5^th International Conference on Medical Informatics & Telemedicine August 30-31, 2017 Prague, Czech Republic

Biography:

Fatima Barnes has worked as a technology integration specialist for more than ten years. She has also conducted research on the use of iPads and Tablets in clinical care while managing a medical library. In the past three years, the library trained more than 70 clinicians with teaching responsibilities on using or teaching with iPads and Tablets. Dr. Barnes has held preconference workshops on evaluated productivity tools for busy professionals and presented on emerging medical devices in health care. In addition, several abstracts and posters have been published and presented at conferences on the use of medical apps in professional education.

Abstract:

Objectives: Using library subscriptions and accessible on handheld devices, this study sought to promote authoritative health information apps, and evidence-based point-of-care resources.

Methods: Three cohorts of internal medicine residents were issued iPads at the beginning of their second year, and were trained to skilfully access resources from the digital library.
Pre- and post-intervention surveys were respectively administered at the beginning of the second year and end of the third year of training. The residents’ computer experience and computer knowledge was assessed. Additionally, before and after formal introduction to iPads, perceptions on the use of computers to access clinical information were assessed. Survey responses were compared using two sample methods and summarized through descriptive statistics.

Results: Sixty-eight residents completed the pre-survey questionnaires and 45 completed the post-surveys. There were significant improvements in the residents’ level of computer experience, and familiarity with medical apps. Furthermore, there was increased knowledge obtained in accessing clinical information through electronic medical records. Residents positively perceived the potential effects of computers and electronic medical records in medicine.

Conclusion: Study findings suggested that health science libraries can be instrumental in providing search skills to health professionals, especially residents in training. Participants showed appreciation of iPads and library support that facilitated successful completion of their related tasks. Replicating this study with a larger sample derived from multiple sites is recommended for future studies. Participation of mid-level healthcare professionals, such as Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners is suggested. 

Recent Publications:

1. Boulos MNK, Wheeler S, Tavares C, Jones R. How smartphones are changing the face of mobile and participatory healthcare: An overview, with example from eCAALYX. Biomedical engineering online. 2011;10(1):24-24. doi: 10.1186/1475-925X-10-24.
2. Osheroff JA, Teich JM, Middleton B, Steen EB, Wright A, Detmer DE. A roadmap for national action on clinical decision support. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA. 2007;14(2):141-145. doi: 10.1197/jamia.M2334.
3. Lumsden CJ, Byrne-Davis LMT, Mooney JS, Sandars J. Using mobile devices for teaching and learning in clinical medicine. Archives of disease in childhood-Education & practice edition. 2015:edpract-2014-306620.
4. Chatterley T, Chojecki D. Personal digital assistant usage among undergraduate medical students: Exploring trends, barriers, and the advent of smartphones. Journal of the Medical Library Association: JMLA. 2010;98(2):157-160. doi: 10.3163/1536-5050.98.2.008.
5. Tews M, Brennan K, Begaz T, Treat R. Medical student case presentation performance and perception when using mobile learning technology in the emergency department. Medical education online. 2011;16:1-7. doi: 10.3402/meo.v16i0.7327.

Biography:

William Schoenl is Professor emeritus, Modern European History (including Imperialism) and Michigan State University.  He is also interested in helping serve dire human needs overseas.  He is cofounder of: the Chicken Project with Nutri-Fresh Farm & Agri-Hub in Thika, Kenya (2016-present); the Michigan State University Honors College Dire Needs Overseas Undergraduate Grants (2008-present, Endowment 2013-present); the Michigan State University College of Engineering Dire Needs Overseas Undergraduate Grants (2013-present); and the Canisius College Honors Scholarships for International Program (2008-present).  His wife Linda Schoenl and he were Nyaka AIDS Orphans Foundation Volunteer of the Year, Uganda (2015).  He has published five books and numerous articles.  He was included in Who’s Who in America (2002-15) and Who’s Who in the World (2003-04).

Abstract:

This is about a project combining entrepreneurship and micro lending—two currently significant concepts in international development.  The project’s purpose is to empower poor rural families with a source of income and protein-rich food through micro lending chicken start-up support.  Its method is to partner with a non-governmental organization, Nutri-Fresh Farm & Agri-Hub, for creating agricultural entrepreneurs from subsistence farmers in Kenya.  Each family is supplied with 50 chicks of the improved Kuroiler indigenous breed and signs a Poultry Project Loan Agreement. It states their obligation to repay—without interest—in the form of mature poultry cocks the costs of the chicks, feeds, vaccines, training and follow-up until the chicks attain maturity at six months.  The repaid loan amounts are invested in new families.  All families so far involved have eggs for sale and as a regular source of protein for themselves.  They increase their asset through the additional hatching of their own chicks.  They are repaying the loan.  The project is now expanding to additional families in the Donyo region in Kenya.  The repaid loan amounts allow it to continue sustainably in the future.  Our conclusion is that this project combining entrepreneurship and microlending chickens has been successful and that it can be useful elsewhere and can include other agricultural inputs as well.

Recent Publications:

1. Darrow, B. (2016) Why Bill Gates thinks raising chickens would solve a huge problem. URL (Accessed May 6, 2017). http://www.fortune.com
2. Gates, B. (2016) Why I would raise chickens. URL (Accessed May 6, 2017).http://www.gatesnotes.com.
3. Heifer International (2016) Ending hunger and poverty: Our approach: Livestock and  training. URL (Accessed May 6, 2017). http://www.heifer.org.
4. Schoenl, W. (2017) Microlending chickens and entrepreneurship: Empowering poor rural families in Kenya. Open Access Library Journal 4: e3659. URL (Accessed June 7, 2017).https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1103659.
5. Wachieni, S. (2016) Chicken project status report. Prepared by Simon Wachieni, Director of Nutri-Fresh Farm & Agri-Hub, Thika, Kenya.

Biography:

Jill Flo has her experience from clinical work as an Anaesthesia Nurse and from Department of Nursing Sciences as a senior lecture/associate professor. The research work is from evaluation studies concerning learning methods in nursing education using computer driven patient simulator in preclinical studies. She has evaluate use of learning management system and student’s evaluation of e-learning combined with traditional lectures, and suggestions for improvements in the post graduated program: Wound- prevention, treatments and palliation. She has also worked with project in interdisciplinary clinical practice (ICP). The research area is now the OPCq instrument a part of the RAFAELA patient classification system in home health care.

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: A gradual increase in life expectancy has resulted in a larger aging population in developed countries. The number of hospital beds is decreasing and there is a shift towards nursing homes, residential care facilities and home health care (HHC). Due to the growing number of patients in HHC, a Patient Classification System (PCS) whereby the systematic registration of patients’ care needs, nursing intensity and the allocation of nursing staff can occur is needed. The validity and reliability of the modified OPCq instrument has been tested with good outcomes in hospital settings, and only once in primary health care for older people. In this study, the modified OPCq was tested for the first time in HHC in Norway. The purpose of this study was to test the content validity of the modified OPCq instrument in HHC.

Methods: A pilot study with a descriptive design. The data were collected through a questionnaire (n=44). Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were used.

Results: The modified OPCq fulfills the requirements for validity in HHC, but the manual may need some minor adjustments.

Conclusion: The modified OPCq seems to be useful for measuring nursing intensity in HHC. Staff training and guidance, high-quality technological solutions and that all technology works satisfactorily are important when implementing a new PCS. Further research is needed in regard to nursing intensity and the optimal allocation of nursing staff in an HHC setting.

