Profile of Radiological Examinations in the Radiology and Medical Imaging Department of the Medical Clinic “KALALE” in Mali

Introduction: Radiology and medical imaging examinations bring together the means of acquiring and restoring images of the human body from different physical phenomena such as the absorption of X-rays, nuclear magnetic resonance, reflection of ultrasound waves or radioactivity, with which we sometimes associate optical imaging techniques such as endoscopy. The objective of our study was to study the profile of radiological examinations in the radiology and medical imaging department of the “KALALE” medical clinic. Methodology: This was a descriptive, prospective study that took place over a period of six (6) months in the radiology and medical imaging department of the “KALALE” medical clinic and the centers of health of communes III and IV of Bamako in Mali. Data collection was carried out on a survey form. The parameters studied were sociodemographic data, clinical data, radiological data. Results: We recorded 6030 radiology examinations of which 19% of the examination frequency cases came from the “KALALE” medical clinic and 81% of the cases were referrals from the reference health centers of communes III and IV. There were 1500 X-rays or 24.9% of cases including 54% cases of bone X-rays;5% of cases of skull and face X-rays;5% of cases of Intravenous Urography (IVU);4% of cases of Hysterosalpingography (HSG);3% of cases of Retrograde Ureterocystography (UCR) and 1% of cases of X-ray of the Abdomen without preparation (ASP). We found 4530 ultrasounds or 75.1% of cases. Conclusion: Medical imaging has become essential in the study of the human body and now constitutes an essential tool for the detection and treatment of most pathologies, from simple fractures to the most serious tumors.

Improved Mechanism for Detecting Examinations Impersonations in Public Higher Learning Institutions: Case of the Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy (MNMA)

Currently, most public higher learning institutions in Tanzania rely on traditional in-class examinations, requiring students to register and present identification documents for examinations eligibility verification. This system, however, is prone to impersonations due to security vulnerabilities in current students’ verification system. These vulnerabilities include weak authentication, lack of encryption, and inadequate anti-counterfeiting measures. Additionally, advanced printing technologies and online marketplaces which claim to produce convincing fake identification documents make it easy to create convincing fake identity documents. The Improved Mechanism for Detecting Impersonations (IMDIs) system detects impersonations in in-class exams by integrating QR codes and dynamic question generation based on student profiles. It consists of a mobile verification app, built with Flutter and communicating via RESTful APIs, and a web system, developed with Laravel using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The two components communicate through APIs, with MySQL managing the database. The mobile app and web server interact to ensure efficient verification and security during examinations. The implemented IMDIs system was validated by a mobile application which is integrated with a QR codes scanner for capturing codes embedded in student Identity Cards and linking them to a dynamic question generation model. The QG model uses natural language processing (NLP) algorithm and Question Generation (QG) techniques to create dynamic profile questions. Results show that the IMDIs system could generate four challenging profile-based questions within two seconds, allowing the verification of 200 students in 33 minutes by one operator. The IMDIs system also tracks exam-eligible students, aiding in exam attendance and integrates with a Short Message Service (SMS) to report impersonation incidents to a dedicated security officer in real-time. The IMDIs system was tested and found to be 98% secure, 100% convenient, with a 0% false rejection rate and a 2% false acceptance rate, demonstrating its security, reliability, and high performance.

