Acta Informatica Medica最新文献

Background: The most current threat to global health is the continuous spread of a respiratory disease known as COVID-19 Disease 2019 in recent years. COVID-19 was recognized in December 2019. It was quickly determined that a novel COVID-19 virus, which is structurally linked to the virus that causes the severe acute respiratory syndrome, was to cause (SARS).

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the presence of effect between the rs179008 (A/T) SNP polymorphism in TLR7 gene and blood group on the severity of COVID-19.

Methods: The study included 90 patients divided into three groups mild, moderate, severe, and experimental research work was conducted during the period of sample collection extended from November 2021 to February, PCR-RFLP technique was used to determine SNP rs179008 polymorphism in TLR7 in the blood.

Results: A present study found non-significant differences between patient groups for TLR7 rs179008 (A, T) allele were (p=0.79152) for mild to moderate and severe, (p=0.84872) for mild and moderate and (p=0.58741) for mild and severe. When comparison (AA, AT, TT) genotypes in three groups found a significant difference between mild and moderate groups (p=0.036) for the AA genotype. Found (A blood group) more frequency than other groups but observes no significant difference between patients' group.

Conclusion: We conclude that the (AA) genotype for TLR7 rs179008 polymorphism was a risk factor and effect on severity of COVID-19 infection, so (AA) can consider an independent risk factor for development of COVID-19.

Background: Health Informatics is an indispensable science in light of the massive reform healthcare has undertaken recently.

Objective: Health Informatics is an indispensable science in light of the massive reform healthcare has undertaken recently.

Methods: This descriptive multiphase study used a questionnaire to assess the need and applied a competency-based postgraduate curriculum to collect the required competencies as well as their proficiency levels.

Results: Eighty percent of the respondents agreed that the current training should be advanced. 73.7% of the respondents agreed that this certificate would improve the level of knowledge, and it would impact on the delivery of healthcare positively (78.9%). For the required competencies, 10 competencies scored 1.75 and above, 22 scored between 1.5 and 1.75 and 22 scored below 1.50. The expert panel came to an agreement that the competencies with 1.5 and above should be included.

Discussion: The findings emphasize the need to establish PG diploma in comply with previous studies that unveiled the need to provide education and training in Health Informatics. Only the required competencies were included as the program is one-year long. The selected competencies were validated and presented by the panel.

Conclusion: A PG diploma in Health Informatics is a key element in the evolution of healthcare services, therefore, a competency-based framework was provided and validated by experts.

Background: A growing number of mobile applications have been designed for the chronic disease patient as the primary user. Mobile health applications for self-care have the potential to help patients living with chronic conditions such as kidney disease, and can be used to manage aspects such as the consumption of substances that are harmful to health. Chronic kidney disease causes significant morbidity throughout Panama, and is also responsible for an increase in cardiovascular disease.

Objective: In this paper, we present a review of the applications offered by the Android store, based on a search and selection of the most efficient options that fulfill a set of criteria and functionalities.

Methods: We evaluate a big health data model in terms of its usefulness for studies, research and projections of Panamanian patients with this chronic disease.

Results and discusion: We present a mobile application based on the most important standards and functionalities for the Panamanian population affected by this disease. Our analysis also highlights the importance of mobile applications for the self-care of chronic diseases and their usefulness to both patients and health care providers, since they can support better health habits and give good results in terms of following a diet, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and encouraging physical activity. The analysis presented here will form the basis for the development of an application that will be simple, user-friendly and powerful, in the sense that it will empower patients with the resources they need for self-care. .

Conclusion: Mobile applications are found to show promise for the self-care of chronic conditions, and can improve the quality of life of Panamanian patients. In addition, we intend to develop a data repository for scientific research within Central America.

Background: violence is considered to be a global phenomenon; committing violence significantly impacts individuals physical and psychological states. There are several risk factors for increasing violence, of which personality traits represent the most substantial risk.

Objective: the current research aims to examine the association among the 'big five' risk factors and involvement in violence among high school students in the north of Iraq.

Methods: The sample comprised 468 students, 242 boys, and 226 girls aged 16 to 20. Two self-report instruments were used for data collection. Firstly, we divided the Maudsly Violence Questionnaire into two factors: acceptance of violence and machismo. Secondly, we used the Big Five Inventory, which includes questions on extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, consciousness, and openness.

Result: the result showed a significant positive correlation between extraversion, neuroticism, and violence involvement. Agreeableness, openness, and consciousness were negatively correlated. In terms of demographic variables, the findings suggest that boys are more likely to be involved in violence than girls. The results indicated that personality traits neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, openness, and consciousness predicted violence.

Conclusion: personality traits significantly impact individuals' behaviors that reflect their lives. The potential for violence is a predictor for detecting and preventing violent actions and could be used in many justices and governmental systems.

Background: Infertility is a serious health issue that affects people all around the world. One of the most common reasons for male infertility is sperm abnormalities. Researchers and scientists have been searching for a novel genetic marker to detect or recognize the genetic malfunction that causes sperm abnormalities. Micro-RNA (miRNAs) are small non-coded RNA molecules that present intra and extra-cellular and regulate gene expression.

Objective: This studies began to search for a relation between miRNA expression levels and other diseases that may be related to them, considering that the main role of miRNAs was the down-regulation of genes.

Methods: The main technique used in this study was to synthesize a complementary DNA (cDNA) (revers transcription method) of extracted total RNA by TRIzol then amplification of candidates' miRNAs genes by Reverse Transcriptase Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction RT-qPCR.

Results: Studies found that miRNAs have a role in defining sperm qualities such as sperm count, motility, and shape. In this study, we chose the most miRNAs referred to in the previous study as a potential seminal fluid marker (miR-10a, miR-10b, miR-135a and miR-135b) to test them as potential infertility-related miRNAs markers (Asthenospermia AS, Oligospermia OS, Astheno-Oligospermia ASOS) in addition to health normal sperm NS.

Conclusion: the main aim of this study was to find the miRNAs expression pattern to find a way to help scientists track the genetic causes of male infertility issues and a novel method to distinguish infertility genetically diseases.

Conclusion: The findings may serve as a potential genetic marker for male infertility and provide a background for future research that targeted miRNAs as a molecular marker for medical and forensic fields, also as an infertility disease potential treatment.

Background: The long-term use of earphones at high volume levels is a major risk factor for noise-induced hearing loss.

Aim: To compare the hearing of university students who use personal listening devices (PLDs) at extremes (upper & lower quartiles) with respect to a) Duration of use/day b) The number of years since use c) Volume level.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, at Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University (IAU), from September 2021 to April 2022. An online survey was distributed among IAU medical students on the subjects' patterns of earphone use. Forty participants volunteered to participate in the hearing tests: Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA), Tympanometry, and Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emission (TEOAEs) at the ENT clinic of the King Fahd Hospital of the University (KFHU).

Results: The pure tone audiometry and TEOAE showed no significant differences in the hearing thresholds/levels of participants in upper quartiles vs lower quartiles of both ears, in any of the PLD use pattern categories. However, in the TEOAE two observation were detected: a) Significantly lower amplitude in the upper quartile of the category "duration of PLD use/day" at a frequency of 1.0 kHz in the left ear (p-value 0.04) b) Significantly lower amplitude in the upper quartile of the category "volume of PLD use" at a frequency of 1.0 kHz in the left ear (p-value 0.03).

Conclusion: The present findings suggest that hearing threshold/level and cochlear outer hair cells' functions do not differ significantly in the participants belonging to the upper and lower quartiles of PLD use pattern (volume level, duration of use/day, and the number of years since use).