Recent Publications:

1. Flo J, Landmark B, Hatlevik O, Tønnessen S & Fagerström L (2016) Testing of the content validity of a Modified OPCq instrument – A pilot study in Norwegian Home Health Care. Open Journal of Nursing 6: 1012-1027.
2. Andersen M.H., Lønning K., & Fagerström, L. (2014) Testing Reliability and Validity of the Oulu Patient Classification Instrument – The first Step in Evaluating the RAFAELA System in Norway. Open Journal of Nursing 4: 303-311.
3. Fagerström, L., Lønning, K. & Andersen, M.H. (2014) The RAFAELA system: a workforce planning tool for nurse staffing and human resource management. Nursing Management 21: 30-36.
4. Frilund, M., & Fagerström L. (2009). Validity and reliability testing of the Oulu patient classification: instrument within primary health care for the older people. International Journal of Older People Nursing 2009a; 4: 280-287.
5. Fagerström L. (2009) Evidence-based human resource management: a study of nurse leaders’ resource allocation. Journal of Nursing management 17: 415-425.

Biography:

Ahmed Makki works as an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Medical School- Department of Surgery. He works as Examiner of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. I.D. 2121, Examiner of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. I.D. 2121, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow and Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Ahmed Makki has several credentials like Membership of the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Glasgow, Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow and Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
 

Abstract:

Introduction: Giving presentation is an essential part in the medical practice. Physicians, in general are not expert in giving presentations, as it is not their daily practice. The weakness in conducting presentations comes from lack of the guidelines of making presentations and poor practice. Criticism is often directed to the facts emphasized in the presentations rather than the method of conduction. Therefore physician’s skills in making presentations have to be improved. The objective of this article is to provide the physicians or medical students with guidelines on how to prepare and deliver a structured and effective presentation in the medical practice.

Discussion: The structure of making effective presentation is based on 3 pillars (3Ps) Plan, Preparation and Performance (delivery of presentations). Plan starts with selecting an interesting topic for the audience, then to plot down the ideas and objectives with pen and paper. Sketch a script with logical flow of ideas and suggest related images or illustrations. Preparation of presentation passes through 3 steps:- Extensive reading, selective writing /typing before making interesting slides, the latter needs attractive foreground and comfortable background. Performance means the delivery process of the prepared presentation. The speech looks like telling a story, it should have a clear introduction, provocative engaging context and a logical conclusion. The needed skills and the difficulties of conducting speech, in addition to some important tips of giving presentation are fully explained in this article.

Conclusion: Presentation of teaching or research material has an important role in the work of health care professionals. The structure of medical presentation is based on three pillars: Plan, preparation and performance. Physicians should attain some skills in making effective presentation which are not sufficiently taught in the medical school.

Biography:

Rebecca A Meehan is an Assistant Professor of Health Informatics at Kent State University, where she teaches health information systems, research, human factors and usability in health informatics. Dr. Meehan earned her doctorate in medical sociology and gerontology from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.  She has over 20 years of experience in applied gerontology, health research in technology, and software development. Dr. Meehan’s research focuses on usability of health IT (electronic health record) and the user experience of health information technology in long term care settings.  

Abstract:

Statement of the problem: Communication technology, specifically, health information exchange (HIE) is creating opportunities for improving lives of older adults in long term post-acute care (LTPAC) settings. There is an increasing number of older adults worldwide.  By 2050, the number of people aged 60 years and over is expected to increase from
605 million to 2 billion people, with the proportion of the world's population over 60 years of age to double from about 11 per cent to 22 per cent (WHO, 2014). Moreover, there are forecasts for substantial increases in the number of people with severe chronic conditions and/or disabilities in most parts of the world because of changes in fertility and life expectancy over the next fifty years. (WHO, 2002). Although many older adults will continue to live in their own homes or communities, some with formal or informal caregiving support, there is still a growing need for LTPAC services.  In the United States, the number of people using LTPAC services is projected to increase from 15 million in 2000 to 27 million in 2050 (Harris-Kojetin, Sengupta, Park-Lee, & Valverde, 2013).

Methodology: A literature review was conducted to evaluate the state of HIE and its effects in LTPAC settings.  Findings:  Findings are summarized and presented to inform the current state and future potential of HIE in LTPAC, in the US and globally.  It is critical to provide the right medical information to clinicians as older adults transition from a hospital (e.g. after a broken hip) to a LTPAC facility.  Most commonly, a summary of care is sent from the hospital to the LTPAC facility, faxed or pinned to the gown of an incoming patient.  HIE is an information technology alternative, and can streamline communication globally, allowing timely receipt and use of medical information, leading to improved care opportunities for older adults.  

Recent Publications:

1. Meehan, R., Staley, J. “Facilitating Participation of Long Term Care in ACOs through HIE,”  Accepted for publication (2017), Perspectives in Health Information Management.
2. Meehan, R., Mon, D., Kelly, K., Rocca, M., Dickinson, G., Ritter, J., & Johnson, C. (2016).  “Increasing EHR system usability through standards:  Conformance criteria in the HL7 EHR system-functional model.”  Journal of Biomedical Informatics  63: 169-173. 
3. Meehan, R. & Shura, R. (2016).  Residents’ Perspectives on Living with Vision Impairment in Long-term Care:  An Unseen Factor in Quality of Life and Appropriateness of Care.  Journal of Nursing Home Research.  2:  34-40.
4. Meehan, R. (2015).  Improving continuity of care in long term care:  Impact of health information exchange.  Journal of Healthcare Information Management.  29:  14-17.

5. Meehan, R.  (2015)  Electronic Health Records in Long Term Care:  Staff Perspectives.  Journal of Applied Gerontology.  Pg. 1-22.

Biography:

Rebecca A Meehan is an Assistant Professor of Health Informatics at Kent State University, where she teaches health information systems, research, human factors and usability in health informatics. Dr. Meehan earned her doctorate in medical sociology and gerontology from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.  She has over 20 years of experience in applied gerontology, health research in technology, and software development. Dr. Meehan’s research focuses on usability of health IT (electronic health record) and the user experience of health information technology in long term care settings.  

Abstract:

Statement of the problem: Communication technology, specifically, health information exchange (HIE) is creating opportunities for improving lives of older adults in long term post-acute care (LTPAC) settings. There is an increasing number of older adults worldwide.  By 2050, the number of people aged 60 years and over is expected to increase from
605 million to 2 billion people, with the proportion of the world's population over 60 years of age to double from about 11 per cent to 22 per cent (WHO, 2014). Moreover, there are forecasts for substantial increases in the number of people with severe chronic conditions and/or disabilities in most parts of the world because of changes in fertility and life expectancy over the next fifty years. (WHO, 2002). Although many older adults will continue to live in their own homes or communities, some with formal or informal caregiving support, there is still a growing need for LTPAC services.  In the United States, the number of people using LTPAC services is projected to increase from 15 million in 2000 to 27 million in 2050 (Harris-Kojetin, Sengupta, Park-Lee, & Valverde, 2013).

Methodology: A literature review was conducted to evaluate the state of HIE and its effects in LTPAC settings.  Findings:  Findings are summarized and presented to inform the current state and future potential of HIE in LTPAC, in the US and globally.  It is critical to provide the right medical information to clinicians as older adults transition from a hospital (e.g. after a broken hip) to a LTPAC facility.  Most commonly, a summary of care is sent from the hospital to the LTPAC facility, faxed or pinned to the gown of an incoming patient.  HIE is an information technology alternative, and can streamline communication globally, allowing timely receipt and use of medical information, leading to improved care opportunities for older adults.  

Biography:

Jose Eduardo Corrente has undergraduate in mathematics and took his MSc and PhD in Biostatistics. He is Associate Professor at Biostatistics Department -University of Sao Paulo State - UNESP, and his field of research is epidemiology of third age. Main projects are in quality of life, lifestyle and nutritional aspects for older people with respect to eating patterns and adequate intake as well as publications in reputed journals. Giovana Fumes has taken his PhD in Statistics and nowadays she is a Post-Doc researcher at “Luiz de Queiroz” Agricultural School working in asymmetric models for fitting nutrient intake distributions.