Effectiveness of Histopathological Examination of Ultrasound-guided Puncture Biopsy Samples for Diagnosis of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of histopathological examination of ultrasound-guided puncture biopsy samples in extrapulmonary tuberculosis(EPTB).Methods This study was conducted at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center.A total of 115patients underwent ultrasound-guided puncture biopsy,followed by MGIT 960 culture(culture),smear,Gene Xpert MTB/RIF(Xpert),and histopathological examination.These assays were performed to evaluate their effectiveness in diagnosing EPTB in comparison to two different diagnostic criteria:liquid culture and composite reference standard(CRS).Results When CRS was used as the reference standard,the sensitivity and specificity of culture,smear,Xpert,and histopathological examination were(44.83%,89.29%),(51.72%,89.29%),(70.11%,96.43%),and(85.06%,82.14%),respectively.Based on liquid culture tests,the sensitivity and specificity of smear,Xpert,and pathological examination were(66.67%,72.60%),(83.33%,63.01%),and(92.86%,45.21%),respectively.Histopathological examination showed the highest sensitivity but lowest specificity.Further,we found that the combination of Xpert and histopathological examination showed a sensitivity of 90.80%and a specificity of 89.29%.Conclusion Ultrasound-guided puncture sampling is safe and effective for the diagnosis of EPTB.Compared with culture,smear,and Xpert,histopathological examination showed higher sensitivity but lower specificity.The combination of histopathology with Xpert showed the best performance characteristics.

Linear endoscopic ultrasound:Current uses and future perspectives in mediastinal examination

This editorial elaborates on the current and future applications of linear endoscopic ultrasound(EUS),a substantial diagnostic and therapeutic modality for various anatomical regions.The scope of endosonographic assessment is broad and,among other factors,allows for the evaluation of the mediastinal anatomy and related pathologies,such as mediastinal lymphadenopathy and the staging of central malignant lung lesions.Moreover,EUS assessment has proven more accurate in detecting small lesions missed by standard imaging examinations,such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.We focus on its current uses in the mediastinum,including lung and esophageal cancer staging,as well as evaluating mediastinal lymphadenopathy and submucosal lesions.The editorial also explores future perspectives of EUS in mediastinal examination,including ultrasound-guided therapies,artificial intelligence integration,advancements in mediastinal modalities,and improved diagnostic approaches for various mediastinal lesions.

An Empirical Study of the Socratic Method in Nongraded English Teaching in Senior High School Under the Background of the New National College Entrance Examination

With the reform of the New National College Entrance Examination(Gaokao),the nongraded education will become an inevitable trend.In senior high school,the traditional test-oriented education is popular.The knowledge is mainly taught by the teachers,and the students passively absorb it.This study examines a problem-oriented Socratic experiment in nongraded English teaching in senior high school.The teachers seek output from students,who respond by interpreting questions,fostering critical thinking,and enhancing problem-solving skills.This teaching experiment indicates that the Socratic method has a significant positive effect on cultivating nongraded senior high English students’critical thinking under the New National College Entrance Examination.

Research on the Evaluation of the Implementation Effect of Curriculum Examination Reform: Taking the Course of “Introduction to Language” as an Example

“Introduction to Language,”as the core course of the English major,mainly reveals the basic laws of language,enabling the students to have the ability to apply linguistic theories to explain language phenomena and solve specific language problems.This course is highly theoretical and has a certain degree of difficulty.The evaluation of student grades has always been based on examination reform,but several problems have been encountered during the implementation process.This article analyzes the current situation of the reform and implementation of the“Introduction to Language”course examination in applied universities and puts forth suggestions and specific measures to improve the assessment of the course,aiming to enhance the teaching effectiveness of the course and scientifically and comprehensively evaluate students’abilities.

Awareness, Practice and Intention to Practice Testicular Self-Examination among Professional Working Males in Ghana

Background: The aetiology of Testicular Cancer (TC) is still unknown to researchers but many of the associated risk factors have been identified. These include family history, age, racial origin, cryptorchidism, urogenital malformations, testicular atrophy, and infertility. Given the lack of scientific data on the causes of the disease, it has been asserted in previous studies that the promotion of awareness and early detection are prerequisites to mitigating risks of metastasis as well as improving survival. This study is to assess the awareness, practice, and intention to practice testicular self-examination among professional working males in Accra. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional design with a structured research instrument was used to collect data from respondants. The purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used to collect data from 300 men at Accra in Ghana. The study was conducted at two (2) Universities and a Senior High school at Accra in Ghana. The data was then analysed using descriptive statistics, logistic regression, multiple linear regression, and structural equation modeling. Results: From the study findings, 37% of male participants rated their knowledge of testicular self-examination and related symptoms as good, 28% of participants practised testicular self-examination monthly, while 65% of respondents expressed their intention to practice monthly testicular self-examination. The findings from logistic regression demonstrated that level of education, age, and marital status of participants had a significant influence on testicular self-examination. Additionally, the multiple linear regression results revealed knowledge and self-efficacy significantly predict testicular self-examination intention. The path coefficient results from the structural equation model are consistent with results from the regression models. Conclusion: This research is the first to investigate testicular self-examination among men in Ghana. The findings revealed awareness and practice of TSE are low among participants. Therefore, the research findings would improve the expertise of physicians and nurses in providing counsel, intervention, and support for patients at risk of testicular cancer.

