Medical Themes Research Articles

VISUAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN SCULPTURE AND MEDICINE: THE INTERSECTION OF AESTHETICS AND SCIENCE

The intersection of medicine and art, often explored in numerous articles, delves into detailed depictions of diseases or concepts within the medical field. These depictions aim to speculate on disease effects and patterns of interaction, sometimes reaching scientific conclusions. However, artistic representations may pose scientific, conceptual, and methodological challenges, defining the complex boundary between medicine and art. This article broadens the perspective by examining the relationship between medicine and sculpture, focusing on how these fields can be classified in relation to each other. Rather than concentrating on individual works, the study categorizes the language, methods, and approaches used in works resulting from the intersection of art and medicine. The historical continuum is explored to understand the scope and connections between sculpture and medicine from the past to the present. Using search terms like "art," "sculpture," and "medicine" on platforms such as PubMed, Scopus, and Taylor & Francis Online, the research aims to convey how medicine is reflected in artistic practices. The article highlights the potential for collaboration and mutual enrichment between medicine and art, emphasizing the diverse use of art, particularly sculpture, in various contexts related to medical themes.

French medical memes: Themes, language, functions

The study concerns the organisation and content of both the visual and verbal elements within the polycode text of French-language memes that pertain to medical discourse. The meme’s connection to medical discourse is established through its subject matter, the incorporation of medical symbols in its visual elements, and the inclusion of medical terminology in its written content. It also involves depicting communication scenarios between doctors, between doctors and patients, and between nursing staff and patients at both the image and text levels. The study’s novelty lies in its dual approach: firstly, it examines French memes as subjects for linguistic analysis, and secondly, it explores them as a genre of polycode text within medical discourse. The research material comprises 100 French memes centred on medical themes, obtained through continuous sampling from the internet. Study results revealed that memes pertaining to medical discourse are dynamic, viral, and eclectic texts that encapsulate the distinctive elements of institutional medical discourse. Thematically, the meme encompasses various medical topics and addresses social issues prevalent in France. Deciphering the author’s intention behind the meme relies on a layer-by-layer examination of how the idea is expressed through the polycode text, as well as an understanding of the sociocultural context that informs the text, which requires presuppositional knowledge on the part of the recipient. Linguo-cultural characteristics observed in the verbal component, as identified through the analysis, include the use of language play at phonetic and lexical levels, inclusion of colloquial and slang vocabulary alongside emotionally charged expressions within doctor-patient communication contexts, and the utilisation of phonetic spelling. The visual component of the polycode text in French medical memes is distinguished by the incorporation of elements from civilisational phenomena, such as political figures from the country, film protagonists, and globally recognised actors. The analysis revealed that the meme serves various functions including comedic, informative, compensatory, and appellative roles. The article constitutes a segment of a broader study examining polycode texts within medical discourse across multiple genres including memes, medical posters, and demotivators in languages such as Russian, French, English, Chinese, and Arabic.

Emerging Research Topics in Drone Healthcare Delivery

The application of drones to assist with healthcare delivery has grown rapidly over the last decade. This industry is supported by a growing research field, and we have undertaken a systematic review of the published literature. Web-based searches returned 290 relevant manuscripts published between 2010 and 2024. We applied Topic Modelling to this corpus of literature, which examines word association and connectedness within the research papers. The modelling identified two emerging research themes with little connection between them: those who used drones to deliver time-critical medical items and those who used drones to deliver non-time-critical medical items. The former was in response to medical emergencies, while the latter was for enhancing resilience in the healthcare supply chain. The topics within these research themes exhibited notable differences. The delivery of time-critical medical items theme comprised the topics of ‘Emergency Response’, ‘Defibrillator and Organ Delivery’, and ‘Search and Rescue’, whilst non-time-critical delivery researched the topics of ‘Supply Chain Optimisation’ and ‘Cost-Effectiveness’, ‘Overcoming Remoteness’, and ‘Pandemic Response’. Research on ‘Engineering and Design Considerations’ and ‘Ethical and Social Considerations’ cut across both research themes. We undertook further analysis to assess research topic alignment and identify knowledge gaps. We found that efforts are needed to establish a more standardised terminology for better alignment across the two emerging research themes. Future studies should focus on evaluating the impact of drone delivery on patient health using systematic methods. Additionally, exploring the economic viability of drone-based health services and addressing regulatory barriers are crucial for efficient and effective drone deployment in healthcare delivery systems.

