Background: Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) play vital roles to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare industries worldwide. However, its utilization in developing countries is very limited. This study was aimed to identify challenges of ICTs utilization among health professionals working in hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study was done among 320 health professionals in February 2015. Health professionals were selected systematically from the alphabetical lists/ registration book/of health professionals in each hospital. Trained data collectors used a pretested self-administered questionnaire to collect data on different variables. Epi Info version 3.5.4 and SPSS version 20 were used to edit and analyze data respectively. Descriptive statistics to describe study subjects and bi/multi variable regression analysis to identify ICTs utilization factors were used. Odds ratio at 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was used to describe the association between dependent and independent variables.

Result: A total of 312 (97.5%) health professionals responded to the questionnaire. More than half of health professionals (58.0%) aged between 25-30 years. Only 141 (45.0%) and 135 (43.0%) were computer literate and had computer access respectively. For those who had computer access, 115 (85.0%) used it in their daily activities. Of 123 (39.0%) respondents who have printer/photocopy services, 68 (55.0%) used printers to assist their work. Nearly two-third, 197 (63.0%) of health professionals accessed the internet using mobile/computer. Less than half, 148 (47.0%) of health professionals have awareness on the application of ICTs in the health system. Age, educational status, computer access, personal initiation, infrastructure, computer literacy, poor internet connection, budget shortage and management style were significant factors to health professionals’ ICTs utilization in the study area.

Conclusion: Health professionals accessed and utilized ICTs inadequately to manage their patients. Personal (age, education level, computer skills, initiation/awareness), management style, infrastructure and resource shortage were factors for limited ICTs access and utilization. Improving ICTs access, computer literacy, internet connection, personal ICTs awareness and management are important to improve ICTs access and utilization among health professionals working in hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Background: In Italy cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death. Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) reduces short-term deaths in patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI). We evaluated inequalities in accessing PTCA among AMI patients.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study on 9894 Italian patients hospitalized for AMI in 2003-2007. Generalized linear models were estimated for the probability of PTCA and for time between hospital admission and intervention.

Result: Gender was the most relevant factor in the probability of intervention. Patients ≥75 years and those with higher Charlson index had lower probability. The presence of a coronary unit was associated with greater probability. Surgical intervention within 24 hours from admission was more likely with increasing age and Charlson index and less likely for patients living near a coronary unit. Days between admission and intervention resulted affected by all covariates and deprivation index.

Conclusion: Consistently with literature, we pointed out the role of gender and age on the likelihood of PTCA. Additional factors affecting time to intervention (coronary units and deprivation index) were also identified.

Background: Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) is an enzyme released for the liver pathology. Growing studies have proposed the association between ALT and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Current literatures lack data of ALT in newly diagnosed T2DM patients in Chinese population. We therefore, conducted this cohort study to determine whether elevated serum ALT levels contributed to Insulin Resistance (IR), Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG), and T2DM simultaneously.

Methods: We combined a cross-sectional and cohort design together in this research. In the cross-sectional study, data was collected from 2423 men at Fangchenggang Area Males Health and Examination Survey (FAMHES). The participants were categorized into three groups, including normal (n=1794), IFG (n=556) and T2DM (n=73) in light of fasting glucose and history of diabetes. Besides, the subjects were divided into non insulin resistance (Non-IR) (n=1947) and IR (n=403) groups. Moreover, in the longitudinal analysis, 2819 men without T2DM underwent 4-year follow-up examination in the study of observing for the T2DM development.

Results: We observed a significant distinction of ALT between normal, IFG and T2DM groups (38.00(27.00 49.00) U/L, 43.00(30.50-55.50) U/L, and 45.00(32.00-58.00) U/L, respectively, P=0.024). After multiple adjustment, the Odds Ratios (ORs) were substantially higher for IFG [OR=1.73, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) =1.33-2.26)], T2DM [OR=2.05, 95% CI=1.05-3.97] and HOMA-IR [OR=3.12, 95% CI=2.18-4.47] in the highest ALT tertile comparing with those in the lowest tertile. In the longitudinal analysis, 99 individuals had developed T2DM and there were 28 (2.99%), 33 (3.51%) and 38 (4.03%) new cases from the first tertile to the last tertile. Individuals with the highest tertile of ALT were at significantly increased the incidence of T2DM compared with those in the lowest [HR=1.67, 95% CI=1.00-2.75].

Conclusion: Serum ALT concentrations were associated with prediabetes and increased ALT predicted a high risk for T2DM development.

During the last two decades or so, groups of immigrant patients in Western mental hospitals have challenged traditional psychiatry and questioned the ways immigrant patients have been treated.

Background: Nearly 1.3 million people die each year as a result of Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs). More than nine in every ten (91%) of the world’s RTA fatalities were from low and middle income countries such as Nepal. This study aimed to describe epidemiology of RTAs and reasons for delayed post-crash response in one of the major highways in Nepal.

Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design including both quantitative and qualitative techniques of data collection. The study area was Nagdhunga to Narayangadh road segment of Prithvi Highway. Data collection included key informant interviews, observation of the sites and inventory of road traffic accidents for the years 2011 and 2012. Qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis while quantitative data were analyzed using MS Excel software.

Results: One thousand and twelve accidents were reported over the study period involving a total of 1,383 vehicles. Among the vehicles involved in accidents, truck and tripper were at the top position (27%), followed by two wheelers (25%). Highest number of accidents occurred during the month of October coinciding with the higher traffic during because of major national festivals. Inadequate communication immediately after the crash and narrow and steeper roads delayed post-crash response. Additionally, scarcity of rescue teams and ambulance posed serious barriers in timely hospitalization of the victims.

Conclusion: Truck, trippers and scooters were vehicles involved in majority of accidents. Roads with severe turning, lack of adequate street lighting and the festival seasons were main reasons for RTAs. Establishing trauma centres and strengthening trauma units of tertiary care hospitals, establishing rescue teams at every 10-kilometer long road segment of the highway and formation of effective coordination committees at local level would strengthen post-crash response.