Analysis of the fatigue status of medical security personnel during the closed-loop period using multiple machine learning methods: a case study of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Using machine learning methods to analyze the fatigue status of medical security personnel and the factors influencing fatigue (such as BMI, gender, and wearing protective clothing working hours), with the goal of identifying the key factors contributing to fatigue. By validating the predicted outcomes, actionable and practical recommendations can be offered to enhance fatigue status, such as reducing wearing protective clothing working hours. A questionnaire was designed to assess the fatigue status of medical security personnel during the closed-loop period, aiming to capture information on fatigue experienced during work and disease recovery. The collected data was then preprocessed and used to determine the structural parameters for each machine learning algorithm. To evaluate the prediction performance of different models, the mean relative error (MRE) and goodness of fit (R2) between the true and predicted values were calculated. Furthermore, the importance rankings of various parameters in relation to fatigue status were determined using the RF feature importance analysis method. The fatigue status of medical security personnel during the closed-loop period was analyzed using multiple machine learning methods. The prediction performance of these methods was ranked from highest to lowest as follows: Gradient Boosting Regression (GBM) > Random Forest (RF) > Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost) > K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) > Support Vector Regression (SVR). Among these algorithms, four out of the five achieved good prediction results, with the GBM method performing the best. The five most critical parameters influencing fatigue status were identified as working hours in protective clothing, a customized symptom and disease score (CSDS), physical exercise, body mass index (BMI), and age, all of which had importance scores exceeding 0.06. Notably, working hours in protective clothing obtained the highest importance score of 0.54, making it the most critical factor impacting fatigue status. Fatigue is a prevalent and pressing issue among medical security personnel operating in closed-loop environments. In our investigation, we observed that the GBM method exhibited superior predictive performance in determining the fatigue status of medical security personnel during the closed-loop period, surpassing other machine learning techniques. Notably, our analysis identified several critical factors influencing the fatigue status of medical security personnel, including the duration of working hours in protective clothing, CSDS, and engagement in physical exercise. These findings shed light on the multifaceted nature of fatigue among healthcare workers and emphasize the importance of considering various contributing factors. To effectively alleviate fatigue, prudent management of working hours for security personnel, along with minimizing the duration of wearing protective clothing, proves to be promising strategies. Furthermore, promoting regular physical exercise among medical security personnel can significantly impact fatigue reduction. Additionally, the exploration of medication interventions and the adoption of innovative protective clothing options present potential avenues for mitigating fatigue. The insights derived from this study offer valuable guidance to management personnel involved in organizing large-scale events, enabling them to make informed decisions and implement targeted interventions to address fatigue among medical security personnel. In our upcoming research, we will further expand the fatigue dataset while considering higher precisionprediction algorithms, such as XGBoost model, ensemble model, etc., and explore their potential contributions to our research.

Current status and issues regarding surgical education in the region: a questionnaire survey in Oita prefecture in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The shortage and aging of surgeons in regional surgical care has been remarkable, and the importance of surgical education for young surgeons in the region is only increasing. However, there are very few reports about regional surgical education. This study aimed to clarify the current status and issues regarding surgical education in regional surgical care and to examine the ideal way to provide surgical education in the region. METHODS: Two questionnaire surveys were carried out. (1) "Survey on the awareness regarding the education of young surgeons" was conducted by mail in institutions where surgeons worked. (2) "Survey on the current status of surgical education for young surgeons" was conducted via the Internet with surgeons under 40 years old and mentors at the same facility. RESULTS: There were 175 respondents to survey (1), among whom 131 (75%) surgeons were interested in educating young surgeons, and 112 (64%) were actively participating in this educating. Regarding the best evaluation methods for mentors who are educating young surgeons, the most frequent answer was "I don't know (51%)". The number of respondents in survey (2) was 87, including 27 (31%) young surgeons and 60 (69%) mentors. Although there was no difference between young surgeons and mentors in the level of satisfaction with the current status of young surgeons, 37% of young surgeons in urban areas were dissatisfied with their current status, compared to 0% in the regional area (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although surgeons did not have confidence in their own education, the level of satisfaction among young surgeons was high even in those providing regional surgical care. Development of an evaluation system for surgical education is necessary for young surgeons to receive more effective surgical education in the region.