Abstract:

One of the main interests in the nutrition field is to estimate the distribution of usual nutrient intake. Data from vitamin intake generally present high asymmetry mainly to the presence of outliers. This can occur due to the variability of the diet and, in this case, robust estimation to get the distribution of the data can be required. Then, the aim of paper is to propose an alternative approach for estimating usual intake through asymmetric distributions with random effects applied to data set 10 vitamins obtained from a dietetic survey for 368 older people from Botucatu city, São Paulo, Brazil. In general, these asymmetric distributions include parameters related to mean, median, dispersion measures and such parameters provide good estimates for the intake distribution. In order to make some comparisons, a model fitted by National Cancer Institute (NCI) method with only for amount of nutrient intake was established using Akaike Information Criteria (AIC). NCI method is based on a Box-Cox transformation coupled with normal distribution but in case of asymmetric data, this transformation can be not useful. It was observed that, in the presence of outliers, the asymmetric models provided a better fit than the NCI method in the major of the cases. Then, these models can be an alternative method to estimate the distribution of nutrient intake mainly because a transformation for the data is no necessary and all the information can be obtained directly from the parameters.

Recent Publications

1. Corrente, José Eduardo; FUMES, Giovana. Use of Asymmetric Models to Adjust the Vitamin Intake Distribution Data for Older People. Health (Irvine), v. 08, p. 887-893, 2016.
2. Corrente, José E; FUMES, Giovana ; Fontenelli, M.M.; Fisberg, R.M. ; Marchioni, D.M.L. . Use of Asymmetric Models to Estimate the Distribution of Usual Nutrient Intakes. Journal of Nutrition and Health, v. 2, p. 1-6, 2016.
3. Oliveira, E.P. ; Torezan, G.A. ; Gonçalves, LS ; Corrente, José E ; Mclellan, K.C.P. ; Burini, Roberto Carlos . O CONSUMO AGUDO DE ERVA MATE AUMENTA O GASTO ENERGÉTICO DE HOMENS JOVENS SAUDÁVEIS: UM ESTUDO PILOTO. Revista Brasileira de Obesidade, Nutrição e Emagrecimento, v. 10, p. 242, 2016.
4. RINALDI, ANA ELISA MADALENA ; GABRIEL, GLEICE FERNANDA COSTA PINTO ; MORETO, FERNANDO ; Corrente, José Eduardo ; MCLELLAN, KÁTIA CRISTINA PORTERO ; Burini, Roberto Carlos . Dietary factors associated with metabolic syndrome and its components in overweight and obese Brazilian schoolchildren: a cross-sectional study. Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome, v. 8, p. 58, 2016.
5. CORRENTE, JOSÉ E.; FUMES, Giovana ; Ferreira, P.M. . Obesity in older people: A new scenario and a new challenger. Integrative Food, Nutrition and Metabolism, v. 3, p. 341-344, 2016.

Biography:

Steven H Shaha was introduced at three international conferences as “the premier outcomes researcher globally in breadth and depth.” in 2016, He has 35+ years of experience in studies, consulting, lecturing, teaching and speaking.  He’s provided advisory work to 11 non-US governments on 4 continents, has 250+ conference presentations, 140+ journal publications, 4 books, and in 2015 three requested chapters for international reference books.  With two PhDs, he is full Professor and has taught, adjuncted or lectured at 30+ universities in 6 countries, among them Harvard, Cambridge (UK), Oxford, the King’s College, Macquarie University (Australia), UCLA, Westminster, Columbia, Cornell, and others.  Beyond the 200+ healthcare-focused organisations, he has also advised 50+ of non-healthcare organizations, including e.g. Disney, Ritz-Carlton, RAND, Coca-Cola, Time-Warner, Intel, IBM, Marriott and New Line Cinema organizations.  He also served as the Special Assistant to the President of Coca-Cola during crucial months and years of Coca-Cola history.

Abstract:

The healthcare mission remains to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes for patients.  Achieving that focus must reflect capabilities to meet patient needs regardless of the location of physicians, caregivers, elaborate diagnostic equipment or hospitals.  These capabilities are particularly needed for caring for patients in locations remote from larger, more urban populations, representing more state-of-the-art equipment and specialists for diagnosing and defining interventions.  And optimal care reaches balanced, integrated outcomes for clinical, financial and efficiency optimisation, all with the greatest access and outcomes for patients.

Distance capabilities require inter-location communication to connect remote and urban clinicians, the Internet being the most achievable in the 21st century.  Telemedicine, with information exchange and visual interactions, requires equipment in place, and clinical professionals sharpened for sending information, interacting with specialists and diagnostic equipment in the more populated areas.  Capable professionals with sufficient equipment collect initial diagnostic information provide information at the patient location and the information-enabled clinician interactions provide best care: Telemedicine.

Examples of telemedicine successes shared include pregnancy, through Labor and Delivery, through postpartum care, all including mother, fetus and newborn.  Also Stroke care, integrating information from remote pre-event patient records, through Stroke, through care, follow-up and care thereafter.  Another example includes ideal medication selection and dosing. Especially for paediatric patients, again reflecting full knowledge from patient history gathered at the remote patient and clinician location.  Each is evidence by clinical, cost and efficiency metrics.

Every example of telemedicine illustrates the beneficial impact accomplished through inter-location information sharing, remote and urban-based clinical professionals optimizing diagnoses, interpretations and best-care determinations.  Each undertaking must prove optimal modelling as quantified by outcomes metrics for clinical, financial and efficiency metrics.  Each must also reflect evidence-based best care for patients in terms of medical benefits and access to care.

Biography:

Oldrich Vysata graduated from the University J.E. Purkynje Brno, Czech rep. in 1985 with M.D. (Doctor of Medicine). Later he obtained qualification in Neurology and Neurophysiology. He is Board Certified in Electroencephalography, Electromyography and Electronystagmography. In 2010 he defended PhD. in Technical Cybernetics. He strives to bring new information technology closer to clinical practice.

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: Bell’s palsy is the most common acute mononeuropathy, and is associated with mostly unilateral facial nerve weakness/paralysis. The grading system developed by House and Brackmann categorizes Bell palsy on a scale of I to VI. This and similar clinical scales allow only a very approximate assessment of the degree of muscle weakness. Evidence of a high interobserver variability of the subjective House-Brackmann facial nerve grading system justifies technological enhancements of objective classifications for facial nerve paresis. Quantification of muscle weakness by 3D scanners in patients with Bell’s palsy was not to the best knowledge of the authors performed. The aim of this work is to design a simple outpatient system for monitoring asymmetry of muscle strength in patients with Bell's palsy based on cheap 3D scanner Microsoft Kinect 2.

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: MS Kinect's 3D facial model is based on the Candide3 model. The Face Tracking SDK tries to fit a 3D mask to the user’s face. Based on a priori knowledge about the anatomical localization of the observed muscles, areas of interest on the mask were chosen. To test the strength 6 muscles were selected. We have used the modified Hausdorff distance to quantify the side difference of muscle contraction for each muscle of interest. Estimation of the paretic muscle strength is verified in 12 patients with Bell's palsy using EMG and clinical scales.

Findings: This method finds the correct side of the lesion with 100% accuracy. It correlates better with findings of conductive studies and needle EMG than the clinical scale.

Conclusion & Significance: This method allows practically immediate evaluation of the degree of paralysis in Bell’s palsy in outpatient practice. It allows more accurate and reproducible monitoring of therapy results. The method is also suitable for clinical trials.

