Integrated maternal and infant health care in the postpartum period in a poor neighborhood in Santiago, Chile

An integrated postpartum health-care program was established by the Consultorio San Luis de Huechuraba (CSLH), a nongovernmental organization in a neighborhood of extreme poverty in Santiago, Chile. The main components were education, maternal and infant health care, support for the mothers, and active participation of women from the community served. The program was evaluated through indicators of contraceptive use, breastfeeding performance, infant growth and health, and a qualitative assessment of women's satisfaction. Controls were women of similar characteristics attending the nearby public clinic. Acceptability of contraceptive methods was similar but contraceptive options differed between clinics. The total number of pregnancies and of respondents lost to follow-up was significantly higher for the public clinic than for the CSLH. Breastfeeding duration was significantly longer and infant growth and health were found to be significantly better at the CSLH than at the public clinic. Women valued being treated with respect, receiving education and support, and being offered timesaving services and wider contraceptive choices at the CSLH. This study demonstrates that such interventions are possible for poor communities, providing significant advantages for women and children.     

Case-control study to identify risk factors for paediatric endemic typhoid fever in Santiago, Chile

Typhoid fever is an important endemic health problem in Santiago, Chile. Its incidence has more than doubled in recent years, during which access to potable water and sewage disposal in the home became almost universal in the city. A matched case—control study was carried out to identify risk factors and vehicles of transmission of paediatric typhoid fever; 81 children in the 3-14-years age group with typhoid fever were compared with controls, matched with respect to age, sex, and neighbourhood. It was found that case children more frequently bought lunch at school and shared food with classmates. Also, case children more often consumed flavoured ices bought outside the home; none of 41 other food items considered in the study was associated with a higher risk of typhoid fever. Only two food handlers for cases and one for controls were positive for Salmonella typhi, indicating that persons preparing food solely for their own family were not the main source of S. typhi infection. Rather, the risk factors identified in this study are consistent with the hypothesis that paediatric endemic typhoid fever in Santiago is largely spread by consumption of food-stuffs that are prepared outside the individual''s home and are shared with or sold to children.     

Treatment of children suffering from severe malnutrition in an area of Santiago, Chile

Despite marked progress in recent years, infant and young child malnutrition remains a serious health problem in Chile. To help define the nature of that problem better, researchers working in the Southeastern Metropolitan Area of Santiago conducted a survey of infants classified as having grade 2 protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM) and children under age 2 classified as having grade 3 PCM during the period March 31-October 1, 1980. The survey, based on a review of health facility records for all children in the area receiving care during the study period, found a total of 388 infants with grade 2 PCM and 102 subjects under 2 with grade 3 PCM. The study also found that the subjects who received comprehensive professional outpatient care at the area's Infant Nutrition Center fared significantly better than those cared for at outpatient health centers. The authors therefore recommend that the treatment of such children should be referred to or coordinated with centers that are diagnostically and therapeutically more sophisticated than the outpatient health centers. In this vein, it appears that the style of treatment provided by the Infant Nutrition Center could be developed more broadly throughout Chile and could be effectively employed in other countries with similar situations. It also appears, however, that malnourished children cannot be treated effectively as outpatients because they have very unsatisfactory home environments. One alternative approach is such cases is to admit the child as an inpatient to a special nutritional recovery center. Hospitalization, which typically occurs when the child is suffering from 1 or more pathologic conditions besides malnutrition, constitutes another alternative. However, the present survey found that the nutritional status of hospitalized study children did not improve, on the average, and some subjects experienced a marked nutritional deterioration. Another important point is that over 1/4 of the malnourished study children had low birthweights or had been premature. This underscores the importance of avoiding low birthweights as much as possible, and then giving low birthweight infants adequate care and treatment. In addition, clear standards should be established for the feeding of low birthweight children and for determining their nutritional status.     

Acute diarrhoeal disease in children under 7 years of age in a peri-urban slum of Santiago, Chile

A group of 168 families who lived in a peri-urban slum in Santiago were surveyed for 9 months. All of them had a child under 7 years of age. Medical activities and data collection were carried out at a Field Station and by means of twice-weekly visits to each home, at which time cases of diarrhoea were recorded and investigated. Faecal samples for bacteriological, parasitological and rotavirus studies were obtained during each episode. The characteristics of clinical course, hygienic practices in the family, and monthly anthropometric measurements of infants and toddlers were also recorded. The mean monthly incidence of diarrhoea was 7.1 episodes per 100 children. Of the episodes, 44.2% were associated with pathogenic bacteria, 14.4% with rotavirus, 38.4% with parasites and in 27.9% no enteropathogens were identified. It was found that adequate hygienic habits were not associated with a decreased risk of developing diarrhoea and that about 60% of children did not have diarrhoea throughout the study period. The nutritional status was adequate in most cases: weight-for-age was below the 5th percentile in 11.5% of subjects and the height-for-age was normal in all. No moderate or severe cases of malnutrition were detected.     

