Northeast District Research Articles

Distribuição espacial de acidentes escorpiônicos em Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 2005 a 2009

Acidentes por escorpião constituem problema de saúde pública em Belo Horizonte. Realizou-se um estudo epidemiológico observacional retrospectivo para analisar a frequência e distribuição espacial dos acidentes escorpiônicos em Belo Horizonte, entre 2005 e 2009, e associá-las às categorias de risco classificadas pelo Índice de Vulnerabilidade à Saúde (IVS), um índice socioeconômico regional composto. Foram utilizados dados de notificação do Sistema Nacional de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN) e Sistema de Vigilância Epidemiológica (SISVE), referentes aos anos de 2008 e 2009. Para o período de 2005 a 2007, foi necessário o resgate de dados das fichas clínicas do Hospital João XXIII (HPSJXXIII) correspondentes às variáveis encontradas no SINAN e SISVE, uma vez que os mesmos não estavam digitalizados nos referidos sistemas de informação. Para georreferenciamento e análise espacial, foi utilizada a base geográfica EndGeo, o aplicativo de mapeamento MapInfo versão 10.0 e os programas Hotspot Detective e SatScan. Entre 2005 e 2009, ocorreram em Belo Horizonte 2.769 casos de acidentes por escorpião, o que representa uma incidência média de 22,4 casos por 100.000 habitantes. Do total de casos, 1.924 (69,5%) foram georreferenciados e houve predomínio de incidência em dois Distritos Sanitários (DS), com grande concentração de casos nas regiões de cemitérios do município. Foram detectados dois "clusters" no período, sendo um em 2005, nos DS Noroeste e Oeste, e outro entre 2006 e 2007, nos DS Noroeste e Nordeste. Não houve associação entre as áreas de maior incidência de escorpionismo e as áreas de maior risco à saúde classificadas pelo IVS. Com base nos resultados, conclui-se que há necessidade de melhorias no processo de notificação do agravo e que o mapeamento dos casos é uma ferramenta relevante capaz de embasar o direcionamento das ações educativas de controle para as áreas prioritárias de Belo Horizonte.

Studies into the prevalence of Mycoplasma species in small ruminants in Benue State, North-central Nigeria.

The indicative prevalence of respiratory Mycoplasma species in small ruminants (SR) was determined in North-central Nigeria. Nasal swabs from 172 sheep and 336 goats from the Northeast, Northwest and South Senatorial Districts of Benue State were examined. Initial Mycoplasma isolation used Mycoplasma culture techniques followed by digitonin sensitivity testing. Species identification was done using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Overall, Mycoplasma organisms were isolated from 131 (25.8%) of the 508 SR examined. Prevalence rates of 18.1 and 29.8% were recorded for sheep and goats, respectively. A total of 135 isolates of Mycoplasma belonging to three different species were identified: Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (127), Mycoplasma arginini (7) and Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies capri (1). More than one Mycoplasma species were detected in four (3.1%) of the 131 confirmed Mycoplasma positive cultures. Mycoplasma was isolated from 16.2 and 29.1% of animals with and without respiratory signs, respectively. The high isolation rate of mycoplasmas in apparently healthy and clinically sick sheep and goats in this study indicates a carrier status in these SR which may constitute a serious problem in disease control.

Determinants which influence to donate blood voluntarily at a northeast district of the state of Tamil Nadu, South India.

Determinants which influence to donate blood voluntarily at a northeast district of the state of Tamil Nadu, South India.

