Evaluation of nutritional status among school-aged children in rural Kwahu-eastern region, Ghana; anthropometric measures and environmental influences

School-age children in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to undernutrition as the priority of nutritional interventions focus on fetal development and the first years of life. This study examines anthropometric indices of school-age children in five communities located in rural Kwahu-Eastern Region, Ghana, West Africa and discusses environmental influences that contribute to their nutritional and growth status. Anthropometric indices of heights and weights were obtained from 411 school- aged children, (5-12 years old) in 5 villages (Asakraka, Awiseasu, Miaso, Oframase and Oworobong) during June 2012. Anthropometric parameters and influences that contributed to nutritional status (environmental, health facilities, availability of markets and gender) were assessed. Factorial ANOVAs were conducted with age, gender and village as factors for the z-score for ‘BMI-for-age’ and the z-score for ‘height-for-age’. The z-score of ‘BMI-for-age’ showed a significant two-way interaction effect between ‘Age’ and ‘Village’, F (4, 391) = 6.06, p-value < 0.001, η2 = 0.06. The mean z-score for ‘BMI- for-age’ was significantly lower for older children in Oframase. The z-score of ‘Height-for-age’ showed a small but significant three-way interaction effect among ‘Age’, ‘Gender’, and ‘Village’, F (4, 391) = 3.79, p-value = 0.005, η2 = 0.04. The mean z-score for ‘Height-for-age’ was significantly lower in older children (ages 10-12 years) in all villages except Asakraka. Lower mean z-score for ‘Height-for-age’ in older children (ages 10-12 years) remains to be significant in boys in villages of Awiseasu and Oworobong and in girls in villages of Awiseasu, Miaso and Oframase. Children in isolated communities are at increased risk for lower z-scores in ‘Height-for-age’ and ‘BMI-for-age’. Communities with a clinic, paved road and established infrastructure did not demonstrate evidence of chronic malnutrition. Acute malnutrition in the form of lower z-scores was demonstrated in older children in Oframase. Gender disparities are present and increased awareness of the nutritional status of girls needs to be addressed.Keywords: Nutrition, School children, Ghana, Environmen

Postoperative irradiation after implant placement: A pilot study for prosthetic reconstruction

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Estimated Time of Biomineralization in Developing Rat Incisors

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Intramuscular EMG-driven musculoskeletal modelling: towards implanted muscle interfacing in spinal cord injury patients

OBJECTIVE: Surface EMG-driven modelling has been proposed as a means to control assistive devices by estimating joint torques. Implanted EMG sensors have several advantages over wearable sensors but provide a more localized information on muscle activity, which may impact torque estimates. Here, we tested and compared the use of surface and intramuscular EMG measurements for the estimation of required assistive joint torques using EMG driven modelling. METHODS: Four healthy subjects and three incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) patients performed walking trials at varying speeds. Motion capture marker trajectories, surface and intramuscular EMG, and ground reaction forces were measured concurrently. Subject-specific musculoskeletal models were developed for all subjects, and inverse dynamics analysis was performed for all individual trials. EMG-driven modelling based joint torque estimates were obtained from surface and intramuscular EMG. RESULTS: The correlation between the experimental and predicted joint torques was similar when using intramuscular or surface EMG as input to the EMG-driven modelling estimator in both healthy individuals and patients. CONCLUSION: We have provided the first comparison of non-invasive and implanted EMG sensors as input signals for torque estimates in healthy individuals and SCI patients. SIGNIFICANCE: Implanted EMG sensors have the potential to be used as a reliable input for assistive exoskeleton joint torque actuation

Spatiotemporal integration of molecular and anatomical data in virtual reality using semantic mapping

We have developed a computational framework for spatiotemporal integration of molecular and anatomical datasets in a virtual reality environment. Using two case studies involving gene expression data and pharmacokinetic data, respectively, we demonstrate how existing knowledge bases for molecular data can be semantically mapped onto a standardized anatomical context of human body. Our data mapping methodology uses ontological representations of heterogeneous biomedical datasets and an ontology reasoner to create complex semantic descriptions of biomedical processes. This framework provides a means to systematically combine an increasing amount of biomedical imaging and numerical data into spatiotemporally coherent graphical representations. Our work enables medical researchers with different expertise to simulate complex phenomena visually and to develop insights through the use of shared data, thus paving the way for pathological inference, developmental pattern discovery and biomedical hypothesis testing