Exploring 40 years of Korean medical education conference themes.

The Korean Society of Medical Education (KSME) was founded in 1983 and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023. This study examines the evolution of topics discussed at KSME conferences from 1971 through 2023, highlighting shifts in the focus of medical education. We analyzed 90 KSME conferences over 5 decades (1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s), categorizing the topics into three eras based on emerging themes and continuity. Consequently, 37 topics covered at the conference were categorized. Ten topics continuously appeared from the 1970s to the 2010s, including future directions of medical education, teaching methods, faculty development, and curriculum. The topics from the 1970s to the 1990s included 14 areas, such as medical education evaluation, non-undergraduate curriculum, community-related, and research. Thirteen new topics emerged after the 2000s, such as social accountability, student support, professionalism, and quality improvements. The most common topics under innovations in medical education, a case of curriculum innovation at universities that began after 2000, were clinical clerkship, curriculum development, and medical humanities. KSME's selection of conference topics has been strategically aligned with societal needs and the evolving landscape of medical education. Future topics should continue to address relevant societal and educational challenges.

Eugenics and genetic screening in television medical dramas

Medical dramas offer unique insights into the way popular media makes sense of genetic technology and the ethics of its applications. In this paper we evaluate the contrasting depictions in...

ERICHTHO THE DOCTOR? MEDICAL OBSERVATIONS ON LUCAN'S NECROMANTIC EPISODE

AbstractThis article aims to offer a fresh analysis of two passages in the extensive necromancy episode in Lucan's Bellum Ciuile: the ritual to reanimate the dead soldier's corpse (6.667–73), and the surgical procedure Erichtho then proceeds to undertake (6.750–7), resembling the practice of a vivisection. The study will focus mostly on the strong connection of magic to medical traditions in antiquity, with a commentary on, and analysis of, these verses through the lenses of medical vocabulary, themes and motifs. It ultimately concludes that Lucan was familiar with the language and characteristics of the medical tradition, enriched his report with them, and was playing with his audience's knowledge of the same.

Understanding the Long Haulers of COVID-19: Mixed Methods Analysis of YouTube Content.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating global impact. In the United States, there were >98 million COVID-19 cases and >1 million resulting deaths. One consequence of COVID-19 infection has been post-COVID-19 condition (PCC). People with this syndrome, colloquially called long haulers, experience symptoms that impact their quality of life. The root cause of PCC and effective treatments remains unknown. Many long haulers have turned to social media for support and guidance. In this study, we sought to gain a better understanding of the long hauler experience by investigating what has been discussed and how information about long haulers is perceived on social media. We specifically investigated the following: (1) the range of symptoms that are discussed, (2) the ways in which information about long haulers is perceived, (3) informational and emotional support that is available to long haulers, and (4) discourse between viewers and creators. We selected YouTube as our data source due to its popularity and wide range of audience. We systematically gathered data from 3 different types of content creators: medical sources, news sources, and long haulers. To computationally understand the video content and viewers' reactions, we used Biterm, a topic modeling algorithm created specifically for short texts, to analyze snippets of video transcripts and all top-level comments from the comment section. To triangulate our findings about viewers' reactions, we used the Valence Aware Dictionary and Sentiment Reasoner to conduct sentiment analysis on comments from each type of content creator. We grouped the comments into positive and negative categories and generated topics for these groups using Biterm. We then manually grouped resulting topics into broader themes for the purpose of analysis. We organized the resulting topics into 28 themes across all sources. Examples of medical source transcript themes were Explanations in layman's terms and Biological explanations. Examples of news source transcript themes were Negative experiences and handling the long haul. The 2 long hauler transcript themes were Taking treatments into own hands and Changes to daily life. News sources received a greater share of negative comments. A few themes of these negative comments included Misinformation and disinformation and Issues with the health care system. Similarly, negative long hauler comments were organized into several themes, including Disillusionment with the health care system and Requiring more visibility. In contrast, positive medical source comments captured themes such as Appreciation of helpful content and Exchange of helpful information. In addition to this theme, one positive theme found in long hauler comments was Community building. The results of this study could help public health agencies, policy makers, organizations, and health researchers understand symptomatology and experiences related to PCC. They could also help these agencies develop their communication strategy concerning PCC.

