This article explores the enduring influence of militarised masculinities in Namibia, examining how the figure of the soldier shapes men’s identities, family dynamics, and everyday experiences. Based on ethnographic research in Windhoek and Swakopmund, it considers how men navigate the shadow of militarism, both as a state-sanctioned ideal and a deeply personal inheritance. Using the concept of the shadow, the article traces how military legacies are embedded in urban spaces, national memory, and father-son relationships, revealing tensions between glorified narratives of heroism and lived realities of trauma, silence, and constraint. While militarised masculinities continue to shape social norms, this study illustrates how men navigate and make sense of these inherited expectations in both public and private life. The article contributes to broader discussions on masculinity, post-conflict identity, and the enduring legacies of militarism in post-Apartheid Namibia.
Purpose. To explore short-term changes in corneal astigmatism after combined silicone oil removal and cataract (SORC) surgery. Methods. We enrolled 89 patients (43 men and 46 women). Zeiss IOLMaster was used to measure corneal astigmatism status and axial length on the day before and after the SORC surgery. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and intraocular pressure (IOP) were recorded. The results were compared to the outcomes at 3 days, 1 week, and 1 month postoperatively. Results. Compared to baseline, K1 decreased significantly at 3 days postoperatively (P=0.016), 1 week (P=0.009), and 1 month (P=0.035), while K2 increased significantly at 3 days postoperatively (P = 0.002), 1 week (P < 0.001), and 1 month (P = 0.001), as well as corneal astigmatism (all P < 0.001). Compared to that at the baseline, BCVA significantly improved at 3 days, 1 week, and 1 month postoperatively (all P<0.001). Meanwhile, IOP decreased significantly at 3 days postoperatively (P<0.001), 1 week (P=0.005), and 1 month (P=0.007). Similarly, axial length decreased at all follow-up time points (all P<0.001). Conclusion. Corneal astigmatism increased in the short term after the SORC operation but gradually decreased at 1 month postoperatively. BCVA improved steadily, and SORC was widely used in the clinic.
Tohr Nilsson, Jens Wahlström, Eirik Reierth
et al.
This systematic review covering publications in the Medline and Embase databases for the period 1946 to 2020 revealed a higher prevalence of Dupuytren’s disease among men exposed to vibration compared to men not exposed to vibration. The risk assessment, also considering the risk of bias, corresponded to a roughly doubled risk of Dupuytren’s disease when working with vibrating machines. The supplementary meta-analysis confirmed a more than doubled risk. A possible exposure–response relation was supported by the result from the meta-analysis, which showed a doubled risk for high exposure relative to low exposure.
Rashmi Patel, Miguel E Rentería, Soon Nan Wee
et al.
Purpose NeuroBlu is a real-world data (RWD) repository that contains deidentified electronic health record (EHR) data from US mental healthcare providers operating the MindLinc EHR system. NeuroBlu enables users to perform statistical analysis through a secure web-based interface. Structured data are available for sociodemographic characteristics, mental health service contacts, hospital admissions, International Classification of Diseases ICD-9/ICD-10 diagnosis, prescribed medications, family history of mental disorders, Clinical Global Impression—Severity and Improvement (CGI-S/CGI-I) and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). To further enhance the data set, natural language processing (NLP) tools have been applied to obtain mental state examination (MSE) and social/environmental data. This paper describes the development and implementation of NeuroBlu, the procedures to safeguard data integrity and security and how the data set supports the generation of real-world evidence (RWE) in mental health.Participants As of 31 July 2021, 562 940 individuals (48.9% men) were present in the data set with a mean age of 33.4 years (SD: 18.4 years). The most frequently recorded diagnoses were substance use disorders (1 52 790 patients), major depressive disorder (1 29 120 patients) and anxiety disorders (1 03 923 patients). The median duration of follow-up was 7 months (IQR: 1.3 to 24.4 months).Findings to date The data set has supported epidemiological studies demonstrating increased risk of psychiatric hospitalisation and reduced antidepressant treatment effectiveness among people with comorbid substance use disorders. It has also been used to develop data visualisation tools to support clinical decision-making, evaluate comparative effectiveness of medications, derive models to predict treatment response and develop NLP applications to obtain clinical information from unstructured EHR data.Future plans The NeuroBlu data set will be further analysed to better understand factors related to poor clinical outcome, treatment responsiveness and the development of predictive analytic tools that may be incorporated into the source EHR system to support real-time clinical decision-making in the delivery of mental healthcare services.
Faisal Ismail, Ahmed G. Elsayed, Islam El-Garawani
et al.
