Probing for stomach using the Focused Impedance Method (FIM)

Abstract For probing deep organs of the body using electrical impedance, the conventional method is to use Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT). However, this would be a sophisticated machine and will be very expensive when a full 3D EIT is developed in the future. Furthermore, for most low income countries such expensive devices may not deliver the benefits to a large number of people. Therefore, this paper suggests the use of simpler techniques like Tetrapolar Impedance Measurement (TPIM) or Focused Impedance Method (FIM) in probing deeper organs. Following a method suggested earlier by one of the authors, this paper studies the possibility of using TPIM and FIM for the stomach. Using a simplified model of the human trunk with an embedded stomach, a finite element simulation package, COMSOL, was used to obtain transfer impedance values and percentage contribution of the stomach region in the total impedance. For this work, judicious placement of electrodes through qualitative visualizations based on point sensitivity equations and equipotential concepts were made, which showed that reasonable contribution of the stomach region is possible through the use of TPIM and FIM. The contributions were a little over 20% which is of similar order of the cross-sectional area percentage of the stomach with respect to that of the trunk. For the case where the conductivity of the stomach region was assumed about 4 times higher, the contributions increased to about 38%. Through further studies this proposed methods may contribute greatly in the study of deeper organs of the body.

Download Full-text

Application of Cross-Sectional Impedance Measurement Technique to Micro Channel

ASME 2008 6th International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels, and Minichannels ◽

10.1115/icnmm2008-62110 ◽

2008 ◽

Author(s):

Masahiro Takei ◽

Je-Eun Choi

Keyword(s):

Fluid Flow ◽

Measurement Technique ◽

Electrical Impedance ◽

Particle Distribution ◽

Imaging Technique ◽

Impedance Measurement ◽

Impedance Tomography ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Computer Chips ◽

Microchannel Devices

Fluid flow in microchannels has emerged as an important area of research due to its various applications in medical and biomedical industries, computer chips, and chemical separations. To fabricate microchannel devices, a thorough understanding of the diffusion reactions on the inside of the microchannel from the viewpoint of multiphase flow dynamics is needed. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a recently developed imaging technique in which conductivity or permittivity images of a subject can be rapidly collected with channels of external electrodes. Usually EIT is visualized into a cross-sectional image representing the distribution of density. Therefore, the application of EIT to microchannels is considered in this paper. This research is a first step to developing EIT for microchannel nanoparticles concentrations in a microchannel with 60 electrodes and measured using the cross-sectional impedance measurement technique. Using the EIT system in a microchannel, a particle distribution image can be obtained in a magnetic fluid. Based on the reconstructed image, it is easy to estimate the particle diffusion behaviors in a fluid flow.

Download Full-text

Malnutrition and Influencing Factors in Aged Patients: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal ◽

10.12944/crnfsj.9.3.06 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 783-790

Author(s):

Md. Sajib Al Reza ◽

Md. Abdur Rahim ◽

Most. Zosnara Khatun ◽

Vivekananda Biswas ◽

Nargis Akter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Nutritional Assessment ◽

Mini Nutritional Assessment ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Health Problems ◽

The Body ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Aged Patients ◽

Cross Sectional

Malnutrition refers to a nutritional ailment that functionally and clinically distresses the body. It is very common in aged people. The nutritional status of this vulnerable group in low-income countries does not remain focused upon. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the magnitude of malnutrition and to correlate different factors amongst aged patients administered in a reputed Medical College Hospital in Dinajpur district, Bangladesh. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional eminence of hospitalized aged patients through the original 18-item full Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) screening tool. We evaluated 238 patients in this study. Of whom, 144 (60.5%) were men and 94 (39.5%) were women, whose average age were 68.7 ± 7 years. MNA revealed a prevalence of 46.2% for risk of malnutrition, 31.9% for malnutrition, and 21.8% for within normal. Aged patients who lived alone were malnourished than the patients living with others (p < 0.001). Laboratory investigation revealed that malnourished individuals had substantively decreased levels of serum albumin (2.5 ± 0.7 g/dl), hemoglobin (10.3 ± 1.7 g/dl), lymphocytes (1.4 ± 0.9×10^9/L), and cholesterol (150 ± 35.9 mg/dl). About forty-nine and 32.9 percent of individuals with malnutrition had a severe or a moderate decrease in food intakes respectively. Different health problems collectively had influenced malnutrition. Malnourished patients had a tendency to hospitalize for a longer period of time. Thus malnutrition in hospitalized aged patients was highly prevalent and was associated with low food intake, the presence of health problems, and prolonged length of hospital stay.

