Efficacy of malaria prevention during pregnancy in an area of low and unstable transmission: an individually-randomised placebo-controlled trial using intermittent preventive treatment and insecticide-treated nets in the Kabale Highlands, southwestern Uganda

Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy (IPTp) and insecticide-treated nets (ITN) are recommended malaria interventions during pregnancy; however, there is limited information on their efficacy in areas of low malaria transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. An individually-randomised placebo-controlled trial involving 5775 women of all parities examined the effect of IPTp, ITNs alone, or ITNs used in combination with IPTp on maternal anaemia and low birth weight (LBW) in a highland area of southwestern Uganda. The overall prevalence of malaria infection, maternal anaemia and LBW was 15.0%, 14.7% and 6.5%, respectively. Maternal and fetal outcomes were generally remarkably similar across all intervention groups (P > 0.05 for all outcomes examined). A marginal difference in maternal haemoglobin was observed in the dual intervention group (12.57 g/dl) compared with the IPTp and ITN alone groups (12.40 g/dl and 12.44 g/dl, respectively; P = 0.04), but this was too slight to be of clinical importance. In conclusion, none of the preventive strategies was found to be superior to the others, and no substantial additional benefit to providing both IPTp and ITNs during routine antenatal services was observed. With ITNs offering a number of advantages over IPTp, yet showing comparable efficacy, we discuss why ITNs could be an appropriate preventive strategy for malaria control during pregnancy in areas of low and unstable transmission. [ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00142207]     

A community-based delivery system of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy and its effect on use of essential maternity care at health units in Uganda

Community delivery of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) is one potential option that could mitigate malaria in pregnancy. However, there is concern that this approach may lead to complacency among women with low access to essential care at health units. A non-randomised community trial assessed a new delivery system of IPTp through traditional birth attendants, drug shop vendors, community reproductive health workers and adolescent peer mobilisers (the intervention) compared with IPTp at health units (control). The study enrolled a total of 2081 pregnant women with the new approaches. Data on care-seeking practices before and after the intervention were collected. The majority of women with the new approaches accessed IPTp in the second trimester and adhered to two doses of sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP) (1404/2081; 67.5%). Antenatal care (four recommended visits) increased from 3.4% (27/805) to 56.8% (558/983) (P<0.001). The proportion of women delivering at health units increased from 34.3% (276/805) to 41.5% (434/1045) (P=0.02), whilst the proportion of women seeking care for malaria at health units increased from 16.7% (128/767) to 36.0% (146/405) (P<0.001). Similarly, use of insecticide-treated nets increased from 7.7% (160/2081) to 22.4% (236/1055) (P<0.001). In conclusion, the community-based system was effective in delivering IPTp, whilst women still accessed and benefited from essential care at health units.     

Effect of a community-based delivery of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy on treatment seeking for malaria at health units in Uganda

BACKGROUND: The impact of intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) on malaria in pregnancy is well known. However, in countries where this policy is implemented, poor access and low compliance have been widely reported. Novel approaches are needed to deliver this intervention. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether traditional birth attendants, drug-shop vendors, community reproductive health workers and adolescent peer mobilizers can administer IPTp with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) to pregnant women, reach those at greatest risk of malaria, and increase access and compliance with IPTp. STUDY DESIGN: An intervention study compared the delivery of IPTp in the community with routine delivery of IPTp at health units. The primary outcome measures were the proportion of adolescents and primigravidae accessed, and the proportion of women who received two doses of SP. The study also assessed the effect of the intervention on access to malaria treatment, antenatal care, other services and related costs. RESULTS: More women (67.5%) received two doses of SP through the community approach compared with health units (39.9%; P<0.0001). Women who accessed IPTp in the community were at an earlier stage of pregnancy (21.0 weeks of gestation) than women who accessed IPTp at health units (23.1 weeks of gestation; P<0.0001). However, health units were visited by a higher proportion of primigravidae (23.6% vs 20.0%; P<0.04) and adolescents (28.4% vs 25.0%; P<0.03). Generally, women who accessed IPTp at health units made more visits for malaria treatment (2.6 (1.0-4.7) vs 1.8 (1.4-2.2); P<0.03). At recruitment, more women who accessed IPTp at health units sought malaria treatment compared with those who accessed IPTp in the community (56.9% vs 49.2%). However, at delivery, a high proportion of women who accessed IPTp in the community had sought malaria treatment (70.3%), suggesting the possibility that the novel approach had a positive impact on care seeking for malaria. Similarly, utilization of antenatal care, insecticide-treated nets and delivery care by women in the community was high. The total costs per woman receiving two doses of SP for IPTp were 4093 Uganda shillings (US$ 2.3) for women who accessed IPTp at health units, and 4491 Uganda shillings (US$ 2.6) for women who accessed IPTp in the community. CONCLUSION: The community approach was effective for the delivery of IPTp, although women still accessed and benefited from malaria treatment and other services at health units. However, the costs for accessing malaria treatment and other services are high and could be a limiting factor in mitigating the burden of malaria in Uganda.     

