Tirana Research Articles

EP.14C.06 Surgical and Local Treatment of Pain in Tietze Syndrome: Our Experience in University Hospital “Shefqet Ndroqi” Tirana Albania

EP.14C.06 Surgical and Local Treatment of Pain in Tietze Syndrome: Our Experience in University Hospital “Shefqet Ndroqi” Tirana Albania

Distribution of episodes of kidney diseases admitted at the University Hospital Center “Mother Teresa” in Tirana, Albania, during the period 2010-2023

Our aim was to describe the distribution of kidney diseases among hospitalized patients in Tirana, the capital of Albania, during the period 2010-2023. A case-series study was conducted including all episodes admitted with kidney diseases at the University Hospital Center “Mother Teresa” in Tirana during the period 2010-2023 (overall: 15,763 episodes; 46% females; overall mean age: 54.0±17.3 years). We found that ≈56% of the kidney disease episodes were 35-65 years old, followed by >65-year-old individuals (≈28%). Most of the kidney disease episodes (about 43%) hospitalized were from the Tirana region, followed by districts pertinent to South Albania (23%). Older patients (>65 years) were more prevalent among males compared to females (301% vs 25%, respectively; p<0.001). Patients from the Tirana region were more prevalent among females compared to males (45% vs 42%, respectively, p<0.001). This study provides evidence on the distribution of the episodes of kidney diseases admitted at University Hospital Center “Mother Teresa” in Tirana, the largest region in Albania, a country in the Western Balkans that is undergoing deep reforms in all sectors, including also the health sector.

Perceptions and experiences of community pharmacists with off-label prescribing in the pediatric population.

This study aimed to investigate and provide insight into the prevalence and patterns of off-label drug use in the pediatric population from the perspective of community pharmacists, addressing the existing data gap in a developing setting. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted on Albanian community pharmacists in June 2021. The online administered survey explored the participants' demographic details, perceptions, and experiences with off-label prescriptions in pediatric patients. The statistical analysis conducted on the survey data comprised the construction of frequency tables and the application of the chi-square test for independence. Three hundred and thirty-six community pharmacists nationwide completed the survey, out of which 186 (55.3%) were practiced in Tirana, the capital of Albania. Over 80% of surveyed pharmacists (n = 275) had encountered off-label drug prescriptions in pediatric patients, yet only 40% of participants reported dispensing medicines for off-label use. Community pharmacists reported that general pediatricians tended to prescribe off-label medications more frequently than pediatric subspecialists or general practitioners. It was found that off-label prescriptions were more frequently observed among children aged between 2 and 11 years. Antibiotics were the most reported medicines for off-label use in this study mentioned in almost all off-label categories. Prescribing medicines for unapproved uses for the treatment of pediatric patients is present in community settings in Albania. This indicates the need for further data collection and analysis to understand off-label practices in our country's pediatric population comprehensively.

Lighting in Hospitals - Case Study: Military Hospital of Tirana, Albania

Hospitals must have adequate lighting so that medical personnel can do their duties and attend to the requirements of patients and visitors. A comfortable recuperation environment may be created with the aid of good lighting. The relationship between daylighting and artificial lighting and their role in the design process will be mentioned. Specific areas of the hospital will be under adequate lighting analysis. The areas taken into consideration are entrance and waiting areas, circulation areas, operating theatres and clean rooms, wards and bedrooms, ancillary areas, restaurant and kitchen, and exterior lighting. Some of these areas are also analyzed regarding the case study of the Military Hospital (University Trauma Hospital) of Tirana Albania. The purpose of this paper is to compare different lighting standards, the EU standards, and the Albanian ones. Solutions can be provided for lighting systems, starting from luminaries and lamps, to lighting controls and lighting management systems, from the early stage of design. The architect is the enabling partner to develop meaningful lighting solutions for all areas of healthcare facilities.

RIGHT CORONARY ARTERY PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION IN A PATIENT WITH ANOMALOUS ORIGIN OF LEFT MAIN FROM RIGHT CORONARY SINUS – CASE REPORT”

A 63-year-old male is hospitalized during an episode of NSTEMI and therefore he underwent Coronary Angiography which revealed Two-Vessel coronary artery disease and anomalous origin of Left Main Artery. Left Main Artery and Right Coronary Artery did both originate from right coronary sinus, but with separate ostia. The patient underwent revascularization of Right Coronary Artery with balloon angioplasty and drug eluting stents. The case report is made at the University Hospital Center “Mother Tereza”, Tirana Albania.