From Praising the Remedy to Eulogising the Patient: Cristóbal de Castillejo’s Satire of Guaiac in Early Modern Spain

Summary The article examines the contemporary satiric treatment of a new transatlantic drug, guaiac, in a sixteenth-century poem by the Castilian writer Cristóbal de Castillejo, entitled En alabança del palo de las Indias, estando en la cura dél (In Praise of the Wood of the Indies, being under its treatment). The article contributes to the body of scholarship on the history of medicine in general and the history of herbal medicine in particular. The investigation of the poem embraces historical contextualisation, early modern rhetoric and classical reception. The article demonstrates the two-way relationship between early modern satire and medicine, arguing that the special significance of satiric productions that engage with medical themes lies in the inventive combination of the literary reality and empirical reality.

Semiotic dimensions of the U.S. literary and medical discourse

The purpose of the study is to analyze the semiotic features of American fiction devoted to medical issues. Research methods: systematization, generalization, narratological method, methods of semiotic analysis and receptive aesthetics. The object of the study is a corpus of American prose works united by medical themes (XIX-XXI centuries). Scientific novelty. The article examines the most important signs-symbols in the semiotic system of literary and medical prose discourse in the USA, reveals the author's intentions regarding the use of these signs, as well as the expected receptive potential of the reader. Conclusions. The semiotic code of fiction plays a key role in the interpretation of the images of the doctor and the patient in prose works devoted to medical issues, actualizes the reader's perception, revealing the distribution of institutional roles and the peculiarities of communication in the chronotope of the clinical environment.

Tools for measuring individual self-care capability: a scoping review

BackgroundOur ability to self-care can play a crucial role in the prevention, management and rehabilitation of diverse conditions, including chronic non-communicable diseases. Various tools have been developed to support the measurement of self-care capabilities of healthy individuals, those experiencing everyday self-limiting conditions, or one or more multiple long-term conditions. We sought to characterise the various non-mono-disease specific self-care measurement tools for adults as such a review was lacking.ObjectiveThe aim of the review was to identify and characterise the various non-mono-disease specific self-care measurement tools for adults. Secondary objectives were to characterise these tools in terms of their content, structure and psychometric properties.DesignScoping review with content assessment.MethodsThe search was conducted in Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO and CINAHL databases using a variety of MeSH terms and keywords covering 1 January 1950 to 30 November 2022. Inclusion criteria included tools assessing health literacy, capability and/or performance of general health self-care practices and targeting adults. We excluded tools targeting self-care in the context of disease management only or indicated to a specific medical setting or theme. We used the Seven Pillars of Self-Care framework to inform the qualitative content assessment of each tool.ResultsWe screened 26,304 reports to identify 38 relevant tools which were described in 42 primary reference studies. Descriptive analysis highlighted a temporal shift in the overall emphasis from rehabilitation-focused to prevention-focused tools. The intended method of administration also transitioned from observe-and-interview style methods to the utilisation of self-reporting tools. Only five tools incorporated questions relevant to the seven pillars of self-care.ConclusionsVarious tools exist to measure individual self-care capability, but few consider assessing capability against all seven pillars of self-care. There is a need to develop a comprehensive, validated tool and easily accessible tool to measure individual self-care capability including the assessment of a wide range of self-care practices. Such a tool could be used to inform targeted health and social care interventions.

