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Objective To explore the effect of metformin on therapeutic outcomes in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Methods A literature search of the electronic databases was conducted to retrieve articles that investigated the effect of metformin on radiotherapy. Timeframe of electronic search ranged from the inception of each database to May 2020. These databases include PubMed, Embase and Scopus. Results From an initial search of 142 articles, and after the removal of duplicates as well as applying the inclusion and the exclusion criteria, 20 articles were finally included in this systematic review. Results from the reviewed clinical studies showed promising therapeutic effect of the combination of metformin with radiotherapy. Metformin has promising therapeutic effects as an adjuvant with radiotherapy. Conclusions The use of metformin as an adjuvant with radiotherapy should be treated with caution, as further studies investigating its optimal dose as well as molecular mechanisms are still needed.

Aims: To evaluate patients’ level of satisfaction on the quality of healthcare received by focusing on waiting time due to its level of importance. Studies have shown that a good healthcare system contributes immensely to the growth of a thriving economy, because patients’ satisfaction is the major indicator of quality healthcare. Study Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study was employed by using a structured questionnaire coupled with interview session. These was considered appropriate for data gathering in the overall outpatient department (OPD) of the health facility. Methods: The present study evaluates patients’ satisfaction level on the QoS in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Nigeria; by focusing majorly on waiting time. Systematic random sampling technique was used in selecting the participants for this research, with 241 patients’ data collected. Convenience, courtesy and quality of care were used as factors to measure patients’ satisfactions. Results: Findings from this study showed that 73.03% of the patients were satisfied with the level of services in terms of conveniences, while 80.50% of the patients were highly satisfied as regards the courtesy level, also, 77.59% of the patients were satisfied with the quality of care received at the facility. Furthermore, our result indicates that a total of 154 (63.9%) of the patients were greatly satisfied with the quality of health services received in EKSUTH, however, 87 which represents 36.1% of patients were not satisfied with the level of services rendered at the facility. Conclusion: The respondents showed high satisfaction level in most of the services they received from EKSUTH, however, long waiting time in the health facility has shown to be an impediment to the satisfaction level as well as the quality of care (QoC) received. Therefore, improved services; especially reducing the long waiting time will motivate patients to continue to utilize EKSUTH. More so, continuous efforts should be made by the hospital’s administration to improve other areas where satisfaction level was shown to be low in the present study.

The use of some agents as radioprotectors has been evaluated for protection against normal tissue toxicity following exposure to ionizing radiation. Resveratrol, a natural flavonoid, with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties has attracted research interests for its radioprotective potential. This study systematically evaluates existing studies to examine the radioprotective effectiveness of resveratrol. A literature search of the electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Embase was conducted to retrieve articles investigating the protective effect of resveratrol against ionizing radiation-induced damage to normal tissues. The search timeframe ranged from the inception of each database to January 2020. From an initial search of 231 articles, and after the removal of duplicates as well as applying the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 33 articles were finally included for this systematic review. Results showed promising protective effect of resveratrol against ionizing radiation-induced damage to normal tissues. Furthermore, no adverse effect was observed after administering resveratrol. Resveratrol showed the potential to protect against ionizing radiation-induced damage to normal tissue cells via notable mechanisms, including anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, further studies on the efficacy of clinical translation of resveratrol would open up more insights, while other gray areas such as the optimal radioprotective dosage of resveratrol requires further investigation. Overall, resveratrol is a potential double-edged sword in cancer therapy while protecting healthy tissues.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the thyroid glands' radiation dose and the risk of thyroid cancer induction from head or neck computed tomography (CT) examinations.In a prospective study, we evaluated all participants of all ages and sex referred for Head or Neck CT Scan at the University College Hospital, Ibadan and Me Cure Healthcare Limited, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Thyroid radiation dose was estimated with impact scan calculator, and real-time dose measurement with thermoluminescent badge dosimeters (TLDs). Data were analysed and P0.05 was considered statistically significant.One hundred and sixty-three participants (128 adults and 35 children) participated in the study. In most participants (74%), the tube voltage was 120 kVp. The estimated median thyroid gland dose by the imPACT scan calculator was 4.95 mGy (range = 1.20-30.0 mGy) and 4.40 mGy (range = 3.0-5.10 mGy), while the real-time dose measured by the TLD was 4.79 mGy (range = 1.73-96.7 mGy) and 2.33 mGy (range = 1.20-3.73 mGy) at Centre A and B, respectively. The estimated median thyroid cancer risk was 2.88 × 10Scanner specifications and technique may significantly contribute to variations seen in thyroid radiation doses. There may be a need to optimise centre protocols and apply dose reference levels for head and neck CT examinations to reduce thyroid cancer risk in Nigeria.