Recent Publications:

1. Vrabec JT,  Backous DD, Djalilian HR, Gidley PW, Leonetti JP, Marzo SJ, Morrison D, Ramsey MJ, Schaitkin BM, Smouha E, Toh EH, Wax MK, Williamson RA, Smith EO (2009) Facial Nerve Grading System 2.0. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 140: 445-50.
2. Peitersen E (2002) Bell’s palsy: the spontaneous course of 2,500 peripheral facial nerve palsies of different etiologies. Acta Otolaryngol Suppl. 549: 4-30.
3. Scheller C et all (2017) Interobserver variability of the House-Brackmann facial nerve grading system for the analysis of a randomized multi-center phase III trial. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 159: 733-738.
4. Donato G, Bartlett, Marian S, Hager J, Ekman P, Sejnowski TJ (1999) Classifying Facial Actions. IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. Mach. Intell. 10: 974.
5. Tang XM, Chen JS, Moon YS (2008) Accurate 3D face registration based on the symmetry plane analysis on nose regions. 2008 16th European Signal Processing Conference. 1-5.

Biography:

Atheer is microbiologist work in university of Baghdad, veterinary medical college and department of microbiology since seven years. I got my BSc in science college university of Baghdad department of biology in 1984 and work in al Mansur factory as a microbiologist for water treatment , then I got MSc in bacteriology in veterinary college and work head department of bacteriology in Al razee center for research and production diagnostic kits in ministry of industry and minerals, after that I got my PhD in virology from university of Almustanseria  department of biology and return to my work ,head department of virology, from this time I started to work in research and published my work in many journals.

Abstract:

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is among the most alarming pathogens affecting both humans and the global bovine industry. The current control measures in hospitals and on farms for MRSA have proven to be inadequate leaving a need for new rapid control methods to curb MRSA infections in situ. New control measures for bacterial infection are widely sought, with particular interest in the applications for bacteriophages (phages) as a biocontrol or therapeutic agent. The current study uses a wild highly lytic phage isolated from cow’s milk taken from three farms in Baghdad, Iraq. The resulting phage was able to rescue 100% of the mice from a median lethal dose (LD50) or (1 × 108 CFU mL−1 per mouse) for MRSA wild isolates achieved when the phage: bacteria ratio was 100:1. Even when treatment was delayed for 6 h post lethal infection, to the point where all mice were moribund, 80% of them were rescued by a single injection of this phage preparation. Based on the current results, a comprehensive study is needed to guide further research on the MRSA phage as a biocontrol for MRSA mastitis in dairy cows to replace or reduce the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry.

Biography:

Uchenna Ogoke is a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She has her research interest in the area of Biostatistics. She has attended many Local and International workshops and conferences where she presented her works and won a number of awards. In one of her works, she developed a model which was adopted in the bipolar investigation, using “The Modified Logistic Ridge Regression Estimator”. She has published widely in both Local and International journals of which “Cubic Spline Regression: An Application to Early Bipolar Disorder Dynamics” is one of the publications. Her publications have provided positive interactions and collaborations between her and some allied disciplines, thereby strengthening the profile of statistics in the Biosciences. She is a member of relevant professional bodies such as Nigerian Statistical Association (NSA) and International Biometric Society (IBS), Washington DC, USA.

Abstract:

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a general term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels, usually associated with building up of fat deposits inside the arteries. Majority of individuals with CVD may go about their normal day-to-day schedule of duties without realizing the danger the disease portends. As the severity increases, affected persons become more prone to suffer death. In this study, some risk factors other than family history, diabetes, poor diet, and smoking have been investigated. We modelled the relationship between BMI, BP and Age for male and female separately so as to investigate the fluctuations in the proximity to cardiovascular diseases between male and female individuals. Many studies have shown a couple of significant associations between BP, BMI and Age, but in this study, we will like to predict the likelihood of having abnormal BMI with age to bring to the notice when one is due for check-up to prevent cardiovascular problems using multiple linear regression. A receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) was done to compare male and female individuals considering their ages and the results show that there seem to be a positive correlation.

Recent Publications:

1. Ogoke U.P, Nduka E.C and Soyinka A.T (2016). The Trend of Mood Disorder by Gender. Biometrics and Biostatistics International Journal. USA. Vol. (5). 1.
2. Ogoke U.P, Nduka E.C and Ajibola T.S (2016). Cubic Spline Regression: An Application To Early Bipolar Disorder Dynamics. Open Journal of Statistics, USA. Vol.6  1003-1009.
3. Ogoke U.P, Nduka E.C and Soyinka, A.T (2016). A Chi-Squared Approach To Obtaining    Missing Values On Egg Production. International Journal of Statistics and Applications, USA. Vol.6(6), 386-390.
4. Ogoke U.P, Nduka E.C, and Nja M.E.(2015). Bipolar Disorder Investigation Using Modified Logistic Ridge Estimator. International Organisation of Scientific Research (Journal of Mathematics) India.11(1), 12-15.
5. Ogoke U.P, Nduka E.C and Nja M.E.(2013).The Logistic Regression Model with a Modified Weight Function in Survival Analysis. Journal of  Mathematical Theory and Modeling, USA. 3(8),  12-17.

Biography:

Per Goran Kruger was born on 29.8.1941. Krüger 1968: Cand. Real (thesis: mast cells in the brain of the hedgehog winter/summer, female/male). NAVF-stipendiate at Pharmacology department Karolinska Institute Stockholm Sweden. Krüger is Prosector at institute For Anatomy, University of Bergen, Norway (1970), 1976: Dr. philos same place (thesis: Structural Changes of Rat Mast Cells in Relation to Histamine Release. (An in vitro study on the effects of ATP, toluidine blue and compound 48/80). He works ad Associate professor at Institute for Pathology, University of Washington, USA 1979-80. From1990-91 works as Associate professor at Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh, Scotland. He works as Professor in cell biology, Institute of Anatomy at University of Bergen, Norway during 1994, Awarded students honor-prize as teacher at the preclinics, University of Bergen, Norway during 2002. Since 2011 he is Professor emeritus at Institute of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Norway.

Abstract:

Mast cells are not normally present in the unaffected human brain but were observed in the brains of MS-patients by Neumann 1890 (1).When applying  appropriate procedures it was demonstrated that the numbers of mast cells in MS autopsies far outnumbered what has earlier been observed and that the distribution and aggregation along venules within the MS- plaque border zones made it highly probable that, if stimulated, the released histamine would count for the observed oedemas which are normally observed within MS-brains (2). Further on it was demonstrated that the numbers of mast cells in the plaque-borderzones of females are approximately doubled from that in males (3), which may explain the fact that females are more inclined to developing MS than males. Mast cells may be stimulated by various stress phenomenon (4). Further; the normal relapsing - remitting phenomenon in MS may be explaind by the fact that stimulated mast cells do survive and within weeks/months may fully reload (5). Stimulation (relapsing phase), time for reloading (remitting phase), and so on.

Recent Publications:

1. Neumann, J. (1890) Über das Vorkommen der sogenannten “Mastzellen” bei Pathologischen Veränderung des Gehirns. Archiv für pathologische Anatomie und Physiologie und für klinische Medicin. 122, 378 – 380.

2. Krüger, P.G. (2001) Mast cells and multiple sclerosis: a quantitative analysis. Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology. 27, 275 – 280.

3. Krüger, P.G and Mørk S. (2012) Mast cells and multiple sclerosis in females and males. World journal of Neuroscience. 2, 145 – 149.

4. Pang, X. et al. (1998) A neurotensin receptor antagonist inhibits acute immo bilization stress induced cardiac mast cell degranulation, a corticotrophin- releasing hormone- depending process. J. Pharmacol Exp Ther Oct: 287(1), 307 – 314.

5. Krüger, P.G and Lagunoff, D. (1981) Mast cell restoration. A study of the rat peritoneal mast cells after depletion with plymyxin B. Int Arch allergy appl Immunol 65, 278 – 290.

Biography:

Ivanova L.A. was awarded the degree of Doctor of Sciences in February 2009. She was was awarded the academic title of professor of endocrinology in December 2009. She is the head of Endocrinology Department at Kuban State Medical University since 1995. She has published more than 123 articles and abstracts in Russian and international journals.

