Standard Textbooks Research Articles

The superior vesical artery: A review of conflicting definitions and how these could affect invasive procedures.

Since the superior umbilical artery is the only functioning branch of the patent umbilical artery, some anatomical and surgical books/atlases fail to clarify that it is a branch of the umbilical artery and not a direct branch of the anterior division of the internal iliac artery and so specifically state that it is a direct branch of the internal iliac artery. This discrepancy in nomenclature can obviously affect invasive procedures and communication between physicians. Therefore, the present review is intended to highlight this issue. The term "superior vesical artery" was searched using standard search engines, for example, PubMed and Google Scholar. Several standard and specialized anatomy textbooks were also examined to ascertain how the superior vesical artery was described. Thirty-two articles were identified that used the terms "superior vesical artery" or "superior vesical arteries." After applying exclusion criteria, in 28 papers, the definition of the superior vesical artery was undetermined in eight, described as a direct branch of the internal iliac artery in 13, described as a branch of the umbilical artery in six, and defined as being equivalent to the umbilical artery in one. Of the sampled textbooks, some defined the superior vesicle artery as a branch of the umbilical artery, some as a direct branch of the internal iliac artery and some as both. Taken all together, most define the superior vesical artery as a branch of the umbilical artery. As the superior vesical artery is described as a branch of the umbilical artery in the internationally accepted terminology (Terminologia Anatomica), we recommend that this definition be used by anatomists and physicians alike so that communication is clear.

Case Article—Creating a Brick Empire Through Data Visualization and Analytics

This case study provides a comprehensive decision-making scenario that takes students through all three types of analytics—descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive—to provide recommendations to a decision maker. The scenario focuses on an individual investor who is purchasing LEGO sets from retailers with the goal of selling them for a higher price on the aftermarket in a few years once they retire from shelves. Students must create visualizations to generate insights from the data and develop a regression model to identify sets that represent value investment opportunities. In the extension case they must take their estimated values and optimize the decisions of which sets to purchase to meet the decision maker’s investment goals using an integer program. Students also have the opportunity to develop soft skills in problem solving and communicating results and dealing with missing data points in a data set that is larger than standard textbook data sets but is still a manageable size for introductory students. The open-ended instructions make the case appropriate for a wide range of students from the introductory undergraduate level to the advanced graduate level. Supplemental Material: Supplemental materials are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/ited.2023.0288ca . The Teaching Note and data files are available at https://www.informs.org/Publications/Subscribe/Access-Restricted-Materials .

A Pragmatic Historical Assessment Tool: A New Systematic Framework for the Collation and Evaluation of Documented Empirical Effectiveness and Safety of Traditional Plant Medicines in the European Materia Medica

Introduction: Traditional plant medicines (TPMs) are plant-derived therapeutic products prepared and applied according to longstanding medical customs. Around the world they are widely used in primary and preventative health care. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls in its Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014–2023 for Member States to provide a regulatory framework so that the formal contribution of traditional therapeutics can be advanced in national systems of health care. Evidence of effectiveness and safety is paramount for the regulatory integration of TPMs; however, a presumed lack of such “evidence” is one obstacle for full integration. The consequential health policy question is how to systematically evaluate therapeutic claims relating to herbal remedies when the extant evidence is predominantly based on historical and contemporary clinical usage, i.e., is empiricist in nature. This paper introduces a new method along with several illustrative examples. Method: Our research design employs a longitudinal, comparative textual analysis of standard textbooks of the professional European medical literature from the early modern period (1588/1664) onwards to today. It then triangulated these intergenerationally documented clinical observations on two exemplars (Arnica and St. John’s Wort) with corresponding listings in multiple qualitative and quantitative sources. A Pragmatic Historical Assessment (PHA) tool was developed and tested as a method to systematically collate the large amount of pharmacological data recorded in these judiciously selected sources. The evidential validity of longstanding professional clinical knowledge could thus be compared with therapeutic indications approved in official and authoritative sources (pharmacopoeias, monographs) and with those supported by contemporary scientific research (randomised-controlled trials [RCTs], experimental research). Results: There was high congruency between therapeutic indications that are based on repeated empirical observations from professional patient care (empirical evidence), those approved in pharmacopoeias and monographs, and modern scientific evidence based on RCTs. The extensive herbal triangulation confirmed parallel records of all main therapeutic indications of the exemplars across all qualitative and quantitative sources over the past 400 years. Conclusions: Historical clinical medical textbooks and contemporary phytotherapeutic equivalents are the key repository of repeatedly evaluated therapeutic plant knowledge. The professional clinical literature proved to be a reliable and verifiable body of empirical evidence that harmonised with contemporary scientific assessments. The newly developed PHA tool provides a coding framework for the systematic collation and evaluation of empirical data on the effectiveness and safety of TPMs. It is suggested as a feasible and efficient tool to extend evidence typologies that substantiate therapeutic claims for TPMs as part of an evidence-based regulatory framework that formally integrates these medically and culturally important therapeutics.

