Demographic Criteria Research Articles

Student behaviour: Indiscipline in class room

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the causes of student indiscipline in the classroom and how this issue has been perceived in relation to other demographic criteria such as income class group, educational background, culture, family discipline, spirituality, food preference, and so on. The reasons for indiscipline have been classified into four categories: factors relating to the students, teachers, institutions, and society that compromise students’ ability to learn in the classroom. Methodology – Explorative and descriptive research design used for a sample size of 500 from respondents of Delhi using convenience sampling. Findings & Suggestions – Factors of student indiscipline has been reported in the study are attention seeking and peer appreciation, disorganized families a lack of dependency on the instructor, the teacher’s leniency, poor communication, low student–teacher ratio, poor infrastructure, deteriorating social values. The same students have been found to be involved in a variety of indisciplined activities. In comparison to students from service families, students from business families complain more about poor infrastructure and believe it is one of the most significant causes of indiscipline. Personality development classes per week can address the indiscipline problem. Scope & Limitations – Research has not covered the outside class room indiscipline as a theoretical concept deficient and limited in scope in private and deemed universities as also higher educational institutions in India. Time dimension of study is cross-sectional which cannot predict any pattern.

Off-label Use of ADO II® in the Closure of Various Congenital Heart Defects

Devices may be used for special purposes different than their production purpose. For instance, Amplatzer Ductal Occluder is actually designed for duct closure and its usage for closing defects other than ductus is named as off-label. The aim of this study is to emphasize off-label use of device: not only for PDA and VSD but also for other various defects. This study is designed retrospectively, performed by the evaluation catheterization records of patients in whom ADO II and ADO II-AS devices were used in Erciyes University Medical Faculty Children Hospital, Pediatric Cardiology Department between 2011 and 2018. Patients’ demographic criteria: age, weight at the time of procedure was gathered. The diagnosis, size of device, follow-up period and complications were also noted. From April 2011 to March 2018, a total of 121 patients underwent transcatheter closure by ADO II and 66 patients by ADO II AS. The number of PDA closure with ADO II was 48; with ADO II AS were 62. Rest of the procedures were all off-label. Types of off-label procedures performed were: VSD closure, residual mitral cleft closure, Aorta-Right atrium tunnel closure, pulmonary arteriovenous fistula occlusion, aorta-pulmonary window closure, and occlusion of the artery feeding accessory lobe in scimitar syndrome, Gerbode defect occlusion. Up to our knowledge; this study includes the largest pediatric case series with various different congenital heart defects which were closed with ADO-II. Also our ADO-II occluded VSD case series is one of the largest series in the literature with almost 6 years’ follow-up. We believe in that ADO-II device may be an alternative in percutaneous closure of various rare heart defects. It is used successfully for non-ductal defects with low complication and high compliance rates.

The thoracoscopic approach in the management of parapneumonic pleural effusion in children

Background: Parapneumonic pleural effusion is a relatively common entity and continues to be a major cause of morbidity in children. However, managing this disease is still a matter of controversy between surgical and non-surgical options. With the advancement of mini-invasive surgery, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has become a mainstay in the treatment of parapneumonic effusion in children. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and pathological features of parapneumonic pleural effusion in children and to explore the feasibility and safety of the thoracoscopic approach in the pediatric population. Methods: The clinical data of all patients who underwent VATS for parapneumonic effusion between 2007 and 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. Factors that were documented included demographic criteria, clinical manifestations, preoperative examinations, therapeutic procedures, intraoperative findings, postoperative complications, and outcomes. Results: Totally, 35 patients with a mean age of 5.14 ± 3.9 years were operated on thoracoscopically. The mean duration of evolution before VATS was 9 days ± 4. All children were hospitalized in a Pediatric Continuing Care Unit. Antibiotic therapy was administrated in combination in all cases. Corticosteroid therapy was used in 2 patients. Thoracentesis was performed in 6 patients. Thoracostomy tube drainage was placed before surgery in 11 patients. The average duration of drainage before VATS was 6 days ± 4. VATS decortication and/or debridement was indicated as second-line in 23 patients. The average duration of the surgery was 51 minutes (20 min - 115 min). There is no conversion to open surgery and no intraoperative procedure-dependent complication. 4 children have early complications after the VATS and one patient had a late postoperative complication. There were no deaths during the hospital stay or follow-up. Conclusion: In skilled hands, VATS is safe, feasible, and effective in the management of parapneumonic pleural effusion in children with excellent outcomes.