Abstract:

Many researchers believe that hyperinsulinemia is the main cause of the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The group of insulin sensitizers (biguanides, glitazones) has now been successfully used for treatment of hyperinsulinemia in patients with PCOS, contributing to the normalization of the menstrual cycle and fertility in more than half of the patients. 45 female patients with polycystic ovary syndrome took thioctic acid (Thioctacid-HR), 600 mg (n=25) or high protein diet (n=20). Fast insulin and glucose stimulus insulin were investigated before and after 3 months taken treatment. The use of thioctic acid, 600 mg is a new effective pathogenetics therapy of polycystic ovary syndrome on influence of hyperinsulinemia, HOMA-IR index and ovary volume in female patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Recent Publications:

1. Azziz R (March 2006). «Diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: The Rotterdam Criteria Are Premature». Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism91(3): 781–5.DOI:10.1210/jc.2005-2153.PMID 16418211.
2. Carmina E (February 2004). «Diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome: from NIH criteria to ESHRE-ASRM guidelines.». Minerva ginecologica56(1): 1–6.PMID 14973405.
3. Hart R, Hickey M, Franks S (October 2004). «Definitions, prevalence and symptoms of polycystic ovaries and polycystic ovary syndrome». Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology18(5): 671–83.DOI:10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2004.05.001.PMID 15380140.
4. Nafiye Y, Sevtap K, Muammer D, Emre O, Senol K, Leyla M (April 2010). «The effect of serum and intrafollicular insulin resistance parameters and homocysteine levels of nonobese, nonhyperandrogenemic polycystic ovary syndrome patients on in vitro fertilization outcome». Fertil. Steril.93(6): 1864– 9.DOI:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.12.024.PMID 19171332.
5. Unfer V, Carlomagno G, Dante G, Facchinetti F. Effects of myo-inositol in women with PCOS: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2012;28(7):509-15.

Biography:

Marina Frontasyeva, Associate Professor, PhD in Physics and Mathematical Sciences, is an internationally recognized specialist in neutron activation analysis applied in the Life Sciences and Material Science carried out at the reactor IBR-2 of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (www.jinr.ru). She is the head of Sector of NAA and Applied Research at the FLNP JINR combining her activities with lecturing on nuclear methods for studying the environment at the Department of Chemistry of the International University of Nature, Society and Man of Dubna. She is a member of the International Committee on Activation Analysis (ICAA) and a Coordinator of the UNECE International Cooperative Program Vegetation (Moss Surveys) (in http://icpvegetation.ceh.ac.uk/) the framework of the Convention of the Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP). She is leader of numerous international projects coordinated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the EU Programs. She is the author and co-author of more than 390 scientific publications (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marina_Frontasyeva2/contributions), her RG Score 39.84, h-index 29.

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: Traditional systems of medicine continue to be widely practiced for many reasons. Population growth, inadequate supply of drugs, side effects of most synthetic drugs and development of resistance to currently used drugs for infectious diseases have led to increased emphasis on the use of plant materials as a source of medicines for a wide variety of human ailments. Recently, WHO estimated that 80 per cent of people worldwide rely on herbal medicines for their primary health care needs. According to WHO, around 21,000 plant species have the potential for being used as medicinal plants. Over the past few decades, there has been a tremendous increase in the use of herbal medicine. However, there is still a significant lack of research data in this field.

The purpose of our studies is to establish a direct correlation between elemental content of medicinal plants and their curative ability which is not yet understood in terms of modern pharmacological concept. The quantitative estimation of various trace element concentrations is important for determining the effectiveness of the medicinal plants in treating various diseases and also to understand their pharmacological action. Moreover, trace elemental analysis of medicinal plants can be used to decide the dosage of the herbal drugs prepared from these plant materials.

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Neutron activation analysis (NAA) is a sensitive technique useful for quantitative multi-element analysis of major, minor, and trace elements present in various matrices. NAA offers sensitivities that are superior to those possible by all other analytical methods. Moreover, the accuracy and precision of the technique are such that NAA in 2007 has become one of the primary methods employed to certify the concentrations of elements in standard reference materials. The NAA technique involves the irradiation of a sample by neutrons to make the sample radioactive. After irradiation, the gamma rays emitted from the radioactive sample are measured to determine the amounts of different elements present in the sample. As a result, NAA has a number of advantages over most other analytical methods when investigating biological specimens. First, it is nearly free of any matrix interference effects because the vast majority of biological samples are transparent to the probe, the neutron, and the emitted analytical signal, the gamma ray. Second, because NAA can be applied instrumentally (without sample digestion or dissolution), there is little opportunity for reagent or laboratory contamination. Third, the preparation of samples from most matrices (especially biological sample types) for analysis by NAA is extremely easy: in most instances a portion of the sample need only be weighed and place in an appropriate container. The method is based on a relative standardization using high quality certified reference materials (CRMs).

Findings: NAA of different plants (herbs and woods) from Mongolia, India, Vietnam, Poland, Bulgaria, Portugal and Iran allowed determination of about of 41 elements: Na, Mg, Al, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Zr, Mo, Cd, Cs, Ba, La, Hf, Ta, W, Sb, Au, Hg, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Yb, Lu, Th, U. Such a large group of elements, for the best of our knowledge, was determined in the medicinal plants for the first time. The results were interpreted in terms of excess, for example, of such elements as Se, Cr, Ca, Fe, Ni, Mo, and rare earth elements.

Conclusion & Significance: Among those elements thirteen dietary minerals (Ca, Cl, Co, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, S, V, Zn) and toxic elements (As, Ba, Cd, Sb) were detected. Possible connection between the medicinal properties and elemental content of the plants was established.

Recent Publications:

1. Frontasyeva M.V. (2011) Neutron activation analysis for the Life Sciences. A review. Physics of Particles and Nuclei 42(2): 332-378.
2. Peter Bode P., Robert R. Greenbergb R.R., De Nadai Fernandes E. A. (2009) Neutron Activation Analysis: A Primary (Ratio) Method to Determine SI-Traceable Values of Element Content in Complex Samples. Metrology in Chemistry, CHIMIA 63(10): 678-680.
3. Baljinnyam N., Tsevegsuren N., Jugder B., Frontasyeva M.V., Pavlov S.S. (2014) Investigation of elemental content of some Mongolian medicinal plants. International Journal of Medicinal Plants. Photon, 106: 481-492 (IF 3.12).
4. Li Xuesong, Hristozova G., Nekhoroshkov P.S. Frontasyeva M.V.  (2015) Neutron activation analysis of constituent elements of edible and medicinal plant of iron stick yam (Dioscorea opposita Thunb). Int. Research Journal of Public and Environmental Health 2(11):182-190.
5. Kosior G., Prell M., Samecka-Cymerman A., Stankiewicz A., Kolon K., Kryza R., Brudzińska-Kosior A., Frontasyeva M., Kempers A. (2015) Metals in Tortula muralis from sandstone buildings in anurban agglomeration. Ecological Indicators 58: 122-131.

Biography:

Taga is an obstetrician and gynecologist from Japan.  She is currently working in a hospital in Kurashiki City which is famous for its traditional Japanese town and a museum. This hospital is located near Seto Inland Sea, where we can see the beautiful sight. This hospital is not so big but important for the people. Taga experienced many cases in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, but this case was rather rare, so that she is interested in presenting it in this congress.

Abstract:

Malignant spinal cord compression (MSCC) is one of the most disabling complications of cancer metastasis and an oncological emergency requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment.