Usefulness of walkathon in improving knowledge on cancer: A cross-sectional study with the participants.

Globally, walkathon, a type of community event involving walking a determined distance to raise awareness and/or collect donations for a social cause is gaining a lot of public attention. This study was conducted to understand the usefulness of walkathon in creating cancer awareness among the participants. This was a pre- and post-test study and was carried out on World Cancer Day on February 4, 2019 in Mangalore, Karnataka, India. The study subjects were the walkathon participants willing to be volunteers for the study. Differences in the answers were calculated by ascertaining the difference between the pretest and posttest using McNemar, Chi-square, or Fisher's exact test. A P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Pretest scores indicated most volunteers were aware of the role of tobacco and alcohol in cancer, while most were unaware of the importance of fruits and consumption of vegetables and sedentary lifestyle in the development of cancer. Posttest showed a significant increase in knowledge gain (P = 0.003 to <0.001). For the first time, this study shows Walkathon to be helpful in improving cancer knowledge in the participants. Walkathon is an inexpensive and joyful way to educate people and warrants further study on a range of medical and social themes affecting society to establish its usefulness in public health education.

COVID-19 imaging, where do we go from here? Bibliometric analysis of medical imaging in COVID-19.

We conducted a systematic and comprehensive bibliometric analysis of COVID-19-related medical imaging to determine the current status and indicate possible future directions. This research provides an analysis of Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) indexed articles on COVID-19 and medical imaging published between 1 January 2020 and 30 June 2022, using the search terms "COVID-19" and medical imaging terms (such as "X-ray" or "CT"). Publications based solely on COVID-19 themes or medical image themes were excluded. CiteSpace was used to identify the predominant topics and generate a visual map of countries, institutions, authors, and keyword networks. The search included 4444 publications. The journal with the most publications was European Radiology, and the most co-cited journal was Radiology. China was the most frequently cited country in terms of co-authorship, with the Huazhong University of Science and Technology being the institution contributing with the highest number of relevant co-authorships. Research trends and leading topics included: assessment of initial COVID-19-related clinical imaging features, differential diagnosis using artificial intelligence (AI) technology and model interpretability, diagnosis systems construction, COVID-19 vaccination, complications, and predicting prognosis. This bibliometric analysis of COVID-19-related medical imaging helps clarify the current research situation and developmental trends. Subsequent trends in COVID-19 imaging are likely to shift from lung structure to function, from lung tissue to other related organs, and from COVID-19 to the impact of COVID-19 on the diagnosis and treatment of other diseases. Key Points •We conducted a systematic and comprehensive bibliometric analysis of COVID-19-related medical imaging from 1 January 2020 to 30 June 2022. • Research trends and leading topics included assessment of initial COVID-19-related clinical imaging features, differential diagnosis using AI technology and model interpretability, diagnosis systems construction, COVID-19 vaccination, complications, and predicting prognosis. • Future trends in COVID-19-related imaging are likely to involve a shift from lung structure to function, from lung tissue to other related organs, and from COVID-19 to the impact of COVID-19 on the diagnosis and treatment of other diseases.

Current Status and Tasks of Faculty Development Programs for Medical Education in Korea

This study aimed to investigate the current status of faculty development (FD) programs operated by medical colleges and institutions in Korea, and to suggest future-oriented directions for FD. A survey was conducted targeting medical colleges and medical education institutions that operate FD programs. We investigated the reasons for selecting topics, program themes, program operation methods, longitudinal program status, program improvement and quality control methods, the evaluation of the program effects, the outcomes and problems of the programs, and opinions on the latest trends. Twenty-nine out of 40 medical colleges and three out of six institutions responded. Topics were selected based on an analysis of medical education trends and the educational environment in both groups. The most common program themes were assessments in medical colleges, and teaching/learning and curriculum themes in institutions. FD was perceived to induce professors’ and administrators’ interest in medical education and improve the quality of medical education. The most common program method was workshops. Three medical colleges and one institution had longitudinal programs. Participant surveys constituted the most common method of evaluating programs’ effects. Difficulties in publicizing programs and inducing voluntary participation were the most common problems in both groups. New attempts for FD were perceived as the role of external institutions. Based on the results, it is necessary to develop a framework and quality improvement indications for FD programs in the future, and FD programs are expected to be developed through new initiatives, such as longitudinal programs and those focusing on the community of practice.

