Study of HLA-G gene 14-bp ins/del and codon 93 (CAC/CAT) polymorphisms association with spontaneous abortion in a Tunisian population

In the recent years, spontaneous abortion (SA) frequency increased awareness about medical and social-economic related problems. Human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) is a non-classic HLA I molecule initially described in trophoblastic tissue in foeto-maternal interface. HLA-G polymorphism association with SA has been extensively studied. One amongst the foremost studied variants was HLA-G 14-bp Insertion (Ins)/Deletion (Del) polymorphism. Nevertheless, such a study was not performed in Tunisian population yet. We aim to investigate two HLA-G polymorphisms, 14-bp Ins/Del 3'UTR, and for the first time, codon 93 (CAC/CAT) polymorphisms association with SA risk in the Tunisian population. The results revealed HLA-G 14-bp Ins/Del polymorphism and CIns haplotype association with SA. No association of the HLA-G codon 93 (CAC/CAT) polymorphism to SA was observed. Considering both polymorphism together, female's homozygosity for 14-bp Ins/Del and for codon 93 (CAC/CAT) polymorphism may increase the risk of SA susceptibility

Sustainable governance in smart cities and use of supervised learning based opinion mining

Evaluation is an analytical and organized process to figure out the present positive influences, favourable future prospects, existing shortcomings and ulterior complexities of any plan, program, practice or a policy. Evaluation of policy is an essential and vital process required to measure the performance or progression of the scheme. The main purpose of policy evaluation is to empower various stakeholders and enhance their socio-economic environment. A large number of policies or schemes in different areas are launched by government in view of citizen welfare. Although, the governmental policies intend to better shape up the life quality of people but may also impact their every day’s life. A latest governmental scheme Saubhagya launched by Indian government in 2017 has been selected for evaluation by applying opinion mining techniques. The data set of public opinion associated with this scheme has been captured by Twitter. The primary intent is to offer opinion mining as a smart city technology that harness the user-generated big data and analyse it to offer a sustainable governance model

RAPIDS evaluation final report 2005-2009 key findings

RAPIDS (Reaching HIV/AIDS Affected People with Integrated Development and Support) is an intervention funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and is designed to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS in Zambia. The overall goal of RAPIDS is to improve the quality of life of Zambians affected by HIV and AIDS by expanding successful community-based models of home-based care and support to orphans and vulnerable children and people who are chronically ill, as well as through interventions targeting youth with livelihood opportunities and life-skills training, focusing on initiatives supporting abstinence and being faithful

The Mediating Role of Emotional Exhaustion in the Relationship between Abusive Supervision and Employee Cyberloafing Behaviour.

Cyberloafing is becoming a common problem in every organization that directly affects organizational productivity. In this study we are going to study the influence of abusive supervision on cyberloafing, further, we are studying the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion generated due to abusive supervision behaviour, motivating employees towards cyberloafing. The data were collected from 150 employees working in Saif Textile Mills Ltd & Kohat Textile Mills Ltd, Pakistan through questionnaires. The study sample was drawn using a convenience sampling technique. This study used SPSS 25 and process Hayes (2013) model 4 for data analysis and for model fitness we used CFA (AMOS 22). The data findings demonstrate that abusive supervision significantly and positively affects cyberloafing and also emotional exhaustion mediates this relation significantly. Therefore we conclude that abusive supervision is the main factor for employees to be exhausted and ultimately move towards cyberloafing. Based on these finding managers plays a vital role to maintain organization environment friendly

Pilot community-based intervention to address the needs of elderly caregivers in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

The HIV epidemic in South Africa has placed a substantial burden on elderly caregivers, mainly women, who are often tasked with caring for their grandchildren who are orphaned and rendered vulnerable by the death or illness of their parents. The Medical Research Council (MRC), Age-in-Action, and the Horizons Program conducted formative research, as described in this research summary, to assess the needs of elderly caregivers in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa in 2005. The investigations revealed that elderly caregivers faced a number of challenges including difficulty communicating with youth, fears and a sense of hopelessness around matters regarding youth, barriers to accessing health care, insufficient funds to cover basic needs, and difficulty accessing social service grants. Based on these findings, Horizons, MRC, and Age-in-Action developed an intervention study to explore and test whether a health education program would effectively lead to: 1) Improved care and support provided by elderly caregivers; 2) Improved psychosocial outcomes for the caregivers themselves; and 3) Increased capacity on the part of health service providers to enhance the care they provide to the elderly