Impact of patient nationality on the severity of early side effects after radiotherapy

BackgroundMajor demographical changes in Germany commenced in the 1960s. Ongoing humanitarian crises in the Ukraine with subsequent immigration will have also long-range effects on national provision of cancer treatment. Ensuring the best possible outcomes for each cancer patient undergoing radiotherapy requires the prediction and prevention of unfavorable side effects. Given that recent research has primarily focused on clinical outcome indicators solely, less is known regarding sociodemographic predictors of therapeutic outcomes, such as patient nationality. Here, we investigated whether the severity of early side effects after radiotherapy are associated with patient nationality and other sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.MethodsOut of 9187 patients treated at a German university medical center between 2017 and 2021, 178 German and 178 non-German patients were selected for matched-pair analysis based on diagnostic and demographic criteria. For all 356 patients, data on side effects from follow-up care after radiotherapy were collected.ResultsNon-German patients were more likely to have severe side effects than German patients. Side effect severity was also associated with tumor entity, concomitant therapy, body mass index, and age.ConclusionForeign cancer patients are at higher risk of experiencing severe side effects of radiotherapy, suggesting a need to develop and implement targeted preventive measures for these patients. Further research investigating factors predicting the occurrence of radiotherapy side effects, including other sociodemographic characteristics, is needed to better personalize therapy regimens for cancer.

Evaluation of potential sites in Iran to localize solar farms using a GIS-based Fermatean Fuzzy TOPSIS

Iran's energy consumption is constantly and rapidly increasing. Due to the country's geographical placement on the Sun Belt of the Earth, there is a great potential for photovoltaic (PV) energy to be used; however, it necessitates an evidence-based selection of appropriate locations to develop solar farms. In this paper, we used a new approach to prioritize potential PV plant sites employing geographical information system (GIS)-based Fermatean Fuzzy (FF) TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution). We considered economic, geographic, climatic, infrastructures, and demographic criteria in GIS-based FF-TOPSIS and compared outputs with earlier versions of the TOPSIS method (crisp and triangular fuzzy numbers (TFN)). Although all three versions indicated high correlations of >0.89, 20.88% of pixels' priority differed depending on the chosen method's logic. Regarding the sensitivity analysis, the GIS-based FF-TOPSIS in terms of criteria's weight was substantially more resistant to uncertainty than the TNF-TOPSIS. Besides, the GIS-based FF-TOPSIS has rational sensitivity (i.e., tolerance) to the accuracy of input data. The GIS-based FF-TOPSIS method demonstrated sensitivity or robustness depending on the degree of uncertainty in the numbers, which can be altered depending on the expertise and mastery of experts. Our findings indicated that approximately 13.81% of the entire country has the potential for solar power plants. According to the results of the GIS-based FF-TOPSIS approach, the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan, Hormozgan, Fars, and Khuzestan have the largest potential for solar power farms in Iran.

Retrospective cohort study of acute behavioural disturbance in police use of force reports

BackgroundAcute Behavioural Disturbance (ABD) is a presentation of behavioural change which may conceal life-threatening illness. Concerns have been raised that it is used as a justification for deaths in custody and within the health and care system, but there is a lack of evidence exploring how the term ABD is applied in the UK. Aimsto establish how UK police officers apply force in ABD compared to other presentations, examine outcome and fatality data, and identify regional variation and potential systemic issues in the application of the term ABD in a UK setting. Methodretrospective cohort study of 562,280 police use of force (UoF) reports (England and Wales, Apr 2020–Mar 2021). Resultsdifferences were identified in UoF location, co-existing contributors to UoF, justifications given, patient demographics, methods of restraint, and outcomes. Differences were also identified in UoF reports per capita and identification of ABD between police forces. Conclusionwhile there are limitations to the data set and the paper is hypothesis-generating only, this study found evidence suggestive of variations in reporting practices between police forces, and evidence that identification of ABD appears to be associated with protective aims of UoF and more likely to result in a healthcare-focussed outcome. While the majority of ABD was identified in people perceived to be white men, some demographic criteria were associated with an increased relative risk that ABD was identified as a reason for UoF.

