Search results for: diseases prevention
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 4015

Search results for: diseases prevention

3265 The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Frailty and Its Relationship with Falls in Patients with Schizophrenia

Authors: Bo-Jian Wu, Si-Heng Wu

Abstract:

Objectives: Frailty is a condition of a person who has chronic health problems complicated by a loss of physiological reserve and deteriorating functional abilities. The frailty syndrome was defined by Fried and colleagues, i.e., weight loss, fatigue, decreased grip strength, slow gait speed, and low physical activity. However, to our best knowledge, there have been rare studies exploring the prevalence of frailty and its association with falls in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: A total of 559 hospitalized patients were recruited from a public psychiatric hospital in 2013. The majority of the subjects were males (361, 64.6%). The average age was 53.5 years. All patients received the assessment of frailty status defined by Fried and colleagues. The status of a fall within one year after the assessment of frailty, clinical and demographic data was collected from medical records. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio of associated factors. Results : A total of 9.2% of the participants met the criteria of frailty. The percentage of patients having a fall was 7.2%. Age were significantly associated with frailty (odds ratio = 1.057, 95% confidence interval = 1.025-1.091); however, sex was not associated with frailty (p = 0.17). After adjustment for age and sex, frailty status was associated with a fall (odds ratio = 3.62, 95% confidence interval = 1.58-8.28). Concerning the components of frailty, decreased grip strength (odds ratio = 2.44, 95% confidence interval = 1.16-5.14), slow gait speed (odds ratio = 2.82, 95% confidence interval = 1.21-6.53), and low physical activity (odds ratio = 2.64, 95% confidence interval = 1.21-5.78) were found to be associated with a fall. Conclusions: Our findings suggest the prevalence of frailty was about 10% in hospitalized patients with chronic patients with schizophrenia, and frailty status was significant with a fall in this group. By using the status of frailty, it may be beneficial to potential target candidates having fallen in the future as early as possible. The effective intervention of prevention of further falls may be given in advance. Our results bridge this gap and open a potential avenue for the prevention of falls in patients with schizophrenia. Frailty is certainly an important factor for maintaining wellbeing among these patients.

Keywords: fall, frailty, schizophrenia, Taiwan

Procedia PDF Downloads 165
3264 A New Phenolic Compound Isolated from Laurus nobilis from Lebanon and Comparison of Antioxidant Activity of Different Parts

Authors: Turk Ayman, Ahn Jong Hoon, Khalife K. Hala, Gali-Muhtasib Hala, Lee Mi Kyeong

Abstract:

Laurus nobilis is an aromatic plant widely distributed in the Mediterranean region. The leaves of this plant are frequently used as a spice and as a traditional medicine for several diseases. In our present study, the methanolic extract of L. nobilis leaves showed antioxidant activity. Chromatographic separations of the EtOAc fraction which had the highest antioxidant activity led to the isolation of 12 compounds. Among them, there was a new phenylpropanoid derivative, which was identified by 1D and 2D NMR experiments, as well as high resolution mass spectrometry. In addition, two major compounds, catechin and epicatechin, which showed strong antioxidant activity may be responsible for the antioxidant activity of L. nobilis leaves. Since different plant parts may contain different types of constituents which contribute to the biological activities, we investigated the antioxidant activity of different parts of L. nobilis such as leaves, stems and fruits. Stems of L. nobilis showed the most potent antioxidant activity, followed by leaves. Further quantitation of total phenol and flavonoids contents revealed a positive correlation between the content of these compounds and antioxidant activity. Taken together, phenolic compounds including flavonoids are responsible for antioxidant activity of L. nobilis. In addition, stem parts of L. nobilis are suggested as good sources for antioxidant activity. Conclusively, L. nobilis might be effective in several free radical mediated diseases.

Keywords: antioxidant activity, different parts, Laurus nobilis, phenolic compound

Procedia PDF Downloads 307
3263 Prevalence of Periodontal Diseases in Children with Herpetic Stomatitis in City Tashkent

Authors: Akhad Ibrokhimov

Abstract:

Update of preventive medicine has exacerbated the problem of cause-and-effect relationship between the presence of herpetic stomatitis (HS) and periodontal disease. Comprehensive survey of children with herpetic stomatitis, according to WHO equirements, on the territory of Tashkent years was conducted. Objective: To analyze the prevalence and intensity of periodontal tissue diseases in children with herpetic stomatitis. Materials and methods. Dental disease in Tashkent was studied in 156 children with herpetic stomatitis, as a control, the incidence of dental studied in 153 children of comparable age and sex never without a history of herpetic stomatitis. Results and discussion. The study revealed that 42,86 ± 13,23% of children with Herpetic stomatitis in the age group 6 years, 1 month - 10 years suffered from periodontal disease, the incidence of periodontal disease in the control group was 14,29 ± 9,35% (R≥0 05) corresponding to the frequency of detection of sextants with bleeding and tartar was equal to 35,71 ± 12,80% vs. 7,14 ± 6,88% (R≥0,05) and 14,29 ± 9,35% against 7 14 ± 6,88% (R≥0,05). Status of periodontal tissues was assessed in age groups 6 years, 1 month - 10 years and 10 years, 1 month - 15 years. The intensity of periodontal lesions observed at the level of 1,79 ± 0,06 vs. 0,66 ± 0,03 (P ≤ 0,05) affected sextant, including sextants with bleeding 1,62 ± 0,07 vs. 0.65 ± 0 , 03 (P ≤ 0,05) and sextants tartar - 0,17 ± 0,008 vs. 0,10 ± 0,008 (P ≤ 0,05). At age 10 years, 1 month - 15 years, a higher prevalence of signs of periodontal lesion was identified in patients with table of contents in 80,00 ± 12,65% of cases versus 30,00 ± 14,49% (P ≤ 0,05), and prevailed bleeding gums 70,00 ± 14,49% against 20,00 ± 11,83% (p ≤ 0.05), tartar was diagnosed respectively in 30,00 ± 14,49% against 10,00 ± 9,48% (R≥0,05) surveyed.

Keywords: vestibular surface, abnormal abrasion, composites, prosthesis

Procedia PDF Downloads 344
3262 The Effect of Excess Sulphur on Najdi Sheep

Authors: Fatima Al-Humaid

Abstract:

This research work was done to investigate the cause of paralysis in Najdi lambs born in certain farms where the drinking water and diet contained high concentrations of sulphur. The drinking water in these farms was obtained from deep bore wells drilled in the farm. The lambs developed paralysis of the hind limbs at the age of 4-6 weeks and their condition deteriorated continuously until they finally died. The appetite and suckling ability remained good throughout the course of the disease but when the lambs were completely unable to move and reach for the udder, feed and water they died. Postmortem examination of the brain of paralyzed lambs showed that it was liquefied. When the brain was examined histologically, a liquefactive necrosis was seen in the form of cavities in the nervous tissue. Similar histologic picture was seen in the spinal cord of the affected lambs. Analysis for the mineral content of the fodder showed that the concentration of sulphur was 21.6 3.4 g/kg DM which is considered very high for the nutrition of sheep. Analysis for the concentration of copper and selenium in the feed showed that the concentrations of both were normal. This excluded diseases such as swayback which is caused by copper deficiency and white muscle disease, which caused by selenium deficiency. Both of these two last diseases are characterized by paralysis of lambs.

