P E R F O R M a N C E O F W E I G H I N G S C a L E S I N S T a L L E D I N S E L E C T E D H O S P I T a L S a N D H E a L T H C a R E C E N T R E S I N D a R E S S a L a a M

Abstract

Calibration and verification of weighing scales installed in hospitals and healthcare centres is indispensable to ensure its performance accuracy. A study was conducted to ascertain the performance of weighing scales in Ilala, Kinondoni, and Temeke hospitals located in Dar es Salaam region. The study administered fifty questionnaires to gather data from individuals working in these hospitals and healthcare centres as well as performing actual test of the installed scales. During the actual test, it was found that 38% of the scales delivered correct results, 48% were partially correct and 14% were incorrect. It was also found that 18% of tested scales were verified and stamped while 82% were neither stamped nor verified. Furthermore, the findings from the respondents show that 80% of the scales have not been repaired since they were purchased, 2% were repaired only once a year, while 18% were repaired at least once a year. It is concluded that the overall performance of the hospitals’ weighing scales was notsatisfactory. This is because only 38% of the scales delivered correct results while 62% delivered uncertain results. It is recommended that hospitals and healthcare centres should purchase weighing scales from the approved supplier by the Weight and Measures Agency (WMA) as this will minimize the poor performance of the scales used. It is also recommended that the Weight and Measures Agency (WMA) should establish a regulation that subjects the scales to metrological inspection and control, as well as raising awareness of the users of the scales on their proper use and storage

Genetic Variation, Stress, and Physiological Stress Response in Adults With Food Allergy or Celiac Disease

“…Next, 12 SNPs in these genes, with a minor allele frequency (MAF) greater than 20% in the 1000 Genomes dataset and a known or hypothesized association with stress related outcomes, were identified. The SNPs included 3 in CRHBP (rs7718461, rs10474485, rs10473984), 4 in CRHR1 (rs7209436, rs242924, rs242940, and rs110402), one in CXCL8 (rs4073), and 4 in OXTR (rs2268490, rs53576, rs7632287, rs2254298) (Feldman et al, 2016;Ishitobi et al, 2012;Janelidze et al, 2015;Nugent et al, 2011;Roy et al, 2012;Sasaki et al, 2016).…”

Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage studies in adults: Importance, challenges, and key issues to consider when using quantitative PCR-based approaches

“…Since PCVs protect vaccinees not only against disease but also against carriage of strains targeted by the vaccine (vaccine serotypes, VTs), carriage of S. pneumoniae became an endpoint in vaccine effectiveness studies (Auranen et al, 2013;Nzenze et al, 2017). This included randomized controlled trials on PCVs' direct effects in children (Dagan et al, 1997;van Gils et al, 2009) and surveillance of carriage to complement studies on PCVs' impact on pneumococcal disease (IPD) (Nunes et al, 2016;Lewnard et al, 2020;Félix et al, 2021).…”

“…These guidelines have been used frequently worldwide (Turner et al, 2022). Carriage studies are particularly useful in populations where S. pneumoniae carriage is prevalent and occurs at high pneumococcal density, as is the case for nasopharyngeal colonization among young children (Bosch et al, 2016;Nunes et al, 2016;Félix et al, 2021). Very briefly, following the guidelines, nasopharyngeal swabs are obtained and inoculated onto selective agar medium.…”

Analysis of Consumer Awareness of Neuromarketing

“…Measuring and mapping neurological responses to marketing stimuli in the human brain can compromise test subjects' autonomy [20], [21]. These measures include information on study procedures, the benefits and risks of participating in the study, the rights of test subjects, the types of findings that can be obtained from them, and the steps taken to ensure confidentiality and privacy [26], [27]. States that some of the most challenging ethical cases that have arisen in the world of neuromarketing are when people are experimenting without seeking their informed consent [32].…”