Scientific Program

Conference Series Ltd invites all the participants across the globe to attend 8th International Conference on Epidemiology & Public Health | ANA Crowne Plaza Narita | Tokyo, Japan.

Day 1 :

  • Epidemiology and Public Health, Maternal | Infant, and Child Health | Psychiatric Epidemiology | Social Epidemiology | Obesity & Public Health | Reproductive, Perinatal and Pediatric Epidemiology
Speaker
Biography:

Abstract:

Background: Uterine fibroids(UF), also referred to as uterine myomas, leiomyomas, myomatas, or simply fibroid are benign soft-tissue tumours that arise from uterine smooth muscle tissue (myometrium) .Nigeria is thought to have a high prevalence of fibroids due to its indigenous black population, since uterine fibroids are more prevalent in black women .Although uterine leiomyomata affect the reproductive health and well-being of approximately 25% of premenopausal women, risk factors are poorly understood. 

Objective: To examine public health impact and associated risk factors associated with UF among women in Imo State, its prevalence of, women’s knowledge about health services and to develop modalities to improve awareness to prevent morbidity and improve quality of life. 

Materials and Methods: A four year epidemiological, non-interventional, retrospective and descriptive study research was carried out .The data of all female patients (ages 14-55) within the inclusion criteria that presented with UF during the study period 3rd January 2015 to 3rd January 2019 was  obtained from medical records, theatre records of  gynaecology clinics and Laboratories selected in Imo State. In addition, a pretested and structured questionnaires structured questionnaire with open interviews was used to collect the data from the subjects. The main outcome measures were socio-demographic data, clinical history, myoma clinical features, symptomatology, and risk factors associated to myomas. Clinical, local and ultra-sonographic examination was done for the morphology of the fibroids. Comparison was done with histological picture for accuracy in clinical and sonographic diagnosis. Multivariable adjustment of risk ratios was based on log binomial regression. 

Result: A total of 520 subjects were studied. Fibroids mainly affected those in the reproductive age group (31-40 years). The common clinical presentations- were abdominopelvic mass (95%); menorrhagia (98.7%), infertility (43.9%), anaemia (30.9%) dysmenorrhoea (15.5%), and abdominopelvic pain (15.8%) miscarriages (3.5%) amongst other symptoms. The average uterine size at presentation was 15±9.7 weeks. Most of the patients were nulliparous (76.7%, 79/103) and 51.5% (53/103) were married. The mean age of the women was 35.42yrs ± 9.34 (range, 20-74 years). A significant relationship was found between Level of Education and development of fibroid (R= -0.196; χ2 value= 29.618; p = 0.001) and (R= 0.399, χ2 value= 92.923; p = 0.001) respectively.Majority of the women 88 (44.4%) had tertiary education, (24.7%) secondary, (24.3%) primary and (6.6%) had no formal education. Most of the patients had multiple fibroids, (40.9%) had intramural, (35.4%) submucous and (26.3%) subserous. Out of this number, (216) 37.0% and 45.4% were overweight and obese respectively. 

Conclusion: we identified nine possible risk factors that play an important role in UF epidemiology. The UF risk factors with the strongest evidence were age, weight and parity. High-quality prospective observational data are needed to improve our understanding of UF epidemiology, and thus its aetiology and optimal management and early detection thereby reducing morbidity. Health intervention programmes and healthy lifestyle should be encouraged with routine check-ups should be conducted so as to detect and possibly treat such tumours early. Further research is needed to find out biological factors causing fibroids including diet, stress, and environmental factors and adequate resources towards managing symptomatic patients at a subsidized rate.

Key words

Uterine fibroids, leiomyoma, incidence, prevalence, risk factors, Imo Epidemiology.

Marco Balenci

Italian Association of Analytical Psychology, Italy

Title: From Jungian Attitude-Types to a Comprehensive Model of Diseases
Speaker
Biography:

Marco Balenci, PhD, studied at the Universities of Florence and Rome. He is a Marco Balenci has completed his PhD from Universities of Florence and Rome. He is a Psychoanalyst and also a Member of the American Psychological Association, Associazione Italiana di Psicologia Analitica (AIPA), International Association for Analytical Psychology.
 

Abstract:

A comprehensive model of diseases is proposed - both in their physical and psychic aspects - starting from the pair of opposites named introversion and extraversion by Carl Gustav Jung in 1913. His seminal theory of typology was the reference for Elida Evans' book on cancer in 1926, which will be the foundation of psycho-oncology and of the holistic approach to cancer. Moreover, an explanation of neurological mechanisms underlying the conscious attitude-types of introversion and extraversion is presented. It is also shown that, since 1974, Sydney J. Blatt used these concepts to devise a theory of psychopathology that has had important effects on psychotherapy and on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of mental disorders In 1990, independently of each other, George A. Bonanno and Jerome L. Singer of Yale University, and Marco Balenci of Sapienza University conceived two similar models of diseases, based on the psychophysical balance of the attitude-types. After thirty years there has been no particular development of these models. Persistent dualism in medicine may explain this trend. Actually, this kind of model derives from a holistic view of medicine, which was advocated by George L. Engel giving relevance to bio-psychosocial factors since the 1950s. Currently, the discoveries of psychoneuroimmunology and developmental psychobiology can provide a new scientific impetus to the individual-as-a-whole in medicine. 
 

