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Oct 2022 DOI 10.14302/issn.2641-4538.jphi-22-4313
Niyonkuru MathieuCorresponding author
Public Health Department, Mount Kenya University Rwanda
Data quality is defined as a measure of data status that fulfills the following elements: accuracy, completeness, consistency, reliability, and if the data is current. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that only 40% of all countries have an adequate system to collect information on birth and deaths. Even though the system is there, vital registration systems are inaccurate and incomplete in developing countries. In Rwanda, maternal health related data was over-reported more than other indicators. These are the main reasons for conducting the study to investigate the data quality of four maternal and newborn health indicators reported by Rwandan Western Province health centers. This concurrent-mixed method study included 61 data managers and 12 key informants. Routine data quality assessment tool and structured interview guide were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics were used to get proportion of respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics. The analysis was done for assessing median of data quality index. The results show that 55.7% of data managers were male while 58.3% of responsible of maternity were female. Majority (58.9%) of participants was in age’s category from 33-42, 61.6% have A1 education level and 53.4% have experience less than five years. Data quality index of one out of four (25%) MNH indicators was found below 95% accepted by WHO. The main reasons for insufiscient quality of data are lack of data validation meetings (57.5%) and incompleteness of reporting tools (36.4%). Monthly data validation meetings chaired by HC leaders are important to contribute to high-quality data in healthcare settings. Supportive supervisions done in data quality and management have to be organized in a supportive, and educative way.
Jul 2020 DOI 10.14302/issn.2641-5526.jmid-20-3493
I. Kheder SalahCorresponding author
Faculty of Pharmacy, National University, Khartoum, Sudan
Background Rational drug management has become an increasingly important topic in order to make optimal use of the drug budget to offer health services of the highest possible standard. It is important that continuous assessment for rational prescribing and use of drug have to be carried. Objective of this study was to gather data on existing drug prescription and dispensing practices and to evaluate the prescribing and dispensing indicators as described by the WHO. Method Observational, cross-sectional, prospective study was designed and conducted to evaluate the performance of hospital and community pharmacies in Khartoum state, related to rational drug use and prescribing and dispensing practices during the period from November 2018 to March 2019. 297 Hospital and community pharmacies from public and private sectors were contacted for carrying out this study survey and the collected data were analysed against WHO standards for core drug use indicators. Results The average number of drugs per encounter was 3.98 drugs. Hospital pharmacies had a higher (4.18±1.516) number of drugs prescribed than community pharmacies (3.87±1.331) with significance difference between mean of two types of pharmacies (P = 0.015). The percentage of antibiotic per prescription was (53.7%). Antibiotic prescribing was much higher (54.0%) in the hospital pharmacies compared to (48.6 %) in community pharmacies. The average percentage of injections per prescription at the facilities was found to be (57.6%). The percentage of prescription with written diagnosis was (26%.0) and the percentage of prescriptions with written dose was (78%.0). The average dispensing time was (1.75) minutes, The Percentage of drugs actually dispensed was (55.99%), the average adequacy of labelling of drugs was (30.4%). Overall prescribing and dispensing indicators were higher than WHO standard. Conclusion The degree of poly pharmacy was greater than of WHO criteria. The completeness and rationality of prescription was found suboptimal and components were missed.
Apr 2020 DOI 10.14302/issn.2691-8862.jvat-20-3306
Abul-Fadl AzzaCorresponding author
Professor of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University
Introduction The Corona virus (CoVID-19) pandemic has hit the most developed countries and has thence spread to inflict other countries around the world. It is the first pandemic that appears in countries not linked to poverty and poor hygiene. Aim To study the relationship between human development and the pattern of the pandemic caused by the CoVID-19 and to identify development indicators that can be useful in monitoring the pandemic. Methods Data collected included confirmed cases of CoVID-19 by country, number of cases that recovered and cases that died and population density per million in this particular country. The data for this information was obtained from the online data on the daily reports on CoVID-19 from the different countries. Data for the Human Development index (HDI) and the ranking for each country were obtained from the most recent United Nations Development of Populations (UNDP) report for 2019. We analyzed data for 166 countries for which the HDI was available for the date of cases reported online on 27th March, 2020 at midnight. Findings There were significant differences by ANOVA for the confirmed cases of CoVID19 cases and total cases per one million population between the countries in the 4 tier group of Human Development. HDI was significantly correlated with confirmed cases, case density and cases that died from CoVID-19 (P<0.01) for all countries but the significance decreased by tier group. Country ranking was inversely correlated with confirmed cases of CoVID-19 (r-0.25 at P=0.001), CoVID-19 cases per million (r-0.4 at P=0.000) and cases that died from CoVID-19 (r-0.2 at P=0.03). Recovery was not inked to HDI or country ranking. The upper HDI tier groups (very high, high and medium) showed significant correlations with total cases per one million population P<0.05, but no correlation was found with confirmed cases or cases that died or recovered from CoVID-19 P>0.05. Conclusions Total cases of CoVID-19 per one million population seems to be a better indicator of the pandemic. The pattern of spread is closely linked to industry.
Jul 2018 DOI 10.14302/issn.2642-3146.jec-18-2232
Aljerf LoaiCorresponding author
Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Damascus University, Damascus, Syria
Critical conditions are usually obtained for ignition in a self-heating solid system consisting of two components generating heat independently, one component being inexhaustible and the other exhaustible by either simple first order or autocatalytic reaction. Ignition depends upon whether the exhaustible component can cause a temperature rise in excess of the upper stationary, but unstable, value possible for the inexhaustible component reacting alone. The system provides a theoretical model for some commonly occurring examples of self-heating and ignition in porous solids containing oxidisable oils. It is shown that: (a) the ignition criterion of the model, which involves a nonarbitrary critical temperature increase, has a high degree of physical reality; (b) the model is, in principle, capable of predicting ignition from primary kinetic and thermal data; (c) it is likely to be possible often to make a reliable prediction of critical size for self-ignition in a two-component system at ordinary atmospheric temperatures by a simple extrapolation from small-scale ignition data, obtained at higher temperatures, in the same way as for ignition due to a single reaction. Examination of both adiabatic and non-adiabatic flame theories showed that a 'steady state' exists only under the special condition that a heat sink exists at the initial temperature. For the general case of freely propagating, non-adiabatic flames only a quasi-steady state can be achieved.
Jan 2018 DOI 10.14302/issn.2576-6694.jbbs-17-1850
Al-Bachir MahfouzCorresponding author
Department of Radiation Technology, Atomic Energy Commission of Syria, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic.
