Global Health Indicators Research Articles

Global Health Indicators and Child Mortality Trends: Insights from a Global Panel Data Analysis of 200 Countries.

The aim of this study was to explore how medical resources and vaccine coverage relate to infant mortality rate (IMR) and under-five mortality rate (U-5MR), which are both key national health indicators. This longitudinal study was based on panel data from the national level of 200 countries. Data from 1990 to 2021 were grouped into seven regions based on geographic and epidemiological similarities. Regarding correlation, the high-income region showed a different trend from that shown by other regions. Health expenditure was positively associated with IMR and U-5MR globally. Number of medical doctors per 1,000 people was negatively associated with IMR and U-5MR globally. Hepatitis type B (HBV) and measles, first dose (MCV) were negatively associated with IMR and HBV, MCV, and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin were negatively associated with U-5MR globally. In quadratic regression, the correlation between the number of doctors and mortality stabilizes or plateaus at approximately four individuals. Overall vaccine coverage was positively correlated with mortality up to a certain threshold, beyond which it became negatively correlated. A higher number of doctors was consistently associated with decreased mortality, regardless of location, while other factors varied by region. Our study findings highlight the importance of implementing global strategies that are specific to each region's characteristics to reduce IMR and U-5MR.

Differential Impact of Fertility on Health-Adjusted Life Expectancy of Older Adults Across Countries of Various Levels of Socio-Demographic Index - Worldwide, 1995-2019.

Health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) is a crucial indicator of global health, which is strongly correlated with the socio-demographic index (SDI) and population dynamics. This study revealed that the correlation between total fertility rate (TFR) and HALE of older adults varies across countries with different SDI levels, offering valuable insights for the development of more targeted health promotion programs and interventions. Different health interventions should be tailored to countries with different levels of SDI. In countries with both low fertility rates and low SDI, advanced measures are needed to address the challenge of an aging population that may live longer but face poorer health in the future.

SUBSTANTIATION OF THE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM «GLOBAL HEALTH» AS A COMPONENT OF THE TRAINING OF PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALISTS

The aim: to develop a modern certification program "Global Health" for the continuous professional development of public health professionals. Materials and methods. The study employed bibliosemantic, informational-analytical, medical-statistical, sociological methods, and content analysis method. The research program included an analysis of the main competencies of public health professionals, as defined by the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) and the higher education standard for specialty 229 "Public Health" for the second (master's) level of higher education; analysis of existing certification programs on global health; conducting sociological surveys of public health professionals regarding priority topics and preferred learning methods. The research was based on normative documents, electronic resources, and the results of sociological research. Statistical processing and mathematical analysis of materials were conducted using statistical analysis methods. Results. It was established that global health issues are significant in shaping the professional competencies of public health professionals, considering the requirements of the higher education standard for specialty 229 "Public Health" for the second (master's) level of higher education and those, defined by the European List of Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals ASPHER. The study of these issues was identified as important for continuous professional development based on sociological surveys of disease control and prevention center employees (38.4 out of 100 respondents). Among various forms of education, webinars (62.2±3.8 out of 100 respondents) and online learning (60.4±3.8) are most in demand. Analysis of the obtained data led to the justification of the "Global Health" certification program. In the developed "Global Health" certification program, 26.7% of the workload corresponds to lectures, 33.3% to practical classes, and 40% to preparatory work. Structurally, it covers 2 modules and 8 topics on current issues of the impact of globalization on health and analysis of global health indicators. Conclusions. The "Global Health" certification program meets the requirements of normative documents, considers contemporary challenges and consequences of globalization on health, highlights global health trends, and its topics are in demand among disease control and prevention center professionals.