Integrating gender into a labour economics class

This article argues that a systematic integration of gender into labour economics courses based on standard textbooks is both beneficial and straightforward. An undergraduate course in labour economics presents an ideal opportunity to introduce students to the importance of gender differences in economic outcomes. We provide a prototype of such a course, and we show how gender-aware content and pedagogical tools can complement a course based on a standard textbook or set of articles. We also review the most popular textbooks in labour economics and show how gender issues are mostly contained in a single chapter on labour market discrimination rather than thoroughly integrated throughout the text. In addition to exposing students to more diverse content and methodologies, mainstreaming gender into an undergraduate labour economics class can help cultivate inclusivity and belongingness in the discipline.

Evaluation and Control of Pain in Clinical Settings

Background: Pain is a subjective and an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or injury. It can also occur without actual tissue damage, even though the patient refers to it. Pain is a conscious experience, an interpretation of the nociceptive input influenced by memories, emotional, pathological, genetic, and cognitive factors. Pain promotes defensive action and future avoidance behaviour, which requires associating defensive behaviour with resultant changes in pain. Pain has been a predominant health concern for mankind since the dawn of recorded history, and pain control is one of the cardinal objectives of the practice of medicine. It is the most common symptom of disease reported to physicians; more than 80 % of all patients who present to hospitals and clinics do so because of pain. Pain affects the general health, psychological health, social and economic well-being of an individual. The annual cost of uncontrolled chronic pain in the general population is in amount of hundreds of billions of dollars. Objective: The work discussed the evaluation tools and protocols, strategies for pain control, and future therapeutic drug targets for pain and analgesia. Method: The literature search used for the narrative review employed electronic databases in the search for relevant research articles, and they included scopus, pubmed, medline, google scholar, and the directory of open access journals. Others were the use of standard textbooks and the review of references of identified journal articles. Articles on pain and analgesia were identified and reviewed for selection. The keywords used in the search were: ‘’Pain evaluation, Pain assessment, Pain control, Pharmacotherapy of pain, Pain management, Types and characteristics of pain, Aetiology/ Cause of pain, Classification of pain, Severity of pain, Measurement of pain intensity, Pain evaluation tools, and Novel therapeutic drug targets for pain’’. The exclusion criteria used, included articles not written in English and those articles that hinged the clinical management of pain on herbal and alternative medicines (e.g., acupuncture, homeopathy etc.). Result: One hundred and ninety-seven works, ranging from published journal articles to non-journal articles were identified. A total of 82 research works, monographs and textbooks were selected. The works were extracted and reviewed after screening of the titles and abstracts, and in compliance with the inclusion/ selection criteria. Conclusions: Clinical pain is a serious public health concern. Pain evaluation is a multi-strategic observational assessment of a patients’ pain experience. The tools (self-report, behavioural and physiological) for pain evaluation have been demonstrated to be clinically effective in assessing acute pain. Pain evaluation is crucial and clinically useful for an effective and successful pain management. Pharmacotherapy is a critical component in the clinical management of pain, including acute, chronic and acute-on-chronic pain.

Difficulties in Treating Dermatophytes: A Way To Overcome

Superficial dermatophytosisis currently caused by dermatophytes belonging to three genera, namely Trichophyton, Microspurum and Epidermophyton. In recent years, superficialmycosis have becomeincreasingly resistant to current antifungal treatment. Multiple incidences of chronic infections, reinfections and treatment failure have been reported. The epidemiological shift from T, rubrumtoT. mentagrophytes/ T. interdigitalis are the dominant pathogen in recent tenea patients. Limitation of available approved antifungals for dermatophytosis treatment and difficulties or unavailability of culture and sensitivity test for fungus also contribute to difficulties in treatment outcome.The change in the clinical scenario with increasing frequency of treatment failure gives rise to innumerate treatment options based on individual experience from case by case. We focus on treatmentschedule given in standard textbooks and the current modifications that have evolved to treat the dermatophytosis. Bangladesh J Medicine 2023; Vol. 34, No. 2(1) Supplement: 193

Verification of Reference Interval of Thyroid Hormones With Manual and Automated Indirect Approaches: Comparison of Hoffman, KOSMIC and refineR Methods.

