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Effect of a third booster dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in patients with haematological cancer after the initial two-dose vaccination - a single centre report
No full textNovel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 causing COVID-19 has been subject to intensive interest since its appearance in 2019, with the risk of severe course being significantly higher for adult patients with hematological malignancy. Results on a two-dose, standard vaccination regimen in patients with hematological cancer have identified risk populations with poor vaccination outcomes (Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, anti-CD20 treatment, etc.). Thus, a booster dose was anticipated with hopes of inducing an immune response in formerly non-respondent individuals. We have vaccinated 394 patients with hematological cancer with the third dose of the mRNA BNT 162b2 COMIRNATY vaccine. Our results show promise, especially for increasing protective antibody levels in patients who retain valid antibody titers. We also identify problematic populations such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which still represent a major challenge for prophylaxis and protection against a severe course of COVID-19. Our report brings more insight into vaccination results and behavior. Importantly, we have identified risk groups in which poor outcomes can be anticipated and what extensive preventive measures should be undertaken to avoid COVID-19 infection. </p
Cost of arterioveinous fistula at the Douala General Hospital: A Cameroon-based cross-sectional study
No full textBackground: Cost is a major limiting factor for dialysis in low-income countries. The objective of our study was to determine the economic cost of creating an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for hemodialysis at the Douala General Hospital (DGH).Material and methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study including patients undergoing AVF creation at the DGH from January to April 2020. Costs were calculated using a bottom-up approach. The direct cost was composed of the sum of the cost of medical consultation, additional paraclinical tests, drugs, disposables, hotel services, food, transport and medical and nursing care. The indirect cost was calculated as the sum of the costs related to the temporary incapacity to work and the additional expenses of the families. The cost of temporary work incapacity was calculated according to human capital theory. The economic cost was the sum of the direct cost and the indirect cost. The costs were expressed as a mean with standard deviation. The calculated costs were expressed in US Dollars. Statistical significance was considered as p < 0.05.Results: A total of 44 patients were included of which 29/44 (65.9%) were male. The mean age of the study population was 49.1 ± 14.7 years. The median monthly income was 327.3 ± 64.5 ± 391.9 ± $219.5. Direct costs accounted for 83.54% of the economic cost. Re-operation (p = 0.039), age (p < 0.01) and number of hospitalization days (p < 0.01) significantly affected the costConclusion: The cost of creating an AVF for hemodialysis was high and represented more than 2 times the median monthly income of patients and was mainly due to hospitalization costs. Therefore, there is a need to implement strategies to reduce the financial burden of arteriovenous fistula creation in our setting.</p
Environmental awareness on solid waste management practices: A case study in Angolan secondary schools
No full textThis paper presents a case study on the environmental awareness of the students of secondary schools in Angola and analyses the environmental education programs in the two cycles. The study was carried out in the four largest provinces of Angola and the results were obtained from questionnaires to the students and interviews with the school coordinators and the waste management officers in the region. The results show that the students have moderate consumption habits of electricity and water, demonstrated by 40% of students following the appropriate attitude, and have reasonable knowledge about the scenarios that produce large environmental impact, marking 3 out of 9 options: river pollution, toxic waste in the soil and sewage discharge on the beach as the most relevant, together reaching almost 50% of the responses. However, they have a gap in knowledge about the health impact of solid waste disposal in dumps site close to urban areas, as evidenced by the high number of children and adolescents living near these areas and with some of them helping their families as waste pickers. The poor environmental education program and the nonexistence of school activities on these issues contribute for disassociate the linkage of waste disposal in dumps with diseases. As waste disposal in dumps is current in almost all provinces in Angola, except Luanda, environmental education in schools plays an important role in preparing children and adolescents to adopt practices in the future that protect the environment and contribute to the reduction of public health problems. In addition, children and adolescents can indirectly influence their parents on these issues.</p