Globalization, technology and global health

Purpose This study aims to explore whether globalization and technology are harmful to health using a global panel data set of 52 countries over the period 1990–2019. Design/methodology/approach The study focused on four continents: Africa, the Americas, Asia/Oceania and Europe. The authors used four advanced econometric methodologies, which include the standard panel fixed effect (FE), Arellano–Bover/Blundell–Bond dynamic panel, Hausman–Taylor specification and two-stage least squares (FE-2SLS)/Lewbel-2SLS approaches. Findings The empirical evidence highlights the significance of globalization and technology in promoting global health. The findings suggest that globalization has various impacts on global health indicators and that technology is useful in tracking, monitoring and promoting global health. In addition, the empirical evidence indicates that a truly health-centred process of globalization and technological innovation can only be realized by ensuring that the interests of countries and vulnerable populations to health risks are adequately considered in international decision-making regarding global economic integration. Originality/value The authors suggest that achieving the aspiration of global health will entail the use of globalization and information technology to extend human activities and provide equal access to global health.

Interviewer biases in medical survey data: The example of blood pressure measurements.

Health agencies rely upon survey-based physical measures to estimate the prevalence of key global health indicators such as hypertension. Such measures are usually collected by nonhealthcare worker personnel and are potentially subject to measurement error due to variations in interviewer technique and setting, termed "interviewer effects." In the context of physical measurements, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, interviewer-induced biases have not yet been examined. Using blood pressure as a case study, we aimed to determine the relative contribution of interviewer effects on the total variance of blood pressure measurements in three large nationally representative health surveys from the Global South. We utilized 169,681 observations between 2008 and 2019 from three health surveys (Indonesia Family Life Survey, National Income Dynamics Study of South Africa, and Longitudinal Aging Study in India). In a linear mixed model, we modeled systolic blood pressure as a continuous dependent variable and interviewer effects as random effects alongside individual factors as covariates. To quantify the interviewer effect-induced uncertainty in hypertension prevalence, we utilized a bootstrap approach comparing subsamples of observed blood pressure measurements to their adjusted counterparts. Our analysis revealed that the proportion of variation contributed by interviewers to blood pressure measurements was statistically significant but small: % depending on the cohort. Thus, hypertension prevalence estimates were not substantially impacted at national scales. However, individual extreme interviewers could account for measurement divergences as high as 12%. Thus, highly biased interviewers could have important impacts on hypertension estimates at the subdistrict level.

Lessons from Peru to reduce under-5 mortality: understanding program implementation and context

BackgroundHealth policymakers aiming to reduce under-5 mortality (U5M) often lack data regarding how successful interventions in other countries were implemented. The Exemplars in U5M Study identified countries that achieved significant reductions in amenable U5M. This case study in Peru used implementation research to explore the contextual factors and strategies that contributed to the successful implementation of key evidence-based interventions (EBIs).MethodsThis research utilized a hybrid implementation research framework and a mixed-methods approach to understand the factors associated with EBI implementation and the successful reduction of U5M between 2000–2015. A desk review of existing literature on EBIs and U5M in Peru was completed, and in-depth interviews were performed with key Peruvian informants to understand the implementation strategies employed and the contextual factors that facilitated or were barriers to success. For the purposes of this analysis, three EBIs were selected and evaluated: antenatal care visits (ANC), facility-based deliveries, and infant vaccination.ResultsBetween 2000–2015, the percent of mothers attending at least four antenatal care visits rose from 69% to 96.9%, and the percent of facility-based deliveries increased from 56 to 91%. Three doses of the tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis vaccine, widely acknowledged as a key global health indicator, reached 90% by 2015. Key informants noted that economic growth, financial reforms, strong national commitment to reduce poverty in Peru, and national prioritization of maternal and child health, were important contextual factors that contributed to the successful reduction of U5M. They noted key strategies that helped achieve success during the implementation of EBIs, including utilization of data for decision-making, adaptation driven by cultural sensitivity to address gaps in coverage, and a focus on equity and anti-poverty initiatives with the participation of government, civil society, and political parties to assure continuity of policies.ConclusionSeveral EBIs contributed to the successful reduction of U5M in Peru between 2000–2015. Strategies such as the focus on equity throughout the study period contributed to an increase in coverage of EBIs like ANC visits, facility-based deliveries and infant vaccination which worked to reduce U5M. Understanding how Peru successfully implemented programs that reduced preventable infant and child deaths could be useful to replicating this substantial public health success in other low- and middle-income countries.