Research on Protection Strategy for Architectural Heritage Area of pre-Qing Dynasty in China’s Liaoning Province

Heritage area is one of the newer protection modes for large-scale cultural heritage types in the world. This paper is in order to achieve the purpose of studying and protecting wholly for the pre-Qing architectural heritage area in Liaoning province. First of all, pre-Qing architectural heritage status will be investigated and systematically integrated, and pre-Qing architectural heritage area in Liaoning province will be constructed; and then the architectural heritage valuation will be analyzed and the protection and construction guidelines for the architectural heritage in this region will be built; finally, the overall regional protection programme will be identified for pre-Qing architectural heritage area as a whole, and the overall conservation planning and the key areas detailed conservation planning will be established. To protect the rich pre-Qing architectural heritage in Liaoning province with a heritage area mode, can be the integrity protection for heritage with its historical background and cultural context, its heritage value and carrier in this region. This protection mode which have outstanding and typical significance is that, it is not only helpful for Chinese heritage protection system to improve and expand, but also useful for revitalizing the urban and rural economy and protects the ecological environment of the northeast districts in China.

Útgjöld ríkisins í Norðausturkjördæmi og tekjur ímyndaðs "Norðausturríkis"

Hlutdeild einstakra landshluta í tekjuöflun þjóðarinnar og skipting ríkisútgjalda milli höfuðborgar og landsbyggða eru meðal umdeildustu mála í íslenskri byggðaumræðu. Slík umræða endurspeglar ólík viðhorf til félagslegs réttlætis og ólíka hagsmuni íbúa mismunandi landssvæða. Þrátt fyrir harðvítugar deilur um mikla hagsmuni eru rannsóknir á dreifingu ríkisútgjalda eftir landsvæðum af skornum skammti. Í þessari rannsókn er sjónum beint að útgjöldum ríkisins í Norðausturkjördæmi á grundvelli fjárlaga ársins 2011 og viðbótarupplýsinga sem safnað var hjá einstökum stofnunum og ráðuneytum. Niðurstöður sýna að starfsemi ríkisins á Norðurlandi eystra er um 11% minni en mannfjöldi segir til um eða sem nemur rúmlega 74 þúsund krónum á hvern íbúa á ári. Starfsemi ríkisins á Austurlandi er um 23% minni en mannfjöldi segir til um eða sem nemur rúmlega 159 þúsund krónum á hvern íbúa á ári. Á hinn bóginn leggur ríkið til svipaða upphæð til að stuðla að því að þjónusta sveitarfélaga sé sambærileg því sem gerist annars staðar og til að styðja við landbúnað á þessum svæðum. Ef áætlaðar tekjur ríkisins eru bornar saman við útgjöld ríkisins í kjördæminu kemur í ljós að útgjöldin eru hærri sem nemur 625 Mkr eða 1,2% af skatttekjum miðað við fjárlög ársins 2011. Til samanburðar var halli af rekstri íslenska ríkisins skv. fjárlögum 2011 um 7,9% eftir vaxtagreiðslur. Þetta er vísbending um að ímyndað, sjálfstætt "Norðausturríki" gæti staðið á eigin fótum en til að svara því þyrfti þó mun viðameiri rannsóknir.

The Rain Praying Music of the Bakalanga of Botswana and Zimbabwe

Bakalanga of Botswana and Zimbabwe are one people who share the same musical traditions. They were separated by political borders. This research was carried out in both countries regardless of these political borders. It takes into consideration rain praying musical types of Bakalanga from the two neighbouring countries. This paper is aimed at reporting information found out on wosana and mayile traditional music practiced by the Bakalanga located in the North East District of Botswana and Bulilimangwe District in Western Zimbabwe. The paper was conceived from a report compiled as a result of tribal collaborations between the researcher and the respondents in an effort to understand Bakalanga of Botswana and Zimbabwe wosana and mayile traditional musics and their uses among their tribal daily lives. The paper does not only pay attention to the music, but also to its traditional ways of transmission. Techniques by which musical learning transpires are described. The subject of learning styles being practiced among proficient musicians and aspirant musicians is discussed. Data were mainly collected by the researcher through oral interviews with the informants as well as internet search and other documented information repositories. The oral interviews were also recorded using an audiotape for the purposes of future reference by the researcher. Photographs of the practical music performances were also taken. Information repositories on these traditional musical types included books and other written information sources.

