Knowledge, attitude and perceptions about tetanus and rabies among family physicians; results of a survey at a teaching hospital in karachi, pakistan

To assess the knowledge, attitude and perception among family physicians about tetanus and rabies. Setting: This study was conducted at the International Family Physicians Conference held at the Aga Khan University. Method: It was a cross sectional study of convenient sampling. The participants were asked to fill a pre-tested questionnaire comprising of 26 questions. Both open and close ended questions were included. A total of 111 doctors fulfilling the inclusion criteria filled in the questionnaire.Result: Out of 111 doctors who participated in this study, vast majority were working in the urban area (86.5%). 59.5% had not seen a case of tetanus and 71% had not seen a case of rabies in the preceding 6 months. Only 37% would use both tetanus toxoid and tetanus immunoglobulin in case of a dirty wound; 30% would administer tetanus toxoid and anti-tetanus serum in such a case. About 65% knew the current recommendation on rabies vaccination whereas 58% knew the correct post-exposure prophylaxis in case of suspected rabies.Conclusion: The level of knowledge about tetanus and rabies was clearly found to be deficient. More than half of the doctors enrolled in the study did not show correct knowledge on tetanus and rabies vaccination. The reasons for these deficiencies in knowledge appear to be inadequate teaching about these important diseases in the medical school. In addition, lack of reading habit and non-availability of continuous medical education programmes at the government level also contributes

Rancang Bangun Aplikasi Perhitungan Indeks Massa Tubuh Sebagai Salah Satu Dasar Aplikasi Diet Diabetes

Untuk mencegah komplikasi yang dapat terjadi akibat diabetes mellitus, maka kadar gula dalam darah harus dijaga agar berada dalam rentang yang normal, salah satu caranya adalah dengan mengatur pola makan penderita diabetes mellitus. Aplikasi Diet Diabetes Diabetes Berdasarkan Nilai BMI (Body Mass Index) yang membutuhkan input manual selain kurang praktis, kesalahan indentifikasi dengan perkiraan juga akan mempengaruhi besar nilai perhitungan yang tidak sesuai.Untuk itu agar lebih praktis mendapatkan nilai BMI dan mengurangi kesalahan identifikasi dibuatlah aplikasi yang menggunakan sensor ultrasonik untuk menggukur tinggi badan, load cell untuk mengukur berat badan, dan mikrokontroller untuk mengolah sensor sehingga nantinya akan diketahui nilai BMI seseorang yang akan dikonversi dalam tabel jenis diet diabetes serta komposisi zat gizi yang terkandung.Pengujian akhir menunjukkan kerja yang sangat baik dengan prosentase kesalahan sensor ultrasonik 0,09% dan load cell setelah dikuatkan sebesar 0,37%. Dan program sistem jenis diet diabetes serta komposisi zat gizi yang terkandung dapat ditampilkan sesuai dengan yang diinginkan.Kata kunci – diabetes mellitus, BMI, sensor ultrasonik, loADCell

Prevalence of Muscle Dysmorphia and Associated Health Activities in Male Medical Students in Karachi, Pakistan

Background: Muscle Dysmorphia (MD) is a subtype of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and is currently classified under anxiety disorders (subheading: Obsessive-compulsive disorder) in DSM 5. MD is hypothesized to affect the self-esteem and social outlook of the younger generation. MD shows a higher rate in males and may influence their self-confidence rendering them more prone towards using steroids, supplementary proteins and other drugs to alter their physical outlooks as shown in previous studies. This problem has been on the rise lately due to revolutionary advancement in the media and film industry and the abrupt changes about the standards of physical good looks and body shapes. With the lack of studies done in our population, our study will be helpful to consider the prevalence of the disease in our setting and increase awareness in the general public and clinicians. We hope to help clinicians/ therapists find better options in managing the disease. Materials: We performed a cross-sectional study with a sample size of 246 medical school students in Karachi to collect data through self-administered questionnaires. We used the DSM 5 criteria for the diagnosis of BDD and additional questions on the presence of MD. Nutritional habits, exercise routines, use of supplements and drugs were also obtained for exploratory analysis. Results: Our study predicted the prevalence of MD to be 25%. Other main findings included statistical significant associations between MD and the thoughts and practice of steroid use for muscularity. Conclusion: MD is an underdiagnosed and often unrecognized disease that we believe has significant consequences for the young male population. Further work is needed on this in our part of the world. Our research, we believe, can be a stepping stone for further studies that would incorporate wider populations