‘Ending AIDS’ between comparison and commensuration and the role of global health indicators

ABSTRACT The use of targets and indicators in global health has become ubiquitous within global health and disease elimination programmes. The drive to ‘end AIDS’ has become a global flagship endeavour, including nation-states, donor organisations, NGOs, pharmaceutical companies, medical researchers, and activists. Almost synonymous with the campaign of ending AIDS is UNAIDS’ 90-90-90 targets. Beyond indicators’ role in neoliberal global health, an essential aspect of indicators and quantitative metrics is their ability to provide a basis for measurements and comparability across time and between different actors and entities. These processes are based on what has been called, commensuration, visual simplification, and serialisation. This article seeks to provide an account of how we can think about indicators in the drive to end AIDS as doing work that is contingent upon commensuration, simplification, and serialisation. The argument is that by attending to issues of commensuration, visual simplification, and serialisation we are better able to see how we risk erasing and foreclosing other forms of conceptualising what the end of AIDS could be. Logics of quantification risks erasing and foreclosing other qualitative aspects of the HIV epidemic as well as obscuring various epistemological tensions inherent in counting towards the end of AIDS.

Reviews and syntheses: Remotely sensed optical time series for monitoring vegetation productivity

Abstract. Vegetation productivity is a critical indicator of global ecosystem health and is impacted by human activities and climate change. A wide range of optical sensing platforms, from ground-based to airborne and satellite, provide spatially continuous information on terrestrial vegetation status and functioning. As optical Earth observation (EO) data are usually routinely acquired, vegetation can be monitored repeatedly over time, reflecting seasonal vegetation patterns and trends in vegetation productivity metrics. Such metrics include gross primary productivity, net primary productivity, biomass, or yield. To summarize current knowledge, in this paper we systematically reviewed time series (TS) literature for assessing state-of-the-art vegetation productivity monitoring approaches for different ecosystems based on optical remote sensing (RS) data. As the integration of solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) data in vegetation productivity processing chains has emerged as a promising source, we also include this relatively recent sensor modality. We define three methodological categories to derive productivity metrics from remotely sensed TS of vegetation indices or quantitative traits: (i) trend analysis and anomaly detection, (ii) land surface phenology, and (iii) integration and assimilation of TS-derived metrics into statistical and process-based dynamic vegetation models (DVMs). Although the majority of used TS data streams originate from data acquired from satellite platforms, TS data from aircraft and unoccupied aerial vehicles have found their way into productivity monitoring studies. To facilitate processing, we provide a list of common toolboxes for inferring productivity metrics and information from TS data. We further discuss validation strategies of the RS data derived productivity metrics: (1) using in situ measured data, such as yield; (2) sensor networks of distinct sensors, including spectroradiometers, flux towers, or phenological cameras; and (3) inter-comparison of different productivity metrics. Finally, we address current challenges and propose a conceptual framework for productivity metrics derivation, including fully integrated DVMs and radiative transfer models here labelled as “Digital Twin”. This novel framework meets the requirements of multiple ecosystems and enables both an improved understanding of vegetation temporal dynamics in response to climate and environmental drivers and enhances the accuracy of vegetation productivity monitoring.

Association of waist circumference and BMI with premature death in young and middle-aged population.