Women Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Perspectives of an Emerging Economy

Women entrepreneurship is considered by many researchers as an imminent phenomenon of the 21st century, especially for developing countries. Due to its contribution to the economy and society, recent studies have focused on investigating its motivational factors, as well as achievements. Moreover, researchers have come up with different entrepreneurial perspectives in different societies and cultures and have called for further analysis. In this context, the main purpose of this research was to assess the driving factors, challenges, and perspectives of woman entrepreneurship in a post-communist country context. As part of the data collection process, a survey was conducted with 36 female entrepreneurs operating in the capital city of Albania, Tirana. The study results reveal that, even though there are no significant differences between the percentage of women who feel that they are being discriminated against and percentage of female entrepreneurs who perceive that their gender has positively affected the business growth, there is a positive significant difference regarding the percentages of women entrepreneurs who have been supported by their families and partners and those who have received heritage from their families. Special attention is addressed to the different factors that women experience in terms of entrepreneurial development. Another aim of this research is to provide different recommendations to be taken into consideration by the policymakers to improve the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Albania.

Socio-demographic factors and selected clinical characteristics of patients with retinal vein occlusions in transitional Albania

Aim: The aim of our study was to assess the distribution of socio-demographic factors and the clinical profile of individuals diagnosed with retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in Albania, a former communist country in South-eastern Europe which has been undergoing a rapid transition in the past decades. Methods: This study was carried out in 2013-2016 at the Primary Health Care Centre No. 2 in Tirana municipality, which is the capital of Albania. During this timeframe, on the whole, 44 patients were diagnosed with RVO at this primary health care centre (17 women and 27 men; overall mean age: 69.5±11.5 years). The diagnosis of RVO was based on signs and symptoms indicating a quick reduction of the sight (vision), fundoscopy, fluorescein angiography and the optical coherence tomography. Data on socio-demographic factors and clinical characteristics were also gathered for each study participant. Results: The prevalence of glaucoma was considerably higher in men than in women (67% vs. 24%, respectively, P=0.01). Diabetic retinopathy was somehow more prevalent in women than in men (18% vs. 11%, respectively), whereas an opposite finding was noted for the presence of hypertensive retinopathy (6% vs. 11%, respectively). The prevalence of cataract was higher in female patients compared with their male counterparts (18% vs. 7%, respectively, P=0.36). Both macular oedema and papillary oedema were almost equally distributed in men and in women (22% vs. 18% and 4% vs. 6%, respectively). All female patients had comorbid conditions compared to 85% of their male counterparts (P=0.15). The prevalence of hypertension was almost identical in both sexes (52% in men vs. 53% in women), whereas the prevalence of diabetes was somehow higher in men than in women (26% vs. 18%, respectively). Conclusion: This is one of the very few studies informing about the distribution of socio-demographic factors and selected clinical characteristics of individuals diagnosed with RVO in transitional Albania.

Evidence of a higher burden of multimorbidity among female patients in Albania

Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess sex-differences in the prevalence of multimorbidity and the number of comorbid conditions among hospitalized patients in Tirana, the capital of Albania, a transitional country in Southeastern Europe. Methods: The current study was a case-series, which was carried out in the period August 2013–June 2014. Overall, 974 patients were enrolled (46.6% men with a mean age of 61.2±13.8 years, and 53.4% women with a mean age of 61.3±13.1 years), who were admitted at the Service of Internal Medicine and Hypertension, University Hospital Center “Mother Teresa” in Tirana. A comprehensive clinical profile was assembled for all patients in addition to socio-demographic data and information on lifestyle factors. General linear model was used to assess the association between multimorbidity (total number of diseases/conditions) and sex of the patients, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and lifestyle factors. Results: In crude (unadjusted) models and in age-adjusted models, female patients had a higher mean value of diseases/conditions compared to males (for both: 4.4 vs. 4.1, respectively, P=0.03). Likewise, upon adjustment for all socio-demographic characteristics, the mean number of disease/conditions was significantly higher in female patients compared to their male counterparts (4.2 vs. 3.9, respectively; P=0.03). After additional adjustment for lifestyle factors, the association between sex and number diseases/conditions was not significant anymore (p=0.16), notwithstanding the evidence of a higher mean value in women compared to men (4.2 vs. 4.0). Conclusion: Current evidence from transitional Albania suggests a higher burden of multimorbidity among female patients compared to males, which is a cause of concern. These findings should raise the awareness of health professionals and particularly policymakers and decision-makers in order to address gender issues and inequity gaps in health outcomes and burden of disease of the Albanian population.