A 65-year-old woman presented with vaginal bleeding and a huge uterine tumour. Cytological test of uterine cervix was negative and that of the endometrium was not possible. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a heterogeneous solid tumour and uterine leiomyosarcoma was suspected. She underwent total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Histopathologocal examination revealed mixed carcinoma (small cell carcinoma and endometrioid adenocarcinoma) of the endometrium. She presented with upper abdominal pain, back pain, cystoplegia and paraplegia of lower extremities postoperatively. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed bone metastasis with destruction of the eighth thoracic vertebral body as the sites of metastasis. She was diagnosed as having MSCC. Following administration of dexamethasone, she underwent vertebrectomy and posterior spinal fusion, and postoperative radiation therapy was performed to total of 20Gray in 4 fractions. The histopathological studies revealed malignant cells. We diagnosed this lesion as metastasis from endometrial cancer. However, her symptoms were not improved. Although she received two courses of systemic chemotherapy consisting of paclitaxel and carboplatin, CT scan of the chest revealed new lung metastatic lesion, and she selected the best supportive care. She died 4　months after hysterectomy.

Recent Publications:

1.Bohm, P. and Huber, J. (2002) The surgical treatment of bony metastases of the spine and limbs. Journal of Bone &Joint Surgery( Br), 84,521-529.

2. Klimo, P. Jr. Kestle, JR. and Schmidt, M.H. (2004) Clinical trials and evidence-based medicine for metastatic spine disease. Neurosurg Clin N Am,15,549-564.

3. Klimo, P. Jr. and Schmidt, M.H. (2004) Surgical management of spinal metastasis. Oncologist,9,188-196.

 4. Loblaw, D.A., Perry J., Chambers, A. and Laperriere, N.J. (2005) Systematic review of the diagnosis and management of malignant extradural spinal cord compression: the Cancer Care Ontario Practice Guidelines Initiative's Neuro-Oncology Disease Site Group. Journal of clinical oncology, 23,2028-2037.

5.Schmidt,M.H., Klimo,P. Jr. and ,Vrionis, F.D.(2005) Metastatic spinal cord compression. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 3,711-709.

Biography:

Christian Milaster is a German engineer and Founder of the Ingenium Consulting Group, Inc. He is passionate about enabling the delivery of extraordinary care with a focus on creating effective and efficient Digital Health Transitions. Following his passion, Mr. Milaster partners with forward-thinking healthcare leaders to prepare their organizations for the future of healthcare delivery. Mr. Milaster’s expertise stems from a 30-year career, including 17 years in healthcare, at employers including IBM Global Services and the Mayo Clinic, and numerous digital health consulting engagements ranging from strategy development and business planning to the design and implementation of new healthcare services. He has designed and build sustainable healthcare delivery services that delight patients and improve outcomes, while exciting care providers. His communication methods and implementation skills have emboldened healthcare leaders to effectively execute visionary healthcare delivery strategies.

Abstract:

The technical developments over the past decades–especially those in the past 10 years–along with a demographic shift have given rise to a new type of patient: The Modern Healthcare Consumer. When today’s future patients can order books and other goods overnight, when they can watch virtually any movie from anywhere and when access to their personal, sensitive information (including their finances) is at their fingertips – then these consumers have expectations of their healthcare experience that most of today’s healthcare systems delivery organizations are not ready to satisfy, let alone exceed.

Combine this shift to consumerism with an exponential growth of treatment options, exploding healthcare cost, and a shift from sickness care to wellness care and it’s obvious to anyone, that new approaches to healthcare are needed.

Just like technological advances in energy production and the extraction of natural resources have averted the long-predicted energy crisis, technological advances can also come to the rescue in healthcare. But with so many technical solutions available, which aspects of digital health can help keep this perfect storm at bay?

This presentation examines the drivers behind the expectations of the New Healthcare Consumer and discusses which of the many digital health technologies can exceed the Modern Healthcare Consumer’s expectations, while improving health outcomes at a lower cost.

Recent Publications:

1. “Just how mature is your health system’s telehealth program?” American Telemedicine Association Conference, April 2017 Orlando, Florida, USA.
2. “Is the Dunning-Kruger Effect holding back your Telehealth Success?”, LinkedIn Post, April 2017, tiny.cc/ing-dunning.
3. “Ending the Digital Health Confusion – A Digital Health Taxonomy”, Ingenium Telehealth Whitepaper, February 2017.
4. “Ignorance, Inertia, Internal IT: Sabotaging Telehealth Success”, Weblog article, November 2016, tiny.cc/ing-ignorance.
5. “Your Telehealth Business Plan: Don’t Leave Your Clinic Without It”, Florida Telehealth Summit, November 2016, Safety Harbor, FL, USA Alabama Telehealth Summit, May 2016, Birmingham, AL, USA GA Partnership for Telehealth, March 2016, Jekyll Island, GA, USA.

Biography:

Buabbas has completed his PhD in Medical Informatics from Brunel University, London 2013. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University. He is interested in medical informatics research, including: informatics in pharmacy, nutrition, diagnostics imaging, and telemedicine. He has on-going research into the impact of Robotic Assisted Surgery (RAS) on surgeons and surgical patients. Dr. Buabbas has participated in several international conferences in his field.

Abstract:

Medical treatment overseas system in Kuwait costs the government a budget over 1.3 billion USD. Since 1998 the cost rose from 280 million USD to exceed 1.3 billion in 2015. A telemedicine system has the potential to reduce the number of Kuwaiti patients being sent abroad for treatment, and so reduce costs. Justifying the economic contributions for telemedicine is very important to confirm the cost benefits of its use. The cost analysis was performed to evaluate the costs of implementing a telemedicine system in Kuwait for overseas treatment patients, and then to calculate the results with the conventional way of sending patients abroad for treatment. The results showed that the estimated costs for three years using telemedicine with the conventional treatment abroad system had an economic impact, where potential savings could be 300 million per annum. Simplifying the calculation process around economic analysis of telemedicine has made the evaluation process successful. The study concluded that telemedicine can support the conventionally pathway financially and clinically as a way of health care delivery.

Recent Publications:

1. Hanefeld J, Horsfall D, Lunt N, Smith R (2013). Medical Tourism: A Cost or Benefit to the NHS? PLoS ONE 8(10): e70406.
2. Suzana, M., Mills, A., Tangcharoensathien, V., & Chongsuvivatwong, V. (2015). The economic burden of overseas medical treatment: a cross sectional study of Maldivian medical travelers. BMC Health Services Research, 15, 418.
3. Akiyama, M., & Yoo, B.-K. (2016). A Systematic Review of the Economic Evaluation of Telemedicine in Japan. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, 49(4), 183–196.
4. Kouskoukis MN Botsaris CH (2017) Cost-Benefit Analysis of Telemedicine Systems/Units in Greek Remote Areas. PharmacoEconomics Open; 1:117–121
5. De la Torre-Díez, I., López-Coronado, M., Vaca, C., Aguado, J. S., & de Castro, C. (2015). Cost-Utility and Cost-Effectiveness Studies of Telemedicine, Electronic, and Mobile Health Systems in the Literature: A Systematic Review. Telemedicine Journal and E-Health, 21(2), 81–85.

Biography:

Mohammad Mohsen Roostayi has been graduated with PhD degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences as a physical therapist. He is an Assistant Professor at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and currently working as a Vice Chancellor (for education) of the rehabilitation school of the Shahid Beheshti University.

Abstract:

Cupping therapy has been widely used for clinical treatment of soft tissue lesions. The current study investigated the effects of cupping therapy on biomechanical properties of the skin in Wistar rats. 20 rats were divided into two groups: 10 in experimental and 10 in control group. Either the right or the left lower quadrants of the lumbar regions in the experimental group underwent 10 minutes daily cupping therapy for 12 days. The skin stiffness and ultimate tensile strength of all the rats were measured using tensiometer. The skin stiffness and ultimate tensile strength were decreased significantly in cupping side of the experimental group as compared with the non-cupping side and the control group. There were no significant differences between the non-cupping side of the experimental group and the control group. In conclusion, cupping therapy can be useful as a treatment method to reduce the skin stiffness and ultimate tensile strength.

