Medical waste management and environmental assessment in the Rio University Hospital,Western Greece

At this study a multi-criteria model was developed to examine the available procedures, techniques and methods of handling infectious waste in the large healthcare unit of University Regional General Hospital of Patras, Western Greece. Particularly, this study examined the: a) current legislation and Directives issued for medical waste management at Greece and among the other EU-members, b) contribution of healthcare wastes (HCW) generation rate on social and economic parameters in selected European countries, c) available procedures, techniques, and methods upon the disposal of infectious wastes at the healthcare studied, and, d) propositions for integrated management of such hazardous wastes. Specifically, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology was applied under pair wise comparison matrices in two stages: 1) the scale factors and the indicators, and 2) the criteria and their sub–criteria. The assessment of these pair wise matrices included the indicators and the sub–criteria. Subsequently, two pair wise comparison matrices, upon a) the “Fulfillment of environmental objectives” indicator and b) the “Energy consumption” sub criterion, were denoted. The AHP methodology yielded good results; however there is still space of improving the environmental performance. The normalized relative weights obtained for the criteria and sub criteria motivated specific actions that have to be handled. Particularly, the results indicated a very good value in environmental management criteria due the values obtained for the commitment towards the environmental policy standards and the waste management procedures. However, further improvements on staff awareness (such as development programs to enhance sensitivity) and more green purchasing suppliers, should be further addressed.     

Egg Intake Has No Adverse Association With Blood Lipids Or Glucose In Adolescent Girls

Objective: Longitudinal data on cardiometabolic effects of egg intake during adolescence are lacking. The current analyses aim to evaluate the impact of usual adolescent egg consumption on lipid levels, fasting glucose, and insulin resistance during late adolescence (age 17–20?years).

Methods: Data from 1392 girls, aged 9 to 10 at baseline and followed for 10?years, in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s National Growth and Health Study were used to examine the association between usual egg intake alone and in combination with other healthy lifestyle factors and late adolescent lipid levels, fasting glucose, and insulin resistance, measured as homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Diet was assessed using 3-day food records during eight examination cycles. Girls were classified according to usual weekly egg intake, ages 9–17?years:?<1 egg/wk (n?=?361), 1 to <3 eggs/wk (n?=?703), and ≥3 eggs/wk (n?=?328). Analysis of covariance modeling was used to control for confounding by other behavioral and biological risk factors.

Results: Girls with low, moderate, and high egg intakes had adjusted low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels of 99.7, 98.8, and 95.5 mg/dL, respectively (p?=?0.0778). In combination with higher intakes of fiber, dairy, or fruits and vegetables, these beneficial effects were stronger and statistically significant. There was no evidence that ≥3 eggs/wk had an adverse effect on lipids, glucose, or HOMA-IR. More active girls who consumed ≥3 eggs/wk had the lowest levels of insulin resistance.

Conclusion: These results suggest that eggs may be included as part of a healthy adolescent diet without adverse effects on glucose, lipid levels, or insulin resistance.     

On the Relationship between Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Parameters and the Underlying Vascular Architecture Extracted from Acoustic Angiography

Dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US) has been proposed as a powerful tool for cancer diagnosis by estimation of perfusion and dispersion parameters reflecting angiogenic vascular changes. This work was aimed at identifying which vascular features are reflected by the estimated perfusion and dispersion parameters through comparison with acoustic angiography (AA). AA is a high-resolution technique that allows quantification of vascular morphology. Three-dimensional AA and 2-D DCE-US bolus acquisitions were used to monitor the growth of fibrosarcoma tumors in nine rats. AA-derived vascular properties were analyzed along with DCE-US perfusion and dispersion to investigate the differences between tumor and control and their evolution in time. AA-derived microvascular density and DCE-US perfusion exhibited good agreement, confirmed by their spatial distributions. No vascular feature was correlated with dispersion. Yet, dispersion provided better cancer classification than perfusion. We therefore hypothesize that dispersion characterizes vessels that are smaller than those visible with AA.     

Liguzinediol对阿霉素诱导的慢性心衰大鼠心功能的影响

目的 通过阿霉素（Dox）复制大鼠慢性心力衰竭（CHF）模型，观察Liguzinediol对CHF大鼠心功能的影响。方法 通过血流动力学观察Liguzinediol对Dox（腹腔注射，2 mg/kg）诱导的CHF大鼠左心室内压最大上升/下降速率(±dp/dt_max)、左心室内压(LVSP)、动脉收缩压(ASP)、动脉舒张压(ADP)和心率(HR)的变化；观察Liguzinediol对血清一氧化氮（NO）、一氧化氮合成酶（NOS）、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）和白细胞介素-6（IL-6）以及血浆中丙二醛（MDA）的影响。结果 Liguzinediol能增加LVSP、+dp/dt_max、ASP、ADP、AP、HR，降低-dp/dt_max(P<0.05~0.01)；降低NO、iNOS以及MDA的浓度，同时增强了SOD的活性(P<0.05~0.01)；抑制IL-6和TNF-α的生成(P<0.05~0.01)。结论 Liguzinediol可明显改善Dox诱导的CHF大鼠血流动力学指标，减少模型大鼠炎症因子的释放以及抑制氧自由基的生成。      

Accuracy of MRI-guided Versus Systematic Prostate Biopsy in Patients Under Active Surveillance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