Outcomes of 957 preterm neonatal fundus examinations in a Guangzhou NICU through 2008 to 2011

AIM: To take fundus examination in the preterm neonates to observe the common diseases and report the outcomes in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Guangzhou between May 2008 and May 2011. METHODS: Fundus examinations were performed with Retcam II in 957 prematures. RESULTS: There were 957 prematures in this study, including 666 males and 291 females, 2 triple births, 152 twins and 803 singletons. During the three years, 86 infants with any stage retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (9.0%), 123 infants with retinal hemorrhage (12.9%), 10 infants with neonatal fundual jaundice (1.0%) and 3 babies with congenital choroidal coloboma (0.3%) were found. CONCLUSION: Early detection and prompt treatment of ocular disorders in neonates is important to avoid lifelong visual impairment. Examination of the eyes should be performed in the newborn period and at all well-child visits.

Data-driven based four examinations in TCM:a survey

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)diagnosis is a unique disease diagnosis method with thousands of years of TCM theory and effective experience.Its thinking mode in the process is different from that of modern medicine,which includes the essence of TCM theory.From the perspective of clinical application,the four diagnostic methods of TCM,including inspection,auscultation and olfaction,inquiry,and palpation,have been widely accepted by TCM practitioners worldwide.With the rise of artificial intelligence(AI)over the past decades,AI based TCM diagnosis has also grown rapidly,marked by the emerging of a large number of data-driven deep learning models.In this paper,our aim is to simply but systematically review the development of the data-driven technologies applied to the four diagnostic approaches,i.e.the four examinations,in TCM,including data sets,digital signal acquisition devices,and learning based computational algorithms,to better analyze the development of AI-based TCM diagnosis,and provide references for new research and its applications in TCM settings in the future.

Complementary examinations other than neuroimaging and neurosonology in acute stroke

The etiologic diagnosis of cerebrovascular diseases requires non-routine complementary examinations to be performed. Thus, in specific cases, after neuroimaging(computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging cerebral scan sequences) and neurosonology(Doppler test of the supra-aortic trunks, transcranial echography and echocardiography), which academically allow us to classify the patients according to their etiologic stroke subtype, further examinations must be used to make a correct etiologic diagnostic. The present review aims to update knowledge about the usefulness of the different tests of blood and urine, plain chest radiography, X-ray of the spine, skull and abdomen, lumbar puncture, electroencephalography, evoked potentials, polysomnography, and pathologic examination after biopsy of the artery, skin, muscles, nerves, meninges, and brain, in the management of patients who have suffered an acute stroke.

