مجله دانشکده پزشکی اصفهان
پیاپی 752 (هفته چهارم اسفند 1402)

Traditionally, the excision of submandibular glands has been a standard procedure during neck dissection. The excision of submandibular glands can decrease the patient's quality of life. However, recent investigations have suggested the absence of lymphoid tissue and a low susceptibility to metastasis in these glands, thereby negating the imperative for their removal.

In the current investigation, a retrospective analysis of medical records and imaging data about patients afflicted with head and neck cancer and subjected to Level I neck dissection was undertaken. This study aimed to assess the involvement and metastatic potential of submandibular glands and also the relationship between the grade of tumor and involvement of lymph nodes.

The findings revealed a lack of involvement of submandibular glands, thereby substantiating the rationale for preserving these glands during neck dissection. Preserving these glands can provide a better quality of life for patients. The study found no significant correlation between tumor grade and lymph node involvement.

Involvement of submandibular glands in head and neck cancers is rare and preserving these glands can be considered during surgery.

This study aimed to compare some inflammatory indices in COVID-19 patients with different degrees of lung involvement.

In this descriptive-analytical study, 301 patients with COVID-19 who were hospitalized in Vasei-Sabzevar Hospital from October 2021 to March 2022 were included. Patients were divided into mild, moderate, and severe groups based on the CT scan findings and the severity of lung involvement. Based on complete blood count (CBC) results, neutrophil/lymphocyte (NLR), monocyte/lymphocyte (MLR), platelet/lymphocyte (PLR) ratios, and systemic inflammation index (SII) were calculated.

Based on CT scan findings, mild, moderate, and severe lung involvement was observed in 39%, 37%, and 24% of patients, respectively. NLR, PLR, and SII indices were significantly higher in severe lung involvement compared to other groups (P < 0.05). The MLR was significantly higher in severe lung involvement than in moderate involvement. Mortality in severe lung involvement was significantly higher than in moderate and mild groups (41% vs. 2% and 5%, respectively) (P < 0.001). Also, 13% of patients died. There was no significant difference between mortality and patient’s gender.

NLR, PLR, MLR, and SII are related to COVID-19 severity, and these indices amounts in severe lung involvement are more than moderate and mild involvement. These findings show the importance of these indices in determining the COVID-19 prognosis.

Reflection is a critical skill for learning from experience that leads to improved insight and performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between reflection and academic achievement.

In the year 2022, a study was conducted on medical students using proportional stratified random sampling from each section. Proportional stratified random sampling was done from each section. The tool used was a reflective questionnaire, the content validity and reliability ratios of the questionnaire were calculated as 0.75 and 0.75, respectively.The data collected was analyzed using statistical, descriptive, and analytical methods such as frequency, mean, standard deviation, Pearson’s correlation, and linear regression.

301 questionnaires were collected, of which 54.5% were women and 87.4% were single. The mean and standard deviation of the total GPA of the samples was (16.57 ± 1.31), the course GPA (16.76 ± 1.28) and the total reflection score (64.67 ± 7.32). There was a small significant relationship between the score of the reflection before the action and the grade point average during the internship (P = 0.05, r = 0.19) and the score of the reflection after the action and the grade point average during the internship (P = 0.01, r = 0.25). In the linear regression of grade point average, reflection, and age, the model was significant in the internship, which explains 6% of the variance of the grade point average of the reflection grade (P = 0.04, R Square = 0.06).

The results showed that in the clinical stage, students' reflection had a significant relationship with their academic progress, and it is necessary for educational planners to pay special attention to holding reflection skill development courses in internships.