Keywords: brain histology, sulphur poisoning, Najdi sheep, veterinary medicine

Procedia PDF Downloads 605
3261 Two-Component Biocompartible Material for Reconstruction of Articular Hyaline Cartilage

Authors: Alena O. Stepanova, Vera S. Chernonosova, Tatyana S. Godovikova, Konstantin A. Bulatov, Andrey Y. Patrushev, Pavel P. Laktionov

Abstract:

Trauma and arthrosis, not to mention cartilage destruction in overweight and elders put hyaline cartilage lesion among the most frequent diseases of locomotor system. These problems combined with low regeneration potential of the cartilage make regeneration of articular cartilage a high-priority task of tissue engineering. Many types of matrices, the procedures of their installation and autologous chondrocyte implantation protocols were offered, but certain aspects including adhesion of the implant with surrounding cartilage/bone, prevention of the ossification and fibrosis were not resolved. Simplification and acceleration of the procedures resulting in restoration of normal cartilage are also required. We have demonstrated that human chondroblasts can be successfully cultivated at the surface of electrospun scaffolds and produce extracellular matrix components in contrast to chondroblasts grown in homogeneous hydrogels. To restore cartilage we offer to use stacks of electrospun scaffolds fixed with photopolymerized solution of prepared from gelatin and chondroitin-4-sulfate both modified by glycidyl methacrylate and non-toxic photoinitator Darocur 2959. Scaffolds were prepared from nylon 6, polylactide-co-glicolide and their mixtures with modified gelatin. Illumination of chondroblasts in photopolymerized solution using 365 nm LED light had no effect on cell viability at compressive strength of the gel less than0,12 MPa. Stacks of electrospun scaffolds provide good compressive strength and have the potential for substitution with cartilage when biodegradable scaffolds are used. Vascularization can be prevented by introduction of biostable scaffolds in the layers contacting the subchondral bone. Studies of two-component materials (2-3 sheets of electrospun scaffold) implanted in the knee-joints of rabbits and fixed by photopolymerization demonstrated good crush resistance, biocompatibility and good adhesion of the implant with surrounding cartilage. Histological examination of the implants 3 month after implantation demonstrates absence of any inflammation and signs of replacement of the biodegradable scaffolds with normal cartilage. The possibility of intraoperative population of the implants with autologous cells is being investigated.

Keywords: chondroblasts, electrospun scaffolds, hyaline cartilage, photopolymerized gel

Procedia PDF Downloads 284
3260 Personality-Focused Intervention for Adolescents: Impact on Bullying and Distress

Authors: Erin V. Kelly, Nicola C. Newton, Lexine A. Stapinski, Maree Teesson

Abstract:

Introduction: There is a lack of targeted prevention programs for reducing bullying and distress among adolescents involved in bullying. The current study aimed to examine the impact of a personality-targeted intervention (Preventure) on bullying (victimization and perpetration) and distress among adolescent victims/bullies with high-risk personality types. Method: A cluster randomized trial (RCT) was conducted in 26 secondary schools (2190 students) in NSW and Victoria, Australia, as part of the Climate Schools and Preventure trial. The schools were randomly allocated to Preventure (13 schools received Preventure, 13 did not). Students were followed up at 4 time points (6, 12, 24 and 36 months post-baseline). Preventure involves two group sessions, based on cognitive behavioral therapy, and tailored to four personality types shown to increase risk of substance misuse and other emotional and behavioural problems, including impulsivity, sensation-seeking, anxiety sensitivity and hopelessness. Students were allocated to the personality-targeted groups based on their scores on the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale. Bullying was measured using an amended version of the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Scale. Psychological distress was measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. Results: Among high-risk students classified as victims at baseline, those in Preventure schools reported significantly less victimization and distress over time than those in control schools. Among high-risk students classified as bullies at baseline, those in Preventure schools reported significantly less distress over time than those in control schools (no difference for perpetration). Conclusion: Preventure is a promising intervention for reducing bullying victimization and psychological distress among adolescents involved in bullying.

Keywords: adolescents, bullying, personality, prevention

Procedia PDF Downloads 225
3259 Prevalence and Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Diseases among Bangladeshi Adults: Findings from a Cross Sectional Study

Authors: Fouzia Khanam, Belal Hossain, Kaosar Afsana, Mahfuzar Rahman

Abstract:

Aim: Although cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has already been recognized as a major cause of death in developed countries, its prevalence is rising in developing countries as well, and engendering a challenge for the health sector. Bangladesh has experienced an epidemiological transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases over the last few decades. So, the rising prevalence of CVD and its risk factors are imposing a major problem for the country. We aimed to examine the prevalence of CVDs and socioeconomic and lifestyle factors related to it from a population-based survey. Methods: The data used for this study were collected as a part of a large-scale cross-sectional study conducted to explore the overall health status of children, mothers and senior citizens of Bangladesh. Multistage cluster random sampling procedure was applied by considering unions as clusters and households as the primary sampling unit to select a total of 11,428 households for the base survey. Present analysis encompassed 12338 respondents of ≥ 35 years, selected from both rural areas and urban slums of the country. Socio-economic, demographic and lifestyle information were obtained through individual by a face-to-face interview which was noted in ODK platform. And height, weight, blood pressure and glycosuria were measured using standardized methods. Chi-square test, Univariate modified Poisson regression model, and multivariate modified Poisson regression model were done using STATA software (version 13.0) for analysis. Results: Overall, the prevalence of CVD was 4.51%, of which 1.78% had stroke and 3.17% suffered from heart diseases. Male had higher prevalence of stroke (2.20%) than their counterparts (1.37%). Notably, thirty percent of respondents had high blood pressure and 5% population had diabetes and more than half of the population was pre-hypertensive. Additionally, 20% were overweight, 77% were smoker or consumed smokeless tobacco and 28% of respondents were physically inactive. Eighty-two percent of respondents took extra salt while eating and 29% of respondents had deprived sleep. Furthermore, the prevalence of risk factor of CVD varied according to gender. Women had a higher prevalence of overweight, obesity and diabetes. Women were also less physically active compared to men and took more extra salt. Smoking was lower in women compared to men. Moreover, women slept less compared to their counterpart. After adjusting confounders in modified Poisson regression model, age, gender, occupation, wealth quintile, BMI, extra salt intake, daily sleep, tiredness, diabetes, and hypertension remained as risk factors for CVD. Conclusion: The prevalence of CVD is significant in Bangladesh, and there is an evidence of rising trend for its risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes especially in older population, women and high-income groups. Therefore, in this current epidemiological transition, immediate public health intervention is warranted to address the overwhelming CVD risk.

