Joint venture healthcare system as common practice in developing countries : game changing on assessing health services

To explore the essence of game changing on applying joint venture (JV) approach for healthcare system improvement in developing countries. This is cross-sectional study exploring the factors influencing the successful implementation of JV for the healthcare services in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The study included: Qatar Statistical Authority, CIA fact book, Ministry of Health Annual Report, Hamad Medical Corporation Annual Report, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development information, and Qatar's healthcare system history. The research indicated that the LMIC healthcare system would benefit from affiliation with leading technology partner for healthcare reform. The findings support the view of LMIC healthcare systems' needs to incorporate joint venture approach in implementing JV concept for process improvement and knowledge transfer to contribute in country economic growth, development, and stability. Current study explored evidence supporting decision maker and management control of JV trends in different ways in comparison with developed countries. JV can also help the organization to share the risk and cost of large capital investment. The present study supports observations on expending the use of JVs as approach for improvement in LMIC healthcare system. The current study confirmed the advantages of JV which include helping businesses grow faster, increasing productivity, and generating greater profits, both parties sharing the risks and costs, accessing new markets and distribution networks. [Abstract copyright: Copyright: © 2020 International Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Degeneration of the intervertebral disc with new approaches for treating low back pain.

This review paper discusses the process of disc degeneration and the current understanding of cellular degradation in patients who present with low back pain. The role of surgical treatment for low back pain is analysed with emphasis on the proven value of spinal fusion. The interesting and novel developments of stem cell research in the treatment of low back pain are presented with special emphasis on the importance of the cartilaginous end plate and the role of IL-1 in future treatment modalities

Asthma diagnosis and treatment - 1012. The efficacy of budesonide in the treatmetn of acute asthma in children: a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial.

Background Current evidence suggests that inhaled glucocorticoids (IGC) have a more profound topical none genomic effect on bronchial airways as compared to systemic glucocorticoids. The value of adding IGC to current therapy of acute asthma is not well established. Methods We conducted a double-blind, randomized, two-arm, parallel groups, controlled clinical trial to compare the addition of budesonide 1500 mcg or placebo (normal saline) to standard acute asthma treatment (albuterol and ipratropium bromide) administered in 3 divided mixed doses within 1 hour in the emergency department (ED). Children 2-12 years of age with moderate or severe acute asthma, scoring 8-15/15 on a well-validated scoring system were included. Both groups received a single dose of prednisone 2 mg/kg/day (max. 60 mg) at the beginning of therapy. The primary outcome was admission rate within 2-4 hours from starting therapy. Results A total of 723 children were enrolled in the study over 17 months duration, of whom 139 were allowed to re-enroll and be randomized to constitute 906 randomization assignments (458 on the treatment group and 448 on the control group); with baseline mean + SD asthma score of 10.63 + 1.73; age 5.52 + 2.76 years; 35% girls; 30.8% (16.5%) with baseline severe asthma score of ≥12 (≥ 13). Statistical Analysis plan allowed for the potential dependency in response due to reenrollments of a subset of children, using Generalized Linear Mixed Modeling (GLMM) techniques. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were not significantly different between the two randomized groups. Seventy-five out of 458 (16.4%) of the treatment group vs. 82/448 (18.3%) of the control group were admitted, (OR 0.85, CI: 0.59-1.23, p-value=0.39). Among the severe asthmatics with baseline score ≥13, treatment vs. placebo group, GLMM adjusted admission rate was 30% vs. 47%, indicating a 17% difference in admission rate in favor of the treatment group (adjusted OR of 0.49, CI: 0.25-0.95; p-value= 0.035) that indicated a 51% reduction in the risk of admission for the treatment vs. control group. Conclusions Children with baseline severe asthma score ≥13 who were treated with budesonide had a significant reduction in their admission rate

Malaysia attempts in reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emission and sequestration in bio-concrete system; a future direction

In Malaysia, upbringing the production of mussel is one of the most second important aquaculture The greenhouse gasses increase in this century especially carbon dioxide (CO2) compare to the previous centuries due to the increase of anthropogenic activities in all countries around the world [1][2][3]. The high concentration CO2 in the atmospheric cause a catastrophic environmental issues such as; global warming, change in rainfall, rise of sea level and climatic changes.