A P4P model for increased utilization of maternal, newborn and child health services in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, maternal health programs are not yet reaching the desired level of facility-based obstetric care service. Most deliveries are conducted by untrained persons at home, demonstrating inequity in access to recommended maternal health care services and underutilization of existing obstetric and newborn care services. Suboptimal performance by providers is a key barrier to improving availability and quality of maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) services. To increase use of facility-based services, an operations research study of “pay-for-performance” (P4P) incentives for providers and subsidization of consumer costs was initiated in 2010. The study, part of the Government of Bangladesh–United Nations MNCH and maternal and newborn health projects, has been included as a human resource innovation project under the operational plan of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh. The Population Council provided technical assistance in implementing the study, with collaboration from James P. Grant School of Public Health of BRAC University. This policy brief describes the implementation of the P4P operations research study and its consequent implications for policymakers

Expanding pediatric access to antiretroviral therapy in South Africa

In sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS has become one of the leading causes of death among children under the age of five years. Yet, despite increased availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART), children have been largely ignored or excluded from treatment initiatives. While efforts to get more children on treatment are increasing, important information is lacking to guide program and policy implementation. To address these gaps, the Horizons Program and the University of Cape Town conducted a rapid situational analysis in 2005 of pediatric HIV treatment sites in South Africa. In 2003, the South African government approved a plan for a national HIV treatment program with the goal of at least one service delivery point in each district providing treatment. The government guidelines emphasized providing treatment for both adults and children and the initial effort resulted in a significant number of children initiating treatment. This research summary details what is happening on the ground to understand how children have been affected by the ART rollout and what can be done to reach the thousands more that should be on treatment

Prevalence and factors associated with general anxiety symptoms severity among older adults registered with the Primary Healthcare Corporation during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Background: Primary care-based studies examining the prevalence of anxiety symptoms severity and associated factors among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic are scarce. The study aims to determine the prevalence of general anxiety symptoms severity and associated sociodemographic and physical health characteristics, including SARS-CoV-2 infection history, among older adults in primary care in Qatar during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a random sample of older adults aged 60 years and above (n = 337) from all primary health care centers (n = 28) of Qatar's Primary Health Care Corporation. Participants were interviewed via telephone by family physicians between June and August 2020. General anxiety symptoms severity was assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale (GAD-7). Descriptive statistics and ordinal regression were used to analyse the data. Results: The mean age of participants was 65 years (ranging from 60 to 89 years), standard deviation = 4.8. About 49.0% and 32.0% of participants were females and of Qatari nationality, respectively. The prevalence of minimal, mild, moderate, and severe general anxiety symptoms was 82.5%, 13.9%, 3.0%, and 0.6%, respectively. Around 33.5%, 63.5%, and 3.0% of participants had unknown, negative, or positive SARS-CoV-2 infection histories, respectively. Females had greater odds of higher levels of anxiety symptoms severity (odds ratio (OR) 2.34; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22, 4.50; p = 0.011). As compared to participants with unknown SARS-CoV-2 infection status, those with a negative and positive SARS-CoV-2 infection history had increased odds of higher levels of general anxiety symptoms severity by 2.48 (95% CI 1.17, 5.24; p = 0.017) and 7.21 (95% CI 1.67, 31.25; p = 0.008), respectively. Age, marital status, living arrangements, nationality, and the number of medical conditions had no statistically significant associations with general anxiety symptoms severity. Conclusions: Most older adults experience minimal to mild anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Female gender and confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection history are independent predictors of more severe anxiety symptoms among older adults.Scopu

Incentivizing providers to improve maternal, newborn and child health services in Bangladesh: Pay-for-performance model refinement and advocacy (P4P MRA) final report

An operations research project by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh tested the feasibility of a pay-for-performance (P4P) approach, which offered financial incentives to reward service providers for meeting and exceeding specified performance targets for maternal, newborn, and child health services. In response to the encouraging findings, the DGHS implemented a follow-up project, with technical assistance from Population Council and UNICEF, to utilize the experiences and findings of the P4P OR project. Despite it short duration, implementation of the revised P4P scheme induced improvements in service volume and quality of care. These projects contributed toward increasing institutional delivery, requiring less incentive cost compared to that of the DSF program, and enhancing client satisfaction by reducing out-of-pocket expenses. Despite the brief implementation period, contribution of P4P interventions in rapidly raising the level of institutional deliveries creates optimism toward meeting the MDG of reducing maternal and infant mortality