Exploring the type of social support available to aged male hypertensive clients in Ghana

Objective: To explores the social support available to aged hypertensive male clients in a municipality in Ghana.Methods: The inclusion criteria were as follows: age ≥60 years and are known hypertensive patients. Data were collected from 186 selected aged male hypertensive patients for 3 months. The questionnaire was self-developed and open-ended. The data were processed and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Some of the variables were subjected to statistical tests and ranks in the order of impor tance to respondents. The enrolled respondents were allowed to par ticipate in the study after their informed consent was obtained. It was evident that respondents do not obtain much support or help in taking care of their condition.Results: The result revealed that the repondents has no support to help take care of their condition as evident by the responses in the study. The scores on average mean for some variables are(AM = 2.25, SD = 0.381) more than the test value of 2.50. Some of these supports were on feeding support(M = 3.97, SD = 0.278, n = 186), health support(M = 2.87, SD = 0.167, n = 186), and cleaning support(M = 2.59, SD = 0.868, n = 186). Supports such as clothing, socialization, medication, washing, transportation, and financial support were lacking.Conclusions: Based on the finding that certain forms of support were lacking, the study concludes that steps undertaken by the government, community, religious bodies, and family toward improving these supports can be of immense help for aged male hypertensive patients living in the Ejura-Sekyedumase municipality.

Reduction of the incidence and mortality of rectal cancer bypolypectomy:a prospective cohort study in Haining County

AIM: To reduce the incidence and mortality of rectal cancer and address the hypothesis that colorectal cancer often arise from precursor lesion(s), either adenomas or non-adenomatous polyps, by conducting a population-based mass screening for colorectal cancer in Haining County, Zhejiang, PRC. METHODS: From 1977 to 1980, physicians screened the population of Haining County using 15 cm rigid endoscopy. Of over 240000 participants, 4076 of them were diagnosed with precursor lesions, either adenomas or non-adenomatous polyps, which were then removed surgically. All individuals with precursor lesions were followed up and reexamined by endoscopy every two to five years up to 1998. RESULTS: After the initial screening, 953 metachronous adenomas and 417 non-adenomatous polyps were detected and removed from the members of this cohort. Further, 27 cases of colorectal cancer were detected and treated. Log-rank tests showed that the survival time among those cancer patients who under went mass screening increased significantly compared to that of other colorectal cancer patients (P【0.0001). According to the population-based cancer registry in Haining County, age-adjusted incidence and mortality of rectal cancer decreased by 41% and 29% from 1977-1981 to 1992-1996, respectively. Observed cumulative 20-year rectal cancer incidence was 31% lower than the expected in the screened group; the mortality due to rectal cancer was 18% lower than the expected in the screened group. CONCLUSION:Mass screening for rectal cancer and precursor lesions with protocoscopy in the general population and periodical following-up with routine endoscopy for high-risk patients may decrease both the incidence and mortality of rectal cancer.

Glutathione S-transferases M1,T1 genotypes and the risk of gastric cancer:A case-control study

AIM: Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are involved in the detoxification of many potential carcinogens and appear to play a critical role in the protection from the effects of carcinogens. The contribution of glutathione S-transferases M1 and T1 genotypes to susceptibility to the risk of gastric cancer and their interaction with cigarette smoking are still unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether there was any relationship between genetic polymorphisms of GSTT1 and GSTT1 and gastric cancer. METHODS: A population based case-control study was carried out in a high-risk area, Changle County, Fujian Province, China. The epidemiological data were collected by a standard questionnaire and blood samples were obtained from 95 incidence gastric cancer cases and 94 healthy controls. A polymerase chain reaction method was used to detect the presence or absence of the GSTT1 and GSTT1 genes in genomic DNA. Logistic regression model was employed in the data analysis. RESULTS: An increase in risk for gastric cancer was found among carriers of GSTT1 null genotype. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) was 2.63 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI) 1.17-5.88, after controlling for age, gender, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, and fish sauce intake. The frequency of GSTT1 null genotype in cancer cases (43.16%) was not significantly different from that in controls (50.00%). However, the risk for gastric cancer in those with GSTT1 null and GSTT1 non-null genotype was significantly higher than in those with both GSTT1 and GSTT1 non-null genotype (OR = 2.77, 95% CI 1.15-6.77). Compared with those subjects who never smoked and had normal GSTT1 genotype, ORs were 1.60 (95% CI:0.62-4.19) for never smokers with GSTT1 null type, 2.33 (95% CI 0.88-6.28) for smokers with normal GSTT1, and 8.06 (95% CI 2.83-23.67) for smokers with GSTT1 null type. CONCLUSIONS: GSTT1 gene polymorphisms may be associated with genetic susceptibility of stomach cancer and may modulate tobacco-related carcinogenesis of gastric cancer.