Evaluating the pedestrian accessibility to public services using open-source geospatial data and QGIS software

This study brings a rapid method to utilize the available open-source geospatial data in assessing the pedestrian accessibility to key public services/facilities. At this stage, we are testing the method in the case of Tirana, the capital city of Albania. Yet, the method is reproducible to other metropolitan areas around the world. Open street map (OSM) data and reference layers from Albanian National authority for geospatial information (ASIG geoportal) have been used as the raw material of the study. While the geospatial visualization, refinement, and analysis rely on the usage of QGIS software and the related plugins. QNEAT is the plugin that was used to generate the isochrones which indicate the spatial coverage of a certain service referring to the existing urban transportation/circulation network. The plugin enables the definition of different distance ranges. Our results show that certain public services serve to various amounts of the building stock at a gradient of walking distances. For example, more than 25% of the existing building stock has pedestrian access to caffes and pharmacies within a walking distance of 250 m. The same services serve to almost 90% of the same building stock within 1 km walking distance. However, services like banks are accessible only by 12.6% of the existing buildings within a walking distance of 250 m, and 67% at 1 km walking distance. The accuracy of the available geospatial data resulted to be vital for the reliability of the results. We conclude by highlighting the importance and utility of GIS-based methods of urban analysis in the processes of planning new public services in the city.

The Progress of Patients with Blunt Abdominal Trauma Depending on the Number of the Damaged Organs.

Introduction: Blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) is one of the most common traumatic emergencies and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, which is associated with a number of causes despite improvements in their management. This study aims to assess 308 cases of BAT and their management depending on the number of Injured organs.
 Material and Methods: The study has a retrospective character and it has been realized within the period of time from January 20016 to December 2018. In our study are included 308 trauma cases admitted at the University Hospital of Trauma in Tirana Albania. All recorded data were grouped as follows; Demographic data, trauma mechanism, admission time in hospital, the mode of management…
 Results: The sample of the population was chosen by chance which means that this study is included all trauma cases presented at the emergency department and hadn’t any study limitation. In our study, based on the mechanism of trauma, motor vehicle accident [191(62%)] was the most common mechanism of injury, and most of the patients in our study were male [231(75%)], female [77 (25%)] with an M:F ratio of 3:1. The spleen [118 (38.3%)] was the most damaged organ after BAT, and the most common surgical procedure performed was splenectomy [53 (35.5%)]. The majority of traumatized patients presented to the Emergency Department in stable hemodynamic condition [145 (47.1%)]
 Conclusions: The progress of patients with BAT has a close relationship with The number of injured organs. The number and presence of EAI organs were important which worsen patient conditions and influence at the prognosis. The time of hospitalization of patients has a lot to do with the result. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment can save many lives.

Energy Production From Biomass, Case Study: Cow Farm

Recently the use of biomass for biogas production is very limited in Albania. According to data acquired from the study, the highest share in the entire structure of urban solid waste is that of organic waste 41-61.2%. A large part of these wastes is bio digestible and can used for production or utilized as potential substrate in anaerobic digestion to produce biogas, a renewable source of energy and environment friendly too. Live stocks waste and especially cow manure farms are concerned in this study because there are a high number 11813 of them are spread all over Albania. In addition, the amount of cow manure exceeds 37,693.92 ton/year. In this case study is presented a cow farm located near Tirana, the capital city of Albania with 200 cow heads which in the future will become 700 cow heads. The total amount of cow manure produced in this farm is 1825 ton/year, a considerable quantity of manure available for biogas production. This paper presents the type of digester, calculation of the biogas production yield, the obtained energy, the payback period of the initial investment and the net present value of this farm batcher digestor.

The Temporal Cadavre Exquis. The Dark Side Of Diversity

We will address key questions concerning the development of our cities, in the specific case, Tirana, the capital of Albania, after the new worldwide scenario that come as a consequence of the pandemic. The questions that we will focuses connecting with the idea of diversity, addressing it from the symbolic point of view of the relation between art and architecture, and how this relation can affect resilience and vision of the future. This because we have to treat the space the same way we are doing with time, as a fow. Space and time also belong to this class of quantities. Past, present, and future, forms a continuous whole. Space, likewise, is a continuous quantity. With the fall of the communist regime in 1991, Albania has started to favor market logics and the recognition of property rights. Indeed, what followed such revolutionary political transition was a rapid privatization process and, according to many, an apparently chaotic urban development. The 2020 pandemic highlight the need for a change in the vision of our cities and the way they must develop. In the last months, many to underline new possible visions for our cities have used the idea of utopian concepts of the ideal city, or that of resilience cities. “Utopia” comes from Greek: οὐ (“not”) and τόπος (“place”) which translates as “no-place” and literally means any non-existent society. Sir Thomas Moore coined the term in 1516 when he uses to describe an island where the structure of the society and the equilibrium between men and nature was perfectly balanced. In standard usage, the word's meaning has shifted and now usually describes a non-existent society considerably better than contemporary society. Humans needs these kind of places because mythical space is an intellectual construct and helps us defne our real space. We will analyze how the idea of utopia relates to art and how art can be seen as a way to faces contemporary problematics through its close relation to the space of architecture.

