Life-threatening Danger Research Articles

Knowledge Attitude and Practices of Food Handlers towards Food Hygiene

Knowledge of food hygiene essentially entails the handlers’ awareness or things to be done or things to be put in place, in the course of either acquiring raw food materials, preparing food or serving food to the consumers, so that food safety is achieved. Food hygiene knowledge, attitude and practices are important because inadequate knowledge, poor attitude and poor sanitation practices have life-threatening danger to food safety. It is important to have an understanding of the interaction on prevailing food hygiene knowledge attitude and practices of food handlers in order to minimize foodborne outbreaks. The main objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of food handlers regarding the aspect of food hygiene in Kanpur. One hundred ten food handlers from fifty food establishments of Kanpur were involved in this study. The data was collected from the street food vendors with the help of structured questionnaire and extensive observation. Analysis of data revealed that Knowledge and attitude towards food hygiene was satisfactory among food handlers, where most of the food handlers have fair knowledge and attitude that was (50.0 %) and (40.90%) but fair practice was practiced by only (17.27%) whereas, majority of them had poor practice (46.36). About 53.6 per cent of food handlers always wash their hands before handling food and only (38.1%) of the food handlers had knowledge about hygiene and sanitation. Statistical testing with chi-square at p<0.05 showed that there is no correlation between educational level of the food handlers and practice of food hygiene; like-wise attitude of the handlers towards food hygiene and work experience had no impact on food hygiene practices of food handlers. The present study concludes that practice regarding food hygiene is not satisfactory and therefore there is need to increase the practice level of food handlers towards food hygiene.

Longitudinal effects of disaster-related experiences on problem drinking among Fukushima nuclear plant workers.

In the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster of March 11, 2011, plant workers were exposed to various traumatic events and reported a subsequent increase in alcohol use. To determine the relationship between disaster-related experiences and problem drinking, we conducted a three-year follow-up study. Problem drinking among the nuclear plant workers was assessed annually from 2012-2014 using a modified version of the CAGE questionnaire that asked about current, rather than lifetime, drinking. A total of 1378 workers provided at least one CAGE response, and 2875 observations were used in the present analysis. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationship between disaster-related experiences and problem drinking over time. The prevalence of problem drinking (CAGE score ≥2) increased over time. At the baseline assessment in 2012, a year after the disaster, plant workers who had experienced life-threatening danger and discrimination had significantly more symptoms of problem drinking, which persisted over the following 2 years. Although at baseline, plant workers who had experienced major property loss or the death of a colleague showed no significant differences in problem drinking symptoms from those without such experiences, over the next 2 years their problem drinking increased significantly. Individuals who experienced life-threatening danger and discrimination during the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster reported an increase in problem drinking. Although major property loss and the death of a colleague did not elevate problem drinking prevalence at baseline, it did so over the next 2 years. Different adverse effects of a natural disaster appear to differentially increase drinking behavior over time.

Genomic Epidemiology Dataset for the Important Nosocomial Pathogenic Bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii

The infections caused by various bacterial pathogens both in clinical and community settings represent a significant threat to public healthcare worldwide. The growing resistance to antimicrobial drugs acquired by bacterial species causing healthcare-associated infections has already become a life-threatening danger noticed by the World Health Organization. Several groups or lineages of bacterial isolates, usually called ‘the clones of high risk’, often drive the spread of resistance within particular species. Thus, it is vitally important to reveal and track the spread of such clones and the mechanisms by which they acquire antibiotic resistance and enhance their survival skills. Currently, the analysis of whole-genome sequences for bacterial isolates of interest is increasingly used for these purposes, including epidemiological surveillance and the development of spread prevention measures. However, the availability and uniformity of the data derived from genomic sequences often represent a bottleneck for such investigations. With this dataset, we present the results of a genomic epidemiology analysis of 17,546 genomes of a dangerous bacterial pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii. Important typing information, including multilocus sequence typing (MLST)-based sequence types (STs), intrinsic blaOXA-51-like gene variants, capsular (KL) and oligosaccharide (OCL) types, CRISPR-Cas systems, and cgMLST profiles are presented, as well as the assignment of particular isolates to nine known international clones of high risk. The presence of antimicrobial resistance genes within the genomes is also reported. These data will be useful for researchers in the field of A. baumannii genomic epidemiology, resistance analysis, and prevention measure development.

