A critical analysis of factors for delayed initiation of breast feeding in a district level hospital

Background: Breastfeeding is the cornerstone for child survival. Poor breastfeeding practices contribute to 20 per cent of neonatal deaths and nearly 13 per cent of deaths in children below five years. In south Asia, 40% of the babies are initiated breastfeeding within one hour despite increase in institutional deliveries, 80%.Methods: This prospective study was conducted to critically analyse the factors for delayed initiation of breast feeding. A prospective study was carried out among randomly selected postnatal mothers in the postnatal ward of a district teaching hospital. Data was collected by face to face interviews using a pre-validated structured questionnaire.Results: Above 90% of the women did not know the importance of initiating breast feeding within one hour of delivery as none of them received antenatal counselling. Baby was not given to the mother in 90% of the cases. 70% believed that colostrum is not good for the baby. 60% gave pre-lacteal feeds and 60% reported pain of surgical site or perineum as the cause for delayed initiation of breast feeding.Conclusions: UNICEF estimates that if all children receive the benefits of breastfeeding – globally, 8,23,000 child deaths can be averted every year. All health care facilities should adopt Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative’s Ten successful steps for breast feeding to initiate early breast feeding within one hour to reduce morbidity and mortality of infants and under five children

Reuse of Djenane Abd-El-Tif, an Emblematic Islamic Garden in Algiers

Djenane Abd-el-Tif is an example of an Algerian summer residence dating from the Ottoman era. This type of building is not very well-known and remains marginalized in research that is more interested in the townhouses of the medina of Algiers. Yet, the gardens, the ingenious irrigation systems, fountains, and other patterns of Islamic gardens make of these djenane a unique typology worth exploring and preserving. Indeed, Islamic garden design is an art in itself and any restoration or conservation work should preserve the authenticity of its characteristics. The djenane Abd-el-Tif was fully restored following the damage caused by the Boumerdès earthquake in 2003. This led to the discovery of various elements that are particularly informative about its architecture and composition. It also highlighted the existence of valuable Islamic garden patterns, together with the djenane\u27s exceptional flora, which could provide added-value to the tourism potential of such residences. However, if restoration work has saved the djenane Abd-el-Tif, its garden with its Islamic design characteristics is not yet fully investigated nor listed as a cultural heritage. This article presents the djenane as a cultural heritage and argues that right restoration and reuse could contribute to enhancing knowledge about Islamic garden design in North Africa

Mobile Phones and Social Inclusion of Women in Africa: A Nigerian Perspective

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are increasingly being recognised as vital tools with regards to the social inclusion of women. Specifically, we investigate the effect of mobile phone use on the social inclusion of women in Nigeria. Our study focuses on what these women are able to achieve with their mobile phones and the implication of these achievements on their ability to effectively participate in the society. We draw on a qualitative ethnographic study of resettled northern women in the southern city of Lagos to understand how mobile phone use contributes to their social inclusion. From our analysis, we derive valuable capabilities such as to generate income, to be financially included, to maintain social relationships and to seek relevant information, that are enabled for these women through mobile phone use. However, the realisation of these capabilities is dependent upon personal, social and environmental conditions. We illustrate how women exercise their agency to use mobile phones in ways that enhance their wellbeing and overall effective participation in this new society. Our findings contribute to the discourse on the role of ICT in the process of social inclusion for women

Cancer patients’ experiences of living with venous thromboembolism: A systematic review and qualitative thematic synthesis

Background: Cancer-Associated thrombosis is common. Recommended treatment is daily injected low-molecular-weight heparin for 6months. Most studies focus on prophylaxis and treatment; few have explored patients’ experience. Aims To identify and synthesise the available literature concerning patients’ experience of cancer associated thrombosis. Design Systematic literature review and qualitative thematic synthesis. MethodsMEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsychINFO (until 10/2016; limited to English) were searched. Eligible papers were qualitative studies of adult patients’ experience of cancer-associated thrombosis. Two researchers screened titles/abstracts/papers against inclusion criteria with recourse to a third for disagreements. Critical Appraisal Skills Programme qualitative checklist tool was used for quality appraisal. Results1397 articles were identified. Five qualitative studies (total n=92; age range 32 to 84 years) met the inclusion criteria. Participants had various cancer types. Most had advanced disease and were receiving palliative care. Four major themes emerged from the data: knowledge deficit (patients and clinicians); effects of cancer associated thrombosis (physical and psychological); effects of anticoagulation; coping strategies. ConclusionThe cancer journey is difficult in itself, but thrombosis was an additional, frightening and unexpected burden. Although the association between cancer and thromboembolism is well known, cancer patients are not educated routinely about the risk or warning symptoms/signs of thromboembolism which may otherwise be misattributed to the cancer by patient and clinician alike. This systematic review highlights the impact of cancer-associated thrombosis on the lives of cancer patients, and calls for education for patients and clinicians to be part of routine care, and further work to address this patient priority

Resilient Back Propagation Algorithm for Breast Biopsy Classification Based on Artificial Neural Networks

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Correlation study between the mechanical properties of Polylactic acid (PLA)-based biocomposites and the chemical composition of their plant fibers

Polylactic acid (PLA)-based composites have gained increasing interest in recent years, the use of such biodegradable polymer as matrix in the reinforcement of vegetables fibers enables to minimize the environmental impact of this material, which further encouraged its use in the current market. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of hybridizing the PLA polymer, generally brittle and not very resistant to shock with plant fibers, to improve the mechanical properties of the composite. Thus, knowledge of the effect of the chemical composition of each variety of fibers on the PLA, will allow us to orient the selection of the fiber according to the desired mechanical properties sought. The objective of this study is to determine to what extent the mechanical properties of the PLA-based bio-composites can be influenced by the chemical composition of plant fibers such as abaca, flax, jute, ramie, fiber coconut, hemp, and sisal. We also used the Pearson correlation test between these two continuous quantitative variables to check the existence of possible correlation