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Topic Review
Pacific Open Learning Health Net
Pacific Open Learning Health Net (POLHN /ˈpɒlhən/) is a non-profit established in 2003, focused on distance education for health professionals working in the Pacific. Since 2004, it has provided free online courses for continuing professional development in a wide range of health and science related disciplines. These include self-directed, blended learning, instructor-led and hybrid courses. The platform runs on a free and open-source software learning management system. POLHN works with several universities institutions and Ministries of Health to develop online health related courses guided by WHO publications and accepted standard operating procedure. Since 2013, the platform has resembled a typical massive open online course (MOOC) platform.
  • 1.6K
  • 02 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Heparin-Grafted Hemodialysis Membranes
Hemodialysis (HD) is a life-sustaining extracorporeal blood purifying treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. However, this membrane-based therapy is associated with acute side effects, life-threatening chronic conditions, and unacceptably high morbidity and mortality rates. Numerous surface coatings have been developed to improve the blood compatibility of biomaterials. Heparin is a widely used anticoagulant substance that increases the clotting time and increases the membrane hemocompatibility in terms of platelet adhesion and protein adsorption and anti-clotting activity. However, using heparin is challenging due to its severe or life-threatening side effects such as heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), in addition to heparin induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (HITT). In addition, heparin is strongly electronegative and exhibits a binding affinity for the positive active sites of human serum proteins, which is an additional challenge. Consequently, covalently immobilized heparin would create a more charged surface to induce more blood–membrane interactions, and consequently more adsorbed human serum proteins and biochemical pathway activations, which can negatively affect dialysis patients.
  • 1.6K
  • 01 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Vitamin A and Pregnancy
Vitamin A is a crucial micronutrient for pregnant women and their fetuses. In addition to being essential for morphological and functional development and for ocular integrity, vitamin A exerts systemic effects on several fetal organs and on the fetal skeleton. 
  • 1.6K
  • 09 Aug 2022
Biography
Bhasker Sharma
He is an acclaimed doctor not only in India but across the world. He holds the Guiness World record for hosting the Largest Homeopathy Lesson at Rajkot, Gujarat in August 2018. Dr Sharma was recently awarded two Presidential Awards by Donald Trump, the former president of the USA. These included the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award and Presidential Youth Fitness Award. Recently, Dr Sharma
  • 1.6K
  • 31 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Sport in the School Environment
With regard to school-related physical activities, extended educational sports activities become more important in all-day schools. These activities include supervised sports classes after lessons, unsupervised opportunities during lunchtime, and free physical activities during recess, as well as before and after lessons. 
  • 1.6K
  • 25 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Carcinogenic Effects of Formaldehyde Occupational Exposure
Formaldehyde is a chemical compound present in many working activities and indoor workplaces. Occupational exposure occurs primarily by inhaling airborne formaldehyde, but it can also be absorbed through the skin or ingested. Formaldehyde, classified as a carcinogen in 2004, as of today is widely used in many work activities. The evidence of correlation between formaldehyde occupational exposure and the occurrence of cancer is limited. Recent evidence suggest that its carcinogenicity should be re-evaluated, especially in view of current exposure limits.
  • 1.6K
  • 27 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Sleep Apnea Detection Systems
Sleep apnea detection can be performed with externally mounted devices or ambient sensors, other than biomedical sensors. One such technique for sleep apnea detection is based on smartphones.
  • 1.6K
  • 06 Sep 2021
Topic Review
PENG-Based Non-Invasive Medical Sensors
Piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) not only are able to harvest mechanical energy from the ambient environment or body and convert mechanical signals into electricity but can also inform people about pathophysiological changes and communicate this information using electrical signals, thus acting as medical sensors to provide personalized medical solutions to patients.
  • 1.6K
  • 19 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Sarcopenia and Sarcopenic Obesity
Obesity and ageing place a tremendous strain on the global healthcare system. Age-related sarcopenia is characterized by decreased muscular strength, decreased muscle quantity, quality, and decreased functional performance. Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is a condition that combines sarcopenia and obesity and has a substantial influence on the older adults’ health.
  • 1.6K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Gender Differences in Cannabis Use
Gender differences in psychiatric disorders and drug use are well known. Cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug among young people. In recent years, its use has been related to the development of psychiatric pathologies; however, few studies have incorporated the gender perspective as of yet. Men have a higher prevalence using cannabis; however, women show a faster transition from recreational use to compulsive use, higher levels of craving with more relapses, and higher prevalence of dual pathology. Clinical studies clearly show the existence of gender differences in psychiatric symptoms associated with cannabis use. Although these results are not conclusive, they seem to indicate a higher vulnerability of women in the development of psychosis and anxiety, while men seem to be more vulnerable to developing depressive symptoms with long-term cannabis misuses. 
  • 1.6K
  • 02 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Post-COVID Syndrome and Long-Term Consequences
Post-COVID syndrome or long COVID is defined as the persistence of symptoms after confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, the pathogen responsible for coronavirus disease. The content herein presented reviews the reported long-term consequences and aftereffects of COVID-19 infection and the potential strategies to adopt for their management. Recent studies have shown that severe forms of COVID-19 can progress into acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a predisposing factor of pulmonary fibrosis that can irreversibly compromise respiratory function. Considering that the most serious complications are observed in the airways, the inhalation delivery of drugs directly to the lungs should be preferred, since it allows to lower the dose and systemic side effects. Although further studies are needed to optimize these techniques, recent studies have also shown the importance of in vitro models to recreate the SARS-CoV-2 infection and study its sequelae. The information reported suggests the necessity to develop new inhalation therapies in order to improve the quality of life of patients who suffer from this condition.