Keywords: cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, stroke

Procedia PDF Downloads 381
3258 Left Posterior Pericardiotomy in the Prevention of Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation and Cardiac Tamponade: A Retrospective Study of 2118 Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Patients

Authors: Ayeshmanthe Rathnayake, Siew Goh, Carmel Fenton, Ashutosh Hardikar

Abstract:

Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation (POAF) is the most frequent complication of cardiac surgery and is associated with reduced survival, increased rates of cognitive changes and cerebrovascular accident, heart failure, renal dysfunction, infection and length of stay, and hospital costs. Cardiac tamponade, although less common, carries high morbidity and mortality. Shed mediastinal blood in the pericardial space is a major source of intrapericardial oxidative stress and inflammation that triggers POAF. The utilisation of a left posterior pericardiotomy aims to shunt blood from the pericardium into the pleural space and have a role in the prevention of POAF as well as cardiac tamponade. 2118 patients had undergone isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) at Royal Hobart Hospital from 2008-2021. They were divided into pericardiotomy vs control group. Patient baseline demographics, intraoperative data, and post-operative outcomes were reviewed retrospectively. Total incidence of new POAF and cardiac tamponade was 26.1% and 0.75%, respectively. Primary outcome of both the incidence of POAF(22.9% vs27.8%OR 0.77 p<0.05) and Cardiac Tamponade (0% vs 1.1% OR 0.85 p<0.05) were less in the pericardiotomy group.Increasing age, BMI, poor left ventricular function (EF <30%), and return to theatre were independent predictors of developing POAF. There were similar rates of return to theatre for bleeding however, no cases of tamponade in the pericardiotomy group. There were no complications attributable to left posterior pericardiotomy and the time added to the duration of surgery was minimal. Left posterior pericardiotomy is associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of POAFand cardiac tamponade and issafe and efficient.

Keywords: cardiac surgery, pericardiotomy, post-operative atrial fibrillation, cardiac tamponade

Procedia PDF Downloads 91
3257 Educational Sport and Quality of Life for Children and Teenagers from Brazilian Northeast

Authors: Ricardo Hugo Gonzalez, Amanda Figueiredo Vasconcelos, Francisco Loureiro Neto Monteiro, Yara Luiza Freitas Silva, Ana Cristina Lindsay, Márcia Maria Tavares Machado

Abstract:

The use of sport as an integration mean is a very important tool regarding the social involvement of children and teenagers in a vulnerability situation. This study aims to report the experiences of a multidisciplinary program that intends to improve the quality of life of children and teenagers in Fortaleza, in the Northeast of Brazil. More than 400 children and teenagers aging 11 and 16 years participated in this study. Poor communities experience many particular difficulties in the urban centers such as violence, poor housing conditions, unemployment, lack in health care and deficient physical education in school. Physical education, physiotherapy, odontology, medicine and pharmacy students are responsible for the activities in the project supervised by a general coordinator and a counselor teacher of each academic unit. There are classes about team sports like basketball and soccer. Lectures about sexual behavior and sexually transmitted diseases are ministered beside the ones about oral health education, basic life support education, first aids, use and care with pharmaceuticals and orientations about healthy nutrition. In order to get the children’s family closer, monthly informative lectures are ministered. There is also the concern about reflecting the actions and producing academic paperwork such as graduation final projects and books. The number of participants has oscillated lately, and one of the causes is the lack of practicing physical activities and sports regularly. However, 250 teenagers have participated regularly for at least two years. These teenagers have shown a healthier lifestyle and a better physical fitness profile. The resources for maintaining the project come from the Pro-Reitoria of Extension, Federal University of Ceara, as well as from the PROEXT/MEC, Federal Government. Actions of this nature need to be done thinking for long periods so the effects results can become effective. Public and private investments are needed due to low socioeconomic families who are most vulnerable and have fewer opportunities to enhance to health prevention services.

Keywords: children and teenagers, health, multidisciplinary program, quality of life

Procedia PDF Downloads 242
3256 EEG-Based Classification of Psychiatric Disorders: Bipolar Mood Disorder vs. Schizophrenia

Authors: Han-Jeong Hwang, Jae-Hyun Jo, Fatemeh Alimardani

Abstract:

An accurate diagnosis of psychiatric diseases is a challenging issue, in particular when distinct symptoms for different diseases are overlapped, such as delusions appeared in bipolar mood disorder (BMD) and schizophrenia (SCH). In the present study, we propose a useful way to discriminate BMD and SCH using electroencephalography (EEG). A total of thirty BMD and SCH patients (15 vs. 15) took part in our experiment. EEG signals were measured with nineteen electrodes attached on the scalp using the international 10-20 system, while they were exposed to a visual stimulus flickering at 16 Hz for 95 s. The flickering visual stimulus induces a certain brain signal, known as steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP), which is differently observed in patients with BMD and SCH, respectively, in terms of SSVEP amplitude because they process the same visual information in own unique way. For classifying BDM and SCH patients, machine learning technique was employed in which leave-one-out-cross validation was performed. The SSVEPs induced at the fundamental (16 Hz) and second harmonic (32 Hz) stimulation frequencies were extracted using fast Fourier transformation (FFT), and they were used as features. The most discriminative feature was selected using the Fisher score, and support vector machine (SVM) was used as a classifier. From the analysis, we could obtain a classification accuracy of 83.33 %, showing the feasibility of discriminating patients with BMD and SCH using EEG. We expect that our approach can be utilized for psychiatrists to more accurately diagnose the psychiatric disorders, BMD and SCH.