Background Our purpose was to evaluate the application of volumetric histogram parameters obtained from conventional MRI and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) images for grading the meningioma tumors. Results Tumor volumetric histograms of preoperative MRI images from 45 patients with the diagnosis of meningioma at different grades were analyzed to find the histogram parameters. Kruskal-Wallis statistical test was used for comparison between the parameters obtained from different grades. Multi-parametric regression analysis was used to find the model and parameters with high predictive value for the classification of meningioma. Mode; standard deviation on post-contrast T1WI, T2-FLAIR, and ADC images; kurtosis on post-contrast T1WI and T2-FLAIR images; mean and several percentile values on ADC; and post-contrast T1WI images showed significant differences among different tumor grades (P < 0.05). The multi-parametric linear regression showed that the ADC histogram parameters model had a higher predictive value, with cutoff values of 0.212 (sensitivity = 79.6%, specificity = 84.3%) and 0.180 (sensitivity = 70.9%, specificity = 80.8%) for differentiating the grade I from II, and grade II from III, respectively. Conclusions The multi-parametric model of volumetric histogram parameters in some of the conventional MRI series (i.e., post-contrast T1WI and T2-FLAIR images) along with the ADC images are appropriate for predicting the meningioma tumors’ grade.

Aim Despite remarkable theoretical evidence of positive outcomes of patient and family‐centred care, it is rarely performed in the intensive care setting. The aim of this review was to assess the barriers to patient and family‐centred care among healthcare providers, patients and family members in adult intensive care units. Design A systematic review of both qualitative and quantitative studies. Methods The search strategy sought for published peer‐reviewed research papers limited to English language from conception to 2018. The review protocol was registered in the CRD Prospero database (CRD42018086838). Literature search was carried out in four databases: EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PubMed and Scopus where keywords “barriers,” “patient and family centered care,” “patient‐centered care” and “intensive care unit” appeared in any part of the reference. Hand search of reference lists of identified papers was also done to capture all pertinent materials. Each study was assessed by three independent reviewers against the inclusion criteria. Evidence was graded according to sampling quality, quantity and measurement of intended outcomes. Screening of studies and citations resulted in seven studies that were included in the analysis. Results Barriers to patient and family‐centred care broadly fall under four categories; lack of understanding of what is needed to achieve patient and family‐centred care, organizational barriers, individual barriers and interdisciplinary barriers.

The paper describes the application of local binary patterns and cascade AdaBoost classifier (CAC) to detect and analyse mice behavioural movement. This was done with a view to investigating the inconsistencies associated with current practices, whereby mice behavioural classification is achieved by means of human-generated labels. The developed cascade AdaBoost algorithm was able to detect eight different mice movement, and we develop a system that allows mice behavioural analysis in videos, with minimal supervision. Evaluating the results on Completeness, Consistency and Correctness, and based on the devised analysis, a solution was deployed, showing that machine learning plays an important role in translating video data into scientific knowledge. This is a useful addition to the animal behaviourist’s analytical toolkit.

Introduction: The most important side effect after non-surgery cancer treatment (NSCT) is oral mucositis (OM) which degrades the quality of life. Using photobiomodulation (PBM), formerly known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT), in the prevention of NSCT-induced OM was widely studied. Hence, this review evaluates the efficacy of optical treatment parameters behind the working process of PBM in preventing NSCT-induced OM in preclinical studies.Methods: Using the PubMed, Scopus, and Embase databases, the present study systematically reviewed existing preclinical studies for optical treatment parameters of PBM in preventing NSCTinduced OM in experimental models without restriction on the year of publication.Results: In total, 51 articles were recognized during the search of the literature, and only 16 research papers were included in this review, taking into consideration the inclusion as well as exclusion benchmarks. The reviewed studies showed that a consensus has yet to be reached on the optimal PBM treatment parameters in preventing NSCT-induced OM. However, a wavelength of 660 nm, a power density of 40 mW as well as fluence which ranged between 2 and 6 J/cm2 were mostly utilized in the included studies. Furthermore, the severity of NSCT-induced OM was reduced following PBM application with no reported severe side effects.Conclusion: The efficacy of PBM with the associated optical parameters is a promising strategy in preventing NSCT-induced OM. However, the optimal parameters of PBM need to be investigated. DOI: doi:10.34172/jlms.2021.54