Intermittent preventive treatment for malaria and anaemia control in Tanzanian infants; the development and implementation of a public health strategy

Minimizing the time between efficacy studies and public health action is important to maximize health gains. We report the rationale, development and implementation of a district-based strategy for the implementation of intermittent preventive treatment in infants (IPTi) for malaria and anaemia control in Tanzania. From the outset, a research team worked with staff from all levels of the health system to develop a public-health strategy that could continue to function once the research team withdrew. The IPTi strategy was then implemented by routine health services to ensure that IPTi behaviour-change communication materials were available in health facilities, that health workers were trained to administer and to document doses of IPTi, that the necessary drugs were available in facilities and that systems were in place for stock management and supervision. The strategy was integrated into existing systems as far as possible and well accepted by health staff. Time-and-motion studies documented that IPTi implementation took a median of 12.4 min (range 1.6-28.9) per nurse per vaccination clinic. The collaborative approach between researchers and health staff effectively translated research findings into a strategy fit for public health implementation.     

The social construction of AIDS during a time of evolving access to antiretroviral therapy in rural Malawi

This paper draws upon a set of conversational journals collected over the past decade in rural Malawi, to understand how perceptions of AIDS are constructed as talk of antiretroviral therapy (ART) filters through social networks. Three distinct treatment eras frame our analysis: the early ART era (2001–2003), the ART expansion era (2004–2006) and the later ART era (2007–2009). We find that the early ART era was characterised by widespread fatalism as people recalled experiences with dying family and friends from what was perceived as an incurable and deadly disease. During the ART expansion era, AIDS fatalism was gradually replaced with a sense of uncertainty as rural Malawians became faced with two opposing realities: death from AIDS and prolonged life after ART. In the later ART era, the journals chart the rise of more optimistic beliefs about AIDS as rural Malawians slowly became convinced of ART's therapeutic payoffs. We conclude with an example of how ART created difficulties for rural Malawians to socially diagnose the disease and determine who was a safe sexual partner.     

长沙县农村育龄妇女增补叶酸现状及其影响因素

目的了解长沙县农村育龄妇女叶酸的增补现状及其影响因素,为促进增补叶酸预防神经管缺陷项目的实施提供参考。方法于2012年4月采用二阶段完全随机抽样方法对长沙县406名育龄妇女进行问卷调查,了解育龄妇女叶酸的知晓和服用情况,采用Logistic回归分析育龄妇女叶酸孕前服用和叶酸服用依从的影响因素。结果育龄妇女叶酸知晓率为19.9%,叶酸服用率为74.8%,叶酸服用依从率为20.4%,三者均未达到叶酸增补项目的总目标(P0.01)。多因素Logistic回归显示,知道叶酸需要持续补充6个月的育龄妇女更为依从(OR=2.559,P=0.001)、孕妇、一年内产妇较计划怀孕育龄妇女(孕妇OR=3.159,P=0.006;一年内产妇OR=5.535,P0.001)及曾接受过叶酸教育的育龄妇女叶酸服用依从性佳(OR=3.645,P0.001)。结论长沙县育龄妇女叶酸知晓率、服用率和依从率较低。应加强对育龄妇女叶酸预防神经管缺陷的宣传教育,并保证叶酸知识能够被育龄妇女接受。     

Perceptions of the causes of malaria and of its complications,treatment and prevention among midwives and pregnant women of Eastern Sudan

Background Malaria infection during pregnancy is a big burden in Sudan and has many adverse effects on both mother and fetus. There are no data concerning the local socio-cultural knowledge of malaria, its complications and prevention during pregnancy. Aim This study was conducted to assess the perceptions of the causes of malaria, its complications, treatment and prevention among midwives and pregnant women of Eastern Sudan so as to provide policy makers and malaria programme managers with information needed to improve the design of malaria control. Subject and methods Interviews were conducted with 87 midwives and 168 pregnant women. Results More than three-quarters (78.2%) of the midwives and (82.7%) pregnant women perceived that mosquitoes were the transmitters of malaria. The coverage of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) was 65.5% among the interviewed pregnant women. There was poor knowledge about the complications of malaria during pregnancy and the effect of malaria treatment on the fetus among the interviewed midwives and pregnant women. More than 60% of the midwives (n = 59, 67.8%) and almost all of the pregnant women (n = 162, 96.4%) had no knowledge about intermittent preventive treatment (IPT). Conclusion Thus, in spite of good knowledge about symptoms of malaria during pregnancy, there was a lack of perception of prevention and the safety of IPT.     

