Male circumcision for HIV prevention - a cross-sectional study on awareness among young people and adults in rural Uganda

Background  

Medical male circumcision is now part of a comprehensive approach to HIV prevention. It has been shown that awareness of the protective effect of male circumcision leads to high acceptability towards the introduction of medical male circumcision services within countries. The objective of this survey was to identify factors determining awareness of male circumcision for HIV prevention.     

Biliary obstruction after cholecystectomy: diagnosis with quantitative cholescintigraphy

Fifty patients with recurrent post-cholecystectomy pain underwent hepatobiliary scintigraphy. Time-activity curves were generated from regions of interest over the liver, bile duct, duodenum, and bowel. Patients were divided into obstructed and unobstructed groups with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography criteria. Measurements from the liver, duodenum, and bowel curves contributed little to the analysis. The washout phase of the bile duct curve showed intermittent emptying in both obstructed and unobstructed groups. Less than one-third of peak activity remained in both groups at 90 minutes. Retention fell more rapidly in the later portion of the sequence in patients with obstruction. Quantification was essential, since differences were subtle and could not be appreciated visually. In the absence of hepatocellular disease, the most reliable criterion was the time at which maximal bile duct activity occurred. A cutoff level of 29 minutes or more was used in the diagnosis of obstruction. A sensitivity of 93% with an adequate specificity of 64% and an overall accuracy of 80% was achieved in the prediction of obstruction.     

Barriers to obtaining a desired postpartum tubal sterilization

OBJECTIVE: To determine why women do not undergo postpartum sterilization despite expressing desire during antepartum care. METHODS: In a retrospective chart review, we identified all women between March 2002 and November 2003 who requested postpartum sterilization during antepartum care but did not undergo the procedure. We report the reasons why sterilizations were not performed. RESULTS: We reviewed 6,589 prenatal care and delivery records identifying 324 women meeting inclusion criteria. One hundred and four women changed their mind. Of women still desiring sterilization at discharge, the most common reasons for not undergoing the procedure were lack of valid Medicaid sterilization consent forms [n=121; 37.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 32.0-42.6%]; a medical condition precluding the procedure (n=47; 14.5%, 95% CI 10.7-18.3%); lack of availability of an operating room (n=2; 6.5%, 95% CI 3.8-9.2%). CONCLUSION: We found that the Medicaid consent process, medical conditions and insufficient operating room space prevented women from having the desired surgery.