Why do mothers die in Dakahlia, Egypt?

AIM: To investigate the causes of maternal mortality in the Dakahlia Governorate in Egypt. METHODS: A confidential enquiry for each case of maternal mortality during the years 2004-2005 was carried out. RESULTS: One hundred and seventy-nine maternal deaths were reported, giving a maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 71.3/100,000 live births. 140 (78.2%) women died due to direct obstetric causes, 24 (13.4%) due to indirect causes and 15 (8.4%) due to accidental or unexplained causes. 44 (24.6%) women died during or following delivery by cesarean section and 91 (50.8%) during labor or within 24 h following delivery. Complications during cesarean delivery, postpartum hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders were the leading causes of maternal mortality. Death due to substandard care was encountered in 85% of cases. Obstetricians were responsible for 51% of causes of avoidable maternal death. CONCLUSION: Maternal mortality in Dakahlia, although declining, is still relatively high. To further reduce maternal mortality, deliveries should be conducted at well-equipped hospitals.     

Effects of Trimetazidine on Myocardial Perfusion and the Contractile Response of Chronically Dysfunctional Myocardium in Ischemic Cardiomyopathy

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to assess the long-term effect of trimetazidine on myocardial perfusion, using gated single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT). METHODS: 200 patients (aged 54.7 +/- 12 years) with ischemic left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) and multivessel coronary artery disease were randomized to receive trimetazidine 20mg three times daily or a placebo for 24 months. At baseline and after 24 months of treatment, all patients underwent a symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise test concluded by the injection of (99m)Tc-MIBI (technetium-99m methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile). Imaging of post-stress gated SPECT and resting gated SPECT were performed. Standard antianginal therapy was interrupted for 48 hours (nitrates for 6 hours) before the exercise tests and resumed immediately after testing. RESULTS: On initial evaluation, summed stress and rest scores (SSS and SRS, respectively), systolic wall thickness (SWT), and wall motion score index (WMI), heart rate, SBP, and rate pressure product were similar at rest and peak exercise in both groups. After 24 months, 91% of patients in the trimetazidine group versus 22% in the placebo group showed a significant decrease of the frequency of anginal episodes per week (3.9 vs 5.7, p < 0.01). Weekly nitroglycerin (glyceryl trinitrate) tablet consumption was significantly lower with trimetazidine than with placebo at endpoint (2.3 +/- 0.8 vs 6.1 +/- 1.6, p < 0.01). This was supported by perfusion SPECT data. Compared with baseline values, SSS and SRS were significantly reduced with trimetazidine (from 19.8 +/- 7.7 to 11.2 +/- 6.1, p < 0.00001 and from 12.4 +/- 8.7 to 5.8 +/- 3.3, p < 0.00001, respectively). There was a nonsignificant decrease from baseline values in both SRS and SSS with placebo group (from 11.9 +/- 8.3 to 11.2 +/- 7.4 and 18.1 +/- 6.3 to 17.9 +/- 9.2, respectively).Duration of peak exercise increased significantly from baseline values with trimetazidine (from 4.6 to 5.8 minutes, p < 0.01) but not with placebo (from 5.4 to 5.8 minutes). Accordingly, mean maximum work at peak exercise improved by 1.2 metabolic equivalents with trimetazidine. This was proved by gated SPECT with an increase in SWT score of 89.5% (p < 0.00001) and in ejection fraction of 23% with trimetazidine (p < 0.001) without significant changes in hemodynamic parameters. CONCLUSION: Trimetazidine improves ischemic attacks in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, clinically and objectively as seen in gated SPECT myocardial perfusion. The improvement in myocardial function with trimetazidine was not accompanied by hemodynamic changes.     

Maternal and perinatal outcome of pregnancies complicated by cardiac disease.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the maternal and perinatal outcome of pregnancies complicated by cardiac disease in a tertiary care center in Egypt. METHODS: During a 1-year period, a total of 86 pregnant women with cardiac disease were admitted. Maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality were calculated and compared with a control group. RESULTS: Seventy-seven (89.5%) patients were due to rheumatic affection, and 60 patients were classified as NYHA classes I-II. There was one case of maternal mortality (1.16%), and 10 other cases developed life-threatening complications. Two perinatal mortalities (2.32%) occurred in this series. Birth weight of babies born to mothers with functional classes III and IV were significantly lower than those of functional classes I-II and control group. CONCLUSION: Rheumatic heart disease with pregnancy is still predominant in Egypt. Maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality are strongly correlated to maternal cardiac functional classification.     