Protection of normal tissues against ionizing radiation-induced damages is a critical issue in clinical and environmental radiobiology. One of the ways of accomplishing radiation protection is through the use of radioprotectors. In the search for the most effective radioprotective agent, factors such as toxicity, effect on tumors, number of tissues protected, ease of administration, long-term stability, and compatibility with other drugs need to be assessed. Thus, in the present study, we systematically review existing studies on a chemical radioprotector, Ex-RAD, with the aim of examining its efficacy of radiation protection as well as underlying mechanisms. To this end, a systematic search of the electronic databases including Pubmed, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar was conducted to retrieve articles investigating the radioprotective effect of Ex-RAD. From an initial search of 268 articles, and after removal of duplicates as well as applying the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 10 articles were finally included for this systematic review. Findings from the reviewed studies indicated that Ex-RAD showed potentials for effective radioprotection of the studied organs with no side effect. Furthermore, the inhibition of apoptosis through p53 signaling pathway was the main mechanism of radioprotection by Ex-RAD. However, its radioprotective effect would need to be investigated for more organs in future studies.

Blockchain has been emerging as a promising technology that could totally change the landscape of data security in the coming years, particularly for data access over Internet-of-Things and cloud servers. However, blockchain itself, though secured by its protocol, does not identify who owns the data and who uses the data. Other than simply encrypting data into keys, in this paper, we proposed a protocol called Biometric Blockchain (BBC) that explicitly incorporate the biometric cues of individuals to unambiguously identify the creators and users in a blockchain-based system, particularly to address the increasing needs to secure the food logistics, following the recently widely reported incident on wrongly labelled foods that caused the death of a customer on a flight. The advantage of using BBC in the food logistics is clear: it can not only identify if the data or labels are authentic, but also clearly record who is responsible for the secured data or labels. As a result, such a BBC-based solution can great ease the difficulty to control the risks accompanying the food logistics, such as faked foods or wrong gradient labels.

Computational complexity is a characteristic of almost all Lesk-based algorithms for word sense disambiguation (WSD). In this paper, we address this issue by developing a simple and optimized variant of the algorithm using topic composition in documents based on the theory underlying topic models. The knowledge resource adopted is the English WordNet enriched with linguistic knowledge from Wikipedia and Semcor corpus. Besides the algorithm’s eficiency, we also evaluate its efectiveness using two datasets; a general domain dataset and domain-specific dataset. The algorithm achieves a superior performance on the general domain dataset and superior performance for knowledge-based techniques on the domain-specific dataset.

Objectives Oral mucositis caused by radiation therapy is a common problem in cancer patients, especially those with head and neck cancer. Numerous experimental and clinical studies have attempted to find a drug to alleviate oral mucositis. Sumatriptan, is conventionally used to treat migraine attack and cluster headache. Recently, low doses have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. In this study we aimed to measure the effect of sumatriptan on experimental radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis. Material and Methods This study evaluates the use of sumatriptan 0.3 and 1 mg/kg in radiation-induced oral mucositis. In order to induce oral mucositis, six rats from each group received 8-Gy of X-ray in a single session. Likewise, three rats from each group received 26-Gy of X-ray. The latter dose of X-ray was used for inducing severe mucositis and apoptosis evaluation by TUNEL assay, while the first dose was used for histopathological and molecular assessments. On 8th day after irradiation, specimens were collected from their tongues for histology, TUNEL and molecular assessments. Results Radiation caused mucosal atrophy, derangement of the tissue and vasodilation. Sumatriptan significantly decreased histopathological score and alleviated mucosal atrophy. As well, there was no evidence of vasodilation in the sumatriptan group. Likewise, sumatriptan decreased the increased level of NF-kB and prevented its activation as well as ERK phosphorylation. In addition, Sumatriptan-treated rats had lower tissue level of TNF-α, reactive oxygen species and fewer apoptotic cells in TUNEL assay. Conclusion Based on study results, sumatriptan mitigate radiation-induced oral mucositis by inhibiting NF-kB, ERK and limiting the release of TNF-α, oxidative stress factor and apoptosis.

