Factors Affecting Utilization of Family Planning Services in a Post-Conflict Setting,South Sudan: A Qualitative Study

This study aims to explore and examine the conjectures surrounding the utilization of family planning services among currently married couples of childbearing age in Renk County.This study has adopted a qualitative method to collect data on factors affecting the utilization of family planning services through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, in rural and urban areas of Renk County. It targeted married women, men as well as unmarried men and women. The researchers conducted nine focus group discussions and nine interviews at both Jelhak (rural setting) and Renk (urban setting). The results suggested that the people of Renk County prefer to have large families and therefore choose not to use family planning methods. The data collected was analyzed by means of thematic analysis. This included the construction of a thematic framework, coding, editing and categorization of available data as well as the creation of sub-themes.The result also suggested that perception is a main factor that affects utilization of family planning services with a majority of the people in Renk and Jelhak preferring to have many children in order to increase the family size for some reasons. These are linked to religion, social stigma and taboo that are attached to childless people or users of family planning methods for birth control purposes.The responses revealed some variation in perception between rural (Jelhak) and urban (Renk) areas. Respondents from Renk area reported that some people use family planning services for economic reasons that involve alleviation of financial difficulties and provision of better education when the family size is small. On the other hand, rural people from Jelhak perceive family planning to be socially un-acceptable. Furthermore, men and women of Jelhak reported that after each birth of a child, married couples avoid sexual relationship for a period of two years as means of family planning. Women of both Urban and Rural settings reported intentions to use conventional methods of family planning without the knowledge of their spouses.     

Peripheral ulcerative keratitis: Our challenging experience

A 52 year old male presented with peripheral ulcerative keratitis in the right eye. Patient’s history included retinitis pigmentosa, pseudophakia (right eye), cataract (left eye), bilateral partial deafness, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, type 1 diabetes mellitus, depression, hyperparathyroidism, hypertriglycemia and renal failure. The patient was on weekly hemodialysis. The peripheral corneal ulceration remained stable until he developed sudden and rapid thinning after eight months of regular follow up and management.Laboratory investigations including immunological studies were negative and we had to rely on treatment based on clinical signs, including the visual acuity, size, depth and staining of the ulcer and perilimbal, episcleral, scleral, corneal and anterior chamber reactions. The patient was treated with medical and conservative approaches and the eye was protected with a plastic shield to avoid injury. Despite our efforts, the patient perforated his eye due to a trivial trauma during sleep. He was managed successfully with cyanoacrylate glue and a bandage contact lens. The anterior chamber reformed after the perforation was sealed and the patient is on a regular follow up with a multidisciplinary approach.     

A Bisensory Method for Odor and Irritation Detection of Formaldehyde and Pyridine

A bisensory method was developed for determining the psychometric functions and absolute thresholds for odor and sensory irritation of two odorous irritants. Individual and group thresholds for formaldehyde or pyridine were measured for 31 age-matched subjects (18?C35?years old). P ₅₀ absolute thresholds were for formaldehyde odor 110?ppb (range 23?C505), for pyridine odor 77?ppb (range 20?C613), and for pyridine irritation 620?ppb (range 90?C3,656); too few subjects?? formaldehyde irritation thresholds were possible to determine (human exposures limited to 1?ppm). In spite of large interindividual differences, all thresholds for irritation were higher than for odor. The average slopes of the 62 psychometric functions for odor and the 32 possible for sensory irritation were highest for formaldehyde odor (83% per log ppb) and equal for pyridine odor and irritation (68% per log ppb). The bisensory method for measuring odor and sensory irritation jointly produced detection functions and absolute thresholds compatible with those earlier published; however, a steeper slope for sensory irritation than odor was expected for pyridine. The bisensory method is intended for measuring odor and sensory irritation to broadband mixtures and dynamic exposures, like indoor air.     

Potential of two nucleic acid amplification assays for quantifying mycobacterial load in respiratory and non-respiratory specimens: a prospective study

Quantification of bacillary load plays a critical prognostic role in tuberculosis patients. This study evaluated the potential of the Cepheid GeneXpert (GX) MTB/RIF and the BD ProbeTec system as quantitative assays. The time to positivity (TTP) measured by the Mycobacterial Growth Index Tube system was compared to the cycle threshold (C_t) of GX MTB/RIF and the Metric Other than Acceleration (MOTA) scores generated by the ProbeTec system. Out of 714 samples examined, 44 culture confirmed cases were identified. The C_t values in 21 respiratory samples showed a high linear fit with the TTP in liquid culture (Spearman's correlation coefficient r = 0.9, P value < 0.0001), which was not the case in 23 non-respiratory samples. In both types of specimens, the MOTA scores did not correlate with the TTP in liquid culture. This indicates the suitability of GX as a quantitative measurement of mycobacterial load in respiratory but not non-respiratory specimens.     

Thromboinflammatory response and predictors of outcomes in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has been increasingly used to treat patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis. Despite improvements in valve deployment, patients that have undergone TAVR are at high risk for major adverse events following the procedure. Blood cell numbers, platelet function, and biomarkers of systemic inflammation were analyzed in 58 patients undergoing TAVR with the Edward’s SAPIEN valve. Following valve deployment, platelet count and agonist-induced platelet activity declined and plasma markers of systemic inflammation (interleukin-6 and S100A8/A9) increased. Baseline platelet activity prior to TAVR correlated with perioperative changes plasma interleukin-6 levels. Moreover, perioperative changes in plasma inflammatory markers predicted the decline in platelet count in the days following the TAVR procedure. Additionally, a significant effect of gender on platelet count following TAVR and was observed. Finally, post-procedural mortality was associated with sustained thrombocytopenia after TAVR. Our findings suggest that TAVR elicits a thromboinflammatory state that may contribute to post-procedural thrombocytopenia. Importantly, our results add to the growing body of literature that suggests the thromboinflammatory changes that occur early after TAVR may predict long-term outcomes.