scholarly journals Predictive risk model of livestock rabies occurrence in Peru

Author(s):  
Ricardo Augusto Dias ◽  
Francisco Miroslav Ulloa-Stanojlovic

Livestock rabies is endemic in Peru. Hence, its persistence and annual dissemination represent an important economic impact, especially for impoverished farming communities. The disease is mostly transmitted by the hematophagous bat Desmodus rotundus. The present study aimed to adapt an existing predictive model of the occurrence of livestock rabies to Peru, in which the risk of rabies transmission from bats to livestock was estimated using decision-tree models of receptivity and vulnerability. Official rabies surveillance data between 2010 and 2015 were used along with possible risk factors, such as livestock biomass, environmental changes, and geomorphological characteristics. Several scenarios were established to evaluate the prediction of the occurrence of livestock rabies cases by determining more than one cut-off point of the receptivity variables. During the study period, the precision of the model was estimated through the sensitivity (39.46%) and specificity (98.64%) by using confusion matrices. Targeting control efforts, especially in districts with a high estimated risk, could represent the prevention of a significant proportion of livestock rabies cases, which would optimize the human and economic resources of the Peruvian surveillance service. However, the quality of data produced by the surveillance should be improved not only to obtain higher model precision but also to allow the adequate planning of control actions.

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 200600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vuong Truong ◽  
Niall W. Duncan

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has seen an increase in popularity as a method for studying the human brain. This approach is dependent on voxel localization and spectral quality, knowledge of which are essential for judging the validity and robustness of any analysis. As such, visualization plays a central role in appropriately communicating MRS studies. The quality of data visualization has been shown to be poor in a number of biomedical fields and so we sought to appraise this in MRS papers. To do this, we conducted a survey of the psychiatric single-voxel MRS literature. This revealed a generally low standard, with a significant proportion of papers not providing the voxel location and spectral quality information required to judge their validity or replicate the experiment. Based on this, we then present a series of suggestions for a minimal standard for MRS data visualization. The primary point of these is that both voxel location and MRS spectra be presented from all participants. Participant group membership should be indicated where more than one is included in the experiment (e.g. patients and controls). A set of suggested figure layouts that fulfil these requirements are presented with sample code provided to produce these (github.com/nwd2918/MRS-voxel-plot).


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vuong Truong ◽  
Niall W Duncan

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has seen an increase in popularity as a method for studying the human brain. This approach is highly dependent on voxel localisation and spectral quality, knowledge of which are essential for judging the validity and robustness of any analysis. As such, visualisation plays a central role in appropriately communicating MRS studies. The quality of data visualisation has been shown to be poor in a number of biomedical fields and so we sought to appraise this in MRS papers. To do this we conducted an informal survey of the MRS literature, focusing on papers comparing people with psychiatric disorders to controls. Data visualisations in 50 papers were given scores for the amount of information conveyed about voxel localisation and spectral quality. This revealed a generally low standard, with a significant proportion of papers not providing the information required to judge the validity of their findings or replicate the experiment. Some basic suggestions are then presented as to a minimal standard for MRS data visualisation. Sample code to produce the suggested figures is provided.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandru-Ionuţ Petrişor ◽  
Liliana Elza Petrişor

AbstractApplying geostatistical approaches to spatial data is a common method for assessing the transitional dynamics of land cover and use changes induced by human activities. However, the relevance of results depends largely on the quality of data. CORINE data have showed their utility in assessing long term changes at the macro-scale, but their use at the micro-scale is impeded by the spatial resolution and changes in the methodology of obtaining them. Recently, new data from the Urban Atlas were provided at a greater resolution for urban areas. In an attempt to assess their potential for analyzing transitional dynamics at the micro-scale, this paper compared the two data sets using the case study of Bucharest. The results indicate that the Urban Atlas does a better job in surprising the fragmentation of land in urban areas, and providing the real extent of specific features diminished by CORINE.


Author(s):  
B. L. Armbruster ◽  
B. Kraus ◽  
M. Pan

One goal in electron microscopy of biological specimens is to improve the quality of data to equal the resolution capabilities of modem transmission electron microscopes. Radiation damage and beam- induced movement caused by charging of the sample, low image contrast at high resolution, and sensitivity to external vibration and drift in side entry specimen holders limit the effective resolution one can achieve. Several methods have been developed to address these limitations: cryomethods are widely employed to preserve and stabilize specimens against some of the adverse effects of the vacuum and electron beam irradiation, spot-scan imaging reduces charging and associated beam-induced movement, and energy-filtered imaging removes the “fog” caused by inelastic scattering of electrons which is particularly pronounced in thick specimens.Although most cryoholders can easily achieve a 3.4Å resolution specification, information perpendicular to the goniometer axis may be degraded due to vibration. Absolute drift after mechanical and thermal equilibration as well as drift after movement of a holder may cause loss of resolution in any direction.


