From
the Editor
period in Maternity Teaching
Hospital. The author followed a control-case
study design. It was carried out on 40 breastfeeding
mothers immediately after delivery. They were
divided into two groups, a case group and a
control one. The case group received oxytocin
10 IU during the third stage of labor, while
the control group did not receive it. The results
of the present study indicated that although
the case group were given oxytocin 10 IU during
the third stage of labor, they did not differ
from the control group that received nothing
regarding the normal amount of their breast
milk 2 hours after delivery. One week after
the delivery; however, the normal amount of
breast milk was higher in the case group than
the control group, such that 6 mothers in the
case group, while 3 in the control group had
a normal amount of breast milk, respectively.
The authors concluded that the mothers who had
received oxytocin had a significantly higher
level of breast milk than the control group;
therefore, mothers who are diagnosed with probable
low amount of breast milk are recommended to
consume it.
A paper from Australia provides the first published
description of a previously unrecognised radiological
sign. Failure to recognise a crescent trachea
can result in erroneous under-classification
of high-grade goitres. This is important to
establish, as tracheal compression may not be
obvious on clinical examination nor history,
but can result in significant tracheal narrowing.
Recognition of subclinical tracheal compression,
based on a positive crescent trachea sign, is
a relative indication for surgery, and can help
optimise peri-operative management as well as
patient safety.
A cross-sectional analytical study from Yemen
looked at the prevalence and risk factors of
childhood abuse among Hadhramout University
Students in Yemen. The study was conducted in
five colleges at Hadhramout university in the
educational year 2015-2016.
Overall, 395 students, (57.5%) were males. Of
the students (88.4 %) reported exposure to some
form of child abuse in the form of emotional
(79.2%), physical (75.7%) or sexual abuse (35.2%)
of which 12.7 were reported to have been forced
into sexual assault. Parents were the main perpetrators
of physical and emotional abuse, while persons
outside the home were the main perpetrator of
sexual abuse. The results showed significant
association between child abuse, sex of students
and the family environment. Male students were
significantly more likely to be physically,
emotionally and sexually abused. Child abuse
was also significantly more prevalent among
students coming from homes with domestic violence
and psychological problems among parents. The
authors concluded that Child abuse is a common
phenomenon, with long-term adverse effects among
Hadhramout university students. Early diagnosis
and preventive educational interventions can
play a critical role in reducing the prevalence
of child abuse and its harmful consequences.
Helvaci MR et al tried to understand whether
or not there are some significant relationships
between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), smoking,
and metabolic parameters. The study included
936 patients with the IBS and 346 control cases.
Mean age of the IBS patients was 41.0 ±
14.7 (13-86) years. Interestingly, 63.2% of
the IBS patients were female. Prevalence of
smoking (35.2% versus 20.8%, p<0.001), chronic
gastritis (CG) (80.4% versus 15.0, p<0.001),
antidepressants use (46.4% versus 16.1%, p<0.001),
hemorrhoids (37.1% versus 7.2%, p<0.001),
and urolithiasis (22.0% versus 9.5%, p<0.001)
and mean values of fasting plasma glucose (FPG)
(111.9 versus 105.4 mg/dL, p= 0.002) and triglycerides
(167.0 versus 147.3 mg/dL, p= 0.013) were all
higher in patients with the IBS, significantly.
The authors concluded that IBS may be a low-grade
inflammatory process being initiated with infection,
inflammation, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders,
cancer fear, death fear, and smoking-like stresses,
and eventually terminates with dysfunctions
of the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts.
There may be some significant associations between
female sex, IBS, CG, depression, hemorrhoids,
urolithiasis, smoking, higher FPG, and hypertriglyceridemia.
FPG and triglyceride values may be sensitive
acute phase reactants indicating some inflammatory
processes like smoking and IBS in the body.
A second paper from Kurdistan in collaboration
with the United Kingdom looked at Falls in Older
People with Diabetes Mellitus. The authors followed
a cross-sectional study that analyzed factors
associated with higher incidence of falls among
150 older people with diabetes mellitus in Kurdistan.
The results showed that incidence of falls were
positively associated with increased age, longer
duration of diabetes, treatment with insulin
therapy and sulfonylureas, poor diabetes control,
polypharmacy, decreased mobility, peripheral
neuropathy, osteoarthritis, retinopathy, living
alone, living in a care home, smoking and excess
alcohol consumption.
Chief Editor:
A. Abyad
MD, MPH, AGSF, AFCHSE
Email: aabyad@cyberia.net.lb
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