Biography:

Julia Schuler is born on 22^nd January, 1988 in Heilbronn, Germany. Actually, she is doing her PhD at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology at the Institute of catalytical research and technology.  She has a master degree of the University of Kaiserslautern (MSc Bioprocess Engineering University of Kaiserslautern). Before her master studies she studies process and environmental engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Heilbronn (B.Sc. Process & Environmental Engineering). She gained also experience at her study abroad at the University of Wollongong, Australia and at the Seoul National University, South Korea. She participated a lot of conferences (e.g. EUBCE 2016 plenary presentation, ECO BIO 2016, Conference in Kazan, Russia, etc.).

Abstract:

Hence, the focus of the presented work is to get a better knowledge of lignin as a starting material to produce chemicals. Therefore, the different influences of temperature and reaction times, the reaction pathways and the therefore necessary analytics need to be understood. But lignin brings a lot of challenges with it. The first is, that every lignin has a different composition, depending on the wood source and the degradation method applied to gain the lignin which has a significant influence on the lignin structure. And with this, a lot of changes come e.g. in the handling of the biomass.

To liquefy lignin towards high functional molecules, hydrothermal conditions are used.

To understand the challenges (reaction pathways, analytic, and so on) of lignin better it is important to have a look at different lignins and lignin sources, so to see if the behavior of lignin under several conditions are the same, and to see if with every lignin the same challenges are coming.  Therefore, different lignins were used, e.g. bark or a kraft lignin.

It is also considered that already degraded lignin products molecules repolymerise to oligomers, and so the yield of monomeric phenolic compounds decreases. To have an influence on this, different experiments are run. Fresh medium and feed get in contact with solutions directly after the hydrothermal liquefaction. The repolymersation shall be influenced and stopped through this and the yields of e.g. catechol shall get higher. Also this shall lead to a process for different biomasses, to gain platform chemicals. 

Recent Publications:

1. D. Forchheim, U. Hornung, A. Kruse, and T. Sutter, “Kinetic Modelling of Hydrothermal Lignin Depolymerisation,” Waste and Biomass Valorization, no. February, pp. 1–10, 2014.
2. A. Kruse and N. Dahmen, “Water - A magic solvent for biomass conversion,” J. Supercrit. Fluids, vol. 96, pp. 36–45, 2015.
3. P. Schulze, A. Seidel-Morgenstern, H. Lorenz, M. Leschinsky, and G. Unkelbach, “Advanced process for precipitation of lignin from ethanol organosolv spent liquors,” Bioresour. Technol., vol. 199, pp. 128–134, 2016
4. T. Faravelli, A. Frassoldati, G. Migliavacca, and E. Ranzi, “Detailed kinetic modeling of the thermal degradation of lignins,” Biomass and Bioenergy, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 290–301, 2010
5. D. Forchheim, A. Kruse, “Optimization of the reaction parameters of a CSTR and a PFR ( Batch ) for the recovery of phenol from hydrothermal biomass liquefaction.”

Biography:

Shahab Rezaian is a doctoral student of Information Systems at Advanced Informatics School (AIS), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He completed his master’s degree in Management of Information Technology at Advanced Informatics School (AIS). His fields of interest are Health Information Systems, Hospital Information Systems, relation of Social issues and Hospital Information Systems Information and Information Systems Theory.

Abstract:

The present study was designed to provide an insight into nurses’ experiences and views, using a computerized hospital information system in clinical practice in a tertiary teaching hospital in southern Iran. The main aim of this pilot study was to determine the reliability and validity of those factors which can affect the successful implementation of Hospital Information System (HIS) for nursing staff and be used for another larger study including over 1000 full-time practicing nurses. One hundred sixty nurses participated in this study and voluntarily filled up a questionnaire containing 61 items related to demographic, work, work place and to various constructs of DeLone and McLean’s implementation success model as well as three additional constructs namely culture, trust and user quality. In our study the questionnaire items were based on literature reviews and experts’ opinions to ensure its content and construct validity. The reliability of all constructs’ measures were checked by Cronbach alpha coefficient which all but one were above the accepted level of 0.70 indicating that the measurement errors were small and the measurement instrument could be able to yield consistent results each time it is applied. Confirmatory factor analysis and factor loading were done for all items to confirm the dimensionality of the derived instrument. Forty-eight (94%) of dimension items except 3 had high values above 0.4, and over 39 (76%) of items had factor loadings above 0.7 which indicates an acceptably very high value of factor loading for the research instrument items. The 3 items with factor loading values less than 0.4, however turned to be candidates for omission from the future study. 

Biography:

Dennis Rosenberg writes a Ph. D. dissertation on the effect of health-related social media use on health behavior changes. His dissertation includes theoretical framework from various fields of research: communication studies, information systems research, public health research and sociology. His studies are based on the data collected during his Ph.D. studies. He is interested in studying gender and ethnic differences in health-related use of social media and factors affecting sustained health-related use of social media. In addition, he studies various aspects of e-government use in Israel and different aspects of immigrants’ inclusion into a broader society (marriage patterns and intentions to stay in country).

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: Online health participation relates to different aspects of active steps made online in order to elicit or provide information or support. Studies extensively investigate search for health information online. However, studies investigating health participation online are rare, so are the studies investigating this phenomenon on social media. Moreover, none of them considers gender differences regarding this phenomenon. In addition, these studies relate to health participation as a single phenomenon, whereas it is known that social media use is multidimensional.

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: This study encountered between several hypotheses. First hypothesis is “absolute monopoly”, according to which women, who are known as dominant in search for online health information, will also be dominant on health participation domain. Second hypothesis, “areas of control”, argues that men are more active health participants than women. The third hypothesis is “democracy”, according to which there are no gender differences in health participation on social media. The data were collected through telephone survey of about 1000 respondents. Three aspects of health participation on social media were examined using binary logistic regression analysis: sharing own experience with coping with chronic health condition, discussing the work of health institutions and posting or commenting the health-related content.

Findings: The results mostly support the “democracy” hypothesis. No gender differences found in multivariate analysis. However, the bivariate analysis provided a little support for the “absolute monopoly” hypothesis. Women tend to post/comment the health-related content on social media more than men.

Conclusion & Significance: The health participation on social media is democratic in terms of gender. Women seem not succeeding in transformation of their dominance from search for health information area to the health participation domain. Conversely, men do not manage to establish dominance in this area of health-related social media use.

Recent Publications:

1. Mano R, Rosenberg D (2014) Organizational restructuring, government control and loss of legitimacy following an organizational crisis: The case of Israel’s nonprofit human services. Journal of health and human services administration, 460 – 497.

Biography:

Kiyomi Sakata has his expertise in epidemiology of chronic disease such as CVD, cancer, and osteoporosis and passion in preventing infectious disease such as influenza. He had studied epidemiology at the Epidemiology Research Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Houston Health Science Center. Awarded the degree of Master of Public Health in epidemiology for a thesis entitled “Changes in cardiovascular disease risk factors in three Japanese National Surveys 1971-1990” Work supervised by Professor Labarthe. Now he is a professor at the Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Iwate Medical University School of Medicine in Japan.

Abstract:

Objective: A community-based intervention study was conducted to examine the effect of consumption of JCM 5805 yogurt on influenza incidence rates and the cumulative incidence rates among schoolchildren in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.

Methods: Schoolchildren and their parents in Shizukuishi town were told of the purpose, frequency and duration of JCM 5805 yogurt administration. The number of elementary schoolchildren in Shizukuishi town was 780 while that of junior high school students in Shizukuishi town numbered 475. The number of elementary schoolchildren in neigh-boring town A was 208 and that of junior high school students in town A was 121. JCM 5805 yogurt was delivered three times a week to all elementary schools and junior high schools in Shizukuishi town from January 16 through March 18, 2015. The incidence rate was calculated every week as the maximum case number divided by the number of schoolchildren in each school. The cumulative incidence rate was calculated as the total case number during the period when JCM 5805 yogurt was delivered divided by the number of schoolchildren in each school.