Exercise instruction during haemodialysis treatment after changes to the insurance regime: a nationwide questionnaire survey in Japan.

In April 2022, an additional medical fee for exercise instruction during haemodialysis treatment was approved for insurance claims in Japan. We conducted a questionnaire survey to investigate the current situation regarding exercise therapy during haemodialysis treatment after this change. Questionnaires were mailed to 4257 haemodialysis facilities, almost all the haemodialysis facilities in Japan, on January 31, 2023. In total, 1657 facilities responded, of which 550 (33%) provided exercise instruction during haemodialysis treatment, and 65% of these claimed the new fee. Of the 550 facilities that had claimed the fee at the time of survey, 245 (55%) started exercise instruction in April 2022 or later. Exercise instruction focused on resistance training (81%) and aerobic exercise (62%) for 20-30 min (66%) three times a week (80%). The instructors included physicians in 45% of facilities, nurses in 74%, and physical therapists in 36%. Efficacy was evaluated in 76% of the facilities providing instruction, mainly by assessing change in muscle strength (49%). Overall, 39% of facilities had experienced some adverse events, but none were life-threatening. In conclusion, after the change in the insurance regime, exercise instruction during haemodialysis treatment has become more popular, and more patients on haemodialysis are undergoing exercise therapy.

Questionnaire survey on hands-on simulation training using a dental humanoid robot (SIMROID®).

INTRODUCTION: A dental humanoid robot, SIMROID®, is able to replicate the actions characteristic of human beings and enable training for communicating with patients and coping with unexpected situations. This study assessed user experiences via a survey questionnaire following hands-on training on the SIMROID®. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 112 participants, consisting of 50 high school students who visited AUSD (Asahi University School of Dentistry) to participate in open campus events, 42 fourth-year students at AUSD and 20 dental students from Mexico State Autonomy University, University of Siena and Peking University took the survey. The participants observed the movements and reactions of a SIMROID® robot placed on a dental unit for approximately 20 min after which they completed a questionnaire survey. Both Japanese and English versions of the questionnaire were prepared for local and visiting foreign dental students. The questionnaire comprised 8 items, with a further two items for those undertaking dental training and an open comment field. RESULTS: All participants who observed the SIMROID® completed the questionnaire giving a 100% response rate. Generally, simulation training with SIMROID® was highly appreciated by all participants. The comprehensive evaluation score for SIMROID® was 4.56 ± 0.50 points for high school students, 4.05 ± 0.82 points for students at AUSD and 4.70 ± 0.47 points for foreign dental students, showing all participants had a very positive experience and impression of the SIMROID®. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, simulation training using SIMROID® seems beneficial learning tool.

A Survey of Knowledge and Attitude of College Students Toward Hearing Loss Prevention.

BACKGROUND: College students risk hearing loss due to loud sound exposure during leisure activities. Hearing loss prevention is possible by reducing the noise from the source, using hearing protection devices and increasing their knowledge and awareness on the effects of loud sound exposure. OBJECTIVE: The study aims to assess the knowledge and attitude of college students regarding hearing loss and its prevention. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study design with a survey method was adopted. A total of 94 college students (mean age: 22 years; range: 18 to 26) who were pursuing an undergraduate and postgraduate degree (50 males and 44 females) formed the part of the study. The researcher administered a standardized self-reported Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour questionnaire. The knowledge score in percentage and absolute scores for attitude were estimated. RESULTS: The mean knowledge score was 35.8 (SD ± 12.18; range: 12.5-75), and the attitude score was + 9.8 (SD ± 7.1; range: - 4 to + 30). Chi square test revealed no significant association between knowledge and attitude to sociodemographic characteristics. CONCLUSION:  The study indicated that though college students lack knowledge, they had a positive attitude regarding hearing health and its protection. These findings implicate the importance of creating awareness and encouraging hearing protection strategies for college students.

[Questionnaire Survey of Radiation Protection Education in Hospitals].