Keywords: bipolar mood disorder, electroencephalography, schizophrenia, machine learning

Procedia PDF Downloads 421
3255 Social Ties and the Prevalence of Single Chronic Morbidity and Multimorbidity among the Elderly Population in Selected States of India

Authors: Sree Sanyal

Abstract:

Research in ageing often highlights the age-related health dimension more than the psycho-social characteristics of the elderly, which also influences and challenges the health outcomes. Multimorbidity is defined as the person having more than one chronic non-communicable diseases and their prevalence increases with ageing. The study aims to evaluate the influence of social ties on self-reported prevalence of multimorbidity (selected chronic non-communicable diseases) among the selected states of elderly population in India. The data is accessed from Building Knowledge Base on Population Ageing in India (BKPAI), collected in 2011 covering the self-reported chronic non-communicable diseases like arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, lung disease with asthma, hypertension, cataract, depression, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. The data of the above diseases were taken together and categorized as: ‘no disease’, ‘one disease’ and ‘multimorbidity’. The predicted variables were demographic, socio-economic, residential types, and the variable of social ties includes social support, social engagement, perceived support, connectedness, and importance of the elderly. Predicted probability for multiple logistic regression was used to determine the background characteristics of the old in association with chronic morbidities showing multimorbidity. The finding suggests that 24.35% of the elderly are suffering from multimorbidity. Research shows that with reference to ‘no disease’, according to the socio-economic characteristics of the old, the female oldest old (80+) from others in caste and religion, widowed, never had any formal education, ever worked in their life, coming from the second wealth quintile standard, from rural Maharashtra are more prone with ‘one disease’. From the social ties background, the elderly who perceives they are important to the family, after getting older their decision-making status has been changed, prefer to stay with son and spouse only, satisfied with the communication from their children are more likely to have less single morbidity and the results are significant. Again, with respect to ‘no disease’, the female oldest old (80+), who are others in caste, Christian in religion, widowed, having less than 5 years of education completed, ever worked, from highest wealth quintile, residing in urban Kerala are more associated with multimorbidity. The elderly population who are more socially connected through family visits, public gatherings, gets support in decision making, who prefers to spend their later years with son and spouse only but stays alone shows lesser prevalence of multimorbidity. In conclusion, received and perceived social integration and support from associated neighborhood in the older days, knowing about their own needs in life facilitates better health and wellbeing of the elderly population in selected states of India.

Keywords: morbidity, multi-morbidity, prevalence, social ties

Procedia PDF Downloads 121
3254 The Development of Clinical Nursing Practice Guidelines for Preventing of Infection during Intubation in Patients with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19

Authors: Sarinra Thongmee, Krittaporn Prakobsaeng, Adithep Mingsuan, Chanyapak Polkhet, Supattra Wongsuk

Abstract:

The purposes of this research and developmentwasto develop and evaluation of the clinical nursingpractice guideline (CNPG) for the prevention infection during intubation in patient with suspected or confirmedCOVID-19 patient. This study was developed by using the evidencebased practice model of Soukup (2000) asa conceptual framework. The study consisted of 4 steps: 1) situational analysis of intubation service in patientswith confirmed COVID-19; 2) development of the CNPG; 3) apply the NPG to trial; and 4) evaluation of the CNPG. The sample consisted of 52 nurse anesthetists and 25 infected or suspected COVID-19 patients. The research instrument consisted of 1) the CNPG, which was developed by the researchers; 2) the nurses anesthetist opinion questionnaire to the guideline; 3) the evaluation practice form; and 4) the nurse anesthetist knowledge test on nursing care of patients infected with COVID-19. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, and Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test. The results revealed this developed CNPG consists of 4 sections: 1)the CNPG for airborne precautions2) the preparation of anesthetic and intubation equipments3) the roles and duties of the intubation team, 4) the guidelines for intubation in suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients. The results of CNPG use found that 1)the provider: using NPG in providers revealed that nurse anesthetist had a higher mean of knowledge scores than before using CNPG statistically significant at the 0.05 level (p<0.01) and able to follow the NPG 100% inall activities. The anesthetic team was not infected with COVID-19 from intubation outside the operating room. 2)the client: the patient was safe, with no complications from intubation. Summary CNPG to prevent infection during reintubation of suspected or confirmedCOVID-19patient was appropriate and applicable to practice.

Keywords: clinical nursing practice guideline, prevention of infection, endotracheal intubation, COVID-19

Procedia PDF Downloads 153
3253 Effectiveness of Health Education Interventions to Improve Malaria Knowledge and ITN Ownership Among Populations of Sub-Saharan Africa: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Authors: Opara Monica Onyinyechi, Ahmad Iqmer Nashriq Mohd Nazan, Suriani Ismail

Abstract:

Introduction: Global estimates of malaria indicate that at least 3.3 billion people are at risk of being infected with malaria and 1.2 billion are at high risk. The review investigates the effectiveness of health education strategies to increase the level of malaria knowledge and ITN ownership among the populations of sub-Sahara African countries. Methods: A literature search was conducted using Science direct, CINAHL, PubMed, Prisma, Pico, Cochrane library and PsycINFO databases to retrieve articles published between 2000 until 2020. Eleven studies that reported on malaria prevention and intervention using health education strategies conducted in sub-Saharan Africa were included in the final review. Results: Four studies used educational interventions to teach appropriate ITN strategies and promote ITN usage. Two others focused on improving knowledge of malaria transmission, prevention, treatment, and its signs and symptoms. The remaining five studies assessed both ITN use and malaria knowledge. Of these, 10 were eligible for meta-analysis. On average, health education interventions significantly increase the odds of a person in the intervention group to report better malaria knowledge (odds ratio 1.30, 95% CI: 1.00 to 1.70, P= 0.05) and higher ITN ownership (odds ratio 1.53, 95% CI: 1.02 to 2.29, P= 0.004) compared to those in the control group. The odds of ITN ownership also substantially increases when the intervention was based on a theory or model (odds ratio 5.27, 95% CI: 3.24 to 8.58, P= 0.05). Conclusion: Our review highlights the various health education strategies used in sub-Saharan Africa to curb malaria over the past two decades. Meta-analysis findings show that health education intervention is moderately effective in improving malaria knowledge and ITN ownership and has contributed to the effort of global malaria strategy.

Keywords: malaria, health education, insecticide treated nets, sub-Saharan Africa, meta-analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 85
3252 Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Nutrition Related Non-Communicable Diseases in a Cohort of Males in the Central Province of Sri Lanka

Authors: N. W. I. A. Jayawardana, W. A. T. A. Jayalath, W. M. T. Madhujith, U. Ralapanawa, R. S. Jayasekera, S. A. S. B. Alagiyawanna, A. M. K. R. Bandara, N. S. Kalupahana

Abstract:

There is mounting evidence to the effect that dietary and lifestyle changes affect the incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This study was conducted to investigate the association of diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and duration of sleep with overweight, obesity, hypertension and diabetes in a cohort of males from the Central Province of Sri Lanka. A total of 2694 individuals aged between 17 – 68 years (Mean = 31) were included in the study. Body Mass Index cutoff values for Asians were used to categorize the participants as normal, overweight and obese. The dietary data were collected using a food frequency questionnaire [FFQ] and data on the level of physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and sleeping hours were obtained using a self-administered validated questionnaire. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, random blood glucose levels were measured to determine the incidence of hypertension and diabetes. Among the individuals, the prevalence of overweight and obesity were 34% and 16.4% respectively. Approximately 37% of the participants suffered from hypertension. Overweight and obesity were associated with older age men (P<0.0001), frequency of smoking (P=0.0434), alcohol consumption level (P=0.0287) and the quantity of lipid intake (P=0.0081). Consumption of fish (P=0.6983) and salty snacks (P=0.8327), sleeping hours (P=0.6847) and the level of physical activity were not significantly (P=0.3301) associated with the incidence of overweight and obesity. Based on the fitted model, only age was significantly associated with hypertension (P < 0.001). Further, age (P < 0.0001), sleeping hours (P=0.0953) and consumption of fatty foods (P=0.0930) were significantly associated with diabetes. Age was associated with higher odds of pre diabetes (OR:1.089;95% CI:1.053,1.127) and diabetes (OR:1.077;95% CI:1.055,1.1) whereas 7-8 hrs. of sleep per day was associated with lesser odds of diabetes (OR:0.403;95% CI:0.184,0.884). High prevalence of overweight, obesity and hypertension in working-age males is a threatening sign for this area. As this population ages in the future and urbanization continues, the prevalence of above risk factors will likely to escalate.

Keywords: age, males, non-communicable diseases, obesity

Procedia PDF Downloads 337
3251 In vitro Susceptibility of Madurella mycetomatis to the Extracts of Anogeissus leiocarpus Leaves

Authors: Ikram Mohamed Eltayeb Elsiddig, Abdel Khalig Muddather, Hiba Abdel Rahman Ali, Saad Mohamed Hussein Ayoub

Abstract:

Anogeissusleiocarpus (Combretaceae) is well known for its medicinal uses in African traditional medicine, for treating many human diseases mainly skin diseases and infections.Mycetoma disease is a fungal and/ or bacterial skin infection, mainly cause by Madurella mycetomatis fungus.This study was carried out in vitro to investigate the antifungal activity of Anogeissusleiocarpus leaf extracts against the isolated pathogenicMadurellamycetomatis, by using the NCCLS modified method compared to Ketoconazole standard drug and MTT assay. The bioactive fraction was subjected to chemical analysis implementing different chromatographic analytical methods (TLC, HPLC, and LC-MS/MS). The results showed significance antifungal activity of A. leiocarpus leaf extractsagainst the isolated pathogenicM. mycetomatis, compared to negative and positive controls. The chloroform fraction showed the highest antifungal activity.The chromatographic analysis of the chloroform fraction with the highest activity showed the presence of important bioactive compounds such as ellagic and flavellagic acids derivatives, flavonoids and stilbenoid, which are well known for their antifungal activity.

Keywords: Anogeissus leiocarpus, crude extracts and fractions of Anogeissus leiocarpus, in vitrosusceptibility of Madurella mycetomatis, Madurella mycetomatis

Procedia PDF Downloads 622
3250 The Prevalence of Organized Retail Crime in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Authors: Saleh Dabil

Abstract:

This study investigates the level of existence of organized retail crime in supermarkets of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The store managers, security managers and general employees were asked about the types of retail crimes occur in the stores. Three independent variables were related to the report of organized retail theft. The independent variables are: (1) the supermarket profile (volume, location, standard and type of the store), (2) the social physical environment of the store (maintenance, cleanness and overall organizational cooperation), (3) the security techniques and loss prevention electronics techniques used. The theoretical framework of this study based on the social disorganization theory. This study concluded that the organized retail theft, in specific, organized theft is moderately apparent in Riyadh stores. The general result showed that the environment of the stores has an effect on the prevalence of organized retail theft with relation to the gender of thieves, age groups, working shift, type of stolen items as well as the number of thieves in one case. Among other reasons, some factors of the organized theft are: economic pressure of customers based on the location of the store. The dealing of theft also was investigated to have a clear picture of stores dealing with organized retail theft. The result showed that mostly, thieves sent without any action and sometimes given written warning. Very few cases dealt with by police. There are other factors in the study can be looked up in the text. This study suggests solving the problem of organized theft; first is ‘the well distributing of the duties and responsibilities between the employees especially for security purposes’. Second is ‘installation of strong security system’ and ‘making well-designed store layout’. Third is ‘giving training for general employees’ and ‘to give periodically security skills training of employees’. There are other suggestions in the study can be looked up in the text.

Keywords: organized crime, retail, theft, loss prevention, store environment

Procedia PDF Downloads 196
3249 Age, Body Composition, Body Mass Index and Chronic Venous Diseases in Postmenopausal Women

Authors: Grygorii Kostromin, Vladyslav Povoroznyuk

Abstract:

Chronic venous diseases (CVD) are one of the common, though controversial problems in medicine. It is generally accepted that this pathology predominantly occurs in women. The issue of excessive weight as a risk factor for CVD is still considered debatable. To the author's best knowledge, today in Ukraine, there are barely any studies that describe the relationship between CVD and obesity. Our study aims to determine the association between age, body composition, obesity and CVD in postmenopausal women. The study was conducted in D. F. Chebotarev Institute of Gerontology, National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. We have examined 96 postmenopausal women aged 46-85 years (mean age – 66.19 ± 0.96 years), who were divided into two groups depending on the presence of CVD. The women were examined by vascular surgeons. For the diagnosis of CVD, we used clinical, anatomic and pathophysiologic classifications. We also performed clinical, ultrasound and densitometry examinations. We found that the CVD frequency in postmenopausal women increased with age (from 72% in those aged 45-59 years to 84% in those aged 75-89 years). A significant correlation between the total fat mass and age was determined in postmenopausal women with CVD. We also observed a significant correlation between the lower extremities’ fat mass and age in both examined groups. A significant correlation between body mass index and age was determined only in postmenopausal women without CVD.

Keywords: chronic venous disease, risk factors, age, obesity, postmenopausal women

Procedia PDF Downloads 130
3248 Anti-Obesity Effect of Cordyceps militaris Fermented Black Rice

Authors: Chih-Hung Liang, Jung-Jung Chen, Shen-Shih Chiang

Abstract:

Obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health, which are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Cordyceps militaris (CM) is a well-known traditional medicine in Asian countries and a rich source of biologically active components. Black rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a special cultivar of rice that contains rich anthocyanins and regarded as a health-promoting food in China and other Eastern. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-obesity effect of Cordyceps militaris fermented black rice (CB) on HFD-induced BALB/c mice model. The results indicated that administration of low and high dosage of CB powder significantly reduced the body weights (7.38% and 7.78%), body fat ratio (2.37% and 2.78%), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels compared to the HF group (p<0.05). Histopathological analysis showed that the score of fatty liver in HF group (5.0) was significantly higher than CB groups (2.1 and 3.6) (p<0.05). In conclusion, Cordyceps militaris fermented black rice can reduce the body weight via inhibition of the fat accumulation in liver and body and possess the anti-obesity potency.