Can ultrasound predict the severity of acute pancreatitis early by observing acute fluid collection?

INTRODUCTIONThe spectrum of acute pancreatitis (AP) ranges from a mild spontaneously resolved disorder to severe disease with mortality up to 20%-48.4%[1-3]. sAP is defined as the AP with organ failure and /or local complications which developed form acute fluid collection (AFC) including necrosis ,abscess , pseudocyst formation into or around the pancreas [4].

Function of apoptosis and expression of the proteins Bcl-2,p53 and C-myc in the development of gastric cancer

INTRODUCTIONIn China ,the incidence and mortality of gastric cancer rank the second among all cancers. Recent development of cancer [1-20].The aim of this study was investigat the insight of apoptosis and bcl-2, p53 and C-myc protein expression in the development of gastric cancer .

Neither gastric topological distribution nor principle virulence genes of Helicobacter pylori contributes to clinical outcomes

AIM: Studies on Helicobacter pylori (H pylon) and gastroduodenal diseases have focused mainly on the distal sites of the stomach, but relationship with the gastric cardia is lacking. The aim of this study is to determine if the gastric topology and genotypic distribution of Hpyloriwere associated with different upper gastrointestinal pathologies in a multiethnic Asian population. METHODS: Gastric biopsies from the cardia, body/corpus and antrum were endoscoped from a total of 155 patients with dyspepsia and/or reflux symptoms, with informed consent. H pylori isolates obtained were tested for the presence of 26kDa, ureC, cagA, vacA, iceA1, iceA2 and babA2 genes using PCR while DNA fingerprints were generated using random amplification polymorphic DNA (RAPD). RESULTS: Hpyloriwas present in 51/155 (33%) of patients studied. Of these, 16, 15 and 20 were isolated from patients with peptic ulcer diseases, gastroesophageal reflux diseases and non-ulcer dyspepsia, respectively. Of the Hpyloripositive patients, 75% (38/51) had Hpyloriin all three gastric sites. The prevalence of various genes in the H pylori isolates was shown to be similar irrespective of their colonization sites as well as among the same site of different patients. The RAPD profiles of H pylori isolates from different gastric sites were highly similar among intra-patients but varied greatly between different patients. CONCLUSION: Topographic colonization of H pylori and the virulence genes harboured by these isolates have no direct bearing to the clinical state of the patients. In multiethnic Singapore, the stomach of each patient is colonized by a predominant strain of H pylori，irrespective of the clinical diagnosis.

Seasonal variation in the onset of acute pancreatitis

AIM:A drcannual variation in the onset of several acute diseases, mostly dealing with cardiovascular system,has been reported. The present study was to verify the possible existence of a seasonal variability in the onset of acute pancreatitis. METHODS:All patients consecutively admitted to the Hospital of Ferrara,Italy,between January 1998 to December 2002, whose discharge diagnosis was acute pancreatitis,were considered.According to the time of admission,cases were categorized into twelve 1-mo intervals and in four periods by season.x^2 test for goodness of fit and partial Fourier series were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS:During the study period,549 cases of acute pancreatitis were observed.A significant peak of higher incidence was found in March-May,both for total population, males and subgroups with and without cholelithiasis or alcoholism.Fourier analysis showed the existence of a circannual rhythmic pattern with its main peak in March(95% CL.:February-April,P=0.005),and a secondary one in September.Death occurred more frequently in December- February,compared to the other periods(P=0.029),and chronobiologic analysis yielded a seasonal peak in November- December(P<0.001). CONCLUSION:This study shows the existence of a circannual variation in the onset of acute pancreatitis,with a significantly higher frequency of events in the spring,especially for patients with cholelithiasis or alcoholism.Moreover,events occurring during the colder months seem to be characterized by a higher mortality rate.

Stability evaluation of radial growth of Picea schrenkiana in different age groups in response to climate change in the eastern Tianshan Mountains

Global warming causes an unstable response in tree radial growth at high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere.Additionally,different climatic responses of different age groups of trees have been found due to their different physiological mechanisms.In this study,the response stability and growth trend of three age groups(young<100 a,middle 100-200 a,old≥200 a)of Picea schrenkiana(Schrenk spruce)to climate change and the causes of the different responses in different age groups were analyzed in the relatively dry climate of the eastern Tianshan Mountains.The results showed that:(1)With the abrupt increase in temperature in 1989,the annual mean minimum temperature became the dominant radial growth-limiting factor of the three age groups of Schrenk spruce.(2)The radial growth of the middle and young groups was more sensitive than that of the old group based on growth-climate correlation analysis.(3)The radial growth of the different age groups had different responses to climate factors,and all age groups were unstable on time scales.(4)The trend of the linear regression simulation of the basal area increment(BAI)indicated that the Schrenk spruce had the same growth trends in different age groups with growth first increased and then decreased;however,the decreased growth rate was higher in the middle and young age groups than in the old age group after the abrupt increase in temperature.Therefore,we should pay active attention to the impact of drought on Schrenk spruce in the eastern Tianshan Mountains and should particularly strengthen the conservation and management of the middle and young age groups.

