Selenium-vitamin E responsive myopathy in farmed ostriches (Struthio camelus) in Botswana.

Four adult ostriches developed sudden onset paresis and were unable to stand up when disturbed. After treatment with selenium and vitamin E, one of the birds could stand and move normally. The others died and post mortem examination revealed pale patches in the thigh muscles. Histopathological examination showed degeneration of skeletal muscles as seen in nutritional myopathy. Serum selenium and vitamin E levels were low whereas aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase levels were very high. All remaining birds on the farm were given multimineral and vitamin E supplement and no more cases were seen.     

B超引导下经皮肾镜气压弹道联合超声碎石术治疗肾结石118例报告

目的:探讨B超引导下经皮肾镜气压弹道联合超声碎石术治疗肾结石的方法、疗效和安全性.方法:2005年7月～2007年9月采用B超引导下经皮肾镜气压弹道联合超声碎石术治疗肾结石118例,其中单侧113例,双侧5例,并对手术操作方法、并发症进行分析.结果:111例116侧成功施行经皮肾穿刺并建立F24经皮肾通道进行Ⅰ期碎石清石术;3例3侧经皮肾穿刺或扩张通道失败改行开放手术;3例3侧由于经皮肾通道扩张出血和1例1侧并发尿脓毒症而行Ⅱ期经皮肾镜碎石术.所有结石均被粉碎,Ⅰ期单侧结石清除率为70.7%(87/123侧).手术时间30～210 min,平均(105±51)min.术中失血量10～500 ml,平均60 ml.3例需输血,输血量平均400 ml.术后低、中度发热者36例,高热者4例,经选用合适的抗生素治疗,术后5天内体温恢复正常.2例术后1个月内继发真菌感染,出现肉眼血尿,经抗真菌治疗,血尿消失.结论:B超引导下经皮肾镜气压弹道联合超声碎石术治疗肾结石操作方法安全,疗效可靠.     

Prevalence of HIV infection and uptake of HIV/AIDS services among fisherfolk in landing Islands of Lake Victoria,north western Tanzania

Background

New HIV infections in Tanzania have been decreasing, however some populations remain at higher risk. Despite of that, evidence on the magnitude of HIV infection and the associated factors and HIV/AIDS services uptake among fisherfolk in Tanzania are inadequately explored. This study therefore aimed at determining prevalence of HIV infection and utilization of HIV/AIDS services among fishfolk in selected Islands of Lake Victoria for evidence-based interventions.

Methods

Cross-sectional study determining status of HIV infection among fisherfolk (n?=?456) and retrospective review of voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) registry (n?=?1744) were done in Buchosa and Muleba districts. Structured questionnaire and HIV rapid test kits with the standard testing protocol were used as research tools.

Results

A total of 269 (58.9%) male and 187 (41.1%) female fisherfolk were recruited during the community survey. Prevalence of HIV infection was 14% in all surveyed landing sites with a site variation from as low as 7.2% to as high as 23.8%. Participants employed in fishing related employment had higher odds of being HIV infected (5.4 times) than those who practiced fishing and partly farming [OR?=?5.40; 95%CI 1.88–15.61; p?<?0.001]. Participants employed in fishing related employment had higher odds of being HIV infected (5.4 times) than those practiced fishing and farming [OR?=?5.40; 95%CI 1.88–15.61; P?<?0.001]. Lack of formal education [aOR?=?3.37; 95%CI 1.64–6.92; p?<?0.001], being older [aOR?=?1.06; 95%CI 1.03–1.09] and using alcohol [aOR?=?2.26; 95%CI 1.23–4.15] predicted the likelihood of contracting HIV infection. Approximately three quarters (76%) of respondents had ever tested for HIV infection within past 1 year. Moreover, about half of the study participants had used condom inconsistently and 5 out of 14 (37.5%) of participants who knew their status had never started treatment. Despite the low uptake of most HIV preventive services, majority (88%) of male fisherfolk were circumcised.

