Oral Assessment and Nursing Interventions Among Nigerian Nurses-Knowledge,Practices and Educational Needs

Background

Assessment of oral condition, oral care, and informing the attending doctor of unusual oral findings for possible consultation or referral to a dentist are the advocated roles of hospital nurses. The objective of the study was thus to assess the roles of Nigerian nurses in the assessment of oral conditions of hospitalized patients.

Methods

This questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey of all nurses caring for hospitalized patients in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital was conducted in the first half of 2010.

Results

Of the 384 studied participants, 94.3% considered oral care as an important aspect of nursing care and 73.4% had oral health component in their nursing school curriculum. A total of 80.7% reported suspicious and abnormal findings in hospitalized patients to the attending doctor. Amongst the respondents, 38.0% reported ability to conduct good oral tissue examination. Only 28.1% demonstrated good knowledge of common oral diseases. Three-quarters (73.4%) thought that it is compulsory for nurses to assess the oral condition of hospitalized patients. The 67.7% and 21.9% of the respondents did the assessment on admission and discharge respectively. The majority (90.1%) desired training on oral care of hospitalized patients.

Conclusion

There is a need to improve the skill and competence of nurses in the assessment of oral condition to make them a substantive partner in the oral care of hospitalized patients.     

Endoparasites of Rodents and Their Zoonotic Importance in Germi,Dashte–Mogan,Ardabil Province,Iran

Background

In order to verify the infectivity of rodents with endoparasites in Germi (Dashte-Mogan, Ardabil Province) the current study was undertaken.

Methods

Using live traps, 177 rodents were trapped during 2005–2007. In field laboratory, all rodents were bled prior to autopsy, frozen at −20°C, and shipped to the School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. In parasitological laboratory, every rodent was dissected and its different organs were examined for the presence of any parasite. Blood thick and thin smears as well as impression smears of liver and spleen were stained with Geimsa and examined microscopically.

Results

Two species of rodents were trapped; Meriones persicus (90.4%) and Microtus socialis (9.6%). The species of parasites found in M. persicus and their prevalences were as follows: Hymenolepis diminuta (38.8%), Hymenolepis nana (2.5%), Trichuris sp.(40.6), Mesocestoides larva (=tetrathyridium) (3.1%), Capillaria hepatica (6.9%), Moniliformis moniliformis (11.3%), Syphacia obvelata (2.5%), Taenia endothoracicus larva (0.6%), Physaloptera sp. (0.6%), Dentostomella translucida (0.6%), Heligmosomum mixtum (0.6%), Strobilocercus fasciolaris (0.6%),and Aspiculuris tetraptera (0.6%). The species of parasites found in M. socialis and their prevalences were as follows: H. diminuta (17.6%), Trichuris sp. (5.9%), Mesocestoides larva (5.9%), S. obvelata (11.8%), S. syphacia (11.8%), H. mixtum (17.6%), and Aspiculuris tetraptera (11.8%). There were no statistical differences between male and female for infectivity with parasites in either M. persicus or M. socialis. No blood or tissue protozoan parasite was found in any of the rodents examined.

Conclusion

Among different species identified, some had zoonotic importance. Therefore, the potential health hazard of these species needs to be considered to prevent infectivity of humans.     

Post traumatic stress disorder among former child soldiers attending a rehabilitative service and primary school education in northern Uganda

Background

This study was prompted by the psychiatric hospitalization of 12 former child soldiers of the Lord''s Resistance Army (LRA) at a rehabilitation school in northern Uganda with a case of mass psychotic behavior.

Objectives

To report the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, depressed mood, and associated risk factors.

Methods

Data on post-traumatic stress disorder, depressed mood, physical disabilities, socio-demographic variables, and the children''s war experiences were collected in face-to-face interviews using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), a modified Hopkins Symptoms Check-List (HSCL), and a 15-item War Trauma Experience Check-list (WTECL-15). Data was analyzed with SPSS version 11.0.

Results

There were 58 girls and 44 boys. Eighty nine children (87.3%) reported having experienced ten or more war-related traumatic psychological events; 55.9% of the children suffered from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, 88.2%, symptoms of depressed mood and 21.6% had various forms of physical disability. Nearly half of the children (42.2%) reported a positive family history of severe mental illness; 10.8%, a family history of suicide; 22.5%, a family history of suicide attempt; and 45.1%, a family history of alcohol abuse. Children who experienced 10 or more traumatic war events were more likely than the rest to experience depressed mood. Return through a reception center or through a cleansing ritual did not protect against depression.

Discussion

Post-traumatic stress disorder among former LRA child soldiers at a rehabilitation centre in northern Uganda is presented. The report highlights the huge unmet need for psychological services among former child soldiers of the LRA.     

Gianotti-Crosti syndrome: a study of 26 cases

We have studied 26 patients presenting with a symmetrical papular or papulovesicular acrolocated eruption of more than 10 days duration. Mean age at onset was 2 years (range 10 months to 5.75 years). Lymphadenopathy was noted in eight cases, and hepatomegaly in one case. In 12 cases, histopathology and direct immunofluorescence were non-contributory. Cytolytic hepatitis occurred in one case and was associated with HBs antigenemia. A history of recent immunization was given in two cases. There was serological evidence of recent Epstein-Barr virus infection in seven out of 13 cases tested. Coxsackie B viruses were isolated from three patients, and cytomegalovirus was probably associated with the syndrome in one case. We conclude that the Gianotti-Crosti syndrome is not rare in France, and that non-hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated cases are more frequent than the classical HBV-associated papular acrodermatitis of childhood.     