Mobile phones have been identified as one of the technologies that can be used to overcome the challenges of information dissemination regarding serious diseases. Short message services, a much used function of cell phones, for example, can be turned into a major tool for accessing databases. This paper focuses on the design and development of a short message services-based information access algorithm to carefully screen information on human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome within the context of a frequently asked questions system. However, automating the short message services-based information search and retrieval poses significant challenges because of the inherent noise in its communications. The developed algorithm was used to retrieve the best-ranked question–answer pair. Results were evaluated using three metrics: average precision, recall and computational time. The retrieval efficacy was measured and it was confirmed that there was a significant improvement in the results of the proposed algorithm when compared with similar retrieval algorithms.

When using Information Retrieval (IR) systems, users often present search queries made of ad-hoc keywords. It is then up to the information retrieval systems (IRS) to obtain a precise representation of the user's information need and the context (preferences) of the information. To address this problem, we investigate optimization of IRS to individual information needs in order of relevance. The goal of this article is to develop algorithms that optimize the ranking of documents retrieved from IRS according to user search context. In particular, the ranking task that led the user to engage in information-seeking behaviour during search tasks. This article discusses and describes a Document Ranking Optimization (DROPT) algorithm for IR in an Internet-based or designated databases environment. Conversely, as the volume of information available online and in designated databases is growing continuously, ranking algorithms can play a major role in the context of search results. In this article, a DROPT technique for documents retrieved from a corpus is developed with respect to document index keywords and the query vectors. This is based on calculating the weight (w ij ) of keywords in the document index vector, calculated as a function of the frequency of a keyword k j across a document. The purpose of the DROPT technique is to reflect how human users can judge the context changes in IR result rankings according to information relevance. This article shows that it is possible for the DROPT technique to overcome some of the limitations of existing traditional (tƒ × idƒ) algorithms via adaptation. The empirical evaluation using metrics measures on the DROPT technique carried out through human user interaction shows improvement over the traditional relevance feedback technique to demonstrate improving IR effectiveness.

Transceivers are the major energy consumption in a Wireless Sensor Network which is made of low-power, small in size, low cost and multi-functional nodes. These sensor nodes are operated by batteries which put significant constraint to the energy available to them. Each sensor node collects sensed data and forwards it to a single processing centre called the base station which uses all reported data to detect an event or determine the changes in an environment. In present study, we propose energy optimization in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) using uniform distributed clustering algorithms. One ofthe algorithms distributes cluster heads uniformly in each cluster and each non -cluster head transmit its data to the cluster heads with short distance which reduces the communication distance of each node. Thus, minimizes the energy consumption of sensor nodes. The second algorithm generates cluster heads in hierarchical form in order to transmit the aggregate data to the base station. It was observed that there is increase in energy savings as we move from bottom up in the hierarchy. Both UDCA protocol and Low Energy Adaptive Cluster Hierarchy protocol (LEACH) were simulated. The simulation results show significant reduction in energy consumption of sensor nodes and cluster heads are more uniformly distributed among all nodes in UDCA compare with LEACH and extend the wireless sensor networks lifetime.

Recent technological advances in wireless communications and wireless sensor networks have enabled the design of low-cost, intelligent, tiny, and lightweight medical sensor nodes that can be strategically placed on human body, create a wireless body area network (WBAN) to monitor various physiological vital signs for a long period of time and providing real-time feedback to the user and medical staff. WBANs promise to revolutionize health monitoring. In this paper, medical sensors were used to collect physiological data from patients and transmit it to Intelligent Personal digital Assistant (IPDA) using ZigBee/IEEE802.15.4 standard and to medical server using 3G communications. We introduced priority scheduling and data compression into the system to increase transmission rate of physiological critical signals which improve the bandwidth utilization. It also extends the life time of hand-held personal server by reducing power consumption during transmission.