腹泻患儿151株志贺菌分布特征与耐药性分析

摘要:目的　探讨少儿腹泻患儿的志贺菌菌群分布特征与耐药特征,为临床防治提供依据。方法　选用志贺菌与沙门菌琼脂培养基进行培养,对于可疑的菌株经VITEK-32细菌鉴定仪与血清凝集鉴定到群,采用K-B的方法分析抗生素的耐药性。结果　151株志贺菌中主要为宋内志贺菌（85株,占56.3%）和福氏志贺菌（64株,占42.4%）,且感染患儿主要集中在0～10岁年龄段,占总感染率的72.2%（109/151）。药敏结果显示,福氏志贺菌和宋内志贺菌对氨苄西林、氨苄西林/舒巴坦、哌拉西林和复方磺胺甲噁唑的耐药率较高,均大于50%,对三代头孢及四代头孢的耐药率均在35%以下;福氏志贺菌对环丙沙星和左氧氟沙星的耐药率分别为29.6%和21.8%,未发现宋内志贺菌对环丙沙星和左氧氟沙星耐药,且两者对哌拉西林/三唑巴坦和亚胺培南全部敏感。31株多重耐药菌经纸片确认试验均为超光谱β-内酰酯酶（ESBLs）阳性菌株,但未发现头孢菌素酶（AmpC）酶阳性者。结论　腹泻患儿以感染宋内志贺菌与福氏志贺菌的婴幼儿为主,两种志贺菌对抗生素的药敏性差别比较大。     

Acute diarrhoeal disease in children under 7 years of age in a peri-urban slum of Santiago, Chile.

A group of 168 families who lived in a peri-urban slum in Santiago were surveyed for 9 months. All of them had a child under 7 years of age. Medical activities and data collection were carried out at a Field Station and by means of twice-weekly visits to each home, at which time cases of diarrhoea were recorded and investigated. Faecal samples for bacteriological, parasitological and rotavirus studies were obtained during each episode. The characteristics of clinical course, hygienic practices in the family, and monthly anthropometric measurements of infants and toddlers were also recorded. The mean monthly incidence of diarrhoea was 7.1 episodes per 100 children. Of the episodes, 44.2% were associated with pathogenic bacteria, 14.4% with rotavirus, 38.4% with parasites and in 27.9% no enteropathogens were identified. It was found that adequate hygienic habits were not associated with a decreased risk of developing diarrhoea and that about 60% of children did not have diarrhoea throughout the study period. The nutritional status was adequate in most cases: weight-for-age was below the 5th percentile in 11.5% of subjects and the height-for-age was normal in all. No moderate or severe cases of malnutrition were detected.     

Anthropometric measurements in the elderly population of Santiago, Chile

OBJECTIVE: There are few studies on anthropometry and nutritional status in large and representative samples of elderly populations in Chile and South America. We describe age and sex differences in weight, height, body mass index, knee height, waist circumference, midarm circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, arm muscle area, and calf circumference in Chilean elderly subjects. METHODS: This was a population-based, cross-sectional study. A total of 1220 elderly persons (819 women and 411 men; age range, 60-99 y) were recruited in the city of Santiago (Chile) through a probabilistic sampling procedure carried out from October to December 1999. RESULTS: Men were significantly heavier and taller than women in all age groups, whereas body mass index values were significantly higher in women than in men. All anthropometric variables showed a decrease in average values with aging in men and women. The apparent negative slopes for the decline in average values of body weight with aging was of greater magnitude in women than in men (-0.42 kg/y and -0.54 kg/y in male and female subjects, respectively). However, significant age x sex interaction was detected only for triceps skinfold thickness. In women, quadratic terms for age provided a significantly better fit than did the simple linear model for the association between age and weight, body mass index, waist circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, calf circumference, or midarm circumference. CONCLUSION: These observations indicated that body weight changes associated with aging might be more severe in Chilean women than in men, probably determining a differential pattern of lean and fat mass loss.     