Disrupting medical necessity: Setting an old medical ethics theme in new light

Recent medical innovations like ‘omics’ technologies, mobile health (mHealth) applications or telemedicine are perceived as part of a shift towards a more preventive, participatory and affordable healthcare model. These innovations are often regarded as ‘disruptive technologies’. It is a topic of debate to what extent these technologies may transform the medical enterprise, and relatedly, what this means for medical ethics. The question of whether these developments disrupt established ethical principles like respect for autonomy has indeed received increasing normative attention during the past years. Yet, more fundamental ethical considerations of a possible disruption of the concept of ‘medical necessity’ (and the potential ensuing clinical ramifications) have been limited if not absent. It is our modest – though morally and practically relevant – aim to address this objective in this article, by exploring how the current wave of allegedly disruptive innovation is invoking a resurgence of this concept and related debates on ‘the’ goal(s) of medicine.

Performance of ChatGPT-4 in answering questions from the Brazilian National Examination for Medical Degree Revalidation.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of ChatGPT-4.0 in answering the 2022 Brazilian National Examination for Medical Degree Revalidation (Revalida) and as a tool to provide feedback on the quality of the examination. A total of two independent physicians entered all examination questions into ChatGPT-4.0. After comparing the outputs with the test solutions, they classified the large language model answers as adequate, inadequate, or indeterminate. In cases of disagreement, they adjudicated and achieved a consensus decision on the ChatGPT accuracy. The performance across medical themes and nullified questions was compared using chi-square statistical analysis. In the Revalida examination, ChatGPT-4.0 answered 71 (87.7%) questions correctly and 10 (12.3%) incorrectly. There was no statistically significant difference in the proportions of correct answers among different medical themes (p=0.4886). The artificial intelligence model had a lower accuracy of 71.4% in nullified questions, with no statistical difference (p=0.241) between non-nullified and nullified groups. ChatGPT-4.0 showed satisfactory performance for the 2022 Brazilian National Examination for Medical Degree Revalidation. The large language model exhibited worse performance on subjective questions and public healthcare themes. The results of this study suggested that the overall quality of the Revalida examination questions is satisfactory and corroborates the nullified questions.

The Shevchenko Scientific Society Encyclopedia in view of describing the history of Ukrainian medicine

This communication presents a brief overview of the first five volumes of the Shevchenko Scientific Society Encyclopedia (2012–2022). The author, a professor in Medicine, naturally focuses on highlighting the medical themes within the encyclopedia in a retrospective dimension, emphasizing the significant importance of each published volume for the history of Ukrainian science

Information on advance care planning on websites of dementia associations in Europe: A content analysis

Objective To gain insight into the advance care planning (ACP) content provided on dementia associations’ websites in Europe. Methods We conducted a content analysis of dementia associations’ websites in Europe regarding ACP information, using deductive and inductive approaches and a reference framework derived from two ACP definitions. Results We included 26 dementia associations’ websites from 20 countries and one European association, covering 12 languages. Ten websites did not mention ACP. The information on the remaining 16 varied in terms of themes addressed and amount of information. Four explicitly define ACP. Several websites made multiple references to legal frameworks (n = 10, 705 excerpts), choosing legal representatives (n = 12, 274 excerpts), and care and treatment preferences (n = 14, 89 excerpts); while themes such as communication with family (n = 9, 67 excerpts) and professionals (n = 9, 49 excerpts) or identifying personal values (n = 9, 73 excerpts) were mentioned on fewer websites or addressed in fewer excerpts. Conclusion ACP content is non-existent in 10 out of 26 dementia associations’ websites. On those that have ACP content, legal and medical themes were prominent. It would be beneficial to include more comprehensive ACP information stressing the importance of communication with families and professionals, in line with current ACP conceptualisations framing ACP as an iterative communication process, rather than a documentation-focused exercise.

