Dyslipidemia and its associated factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Journal of Public Health - Dyslipidemia is a major risk factor known to be associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. This study determined the frequency of lipid abnormalities among...     

Costs and impact of meningitis epidemics for the public health system in Burkina Faso

Background

Epidemic meningococcal meningitis remains a serious health threat in the African meningitis belt. New meningococcal conjugate vaccines are relatively costly and their efficiency will depend on cost savings realized from no longer having to respond to epidemics.

Methods

We evaluated the cost and impacts to the public health system of the 2007 epidemic bacterial meningitis season in Burkina Faso through a survey at the different level of the health system. A micro-economic approach was used to evaluate direct medical and non medical costs for both the public health system and households, as well as indirect costs for households.

Results

The total national cost was 9.4 million US$ (0.69 US$ per capita). Health system costs were 7.1 million US$ (1.97% of annual national health spending), with 85.6% for reactive vaccination campaigns. The remaining 2.3 million US$ was borne by households of meningitis cases. The mean cost per person vaccinated was 1.45 US$; the mean cost of case management per meningitis case was 116.3 US$ when including household costs and 26.4 US$ when including only health sector costs. Meningitis epidemics disrupted all health services from national to operational levels with the main contributor being a large increase in medical consultations.

Conclusions

Preventive meningococcal conjugate vaccines should contribute to more efficient use of funds dedicated to meningitis epidemics and limit the disruption of routine health services.     

First trimester zonulin levels and adiposity as predictive indices of gestational diabetes mellitus

International Journal of Diabetes in Developing Countries - This study was aimed at determining the levels of serum zonulin during the first trimester in pregnant women and to examine the...     

Ruptures in psychotherapy: Experiences of therapist trainees

Abstract

Method: We used consensual qualitative research (CQR) to investigate the experiences of therapist trainees who had a rupture with a client. Results: Of 21 trainees who were tracked weekly, 14 experienced a rupture and were interviewed 1 week after the rupture and again 2 weeks later about antecedents, repair attempts, and consequences. Trainees typically reported experiencing tension at the beginning of the rupture session and difficult emotions during the rupture (e.g., anger, depleted self-efficacy). Conclusion: Trainees typically tried to repair the rupture by using immediacy or facilitating exploration about the conflict. Trainees typically reported both negative (e.g., strained therapeutic relationship) and positive consequences (e.g., therapeutic work became more productive). Trainees seemed to be less aware of withdrawal than confrontational ruptures. Implications are that trainees could benefit from learning more about ruptures including how to regulate negative emotions toward clients and acquiring more rupture-repair tools, as well as realizing that ruptures can have some positive as well as negative aspects.     

Retrospective study of foot and mouth disease in West Africa from 1970 to 2003

A retrospective study of foot and mouth disease in seven West African countries was conducted for the period 1970 to 2003. The study included three cattle-exporting Sahel countries (Burkina-Faso, Mali and Niger) and four cattle-importing coastal countries (Benin, C?te d'lvoire, Ghana and Togo). Foot and mouth disease has been enzootic in these countries since 1990/1991. Four of the seven serotypes are regularly notified (O, A, SAT 1 and SAT 2). In the seven countries as a whole, 198 biological samples from identified foot and mouth disease outbreaks confirmed the involvement of the following serotypes: O (62 outbreaks); A (32 outbreaks); SAT 1 (18 outbreaks); SAT 2 (86 outbreaks). This result, which is largely underestimated, clearly demonstrates the seriousness of foot and mouth disease in West Africa, whose livestock production system characterised by continual uncontrolled animal movements facilitates the spread of the disease. Unlike in Southern Africa, for foot and mouth disease to be controlled in West Africa it is necessary immediately to introduce a regional strategy involving all countries which takes into account the real situation in the field: transhumance, nomadism and live-animal imports by coastal countries.