Case Studies of the Innovative Local Cottage Industries and Tourism in North and Northeast District in Thailand: Implications from the Local Branding Strategy of Thailand

Case Studies of the Innovative Local Cottage Industries and Tourism in North and Northeast District in Thailand: Implications from the Local Branding Strategy of Thailand

Evaluation of habitat factors affecting aquatic fireflies in valley-bottom paddy fields in the northeast district of Chiba Prefecture, Japan

Evaluation of habitat factors affecting aquatic fireflies in valley-bottom paddy fields in the northeast district of Chiba Prefecture, Japan

The geography of HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Botswana

BackgroundBotswana has the second-highest human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection rate in the world, with one in three adults infected. However, there is significant geographic variation at the district level and HIV prevalence is heterogeneous with the highest prevalence recorded in Selebi-Phikwe and North East. There is a lack of age-and location-adjusted prevalence maps that could be used for targeting HIV educational programs and efficient allocation of resources to higher risk groups.MethodsWe used a nationally representative household survey to investigate and explain district level inequalities in HIV rates. A Bayesian geoadditive mixed model based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques was applied to map the geographic distribution of HIV prevalence in the 26 districts, accounting simultaneously for individual, household, and area factors using the 2008 Botswana HIV Impact Survey.ResultsOverall, HIV prevalence was 17.6%, which was higher among females (20.4%) than males (14.3%). HIV prevalence was higher in cities and towns (20.3%) than in urban villages and rural areas (16.6% and 16.9%, respectively). We also observed an inverse U-shape association between age and prevalence of HIV, which had a different pattern in males and females. HIV prevalence was lowest among those aged 24 years or less and HIV affected over a third of those aged 25–35 years, before reaching a peak among the 36–49-year age group, after which the rate of HIV infection decreased by more than half among those aged 50 years and over. In a multivariate analysis, there was a statistically significant higher likelihood of HIV among females compared with males, and in clerical workers compared with professionals. The district-specific net spatial effects of HIV indicated a significantly higher HIV rate of 66% (posterior odds ratio of 1.66) in the northeast districts (Selebi-Phikwe, Sowa, and Francistown) and a reduced rate of 27% (posterior odds ratio of 0.73) in Kgalagadi North and Kweneng West districts.ConclusionThis study showed a clear geographic distribution of the HIV epidemic, with the highest prevalence in the east-central districts. This study provides age- and location-adjusted prevalence maps that could be used for the targeting of HIV educational programs and efficient allocation of resources to higher risk groups. There is need for further research to determine the social, cultural, economic, behavioral, and other distal factors that might explain the high infection rates in some of the high-risk areas in Botswana.

The Dialectics of Indigenous Knowledge

Indigenous knowledge (IK) has become a popular subject in the last decade. IK has been recognized by global institutions as a valuable source for scientific innovation and significant in promoting development for poorer communities. However, little attention has been paid to how communities themselves particularly conceptualize IK and how they situate this knowledge in everyday life context. This paper summarizes perceptions of IK from 20 rural communities in the Ghanzi (4) and North-East (16) districts in Botswana. Our findings indicate that IK cannot be defined by contrasting it to other knowledge systems. Rather, IK is abstract and concrete, individual and collective, specific and holistic in a dialectical manner. This inherent “unity of opposites” promotes constant change of IK. Applied to the challenge of linking IK to development, community perceptions inform us that a dialectical process-oriented approach to IK is necessary to harness it for a sustainable development and meaningful education of indigenous people in Botswana.

