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Zeitschrift für Gesundheit und medizinische Informatik

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Volumen 3, Ausgabe 1 (2012)

Leitartikel

A Conceptual Sustainability Strategy for a Rurally-Based Community Health Promotion Initiative

Anthony U. Emekalam *

Sustaining grant-funded rural community health promotion initiatives following expiration of active funding cycles is usually challenging. Rural communities are described as periphery to cities and somewhat isolated with all larger communities located more than 30 miles away and are perceived as lacking in essential resources that create and nurture businesses [1,2]. Statistics show that rural residents are comparatively poorer than urban and metropolitan residents. For instance in 2005, 17% of rural residents lived below poverty line whereas in metropolitan areas it was 13% [3]. Furthermore, as funding sources and grant making agencies limit, restrict, prioritize, and restructure funding because of current national economic downturn, it is imperative that rurally-based community healthcare promotion projects become familiar with a locally-dependent strategy that fosters sustenance of life-saving community health initiatives.

Forschungsartikel

Adolescent with Unfeasible Body Mass Index: A Risk Factor for Iron Deficiency Anemia

Keikhaei B *,Askari R ,Aminzadeh M

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most common disease in developing countries. It is a major health problem in the general population particularly in infants, pregnant women, pre-adolescents and adolescents. Overweight and underweight are common nutrition disorders of adolescents in southwest Iran. IDA has been associated with behavioural disturbances, growth and puberty delay, impaired cognitive functions and decreased exercise tolerance. The Study of IDA and weight parameters among adolescents in southwest Iran may appear to be of significance. Thus, this study aims to assess the prevalence of IDA among adolescents and also intends to evaluate the impact of body mass index (BMI) on iron deficient groups. A total of five hundred adolescents (240 boys and 260 girls) were enrolled in the study. Three millilitres of blood was obtained from each participant. Cell Blood Count (CBC) and ferritin were measured for everyone. A reliable scale and a standing height measuring device were selected for determining of BMI. Out of them 23 (4.6%) cases had IDA. The prevalence of IDA was not significant by gender and age (P: 0.194 and P: 0.225); however, the peak incidence of IDA was thirteen years old. Out of the five hundred subjects 91 individuals (18.2%) had abnormal BMI. Subjects with abnormal BMI envisage more IDA than individuals with normal BMI (p: 0.001).Conclusively, the prevalence of IDA among adolescents is 4.6% in southwest Iran. Unfeasible BMI is a risk factor for IDA developing in adolescents’ period.

Forschungsartikel

Two Years of Computer Supported Outbreak Detection in Sweden: the User’s Perspective

Kling AM *,Hebing K ,Grünewald M ,Hulth A

Computer Assisted Search for Epidemics (CASE) is a framework for computer supported outbreak detection, developed at the Swedish Institute for Communicable Disease Control. The system is aimed to be a complement to the manual surveillance of the notifiable diseases and has been in routine use at the institute since August 2009. In this paper the workflow in the CASE project and the usage from the user’s perspective is presented. We describe the CASE team´s work, out of the routine document set up for the CASE project. The results of a survey, among the epidemiologists using CASE, are also presented. Our evaluation shows that CASE is a useful and important tool in the routine surveillance work performed by the epidemiologists at the institute. We believe there are several reasons for this success. One is the flexibility of CASE, which allows for different parameter settings for different diseases and the ability to tailor the system as needed. Other reasons are the close collaboration between the CASE team and the epidemiologists and the continuous development of the system which is adapted to the actual needs of the epidemiologists in charge of surveillance.

Forschungsartikel

A Model of Calcium Homeostasis Linked with Electrostrictive Energy

Suman Halder *,Abhay Shankar Chakraborty

The present paper describes how calcium homeostasis is related with electrostrictive energy linked with pH homeostasis. The proposed model incorporates electrostrictive energy as input and bone calcium level as output. The model is also comprised of pH homeostasis, antiporter homeostasis, PTH homeostasis and calcium homeostasis. Electrostrictive energy in E. Coli plays very crucial role for homeostasis of bone calcium. As we know that bone calcium plays very important roles, which are linked with fundamental biological processes involving muscle contraction including the cardiac muscles, which can prevent myocardial infarction during heart attack. Tight regulation of the extracellular fluid (ECF) calcium concentration is maintained through the action of calcium sensitive cells. The precise control of calcium ion in extracellular fluids is of great importance for maintaining the health of individuals. The calcium homeostasis is linked with parathyroid hormone and VDR depending on the level of calcium in ECF and formation of osteoblast cells. Also the homeostasis of intracellular calcium ([Ca++]i) and pH (pHi) is important in the cell’s ability to respond to growth factors, to initiate differentiation and proliferation, and to maintain normal metabolic pathways. This model has been simulated by using MATLAB 6.5 in order to facilitate comprehensive understanding of complex electrostrictive energy phenomena concomitant with capacitance relaxation phenomena associated with cancer. It has been revealed from the model that, more is the change of electrostrictive energy more will be the reduction of formation of osteoblast cells and decreased production of bone calcium. Electrostrictive energy linked with pH homeostasis affects the formation of osteoblast cells. The osteoblast cell lineage is responsible for bone development, growth, and remodeling. Variety of hormones and growth factors regulates the development of rapidly dividing osteoprogenitor cells into highly differentiated bone-forming osteoblasts . Activation of E Coli. due to electrostrictive energy reduces formation of osteoblast cells which will affect calcium homeostasis.

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