Download Full-text

Assessment of knowledge and practice of vaccination of dogs against rabies by dog owners in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

10.25259/anmrp_1_2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 5

Author(s):

Audu Onyemocho ◽

Agwa Moses ◽

Aboh Kisani ◽

Omole Namben Victoria ◽

Anejo-Okopi Joseph

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Life Time ◽

Knowledge Score ◽

Educational Status ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Bivariate Analysis ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Knowledge And Practice ◽

Dog Owners ◽

The Relationship

Objective: Rabies, one of the oldest and fatal infectious diseases known to human race, is transmitted by infected dogs. The global target of zero dog-mediated rabies human deaths has been set for 2030; however, the realization of this goal poses challenges in most low-income countries where rabies is endemic due to weak surveillance. Dogs have been increasingly deployed for domestic uses over the years, especially for security purposes. This study assessed the assessment of knowledge and practice of vaccination of dogs against rabies by dog owners. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was employed to study 400 dog owners in Makurdi metropolis through multistage sampling techniques. Sighting of valid dog vaccination card was used as criteria for current vaccination. Bivariate analysis was carried out to establish the relationship between the respondent knowledge of rabies and dog vaccination with significant value set at P < 0.05. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 31 (Â ± 0.8) years, majority of them had tertiary and secondary education (40.0% and 39.0%, respectively), 26.0% were traders, and 50.0% were married. Overall, 73.0% of the respondents had good knowledge score, 61.0% had seen at least a rabid dog in their life time, and 74.0% have a history of dog vaccination, but evidence of up to date vaccination of dogs by owners was seen in only 18.0% of all the vaccination cards sighted. The relationship between the educational status of the respondents, their knowledge score, and their dog vaccination was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Knowledge of rabies among dog owners in Makurdi was good, but the practice of dog vaccination was poor. Educational status was a good predictor of practice. Awareness campaign on dog vaccination should be strengthened and adequate measures should be put in place at the veterinary hospitals in Makurdi for vaccination of dogs.

Download Full-text

A Cross-sectional Study of the Clinical Profile of Children With Cerebral Palsy in Benin, a West African Low-Income Country

Journal of Child Neurology ◽

10.1177/0883073819864516 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (13) ◽

pp. 842-850

Author(s):

Emmanuel Segnon Sogbossi ◽

Damienne Houekpetodji ◽

Toussaint G. Kpadonou ◽

Yannick Bleyenheuft

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Low Income ◽

Classification System ◽

West African ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Common Cause ◽

Low Income Country ◽

Children With Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a common cause of pediatric motor disability. Although there are increasing amounts of data on the clinical profile of children with cerebral palsy in high-income countries, corresponding information about low-income countries and developing countries is lacking. Therefore, we aimed to describe the clinical spectrum of cerebral palsy in children in Benin, a representative West African low-income country. Our cross-sectional observational study included 114 children with cerebral palsy recruited from community-based rehabilitation centers and teaching hospitals (median age: 7 years, range 2-17; sex: 66% male). Data were collected through review of medical records and interviews with children’s mothers. Assessment included risk factors, clinical subtypes according to the Surveillance of CP in Europe criteria, severity of motor outcome scored by the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and Manual Ability Classification System, comorbidities, and school attendance. We recorded a high prevalence of intrapartum adverse events. Seventeen percent of children had postneonatal cerebral palsy, with cerebral malaria being the most common cause. Most children were severely affected (67.5% as bilateral spastic; 54.4% as GMFCS IV or V), but severity declined substantially with age. Only 23% of the children with cerebral palsy had attended school. Poor motor outcomes and comorbidities were associated with school nonattendance. These results suggest that intrapartum risk factors and postnatal cerebral malaria in infants are opportune targets for prevention of cerebral palsy in Sub-Saharan low-income countries.