Author(s):  
Nur Maimun ◽  
Jihan Natassa ◽  
Wen Via Trisna ◽  
Yeye Supriatin

The accuracy in administering the diagnosis code was the important matter for medical recorder, quality of data was the most important thing for health information management of medical recorder. This study aims to know the coder competency for accuracy and precision of using ICD 10 at X Hospital in Pekanbaru. This study was a qualitative method with case study implementation from five informan. The result show that medical personnel (doctor) have never received a training about coding, doctors writing that hard and difficult to read, failure for making diagnoses code or procedures, doctor used an usual abbreviations that are not standard, theres still an officer who are not understand about the nomenclature and mastering anatomy phatology, facilities and infrastructure were supported for accuracy and precision of the existing code. The errors of coding always happen because there is a human error. The accuracy and precision in coding very influence against the cost of INA CBGs, medical and the committee did most of the work in the case of severity level III, while medical record had a role in monitoring or evaluation of coding implementation. If there are resumes that is not clearly case mix team check file needed medical record the result the diagnoses or coding for conformity. Keywords: coder competency, accuracy and precision of coding, ICD 10


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Effendi

Information Product Approach (IP Approach) is an information management approach. It can be used to manage product information and data quality analysis. IP-Map can be used by organizations to facilitate the management of knowledge in collecting, storing, maintaining, and using the data in an organized. The  process of data management of academic activities in X University has not yet used the IP approach. X University has not given attention to the management of information quality of its. During this time X University just concern to system applications used to support the automation of data management in the process of academic activities. IP-Map that made in this paper can be used as a basis for analyzing the quality of data and information. By the IP-MAP, X University is expected to know which parts of the process that need improvement in the quality of data and information management.   Index term: IP Approach, IP-Map, information quality, data quality. REFERENCES[1] H. Zhu, S. Madnick, Y. Lee, and R. Wang, “Data and Information Quality Research: Its Evolution and Future,” Working Paper, MIT, USA, 2012.[2] Lee, Yang W; at al, Journey To Data Quality, MIT Press: Cambridge, 2006.[3] L. Al-Hakim, Information Quality Management: Theory and Applications. Idea Group Inc (IGI), 2007.[4] “Access : A semiotic information quality framework: development and comparative analysis : Journal ofInformation Technology.” [Online]. Available: http://www.palgravejournals.com/jit/journal/v20/n2/full/2000038a.html. [Accessed: 18-Sep-2015].[5] Effendi, Diana, Pengukuran Dan Perbaikan Kualitas Data Dan Informasi Di Perguruan Tinggi MenggunakanCALDEA Dan EVAMECAL (Studi Kasus X University), Proceeding Seminar Nasional RESASTEK, 2012, pp.TIG.1-TI-G.6.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bogdan Corneliu Andor ◽  
Dionisio Franco Barattini ◽  
Dumitru Emanuel Dogaru ◽  
Simone Guadagna ◽  
Serban Rosu

BACKGROUND Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the top five most disabling conditions and it affects more than one third of persons over 65 years of age. Currently 80% of persons affected by OA already report having some movement limitation, 20% of people are not be able to perform major activities of daily living, and about 11% of the total affected population need of personal care. On 2014 the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO) suggested as first step of pharmacological treatment for knee OA a background therapy with chronic symptomatic slow-acting drugs for osteoarthritis (SYSADOAs), such as glucosamine sulphate, chondroitin sulphate and hyaluronic acid (HA). In studies with oral HA, symptoms of OA are often measured using subjective parameters such as the visual analog scale (VAS) or the quality of life questionnaire (QoL) and objective measurements as ultrasonography (US) or range of motion (ROM) are employed in very few trials. This affects the quality of data in the literature. OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this work is to assess the feasibility of implementing US and ROM as objective measurements to correlate the improvement of knee mobility with pain reduction, evaluated using a subjective scale (VAS) in patients assuming a nutraceutical containing HA. The secondary objective is to evaluate the enrollment rate in one month to verify the feasibility for time and budget of the planned future main study. The explorative objective of the trial is to obtain preliminary data on efficacy of the tested product. METHODS This open-label pilot trial is performed in an orthopedic clinic (Timisoara, Romania). Male and female subjects (from 50 to 70 years) diagnosed with symptomatic OA of the knee with mild joint discomfort for at least 6 months are included. Following protocol, 8 patients are administered for 8 weeks Syalox® 300 Plus (River Pharma, Italy), a product based on HA of high molecular weight. Baseline and final visit assessments include orthopedic assessment, US, Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) questionnaire, VAS and ROM of knee. RESULTS Data collection occurred between February 2018 and June 2018. All results are expected to be available by the end of 2018. CONCLUSIONS This pilot trial will be the first study to analyze the potential correlation between subjective evaluation (VAS, KOOS questionnaire) and objective measurements (US, ROM and actigraphy). The data from this study will assess the feasibility of the planned monthly recruitment rate and the necessary time and budget, and should provide preliminary information on efficacy of the tested product. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT number: NCT03421054).


