Malaria,a devastating disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite and transmitted through the bites of female Anopheles mosquitoes,remains a significant public health concern,claiming over 600,000 lives annually,predomi...Malaria,a devastating disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite and transmitted through the bites of female Anopheles mosquitoes,remains a significant public health concern,claiming over 600,000 lives annually,predominantly among children.Novel tools,including the application of Wolbachia,are being developed to combat malaria-transmitting mosquitoes.This study presents a modified susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered-susceptible(SEIRS)compartmental mathematical model to evaluate the impact of awareness-based control measures on malaria transmission dynamics,incorporating mosquito interactions and seasonality.Employing the next-generation matrix approach,we calculated a basic reproduction number(R0)of 2.4537,indicating that without robust control measures,the disease will persist in the human population.The model equations were solved numerically using fourth and fifth-order Runge-Kutta methods.The model was fitted to malaria incidence data from Kenya spanning 2000 to 2021 using least squares curve fitting.The fitting algorithm yielded a mean absolute error(MAE)of 2.6463 when comparing the actual data points to the simulated values of infectious human population(Ih).This finding indicates that the proposed mathematical model closely aligns with the recorded malaria incidence data.The optimal values of the model parameters were estimated from the fitting algorithm,and future malaria dynamics were projected for the next decade.The research findings suggest that social media-based awareness campaigns,coupled with specific optimization control measures and effective management methods,offer the most cost-effective approach to managing malaria.展开更多
<strong>Background:</strong> This study aimed to describe the results of mammography done during breast cancer awareness campaigns in Lomé. <strong>Methods:</strong> This was a retrospecti...<strong>Background:</strong> This study aimed to describe the results of mammography done during breast cancer awareness campaigns in Lomé. <strong>Methods:</strong> This was a retrospective multicenter study which focused on the analysis of mammographic examinations, with or without breast ultrasound, carried out in three (3) clinics in Lomé over a period of five (5) years during the breast cancer awareness month (Pink October) campaigns. We included in our study women of all ages who underwent a mammography during the study period. Additional ultrasound was performed as needed in some women to better characterize a lesion. The parameters studied were socio-demographic data, and aspects of breast lesions. We classified the lesions in order of severity according to the BI-RADS classification. <strong>Results:</strong> During the study we counted one thousand and seventy-four (1074) women who underwent mammography examinations, corresponding to an average of 214.8 women per year. The median age of the women was 46 years. The most represented age group was 40 - 49, constituting 30% of cases. Mammography was performed on all women and ultrasound was performed on 51.3% of women. Lesions suspicious for malignancy (BI-RADS IV) and lesions highly suggestive of malignancy (BI-RADS V) represented 3.5% and 1.9% of cases respectively, amounting to a prevalence of 5.4%. They occurred more frequently from the age of 30 years with a statistically significant difference (<em>p</em> = 0.02). These lesions could be identified on mammograms as masses with irregular shapes and spiculated margins representing 16.1% and 9.7% of masses respectively. On ultrasound, these were solid masses with irregular and ill-defined borders, representing 25.2% and 5.2% of solid masses respectively. Lesions suspicious for malignancy were most often found in the UOQ (upper outer quadrant) in 70% of cases. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Mammography screening for breast cancer remains a necessity in our community, even if the rate of cancer detected remains low. It allows for early diagnosis of cancers, promoting better management.展开更多
This is a study of university students’ awareness of diabetes mellitus, and the extent of their knowledge about it. The research is a quantitative design based on a survey of students (N = 700) at the University of T...This is a study of university students’ awareness of diabetes mellitus, and the extent of their knowledge about it. The research is a quantitative design based on a survey of students (N = 700) at the University of Tabuk in the Saudi province of Tabuk. The findings were that the students’ knowledge of diabetes indicators was encouraging, and that the faculty’s periodic diabetes awareness programs should be continued to ensure that new students can recognise diabetes characteristics. In assessing variables for knowledge of the disease in relation to the demographics of people on the Tabuk University campus, marital status and weight were significant indicators. The conclusion was that awareness programs should be continued to avoid complacency and to combat the disease.展开更多
The growing number of people suffering from depression has become a social problem in Japan. The problems associated with depression in Japan have been influenced by the pharmaceuticalization of mental health. Since s...The growing number of people suffering from depression has become a social problem in Japan. The problems associated with depression in Japan have been influenced by the pharmaceuticalization of mental health. Since selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were introduced to Japan＇s pharmaceutical market in 1999, demand for anti-depressant medications has rapidly expanded. It seems likely then that the efforts of pharmaceutical companies, as part of their marketing strategies, to increase people＇s awareness of mental illness have led people who are not actually depressed to have medical consultations and drug treatments for it. This phenomenon is known as ＂disease mongering＂ and has been reported on. Problems exist from the medical perspective also and include the following： expansion of the diagnostic criteria for depression as formulated in the American Psychiatric Association＇s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; treatments that rely heavily on drugs; and biomedicalization. Another reason for the increase in medical consultations is the declining function of communal bodies. This has resulted in individuals struggling psychologically, for example, with anxiety, worry, and depression. In summary, this sociological research analyzed the problems of depression in ｜apan and revealed how the pharmaceuticalization of mental health accelerates the individualization of social problem.展开更多