OBJECTIVES Cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and it is an increasing problem in developing countries. Estimation of the incidence of cancer is important, especially in regions with limited epidemiological data on cancer. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide an updated report on the incidence of cancers in the Tobruk region in eastern Libya. METHODS Data on cancer patients from the records of the Department of Histopathology of Tobruk Medical Centre from January 2013 to June 2020 were included. RESULTS In total, 402 cases were recorded. Men patients accounted for 30.3% (n=122) of cases, and women patients represented 69.6% (n=280). The overall mean age at the time of the first diagnosis was 49.0±17.1 years. The most common malignancies were breast and uterine cancer in women (18.4%, n=74; 15.9%, n=64, respectively), colorectal cancer (11.6%, n=47; 26 in women and 21 in men), bladder cancer (8.2%, n=33; 8 in women and 25 in men), and thyroid cancer (8.0%, n=32; 23 in women and 9 in men). CONCLUSIONS Breast and uterine cancers were the most common cancers in women, and bladder and colorectal cancer were the most common cancers in men, followed by colorectal cancer in both genders. These data will help health authorities launch preventive plans for cancer in the region. Further studies to identify aetiological factors and cancer-related risk factors need to be conducted in the region.
Objective Many studies have analysed gender bias in academic medicine; however, no comprehensive synthesis of the literature has been performed. We conducted a pooled analysis of the difference in the proportion of men versus women with full professorship among academic physicians.Design Systematic review and meta-analysis.Data sources MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Education Resources Information Center and PsycINFO were searched from inception to 3 July 2020.Study selection All original studies reporting faculty rank stratified by gender worldwide were included.Data extraction and synthesis Study screening, data extraction and quality assessment were performed by two independent reviewers, with a third author resolving discrepancies. Meta-analysis was conducted using random-effects models.Results Our search yielded 5897 articles. 218 studies were included with 991 207 academic physician data points. Men were 2.77 times more likely to be full professors (182 271/643 790 men vs 30 349/251 501 women, OR 2.77, 95% CI 2.57 to 2.98). Although men practised for longer (median 18 vs 12 years, p<0.00002), the gender gap remained after pooling seven studies that adjusted for factors including time in practice, specialty, publications, h-index, additional PhD and institution (adjusted OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.04 to 3.20). Meta-regression by data collection year demonstrated improvement over time (p=0.0011); however, subgroup analysis showed that gender disparities remain significant in the 2010–2020 decade (OR 2.63, 95% CI 2.48 to 2.80). The gender gap was present across all specialties and both within and outside of North America. Men published more papers (mean difference 17.2, 95% CI 14.7 to 19.7), earned higher salaries (mean difference $33 256, 95% CI $25 969 to $40 542) and were more likely to be departmental chairs (OR 2.61, 95% CI 2.19 to 3.12).Conclusions Gender inequity in academic medicine exists across all specialties, geographical regions and multiple measures of success, including academic rank, publications, salary and leadership. Men are more likely than women to be full professors after controlling for experience, academic productivity and specialty. Although there has been some improvement over time, the gender disparity in faculty rank persists.PROSPERO registration number CRD42020197414.
Cole D. Stang, Pierpaolo Turcano, Michelle M. Mielke
et al.
Background: Few studies have investigated the incidence of PSP and CBS in the population. Objective: To examine the incidence of and trends in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal syndrome (CBS) in a population-based cohort of residents of Olmsted County, MN. Methods: We used the 1991-2005 population-based, Olmsted County Parkinsonism-cohort study, defined via the Rochester Epidemiology Project. A movement-disorder specialist reviewed medical records, to confirm PSP and CBS diagnoses. Results: We identified 21 patients with these diagnoses 1991-2005 : 18 (85.7%), PSP; 3 (14.3%), CBS. The median diagnosis age was 78 (range: 66-88). 13/21 (62.0%) were male. MRI was performed pre-diagnosis in 11 patients (8 PSP and 3 CBD); 10 showed atrophy consistent with clinical diagnoses. We observed concordance between clinical and pathological diagnoses in two PSP patients who underwent autopsy. Combined incidence for PSP and CBS in Olmsted County was 3.1 per 100,000 person-years (2.6 per 100,000 person-years, PSP; 0.4 per 100,000 person-years, CBS). Incidence was higher in men (4.5, 95% CI, 2.0-7.0) than women (1.8, 95% CI, 0.5-2.9). A combined, significant trend of increasing incidence was observed between 1991 and 2005 (B=0.69, 95% CI 0.42, 0.96, p<0.001). Median time from symptom onset to death among both groups was 6 years (range PSP, 1-10 years; range CBS, 3-8 years). Conclusions: The combined incidence for PSP and CBS was 3.1 per 100,000 person-years, higher in men than women. We observed a significant increase in both PSP and CBS, likely due to advancing imaging technology and improved diagnostic ability among physicians.