University Teaching Research Articles

Lives of Irish Adolescents Who Were Born With a Cleft (LIA-Cleft).

The objective was to describe the lives of adolescents, who were born with cleft lip and palate (CL/P), in comparison to the general population as recorded in Growing up in Ireland (GUI), the national longitudinal study of children and youth. This was a cross-sectional study.Setting: The study was performed in a cleft center at a university teaching hospital.Participants: Adolescents born with CL/P in the years 2007 to 2009.Interventions: Growing up in Ireland questionnaires, which assessed demographics, health and experience of friendship, school, leisure, and social life, were adapted and administered to adolescents and their parents/guardians, who were identified from a prospectively maintained cleft database. Data were compared to that of GUI Cohort '08.Main Outcome Measures: Outcome measures comprised primary caregiver and young person self-report items. Mental health and psychological well-being were assessed using validated instruments including the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Thirty adolescents (10 female, 20 male) participated in the LIA-Cleft group. LIA-Cleft respondents indicated poorer ratings of both medical and dental health than the GUI group. Responses to questions regarding friendship, bullying, physical activity, social media, and screen time were similar in the GUI and LIA-Cleft groups. The LIA-Cleft group were less satisfied with their lives and exhibited lower self-esteem than the GUI group, but did not differ in measures of mental health and well-being or socioemotional well-being. In spite of reporting poorer medical and dental health, young people who were born with CL/P in Ireland lead lives that are broadly similar to their peers in the general population.

Future-Ready Minds, Resilient Hearts: Understanding Psychological Well-being and Resilience in College Teaching in the Philippines

The psychological well-being of college instructors is a critical factor in their professional satisfaction and effectiveness, yet there is limited research on how various dimensions of well-being evolve in response to career challenges and institutional support, particularly for instructors balancing both teaching and administrative duties. This study addresses this gap by exploring the psychological well-being of 12 college instructors in a qualitative case study. Using in-depth interviews, the study examines five key constructs of well-being: emotional, social, professional, physical, and personal well-being. The findings reveal that instructors' well-being is shaped by external pressures, such as the dual demands of teaching and administrative responsibilities, as well as institutional support. Internal factors, including coping strategies, personal reflection, and social support, also play a significant role. Notably, the study identifies the importance of a sense of purpose, work-life balance, and supportive relationships in maintaining resilience against stress. In conclusion, the study emphasizes that a holistic approach to teacher well-being, considering both professional and personal dimensions, is essential for enhancing mental health and job satisfaction. The research underscores the need for institutions to develop tailored, comprehensive well-being programs and suggests that future research should examine the long-term effects of such interventions, particularly for instructors with dual roles, and explore how different teaching contexts influence well-being outcomes.

Laser hair depilation therapy for pilonidal sinus disease: A 5-year, retrospective experience in a University Teaching Hospital in the UK, 2017-2023.

Pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) is a chronic debilitating condition predominantly affecting young men. Laser hair depilation is an established adjunct to surgical treatment for PSD and can lead to reduced rates of recurrence, and post-surgical interventions.This study aimed to assess the outcome of laser hair depilation therapy on disease progression in pilonidal sinus disease patients at the Birmingham Skin Regional Laser Centre. Patient demographics, PSD clinical stage, laser type, number of laser sessions, surgical intervention, and treatment outcomes were extracted from electronic medical records of patients (n=97) referred for laser hair depilation between 2017 and 2023. Statistics were performed using Microsoft Excel and R. Treatment outcomes were categorised as improvement (healed, improved) or no improvement of underlying PSG. Disease severity was classified using Guner et al.'s method. Most patients affected were males (77.3%). Median age was 22 (IQR, 20 - 28). Median LHR sessions were 8 (IGR, 5.5, 10). The number of LHR sessions provided was the only predictive factor for symptom resolution (p = 1.28e-06). Neither undergoing surgical intervention nor the type of surgery (incision, excision, modified flap, or endoscopic surgical intervention) performed showed a significant association with improvement in PSD (p = 0.474, p = 0.6504). In the subgroup of patients who did not undertake surgery (n = 32, 33.0%), 25 (79.1%) patients had improvement or healing in their PSD. There was no statistically significant association between age, type of laser, disease severity, and benefit from LHR. No complications were reported and there was only one case of recurrence. Laser hair depilation is a safe and effective post-operative adjunct treatment for treating sacrococcygeal PSD. For early stage disease it may offer curative treatment.