Premature death is a global health indicator, significantly impacted by obesity, especially in young and middle-aged population. Both body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) assess obesity, with WC specifically indicating central obesity and showing a stronger relationship with mortality. However, despite known associations between BMI and premature death, as well as the well-recognized correlation between WC and adverse health outcomes, the specific relationship between WC and premature death remains unclear. Therefore, focusing on young and middle-aged individuals, this study aimed to reliably estimate independent and combined associations between WC, BMI and premature death, thereby providing causal evidence to support strategies for obesity management. This study involved 49,217 subjects aged 18-50 years in the United States from 1999 to 2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Independent and combined associations between WC and BMI with premature death across sex and age stratum were examined by Cox regression. Survey weighting and inverse probability weighting (IPW) were further considered to control selection and confounding bias. Robustness assessment has been conducted on both NHANES and China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) data. A linear and positive relationship between WC and all-cause premature death was found in both males and females, with adjusted HRs of 1.019 (95%CI = 1.004-1.034) and 1.065 (95%CI = 1.039-1.091), respectively. Nonlinear relationships were found with respect to BMI and all-cause premature death. For females aged 36-50 with a BMI below 28.6 kg/m2, the risk of premature death decreased as BMI increased, indicated by adjusted HRs of 0.856 (95%CI = 0.790-0.927). Joint analysis showed among people living with obesity, a larger WC increased premature death risk (HR = 1.924, 95%CI = 1.444-2.564). WC and BMI exhibited prominent associations with premature death in young and middle-aged population. Maintaining an appropriate WC and BMI bears significant implications for preventing premature death.

Trajectory of life expectancy and its relation with socio-economic indicators among developing countries in Southeast Asian

Life expectancy is a one of key global health indicators and plays an important role in health policy measures. The status of a country indirectly influences the life expectancy of a nation. Developing countries have slower economic progress compared to developed countries, which in turn affects the well-being of the population. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the trend of life expectancy among developing countries in Southeast Asian and assess the influence of socio-economic indicators in life expectancy. Linear mixed effects model is used to model the association between socioeconomic factors and life expectancy. The results indicate that GDP growth rate, GDP per capita, and unemployment rate have significant impact on life expectancy and the impacts depend on gender. Life expectancy among females is generally higher than males. Prediction of life expectancy in males in year 2025 is found the lowest in Myanmar with average of 64.2 years (95%CI: 60.8-77.1) and the highest in Thailand with average of 76.2 years (95%CI: 60.7-76.9). Meanwhile, prediction of life expectancy in females is found the lowest in Timor Leste with average of 71.1 years (95%CI: 67.8-83.9) and the highest in Thailand with average of 84.3 years (95%CI: 68.7-84.9).

Health Digital Indicators’ Juxtaposition

A study is discussed the comparison of main health performance indicators in two different countries: New Zealand and Republic of Cyprus, and globally by approaches from the particular to the general, and multi-dimensional measures of global health indication. The objective was to establish the content validity, the reliability and sensitivity, and the validity of rank order comparisons. This study analyzed 2021-2023 annual reports World Health Organization, European Union Commission, and NZ government. The finding of this work is synopsis of Health Digital Indicators. The result of synopsis has shown that there are so many different kinds of Health Indicators that unite by digital technology to collect data for them. Author juxtaposed regional (European and Pacific) and global health indicators counted for health goals.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS FOR QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH LUNG, PROSTATE, BREAST AND GASTRIC CANCER IN UKRAINE ACCORDING TO THE EORTC QLQ-C30 QUESTIONNAIRE