Skin Cancer: Attitudes and Behaviors Among Adolescents for Sun Protection

Introduction: Sun exposure during childhood and adolescence is an important risk factor for all skin cancers. Sunlight stimulates a multitude of important biological effects on skin, causing, amongst other pathological and carcinogenesis changes. Objective: This study was performed to evaluate the knowledge and behaviors among adolescence about the effect of sun`s exposure as a cause of skin cancer. Material and Methods: In this study, subjects between 14 to 19 years of age were recruited from the high schools in Tirana Albania. The participants were administered a questionnaire consisting of items related to knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to protection protective behavior against skin cancers and sun protection. Descriptive data related to demographics and responses to the questions are presented. Results: A total of 104 participants (mean age 17.63±1.08 years) were included. The study included 90(86.5%) male and14(13.5%) female participants. Only 23.1% of adolescents recognized the harmful effects of ultraviolet in skin cancers and melanoma. More than 70% of adolescents had no knowledge about the risks factor for skin cancers and melanoma. More than quarter of them did not apply protective measures during sun bathing. Protective intervention behaviors were more presented to female adolescence compared to male. Conclusion: Knowledge levels and protective behaviors of adolescence against the harmful effects of the sun and for protection against skin cancers were alarmingly low in the study population. It is necessary to provide educational intervention at adolescence education level. Dermatologic societies and media should intensify the sun protection campaign.

A hierarchical definitional framework for a heterogeneous context: housing typologies in Tirana, Albania

PurposeThe proposed definitional framework can be used to define housing typologies of cities in developing countries. It aims to define housing typologies in the capital city of Albania, Tirana, using the proposed hierarchical framework within the dynamics of four political periods: Ottoman, establishment, socialist and postsocialist.Design/methodology/approachThis study proposes a new definitional approach for the housing typologies through a hierarchical framework that defines the typologies based on their political period and legality statuses departing from the case of Tirana, which is featured by a heterogeneous context. Such context is characterized by uncontrollable urban development, making typology definition problematic. Furthermore, beyond the form, spatial and functional features, it presents their exterior distinctiveness as an innovative element. The methodology used in the study includes archival research, image documentation, spatial, functional and exterior distinctiveness analysis of housing typologies and exploration of housing form features in different political periods.FindingsThe study identifies urban formal housing typologies in Tirana detached houses, apartments, mass housing, social housing, gated communities, informal detached houses and housing with in/formal additions.Originality/valueThis definitional approach can be used to define housing typologies for cities featured by heterogeneous urban context.

Potential Energy Production from Biogas Economically and Environmental Profitable. Case Study: Establishing a Batch Digester in “Fogi” Farm

Recently the use of biomass for biogas production is very limited in Albania. According to data acquistion from the study, the highest share in the entire structure of urban solid waste is that of organic waste 41-61.2%.
 A large part of these waste are bio digestible and can used for production or utilized as potential substrate in anaerobic digestion to produce biogas, a renewable source of energy and environment friendly too.
 Live stocks waste and especially cow manure farms are concerned in this study because there are a high number 11813 of them are spread all over Albania. In addition, the amount of cow manure exceeds 37,693.92 ton/year.
 In this case study is presented a cow farm located near Tirana, capital city of Albania with 200 cow heads which in the future will become 700 cow heads. The total amount of cow manure produced in this farm is 1825 ton/year, a considerable quantity of manure available for biogas production.
 This paper presents the type of digester, calculation of the biogas production yield, the optained energy, the pay back period of the initial investment and the net present value of this farm batcher digestor.

Potential Energy Production from Biogas Economically and Environmental Profitable. Case Study: Establishing a Batch Digester in “Fogi” Farm

Recently the use of biomass for biogas production is very limited in Albania. According to data acquistion from the study, the highest share in the entire structure of urban solid waste is that of organic waste 41-61.2%.
 A large part of these waste are bio digestible and can used for production or utilized as potential substrate in anaerobic digestion to produce biogas, a renewable source of energy and environment friendly too.
 Live stocks waste and especially cow manure farms are concerned in this study because there are a high number 11813 of them are spread all over Albania. In addition, the amount of cow manure exceeds 37,693.92 ton/year.
 In this case study is presented a cow farm located near Tirana, capital city of Albania with 200 cow heads which in the future will become 700 cow heads. The total amount of cow manure produced in this farm is 1825 ton/year, a considerable quantity of manure available for biogas production.
 This paper presents the type of digester, calculation of the biogas production yield, the optained energy, the pay back period of the initial investment and the net present value of this farm batcher digestor.