Word Frequencies in the Written Texts of Learners of Turkish as a Foreign Language at CEFR Level A

This study aims to list the vocabulary items used by learners of Turkish as a foreign language at CEFR level A and their frequency values, and reveal the factors affecting the differences in the word frequency lists created based on certain demographic criteria. It also aims to compare the lists with the frequency lists of the course book used by the learners and the list of words frequently used by native speakers of Turkish. For these purposes, written texts of 123 students at Ankara University TÖMER were collected and digitized, and using all the words in those texts, a lemma list was created for this learner corpus. Then, separate lists were created to show how certain variables might affect the frequency of words used by learners. The results show that the most significant factor leading to differences in the lists is the level the students were studying at.

Adverse Effects Following the First and Second Dose in Individuals Receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine: A Cohort Study

The FDA-approved vaccine against the novel coronavirus developed by Pfizer and BioNTech became widely popular in Iraq. The study aims to evaluate the incidence of vaccine adverse reactions, and severity after first and second doses and to link some of the demographic criteria of recipients. This study included 850 adults (16 years and older), and the sample was collected from a randomly selected vaccination center in Baghdad, Iraq for the period January to March 2022. Study Participants were directly interviewed while taking the first dose. Later on, phone calls were used to monitor participants’ self-reported local or systemic adverse reactions for one week after the first dose and second dose. The participants’ age range was (19-76 years) with a mean of (46.2 ± 15.8) years. 59.9% were males. The mean body mass index (BMI) was (27.7 ±2.9). The incidence of vaccine adverse reactions after first and second doses were: first dose (local 17%, systemic 27%), second dose (local 27%, systemic 35%). Ordinal logistic regression analysis after adjusting for age, sex, and past medical history (PMHx) showed a higher incidence and severity in females and those with PMHx in nearly all the types of reactions except for chills (second dose) and PMHx (two doses), muscle or joint pain (two doses). Spearman’s Rank test showed an insignificant correlation with any type of reaction. The vaccine is generally safe and adverse reactions are mild and tolerable in the majority of cases.

Local excision of T1 colorectal cancer: good differentiation, absence of lymphovascular invasion, and limited tumor radial infiltration (≤4.25mm) may allow avoiding radical surgery.

Early colorectal cancer (ECC) is defined as T1NXM0 colorectal cancer (CRC). Although a non-negligible number of T1-CRCs presents metastatic lymph-nodes, local excision is increasingly proposed as alternative to radical resection. Several criteria have been suggested to identify low-risk T1-CRC, but recommendations on this topic are still heterogeneous. This study aims to identify criteria associated with N+ T1-CRC, to select patients to undergo (or not) local excision. A retrospective analysis of demographic, clinical, and histology criteria of 122 consecutive T1-CRC patients undergoing radical resection at Parma University Hospital between 2000 and 2018 has been performed. Lymph-node metastasis (LNM) was observed in 15/122 patients (12.3%). No LNM was observed among well-differentiated (G1) tumors (0/37), while 10/65 (15.4%) G2 cases as well as 5/20 (25%) G3 patients presented LNM. G1 was associated with absence of LNM (p = 0.013). After excluding G1 patients, the rate of N + T1-CRC was 17.6% (15/85). LNM was observed in 4/8 (50%) patients with lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and in 11/77 (14.2%) without LVI. LVI resulted being associated with LNM (p < 0.042). LNM was reported in 28.3% of cases with a tumor infiltration >4.25mm (13/46), compared to 5.1% in cases with an infiltration ≤4.25mm (2/39) (p = 0.012). In Cox regression analysis, the higher hazard ratio (HR) was reported for the LVI + and infiltration >4.25mm (HR 24.849). In patients with ECC (pT1NXM0), good differentiation (G1), absence of lymphovascular invasion (LVI-), and tumor radial infiltration ≤4.25mm may allow performing local resection and avoiding radical surgery.

Irritable Bowel syndrome and Psychiatric Comorbidities: A narrative review

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most commonly diagnosed illness by gastroenterologists. These symptoms occur widely in the general population at all ages and in both sexes. The condition is a considerable health-care burden, accounting for approximately half of all referrals to gastrointestinal clinics. The prevalence of IBS varies according on geographic region, demographic, and diagnostic criteria employed. IBS pathogenesis is complicated and poorly understood. Gut microbiota, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), visceral hypersensitivity, disruption of the gut-brain axis, psychosocial distress, and altered GI motility all are proposed as potential risk factors. Inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS) is associated with considerable psychosocial comorbidities, which have an impact on patient quality of life, disease progression, and health-care expenditures. The present article reviews the latest evidence on the aetiology IBS, with a focus on psychiatric comorbidities and available management available.

Gut Microbiome Remains Static in Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders Patients Compared to Controls: Potential for Diagnostic Tools.

