Diagnostic Prediction Using Discomfort Drawings with IBTM

In this paper, we explore the possibility to apply machine learning to make diagnostic predictions using discomfort drawings. A discomfort drawing is an intuitive way for patients to express discomfort and pain related symptoms. These drawings have proven to be an effective method to collect patient data and make diagnostic decisions in real-life practice. A dataset from real-world patient cases is collected for which medical experts provide diagnostic labels. Next, we use a factorized multimodal topic model, Inter-Battery Topic Model (IBTM), to train a system that can make diagnostic predictions given an unseen discomfort drawing. The number of output diagnostic labels is determined by using mean-shift clustering on the discomfort drawing. Experimental results show reasonable predictions of diagnostic labels given an unseen discomfort drawing. Additionally, we generate synthetic discomfort drawings with IBTM given a diagnostic label, which results in typical cases of symptoms. The positive result indicates a significant potential of machine learning to be used for parts of the pain diagnostic process and to be a decision support system for physicians and other health care personnel.Comment: Presented at 2016 Machine Learning and Healthcare Conference (MLHC 2016), Los Angeles, C

Evaluation of Haematological and Biochemical Parameters of Juvenile Oreochromis niloticus after Exposure to Water Soluble Fractions of Crude Oil

The influence of water soluble fraction of crude oil from Afiesere oil field on water qualitycomponents and its consequent effect on haematological and biochemical parameters in juveniles of Oreochromis niloticus were evaluated. After a preliminary determination of the 96 h-LC50 of crude oil by probit regression was found to be 92.38 mg/l, fish were exposed to 4 sub-lethal concentrations (30, 45, 60 and 75% of the LC50 corresponding to 28, 41, 55 and 69 mg/l respectively) of the oil and a control. After 84 days of exposure, blood was collected and used in conducting haematological and biochemical analyses. Exposure of water to crude oil caused increased levels in chloride, conductivity, salinity, magnesium, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, turbidity and Nitrate. The crude oil contaminated water resulted in a significant reduction (p<0.05) in the values of red blood cells, packed cell volume and haemoglobin. Although no definite trend in the values of computed haematological indices was observed, MCHC, however, decreased with increased concentration. Also, Glucose, ALP, ALT, AST, Urea and creatinine activities of all the affected set of fish, which have been exposed to the crude oil were significantly higher (p<0.05) in comparison to their respective control. Keywords: Crude oil, Afiesere oil field, blood, toxicity, water quality, Oreochromis niloticu

Does knowledge of pregnancy complications influence health facility delivery? Analysis of 2014 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey.

INTRODUCTION:Only thirty-seven percent (37%) of deliveries occur in health facilities in Bangladesh despite the enormous benefits of health facility delivery. We investigated women's recall of receiving counseling on pregnancy complications and how it affects health facility delivery in Bangladesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Data from the 2014 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey was used for the study. After calculating the proportion of women who were informed about pregnancy complications during their last Antenatal Care (ANC) and the number of them who delivered in health facilities, Binary Logistic Regression was utilized in investigating chances of giving birth in health facilities among women who recalled they were told about pregnancy complications and those who were not told. The models were considered significant at 95%. RESULTS:A little above half of the women who were told about pregnancy complications during ANC delivered in health facilities (53.3%) and 43.6% of those who were not told delivered in health facilities. The findings revealed that women who were told about pregnancy complications during ANC were more likely to deliver at the health facility compared to those who were not told [COR = 1.56, CI = 1.31-1.87], and this persisted after controlling for the effect of covariates [AOR = 1.44, CI = 1.21-1.71]. CONCLUSION:This study has stressed the importance of telling women about pregnancy complications during ANC by revealing that telling women about pregnancy complications during ANC is likely to result in health facility delivery. Health workers should intensify health education on pregnancy complications during ANC and motivate women to deliver in health facilities

Socio-economic and demographic predictors of unmet need for contraception among young women in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from cross-sectional surveys.

IntroductionGlobally, sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) bears the highest proportion of women with unmet need for contraception as nearly 25% of women of reproductive age in the sub-region have unmet need for contraception. Unmet need for contraception is predominant among young women. We examined the association between socio-economic and demographic factors and unmet need for contraception among young women in SSA.MethodsData for this study obtained from current Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2018 in 30 sub-Saharan African countries. The sample size consisted of young women (aged 15-24), who were either married or cohabiting and had complete cases on all the variables of interest (N = 59,864). Both bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were performed using STATA version 14.0.ResultsThe overall prevalence of unmet need for contraception among young women was 26.90% [95% CI: 23.82-29.921], ranging from 11.30% [95% CI: 5.1-17.49] in Zimbabwe to 46.7% [95% CI: 36.92-56.48] in Comoros. Results on socio-economic status and unmet need for contraception showed that young women who had primary [aOR = 1.18; CI = 1.12-1.25, p ConclusionOur study has demonstrated that unmet need for contraception is relatively high among young women in SSA and this is associated with socio-economic status. Age, marital status, parity, occupation, sex of household head, and access to mass media (newspaper) are also associated with unmet need for contraception. It is therefore, prudent that organisations such as UNICEF and UNFPA and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation who have implemented policies and programmes on contraception meant towards reducing unmet need for contraception among women take these factors into consideration when designing interventions in sub-Saharan African countries to address the problem of high unmet need for contraception among young women

