Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia among adults in Dande municipality, Angola

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia in an Angolan population aged 15 to 64 years and to determine relationships with sociodemographic, behavioural and anthropometric characteristics. Methods: A total of 2 354 individuals were assessed for behavioural, sociodemographic and physical characteristics in a cross-sectional, community-based survey. Post-stratification survey weights were applied to obtain prevalence levels. Adjusted odds ratios for each variable related to the conditions were calculated using logistic regression models. Results: Overall, the prevalence of hypertension was 18.0%, diabetes 9.2% and hypercholesterolaemia 4.0%. Among hypertensive individuals, the awareness rate was 48.5%; 15.8% were on treatment and 9.1% had their blood pressure controlled. Only 10.8% were aware they had diabetes, 4.5% were on treatment and 2.7% were controlled. The awareness level for hypercholesterolaemia was 4.2%, with 1.4% individuals on treatment and 1.4% controlled. Conclusion: The prevalence levels of hypertension and diabetes, which were higher than previous findings for the region, together with the observed low rates of awareness, treatment and control of all conditions studied, constitute an additional challenge to the regional health structures, which must rapidly adapt to the epidemiological shift occurring in this population.This study was funded by the promoters of the CISA as follows: Camões, Institute of Cooperation and Language, Portugal; Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Portugal; Government of Bengo Province, Angola; and the Angolan Ministry of Health. Also, the Eduardo dos Santos Foundation, Angola and the Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto, Portugal (ref UID/DTP/04750/2013) funded this study. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Emphysematous cholecystitis

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Yellow fever virus envelope protein expressed in insect cells is capable of syncytium formation in lepidopteran cells and could be used for immunodetection of YFV in human sera

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Yellow fever is an haemorrhagic disease caused by a virus that belongs to the genus Flavivirus (Flaviviridae family) and is transmitted by mosquitoes. Among the viral proteins, the envelope protein (E) is the most studied one, due to its high antigenic potencial. Baculovirus are one of the most popular and efficient eukaryotic expression system. In this study a recombinant baculovirus (vSynYFE) containing the envelope gene (<it>env</it>) of the 17D vaccine strain of yellow fever virus was constructed and the recombinant protein antigenicity was tested.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Insect cells infected with vSynYFE showed syncytium formation, which is a cytopathic effect characteristic of flavivirus infection and expressed a polypeptide of around 54 kDa, which corresponds to the expected size of the recombinant E protein. Furthermore, the recombinant E protein expression was also confirmed by fluorescence microscopy of vSynYFE-infected insect cells. Total vSynYFE-infected insect extracts used as antigens detected the presence of antibodies for yellow fever virus in human sera derived from yellow fever-infected patients in an immunoassay and did not cross react with sera from dengue virus-infected patients.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The E protein expressed by the recombinant baculovirus in insect cells is antigenically similar to the wild protein and it may be useful for different medical applications, from improved diagnosis of the disease to source of antigens for the development of a subunit vaccine.</p

Orolingual angioedema after thrombolysis is not associated with insular cortex ischemia on pre-thrombolysis CT

Orolingual angioedema (OA) is a well known early complication of treatment with alteplase in ischemic stroke patients. Our aim was to study risk factors for OA in these patients, namely insular cortex ischemia

Attributable mortality to radon exposure in Galicia, Spain. Is it necessary to act in the face of this health problem?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Radon is the second risk factor for lung cancer after tobacco consumption and therefore it is necessary to know the burden of disease due to its exposure. The objective of this study is to estimate radon-attributable lung cancer mortality in Galicia, a high emission area located at the Northwest Spain.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A prevalence-based attribution method was applied. Prevalence of tobacco use and radon exposure were obtained from a previously published study of the same area. Attributable mortality was calculated for each of six possible risk categories, based on radon exposure and smoking status. Two scenarios were used, with 37 Bq/m³and 148 Bq/m³as the respective radon exposure thresholds. As the observed mortality we used lung cancer mortality for 2001 from the Galician mortality registry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mortality exclusively attributable to radon exposure ranged from 3% to 5% for both exposure thresholds, respectively. Attributable mortality to combined exposure to radon and smoking stood at around 22% for exposures above 148 Bq/m³. Applying the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) action level, radon has a role in 25% of all lung cancers.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although the estimates have been derived from a study with a relatively limited sample size, these results highlight the importance of radon exposure as a cause of lung cancer and its effect in terms of disease burden. Radon mitigation activities in the study area must therefore be enforced.</p

Achieving excellence in lean implementation at construction companies - A case study from Brazil

Lean Construction has become a popular concept to improve performance and reduce costs in construction projects. Assessment tools and implementation strategies that focus on lean practices such as the Last Planner System, the use of Kanbans, the routine of Kaizens and, recently, the integration with information technology are also common. However, barriers to the wide adoption of lean principles remain and implementation challenges continue to intrigue scholars. Previous studies suggest that barriers to the successful implementation can be either political, economical, social and/or technical, with the focus on lack of knowledge about lean concepts, resistance to the required organisational culture change, and lack of support from top management. Few studies present the lean implementation process from the practitioners’ perspective. Using the narrative enquiry methodology, the authors aim to describe how a construction company from Brazil matured from the implementation of lean operational tools to achieve excellence in the lean culture and mindset. Key themes that emerge from this study for a successful lean construction journey are; effort to stabilise the environment, knowledge creation and management, transparency in the process to enable simplicity and shared understanding, and building trust for further growth.