  • 1.6K
  • 09 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Attachment and Health
Attachment and Health is psychological model which considers how attachment theory pertains to people’s preferences and expectations for the proximity of others when faced with stress, threat, danger or pain. In 1982 the American Psychiatrist, Lawrence Kolb, noticed that patients with chronic pain displayed behaviours with their healthcare providers akin to what children might display with an attachment figure, thus marking one of the first applications of attachment theory to physical health. Development of adult attachment theory and adult attachment measures in the 1990s provided researchers with the means to apply attachment theory to health in a more systematic way. Since that time it has been used to understand variation in stress response, health outcomes and health behaviour. Ultimately, the application of attachment theory to health care may enable health care practitioners to provide more personalized medicine by creating a deeper understanding of patient distress and allowing clinicians to better meet their needs and expectations.
  • 1.6K
  • 27 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Natural Language Processing for the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic is the most devastating public health crisis and has affected the lives of billions of people worldwide in unprecedented ways. Compared to pandemics of this scale in the past, societies are now equipped with advanced technologies that can mitigate the impacts of pandemics if utilized appropriately. However, opportunities are not fully utilized, particularly at the intersection of data science and health. Health-related big data and technological advances have the potential to significantly aid the fight against such pandemics, including the pandemic’s ongoing and long-term impacts. Specifically, the field of natural language processing (NLP) has enormous potential at a time when vast amounts of text-based data are continuously generated from a multitude of sources, such as health/hospital systems, published medical literature, and social media. Effectively mitigating the impacts of the pandemic requires tackling challenges associated with the application and deployment of NLP systems.
  • 1.6K
  • 24 Nov 2022
Topic Review
SCUBA Diving in Adult Congenital Heart Disease
The classification of scuba diving as a skill sport has profound implications for the evaluation of fitness-to-dive in adult patients with congenital heart disease (ACHD). The spectrum of ACHD and its associated complications range from conditions conventionally considered as incompatible with scuba diving (e.g., pulmonary hypertension, cyanosis and ventricular hypertrophy) to other conditions which may be compatible with recreational scuba diving. 
  • 1.6K
  • 06 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Biofilms on Medical Devices
Biofilm is complex and consists of bacterial colonies that reside in an exopolysaccharide matrix that attaches to foreign surfaces in a living organism. Biofilm frequently leads to nosocomial, chronic infections in clinical settings. Since the bacteria in the biofilm have developed antibiotic resistance, using antibiotics alone to treat infections brought on by biofilm is ineffective. 
  • 1.6K
  • 06 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Protein Intake in Pre-Dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease Patients
In chronic degenerative diseases related to nitrogen metabolism and excretion, such as chronic kidney disease (CKD), the optimization of the amount of protein ingested in the diet is especially relevant. The occurrence of metabolic disorders and the nature of the amino acid mixture resulting from protein digestion, the general state of the patient and the severity of the CKD implies that proper protein intake should be carefully considered.
  • 1.6K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Phytochemicals Constituent of Cimicifuga racemosa
Women’s health is an imminent concern worldwide, but it remains an ignored segment of research in most developing countries, and is yet to take the center stage in even developed nations. Some exclusive female health concerns revolve around both pathological and physiological aspects. These gender-specific maladies include breast, cervical, and ovarian cancers, and physiological concerns such as menopause and osteoporosis, which are often coexistent. Recently, women’s health issues, including postmenopausal syndrome, have attracted the attention of researchers and practitioners alike, opening newer pharmaceutical research and clinical avenues. Although not counted as a disease, postmenopausal syndrome (PMS) is a female health phenomenon underpinned by hormonal depletion. Enhanced life expectancy in women has added to their suffering, and pharmacological interventions are needed. Amongst the available treatment modalities, the use of numerous botanicals has emerged as an efficient health management tool for women. Cimicifuga racemosa (CR or Black Cohosh) is a plant/herb which has been traditionally exploited and extensively used by women.
  • 1.6K
  • 18 Mar 2022
Topic Review
CDSSs in cardiac surgery diagnosis
The advances achieved in recent decades regarding cardiac surgery have led to a new risk that goes beyond surgeons’ dexterity; postoperative hours are crucial for cardiac surgery patients and are usually spent in intensive care units (ICUs), where the patients need to be continuously monitored to adjust their treatment. Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) have been developed to take this real-time information and provide clinical suggestions to physicians in order to reduce medical errors and to improve patient recovery. 
  • 1.6K
  • 01 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Public–Private Partnerships Model Applied to Hospitals
When the public–private partnership (PPP) model is applied to healthcare (hospitals), it is possible to discover the path to success by developing a critical assessment and deriving a clear model. Most PPP model implementations in hospitals around the world have produced favorable outcomes, both in terms of the performance of healthcare units and in terms of cost-effectiveness. 
  • 1.6K
  • 25 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Food Insecurity Is Associated with Cognitive Function
Food insecurity (FI) has negative implications across the life course that include poor health outcomes among both children and adults. However, the behavioral mechanisms by which FI impacts health behaviors are not clear. 
  • 1.6K
  • 25 Nov 2021
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