Download Full-text

Stigmatising attitudes towards the mentally ill: A survey in a Nigerian university teaching hospital

South African Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v16i2.238 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 5 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Dominic Ignatius Ukpong ◽

Festus Abasiubong

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Teaching Hospital ◽

Low Income ◽

Mentally Ill ◽

Educational Programme ◽

University Teaching ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Nigerian University

Background. The burden of mental illness is particularly severe for people living in low-income countries. Negative attitudes towards the mentally ill, stigma experiences and discrimination constitute part of this disease burden.Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate knowledge of possible causes of mental illness and attitudes towards the mentally ill in a Nigerian university teaching hospital population.Method. A cross-sectional descriptive study of a convenience sample of 208 participants from the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria, using the Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI) scale. Information was also obtained on beliefs about possible causes of mental illness. Results. The respondents held strongly negative views about the mentally ill, mostly being authoritarian and restrictive in their attitudes and placing emphasis on custodial care. Even though the respondents appeared to be knowledgeable about the possible role of psychosocial and genetic factors in the causation of mental illness, 52.0% of them believed that witches could be responsible, 44.2% thought mental illness could be due to possession by demons, and close to one-third (30%) felt that it could be a consequence of divine punishment.Conclusions. Stigma and discrimination against the mentally ill are widespread even in a population that is expected to be enlightened. The widespread belief in supernatural causation is likely to add to the difficulties of designing an effective anti-stigma psycho-educational programme. There is a need in Nigeria to develop strategies to change stigma attached to mental illness at both institutional and community levels.

Download Full-text

Personal and domiciliary hygiene practices and its association with incidence of infectious diseases among children aged 6-59 months

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20213519 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. 4204

Author(s):

Md Hasanuzzaman ◽

Md Hafizur Rahman ◽

Md Shafiqul Islam Khan ◽

Musammet Rasheda Begum ◽

Farjana Alam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Infectious Diseases ◽

Low Income ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Hand Washing ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Child Feeding ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Hygiene Practices ◽

Prepared Food

Background: Over 200 million under-five-children born in low-income countries are at risk of not reaching their development potential and infectious diseases are the leading cause of development deficits in these regions.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate personal and household hygiene practices among 154 mothers and their association with the incidence of infectious diseases among 167 children aged 6 months to 59 months in Patuakhali district, Bangladesh.Results: Only 13.6% of the mothers had proper hand washing knowledge. Besides, 14% and 53.9% of the mothers washed their hands with soap and only with water respectively before feeding their child. About 68.2% of mothers prepared food on the ground and half (49.5%) of the toilet did not have a hand washing location beside it. The risk of childhood infectious disease was significantly associated with hand washing of mothers before feeding a child (OR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.5-4.1, p<0.05) and hand washing of child before eating (OR: 3.4, 95% CI: 1.8-5.7, p<0.05).Conclusions: Hand washing agents were inadequate and compliance to hand washing was poor. Therefore, the continuous focus is needed on the mother's awareness construction to increase the compliance to hand washing practice among mothers as well as their child with soap, especially during child feeding.

Download Full-text

Low Cost Instrumentation for Electrical Impedance Tomography in Biomedical Applications

10.14293/p2199-8442.1.sop-eng.psmgxt.v1 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Stewart Smith ◽

Hancong Wu ◽

Jiabin Jia

Keyword(s):

Electrical Impedance Tomography ◽

Integrated Circuit ◽

Biomedical Applications ◽

Electrical Impedance ◽

Low Cost ◽

Impedance Measurement ◽

Impedance Tomography ◽

Impedance Measurements ◽

Additional Circuitry ◽

Initial Results

This poster reports the design, implementation and testing of a portable and inexpensive bio-impedance measurement system intended for electrical impedance tomography (EIT) in cell cultures. The system is based on the AD5933 impedance analyser integrated circuit with additional circuitry to enable four-terminal measurement. Initial results of impedance measurements are reported along with an EIT image reconstructed using the open source EIDORS package.

