Health service utilization for perceived postpartum morbidity among poor women living in Karachi

To explore traditional beliefs and practices, to assess puerperal morbidity, and to understand care-seeking behaviors, a qualitative and quantitative study was conducted in low socio-economic settlements of Karachi, Pakistan. Five focus group discussions and 15 in-depth interviews were conducted in July and August 2000. 525 Muslim women, who were 6-8 weeks post-partum, were then interviewed at home. Maternal care was relatively good-more than three-quarters of recent mothers sought antenatal care and more than half (267/525) delivered in a hospital or maternity home. Counseling to attend post-partum clinics among facility deliveries was 16% (43/267), of which only 26% (11/43) attended. Practices during the delivery and puerperium, such as massaging the vaginal walls with mustard oil during labor to facilitate delivery and inserting vaginal or rectal herbal pessaries to facilitate 'shrinkage of the uterus' and/or 'strengthening of the backbone', were pervasive. The core symptoms that are clinically significant during the puerperium are heavy vaginal bleeding and high fever, since they are potentially fatal symptoms if appropriate and timely care is not sought. About half of the study women (53.3%) reported at least one illness symptom, high fever (21.1%), heavy vaginal bleeding (13.9%), and foul smelling vaginal discharge (9.6%). Women did not know the underlying biologic cause of their perceived post-partum morbidity; weakness was frequently mentioned. Women sought care initially from close relatives or traditional healers and if they continued to suffer from their morbidity they finally approached a trained health care (allopathic) provider. The high prevalence of perceived post-partum morbidity illustrates the demand for post-partum community-based health care programs. We suggest promoting maternal health education that encourages women to seek appropriate and timely care by accessing public or private health services.     

Validation of verbal autopsy to determine the cause of 137 neonatal deaths in Karachi,Pakistan

Verbal autopsy (VA) aims to estimate a community's mortality experience in the absence of contact with formal registration or health care systems. Application of VA to neonatal deaths is problematic as the agonal phase of a neonatal death tends to be indistinct. This is the first attempt to validate the technique exclusively on newborns who died. Seriously ill neonates (n = 137) were enrolled from the Civil Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, between 31 October 1993 and 31 July 1994. All died as newborns, and caregivers were interviewed at home 3-230 days later. Surveillance physicians completed case questionnaires in the hospital, and investigator physicians assigned the main and associated causes of death using clinical criteria. Field questionnaires including a verbatim open-ended history, and syndrome modules were completed by a field worker, and investigator physicians again assigned the main and associated causes of death based on three diagnostic methods: verbatim alone, modules alone and verbatim and modules combined. We assessed the validity of VA by comparing field against hospital diagnoses by diagnostic (verbatim vs. modules vs. both) and analytic method (main vs. any diagnosis). VA identified at least one diagnosis accurately in 71% of the newborns. VA underdiagnosed low birthweight and prematurity in the field. Verbatim and modules diagnostic method comparing any field against main hospital diagnoses revealed high sensitivities for too early/too small syndrome (90%) and neonatal tetanus (84%). VA correctly identified some important causes of neonatal death in the field. Assigning multiple diagnoses using both open- and closed-ended questions increases the likelihood of correct ascertainment.     

Paan without tobacco: an independent risk factor for oral cancer

Oral cancer is the second most common cancer in women and the third most common in men in Pakistan. Tobacco is smoked and chewed extensively in Pakistan. Paan is a quid of piper betel leaf that contains areca nut, lime, condiment, sweeteners, and sometimes tobacco, which is also used extensively. We did this study to clarify the independent association of paan and oral cancer. Between July 1996 and March 1998, we recruited biopsy-proven, primary cases of oral squamous-cell carcinoma, from 3 tertiary teaching centers in Karachi, Pakistan, and controls pair-matched for age, gender, hospital and time of occurrence, excluding persons with a past or present history of any malignancy. There were 79 cases and 149 controls. Approximately 68% of the cases were men, 49 years old on average, the youngest being 22 years old and the eldest 80. People with oral submucous fibrosis were 19.1 times more likely to develop oral cancer than those without it, after adjusting for other risk factors. People using paan without tobacco were 9.9 times, those using paan with tobacco 8.4 times, more likely to develop oral cancer as compared with non-users, after adjustment for other covariates. This study identifies an independent effect of paan without tobacco in the causation of oral cancer. Its findings may be of significance in South Asian communities where paan is used, and among health-care providers who treat persons from South Asia.     