Obesity has become a serious health issue worldwide. There is much evidence that obesity among adolescents contributed to worsening blood biochemical profile that leads to development of many non-communicable diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of some central obesity anthropometric indicators to metabolic risk factors in the Syrian male adolescents. A cross-sectional study of a randomly selected sample of 2064 apparently healthy Syrian males’ adolescents from Damascus city, Syria, aged 18 to 19 years was performed. Waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC) were measured, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHpR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were calculated. Blood pressure (BP) was also measured. Serum fasting blood sugar (FBS), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), total cholesterol (Chol) were determined. The metabolic risk factors components were defined according to the national criterion. A receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were drawn to determine appropriate cut-off points of the WC, HC, WHpR and WHtR for defining the performance of these measurements as predictors of metabolic risk factors. The obtained data showed that BP and overall concentrations of TG, Chol and TG/HDL were significantly (p<0.05) increased with increasing WC, HC, WHpR and WHtR values. Based on ROC calculation for the measured anthropometric indicators and some metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors, the best WC HC, WHpR, WHtR cut-offs values were ranged between 73.15 - 79.90 cm, 93.75 - 101.10 cm, 0.80 - 0.81, and 0.43 and 0.47, respectively. These cut-off values were lower than the values recommended by the WHO. In conclusion: A significant association between the studied anthropometric indicators and the MetS components has been demonstrated. The best cut-offs of these indicators were defined. These cut-off values were lower than the values recommended by the WHO. Our results indicating that WC, WHpR and WHtR could be better predictors of MetS risk factors in Syrian adolescents.
Nov 2017 DOI 10.14302/issn.2575-1212.jvhc-17-1764
Miguel Carreira L.Corresponding author
Anjos of Assis Veterinary Medicine Centre (CMVAA), Rua D.ª Francisca da Azambuja Nº9 -9A- Barreiro, Portugal
Leishmaniasis treatment monitoring is an important problem, since patient’s frequently present clinical signs improvements with positive indirect immunofluorescence (IFI) titers of anti-Leishmania antibodies, thus making difficult the clinician understand the therapy efficacy. The study aimed 1) to identify over a short period of 30 days, which of the main changes on the serum proteinogram fractions in patients treated with meglumine antimoniate and allopurinol, can be pointed as indicator to classify patients as slower or faster responsive to treatment. A sample of 56 dogs (n=56) with leishmaniasis diagnosis was followed-up for clinical condition, proteinograms and titers of anti-Leishmania antibodies during the treatment period considering three different time points: M0 (diagnosis moment), M1 (15 days after therapy start), and M2 (30 days after therapy start). Two groups of patients were considered according to their clinical condition evolution rate: faster recovery group (FRG) and slower recovery group (SRG). Statistical significant results were considered for p-value <0.05. Statistically significant differences in proteinogram variations between FRG and SRG were registered for TPs (p= 0.03), and for the fractions β (p=0.04), γ (p=0.04), amongst M0 and M2.The PT, β and γ-globulin fractions of proteinogram, in association with patient clinical assessment evolution should be considered as an indicator and a simple way to appoint the efficacy response of the patients to the therapy.
Aug 2016 DOI 10.14302/issn.2470-5020.jnrt-16-1200
Alhashemi HashemCorresponding author
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation consultant, Department of Medicine, KAMC Jeddah, Assistant Professor at KSAU-HS
Objective: To assess mortality, medical complications, and care indicators among stroke patients admitted to general medical units at King Abdulaziz Medical City-Jeddah-Saudi Arabia. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included all adult patients (>16 years) admitted to KAMC-Jeddah between January 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015, with acute stroke. Data regarding in-hospital stroke mortality and medical complications (pressure ulcer, pneumonia, venous thromboembolism dysphagia, and wheelchair dependency) and stroke care indicators (time-to-CT, carotid imaging, lipid profile, physical therapy, swallowing assessment, nutritional assessment, and length of stay) were collected. Results: Patients included were 208. Acute stroke mortality was 19%, while wheelchair dependency, and dysphagia on discharge were 39% and 56% respectively in general medical units. The incidence of pressure ulcers, pneumonia, and venous thromboembolism was 17%, 14%, and 3%, respectively. Pneumonia (odds ratio OR, 5.5; P = 0.002; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.9–16), abnormal troponin level (OR, 4.4; P = 0.002; 95% CI, 1.7–11),hemorrhagic stroke (OR, 3.9; P = 0.015; 95% CI, 1.3–12), and pressure ulcers (OR, 3.0; P = 0.036; 95% CI, 1.1–8.0) were significantly associated with increased mortality. Median time to CT scan was 117 minutes. Carotid imaging was performed for 67% of ischemic stroke patients, and 65% underwent fasting lipid profile assessment. Assessment by nutritionist, physiotherapist, and swallowing therapist was done for 90%, 76%, and 53% of stroke patients respectively. The median length of stay was 12 days. Conclusion: Acute stroke mortality was 19 %, while wheelchair dependency, and dysphagia on discharge were 39% and 56% respectively in general medical units at KAMC Jeddah. Pneumonia, abnormal troponin, hemorrhagic stroke, and pressure ulcers are associated with increased mortality. Future research is needed to compare outcomes of stroke care between general units and specialized stroke units nationally.
Jan 2026 DOI 10.14302/issn.2574-612X.ijpr-25-5920
Aikaterini ΚoutroukiCorresponding author
The present study examines the effectiveness of Cognitive-Analytic Therapy (CAT) in women diagnosed with breast cancer and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on reducing PTSD symptomatology and improving their mental health state (depression, self-esteem, post- traumatic growth, quality of life, therapeutic alliance). Additionally, the investigation includes the determination of the demographic, socio-economic and medical factors’ impact on mental health indicators in women with breast cancer and PTSD. The sample was 188 women with breast cancer and PTSD at the Chemotherapy Unit of ‘Agios Andreas’ General Hospital in Patras. The questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical analysis in order to determine any statistically significant correlations between the experimental and the control group and between psychological scales and the demographic and socio-economic factors. The findings confirm the effectiveness of CAT in women with breast cancer and PTSD in reducing PTSD and depressive symptoms, improving self-esteem and quality of life, achieving greater post-traumatic growth, and fostering a better therapeutic relationship with the therapist. The demographic, socio-economic and medical factors examined affected dissimilarly each psychological scale, as statistically significant associations were found with some scales but not with others.
