16 research outputs found
PERFORMANCE METRICS IN VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM
Video surveillance is an active research topic in computer vision. One of the areas that are being actively researched is on the abilities of surveillance systems to track multiple objects over time in occluded scenes and to keep a consistent identity for each target object. These abilities enable a surveillance system to provide crucial information about moving objects behaviour and interaction. This survey reviews the recent developments in moving object detection and also different techniques and approaches in multiple objects tracking that have been developed by researchers. The algorithms and filters that can be incorporated in tracking multiples object to solve the occluded and natural busy scenes in surveillance systems are also reviewed in this paper. This survey is meant to provide researchers in the field with a summary of progress achieved up to date in multiple moving objects tracking. Despite recent progress in computer vision and other related areas, there are still major technical challenges that need to be solved before reliable automated video surveillance system can be realized
Smoking cessation intervention: Can diabetic patients’ change their motivation to quit and nicotine dependence?
Introduction: Considering smoking tobacco is a bad habit that drive smokers to nicotine dependence; that argue an urgent need to evaluate factors keep them smoke and how a smoking cessation intervention can affect these factors and minimize their effect. As well as intervention impact on their nicotine dependence and motivation to quit. Methods: This was a randomised controlled trial involving patients with diabetes who smoked tobacco and attended the out-patient diabetes clinic at Hospital Pulau Pinang in Malaysia. Results: Among 126 participants followed over the study period, Malays represent about 41% of the participants. No significant difference between the patients in the two groups with respect to their nicotine dependence. However repeated measures test showed a significant difference over the study period but not with respect to the groups (intervention and control) Fagerström test F (2,220) = 3.663. Significant main effects were found among participants in the different groups with respect to their motivation to quit F (1,110) = 3.975. Conclusion: changing patients behaviour may need consistent and comprehensive intervention for longer time. © 2018, Pharmainfo Publications. All rights reserved
Effects of plant growth regulators on root culture and yeast extract elicitation on metabolite profiles of Polygonum minus
There are various secondary metabolites that have been identified in Polygonum minus Huds. or kesum plant, but the production is often very low and depending on growth stage. Therefore, elicitation and in vitro techniques have been suggested as an effective way for inducing secondary metabolites production in plant. This study was conducted to determine the optimal conditions for P. minus root formation in vitro and to profile the metabolite content from P. minus root culture with and without elicitor treatment. From the root induction study, it was found that the fresh weight of induced root for nodal explant in MS liquid media supplemented with 0.5 mg/L NAA and shaken had the highest production (0.38±0.08 g) compared to other treatments including the control. The results from metabolite
profile showed that the volatile compound of P. minus root produced without any elicitation contained 50.11% aliphatic (27.59% aldehide, 9.17% alkane and 13.35% others) and 19.39% sesquiterpene (β-caryophyllene, α-bergamotene, β-farnesene, α-caryophyllene dan β-curcumene) where the dodecanal compound (22.27%) and β-caryophyllene (8.09%) have the highest percentage value for aliphatic and sesquiterpene group, respectively. Moreover, elicitation of P. minus root culture using yeast extract at 100 mg/L concentration for 1 day demonstrated the ability to increase the production of secondary metabolites in many volatile compounds of kesum in vitro root including the sesquiterpene compounds compared to control treatment and other yeast extract elicitation treatments
Effects of plant growth regulators on root culture and yeast extract elicitation on metabolite profiles of Polygonum minus
There are various secondary metabolites that have been identified in Polygonum minus Huds. or kesum plant, but the production is often very low and depending on growth stage. Therefore, elicitation and in vitro techniques have been suggested as an effective way for inducing secondary metabolites production in plant. This study was conducted to determine the optimal conditions for P. minus root formation in vitro and to profile the metabolite content from P. minus root culture with and without elicitor treatment. From the root induction study, it was found that the fresh weight of induced root for nodal explant in MS liquid media supplemented with 0.5 mg/L NAA and shaken had the highest production (0.38±0.08 g) compared to other treatments including the control. The results from metabolite profile showed that the volatile compound of P. minus root produced without any elicitation contained 50.11% aliphatic (27.59% aldehide, 9.17% alkane and 13.35% others) and 19.39% sesquiterpene (β-caryophyllene, α-bergamotene, β-farnesene, α-caryophyllene dan β-curcumene) where the dodecanal compound (22.27%) and β-caryophyllene (8.09%) have the highest percentage value for aliphatic and sesquiterpene group, respectively. Moreover, elicitation of P. minus root culture using yeast extract at 100 mg/L concentration for 1 day demonstrated the ability to increase the production of secondary metabolites in many volatile compounds of kesum in vitro root including the sesquiterpene compounds compared to control treatment and other yeast extract elicitation treatments
The role of pharmacists in developing countries: the current scenario in Pakistan
During the past few years, the pharmacy profession has expanded significantly in terms of professional services delivery and now has been recognized as an important profession in the multidisciplinary provision of health care. In contrast to the situation in developed countries, pharmacists in developing countries are still underutilized and their role as health care professionals is not deemed important by either the community or other health care providers. The aim of this paper is to highlight the role of pharmacists in developing countries, particularly in Pakistan. The paper draws on the literature related to the socioeconomic and health status of Pakistan's population, along with background on the pharmacy profession in the country in the context of the current directions of health care
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Global age-sex-specific mortality, life expectancy, and population estimates in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1950–2021, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
Background
Estimates of demographic metrics are crucial to assess levels and trends of population health outcomes. The profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations worldwide has underscored the need for timely estimates to understand this unprecedented event within the context of long-term population health trends. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 provides new demographic estimates for 204 countries and territories and 811 additional subnational locations from 1950 to 2021, with a particular emphasis on changes in mortality and life expectancy that occurred during the 2020–21 COVID-19 pandemic period.