Functional Abdominal Pain disorders (FAPDs) are a group of heterogeneous gastrointestinal disorders with unclear pathophysiology. In children, FAPDs are more common in the winter months than summer months. The possible influence of school stressors has been proposed. Previously, our group showed differences in bacterial relative abundances and alpha diversity in the gut microbiome and its relationship with stressors in a cross-sectional evaluation of children suffering from FAPDs compared to a healthy control group. We present longitudinal data to assess whether the gut microbiome changes over school terms in the control and FAPDs groups. The longitudinal study included children with FAPDs (n = 28) and healthy controls (n = 54). Gastrointestinal symptoms, as well as stool microbiome, were assessed in both groups. Stool samples were serially collected from all participants during both the school term and summer vacation. The stool samples were subjected to total genomic extraction, 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis. The gut microbiome was compared at school and during vacation. Other metrics, alpha diversity, and beta diversity, were also compared between the two school terms in every group. In the healthy group, there were differences in microbiome composition between school terms and summer vacation. Conversely, we found no differences in the FAPDs group between the two terms. The healthy control group revealed differences (p-value &lt; 0.05) in 55 bacterial species between the school term and vacation. Several of the differentially abundant identified bacteria were involved in short-chain fatty acids production (SCFAs), inflammation reduction, and gut homeostasis. Alpha diversity metrics, such as the Shannon index, were different in the control group and remained unchanged in the FAPDs group. Although preliminary, our findings suggest that the gut microbiome is static in FAPDs. This compares with a more dynamic healthy gut microbiome. Further studies are warranted to corroborate this and understand the interplay between stress, symptoms, and a less diverse and static microbiome. Future studies will also account for different variables such as diet and other patient demographic criteria that were missing in the current study.

Evaluating Transit Market Potential and Selecting Locations of Transit Service Facilities Using GIS

Accessibility to transit service facility (TSF) locations plays a significant role in the success of public transportation systems. The ease with which the end-user can reach a TSF (e.g., bus stops, rail stations, or multimodal centers) plays prominently in the decision-making process of the individual.This article presents a working definition for transit market potential based on accessibility in terms of walking distance and walking time. Further, a measure is constructed to evaluate transit market potential for TSF locations for a transit system. The measure of transit potential is represented by an index value based on demographic criteria such as employment, household size, vehicle ownership, etc. This index can be used to identify locations of TSFs that increase a route’s potential for ridership. A methodology is proposed to estimate the Index of Transit Potential for TSFs. This methodology involves (I) identifying the accessible network of streets around each TSF that is within an acceptable access threshold for a transit rider, and (2) estimating the transit market potential based on key demographic characteristics. The analytical and visualization capabilities of a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program are utilized to help attain the objective. A case study is used to demonstrate the application of the methodology. In the case study, a portion of a route of the Las Vegas Citizens Area Transit (CAT) system is analyzed and the Index of Transit Potential is estimated. The index values are then used to locate TSFs along the route. This is compared with the existing stop locations for the route.

Role of the emergency department in implementing an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital has introduced an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E-CPR) service with collaboration between ED and ICU teams for refractory cardiac arrest patients. E-CPR is potentially beneficial to patients who do not gain return of spontaneous circulation after conventional advanced cardiac life support treatments, provided specific demographic and biochemical inclusion criteria are met. A joint ICU and ED decision is reached to commence ECMO flow. We discuss our rationale to use the ED and the emergency physician role in leading the multidisciplinary team, with ICU leading the cannulation team. The development of ED processes and the increased availability of this intervention can significantly impact the survivability of refractory cardiac arrest with good neurological outcomes.

Could Plasma CXCL12 Predict Ventricular Dysfunction in Patients with Severe Myocardial Infarction?