Teaching of the sensitive examinations: An international survey

Background: The teaching of the sensitive examinations—i.e. that of the female breast, female pelvis, female and male rectum and male genitalia—is a challenging part of the undergraduate curriculum. There are no studies to date detailing how national and international medical schools teach all of these examinations. Purposes: This research sought to document the teaching strategies used by national and international medical schools regarding the sensitive examinations. Methods: The sensitive examinations surveyed are the: 1) Female breast;2) Female pelvis;3) Male genitalia;4) Female and male rectum. The term “female sensitive examinations” is used to refer to female breast and female pelvis examinations. This was a questionnaire study, which polled national New Zealand medical schools as well as international medical schools. Questions included: a) sensitive examination teaching method;b) stress reduction strategies;c) perceived graduating student confidence. Results: A total of 104 medical schools participated in this survey in 2010. Artificial manikin usage was the most common technique utilized for each sensitive examination (60% of all schools, 95% CI 55%-65%), whether as the sole teaching method or in combination with other methods. The next most common technique was teaching associates (49% of schools, 95% CI 44%-54%). The female breast and pelvis sensitive examinations used the teaching associate program more frequently than the male genital examination and female and male rectal examination. Regardless of teaching method, most schools believed their graduating students were confident. Stress management teaching was used in most schools, in conjunction with teaching associate sessions. Conclusion: Manikins were the most commonly used teaching component of a teaching programme on sensitive examinations. Irrespective of teaching method, most schools believed their students were confident upon graduation.

Test anxiety in objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) compared with traditional assessment methods in undergraduate midwifery students

BACKGROUND: Final comprehensive exam is the most important examination for midwifery students to evaluate their professional ability and Test anxiety is a common phenomenon among college students. Because test anxiety is one of the problems of educational systems, this study was performed to compare test anxiety in objective structured clinical examinations (OS-CEs) and traditional assessment methods (TAM) among Undergraduate Midwifery Students. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 52 students of Babol Midwifery College were participated in the study. 20 students were evaluated using TAM in November 2010, and 32 students were evaluated using the OSCE method in July 2011. Data were collected via a two-component questionnaire including demographic data and the test anxiety inventory (TAI). Results: All of midwifery students were women;the mean age of students, ages of father and mother’s were 23.1 ± 0.7, 52.3 ± 3.5 and 47.8 ± 4.9 years, respectively. Most of the students were single (61.5%). The mean education levels of father and mother’s were 11.6 ± 4.5 and 9.9 ± 4.0 years, respectively. The mean score of test anxiety in students was 42.51 ± 13.16. The most of participants did have moderate test anxiety (56.9%), two present not had any test anxiety, 37.3% had low test anxiety, and 3.9% had severe test anxiety. In sum, 98% had some degrees of test anxiety. There were the statistical differences in the mean score of text anxiety in OSCEs Compared with TAM in Undergraduate Midwifery Students (39.38 ± 13.81 vs. 47.35 ± 10.67, P = 0.033). Also, the mean severity of anxiety was different in two groups. The mean of moderate/severe test anxiety was more in TAM compared with OSCEs (52.57% vs. 49.56%, p = 0.000). The test anxiety had a positive correlation with father’s education, mother’s education (0.286, p = 0.042), father’s age, mother’s age, marital status, residency (0.292, p = 0.042). Also, there are negative correlations with student age, satisfaction, total Grade Point Average (GPA) (-0.387, p = 0.007), final score, type of assessment (-0.298, p = 0.033). There is a significant difference between the severity anxiety residency in total (p = 0.10) and OSCEs (p = 0.049) groups, mother’s education in total (p = 0.005) and OSCEs groups (0.012) and GPA (p = 0.028). Conclusion: OSCEs were superior to TAM in the reduction of test anxiety in midwifery students. The prevalence of test anxiety was in TAM than OSCEs method;therefore, using OSCEs is acknowledged as an effective assessment tool and is seen as the gold standard for evaluating clinical performance.

The current situation and issues there of related to nursing care at the time of medical examinations for children with developmental disabilities including autism

The objective of this study is to clarify the details regarding nursing care that is currently provided in terms of the situation regarding medical examinations for children with developmental disabilities and to discuss necessary nursing care. I conducted semi-structured interviews among 13 parents brining up children with developmental disabilities and analyzed the content of verbatim reports both qualitatively and functionally. Regarding those situations when they feel difficult at the time of undergoing medical examinations at the medical institute, the following four categories were extracted: painful treatment;difficulty in predicting;difficulty in communicating;and trouble in the waiting room. Regarding nursing care felt necessary at the time of undergoing medical examinations, the following six categories were extracted: technique while suppressing pain to a minimum;involvement in providing perspective;adjustment of surrounding environment;provision of opportunities to get acclimatized;provision of warm support;and understanding of patient characteristics. Many difficulties regarding medical examinations were revealed and it was found that they have concerns with regard to health management. It has been suggested that it is important to adjust the surrounding environment during medical examinations.