Speaker
Biography:

She is working in the King Hussein Cancer Foundation, Jordan. 

Abstract:

Introduction & Objective: Breast cancer became one of the most common cancer worldwide accounting for 627,000 mortalities which is 15% of all cancer deaths. In Jordan, a lower-middle class income country, breast cancer accounts for 20.6% of new cancer cases with a mortality of 11.5%. Due to increasing breast cancer prevalence; the Jordanian Breast Cancer Program (JBCP) was founded to orchestrate national efforts and increase awareness on breast cancer screening and early detection. Several approaches have been taken, such as community based approaches including one to one sessions and one to group sessions. JBCP has acquired on conducting educational lectures throughout the Kingdom in order to raise awareness, change attitudes and inbound practices of breast cancer screening and early detection. Method: Data collected from pre and post-educational session’s evaluation was collected throughout the years of 2011-2015 in order to assess the improvement in the communities’ knowledge. A total of 11,873 questionnaires were collected and the data was entered, coded, and analyzed by the SPSS program. Results: Results have shown that after the educational session 68% of participants knew how to perform self-breast examination and 83% had planned to visit a healthcare provider to undergo clinical breast examination while 66% will undergo mammogram. The knowledge difference was assessed and there was 41% increase in the participant’s knowledge of breast cancer and its screening and early detection methods. Conclusion: With the efforts that JBCP has put in order to raise awareness on breast cancer, it has also coupled in facilitating the examinations to the participants in order to aid in transforming knowledge into practice.
 

Marco Balenci

Italian Association of Analytical Psychology, Italy

Title: Inward and outward: Opposite as dimensions for a model of diseases
Speaker
Biography:

Marco Balenci has completed his PhD from Universities of Florence and Rome. He is a Psychoanalyst and also a Member of the American Psychological Association, Associazione Italiana di Psicologia Analitica (AIPA), International Association for Analytical Psychology. 

Abstract:

A comprehensive model of diseases is proposed both in their physical and psychic aspects - starting from Carl Gustav Jung’s pair of opposites of introversion and extroversion in 1921. It is shown that this seminal approach will be taken up by scholars such as Claus B. Bahnson in 1960s and Sydney J. Blatt from 1974. In 1990, independently of each other, George A. Bonanno and Jerome L. Singer of Yale University, and Marco Balenci of Sapienza University conceived two similar models, based on the psychophysical balance of the two opposite attitudes. After thirty years, the evolution of this approach has had important developments in the psychiatric field, while for organic diseases it has been used much less. Persistent dualism in medicine may explain this trend. Actually, this kind of model derives from a holistic view of medicine, which was advocated by Engel’s consideration of bio psychosocial factors in the 1950s and is currently receiving a new scientific impetus from the discoveries of psychoneuroimmunology and developmental psychobiology.
 

Speaker
Biography:

Roman Goloshchapov-Aksenov is a Surgeon of the highest qualification category, a cardiovascular surgeon, an interventional radiologist, associate professor of cardiovascular surgery of the Russian University of peoples ' friendship, head of vascular surgery and interventional radiology department. Medical work experience in the field of cardiovascular and endovascular surgery 18 years ago. Endovascular practice generalist - interventional oncology, gynecology, urology, neurosurgery, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery with a low complication rate and absence of fatal outcomes in patients when performing scheduled operations. 

Abstract:

The high effectiveness of endovascular care in acute myocardial infarction has been scientifically proven and is the rationale for increasing its territorial and economic accessibility to the population at the regional level. Aim: To develop the organizational and methodological foundations of the endovascular care system at the regional level in Russia. Material and methods: The development of organizational and methodological foundations of the endovascular care system at the regional level was carried out in the basic economically developed, densely populated (more than 7 million people) subject, in which there was no endovascular care. The methods of statistical analysis (correlation and regression), mathematical modeling, analogy and synthesis are used. The results were evaluated based on the analysis of the effectiveness of the implementation of the endovascular care system. Results: The organizational and methodological basis of the endovascular care system was developed, which includes four blocks: need (analysis of the general and special incidence of diseases of the circulatory system), standardization (development of medical and economic standards for endovascular care), safety (assessment of the safety of endovascular interventions and the quality of life of patients) and systematization (development of an organizational-functional model). Analysis of the results of the implementation of the developed fundamentals of endovascular care at the regional level for the period 2008 - 2017 evidence of their effectiveness, which was characterized by: the organization of 10 PCI centers, the development and implementation of 12 medico-economic standards of endovascular care, the high intensity of  hospitalization of patients with myocardial infarction in the first 6-12 hours for PCI (more than 80%), and a decrease in hospital mortality from acute myocardial infarction by 2.75 times (from 22% to 8%; p<0.05), a decrease in the average duration of treatment of patients with acute coronary syndrome in the hospital by 2 times (from 14 to 7 days; p <0.001), improved average bed occupancy rate from 305 to 340 (p <0.001) and an increase in bed turnover from 29.6 to 53.9 (p <0.001). Conclusion: The introduction of modern organizational and methodological principles of the organization of endovascular care at the regional level provides high quality medical care.
 

