Using of the AOWI efficiency evaluation technique for ranking of the regional socio-economic systems

In this report methods of multi-criteria efficiency evaluation are developed and implemented for ranking of the socio-economic systems of the EU regions. The socio-economic ranking problem is a multi-criteria non-convex optimization problem that is solved by the implementation of a new efficiency evaluation AOWI method.В даній роботі будуються і використовуються методи багатокритеріального ранжування соціально-економічних систем в різних регіонах ЄС. Задача соціально-економічного ранжування є задачею невипуклої багатокритеріальної оптимізації, яка розв’язується запропоно- ваним методом оцінювання AOWI

Sexually Transmitted Infections Management Legal Regulation in Bulgaria: Present Situation and Challenges

Introduction: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to be a significant public health problem with numerous health social, ethical and economic dimensions. The goal of this study is to present and discuss the Bulgarian legal framework dimensions related to the management of the spectrum of STIs, and associated public health challenges. An analysis of Bulgarian legislation normative documents connected with the presented problematic was applied. Results: For the effective STIs-spectrum management, the presented normative acts envisage a number of rules and requirements for conducting preventive, diagnostic and treatment activities. These rules are not sufficient and cannot cover all cases in the practical work of medical professionals most of them serve as general guides. The main problem that is emerging is the lack of financial resources and sources of funding. Conclusion: Despite the large legal framework, most documents are only a framework, without specifics in the organization and lack of funding for regulated activities

Economic efficiency of breeding dairy sheep in the mountain and hilly regions of Bulgaria

Sheep breeding is an important means of livelihood for the population living in the mountain and hilly regions of the country. The object of the present study is to analyze the economic efficiency of breeding dairy sheep in the mountain and hilly regions of Bulgaria. Object of the study are 2 models of farms with 100 ewes from the dairy type and the relevant categories lambs and rams. We compare and analyze two levels of milk productivity - 70 l per lactation in the first farm and 100 l per lactation in the second farm. The whole grain and roughage necessary for feeding ewes are calculated while hay is self-provided. The average fertility per ewe is 115%, the average wool yield is 2.2 kg and the repair of the flock is 20%. Incomes and costs are estimated at current prices for the 2013 - 2014. It was found that in the terms of the present study we may draw the conclusion that in case the farmer is not getting subsidy from the State Fund 'Agriculture' will be efficiently to raise only ewes that have milk productivity 100 l per lactation; in support of the farm subsidies by the State Fund 'Agriculture' and the two levels of milk production is appropriate breeding of dairy sheep in the mountainous and hilly regions of the country; in order to improve the economic efficiency farmers should pay attention to increasing the fertility of ewes and protection of the new-born lambs as well as increasing of milk productivity of ewes

Minor head trauma in infants - how accurate is cranial ultrasound performed by trained radiologists?

Correct management of infants after minor head trauma is crucial to minimize the risk to miss clinically important traumatic brain injury (ciTBI). Current practices typically involve CT or in-hospital surveillance. Cranial ultrasound (CUS) provides a radiation-free and fast alternative. This study examines the accuracy of radiologist-performed CUS to detect skull fracture (SF) and/or intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). An inconspicuous CUS followed by an uneventful clinical course would allow exclusion of ciTBI with a great certainty. This monocentric, retrospective, observational study analyzed CUS in infants (< 12 months) after minor head trauma at Bern University Children's Hospital, between 7/2013 and 8/2020. The primary outcome was the sensitivity and specificity of CUS in detecting SF and/or ICH by comparison to the clinical course and to additional neuroimaging. Out of a total of 325 patients, 73% (n = 241) had a normal CUS, 17% (n = 54) were found with SF, and ICH was diagnosed in 2.2% patients (n = 7). Two patients needed neurosurgery and three patients deteriorated clinically during surveillance. Additional imaging was performed in 35 patients. The sensitivity of CUS was 93% ([0.83, 0.97] 95% CI) and the specificity 98% ([0.95, 0.99] 95% CI). All false-negative cases originated in missed SF without clinical deterioration; no ICH was missed.  Conclusion: This study shows high accuracy of CUS in exclusion of SF and ICH, which can cause ciTBI. Therefore, CUS offers a reliable method of neuroimaging in infants after minor head trauma and gives reassurance to reduce the duration of in-hospital surveillance. What is Known: • Minor head trauma can cause clinically important traumatic brain injury in infants, and the management of these cases is a challenge for the treating physician. • Cranial ultrasound (CUS) is regularly used in neonatology, but its accuracy after head trauma in infants is controversial. What is New: • CUS performed by a trained radiologist can exclude findings related to clinically important traumatic brain injury (ciTBI) with high sensitivity and specificity. It therefore offers reassurance in the management of infants after minor head trauma

Multi-agent systems in epidemiology: a first step for computational biology in the study of vector-borne disease transmission

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Computational biology is often associated with genetic or genomic studies only. However, thanks to the increase of computational resources, computational models are appreciated as useful tools in many other scientific fields. Such modeling systems are particularly relevant for the study of complex systems, like the epidemiology of emerging infectious diseases. So far, mathematical models remain the main tool for the epidemiological and ecological analysis of infectious diseases, with SIR models could be seen as an implicit standard in epidemiology. Unfortunately, these models are based on differential equations and, therefore, can become very rapidly unmanageable due to the too many parameters which need to be taken into consideration. For instance, in the case of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases in wildlife many different potential host species could be involved in the life-cycle of disease transmission, and SIR models might not be the most suitable tool to truly capture the overall disease circulation within that environment. This limitation underlines the necessity to develop a standard spatial model that can cope with the transmission of disease in realistic ecosystems.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Computational biology may prove to be flexible enough to take into account the natural complexity observed in both natural and man-made ecosystems. In this paper, we propose a new computational model to study the transmission of infectious diseases in a spatially explicit context. We developed a multi-agent system model for vector-borne disease transmission in a realistic spatial environment.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Here we describe in detail the general behavior of this model that we hope will become a standard reference for the study of vector-borne disease transmission in wildlife. To conclude, we show how this simple model could be easily adapted and modified to be used as a common framework for further research developments in this field.</p

Thrombolysis in stroke patients with elevated inflammatory markers.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the prognostic value of white blood cell count (WBC) on functional outcome, mortality and bleeding risk in stroke patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). METHODS In this prospective multicenter study from the TRISP registry, we assessed the association between WBC on admission and 3-month poor outcome (modified Rankin Scale 3-6), mortality and occurrence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH; ECASS-II-criteria) in IVT-treated stroke patients. WBC was used as continuous and categorical variable distinguishing leukocytosis (WBC > 10 × 109/l) and leukopenia (WBC  10 mg/l) on outcomes. RESULTS Of 10,813 IVT-treated patients, 2527 had leukocytosis, 112 leukopenia and 8174 normal WBC. Increasing WBC (by 1 × 109/l) predicted poor outcome (ORadjusted 1.04[1.02-1.06]) but not mortality and sICH. Leukocytosis was independently associated with poor outcome (ORadjusted 1.48[1.29-1.69]) and mortality (ORadjusted 1.60[1.35-1.89]) but not with sICH (ORadjusted 1.17[0.94-1.45]). Leukopenia did not predict any outcome. In a subgroup, combined leukocytosis and elevated CRP had the strongest association with poor outcome (ORadjusted 2.26[1.76-2.91]) and mortality (ORadjusted 2.43[1.86-3.16]) when compared to combined normal WBC and CRP. CONCLUSION In IVT-treated patients, leukocytosis independently predicted poor functional outcome and death. Bleeding complications after IVT were not independently associated with leukocytosis