A limited speech recognition system 2 Final report

Limited speech recognition system for computer voice lin

Assessing the Policy Landscape for Salt Reduction in South-East Asian and Latin American Countries – An Initiative Towards Developing an Easily Accessible, Integrated, Searchable Online Repository

BACKGROUND: High dietary salt intake is an avoidable cause of hypertension and associated cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Thus, salt reduction is recommended as one of the most cost-effective interventions for CVD prevention and for achieving the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 25% reduction in premature non-communicable disease (NCD) mortality by 2025. However, current and comprehensive information about national salt reduction policies and related actions across different regions are difficult to access and impede progress and monitoring. OBJECTIVES: As an initial step to developing an online repository of salt reduction policies and related actions, and to track nation-wise progress towards the WHO’s 25 by 25 goal, we aimed to identify and assess salt reduction policies and actions in select countries from two of the top five most populous regions of the world- the South-East Asia and Latin America. METHODS: We conducted a literature review to identify national and regional salt reduction policies in the selected South-East Asian and Latin American countries, from January 1990–August 2020, available in English and Spanish. We also contacted selected WHO country offices (South-East Asian region) or relevant national authorities (Latin America) to gain access to unpublished documents. RESULTS: In both regions, we found only a few dedicated stand-alone salt reduction policies: Bhutan, Sri-Lanka and Thailand from South East Asia and Costa Rica from Latin America. Available polices were either embedded in other national health/nutritional policy documents/overall NCD policies or were unpublished and had to be accessed via personal communication. CONCLUSIONS: Salt reduction policies are limited and often embedded with other policies which may impede their implementation and utility for tracking national and international progress towards the global salt reduction target associated with the 25 by 25 goal. Developing an online repository could help countries address this gap and assist researchers/policymakers to monitor national progress towards achieving the salt reduction target

Increasing cardiovascular medication adherence:A Medical Research Council complex mHealth intervention mixed-methods feasibility study to inform global practice

AimsTo evaluate a mHealth intervention to increase medication adherence among Iranian coronary heart disease patients.DesignQuantitative-dominant mixed-methods study.Data SourceIranian coronary heart disease patients’ responses and most recent clinical documents as well as responses from Iranian cardiac nurses who participated in this study.MethodsThe study was conducted between September 2015–April 2016 drawing on the Medical Research Council's Framework. Phase one comprised of a patients’ survey and focus groups with cardiac nurses. The automated short message service reminder was piloted in phase two. We recruited 78 patients and randomized to receive either 12-week daily reminders or usual care. The primary outcome was the effect on medication adherence; secondary outcomes were self-efficacy, ejection fraction, functional capacity, readmission rate and quality of life.ResultsFeasibility was evidenced by high ownership of mobile phones and high interest in receiving reminders. Participants in the intervention group showed significantly higher medication adherence compared with the control group.ConclusionThe mHealth intervention was well accepted and feasible with early evidence of effectiveness that needs to be confirmed in a fully powered future randomized clinical trial

Text2PreventCVD: protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis of text message-based interventions for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases

Introduction: Text message interventions have been shown to be effective in prevention and management of several non-communicable disease risk factors. However, the extent to which their effects might vary in different participants and settings is uncertain. We aim to conduct a systematic review and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials examining text message interventions aimed to prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVD) through modification of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs). Methods and analysis: Systematic review and IPD meta-analysis will be conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis of IPD (PRISMA-IPD) guidelines. Electronic database of published studies (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Cochrane Library) and international trial registries will be searched to identify relevant randomised clinical trials. Authors of studies meeting the inclusion criteria will be invited to join the IPD meta-analysis group and contribute study data to the common database. The primary outcome will be the difference between intervention and control groups in blood pressure at 6-month follow-up. Key secondary outcomes include effects on lipid parameters, body mass index, smoking levels and self-reported quality of life. If sufficient data is available, we will also analyse blood pressure and other secondary outcomes at 12 months. IPD meta-analysis will be performed using a one-step approach and modelling data simultaneously while accounting for the clustering of the participants within studies. This study will use the existing data to assess the effectiveness of text message-based interventions on CVRFs, the consistency of any effects by participant subgroups and across different healthcare settings. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval was obtained for the individual studies by the trial investigators from relevant local ethics committees. This study will include anonymised data for secondary analysis and investigators will be asked to check that this is consistent with their existing approvals. Results will be disseminated via scientific forums including peer-reviewed publications and presentations at international conferences

Artificial Intelligence

Contains research objectives and reports on five research projects.Computation Center, M.I.T

Process evaluation of a brief messaging intervention to improve diabetes treatment adherence in sub-Saharan Africa

Background The SMS text Adherence suppoRt for people with type 2 diabetes (StAR2D) intervention is a pragmatic randomised controlled trial, testing the effectiveness of brief text messaging for improving clinical outcomes and medication adherence. The intervention did not impact glycaemic control. We conducted a pre-and post-trial process evaluation alongside the StAR2D study in Malawi and South Africa, exploring the experiences and perceptions of patient participants, to better understand potential underlying reasons for the trial outcomes. Methods We employed a qualitative research design, including conducting semi structured in-depth interviews and focus groups at both trial sites. Purposive sampling was used to ensure representation of a wide range of patients with type 2 diabetes with regards to age, gender, ethnicity, language, and duration of diabetes. We interviewed the same participants at baseline and at the end of the trial. We used within-case and across-case thematic analysis to identify key themes. Results Brief messages delivered by text were acceptable and useful for addressing informational and support needs for participants. Some participants reported behaviour changes because of the text reminders and advice on a healthy lifestyle. Both participating in the trial and the messages were experienced as a source of support, caring, and motivation. Participants’ ability to act on the messages was limited. A common theme was frustration over the lack of ability to effectively control one’s blood glucose level. They reported a range of routinised, partial diabetes care adherence behaviours, shaped by complex and interacting individual, social, and health service factors. Participant responses and intervention impact were similar across sites, despite differences in health services. Conclusion This process evaluation provided context and insight into the factors influencing participants’ engagement with the text messaging intervention. The complex context in which patients take their diabetes medication, may explain in part, why brief text messaging may have been insufficient to bring about changes in health outcomes. The scale of need for self-management and health service support, suggests that health system strengthening, and other forms of self-management support should accompany digital communication interventions. (Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN70768808 , registered 03/08/2015.