Speaker
Biography:

Lili Meng has completed her PhD from Sun Yat-Sen University. She has published more than 5 papers in reputed journals. She has been serving as an Obstetrician at Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University. 

Abstract:

Cervical Insufficiency (CI) is one of the most important etiologies which spontaneous late abortion/preterm birth. With the lack of population-based studies focusing on risk factors for CI, diagnosis and treatment are challenging, especially for the incident cases. The aim of this study is to investigate risk factors for incident CI in a population-wide register of deliveries. We identified as cases the first diagnosis of CI in women who delivered in Sweden from 2004-2012 by linking the Swedish Medical Birth Register (SMBR), the Swedish National Patient Register (SNPR). As a control group, we selected a random sample of deliveries during the same period from women who had no diagnosis of CI. Demographic, pregnancy-related, reproductive historic and medical historic characteristics of cases and controls were compared in univariate and multivariate analysis. All data management and analysis were conducted using SAS 9.4. A total of 822 incident CI deliveries was identified, corresponding to 8.7% of all deliveries (n=940624). In univariate comparisons of the 822 cases to 8220 controls, we found significant differences in maternal age and country of origin. The CI cases had higher parity and higher rates of multiple gestation, assisted reproduction, gestational diabetes and history of cervical operations. The independent contribution of these factors will be explored and the confounding effect of infertility and mediation effect of IVF will also be discussed. The results will provide evidence to help clinicians to identify women at risk of CI in time to provide management and treatment that can improve the pregnancy outcome.
 

Speaker
Biography:

Nadia Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed is currently working as a Professor in the field of Medical biochemistry. He has completed his Graduation from Ain Shams University with Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry.
 

Abstract:

Drug-induced kidney injury is the causative of acute kidney failure. Amifostine loaded silica nanoemulsion was synthesized using water/oil emulsion with the help of ultra-sonication waves. The nanoemulsion was prepared using Tetraethyl Orthosilicate [TEOS], Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide [CTAB], Castor Oil [CAO] and Amifostine [AMF] as a source for silica, surfactant, extra stabilizing agent and a model drug respectively. The as synthesized nanoemulsion of silica and silica loaded with amifostine [SiNPs@AMF] was examined via Transmission Electron Microscopy [TEM] and Dynamic Light Scattering [DLS] in terms of particles shape and hydrodynamic average size. The study was extended to investigate the protective role of this nanoemulsion model as cytoprotective drug effect against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in male albino rats. It was clearly seen that the successful preparation of the as-synthesized silica nanoemulsion loaded with amifostine [SiNPs@AMF] but the particle size was marginally increased when comparing with silica nanoemulsion. Additionally, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), Serum Creatinine (SC) and Urinary Total Protein (UTP) were increased and the level of Creatinine Clearance (Crcl) was decreased. All those were met with disorders in oxidative stress and down regulation in expression of nephrin gene. Also, histopathologic changes of the kidney tissue were observed. These changes back to normal by treatment with silica nanoparticles loaded amifostine [SiNPs@AMF]. Oil/water nanoemulsion of [SiNPs@AMF] showed a protective and promising preventive strategy against nephrotoxicity due to their cytoprotective and antioxidant effects.
 

Speaker
Biography:

Abdul Halim Mokhtar is currently working as an Associate Professor in Sports Medicine from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya. He is also Senior Lecturer in Master of Sports Medicine program in the University, and practices as a Consultant Sports Physician in Universiti Malaya Medical Centre and UM Specialist Centre. He has completed his Graduation as a Physician from University of Malaya with Master in Sports Medicine.
 

Abstract:

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of My Body is Fit and Fabulous at School (MyBFF@school) program on the physical fitness of overweight and obese primary school children. The intervention group went through six months of MyBFF@school program which was 30 minutes of Small-Sided Games (SSG) session twice a week, replacing physical education sessions and additional one hour for extracurricular activities per week for nutrition and psychology component. Meanwhile, the control group underwent the standard physical education lesson and extracurricular activities. Physical fitness was assessed using Modified Harvard step test. Data were collected at baseline, month-3 and month-6 of the program and were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 22. At baseline, the mean physical fitness score of both intervention and control groups were comparable and denoted no significant differences. The fitness score in both groups showed significant improvement over 3 and 6 months, and at 6 months, the mean (SD) were 72.609 (4.51) intervention and 72.452 (5.10) control respectively. However, the intervention group showed better improvement than the control at month-6 (0.553 differences, p=0.026). We also found significant changes in the intervention girls and morbidly obese category. MyBFF@ school program improved physical fitness of the primary school children. The improvement in physical fitness was especially notable among girls and the morbidly obese category.
 