PURPOSE: The present study aimed to investigate the current situation of radiation protection education for designated radiation workers in hospitals. METHODS: A web-based questionnaire survey was conducted at 1,883 hospitals nationwide with 200 or more beds. RESULTS: Responses from 186 hospitals were included in the analysis. Seven hospitals (6.7%) regulated by the Act on the Regulation of Radioisotopes and six hospitals (7.4%) regulated by only the Ordinance on Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards did not implement radiation protection education. In approximately 6% of the hospitals, designated radiation workers-including physicians, nurses, and radiological technologist-did not attend the education program. The education program attendance rate of physicians was lower than that of nurses. In more than 90% of the hospitals, the frequency of the periodical education program was once every year and lecture time spanned one or less than one hour. The topics of lecture in more than 90% of the hospitals were health effects of radiation and methods of radiation protection for occupational exposure. The radiological technologist was the instructor of the education program in approximately 70% of the hospitals. CONCLUSION: The implementation of radiation protection for designated radiation workers varied from hospital to hospital, and some hospitals did not comply with laws and regulations. Effective and efficient radiation protection education models should be implemented in hospitals.

Assessment of Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Teledentistry Among Dental Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Modern technologies have led to the development of new tools, practices, and digital techniques. However, their use in public health to provide adequate oral health facilities to the community is limited. One of the facilities that can help provide better oral health with minimal cost is teledentistry. The application of this approach will reduce inequalities in accessing oral healthcare. Knowledge of the use of teledentistry is of the utmost importance to its practice. Hence, the objective of this cross-sectional study is to assess the knowledge of and attitude regarding teledentistry among dental professionals in the Sangli district of Maharashtra. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 24-unit structured online validated questionnaire with six questions regarding participants' sociodemographic information and 18 questions related to their knowledge and attitude toward teledentistry and informed consent forms were circulated via email among 100 dentists, and the responses obtained were analyzed. RESULTS: Out of 100 responses, 61 showed basic knowledge and a typical attitude toward teledentistry. Urban practitioners were more familiar with teledentistry than rural ones. CONCLUSION: This survey concludes that the branch of teledentistry still needs to be studied and publicized at a greater level to accelerate its widespread implementation in dentistry and especially to increase the outreach and time efficiency of dentistry.

A machine learning based method for constructing group profiles of university students.

This study facilitates university student profiling by constructing a prediction model to forecast the classification of future students participating in a survey, thereby enhancing the utility and effectiveness of the questionnaire approach. In the context of the ongoing digital transformation of campuses, higher education institutions are increasingly prioritizing student educational development. This shift aligns with the maturation of big data technology, prompting scholars to focus on profiling university student education. While earlier research in this area, particularly foreign studies, focus on extracting data from specific learning contexts and often relied on single data sources, our study addresses these limitations. We employ a comprehensive approach, incorporating questionnaire surveys to capture a diverse array of student data. Considering various university student attributes, we create a holistic profile of the student population. Furthermore, we use clustering techniques to develop a categorical prediction model. In our clustering analysis, we employ the K-means algorithm to group student survey data. The results reveal four distinct student profiles: Diligent Learners, Earnest Individuals, Discerning Achievers, and Moral Advocates. These profiles are subsequently used to label student groups. For the classification task, we leverage these labels to establish a prediction model based on the Back Propagation neural network, with the goal of assigning students to their respective groups. Through meticulous model optimization, an impressive classification accuracy of 90.22% is achieved. Our research offers a novel perspective and serves as a valuable methodological reference for university student profiling.

Questionnaire Survey to Identify the Medical Departments That Patients With Possible Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) Symptoms Tend to Choose.

In the treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC), any delay in omit initiation worsens the overall prognosis. Thus, the early start of HNC treatment is crucial. Unfortunately, treatment delays persist in clinical practice. There are several possible reasons for this. One reason is that patients with HNC do not visit an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor. This is because non-ENT doctors (e.g., general practitioners {GPs}) lack expertise in HNC and therefore may unrecognize it. Therefore, guiding patients with suspected HNC symptoms to an otorhinolaryngologist, an HNC specialist, is necessary. To determine the departments that patients with potential HNC symptoms tend to select, we administered a questionnaire survey to 140 participants. Fewer than 60% of respondents indicated they would consult an otorhinolaryngologist even when recognizing symptoms suggestive of HNC. Notably, a significantly low percentage of respondents mentioned they would consult an otorhinolaryngologist for neck masses. Public awareness of HNC symptoms, especially the association between a neck mass and HNC, is limited. The lack of understanding by the general public regarding the relationship between neck masses and HNC is a challenge to prompt initiation of treatment.