Perception of undergraduate medical students regarding civic responsibility through service learning by visiting persons with different abilities

&#x0D; Objectives: Addressing various attitudes of students, can be a challenging task for educationists, so it is generally &#x0D; embedded in the hidden curriculum in most Medical Institutes. The purpose of this study was to build up civic &#x0D; duty among undergraduates, rooted in their learning objectives of the curriculum through a visit to the school of &#x0D; children with different abilities (CFSPF).&#x0D; Materials and Methods: In year 4, students of Shifa College of Medicine during the clerkship of Community &#x0D; Medicine, were taken on a field visit which is part of the curriculum. CFSP is privately run by an NGO, it has 45 &#x0D; enrolled individuals with different mental and physical abilities. The medical students visited CFSPF in small &#x0D; groups for 8 months (Sep 2019 to April 2020) where they interacted with the individuals with special needs in &#x0D; their environment. Students were able to practice empathy through the general physical examination and other &#x0D; entertaining activities. In this qualitative study, this strategy was assessed by exploring the medical student’s &#x0D; perceptions.&#x0D; Results: Focus Group discussions were conducted with the medical students and themes identified were: &#x0D; interaction with children having different abilities, being thankful to the Almighty, philanthropy, learning to &#x0D; empathize, the feeling of including them in our society, selfless smile, the contribution of services, and developing &#x0D; various attributes.&#x0D; Conclusion: Students found the visit to a school for children with different abilities useful. The interaction in a &#x0D; different environment has revealed opportunities for a wider scope of learning. &#x0D; Keywords: Civic responsibility, Empathy, Persons with different abilities, Service learning.&#x0D; &#x0D;

Moving beyond narrative archetypes among children with cancer

AbstractChildren's narrations of their experiences with cancer provide researchers/clinicians with an understanding of their lived experiences. Arthur Frank's illness narrative framework—restitution, quest, and chaos—was used to explore 11 children's experiences with cancer. Several participants identified with the restitution narrative of “overcoming” an illness, whereas others identified with the quest narrative of a changed identity after an illness. Two participants voiced emotional struggles with cancer, identifying with the chaos narrative. The Medical Agency theme encompassed children who appeared to be experts on their own illness experiences. These findings highlight the importance of centring children's voices and stories in clinical and research settings.

Mechanical and artificial ‘nü-horror metal’: The film music of Resident Evil

Remaining true to its origins, the survival-horror video game film adaption, Resident Evil: The Original Motion Picture released in 2002, retains its core foundational game-like qualities. The film is heavily influenced by the video game franchise and it appears as if the audience is treated the same as the player. This is because the viewers are forced to ‘participate’ from fixed camera angles. As expected, the music contained within the moving image also borrows well-established compositional techniques from horror films and survival-horror video games. The music, therefore, serves to provide information to the viewers and acts as an auditory trigger. This type of music is defined as ‘process music’; music that appears to imitate a process of actions. An additional function of the music is to create immersion. The most prominent soundtrack cues from the film, visually and musically (‘synchronically’ matched), hint at overarching medical, artificial and mechanical themes. This immersive link is achieved through the use of the related music genres of industrial metal and nü-metal. The resultant combination of industrial/nü-metal sounds with horror imagery can effectively be termed ‘nü-horror metal’. In this article the genre label of ‘nü’ takes preference over ‘industrial’. The focus of this article will, therefore, demonstrate how the aforementioned medical, artificial and mechanical themes are effectively portrayed and heightened by the use of industrial/nü-metal music and techniques. This article will also highlight when the music serves a process function. This will be approached by appealing to traditional film music analytical tools engaging specifically with the traditional film music theory of ‘synchrony’ and ‘asynchrony’.