Factores asociados al abandono del tratamiento de la tuberculosis en la provincia de Granada

ObjectivesThe factors associated to tuberculosis (TB) treatment drop-out can be very specific to the population and the local health care organization. We have studied the factors associated to TB treatment drop out in the province of Granada. Subjects and methodsA retrospective cohort study of TB cases registered in the province of Granada by the Epidemiological Surveillance System of Andalusia (SVEA) between 2003 and 2010 was carried out. Incidence was calculated in the native and foreign population. An univariate analysis was performed to describe the characteristics in both groups and a logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated to therapeutic abandonment. ResultsA decreasing trend in the incidence of TB was observed, (20.47 in 2007 to 11 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2010, respectively. Mean age of foreign patients was lower than that of the natives (30.8 years vs. 46.0 years, P<.001). The former predominately lived in the Granada district, while the natives lived in the Metropolitan district. The percentage of patients who abandoned antituberculous treatment was 12.2%, this being somewhat higher in the foreign patients than the national ones (14% vs 10%; P=.062). Being male (OR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.04-2.60; P=.033), foreigner (OR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.04-2.83; P=.032), resident in the North-east district (OR: 3.64; 95% CI: 1.76-7.52; P=.005) and/or having extrapulmonary TB (OR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.06-3.00; P=.029) were associated significantly to therapeutic abandonment. ConclusionsThe incidence of TB in the province of Granada has decreased to about 10 cases per 100,000 inhabitants/year. The percentage of patients who abandon TB treatment is significant, it being higher in foreign patients than in the natives. TB treatment abandonment was associated to being a man, living in the North-east district of Granada and having extrapulmonary TB.

The Research on the K-Factor of Soil Erodibility in Northeast Black Soil Region

This article takes soil erodibility factor as the research object, compared with the existing calculation formula. And it takes Yian (in Heilongjiang Province) as an example, quantitatively calculating the specific values of the black soil erodibility factor in northeast district, in order to provide basic data and scientific basis of the black soil for the purpose of conservation and sustainable development of soil and water in northeast district.

Intoxicated teenagers in emergency department: demographics in a north east DGH – 2010: Abstract G139(P) Table 1

<h3>Background</h3> The burden to healthcare systems following alcohol abuse across various ages has become a very huge cause of concern in recent times. At a time when NHS finances are being increasingly scrutinised to identify areas where cuts can be made, it is increasingly debated whether illnesses caused due to personal overindulgence need to be covered under the NHS umbrella. The actual impact of the problem can be assessed only if we have some demographics of drunken children This study looks at this aspect of children under the age of 18 years presenting to the A&amp;E department in a North East District General Hospital over a year. It also assesses the use of referral pathways in place for these children by the A&amp;E staff. Design of study Retrospective review of all paediatric case notes in A&amp;E over a one year period from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2010, numbering approximately 12000 was undertaken. Children with history of or symptoms attributable wholly or partially to alcohol ingestion were identified for inclusion. Data was manually collected using a custom made proforma to identify the demographic characteristics, details of presentation and co morbidities. Data was entered onto an Access database and results analysed. <h3>Results</h3> See table 1. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Underage drinking and associated co morbidities are significant social issues that need to be addressed urgently in the community. The risky behaviour seems more common in 15-16 year age group and is commoner females. This group needs targeted intervention. As low blood sugar is a common occurrence in drunken states and contributes to increased morbidity, this needs to be regularly monitored in pre hospital setting. Less than 10% of children have been referred to available supportive services and this needs a serious review.

Disaster Protection Triggered by the Big Earthquake Using the Signal Processing

In Japan there was the serious disaster earthquake, tsunami, and the accident of the nuclear power plant. Its earthquake happened in 2:46PM on 2011March11 and it is called Tohoku (The north east district) earthquake. As for the originated earthquake itself the epicenter was Miyagi, the north east. And its seismic intensity was 7. A lot of lives, housings, and facilities were damaged. So in order to protect such a severe disaster worldwide from now on, the effective signal processing was assessed in this paper.