Results: JCM 5805 yogurt intake was associated with a two-thirds reduction in influenza incidence rates in Shizukuishi town schoolchildren compared with those of town A. Furthermore, the cumulative incidence rates of the elementary school and combined data from the elementary school and junior high school were significantly lower than those of neighbor town A.

Conclusion: JCM 5805 yogurt intake reduced both the incidence rates and cumulative incidence rates of influenza.

Recent Publications:

1. Koeda Y, Tanaka F, Segawa T,  et al. (2016) Comparison between urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio and urine protein dipstick testing for prevalence and ability to predict the risk for chronic kidney disease in the general population (Iwate-KENCO study): a prospective community-based cohort study. BMC Nephrology.  17(46):1-8.
2. Sato T, Kishi M, Suda M, et al. (2017) Prevalence of Candida albicans and non-albicans on the tongue dorsa of elderly people living in a post-disaster area:a cross-sectional survey. BMC Oral Health. 17(51):1-10.
3. Satoh A, Arima H, Ohkubo T, et al. (2017) Associations of socioeconomic status with prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in a general Japanese population: NIPPONDATA2010. J Hypertens. 35(2):401-408.

Biography:

Maria Salomi has experience in research and training of programs and health applications. The main purpose of this study was to gather data and indicators about health process, through a literature review. She has demonstrated that in achieve these goals is important to observe the indicators that begin to point out positive evidence in the use of document management and process automation in a healthcare institution, through the Information and Communication Technologies in the e-Health system.

Abstract:

Health care management is essential to the financial balance of institutions and to the improvements of patient and organization documental processes. In order to achieve those aims, an important step is to observe the indicators that start to point out positive evidences when using document management and process automation in a health care institution, through Information and Communication Technologies in the e-Health system. The main purpose of this study was to gather data and indices about the issue under study, through a literature review. Analysis of American, European, and Brazilian articles in academic or non-academic health care organizations indicates share and use of patient’s data, that can improve applied systems performance; analysis of processes; indicators of quality of provided service and patient’s quality of care and safety; diagnosis and prescription of medications and decrease of data information errors, thus achieving level 7 in the Healthcare Informatics Management and Systems Society (HIMSS).

Recent Publications:
1. Moncho V. Hospital Marina Salud de Dénia. Leadings CIOs of Europe. A model for achieving HIMSS Stage 7. HIMSS CIO SUMMIT Europe / HIMSS Analytics Europe [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2014 July 05];5;12. Madri, Spain; 2013 Nov 12-14.
2. Moncho V. The Real Project starts with EMRAM Stage 7; HIMSS Turkey. 2014 June 4-5. Slide 11.
3. Parente S, McCullough J. Health information technology and patient safety: evidence from panel data. Health Affairs (Millwood) [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2014 Jun 21]; 28(2): 357-60.
4. McCullough JS, Casey M, Moscovice I, Prasad S. The Effect Of Health Information Technology On Quality in U.S. Hospitals Health Affairs 29. 2010 [cited 2014 Aug 18]; 29(4): 648-54.
5. Lopes PR, Ferreira DP. Padrões de normatização em informática em saúde. [Internet]. São Paulo: UNIFESP; 2014. 24 p. [citado 2014 Ago 20].

Biography:

Mario Li is a student in the Department of Life Science at Queens University with a great passion for integrating medical research, education with modern technologies especially latest IT cloud computing technology. He is the founder of Cloud Healthcare Forum. He strongly believes that sharing and exchanging of ideas and knowledge, questioning, reasoning and discussing the existing healthcare system among academia, industries, government, patients and everyone who interested in healthcare all over the world is vital to solve the issues and improve the healthcare system. Working together, we can build modern health care.

Abstract:

This article introduces the design of healthcare road map/forum for healthcare professionals, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and average people working together to modernize healthcare based on the modern IT technologies such as cloud computing technologies, elastic search and big data. The software platform allows healthcare professionals, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and average people post ideas, real medical cases, solutions, new medical devices and medicines, discuss pros and cons, rate each of them and follow up to the issues and solutions interested. The platform is web based and consists of a web server, NoSQL database and a file server. The platform will be deployed and replicated locally in each of the continents in the private cloud network to achieve high performance, high scalability and reliability.

Recent Publications:
1. J. Marescaux, J. Leroy, F. Rubino, M. Smith, Michel Vix, M. Simone and D. Mutter, “Transcontinental Robot-Assisted Remote.
2. Telesurgery: Feasibility and Potential Applications” Annals of Surgery, Vol. 235, No. 4, pp. 487–492.
3. B. Jähne (2002). Digital Image Processing, Springer, 2002.
4. J. J. Christopher, H. K. Nehemiah, K. Arputharaj, G. L. Moses, "Computer-assisted Medical Decision-making System for Diagnosis of Urticaria", MDM POLICY & PRACTICE, July, 2016.
5. I. C. Cucoranu,"Laboratory Information Systems Management and Operations" Clin Lab Med 36, 2016, pp51–56.

Biography:

Atanas Vasilev a junior researcher at the Sector of Neutron Activation Analysis and Applied Research at the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics of the Joint institute for Nuclear Research (www.jinr.ru) int Dubna, Russia. He is an MSci in Biophysics of the Faculty of Physics in Sofia University, Bulgaria. Interest includes Life Sciences, nuclear and related analytical techniques used to study plant medicinal plants, environmental studies and statistics of large arrays of environmental data. Previous professional experience includes Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics.

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: Medicinal plants play a major role both in traditional and conventional medicine due to their natural abundance and variety of beneficial health effects. The wide use of plants brings up a necessity to understand their composition and evaluate the risks and benefits of consumption. Most of the studies dealing with medicinal plants are focused on complex constitutes such as antioxidants, enzymes, volatile oils and others. Unfortunately this trend of research leads to a lack of information regarding the elemental content of the medicinal plants.  Elemental content could be crucial in order to understand the health effects of the plants. This is due to the potential presence of two groups of elements: essential elements and toxic elements. Essential elements play a major role in human physiology and must be obtained by diet. The presence of toxic elements, on the other hand, might be hazardous to the consumer and lead to health problems.

The purpose of this Study: In the present work the elemental content of four widely used Bulgarian medicinal plants was studied in order to fill the aforementioned informational gap.

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: The elemental content of four Bulgarian   medicinal plants (Sanguisorba officialis L., Sideritis scardic Griseb, Chamaenerium angustifoliu L., and Tribulus terestris L.) was studied by means of instrumental neutron activation analysis. The studied plants are widely used in traditional Bulgarian medicine and have been reported to display healing properties. Previous information for their elemental composition is scarce.

Findings: The mass fractions of twenty eight elements  (Al, As, Au, Ba, Br, Ca, Cd, Cl, Co, Cs, Fe, K, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Rb, S, Sb,  Sc, Sr, Sm, Th, U, V, W, Zn) were determined.

Conclusion & Significance: Among those elements thirteen dietary minerals (Ca, Cl, Co, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, S, V, Zn) and four toxic (As, Ba, Cd, Sb) were detected.

Recent Publications:

1. Frontasyeva M.V. (2011) Neutron activation analysis for the Life Sciences. A review. Physics of Particles and Nuclei 42(2): 332-378.
2. Baljinnyam N., Tsevegsuren N., Jugder B., Frontasyeva M.V., Pavlov S.S. (2014) Investigation of elemental content of some Mongolian medicinal plants. International Journal of Medicinal Plants. Photon, 106: 481-492 (IF 3.12).
3. Arnason J.T., Mata R. (2013) "Phytochemistry of Medicinal Plants". Springer Science & Business Medi
4. Bogden John Klevay, Leslie M. (2000) Clinical nutrition of the essential trace elements and minerals: the guide for health professionals. Springer Science + Business Media New York.
5. Lamari, Z., Larbi, R. & Negache, H. (2016) Trace element content of Zingiber officinalis and Salvia officinalis medicinal plants from Algeria. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 309(1): 17-22.