من ملامح جهود الإمام ناصر الدين الألباني الدعوية وتأثيره في معاصريه

Muḥammad Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī was born in Shkoder, the capital of Albania, in 1914 and then migrated to Damascus, the capital of Syria, where he completed his education. Muḥammad al-Albānī was one of those righteous people who spent most of their lives serving the true religion, calling the Ummah towards the Qur’an and Sunnah using the method of our predecessors. He was a great scholar of Hadith and Fiqh. He wrote a lot of books as he was a prominent writer and scholar. Muḥammad al-Albānī left a huge legacy in the form of works, fatāwās, and audio recording materials such as lessons, lectures, seminars, meetings, articles and responses of questions based on evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah according to his understanding. This article sheds light on some aspects and features of efforts made by him in order to spread the message of Allah, it also highlights his impact on the people of his age.

Albanian Archipelagos: The City of a Non-Normativity Foretold

During the last thirty years, Tirana, the capital of Albania, has taken the form of an archipelago, a city of islands. In what used to be a countryside of rolling hills, today one encounters gated communities of ‘smart’ mansions, private schools and shopping centers. These islands are expensive and exclusive utopias, literally, non-places. (Alas, can there ever be any cheap and non-exclusive utopias…!?) In-between these exclusively normative or normatively exclusive islands lies a ‘sea’ of nonnormative suburban growth: whole neighborhoods haphazardly packed with two to three story constructions and unfnished concrete Maison Dominos. Such uneven suburban distribution is also reenacted from within the historic city of Tirana in the form of an archipelago of towers, designed by architectural frms like 51N4E, MVRDV, Archea Associati, Stefano Boeri Architetti, and others. As in the case of the rolling countryside, the ‘sea’ between the islands consists of an unbridled urban growth, which in this case, it is both an extension beyond the city, and an erasure of the existing historic fabric from within.

Assessment of Indoor Environmental Quality in schools by combining survey and modelling: a case study in Albania

The article describes the outcomes of the monitoring campaign carried out in an educational building nearby Tirana, capital of Albania. Performed under the bilateral agreement between the National Research Council of Italy and the Ministry of Education and Sport of the Republic of Albania, the study proposes a combined approach for the assessment of the IEQ, not limiting only in the collection of objective data through the environmental monitoring of indoor variables but it also includes the subjective perception of indoor environment by the students through the compilation of a specific questionnaire. The classrooms were also modelled using a parametric model combining the functionalities of Honeybee plugin with OpenStudio and Radiance. The results are illustrated by maps of the indoor microclimate and illuminance with spatial resolution of 0.5 meters and one-hour temporal resolution step. Aggregated index and environmental data derived from models are compared to those monitored with nEMoS. This hybrid method overcomes the drawback caused by a low resolution of the monitoring steps and allows the comparison of the objective and subjective perception of the considered environmental factors, as well as the identification of discrepancies in terms of objective evidence and subjective perception related to the considered environmental factors.

Determination of Temperature-Moisture Relationship by Linear Regression Models on Masonry and Floor, Kruja, Albania

Kruja is a middle range city located in the center of Albania. The city of Kruja dates back to its existence from the V-VI century and extends to the city around the VI and IX centuries. It becomes the first capital of Albania in the XI-th century, specifically in 1190. This paper is going to deal with only two groups of buildings which are an integral part of the historical city of Kruja, the historical dwellings (XVIII century) and socialist ones (1960-1970).The aim of this paper is to analyze through linear regressions the relation between two parameters: moisture level and temperature of the indoor walls and floors of the historic and socialist buildings in the city of Kruja. Three types of historic dwelling and three types of socialist apartments have been analyzed, relatively uniformly oriented. The measurements with specific instruments are done in the same day, during three hours. The degree of reactivity is different for both groups of buildings. The historical buildings are more sensitive to temperature rise. They respond invers to it (as the temperature rise, the level of the moisture decreases), with a higher coefficient than socialist ones and appear to be more efficient in reducing the moisture level, despite the average humidity level is higher. This paper takes into consideration also the analyze of the materials of the construction for both categories. If the level of the moisture is reduced, the buildings will be improved and the quality of life indicators of the inhabitance will be improved too.