The role of the African traditional healer in women's health.

Traditional healers provide an important link between the rural people of Africa and primary health care. The purpose of this article is to review more recent literature and contemporary practices related to the role of the traditional healer in Africa and the move toward collaboration with an introduction of Western-style medicine and health care, especially for women. African women, particularly older ones in rural communities, utilize the traditional healer's timeless and ancient caregiving when faced with symptoms of mental and physical illness. The concept of training traditional healers and medical personnel to deliver traditional and Western health care to communities requires further consideration and a plan of implementation.     

Iopamidol and meglumine diatrizoate: comparison of effects on patient discomfort during aortofemoral arteriography

Iopamidol was compared with Renografin-60 (meglumine diatrizoate, Squibb) in a controlled, randomized double-blind study of 40 patients undergoing peripheral arteriography for arteriosclerotic occlusive disease to determine which agent caused less discomfort. Each patient was evaluated for objective signs of discomfort and subjective feelings of pain and heat. Monitoring was achieved by multiple physical examinations, chemical tests, electrocardiograms, and intra-arterial pressure recordings. It is concluded that iopamidol is safe and causes significantly less patient discomfort than Renografin-60.     

Long-term occlusion of the porcine cystic duct by means of endoluminal radio-frequency electrocoagulation

Recurrent cholelithiasis must be expected after gallstone removal without cholecystectomy. Chemical gallbladder ablation may offer prevention but requires preliminary cystic duct occlusion. Radio-frequency (RF) electrocoagulation of the cystic duct was performed in 15 pigs to induce occlusion by a controlled thermal epithelial injury. A flexible coagulation catheter was placed into the cystic duct lumen under fluoroscopic control by means of either subhepatic cholecystostomy or direct, percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder puncture. Complete cystic duct occlusion was proved in 14 animals. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 17 weeks (mean, 11 weeks). Histologically, the RF technique induced an intense chronic inflammatory and fibroblastic reaction, which eventually obliterated the coagulated cystic duct segments. There was no epithelial regeneration or recanalization of the fibrotic cystic duct segments. The adjacent structures, particularly the cystic artery, were intact in all specimens.