Abdominal wall tumours in Tikur Anbessa Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background: Abdominal wall tumours may be benign or malignant. Review of literature reveals that no study on these tumours has been reported in Ethiopia.Methods: The following review was based on clinical experience of 14 patients with anterior abdominal wall tumours treated Tikur Anbessa Hospital in Addis Ababa.Results: On histology, six (43%) of the 14 patients were found to have benign tumours while the rest (57%) had soft tissue sarcomas. Among the soft tissue sarcomas, 6 were non-desmoid and 2 were desmoid type. All required full thickness excision with wide margin resectionConclusion: Even though abdominal wall turnours appear to be rare, the most important goal of a surgeon in treatment of abdominal wall tumours particularly soft tissue sarcomas is to obtain local tumour control in order to prevent recurrence and transperitoneal invasion of vital organs.Key words: Abdominal wall, soft tissue, tumours, sarcomas and excisio

Using gamification to transform the adoption of servitization

Increasingly, manufacturing organizations compete by developing product-service systems rather than offering products alone. To transform themselves into providers of advanced services, however, product-centric manufacturing firms need to overcome a range of barriers. While previous studies have highlighted the teaching/learning potential of 'gamification' (the use of ideas and techniques found in game-playing), the opportunities to harness this approach to help tackle such barriers have yet to be fully realized. Our study extends the debate by integrating established frameworks relating to emotional mechanics of gamification with the adoption of advanced services, arguing that such mechanics can facilitate and strengthen companies' transformation into advanced-service providers. Based on a systematic analysis of nearly 90 selected publications, we develop six conceptual propositions to explore how gamification can aid the transformation process. Our findings will help both practitioners and researchers apply emotional mechanics of gamification when seeking to address different hurdles hindering the development and provision of advanced services