The interpretation of quantitative test results requires the availability of appropriate reference intervals (RIs). Every laboratory has been advised by scientific literature and reagent manufacturers to establish RIs for all analytes. Measuring RIs using direct methods is very costly, and it poses ethical and practical challenges. To overcome these challenges, indirect methods, such as Hoffman, and newer automated approaches, such as KOSMIC and refineR, are used to verify RIs for thyroid hormones. To verify RIs for thyroid hormones in adult patients using Hoffman, KOSMICand refineR methods and to compare these with reference ranges given in kit literature or standard textbooks. The observed values (results) of thyroid hormone were collected from the LIS (Laboratory Information System) of the Biochemistry Department at the B. J. Medical College and Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad between 1 January 2021 and 31 May 2022. Hoffman, KOSMICand refineR methods were used to verify the RIs. The computerised Hoffman approach, which Katayev et al. describe, is a simple method for determining RI from hospital data. Zierk et al. pre-validated and suggested the KOSMIC method based on Python programming, whereas refineR was proposed by Tatjana et al. based on R programming language. Hoffman, KOSMIC and refineR's indirect RI techniques revealed comparable results with kit literature in free T3 and T4, whereas higher upper reference limits of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) compared to kit literature were observed with KOSMIC and refineR methods. However, the computerised Hoffman method revealed comparable results with TSH also. Indirect approaches, such as Hoffman, KOSMIC and refineR, provide reliable RI verification for free T3 and T4 utilising patient samples obtained from LIS. However, the manual Hoffman method provides reliable RI verification for TSH data derived from the hospital population as compared to automated approaches, such as KOSMIC and refineR.

Ten principles of outdoor recreation: An excerpt from Studies in Outdoor Recreation: Search and Research for Satisfaction (fourth edition)

Author(s): Manning, Robert E.; Anderson, Laura; Budruk, Megha; Goonan, Kelly; Hallo, Jeffrey; Laven, Daniel; Lawson, Steven; McCown, Rebecca Stanfield; Minteer, Ben; Newman, Peter; Perry, Elizabeth; Pettengill, Peter; Reigner, Nathan; Valliere, William; van Riper, Carena; Xiao, Xiao | Abstract: An excerpt from the concluding chapter of the 4th edition of this standard textbook.

Unsubstantiated use of Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors as an alternative for the treatment of depression

Unsubstantiated use of Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors as an alternative for the treatment of depression

Electrophysiological Theory for Understanding Electrical Evoked Potential Monitoring

Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring(IOM)is a fundamental resource for complex neurosurgical procedures to prevent unpredictable neurological deficits and identify the exact location of a neurological function. IOMs have been classified based on evoked potential measurement by electrical stimulation. To understand the mechanism of an evoked potential, we must learn how the electric current is spread in humans. In this chapter, (1)electrical stimulation via stimulation electrode, (2)nerve depolarization by electric current stimulation, and(3)electric voltage gathered by a recording electrode have been described. Some of the contents in this chapter are presented in a perspective which might differ from that of a standard electrophysiological textbook. I hope the readers find their own interpretations on how electric current is spread in humans.

Analysis of the Structure and Content of the Independent Curriculum on Basic Law of Chemistry

The independent curriculum is a curriculum that applies due to learning loss that occurred in the 2013 curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers do not understand the concept of the curriculum as a whole so that the independent curriculum is difficult to understand and accept. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the depth and breadth of the material in the independent curriculum. This study aims to describe the suitability of the structure and content of the independent curriculum on the basic law of chemistry material based on the revised bloom taxonomy, Dave and Dyers taxonomy and chemical standard textbooks. This type of research is descriptive with a qualitative approach. This study used a content structure analysis research design derived from the Model of Educational Reconstruction (MER). The results of the research obtained in structural analysis are: (1) the elements of chemical understanding are in accordance with the revised bloom taxonomy, (2) the element of process skills only dominates abstract skills, (3) the elements of the pancasila profile contain abstract skills and the realm of attitudes. Meanwhile, in the content analysis, namely: (1) the breadth of material in CP basic laws of chemistry is appropriate in the high school book from the Ministry of Education and Culture, (2) the depth of material there are some materials that are not suiTable based on the chemistry textbook written by Brady edition 7.