垂全催乳素瘤的诊断和治疗指南

3.男性:高催乳素血症通常导致阳痿、不孕和性功能低下.男性患者通常为大腺瘤,有神经系统症状.其原因可能是对症状认识的延误或者肿瘤生物学行为的差异.     

Lentiginous macules and patches of neurofibromatosis (an approach to better terminology)

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Freckles (ephelides) are small, light brown macules of sun-exposed areas in fair-skinned subjects. On the other hand, freckle-like pigmentation of the axilla is a highly characteristic feature of neurofibromatosis. To what extent (clinically and pathologically) are the two pigmentary defects similar? And to what extent are café-au-lait patches and freckle-like lesions similar pathologically? SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Ten cases of neurofibromatosis and 10 cases of freckles were examined clinically. Two biopsies were taken from the former; one obtained from an axillary freckle-like lesion, and the other from a café-au-lait patch. One biopsy only was taken from freckles. The biopsies were processed for haematoxylin and eosin, silver stain and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: Obvious differences were detected between freckles (ephelides) and freckle-like lesions in cases of neurofibromatosis. Café-au-lait patches and freckle-like lesions showed the same pathological changes of lentigo simplex, with increased melanin pigment from the basal layer up to the stratum corneum, moderate elongation of the rete ridges and mild inflammatory infiltrate intermingled with melanophages. Electron microscopy revealed an increase in melanocyte number and the presence of giant melanin granules in freckle-like pigmentation as well as café-au-lait patches. These ultrastructural freckles (ephelides) showed an increase in activity but not the number of melanocytes. CONCLUSIONS: The term freckle-like should be changed to lentiginous macules of neurofibromatosis. On the other hand, the café-au-lait patches should be considered as lentiginous patches. Freckles should be restricted to sun-exposed areas in fair-skinned persons only.     

接受肾移植前维持性血液透析患者生活质量与静脉补充左旋卡尼汀的影响

目的:血液透析患者大多存在卡尼汀尤其是游离卡尼汀的缺乏,透析后补充左旋卡尼汀能够减轻、减少并发症及住院率。观察静脉补充左旋卡尼汀对肾移植前血液透析患者生活质量的影响。方法:选择2005-09/2006-09于柳州市人民医院进行维持性血液透析的患者30例,对治疗方案均知情同意。按随机数字表法分为左旋卡尼汀组和对照组,每组15例。每次透析结束后,左旋卡尼汀组静脉注射左旋卡尼汀20mg/kg,对照组注射等量的生理盐水,用药8周。用药前及用药8周时分别应用SF-36量表进行生活质量评分,由8个方面组成,每项都以0￣100分计,得分越高表示生活质量越好;同时记录透析相关症状及实验室参数,比较两组间差异。结果:30例患者全部进入结果分析。①与用药前相比,用药8周后左旋卡尼汀组SF-36总体评分增加了(18.29±12.71)分,对照组总评分减少了(6.40±16.39)分。与对照组相比,左旋卡尼汀组总评分及生理功能、总体健康、活力、社会功能、精神健康评分均显著增加(P<0.05￣0.01)。②与对照组相比,左旋卡尼汀组血红蛋白、白蛋白含量均显著增加(P<0.01)。结论:静脉补充左旋卡尼汀不仅有助于改善维持性血液透析患者的贫血状况,而且能明显提高其生活质量。     

Estimating the incidence of abortion in Pakistan

This study applies an indirect estimation method to develop comprehensive national and provincial estimates of the prevalence of abortion and abortion-related morbidity in Pakistan. Data from a health facilities survey and a health professionals survey from 2002 are analyzed to develop estimates of postabortion hospitalizations and of the abortion rate, abortion ratio, and unwanted pregnancy rate. We estimate that 890,000 induced abortions are performed annually in Pakistan, and estimate an annual abortion rate of 29 per 1,000 women aged 15-49. The abortion rate is found to be higher in provinces where contraceptive use is lower and where unwanted childbearing is higher. The unwanted pregnancy rate is estimated at 77 per 1,000 women, or about 37 percent of all pregnancies. Abortions account for termination of one in seven pregnancies. An estimated 197,000 women are treated annually in public hospitals and private teaching hospitals for induced abortion complications, a number equivalent to an annual rate of 6.4 women hospitalized as a result of unsafe induced abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-49.     

Recommendations for HIV surveillance in Europe

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Europe is now at an important turning point. In western Europe, AIDS incidence has been declining since 1996, partly as a result of new, more effective treatment of HIV infections. As these treatments delay the progression of HIV