Four reasons why we should screen for dissociation in competitive sports

Four reasons why we should screen for dissociation in competitive sports

Case report: Nasal polyp exfoliated into the tracheal tube in a patient with a difficult airway during nasotracheal intubation

BackgroundDifficult airway has always been one of the greatest challenges for anesthesiologists. Patients with difficult airways and severe obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) often find themselves in life-threatening danger before their artificial airway is established and after their artificial airway is removed.Case presentationThe study reported a case of nasal polyps shedding into the tracheal tube when nasotracheal intubation in a patient diagnosed with a difficult airway and OSAHS; the patient was being prepared for a transoral tonsillectomy under general anesthesia. The uniqueness of this case was that nasal polyps were scraped off using the tracheal tube during nasotracheal intubation, and detected in real-time; this ultimately prevented an airway foreign body obstruction. Reviewing the literature on intubation methods for difficult airways, awake endotracheal intubation guided by fiberoptic bronchoscopy remains to be the gold standard for airway management. Additionally, nasotracheal intubation can provide more operating space for oral surgery. In this case, the unexpected nasal polyp fell off into the tracheal tube during intubation, as is visualized on the following pictures. This fortunate event prevented the nasal polyp from falling into the trachea and bronchus.ConclusionIt is necessary to rule out any nasal abnormalities in patients requiring nasotracheal intubation; otherwise, blind nasal intubation may be dangerous.

A Comparative Study of the Conditions in Helping Others with the Assumption of No Obligation and Contract

Nowadays, human life is full of incidents that have greatly increased the risk. In a society based on altruism, morality dictates that every person who can help others should do so. This point has been descriptively and analytically accepted in the examination of the legal system of Iran and the duty to help has been accepted with all the conditions. The obligation to help is established when a person is exposed to a life-threatening danger and the helper can prevent that or the aggravation of its outcome or the injured person asks for help in an emergency and the helper understands that. In the present study, the importance of the duty to rescue was investigated regarding the legal system of other countries especially those with common law. It is necessary to amend laws in Iran to expand the scope of the duty to rescue by reducing the conditions of that considering the increase in accidents in society.

Review of Recurrent Otomycosis and Clotrimazole in Its Treatment

Otomycosis is a disease whose acute form affects four in 1,000 persons annually and the chronic form affects 3-5% of the population. It is brought on by various fungi, primarily saprophytes which most commonly include the Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. The disease rarely poses a life-threatening danger, but as it requires prolonged treatment and follow-up and has a significant chance of recurrence, it has a difficult and taxing course. Numerous therapeutic modalities are available for the treatment of otomycosis. In the beginning, the fungal elements are removed by ear toilet - washing or suctioning of the ear canal followed by drying. Topical therapy includes the use of antifungals, of which the most commonly used drugs include clotrimazole or miconazole, often given along with ceftazidime which is an antibacterial.The primary mechanism by which clotrimazole works is by impairing the permeability barrier of the cytoplasmic membrane of the fungi, which causes holes to appear in the cell membrane and leaking out of the contents of the organism, thus killing the fungus and treating the infection.Various studies suggest that following clotrimazole drop therapy, symptoms suggestive of otomycosis are not at risk for recurrence of the disease and due to its economical pricing and easy availability, is frequently recommended by otolaryngologists in the treatment of otomycosis. In this review article, we will discuss about the effectiveness of the drug in different populations, observe treatment failures and relapse of the disease, analyze the ability of clotrimazole drops in preventing relapse of the infection, and observe the role of the drug in reducing the signs and symptoms of the disease.

"No Mr Bond, we expected you to die": a medical and psychotherapeutic analysis of trauma depiction in the James Bond films.

