Elderly Fall Detection by Sensitive Features Based on Image Processing and Machine Learning

The world’s elderly population is growing every year. It is easy to say that the fall is one of the major dangers that threaten them. This paper offers a Trained Model for fall detection to help the older people live comfortably and alone at home. The purpose of this paper is to investigate appropriate methods for diagnosing falls by analyzing the motion and shape characteristics of the human body. Several machine learning technologies have been proposed for automatic fall detection. The proposed research reported in this paper detects a moving object by using a background subtraction algorithm with a single camera. The next step is to extract the features that are very important and generally describe the human shape and show the difference between the human falls from the daily activities. These features are based on motion, changes in human shape, and oval diameters around the human and temporal head position. The features extracted from the human mask are eventually fed in to various machine learning classifiers for fall detection. Experimental results showed the efficiency and reliability of the proposed method with a fall detection rate of 81% that have been tested with UR Fall Detection dataset

Epidemiology and outcomes of candidemia in 2019 patients: data from the prospective antifungal therapy alliance registry.

BACKGROUND: Candidemia remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the health care setting, and the epidemiology of Candida infection is changing. METHODS: Clinical data from patients with candidemia were extracted from the Prospective Antifungal Therapy (PATH) Alliance database, a comprehensive registry that collects information regarding invasive fungal infections. A total of 2019 patients, enrolled from 1 July 2004 through 5 March 2008, were identified. Data regarding the candidemia episode were analyzed, including the specific fungal species and patient survival at 12 weeks after diagnosis. RESULTS: The incidence of candidemia caused by non-Candida albicans Candida species (54.4%) was higher than the incidence of candidemia caused by C. albicans (45.6%). The overall, crude 12-week mortality rate was 35.2%. Patients with Candida parapsilosis candidemia had the lowest mortality rate (23.7%; P CONCLUSIONS: The epidemiology and choice of therapy for candidemia are rapidly changing. Additional study is warranted to differentiate host factors and differences in virulence among Candida species and to determine the best therapeutic regimen

Component Analysis of the Illegal Handmade Pills and Capsules for Self-Medicating Substance Dependence in Tehran, Iran

Background: To self-medicate substance dependence, many substance users consume herbal medicines delivered in herbal medicine shops which are prepared through non-standard methods using a variety of different materials. Hence, the present study was carried out aiming to investigate and analyze the content of such herbal medicines.Methods: Four herbal medicine shops were selected from each of the 22 zones of Tehran City, Iran, and a total of 95 samples were purchased. A package containing 6 types of medication that was advertised by a satellite TV channel, was also purchased. Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method, the samples were analyzed in the laboratory to detect different types of materials.Findings: Among the samples, 23 and 72 samples were uncovered compressed pills (Dragon pills) and capsules filled with colored powders (handmade drug-quitting capsules), respectively. The package advertised in the satellite TV was prepared in 6 various forms. The most common substances present in all the samples were as follows: diphenoxylate, tramadol, opioids, acetaminophen, and codeine with values of 90%, 86%, 78%, 69%, and 68%, respectively. On average, 5 of the above mentioned substances were present in each sample; moreover, 63% of the samples contained 5 or more substances. In addition, 42 (41%) of the samples contained all the 5 main substances including opioids, codeine, tramadol, diphenoxylate, and acetaminophen.Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that handmade capsules and pills used for quitting addiction and also medicines advertised in the satellite TV channels contain different amounts of opioids, amphetamine, benzodiazepines, tramadol, codeine, and other substances that cause problems for substance users who are going to abandon substance abuse

Optimal Timing of Administration of Direct-Acting Antivirals for Patients with Hepatitis C-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma Undergoing Liver Transplantation

Objective: To investigate the optimal timing of direct acting antiviral (DAA) administration in patients with hepatitis C-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing liver transplantation (LT). Summary of Background Data: In patients with hepatitis C (HCV) associated HCC undergoing LT, the optimal timing of direct-acting antivirals (DAA) administration to achieve sustained virologic response (SVR) and improved oncologic outcomes remains a topic of much debate. Methods: The United States HCC LT Consortium (2015–2019) was reviewed for patients with primary HCV-associated HCC who underwent LT and received DAA therapy at 20 institutions. Primary outcomes were SVR and HCC recurrence-free survival (RFS). Results: Of 857 patients, 725 were within Milan criteria. SVR was associated with improved 5-year RFS (92% vs 77%, P < 0.01). Patients who received DAAs pre-LT, 0–3 months post-LT, and ≥3 months post-LT had SVR rates of 91%, 92%, and 82%, and 5-year RFS of 93%, 94%, and 87%, respectively. Among 427 HCV treatment-naïve patients (no previous interferon therapy), patients who achieved SVR with DAAs had improved 5-year RFS (93% vs 76%, P < 0.01). Patients who received DAAs pre-LT, 0–3 months post-LT, and ≥3 months post-LT had SVR rates of 91%, 93%, and 78% (P < 0.01) and 5-year RFS of 93%, 100%, and 83% (P = 0.01). Conclusions: The optimal timing of DAA therapy appears to be 0 to 3 months after LT for HCV-associated HCC, given increased rates of SVR and improved RFS. Delayed administration after transplant should be avoided. A prospective randomized controlled trial is warranted to validate these results

