Development of a robust multi-scale featured local binary pattern for improved facial expression recognition

Compelling facial expression recognition (FER) processes have been utilized in very successful fields like computer vision, robotics, artificial intelligence, and dynamic texture recognition. However, the FER’s critical problem with traditional local binary pattern (LBP) is the loss of neighboring pixels related to different scales that can affect the texture of facial images. To overcome such limitations, this study describes a new extended LBP method to extract feature vectors from images, detecting each image from facial expressions. The proposed method is based on the bitwise AND operation of two rotational kernels applied on LBP(8,1)and LBP(8,2)and utilizes two accessible datasets. Firstly, the facial parts are detected and the essential components of a face are observed, such as eyes, nose, and lips. The portion of the face is then cropped to reduce the dimensions and an unsharp masking kernel is applied to sharpen the image. The filtered images then go through the feature extraction method and wait for the classification process. Four machine learning classifiers were used to verify the proposed method. This study shows that the proposed multi-scale featured local binary pattern (MSFLBP), together with Support Vector Machine (SVM), outperformed the recent LBP-based state-of-the-art approaches resulting in an accuracy of 99.12% for the Extended Cohn–Kanade(CK+) dataset and 89.08% for the Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces(KDEF)dataset

Clinical Experience with Insulin Detemir: Results from the Bangladesh Cohort of Global A 1 chieve Study

Abstract Objective: To present results from the Bangladesh cohort of the A 1 chieve study receiving insulin detemir (Levemir) ± oral anti diabetic drugs. Methods: Out of 1093 patients recruited from 49 sites in Bangladesh, 370 were initiated on insulin detemir (Levemir).Study visits were defined as baseline, interim (around 12 weeks from baseline) and final (around 24 weeks from baseline) visit. Results: Glycaemic control was poor in all the groups at baseline. In the entire cohort at 24 weeks, significant reductions from baseline were observed in mean HbA 1c (from 10.0 % to 7.2%, p<0.001), FPG (from 10.5 to 6.7 mmol/L, p<0.001) and PPPG (from 15.3 to 8.9 mmol/L, p<0.001) levels. Overall 45.5% of th

Self-reported hypoglycemia in insulin-treated patients with diabetes : results from an international survey on 7289 patients from nine countries

Q2Q112-28Aims: Hypoglycemia constitutes a significant barrier to achieving glycemic control with insulin in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Historically, it has been difficult to accurately verify the rates of hypoglycemia within a clinical setting and there is a need for high-quality, real-world data to ascertain the true rates of hypoglycemia in clinical practice. The global Hypoglycemia Assessment Tool (HAT) study was designed to assess the global incidence of hypoglycemia in patients with insulin-treated diabetes, and the results have indicated that the overall incidence of hypoglycemia is high, with large variations between geographical regions. Methods: The International Operations HAT (IO HAT) study retrospectively and prospectively assessed the incidence of hypoglycemia in patients with insulin-treated diabetes in Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates. Results: During the prospective period, hypoglycemic events were reported by 97.4% of patients with type 1 diabetes and 95.3% of those with type 2 diabetes, with an estimated rate of 6.86 events per patient per month (PPPM) for patients with type 1 diabetes and 2.37 events PPPM for patients with type 2 diabetes. Conclusions: These results represent the first patient-reported dataset on hypoglycemia in the participating countries and confirm that hypoglycemia is under-reported and more widespread than previously believed. Although the incidence of hypoglycemia was variable among patients on different treatment regimens, there were substantial impacts on both productivity and healthcare utilization following an episode of hypoglycemia. This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02306681

A Practitioner’s Toolkit for Insulin Motivation in Adults with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Evidence-Based Recommendations from an International Expert Panel

Aim To develop an evidence-based expert group opinion on the role of insulin motivation to overcome insulin distress during different stages of insulin therapy and to propose a practitioner’s toolkit for insulin motivation in the management of diabetes mellitus (DM). Background Insulin distress, an emotional response of the patient to the suggested use of insulin, acts as a major barrier to insulin therapy in the management of DM. Addressing patient-, physician- and drug-related factors is important to overcome insulin distress. Strengthening of communication between physicians and patients with diabetes and enhancing the patients' coping skills are prerequisites to create a sense of comfort with the use of insulin. Insulin motivation is key to achieving targeted goals in diabetes care. A group of endocrinologists came together at an international meeting held in India to develop tool kits that would aid a practitioner in implementing insulin motivation strategies at different stages of the journey through insulin therapy, including pre-initiation, initiation, titration and intensification. During the meeting, emphasis was placed on the challenges and limitations faced by both physicians and patients with diabetes during each stage of the journey through insulinization. Review Results After review of evidence and discussions, the expert group provided recommendations on strategies for improved insulin acceptance, empowering behavior change in patients with DM, approaches for motivating patients to initiate and maintain insulin therapy and best practices for insulin motivation at the pre-initiation, initiation, titration and intensification stages of insulin therapy. Conclusions In the management of DM, bringing in positive behavioral change by motivating the patient to improve treatment adherence helps overcome insulin distress and achieve treatment goals