The death of James Bond in No Time to Die draws attention to his constant exposure to life-threatening danger, and raises the question: should he have died earlier in the franchise? To answer this, we examined Bond's exposure to physical and psychological trauma in the 25 official Bond films, noting if portrayal was realistic, and if there were temporal trends in depiction of injuries. The frequency of trauma has increased over time with Craig's Bond suffering the most trauma, both physical and psychological. Environmental factors and falls were the most common cause of trauma; psychological distress tended to involve death, either of someone close, or at his own hands. He evaded death a mean of five times per film. Our analysis highlights a misrepresentation of trauma across the Bond films from 1962 to present date. The more recent Bond films, especially those of Craig, have revealed the physical and psychological vulnerability of Bond. James Bond has been exposed to an overwhelming level of physical trauma and psychological distress, yet improbably suffered few significant injuries, despite enduring repeated brushes with death. This contradicts Bond's own acknowledgement in Casino Royale that Double 0's have a very short life expectancy.

A Supervised Learning Identification System for Prognosis of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most dangerous cancers, accounting for a large number of fatalities each year. It is the leading cause of mortality among women globally. It is getting a lot of interest in the scientific community because of its possible life-threatening danger. As a consequence, many machine learning methods (MLMs) have been modified to provide the best results for early diagnosis of this malignancy. Machine learning methods (MLMs) offer several beneficial implications in breast cancer, including early prognosis, detection, and diagnosis. Compared to traditional statistical analysis, machine learning methods (MLMs) have the capacity to improve the analysis of various health data, such as unstructured, complicated, and noisy data. With the demanding prevalence of breast cancer and the arrival of “data reformation,” it is thus imperative to mention the ethical consequences of machine learning (ML) on society and cancer care. It offers conclusively strong tools, smart methods, and efficient algorithms that can help in the prognosis of breast cancer. The focus of this review is on supervised techniques such as classification and regression that may be implemented and used for breast cancer data analysis. Some supervised learning methods like Naive Bayes, AdaBoost, and support vector machine are presented in this work in the early identification of breast cancer. These algorithms have been analyzed for their accuracy and efficiency using various assessment metrics and methods.

Knowledge regarding obstetric danger signs among pregnant women

Knowledge of obstetric danger signs is crucial to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality by identifying the problems earlier and avoiding the delay in seeking obstetric care. According to World Health Organization (WHO) more than 70% of maternal deaths occur due to obstetric complications and most of these deaths occur in developing countries. Most of these are preventable if pregnant women can identify these life-threatening danger signs on time and seek appropriate emergency obstetric care. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge of obstetric danger signs among pregnant women. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out from 15th July to 30th August 2021, 194 pregnant women who visited the Gynaecology Outpatient Department in Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital, were enrolled for the study. Data were collected through face to face interviews using a structured questionnaire. The study findings revealed that overall knowledge on obstetric danger signs was suboptimal (3.1%). The median knowledge score of respondents on antenatal danger signs was 30.0% (Q1-Q3=17.5-40), intra-natal danger signs was 0.0% (Q1-Q3=0-20) and postnatal danger signs were 25% (Q1-Q3=0- 25). Severe vaginal bleeding was the most frequently mentioned danger sign in each of the three gestational periods (antenatal: 78.9%, intra-natal; 29.9% and postnatal; 39.7%). In conclusion, service providers and health management teams should emphasize on information, education and communication for every pregnant woman focusing on obstetric danger signs to have better awareness and thereby reduce adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.

A Nonlethal Full-Thickness Flame Burn Produces a Seroma Beneath the Forming Eschar, Thereby Promoting Pseudomonas aeruginosa Sepsis in Mice.