Introduction. Malignant tumors are the second most common cause of death in the population of Ukraine. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, and lung cancer among men. At the same time, there is a negative trend towards an increase in new cases of prostate cancer among the male population. In turn, gastric cancer is among the most common types of tumors in both male and female population of Ukraine.
 The aim. Comparison of indicators of the quality of life of patients with breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, gastric cancer and identification of the main problems in their quality of life in order to optimize the medical care system for them.
 Materials and methods. A questionnaire was conducted among patients with lung cancer (n=411), prostate cancer (n=408), breast cancer (n=400) and gastric cancer (n=404) on stage of their inpatient treatment in oncological institutions in nine regions of Ukraine, using the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire.
 Results and discussion. The best indicator of Global Health Status/QoL was found in patients with breast cancer (53,22 points on a 100-point scale), while the lowest was found in patients with lung cancer (49,12 points). Breast cancer patients are also characterized by the best results in all items of the functional scale and the QLQ-C30 symptom scale. In turn, patients with gastric cancer recorded the worst indicators both on the functional scale and on the QLQ-С30 symptom scale.
 Conclusions. Based on the low quality of life indicators of cancer patients, it is important to create socio-psychological support for cancer patients and their family members, which will include the development and implementation of standardized psychological assistance and mental health care at all stages of diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.

From Project-Based Health Literacy Data and Measurement to an Integrated System of Analytics and Insights: Enhancing Data-Driven Value Creation in Health-Literate Organizations.

Health literacy measurement is important to improve equity, health and well-being as part of health system transformation. However, health literacy data of good quality are often lacking or difficult to access for decision-makers. To better inform policy, research and practice, this paper discusses how to move from project-based health literacy data and measurement to an integrated system of analytics and insights enhancing data-driven value creation in health-literate organizations. There is a need for the development of health literacy data pipelines, data dashboards, and data governance mechanisms which are timely and trustworthy. Investing in health literacy data analytics and data governance can pave the way for the integration of health literacy as an acknowledged global health indicator in large-scale surveys, ventures, and daily business. Leadership and management buy-in are needed to steer the process. Lessons learned from decades of measurement research combined with strategic implementation of systematic use of health literacy monitoring may accelerate the progress.

Low Sleep Satisfaction Is Related to High Disease Burden in Tinnitus.

Previous studies have shown a high prevalence of sleep disturbances in tinnitus patients. However, no study has yet evaluated subjective sleep satisfaction. The present study aimed to investigate associations of self-reported sleep satisfaction with sociodemographic factors, tinnitus-related distress, depression, and self-reported quality of life. This is a retrospective analysis of 2344 outpatients with tinnitus presenting at a tertiary German tinnitus clinic from 2010 to 2020. Patients who filled in five questionnaires (Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ), Major Depression Inventory (MDI), Tinnitus Sample Case History Questionnaire (TSCHQ), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-Bref)) were included. Based on the question about sleep satisfaction in the WHOQOL-Bref, group classification into (I) sleep-satisfied, (II) neither satisfied or dissatisfied, and (III) sleep-dissatisfied patients was performed. Associations between sleep satisfaction and quality of life, depression, tinnitus distress, and tinnitus characteristics were analyzed by group differences and a multinomial regression model with elastic net penalization. A total of 42.38% of patients were satisfied or very satisfied with sleep, whereas 40.91% of patients were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with sleep. The remaining patients reported being neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with sleep. Sleep-dissatisfied patients were significantly more burdened in questionnaires on depressive symptoms (MDI), tinnitus distress (TQ, THI), and quality of life (WHOQOL-Bref). In addition, they suffered significantly more often from comorbidities such as headache, neck pain, or temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). The elastic net regression based on sum scores of THI, TQ, MDI, the four domains of WHOQOL-Bref, as well as all individual questions from the TSCHQ was able to classify patients satisfied with their sleep with an accuracy of 79%, 87.8% sensitivity, and 70.4% specificity. The model could not identify patients indifferent with the quality of their sleep (neither satisfied nor dissatisfied) (sensitivity: 0%; specificity: 100%). The accuracy of the model to predict patients dissatisfied with their sleep was 80.7%, with 83% sensitivity and 78.4% specificity. Poor physical and mental health (Domain I/II WHOQOL-Bref) as well as tinnitus distress were the strongest predictors of sleep dissatisfaction. Conversely, for sleep satisfaction, good physical and mental health as well as low tinnitus distress were the strongest predictors. The division into sleep-satisfied and sleep-dissatisfied tinnitus patients allows a very good discrimination regarding disease burden as indicated by depression, tinnitus distress, quality of life, and pain-related comorbidities. Physical and mental health as well as tinnitus distress seem to be strongly related to sleep satisfaction underscoring the concept of “tinnitus” versus “tinnitus disorder”, but also the importance of sleep satisfaction as a global health indicator. Moreover, these data indicate the relevance of addressing sleep disorders in the therapeutic management of chronic tinnitus patients.