Ultrasonographic Measurements of Kidney Dimensions of 109 Filipinos in South Luzon – A Descriptive Study

Objective. The aim of this study is to measure the size of the kidney of Filipino patients, considered as having normal kidney size, in three dimensions, using ultrasound.
 Methods. The ultrasound reports of 109 Filipino patients of a tertiary hospital south of Metro Manila were collected. LENGTH, WIDTH and HEIGHT of each kidney were tabulated and any associated condition seen during the procedure was noted. The ultrasonographic examination was done by only one board- certified radiologist.
 Results. Based on ultrasonographic measurements, the average length, width and height of the right kidney are 10.38 cm, 5.30 cm and 3.82 cm, respectively. The left kidney has mean measurements of 10.32 cm, 5.15 cm and 4.10 cm for length, width and height, respectively. The presence of co-morbid conditions did not significantly alter the size of the kidneys.
 Conclusion. These measurements conform to the standard measurements reported in earlier local researches and in standard textbooks with non-Filipino subjects. This study offers no new findings and just reaffirms what has already been reported. The data presented in this paper will hopefully emphasize the importance of looking at kidney size in the assessment of possible kidney pathology.

MATERNAL MORTALITY IN INDIA: PREVENTION AND ITSSTRATEGIES

Introduction: Maternal health is an important aspect of any countrys development in terms of equity and poverty reduction. The health of women before and during pregnancy, during childbirth, and after childbirth is referred to as Maternal Health. The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is an important indicator of the quality of the countrys health-care system. India has made remarkable progress in reducing maternal mortality over the last two decades. Methods: Relevant articles were searched using both electronically and print sources. Electronically from search engines such as PubMed and Google Scholar, as well as the WHO, CDC, and MoHFW websites. Print sources for the database included newspapers, the central library, and the departmental library of the Community Medicine, which included a variety of journals and standard textbooks. The following keywords were used in the literature search: maternal health, maternal death, maternal mortality and vaccination for pregnant women. Articles that did not contain these keywords were excluded from consideration. The search was not limited by publication year, and original articles, review articles, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses were all considered. Recommendation:Early detection and timely management of High-Risk Pregnancy (HRP) are critical factors in reducing maternal mortality.

Estimation of gestational age specific amniotic fluid index in normal pregnancy in Nepalese women

Amniotic fluid volume (AFV) is estimated in almost all the antenatal scans referred for ultrasonography (USG). It has proven to be a very good predictor for poor pregnancy outcomes. Several standard text books have quoted normal range of amniotic fluid index (AFI). These reference range may not be applicable to all the population as over the years different studies have shown that it varies among different population. Since such variations has been postulated, our aim is to formulate a reference range of gestational age specific AFI in normal pregnancy among Nepalese women. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was carried out among 537 normal pregnancies who attended the out-patient department of Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital. Women with any maternal and fetal complications were excluded from the study. Subsequently median, the 5th, 50th and the 95th percentile values were calculated for each gestational week and were compared with studies among other population. Among the 537 women enrolled in the study, the mean maternal age was 26.5 years with the estimated fetal weight (EFW) at term pregnancy ranged from 2372 grams to 3750 grams with the mean being 3261 grams. The mean AFI at preterm was found to be 12.6 cm ± 2.36 and at term 11.0 cm ± 2.82. The percentiles values for first to 99th percentile of the entire data was calculated and the normal range of the AFI was estimated to be between 6 – 17 cm. As studies have shown the variance in AFI range among different population. It is imperative to formulate a reference of AFI among different population. In our study we found they are lower as compared to the Caucasian population, similar to Indian population and higher than the Chinese population.

Automated Grading of Automata with ACL2s

Almost all Computer Science programs require students to take a course on the Theory of Computation (ToC) which covers various models of computation such as finite automata, push-down automata and Turing machines. ToC courses tend to give assignments that require paper-and-pencil solutions. Grading such assignments takes time, so students typically receive feedback for their solutions more than a week after they complete them. We present the Automatic Automata Checker (A2C), an open source library that enables one to construct executable automata using definitions that mimic those found in standard textbooks. Such constructions are easy to reason about using semantic equivalence checks, properties and test cases. Instructors can conveniently specify solutions in the form of their own constructions. A2C can check for semantic equivalence between student and instructor solutions and can immediately generate actionable feedback, which helps students better understand the material. A2C can be downloaded and used locally by students as well as integrated into Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Gradescope to automatically grade student submissions and generate feedback. A2C is based on the ACL2s interactive theorem prover, which provides advanced methods for stating, proving and disproving properties. Since feedback is automatic, A2C can be deployed at scale and integrated into massively open online courses.