Benchmarking Relevance for Hospital Design and Planning: An International Web-Based Survey.

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to investigate what design practitioners and healthcare facility managers deem as important benchmarking metrics worldwide, investigating country differences in benchmarking usage and which metrics are prioritized. BACKGROUND: Benchmarking is a regular practice in the healthcare sector, both for clinical and managerial aspects to compare, measure, and improve standardized processes. However, limited knowledge is available about benchmarking procedures in hospital planning, design, and construction. METHODS: A web-based survey was designed, revised, and pilot-tested in five countries; it was adjusted according to local experts' suggestions and submitted globally via SoSci multilingual platform to persons involved in hospital design, research, construction, and facility management. It was composed of closed questions on 5-point Likert-type scale ranking frequency or importance and open-ended questions divided into six sections. Two hundred and eighty full responses have been collected. Statistical analysis was performed via PowerBI and R-Studio, while qualitative analysis was performed via MAXQDA. RESULTS: The findings reported allow for both specific insights per each country or category as well as enabling general considerations of a practice that is becoming always more international with 30%-50% of respondents working in the international context. The evaluation of the survey highlights the most important benchmarks, among others. For example, for respondents from the top five countries (Sweden, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the United States), the most important metric for benchmark comparability is whether the project was new construction, new construction attached to an existing hospital, or interior renovation. Construction date, client type (public vs. private), and country of location were also generally rated as the most important metrics by respondents. Other metrics that were consistently rated as important globally included inpatient unit layout, walking distances, number of floors, and whether all patient rooms are private. Space-related metrics are considered very important elements in the design and planning of healthcare facilities worldwide. Regarding cost-related metrics, all countries consider the ratio construction cost per building gross area as the most important. CONCLUSIONS: Benchmarking emerges as a relevant tool for hospital design and planning as it can support efficiency, standardization, and confidence; currently, benchmarking is still underutilized due to the challenge of international comparison, access to data outside each specific company, and variation design metrics nationally. Benchmarking strategies should be further investigated to support knowledge exchange and to ensure reliable and comparable information globally.

Patient Preference for Surgical Methods for Ipsilateral Breast Tumor Recurrence.

BACKGROUND: Mastectomy has been the standard surgical treatment for ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR). Recently, there has been growing interest in repeat breast-conserving surgery (rBCS) for IBTR among breast surgeons; however, there is currently little information regarding patient preferences for surgical procedure for IBTR. The purpose of this study was to evaluate preference for surgical procedure (mastectomy vs. rBCS) among breast cancer patients who had undergone salvage surgery for IBTR. METHODS: Overall, 100 breast cancer patients who had undergone salvage surgery for IBTR were asked about their preferred surgical methods for IBTR and the reason. The association of patient preference and the reasons related to various clinical and pathological factors were assessed. RESULTS: Of the 100 respondents, only 11 patients (11%) preferred rBCS. Patients who had undergone rBCS and radiotherapy for IBTR were significantly more likely to prefer to undergo rBCS than other groups (p = 0.030). The most frequent reason for choosing rBCS was the patient's desire to minimize breast deformity and surgical wounds. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that there is a low rate of patients who opt to undergo rBCS among patients who had undergone salvage surgery for IBTR. Discrepancies in perceptions regarding the surgical procedure for IBTR between patients and their surgeons may exist.

