Assessment of the feasibility of an ultra-low power, wireless digital patch for the continuous ambulatory monitoring of vital signs.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Vital signs are usually recorded at 4–8 h intervals in hospital patients, and deterioration between measurements can have serious consequences. The primary study objective was to assess agreement between a new ultra-low power, wireless and wearable surveillance system for continuous ambulatory monitoring of vital signs and a widely used clinical vital signs monitor. The secondary objective was to examine the system's ability to automatically identify and reject invalid physiological data. SETTING: Single hospital centre. PARTICIPANTS: Heart and respiratory rate were recorded over 2 h in 20 patients undergoing elective surgery and a second group of 41 patients with comorbid conditions, in the general ward. OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome measures were limits of agreement and bias. The secondary outcome measure was proportion of data rejected. RESULTS: The digital patch provided reliable heart rate values in the majority of patients (about 80%) with normal sinus rhythm, and in the presence of abnormal ECG recordings (excluding aperiodic arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation). The mean difference between systems was less than ±1 bpm in all patient groups studied. Although respiratory data were more frequently rejected as invalid because of the high sensitivity of impedance pneumography to motion artefacts, valid rates were reported for 50% of recordings with a mean difference of less than ±1 brpm compared with the bedside monitor. Correlation between systems was statistically significant (p<0.0001) for heart and respiratory rate, apart from respiratory rate in patients with atrial fibrillation (p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Overall agreement between digital patch and clinical monitor was satisfactory, as was the efficacy of the system for automatic rejection of invalid data. Wireless monitoring technologies, such as the one tested, may offer clinical value when implemented as part of wider hospital systems that integrate and support existing clinical protocols and workflows

Socio-Economic Determinants of Insecticides Usage in Cowpea Production in Kaduna State, Nigeria

This study investigates the socio-economic determinants of Insecticides use among cowpea farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 150 cowpea farmers who used insecticides in controlling pest in cowpea production in the study area. Information collected includes those of socio-economic characteristics of the famers and the quantity of insecticides they used. A regression model was used to estimate the relationship between farmers&#8217; socio-economic characteristics and the insecticides use level. The study showed that family size, farm size level of education and years of farming experience were the major socio-economic determinants of insecticides use level among the cowpea farmers in the studied area. It was recommended that training and efforts to get farmers educated are intensified while strategies that will prevent migration of educated youths away from active areas of farming be put in place.Keywords: Cowpea, farmers, socio-economic, determinant, insecticidesJournal of Agriculture and Social Research (JASR) Vol. 11, No. 1, 201

Ventilatory support of the newborn

Respiratory disorders are a frequent cause of admission in the newborn. Respiratory diseases have unique physiologic, anatomic and clinical characteristics during this period necessitating special management. Knowledge of the pathophysiology of pulmonary diseases and their differential impact on the lungs of differing stages of maturity is essential to the safe and efficacious applications of special techniques of treatment. Principles of respiratory management include establishment of the airway, ensuring oxygenation, assisted ventilation, assessing adequacy of ventilation, correction of metabolic abnormalities and alleviation of cause of distress. The goal of treatment is safe and effective assistance to oxygen delivery and carbon dioxide removal from the tissues. Inspired oxygen should be administered in a controlled manner to provide adequate but not excessive blood oxygen tension levels. Mechanical ventilation may be required to treat metabolic abnormalities. There is the need for continuous monitoring and re- evaluation. This article is intended to present an overview of the embryology of the respiratory system, pulmonary physiology in the newborn, the principles of oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation. It also discusses the complications that can follow. Key words: Ventilatory support, oxygen delivery, newbor

First genome sequences of buffalo coronavirus from water buffaloes in Bangladesh

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Renal expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in lupus nephritis in the pediatric age group