Oct 2025 DOI 10.14302/issn.2693-1176.ijgh-25-5729
Collins Adeyanju GbadeboCorresponding author
Background In sub-Saharan Africa, where many countries continue to experience high burdens of vaccine-preventable diseases, increasing immunization access have been a priority for the governments and international organizations such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Over 40 Gavi-supported African countries have been impacted, with 364 million children reached and over US$5.7 billion disbursed, averting over 8.9 million child deaths. Despite this progress, the African region has struggled with immunization coverage due to various factors. Nevertheless, some African countries are transitioning out of Gavi support due to economic growth. However, many require strong political will to increase their expenditure on immunization. This study therefore aims to understand the factors influencing immunization performance and its relationship to public expenditure. Methods Data on 37 Gavi-eligible sub-Saharan African countries between 2006 and 2019 was obtained from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators, the WHO and UNICEF Joint Reporting Form and the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index. Descriptive immunization and health expenditure were analyzed using a panel regression of variables. DPT3 was used as an indicator of immunization uptake. The indicator for public expenditure on immunization per child was based on government spending on immunization divided by the number of children in the birth cohort. Results The average gross national income increased from US$639 to US$1,192 per capita, while government spending on immunization increased from US$1.7 to about US$4.5 per child. The findings show that there is a correlation between improved immunization financing, increased gross national income, reduced corruption, and improved immunization coverage. However, performance declines beyond a certain threshold when gross national income per capita increases. In addition, an English-speaking country effect was observed. Conclusions While improved immunization financing increases immunization coverage and constitutes an advocacy talking point, there is a need to understand why an increase in gross national income per capita does not translate into an improved immunization coverage. Key highlights Increasing national spending on immunization drives up the uptake of childhood vaccines. There is a threshold beyond which immunization coverage falls despite increased GNI. Controlling corruption increases immunization coverage tendency. French- and English-speaking countries’ immunization coverage differs. Immunization and health system financing have separate outcomes.
Jul 2025 DOI 10.14302/issn.2769-2264.jw-25-5578
Nyamaizi SylviaCorresponding author
Wetland encroachment due to agricultural land use practices (LUPs) adversely affects water quality in wetlands mainly through agricultural runoff. This study was conducted in Lubigi wetland in Uganda to (1) determine the effect of the agricultural LUPs on water quality and (2) understand the relationships between different water quality indicators and different agricultural LUPs existing in the wetland. The eight LUPs included in this study were perennial crops i.e. banana farming and sugarcane farming, annual crops i.e. maize farming and tomato farming, livestock farming which included a mixture of cows, goats, and sheep, undisturbed dense natural vegetation, reference wetland and the river. Water samples collected from the different LUPs were analyzed in the laboratory for selected physicochemical and biological water quality parameters. The water samples were analyzed for a variety of properties, including pH, electrical conductivity, total hardness, Ca-hardness, Mg- hardness, and concentrations of dissolved oxygen, calcium, magnesium, fluoride, total nitrogen, nitrates, ammonium, phosphates, potassium, total coliform, and Escherichia coli (E. coli), chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, total organic carbon, total dissolved solids, chlorides, sulphates, total phosphorus, and turbidity levels. The results suggested that the different LUPs influenced several water quality parameters. Dissolved oxygen was lowest in banana fields and the river at 2.57 mg/L and 3.44 mg/L respectively than other LUPs which limits survival of aquatic organisms. Biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand and total organic carbon were high in the river water with values = 69.67 mg/L, 351.67 mg/L, 117.33 mg/L respectively indicating high organic pollution. We detected nutrient pollution in water from tomato and sugarcane fields which showed high concentrations of nitrates. The concentration of ammonium in river water (10.40 mg/L) was high, indicating nitrogen contamination. In all LUPs, Escherichia coli and total coliforms had high counts exceeding 2000 CFU/100mL which indicated elevated microbial pollution from livestock waste and agricultural runoff. Cluster analysis revealed distinct clusters influenced by varying water quality parameters. These findings show that agricultural LUPs in Lubigi wetland are significantly contributing to water pollution through microbial contamination, nutrient, and organic matter accumulation, which increases the potential for eutrophication and renders the water unsafe for drinking and domestic use. Implementing best management practices (BMPs) is essential for the sustainable use and management of the wetland.
May 2025 DOI 10.14302/issn.2639-3166.jar-25-5495
Mekonnen Adare ZenebeCorresponding author
Enset (Ensete ventricosum) is a vital food security crop cultivated in South and South-western parts of Ethiopia. However, enset production and the farming families have been threatened by Xanthomonas wilt and its spread in the farming system. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the soil fertility and plant management practices association on the incidence of Enset Xanthomonas wilt. Data on soils fertility and diseases from enset based farming clustered into inner, outer and outfield farm zone were sampled and surveyed. The result indicated that soil chemical properties significantly (p≤0.05) varied from inner to outfield farm zone. Significantly maximum nutrients store revealed in inner enset farm zones. Disease incidence reduced from inner to the outfield enset farm zone. Disease prevalence and disease incidence scored 28.5% and 11.6%, respectively depending on altitude and genotypes. Soil fertility levels in the enset inner and outfield plots were varied purposely to cultivate enset products as kocho, bulla or amicho (cooking type). The variations in soil fertility and Xanthomonas wilt incidence was associated with management practices applied for desired enset products. Therefore, management practices in enset based farming, soil fertility and location of enset planting zones found to be major indicators for disease incidence addressing to device control interventions.
Sep 2024 DOI 10.14302/issn.2692-1537.ijcv-24-5218
Luna-Rivero CesarCorresponding author
Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection often causes coagulation disorders that affect highly vascularized organs, such as the lungs and kidneys. Objective The objective of this study was to report the histopathological findings of variations in the fibrin pattern of pulmonary and renal microthrombi in patients who died from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods Minimally invasive autopsies were performed on 40 patients to collect lung (n=40) and kidney (n=16) tissue samples. Histochemical and immunohistochemical staining techniques were used for histopathological analyses. Premortem laboratory data were obtained from the patients' electronic medical records. Results The lung tissue showed a patchy pattern, characterized by areas of both minimal and severe damage. The most significant histopathological finding was the detection of thrombi with fibrin structures organized into discrete star-shaped units, which were more frequently observed in areas with severe lung injury than in those with minimal lung injury (p = 0.012). Star-shaped fibrin structures were also observed in the renal glomerular capillaries. Immunohistochemical staining revealed the presence of platelets and the procoagulant proteins von Willebrand factor (VWF) and Factor VIII within the star-shaped fibrin thrombi. Patients with star-shaped fibrin thrombi had higher levels of the systemic inflammatory indicators C-reactive protein (CRP) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Conclusion Our observations suggest that the inflammatory microenvironment resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection may contribute to the formation of star-shaped fibrin units in the pulmonary and renal microthrombi.