Childhood leprosy in a tertiary-care hospital in Delhi, India: A reappraisal in the post-elimination era

To assess the profile and describe the clinical presentations, clinico-histopathological profile, complications and treatment compliance of childhood leprosy at a tertiary care hospital in north-east district of Delhi during 2000-2009. A retrospective institutional study of children less than 14 years of age diagnosed with leprosy and registered in a leprosy clinic during 2000-2009. Demographic, clinical, investigative and treatment data was extracted from a pre-designed proforma. A total of 1790 cases of leprosy were registered during this period, of which 172 (9.6%) were children. The majority of patients (70.3%) were more than 11 years of age with a male preponderance. History of contact was present in 25 (14.5%) patients. Borderline tuberculoid (BT) was the commonest clinical type (70.3%) followed by tuberculoid (TT) seen in 5.8%, mid-borderline (BB) in 1.2%, borderline lepromatous (BL) in 9.9%, lepromatous (LL) in 4.1%, pure neural (PNL) in 4.6% and indeterminate in 4.1% cases. More than half (52.9%) patients had a single lesion. Nerve thickening was detected in 70% cases. Slit skin smears were positive in 34 (19.8%) patients. Eighty-nine (51.7%) children were classified as multibacillary (MB) and 83 (48.3%) as paucibacillary (PB) disease by NLEP criteria. Of the available biopsy records, clinico-histological correlation was observed in 130/151 (86.1%) patients. Lepra reactions were observed in 32 patients (18.6%), Type I in 29 cases and Type II in three cases. Neuritis occurred in 11 (6.4%) and deformities in 22 (12.8%) patients. Thirty-four (19-8%) children defaulted from treatment. Two patients relapsed. Despite the statistical elimination of leprosy in this region, childhood leprosy cases continue to present in alarming numbers. Our study confirmed that multibacillary disease and the complications of lepra reactions and deformities remain common in children. Early detection, treatment and contact tracing may be important reducing the burden of leprosy in the community. There is a need to continue leprosy control activities with full vigour even in areas where, statistically, it has been eliminated.

Population-Based Multicentric Survey of Hepatitis B Infection and Risk Factor Differences among Three Regions in Brazil

This multicentric population-based study in Brazil is the first national effort to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B (HBV) and risk factors in the capital cities of the Northeast, Central-West, and Federal Districts (2004-2005). Random multistage cluster sampling was used to select persons 13-69 years of age. Markers for HBV were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The HBV genotypes were determined by sequencing hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Multivariate analyses and simple catalytic model were performed. Overall, 7,881 persons were included; < 70% were not vaccinated. Positivity for HBsAg was less than 1% among non-vaccinated persons and genotypes A, D, and F co-circulated. The incidence of infection increased with age with similar force of infection in all regions. Males and persons having initiated sexual activity were associated with HBV infection in the two settings; healthcare jobs and prior hospitalization were risk factors in the Federal District. Our survey classified these regions as areas with HBV endemicity and highlighted the risk factors differences among the settings.

Injecting and sexual risk behaviours, sexually transmitted infections and HIV prevalence in injecting drug users in three states in India

To describe and compare sexual and injecting risk behaviours and sexually transmitted infections (STI), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV prevalence in injecting drug users (IDU) in six districts in three states of India: Manipur, Nagaland, and Maharashtra. The respondent-driven sample consisted of 2075 IDU. Consenting participants were administered a structured questionnaire and samples of blood and urine were collected to test for HIV and STI. Data were analysed using RDSAT. In two districts in Manipur, 77 and 98% of IDU injected heroin, whereas the main injecting drug in Nagaland was dextropropoxyphene (99%). In Mumbai/Thane, Maharashtra, the majority of respondents reported using chlorpheniramine (87%) and heroin (99%). In all districts, almost half of IDU reported generally sharing needles and syringes; consistent condom use with non-paid female partners was also low. Approximately one-quarter of IDU in Mumbai/Thane visited a paid partner in the past year. IDU with reactive syphilis serology were higher in Nagaland (7 and 19%) than in Manipur and Maharashtra. HIV in two districts of Manipur (23%, 32%) and Mumbai/Thane (16%) was greater than Nagaland (<2%). HCV prevalence was more than 50% in Mumbai/Thane and Manipur. Irrespective of regional differences, high-risk behaviour of needle sharing and low condom use makes IDU a critical subpopulation for HIV prevention interventions. Interventions need to address the differing drug use patterns in the regions and transmission prevention among non-paid regular and casual female partners of IDU in the northeast districts and paid female partners in Mumbai/Thane.

