Hepatitis B surface antigen seroprevalence among pre- and post-vaccine cohorts in Cambodia, 2017

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is highly endemic in most low income countries including Cambodia. This nationwide serosurvey was conducted to assess the impact of hepatitis B vaccination and to determine whether Cambodia met the WHO regional 2017 target of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroprevalence less than 1% in five-year-old children.Methods: A cross-sectional multi-stage cluster survey was conducted among children born during 2010–2012 and their mothers in Cambodia. HBsAg prevalence was estimated by rapid point-of-care testing, and demographic data, including vaccination history, was collected. Vaccine coverage in children and the prevalence of HBsAg among children and mothers was calculated taking into account the complex survey design. Factors associated with children’s failure to receive timely (within 24 h) vaccination were analysed by multivariate logistic analysis.Findings: A total of 2,520 children 5–7 years old and 2,028 mothers were recruited. In total, 78.4% of children received hepatitis B vaccination birth-dose (HepB-BD); of these, 58.7% were administered ≤ 24 h. Birth at home or “other” location were independent risk factors for children’s failure to receive timely HepB-BD. Overall HBsAg seroprevalence was 4.39% (95%CI: 3.53%–5.45%) among mothers and 0.56% (95%CI: 0.32%–0.98%) among children. The prevalence among children without hepatitis B vaccination was 4.62% (95%CI: 1.31%–14.97%). Among children with a HBsAg-positive mother, prevalence was 10.11% (95%CI: 5.41%–18.11%).Interpretation: Having achieved the 2017 target of less than 1% HBsAg prevalence among 5 years old children, Cambodia can now focus on eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HBV. Moreover, the high HBsAg prevalence among mothers suggests that routine screening with proper linkage to care and treatment is needed. Strengthening measures to improve vaccination coverage further and eliminate mother-to-child transmission by coordinated programming with other services offering additional HBV interventions will help move towards the global goal of hepatitis B elimination by 2030.Funding: As per sources of funding.     

Clinical profile of ankylosing spondylitis patients in Togo

Aim of the workTo determine the clinical characteristics of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in rheumatology wards in Togo. Patients and methods: The medical records of AS patients in four rheumatology wards in Togo were recorded from January 2000 to December 2019. Results: The study included 37 AS cases out of 35,304 rheumatic diseases patients’ files that were investigated over the preceding 20 years; accounting for 0.1% of hospital cases. Male predominance was noticed with a M:F ratio of 4.3. The mean age at disease onset was 29.6 ± 10.3 years and the mean duration of the symptoms was 9.5 ± 9.2 years. The clinical findings were dominated by spinal pain (91.9%). The main peripheral joints involvements were knees (48.6%) and ankles (35.1%) and the most frequent extra-articular features were ocular with conjunctivitis (13.5%) and uveitis (8.1%) respectively. Plain radiographs of the spine revealed syndesmophytes (45.9%) with bony ankylosis and bamboo spine (21.6%); and that of the pelvis showed sacroiliitis in 89.2%. The human leucocytic antigen (HLA B27) was positive in four cases. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and sulfasalazine were the most commonly used drugs, respectively in 89.2% and 67.6% of patients. One patient was receiving biologic therapy. Conclusion: Ankylosing spondylitis is relatively rare in Togo. There is no particularity in the clinical features or imaging and laboratory findings. The diagnostic delay reflects the importance of the plain radiograph structural changes. NSAIDs and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are the cornerstone of the treatment due to their accessibility in Togo.     

皮肤鳞状细胞癌的中医药治疗进展

皮肤鳞状细胞癌是具有发病率高、发展快、可转移、易误诊等特点的一种恶性肿瘤，对人类的健康造成威胁。随着中医的发展和现代医学实验研究技术的进步，中医药在皮肤鳞状细胞癌的现代研究方面也取得一定成果。目前临床上治疗鳞状细胞癌多采取手术及药物化疗等，因不良反应的存在，患者接受度低。中药具有多靶点、安全性高、不良反应少等优势，在治疗皮肤鳞状细胞癌中中医具有一定优势，本文将围绕中药单体、中药复方，以及针灸在治疗皮肤鳞状细胞癌的研究进展展开论述和思考。     

Clinicopathologic factors associated with malignant transformation of oral leukoplakias: a retrospective cohort study

It is clinically challenging to identify oral leukoplakias that have a high risk of undergoing malignant transformation. The aim of this retrospective study was to elucidate the associations between malignant transformation of oral leukoplakias and various clinicopathologic factors. Patients with a diagnosis of clinical oral leukoplakia, verified through histopathologic examination and with access to digital images of the lesion, were retrospectively included for the period 2003–2013. Using the clinical images, all lesions were re-evaluated regarding diagnosis and clinical subtype. Of the 234 included patients, with a median follow-up of 9 years, 27 (11.5%) developed oral squamous cell carcinoma. Among the clinicopathologic factors investigated, non-homogeneous oral leukoplakia (OL), OL with dysplasia, and OL localized to the tongue showed statistically significant increased rates of malignant transformation in the multivariate Cox regression analysis. Non-homogeneous OL showed a 15.2-times higher transformation rate than homogenous OL (P < 0.001). Dysplastic leukoplakias developed into carcinomas 2.4-times more often than did non-dysplastic leukoplakias (P = 0.048). OL located on the tongue showed a 2.8-times higher malignant transformation rate than OLs at other oral locations (P = 0.018), when other locations were combined into one group. Non-homogeneous OL, OL with dysplasia, and OL localized to the tongue have higher transformation rates.     

人格特征对男性喉鳞状细胞癌患者术后近期心理状况的影响

目的 探讨人格特征对喉鳞状细胞癌（LSCC）患者术后近期心理健康状况的影响。方法 纳入2017年1月—2019年12月在湖北省肿瘤医院行手术治疗的119例男性LSCC患者，术后5~7 d采用SCL-90、SAS、SDS自评量表评估术后心理状态，采用EPQ问卷测评患者的人格特征。多元线性逐步回归方法分析LSCC患者术后近期SAS和SDS评分的影响因素。结果 男性LSCC患者术后SCL-90、SAS、SDS得分显著高于中国常模（P≤0.05），EPQ中精神质（P）量表和神经质（N）量表得分高于中国常模（P<0.01）。男性LSCC患者术后躯体化、强迫、焦虑、抑郁、敌对、恐怖、偏执、精神病性因子得分均显著高于中国常模（P<0.05）。家庭收入、手术方式、术后近期是否行放化疗、P和N人格特征是术后SAS评分的影响因素（均P<0.01）；家庭收入、手术方式、术后近期是否行放化疗和N人格特征是术后SDS评分的影响因素（P<0.01）。结论 LSCC患者术后近期存在抑郁、焦虑等心理障碍；具有P和N人格特征；家庭收入、手术方式、术后近期是否行放化疗以及P和N人格特征是影响术后SAS及SDS评分的独立危险因素。