Relationship of microalbuminuria with different clinical and biochemical parameters in newly detected diabetes mellitus cases

This study was conducted to assess the presence of microalbuminuria in newly detected diabetes mellitus (DM) cases in a small group of Bangladeshi population attending BIRDEM out patient department and to find out the relationship (if any) of microalbuminuria with different clinical and biochemical parameters. Out of 110 DM cases, 10 (9.1%) were found to have microalbuminuria. Blood pressure, both systolic (r=0.190) and diastolic (r = 0.30) had significant positive correlation with urinary albumin. There was no association of microalbuminuria with waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, serum triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, age, sex, weight, height or BMI. This suggests that all newly detected diabetes mellitus should be screened for raised blood pressure and if found positive be given the same importance as blood glucose. They should be treated meticulously to revert or prevent microalbuminuria and thus prevent complications. Ibrahim Med. Coll. J. 2010; 4(1): 21-2

Biochemical and Clinical Variables of Normal Parathyroid and Hyperparathyroid Diabetic Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

Background: In chronic kidney disease (CKD) intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) level is often increased before clinical hyperphosphatemia occurs. Despite its importance very few studies evaluated parathyroid status in CKD. Objective: The study was undertaken to estimate level of parathormone in diabetic CKD patients at a tertiary level hospital and assessing its relationship with different parameters like hemoglobin, calcium etc. and comparing biochemical and clinical variables between normal parathyroid and hyperparathyroid groups. Materials and Methods: It was a hospital based cross-sectional study involving purposively selected chronic kidney disease patients attending nephrology and endocrinology outdoor and indoor services of BIRDEM hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Study was conducted during the period of April to October 2010. All the subjects were divided into two groups based on serum parathormone level and different parameters were compared between groups. Results: The mean duration of chronic kidney disease was significantly higher in hyperparathyroid group than that in the normal group (<0.001). Retinopathy and hypertension were more common in hyperparathyroid group than that in patients with normal serum parathormone (p<0.001 and p=0.012). Neuropathy was solely present in hyperparathyroid group (p<0.001). Mean fasting blood glucose, serum creatinine and serum phosphate were significantly higher in the hyperparathyroid group compared to normal group (p<0.001 in all cases) while the mean serum calcium and haemoglobin were lower in hyperparathyroid group than those in the normal group (p<0.001 in both cases). Serum creatinine and serum parathormone bears a significantly linear relationship (r=0.986, p<0.001), while serum parathormone and serum calcium bears a significantly negative relationship (r=−0.892 and p<0.001). Conclusion: Earlier intervention on the basis of iPTH in addition to other biochemical parameters of chronic kidney disease is recommended

Pragmatic use of insulin degludec/insulin aspart co-formulation: A multinational consensus statement

Insulin degludec/insulin aspart (IDegAsp) is a modern coformulation of ultra-long-acting basal insulin degludec, with rapid-acting insulin aspart. IDegAsp provides effective, safe, well-tolerated glycemic control, with a low risk of hypoglycemia while allowing flexibility in meal patterns and timing of administration. This consensus statement describes a pragmatic framework to identify patients who may benefit from IDegAsp therapy. It highlights the utility of IDegAsp in type 2 diabetic patients who are insulin-naive, suboptimally controlled on basal or premixed insulin, or dissatisfied with basal–bolus regimens. It also describes potential IDegAsp usage in type 1 diabetic patients

Impact on mental health due to COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study in Bangladesh

The government of Bangladesh has implemented the “Stay Home” policy following the WHO recommendation to resist the community transmission of Covid-19. As a result, the routine activities of all government, semi-government establishments, including educational institutions, are severely affected, and the country's economic growth becomes slowed down. To overcome such a situation, the relevant authorities have introduced the “Work from Home” policy for the employees and “Remote Education” for students. However, due to the persistence of multi-dimensional socio-economic problems, many employees and students face big challenges in performing their regular jobs while adopting such a policy. Consequently, enormous psychological anxiety has been developed for all people, including students, parents, employees, etc., and concurrently created severe changes in their behavior. This study aims to analyze the reasons for the behavioral changes of the employees, students, academic staff, and family members of different ages due to psychological anxiety, stress, or physical issues. A comprehensive online-based survey has been carried out on people working in various sectors in Bangladesh. A modified Apriori Algorithm has been used to sort out the associations between the causes and types of behavioral changes. Analyzed data revealed a massive human behavioral change in most participants. This finding indicates that the negligence of those significant human behavioral changes may cause a higher risk of creating psychological imbalance. Therefore, there is a need to have a solid understanding of the reasons for the behavioral changes and set up standard guidelines to maintain “Work from Home” in this Covid-19 situation to avoid psychological imbalance. Based on this study, some suggestions have been given for implementation by the government on an urgent basis