Dental Health Knowledge Attitude and Practice Among University of Calabar Students.

Introduction Oral health has been linked to aspects of individual knowledge, attitude, and practices. In Nigeria, the increased prevalence of poor oral hygiene has been attributed behavioral factors. Behavioral aspects that include the increased intake of sugary foods and beverages, and lack of proper oral hygiene have been touted as the main causes of poor oral hygiene among university students. The knowledge of oral health is vital owing to its contribution to better oral health; however, unless students develop good oral habits and attitudes and subsequently put them into practice, very little will be realized with regard improvement in oral health and hygiene. Objective This research aimed to explore the knowledge, attitude, and practice of dental care among the University of Calabar students. Method This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted between 2016 and 2017. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect data from 430 student participants in a university using a multi-stage random technique. An inferential statistical approach was adopted to test the relationships represented in the tables. Data were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences, version 20.0. Result The study included 430 participants, 239 (55.6%) females and 191 (44.4%) males. The survey revealed that 94% of the 404 respondents agreed that poor dental care can cause dental diseases, while only 6% disagreed. Regarding excessive drinking of water, 91% of the respondents agreed that it cannot cause dental disease, 4.2% agreed it could, and 4.8% did not know. Furthermore, 60.2% of the 430 respondents acknowledged that genetic inheritance could cause dental disease, while 21.4% disagreed, and 18.4% did not know. Finally, 74.9% of the respondents knew that trauma to the teeth could cause dental disease, while only 9.3% thought that trauma could not cause illness to the teeth. Regarding attitude to dental care, 232 (54%) respondents agreed that visiting the dentist was necessary, while 164 (38.1%) strongly agreed. Only eight (1.9%) strongly disagreed, while five (1.2%) disagreed that visiting the dentist was necessary. Moreover, 82% of the respondents agreed that bad breath was associated with poor dental care, with 195 (45.3%) respondents strongly agreeing and 158 (36.7%) agreeing. However, 37 (8.6%) disagreed, and 16 (3.7%) strongly disagreed, while 24 (5.6%) were indifferent. As regards practice, most respondents used the up-down technique when brushing their teeth (62.8%), while 17.4% brushed left-right and 19.8% used both methods. Moreover, 67.4% of the respondents brushed twice daily, 26.5% brushed once daily, and only 6.1% brushed after every meal. About half of the students spent one to three minutes brushing their teeth (50.5%), while the other half spent more time. Over half of the students replaced their toothbrushes every three months (57.7%), with the most common reason for replacement being the fraying of bristles. However, the use of dental floss was found to be low. Conclusion The utilization of dental care facilities was low among most University of Calabar students, who did not see the need for dental clinic visits unless they had dental needs. The lack of dental visits was attributed to perceived high dental costs and a lack of time. Targeted interventions and educational programs that address these barriers could promote better oral hygiene practices among the students.

Trends of Cardiovascular Interventions Stratified by Body Mass Index: An Analysis of the 2016-2020 Nationwide Inpatient Sample Population.

Background There is a scarcity of studies delineating the trends of cardiovascular interventions in the hospitalized population stratified by body mass index (BMI). Our study aimed to study the burden of cardiovascular interventions and outcomes by BMI. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database between January 2016 and December 2020. We identified the population of interest using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code. We studied the BMI in five categories: "healthy weight" (HW; BMI < 19.9-24.9 kg/m2), "overweight" (OV; BMI = 25-29.9 kg/m2), "obesity class one" (OB1; BMI = 30-34.9 kg/m2), "obesity class two" (OB2; BMI = 35-39.9 kg/m2), and "obesity class three" (OB3; BMI > 40 kg/m2). Results There were 5,654,905 hospitalizations with an ICD-10 code related to BMI within this study period. The HW group had 1,103,659 (19.5%) hospitalizations, the OV group had 462,464 (8.2%), the OB1 group had 1,095,325 (19.4%), the OB2 group had 1,036,682 (18.3%), and the OB3 group had 1,956,775 (34.6%) hospitalizations. The mean age of the population with obesity was as follows: OB1 = 61 years (SD = 16); OB2 = 58 years (SD = 15.9); and OB3 = 55 years (SD = 15.5). The mean ages of the HW and OV groups were 68 years (SD = 16.6) and 65 years (SD = 16.1), respectively. In the HW group, there were 948 (8.1%) hospital admissions for aortic valve replacement (AVR), 54 (11%) for aortic valve repair (AVRr), 737 (15.9%) for mitral valve replacement (MVRr), 12 (17.1%) for mitral valve repair (MVR), 79 (2.2%) for left atrial appendage (LAA) closure, and 3390 (5.2%) for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The OV group had 1049 (8.9%) hospital admissions for AVRs, 42 (9%) for AVRr, 461 (10%) for MVRr, four (5.7%) for MVR, 307 (8.6%) for LAA closure, and 5703 (8.8%) for PCIs. The OB1 group had 3326 (28.4%) hospital admissions for AVR, 125 (26.9%) for AVRr, 1229 (26.7%) for MVRr, 23 (32.9%) for MVR, 1173 (32.9%) for LAA, and 20,255 (31.3%) for PCI, while the OB2 group had 2725 (23.3%) hospital admissions for AVR, 105 (22.6%) for AVRr, 898 (19.4%) for MVRr, 11 (15.7%) for MVR, 933 (26.2%) for LAA, and 16,773 (25.9%) for PCI. Lastly, the OB3 group had 3626 (31%) hospital admissions for AVR, 139 (29.9%) for AVRr, 1285 (27.8%) for MVRr, 20 (28.6%) for MVR, 1063 (29.9%) for LAA, and 18,589 (28.7%) for PCI. Conclusion Our study supports the evidence of increased cardiovascular interventions with increasing BMI. Albeit, an inconsistent presentation across the spectrum of cardiovascular diseases and outcomes, for example, equal or better outcomes in obese cohorts compared to the healthy weight population undergoing PCI. However, the increasing cardiovascular intervention burden in the youngest studied population suggests a rise in the cardiovascular disease burden among the young and partially explains their better outcomes. Steps to include weight management for these patients are paramount.

