Scholarly Online Research Articles

Dengue fever in Nigeria: a mini review

Dengue is a disease caused by dengue virus. It is a major mosquito-borne viral disease of humans that is endemic in areas of tropical and subtropical regions, which are environmentally suitable for vector propagation. The disease poses a major threat to the overwhelmed and weak public healthcare delivery system in the developing world, especially in Africa where febrile illnesses are common. The disease undermines the fight against febrile illnesses as infection with dengue often remains undetected or misdiagnosed as malaria or other febrile diseases. This review article highlights dengue epidemiology in Nigeria, dengue transmission dynamics, pathogenesis, diagnosis and current interventions strategies, challenges in addressing dengue infection and future prospects towards dengue elimination. The literature search for publications on dengue virus infection in Nigeria was performed using Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, African Journals Online and other scholarly online databases. Dengue remains a threat to Nigeria and other African countries. In Nigeria, the occurrence of this infection remains a low priority in the public health sector even though it has been reported in about 17 states across the country. The reports of dengue infection in all the geo-political zones suggests active transmission of dengue, hence the need to consider other etiologies of febrile illnesses and engage the public to sustain local involvement as local risk to dengue outbreaks is linked to the population’s knowledge, attitude and behavioral practices that encourage vector breeding

Potential clinical usage of ashwagandha root extract: A review

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE
 Ashwagandha, an herb commonly used in traditional Indian medicine, has been gathering attention as a potential drug in various specialties such as psychiatry, neurology, or endocrinology and even as a possible cancer treatment. In this review we aim to summarize reports form recent years on potential clinical usage of Ashwagandha.
 REVIEW METHODS
 The literature review was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar online databases.
 THE STATE OF KNOWLEDGE
 Several studies evaluating potential pharmacological uses of Ashwagandha root extract has been published. There are clinical trials conducted in India using the plant in treatment of insomnia that resulted in improved sleep quality. Ashwagandha root extract has been successfully administered in stress-related disorders. There are reports of improvement in cognitive functions in patients with mild cognitive impairment and better symptom control in obsessive-compulsive disorder after Ashwagandha supplementation. Ashwagandha has been studied in endocrine diseases, showing potential in alleviating climacteric symptoms during perimenopause and in subclinical hypothyroidism. The study aimed to assess effect of Ashwagandha on vitality and hormonal changes in elderly men showed mixed results, with improvement in some hormonal levels and not statistically significant improvement in quality of life compared to placebo group. It has also been noted that ashwagandha root extract has positive effect on cardiovascular system, as well as enhancing muscle strength and recovery in otherwise healthy adults.
 SUMMARYAshwagandha root extract seems to possess beneficial properties that allow for its use in several branches of medicine. However as current findings are reported from small sample studies, further research on a larger scale is needed.

Sequential Analysis of Online Scholarly Discussions of University Students using a Cognitive Subset of Critical Thinking

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, online technologies have been introduced to facilitate students' engagement in education. Online discussion has been used to provide them a communal learning environment. This investigation examined online scholarly discussions conducted by university students with a view to ascertaining how they demonstrated critical thinking (CT). Course participants were tasked with submitting research reports related to assignments to the Moodle discussion forum. These were subsequently shared with their student peers. After the ensuing discussions were recorded, the statements made by the students were coded using subskill indicators of CT. A code sequence analysis was subsequently conducted, with CT and altruism serving as dependent variables. In total, 121 students contributed 310 messages to the Moodle forum. In cases involving CT, lower-level skills were found to be predominant among the code sequences. In contrast, cases involving altruism displayed sequences that transitioned from higher to lower skills. When both dependent variables were active, the highest count of sequences was recorded for self-regulation skill, indicating higher-order cognitive skill activities. The students recognized their cognitive limitations, actively sought additional information, and re-evaluated the topic. This study establishes a novel analytical methodology for evaluating critical thinking skills.
 