Plasma level of chemokine CXCL12 can predict adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease, but data on its relationship with severity of coronary stenosis in cases of severe myocardial infarction (MI) are scarce and conflicting. The objective of this study was to investigate link between plasma CXCL12 levels and different grades of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in statin-treated and -untreated patients with severe MI. A total of 198 consecutive patients with first-time severe MI (ST-elevated myocardial infarction [STEMI], n = 121 and non-ST-elevated myocardial infarction [NSTEMI], n = 77) were recruited from Coronary Care Unit, King Abdulaziz University Hospital. They have one to two coronary arteries blocked ≥50%, or three arteries blocked 30 to 49%. Demographic and clinical criteria were collected and plasma CXCL12 level was measured. No correlations were detected between demographic and clinical criteria and CXCL12 level. While troponin peaks and LVEF significantly differed between STEMI and NSTEMI patients, CXCL12 level showed nonsignificant changes. Plasma CXCL12 levels decreased significantly in statin-treated patients compared with those untreated. From receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, high CXCL12 levels were associated with no statin therapy. For STEMI and NSTEMI patients, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for CXCL12 test were 0.685 and 0.820, while sensitivity and specificity values were 75.9 and 54.8%, and 73.1 and 84%, respectively. Plasma CXCL12 levels showed nonsignificant changes with different ranges of LVEF and troponin peaks. In patients with severe MI, irrespective of statin therapy, plasma CXCL12 showed no correlation with different ranges of LVEF suggesting that it cannot predict left ventricular dysfunction in these cases. However, cross-sectional design of this study is a limitation.

Demographic and clinical criteria of intranasal lobular capillary hemangioma: as retrospective multicentric audit

IntroductionLobular capillary hemangioma (LCH) is a benign vascular tumor that rarely affects the nasal cavity. Pregnancy and previous nasal trauma or surgery might be implicated in the pathogenesis of this tumor. However, in the majority of the cases, there is no identified cause. The objective of this study was to characterize the numerous demographic and clinical aspects of intranasal LCH and to find whether there is a link between its likely causation and other parameters. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records (from 2012 to 2021) of subjects with proven cases of intranasal LCH on histopathological evaluation at four main hospitals in Baghdad, Ramadi, Tikrit, and Samawah cities, Iraq. The detailed information concerning the age, gender, duration, clinical features, side, location, type of anesthesia, follow-up period, and recurrence was registered for each participant.ResultsOf the 82 patients, there were 73.2% females. The majority of the cases (79.3%) were from the age group of 18–40 years. The majority of the patients (74.4%) were seen within 1–2 months. Most of the cases originated from the left side (59.8%) and the nasal septum (81.7%). Epistaxis was the most common presenting symptom (91.5%). No cause was identified in 42.7% of the cases, followed by pregnancy (31.7%) and trauma (25.6%). There was a significant difference between the possible cause and the age and gender (P-value = 0.000). The recurrence rate was 3.66%.ConclusionIntranasal LCH shows a female predominance and mostly affects the age group of 18–40 years. Most of the cases involved the left side and nasal septum. Epistaxis was the chief complaint in the majority of cases. Age and gender can determine the possible cause of the lesion.

Effectiveness of Erector Spinae Plane Block for Postoperative Analgesia in Modified Radical Mastectomy

Postoperative pain control in breast cancer surgery has become one of the most important goals for anesthesiologists. Several techniques have been trialed for providing postoperative analgesia after breast surgery. This randomized control study was designed to evaluate the postoperative analgesic effect of ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane (US-guided ESP) block for modified radical mastectomy surgery. To evaluate the postoperative analgesic effect of pectoral nerves block and erector spinae plane block for modified radical mastectomy surgery. This prospective, randomized, controlled trial was conducted at the Department of Anaesthesia, Analgesia, Palliative &amp; Intensive Care Medicine in Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. A total 46 patients who were to undergo modified radical mastectomy, fulfilling selection criteria were included in the study following confirmation of the informed written consent and randomly divided into two groups- where each group include 23 Patients. Group A received ultrasound guided ESP and group B received ultrasound guided PECS block. All patients of both groups received GA after confirmation of block. All relevant information including demographic criteria, medical history, clinical evaluation during and after performance of block were collected. All patients were observed peri-operatively and data were recorded into the preformed questionnaires form. Finally, data was analyzed by SPSS version 22.0. Mean age of study population was 52.07±7.08 years with majority in age group 50-59 years. No significant difference was noted between patient’s characteristics, duration of surgery and heart rate and mean arterial pressure of patient during and after operation between two groups (p&gt;0.05). The mean VAS score was significantly low in ESP block as compared to the PECS block at all-time interval (p&lt;0.05) except at 12 hours. Patients with ESP block had significantly late demand of 1st analgesic (12.13±2.45 hours vs 8.89±3.35 hours) (p&lt;0.05) and significantly less total opioid consumption (5.17±0.57 mg vs 10.18±1.82 mg) (p&lt;0.05) compared to patients with PECS block. Post-operative complication was noted significantly higher among patients with PECS block compared to ESP block. These findings from our study depict ESP block performed in patients scheduled for MRM (modified radical mastectomy) results in better pain control and less postoperative opioid consumption in the first 24 hours than PECS block.&#x0D; CBMJ 2022 July: vol. 11 no. 02 P: 86-95