Synergistic Binding of bHLH Transcription Factors to the Promoter of the Maize NADP-ME Gene Used in C4 Photosynthesis Is Based on an Ancient Code Found in the Ancestral C3 State.

C4 photosynthesis has evolved repeatedly from the ancestral C3 state to generate a carbon concentrating mechanism that increases photosynthetic efficiency. This specialized form of photosynthesis is particularly common in the PACMAD clade of grasses, and is used by many of the world's most productive crops. The C4 cycle is accomplished through cell-type-specific accumulation of enzymes but cis-elements and transcription factors controlling C4 photosynthesis remain largely unknown. Using the NADP-Malic Enzyme (NADP-ME) gene as a model we tested whether mechanisms impacting on transcription in C4 plants evolved from ancestral components found in C3 species. Two basic Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) transcription factors, ZmbHLH128 and ZmbHLH129, were shown to bind the C4NADP-ME promoter from maize. These proteins form heterodimers and ZmbHLH129 impairs trans-activation by ZmbHLH128. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicate that a pair of cis-elements separated by a seven base pair spacer synergistically bind either ZmbHLH128 or ZmbHLH129. This pair of cis-elements is found in both C3 and C4 Panicoid grass species of the PACMAD clade. Our analysis is consistent with this cis-element pair originating from a single motif present in the ancestral C3 state. We conclude that C4 photosynthesis has co-opted an ancient C3 regulatory code built on G-box recognition by bHLH to regulate the NADP-ME gene. More broadly, our findings also contribute to the understanding of gene regulatory networks controlling C4 photosynthesis

Assessment of pulse rate variability by the method of pulse frequency demodulation

BACKGROUND: Due to its easy applicability, pulse wave has been proposed as a surrogate of electrocardiogram (ECG) for the analysis of heart rate variability (HRV). However, its smoother waveform precludes accurate measurement of pulse-to-pulse interval by fiducial-point algorithms. Here we report a pulse frequency demodulation (PFDM) technique as a method for extracting instantaneous pulse rate function directly from pulse wave signal and its usefulness for assessing pulse rate variability (PRV). METHODS: Simulated pulse wave signals with known pulse interval functions and actual pulse wave signals obtained from 30 subjects with a trans-dermal pulse wave device were analyzed by PFDM. The results were compared with heart rate and HRV assessed from simultaneously recorded ECG. RESULTS: Analysis of simulated data revealed that the PFDM faithfully demodulates source interval function with preserving the frequency characteristics of the function, even when the intervals fluctuate rapidly over a wide range and when the signals include fluctuations in pulse height and baseline. Analysis of actual data revealed that individual means of low and high frequency components of PRV showed good agreement with those of HRV (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.997 and 0.981, respectively). CONCLUSION: The PFDM of pulse wave signal provides a reliable assessment of PRV. Given the popularity of pulse wave equipments, PFDM may open new ways to the studies of long-term assessment of cardiovascular variability and dynamics

Transit Timing and Duration Variations for the Discovery and Characterization of Exoplanets

Transiting exoplanets in multi-planet systems have non-Keplerian orbits which can cause the times and durations of transits to vary. The theory and observations of transit timing variations (TTV) and transit duration variations (TDV) are reviewed. Since the last review, the Kepler spacecraft has detected several hundred perturbed planets. In a few cases, these data have been used to discover additional planets, similar to the historical discovery of Neptune in our own Solar System. However, the more impactful aspect of TTV and TDV studies has been characterization of planetary systems in which multiple planets transit. After addressing the equations of motion and parameter scalings, the main dynamical mechanisms for TTV and TDV are described, with citations to the observational literature for real examples. We describe parameter constraints, particularly the origin of the mass/eccentricity degeneracy and how it is overcome by the high-frequency component of the signal. On the observational side, derivation of timing precision and introduction to the timing diagram are given. Science results are reviewed, with an emphasis on mass measurements of transiting sub-Neptunes and super-Earths, from which bulk compositions may be inferred.Comment: Revised version. Invited review submitted to 'Handbook of Exoplanets,' Exoplanet Discovery Methods section, Springer Reference Works, Juan Antonio Belmonte and Hans Deeg, Eds. TeX and figures may be found at https://github.com/ericagol/TTV_revie