a small fraction maintained the non-pharmacological approach, resulting in no marked changes in any parameters. Recommendations include further long-term studies to confirm the sustained benefits and the role of educational institutions in supporting such interventions.
Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted, using the Kedah audit samples data extracted from the National Diabetes Registry (NDR) from the year 2014 to 2018. A total of 25,062 registered type 2 diabetes mellitus patients were selected using the inclusion and exclusion criteria from the registry. Only patients with complete data on their HbA1C, lipid profile, waist circumference and BMI were analysed using SPSS version 21.
Results: the means for the age, BMI and waist circumference of the samples were 61.5 (±10.85) years, 27.3 (±5.05) kg/m2 and 89.46 (±13.58) cm, respectively. Poor glycaemic control (HbA1c>6.5%) was observed in 72.7% of the patients, with females having poorer glycaemic control. The BMI and waist circumference were found to be significantly associated with glycaemic control (P<0.001). The total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins values showed positive correlation with glycaemic control (r = 0.178, 0.157, 0.145, p<0.001), while high-density lipoproteins values are negatively correlated (r = -0.019, p<0.001).
Conclusion: implementing lifestyle changes such as physical activity and dietary modifications are important in the management of BMI, waist circumference and body lipids, which in turn results in improved glycaemic control.