Highly Sensitive Determination of Hydrogen Peroxide and Glucose by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy

BACKGROUND: Because H(2)O(2) is generated by various oxidase-catalyzed reactions, a highly sensitive determination method of H(2)O(2) is applicable to measurements of low levels of various oxidases and their substrates such as glucose, lactate, glutamate, urate, xanthine, choline, cholesterol and NADPH. We propose herein a new, highly sensitive method for the measurement of H(2)O(2) and glucose using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: FCS has the advantage of allowing us to determine the number of fluorescent molecules. FCS measures the fluctuations in fluorescence intensity caused by fluorescent probe movement in a small light cavity with a defined volume generated by confocal illumination. We thus developed a highly sensitive determination system of H(2)O(2) by FCS, where horseradish peroxidase (HRP) catalyzes the formation of a covalent bond between fluorescent molecules and proteins in the presence of H(2)O(2). Our developed system gave a linear calibration curve for H(2)O(2) in the range of 28 to 300 nM with the detection limit of 8 nM. In addition, by coupling with glucose oxidase (GOD)-catalyzed reaction, the method allows to measure glucose in the range of 80 nM to 1.5 µM with detection limit of 24 nM. The method was applicable to the assay of glucose in blood plasma. The mean concentration of glucose in normal human blood plasma was determined to be 4.9 mM. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: In comparison with commercial available methods, the detection limit and the minimum value of determination for glucose are at least 2 orders of magnitude more sensitive in our system. Such a highly sensitive method leads the fact that only a very small amount of plasma (20 nL) is needed for the determination of glucose concentration in blood plasma

Anaemia in schoolchildren in eight countries in Africa and Asia

Objective: To report on the haemoglobin concentrations and prevalence of anaemia in schoolchildren in eight countries in Africa and Asia. Design: Blood samples were collected during surveys of the health of schoolchildren as a part of programmes to develop school-based health services. Setting: Rural schools in Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Tanzania and Vietnam. Subjects: Nearly 14 000 children enrolled in basic education in three age ranges (7-11 years, 12-14 years and >/= 15 years) which reflect the new UNICEF/WHO thresholds to define anaemia. Results: Anaemia was found to be a severe public health problem (defined as >40% anaemic) in five African countries for children aged 7-11 years and in four of the same countries for children aged 12-14 years. Anaemia was not a public health problem in the children studied in the two Asian countries. More boys than girls were anaemic, and children who enrolled late in school were more likely to be anaemic than children who enrolled closer to the correct age. The implications of the four new thresholds defining anaemia for school-age children are examined. Conclusions: Anaemia is a significant problem in schoolchildren in sub-Saharan Africa. School-based health services which provide treatments for simple conditions that cause blood loss, such as worms, followed by multiple micronutrient supplements including iron, have the potential to provide relief from a large burden of anaemia

Kaiso (ZBTB33) subcellular partitioning functionally links LC3A/B, the tumor microenvironment, and breast cancer survival

The use of digital pathology for the histomorphologic profiling of pathological specimens is expanding the precision and specificity of quantitative tissue analysis at an unprecedented scale; thus, enabling the discovery of new and functionally relevant histological features of both predictive and prognostic significance. In this study, we apply quantitative automated image processing and computational methods to profile the subcellular distribution of the multi-functional transcriptional regulator, Kaiso (ZBTB33), in the tumors of a large racially diverse breast cancer cohort from a designated health disparities region in the United States. Multiplex multivariate analysis of the association of Kaiso’s subcellular distribution with other breast cancer biomarkers reveals novel functional and predictive linkages between Kaiso and the autophagy-related proteins, LC3A/B, that are associated with features of the tumor immune microenvironment, survival, and race. These findings identify effective modalities of Kaiso biomarker assessment and uncover unanticipated insights into Kaiso’s role in breast cancer progression.Fil: Singhal, Sandeep K.. North Dakota State University; Estados UnidosFil: Byun, Jung S.. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Park, Samson. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Yan, Tingfen. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Yancey, Ryan. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Caban, Ambar. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Hernandez, Sara Gil. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Hewitt, Stephen M.. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. National Institute of Health. National Cancer Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Boisvert, Heike. Ultivue, Inc; Reino UnidoFil: Hennek, Stephanie. Ultivue Inc.; Reino UnidoFil: Bobrow, Mark. Ultivue Inc.; Reino UnidoFil: Ahmed, Md Shakir Uddin. Tuskegee University; Estados UnidosFil: White, Jason. Tuskegee University; Estados UnidosFil: Yates, Clayton. Tuskegee University; Estados UnidosFil: Aukerman, Andrew. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Vanguri, Rami. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Bareja, Rohan. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Lenci, Romina. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Farré, Paula Lucía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: de Siervi, Adriana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Nápoles, Anna María. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Vohra, Nasreen. East Carolina University; Estados UnidosFil: Gardner, Kevin. Columbia University; Estados Unido