Methods
22 223 data sources from vital registration, sample registration, surveys, censuses, and other sources were used to estimate mortality, with a subset of these sources used exclusively to estimate excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2026 data sources were used for population estimation. Additional sources were used to estimate migration; the effects of the HIV epidemic; and demographic discontinuities due to conflicts, famines, natural disasters, and pandemics, which are used as inputs for estimating mortality and population. Spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) was used to generate under-5 mortality rates, which synthesised 30 763 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 1365 surveys and censuses, and 80 other sources. ST-GPR was also used to estimate adult mortality (between ages 15 and 59 years) based on information from 31 642 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 355 surveys and censuses, and 24 other sources. Estimates of child and adult mortality rates were then used to generate life tables with a relational model life table system. For countries with large HIV epidemics, life tables were adjusted using independent estimates of HIV-specific mortality generated via an epidemiological analysis of HIV prevalence surveys, antenatal clinic serosurveillance, and other data sources. Excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 was determined by subtracting observed all-cause mortality (adjusted for late registration and mortality anomalies) from the mortality expected in the absence of the pandemic. Expected mortality was calculated based on historical trends using an ensemble of models. In location-years where all-cause mortality data were unavailable, we estimated excess mortality rates using a regression model with covariates pertaining to the pandemic. Population size was computed using a Bayesian hierarchical cohort component model. Life expectancy was calculated using age-specific mortality rates and standard demographic methods. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered values from a 1000-draw posterior distribution.
Findings
Global all-cause mortality followed two distinct patterns over the study period: age-standardised mortality rates declined between 1950 and 2019 (a 62·8% [95% UI 60·5–65·1] decline), and increased during the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020–21; 5·1% [0·9–9·6] increase). In contrast with the overall reverse in mortality trends during the pandemic period, child mortality continued to decline, with 4·66 million (3·98–5·50) global deaths in children younger than 5 years in 2021 compared with 5·21 million (4·50–6·01) in 2019. An estimated 131 million (126–137) people died globally from all causes in 2020 and 2021 combined, of which 15·9 million (14·7–17·2) were due to the COVID-19 pandemic (measured by excess mortality, which includes deaths directly due to SARS-CoV-2 infection and those indirectly due to other social, economic, or behavioural changes associated with the pandemic). Excess mortality rates exceeded 150 deaths per 100 000 population during at least one year of the pandemic in 80 countries and territories, whereas 20 nations had a negative excess mortality rate in 2020 or 2021, indicating that all-cause mortality in these countries was lower during the pandemic than expected based on historical trends. Between 1950 and 2021, global life expectancy at birth increased by 22·7 years (20·8–24·8), from 49·0 years (46·7–51·3) to 71·7 years (70·9–72·5). Global life expectancy at birth declined by 1·6 years (1·0–2·2) between 2019 and 2021, reversing historical trends. An increase in life expectancy was only observed in 32 (15·7%) of 204 countries and territories between 2019 and 2021. The global population reached 7·89 billion (7·67–8·13) people in 2021, by which time 56 of 204 countries and territories had peaked and subsequently populations have declined. The largest proportion of population growth between 2020 and 2021 was in sub-Saharan Africa (39·5% [28·4–52·7]) and south Asia (26·3% [9·0–44·7]). From 2000 to 2021, the ratio of the population aged 65 years and older to the population aged younger than 15 years increased in 188 (92·2%) of 204 nations.
Interpretation
Global adult mortality rates markedly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, reversing past decreasing trends, while child mortality rates continued to decline, albeit more slowly than in earlier years. Although COVID-19 had a substantial impact on many demographic indicators during the first 2 years of the pandemic, overall global health progress over the 72 years evaluated has been profound, with considerable improvements in mortality and life expectancy. Additionally, we observed a deceleration of global population growth since 2017, despite steady or increasing growth in lower-income countries, combined with a continued global shift of population age structures towards older ages. These demographic changes will likely present future challenges to health systems, economies, and societies. The comprehensive demographic estimates reported here will enable researchers, policy makers, health practitioners, and other key stakeholders to better understand and address the profound changes that have occurred in the global health landscape following the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and longer-term trends beyond the pandemic
Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Case management of malaria fever at community pharmacies in Pakistan: a threat to rational drug use
Objective: To document the case management of
uncomplicated malaria fever at community
pharmacies located in the two major cities of
Pakistan; Islamabad (national capital) and
Rawalpindi (twin city).