Diabetes and bacterial infection
No full textPeople with diabetes are at increased risk of infection and are worried about biological agents such as bacteria. Particularly, foot infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and skin diseases are due to bacterial infections that make diabetic patients suffer from clinical difficulties. Although antibiotics, one of the bacterial therapies, have been used, the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria is now in demand for alternative therapies. Although, many studies reported that antibiotic-resistant for bacterial infections and their rate have increased significantly in the diabetic patient population. Still, there is no report that directly compares the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant infections in diabetes types. In this review, we described the diverse types of diabetes with their bacterial infection and the reported resistance. Generally, diabetic patients are susceptible to vancomycin-resistant enterococcal infections, extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing intestinal bacteria, carbapenem-resistant intestinal bacteria, and unfermented gram-negative bacilli. Thus, early detection of diabetes and prompt treatment are important to control chronic infections in diabetic patients.</p
Morphometry of the middle cerebral artery (sylvian artery) on MRI: Contribution to cerebral endovascular surgery
No full textIntroduction: The Middle Cerebral Artery (MCA), from its old nomenclature “sylvian artery”, is a terminal branch of the Internal Carotid Artery (ICA) of which it constitutes the main extension. It represents a fundamental branch of the brain vasculature. The objective of this work was to provide Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) morphometric data of the MCA to inform the interventions of neurovascular specialists and to contribute to the advancement of microcatheter and stent technology.Methodology: Morphometry was studied on 40 Cerebral Hemispheres (CH) of 20 right-handed subjects aged 18 to 55 years. We used a Philips MRI from the Achieva range at 1.5 Tesla with the T2-SE and TOF sequences.After identification, the MCA morphometry consisted of measuring the luminal diameter at the origins of the four segments of the MCA. These were the M1 (sphenoidal), M2 (insular or sylvian), M3 (opercular) and M4 (cortical) segments.Results: The diameter is greater at the level of the M1 segment then it decreases along the path of the MCA. Within the same HC, the average luminal diameters at the origin of segments M1, M2 and M3 decrease significantly and successively from front to back (from M1 to M3). However, there is no significant difference between the average luminal diameters of M3 and M4.The M1, M2 and M3 segments show no significant mean difference between the right cerebral hemisphere (RCH) and the Left Cerebral Hemisphere (LCH). Only the M4 segment of the MCA presents a difference in the averages of the luminal diameter between the two CHs. Also, for this same segment M4, the distribution of RCH means is significantly higher than that of LCH.Conclusion: These results can help in choosing the appropriate size (diameter) of the microcatheters. Also, they make it possible to determine new diameters of microcatheters in the neurovascular system, some distal artery segments of which have been inaccessible until now.</p
Primary undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of the jejunal mesentery with a complicated course: A case report
Get PDFA primary Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma (UPS) of the mesentery is a rare form of malignancy, most commonly usually affecting the soft tissues of the extremities. Due to their location in the abdominal cavity distant from the intestinal loops they remain asymptomatic for a long time. In this study, an incidental finding on imaging is presented in a 66-year-old woman. CT imaging revealed a large mass in her abdomen, with difficulty pinpointing its exact origin. Exploratory laparotomy was performed to remove the mass in its entirety. Examination of the mass showed findings consistent with an undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma. She recovered well after her surgery. However, on follow-up imaging, a solitary metastatic lesion in her lung was detected. The prognosis of UPS is historically dismal with invasive treatment options currently being the preferred methods for management.</p
Multimodality imaging based treatment volume definition for recurrent Rhabdomyosarcomas of the head and neck region: An original article