 Received: 18 February 2023 / Accepted: 21 April 2023 / Published: 5 May 2023

A Systematic Literature Review of Educational Leadership and U.S. School Shootings: Establishing a Research Agenda

Background: Educational leadership perspectives are missing from existing literature related to school shootings, which have been dominated instead by experts in criminal justice, law enforcement, and psychology. Purpose: In this article, we systematically review the literature base on educational leadership related to school shootings in the United States to identify gaps and develop an education-specific, leadership-specific research agenda for the United States. Methods: This exploratory-topographical review follows standards for systematic research reviews in educational leadership. Through reviews of 16 core educational leadership journals, and online scholarly search engines for research and keywords, we identify gaps in the current inter-disciplinary literature. Findings: We learned that the research base on school shootings is multidisciplinary, with scholars across seven different fields taking different approaches. Second, we found that while many scholars are addressing the problem of school shootings, the research base on school shootings from education researchers and specifically within the field of educational leadership are limited. Implications: We discuss three ways in which educational leaders and leadership scholars can inform school shooting research via emphasizing relationships, school–community partnerships, and meeting the needs of the marginalized. We propose preliminary recommendations for an education-specific, educational leadership U.S. research agenda, and suggestions for preparation programs.

Magnesium as an adjunct in regional anesthesia: literature review

Neringa Umaraitė1, Audronė Grigaliūnaitė2, Ramūnas Tamošiūnas2 1Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Academy of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kaunas, Lithuania 2Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics, Department of Anesthesiology, Kaunas, Lithuania Abstract Background. High-quality regional anesthesia should ensure good operating conditions and effective, long-lasting analgesia after surgery. Ways to prolong analgesia in order to allow early patient mobility and rehabilitation procedures are constantly being sought. Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) as an adjunct to local anesthetics solutions is an attractive option and is being extensively studied. The aim: to review the scientific literature on usage of MgSO4 as an adjunct in regional anesthesia and to provide clinical conclusions for the application of MgSO4 in this anesthesia. Methods: The search of the scientific literature was performed in PubMed, Google Scholar online databases, using the following keywords and their combinations: ,,magnesium“, ,,peripheral nerve block“, ,,brachial plexus block“, ,,TAP block”, ,,spinal anesthesia“, ,,epidural anesthesia“, ,,neuraxial anesthesia“. 19 publications were included. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the literature. Results. Regardless of type of regional anesthesia, magnesium combined with a local anesthetic shortens the duration of analgesic onset, prolongs both sensory and motor block durations, alleviates postoperative pain. Furthermore, less analgesics are consumed during surgery and postoperative period. Also, magnesium has advantage over some adjuvants to complement the action of local anesthetics or to avoid certain adverse effects. However, there is no consensus on what concentrations and volumes of MgSO4 solution should be used for different types of regional anesthesia. Conclusions. MgSO4, when used as an adjunct in regional anesthesia, enhances the action of local anesthetics without increasing the frequency of adverse effects. Keywords: magnesium sulfate, regional anesthesia, peripheral blocks, neuraxial anesthesia. Full article https://doi.org/10.53453/ms.2023.2.18

The Impact of Community Dental and Oral Health Services During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

Based on WHO data, the number of doctors who died from COVID-19 was 545 people, while there were 46 dentists. As a result, dental practice has become a problem during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several solutions were produced to solve this problem, namely switching to non-aerosol procedures. Purpose: to conduct a literature review that examines the impact of community dental and oral health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: this literature study uses the narrative review method by analyzing various journals from the PubMed, EBSCO and Google Scholar online databases related to community dental and oral health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, treatment at the dentist's clinic was carried out with very strict health protocols to prevent the spread of the virus

Exploring the methods of salivary analysis in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: A scoping review

Alzheimer's disease is a common type of dementia. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that starts with mild memory loss and may progress to loss of ability to convey a conversation and respond to the surrounding. Early detection can help in the management of this disease. In this review, we attempted to find the most accurate method for salivary biomarkers detection, which can aid in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. For this scoping review; PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar online databases were searched to find studies and articles that test the salivary biomarkers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Eleven studies were eligible for our research. Ten were case–control, and one was a cohort study. Seven of the studies used the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, five of which showed diagnostic potential. Two studies used Luminex assay and photomultiplier tube, showing similar results to ELISA. AbsoluteIDQ®p150 Kit and faster ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and pattern recognition techniques tested different metabolites with potential diagnostic significance. Furthermore, another study using an extended gate ion sensitive field effect transistor sensor related salivary trehalose sugar to Alzheimer's disease. Different reliable biomarkers were detected using ELISA kit and appear to be effective in disease detection. Further studies and clinical trials on a large scale are required to determine the most accurate method of detecting Alzheimer's disease.

