Sociodemographic predictors of acceptance of voluntary HIV testing among pregnant women in a large maternity hospital, Omdurman, Sudan

This study aimed to determine the sociodemographic predictors of willingness of pregnant women in Sudan to accept HIV testing. A random sample of 500 pregnant women attending antenatal care clinics in Omdurman maternity hospital in 2010 were interviewed. Significant predictors of women's tendency to accept HIV testing were: age < 30 years [OR 3.5, 95% CI: 2.2-5.8], primigravida [OR 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0-2.3], better education level [OR 3.4, 95% CI: 1.7-6.7], owning a radio [OR 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3-3.4], in employment [OR 2.5, 95% CI: 1.2-5.0] and >/= 2 antenatal care visits [OR 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2-2.9]. Husband's age >/= 35 years [OR 3.2, 95% CI: 2.0-5.2] and Christian faith [OR 3.8, 95% CI: 1.4-10.7] were significant variables, although with a wide margin of confidence. These predictors should be considered in strategies to increase the acceptance and use of HIV testing and counselling services

impact of gender on difficulty of classical open cholecystectomy

Cholecystectomy demands attention, and expectation of abnormal anatomy in the veins, arteries or ducts. Prediction of difficult cholecystectomy does not only helpin patient counseling but also helps the surgeon to prepare better for the technical difficulties that may be encountered[1-3]. To find out whether there is impact of gender on the difficulty of surgery during open cholecystectomy. This is a prospective hospital based study. Patients who presented to Ibn Sina Hospital for open cholecystectomy during the period from April 2011 to April 2012 were included in this study. Special emphasis was put on gender, the operative time, difficulty of surgery and complications of open cholecystectomy. A pre-tested questionnaire was filled during interview of patients and operating surgeons. A total 327 operations were included in the study. Of them there were 34[64.2%] males and 99[36.1%] females presented early i.e. after the first diagnosis was made. The mean operative time was 44.6 min for males and 43.57 min for females. Difficult surgery was described in 6[11.3%] of male and 23[8.4%] females. There was no significant statistical difference in the operative time, difficulty of operation and complication rate between males and females

Pharmaceutical representatives' beliefs and practices about their professional practice: a study in Sudan

Pharmaceutical representatives are an important promotional tool for pharmaceutical companies. This cross-sectional, exploratory study aimed to determine pharmaceutical representatives' beliefs and practices about their professional practice in Sudan. A random sample of 160 pharmaceutical representatives were interviewed using a pretested questionnaire. The majority were male [84.4%] and had received training in professional sales skills [86.3%] and about the products being promoted [82.5%]. Only 65.6% agreed that they provided full and balanced information about products. Not providing balanced information was attributed by 23.1% to doctors' lack of time. However, 28.1% confessed they sometimes felt like hiding unfavourable information, 21.9% were sometimes or always inclined to give untrue information to make sales and 66.9% considered free gifts as ethically acceptable. More attention is needed to dissemination of ethical codes of conduct and training about the ethics of drug promotion for pharmaceutical representatives in Sudan

Psychological disorders and quality of life among Sudanese dialysis patients and renal transplant recipients

Psychiatric illness is common among patients with chronic disorders, particularly in those with end-stage renal disease on renal replacement therapy [RRT]. Patients with a functioning renal allograft have an improved quality of life [QOL] compared to patients on dialysis. To evaluate the psychological disorders and QOL among dialysis patients and renal transplant recipients. This is a prospective cross-sectional study that included 168 patients on RRT. Their psychological health status was assessed through clinical examination and relevant designed questionnaires. The data obtained were fed to the SPSS for analysis. Significance was assume at P<0.05. Out of 168 ESRD Sudanese patients, 43 [25.6% received renal allograft. The frequency of depression was 90 [72%] and nine [25.6%] of patients on dialysis; and kidney transplant recipients respectively. Anxiety was reported with significant difference [p< 0.001] in the dialyzed patients compared to kidney transplant recipients. Sleep disorders were experienced by 81 [64.8%] of dialyzed, and nine [20.9%] of kidney transplant recipients [P < 0.001]. Psychological disorders in dialyzed ESRD patients have significant effect on the quality of life and may have a tremendous impact on mortality and morbidity. For this reason, supportive management by psychologist and or psychiatrist is recommended for early detection and alleviation of symptoms of mood and mind disturbances. For most patients with ESRD kidney transplantation offers the greatest potential for restoring healthy productive life