Get PDFObjective: Rhabdomyosarcomas are among the malignant soft tissue tumors which may originate from primitive mesenchymal cells. These tumors may also be located in the head and neck region and may behave locally aggressive with the invasion of nearby structures. Radiation therapy (RT) may play a role as part of initial management as adjunctive therapy, or for treatment of recurrent disease. Accuracy and precision in RT treatment volume definition have gained utmost importance for achieving optimal treatment results. Herein, we assess multimodality imaging-based RT treatment volume definition for irradiation of recurrent head and neck rhabdomyosarcomas.Materials and methods: Multimodality imaging-based RT treatment volume definition for irradiation of recurrent head and neck rhabdomyosarcomas were evaluated in this study. RT target volume definition by incorporation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or by computed tomography (CT)-simulation images only was assessed with comparative analysis for patients receiving RT for recurrent head and neck rhabdomyosarcomas.Results: As the main outcome of this study, ground truth target volume has been found to be identical to treatment volume definition by CT-MR fusion-based imaging. Conclusion: Optimal management of recurrent head and neck rhabdomyosarcomas may be improved by precise and accurate RT treatment volume determination. Within this context, the incorporation of MRI in the target and treatment volume definition process may be strongly recommended to achieve improved accuracy and precision in target and treatment volume determination despite the need for further supporting evidence.</p
Food security and safety during Novel coronavirus (COVID-19)
Get PDFThis review paper was prepared by reviewing and summarizing several findings including research articles, FAO, and WHO databases concerning the pandemic and related issues. The security and safety status of foods during the pandemic outbreak and the possible solutions to food-related problems were also reviewed. The COVID-19 pandemic is currently not only affecting health but also the security of foods and nutrition. The effect of the Covid-19 on the entire food along the value chains was reviewed in this paper. The Coronavirus has been disturbing the health of world populations and food security. It is critically affecting the food processing business in various ways. The mitigating measures taken to contain the virus and decrease transmission to society are directly and indirectly affecting food security and safety. The overall food system is being disturbed by movement restrictions, closure of borders, and quarantine in turn resulting in low availability of food and an increase in the price of food products. The effect of the pandemic on food security can be estimated based on the impacts the previous pandemic Ebola made on the DRC and Liberia in 2014. The effects of the pandemic on the food production system and availability are similar. The mitigating measures suggested like movement restrictions, social distancing, and border closing and quarantine to protect the people from the COVID-19 are affecting global food security at large. Keeping the movement of foods along the value chain is crucial to creating and maintaining the confidence of consumers in the availability and safety of foods. Both security and the safety of foods are important things to be considered throughout the pandemic era. The important issue is that the low access to food and increase in price is challenging because; the pandemic affects labour for production at the farm, food processing personnel, marketing, and all the supply chains from production up to fork.</p
Epidemiology and diagnostic methods of lumpy skin disease: A Short Review
No full textLumpy skin disease (LSD) is a severe viral disease that is having an impact on the cattle industry. The disease is now widespread in the majority of African countries, and it has lately expanded beyond the continent into the Middle East area. The disease’s symptoms include an initial period of fever, followed by swollen lymph nodes, circumscribed firm skin nodules, and ulcerative lesions. It occurs in all agroclimatic situations, although it is more common in low-lying areas and beside watercourses. It is transmitted by insect vectors among cattle that share comparable pasture and watering sites and gather in the same barn. In this article, the lumpy skin disease virus, its epidemiology, and diagnostic methods are reviewed.</p
Nutrient utilization and growth performance of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fed varying levels of Composite Meal (CM) in replacement of fishmeal
Get PDFThis study evaluates the nutrient utilization and growth performance of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fed alternative animal protein composite meal for 42 days. The composite meal is composed of feather meal, blood meal, tilapia meal, and maggot meal each in a 25% proportion. Five isonitrogenous diets (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5) containing 40% crude protein were formulated with the composite meal replacing fish meal at 0% control (T1), 25% (T2), 50% (T3), 75% (T4) and 100%(T5) respectively. The weight gain, protein intake, protein efficiency ratio, and specific growth rate in the 75% and 100% inclusion levels were not significantly different from the control diet. Fish survival ranged between 90-95% with the highest weight gain of 10.57g observed in the 100% inclusion level. The Feed conversion ratio varied between (1.17 and 1.37). The results from growth, feed utilization, and survival levels showed an overall good growth of the fish in the experimental diets, and this indicates that the composite meal is a potential replacement for fish meal in the diets of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings.</p