Aug 2024
Balachandra ShivaiahCorresponding author
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is widely used in pediatric patients to identify hypertension and its complications. Previous studies correlating obesity and hypertension using ABPMs showed increasing blood pressure loads with increasing BMI. However, BMI percentiles are more reliable indicators of obesity in children. Our study aimed to describe the association between BMI percentiles and systolic and diastolic blood pressure load using ABPM in children and adolescents. Retrospective analysis of ABPMs (Welch Allyn) was performed on a total of 115 patients between 7 and 18 years of age who were referred for elevated BP without a diagnosis of hypertension at our institution from Jan 2011 to Oct 2013. Patients were divided into 4 groups based on BMI percentile: <94th percentile, 94–98th percentile, 98–99th percentile, and >99th percentile. Analysis between blood pressure loads and BMI percentiles revealed greater mean systolic and diastolic loads with increasing BMI percentiles, but the P value was not statistically significant. Analysis of the systolic loads between children from different racial backgrounds revealed higher values in African American children than in Hispanic and Caucasian children, but the P value was not statistically significant.
May 2024 DOI 10.14302/issn.2639-3166.jar-24-5032
M. Akinseye FolorunsoCorresponding author
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the response of different sorghum varieties to micro-dosing fertilization strategies on yield and yield traits, as well as the impact on nitrogen fertilizer and water use efficiency (NUE and WUE). In addition, the benefit-cost ratio of sorghum cultivation under different fertilization strategies in the Sudan savanna zone of Nigeria was analyzed. The experiment included eight fertilizer micro-application strategies as well as two control and three sorghum varieties. Our results showed that most agronomic indicators differed significantly between years, varieties, and fertilization strategies. However, the application of 100g hill-1 poultry manure plus 3g NPK hill-1 resulted in the highest average grain yield > 2000 kg ha-1 at both study sites (BUK and Minjibir). This means that the grain yield is 86% and 132% higher than the average grain yield with zero fertilization. There were extremely significant differences between NUE and WUE fertilization strategies and varieties at the two sites. At BUK and Minjibir, NPK applied with 3 g of hill-1 had the highest NUE with an average of 37.6 and 40 kg grain/kg N. Application of 100 g of poultry manure plus 3g of NPK hill-1 resulted in the highest average WUE of 6.1 and 5.6 kg grain/mm for BUK and Minjibir, respectively. BUK (3.2) and Minjibir (3.6) had the highest net income and benefit-to-cost ratios when applying 3 grams of NPK per hill. The adoption of micro-dosing fertilization strategies by smallholder farmers provides a good opportunity to prevent long-term soil fertility limitations and thereby increase sorghum productivity and farmer incomes by recommending multiple-choice fertilization strategies for improved sorghum varieties.
Jan 2024 DOI 10.14302/issn.2691-5014.jphn-23-4865
Abdullahi Dahie HassanCorresponding author
Background Breastfeeding is a vital practice for infant health and well-being, with exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) during the first six months being particularly crucial. Despite its benefits, EBF is sub-optimally practiced in many low-to-middle income countries. This study focuses on Somalia, a country with historical political instability and poor health indicators, aiming to identify the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding among women with infants under six months attending SOS Mother and Child Hospital in Mogadishu. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional design was used, and data were collected through a structured questionnaire. The study sample consisted of 345 mothers, selected using a systematic sampling technique. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess breastfeeding practices and determine factors influencing exclusive breastfeeding prevalence. Result The study found that the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among the study population in Somalia was 44%, influenced by factors such as maternal education, employment, and utilization of antenatal and postnatal care services. Male infants and younger infants had higher odds of being exclusively breastfed. Conclusion and recommendations The study emphasizes the importance of promoting exclusive breastfeeding as the optimal feeding practice for infants in Somalia, highlighting the need for comprehensive health education during antenatal care visits and postnatal counseling. It recommends the development of supportive policies, such as maternity leave and workplace accommodations, along with community-based initiatives and support groups to facilitate and encourage exclusive breastfeeding practices.
Mar 2023 DOI 10.14302/issn.2379-7835.ijn-22-4116
Shuja SabaCorresponding author
Background In Low Middle-Income Countries (LIMCs), malnutrition, especially undernutrition is one of the leading causes of childhood mortality and morbidity. Poor complementary feeding practices are among the most notable contributors to poor nutritional indicators in children under five. This article provides an output of secondary data analysis of the Cost of Diet (CoD) and Optifood component of National Complementary Feeding Assessment conducted by UNICEF Pakistan along with Pakistan Demographic Health Survey (PDHS) 2018. Methods For correlation of Optifood data and CoD data with PDHS data of CF, GraphPad software, MS Excel was used along with manual quantifications. The analysis of DHS-2018 data was conducted using STATA software. Univariate analysis included comparison of categorical variables i.e. various individual, household and community level parameters with that of outcome variables of minimum dietary diversity (MDD), minimum meal frequency (MMF) and minimum dietary diversity (MAD) using chi-square test. Findings The overall rate of MMF was 56.6% among children of 6-23 months of age with MDD in 18.6% and MAD in 13.8% of children. Percentage of annual cost spent on nutritious diet for MDD, MMF and MAD varies from 27.86% to 43.08% across all the provinces. Children aged 6–8 months and 9–11 months often consumed infant milk and cereals, while children aged 12–23 months often consumed eggs and grain products. Consumption of dairy products was highest in Punjab, Sindh, AJK, and Islamabad, that of grains roots and tubers was highest in KPK, FATA and GB. Conclusion Considering CF practices in Pakistan are inadequate as indicated by poor MDD, MMF, and MAD, therefore it is imperative that a holistic approach using both communication and non-communication based interventions is to be employed through active stakeholder engagement.