Speaker
Biography:

Rajvir Singh has completed his PhD in Biostatistics from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and Post-graduation in Mathematics from Agra University, India. He is currently working as a Senior Consultant in Biostatistics at Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar. 

Abstract:

Consent rate and organ donors are co-linear to each other. Study assesses influence of socio-demographic and behavioral factors on family consent rate for organ donation in household population, Qatar. 1044 subjects of age 18 years and above were enrolled between October and November, 2016. A validated questionnaire was used to collect data through face to face interview by trained interviewers in two stage systematic random process. Integer codes were applied to make qualitative data at par on quantitative data for each domain. 532 (51%) subjects, average age 38.9±10.5 years, were agreed to family consent for organ donation. 479/532 (90%) of the subjects were higher secondary and above educated. The consent was more in those who heard about organ donation (87.8%) and donated any organ blood/tissue (32%) than those who do not heard ( 83%) and not donated any blood/tissue (26%), p<=0.05 (for both). Knowledge (0.48±0.14 vs. 0.44±0.16, p=0.001), attitude (0.93±0.60 vs. 0.47±0.65, p=0.001), behavioral belief (0.49±0.46 vs. 0.35±0.47, p=0.001) and intention to organ donation (0.40±0.31 vs. 0.18±0.28, p=0.001) indices were more in those who agreed to family consent. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that attitude (aOR: 1.73, 95% C.I.: 1.28-2.34, p=0.001) and intention to organ donation (aRO: 7.50, 95% C.I.: 4.0413.92, p=0.001) were associated to improve the consent whereas; control belief was negatively associated. Model was able to discriminate (C: 0.74, 95% C.I.: 0.71-0.77, p=0.001) between agreed for family consent and those who did not. Factors knowledge, attitude and intention to organ donation were found associated to family consent to increase organ donors in the study.
 

Speaker
Biography:

She works for Jordan Breast Cancer Program in King Hussein Cancer Foundation, Jordan.

Abstract:

Introduction & Objective: Breast cancer became one of the most common cancer worldwide accounting for 627,000 mortalities which is 15% of all cancer deaths. In Jordan, a lower-middle class income country, breast cancer accounts for 20.6% of new cancer cases with a mortality of 11.5%. Due to increasing breast cancer prevalence; the Jordanian Breast Cancer Program (JBCP) was founded to orchestrate national efforts and increase awareness on breast cancer screening and early detection. Several approaches have been taken, such as community based approaches including one to one sessions and one to group sessions. JBCP has acquired on conducting educational lectures throughout the Kingdom in order to raise awareness, change attitudes and inbound practices of breast cancer screening and early detection. Method: Data collected from pre and post-educational session’s evaluation was collected throughout the years of 2011-2015 in order to assess the improvement in the communities’ knowledge. A total of 11,873 questionnaires were collected and the data was entered, coded, and analyzed by the SPSS program. Results: Results have shown that after the educational session 68% of participants knew how to perform self-breast examination and 83% had planned to visit a healthcare provider to undergo clinical breast examination while 66% will undergo mammogram. The knowledge difference was assessed and there was 41% increase in the participant’s knowledge of breast cancer and its screening and early detection methods. Conclusion: With the efforts that JBCP has put in order to raise awareness on breast cancer, it has also coupled in facilitating the examinations to the participants in order to aid in transforming knowledge into practice.
 

  • Epidemiology and Public Health
Speaker
Biography:

Abstract:

The purpose of this research were to studies the epidemiology of health problems, need assessment of health problems and factors associated with health problem in elderly people in Thaklong Municipality and Muang Patumthani Municipality, Patumthani Province. The study design was cross-sectional study among 2,027 elderly people. The results found that the majority of elderly people in the sample were female (62.8%). There were 54.6% in the young old group (60-69 years old), 31.6% the middle age old group (70-79 years old) and 13.7% the old old group (more or equal 80 years old). The status of couples living together with getting married were 57.4%. Source of income in elderly people received from subsistence allowance for elderly 85.3%. Almost of elderly has underlying of diseases around 80.9%, such as hypertension, diabetes, arthrosis, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular diseases, allergic rhinitis, asthma and paresis. Physical health and mental health need assessment of elderly in Thaklong Municipality and Muang PathumThani Municipality were health check-up 82.8% and health education from public health officer and health care clinic 79.49%.  Social environmental need assessment of elderly were elderly club 31.6% and activities for elderly such as occupational training or exercised 15.9%.  Moreover, elderly need for good waste management, community cleaning and facility management. In conclusion, Health services provided for elderly people by local government should be offer a promotion and support the activity both physical health, mental health, and social environment for quality of life among elderly people.

Key words; health problem, healthcare environmental, services program, Town Municipality.

