Lead Time Reduction Case study:BEAB etikett & system AB

In today’s competitive business world, companies require small lead times, low costs andhigh customer service levels to survive. Because of this, companies have become morecustomer focused . The result is that companies have been putting in significant effort toreduce their lead times.The purpose of this master thesis was to reduce lead time at BEAB etikett & system AB(BEAB) by focusing both on ordering and production times. In order to achieve this allprocesses from receiving an order to shipment of the order are mapped in a current statemap. Some changes based on the Toyota Production System (TPS) were implemented.The results were then mapped in a future state map.BEAB has more than 30 years experience of producing labels in different sizes andshapes. The products’ range varies from hanger labels on clothing to self adhesive labelsfor pallets. Due to globalization and stiff competition, the 8 days lead time at BEAB hasto be reduced so that they could maintain their customers, and even increase theircustomer base.It was found that the most appropriate mapping method for lead time reduction wasValue Stream Mapping (VSM). From the results achieved by VSM it was obvious thatthe press machines were bottlenecks. In order to increase their capacity, their change overtime should be reduced. Another observation derived from the VSM, was that a neworder passing through the ordering department is an unnecessary step. Some otherrecommended changes based on applying TPS are:• Reduction of work in process inventory (WIP)• Reduction of waiting time between press and converter• Stop the process to build in quality (this sounds awkward)• Collect more information• Implementation of the 5S methodologyBy implementing these changes, the future state map was created and the total lead timewas reduced from 8 days to 6 days. The production lead time reduced from 4.35 days to 4days.Uppsatsnivå:

Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies pre- and post-COVID-19 vaccination in staff members of Bandar Abbas Children’s Hospital

Abstract Background Healthcare workers (HCWs) have a higher risk of contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared to the general population due to their frontline role and direct contact with the infected patients. Accordingly, they were among the first groups to receive vaccination against COVID-19. A higher risk of COVID-19 infection may also exist among hospital staff members other than HCWs. In this study, we assessed the seroprevalence of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) IgG pre- and post-COVID-19 vaccination in hospital staff members. Methods This cross-sectional study included 228 staff members of Bandar Abbas Children’s Hospital, Bandar Abbas, Iran, who were recruited from 2020 to 2021. Staff members were vaccinated with vector and inactivated vaccines. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein IgG was measured in their blood samples pre- and post-COVID-19 vaccination. Results Of the 228 hospital staff members evaluated in this study (mean age: 37.59 ± 8.70 years), 204 (89.5%) were female and 210 (92.1%) were HCWs. Only one staff member was not vaccinated, the rest received one dose (99.6%), and 224 (98.7%) two doses. Vector vaccines were administered to 71.4% of staff members and 72.9% of HCWs. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody was positive in 8.8% of staff members before vaccination, 9.3% after the first dose, and 50% after the second dose. The corresponding percentages were 9.5%, 9.5%, and 48.8% in HCWs. Being a HCW was not associated with the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG after the second dose; however, multivariable binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the interval between two vaccine doses (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.595, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.434; 0.816, P = 0.001) and age (aOR = 1.062, 95% CI 1.021; 1.105, P = 0.003) were associated with seroprevalence. Conclusions After receiving a second dose of vector or inactive virus vaccines, our hospital’s staff members and HCWs had a seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies of around 50%. Seroprevalence increased with increasing age and shorter intervals between doses

Predictors of all-cause and cardiovascular-specific mortality in type 2 diabetes: A competing risk modeling of an Iranian population

Background: In Asian population, diabetes mellitus is increasing and has become an important health problem in recent decades. In Iran, cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for nearly 46% of the total costs spent for diabetes-associated diseases. Because individuals with diabetes have highly increased CVD risk compared with normal individuals, it is important to diagnosis factors that may increase CVD risk in diabetic patients. The study objective was to identify predictors associated with CVD mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and to develop a prediction model for cardiovascular (CV)-death using a competing risk approach. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 2638 T2D (male = 1110, female = 1528) patients aged ≥35 years attending from Endocrine and Metabolism Research Center in Isfahan for a mean follow-up period of 12 years; predictors for different cause of death were evaluated using cause specific Cox proportional and subdistribution hazards models. Results: Based on competing modeling, the increase in blood pressure (BP) (spontaneously hypertensive rats [SHR]: 1.64), cholesterol (SHR: 1.55), and duration of diabetes (SHR: 2.03) were associated with CVD-death. Also, the increase in BP (SHR: 1.85), fasting blood sugar (SHR: 2.94), and duration of diabetes (SHR: 1.68) were associated with other death (consist of cerebrovascular accidents, cancer, infection, and diabetic nephropathy). Conclusions: This finding suggests that more attention should be paid to the management of CV risk in type 2 diabetic patients with high cholesterol, high BP, and long diabetes duration

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Coexisting with Acute Pericarditis and Myocardial Bridge

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is a stress-induced cardiomyopathy that occurs primarily in postmenopausal women. It mimics clinical picture of acute coronary syndrome with nonobstructive coronary arteries and a characteristic transient left (or bi-) ventricular apical ballooning at angiography. The exact pathogenesis of TCM is not well recognized. Hereby we present an unusual case of TCM that presents with signs and symptoms of acute pericarditis and was also found to have a coexisting coronary muscle bridge on coronary angiography. We discuss the impact of these associations in better understanding of the pathogenesis of TCM