Real-world experience of metformin 1000 mg/day in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and comorbidities from Myanmar

Background: The study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of 1000 (mg/day) metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) with comorbidities and special reference to elderly people in Myanmar.Methods: This was a retrospective, post surveillance study conducted in patients diagnosed with T2DM receiving treatment of metformin (1000 mg/day). Baseline characteristics, comorbidities, random blood sugar level (RBS) and RBS changes pre- and post-therapy were retrieved from patient’s medical records. A paired sample t-test was used for comparing the pre- and post-treatment RBS levels.Results: A total of 303 patients with T2DM were included. A total of 88, 115 and 100 patients belonged to age groups ≤50, >50-≤60 and >61 years, respectively. Duration of T2DM was significantly higher in elderly patients (>61 years) compared to ≤50 and >50-≤60 age group. Hypertension was the most common comorbid condition observed in all age groups followed by cardiovascular disease. However, both hypertension and cardiovascular disease were significantly higher among elderly patients (>61 years) compared to ≤50 and >50-≤60 age group (p50-≤60 years, 86.2 mg/dL and >61 years, 97.2 mg/dL). Metformin was well tolerated with minimal gastrointestinal adverse events (n=27).Conclusions: In this post marketing surveillance study, metformin (1000 mg/day) was found to be effective in reducing RBS in T2DM patients with comorbidities especially older adults and well tolerated with no risk of hypoglycemia

Polycrystalline Phase Formation of Magnesium Ferrite, MgFe2O4 Investigated by X-Ray Diffraction and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic Methods

Magnesium ferrite spinel, MgFe2O4 was prepared by conventional solid state reaction method at 1100C for 22 h in vacuum chamber. Structural and vibrational characteristics of the sample were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic methods. Crystal structure, lattice parameters and crystallite size of the sample were examined. Vibrational characteristics and mode assignments of the sample were analyzed to investigate the polycrystalline phase formation of the sample

Robust Navigation System for a Land Vehicle

This paper presents the integration of Inertia Navigation System and Global Position System (GPS) using Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF). The nonlinear system model is used because linearized system models introduce errors in high dynamic environments. The navigation performance and robustness of the proposed algorithm are also compared with that of the extended Kalman filter (EKF). To enhance the navigation performance, the non-holonomic constraint is applied to the UKF and it is found that the robustness of system is better than before when the GPS signal outages

Preparation and Characterization of TiO2 Electrospun Nano Fibres

Titanium dioxide nanofibres were fabricated by home-made horizontal and vertical experimental electrospinning set-ups. Electrospun titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanofibres were prepared by calcined titanium isopropoxide (TiP) and 2-Methoxyethanol (CH3OCH2CH2OH) with different molar ratios and it was formed on Al-foil substrate by different spinning time. TiO2 sol solution (Sol-gel) was characterized by TG-DTA, XRD and SEM analyses. SEM images revealed that Anatase TiO2 as-spun fibres on the Al foils were found to be between 120-250nm in diameters before and after calcinations with horizontal set-up for 30 minutes and vertical set-up for 40 minutes spinning time

Ultrasonic System Approach to Obstacle Detection and Edge Detection

In this paper, ultrasonic system approach to obstacle detection and edge detection for industrial and rescue operations has been presented. The developed system consists of tough sonic sensor configure with personal computer for monitoring. First, the mathematical model has been presented for the object detection system. Then the numerical simulation has been performed using Matlab platform. The experiments have been conducted using ultrasonic frequency. The curtain, paper and bamboo sheet have been considered as a media during experiments. The presented system is highly accurate for object detection and edge detection behind the obstacle

Mental health status among Burmese adolescent students living in boarding houses in Thailand: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: In Tak province of Thailand, a number of adolescent students who migrated from Burma have resided in the boarding houses of migrant schools. This study investigated mental health status and its relationship with perceived social support among such students. METHODS: This cross-sectional study surveyed 428 students, aged 12–18 years, who lived in boarding houses. The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL)-37 A, Stressful Life Events (SLE) and Reactions of Adolescents to Traumatic Stress (RATS) questionnaires were used to assess participants’ mental health status and experience of traumatic events. The Medical Outcome Study (MOS) Social Support Survey Scale was used to measure their perceived level of social support. Descriptive analysis was conducted to examine the distribution of sociodemographic characteristics, trauma experiences, and mental health status. Further, multivariate linear regression analysis was used to examine the association between such characteristics and participants’ mental health status. RESULTS: In total, 771 students were invited to participate in the study and 428 students chose to take part. Of these students, 304 completed the questionnaire. A large proportion (62.8%) indicated that both of their parents lived in Myanmar, while only 11.8% answered that both of their parents lived in Thailand. The mean total number of traumatic events experienced was 5.7 (standard deviation [SD] 2.9), mean total score on the HSCL-37A was 63.1 (SD 11.4), and mean total score on the RATS was 41.4 (SD 9.9). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that higher number of traumatic events was associated with more mental health problems. CONCLUSIONS: Many students residing in boarding houses suffered from poor mental health in Thailand’s Tak province. The number of traumatic experiences reported was higher than expected. Furthermore, these traumatic experiences were associated with poorer mental health status. Rather than making a generalized assumption on the mental health status of migrants or refugees, more detailed observation is necessary to elucidate the unique nature and vulnerabilities of this mobile population

Patients' access to and acceptance of community-based hepatitis C testing and treatment in Myanmar: A mixed-method study.

Hepatitis C (HCV) infection elimination in low- and middle-income countries requires decentralised HCV services to increase testing and linkage to care. The CT2 Study investigated patients' views of access to and acceptance of two community-based HCV care models in Myanmar using a mixed-methods approach. Point-of-care HCV testing and general practitioner-initiated HCV treatment were provided at two community clinics in Yangon, Myanmar-the Burnet Institute's (BI) clinic focused on people who inject drugs (PWID), and the Myanmar Liver Foundation's (MLF) clinic focused on people with liver-related diseases. Study staff administered quantitative questionnaires to 633 participants receiving anti-HCV antibody testing. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 29 participants receiving direct-acting antiviral treatment for qualitative interviews. Among participants completing quantitative questionnaires, almost all reported the clinic location was convenient (447/463, 97%), waiting time was acceptable (455/463, 98%), and HCV antibody and RNA testing methods were acceptable (617/632, 98% and 592/605, 97% respectively). Nearly all participants were satisfied with their clinic's services (444/463, 96%) and preferred same-day test results (589/632, 93%). BI clinic participants were more confident that they understood HCV antibody and RNA results; MLF clinic participants were more comfortable disclosing their risk behaviour to staff and had slightly higher satisfaction with the overall care, privacy and secure storage of their information. In qualitative interviews, participants reported that flexible appointment scheduling, short wait times and rapid return of results increased the clinic's accessibility. The simplified point-of-care testing and treatment procedures and supportive healthcare providers contributed to participants' acceptance of the HCV care model. This decentralised community-based HCV testing and treatment model was highly accessible and acceptable to CT2 participants. Prioritizing patient-centred care, rapid provision of results, flexible appointments and convenient clinic locations can promote accessible and acceptable services which may in turn help accelerate progress in reaching HCV elimination targets

Collaborative community checklists for immunisation: a feasibility and acceptability study in rural Myanmar

Stata code files and ready-for-analysis data used in the analysis published in the Final Report to 3ie on the project, "Collaborative community checklists for immunisation: a feasibility and acceptability study in rural Myanmar" (project code TW 10.1117). This project was funded as part of the Innovations in Increasing Immunisation Evidence Programme