Literatur Review Pengaruh Reputasi Auditor, Good Corporate Governance dan Komite Manajemen Risiko Terhadap Pengungkapan Enterprise Risk Management

This literature review article entitled the influence of auditor reputation, good corporate governance and risk management committee on enterprise risk management disclosure is a scientific article that aims to build a research hypothesis on the influence between variables that will be used in further research. The method of writing this literature review article is the library research method, which is sourced from Google Scholar online media and other academic online media. The results of this literature review article are that the auditor's reputation has an effect on the disclosure of enterprise risk management, good corporate governance has an effect on the disclosure of enterprise risk management and the risk management committee has an effect on the disclosure of enterprise risk management

Machine Learning Techniques for the Prediction of Functional Outcomes in the Rehabilitation of Post-Stroke Patients: A Scoping Review

Stroke is one of the main causes of long-term disabilities, increasing the cost of national healthcare systems due to the elevated costs of rigorous treatment that is required, as well as personal cost because of the decreased ability of the patient to work. Traditional rehabilitation strategies rely heavily on individual clinical data and the caregiver’s experience to evaluate the patient and not in data extracted from population data. The use of machine learning (ML) algorithms can offer evaluation tools that will lead to new personalized interventions. The aim of this scoping review is to introduce the reader to key directions of ML techniques for the prediction of functional outcomes in stroke rehabilitation and identify future scientific research directions. The search of the relevant literature was performed using PubMed and Semantic Scholar online databases. Full-text articles were included if they focused on ML in predicting the functional outcome of stroke rehabilitation. A total of 26 out of the 265 articles met our inclusion criteria. The selected studies included ML approaches and were directly related to the inclusion criteria. ML can play a key role in supporting decision making during pre- and post-treatment interventions for post-stroke survivors, by utilizing multidisciplinary data sources.

Literature Study on Self-Regulated Learning in Science Learning of Elementary School Students

The study was conducted to determine the trend of research topics for self-regulated learning science for elementary school students in 2017-2021. This type of research is a descriptive quantitative research using literature study analysis and bibliometric methods. The data collection process is carried out by conducting observations and documentation on the Google Scholar online database. The data analysis phase was applied Mendeley, Publish or Perish, and VOSViewer. Based on the analysis of 102 research publications, 46 topics emerged. Relevant topics that arise relating to self-regulated learning do not all have a high occurrence rate. Topics with high emergence include Self-regulated learning, Learning Outcomes, Critical Thinking, Scientific Literacy, Motivation, Problem Based Learning, Inquiry, and Discovery Learning. Topics with low emergence and opportunities for further research are Strategy, Learning Media, Science Process Skills, Self-Efficacy, Emotional Intelligence, Metacognitive Skills, and Peer Learning.

Use of Research Organizations Registry (ROR) identifiers in author academic profiles: the case of Google Scholar Profiles

Research organizations' persistent identifiers allow for reducing affiliation ambiguities, enable accurate institutional analyses and favor the design of modern online scholarly databases suited for research discovery and research evaluation. However, few studies have attempted to quantify their degree of use. Precisely, the purpose of this work is to determine the use of Research Organizations Registry (ROR) IDs in author academic profiles, specifically in Google Scholar Profiles (GSP). To do this, all the Google Scholar profiles including the term ROR in any of the public descriptive fields were collected and analyzed. The results evidence a low use of ROR IDs (1,033 profiles), mainly from a few institutions (e.g. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia, and Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral in Ecuador hold 55.7% of all profiles), from low citation-based impact authors (45.1% of profiles attain less than 100 citations each), belonging mainly to Social Sciences (26.3%), Engineering fields (25.3%), and Natural Sciences (22.2%). Although Google Scholar does not facilitate the inclusion of identifiers, it seems that the world's leading research institutions are not recommending their researchers include these identifiers in their profiles yet.

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Awareness Regarding Human Papilloma Virus Among Health Professionals and Will to Accept Vaccination: A Systematic Review.

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease and the leading cause of cervical cancer. The undeniable causal link between HPV and cervical cancer led to the creation of HPV prophylactic vaccines. Health professionals are key in counseling parents about their children's immunization, as they are considered valid and reliable sources of information. The systematic review aimed to determine doctors' and nurses' knowledge of HPV, their awareness of the vaccine, and their willingness to accept vaccination. Systematic studies were conducted from 2015 to January 2022 in Medline/PubMed and Google Scholar online databases. The systematic review included 10 good-quality cross-sectional studies and a total of 6700 participants who were administered self-administered questionnaires or personal interviews. From the analysis of most of the studies, it is demonstrated that health professionals have a satisfactory level of knowledge about HPV infection and its effects on human health, even if their knowledge gap in essential details regarding the virus and HPV vaccination is apparent. It was found that various factors regarding health professionals, such as their specialty, gender, working environment, weekly working hours, and the interval since their last HPV training, contribute to forming their knowledge level about HPV and vaccination. In addition, most studies show that most healthcare professionals knew about the existence of HPV vaccines but did not know many details about how their work and their potential benefits. In conclusion, the provision of counseling by health professionals is currently estimated to be the strongest predictor of target group compliance with the HPV vaccine. Consequently, it is essentially considered to investigate the HPV-related knowledge level among health workers and to intensively reeducate them regarding the HPV infection risks and the necessity of HPV vaccination to improve their awareness and strengthen their attitude in favor of vaccination against cervical cancer.