A Cutting-Edge Approach to Predictive Precision in Oncology Using a Geneto-Neuro-Fuzzy Hybrid Model

Purpose: This study introduces a pioneering hybrid model that combines genetic algorithms, neuro-fuzzy logic, and mobile agent technology to enhance predictive precision for early-stage prostate cancer diagnosis. Design/Methodology/Approach: One hundred and twenty records of prostate cancer patients were initially collected from the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, Nigeria. Each patient’s record included relevant data on prostate disease, such as age, PSA levels, clinical history, symptom severity, biopsy results, and other demographic and clinical factors. This data was extracted and stored as rules in a MySQL database, with the MySQL Fuzzy Extension enabling fuzzy data storage and processing. Findings: Extensive simulations and clinical data analyses demonstrate the model’s superior sensitivity and specificity in detecting early-stage prostate cancer compared to traditional diagnostic methods. Medical expert evaluations validate the model’s effectiveness as a promising diagnostic alternative. Research Limitation: While results are promising, the study is limited to simulations and a controlled clinical dataset. Practical Implications: The system offers a practical, scalable early prostate cancer detection solution that could revolutionise current diagnostic practices. Social Implications: Potential social benefits include improved patient outcomes, reduced healthcare costs, and better quality of life. Originality/Value: This study presents an innovative integration of genetic algorithms, neuro-fuzzy systems, and mobile agent technology. This novel approach paves the way for advanced cancer diagnostics and precision medicine.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Dermatology Outpatients in Southeastern Nigeria: A Tertiary Hospital Study

Background: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is widely used globally, including among dermatology patients. CAM includes different practices not typically part of conventional medicine and is classified into five categories, including biologically based therapies and mind-body interventions. Despite its popularity, little is known about CAM usage patterns among dermatology outpatients in Southeastern Nigeria. Aim: This study aimed to assess the prevalence, the sociodemographic characteristics of dermatology outpatients using CAM and reasons for its usage. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria, between August to November 2022. Methodology: We recruited 212 dermatology outpatients through convenient sampling. Data were collected using interviewer-administered structured questionnaires capturing sociodemographics, dermatological conditions, and CAM usage patterns.Data analysis was performed using SPSS™ Version 23.0, with chi-square tests determining associations between variables at a significance level of P < 0.05. Results: Among 212 participants recruited, the prevalence of CAM use was 34.4%. The median age was 28 years, and more females (56.1%) than males (43.9%) used CAM. Acne (17.8%), psoriasis (16.4%), and mycoses (11%) were the most common conditions among CAM users. Biologically based therapies, particularly plant-based products like aloe vera, were the most frequently used CAM. Family recommendations (16%) and perceived safety (12.3%) were key reasons for CAM use. CAM usage was significantly associated with longer disease duration (P < .001). Conclusion: The high prevalence of CAM use among dermatology outpatients in Southeastern Nigeria highlights the need for clinicians to recognize and consider alternative therapies in patient care. Understanding the patterns of CAM use can also guide clinicians in advising patients on safe and evidence-based alternatives. Future research on the efficacy and safety of CAM in dermatology is crucial to develop comprehensive, evidence-based treatment strategies that encompass both conventional and complementary therapies.

The variable relationship between the National Early Warning Score on admission to hospital, the primary discharge diagnosis, and in-hospital mortality.

Patients with an elevated admission National Early Warning Score (NEWS) are more likely to die while in hospital. However, it is not known if this increased mortality risk is the same for all diagnoses. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the increased risk of in-hospital mortality associated with an elevated NEWS and different primary discharge diagnoses in unselected emergency admissions to a UK university teaching hospital. A non-interventional observational study of 122,321 consecutive, unselected, adult patients with complete data admitted as an emergency between 2014 and 2022. The overall in-hospital mortality was 4.3%. Eighty diagnostic groupings accounted for 85.8% of all admissions and 89.4% of all in-hospital deaths. Depending on diagnostic grouping, the risk of mortality associated with an admission NEWS ≥ 3 ranged from 2.3- to 100-fold. For example, the in-hospital mortality of COPD patients increased from 1.9% for those with admission NEWS < 3 to 35.6% for those with NEWS ≥ 3, for chest pain mortality increased from 0.1 to 3.9%, and for patients with an opiate overdose from 0.2 to 7.7%. Conversely, for admission NEWS < 3, aspiration pneumonia and intracranial hemorrhage had in-hospital mortalities of 13.7% and 12.1%, respectively. There is enormous variation in the mortality risk associated with an increased admission NEWS in different commonly encountered diagnoses. Therefore, the mortality risk of some 'low risk' conditions can be dramatically increased if their admission NEWS is elevated, whereas some 'high risk' conditions are still likely to die even if their admission NEWS is low.

