Background The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), a nationally representative household survey launched in 2007, could benefit from a cost-effective and easy to use platform that included support for multiple-languages, the ability to field surveys in countries with limited resources, and the integration of diverse data management methodologies. To fill these gaps, a new Android-supported General Survey System (GSS), based on the previous Windows Mobile GSS platform, was developed for GATS. Methods The GSS for Android system was modeled after the previously developed Windows Mobile-based system. It is a suite of software tools for survey design, implementation, and reporting. It includes various data management models that were developed to work in diverse conditions: SIM based tablet or Wi-Fi transmission with cloud integration, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), migration of data over SD cards or USB cables, and use of Wi-Fi capable external drives. Results Since 2014, the GSS for Android system has been implemented in 15 countries that have fielded GATS, using Android hardware. Over 1900 tablets have been programmed in 40 languages, and more than 220,000 households have been surveyed with over 175,000 individuals interviewed. Due to a robust data management plan, effective quality control processes, and rigorous training methodology, no data loss has occurred. Currently, more than 660 million tobacco related data points have been captured, which will inform the publishing of 15 fact sheets and country reports. Conclusions GSS for Android has been a successful new tool for tobacco surveillance. The system architecture and variety of hardware platforms have shown adaptability across countries, irrespective of resource availability, internet and telecom capabilities, hardware requirements, and differing physical environments.

High quality is important in medical imaging, yet in many geographic areas, highly skilled sonographers are in short supply. Advances in Internet capacity along with the development of reliable portable ultrasounds have created an opportunity to provide centralized remote quality assurance (QA) for ultrasound exams performed at rural sites worldwide. We sought to harness these advances by developing a web-based tool to facilitate QA activities for newly trained sonographers who were taking part in a cluster randomized trial investigating the role of limited obstetric ultrasound to improve pregnancy outcomes in 5 low- and middle-income countries. We were challenged by connectivity issues, by country-specific needs for website usability, and by the overall need for a high-throughput system. After systematically addressing these needs, the resulting QA website helped drive ultrasound quality improvement across all 5 countries. It now offers the potential for adoption by future ultrasound- or imaging-based global health initiatives.

Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is believed to play a luteotrophic role in the pig corpus luteum during the oestrous cycle. Since the actions of IGF-I in target tissues are mediated by the type I IGF receptor, the concentrations of IGF-I receptor mRNA and protein were examined in pig corpora lutea at different stages of the oestrous cycle. Corpora lutea were collected from normally cyclic gilts on days 4, 7, 10, 13, 15 and 16 of the oestrous cycle (n = 4 animals per day). Corpora lutea on days 7, 10 and 13 were dissociated with collagenase, and large and small luteal cell sub-populations were separated by elutriation. Northern and slot blots were used to examine mRNA, and western blots were used to measure the concentrations of IGF-I receptor protein in the pig corpus luteum. On northern blots, luteal IGF-I receptor mRNA was present as a single 11 kb transcript. The slot blots showed that the steady state expression of IGF-I receptor mRNA increased significantly (P < 0.05) from its lowest value on day 4, to reach a maximum on days 13-16. IGF-I receptor mRNA was also expressed to a greater extent in large compared with small luteal cells (P < 0.05). On western blots, IGF-I receptor appeared as a 95 kDa protein band (beta-subunit) and IGF-I receptor protein concentrations were significantly higher (P < 0.05) on days 4-10 than on days 13-16. Finally, large luteal cells appeared to contain more IGF-I receptor protein than the small luteal cells. In conclusion, since IGF-I receptor was detected in the pig corpus luteum, it is a likely target tissue for IGF-I, especially during the early luteal phase. Furthermore, IGF-I receptor was localized primarily on large luteal cells, thus it is hypothesized that IGF-I may play a paracrine role in the pig corpus luteum.