The World Health Organization estimates ~180,000 deaths occur annually from burn-related injuries. Many victims who survive the initial burn trauma succumb to bacterial infections that lead to sepsis during treatment. Although advancements in burn care continue to improve in high-income countries due to their burn centers and advanced research, low and middle-income countries continue to see high frequencies of burn injuries and burn-related deaths due to secondary infections. Bacterial-derived sepsis is the most life-threatening danger for people that survive burn injuries. Here we provide evidence for the first time that a subeschar seroma forms postburn even in the absence of infection in mice. The seroma fills with a volume estimated at 500 µL of fluid, 25% of the blood supply, free of red blood cells. The seroma fluid supports robust Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) growth and contains inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, which recruit immature neutrophils and monocytes to the seroma in the absence of endothelial breakdown. These immune cells fail to contain PA expansion and dissemination. This recruitment of monocytes and immature neutrophils may result in sequestering these critical immune cells away from other tissues during a pivotal time during bacterial dissemination, promoting PA-mediated sepsis.

Convolutional neural networks predict the onset of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: Theory and applications.

In this study, we aimed to detect paroxysmal atrial fibrillation episodes before they occur so that patients can take precautions before putting their and others' lives in potentially life-threatening danger. We used the atrial fibrillation prediction database, open data from PhysioNet, and assembled our process based on convolutional neural networks. Conventional heart rate variability features are calculated from time-domain measures, frequency-domain measures using power spectral density estimations, time-frequency-domain measures using wavelet transform, and nonlinear Poincaré plot measures. In addition, we also applied an alternative heart rate normalization, which gave promising results only in a few studies, before calculating these heart rate variability features. We used these features directly and their normalized versions using min-max normalization and z-score normalization methods. Thus, heart rate variability features extracted from six different combinations of these normalizations, in addition to no normalization cases, were applied to the convolutional neural network classifier. We tuned the classifiers' hyperparameters using 90% of feature sets and tested the classifiers' performances using 10% of feature sets. The proposed approach resulted in 87.76% accuracy, 91.30% precision, 80.04% recall, and 87.50% f1-score in heart rate variability with z-score feature normalization. When the heart rate normalization was also utilized, the suggested method gave 100% accuracy, 100% precision, 100% recall, and 100% f1-score in heart rate variability with z-score feature normalization. The proposed method with heart rate normalization and z-score normalization methods resulted in better classification performance than similar studies in the literature. By comparing the existing studies, we conclude that our approach provides a much better tool to determine a near-future paroxysmal atrial fibrillation episode. However, although the achieved benchmarks are impressive, we note that the approach needs to be supported by other studies and on other datasets before clinical trials.

The legal impact of forensic medical life-threatening danger assessment conclusions in cases of violent offense

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the association between the legal outcome for suspected perpetrators and the forensic life-threatening danger assessments conducted as part of the clinical forensic medical examinations of victims with penetrating injuries. MethodFrom the Danish Central Crime Register, we retrieved the legal outcomes for suspected perpetrators linked to victims with penetrating injuries in a six-year period and compared the proportional distribution of forensic life-threatening danger assessment conclusions – no life-threatening danger (NLD), could have been in life-threatening danger (CLD), and life-threatening danger (LD) – with the legal outcomes. Results326 victims were related to at least one identified suspected perpetrator with a legal outcome. When the forensic life-threatening danger assessments were more severe, an increased proportion of cases resulted in formal charges and, subsequently, conviction, than when the forensic life-threatening danger assessments were less severe. The percentage point differences between NLD, CLD, and LD were almost equal. ConclusionOur results indicate that the forensic life-threatening danger assessments are associated with the legal outcome, as both the proportion of cases with formal charges and the proportion of cases with a conviction increased with the severity of the forensic life-threatening danger assessment conclusions.

Cross-cultural investigation of COVID-19 related acute stress: A network analysis

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has confronted humanity with an ongoing biopsychosocial stressor, imposing multifaceted challenges to individuals and societies. Particularly, the pandemic reflects an ongoing, potentially life-threatening danger to self and others, which may instigate acute stress symptoms (ASS). This study utilized a network framework to assess cross-national ASS a short time following the initial COVID-19 outbreak.Three samples of adult participants from China, Israel, and Switzerland completed a self-report assessment of acute stress symptoms. Network analyses were utilized to uncover the phenotype and dynamics of different ASS in these three countries.The ASS network analyses revealed extensive connections in all networks and reflected the structure of ASS. The centrality indexes in all networks were from the hyperarousal cluster. “Feeling jumpy” was the node with the highest strength centrality in the Israeli sample and “physiological reactivity” was the item with the highest centrality in the Swiss sample. In the Chinese sample, the item with the highest centrality was “feeling alert to danger."The findings reveal that despite some variations, the overall clinical picture of ASS in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is universal. These findings highlight the centrality of hyperarousal symptoms, presumably reflecting its significance for clinical interventions.

