11 research outputs found
Development of Waypoint Navigation System for Autonomous Vehicle
No full textAutonomous vehicle can be used for various kinds of
surveillance and data collection missions. The navigation and
control system of the vehicle is the key to a successful mission.
This paper emphasizes on the waypoint navigation system with
Global Positioning System (GPS). The vehicle position in terms
of latitude, longitude and heading is extracted from GPS NMEA
protocol. The destination waypoints are predefined and the flight
plan is preprogrammed in the Microchip PIC18F452
microcontroller. In this paper, rudder control navigation system
is used while the elevator and aileron are being controlled by the
FMA copilot. Through grounded tests the navigation system
qualitatively proved to be able to complete levels
Awareness, knowledge, and practice for hepatitis B infection in Southeast Asia: a cross-sectional study.
No full textIntroduction: The prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Southeast Asia is high. Awareness and early detection are essential for timely prevention and treatment.
Methodology: We examined the awareness of, knowledge about, practices and views on treatment for HBV infection in Southeast Asia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from December 2016 to February 2017 among individuals from six nations in Southeast Asia—Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Singapore. The study population comprised healthcare and non-healthcare personnel.
Results: In total, 799 healthcare personnel and 1079 non-healthcare personnel completed an online survey. The prevalence of the awareness of their own HBV infection status and risk of this regionally endemic infection was 85.6% (684/799) among healthcare personnel and 54.0% (583/1079) among non-healthcare personnel. Similarly, 85.9% of healthcare personnel and 45.5% of non-healthcare personnel had good knowledge about disease transmission, complications, and the need for treatment, and 76.6% of healthcare personnel and 39.8% of non-healthcare personnel followed good HBV infection-prevention practices. Overall, 90.6% found the idea of treatment acceptable. Awareness had a significant impact on both knowledge and practice scores among both healthcare personnel and non-healthcare personnel (p < 0.01) but without statistically significant differences in treatment acceptance between the two groups (p = 0.61).
Conclusions: Awareness of HBV infection was relatively low among non-healthcare personnel in Southeast Asian populations. The provision of additional hepatitis B awareness campaigns is crucial to eliminating viral hepatitis in the region
Diseases that were newly diagnosed or nephrotoxic drugs that were given in HIV-infected patients with normal renal function on tenofovir-based antiretroviral therapy between January 2012 and December 2013 in Myanmar.
No full text<p>ART = antiretroviral therapy</p><p><sup>a</sup> included amphotericin B, amikacin, acyclovir, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs</p><p>Diseases that were newly diagnosed or nephrotoxic drugs that were given in HIV-infected patients with normal renal function on tenofovir-based antiretroviral therapy between January 2012 and December 2013 in Myanmar.</p
Cumulative incidence of renal dysfunction in HIV-infected patients
No full text<p>Cumulative incidence of renal dysfunction in HIV-infected patients</p
Baseline characteristics of HIV-infected patients started on tenofovir-based antiretroviral therapy between January 2012 and December 2013 in Myanmar.
No full text<p>BMI = body mass index; WHO = World Health Organization</p><p><sup>a</sup> Percentage of those tested</p><p><sup>b</sup> Creatinine clearance ≥ 50ml/min/1.73m<sup>2</sup></p><p><sup>c</sup> Creatinine clearance < 50ml/min/1.73m<sup>2</sup></p><p>Baseline characteristics of HIV-infected patients started on tenofovir-based antiretroviral therapy between January 2012 and December 2013 in Myanmar.</p
Low Incidence of Renal Dysfunction among HIV-Infected Patients on a Tenofovir-Based First Line Antiretroviral Treatment Regimen in Myanmar.