The Two Faces of Anomaly Mediation

Anomaly mediation is a ubiquitous source of supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking which appears in almost every theory of supergravity. In this paper, we show that anomaly mediation really consists of two physically distinct phenomena, which we dub "gravitino mediation" and "Kahler mediation". Gravitino mediation arises from minimally uplifting SUSY anti-de Sitter (AdS) space to Minkowski space, generating soft masses proportional to the gravitino mass. Kahler mediation arises when visible sector fields have linear couplings to SUSY breaking in the Kahler potential, generating soft masses proportional to beta function coefficients. In the literature, these two phenomena are lumped together under the name "anomaly mediation", but here we demonstrate that they can be physically disentangled by measuring associated couplings to the goldstino. In particular, we use the example of gaugino soft masses to show that gravitino mediation generates soft masses without corresponding goldstino couplings. This result naively violates the goldstino equivalence theorem but is in fact necessary for supercurrent conservation in AdS space. Since gravitino mediation persists even when the visible sector is sequestered from SUSY breaking, we can use the absence of goldstino couplings as an unambiguous definition of sequestering.Comment: 21 pages, 1 table; v2, references added, extended discussion in introduction and appendix; v3, JHEP versio

The validity of using ICD-9 codes and pharmacy records to identify patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Administrative data is often used to identify patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), yet the validity of this approach is unclear. We sought to develop a predictive model utilizing administrative data to accurately identify patients with COPD. Methods: Sequential logistic regression models were constructed using 9573 patients with postbronchodilator spirometry at two Veterans Affairs medical centers (2003-2007). COPD was defined as: 1) FEV1/FVC <0.70, and 2) FEV1/FVC < lower limits of normal. Model inputs included age, outpatient or inpatient COPD-related ICD-9 codes, and the number of metered does inhalers (MDI) prescribed over the one year prior to and one year post spirometry. Model performance was assessed using standard criteria. Results: 4564 of 9573 patients (47.7%) had an FEV1/FVC < 0.70. The presence of ≥1 outpatient COPD visit had a sensitivity of 76% and specificity of 67%; the AUC was 0.75 (95% CI 0.74-0.76). Adding the use of albuterol MDI increased the AUC of this model to 0.76 (95% CI 0.75-0.77) while the addition of ipratropium bromide MDI increased the AUC to 0.77 (95% CI 0.76-0.78). The best performing model included: ≥6 albuterol MDI, ≥3 ipratropium MDI, ≥1 outpatient ICD-9 code, ≥1 inpatient ICD-9 code, and age, achieving an AUC of 0.79 (95% CI 0.78-0.80). Conclusion: Commonly used definitions of COPD in observational studies misclassify the majority of patients as having COPD. Using multiple diagnostic codes in combination with pharmacy data improves the ability to accurately identify patients with COPD.Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Services Research and Development (DHA), American Lung Association (CI- 51755-N) awarded to DHA, the American Thoracic Society Fellow Career Development AwardPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/84155/1/Cooke - ICD9 validity in COPD.pd

Intervention to enhance skilled arm and hand movements after stroke: A feasibility study using a new virtual reality system

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Rehabilitation programs designed to develop skill in upper extremity (UE) function after stroke require progressive practice that engage and challenge the learner. Virtual realty (VR) provides a unique environment where the presentation of stimuli can be controlled systematically for optimal challenge by adapting task difficulty as performance improves. We describe four VR tasks that were developed and tested to improve arm and hand movement skills for individuals with hemiparesis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two participants with chronic post-stroke paresis and different levels of motor severity attended 12 training sessions lasting 1 to 2 hours each over a 3-week period. Behavior measures and questionnaires were administered pre-, mid-, and post-training.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both participants improved VR task performance across sessions. The less impaired participant averaged more time on task, practiced a greater number of blocks per session, and progressed at a faster rate over sessions than the more impaired participant. Impairment level did not change but both participants improved functional ability after training. The less impaired participant increased the number of blocks moved on the Box & Blocks test while the more impaired participant achieved 4 more items on the Functional Test of the Hemiparetic UE.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Two participants with differing motor severity were able to engage in VR based practice and improve performance over 12 training sessions. We were able to successfully provide individualized, progressive practice based on each participant's level of movement ability and rate of performance improvement.</p