 

Speaker
Biography:

Abstract:

In 2012, 68 % of the global deaths were attributed to NCDs. About 48 % of NCDs in LMICs occur amongst people under the age of 70, compared to 28 % in high-income countries (HICs). The UN High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases passed a Political Declaration on NCD prevention and control in 2011, emphasizing the need for NCD surveillance. The WHO has assessed the current capacity for NCD surveillance as inadequate in several countries. Therefore the objectives are to identify certain literatures that support the development of an NCD surveillance system, conceptualize an NCD surveillance system to the existing health information system for informed decision making, to identify prioritise areas of focus for the surveillance system. A systematic review was conducted and set for full text citations published in English dated 1 January, 2007 to 31 December 2016 using the following words “Health surveillance systems” and “NCD monitoring and surveillance system”. The literatures were tabulated according to the authors, date that was published and which journal, the title of the study, the surveillance design and their recommendations. Further analysis was conducted on the literature towards the country and its existing NCD surveillance design and what are some of the output of the countries adapted surveillance design. The 10 citations that were identified only one was conducted in a developing country while the rest were conducted in high income countries. Through literature there was less evidence on surveillance in LMIC but `the following surveillance systems were identified as essential for Fiji’s proposed NCD surveillance system. Summarising most of the countries monitoring and surveillance system it shows that the best surveillance system to be adopted for Fiji is a passive surveillance system that relies on readily collated data from primary health care facilities, hospital and with existing data sources and based on Fiji’s geographical location and vast distribution of its population to these islands, the inclusion of a spatial surveillance system as an addition to its proposed passive surveillance system would be and added benefit.

Keywords

Surveillance, Population health, wellbeing and behavioural modification, Non-communicable disease.

 

Speaker
Biography:

Abstract:

Background: The identification and referral of women with risk pregnancies is recognized as one of key interventions during antenatal care. In Tanzania, the Reproductive and Child Health card number 4 (RCH4 card) is a guideline used in screening of pregnancy in order to identify risk pregnancies early and refer to hospital where emergency care can be provided to the woman. Women’s awareness of pregnancy risk factors and proper use of the RCH4 card can lead to early identification of risk pregnancies and hence timely and appropriate referral. Late or no referral due to missed risk factors has been associated with high maternal mortality. 

Main Objective: To assess identification and referral of at risk pregnancies and associated factors in Kilombero district, Morogoro Region, Tanzania.

Methods: The study design was a cross-sectional facility-based. It involved 418 pregnant women who were attending ANC in randomly selected health facilities in Kilombero district. A two stage cluster sampling technique was used to select the study sample. In the first stage, 27 dispensaries were selected randomly using simple random sampling technique and all health centres and the only hospital in the district were included. The sample size was calculated using Leslie’s formula for a single proportion. For the second sampling stage, the sampling frame was the list of pregnant women registered in the facility Antenatal Clinic (ANC) register. A questionnaire with structured questions was used to interview women. Data was collected from RCH4 cards on risk factors identified and women were re-examined by the investigators to identify missed risk factors. The referral advice given was also noted. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 20 software where by descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis was done to determine independent factors influencing identification and referral of high risk pregnancies.

Results: A total of 418 women were recruited into the study with age range of 17- 43 years. About 32% of the women had pregnancy risk factors identified in the current pregnancy and recorded in their RCH4 cards. On re-examination, the proportion of women with pregnancy risk factors was found to be 55%. Around 44% of women had pregnancy risk factors missed. Age below 20 years and height less than 150 cm were the most missed pregnancy risk factors. Category C pregnancy risk factors were not assessed because they were not measured in most health facilities. Women who had no pregnancy risk factors during previous pregnancies had higher odds of having missed risk factors (OR=3.57, 95%CI=1.35-3.92). Similarly women with less than 4 antenatal visits had higher odds of having missed risk factors (AOR=1.51; 95%CI=1.26-4.97). Respondents with no formal education had 3.53 higher odds of having missed pregnancy risks (95%CI=1.24-9.98) as compared to those who had primary or secondary education. Out of 132 women who were identified with risk factors on their RCH4 cards, only 44(33.3%) were provided with appropriate referral advice. Majority of women, who were identified to be at high risk during ANC visits with either age below 20 years, or five or more pregnancies and previous caesarian section delivery, were not provided with appropriate referral advice. Women with pregnancy of ≥24 weeks had higher odds (AOR=3.40; 95%CI=1.60-19.14) of receiving appropriate referral advice as compared to those with lower gestation age. Respondents with 3 or more antenatal visits had almost 5-fold higher odds of being provided with appropriate referral advice (95%CI=1.26-10.21) as compared to those with 2 antenatal visits. Compared to women with no formal education, those who had secondary level education had significantly higher odds (AOR=8.12; 95%CI=1.40-16.99) of receiving appropriate referral advice. Attending ANC at dispensary level had higher odds (AOR=1.37; 95%CI=1.17-1.79) of being provided with appropriate referral advice as compared to those seen at Health centres.

None of the 30 health facilities visited had all essential equipments and supplies required for antenatal care services. Less than 50% of facilities had Hemoglobin level test, grouping and Rhesus factor, VDRL for syphilis or sugar for urine test available. Only 15(50%) of all facilities had urine albumin test available and 14(47%) of all facilities had an ambulance or an emergency transport for referred cases.