The integration and innovative practice of intelligent AI and local opera in college teaching

This paper explores the impacts of integrating AI into the teaching of Chinese Opera using a mixed-methods approach, examining performance, engagement, and psychological factors in students. A quasi-experimental design involving 199 participants over a one-year period was conducted, involving teaching with and without AI enhancement. Quantitative data, derived from standardized tests and analytics provided by AI platforms, were supported by qualitative data from interviews and observational studies. These results suggest that there were significant increases in the AI-enhanced cohort in opera performance competencies (Δ = 13.6, p &amp;lt; 0.001); retention of cultural knowledge (Δ = 15.5, p &amp;lt; 0.001), and overall engagement levels (r = 0.73, p &amp;lt; 0.001). Time series analysis revealed nonlinear learning trajectories, with participants showing greatest gains during the intervention’s midpoint. The psychological data showed a strengthening relationship between self-efficacy and in-performance outcomes, demonstrating an increase from r_initial = 0.38 to r_final = 0.67, p &amp;lt; 0.001. This study indicates both the potential of AI in the preservation and development of traditional artistic work and highlights some challenges in initial implementation. The findings facilitate the ongoing discussion of integrating technologies into arts education and provide valuable insights to support curriculum development, in addition to conserving cultural heritage in the modern-day digital world.

Problems and Countermeasures of Mixed Teaching in Higher Vocational Colleges

As a new teaching mode, although mixed teaching is widely used in the teaching reform of higher vocational colleges, it is still faced with problems such as poor control of online learning schedule, disconnection between online and offline teaching, insufficient teaching resources and platform construction, lack of teachers mixed teaching ability and imperfect evaluation system. In order to promote the teaching reform of nursing courses in higher vocational colleges, this study puts forward measures such as improving students independent learning ability, strengthening the connection between online and offline teaching, optimizing the construction of teaching platforms and resources, strengthening teacher training and improving the evaluation system.

Pattern of Skin Tumours Seen in Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (Rsuth), Portharcourt Nigeria: A 12 Year Retrospective Study

Pattern of Skin Tumours Seen in Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (Rsuth), Portharcourt Nigeria: A 12 Year Retrospective Study

Ontología del presente del ser maestro y ciberformación en docencia universitaria

The study/research presents the results of a thesis that is justified by the search for understanding how the subjectivation of the teacher takes place and what processes of cyberformation and modes of subjectivation emerge in contemporary university teaching even in the face of the appeals of cyberculture, contemporary culture mediated by networked technologies and their implications for everyday processes of communication, creation and dissemination of knowledge. The aim of the research is to understand what discursive practices constitute being a teacher and what cyberformation processes result from university teaching that can emancipate subjects in contemporary times. Qualitative, multi-referential and articulated with the methodology of conversation, the research has an archaeogenealogical approach and seeks to create an ontology of the present of being a teacher. The data produced and analyzed in online conversations with twenty-nine teachers working in higher education in licentiate courses on four continents, America, Africa, Europe and Asia, constituted three Categorical Units of Analysis of teachers' discursive practices: virtuality, intersubjectivity and cyberformacivity. Intertwined with the research's theoretical framework, namely Agamben, Ardoino, Arendt, Bruno, Deleuze, Freire, Foucault, Han, Hooks, Lemos, Lévy, Moraes, Morozov, Najmanovich, Nietzsche, Nóvoa, O’Neil, Santaella, Santos Silva, Silva, Vieira Neto e Zuboff, the data revealed clues, pointing to how, in university teaching, being a teacher and the processes of cyberformation can promote principles that foster emancipation and critical technological awareness in subjects.

Predicting Preservice Teachers’ Culturally Responsive Teaching Outcome Expectations

This predictive correlational study examined to what extent, if at all, programmatic factors (i.e., course completion, classification, and program of study) predict preservice teachers’ culturally responsive teaching outcome expectations (CRTOE). A survey was distributed to preservice teachers (n = 249) enrolled in a college of education at a midsize, public teaching university in the southeastern United States. The findings of this study indicated that in addition to a program-deep and program-wide approach to embedding culturally responsive teaching practices in teacher education, a stand-alone anchor course that focuses on diversity and culturally responsive teaching practices is predictive of preservice teachers’ CRTOE and can be beneficial in preparing preservice teachers to serve diverse populations of students in their future classrooms.

Prevalence, Morbidity Pattern and Outcome of HIV Exposed Infants admitted into The Special Care Baby Unit of Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Prevalence, Morbidity Pattern and Outcome of HIV Exposed Infants admitted into The Special Care Baby Unit of Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Effect of medical treatment on outcome of benign prostatic hyperplasia in patients followed in the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali

Effect of medical treatment on outcome of benign prostatic hyperplasia in patients followed in the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali

Prevalence and clinical outcomes of abdominal surgeries in a South Western Nigerian University Teaching Hospital between March 2017- October 2021

Prevalence and clinical outcomes of abdominal surgeries in a South Western Nigerian University Teaching Hospital between March 2017- October 2021

Wwireless mobile technology in innovative teaching in universities

Wwireless mobile technology in innovative teaching in universities

Digitally based clinically oriented anatomy: the future of teaching

University teaching is undergoing radical changes. Rising student numbers and the progressive digitalization of routine daily life are also leading to the testing of various new teaching and learning formats. This article provides an overview of the reasons for and approaches used to effectively and efficiently organize teaching of anatomy using digital learning methods and to fulfil the expectations of students.