Relationship between Environmental Phthalate Exposure and the Intelligence of School-Age Children

BACKGROUND: Concern over phthalates has emerged because of their potential toxicity to humans. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the relationship between the urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites and children`s intellectual functioning. METHODS: This study enrolled 667 children at nine elementary schools in five South Korean cities. A cross-sectional examination of urine phthalate concentrations was performed, and scores on neuro-psychological tests were obtained from both the children and their mothers. RESULTS: We measured mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) and mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP), both metabolites of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), and mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP), a metabolite of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), in urine samples. The geometric mean (ln) concentrations of MEHP, MEOHP, and MBP were 21.3 mu g/L [geometric SD (GSD) = 2.2 mu g/L; range, 0.5-445.4], 18.0 mu g/L (GSD = 2.4; range, 0.07-291.1), and 48.9 mu g/L (GSD = 2.2; range, 2.1-1645.5), respectively. After adjusting for demographic and developmental covariates, the Full Scale IQ and Verbal IQ scores were negatively associated with DEHP metabolites but not with DBP metabolites. We also found a significant negative relationship between the urine concentrations of the metabolites of DEHP and DBP and children`s vocabulary subscores. After controlling for maternal IQ, a significant inverse relationship between DEHP metabolites and vocabulary subscale score remained. Among boys, we found a negative association between increasing MEHP phthalate concentrations and the sum of DEHP metabolite concentrations and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children vocabulary score; however, among girls, we found no significant association between these variables. CONCLUSION: Controlling for maternal IQ and other covariates, the results show an inverse relationship between phthalate metabolites and IQ scores; however, given the limitations in cross-sectional epidemiology, prospective studies are needed to fully explore these associations.This work was funded by the Eco-Technopia 21 project of Korea Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (091-081-059).Cho SC, 2010, J CHILD PSYCHOL PSYC, V51, P1050, DOI 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02250.xKim BN, 2009, BIOL PSYCHIAT, V66, P958, DOI 10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.07.034Tanida T, 2009, TOXICOL LETT, V189, P40, DOI 10.1016/j.toxlet.2009.04.005Ghisari M, 2009, TOXICOL LETT, V189, P67, DOI 10.1016/j.toxlet.2009.05.004Barnett JH, 2009, AM J PSYCHIAT, V166, P909, DOI 10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.08081251Kim Y, 2009, NEUROTOXICOLOGY, V30, P564, DOI 10.1016/j.neuro.2009.03.012Engel SM, 2009, NEUROTOXICOLOGY, V30, P522, DOI 10.1016/j.neuro.2009.04.001Kamrin MA, 2009, J