A pattern matching technique for measuring sediment displacement levels

This paper describes a novel technique for obtaining accurate, high (spatial) resolution measurements of sediment redeposition levels. A sequence of different random patterns are projected onto a sediment layer and captured using a high-resolution camera, producing a set of reference images. The same patterns are used to obtain a corresponding sequence of deformed images after a region of the sediment layer has been displaced and redeposited, allowing the use of a high-accuracy pattern matching algorithm to quantify the distribution of the redeposited sediment. A set of experiments using the impact of a vortex ring with a glass ballotini particle layer as the resuspension mechanism are described to test and illustrate the technique. The accuracy of the procedure is assessed using a known crater profile, manufactured to simulate the features of the craters observed in the experiments

Health professionals' experiences of tuberculosis cohort audit in the North West of England : a qualitative study

This research was supported by Public Health England and the Centre for Applied Health Research and Delivery, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM).Objectives. Tuberculosis cohort audit (TBCA) was introduced across the North West (NW) of England in 2012 as an ongoing, multidisciplinary, systematic case review process, designed to improve clinical and public health practice. TBCA has not previously been introduced across such a large and socioeconomically diverse area in England, nor has it undergone formal, qualitative evaluation. This study explored health professionals' experiences of the process after 1515 cases had been reviewed. Design. Qualitative study using semistructured interviews. Respondents were purposively sampled from 3 groups involved in the NW TBCA: (1) TB nurse specialists, (2) consultant physicians and (3) public health practitioners. Data from the 26 respondents were triangulated with further interviews with key informants from the TBCA Steering Group and through observation of TBCA meetings. Analysis. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically using the framework approach. Results. Participants described the evolution of a valuable 'community of practice' where interprofessional exchange of experience and ideas has led to enhanced mutual respect between different roles and a shared sense of purpose. This multidisciplinary, regional approach to TB cohort audit has promoted local and regional team working, exchange of good practices and local initiatives to improve care. There is strong ownership of the process from public health professionals, nurses and clinicians; all groups want it to continue. TBCA is regarded as a tool for quality improvement that improves patient safety. Conclusions. TBCA provides peer support and learning for management of a relatively rare, but important infectious disease through discussion in a no-blame atmosphere. It is seen as an effective quality improvement strategy which enhances TB care, control and patient safety. Continuing success will require increased engagement of consultant physicians and public health practitioners, a secure and ongoing funding stream and establishment of clear reporting mechanisms within the public health system.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

What is History and How Do We Study History?

This lesson plan, crafted during the Bard Early College Fellowship, details a six-lesson series to help set the foundations of writing a historical research paper by asking students to answer the following questions: Why does history matter? How do we study history

Theory of commensurable magnetic structures in holmium

The tendency for the period of the helically ordered moments in holmium to lock into values which are commensurable with the lattice is studied theoretically as a function of temperature and magnetic field. The commensurable effects are derived in the mean-field approximation from numerical calculations of the free energy of various commensurable structures, and the results are compared with the extensive experimental evidence collected during the last ten years on the magnetic structures in holmium. In general the stability of the different commensurable structures is found to be in accord with the experiments, except for the tau=5/18 structure observed a few degrees below T_N in a b-axis field. The trigonal coupling recently detected in holmium is found to be the interaction required to explain the increased stability of the tau=1/5 structure around 42 K, and of the tau=1/4 structure around 96 K, when a field is applied along the c-axis.Comment: REVTEX, 31 pages, 7 postscript figure