辅食补充对贫困农村婴幼儿呼吸道感染和腹泻的影响

目的探讨强化辅助食品对婴幼儿呼吸道感染和腹泻两周内患病的影响。方法从甘肃省5个贫困县选取4~12个月的婴幼儿分成两组,所有儿童均在保持其家庭习惯的辅助食品添加的前提下,每天再补充1包不同配方的营养补充物,其中配方1组补充了蛋白质和微量营养素。每隔6个月对全部儿童补充一次大剂量的维生素A,两组儿童观察到满24个月为止。补充期间,每3个月进行一次体格测量,记录此期间儿童患呼吸系统疾病和腹泻的情况。结果补充12个月随访调查时,儿童近两周呼吸系统疾病和腹泻患病率下降明显,与基线调查比较,呼吸系统疾病和腹泻患病率的差异有显著性(P<0.001),同一次调查两配方组儿童疾病患病率之间差异无显著性;配方1组婴幼儿每次患呼吸系统疾病的病程逐渐下降。呼吸系统疾病和腹泻总的医疗费是明显下降的。结论补充营养素强化的辅食和大剂量维生素A,可以降低儿童腹泻和呼吸道感染的发病率,减少医疗费用。     

Premarital sexual activity and contraceptive use in Santiago, Chile.

The Santiago Young Adult Reproductive Health Survey was conducted in 1988 to examine the sexual behavior of and contraceptive use among young adults in Chile. The survey was based on multistage household probability samples of 865 women and 800 men aged 15-24 who were living in Santiago in 1988. Findings show that 35 percent of females and 65 percent of males had had premarital intercourse. Among those who had done so, the median age at first experience was 18.4 years for women and 16.4 years for men. Only 20 percent of females and 19 percent of males used contraceptives at first premarital intercourse. Use of contraceptives increased with age at the time of that event. Fertility data reveal that 70 percent of first births were premaritally conceived, and more than one-third of these were born prior to union. The high rates of premarital and unintended pregnancy among young women and the low prevalence of effective contraceptive use indicate a need for greater emphasis on sex education and family planning services directed at adolescents and unmarried young adults in Santiago.     

Air pollution and health effects: A study of medical visits among children in Santiago, Chile.

Many epidemiological studies conducted in the last several years have reported associations between exposure to airborne particulate matter, measured as PM10 (<10 microm in diameter), and daily morbidity and mortality. However, much of the evidence involves effects on the elderly population; there is less evidence about the effects of particulates on children, especially those under 2 years of age. To examine these issues, we conducted time-series analyses of 2 years of daily visits to primary health care clinics in Santiago, Chile, where counts were computed for either upper or lower respiratory symptoms and for cohorts of children 3-15 years of age and below age 2. Daily PM10 and ozone measurements and meteorological variables were available from instruments located in downtown Santiago. The multiple regression analysis indicates a statistically significant association between PM10 and medical visits for lower respiratory symptoms in children ages 3-15 and in children under age 2. PM10 is also associated with medical visits related to upper respiratory symptoms in the older cohort, while ozone is associated with visits related to both lower and upper respiratory symptoms in the older cohort. For children under age 2, a 50- microg/m3 change in PM10 (the approximate interquartile range) is associated with a 4-12% increase in lower respiratory symptoms. For children 3-15 years of age, the increase in lower respiratory symptoms ranges from 3 to 9% for a 50- microg/m3 change in PM10 and 5% per 50 ppb change in ozone. These magnitudes are similar to results from studies of children undertaken in Western industrial nations.     

Home management of childhood diarrhoea in a poor periurban community in Dominican Republic

The purpose of this study was to identify local knowledge and practices of, and barriers to, the home management of childhood diarrhoea in a poor periurban district of the Dominican Republic. In total, 582 caregivers of children aged five years and younger were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Forty-six percent of the caregivers reported that one of their children had experienced diarrhoea within the last month. There was high reported use of ORS and knowledge of its preparation and principal function. However, there were many obstacles to its use. Other concerns included high rates of dietary restrictions during diarrhoea, positive view of the use of antibiotics, poor knowledge of preparation of sugar-salt solutions, and low attention given to clinical indicators as reasons for seeking professional treatment. Health-promotion efforts should target these areas of concerns to further improve the management of childhood diarrhoea in this district.     

Factors associated with life satisfaction in a cohort of older people in Santiago, Chile

Objective

To evaluate the association between life satisfaction and socioeconomic status and self-reported health in a cohort of older people in Santiago, Chile, in 2005 and 2006.

Methods

We interviewed 2002 individuals aged 65 to 67.9 years registered in 20 primary care centers in the city of Santiago. Participants were living independently with no cognitive impairment, suspected cancer or terminal diseases. We assessed life satisfaction using an abbreviated adaptation of a life satisfaction scale (scored from 0 to 11), and collected self-reported information on income, education, social support, and self-reported health and memory. We used a log-binomial model to analyze the association between life satisfaction scores (fourth quartile compared with the first) and socioeconomic and health variables.