城市社区居民大肠癌筛查顺应性影响因素的病例对照研究

目的 了解城市社区居民对大肠癌筛查顺应性及其影响因素.方法 以城市社区自然人群大肠癌筛查预试验中接受问卷调查、大便隐血试验(FOBT)检查、肠镜检查和随访结果的不同分为病例组、对照A组和对照B组.结果 组间人群的基本特征没有显著差异(P>0.05).在筛查相关知识的调查中,病例组对筛查相关知识的了解显著高于对照组(P<0.01),对照A组对筛查相关知识的了解高于对照B组(P<0.05).结论 对筛查相关知识的了解程度越高,筛查顺应性就越高.     

食管癌高发区早诊早治内镜普查顺应性调查

食管癌的筛查除与防治策略本身有关外,还与人群的认识和接受程度有很大关系[1],接受程度高其顺应性就高,反之亦然,从而影响阳性病例的检出率及早期诊断率.为此本研究对磁县食管癌早诊早治普杳顺应性进行分析,探讨高发区食管癌内镜普查的影响因素,以提高食管癌早诊率.     

松江区居民大肠癌筛查及检查顺应性的影响因素分析

目的研究居民大肠癌筛查结果及其检查顺应性的影响因素,为提高大肠癌的筛查效果提供依据。方法 2012—2013年选择上海市松江区40岁以上的大肠癌高危人群140 096人进行粪便潜血试验(FOBT),FOBT阳性者进行肠镜检查。同时对所有人群进行问卷调查,分析其对肠镜检查的应答情况,并分析对肠镜检查顺应性的影响因素。结果 FOBT阳性率为16.83%。肠镜检查8 566人,筛查率36.33%。诊断肠癌142例,检出率为1.66%。FOBT阳性率2013年15.78%与2012年18.16%比较,明显降低(P0.05),且肠镜检查率明显升高(45.66%,26.04%,P0.05)。多因素非条件Logistic回归分析显示,怕痛(OR=3.01)、认为没必要(OR=1.89)是肠镜检查顺应性的独立不利因素,而文化程度高(OR=0.92)、定期体检(OR=0.75)是肠镜检查顺应性的有利因素(P0.05)。结论松江区居民大肠癌筛查的顺应性不高,定期体检、文化程度高的高危人群更容易接受肠镜检查,怕痛、认为没必要是拒绝肠镜检查的主要原因。     

Artemether in the treatment of falciparum malaria during pregnancy in eastern Sudan

This study was carried in New Halfa Hospital, eastern Sudan from October 1997 to February 2001. Twenty-eight pregnant Sudanese women infected with Plasmodium falciparum were treated with intramuscular artemether (six injections, 480 mg) after failure of chloroquine and quinine therapy. The patients were followed-up until delivery; the babies were followed-up until the age of 1 year. Artemether was given to one patient in the tenth week of gestation, to 12 during the second trimester, and to 15 during the third trimester. It was well tolerated, the parasitaemia was cleared and the patients were symptom-free within three days. One patient (3.5%) delivered at 32 weeks and the baby died six hours after delivery. The other 27 (96.5%) delivered full-term live babies. None of the pregnant women died and there was no abortion, stillbirth or congenital abnormalities in the newborn babies.     

晚孕期孕妇合并低蛋白血症的不良妊娠结局及其影响因素分析

目的探讨晚孕期孕妇合并低蛋白血症的不良妊娠结局及其影响因素。 方法选取2011年1月至2014年7月北京市通州区妇幼保健院收治的经过生化检查确认为晚孕期合并低蛋白血症的86例孕妇为研究对象,按照血清白蛋白检测水平,将其分为重度低蛋白血症亚组(Ⅰ组,n＝39)和轻度低蛋白血症组(Ⅱ组,n＝47)。选取本院同期收治的50例健康晚孕期孕妇纳入对照组(n＝50)。对3组孕妇的疾病构成比、妊娠不良结局(早产、胎儿生长受限、胎盘早剥等)、生化检查指标进行分析。此外,对晚孕期合并低蛋白血症孕妇不良妊娠结局影响因素进行非条件多因素logistic回归分析。3组孕妇的平均年龄比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。本研究遵循的程序符合北京市通州区妇幼保健院人体试验委员会制定的伦理学标准,得到该委员会批准,分组征得受试对象的知情同意,并与之签署临床研究知情同意书。 结果①86例晚孕期合并低蛋白血症孕妇的主要病因为子痫前期(53.5%),其次为肝脏疾病(12.8%)及多胎妊娠(11.6%)。子痫前期、非子痫前期及对照组孕妇的血清总蛋白、白蛋白、前白蛋白(PA)比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。②Ⅰ组、Ⅱ组及对照组孕妇在总蛋白、白蛋白、PA、尿酸、丙氨酸转氨酶(ALT)、乳酸脱氢酶(LDH)、肌酐、尿素氨、Mg^2＋、三酰甘油(TG)、总胆固醇(TC)、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇(HDL-C)、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇(LDL-C)等方面比较,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05),且Ⅰ组孕妇在早产、胎儿生长受限、胎盘早剥等不良妊娠结局发生率等方面显著高于Ⅱ组及对照组(P<0.05)。③非条件多因素logistic回归分析结果显示,低蛋白血症是晚孕期合并低蛋白血症孕妇不良妊娠结局的高危因素(OR＝1.261;P<0.05)。 结论子痫前期是导致晚孕期孕妇合并低蛋白血症的重要因素。低蛋白血症孕妇常伴多种生化指标异常,且对妊娠结局造成不利影响,是母婴不良妊娠结局的高危因素,临床早期评估晚期孕妇合并低蛋白血症对于避免或降低妊娠不良结局发生率具有重要意义。     