Examining barriers to healthcare access and utilization of antenatal care services: evidence from demographic health surveys in sub-Saharan Africa

Background:Antenatal care utilization is one of the means for reducing the high maternal mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examined the association between barriers to healthcare access and implementation of the 2016 WHO antenatal care services model among pregnant women seeking antenatal care in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: This study considered only Demographic and Health Survey data collected in 2018 in sub-Saharan Africa. Hence, the Demographic and Health Survey data of four countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Mali, Guinea and Zambia) were used. A sample of 6761 from Nigeria, 1973 from Mali, 1690 from Guinea and 1570 from Zambia was considered. Antenatal care visits, categorized as  3 months (as per the WHO recommendations) were the outcome variables for this study. Both descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Crude odds ratios (cOR) and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and p-values < 0.05 were used for the interpretation of results. Results: With timing of antenatal care visits, getting money needed for treatment (aOR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.03–1.92) influenced early timing of antenatal care visits in Mali whereas getting permission to visit the health facility (aOR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.15–2.33) motivated women to have early timing of antenatal care visits in Guinea. We found that women who considered getting money needed for treatment as not a big problem in Nigeria were more likely to have the recommended number of antenatal care visits (aOR = 1.38, 95% CI= 1.11–1.73). On the contrary, in Guinea, Zambia and Mali, getting permission to visit health facilities, getting money for treatment, distance to the health facility and not wanting to go alone were not barriers to having ≥ 8 antenatal care visits. Conclusion: Our study has emphasized the role played by barriers to healthcare access in antenatal care utilization across sub-Saharan African countries. There is the need for governmental and non-governmental organizations to ensure that policies geared towards improving the quality of antenatal care and promoting good interaction between health care seekers and health care providers are integrated within the health system

Haematological and serum biochemical indices of growing pigs fed varying levels of beniseed (Sesamum indicum l.) hull in replacement for maize

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the nutrient content of beniseed hull (BSH) as a substitute for maize, and its effect on haematological and serum biochemical indices of growing pigs. Sixty 8-weeks old growing pigs (Landrace x Large white) were randomly allotted into five dietary treatments with three replicates of four animals per replicate in a completely randomized design. Five diets were formulated by incorporating BSH into the basal diet to replace maize at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% designated as D1 (control), D2, D3, D4 and D5, respectively and fed to growing pigs for ten weeks. Diets had no significant effect on the parameters measured, except White blood cell (WBC) and Lymphocytes. The highest WBC count (x109/L) (P &lt; 0.05) of 23.70 was obtained in pigs fed 50% BSH-based diets compared with 15.55 (0% BSH), 14.00 (25% BSH), 21.45 (75% BSH) and 15.10 (100% BSH), respectively. The lymphocyte counts of pigs fed 25% BSH (60.00%) and 75% BSH (76.50%) were statistically similar to those on other dietary treatments. The cholesterol values recorded in pigs fed with the control diet (0% BSH) (125.00 mg/dL) and 25% BSH (122.50 mg/dL) were similar but significantly (P &lt; 0.05) reduced to 119.50 mg/Dl (50% BSH), 118.00 mg/dL(75% BSH) and 104.00 mg/dL (100% BSH), respectively, as the level of BSH increases. The High-density lipoprotein, HDL value (20.95 mg/dL) of pigs fed with control diet (0% BSH) was significantly (P &lt; 0.05) lower than HDL values of pigs placed on other diets. The total protein (g/dL) 7.08 (0% BSH), 7.11 (25% BSH), 7.00 (50% BSH) were similar (P &gt; 0.05) but significantly (P &lt; 0.05) higher than 6.81 (75% BSH) and 6.66 (100% BSH). Beniseed hull poses no health challenge to the growing pigs as depicted by normal haematological and serum biochemical indices including lowest cholesterol at 100% BSH; beniseed hull could safely replace maize in pig’s diets up to 100% level

Acute-lethal toxicity (LC50) effect of Moringa oleifera (Lam.) Fresh Root Bark Extract on Oreochromis niloticus Juveniles Under Renewal Toxicity Exposure

Acute-lethal toxicity is a tool used in piscicide bio-safety assessment in fish farming prior to its proper application in sustainable aquaculture. Piscicides of plant origin are usually considered for bio-safety assessment because of their effects on non-target aquatic species in fish pond. Acute-lethal toxicity is an indication of baseline data assessment before any piscicide of plant origin could be used in sustainable aquaculture. This study assessed the acute-lethal toxicity (LC50) effect of Moringa oleifera fresh root-bark extract on fresh water fish, Oreochromis niloticus juveniles for 96-h under renewal toxicity exposure. Median Lethal Concentration (LC50) for O. niloticus juvenile was 97.61 mgl-1 and high mortality was obtained at 200 mgl-1 where fish showed abnormal behaviour such as erratic swimming, mucus secretion, loss of scales, haemorrhages, and stiff fin rays prior to death. Fresh root-bark extract of M. oleifera could serve as pond management tool in aquaculture to assess bio-safety level of targeted and non-targeted aquatic organisms in pond.Keywords: Moringa oleifera, Acute Toxicity, Freshwater fish, Piscicide

Noncompliance with the WHO's Recommended Eight Antenatal Care Visits among Pregnant Women in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Multilevel Analysis.