Results

There was a significant association (bivariate and multivariate analyses) between life satisfaction and income in men and with social support, self-reported health, memory, and diagnosis of joint problems, diabetes and hypertension in both sexes.

Conclusion

Social support, income and health status were independently associated with life satisfaction in older people aged 65-67.9 years in Santiago. Further studies are required to assess the temporal direction of the effect and the implications of these findings for public health policies in this population.     

腹泻病人中志贺菌的耐药性和Ⅱ类整合子

目的:研究志贺菌的耐药表型、携带的耐药基因及整合子的流行现状。方法:对2008年-2009年从闵行区腹泻病患者大便标本分离的63株志贺菌,用KB法测定其对9种抗生素的药物敏感情况;PCR筛查整合子种类;长片段扩增Ⅱ类整合子可变区并测序。结果:63株志贺菌均表现出明显的多重耐药和交叉耐药现象,福氏志贺菌对复方新诺明、氨苄青霉素、四环素和萘啶酸的耐药率达90%以上。宋内氏志贺菌对复方新诺明和四环素的耐药率达85%以上。92.1%(58/63)的志贺菌中检出II类整合子,未检出I类整合子。58株II类整合子保守区阳性的标本,可变区扩增亦全部阳性,大小约3 kb～4 kb之间。测序结果显示耐药菌株含有编码对磺胺类抗生素耐药的基因dfrA1、对链丝菌素耐药的基因sat1和对氨基糖甙类抗生素耐药的基因aadA1。结论:多重耐药和交叉耐药在志贺菌中广泛存在;耐药志贺菌携带II类整合子,II类整合子与耐药表型之间存在一定关联。     

456例儿童腹泻轮状病毒感染调查分析

目的 了解恩施地区儿童腹泻与轮状病毒关系,为地区儿童腹泻防治工作提供依据.方法 采用胶体金法对医院2010年1月-2012年1月收治的456例腹泻患儿的粪便标本进行A型轮状病毒快速检测.结果 所有患儿A型轮状病毒感染率为41.7％,以＜1岁组和1～3岁组为最高,感染率分别为44.4％、66.6％;所有感染A型轮状病毒患儿中＜1岁组约占42.1％,1～3岁患儿组约占52.6％,合计超过所有阳性患儿的94.7％;感染发病与季节变换相关,秋冬季高发.结论 地区儿童腹泻轮状病毒感染情况与国内外流行病学分布一致,为当地儿童腹泻防治工作提供了可靠依据.     

Isolation and antibiotic susceptibility of Salmonella, Shigella, and Campylobacter from acute enteric infections in Egypt

While Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Shigella remain major contributors to acute enteric infections, few studies on these pathogens have been conducted in Egypt. From January 1986 to December 1993, 869 Salmonella, Shigella and Campylobacter strains were isolated from stool specimens from 6,278 patients, presenting to the Abbassia Fever Hospital, Cairo, Egypt, with acute enteric infections. Salmonella predominated, totalling 465 isolates, followed by Shigella with 258 isolates, and Campylobacter with 146 isolates. Of the Shigella isolates, 124 were Shigella flexneri, 49 were S. sonnei, 47 were S. dysenteriae (mainly serotype 1, 2, and 3), and 38 were S. boydii. Campylobacter spp. comprised 92 Campylobacter jejuni and 54 C. coli isolates. Isolation of Salmonella was highest during the months of February-March, June-July, and October-November, while that of Shigella was maximal from July to October. Isolation of Campylobacter increased during May-June and again during August-October. Although Salmonella was sensitive to amikacin, aztreonam, ceftriaxone, and nalidixic acid, it was, however, resistant to erythromycin, streptomycin, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline. Shigella (> 80%) was sensitive to amikacin, ceftriaxone, cephalothin, sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim (except S. sonnei), aztreonam, and nalidixic acid. Resistance (> 50%) was noted only for ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline. C. jejuni and C. coli were resistant to cephalothin, aztreonam, and streptomycin. Some of the above antibiotics were employed to characterize the Egyptian isolates, but did not have any clinical utility in the treatment of diarrhoea. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed in the resistance profiles of Shigella and Salmonella between late 1980s and early 1990s. The results suggest the use of fluoroquinolones or a third-generation cephalosporin as an empirical treatment of enteric diseases. However, alternative control strategies, including the aggressive development of broadly protective vaccines, may be more effective approaches to curbing morbidity and mortality due to acute enteric infections.