Metabolic Acidosis in Children: A Literature Review

Metabolic acidosis is characterised by a primary decrease in the serum bicarbonate concentration, a secondary decrease in the arterial partial pressure of CO­2, and a reduction in blood pH. Metabolic acidosis, acute or chronic, may have deleterious effects on cellular function and cause increased morbidity and mortality. A systematic review of the available literature was performed to identify data on the prevalence, manifestations, cause, outcomes, and treatment of metabolic acidosis in children. Online databases (Ovid Medline, Embase, and PubMed), commercial search engines (including Google), and chapters on metabolic acidosis in the standard textbooks of paediatrics and medicine were reviewed. Systematic approach to acute metabolic acidosis starts with proper history taking and examination. This is followed by assessment of acid-base parameters, including pH, partial pressure of CO2, and bicarbonate concentration in arterial blood. Blood gas is needed to differentiate primary metabolic acidosis from compensated respiratory alkalosis. Once the diagnosis of a metabolic acidosis has been confirmed, serum electrolyte values are used to determine the serum anion gap. The various causes of increased and normal anion gap metabolic acidosis have been discussed in the article. The main aim of treatment in metabolic acidosis is to reverse the primary pathophysiology. In acute metabolic acidosis, sodium bicarbonate therapy is not beneficial due to potential complications and is reserved for specific situations. Base therapy is used in chronic metabolic acidosis where it ameliorates many of its untoward effects. Other modalities of treatment of metabolic acidosis include peritoneal or haemodialysis and tris-hydroxymethyl aminomethane.

Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Academic and Societal Implications edited by J. Andresen and O. Chon Torres

The impact on human society of new scientific discoveries is generally a quite gradual one, and more evolutionary than revolutionary. At least on the timescales that describe our everydaylives. New physics or chemistry or biotechnology takes industry some time to assimilate, and new products often years to deploy. Today’s top discoveries in astronomy have very littleimpact at all, perhaps piquing the interest of society’s scientific bent for one or two news cycles, perhaps leading to revisions in a few paragraphs of the next editions of standard textbooks. New behaviour observed from a black hole in a galaxy far, far away might be absolutely fascinating, but beyond those who find it so the rest of human society will continue along its merry way oblivious. Could this be about to change? Thanks to NASA’s Kepler and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) planet finding missions, together with a slew of ground-based facilities, “exoplanets” - planets that orbit around stars other than the Sun - are now mainstream. At the time of writing, there were 5197 confirmed planets detected around other stars , a number that is steadily1 increasing as the exoplanet surveys continue providing copious new data for astronomers to sift through and look for telltale planetary signatures.

Price discrimination: Teaching new results with simple exercises

The authors of this article propose a simple exercise of monopoly pricing to illustrate complex theoretical results on the welfare effects of group pricing. By exposing students to this exercise, they aim to bridge a gap between the standard textbook analysis of group pricing and more general results in the literature and clarify some students’ misconceptions. They gear the exercise toward undergraduate students in principles and intermediate-level economics, microeconomics, and industrial organization courses.

Critical Analysis of Charakokta Mahakashaya in the Management of Respiratory System Disorders w.s.r. Covid-19 Pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, 2020. There is currently no specific drug or targeted intervention available, and current therapy consists solely of symptomatic treatment and supportive care. Objective: The goals of this theoretical research, which grew out of this literature review, were to critically review Charakokta Mahakashaya in the management of respiratory system disorders w.s.r. COVID-19 pandemic and interpret its significance in the modern era. Methodology: The present work is primarily based on theoretical research using related research articles, standard textbooks of epidemiology and classical treatises of Ayurveda. Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed several challenges to the Indian healthcare system. In Ayurveda, the concept of epidemic was well defined under the heading of Janapadodhwansa. It has been discovered that deaths in COVID-19 were caused by a lack of immunity. The Rasayana drug, which provides passive immunity based on Ojas, antagonises the strength of disorders and prevents them. The AYUSH ministry has issued numerous guidelines regarding COVID-19 potential treatment, which must be statistically studied. Along with combating the current situation, objective assessment of the scientific plausibility of botanical interventions for prevention and treatment is critical, and the world's scientific minds are expected to begin planning strategies for the future as well. Conclusion: To combat this pandemic, the prophylactic and therapeutic potential of traditional and complementary medicine systems such as Ayurveda and Yoga can be demonstrated as effective COVID-19 prophylaxis and adjuvant therapy.

The citation performance of the references in the standard graduate-level microeconomics textbook: Mas-Collel et al. (1995)

The citation performance of the references in the standard graduate-level microeconomics textbook: Mas-Collel et al. (1995)