A Scoping Review of Melon Manis Terengganu Research Perspective in Malaysia

Melon Manis Terengganu (MMT) is an iconic and official fruit of Terengganu state, Malaysia. MMT is the new melon variety introduced to the farmers in Terengganu as one of the ways to improve their socioeconomic level. The present scoping review attempts to recognise and synthesise the published materials on MMT research and explore the research perspective of MMT. The Web of Science, Scopus, Dimensions, and Google Scholar online databases have been included in this study to screen the published peer-reviewed documents on MMT research. A total of 15 full articles (with 565 cited references) have been accessed in this study. Publication on MMT began in 2018 where most of the scholars affiliated with Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. The scientific research on MMT is limited, and the research topics are considered emerging knowledge. Biochemistry is the leading research discipline of MMT besides food processing, postharvest, entomology, crop performance and entrepreneurship. This synthesis review contributes to the body of knowledge, especially to the new academicians and scholars, in better understanding the current research progress and possible future research direction of MMT study in Malaysia.

Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections and associated risk behaviors in prisoners: A systematic review.

Background and AimsSexually transmitted infections (STIs) are one of the major health concerns globally. Generally, prisoners are at higher risks for STIs due to risk factors including; drug‐use, high‐risk sexual behaviors, densely populated prisons, and poor living conditions. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a systematic review to evaluate the existing data on STI prevalence, and its associated risk factors among prisoners.MethodsWe conducted a systematic search of the literature using the keywords in Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar online databases. We selected all the relevant original studies in English through title/abstract and full‐text screening process.‎ResultsBased on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, we selected and reviewed 32 studies out of 96 identified papers. The most important STI‐associated risk factors among prisoners were drug use, low educational levels, and unsafe sex. The prevalence of STIs was heterogenous in selected studies and was reported as follows; Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (0%−14.5%), hepatitis B viruses (HBV) (0.04%−27.23%), hepatitis C viruses (HCV) (0.17%−49.7%), Syphilis (0.2%−22.1%), Chlamydia Trachomatis (CT) (1.02%−6.7%), Gonorrhea (0.6%−7.8%), and herpes simplex virus‐2 (HSV‐2) 22.4%.ConclusionThis systematic review indicates that the prevalence of STIs (HIV, HBV, HCV, Syphilis, Chlamydia Trachomatis, Gonorrhea, and HSV‐2) among prisoners appears to be higher than the general population, with drug abuse, low educational levels, and unsafe sex as major risk factors.

Digitally excluded: Inequalities in the access and use of online learning technologies in Scottish secondary schools.

ObjectivesOur overall aim is to analyse the patterns and impacts of inequalities in the access to and use of digital learning technologies in Scottish secondary schools, especially for young people experiencing socio-economic inequalities. ApproachUsing a novel dataset arising from the Scholar online learning platform (https://scholar.hw.ac.uk/), which (between June 2020 and June 2021) recorded usage data for c.133,000 students in 339 (95%) publicly-funded Scottish secondary schools, registered for Scottish Qualifications Agency exams: National 5 (age 15/16); Highers (age 16/17) and Advanced Highers (age 17/18). We focused on engagement, measured through average page visits and percentage of active users. We used descriptive statistics and visualisation to understand the patterns of usage across levels and portfolios/subjects, and multilevel negative binomial models to ascertain the extent of the variation across schools and its association with deprivation alongside other characteristics. ResultsWe have found emerging evidence of a socio-economic gradient in the use of digital learning technologies, whereby the students attending the most deprived schools (according to SIMD and FSM-eligibility) show the lowest levels of engagement. Overall, engagement varies substantially across all levels and portfolios/subjects, but it is most noticeably higher in Sciences and in rural areas, which may well be unveiling student needs unmet by rural schools. Focusing on Sciences, variations across schools can be large, highlighting the need to understand what makes students in certain schools engage more or less with online learning. Should the data allow it, we will draw comparisons pre- and post-pandemic to explore the differences in engagement across students and schools. ConclusionIn light of a widening socio-economic gap due to COVID-19 restrictions, these findings will help policymakers and practitioners better understand digital inequality, to assess the impacts of policy measures such as providing disadvantaged young people with laptops, to mitigate digital inequality and improve digital services to improve educational outcomes.