TOXICOL ENV HEAL B, V12, P157, DOI 10.1080/10937400902729226Brown JS, 2009, SCHIZOPHRENIA BULL, V35, P256, DOI 10.1093/schbul/sbm147Bellinger DC, 2008, NEUROTOXICOLOGY, V29, P828, DOI 10.1016/j.neuro.2008.04.005Wolff MS, 2008, ENVIRON HEALTH PERSP, V116, P1092, DOI 10.1289/ehp.11007van Neerven S, 2008, PROG NEUROBIOL, V85, P433, DOI 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2008.04.006Hatch EE, 2008, ENVIRON HEALTH-GLOB, V7, DOI 10.1186/1476-069X-7-27Zevalkink J, 2008, J GENET PSYCHOL, V169, P72Kolarik B, 2008, ENVIRON HEALTH PERSP, V116, P98, DOI 10.1289/ehp.10498SATHYANARAYANA S, 2008, CURR PROBL PEDIAT AD, V38, P34KHO YL, 2008, J ENV HLTH SCI, V34, P271Huang PC, 2007, HUM REPROD, V22, P2715, DOI 10.1093/humrep/dem205Janjua NR, 2007, ENVIRON SCI TECHNOL, V41, P5564, DOI 10.1021/es0628755Meeker JD, 2007, ENVIRON HEALTH PERSP, V115, P1029, DOI 10.1289/ehp.9852Fromme H, 2007, INT J HYG ENVIR HEAL, V210, P21, DOI 10.1016/j.ijheh.2006.09.005Xu Y, 2007, ARCH TOXICOL, V81, P57, DOI 10.1007/s00204-006-0143-8Pereira C, 2007, ACTA HISTOCHEM, V109, P29, DOI 10.1016/j.acthis.2006.09.008Hauser R, 2006, EPIDEMIOLOGY, V17, P682, DOI 10.1097/01.ede.0000235996.89953.d7Zhu DF, 2006, BRAIN, V129, P2923, DOI 10.1093/brain/awl215Andrade AJM, 2006, TOXICOLOGY, V227, P185, DOI 10.1016/j.tox.2006.07.022Lottrup G, 2006, INT J ANDROL, V29, P172, DOI 10.1111/j.1365-2605.2005.00642.xBreous E, 2005, MOL CELL ENDOCRINOL, V244, P75, DOI 10.1016/j.mce.2005.06.009Wenzel A, 2005, MOL CELL ENDOCRINOL, V244, P63, DOI 10.1016/j.mce.2005.02.008Kato K, 2005, ANAL CHEM, V77, P2985, DOI 10.1021/ac0481248Tanaka T, 2005, FOOD CHEM TOXICOL, V43, P581, DOI 10.1016/j.fct.2005.01.001Duty SM, 2005, HUM REPROD, V20, P604, DOI 10.1093/humrep/deh656Kota BP, 2005, PHARMACOL RES, V51, P85, DOI 10.1016/j.phrs.2004.07.012Hays T, 2005, CARCINOGENESIS, V26, P219, DOI 10.1093/carcin/bgh285Hauser R, 2004, ENVIRON HEALTH PERSP, V112, P1734, DOI 10.1289/ehp.7212Bornehag CG, 2004, ENVIRON HEALTH PERSP, V112, P1393, DOI 10.1289/ehp.7187Ishido M, 2004, J NEUROCHEM, V91, P69, DOI 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2004.02696.xMink PJ, 2004, EPIDEMIOLOGY, V15, P385, DOI 10.1097/01.ede.0000128402.86336.7eBellinger DC, 2004, EPIDEMIOLOGY, V15, P383, DOI 10.1097/01.ede.0000129525.15064.a4Shea KM, 2003, PEDIATRICS, V111, P1467Tanaka T, 2002, FOOD CHEM TOXICOL, V40, P1499, DOI 10.1016/S0278-6915(02)00073-XHoppin JA, 2002, ENVIRON HEALTH PERSP, V110, P515SATTLER JM, 2001, ASSESSMENT CHILDRENRice D, 2000, ENVIRON HEALTH PERSP, V108, P511Bellinger DC, 2000, NEUROTOXICOL TERATOL, V22, P133LIM YR, 2000, KOR J CLIN PSYCHOL, V19, P563Braissant O, 1998, ENDOCRINOLOGY, V139, P2748Peters JM, 1997, CARCINOGENESIS, V18, P2029Baldini IM, 1997, PROG NEURO-PSYCHOPH, V21, P925Roberts RA, 1997, FUND APPL TOXICOL, V38, P107PARK KS, 1996, DEV KEDI WISC INDIVIMONZANI F, 1993, CLIN INVESTIGATOR, V71, P367SILVERSTEIN AB, 1990, J CLIN PSYCHOL, V46, P333HINTON RH, 1986, ENVIRON HEALTH PERSP, V70, P195KIM MK, 1986, SEOUL J PSYCHIAT, V11, P194KAUFMAN AS, 1976, CONTEMP EDUC PSYCHOL, V1, P1801