MyPad – Intelligent Bladder Pre-void Alerting System: A project collaborated with NHS to treat Nocturnal Enureses (NE)

Unsatisfactory cure rates with currently available treatments of NE have led to the need to explore alternative modalities. New treatment methods that focus on preventing enuretic episodes by means of a pre-void alerting system could improve outcomes for children with NE in many aspects such as voiding in a dignified manner, reducing cost, reducing time to tackle the problem, improving the psychology of the sufferers. The aim of this project is to build, refine and evaluate a new safe, comfortable and non-invasive wearable intelligent electronic device to monitor the bladder and to treat NE by warning the patient at the pre- void stage, enhancing quality of life for these sufferers starting from the first use. No such technology exists currently to monitor bladder to alarm before bedwetting. Beyond this study, there are numerous other areas of application i.e. elder care (geriatric) settings, stroke patients and veterinary science in which My-PAD can be of potential benefit

Methods and Apparatuses for Estimating Bladder Status. US20230162853A1

The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for estimating the status of a bladder, especially with respect to the likelihood of an imminent voiding of the bladder. The apparatuses carry out computer-implemented methods of estimating a bladder status employing a bladder monitor which collects bladder data (e.g. using ultrasound) and transmits the bladder data to a data processor for algorithmic conversion to a bladder status. Such algorithms may be trained and tuned to a particular person's bladder. Having established a bladder status based on otherwise esoteric bladder data, the data processor may then trigger an alert signal where the bladder status meets particular criteria indicating an imminent voiding event. Such a trigger signal may be used to alert a nocturnal enuresis patient to an impending void so that they can be awoken before any bedwetting occurs

Methods and apparatuses for estimating bladder status

The present invention relates to apparatuses for estimating the status of a bladder, especially with respect to the likelihood of an imminent voiding of the bladder. More particularly the present invention relates to apparatuses for treating urinary incontinence, suitably by providing pre-void alerts that allow a patient to void in a dignified manner

Apparatuses for estimating bladder status (Vorrichtungen Zur Schätzung Des Blasenstatus) (Appareils Pour L’estimation D’état De Vessie). EP3834726B1.

The present invention relates to apparatuses for estimating the status of a bladder, especially with respect to the likelihood of an imminent voiding of the bladder. More particularly the present invention relates to apparatuses for treating urinary incontinence, suitably by providing pre-void alerts that allow a patient to void in a dignified manner

Method and apparatus for estimating bladder condition

The present invention relates to the possibility for the upcoming excretion especially with regard to bladder to estimate the method and apparatus of bladder condition.Device performs the computer implemented method that bladder condition is estimated using bladder monitor, and bladder monitor collects bladder data (such as using ultrasound) and is used to the algorithm of bladder condition change by bladder data transfer to data processor.Such algorithm can be trained to and adjust the bladder of specific people.After based on esoteric bladder data establish bladder condition originally, in the case where bladder condition meets the specific criteria of the upcoming excretion event of instruction, data processor and then triggerable alarm signal.Such trigger signal can be used for alerting the imminent excretion of bed-wetting patient so that they can be waken up before any generation of wetting the bed

External injuries, trauma and avoidable deaths in Agincourt, South Africa : a retrospective observational and qualitative study

Acknowledgments We thank Chodziwadziwa Kabudula (MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit—School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg/Acornhoek, South Africa) for his assistance with assembling the Agincourt HDSS data set for our use. The research presented in this paper was in part funded by the Health Systems Research Initiative from the Department for International Development (DFID)/ Medical Research Council (MRC)/Wellcome Trust/Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (MR/P014844/1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Intelligent autonomous treatment of bedwetting using non-invasive wearable advanced mechatronics systems and MEMS sensors

Post-void alarm systems to monitor bed wetting in Nocturnal Enuresis (NE) have been deemed unsatisfactory. The aim in this study is to develop a safe, comfortable and non-invasive pre-void wearable alarm and associated technology using advanced mechatronics. Each stage of development includes patient and public involvement and engagement (PPI). The early stage of the development involved children with and without nocturnal enuresis (NE) (and parents) who were tested at a hospital under the supervision of physicians, radiologists, psychologists, and nurses. The readings were simultaneously compared to B-mode images and measurements, acquired from a conventional ultrasound device, and were found to correlate highly. The results showed that determining imminent voiding need is viable using non-invasive sensors. Following on from "proof of concept", a bespoke advanced mechatronics device has been created. The device houses custom electronics, an ultrasound system, intelligent software, a user-friendly smartphone application, bedside alarm box and a dedicated undergarment, along with a self-adhesive gel pad - designed to keep the MEMS sensors aligned with the abdomen. Testing of the device with phantoms and volunteers has been successful in determining bladder volume and associated voiding need. Five miniaturized, and therefore more ergonomic, versions of the device are being developed, with an enabled connection to the cloud platform for location independent control and monitoring. Thereafter, the enhanced device will be tested with children with NE at their homes for 14 weeks, to gain feedback relating to wearability and data collection involving the cloud platform