Conclusion: There is a significant proportion of missed risk pregnancies in Kilombero districts. Moreover, referral advice for women identified with risk factors is not being provided according to RCH4 guideline, with only a small proportion provided with appropriate referral advice. Antenatal Clinics do not have adequate essential equipment and supplies needed for provision of quality Antenatal care services which will include diagnosis of the risk factors.

Recommendations: Women should be made aware of the importance of communicating personal characteristics/obstetric history which is used to identify risk status to the health care providers. The Ministry of Health should ensure that health providers are trained on risk screening and referral of at risk pregnancies and conduct further studies to assess the effectiveness of the RCH4 card as a guideline used to identify and refer women with pregnancy risks. The Ministry of Health should also ensure that health facilities are well equipped and have essential supplies to enable provision of quality antenatal care risk screening services.

 

Speaker
Biography:

Abstract:

High resolution remotely sensed (RS) data products remain of interest in disease mapping studies. Previous usage of such satellite-derived products had been limited by high costs. There is unprecedented space activity characterized by prolific satellite launches for various purposes, the chief of which being land cover observation. Therefore, there is need for information availability on the type of data products obtainable from the satellite images in order to facilitate utilization. The remote sensing landscape is changing with the advent of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and spatially explicit images being captured at relatively low costs. We conducted a review to find out which RS data products were accessible for disease mapping. Our aim was to document RS data products for disease mapping and to propose other such products that could be incorporated in disease mapping studies. RS data products are rapidly evolving, image data of higher spatial and temporal resolutions in near-real time are available to aid disease mapping. We presented a catalogue of indices from ecological studies that could be used as variables in disease mapping. Remotely sensed data products related to climate, meteorology, land use/cover, cartography and urban mapping are explored as potential indices for disease mapping. There remains a substantial amount of work to be conducted on the evaluation and validation of some of the indices presented in this study. Conversely, synergies between remote sensing experts and epidemiologists could be useful in the uptake and testing of some of the proposed RS data products presented in this work.

 

Speaker
Biography:

Abstract:

High resolution remotely sensed (RS) data products remain of interest in disease mapping studies. Previous usage of such satellite-derived products had been limited by high costs. There is unprecedented space activity characterized by prolific satellite launches for various purposes, the chief of which being land cover observation. Therefore, there is need for information availability on the type of data products obtainable from the satellite images in order to facilitate utilization. The remote sensing landscape is changing with the advent of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and spatially explicit images being captured at relatively low costs. We conducted a review to find out which RS data products were accessible for disease mapping. Our aim was to document RS data products for disease mapping and to propose other such products that could be incorporated in disease mapping studies. RS data products are rapidly evolving, image data of higher spatial and temporal resolutions in near-real time are available to aid disease mapping. We presented a catalogue of indices from ecological studies that could be used as variables in disease mapping. Remotely sensed data products related to climate, meteorology, land use/cover, cartography and urban mapping are explored as potential indices for disease mapping. There remains a substantial amount of work to be conducted on the evaluation and validation of some of the indices presented in this study. Conversely, synergies between remote sensing experts and epidemiologists could be useful in the uptake and testing of some of the proposed RS data products presented in this work.

 

  • Maternal, Infant, and Child Health
Speaker
Biography:

Abstract:

Background: To advance knowledge about childhood neurodevelopmental disorders and study their environmental determinants, we conducted a study in Tehran, Iran to assess the feasibility of prospective birth cohort study.

Methods: We identified 838 eligible pregnant women who referred to three hospitals and two healthcare centers (Tehran, Iran) from February 2016 to October 2017. We collected data (by detailed questionnaires) and biological samples in four steps: (1) in first trimester of pregnancy; (2) in third trimester of pregnancy; (3) at delivery; and (4) two to three months after delivery. Various biological samples were obtained from mothers (blood, urine, milk and nails—hands and feet) and newborns (umbilical cord blood, meconium, and urine samples).

Results: The participation rate was 25% in our study and about 90% of subjects were recruited in hospitals. Out of 206 participants in the first trimester, blood, urine, hand nail, and foot nail samples were collected from 100%, 93%, 99%, and 99%, respectively. These values dropped to 54%, 69%, 70%, and 70% for the remaining participants (n=120, 58%) in the third trimester, respectively. Also, we gathered milk samples from 60% of mothers at two to three months after delivery.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that hospitals were better places for recruitment of subjects in a birth cohort in Tehran than healthcare centers. We further concluded that birth cohort study recruitment can be improved by choosing appropriate gestational ages. Obtaining the newborn's urine, meconium, and umbilical cord blood were challenging procedures and require good collaboration between hospital staff and researchers.

Speaker
Biography:

Abstract:

Objectives: A hospital based retrospective study was conducted to determine the relationship of maternal factors and obstetric complications with term singleton vs term twin neonatal outcomes in Wuhan University Renmin Hospital,  Hubei, China during 2013- 2017.

