Methodological notes on a collaborative, action-research programme on nutrition and ageing

Knowledge on the nutritional needs and vulnerabilities of older people in many low-income countries is limited. A collaborative research programme between HelpAge International and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine sought to help fill this gap. This paper outlines the approaches used during the research and the ways in which the research outcomes are now being used to directly benefit older persons and to advocate their rights

Does Exposure to Aflatoxin Constrain Efforts to Reduce Stunting in Zambia?

On 8 June 2013, the Vice President of Zambia stated that his government ‘is fully committed to reducing chronic undernutrition by 50 per cent in the next ten years…’ What are the challenges to meeting this goal? Zambia has both a high consumption of groundnuts and high levels of aflatoxin contamination of this commodity. Recent studies indicate an association between stunting and aflatoxin exposure. If the association exists, then Zambia faces serious challenges to reaching its target of 50 per cent reduction in chronic undernutrition. Recent efforts to identify atoxigenic strains for biocontrol in maize and groundnuts give cause for cautious optimism. Nonetheless, the challenges ahead demand both a high level of political will to achieve effective multisectoral collaboration and the willingness of the agricultural and health sectors to undertake rigorous monitoring of aflatoxin contamination and growth of young children, as well as the agricultural sector’s commitment to reduce substantially levels of aflatoxin contamination and to promote agricultural diversification

Kompetensi pengurusan dan prestasi perniagaan : orientasi keusahawanan sebagai pengantara dalam PKS Malaysia

Perusahaan Kecil dan Sederhana (PKS) yang terdiri daripada 98.5% perniagaan di Malaysia gagal memenuhi sasaran KDNK negara dan menunjukkan prestasi yang merosot dan lemah yang memerlukan perhatian khusus. Orientasi keusahawanan merupakan faktor yang dirasakan mampu meningkatkan prestasi PKS. Oleh itu, kajian ini mengkaji kesan pengantaraan orientasi keusahawanan terhadap hubungan antara kompetensi pengurusan dan prestasi PKS di Malaysia. Seramai 159 orang responden telah dipilih melalui persampelan rawak mudah dari PKS di Malaysia. Hasil regresi membuktikan bahawa orientasi keusahawanan mempunyai kesan pengantaraan separa yang signifikan dan positif dalam hubungan antara kompetensi pengurusan dan prestasi PKS. Secara keseluruhannya, hasil kajian ini dapat membantu pihak berkepentingan dengan PKS untuk menjalankan program dan strategi pembangunan yang memberi tumpuan kepada peningkatan kompetensi pengurusan dan orientasi keusahawanan untuk membantu PKS meningkatkan prestasi perniagaan

Study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex genotypic diversity in Malaysia reveals a predominance of ancestral East-African-Indian lineage with a Malaysia-specific signature.

International audienceTuberculosis (TB) still constitutes a major public health problem in Malaysia. The identification and genotyping based characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) isolates causing the disease is important to determine the effectiveness of the control and surveillance programs. This study intended a first assessment of spoligotyping-based MTBC genotypic diversity in Malaysia followed by a comparison of strains with those prevailing in neighboring countries by comparison with an international MTBC genotyping database. Spoligotyping was performed on a total of 220 M. tuberculosis clinical isolates collected in Kelantan and Kuala Lumpur. The results were compared with the SITVIT2 international database of the Pasteur Institute of Guadeloupe. Spoligotyping revealed 77 different patterns: 22 corresponded to orphan patterns while 55 patterns containing 198 isolates were assigned a Spoligo International Type (SIT) designation in the database (the latter included 6 newly created SITs). The eight most common SITs grouped 141 isolates (5 to 56 strains per cluster) as follows: SIT1/Beijing, n = 56, 25.5%; SIT745/EAI1-SOM, n = 33, 15.0%; SIT591/EAI6-BGD1, n = 13, 5.9%; SIT256/EAI5, n = 12, 5.5%; SIT236/EAI5, n = 10, 4.6%; SIT19/EAI2-Manila, n = 9, 4.1%; SIT89/EAI2-Nonthaburi, n = 5, 2.3%; and SIT50/H3, n = 3, 1.4%. The association between city of isolation and lineages was statistically significant; Haarlem and T lineages being higher in Kuala Lumpur (p<0.01). However, no statistically significant differences were noted when comparing drug resistance vs. major lineages, nor between gender and clades. The ancestral East-African-Indian (EAI) lineage was most predominant followed by the Beijing lineage. A comparison of strains with those prevailing in neighboring countries in South Asia, East Asia and South East Asia underlined the phylogeographical specificity of SIT745 for Malaysia, and its probable ongoing evolution with locally evolved strains sharing a specific signature characterized by absence of spacers 37, 38, and 40. Pending complementary genotyping confirmation, we propose that SIT745/EAI-SOM is tentatively reclassified as SIT745/EAI-MYS