Renal transplantation Gezira hospital for renal disease and surgery [GHRDS]

Recent years have witnessed an explosive growth in the number of patients experiencing end stage renal disease [ESRD], as well as number of centers providing therapeutic modalities such as hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and renal transplantation. Algorithm: 1. To audit the practice of renal transplantation in Gezira hospital for renal disease and surgery [GHRDS]. 2. To recommend and contribute in some aspects that may reduce surgical complications and transplant-related deaths, and improve the outcome. 3. To assess the impact of preoperative co-morbid medical conditions of the recipient on the frequency of surgical complications of renal transplantation in GHRDS Patients and Methods: This is non-interventional descriptive retrospective review was made of all patients transplanted in the period June 2001-June 2008 in GHRDS. A total of 82 renal transplants were performed at GHRDS in our study period, all were adults and they are representing our study population group. Data was analyzed by computer program the SPSS. To determine the statistical significance of differences, the Pearson test was used and probability test [P. value] with p < 0.05 considered as significant. The incidence of surgical complications was correlated with several pretransplant, technical and post-transplant risk factors. Among the 82 patients underwent living donor renal transplantation in the GHRDS in the period 2001-2008 some surgical complications were occurred. These complications included hemorrhage in 9 patients, hematoma necessitating surgical exploration in 5 patients, urinary leakage in 7 patients, ureteric obstruction with clots in 3 patients, significant hematuria in 5 patients, wound dehiscence in 4 patients. The incidence of urological complications [ureteric obstruction and urinary leakage] was 8.1% and vascular complications 4.9%. There were 3 gastrointestinal complications [3.4%]. We lost 10 grafts [12.2%] and 9 recipients [10.9%]. The practice of renal transplant in GHRDS was found to be sound and comparable to the learning curve of the literature. The numbers of patients transplanted not yet paralleling the increasing numbers of patients with ESRD

Quinine for chloroquine-resistant falciparum malaria in pregnant Sudanese women in the first trimester

A prospective clinical study in eastern Sudan described the efficacy and toxicity of quinine in early pregnancy in mothers with chloroquine-resistant falciparum malaria. Twenty-six pregnant Sudanese women in their first trimester [mean gestational age 8.5 weeks] were given quinine 10 mg/kg 3 times per day for 7 days and followed up every 2 weeks until delivery. One patient aborted [3.8%] and 2 patients [7.7%] experienced threatened abortion but delivered term babies. Recrudescence or re-infection was observed on day 21 in 1 patient. One baby died aged 6 months. There were no detectable congenital malformations, no auditory or visual defects or any other neurological deficits in the remaining infants at birth or 1 year later. Quinine may be safe in the first trimester of pregnancy

levels of lipoprotein in male and female Sudanese diabetics

In view of the high incidence of coronary heart disease in diabetic women, lipid and lipoprotein values, including fasting triacylgycerol [TG], total cholesterol [TC] and its major fractions were obtained from 18 men and 30 women with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus [IDDM] and 22 men and 68 women with non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM], at Khartoum Teaching Hospital. 20 healthy men and 30 health females were chosen as control. Male diabetics showed significantly high levels of very low density lipoprotein - cholesterol [VLDL - C] compared to their sex matched controls, while female diabetics showed high total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein - cholesterol [LDL - C] compared to their controls. NIDDM diabetics showed significant triacylgycerol level and low HDL - C level than sex matched controls [P < 0.05, P < 0.001 respectively]. Considering all the obtained values from different parameters, we conclude that male diabetics were less liable to develop coronary heart disease than female diabetics who might be subjected to an increasingly risk to develop coronary disease

Clinical presentation of the irritable bowel syndrome compared with duodenal ulcer in the Saudi

The symptoms and signs of irritable bowel syndrome in 59 patients were compared with those in 50 patients with endoscopically proven duodenal ulcer, using a questionnaire admininistered before diagnosis. The most significant clinical feature of irritable bowel syndrome were: left-sided abdominal pain that was colicky in nature, eased by defection, and accompanied by excessive flatulence and headache; the only positive physical finding was tenderness over the sigmoid colon. The most significant features of duodenal ulcer were intermittent pain either in the epigastrium or right hypochondrium, with nocturnal awakening and positive pointing sign elicited on examination. The features for irritable bowel syndrome and peptic ulcer were distinctive for each. The symptoms of irritables bowel syndromes, in particular, differed in some respects from those observed for the syndrome in the West