Materials and methods: A total of 7956 neonatal births were recorded and were further divided into singleton (n=7787) and twins (n=169) birth. All the data was collected and documented in the obstetrics register by trained nurses during individual check -ups in the Gynecology and obstetrics department. Birth weight and birth length were measured immediately after birth.

Results: Women with singleton gestation have increased rate of obstetric complications compared to women with twin gestation. However, higher frequency of cesarean section and breech were found in twin gestation compared to singleton gestation. Weight before pregnancy, gestational weight gain, and gestational diabetes mellitus were significantly positive (p<0.05) associated with singleton neonatal birth length and weight.  In contrast, pre-eclampsia, placenta previa, oligohydramnios, premature rupture of membrane, breech, and multiparity had significantly negative (p<0.05) association with singleton neonatal birth length and weight. Maternal age was significantly positive (p<0.05) associated with only singleton neonatal birth weight. Moreover, nuchal cord was significantly positive (p<0.05) associated with neonatal birth length. On the other hand, maternal age and multiparity was significantly positive (p<0.05) associated with twins neonatal birth length and weight.  Furthermore, gestational weight gain was significantly positive (p<0.05) associated with only twins neonatal birth weight.

Conclusion: It is concluded that in term gestation, maternal factors and obstetric complications was significantly associated with singleton birth weight and length. However, only maternal factors were significantly associated with twin neonatal birth weight and length rather than obstetric complications in term gestation.  Furthermore, increased rate of obstetrical complications have found in women with singleton gestation compared to twin gestation. 

Keywords: Birth weight; Birth length, Maternal factors; Obstetric complications; Singleton, Twins. 

Speaker
Biography:

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: All children deserve the best possible start in life. Unfortunately, not all children get this. Early interventions provided to those at risk can substantially improve childrens’ later socioemotional development, only if the assessment procedures are robust and standardised to reach those families who need it the most. Various assessment tools are used to assess parent-child interactions from birth up to 12 months, but these are generally based on measurement scales which assess either parenting behaviour or infant behaviour and not both (dyadic context). Infant CARE-Index is a multi-dimensional observational tool, which assesses the parent-child interaction in a dyadic context from birth up to 15 months. It has the added advantage of detecting child abuse and  neglect and can be used for screening and planning and monitoring interventions. The purpose of this systematic review is to highlight the measurement properties of Infant CARE-Index which have been assessed in literature so far. Methodology: Main databases searched included; MEDLINE, CINAHL plus, ERIC, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Scopus. Inclusion criteria for articles consisted of sample population consisiting of parent-child dyads, child age range:0-15 months, use of Infant CARE-Index and English Language. 620 articles were identified with the initial search. 27 articles meeting the inclusion criteria were subjected to data extraction. COSMIN checklist was extensively used for assessing reliability and validity evidence in the included articles. Results showed that none of the included studies were designed to test the measurement properties of Infant CARE-Index. The only evidence that was retrieved was on inter rater reliability and hypothesis testing. Conclusion and recommendations: There is a need to conduct good quality validity and reliability studies on Infant CARE-Index.This may aid in filling the evidence gap indicated in NICE guidelines on attachment difficulties regarding the need of a standardised tool for measuring parent-child interactions (0-12 months).

 

Speaker
Biography:

Background: There is an increased risk of serious neonatal infection arising through exposure of the umbilical cord to invasive pathogen in home and facility births where hygienic practices are difficult to achieve. The World Health Organization currently recommends ‘dry cord care’ because of insufficient data in favor of or against topical application of an antiseptic. The primary objective of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the effects of application of chlorhexidine (CHX) to the umbilical cord to children born in low income countries on cord infection (omphalitis) and neonatal mortality. Standardized guidelines of Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group (CHERG) were followed to generate estimates of effectiveness of topical chlorhexidine application to umbilical cord for prevention of sepsis specific mortality, for inclusion in the Lives Saved Tool (LiST).

Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources included Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINHAL and WHO international clinical trials registry. Only randomized trials were included. Studies of children in hospital settings were excluded. The comparison group received no application to the umbilical cord (dry cord care), no intervention, or a non-CHX intervention. Primary outcomes were omphalitis and all-cause neonatal mortality.

Results: There were three cluster-randomised community trials (total participants 54,624) conducted in Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan that assessed impact of CHX application to the newborn umbilical cord for prevention of cord infection and mortality. Application of any CHX to the umbilical cord of the newborn led to a 23% reduction in all-cause neonatal mortality in the intervention group compared to control [RR 0.77, 95 % CI 0.63, 0.94; random effects model, I2 =50 %]. The reduction in omphalitis ranged from 27 % to 56 % compared to control group depending on severity of infection. Based on CHERG rules, effect size for all-cause mortality was used for inclusion to LiST model as a proxy for sepsis specific mortality.

Conclusions: Application of CHX to newborn umbilical cord can significantly reduce incidence of umbilical cord infection and all-cause mortality among home births in community settings. This inexpensive and simple intervention can save a significant number of newborn lives in developing countries.