The Effect of Structural Empowerment on Psychological Empowerment in Private Health Care in Biskra, Algeria

The approach of employees empowerment is one of the modem approaches in the field of human resources management. According to many studies, it has dimensions and can not be separated structural empowerment on psychological empowerment. This study aimed to recognize effect of structural empowerment in motivating psychological empowerment for employees in the private health sector in Biskra （Okba Ben Nail Clinic, Errazi Clinic, ziadinne Clinic, Ennoor Clinic, Ibn Sina Clinic, AI-Quds clinic, Elihsen clinic, Ibn Rushd clinic, Chifa clinic, ziben clinic, and elkothben clinic）. The study problem is concentrated to find answers of the following questions： what is the level of structural and psychological empowerment practiced by employees of private health sector in Biskra, how much impact structural empowerment （opportunity, support, and formal power） has on psychological empowerment （meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact） in private health sector in Biskra？ To achieve the objectives of this study and answers on it questions, data were collected through questionnaire, in all （59） participants answered it. The results here, which form part of a larger stud）＇, suggest that only opportunity and formal power had significant effect on psychological empowerment, when the availability of all subscales of structural empowerment have no effect on meaning of work.

Correlation between social support and depression in elderly stroke patients in the sequelae stage from five communities of Shanghai, China

Using a convenience sampling method, 81 aged patients who were between 6 and 24 months post-stroke were selected from five communities of Shanghai, China. The correlations between social support and depression, as well as other influential factors, were investigated. Results revealed that 46% （37/81） of the stroke patients suffered from depression. Depression was correlated with social support total scores and the two domains of subjective support and utilization. Older age, male gender, low income, absence of spouse and cerebral hemorrhage were risk factors for depression and identify more vulnerable groups.

The seam offset identification based on support vector regression machines

The principle of the support vector regression machine（SVR） is first analysed. Then the new data-dependent kernel function is constructed from information geometry perspective. The current waveforms change regularly in accordance with the different horizontal offset when the rotational frequency of the high speed rotational arc sensor is in the range from 15 Hz to 30 Hz. The welding current data is pretreated by wavelet filtering, mean filtering and normalization treatment. The SVR model is constructed by making use of the evolvement laws, the decision function can be achieved by training the SVR and the seam offset can be identified. The experimental results show that the precision of the offset identification can be greatly improved by modifying the SVR and applying mean filteringfrom the longitudinal direction.

Roles of mutual help of local community networks in community health activities: Improvement for the quality of life of older people in Thailand

Objectives: This study aimed to describe work and activities of community networks focusing on the improvement of the quality of life (QOL) of older people in Thailand.The understanding of the work can help enhancing the community development and strengthening of local communities and their networks.Methods: Qualitative methods including in-depth interview,observation,and focus group discussion were employed to the study.64 participants participated to the study and were recruited from 4 key actors within the community.Content analysis was used to analyze the obtained data.This study was conducted in 6 local administrative organizations (LAOs) which selected from the outstanding areas of the project.Each LAO represents one sub-district of the regions of Thailand namely;(1) the upper north,(2) the lower north,(3)the upper eastern,(4) the lower eastern,(5) the central and (6) the south.Results: The findings of this study were categorized into three main themes: (1) Social capital including people in the community,social groups,and organizations,(2) Mutual help/collaboration activities composed of six sets of activities related to social capitals working on the improvement of QOL of older people,and (3) Impacts of the mutual help/collaboration activities on older people and local communities who help to improve of QOL of older people.Conclusion: The findings are important features for the community development.These themes should be recommended for community nurses,health related groups and organizations for the improvement of QOL of older people in the community.

Mean Age of the Ethnic Population in Yunnan Increases by 36 years

ＴｈｅｍｅａｎａｇｅｏｆｔｈｅｅｔｈｎｉｃｐｏｐｕｌａｔｉｏｎｉｎＹｕｎｎａｎＰｒｏｖｉｎｃｅ，ＳｏｕｔｈｗｅｓｔＣｈｉｎａ，ｈａｓｓｅｎａｎｉｎｃｒｅａｓｅｏｆ３６ｙｅａｒｓ，ｉ．ｅ．，ｆｒｏｍａｂｏｕｔ３０ｙｅａｒｓｉｎｔｈｅｌａｔｅ１９４０ｓｔ...