文摘Malaria,a devastating disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite and transmitted through the bites of female Anopheles mosquitoes,remains a significant public health concern,claiming over 600,000 lives annually,predominantly among children.Novel tools,including the application of Wolbachia,are being developed to combat malaria-transmitting mosquitoes.This study presents a modified susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered-susceptible(SEIRS)compartmental mathematical model to evaluate the impact of awareness-based control measures on malaria transmission dynamics,incorporating mosquito interactions and seasonality.Employing the next-generation matrix approach,we calculated a basic reproduction number(R0)of 2.4537,indicating that without robust control measures,the disease will persist in the human population.The model equations were solved numerically using fourth and fifth-order Runge-Kutta methods.The model was fitted to malaria incidence data from Kenya spanning 2000 to 2021 using least squares curve fitting.The fitting algorithm yielded a mean absolute error(MAE)of 2.6463 when comparing the actual data points to the simulated values of infectious human population(Ih).This finding indicates that the proposed mathematical model closely aligns with the recorded malaria incidence data.The optimal values of the model parameters were estimated from the fitting algorithm,and future malaria dynamics were projected for the next decade.The research findings suggest that social media-based awareness campaigns,coupled with specific optimization control measures and effective management methods,offer the most cost-effective approach to managing malaria.
文摘<strong>Background:</strong> This study aimed to describe the results of mammography done during breast cancer awareness campaigns in Lomé. <strong>Methods:</strong> This was a retrospective multicenter study which focused on the analysis of mammographic examinations, with or without breast ultrasound, carried out in three (3) clinics in Lomé over a period of five (5) years during the breast cancer awareness month (Pink October) campaigns. We included in our study women of all ages who underwent a mammography during the study period. Additional ultrasound was performed as needed in some women to better characterize a lesion. The parameters studied were socio-demographic data, and aspects of breast lesions. We classified the lesions in order of severity according to the BI-RADS classification. <strong>Results:</strong> During the study we counted one thousand and seventy-four (1074) women who underwent mammography examinations, corresponding to an average of 214.8 women per year. The median age of the women was 46 years. The most represented age group was 40 - 49, constituting 30% of cases. Mammography was performed on all women and ultrasound was performed on 51.3% of women. Lesions suspicious for malignancy (BI-RADS IV) and lesions highly suggestive of malignancy (BI-RADS V) represented 3.5% and 1.9% of cases respectively, amounting to a prevalence of 5.4%. They occurred more frequently from the age of 30 years with a statistically significant difference (<em>p</em> = 0.02). These lesions could be identified on mammograms as masses with irregular shapes and spiculated margins representing 16.1% and 9.7% of masses respectively. On ultrasound, these were solid masses with irregular and ill-defined borders, representing 25.2% and 5.2% of solid masses respectively. Lesions suspicious for malignancy were most often found in the UOQ (upper outer quadrant) in 70% of cases. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Mammography screening for breast cancer remains a necessity in our community, even if the rate of cancer detected remains low. It allows for early diagnosis of cancers, promoting better management.
文摘This is a study of university students’ awareness of diabetes mellitus, and the extent of their knowledge about it. The research is a quantitative design based on a survey of students (N = 700) at the University of Tabuk in the Saudi province of Tabuk. The findings were that the students’ knowledge of diabetes indicators was encouraging, and that the faculty’s periodic diabetes awareness programs should be continued to ensure that new students can recognise diabetes characteristics. In assessing variables for knowledge of the disease in relation to the demographics of people on the Tabuk University campus, marital status and weight were significant indicators. The conclusion was that awareness programs should be continued to avoid complacency and to combat the disease.
文摘The growing number of people suffering from depression has become a social problem in Japan. The problems associated with depression in Japan have been influenced by the pharmaceuticalization of mental health. Since selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were introduced to Japan＇s pharmaceutical market in 1999, demand for anti-depressant medications has rapidly expanded. It seems likely then that the efforts of pharmaceutical companies, as part of their marketing strategies, to increase people＇s awareness of mental illness have led people who are not actually depressed to have medical consultations and drug treatments for it. This phenomenon is known as ＂disease mongering＂ and has been reported on. Problems exist from the medical perspective also and include the following： expansion of the diagnostic criteria for depression as formulated in the American Psychiatric Association＇s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; treatments that rely heavily on drugs; and biomedicalization. Another reason for the increase in medical consultations is the declining function of communal bodies. This has resulted in individuals struggling psychologically, for example, with anxiety, worry, and depression. In summary, this sociological research analyzed the problems of depression in ｜apan and revealed how the pharmaceuticalization of mental health accelerates the individualization of social problem.