Abstract:

Speaker
Biography:

Abstract:

Background: In May 2015, an outbreak of lead poisoning (LP) was reported and confirmed in Unguwar Kawo (UK) and Unguwar Magiro (UM) villages, in Niger State. Information on demographic characteristics and household participation in artisanal gold ore-processing activities were collected. The height and weight of lead exposed children were assessed and their blood lead levels were characterized.

Methods:  We conducted a cross-sectional house to house survey. Using structured interviewer-questionnaire, parental participation in gold-ore processes and other risk-factor activities were recorded. Height and weight of the U5 children were measured and blood samples were collected for analysis using lead care II. SPSS 18 and Epi-Info 7 were used for data analysis.

Results: A total of 116 children were surveyed ranging from 2 to 59 months. The mean age was 38.8±16 months and 41% were females. 72% were underweight; none was overweight. The mean BLL was 72.8±43 µg/dL and 74% had blood lead levels equal or above 45ug/dl. 88% of the parents participated in mining activities. Following linear regression, age correlated negatively with BLLs (OR= -0.22, p=0.014). Following logistic regression, children that were underweight (OR=5, p<0.01) and whose parents participated in mining (OR=22, p<0.01) were more likely to have BLLs ≥45 µg/dL.

Conclusions:   Underweight younger children with parental participation in gold-ore processing activities had higher blood lead levels. Recommendations include environmental soil remediation, chelation therapy and safer mining practices.

Keywords: Lead poisoning, gold-ore, chelation therapy, soil remediation, safer mining.

 

Speaker
Biography:

Lili Meng has completed his Ph.D. at the age of 31 years from Sun Yat-Sen University. She has published more than 5 papers in reputed journals and 2 fundings for “Cervical insufficiency” of Guangdong province. She has been serving as an obstetrician in Sun Yat-Sen memorial hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University. Besides, she is very interested in biostatistics and epidemiology. During this year, she is a visiting researcher of Karolinska Institute in biostatistics and epidemiology department.

Abstract:

Cervical insufficiency(CI) is one of the most important etiologies which spontaneous late abortion/preterm birth. With the lack of population-based studies focusing on risk factors for CI, diagnosis and treatment are challenging, especially for the incident cases. The aim of this study is to investigate risk factors for incident CI in a population-wide register of deliveries. We identified as cases the first diagnosis of CI in women who delivered in Sweden from 2004–2012 by linking the Swedish Medical Birth Register(SMBR), the Swedish National Patient Register(SNPR). As a control group, we selected a random sample of deliveries during the same period from women who had no diagnosis of CI. Demographic, pregnancy-related, reproductive historic and medical historic characteristics of cases and controls were compared in univariate and multivariate analysis. All data management and analysis were conducted using SAS 9.4.
A total of 822 incident CI deliveries was identified, corresponding to 8.7‰ of all deliveries (n= 940624). In univariate comparisons of the 822 cases to 8220 controls, we found significant differences in maternal age and country of origin. The CI cases had higher parity and higher rates of multiple gestation, assisted reproduction, gestational diabetes and history of cervical operations. The Independent contribution of these factors will be explored and the confounding effect of infertility and mediation effect of IVF will also be discussed. The results will provide evidence to
help clinicians to identify women at risk of CI in time to provide management and treatment that can improve the pregnancy outcome.

  • Cardiovascular Epidemiology
Speaker
Biography:

Abstract:

Background.  The prisoners are at a greater risk for hypertension because of prevalent tobacco use, unhealthy diet and incarceration-induced stress. We investigated the prevalence of hypertension and its risk factors in prisoners in Kuje, Abuja, Nigeria.

Methods. Cross-sectional study was conducted among 180 male prisoners. WHO STEPwise approach to surveillance of chronic disease risk factors was used to conduct the study.  Hypertension was defined as a systolic blood pressure≥140mmHg and/or a diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90mmHg and/or self-reported current treatment for hypertension. Body mass index (BMI) was determined. Statistical analysis was performed using Epi-Info version 7.

Results. The mean systolic blood pressure was 131 ± 15 mmHg, diastolic 81 ± 12 mmHg, BMI  24.8 ±3.6 and  RBS 97.1 ±21.8mg/dl. Overall, 60 (33.3%) were overweight, 13 (7.2%)were obese ,65 (36.1%) were prehypertensive, 57 (31.6%) were hypertensive and 1(0.6%) diabetic.  The risk for elevated systolic BP  increased in respondents that has first degree relative with hypertension (OR = 5.6; CI = 1.6 – 19.9; P = 0.008) and with age, higher among those aged ≥ 45years compared with ≤ 34years  (OR=7.5: CI= 1.6-35.9, P =0.01) and high for those with insufficient physical activity (OR = 4.3; CI = 1.5 – 12.5; P =0.007). Increased BMI was a risk factor for hypertension (OR=9.1; CI=2.7-31.1,P=<0.001)

Conclusion: There is significant burden of hypertension in prisoners in Abuja. Age, low physical activity, family history of hypertension and obesity were independent risk factors for hypertension.

Key words: CVD risk factors, BMI, Hypertension, Prisoners.