On the Current Status and Future of Self-Taught Higher Education Examination

As one of the major innovations of China's higher education system,the self-taught examination system has made brilliant achievements in its decades of development and has nurtured a large number of high-quality talents for the country and society.However,with the development of the times,various forms of higher education are emerging,which has had a great impact on self-taught exams.Some problems of self-taught exams have been exposed.Solutions to solving these problems have become the key to promoting the healthy and sustainable development of higher education self-taught exams.

Induced Electromagnetic Fields Estimation in Spine Examinations of MRI Patients: A Re-Evaluation of Existing Clinical Protocols at a Hospital in Accra, Ghana

Patients undergoing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are exposed to strong, non-uniform static magnetic fields outside of the central imaging region, in which the movement of the body may induce electric currents in tissues which could possibly be harmful. The purpose of this study was to re-evaluate existing clinical protocols by determining the induced electromagnetic (EM) fields in MRI spine examinations. The study covered 120 MRI spine examinations at the MRI Unit of a hospital in Accra, Ghana. A numerical model based on Faraday’s equation was developed using the finite difference method (FDM) and MATLAB software to compute, first, a test simulation of induced EM field intensities and then actual measurements of induced fields on the spine. The simulation results were peak induced electric field, 0.39 V/m and current density, 0.039 A/m2. Patient results were;calculated maximum velocity, 0.29 m/s;peak induced electric field strength, 0.44 V/m, and current density, 0.043 A/m2. The levels of induced EM-fields were such that they would not pose any potential health hazards to the patients as these values were well below the recommended guidance levels set by the Directive IEC 60601-2-33 of the European Parliament.

ISHD:Intelligent Standing Human Detection of Video Surveillance for the Smart Examination Environment

In the environment of smart examination rooms, it is important to quickly and accurately detect abnormal behavior(human standing) for the construction of a smart campus. Based on deep learning, we propose an intelligentstanding human detection (ISHD) method based on an improved single shot multibox detector to detect thetarget of standing human posture in the scene frame of exam room video surveillance at a specific examinationstage. ISHD combines the MobileNet network in a single shot multibox detector network, improves the posturefeature extractor of a standing person, merges prior knowledge, and introduces transfer learning in the trainingstrategy, which greatly reduces the computation amount, improves the detection accuracy, and reduces the trainingdifficulty. The experiment proves that the model proposed in this paper has a better detection ability for the smalland medium-sized standing human body posture in video test scenes on the EMV-2 dataset.

Using physical examinations to estimate age in elementary school children:A Chinese population-based study

Background:Designing a simple and accessible approach to age estimation in children and youth is a great challenge in the fields of sports and physical activity(PA).This study was designed to develop and validate a physical-examination-based method of estimating age in young children.Methods:In a cross-sectional study conducted in 2014,we performed physical examinations and assessed PA among 14,970 elementary school children 7–12 years old in Shanghai,China.Additional biological information on the children's height and birth date was ascertained through their parents.Two indicators were applied to develop a gender-specific age estimation equation:The percentage of predicted mature height(PPMH) and the Tanner stage.The equation was validated through a k-fold cross-validation approach.To check for estimation accuracy,the association between the discrepancy of estimated age(EA) and chronological age and PA was examined.Results:The gender-specific equations of EA were as follows:EA_(boy) = –6.071 + 6.559 Tanner 2 + 13.315 Tanner 3 + 14.130 Tanner 4 + 0.190 PPMH – 0.071 Tanner 2 × PPMH – 0.146 Tanner 3 × PPMH – 0.155 Tanner 4 × PPMH;EA_(girl) = –4.524 – 1.251 Tanner 2 + 2.504 Tanner 3 + 8.752 Tanner 4 + 11.893 Tanner 5 + 0.158 PPMH + 0.017 Tanner 2 × PPMH – 0.024 Tanner 3 × PPMH – 0.087 Tanner 4 × PPMH – 0.118 Tanner5 × PPMH.The mean absolute error was 0.60 years for boys and 0.59 years for girls.The discrepancy score was negatively and weakly associated with self-reported moderate-to-vigorous PA in both genders(r_(boy) = –0.09,p < 0.001;r_(girl) = –0.12,p < 0.001).Conclusion:Findings suggest that physical examinations could provide a valid and reliable approach for estimating age in young Chinese children.

