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[en] Hospital admissions due to drug-related problems (DRPs) have been studied internationally, but local data are limited. Therefore, we undertook a prospective, observational study of all admissions through the emergency department (ED) at a tertiary referral hospital in Saudi Arabia to determine the incidence of admissions through the ED due to DRPs, types of DRPs, length of stay (LOS) in the hospital after ED admissions due to DRPs, and assessment of preventability of admissions due to DRPs.All admissions through the ED over a period of 28 consecutive days were evaluated to determine if they were due to definite or possible DRPs. Data was collected on a daily basis for each admission over the previous 24 hours. Each incident was assessed by three investigators Of 557 patients admitted through the ED, 82 (14.7%) admissions were due to DRP (53 definite, 29 possible). The most common types of DRP were failure to receive medication in 25 cases (47.2%), an adverse drug reaction in 13 cases (24.5%), and drug overdose in 6 cases (11.3%). In the definite DRP group, 83.0% were definitely preventable, 3.8% were possibly preventable and 13.2% were definitely non-preventable.DRPs are a serious and costly issue facing health care professionals and health care systems. Most admissions due to DRPs are avoidable (Author).

[en] THERP and HEART integrated methodology is proposed to investigate accident scenarios that involve operator errors during high-dose-rate (HDR) treatments. The new approach has been modified on the basis of fuzzy set concept with the aim of prioritizing an exhaustive list of erroneous tasks that can lead to patient radiological overexposures. The results allow for the identification of human errors that are necessary to achieve a better understanding of health hazards in the radiotherapy treatment process, so that it can be properly monitored and appropriately managed. - Highlights: • THERP and HEART integrated methodology is proposed to investigate operator errors during high-dose-rate treatment. • The new approach is based on fuzzy set concept to rank an exhaustive list of erroneous tasks. • The results allow to achieve a better understanding of health hazards in the radiotherapy treatment process.

[en] The use of pressurized products is accompanied by the production of respirable particles that may be inhaled by the product user. Whether these particles represent an inhalation hazard depends on several factors. Preliminary data indicate that many products produce breathing zone particulate concentrations of 0.1 mg/l or greater; these particles are generally in the respirable size range. Another factor that must be considered in determining potential hazard is the complex nature of commercial products. The relation between the composition of the product as formulated and the respirable particulates is a further complication in estimating potential hazard. (U.S.)

[en] Letter to the editor

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[en] To assess the occupational health hazards faced by health care workers and the mitigation measures. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study utilizing quantitative data collection methods among 200 respondents who worked in 8 major health facilities in Kampala. Results. Overall, 50.0% of respondents reported experiencing an occupational health hazard. Among these, 39.5% experienced biological hazards while 31.5% experienced non biological hazards. Predictors for experiencing hazards included not wearing the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE), working overtime, job related pressures, and working in multiple health facilities. Control measures to mitigate hazards were availing separate areas and containers to store medical waste and provision of safety tools and equipment. Conclusion. Health care workers in this setting experience several hazards in their workplaces. Associated factors include not wearing all necessary protective equipment, working overtime, experiencing work related pressures, and working in multiple facilities. Interventions should be instituted to mitigate the hazards. Specifically PPE supply gaps, job related pressures, and complacence in adhering to mitigation measures should be addressed

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[en] Graphene has been used in several fields covering from electronics to biomedicine, especially exhibiting a widespread variety of promising biological and biomedical applications. In the past decade, the biomedical applications of graphene have attracted much interest. However, the effect of pristine graphene (pG) toxicity in aquatic vertebrates has not been fully studied. Thus, in this study, the toxicity of pG was experimentally evaluated using developing zebrafish embryos as in vivo model system. To determine this, 4-hpf embryos were exposed to different concentrations of pG (1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 μg/L) and different early life-stage parameters were observed at 24, 48, 72, and 96 hpf. Through embryogenesis, pG was observed to induce significant embryonic mortality, delayed hatching, heartbeat, several morphological defects, pericardial toxicity, and bradycardia. Yolk sac edema and pericardial edema were induced by pG in developing embryos. These outcomes would provide new insights into the adverse effects of pG on the developing embryonic cardiac defects in vertebrates and highlight the probable natural environment and health hazards of pG flakes.