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a crucial role in preservation of renal functions and may also serve as a useful biomarker in monitoring the progression of lupus nephritis (LN). Objective: We thought to correlate VEGF expression in the kidney with renal histopathology in lupus nephritis to unveil its possible relation to disease activity and severity.Methods: We consecutively enrolled 15 patients with lupus nephritis and ten renal biopsy specimens from patients with cystic renal diseases as controls. The study measurements included SLEDAI, SLICC/ ACR damage index and BILAG renal score. Paraffin sections from renal biopsies were subjected to routine haematoxylin and eosin staining and Immunohistochemical staining for VEGF. Results: Among SLE patients, 7 (46.7%) showed mild expression of VEGF, 5 (33.3%) showed moderate while 3 (20%) had strong expression of the marker. On the contrary, the control samples (100%) revealed strong marker expression. All subjects with class IV and V lupus nephritis had mild renal expression of VEGF. Renal expression of VEGF had a significant positive correlation with serum creatinine and complement C3 levels. The 24 hours’ excretion of urinary proteins had a significant negative correlation with the renal expression of the marker. On the other hand, the activity indices and therapeutic modalities did not correlate with VEGF expression. Conclusion: This pilot study among pediatric cases of SLE revealed mild to moderate VEGF expression in most cases of proliferative LN. Further longitudinal studies are needed to investigate the consequences of this finding on the prognosis of the disease.Keywords: VEGF, SLE, renal biopsy, lupus nephritis

Success factors for ICT implementation in Saudi secondary schools : from the perspective of ICT directors, head teachers, teachers and students

The role of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) in education is undisputed globally. Therefore, many developed and developing countries have invested heavily in the ICT sector in education. Saudi Arabia is one of these countries. However, although it has invested massively in the ICT sector in education, the progression has often been disappointing – resulting in a number of serious questions being raised for decision-makers and educators alike. One of the most important of these questions is 'what factors affect the successful implementation of ICT in schools’. Hence, the importance of this paper is to find an answer to this question and related questions from the participants' perspective. Consequently, the study is primarily concerned with qualitative data, collected in semi-structured interviews with two ICT directors, four headmasters,four teachers and four students, in Saudi secondary schools. Generally, the results showed that ICT was perceived as an important tool in improving performance, collaboration, learning experience and learning outcomes. However, some challenges that affect the application of ICT in Saudi schools are, for example, the lack of space, resources, maintenance, a lack of ICT skills among school along with a lack in ICT training and a lack of clear ICT policies. However, the overcoming of these obstacles could turn these barriers into positive factors to aid in the success of ICT implementation

Ameliorative Potential of Morin in Streptozotocin-Induced Neuropathic Pain in Rats

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of morin, a naturally occurring bioflavonoid of Moraceae family, in experimentally-induced diabetic neuropathy (DN) in rats.Methods: Diabetes was induced by a single injection (65 mg/kg, ip) of streptozotocin (STZ). Morin (15 and 30 mg/kg/day) oral treatment was started 3 weeks after diabetes induction and continued for 5 consecutive weeks. Pain threshold behavior tests were performed at the end of the treatment. In sciatic nerve, inflammatory cytokines (TNF-á, IL-1â, IL-6), nerve growth factor (NGF) and insulin growth factor (IGF-1) were determined using ELISA kits, while thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS),glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) levels were assessed.Results: Diabetic animals showed apparent decreased paw-withdrawal (39 %, p &lt; 0.05) and tail-flick (31 %, p &lt; 0.05) latency as compared with control group. All the measured biomarkers were altered (p &lt; 0.05 to 0.001) in diabetic rats compared with control non-diabetic animals. Morin treatment attenuated hyperalgesia and analgesia (p &lt; 0.05) respectively. Morin treatment of diabetic rats at both doses significantly decreased the levels of cytokines (p &lt; 0.01), glucose (p &lt; 0.01) and TBARS (p &lt; 0.001), but increased NGF (p &lt; 0.01), IGF-1 (p &lt; 0.01) and GSH (p &lt; 0.01) levels in sciatic nerves compared to untreated diabetic animals. Inhibited activities (U/mg protein) of SOD (1.08 ± 0.16) and CAT (2.77 ± 0.36) in sciatic nerve of diabetic rats also found corrections (2.09 ± 0.11, p &lt; 0.01) and (4.53 ± 0.57, p &lt; 0.01) after morin (30 mg/kg/day) treatment, compared with untreated diabetic animals.Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the protective effect of morin mediated through reduction of oxidative stress and inflammatory process, and suggest the therapeutic potential of morin in the attenuation of diabetic neuropathy.Keywords: Morin, Diabetes, Neuropathy pain, Oxidative stress, Anti-inflammator