Improving testicular examinations on paediatric patients in the emergency department:A quality improvement study to improve early diagnosis of testicular torsion

Objective:Male paediatric patients presenting with abdominal and/or testicular pain are common in the emergency department.As a time-sensitive diagnosis,the importance of early recognition,referral,and definitive management is critical.Missed or delayed diagnoses and management of testicular torsion can result in significant long-term sequelae including impaired fertility and psychological burden.In this quality improvement study,we utilised educational posters aiming to improve awareness of testicular torsion as a differential for abdominal pain and therefore,improve the quality of testicular examinations performed in the emergency department.Methods:Observational pre-and post-intervention study was conducted at a tertiary hospital emergency department.A pre-interventional retrospective review of the electronic medical records was conducted.All male patients under 16-years-old presenting with“abdominal pain”or“testicular problem”were included.We assessed the rate of testicular examination and the quality of the examination based on four domains:Cremasteric reflex,lie,swelling,and hardness.Educational posters targeting both patients and clinicians were placed around the emergency department.Subsequent review of the electronic medical records post-intervention was performed assessing the same domains.Results:A total of 235 presentations were analysed with 124 in the pre-intervention group and 111 in the post-intervention group.Overall rate of documented testicular examinations increased by 14%(p=0.032).The quality of testicular examinations also improved from an average of 0.85 domains documented to 2.29 post-intervention(p<0.001).Subgroup analysis found doctors in training had a greater improvement in both rate and quality of documented testicular examination.Conclusion:Our study demonstrated the value of continuing education in promoting awareness of testicular torsion in the emergency department.We found a clear improvement in the quality of clinical documentation of a time-sensitive condition which may infer a decreased risk of missed and delayed diagnosis of testicular torsion.

Brief Introduction to Shanghai Municipal Computer Applications Capability Examinations

At present,the world Hi-tech hasbecoming the locomotive of the econom-ic development.In Hi-tech,computerinformation technology has taken up afore running position.Meanwhile,com-puters technology goes deep into manyareas such as economy,finance,trade,business,culture life and family life. Thus,the popularity of computer ap-plications technology becomes charac-terizing the important feature of thesocial development.And mastering com-puter technology also becomes a nece-ssary basis of individual,work and life.

Peak Torque as an Indicator of Rapid Torque Production during Screening Examinations

Although the ability to produce force rapidly is an indispensable characteristic of optimal health and performance, screening for this very critical parameter of strength is difficult because of clinician time constraints. The purpose this study was to investigate relationships between peak torque （PT） and rate of torque development （RTD） at 0-30, 0-50, 0-100, and 0-200 ms in female collegiate soccer athletes. Seventeen female collegiate soccer athletes were recruited. Isometric PT and RTD were collected at the hip abductors （AB）, hip adductors （AD）, knee extensors （KE） and knee flexors （KF）. The coefficients of determination were calculated to evaluate the association between PT and RTD. Normalized AB, AD and KF PT were significantly correlated to RTD at 0-30, 0-50, 0-100 and 0-200 ms, while KEPT was only significantly correlated to RTD at 0-100 and 0-200 ms. The results of this study indicate that PT is a viable, indirect indicator of early late phase RTD at separate time intervals at the AB, AD and KF. However, it is likely that other physiological factors coupled with PT are required to provide information on the rapid force production capabilities of the KFs and KEs based on the percent of common variance observed.