Usage of mobile applications in diabetes management: a review

Peer-reviewed articles on the usage of mobile applications in the management of diabetes were reviewed. Studies using mobile device applications for diabetes interventions published between January 2007 and March 2013 were included in this review. Studies related to the developmental processes of the mobile applications were excluded. The characteristics of these studies and the outcomes of the methods used in the management of diabetes were gathered. We retrieved a total of 372 articles from ACM Digital library, PubMed and Proquest Medical Library. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 8 articles were eligible for further review. Most of the studies included in this review showed the effectiveness of mobile applications in diabetes management. Their major contribution comes from feedback functions of the systems that assist participants in the self-monitoring of their blood glucose and dietary intake. However, the majority of the studies showed the limited use of the mobile phone as a tool to input information into systems which would in turn convey a reminder message to the patient. In conclusion, with its features of portability and convenience, mobile application used in the management of diabetes has the potential to improve glycaemic control, resulting in significant clinical and financial benefits

Orientasi keusahawanan sebagai pembolehubah perantara antara modal insan dan Prestasi Perusahaan Kecil dan Sederhana (PKS)

Small and Medium Enterprises are seen as firms that contribute to the national economy and are even the dominant type of enterprise in Malaysia. However, human capital and entrepreneurial orientation are often linked to SME performance issues. Specifically, this study aims to determine the effect of entrepreneurial orientation as a mediator on the relationship between human capital and SME performance. Research data was obtained from 200 questionnaires and analysed using regression analysis. The results of the study found that entrepreneurial orientation acts as a mediator in the relationship between human capital and firm performance. Therefore, SME entrepreneurs need to be given appropriate guidance to improve their entrepreneurial orientation. Through appropriate and effective training from the parties involved, SMEs can provide innovative, creative and proactive human capital in the face of business competition. The parties involved need to work together to provide effective training for that purpose

Detection of proliferative diabetic retinopathy in fundus images using convolution neural network

Convolution Neural Network (CNN) is one of the techniques under Artificial Neural Network (ANN) used to develop a Deep Learning Neural Network (DLNN) algorithm for detection of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR) on the fundus images. About 116 PDR and 150 Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (NPDR) of fundus images retrieved from the publicly available MESSIDOR database applied in this research. This study consisted three objectives that included the execution of two pre-processing techniques on the data-set which were resizing and normalizing the fundus images, developed deep learning operational Artificial Intelligence (AI) network of feature extraction algorithm for detection of PDR on the fundus images and determined the output classification of the network encompassing the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. There were five different parameters carried out along this research. Here, Parameter 5 showed the best performance among the five parameters based on the value of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity that was 73.81%, 76%, and 69% respectively

What can child Anthropometry reveal about living standards and public policy? An illustration from Central Asia

The paper considers the case for the use of data on weight and height of children to assess living standards and public policy, contrasting them with monetized measures of welfare based on household incomes or expenditures. Data on child anthropometry are then used from Uzbekistan, the most populous of the Central Asian republics of the former Soviet Union, to investigate rural-urban differences in living standards, the impact of kindergartens on nutritional status, and the targeting of means-tested social assistance. Conclusions are drawn for the use of information on child anthropometry in the design of public policy

Nutrition and handgrip strength of older adults in rural Malawi.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between the nutritional status and handgrip strength of older people in rural Malawi. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: : Lilongwe rural, Malawi, situated approximately 35-50 km from the city. SUBJECTS: Ninety seven males and 199 females participated in this study. METHODS: Selected anthropometric measurements were taken and nutrition indices were computed using standard equations. Handgrip strength was measured using an electronic grip strength dynamometer. RESULTS: The mean handgrip strength (in kg) for men was significantly higher than for women vs. In addition, there was a significant decline in handgrip strength with age in both sexes. Furthermore, handgrip strength was positively correlated to the following nutritional status indicators: BMI in males and in females), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) in males and in females) and arm-muscle area (AMA) in males and in females). After controlling for potential confounders, namely sex, height and age, the correlations between handgrip strength and the nutrition indices were still significant. CONCLUSION: The results of this study support the hypothesis that poor nutritional status is associated with poor handgrip strength. Malawian males had both lower handgrip strength and lower arm muscle area than their counterparts from industrialised countries. However, Malawian females had similar handgrip strength despite lower arm muscle area, in comparison with women from industrialised countries, reflecting perhaps their higher level of physical activity. Further studies are required to determine whether by alleviating nutritional problems a concomitant improvement in handgrip strength can be obtained

Living Standards and Public Policy in Central Asia: What can be learned from child anthropometry?

Data on the weight and height of children are used to assess living standards and public policy in Uzbekistan, the most populous of the Central Asian republics. The paper begins by making the case for the use of such data, contrasting them with monetized measures of welfare based on household incomes or expenditures, before going on to review the problems of interpretation that anthropometry presents for the economist. The prevalence of stunting and wasting in three regions of Uzbekistan is compared with that in neighbouring Kazakhstan and with other countries from outside the region. Multivariate analysis is then used to test three hypotheses concerning rural-urban differences in living standards, the impact of kindergartens on nutritional status, and the targeting of means-tested social assistance.economic transition; rural-urban disparity; standard of living;Central Europe; Eastern Europe; Russia;