Validation and Decision Accuracy of Early Numeracy Skill Indicators

.The purpose of this study was to develop short-duration assessment measures hypothesized to be valid samples of early mathematical behavior. The Early Numeracy Skill Indicators were designed using a curriculum-based assessment approach. Participants included 64 kindergarten children from a school district in the rural Northeast. Design components featured longitudinal correlation analyses conducted over a 26-week period. Decision analyses were completed using receiver operating characteristic techniques. Results indicated that selected Early Numeracy Skill Indicators tasks produced reliable, valid, and diagnostically accurate scores in relation to established criterion measures. Implications focus on the use and development of the measures as a means to prevent failure and enhance mathematics competency. Further, these tools complement the growing availability of early mathematics curriculum-based measures.

CARRIER ERYTHROCYTE ENTRAPPED THYMIDINE PHOSPHORYLASE THERAPY FOR MNGIE

<h3>Background</h3> The burden to healthcare systems following alcohol abuse across various ages has become a very huge cause of concern in recent times. At a time when NHS finances are being increasingly scrutinised to identify areas where cuts can be made, it is increasingly debated whether illnesses caused due to personal overindulgence need to be covered under the NHS umbrella. The actual impact of the problem can be assessed only if we have some demographics of drunken children This study looks at this aspect of children under the age of 18 years presenting to the A&amp;E department in a North East District General Hospital over a year. It also assesses the use of referral pathways in place for these children by the A&amp;E staff. Design of study Retrospective review of all paediatric case notes in A&amp;E over a one year period from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2010, numbering approximately 12000 was undertaken. Children with history of or symptoms attributable wholly or partially to alcohol ingestion were identified for inclusion. Data was manually collected using a custom made proforma to identify the demographic characteristics, details of presentation and co morbidities. Data was entered onto an Access database and results analysed. <h3>Results</h3> See table 1. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Underage drinking and associated co morbidities are significant social issues that need to be addressed urgently in the community. The risky behaviour seems more common in 15-16 year age group and is commoner females. This group needs targeted intervention. As low blood sugar is a common occurrence in drunken states and contributes to increased morbidity, this needs to be regularly monitored in pre hospital setting. Less than 10% of children have been referred to available supportive services and this needs a serious review.

Resource consumption and costs of treating pain in patients affected by cancer in a district of northeast Italy

WHO declared that pain is a relevant problem in public health and that opioids are the gold standard therapy for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. The present retrospective, epidemiological, observational study is aimed to evaluate resource consumption therapy in patients treated with opioids and died with a diagnosis of cancer in Treviso, a district in northeast Italy. For the monetisation of resource consumed, the Italian National Health Service perspective was adopted. For each patient, resource monetized were drugs (opioids, NSAIDs and adjuvants), hospitalizations with cancer diagnosis, diagnostic examinations and laboratory tests. All databases were linked in order to obtain patient profile of resource consumption. A total of 935 patients were included in the study. The incident opioid prescribed were for 60% morphine, 37% fentanyl, and 2.5% buprenorphine. The average length of treatment with opioids was 105 ± 73 days. Of the patients included in the study, 79% received an anti-inflammatory drug (traditional NSAIDs and/or COX2 inhibitors), while 21% of patients treated with opioids never had an anti-inflammatory reimbursed prescription during the observation period. The average length of anti-inflammatory treatment was 133 ± 83 days. For the vast majority of prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs, the received daily dose (RDD) was widely greater then the defined daily dose (DDD) before and during treatment with opioids, while for opioids the RDD was in line with the revised DDD for fentanyl, and less than the DDD for morphine and buprenorphine. The total daily cost per patient before the first prescription of opioids was €11.36 while after the first prescription of opioids, it increased to €21.12. This study confirms the under utilization of opioids in Italy both in terms of dosages and length of therapy.