An approach for measuring spatial similarity among COVID-19 epicenters

ABSTRACT Most countries and territories worldwide are affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and some cities have become known as epicenters owing to high outbreaks. Because of the changeable and unknown nature of the virus, managers of different cities could learn from the experiences of cities that have been successful in controlling COVID-19 instead of wasting time exploring different methods. It would be even more beneficial if they analyzed the experiences of similar cities. The similarity of such cities could be examined within a geographic information system based on various criteria. This study investigated the similarities among eight cities – Wuhan, Tehran, Bergamo, Madrid, Paris, Daegu, New York, and Berlin – in terms of the COVID-19 situation (target) in these locations based on proximity factors, weather, and demographic criteria. First, the factor and target layers were prepared, and then similar cities were identified using a similarity model and different distance metrics. The results were aggregated using the Copeland method because of the different outcomes for each metric. The most similar city was identified for each selected city, and its similarity level was determined based on these criteria. The results suggested the following pairs of similar cities: Wuhan–Berlin, Tehran–Berlin, Daegu–Wuhan, Bergamo–Madrid, Paris–Madrid, and New York–Paris based on COVID-19 related data up to 15 April 2020 (target T1), and Daegu–Wuhan, Tehran–Madrid, Bergamo–Paris, Berlin–Paris, and New York–Madrid up to 8 December 2021 (target T2) with a minimum and maximum similarity rate of 82.85% and 92.36%, respectively. For similar cities, the most similar factors among the proximity criteria are the distance from bus and metro stations; among weather, the criteria are humidity and pressure; and among demographics, the criteria are male and female population ratios, literacy ratio, and death ratio from asthma and cancer, with a minimum and maximum difference of 0% and 64.94%, respectively. In addition, according to the random forests ranking results (with root mean squared error = 0.23), temperature, distance from the bank, and gender were the most important criteria for the eight studied cities. Identifying these important factors helps to determine hotspots or places of future outbreaks to choose control strategies according to the cultural and ecological conditions of each city.

Influences of Medical School Admissions Practices on Primary Care Career Choice.

Medical schools should understand how to matriculate students who are more likely to enter primary care specialties and put admissions processes into place that achieve this result. However, there are no existing reviews that have systematically evaluated medical school admission practices and primary care specialty choice. We conducted a narrative synthesis utilizing a systematic literature search to evaluate the effectiveness of medical school admission strategies designed to increase the percentage of graduates entering primary care specialties. We included 34 articles in the narrative review. Multiple prematriculation programs that appear to produce students with a high likelihood of entering primary care have been described in the literature. However, all of these studies are from single institutions, were observational, and limited by selection bias. Applicants who self-identify an interest in primary care, grew up with a rural background, and are older at matriculation are more likely to enter primary care, with stated interest in primary care being most predictive. Gender and race have been associated with primary care specialty choice in some studies, but not all. Insufficient literature on admissions policies and procedures exists to draw conclusions about best practices. Medical schools that want to increase the percentage of graduates entering primary care should consider developing a prematriculation program that attracts and prepares motivated and talented students with primary care interest. Admissions committees should understand which demographic criteria are associated with increased likelihood of entering primary care. The most important identifiable trait is an applicant's stated interest in primary care.

Laparoscopic management of benign splenic tumors in children

BackgroundThe splenic tumor is relatively rare in children. However, diagnosing and managing this disease remain controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and pathological features of benign splenic...

FORMATION AS A FACTOR IN CONSUMER DEMAND FOR ORGANIC FOOD

This article identifies and assesses the importance of informational factors in shaping consumer demand for organic food in Poland, using demographic segmentation criteria, including gender, age, education, place of residence, and wealth. The empirical data came from a survey conducted among 850 randomly selected organic food consumers in Poland in December 2020, using the CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) method, accessed via an internet panel. The collected and structured empirical data are presented in descriptive, tabular, and graphical form, using comparative analyses. The results of the research have allowed for the construction of three original models of organic food consumers, with regard to information credibility and reliability. Additionally, the results confirmed the research hypothesis, which assumes that consumers who recognize the credibility and reliability of information concerning organic food products purchase them more often and spend more on them. Thus, in the case of organic food, the impact of credible and reliable information on the process of shaping consumer demand is clear: it constitutes a significant factor that triggers demand.