Feb 2023 DOI 10.14302/issn.2639-3166.jar-22-4403
E. A. Hamza FatihCorresponding author
The major a biotic stresses affecting chickpea production are high and low temperature, drought and salinity. Heat stress is a major a biotic stress factor, constraining chickpea production worldwide. This study was conducted to identifying chickpea genotypes combining heat tolerance and high yield potential and to study correlation among the heat tolerance indices. The genotypes were tested under different field-growing conditions, normal sown (non – heat stress) and late sown (heat stress) at two locations, Merowe and Gezira during winter season 2018/2019. The trials were laid out in alpha lattice design with three replications. Eight heat tolerance indices, which were most frequently used in plant breeding including, geometric mean productivity (GMP), yield index (YI), mean productivity (MP), stress susceptibility index (SSI), stress tolerance index (STI), tolerance index (TOL), sensitivity heat index (SHI) and relative heat index (RHI) were calculated based on seed yield under heat stress (Ys) and non – heat stress (Yp) conditions. Under both environments, the results from combined analysis of variance showed that there were highly significant differences among the genotypes for all traits studies. There were highly significant differences observed among the tested chickpea genotypes response to heat stress. Seed yield in stress (Ys) condition was positive and highly significant correlated with geometric mean productivity, yield index, stress tolerance index and relative heat index. The Ys was negative and highly significant correlated with stress susceptibility index and sensitivity heat index. Seed yield in non-stress (Yp) condition was positive and significant correlated with geometric mean productivity, yield index, stress tolerance index and tolerance index. The results of this research showed that the six indices, GMP, YI, SSI, STI, SHI and RHI can be used as optimal indicators for screening heat tolerant chickpea genotypes. Nine genotypes including four released improved varieties (Shiekh Mohamed, Wad Hamid, Salwa and Hwata) and five genotypes (no. 11, 4, 26, 30 and 34) are most stable chickpea genotypes for heat tolerance and can be further used in breeding program. These genotypes can be used in the chickpea national breeding program to develop varieties with improved heat tolerance in Sudan. Genotype no. 11 (FLIP 08-59 C) was release by Sudan national variety release committee for commercial production under the name Elbarkal in September 2022 to will be grown in Gezira, River Nile and Northern States of Sudan.
Dec 2022 DOI 10.14302/issn.2473-1005.jdoi-22-4360
Millstein PhilipCorresponding author
Department of Restorative Dentistry, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA. USA
Contact intensity is a significant factor in immoveable implant restorations. This study visually compares the use of four occlusal contact indicators one of which measures contact intensity and surface area in a single subject. The need for an occlusal contact indicator that can be used with fixed implant restorations is examined. Three contact indicators used in practice are visually compared to a novel system where pressure sensitive information and surface area can be evaluated numerically and stored. Findings suggest that intensity and surface area should be measured upon implant placement. Limitations of this observational study are discussed. Directions for future research and more systematic study are offered
Jun 2022 DOI 10.14302/issn.2474-7785.jarh-22-4229
Marks RayCorresponding author
Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Columbia University, Teachers College New York, USA.
Background Osteoarthritis, a serious joint disease, said to represent a generally declining state of wellbeing and function among many older adults has been shown to be affected to a considerable degree by various negative beliefs and inactions rather than degradation alone. Aim This review examines the case of depression as this pertains to the older adult with osteoarthritis of one or more joints. Specifically, the most up to date information on this topic was sought, as care improvements over the past decade have not shown any impactful population wide results. Method Reviewed were relevant 2021-2022 research and review articles specifically pertaining to what is being observed currently by researchers as far as osteoarthritis-depression linkages goes, as these may reveal opportunities for more profound research, and practice-based endeavors. Results In line with 60 years of prior research, it appears a clinically important role for depression in some osteoarthritis cases cannot be ruled out. It further appears that if detected and addressed early on, many older adults suffering from osteoarthritis may yet be enabled to lead a quality life, rather than a distressing and excessively impaired state of being. Those older osteoarthritis cases requiring surgery who suffer from concomitant depressive symptoms are likely to be disadvantaged in the absence of efforts to treat and identify this psychosocial disease correlate. Conclusion Providers and researchers are encouraged to pursue this line of inquiry and begin to map clinical osteoarthritis measures with those that can track cognitive patterns, musculoskeletal, features and inflammatory reactions along with valid depression indicators among carefully selected osteoarthritis sub groups.
Jan 2022 DOI 10.14302/issn.2766-8681.jcsr-21-3762
N. Moos EvgenyCorresponding author
RGU named for S.Esenin, Ryazan, Russia
Diagnosis of heart rate variability as an indicator of the impact of external and internal media can serve to make changes in the educational environment. The approach to the organization of the educational process is developed on the basis of quantitative indicators of the students’ functional state using the hardware-software complex " Varikard ".
Dec 2021 DOI 10.14302/issn.2575-1212.jvhc-21-4034
Fernando Díaz-Otero,Corresponding author
CENID-Salud Animal e Inocuidad. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP). Carretera México-Toluca, Km. 15.5, C.P. 05110, Ciudad de México, México.
In bovine tuberculosis (bTB), cellular, humoral, or both types of immune responses have been observed. The purpose of this study was to examine the immune status of tuberculous cows based on the differential cytokine gene expression associated with Th1 (IFN-γ, IL-2), or Th2 (IL-4, IL-10) responses. Twenty-three (23) cows belonging to a dairy herd located in a rural region of the State of Hidalgo, México, were selected for the study. Single Intradermal Comparative Cervical Tuberculin (SICCT) Test, Interferon-Gamma (IFN-γ) Release Assay (BOVIGAM), and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) were used for detection of cattle infected by M. bovis. Thirteen cows were positive to all the tests (Group 1); ten cows were positive only to ELISA (Group 2), and the remaining Group (Group 3, control) included cows negative to all the tests. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from animals were in vitro stimulated by bovin purified protein derivative (PPD), avian PPD, and Concanavalin A (Con A) mitogen for 72h. Changes in the levels of expression of mRNA of the respective cytokines was measured by Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) using β-actin gene as internal control. In group 1, PPD bovis and Con A-stimulated cells exhibited high production of IFN-γ, IL-2 and IL-4, but not IL-10. In contrast, PPD avium-stimulated cells displayed a low production of cytokine transcripts. In group 2, cells showed a significant production of IL-10 in response to bovine PPD (P< 0.001). In the control group, a high production of IFN-γ and IL-2 was observed only in Con A-stimulated cells. Post-mortem examinations in animals of group 1 showed slight and medium lesions in lymph nodes, whereas in group 2, the lesions were more extensive. Results indicate differences on gene expression levels of cytokines considered to determine balance in Th1/Th2 response among the evaluated groups. In addition, high levels of antibodies against M. bovis and high IL-10 expression in PBMC together are indicators of progressive bTB when both tuberculin test and IFN-γ assay are negative in tuberculous anergic cattle. Inclusion of serology and IL-10 cytokine expression in in the diagnosis checklist improves detection of infected cattle to help control bovine tuberculosis.