Download Full-text

Impact of Social Isolation on Physical Activity and Factors Associated With Sedentary Behavior in Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity ◽

10.1123/japa.2020-0456 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-5

Author(s):

Giovana Z. Mazo ◽

Felipe Fank ◽

Pedro S. Franco ◽

Bruna da Silva Vieira Capanema ◽

Franciele da Silva Pereira

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Sedentary Behavior ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Low Income ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Moderate Physical Activity ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Factors Associated ◽

The Impact

The objective was to analyze the impact of social isolation on moderate physical activity and factors associated with sedentary behavior of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a cross-sectional study involving 111 older adults (aged 71.0 ± 6.87 years). The data were collected at two time points: in November 2019 and in June 2020. There was a decline in moderate physical activity when the minutes/week were compared before and during social isolation (p < .001). Sedentary behavior was associated with the condition of living alone. Older adults who lived alone were 3.29 times more likely to spend 4 hr or more in sedentary behavior than those who lived with a partner (95% confidence interval [1.01, 10.74]). Government agencies must establish PA-related health promotion strategies, especially in developing and low-income countries. Therefore, home exercises need to be encouraged to prevent the consequences of this pandemic period.

Download Full-text

Sexual and Reproductive Health Services Utilization and Associated Factors among College Students at West Arsi Zone in Oromia Region, Ethiopia

The Scientific World JOURNAL ◽

10.1155/2020/3408789 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Demelash Wachamo ◽

Yadessa Tegene ◽

Abdisa Tibeso ◽

Assefa Washo

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Reproductive Health ◽

Low Income ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽

Transmitted Disease ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Reproductive Health Services ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Arsi Zone

Background. Young people are challenged with sexual and reproductive health (SRH) problems due to limited access to services and information. It contributes a high burden of sexually transmitted disease, unsafe abortion, and premature mortality, especially in low-income countries like Ethiopia. Hence, this study aimed at assessing the SRH service utilization and associated factors among college students at West Arsi Zone in Oromia region, Ethiopia. Methods. Institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 519 randomly selected college students from January 01, 2019, up to April 30, 2019. Data were collected through self-administered pretested questionnaires. Data entry and analysis for descriptive and logistic regression models were performed by using SPSS (version 23). The result was declared as statistically significant at p < 0.05. Results. The utilization of at least one SRH service in the last twelve months was seen in 304 (58.6%) students. Mainly information and counseling (81.3%), voluntary testing and counseling for HIV (80.6%), condom service (37.2%), pregnancy test (35.5%), family planning services (33.2%), and abortion care services (26.0%) were most frequently utilized. The students’ aged between 20 and 24 years [AOR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.38–3.06], female students [AOR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.30–2.82], those not living with family [AOR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.05–2.26], those who discussed about SRH with family/friends [AOR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.31–2.82], and those who participated in school clubs [AOR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.19, 2.58] more frequently used SRH service compared with their counterparts. Conclusions. The utilization of SRH services was low when compared with other studies and needs improvements to tackle RH-related problems. It requires pertinent health education and the SRH club at higher educational institutions is crucial.

Download Full-text

A New Look at the Democracy–Environment Nexus: Evidence from Panel Data for High- and Low-Income Countries

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11082353 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 2353

Author(s):

Soohyeon Kim ◽

Jungho Baek ◽

Eunnyeong Heo

Keyword(s):

Panel Data ◽

Environmental Quality ◽

Low Income ◽

Civil Liberties ◽

Random Effect ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Government Function ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Election System ◽

Sectional Analysis

This study is to investigate whether the multifaceted roles of democracy have a positive relationship with environmental quality. Using a panel data of 132 high- and low-income countries from 2014 to 2016, a random effect (RE) model is analyzed in comparison with cross-sectional analysis. To pursue the current research thoroughly, five elements of democracy that encompass the aspects of democratic institutions (election system, civil liberties, and government function) and the aspects of democratic culture (political participation and political culture) are selected. We find that elements of democracy are positively correlated with the environment in high-income countries. In low-income countries, on the other hand, it is found that the role of democracy in explaining the environmental quality appears to be very weak; only the effect of government function positively relates with the environment.

Download Full-text