One of the major constraints of wireless sensor networks is limited energy available to sensor nodes because of the small size of the batteries they use as source of power. Clustering is one of the routing techniques that have been using to minimize sensor nodes’ energy consumption during operation. In this paper, A Novel Clustering Algorithm for Energy Efficiency in Wireless Sensor Networks (ANCAEE) has been proposed. The algorithm achieves good performance in terms of minimizing energy consumption during data transmission and energy consumptions are distributed uniformly among all nodes. ANCAEE uses a new method of clusters formation and election of cluster heads. The algorithm ensures that a node transmits its data to the cluster head with a single hop transmission and cluster heads forward their data to the base station with multi-hop transmissions. Simulation results show that our approach consumes less energy and effectively extends network utilization.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is gaining ground in all areas of life, and, developing countries are taking advantage of this phenomenon in numerous sectors including, socio-economic development, education and healthcare. With particular emphasis on healthcare, where access to appropriate information can minimize visits to physicians and periods of hospitalization for patients suffering from chronic conditions that can cause untimely death if not properly treated, e.g. asthma, diabetes, TB and HIV/AIDS diffusion. The overall objective of this paper is to discuss and describe a model for enhancing ICT for development (ICT4D) and the significance of information security in healthcare institutions. The paper focus is important because we are particularly interested in the information security aspect of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) with patients' information protected from possible security threats in hospitals, when sensitive information has to be communicated among healthcare agents. We have identified some healthcare ICT information sharing components in the context of our proposed model as fundamental characteristics to fulfil the information requirements. We further describe how the identified agents in healthcare ICT readiness components interact with a required data to generate the desirable output we have termed in this paper as healthcare ICT SMART Impact. We believe our SMART model will provide support for the local indigenous communities, our target group in a developing economy through Telemedicine.

Malaria is well known public health menace in Nigeria with huge economic and social cost especially in institutions or university community, where it accounts for more outpatients’ visits than any other cause, yet the incidence of malaria is on the rise. This study examined the individual control strategy for malaria infestation among members of American University of Nigeria Community. The study utilized a descriptive survey approach. An internet base self-structured questionnaire randomly sent to both staff and students was used to elicit relevant information for the study. A total of 260 individuals responded to the questionnaire. Data from the clinic medical data base (Care plus) was used to ascertain the incidence of Malaria from January 2014 to June, 2016. Using line graph, percentage distribution table, mean and standard deviation for data analysis, findings from the study indicated an overall rise in the incidence of malaria. The mean and SD value of 56.7 ± 35.2 showed that individuals varied in their choice of preventive/control method for malaria infection. Most respondents 47.3% and 40 % would prevent malaria attacks by using insecticide spray and screening of doors and windows respectively. 23.1% of the respondents drain stagnant water (breeding site for mosquitoes) or use prophylactic malaria drug (22.7%). Less than 15% would use either of various other methods such as treated mosquito nets, clearing of surrounding bushes and grass, repellent creams, wear protective clothing or use mosquito coil/bat (5.8%). Based on the perceived factors which influence individual choice of adopting variety of methods to prevent malaria attack, 45% of the respondent reported lack of awareness as a major factor influencing malaria controls strategy and Location/Environment (36.9%), inefficient/incorrect use of preventive measures (30.4%). 20% considered cost, safety level of repellent, nets, insecticides and chemical/drug resistance as a factor with educational level perceived as been the least influential (16.9%). The study identified a lax in attitude and inefficient utilization of available resources. Therefore, it is imperative for every individual to be more proactive and conscientious in their approach towards the prevention and control of malaria infection. Heightened malaria awareness program as a way of public enlightenment synergized by enabling policies and strategic planning at specific periods of the year will go a long way in mitigating the incidence of malaria and the ripple effect it has on the nation.

People use search engines to find information they desire with the aim that their information needs will be met. Information retrieval (IR) is a field that is concerned primarily with the searching and retrieving of information in the documents and also searching the search engine, online databases, and Internet. Genetic algorithms (GAs) are robust, efficient, and optimizated methods in a wide area of search problems motivated by Darwin’s principles of natural selection and survival of the fittest. This paper describes information retrieval systems (IRS) components. This paper looks at how GAs can be applied in the field of IR and specifically the relevance of genetic algorithms to internet web search. Finally, from the proposals surveyed it turns out that GA is applied to diverse problem fields of internet web search.

The sensitivity of health-care information and its accessibility via the Internet and mobile technology systems is a cause for concern in these modern times. The privacy, integrity and confidentiality of a patient’s data are key factors to be considered in the transmission of medical information for use by authorised health-care personnel. Mobile communication has enabled medical consultancy, treatment, drug administration and the provision of laboratory results to take place outside the hospital. With the implementation of electronic patient records and the Internet and Intranets, medical information sharing amongst relevant health-care providers was made possible. But the vital issue in this method of information sharing is security: the patient’s privacy, as well as the confidentiality and integrity of the health-care information system, should not be compromised. We examine various ways of ensuring the security and privacy of a patient’s electronic medical information in order to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the information.