A Short-Term PV Power Forecasting Method Using a Hybrid Kmeans-GRA-SVR Model under Ideal Weather Condition

With the continuous increase of solar penetration rate, it has brought challenges to the smooth operation of the power grid. Therefore, to make photovoltaic power generation not affect the smooth operation of the grid, accurate photovoltaic power prediction is required. And short-term forecasting is essential for the deployment of daily power generation plans. In this paper, A short-term photovoltaic power generation forecast method based on K-means++, grey relational analysis (GRA) and support vector regression (SVR) (Hybrid Kmeans-GRA-SVR, HKGSVR) was proposed. The historical power data was clustered through the multi-index K-means++ algorithm. And the similar days and the nearest neighbor similar day of the prediction day were selected by the GRA algorithm. Then, similar days and nearest neighbor similar days were used to train SVR to obtain an accurate photovoltaic power prediction model. Under ideal weather, the average values of MAE, RMSE, and R2 were 0.8101 kW, 0.9608 kW, and 99.66%, respectively. The average computation time was 1.7487 s, which was significantly better than the SVR model. Thus, the demonstrated numerical results verify the effectiveness of the proposed model for short-term PV power prediction.

Discriminant Analysis of the Linear Separable Data - Japanese 44 Cars

There are four serious problems in the discriminant analysis. We developed an optimal linear discriminant function （optimal LDF） based on the minimum number of misclassification （minimum NM） using integer programming （IP）. We call this LDF as Revised IP-OLDF. Only this LDF can discriminate the cases on the discriminant hyperplane （Probleml）. This LDF and a hard-margin SVM （H-SVM） can discriminate the lineary separable data （LSD） exactly. Another LDFs may not discriminate the LSD theoretically （Problem2）. When Revised IP-OLDF discriminate the Swiss banknote data with six variables, we find MNM of two-variables model such as （X4, X6） is zero. Because MNMk decreases monotounusly （MNMk 〉= MNM（k＋1））, sixteen MNMs including （X4, X6） are zero. Until now, because there is no research of the LSD, we surveyed another three linear separable data sets such as： 18 exam scores data sets, the Japanese 44 cars data and six microarray datasets. When we discriminate the exam scores with MNM=0, we find the generalized inverse matrix technique causes the serious Problem3 and confirmed this fact by the cars data. At last, we claim the discriminant analysis is not the inferential statistics because there is no standard errors （SEs） of error rates and discriminant coefficients （Problem4）. Therefore, we poroposed the ＂100-fold cross validation for the small sample＂ method （the method）. By this break-through, we can choose the best model having minimum mean of error rate （M2） in the validation sample and obtaine two 95% confidence intervals （CIs） of error rate and discriminant coefficients. When we discriminate the exam scores by this new method, we obtaine the surprising results seven LDFs except for Fisher＇s LDF are almost the same as the trivial LDFs. In this research, we discriminate the Japanese 44 cars data because we can discuss four problems. There are six independent variables to discriminate 29 regular cars and 15 small cars. This data is linear separable by the emission rate （X1） and the number of seats （X3）. We examine the validity of the new model selection procedure of the discriminant analysis. We proposed the model with minimum mean of error rates （M2） in the validation samples is the best model. We had examined this procedure by the exam scores, and we obtain good results. Moreover, the 95% CI of eight LDFs offers us real perception of the discriminant theory. However, the exam scores are different from the ordinal data. Therefore, we apply our theory and procedure to the Japanese 44 cars data and confirmed the same conclution.

Numerical simulation study on the thermal environment in heading face

Based on κ-ε turbulence model, the distributions of the velocity field, tempera- ture field, thermal comfort index, PMV-PPD （Predicted Mean Vote-Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied）, and air quality index, mean age of air were obtained of Zhouyuanshan Coal Mine in -650 m level of a heading face by CFD（Computational Fluid Dynamics）software, Airpak 2.0. Moreover, the human thermal comfort and the air quality of the heading face were analyzed with PMV-PPD and mean age of air indices, which received an intuitive visualization and accurate evaluation results. In order to create a safe, comfortable, and economical underground operating environment, a scientific, rational, and comprehensive prediction and evaluation needed to provide a theoretical and technical basis for coal mine ventilation, cooling, heat harm treatment, and prevention. Meanwhile, from the human thermal comfort and air quality to research the underground environment, it embodied the concept of being human oriented.