Challenges in dental statistics: survey methodology topics


 This paper gathers some contributions concerning survey methodology in dental research, as discussed during the first Workshop of the SISMEC STATDENT working group on statistical methods and applications in dentistry, held in Ancona on the 28th September 2011.
 The first contribution deals with the European Global Oral Health Indicators Development (EGOHID) Project which proposed a comprehensive and standardized system of epidemiological tools (questionnaires and clinical forms) for national data collection on oral health in Europe. The second contribution regards the design and conduct of trials to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of toothbrushes and mouthrinses. Finally, a flexible and effective tool used to trace dental age reference charts tailored to Italian children is presented.

Predicting Universal Healthcare Through Health Financial Management for Sustainable Development in BRICS, GCC, and AUKUS Economic Blocks.

The majority of the world's population is still facing difficulties in getting access to primary healthcare facilities. Universal health coverage (UHC) proposes access to high-quality, affordable primary healthcare for all. The 17 UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) are expected to be executed and achieved by all the 193 countries through national sustainable development strategies and multi-stakeholder partnerships. This article addresses SDG 3.8—access to good quality and affordable healthcare and two subindicators related to societal impact (SDG 3.8.1 and 3.8.2) through two objectives. The first objective is to determine whether health expenditure indicators (HEIs) drive UHC, and the second objective is to analyze the importance of key determinants and their interactions with UHC in three economic blocks: emerging Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); developing Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) vis-à-vis the developed Australia, UK, and USA (AUKUS). We use the WHO Global Health Indicator database and UHC periodical surveys to evaluate the hypotheses. We apply state-of-the-art machine learning (ML) models and ordinary least square (traditional—OLS regression) methods to see the superiority of artificial intelligence (AI) over traditional ones. The ML Random Forest Tree method is found to be superior to the OLS model in terms of lower root mean square error (RMSE). The ML results indicate that domestic private health expenditure (PVT-D), out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPS) per Capita in US dollars, and voluntary health insurance (VHI) as a percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) are the key factors influencing UHC across the three economic blocks. Our findings have implications for drafting health and finance sector public policies, such as providing affordable social health insurance to the weaker sections of the population, making insurance premiums less expensive and affordable for the masses, and designing healthcare financing policies that are beneficial to the masses. UHC is an important determinant of health for all and requires an in-depth analysis of related factors. Policymakers are often faced with the challenge of prioritizing the economic needs of sectors such as education and food safety, making it difficult for healthcare to receive its due share. In this context, this article attempts to identify the key components that may influence the attainment of UHC and enable policy changes to address them more effectively and efficiently.

Rehabilitation Through Physical Activity and Sport in Light of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health-Current Research Perspectives.

The implementation of functioning by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the third global health indicator, along with mortality and morbidity, represents a promising advancement for a comprehensive assessment of international health systems and health strategies. The description of a person's health state operationalized by both biological and lived health via functioning provides a holistic picture of an individual's life situation and proved to be successful in building a framework for formulating therapy goals, achievable activities, and participational aspects against the background of an individual's life situation. Furthermore, improving an individual's functional ability and wellbeing could potentially affect the health indicators of morbidity and mortality and will be codable beyond the ICF in ICD-11. This methodological perspective emphasizes the use of ICF applications on the wider and narrower level of international rehabilitation systems and highlights the incorporation of the term functioning in rehabilitation through physical activity and sport. Current research perspectives in applying the ICF and functioning in clinical and rehabilitation practices are discussed and a current explorative study is presented, which applies the holistic orientation of functioning and the biopsychosocial model to the specific case by an individualized sports coaching intervention in rehabilitation. Subsequently, a unifying ICF- oriented language in rehabilitation is considered as a powerful foundation for a consistent international research strategy concerning increased international collaborations and future research perspectives.