Conclusion

The magnitude of HIV infection among fisherfolk was up to 3 times higher than that of the general populations in Muleba and Buchosa districts. Higher age, using alcohol and lack of formal education predicted increased likelihood of HIV infection. The uptake of key HIV/AIDS curative and preventive services was generally low.

     

两种方法对部分性鹿角形肾结石治疗效果的比较

目的 探讨经皮肾取石术(PCNL)与开放手术对部分性鹿角形肾结石治疗的安全性和有效性.方法 对部分性鹿角形肾结石患者采用PCNL与开放手术各30例,将两组治疗效果进行比较.结果 对于部分性鹿角形结石,采用PCNL较开放手术手术操作时间、出血量、肾功能损害程度少;残石率、结石复发率、并发症发生率较低;而住院费用较高,两组比较差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05).结论 对于部分性鹿角形结石PCNL和开放手术都能达到较好的治疗效果.采用 PCNL治疗具有安全、有效、创伤小、结石清除率高、并发症少、肾功能损害程度小、结石复发率低等特点,PCNL可作为治疗部分性鹿角形结石首选治疗方法,值得临床推广和应用.     

Medical syncretism with reference to malaria in a Tanzanian community

What happens when new health information is introduced into a community? We have explored this question in a semi-rural community of Southeastern Tanzania whose population has been in contact with biomedicine for many decades. With the example of malaria, we illustrate how biomedical knowledge transmitted in health messages coexists, interacts and merges with local pre-existing ideas and logics. The results are syncretic models, which may deviate considerably from what health promoters intended to transmit. Some of those may have implications for treatment of malaria, which may include delay in seeking treatment and non-compliance with therapy. Analysing this medical syncretism clearly demonstrates that even if comprehension of health messages is accurate, the way in which people interpret these messages may not be. Disentangling syncretic processes permits us to understand the dynamics of how information is processed by the recipients, and provides orientations for health promoters for adapting messages to the local context.     

Immobilization of trypsin on poly(methyl methacrylate-co-2-acryloylamino-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid)

Trypsin was immobilized on a copolymer of methyl methacrylate and 2-acryloylamino-2-methylpropanesulfinic acid. The resulting immobilized trypsin shows 25% of the soluble enzyme specific activity. The pH optimum of the immobilized trypsin is shifted to a higher value by 1,1 units. The pH stability of the immobilized trypsin is better than that of the soluble enzyme, whereas the temperature stability of the soluble and the immobilized enzyme is almost identical.     

The use of nominal group technique in identifying community health priorities in Moshi rural district, northern Tanzania

This article highlights issues pertaining to identification of community health priorities in a resource poor setting. Community involvement is discussed by drawing experience of involving lay people in identifying priorities in health care through the use of Nominal Group Technique. The identified health problems are compared using four selected village communities of Moshi district in Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. We conducted this study to trace the experience and knowledge of lay people as a supplement to using 'health experts' in priority setting using malaria as a tracer condition. The patients/caregivers, women's group representatives, youth leaders, religious leaders and community leaders/elders constituted the principal subjects. Emphasis was on providing qualitative data, which are of vital consideration in multi-disciplinary oriented studies, and not on quantitative information from larger samples. We found a high level of agreement across groups, that malaria remains the leading health problem in Moshi rural district in Tanzania both in the highland and lowland areas. Our findings also indicate that 'non-medical' issues including lack of water, hunger and poverty heralded priority in the list implying that priorities should not only be focused on diseases, but should also include health services and social cultural issues. Indeed, methods which are easily understood and applied thus able to give results close to those provided by the burden of disease approaches should be adopted. It is the provision of ownership of the derived health priorities to partners including the community that enhances research utilization of the end results. In addition to disease-based methods, the Nominal Group Technique is being proposed as an important research tool for involving the non-experts in priority setting in Tanzania.