Life-threatening danger assessments of penetrating injuries in Eastern Danish clinical forensic medicine

Clinical forensic assessments of injuries’ life-threatening danger may have an impact on the legal aftermath following a violent assault. The pursuit of evidence-based guidelines should ensure a user-independent and reproducible forensic practice. However, does it? The aim of this study was to evaluate the forensic life-threatening danger assessments after a protocol implementation in 2016. The evaluation concerned usability and reproducibility of the protocol, and its influence on assessment severity. We analyzed the level of inter- and intra-rater agreement using 169 blinded, prior-protocol cases that were reassessed by two forensic specialists. We compared assessment made the year before and after protocol implementation (n = 262), and the forensic specialists’ reassessments with the prior-protocol cases’ original assessments (n = 169). Whether to make an assessment, the levels of agreement varied between weak agreement (inter-rater, Κ = 0.43; assessor 1, Κ = 0.57) and strong agreement (assessor 2, Κ = 0.90). Regarding severity, the levels of agreement varied between strong agreement (inter-rater, Κ = 0.87; assessor 1: Κ = 0.90) and almost perfect agreement (assessor 2: Κ = 0.94). The assessments were statistically significant redistributed after the implementation (chi-square test: p < 0.0001). The proportion of cases assessed as having not been in life-threatening danger increased from 9 to 43%, and moderate severity assessments decreased from 55 to 23%. Of the moderate severity assessments, 55% were reassessed as having not been in life-threatening danger. The protocol ensured independent and reproducible assessments when the forensic specialists agreed on making one. The protocol resulted in less severe assessments. Future studies should examine the reliability of the protocol and its consequences for legal aftermaths.

The usefulness of a trauma probability of survival model for forensic life-threatening danger assessments

Clinical forensic medical examinations constitute an increasing proportion of our institution’s tasks, and, concomitantly, the authorities are now requesting forensic life-threatening danger assessments based on our examinations. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess if a probability of survival (PS) trauma score could be useful for these forensic life-threatening danger assessments and to identify a cut-off PS score as a supporting tool for the forensic practice of assessing life-threatening danger. We compared a forensic database and a trauma database and identified 161 individuals (aged 15 years or older) who had both a forensic life-threatening danger assessment and a PS score. The life-threatening danger assessments comprised the following statements: was not in life-threatening danger (NLD); could have been in life-threatening danger (CLD); or was in life-threatening danger (LD). The inclusion period was 2012–2016. A statistically significant difference was found in the PS scores between NLD, CLD and LD (chi-square test: p < 0.0001). The usefulness of the PS score for categorizing life-threatening danger assessments was determined by a receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve. The area under the curve was 0.76 (95% CI, 0.69 to 0.84) and the ROC curve revealed that a cut-off PS score of 95.8 would appropriately identify LD. Therefore, a PS score below 95.8 would indicate life-threatening danger. We propose a further exploration of how the evidence-based PS score, including a cut-off value, might be implemented in clinical forensic medical statements to add to the scientific strength of these statements.

A Prospective Observational Study of the Outcome of Treatment with Kabasura Kudineer among Patients with SARS-nCOV-2 Infection