Jan 2021
Vladimir Leonidovich MartynovCorresponding author
Doctor of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor, National Research Nizhny Novgorod State University named after N.I. Lobachevsky (UNN), Russia
Annotation On the basis of 40 years of work on the treatment of 415 patients with gastroenterocolitis clinic, the author revealed the presence of refluxes due to anatomical defects of the Bauhinia valve (its failure) and the duodenum (chronic duodenal obstruction) at all levels of the gastrointestinal tract. After surgical correction of these anatomical breakdowns, the author states a significant improvement in all indicators of the state of both the digestive system and some extraintestinal manifestations, possibly the onset of precancer. The results obtained allowed the author to conclude that there are no "functional" disorders, this is only the level of our knowledge. Operations have been developed to correct the failure of the Bauhinia flap, intraoperative prevention of refluxes, and indications for methods of correcting chronic disorders of duodenal patency.
Nov 2020 DOI 10.14302/issn.2690-4837.ijip-20-3565
Mabrouk MohamedCorresponding author
Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
The world is countering an unexpected wide spread of Covid-19 virus. Among the procedures used to prevent spreading the virus are classical and modern sterilization methods. In this paper, we combine the use of ultraviolet emissions, as a modern method, with the infrared emissions that generates high temperature, as a classical method, to design and implement a sterilization oven. Ultraviolet emissions have the ability to destroy the RNA of the virus while the infrared emissions destroy the virus membrane. Test was performed on indicators contains +ve gram rod bacteria which is stronger than the Covid-19 virus in high temperature and UV emission tolerant. Results showed that the UV emissions killed the microorganism in 15 minutes. However, combination between the UV and IR emissions in a sterilization oven succeeded to kill the under test microorganism in five minutes. The combination between the two sources of emission guarantees an effective sterilization process against bacteria, fungus, and viruses. Moreover, it speeds up the sterilization process time.
Apr 2020 DOI 10.14302/issn.2637-6075.jpae-20-3322
Omozemoje Ayobami AigberuaCorresponding author
Department partment of Environment, Research and Development, Anal Concept Limited, Elelenwo, Rivers State, Nigeria
In spite of the popularity of open-air waste dumping in Nigeria, it remains a relatively less effective waste management option across the globe because of its associated environmental impacts which includes the release of green house gases (GHGs), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and metal micro-pollutants amongst others. This study aims to assess the potential environmental risks associated to metals released and vertically delineated across the soil profile within surroundings of dumpsite. Heavy metals in soil samples were acid-digested using the aqua-regia mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acid, followed by instrumentation analysis using the GBC 908 PBMT model atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Contaminated sites showed metal concentrations ranging from 1.493 to 109.460 mg/kg, 0.133 to 4.237 mg/kg, and 5.200 to 25.367 mg/kg for lead, cadmium and chromium respectively, with location 1 land area showing the most contamination. Only soil chromium was observed within regulatory stipulations in all cases. There was significant variation (p < 0.05) between the different sample locations, thereby indicating variations in composition of dumped wastes. Lead and cadmium showed the strongest positive correlation (r = 0.855, p < 0.01) and the application of some heavy metal pollution indicators revealed relatively higher metal loads and degree of contamination, as well as depicting potential ecological risk for soils of location 1. The significant heavy metal contamination of soils in the Tombia-Amassoma waste dumpsite requires that the local environmental sanitation and regulatory authorities take necessary remedial action to forestall the escalation of public health concerns that may emanate from this open-air dump.
Mar 2020 DOI 10.14302/issn.2471-2140.jaa-20-3236
Sanikidze TamarCorresponding author
Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
Objective Search of pathogenetic mechanisms and risk factors of atherosclerosis in the employees of the cleaning service in Tbilisi. Materials and Methods As a result of a preliminary survey and examination of 200 employes of Tbilisi cleaning service aged 25-45 years (2014-2016), 22 patients with angina, hypercholesterolemia, intimae-media thickness > 0.65 mm, were selected into I group, and 23 individuals without these disorders into II group. In the blood plasma of the selected patients the intensity of oxidative metabolism parameters, TAA and MDA were determined. The variance and correlation analysis (АNOVA) was used for conducting the comparative analysis of the levels of studied parameters. Results In the combined group (I+II) there are several reliable correlations between the Age -TCol, Age-MDA, BMI-Tg, BMI-MDA, LDLChol-HDLChol, LDLChol–TChol, HDLChol-TChol, LDLChol-MDA, LDLChol-TAA. no correlation between these parameters in individual groups (I and II) was found. That indicates that we have an imaginary correlation related to the large intergroup difference between the average values of the group indicators, that is the values of various indicators change during the development of the pathological process, but there is no causal relationship between these alterations. The reliable TAA-MDA correlation in the combined group (I+II) is related to the high anticorrelation between these parameters and the significantly higher average value of TAA in the low-risk group (II) in comparison to the high-risk group (I). Conclusion The results analysis indicates both the diagnostic value of redox status indicators and their leading role in the atherogenesis processes. In populations with a high risk of atherosclerosis, monitoring of serum TAA is recommended.
Jul 2019 DOI 10.14302/issn.2379-7835.ijn-19-2721
Habulembe Mugode RaiderCorresponding author
National Food and Nutrition Commission, Lusaka, Zambia
Introduction In the past several decades, Zambia has suffered high levels of under nutrition particularly stunting among children below 5 years of age. Although appropriate complementary feeding practices are reported to reduce child deaths by 6%, they have not received the adequate attention from programme officers and caregivers in terms of implementation. Objectives The objective was to investigate issues surrounding the common complementary feeding practices practised by caregivers of children below five years in health facilities and areas where high rates of malnutrition admission come from. Design A cross sectional research using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study used mostly proportions based mostly on global indicators on complementary feeding. Qualitative data was also analysed according to themes of global complementary feeding indicators Setting The study was conducted in five hospitals, namely Arthur Davison, Solwezi Central, Kabwe and Livingstone General, and University Teaching Hospital. Subjects The target populations were mothers whose children were admitted for malnutrition and those with children 0-59 months living in communities with the highest number of malnourished cases admitted to selected hospitals Results About45.2% (190) of caregivers introduced liquids before six months of age and 7.6% (32) after 6 months attributing child thirst, medication and advice from health worker as the main reasons. Slightly above half (54.2% of 224) of mothers/caregivers used cups to feed their babies. The use of feeding bottles was still common (8.2% of 34). Responsibility to feed the child is mostly left to the mother (86.4%, 362). In addition, children were being feed about 2.67 (SD 0-72) per day. Conclusions Child feeding practices were still poor. This contributes to poor child growth and health. More interventions should be planned to improve child care behaviour.