Keywords: Cordyceps militaris, black rice, obesity, HFD-induced mice

Procedia PDF Downloads 310
3247 Measuring the Unmeasurable: A Project of High Risk Families Prediction and Management

Authors: Peifang Hsieh

Abstract:

The prevention of child abuse has aroused serious concerns in Taiwan because of the disparity between the increasing amount of reported child abuse cases that doubled over the past decade and the scarcity of social workers. New Taipei city, with the most population in Taiwan and over 70% of its 4 million citizens are migrant families in which the needs of children can be easily neglected due to insufficient support from relatives and communities, sees urgency for a social support system, by preemptively identifying and outreaching high-risk families of child abuse, so as to offer timely assistance and preventive measure to safeguard the welfare of the children. Big data analysis is the inspiration. As it was clear that high-risk families of child abuse have certain characteristics in common, New Taipei city decides to consolidate detailed background information data from departments of social affairs, education, labor, and health (for example considering status of parents’ employment, health, and if they are imprisoned, fugitives or under substance abuse), to cross-reference for accurate and prompt identification of the high-risk families in need. 'The Service Center for High-Risk Families' (SCHF) was established to integrate data cross-departmentally. By utilizing the machine learning 'random forest method' to build a risk prediction model which can early detect families that may very likely to have child abuse occurrence, the SCHF marks high-risk families red, yellow, or green to indicate the urgency for intervention, so as to those families concerned can be provided timely services. The accuracy and recall rates of the above model were 80% and 65%. This prediction model can not only improve the child abuse prevention process by helping social workers differentiate the risk level of newly reported cases, which may further reduce their major workload significantly but also can be referenced for future policy-making.

Keywords: child abuse, high-risk families, big data analysis, risk prediction model

Procedia PDF Downloads 135
3246 Urban Security and Social Sustainability in Cities of Developing Countries

Authors: Taimaz Larimian, Negin Sadeghi

Abstract:

Very little is known about the impacts of urban security on the level of social sustainability within the cities of developing countries. Urban security is still struggling to find its position in the social sustainability agenda, despite the significant role of safety and security on different aspects of peoples’ lives. This paper argues that urban safety and security should be better integrated within the social sustainability framework. With this aim, this study investigates the hypothesized relationship between social sustainability and Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) approach at the neighborhood scale. This study proposes a model of key influential dimensions of CPTED analyzed into localized factors and sub-factors. These factors are then prioritized using pairwise comparison logic and fuzzy group Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method in order to determine the relative importance of each factor on achieving social sustainability. The proposed model then investigates social sustainability in six case study neighborhoods of Isfahan city based on residents’ perceptions of safety within their neighborhood. Mixed method of data collection is used by using a self-administered questionnaire to explore the residents’ perceptions of social sustainability in their area of residency followed by an on-site observation to measure the CPTED construct. In all, 150 respondents from selected neighborhoods were involved in this research. The model indicates that CPTED approach has a significant direct influence on increasing social sustainability in neighborhood scale. According to the findings, among different dimensions of CPTED, ‘activity support’ and ‘image/ management’ have the most influence on people’s feeling of safety within studied areas. This model represents a useful designing tool in achieving urban safety and security during the development of more socially sustainable and user-friendly urban areas.

Keywords: crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), developing countries, fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP), social sustainability

Procedia PDF Downloads 306
3245 The Discovery of Competitive Glca Inhibitors That Inhibits the Human Pathogenic Fungi Aspergillus Fumigatus and Candida Albicans

Authors: Reem Al-Shidhani, Isabelle S. R. Storer, Michael J. Bromley, Lydia Tabernero

Abstract:

Invasive fungal diseases are an increasing global health concern that contributes to the high mortality rates in immunocompromised patients. The rising of antifungal resistance severely lowers the efficacy of the limited antifungal agents available. New antifungal drugs that target new mechanisms are necessary to tackle the current shortfalls. Amongst post- modifications, phosphorylation is a predominant and an outstanding protein alteration in all eukaryotes. In fungi, protein phosphorylation plays a vital role in many signal transduction pathways, including cell cycle, cell growth, metabolism, transcription, differentiation, proliferation, and virulence. The investigation of Aspergillus fumigatus phosphatases revealed seven genes essential for viability. Inhibiting one of these phosphatases is a new interesting route to develop novel antifungal drugs. In this study, we carried out an early drug discovery process targeting oneessential phosphatase, GlcA. Here, we report the identification of new GlcA inhibitors that show antifungal activity. These important finding open a new avenue to the development of novel antifungals to expand the current narrow arsenal of clinical candidates.

Keywords: invasive fungal diseases, phosphatases, GlcA, competitive inhibitors

Procedia PDF Downloads 120
3244 The Implication of Disaster Risk Identification to Cultural Heritage-The Scenarios of Flood Risk in Taiwan

Authors: Jieh-Jiuh Wang

Abstract:

Disasters happen frequently due to the global climate changes today. The cultural heritage conservation should be considered from the perspectives of surrounding environments and large-scale disasters. Most current thoughts about the disaster prevention of cultural heritages in Taiwan are single-point thoughts emphasizing firefighting, decay prevention, and construction reinforcement and ignoring the whole concept of the environment. The traditional conservation cannot defend against more and more tremendous and frequent natural disasters caused by climate changes. More and more cultural heritages are confronting the high risk of disasters. This study adopts the perspective of risk identification and takes flood as the main disaster category. It analyzes the amount and categories of cultural heritages that might suffer from disasters with the geographic information system integrating the latest flooding potential data from National Fire Agency and Water Resources Agency and the basic data of cultural heritages. It examines the actual risk of cultural heritages confronting floods and serves as the accordance for future considerations of risk measures and preparation for reducing disasters. The result of the study finds the positive relationship between the disaster affected situation of national cultural heritages and the rainfall intensity. The order of impacted level by floods is historical buildings, historical sites indicated by municipalities and counties, and national historical sites and relics. However, traditional settlements and cultural landscapes are not impacted. It might be related to the taboo space in the traditional culture of site selection (concepts of disaster avoidance). As for the regional distribution on the other hand, cultural heritages in central and northern Taiwan suffer from more shocking floods, while the heritages in northern and eastern Taiwan suffer from more serious flooding depth.