Incidence,and Gender,Age and Ethnic Distribution of Sarcomas in the Republic of Suriname from 1980 to 2008

Objective:

We report on the incidence and the gender, age and ethnic distribution of sarcomas diagnosed between 1980 and 2008 in the multi-ethnic Republic of Suriname.

Methods:

Total and average yearly number of cases, crude rates, as well as relevant population data were derived from the records of the Pathologic Anatomy Laboratory and the General Bureau of Statistics, respectively, and stratified according to gender, age groups 0–19, 20–49 and 50+ years, and the largest ethnic groups (Hindustani, Creole, Javanese and Maroons).

Results:

Between 1980 and 2008, 258 sarcomas were diagnosed in Suriname, ie at a frequency of nine per year and an annual rate of two per 100 000. Overall, there was 0.9 male per female, two to four cases per year in each age group, and one to three patients in each ethnic group. Soft-tissue sarcomas comprised approximately 80% of overall cases, with a male/female ratio that was approximately 0.5; almost 90% of patients were older than 20 years; more than one-third was Creole. Leiomyosarcoma, fibrosarcoma and liposarcoma were most frequently encountered (90 cases), particularly above 20 years of age, while leiomyosarcomas seemed, additionally, more common in women and Creoles or Maroons. The most numerous bone tumours were primitive neuroectodermal tumour/Ewing tumour and osteosarcoma (37 cases). They were more common in males, the youngest age group, and Hindustanis and Creoles.

Conclusions:

The incidence of sarcomas in Suriname, and their gender, age and ethnic distribution in general, seemed comparable with international data. The main exception might be leiomyosarcoma which might have a predilection for Afro-Surinamese.     

Necrotizing granulomatosis of the breast

Summary We describe a case of necrotizing granulomatosis of Wegener's type involving the breasts of a 40-year-old man. There were no signs of generalized disease. Involvement of the breast is rare in Wegener's granulomatosis (WG). To date. 17 cases have been reported, and all were women. They predominantly presented with a unilateral breast mass, and mammary malignancy was the principal concern. In the majority of cases, breast lesions of WG have been a presenting sign of, or preceded, disseminated disease. Our patient is unusual in that the necrotizing granulomas developed as an isolated finding in a site remote from those usually affected by WG, and, as far as we are aware, represents the first case of Wegener's type granulomatosis involving the male breast.     

Antegrade catheterization of the superficial femoral artery

A simple method of selective catheterization of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) following antegrade puncture of the common femoral artery is described. The method entails using a Cope-type dilator introducer, which directs the guide wire from its side hole into the SFA while the tip is secured in the deep femoral artery.     

Differential effects of teriparatide on regional bone formation using 18F‐fluoride positron emission tomography

Teriparatide increases skeletal mass, bone turnover markers, and bone strength, but local effects on bone tissue may vary between skeletal sites. We used positron emission tomography (PET) to study ¹⁸F‐fluoride plasma clearance (K_i) at the spine and standardized uptake values (SUVs) at the spine, pelvis, total hip, and femoral shaft in 18 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Subjects underwent a 1‐hour dynamic scan of the lumbar spine and a 10‐minute static scan of the pelvis and femurs at baseline and after 6 months of treatment with 20 µg/day teriparatide. Blood samples were taken to derive the arterial input function and lumbar spine K_i values evaluated using a three‐compartment model. SUVs were calculated for the spine, pelvis, total hip, and femoral shaft. After 6 months treatment with teriparatide, spine K_i values increased by 24% (p = .0003), while other model parameters were unchanged except for the fraction of tracer going to bone mineral (k₃/[k₂ + k₃]), which increased by 23% (p = .0006). In contrast to K_i, spine SUVs increased by only 3% (p = .84). The discrepancy between changes in K_i and SUVs was explained by a 20% decrease in ¹⁸F^? plasma concentration. SUVs increased by 37% at the femoral shaft (p = .0019), 20% at the total hip (p = .032), and 11% at the pelvis (p = .070). Changes in bone turnover markers and BMD were consistent with previous trials. We conclude that the changes in bone formation rate during teriparatide treatment as measured by ¹⁸F^? PET differ at different skeletal sites, with larger increases in cortical bone than at trabecular sites. © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.     

The Mitochondrial Genome And Human Mitochondrial Diseases

To date, more than 100 point mutations and several hundreds of structural rearrangements of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are known too be connected with characteristic neuromuscular and other mitochondrial syndromes varying from those causing death at the neonatal stage to diseases with late ages of onset. The immediate cause of mitochondrial disorders is a defective oxidative phosphorylation. Wide phenotypic variation and the heteroplasmy phenomenon, which some authors include in mutation load, are characteristic of human mitochondrial diseases. As the numbers of cases identified and pedigrees described increase, data on the genotype-phenotype interaction and the structure and frequency of pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic mtDNA mutations in human populations are rapidly accumulated. The data on the genetics and epidemiology of mitochondrial diseases are not only important for differential diagnosis and genetic counseling. Since both neutral and mildly pathogenic mutations of mtDNA are progressively accumulated in maternal phyletic lines, molecular analysis of these mutations permits not only reconstruction of the genealogical tree of modern humans, but also estimation of the role that these mutations play in natural selection.