Structures familiales, encadrement communautaire et survie des enfants. Une recherche en milieu rural malien

The influence of the family environment on child survival is difficult to study using retrospective data, especially in contexts where family structures are complex and where children are mobile. Data from a follow-up survey in rural Mali (1976-2009) are used here to address this question. Several indicators are constructed to test the effect of family structures on child mortality: morphology of the domestic group, availability of family resources, the child's place in the family and the presence of his or her parents. Bivariate and multivariate analyses find no difference in child mortality across different family environments. This finding suggests that the family and social networks still play a powerful role in regulating and managing risks of unequal treatment and care of children

Orthopaedic anaesthesia for upper extremity procedures in a Nigerian hospital

Background General anaesthesia and regional anaesthesia have been used successfully for upper extremity orthopaedic procedures. Despite the advantages of regional anaesthesia, there is low utilisation in Nigeria. In this study, we assessed the types of anaesthesia employed for upper extremity surgeries in our centre. Methods After obtaining approval from the institutional ethics committee, all the patients who had upper extremity surgeries from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2012 were included in this review. Both prospective and retrospective data were gathered. The choice of anaesthesia was at the discretion of the attending anaesthetist. Results A total of 226 patients with a male-to-female ratio of 1.6:1 and median age of 35.0 (range 2 – 89) years, had orthopaedic upper extremity procedures during the study period. Sixty-three cases (27.9%) had general anaesthesia, 5 (2.2%) combined regional and general anaesthesia while 158 (69.9%) had regional blocks. The regional blocks comprised 145 (89%) different approaches to the brachial plexus and 18 (11%) local anaesthetic infiltrations. The arm was the site mostly operated upon; while supraclavicular and axillary brachial plexus blocks were performed in equal amounts. In 14 (6.2%) patients, brachial plexus blocks were performed with spinal anaesthesia because of concomitant iliac crest bone grafts. While the duration of surgery did not differ significantly, regional anaesthesia provided a significantly longer duration of anaesthesia than general anaesthesia (251 ± 70.8 min versus 141.3 ± 65.5 min; p = 0.0000001). Conclusion There is a high use of regional anaesthesia for upper extremity orthopaedic surgeries in our centre, which is a positive development in a resource limited setting.

Five years retrospective cohort analysis of treatment outcomes of TB-HIV patients at a PEPFAR/DOTS Centre in South Eastern Nigeria.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) associated tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global public health challenge, with an estimated 1.4 million patients worldwide. Co-infection with HIV leads to challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess treatment outcomes of a cohort of smear positive TB-HIV co-infected patients over a five-year study period. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 600 smear-positive tuberculosis patients registered at the chest unit of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu from January 2008 to December 2012 was done. The data was analyzed using SPSS Version 17. Results: One hundred and three (17.2%) of the patients were co-infected with TB/HIV, while 398 (66.3%) and 99 (16.5%) were HIV negative and unknown respectively. Among the co-infected patients, 45(43.7%) were cured as against 222(55.8%) in the TBHIV negatives (Z=4.53, p=0.000, 95%CI= 0.12-0.34). Respectively in the TB-HIV co-infected and TB-HIV negative patients, treatment completed were 21(20.4%) and 71(17.8%) (Z=9.15, p=0.000, 95%= 0.4035-0.60); defaulted 19(18.5%) vs 70 (17.6%) (Z=9.29, p=0.000, 95%CI=0.42-0.60), died 10(9.7%) vs. 6(1.5%) (Z=1.22, p=0.224, 95%CI= -0.0286-0.1086), and failures were 1(0.9%) vs. 7(1.8%) (Z=2.48, p=0.013, 95%CI=0.04-0.10). Treatment success rate was lower in TB-HIV co-infected patients, 64.1% compared to TB-HIV negative patients with 73.6%. Also those that defaulted among the TB-HIV co-infected patients (18.5%) were higher than 17.6% among TB-HIV negative patients, a difference of 0.9%. Conclusion: Findings demonstrate that HIV co-infection affects TB treatment outcomes adversely. Treatment adherence, timely and sustained access to antiretroviral therapy for TB/HIV co-infected patients are important.

Late-stage disease at presentation to an HIV clinic in eastern Tanzania: A retrospective cross-sectional study

Background Late presentation and delayed treatment initiation is associated with poor outcomes in patients with HIV. Little is known about the stage at which HIV patients present at HIV clinics in Tanzania. Aim This study aimed at determining the proportion of HIV patients presenting with WHO clinical stages 3 and 4 disease, and the level of immunity at the time of enrollment at the care and treatment center. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among 366 HIVinfected adults attending HIV clinic at Mwananyamala Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Data were obtained from the care and treatment clinic database. Results Late stage disease at the time of presentation was found in 276 (75.4%) of the patients; out of whom 153 (41.8%) presented with CD4 count <200 cells/ul and 229 (62.6%) presented with WHO clinical stage 3 or 4 at the time of clinic enrollment. Strategies to improve early diagnosis and treatment initiation should be improved.