Natural HPV immunity and vaccination strategies.

BACKGROUND: the task of preventing premature death in women may be delivered by vaccinating against the high-risk papillomaviruses associated with various malignancies. OBJECTIVES: we will discuss the immune mechanisms likely to be relevant to the control of an HPV infection in the cervix and assess the limited evidence for such immune recognition in the natural history of infection. CONCLUSION: the next generation of vaccination strategies should include the use of HPV 16 early (E2 and/or E6 and/or E7) and late gene targets (L1 and L2) expressed as VLPs with their clinical and immunological evaluation aimed at therapy as well as prophylaxis. Important clinical efficacy assessment may be deliverable in relatively short-term studies by targeting patients with HPV 16 associated vulval intraepithelial neoplasia.     

Cancer during pregnancy: perinatal outcome after in utero exposure to chemotherapy

Objectives

To study the outcome of pregnancies complicated by malignant disease, in particular neonatal morbidity and mortality after in utero exposure to chemotherapy.

Methods

This prospective study included 118 patients diagnosed with malignant disease for the first time during pregnancy over an 8-year period (March 2003?CMarch 2011). Outcome of neonates born to mothers who received chemotherapy during pregnancy was studied and compared with a control group.

Results

The commonest cancer type diagnosed during pregnancy (56/118?=?47.45?%) was breast carcinoma followed by lymphoma/leukemia (32?=?27.12?%). Gynecological tumors (all ovarian) represented 10.16?%, soft tissue tumors 5.08?%, colorectal 4.23?%, thyroid 2.54?% and others 3.38?%. Sixty-one (51.64?%) women received chemotherapy (average 3?±?2 cycles) during the second and third trimesters. The incidence of neonatal survival, preterm birth, small for gestational age and congenital malformations was not significantly different between women who received chemotherapy during pregnancy and the control group. Five (4.23?%) women with advanced disease died during or shortly after termination of pregnancy.

Conclusion

In utero exposure to chemotherapy during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy carries minimal morbidity to the unborn fetus.     

Anasarca: not a nephrotic syndrome but dermatomyositis

Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation of the muscle, connective tissue, skin, gastrointestinal tract, and small nerves. Periorbital and facial edema may also be associated. Although localized edema is a common feature of JDM, generalized edema has rarely been reported. Here, we report a 3.5-year-old boy with JDM presenting with generalized edema. The diagnostic criteria of JDM rely on typical clinical manifestations that include: severe symmetric weakness of the proximal musculature, characteristic cutaneous changes, elevated serum skeletal muscle enzymes, and myopathic electromyographic pattern. Our patient initially received methylprednisolone and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) without significant improvement, so he was given azathioprine and a prolonged course of oral prednisolone. We conclude that JDM should be suspected in patients presenting with anasarca in the absence of laboratory parameters of other causes of generalized edema and an appearance of heliotrope rash with muscle weakness. Also, we suggest that muscle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) should be considered among the diagnostic tools of JDM.     

Outcome of the use of tension-free vaginal tape in women with mixed urinary incontinence, previous failed surgery, or low valsalva pressure

AIM: To assess the safety and efficacy of the use of tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in women with mixed incontinence, previous failed incontinence surgery or low valsalva leak point pressure (VLPP). METHODS: Six hundred and fifty-eight women with SUI underwent the TVT procedure. These included women with mixed stress and urge incontinence (n=128), previous surgery for SUI (n=118), low VLPP (n=80), and those over 70 years old (n=68). The procedure was carried out under spinal anesthetic and operative and immediate postoperative data was collected for all women. Six-month follow-up data was available on 454 women, with the first 300 women completing a quality of life (QOL) questionnaire before and after surgery. RESULTS: The overall subjective cure rate at 6 months was 91%, with 8% of women reporting significant (>50%) improvement in their symptoms. Subgroups with a body mass index > 30, age > 70 years, coexisting instability, previous failed surgery, and low VLPP showed cure rates of 81-89%. QOL improvements for all groups were highly significant. Significant complications included voiding difficulties in 29 women (4.4%), retropubic hematomas in four (0.6%), and thromboembolic episodes in three (0.5%). CONCLUSION: The simplicity and high efficacy of the TVT makes it the first choice for the treatment of women with SUI, including those with more complex problems or coexisting risk factors.