The role of the pharmacist in the management of kidney transplant recipients

Pharmacists may play a key role on the multidisciplinary transplant team. This article describes the development and current status of pharmacists in the management of transplant recipients in the United States. Traditionally, pharmacists played an important support role in transplant medicine. This role has been expanded to include direct patient care for the avoidance, detection, and/or treatment of side effects from the polypharmacy necessary in the management of these complex patients. Pharmacists provide pre- and post-transplant education to transplant recipients to enhance adherence to complicated medical regimens and thereby reduce readmission to hospital and unscheduled, costly visits to urgent care centers and/or hospital emergency departments

Qudit quantum state tomography

In this study, we present a new procedure for quantum state reconstruction of qudit quantum state based on unambiguous state discrimination (USD) measurement. In our recent paper (Karimi et al., 2022), we considered the reconstruction of a single-qubit state via USD measurement. In this paper, we extend this method to the reconstruction of the qudit quantum state

A Corresponding Author Brine Shrimp Lethality Activity of land and fresh water Medicinal Plants

ABSTRACT Brine shrimp larvae have been used as a bioassay for a variety of toxic substances. The method has also been applied to plant extracts in order to facilitate the isolation of biologically active compounds. In this study several species of medicinal plants and aquatic plant were collected and aqueous extracts of these plants were screened for their cytotoxicity. Out of the 6 plants tested, Nymphaea alba exhibited potent brine shrimp lethality with LC 50 180 mg/ml. Rumex acetosa, Allium rotundom, Sedum rubotictum have also showed significant cytotoxicity with LC 50 o f 600, 680, 570 mg/ml respectively. The present study supports that brine shrimp bioassay is reliable method for assessment of bioactivity of freshwater plants for their use in medicine

Equine Anti-Thymocyte Globulin (ATGAM) administration in patient with previous rabbit Anti-Thymocyte Globulin (Thymoglobulin) induced serum sickness: A case report

Thymoglobulin is a rabbit-derived anti-thymocyte antibody directed at T-cells and commonly used for induction immunosuppression therapy in solid organ transplantation, especially in immunologically high risk kidney transplant recipients. Despite its frequent use and efficacy, the heterologous makeup of thymoglobulin can induce the immune system resulting in serum sickness which typically presents with rash, fever, fatigue, and poly-arthralgia in the weeks following drug exposure. ATGAM is another anti-thymocyte antibody, targeting the same epitopes, but differs from thymoglobulin by the animal in which the preparations are generated (equine vs. rabbit). Herein, we present a case of a patient with a known history of thymoglobulin-induced serum sickness, who presented with evidence of acute cellular and vascular rejection at their 12-month post-operative visit. Given their immunologically high risk status, they were successfully treated with ATGAM with improvement in their rejection and kidney function. To the author&rsquo;s knowledge, this is the first case report of successful administration of ATGAM in a patient with a documented history of thymoglobulin induced serum sickness, demonstrating a possible treatment option for acute rejection in patients with reactions to thymoglobulin.&nbsp

Application of Various Methods of Lumbar Kinesio Taping on Pain and Disability in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: Narrative Review

Context: Kinesio taping (KT) is recently used as a therapeutic tool for the treatment of chronic low back pain (CLBP). However, the effectiveness of different types of lumbar KT is still unclear when not combing with other therapeutic methods. This review aimed to summarize the results of studies investigating the effect of various methods of lumbar KT alone on pain and functional disability in patients with CLBP. Evidence Acquisition: A search was performed on the electronic databases PubMed, ProQuest, Science Direct, Thomson, OVID, Google Scholar, Scopus, MEDLINE, and PEDro, from 1990 to January 31, 2020, using the following keywords: Kinesiology Taping, Kinesio Taping, chronic low back pain. In total, seven studies met the inclusion criteria using three different methods of KT and corresponded to the aim of this review. Results: The methods consisted of I shape, Y shape, and star shape of KT. The studies suggested that all three KT methods can reduce pain and disability in CLBP patients. Based on the included studies, it seems that KT might reduce pain and disability. Conclusions: Three methods of lumbar KT, including I shape, Y shape, and star shape, may reduce pain and disability in patients with CLBP, possibly by improving pain, circulation, muscle tone, and proprioception. However, owing to limited studies, they cannot be compared, and the best method is unclear, which should be investigated by future high-quality studies