The Silent Victims: How the Israel-Palestine War Impacts the Management of Chronic Kidney Disease and End-Stage Renal Disease Patients.

This article discusses the multifaceted impact of wars and armed conflicts on healthcare systems, with a focus on the Israel-Palestine war and its consequences for individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The war has severely disrupted healthcare infrastructure, leading to damage or destruction of hospitals and clinics, shortages in medical supplies and staff, and interruptions in the delivery of essential services. This disruption poses significant challenges for the management of chronic conditions such as CKD and ESRD, where patients rely on regular and specialized care. The article highlights the logistical challenges and health risks faced by these patients, including the interruption of dialysis treatment, shortages of medications, and the impact of displacement on continuity of care. It also addresses the psychological toll on patients, emphasizing the increased stress, anxiety, and depression that can exacerbate their condition. The need for international aid and humanitarian efforts to support CKD and ESRD patients in conflict zones is underscored, along with the importance of addressing the root causes of the conflict to ensure the well-being of vulnerable populations.

A Systematic Review of Gender Disparity in the Authorship of Clinical Trials and Clinical Practice Guidelines in Various Medicine Subspecialties.

Authorship in clinical trials and clinical practice guidelines is considered prestigious and is associated with broader peer recognition. This systematic review investigated female representation among studies reporting authorship trends in clinical trials or clinical practice guidelines in different medicine subspecialties. Our search strategy yielded 836 articles, of which 30 met the inclusion criteria. Our findings indicate that females are severely underrepresented in authorship of clinical trials and clinical practice guidelines. Although the proportions of females may have improved in the past decade, the gains are marginal. Notably, studies in this domain predominantly focus on first/last authorship positions, and whether females are underrepresented in other positions as collaborative partners is currently unknown. Also, authorship trends in clinical trials or clinical practice guidelines of most medicine subspecialties besides cardiovascular medicine remain under-researched. Hence, standardizing the methodology for studying gender disparity in research output for comparative analysis between different subspecialties is as urgent as addressing the gender disparity in authorship.

Long-Term Symptoms of COVID-19: One-Year Follow-Up Study.

INTRODUCTION:  Persistent and prolonged symptoms, termed as long COVID (coronavirus disease), have been reported in several patients who recovered from the acute phase at different intervals. However, there has been largely unclear data regarding the full range of long-term sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of long COVID syndrome. METHODS: A long-term research was conducted in the COVID-19 unit of a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan from July 2020 to December 2021 in which 2,000 patients who had recovered from COVID-19 and had been discharged were included in the study. Symptoms were noted at the time of discharge and at follow-up after 12 months. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v. 22.0 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, New York, United States). RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 43 ± 10 years, 801 (53.8%) males and 688 (46.2%) females. At the time of discharge, the most common symptom was fatigue (26.93%), followed by dyspnea (20.34%) and muscle pain (8.86%). The most common symptom on follow-up was fatigue (6.78%). CONCLUSION: We strongly emphasize discussing and exploring further knowledge on the post-infection syndrome, with an aim to bring healthcare professionals' attention to the importance of handling COVID patients, their counseling, warning for alarming signs, and a long-term follow-up with necessary investigations and treatment.

Frequency of Causes of Portal Hypertension in Children.

Introduction The most common etiology of portal hypertension (PH) in children is obstruction at the presinusoidal or sinusoidal level. In addition, portal vein thrombosis (PVT) and biliary atresia are the most prevalent extrahepatic causes. This study aims to evaluate all the possible etiologies leading to PH in the pediatric population and provide the most common cause associated with this condition along with the age group most frequently affected by it. Material and Methods From January 2018 to December 2020, a cross-sectional study was carried out in tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan. A total of 100 children, both male and female, aged one month to 15 years and diagnosed with PH, were enrolled for the evaluation for the causes of PH. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 20, was used to analyze the data. Results The mean age of enrolled participants was 9.01 ± 2.81 years. It was found that PVT (63%) was the most common cause of PH, followed by liver cirrhosis (19%) and biliary atresia (18%). Age of more than eight years was significantly associated with PVT (p-value: 0.007). Conclusion In children, PH may be caused by a wide range of etiologies. It is imperative to understand the underlying etiologies contributing to PH for proper guidance and management, prevention, and overall outcomes.