Seroprevalence and associated risk factors for Neospora caninum infection in dairy cattle in South Africa

DATA AVAILABILITY : No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.Bovine neosporosis is a widespread parasitic disease associated with significant economic losses. Its effects on the reproductive performance of cows have resulted in losses that run into the hundreds of millions of US dollars in dairy industries in various countries (Reichel et al., Int J Parasitol 43:133–142, 2013). Due to outdated and scant information on the occurrence of Neospora caninum infection in South Africa, the study aimed to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with infection in dairy cattle in South Africa. A total of 1401 blood samples were randomly collected from cattle on 48 dairy farms in seven of the nine provinces in South Africa. A close-ended questionnaire was used in a cross-sectional study to obtain farm-level and animal-level data. Serological testing was done using a commercial IDvet Screen® Neospora caninum Indirect ELISA. An overall seroprevalence, adjusted for test sensitivity and specificity, of 2.3% (95% CI, 1.3–4.1) was detected and 48% (23/48) of sampled farms had at least one animal testing positive. The highest seroprevalence of N. caninum was in the KwaZulu-Natal province with 7.5% (95% CI, 3.8–14.3), and the lowest in Western Cape with 0.1% (95% CI, 0–1.2). The highest within-farm seroprevalence of 25% was detected on a farm in the North West Province. In a multivariable logistic regression model, the odds of N. caninum seropositivity were higher in Holstein–Friesian cattle when compared to other breeds. Good hygiene was identified as a protective factor. Cattle left out on pasture had increased odds of testing positive for N. caninum compared to those that were penned. The odds of testing seropositive for N. caninum was higher on farms that practised segregation of cattle into different age groups. The purchase of replacement animals was a significant risk factor, as open herds had increased odds of N. caninum seropositivity. Cattle on farms that did not have a specific calving location were more likely to be seropositive. This is the first such study in South Africa and shows that N. caninum is widely distributed in the country at a low seroprevalence, but it may be a cause of concern on certain farms.The University of Pretoria and the National Research Foundation in South Africa. Open access funding provided by University of Pretoria.http://link.springer.com/journal/436hj2024Production Animal StudiesVeterinary Tropical DiseasesSDG-02:Zero HungerSDG-03:Good heatlh and well-bein

Improving primary care management of asthma:do we know what really works?

Asthma imposes a substantial burden on individuals and societies. Patients with asthma need high-quality primary care management; however, evidence suggests the quality of this care can be highly variable. Here we identify and report factors contributing to high-quality management. Twelve primary care global asthma experts, representing nine countries, identified key factors. A literature review (past 10 years) was performed to validate or refute the expert viewpoint. Key driving factors identified were: policy, clinical guidelines, rewards for performance, practice organisation and workforce. Further analysis established the relevant factor components. Review evidence supported the validity of each driver; however, impact on patient outcomes was uncertain. Single interventions (e.g. healthcare practitioner education) showed little effect; interventions driven by national policy (e.g. incentive schemes and teamworking) were more effective. The panel's opinion, supported by literature review, concluded that multiple primary care interventions offer greater benefit than any single intervention in asthma management

Improving the management of open tibia fractures, Malawi.

To assess the impact of an open fracture intervention bundle on clinical management and patient outcomes of adults in Malawi with open tibia fractures. We conducted a before-and-after implementation study in Malawi in 2021 and 2022 to assess the impact of an open fracture intervention bundle, including a national education course for clinical officers and management guidelines for open fractures. We recruited 287 patients with open tibia fractures. The primary outcome was a before-and-after comparison of the self-reported short musculoskeletal function assessment score, a measure of patient function. Secondary outcomes included clinical management; and clinician knowledge and implementation evaluation outcomes of 57 health-care providers attending the course. We also constructed multilevel regression models to investigate associations between clinical knowledge, patient function, and implementation evaluation before and after the intervention. The median patient function score at 1 year was 6.8 (interquartile range, IQR: 1.5 to 14.5) before intervention and 8.4 (IQR: 3.8 to 23.2) after intervention. Compared with baseline scores, we found clinicians' open fracture knowledge scores improved 1 year after the intervention was implemented (mean posterior difference: 1.6, 95% highest density interval: 0.9 to 2.4). However, we found no difference in most aspects of clinicians' open fracture management practice. Despite possible improvement in clinician knowledge and positive evaluation of the intervention implementation, our study showed that there was no overall improvement in clinical management, and weak evidence of worsening patient function 1 year after injury, after implementation of the open fracture intervention bundle