基于K-means与SVR的致密油藏水平井压裂产能预测研究

水平井体积压裂是致密油藏高效开采的主要技术手段,准确预测产能对油田施工方案编制具有重要的指导意义,开采效果受地层因素、原油物性因素、压裂施工因素等影响,基于机理计算公式的传统预测方法存在一定局限性,提出一种基于K-means聚类与支持向量回归的产能预测组合模型,采用主成分分析算法解决K-means中欧氏距离对所有特征贡献程度一致性问题,K-means聚类结果与压裂施工参数结合作为SVR预测样本,有效解决不同区域间差异较大等问题。通过实验对比SVR、BP神经网络,预测准确性和稳定性优于单一模型,具有较高的合理性,可为致密油田高效开发提供指导性建议。

Azithromycin in a triple therapy for H.pylori eradication in active duodenal ulcer

AIM:To assess and compare the efficacy and safety of two triple regimes:A)metronidazole,amoxicillin and omeprazole, which is still widely used in Russia,and B)azithromycin, amoxicillin and omeprazole in healing active duodenal ulcer and H.pylori eradication. METHODS:100 patients with active duodenal ulcer were included in the open,multicentre,randomized study with comparative groups.Patients were randomly assigned to one of the following one-week triple regimes:A) metronidazole 500 mg bid,amoxicillin I g bid and omeprazole 20 mg bid(OAM,n=50)and B)azithromycin 1 god for the first 3 days(total dose 3 g),amoxicillin 1 g bid and omeprazole 20 mg bid(OAA,n=50).Omeprazole 20 mg od was given after the eradication course as a monotherapy for three weeks.The control endoscopy was performed 8 weeks after the entry.H.pyloriinfection was determined in the entry of the study and four weeks after the cessation of treatment by means of histology and CLO-test. RESULTS:97 patients completed the study according to the protocol(1 patient of the OAM group did not come to the control endoscopy,2 patients of the OAA group stopped the treatment because of mild allergic urticaria).Duodenal ulcers were healed in 48 patients of the OAM group(96 %, C190.5-100 %)and in 46 patients of the OAA group(92 %, CI 89.5-94.5 %)(p=ns).H.pyloHinfection was eradicated in 15 out of 50 patients with OAM(30 %,CI 17-43 %)and in 36 out of 50 patients treated with OAA(72 %;CI 59-85 %) (P<0.001)-ITT analysis.CONCLUSION: The triple therapy with omeprazole, amoxicillin and metronidazole failed to eradicate H.pylori'vc\ the majority of patients, which is an essential argument to withdraw this regimen out of the national recommendations. Macrolide with amoxicillin are preferable to achieve higher eradication rates. Azithromycin (1 g od for the first 3 days) can be considered as a successful component of the triple PPI-based regimen.

基于CSI和K-means-SVR的多指纹库室内定位方法

传统的Wi-Fi室内定位方法需要与所有指纹数据库中的指纹数据进行匹配后才能定位,导致人群聚集区域定位效率不高,体验较差。提出一种基于信道状态信息(CSI)、K均值(K-means)聚类算法与支持向量回归(SVR)算法相结合的多指纹库室内定位方法。该方法首先根据CSI的簇分布特点,利用K-means算法对所有定位点内的CSI数据聚类后得到多个簇的CSI数据;然后,基于多个簇分别建立多个指纹库,并将CSI数据分别存入多个指纹库,进而在每个指纹库中分别训练SVR模型用于Wi-Fi定位。相较于传统的支持向量机(SVM)定位方法,所提方法在离线阶段需要的训练样本更少,定位效率更高;在线阶段,该方法既降低了匹配的复杂度,也提高了定位的精度。由于使用了多指纹库,Wi-Fi定位系统可以根据人流量实时调整资源分配策略,提高服务器运行效率和定位服务体验。

Hybrid classification of coal and biomass by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy combined with K-means and SVM

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS) is a new technology suitable for classification of various materials. This paper proposes a hybrid classification scheme for coal, municipal sludge and biomass by using LIBS combined with K-means and support vector machine(SVM)algorithm. In the study, 10 samples were classified in 3 groups without supervision by K-means clustering, then a further supervised classification of 6 kinds of biomass samples by SVM was carried out. The results show that the comprehensive accuracy of the hybrid classification model is over 98%. In comparison with the single SVM classification model, the hybrid classification model can save 58.92% of operation time while guaranteeing the accuracy. The results demonstrate that the hybrid classification model is able to make an efficient, fast and accurate classification of coal, municipal sludge and biomass, furthermore, it is precise for the detection of various kinds of biomass fuel.