[Investigation of Anisakis infections in coastal marine fishes and awareness of anisakiasis control knowledge among residents in Yantai City in 2021].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of Anisakis infections in coastal marine fishes and awareness of anisakiasis control knowledge among local residents in Yantai City, Shandong Province in 2021, so as to provide insights into formulation of anisakiasis control interventions. METHODS: Marine fishes were purchased from Shunxin Port, Yantai City, Shandong Province in November 2021, and the presence of Anisakis was detected in different species of fishes and different fish sites. The correlations between body length and weight of marine fish and intensity of Anisakis infections were examined using Spearman's rank correlation analysis, and the dietary habits and anisakiasis control knowledge were investigated using questionnaire surveys among local residents. RESULTS: A total of 201 marine fishes belonging to 20 species were dissected, and Anisakis was detected in 77 marine fishes (38.31%) belonging to 11 species (55.00%), with a mean infection intensity of 45.04 parasites per fish (3 468/77). Spearman's rank correlation analysis revealed that the body length (rs = 0.74, P < 0.05) and weight (rs = 0.79, P < 0.01) of the monkfish correlated positively with the intensity of Anisakis infections, and the body length (rs = 0.68, P < 0.05) of the flatfish correlated positively with the intensity of Anisakis infections, while no correlations were examined between the body length or weight of other marine fishes and the intensity of Anisakis infections. Of all respondents, 53.38% men and 56.67% women did not know anisakiasis control knowledge at all, and there was a significant difference in the proportion of respondents using separate chopping boards for raw and cooked food from different villages (χ2 = 17.89, P < 0.01), while there was an age-specific proportion of respondents with habitats of eating raw or semi-raw seafood (χ2 = 28.27, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence and intensity of Anisakis infections were high in coastal marine fishes in Yantai City in 2021, and the awareness of anisakiasis control knowledge was low among local residents. Intensified health education pertaining to anisakiasis control knowledge is recommended to reduce the risk of Anisakis infections.

[Validation of the Qualitative Study Findings using Quantitative Analyses on the Current Status of Pharmacists in Home Health Care in Medium-Sized Areas].

Although the issue of home medical care and pharmacists remains widespread, much of the discussion has concentrated on its state in urban areas. We believe that it is necessary to consider the state of home health care in medium-sized regions, that is separate from its urban form, with a population of approximately 100000. Thus, we conducted a qualitative study in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, to identify factors that impede pharmacists involved in home medical care. We conducted a questionnaire-based survey in an area of the same size to verify the generality of the concepts obtained from the qualitative study and validate the concepts using quantitative analyses. Two questionnaires on the role of community health care and home health care practice based on the concepts obtained from the qualitative study was sent to 342 pharmacies located in five regions. The number of valid responses was 170, and the data collection rate was 49.4%. We identified nine factors from the former and five from the latter. The current status of pharmacists in home health care in a medium-sized region, as identified by the quantitative study, was similar to that of the conceptual picture obtained from the qualitative study. Furthermore, the high versatility of the extracted concepts was verified.

Requirements for hospitals in Japan to have low operative mortality and failure-to-rescue rates.

Aim: We explored institutional factors in Japan associated with lower operative mortality and failure-to-rescue (FTR) rates for eight major gastrointestinal procedures. Methods: A 22-item online questionnaire was sent to 2119 institutional departments (IDs) to examine the association between institutional factors and operative mortality and FTR rates. IDs were classified according to the number of annual surgeries, board certification status, and locality. In addition, the top 20% and bottom 20% of IDs were identified based on FTR rates and matched with the results of the questionnaire survey. Factors associated with operative mortality were selected by multivariate analysis. Results: Of the 1083 IDs that responded to the questionnaire, 568 (213 382 patients) were included in the analysis. Operative morbidity, operative mortality, and FTR rates in the top 20% and bottom 20% of IDs were 13.1% and 8.4% (p < 0.001), 0.52% and 4.3% (p < 0.001), and 4.0% and 51.2% (p < 0.001), respectively. Based on the patients' background characteristics, the top 20% of IDs handled more advanced cases. No significant difference in locality was seen between better or worse hospital FTR rates, but fewer esophagectomies, hepatectomies, and pancreatoduodenectomies were performed in depopulated areas. Six items were found to be associated with operative mortality by multivariate logistic analysis. Only 50 (8.8%) IDs met all five factors related to better FTR rates. Conclusions: The present findings indicate that several hospital factors surrounding surgical treatment, characterized by abundant human resources, are closely related to better postoperative recovery from severe complications.

Nutrition Assessment and Education of Patients with Heart Failure by Cardiologists.