Feb 2019 DOI 10.14302/issn.2643-6655.jcap-18-2570
Emanuela ZappellaCorresponding author
Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Italy
Self-determination is a key concept to promote greater self-awareness in the subjects with disability, to build appropriate educational or professional projects and to evaluate the already active programs. Using PRISMA checklist, I selected articles from different databases (CINAHL, Medline, Psych INFO, Cochrane Library, ERIC, Scholar. The 9 evaluation measures identified are analyzed with respect to: choice of the points of view to be collected, domains, items and data collection methods. The results show that while some scales focus on autonomy, empowerment, self-realisation and self-regulation and others focus on knowledge, skills and abilities, attitudes and beliefs. Two instruments added also: opportunities and support. With respect to the choice of the points of view to be collected: in some cases the student’s opinion is collected but in other cases their point of view is integrated or replaced with that of teachers and parents. Only one tool is designed for all children and starts from the belief that self-determination is important for all people, including those with a disability. A third element of the analysis is the possibility of answering the questions posed by the various evaluation tools. A typical form is Likert scale while in other cases open questions are used. The analysis highlights two critical issues. The variety of definitions of self-determination is inevitably reflected in the choice of domains and items and therefore self-determination is only partially investigated. Secondly the opinion and people with disabilities are sometimes completed or replaced by that of third persons as parents and teachers. Starting from the analysis of existing instruments. the article closes with a reflection on the possibility of constructing a scale that considers all the aspects of self-determination offered in the literature (at the individual and environmental level) and collects the opinion of all the subjects involved in self-determination projects. This synthesis represents a first step in the construction of a possible universal scale starting from the analysis of the literature. A comparison would then be necessary with the students with intellectual disabilities, the family members and the other actors involved to understand which domains are really meaningful to them and to build indicators that correspond to the elements that are important to them. In this way we would have a tool capable of combining the point of view of literature with that of the people directly involved.
Jan 2019 DOI 10.14302/issn.2639-3166.jar-18-2496
Raj GuptaCorresponding author
Nutrient depletion and imbalanced use of fertiliser nutrients, inappropriate tillage and rain- water management practices often result in land degradation. Declining soil health contributes to climate change through loss in soil productivity, biodiversity, soil carbon, and moisture and ecosystem services. In order to address declining soil health, government of India has launched a soil health card (SHC) scheme aimed at need base use of chemical fertilisers. The paper points out the short-comings in the SHC scheme. Balanced and need base use of chemical fertilizers can be helpful in environmental protection and restoring soil health. The paper identifies potential agronomic practices and production management systems that can reduce our dependence on synthetic nutrients. Integration of soil fertility management domains with computer based QUEFT crop model has the potential of making fertiliser recommendations more domain and crop specific and less cumbersome. For soil health assessment chemical indicators must be integrated with physical and biological properties of the soils which can be predicted through reflectance spectroscopy. For assessing soil health related issues across different agro-ecoregions, there is however an urgent need for building-up more robust soil reflectance libraries.
Dec 2018 DOI 10.14302/issn.2691-3208.ijli-18-2476
H Radwan ECorresponding author
Faculty of Science, Damanhour University, Egypt
Bivalves are used as bioindicators of heavy metals pollution because they are known to concentrate these elements, providing a time integrated indication of environmental contamination. Trace metals can reach high concentrations in sediments and also in aquatic organisms by bioaccumulation through the food chain. Six heavy metals (Hg, Zn, Pb, Fe, Mg and Cu) were collected and investigated from Abu Hummus, El Behara. The concentration of Hg was high in winter as 2.3µg/g in sediment. The Zn concentration was high in summer in sediment as 8.1µg/g. The Pb concentration was high in winter in water as 3.3µg/l. The concentration of Fe in sediment was high in summer as 492 µg/g. The concentration of Mg was high in sediment as 408µg/g. The concentration of Cu was high in summer in sediment as 301µg/g. The mean concentrations of Fe in the present study are within the permissible limits of law 48/1982 (<1 mg/l) and the guideline of (WHO, 1993) which is <1 mg/l. The mean concentration level of copper is within the permissible limits of law 48/1982 (<1.0 mg/l). The mean levels of the heavy metals (Hg, Zn, Pb, Fe, Mg and Cu) detected in the present study in the water stream are less than the permissible limits recommended by (USEPA, 2005). In the present study there is a significance between all seasons in the protein content in the soft tissue of Spathopsisrubensas the mean concentration level in Spring was reported as 102.83mg/g which is higher then that of autumn 100.5mg/g, summer 93.33 mg/g and winter 80.50 mg/g. In the present study the mean activity level of GPx in spring was higher than the other seasons such as spring 31.33u/g ˃ summer 28.33 u/g ˃Autumn 26.67 u/g ˃ winter 20.50u/g. The mean activity level of SOD in summer was higher than the other seasons such as summer 38.83 u/g ˃ spring 33.33 U /g ˃Autumn 28.83U/g ˃ winter 22.83U/g. The mean activity level of CAT in spring was higher than the other seasons such as spring 25.67u/g ˃ summer and autumn19.83u/g ˃ winter 15.17u/g. The mean activity level of MDA in winter was 30.50 U/g ˃ summer 22.50U/g ˃ autumn 18.0 U/g ˃ spring 16.83U/g. In the present study it was found that the mean activity level of MDA increased in winter at the same time the mean activity level of CAT, SOD and GPx were decreased in winter. Negative correlation was reported between CAT and Hg in winter as r=-0.88*. A positive correlation coefficient in winter was found between SOD activity level and CAT activity level as r=0.838*.
Nov 2018 DOI 10.14302/issn.2768-0207.jbr-18-2175
Lu Tsung-HsuehCorresponding author
NCKU Research Center for Health Data and Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Non–information technology (IT) professionals and nonexpert casual users are increasingly adopting self-service business intelligence (SSBI) tools (such as Tableau, Qlik, and Power BI) to create data visualization dashboards. This study identified the most relevant dashboard design principles for SSBI tool users. The research approach included organizing a focus group in which most of the participants were non-IT professionals in health care, extracting recommended principles from the literature, applying these recommended principles by using data on quality of diabetes care to design relevant dashboards, and proposing the following 5S dashboard design principle framework: 1) seeing both the forest and trees, 2) simplicity through self-selection, 3) simplicity through significance, 4) simplicity through synthesis, and 5) storytelling. The third and fourth principles are novel and provide solutions to decision-making problems (such as conflicting results from excessive and discordant indicators) encountered by health care professional in the public sector as well as in other domains. The 5S dashboard design principles are easily memorized and practical and thus enable non-IT professionals and nonexpert casual users to design insightful dashboards efficiently by using SSBI tools.