Depression and Hand-Grip: Unraveling the Association.

This review article explores the association between hand-grip strength and depression. A total of 14 studies were carefully considered to provide a comprehensive analysis of the topic. The studies reveal a consistent association between low hand-grip strength and depressive symptoms, independent of age, gender, and chronic disease status. The evidence suggests that hand-grip strength assessment could be a useful tool for identifying individuals at risk of depression, particularly older adults and those with chronic diseases. Incorporating physical activity and strength training into treatment plans can contribute to better mental health outcomes. Hand-grip strength assessment can also be used as a monitoring tool to track changes in physical and mental health over time in individuals with depression. Healthcare professionals should consider the relationship between hand-grip strength and depression when evaluating patients and developing treatment plans. The findings from this comprehensive clinical review have important clinical implications and highlight the importance of considering physical health factors in the context of mental health.

The Use of Cannabis and Its Effects on Postpartum Depression.

Cannabis use and depression management have been studied, with a preponderance of exacerbating effects, but there are few studies on postpartum depression (PPD). Depression affects a significant number of women, with a portion of it manifesting as PPD in childbearing women in the United States each year. The pharmacologic management approaches have disadvantages such as side effects, cost-benefit ratio, contraindications, use reluctance, medication adherence, and stigmatization in patients. Anecdotal claims of medical cannabis' therapeutic benefits have led to widespread legalization in several regions, making cannabis and its extracts a possible alternative. Cannabis is widely used during pregnancy and in general. Even though substance use disorders exacerbating depression symptoms have been reported, there are increasing reports and evidence about the therapeutic benefit of dose-dependent cannabis or its extracts in some depression symptoms, such as acute psychosocial stress relief, its purported anxiolytic effect, appetite, and sleep quality, thus stimulating more interest that may be inferred to depression. PPD marijuana use is unclear. This paper reviewed works of literature that claimed cannabis' therapeutic benefit in treating depression and, by extension, PPD. Our findings show the link between cannabis and PPD has not been fully explored. Self-reported studies link marijuana uses to positive mood, anxiety relief, sleep regulation, nausea and vomiting reduction, and appetite stimulation-all PPD symptoms. Others opposed postpartum marijuana use.

Approaches to Medication Administration in Patients With Lack of Insight.

Lack of insight typically complicates psychiatric presentations, necessitating careful thought and planning to choose the best course of treatment. Exploring methods of medication administration techniques in the context of a lack of insight is crucial to achieving the ultimate goal of overcoming the insight barrier as rapidly as possible, which will result in therapeutic benefit. This study's objective was to systematically review the evidence on medication administration techniques in a backdrop of lack of insight and how that evidence was curated in the scientific literature. This study used the literature search strategy, which entails retrieving and analyzing the existing scientific literature pertinent to medication administration techniques for individuals with no insight between 2010 and 2022. Accessing online databases, such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and Medline was utilized in this study's literature search strategy. In our findings, in the primary evidence search, no randomized control trial (RCT) comparing the various models of medication administration with a lack of insight was found. No study provided data on the superiority of utility, quality of life, or efficacy outcome. Some 17 scientific papers were identified that cited various trials about lack of insight and medication use and met the inclusion criteria. We concluded that it could be challenging to administer medication to patients who lack insight. Nonetheless, progress has been made to mitigate this obstacle. Common moral values, common sense, medicolegal support, person-centered integrated care, and cutting-edge medication techniques may play a role. However, these models of medication administration are still evolving, along with the ethical concerns accompanying them. Hopefully, the available models discussed in this analysis will serve as a foundation for future developments. Nonetheless, much remains to be done. We encourage contemporary research to investigate safer and more dynamic methods that can alleviate this condition.

A Rare Presentation of Shared Phenomenon in Dissociative Disorders in Extreme of Ages: A Report of Two Cases.

Conversion disorders (CD) are changes in sensorimotor activity experienced by an individual due to an external event. Patients may experience "pseudoseizures" accompanied by the presence or absence of loss of consciousness. Disorders of movement and sensation is the term used to classify the various kinds of CDs in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) diagnostic manual, and they are the rarest among all dissociative disorders. We will discuss two instances that are particularly rare. The first includes an older couple, starting with the wife, who had nervousness, heightened worry, intrusive thoughts, heavy perspiration, palpitations, headaches, and problems sleeping. She was prescribed 10 mg once-daily escitalopram. She stopped taking her medication and had facial and hand problems. The patient's 65-year-old husband started having strange hand and face movements and lost consciousness. The pair was hospitalized willingly and had radiographic (MRI and non-contrast computerized tomography {NCCT} head), nerve conduction, and neurological tests to rule out a movement issue. No inquiry or inspections uncovered anything unusual. The second case involves a mother and her 13-year-old son, who was taken to a psychiatric unit after urinating on a religious shrine. His mother had the same issue and couldn't urinate for days. Both patients were given 25 mg of paroxetine and benzodiazepines for anxiety and sleeplessness. After a week of medicine and psychotherapy after identifying stressors, both cases improved.