Keywords: cultural heritage, flood, preventive conservation, risk management

Procedia PDF Downloads 338
3243 Arterial Compliance Measurement Using Split Cylinder Sensor/Actuator

Authors: Swati Swati, Yuhang Chen, Robert Reuben

Abstract:

Coronary stents are devices resembling the shape of a tube which are placed in coronary arteries, to keep the arteries open in the treatment of coronary arterial diseases. Coronary stents are routinely deployed to clear atheromatous plaque. The stent essentially applies an internal pressure to the artery because its structure is cylindrically symmetrical and this may introduce some abnormalities in final arterial shape. The goal of the project is to develop segmented circumferential arterial compliance measuring devices which can be deployed (eventually) in vivo. The segmentation of the device will allow the mechanical asymmetry of any stenosis to be assessed. The purpose will be to assess the quality of arterial tissue for applications in tailored stents and in the assessment of aortic aneurism. Arterial distensibility measurement is of utmost importance to diagnose cardiovascular diseases and for prediction of future cardiac events or coronary artery diseases. In order to arrive at some generic outcomes, a preliminary experimental set-up has been devised to establish the measurement principles for the device at macro-scale. The measurement methodology consists of a strain gauge system monitored by LABVIEW software in a real-time fashion. This virtual instrument employs a balloon within a gelatine model contained in a split cylinder with strain gauges fixed on it. The instrument allows automated measurement of the effect of air-pressure on gelatine and measurement of strain with respect to time and pressure during inflation. Compliance simple creep model has been applied to the results for the purpose of extracting some measures of arterial compliance. The results obtained from the experiments have been used to study the effect of air pressure on strain at varying time intervals. The results clearly demonstrate that with decrease in arterial volume and increase in arterial pressure, arterial strain increases thereby decreasing the arterial compliance. The measurement system could lead to development of portable, inexpensive and small equipment and could prove to be an efficient automated compliance measurement device.

Keywords: arterial compliance, atheromatous plaque, mechanical symmetry, strain measurement

Procedia PDF Downloads 279
3242 Hepatoprotective Effect of Ethyl Acetate Fraction of Ficus carica L. Leaves against Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Toxicity in vitro and in vivo

Authors: Syeda Hira, Muhammad Gulfraz

Abstract:

Background: Liver diseases cause serious health issues. Plants contain active compounds that significantly help in the treatment of various diseases. Ficus carica is traditionally used for the treatment of liver diseases. The purpose of the present study was the isolation and identification of active components from F.carica leaves which are responsible for hepatoprotective activity. Methods: The study was designed to identify the most active hepatoprotective sub-fraction from ethyl acetate fraction of Ficus carica by in vitro study and evaluation of its in vivo hepatoprotective effect in animal models. Ethyl acetate fraction was subjected to column, and a total of eight sub-fractions were obtained. In vitro, the hepatoprotective effect of all sub-fractions was determined on HepG2 cell lines. Toxicity was induced by CCl₄ (Carbon tetrachloride), and silymarin was used as a positive control. On the basis of the results, the most active sub-fraction was subjected to LC-MS and FT-IR analysis for the identification of bioactive compounds. In vivo, the hepatoprotective effect was determined in mice. Toxicity was induced by CCl₄; at the end of the experiment, biochemical parameters such as ALT, AST, ALP, bilirubin, and total protein were estimated in serum. Histopathology of liver tissues was also done. Results: Sub-fraction FVI exhibited significant (P<0.05) hepatoprotective activity as compared to other sub-fractions, which was almost similar to the standard drug silymarin. Six known bioactive compounds were identified from this sub-fraction after LC-MS analysis. In vivo, the hepatoprotective activity of sub-fraction FVI was evaluated in CCl₄-induced toxicated mice. Administration of CCl₄ significantly increased level of ALT (Alanine transaminase), AST (Aspartate aminotransferase), ALP (Alkaline phosphatase), and bilirubin and decreased the total protein. Treatment with sub-fraction FVI significantly (p<0.05) reversed the level of these biomarkers toward normal at both doses of 25 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg. Conclusion: Our findings confirmed the hepatoprotective effect of ethyl acetate fraction of F.carica. It could be a good candidate for the development of a natural hepatoprotective drug; pre-clinical investigation on ethyl acetate fraction is recommended.

Keywords: Ficus carica, hepatoprotective, CCl₄, bioactive compounds, liver markers

Procedia PDF Downloads 62
3241 The Effects of Orally Administered Bacillus Coagulans and Inulin on Prevention and Progression of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Rats

Authors: Khadijeh Abhari, Seyed Shahram Shekarforoush, Saeid Hosseinzadeh

Abstract:

Probiotics have been considered as an approach to treat and prevent a wide range of inflammatory diseases. The spore forming probiotic strain Bacillus coagulans has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effects in both animals and humans. The prebiotic, inulin, also potentially affects the immune system as a result of the change in the composition or fermentation profile of the gastrointestinal microbiota. An in vivo trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of probiotic B. coagulans, and inulin, either separately or in combination, on down regulate immune responses and progression of rheumatoid arthritis using induced arthritis rat model. Forty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups and fed as follow: 1) control: Normal healthy rats fed by standard diet, 2) Disease control (RA): Arthritic induced (RA) rats fed by standard diet, 3) Prebiotic (PRE): RA+ 5% w/w long chain inulin, 4) Probiotic (PRO): RA+ 109 spores/day B. coagulans by orogastric gavage, 5) Synbiotic (SYN): RA+ 5% w/w long chain inulin and 109 spores/day B. coagulans and 6) Treatment control: (INDO): RA+ 3 mg/kg/day indomethacin by orogastric gavage. Feeding with mentioned diets started on day 0 and continued to the end of study. On day 14, rats were injected with complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) to induce arthritis. Arthritis activity was evaluated by biochemical parameters and paw thickness. Biochemical assay for Fibrinogen (Fn), Serum Amyloid A (SAA), TNF-α and Alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (α1AGp) was performed on day 21, 28 and 35 (1, 2 and 3 weeks post RA induction). Pretreatment with PRE, PRO and SYN diets significantly inhibit SAA and Fn production in arthritic rats (P < 0.001). A significant decrease in production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, was seen in PRE, PRO and SYN groups (P < 0.001) which was similar to the effect of the anti-inflammatory drug Indomethacin. Further, there were no significant anti-inflammatory effects observed following different treatments using α1AGp as a RA indicator. Pretreatment with all supplied diets significantly inhibited the development of paw swelling induced by CFA (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Results of this study support that oral intake of probiotic B. coagulans and inulin are able to improve biochemical and clinical parameters of induced RA in rat.

Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis, bacillus coagulans, inulin, animal model

Procedia PDF Downloads 356
3240 Understanding the Mechanisms of Salmonella Typhimurium Resistance to Cannabidiol (CDB)

Authors: Iddrisu Ibrahim, Joseph Atia Ayariga, Junhuan Xu, Daniel A. Abugri, Robertson K. Boakai, Olufemi S. Ajayi

Abstract:

The recalcitrance of pathogenic bacteria indicates that millions of people who are at risk of infection arising from chronic diseases, surgery, organ transplant, diabetes, and several other debilitating diseases present an aura of potentially untreatable illness due to resistance development. Antimicrobial resistance has successfully become a global health menace, and resistances are often acquired by bacteria through health-care-related incidence (HRI) orchestrated by multi-drug resistant (MDR) and extended drug-resistant pathogens (EDRP). To understand the mechanisms S. Typhimurium uses to resist CDB, we study the abundance of LPS modification, Ergosterols, Mysristic palmitic resistance, Oleic acid resistance of susceptible and resistant S. Typhimurium. Using qPCR, we also analyzed the expression of selected genes known for enabling resistance in S. Typhimurium. We found high abundance of LPS, Ergosterols, Mysristic palmitic resistance, Oleic acid resistance of and high expression of resistant genes in S. Typhimurium compared to the susceptible strain. LPS modification, Ergosterols, Mysristic palmitic resistance, Oleic acid and genes such as Fims, integrons, blaTEM are important indicators of resistance development of S. typhimurium.

Keywords: antimicrobials, resistance, Cannabidiol, Salmonella, blaTEM, fimA, Lipopolysaccharide, Ergosterols

Procedia PDF Downloads 85
3239 Smart Textiles Integration for Monitoring Real-time Air Pollution

Authors: Akshay Dirisala

Abstract:

Humans had developed a highly organized and efficient civilization to live in by improving the basic needs of humans like housing, transportation, and utilities. These developments have made a huge impact on major environmental factors. Air pollution is one prominent environmental factor that needs to be addressed to maintain a sustainable and healthier lifestyle. Textiles have always been at the forefront of helping humans shield from environmental conditions. With the growth in the field of electronic textiles, we now have the capability of monitoring the atmosphere in real time to understand and analyze the environment that a particular person is mostly spending their time at. Integrating textiles with the particulate matter sensors that measure air quality and pollutants that have a direct impact on human health will help to understand what type of air we are breathing. This research idea aims to develop a textile product and a process of collecting the pollutants through particulate matter sensors, which are equipped inside a smart textile product and store the data to develop a machine learning model to analyze the health conditions of the person wearing the garment and periodically notifying them not only will help to be cautious of airborne diseases but will help to regulate the diseases and could also help to take care of skin conditions.

Keywords: air pollution, e-textiles, particulate matter sensors, environment, machine learning models

Procedia PDF Downloads 114
3238 Antimicrobial Effect of Essential Oil of Plant Schinus molle on Some Bacteria Pathogens

Authors: Mehani Mouna, Ladjel segni

Abstract:

Humans use plants for thousands of years to treat various ailments, In many developing countries, Much of the population relies on traditional doctors and their collections of medicinal plants to cure them. Essential oils have many therapeutic properties. In herbal medicine, They are used for their antiseptic properties against infectious diseases of fungal origin, Against dermatophytes, Those of bacterial origin. The aim of our study is to determine the antimicrobial effect of essential oils of the plant Schinus molle on some pathogenic bacteria. It is a medicinal plant used in traditional therapy. Essential oils have many therapeutic properties. In herbal medicine, They are used for their antiseptic properties against infectious diseases of fungal origin, Against dermatophytes, Those of bacterial origin. The test adopted is based on the diffusion method on solid medium (Antibiogram), This method allows to determine the susceptibility or resistance of an organism according to the sample studied. Our study reveals that the essential oil of the plant Schinus molle has a different effect on the resistance of germs: For Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain is a moderately sensitive with an inhibition zone of 10 mm, Further Antirobactere, Escherichia coli and Proteus are strains that represent a high sensitivity, A zone of inhibition equal to 14.66 mm.

Keywords: Essential oil, microorganism, antibiogram, shinus molle

Procedia PDF Downloads 347
3237 Empirical Analysis of Forensic Accounting Practices for Tackling Persistent Fraud and Financial Irregularities in the Nigerian Public Sector

Authors: Sani AbdulRahman Bala

Abstract:

This empirical study delves into the realm of forensic accounting practices within the Nigerian Public Sector, seeking to quantitatively analyze their efficacy in addressing the persistent challenges of fraud and financial irregularities. With a focus on empirical data, this research employs a robust methodology to assess the current state of fraud in the Nigerian Public Sector and evaluate the performance of existing forensic accounting measures. Through quantitative analyses, including statistical models and data-driven insights, the study aims to identify patterns, trends, and correlations associated with fraudulent activities. The research objectives include scrutinizing documented fraud cases, examining the effectiveness of established forensic accounting practices, and proposing data-driven strategies for enhancing fraud detection and prevention. Leveraging quantitative methodologies, the study seeks to measure the impact of technological advancements on forensic accounting accuracy and efficiency. Additionally, the research explores collaborative mechanisms among government agencies, regulatory bodies, and the private sector by quantifying the effects of information sharing on fraud prevention. The empirical findings from this study are expected to provide a nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities in combating fraud within the Nigerian Public Sector. The quantitative insights derived from real-world data will contribute to the refinement of forensic accounting strategies, ensuring their effectiveness in addressing the unique complexities of financial irregularities in the public sector. The study's outcomes aim to inform policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders, fostering evidence-based decision-making and proactive measures for a more resilient and fraud-resistant financial governance system in Nigeria.

Keywords: fraud, financial irregularities, nigerian public sector, quantitative investigation

Procedia PDF Downloads 62
3236 Clinical Profile of Renal Diseases in Children in Tertiary Care Centre

Authors: Jyoti Agrawal

Abstract:

Introduction: Renal diseases in children and young adult can be difficult to diagnose early as it may present only with few symptoms, tends to have different course than adult and respond variously to different treatment. The pattern of renal disease in children is different from developing countries as compared to developed countries. Methods: This study was a hospital based prospective observational study carried from March, 2014 to February 2015 at BP Koirala institute of health sciences. Patients with renal disease, both inpatient and outpatient from birth to 14 years of age were enrolled in the study. The diagnosis of renal disease was be made on clinical and laboratory criteria. Results: Total of 120 patients were enrolled in our study which contributed to 3.74% % of total admission. The commonest feature of presentation was edema (75%), followed by fever (65%), hypertension (60%), decreased urine output (45%) and hematuria (25%). Most common diagnosis was acute glomerulonephritis (40%) followed by Nephrotic syndrome (25%) and urinary tract infection (25%). Renal biopsy was done for 10% of cases and most of them were steroid dependent nephrotic syndrome. 5% of our cases expired because of multiorgan dysfunction syndrome, sepsis and acute kidney injury. Conclusion: Renal disease contributes to a large part of hospital pediatric admission as well as mortality and morbidity to the children.

Keywords: glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome, renal disease, urinary tract infection

Procedia PDF Downloads 426