The legal characterization of the accrual of assets and liabilities from a public enterprise to a shareholding company in light of privatization laws in Kuwait: Comment on the current and recommended theory

حدد القانون رقم 6 لسنة 2008 في شأن تحويل مؤسسة الخطوط الجوية الكويتية إلى شركة مساهمة والقانون رقم 37 لسنة 2010 في شأن تنظيم برامج وعمليات التخصيص، إجراءات تخصيص المشروعات العامة على نحو أيلولة أصول وخصوم المشروع العام إلى شركة المساهمة وتحل هذه الشركة محل المشروع العام في تنفيذ أغراضه وفيما له من حقوق وما عليه من التزامات، ويدور محور هذا التعليق في التكييف القانوني لهذه الأيلولة، ومن ثم تحديد النتائج التي تترتب على ذلك، من أجل تحديد النظرية المقترحة التي من شأنها تفادي النتائج السلبية التي نتجت عن التكييف القانوني الذي أرساه المشرعThe law No. 6 of 2008 regarding transferring Kuwait Airways to a public company and the law No. 37 of 2010 regarding the regulation of programs and operations of privatization, have defined the procedures for privatizing public enterprises, i.e., the accrual of assets and liabilities from a public enterprise to a shareholding company so that the latter replaces the public enterprise with regard to fulfilling its objectives, rights and commitments. The objective of this work is to study the legal characterization for the accrual of assets and liabilities and to evaluate the results that have emanated from such characterization in order to determine the proposed theory that avoids any negative consequences

Damage and repair identification in reinforced concrete beams modelled with various damage scenarios using vibration data

This research aims at developing a novel vibration-based damage identification technique that can efficiently be applied to real-time large data for detection, classification, localisation and quantification of the potential structural damage

Honey, milk and antibiotics

The indiscriminate use of antibiotics has made many microorganisms develop resistance to them. This has created immense clinical problems in the treatment of infectious diseases. Therefore, there is a need to develop alternative antimicrobial agents for the treatment of infectious diseases. Non-antibiotic approaches to the treatment and prevention of infection includes the application of honey and milk. Milk naturally contains an array of bioactivities due to lysozyme, lactoferrin, immunoglobulins, growth factors, and hormones, which are secreted in their active form by the mammary gland. The combination of milk and honey may prove to be important source of nutrition and for protection against microbial infection. In this review article we discuss the importance of honey, milk and their combination in providing protection from infection

Type-2 fuzzy system based blood pressure parameters estimation

Blood pressure parameters; Systolic, Diastolic and Mean Blood Pressure, have high correlation relationship with heart rate, but this relationship is nonlinear, multimode, and ambiguity. Type-2 Fuzzy is an intelligent technique and it has high capability to deal with the problem with high uncertainty that blood pressure parameters with heart rate relationship can be classify under them. This paper presents an Interval Type-2 Fuzzy System to estimate Systolic, Diastolic and Mean blood pressure; based on the relationship between systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressures and heart rate. The Interval Type-2 Fuzzy System is used to estimate systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressures values of thirty cases. The results are compared with real reading of systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure and very encouraging results are achieved; the absolute value of mean of difference between real systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressures and estimated systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressures are less than 5 mmIIg. © 2008 IEEE

Report of Bufo tihamicus karyotype from Saudi Arabia

This study gives a description of the Karyotype of the Tihama toad Bufo tihamicus from Saudi Arabia. Samples of males and females of Bufo tihamicus Parker were collected from Gazan Province of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The karyotype consists of a diploid number 2n = 22 and the fundamental number NF = 44 in both of the sexes. No heteromorphism in relation to sex chromosome pair was found.Keywords: Amphibian, karyotype, chromosome, Bufo tihamicusAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(16), pp. 2120-212

Public health risks from illegally imported African bushmeat and smoked fish

Large-scale importation of bushmeat from West and Central Africa into Europe was reported in 2010. We sampled 18 illegal African bushmeat consignments seized at Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris, France and tested for the presence of bacteria. Additionally, five smuggled smoked fish were analysed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known carcinogens. All bushmeat samples had viable counts of aerobic bacteria above levels considered safe for human consumption. We also identified zoonotic bacterial pathogens in bushmeat and unsafe levels of carcinogens in fish. The illegal importation of meat is a potential risk for the introduction of pathogens