Background: In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced a minimum of eight antenatal care (ANC) visits for positive pregnancy outcomes. This study examined the prevalence of noncompliance with 8+ ANCvisits and its associated factors in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Methods: We used data from the Demographic and Health Surveys of eight countries in SSA. A pooled sample of 63,266 pregnant women aged 15-49 years who had given birth to children within 5 years prior to the surveys was included in this study. To examine the factors associated with noncompliance with ANC 8+ visits, multilevel binary logistic regression analysis was conducted, and the results were reported using odds radios at 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: The pooled prevalence of noncompliance with ANC 8+ visits was 92.3% (95% CI: 91.1%-93.3%) with the highest and lowest prevalence in Zambia (98.7%, 95% CI: 98.3%-99.1%) and Libya (73.4%, 95% CI: 70.4%-76.2%), respectively. With the individual level factors, women's age (44-49 years-aOR = 0.33, 9% CI: 0.14-0.78), health insurance registration, (yes-aOR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.29-0.98), and economic status (richest-aOR = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.05-0.49) were negatively associated with noncompliance with 8+ ANC visits, while parity (five or more children-aOR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.12-2.52) was positively associated with noncompliance with 8+ ANC visit. With the community level factors, community level literacy was negatively associated with noncompliance with 8+ ANC visit (high-aOR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.32-0.99). Conclusion: About eight out of ten pregnant women did not comply with the WHO's recommended minimum of eight ANC visits for positive pregnancy outcomes in SSA. Empowering the economic status of women , enhancing health insurance and education coverage, and giving more attention to young pregnant women and those with more children are crucial for improving the coverage of ANC 8+ visits in the region

Determinants of early initiation of breastfeeding in Ghana: a population-based cross-sectional study using the 2014 Demographic and Health Survey data.

BACKGROUND:The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that breastfeeding should be initiated within the first hour of delivery followed by exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months. This study examined the determinants of early initiation of breastfeeding in Ghana using data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. METHODS:A sample size of 4219 was used for the study. Descriptive statistics was conducted to ascertain the proportion of children who had early initiation of breastfeeding after which binary logistic regression analysis was carried out. Results were presented using frequencies, percentages, unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios. Statistical significance was pegged at p<0.05. RESULTS:Children of first birth order [AOR = 0.71, CI = 0.61-0.84], those who were delivered by non-professionals [AOR = 0.51, CI = 0.30-0.88] and those whose mothers were Traditionalists [AOR = 0.65, CI = 0.46-0.92] and Mole-Dagbanis [AOR = 0.69, CI = 0.54-0.89] were less likely to go through early initiation of breastfeeding compared to those of 2-4 birth order, those who were delivered by health professionals, those whose mothers were Christians and Akan, respectively. Conversely, children born to mothers who read newspaper/magazine at least once a week were more likely to go through early initiation of breastfeeding, compared to those who never read newspaper/magazine [AOR = 1.40, CI = 1.01-1.95]. Children born to mothers who watched television less than once a week were more likely to go through early initiation of breastfeeding compared to those who watched television at least once a week [AOR = 1.40, CI = 1.01-1.95]. Finally, women from the Northern [AOR = 2.40, CI = [1.77-3.26] and Upper East regions [AOR = 2.57, CI = [1.86-3.56] practiced early initiation of breastfeeding compared to those from the Ashanti region. CONCLUSIONS:Empowering healthcare providers to be consistent in early breastfeeding initiation advocacy and effective community engagement on the need to embrace and practice early initiation of breastfeeding can improve the situation

Effects of antenatal care visits and health facility delivery on women's choice to circumcise their daughters in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from demographic and health surveys.

BACKGROUND: This study examines the association between maternal healthcare service utilisation and circumcision of daughters in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). METHODS: This study is based on a cross-sectional study design that draws on analysis of pooled data from current demographic and health surveys conducted between 2010 and 2019 in 12 countries in SSA. Both bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression models were employed. RESULTS: Mothers who had four or more antenatal care visits were less likely to circumcise their daughters compared with those who had zero to three visits. Mothers who delivered at a health facility were less likely to circumcise their daughters than those who delivered at home. With the covariates, circumcision of daughters increased with increasing maternal age but decreased with increasing wealth quintile and level of education. Girls born to married women and women who had been circumcised were more likely to be circumcised. CONCLUSIONS: This study established an association between maternal healthcare service utilisation and circumcision of girls from birth to age 14 y in SSA. The findings highlight the need to strengthen policies that promote maternal healthcare service utilisation (antenatal care and health facility delivery) by integrating female genital mutilation (FGM) information and education in countries studied