Method: A comparative, cross-sectional study was
designed to document the management of
uncomplicated malaria fever at community
pharmacies in twin cities of Pakistan through
simulated patient visits. Visits were conducted in
238 randomly selected pharmacies to request
advice for a simulated patient case of malaria. The
pharmacy´s management was scored on a checklist
including history taking and provision of advice and
information. Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney
U test were used to compare management of
uncomplicated malaria fever by different types of
dispensers working at community pharmacies
situated at different locations in the twin cities.
Results: The simulated patients were handled by
salesmen (74.8%, n=178), pharmacist (5.4%, n=13)
and diploma holders (19.8 %, n=47). Medication
was dispensed in 83.1 % (n=198) of the visits, but
only few of the treated cases were in accordance to
standard treatment guidelines for malaria. However,
in 14.8% (n=35) of the cases the simulated patients
were directly referred to a physician. There was a
significant difference observed in the process of history taking performed by different dispensers
(e.g. pharmacist, pharmacy assistant, pharmacy
diploma holders and salesman) while no significant
differences in the provision of advice by these
dispensers was observed. Pharmacists were seen
more frequently involved in the process of history
taking if available at the community pharmacies. On
the other hand, no significant differences were
observed in the case management (history taking
and provision of advice) for the treatment of malaria
fever among community pharmacies situated at
different locations (e.g. near hospital/super
market/small market) in the twin cities.
Conclusion: The results of the study revealed that
the overall process of disease management of
uncomplicated malaria fever at community
pharmacies was not in accordance with the national
standard treatment guidelines for malaria. Patients
were being treated by untrained personnel´s at
community pharmacies without any understanding
of referral. However, pharmacists were more
frequently involved in history taking, though their
availability was low at community pharmacies.Objetivo: Documentar el manejo de casos de
malaria no complicada en farmacias comunitarias
situadas en las dos principales ciudades de
Pakistán: Islamabad (la capital) y Rawalpindi
(ciudad gemela).
Método: Se diseñó un estudio comparativo
transversal para documentar el manejo de la
malaria no complicada en las farmacias
comunitarias de las ciudades gemelas de Pakistán
mediante visitas de pacientes simulados. Se
realizaron visitas a 238 farmacias aleatoriamente
seleccionadas para pedir consejo en un caso de un
paciente simulado con malaria. El manejo de la
farmacia se puntuó en un listado que incluía la
recogida del historial y la provisión de
asesoramiento e información. Se utilizaron los tests
de Kruskal-Wallis y de Mann-Whitney U para
comparar el manejo de los casos de malaria no
complicada por los dispensadores trabajando en farmacias comunitarias gestionadas por diferentes
proveedores y en diferentes localizaciones de las
ciudades gemelas.
Resultados: Los pacientes simulados fueron
atendidos por vendedores (74,8%, n=178),
farmacéuticos (5,4%, n= 13), y diplomados (19,8%,
n=47). Se dispensó medicación en el 83,1%
(n=198) de las visitas, pero pocos de los casos
tratados estaban de acuerdo con las
recomendaciones para el tratamiento de la malaria.
Sin embargo, en el 14,8% de los casos (n=53) los
pacientes simulados fueron remitidos directamente
al médico. Hubo diferencia significativa en el
proceso de recogida del historial entre los
diferentes dispensadores (p.e. farmacéuticos,
auxiliares de farmacia, diplomados en farmacia, y
vendedores), mientras que no hubo diferencias
significativas en la provisión de asesoramiento
entre los diferentes dispensadores. Los
farmacéuticos, si estaban disponibles en la
farmacia, estaban más involucrados en el proceso
de recogida del historial. Por otro lado, no se
apreciaron diferencias significativas en el manejo
del caso (recogida del historial y provisión de
asesoramiento) para el tratamiento de la malaria
entre las farmacias comunitarias de diferentes
localizaciones de las ciudades gemelas (p.e. cerca
de un hospital/supermercado/mercadillo).
Conclusión: Los resultados del estudio revelaron
que el proceso general de manejo de la malaria no
complicada en farmacias comunitarias no estaba de
acuerdo con las recomendaciones nacionales de
tratamiento de malaria. Los pacientes fueron
atendidos por personal de las farmacias sin
entrenamiento en las farmacias sin ninguna idea de
remisión al médico. Sin embargo, los farmacéuticos
estaban más involucrados en la recogida del
historial, aunque su disponibilidad en las farmacias
comunitarias era baja