Although nutritional assessment and education are important for hospitalized patients with heart failure, the extent of their implementation in real-world clinical practice is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the evaluation and management of nutrition during hospitalization for heart failure using a questionnaire survey for cardiologists.In this cross-sectional multicenter survey, 147 cardiologists from 32 institutions completed a web-based questionnaire (response rate, 95%).The survey showed that 78.2% of the respondents performed a nutritional assessment for hospitalized patients, whereas 38.3% used objective tools. In contrast, only 9.5% of the respondents evaluated the presence or absence of cardiac cachexia. Most respondents (89.8%) reported providing nutritional education to their patients before hospital discharge. However, compared with the number of respondents who provided information on sodium (97.0%) and water (63.6%) restrictions, a limited number of respondents provided guidance on optimal protein (20.5%) and micronutrient (9.1%) intake as part of the nutritional education. Less than 50% of the respondents provided guidance on optimal calorie intake (43.2%) and ideal body weight (34.8%) as a part of the nutritional education for patients identified as malnourished.Although nutritional assessment is widely performed for hospitalized patients with heart failure, most assessments are subjective rather than objective. Nutritional education, frequently provided before hospital discharge, is limited to information on water or salt intake restrictions. Therefore, more comprehensive and individualized nutritional assessments and counselling with a scientific basis are required.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of medication and its influencing factors among residents in western China: a large-scale cross-sectional study.

Background: This study aimed to understand the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of drug use among residents in western China and its influencing factors for accurately designing the knowledge, contents, and methods of popular science activities for safe drug use among residents to provide a reference for conducting rational drug use educational activities and improving residents' level of safe drug use. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the KAP of medication among western China residents and its influencing factors from March to April 2023. Each question option was assigned a score according to logic, and the risk factors for resident medication safety KAP were explored through univariate and logistic regression analyses. Results: A total of 7,557 valid questionnaires were collected, with an effective recovery rate of 96.7%. The average scores of KAP were 72.77 ± 22.91, 32.89 ± 10.64, and 71.27 ± 19.09, respectively. In the evaluation criteria of the questionnaire, the score of medication knowledge reached "good," and the score of attitude and practice was "average." Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that male sex and low education level were significant factors affecting the lack of drug knowledge among residents. Old age and low education level were the factors of poor attitude toward medication. The low condition of medical security was a factor in residents' irregular drug use behavior. Conclusion: The overall level of rational drug use among residents in western China is good, but there are still some inconsistencies. Rational drug use education should be conducted according to the risk points of residents in drug safety KAP to further improve the level of rational drug use of residents.

Questionnaire survey on public awareness of cleft lip with/without palate in Mongolia.

The frequency of cleft lip with/without palate (CL/P) in the Mongolian population is approximately 1 in 1314 live births. This research aims to disseminate information about this congenital disability to the public to better understand CL/P, and people's fissures, and review administrative measures, as there is a lack of research in this area. A questionnaire survey was conducted using Google Forms, with 1000 Mongolian participants. Most participants (86.7%) said they had knowledge of the word, whereas 86.2% said they had knowledge of the condition. Most participants' answers were question-related disadvantages of CL/P patients, including statements such as "It's uncomfortable in human relationships" and "It makes an uncomfortable impression on the person you meet the first time." The results of this study revealed that most Mongolians were aware of CL/P and are concerned about patients. However, the causes of CL/P in the general population remain unknown, and further research is needed in this area.

Teaching pulpectomy in paediatric dentistry: A national cross-sectional survey of dental schools in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Pulpectomy is used to treat primary teeth with irreversibly inflamed or necrotic pulp tissue. There is, however, a lack of consensus on clinical protocols for teaching pulpectomy at dental schools. AIM: To determine what faculty members at Brazilian dental schools are teaching about pulpectomy in primary teeth. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted using a 39-question survey available via the Google Forms® platform. A snowball sampling strategy was used for recruitment. Invitations to participate were sent via e-mail, WhatsApp® and Instagram®. The data were analysed descriptively. RESULTS: A total of 177 (58.4%) responses were obtained. Most faculty members recommended the use of Kerr hand files (66.1%), and 1% sodium hypochlorite was the most common choice for the irrigating solution (35.3%). Iodoform pastes were the first choice of faculty members (41.6%), and 60.5% of the faculty members recommended composite resin as the definitive restoration. CONCLUSION: Similarities were found in the teaching of pulpectomy for primary teeth among faculty members at dental schools in Brazil.