This meta-analysis focuses on the accuracy of upgrading to clinically significant prostate cancer (PCa) by multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging-targeted biopsy (MRI-TB) versus systematic biopsy (SB). We searched the Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Scopus, and Literatura Latino Americana em Ciências da Saúde databases through January 2020 for comparative, retrospective/prospective, paired-cohort, and randomized clinical trials with paired comparisons. The population consisted of patients with low-risk PCa in active surveillance with at least 1 index lesion on imaging. We evaluated the quality of evidence by using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 score. Group comparisons considered the differences between the area under the curve summary receiver operating characteristic curve in a 2-tailed method. We also compared the positive predictive value of the best single method (MRI-TB or SB) and the referral study test (combined biopsy, a combination of MRI-TB and SB). The meta-analysis included 6 studies enrolling 741 patients. The pooled sensitivity for the 2 groups was 0.79 (95% confidence interval, 0.74-0.83; I² = 75%) and 0.67 (95% confidence interval, 0.63-0.74; I² = 55.4%), respectively. The area under the curve for the MRI-TB and SB groups were 0.99 and 0.92 (P < .001), respectively. The positive predictive value for the MRI-TB and combined biopsy groups were similar. The accumulated evidence suggests better results for MRI-TB compared with SB. Therefore, use of MRI-TB alone may be preferable in patients in active surveillance harboring low-risk PCa.     

Patients' expectations,experience and acceptability of postoperative analgesia: a nested qualitative study within a randomised controlled trial comparing rectus sheath catheter and thoracic epidural analgesia

Adequate postoperative analgesia is a key element of enhanced recovery programmes. Thoracic epidural analgesia is associated with superior postoperative analgesia but can lead to complications. Rectus sheath catheter analgesia may provide an alternative. In a nested qualitative study (within a two-year randomised controlled trial) focussing on the acceptability, expectations and experiences of receiving the interventions, participants (n = 20) were interviewed 4 weeks post-intervention using a grounded theory approach. Constant comparative analysis, with patient and public involvement, enabled emerging findings to be pursued through subsequent data collection. We found no notable differences regarding postoperative acceptability or the experience of pain management. Pre-operatively, however, thoracic epidural analgesia was a source of anticipatory fear and anxiety. Both interventions resulted in some experienced adverse events (proportionately more with thoracic epidural analgesia). Participants had negative experiences of the insertion of thoracic epidural analgesia; others receiving the rectus sheath catheter lacked confidence in staff members' ability to manage the local anaesthetic infusion pump. The anticipation of the technique of thoracic epidural analgesia, and concerns about its impact on mobility, represented an additional, unpleasant experience for patients already managing an illness experience, anticipating a life-changing operation and dealing with concerns about the future. The anticipation of rectus sheath catheter analgesia was not associated with such anxieties. Patients' experiences start far earlier than the experience of the intervention itself through anticipatory anxieties and fears about receiving a technique and its potential implications. Complex pain packages can take on greater meaning than their actual efficacy in relieving postoperative pain. Future research into patient acceptability and experience should not focus solely on efficacy of pain relief but should include anticipatory fears, anxieties and experiences.     

医科大学医学生健康教育培训需求度和满意度现状分析

目的 了解医学生学习《健康教育》课程的满意度、需求度现状及差异，为《健康教育》课程优化提供参考。方法 以某医科大学在校临床医学生为研究对象，分析医学生对课程内容的需求度和满意度及二者差异。课程内容包括服药依从性、戒烟干预、合理膳食、心理压力管理、中医康复技术、慢性传染病健康教育、急性传染病健康教育、移动健康技术教育、运动康复指导及健康促进理论。采用频数和构成比指标进行统计描述，采用卡方检验进行健康教育课程学习情况与专业/ 学制之间、相关课程内容学习的需求度与学制的差异，相关课程内容学习需求度与满意度的关联比较采用秩和检验。以P ＜ 0.05 为差异具有统计学意义。结果 戒烟干预、合理膳食、心理压力管理、中医康复技术、慢性传染病健康教育、急性传染病健康教育、移动健康技术教育及健康促进理论八项的学习需求度在长学制医学生与五年制医学生中的总体分布位置不同（U ＝ 2.4、2.2、2.5、2.3、2.4、2.4、2.3、2.0，P 均＜ 0.05）；服药依从性、戒烟干预、合理膳食、心理压力管理、慢性传染病健康教育、急性传染病健康教育、移动健康技术教育及运动康复指导八项的满意度与需求度之间的总体位置分布不同（U ＝ 6.2、5.2、7.2、9.2、5.9、6.1、2.1、3.2，P 均＜ 0.05）；不同学制的医学生对于慢性病人、老年人、孕产妇、传染病人、高危人群和职业暴露人群的健康教育重点关注人群侧重有所不同，其差异具有统计学意义（χ2 ＝ 8.9、14.2、9.9、6.9、23.9、17.8，P 均＜ 0.05）；在教学方式上，不同学制的医学生对于教师课堂讲授和小组讨论的偏好上的差异具有统计学意义（χ2=6.3、9.5，P 均＜ 0.05）。结论 当前健康教育课程的教学内容和结构未能完全满足不同学制、年级医学生的学习需求，需要对课程教学内容、教学方式和开设时间进行进一步的优化设计。