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juqing Zhao ◽  
Pei Chen ◽  
Guangming Wan

BACKGROUND There has been an increase number of eHealth and mHealth interventions aimed to support symptoms among cancer survivors. However, patient engagement has not been guaranteed and standardized in these interventions. OBJECTIVE The objective of this review was to address how patient engagement has been defined and measured in eHealth and mHealth interventions designed to improve symptoms and quality of life for cancer patients. METHODS Searches were performed in MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to identify eHealth and mHealth interventions designed specifically to improve symptom management for cancer patients. Definition and measurement of engagement and engagement related outcomes of each intervention were synthesized. This integrated review was conducted using Critical Interpretive Synthesis to ensure the quality of data synthesis. RESULTS A total of 792 intervention studies were identified through the searches; 10 research papers met the inclusion criteria. Most of them (6/10) were randomized trial, 2 were one group trail, 1 was qualitative design, and 1 paper used mixed method. Majority of identified papers defined patient engagement as the usage of an eHealth and mHealth intervention by using different variables (e.g., usage time, log in times, participation rate). Engagement has also been described as subjective experience about the interaction with the intervention. The measurement of engagement is in accordance with the definition of engagement and can be categorized as objective and subjective measures. Among identified papers, 5 used system usage data, 2 used self-reported questionnaire, 1 used sensor data and 3 used qualitative method. Almost all studies reported engagement at a moment to moment level, but there is a lack of measurement of engagement for the long term. CONCLUSIONS There have been calls to develop standard definition and measurement of patient engagement in eHealth and mHealth interventions. Besides, it is important to provide cancer patients with more tailored and engaging eHealth and mHealth interventions for long term engagement.


2021 ◽  
pp. 004912412199553
Author(s):  
Jan-Lucas Schanze

An increasing age of respondents and cognitive impairment are usual suspects for increasing difficulties in survey interviews and a decreasing data quality. This is why survey researchers tend to label residents in retirement and nursing homes as hard-to-interview and exclude them from most social surveys. In this article, I examine to what extent this label is justified and whether quality of data collected among residents in institutions for the elderly really differs from data collected within private households. For this purpose, I analyze the response behavior and quality indicators in three waves of Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. To control for confounding variables, I use propensity score matching to identify respondents in private households who share similar characteristics with institutionalized residents. My results confirm that most indicators of response behavior and data quality are worse in institutions compared to private households. However, when controlling for sociodemographic and health-related variables, differences get very small. These results suggest the importance of health for the data quality irrespective of the housing situation.


Author(s):  
Cornelius J Clancy ◽  
Ilan S Schwartz ◽  
Brittany Kula ◽  
M Hong Nguyen

Abstract Background Limited clinical data suggest ~16% prevalence of bacterial superinfections among critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods We reviewed postmortem studies of patients with COVID-19 published in English through 26 September 2020 for histopathologic findings consistent with bacterial lung infections. Results Worldwide, 621 patients from 75 studies were included. The quality of data was uneven, likely because identifying superinfections was not a major objective in 96% (72/75) of studies. Histopathology consistent with potential lung superinfection was reported in 32% (200/621) of patients (22-96 years old; 66% men). Types of infections were pneumonia (95%), abscesses or empyema (3.5%), and septic emboli (1.5%). Seventy-three percent of pneumonias were focal rather than diffuse. Predominant histopathologic findings were intra-alveolar neutrophilic infiltrations that were distinct from those typical of COVID-19-associated diffuse alveolar damage. In studies with available data, 79% of patients received antimicrobial treatment; most common agents were beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitors (48%), macrolides (16%), cephalosoprins (12%), and carbapenems (6%). Superinfections were proven by direct visualization or recovery of bacteria in 25.5% (51/200) of potential cases, and 8% of all patients in postmortem studies. In rank order, pathogens included Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Lung superinfections were causes of death in 16% of potential cases, and 3% of all patients with COVID-19. Conclusions Potential bacterial lung superinfections were evident at postmortem examination in 32% of persons who died with COVID-19 (proven, 8%; possible, 24%), but they were uncommonly the cause of death.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document