867 Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound for the Diagnosis of Cerebral Vasospasm After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Haemorrhage

Abstract Aim This study aims to review the literature regarding the utility and accuracy of transcranial toppler (TCD) ultrasound in the diagnosis of cerebral vasospasm (CV) following aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH). Method A systematic review of the literature was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Pubmed and Google Scholar online databases were searched using the following designated MeSH search terms: “subarachnoid haemorrhage” AND “aneurysm” AND “aneurysmal” AND “cerebral vasospasm” AND “vasospasm” AND “transcranial Doppler” AND “TCD”. Results were limited to publications not older than 10 years prior this research (May-June 2020) and restricted to English language. All the articles found through the search were screened through their titles, then through the abstract and finally from reading in full. The remaining articles were then screened by the previously set inclusion and exclusion criteria. Finally, a further cross-reference search was completed in order to include articles missed in the database research. Results The database research yielded 1378 results. Of these, following the screening process, 6 papers were included in the study. A total of 403 patients was extracted from the data. Of these, the total number of reported diagnoses of CV was 172. The percentage of patients with CV was calculated for each study and overall, for an average of 42.68% of patients diagnosed with CV. TCD showed to have an average sensitivity and specificity of 68% and 74%, respectively and 71% accuracy. Conclusion TCD is a useful diagnostic tool that could help predicting and early diagnosing the occurrence of CV, with good sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy.

Information Seeking Behavior of Nursing Faculty During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Academics Libraries have developed electronic collections to provide continuing services to their patrons especially during research. Databases and other scholarly online resources have become the main support system of many academic libraries. Beginning in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a powerfully disruptive and transformative influence on libraries all over the world and some of the services were altered. The University of Memphis Libraries was not an exception. Meeting the challenges associated with significantly increased need for online content, the University Libraries continued to provide access to scholarly resources and supportive reference and instruction services to the diverse academic communities which include the Loewenberg College of Nursing with 52 full time faculty, 785 undergraduate students, and 261 graduate students enrolled on two campuses (Office of International Research, 2019). Branch librarians, authors of this paper, support the research of nursing faculty at each campus and seek to investigate their use and satisfaction with current Health Sciences online library resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also assessed their information-seeking strategies throughout. The data collected in a survey served to analyze access and use of library databases, search engines, and other online resources during research inquiries and queries specifically related to COVID19 information. While the focus group for this study is nursing faculty, findings from the study may also inform improved support of information-seeking faculty in other disciplines.

Contribution of National Rural Employment Guarantee Program on Rejuvenation and Restoration of Community Forests in India

Sustainable development is one of the ubiquitous paradigms of this century. Poverty, biodiversity loss and climate change are some of the obstacles to achieving sustainable development. To mitigate these encumbrances, countries have painstakingly adopted various policies and interventions. Public work programs, one of the initiatives targeting the construction of strong social safety nets through redistribution of wealth and generation of meaningful employment are increasingly being launched in developing countries. This paper is an attempt to examine the effects of phased implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) on the rejuvenation and restoration of community forests in India. Searches performed in multidisciplinary electronic databases (Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, Emerald Insight, Google Scholar, Taylor and Francis Online, Wiley Online Library, and Springer Link) indicated that MGREGS is one of the largest labor guarantee schemes ever recorded in India and globally, and has holistically contributed to reforestation and afforestation through its land development themes to reduce vulnerability of rural communities to recurrent droughts, floods and improve soil moisture and fertility. It is evident that MGNREGS in synergy with the government forest development programs have the potential to promote social afforestation, reforestation and biodiversity conservation as witnessed in the Sundarbans. These have the potential to empower local people through creation of income generating activities and provision of local forest goods and services. However, the creation of forests as rural assets necessitates that emphasis should be laid on their maintenance so as to ensure that they are given their due importance for sustainable and long-term benefit of the poor rural households. This study highlights the need to perform a comprehensive assessment of forest assets that has been established through MNREGS across states in India.

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