Self-efficacy scale for university teaching in virtual environments, SSUTVE.

Self-efficacy is relevant in explaining performance and well-being in different domains of human behaviour. Despite this need, there are no instruments that assess self-efficacy in university teaching in virtual environments. Therefore, the objective of this study was to design the Self-Efficacy Scale for University Teaching in Virtual Environments (SSUTVE) and analyse its psychometric properties. Three studies were developed to achieve this. First, based on grounded theory, 31 university professors were interviewed in-depth, and the 10 categories that emerged were grouped into two dimensions of the construct. In the second study, 10 expert judges (university professors) evaluated the clarity, relevance, and pertinence of the items developed. In addition, 10 judges assessed the clarity of the items. Subsequently, 33 items were accepted, and the degree of agreement was acceptable (lower limit of confidence interval in Aiken's V above the expected). The third study analysed the internal structure. A total of 554 Peruvian university professors participated, and the scale presented adequate indexes of adjustment for a structure of nine correlated factors: basic technological skills, safety in virtual classes, ethical-legal aspects, guidance and/or advice in the use of technological resources (related to self-efficacy in digital competences) and planning, didactics, group management, mastery of the subject, and evaluation and feedback (related to self-efficacy in pedagogical competences). Additionally, the degree of reliability of the scores and constructs was acceptable. It was concluded that the SSUTVE presents psychometric evidence of validity and reliability for Peruvian university professors working in virtual environments.

Lecturers' teaching competencies towards improving teaching and learning process in universities in Tanzania: Students’ perspectives

Lecturers' teaching competencies towards improving teaching and learning process in universities in Tanzania: Students’ perspectives

Radiographic, computed tomographic, and histologic characteristics of bone for clinically normal laying hens in a free-range housing system.

Laying hens are increasingly being kept in backyard flocks and considered family pets; however, diagnostic imaging characteristics of bone for clinically normal backyard hens are currently limited. This prospective, descriptive study was to describe radiographic, computed tomographic, and histologic characteristics of bone for a group of clinically normal laying hens housed in conditions comparable to those of backyard flocks. Sixteen 60-week-old Lohmann Brown laying hens were included. Hens were housed in a free-range unit with outdoor access at a university research and teaching farm. Hens were defined as clinically normal by the farm manager and a veterinary researcher in laying hen behavior and welfare. Findings from the horizontal beam, left lateral, sternal radiographs (n=16), postmortem, and whole-body CT scans (n=4) were recorded by a veterinary radiologist and a research technician. Histologic findings for sternal, femoral, and tibiotarsal bone samples (n=5) were recorded by a veterinary pathologist. The most frequent radiographic findings for the sternal carina (keel bone) were smoothly marginated concave deviations of the ventral margin and caudal section fractures. Multiple punctate mineral opacities (PMOs) were present in radiographs and CT images for all hens and were involved in the sternal carina and multiple other bones in the axial and appendicular skeleton. No bone abnormalities were identified in any histologic sections where PMOs were radiographically detected. Authors propose that PMOs are normal radiographic and CT findings in the bones of mature, laying hens and may represent temporary calcium reservoirs formed during osteoclastic activities.

Awareness and Knowledge of Chemotherapy Among Cancer Patients at Suresh Wagle Memorial Cancer Centre, Kathmandu

Chemotherapy plays a crucial role in cancer treatment, targeting rapidly dividing abnormal and normal cells, which often leads to significant side effects. This study aimed to assess the awareness of chemotherapy among cancer patients at Suresh Wagle Memorial Cancer Centre, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), Kathmandu, Nepal. A descriptive cross‐sectional design was employed, involving 103 cancer patients selected through nonprobability, purposive sampling. Data were collected via in‐person interviews using a semistructured questionnaire. Statistical analysis, including chi‐square tests, was conducted to explore associations between patients’ knowledge of chemotherapy and biodemographic variables. The results indicated that nearly half of the respondents, 50 (48.5%), had moderate knowledge of chemotherapy, while a significant association was found between the cycle of chemotherapy and access to health information, with a p value of less than 0.05. The study highlights the need for regular patient education and counseling to enhance awareness and understanding of chemotherapy. The use of educational materials such as brochures, videos, and online resources is recommended to reinforce patients’ knowledge and improve their overall quality of life during treatment.