Introduction: The novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been considered a major life-threatening danger to the human population worldwide. The traditional Indian medicines also play an important role as possible novel therapeutic approaches, exclusively targeting SARS-CoV-2 and its pathways. Among the Siddha medicines, Kabasura kudineer is a formulation composed of 15 ingredients used against fever caused by respiratory infections. Aim: To determine the outcome of Kabasura kudineer, among SARS CoV-2 patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital of Tamil Nadu with mild to moderate symptoms or asymptomatic patients. Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out in Covid care Hospital, Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, Tirunelveli after the approval of Institutional Ethics Committee. Written informed consent forms were obtained from the patients. A total of 100 patients with positive Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-nCov-2 with asymptomatic and mild to moderate symptoms were included in this study. Among them, 50 patients were included in the control group and the other 50 patients were provided with 60 mL Kabasura kudineer for 5 days. Again on the sixth day, RT-PCR was repeated. Results: Among 50 participants in each group, by the sixth day, RT-PCR converted into negative for 27 patients in group B, by 10th day 25 in group A and 22 in group B, by 14th day 25 in group A and remaining 1 in group B became negative. Conclusion: The present study showed Kabasura kudineer was effective when compared with the control group against SARS-nCoV-2 patients with no symptoms and mild symptoms and also the conversion of RT-PCR.

The Application of Image Processing in Liver Cancer Detection

Hepatic cancer is caused by the uncontrolled growth of liver cells, an HCC is the most common form of malignant liver cancer, accounting for 75 percent of cases. This tumor is difficult to diagnose, and it is often discovered at an advanced stage, posing a life-threatening danger. As a result, early diagnosis of liver cancer increases life expectancy. So, using a digital image processing method, we suggest an automated computer-aided diagnosis of liver tumors from MRI images. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) images are used to identify liver tumors in this case. The image goes through image preprocessing, image segmentation, and feature extraction, all of which are done within the layers of an Artificial Neural Network, making it an automated operation. To make the edge continuous, this operation combines two processes: edge and manual labeling. On the basis of statistical characteristics, tumors are often divided into four categories: cyst, adenoma, hemangioma, and malignant liver tumor. The aim of this proposed technique is to automatically highlight and categorize tumor regions in Magnetic Resonance Imaging images without the need for a medical practitioner.

Raptor Feeding Characterization and Dynamic System Simulation Applied to Airport Falconry

Airport falconry is a highly effective technique for reducing wildlife strikes on aircraft, which cause great economic losses. As an example, nowadays, wildlife strikes on aircrafts in the air transport industry are estimated to cost between USD 187 and 937 million in the US and USD 1.2 billion worldwide every year. Moreover, the life-threatening danger that wildlife strikes pose to passengers has prompted security stakeholders to develop countermeasures to prevent wildlife impacts near airport transit zones. The experience acquired from international countermeasure analysis reveals that falconry is the most effective technique to create sustainable wildlife exclusion areas. However, its application in airport environments continues to be regarded as an art rather than a technique; falconers modulate raptors’ behavior by using a trial-and-error system of controlling their hunger to stimulate the need for prey. This paper focuses on a case study where such a decision-making process was designed as a dynamic system applied to feeding planning for raptors that can be used to set an efficient baseline to optimize raptor responses without damaging existing wildlife. The results were validated by comparing the outputs of the model and the falconer’s trial-and-error system, which revealed that the proposed model was 58.15% more precise.

The Next Pandemic: Prepare for "Disease X".

The organism that will cause the next pandemic, which WHO labels “Disease X,” probably already exists. The COVID-19 pandemic will, slowly, and with some hiccups and many tragedies, pass into memory. This coronavirus may disappear and later recur, continue endemically under vaccine control, or simply attenuate and vanish. The economy and healthcare systems will return to a new normal, some parts more quickly than others. Like the multiple plagues humanity has endured since our ancestors gathered into cities, it will generate recriminations for slow and misguided responses, profiteering, and over- or under reacting to economic, social, and healthcare events that will, retrospectively, be obvious. The individuals and organizations most culpable for exacerbating the disaster will escape responsibility while they scapegoat others and try to re-write history. Heroes, whether individuals who helped provide clear risk communication and leadership or groups that persevered in the face of fear and life-threatening danger will emerge. Without fanfare, most will return to their normal jobs, scarred but proud of their efforts. As they have before, pundits and scholars will write endlessly about the pandemic’s cause, effects, and ways to ameliorate the next pandemic’s brutal destruction of lives and ways of life. The problem is, we have done all this before and seemed not to have learned the lessons our predecessors taught.