Temporal Models for Demographic and Global Health Outcomes in Multiple Populations: Introducing a New Framework to Review and Standardise Documentation of Model Assumptions and Facilitate Model Comparison.

There is growing interest in producing estimates of demographic and global health indicators in populations with limited data. Statistical models are needed to combine data from multiple data sources into estimates and projections with uncertainty. Diverse modelling approaches have been applied to this problem, making comparisons between models difficult. We propose a model class, Temporal Models for Multiple Populations (TMMPs), to facilitate both documentation of model assumptions in a standardised way and comparison across models. The class makes a distinction between the process model, which describes latent trends in the indicator interest, and the data model, which describes the data generating process of the observed data. We provide a general notation for the process model that encompasses many popular temporal modelling techniques, and we show how existing models for a variety of indicators can be written using this notation. We end with a discussion of outstanding questions and future directions.

Assessment of dental anodontia among Ferdinand I Military Technical Academy students in Romania

Background/Aim. Data regarding tooth absence among Romanian military personnel are lacking. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of dental anomalies among military students at the Military Technical Academy in Bucharest, Romania. Methods. A cohort of 318 military students was enrolled in the study. Each participant underwent an extensive evaluation of their oro-dental health status based on guidelines of the European Global Oral Health Indicators Development II Project (EGOHID II). Results. Anodontia was discovered in 6 participants (prevalence rate was 1.9%), namely 4 women (prevalence among women was 4.6%) and 2 men (prevalence among men was 0.87%). Five of the six patients had never been previously diagnosed with anodontia. The most commonly affected teeth were second premolars (n = 8), followed by first premolars (n = 4) and second permanent molars (n = 2). Premolar anodontia was equally common in the maxilla and the mandible; both instances of molar anodontia were in the mandible. None of the participants with anodontia had remaining temporary teeth. A brief overview and two cases of diagnosed patients, who presented with inferior bilateral second molar anodontia and quadruple canine inclusion and a quadruple second premolar anodontia, are given. Conclusion. Military students in Romania would benefit from systematic dental evaluation and long-term monitoring prior to enrollment in the Military Academy.

Integration of IoT and Fog Computing in Healthcare Based the Smart Intensive Units

Internet of Things (IoT) has enormous capability to revolutionize medical care and enhance global health indicators in the health sector. The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is an important part of the medical sector because it treats patients who have suffered a terrible accident, have a very serious or life-threatening condition or are undergoing an effective medical treatment that necessitates 24-hour care and support. For this reason, one of the most important issues that hospitals suffer is lack of patient monitoring systems cause ICU health attendants and doctors were overburdened, which can lead to medical errors due to a huge workload that exceeded their ability. As a result, even a minor delay in recognizing a patient’s deterioration might result in severe disability or death. Therefore, continuously patient monitoring in ICU is the most crucial process. That’s why a way to optimize the ICU monitoring procedure in order to minimize delayed detection and reduce the workload of ICU doctors and caregivers is needed. In this study, we proposed a smart IoT-based ICU patient monitoring system to help doctors and hospitals to monitor the patients continuously and in making quick decisions. Our proposed method can measure patient’s body parameters (temperature, SpO2, heartbeat, blood pressure, ECG, and it can also measure glucose, lactate, blood circulation, red blood cells, white blood cells, calcium, potassium from the patient fluids) in real-time and in case of anomalous values of the patient’s body parameters, the device will send a notification to the assigned doctor and the Emergency Care Unit (ECU) of the hospital. Doctors can also monitor the patient remotely through our system.