绝经期妇女骨质疏松症治疗依从性调查分析及干预对策

目的:分析影响绝经期妇女骨质疏松症治疗依从性的原因,探讨其干预对策。方法:选取2008年8月～2010年6月收治的68例绝经期妇女骨质疏松症并伴有不同部位骨折、骨性关节炎的患者进行调查,分析其影响治疗依从性的原因。将其随机分为两组各34例,对照组采用常规治疗及护理,观察组针对问题采取相关干预措施,比较干预后的效果。结果:影响绝经期妇女骨质疏松症治疗依从性的主要原因有:患者的重视程度、对疾病和治疗的了解、诊断率、经济状况、对治疗的信心。采取干预措施后,观察组的治疗依从性明显高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:影响绝经期妇女骨质疏松症治疗依从性的因素比较多,在治疗过程中应采取积极的干预措施,以提高治疗效果。     

陕西省农村妇女乳腺癌防治知识认知及影响因素研究

目的:调查分析农村妇女乳腺癌防治知识知晓情况与影响因素,为提高农村妇女乳腺癌防治知识知晓率提供政策依据.方法:采用分层整群随机抽样法选取800名35～64岁农村妇女进行问卷调查,收集乳腺癌防治知识知晓情况及影响因素资料.结果:被调查农村妇女乳腺癌防治知识总体知晓率为45.45％,对乳腺癌一般知识、危险因素、预防及早诊早治常识的认知分布不均衡;影响乳腺癌防治知识知晓率的主要因素包括年龄、文化程度及有乳腺检查史.结论:提高乳腺癌防治知识知晓率具有积极意义,关键在于有效的健康教育.应全面、系统地进行宣传教育,根据人群背景有针对性地宣传,把乳腺癌防治知识知晓率纳入项目检查质量考核体系,注重宣传教育的效果和连续性.     

山东农村高血压患者防治知识知晓程度及服药依从性相关研究

目的了解山东农村地区高血压患者防治知识知晓情况,分析其影响因素,并探索其与服药依从性的关系,为针对性开展农村高血压健康教育工作提供依据。方法于2018年5-6月采用多阶段分层随机抽样方法,在山东省农村地区抽取高血压患者,进行问卷调查,评估其高血压防治知识知晓和服药依从性情况,共有511例高血压患者纳入本研究。用SPSS 20.0软件进行χ²检验、多因素logistic回归分析和Spearman等级相关分析。结果511例调查对象高血压相关知识总体知晓率为47.60%,其中,高血压危险因素知晓率最高,为69.94%,其次依次为药物治疗(55.06%)、基础知识(39.20%)、危害认知(29.45%)和血压管理知识(29.45%)。服药依从性好的高血压患者有187人,占36.59%,服药依从性差者324人,占63.41%。多因素logistic回归分析结果显示,较高文化程度(初中OR=2.85,95%CI:1.32~6.13;高中及以上OR=7.39,95%CI:2.70~20.23)、病程长(2~年OR=4.77,95%CI:1.35~16.89;6~年OR=6.44,95%CI:1.80~23.04;>10年OR=12.08,95%CI:3.19~45.73)、药物治疗方案由省市级(OR=2.81,95%CI:1.10~7.20)或乡镇医院制定(OR=1.85,95%CI:1.08~3.16)、人均月收入较高(501~1500元OR=1.84,95%CI:1.07~3.18)的患者高血压相关知识知晓程度好,均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。χ²检验结果显示,高血压危险因素、危害认知、药物治疗等知识知晓程度不同的患者服药依从性差异均有统计学意义(P<0.01),且Spearman等级相关分析显示三者与服药依从性呈正相关(rs值分别为0.130、0.169和0.142),均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论山东省农村高血压患者的高血压防治知识知晓程度和服药依从性均有待进一步提高,应继续加强高血压危险因素、危害认知、药物治疗等相关知识的宣传教育。