Oct 2018 DOI 10.14302/issn.2474-3585.jpmc-18-2405
Zhang ChunyuCorresponding author
Department of Health Reform & Development, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, PR China.
Excessive overtime work, which is a serious problem among Chinese physicians, is the primary reason for night clinic closure policies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of such policies on physicians’ workload and satisfaction. Physicians at the hospital, which closed its night clinic in 2017, were selected as the intervention group, and those at another hospital, which still operates a night clinic, were chosen as the control group. In total, 829 participating physicians self-reported their characteristics and responded to questions on three effect indicators: weekly hours worked, work–family balance, and job satisfaction; the index years were for 2016 and 2017. A pre–post-with-control-group study design and the difference-in-difference (DID) methodology were employed to evaluate the effect of night clinic closure. After adjusting for physicians’ characteristics, the effect of all variables, except hours worked per week, on work–family balance and job satisfaction remained significant. Although the adjusted effect on hours worked per week was not significant, our results suggest that minor policy changes that reduce the workload of physicians may nonetheless benefit this group. However, as the satisfaction scores remained low, other policies should be implemented to relieve the workload and improve satisfaction among physicians.
Feb 2018 DOI 10.14302/issn.2470-0436.jos-17-1825
Xǔ GangCorresponding author
Background: To measure the affected subepidermal nerve sensation with a combination of current perception threshold (CPT) and Semmes-Weinstein monofilament (SWM) testing under pain areas with herpetic ophthalmic neuralgia (HON). Methods: One hundred fifty-five subjects with HON and 30 age-matched volunteers were recruited for the study. Results: The combined SWM and CPT testing yielded significantly abnormal responses at the painful sites for the patients with HON compared to those responses of the normal controls (p< 0.05). The SWM and CPT tests were able to distinguish local hypoesthesia of pain areas when the cut-off values were 0.135g, 53 (5Hz), 66 (250Hz) and 199 (2,000Hz). The ratio of the painful site to the mirror site indicated there were significant differences in the CPT ratio at 250Hz and 2,000Hz among different pain characteristic groups. Post hoc tests showed significant differences in CPT250Hz between itching and lancinating pain (p=0.006), itching and allodynia (p=0.002), and burning pain and allodynia (p=0.042). There were significant differences in CPT2000Hz between deep pain and allodynia (p=0.001) and itching and allodynia (p=0.014). Conclusion: CPT and SWM testing can probably be used as semi-quantitative indicators to represent the neural function at the local skin of pain area with HON.
Jan 2017 DOI 10.14302/issn.2476-1710.jdt-16-1306
Lapierre SylvieCorresponding author
Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.University of Montreal.
Background. Suicide prevention programs centred on reinforcing protective factors are uncommon. Aims. Since leading a meaningful life is incompatible with suicide, a 14-week program designed to help participants realize meaningful personal goals was created to improve the psychological well-being (PWB) of depressed older adults (≥ 65 years). Method. Persons scoring 9 or above on the Beck Depression Inventory- II (M = 22.05) took part in the program (n = 24). Their levels of PWB, depression, and suicidal thoughts were compared to those of a control group (n = 18). The questionnaires were completed three times: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up (six months later). Results. Analyses showed that the program participants improved significantly on most indicators of wellbeing, including suicidal ideation, indicating that increasing protective factors could be an innovative way to prevent suicidal ideation. However, the changes were not significantly higher than those observed in the control group, except for meaning in life. Conclusions. The absence of difference between groups was partly justified by unexplained improvements of controls between post-test and follow-up. Future studies should develop suicide prevention program thatincrease protective factors that provide individuals with means to achieve an optimal state of functioning.
Nov 2016 DOI 10.14302/issn.2474-9273.jbtm-16-1304
Fagorala AfolamiCorresponding author
Trinity School of Medicine
Objective The psychosocial aspect of drug use is seldom researched in Caribbean nations. Drug use in the Caribbean has been on the rise since the 1990s. Statistical indicators have established evidence for the increased rates of illegal drug use. This study briefly reviewed these indicators and explored factors that influenced the state of drug affairs in Grenada from 2001 to 2009. Methods Interviews conducted in a semi-structured form were carried out on key stakeholders involved in drug prevention in Grenada. Literary review of pertinent articles from search engines was used to buttress results. Further search through statistical records provided by the Drug Control Secretariat and Grenada Drug Information Network/National Observatory on Drugs (GRENDIN/NOD) was used to obtain information on recent developments surrounding drug related activities in Grenada. Results Trends show marijuana as the drug of choice and males being primarily involved in illegal drug activities. Additionally, cultural, and psychological factors play major roles in the proliferation of the drug problem in Grenada. Conclusion Despite preventive measures used to raise awareness on the dangers of drug use, drug use/abuse/activities are still at an all-time high in Grenada. Focusing on the social, cultural, psychological factors influencing illicit drug activities, and increased cooperation between anti-drug organizations may be effective in curbing illegal drug use in Grenada.
Jan 2016 DOI 10.14302/issn.2379-7835.ijn-15-770
Jobim Benedetti FrancelianeCorresponding author
Nutritionist, Master’s Graduate Program in Health child and adolescent in Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and Professor Graduate in Centro Univeritário Franciscano.
The objective of this study was to confirm the nutritional risk factors for asthma and obesity in adolescents using a cross-sectional survey. We included male and female adolescents aged 10 to 19 years of age in this study. The indicators of nutritional status used in this study were body mass index, the height-for-age index, and arm and waist circumferences. We used a food frequency questionnaire to estimate the average consumption of sodium. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and asthma characteristics were evaluated using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Factors associated with asthma in bivariate and multivariate analyses were assessed using the Poisson regression analysis. The significance level was set at 5%, and the analyses were performed using the SPSS statistical package. We evaluated 1362 students with an average age of 15.65 ± 1.24 years. There was a positive risk for asthma between females (PR = 1.41) and asthma severity in adolescents with a high sodium intake (PR = 2.30). Within overweight adolescents, the prevalence for asthma risk washigher among females (PR = 1.66) and the high sodium intake group (PR = 1.98). An increased risk for asthma severity correlated with high sodium intake (PR = 3.07). There was a higher risk for asthma and its severity in females with high sodium intake. The same pattern was observed for adolescents with excessive weight.