Development and validation of a prediction model for early screening of people at high risk for colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a serious threat worldwide. Although early screening is suggested to be the most effective method to prevent and control CRC, the current situation of early screening for CRC is still not optimistic. In China, the incidence of CRC in the Yangtze River Delta region is increasing dramatically, but few studies have been conducted. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a simple and efficient early screening model for CRC. AIM: To develop and validate an early-screening nomogram model to identify individuals at high risk of CRC. METHODS: Data of 64448 participants obtained from Ningbo Hospital, China between 2014 and 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The cohort comprised 64448 individuals, of which, 530 were excluded due to missing or incorrect data. Of 63918, 7607 (11.9%) individuals were considered to be high risk for CRC, and 56311 (88.1%) were not. The participants were randomly allocated to a training set (44743) or validation set (19175). The discriminatory ability, predictive accuracy, and clinical utility of the model were evaluated by constructing and analyzing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calibration curves and by decision curve analysis. Finally, the model was validated internally using a bootstrap resampling technique. RESULTS: Seven variables, including demographic, lifestyle, and family history information, were examined. Multifactorial logistic regression analysis revealed that age [odds ratio (OR): 1.03, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.03, P < 0.001], body mass index (BMI) (OR: 1.07, 95%CI: 1.06-1.08, P < 0.001), waist circumference (WC) (OR: 1.03, 95%CI: 1.02-1.03 P < 0.001), lifestyle (OR: 0.45, 95%CI: 0.42-0.48, P < 0.001), and family history (OR: 4.28, 95%CI: 4.04-4.54, P < 0.001) were the most significant predictors of high-risk CRC. Healthy lifestyle was a protective factor, whereas family history was the most significant risk factor. The area under the curve was 0.734 (95%CI: 0.723-0.745) for the final validation set ROC curve and 0.735 (95%CI: 0.728-0.742) for the training set ROC curve. The calibration curve demonstrated a high correlation between the CRC high-risk population predicted by the nomogram model and the actual CRC high-risk population. CONCLUSION: The early-screening nomogram model for CRC prediction in high-risk populations developed in this study based on age, BMI, WC, lifestyle, and family history exhibited high accuracy.

Evaluation of guideline implementation for dispensing driving-impairing medicines by National Pharmacy Organizations.

Background: In 2004, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) adopted a Statement of Professional Standard on the supply of medicines affecting driving performance, transformed to FIP guidelines in 2014. In 2011, the final report from the European initiative on Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, Alcohol and Medicines (DRUID) was published. Both documents provided recommendations for improving dispensing guidelines for driving-impairing medicines for patients who use psychoactive medicines. Objective: This study investigated the extent that European professional organizations of pharmacists (POPs) implemented existing guidelines and DRUID results. Methods: An online questionnaire survey was conducted in April-May 2022. Questionnaires were sent by e-mail to POPs in 46 European countries. The questionnaire addressed the following topics: awareness of FIP guidelines and DRUID outcomes (a), development of dispensing guidelines (b), target groups for information materials (c), evaluations of dispensing practices (d), examples of projects on medicines affecting driving fitness (e), development of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) -support (f), collaboration with organizations of physicians (g), and patients (h). The data were analyzed by indicating implementation initiatives in different countries. Open-ended questions were assessed qualitatively. Results: POPs in 23 European countries responded to the invitation (response rate: 50%). Guidelines for improving dispensing practices were available in 5 countries targeted at professionals, patients, and the general population. Patient and physician organizations were involved in 4 and 3 countries, respectively. Implementation was supported by computerized dispensing systems (5 countries) and public campaigns (5 countries). Conclusions: Twenty years after the introduction of FIP guidelines and ten years after the DRUID outcomes, only 5 European POPs have implemented this knowledge. Different activities were performed to support implementation, resulting in examples of successful use of recommendations for driving-impairing medicines in pharmacy practice. Implementation needs further attention. The successful practices that have been developed are an example for dissemination to other countries.