No full textBACKGROUND: Since 2004, Médecins Sans Frontières-Switzerland has provided treatment and care for people living with HIV in Dawei, Myanmar. Renal function is routinely monitored in patients on tenofovir (TDF)-based antiretroviral treatment (ART), and this provides an opportunity to measure incidence and risk factors for renal dysfunction. METHODS: We used routinely collected program data on all patients aged ≥15 years starting first-line TDF-based ART between January 2012 and December 2013. Creatinine clearance (CrCl) was assessed at base line and six-monthly, with renal dysfunction defined as CrCl < 50 ml/min/1.73 m2. We calculated incidence of renal dysfunction and used Cox regression analysis to identify associated risk factors. RESULTS: There were 1391 patients, of whom 1372 had normal renal function at baseline. Of these, 86 (6.3%) developed renal dysfunction during a median time of follow-up 1.14 years with an incidence rate of 5.4 per 100 person-years: 78 had CrCl between 30-50 ml/min/1.73 m2 and were maintained on TDF-based ART, but 5 were changed to another regimen: 4 because of CrCl <30 ml/min/1.73 m2. Risk factors for renal dysfunction included age ≥45 years, diagnosed diabetes, underlying renal disease, underweight and CD4 count <200 cells/mm3. There were 19 patients with baseline renal dysfunction and all continued on TDF-based ART: CrCl stayed between 30-49 ml/min/1.73 m2 in five patients while the remainder regained normal renal function. CONCLUSIONS: In a resource-poor country like Myanmar, the low incidence of renal toxicity in our patient cohort suggests that routine assessment of CrCl may not be needed and could be targeted to high risk groups if resources permit
Additional file 2 of High levels of viral repression, malnutrition and second-line ART use in adolescents living with HIV: a mixed methods study from Myanmar
No full textAdditional file 2. Results of the clinical examination of adolescents aged 10–19 years old on ART and enrolled in the cross-sectional survey at an MSF clinic in Myanmar, by age group
Additional file 1 of High levels of viral repression, malnutrition and second-line ART use in adolescents living with HIV: a mixed methods study from Myanmar
No full textAdditional file 1. Baseline characteristics of adolescents aged 10–19 years old on ART and enrolled in the cross-sectional survey at an MSF clinic in Myanmar, by age group
Cost and cost-effectiveness of a real-world HCV treatment program among HIV-infected individuals in Myanmar
No full textIntroduction Over half of those hepatitis C virus (HCV)/HIV coinfected live in low-income and middle-income countries, and many remain undiagnosed or untreated. In 2016, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) established a direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment programme for people HCV/HIV coinfected in Myanmar. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the real-world cost and cost-effectiveness of this programme, and potential cost-effectiveness if implemented by the Ministry of Health (MoH).Methods Costs (patient-level microcosting) and treatment outcomes were collected from the MSF prospective cohort study in Dawei, Myanmar. A Markov model was used to assess cost-effectiveness of the programme compared with no HCV treatment from a health provider perspective. Estimated lifetime and healthcare costs (in 2017 US1250). We evaluated cost-effectiveness with updated quality-assured generic DAA prices and potential cost-effectiveness of a proposed simplified treatment protocol with updated DAA prices if implemented by the MoH.Results From November 2016 to October 2017, 122 with HIV/HCV-coinfected patients were treated with DAAs (46% with cirrhosis), 96% (n=117) achieved sustained virological response. Mean treatment costs were 1971 (with cirrhosis), with DAA drugs being the largest contributor to cost. Compared with no treatment, the program was cost-effective (ICER 488/DALY averted). A simplified treatment protocol delivered by the MoH could be cost-effective if associated with similar outcomes (ICER $316/DALY averted).Conclusions Using MSF programme data, the DAA treatment programme for HCV among HIV-coinfected individuals is cost-effective in Myanmar, and even more so with updated DAA prices. A simplified treatment protocol could enhance cost-effectiveness if further rollout demonstrates it is not associated with worse treatment outcomes
Epidemiological characteristics and real‐world treatment outcomes of hepatitis C among HIV/HCV co‐infected patients in Myanmar: A prospective cohort study
No full textAbstract Background and Aims In Myanmar, public sector treatment programs for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were nonexistent until June 2017. WHO highlights the importance of simplification of HCV service delivery through task‐shifting among health workers and decentralization to the primary health care level. Between November 2016 and November 2017, a study was conducted to describe the epidemiological data and real‐world outcomes of treating HIV/HCV coinfected patients with generic direct acting antiviral (DAA) based regimens in the three HIV clinics run by nonspecialist medical doctors in Myanmar. Methods HCV co‐infection among people living with HIV (PLHIV) from two clinics in Yangon city and one clinic in Dawei city was screened by rapid diagnostic tests and confirmed by testing for viral RNA. Nonspecialist medical doctors prescribed sofosbuvir and daclatasvir based regimens (with or without ribavirin) for 12 or 24 weeks based on the HCV genotype and liver fibrosis status. Sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after treatment (SVR12) was assessed to determine cure. Results About 6.5% (1417/21,777) of PLHIV were co‐infected with HCV. Of 864 patients enrolled in the study, 50.8% reported history of substance use, 27% history of invasive medical procedures and 25.6% history of incarceration. Data on treatment outcomes were collected from 267 patients of which 257 (96.3%) achieved SVR12, 7 (2.6%) failed treatment, 2 (0.7%) died and 1 (0.4%) became loss to follow‐up. Conclusion The study results support the integration of hepatitis C diagnosis and treatment with DAA‐based regimens into existing HIV clinics run by nonspecialist medical doctors in a resource‐limited setting. Epidemiological data on HIV/HCV co‐infection call for comprehensive HCV care services among key populations like drug users and prisoners in Yangon and Dawei
