Infection control measures among interns / house surgeons in teaching hospitals under University of Medicine (1), Yangon.

Health care workers are responsible for prevention and control of communicable diseases in the hospital environment. This study aimed to focus on infection control measures among house officers. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 2010 at three teaching hospitals in Yangon City by introducing anonymous self-administered questionnaires to randomly selected 150 respondents. SPSS version 16.0 was used for analysis. Over half of the respondents had high knowledge and perception but the practice was poor. Infection control messages acquired through health talks, seminars and media were infl uencing factors on knowledge while training programs signifi cantly infl uenced both knowledge and perception. Senior house offi cers had significantly higher mean perception scores than their juniors (p=0.005). Their hand washing practice was signifi cantly infl uenced by newspapers and magazines (p=0.003) and poster and pamphlet(p=0.056). Compliance on utilization of surgical mask as a precautionary measure for airborne transmission was associated with knowledge (0.020), adequate supply in wards (p=0.001) and donation from medical product company (p=0.042). They bought gloves for handling infectious materials (p=0.000), and needle recapping practice before discarding was related to knowledge (p=0.05). Knowledge, perception and practice of house offi cers were interrelated to each other. Further education and training of house surgeons, resource allocation and continuous monitoringwere necessary for proper infection control and safe hospital environment.

Prevalence trend of youth smoking in 29 Townships of Bago, Magwe and Mandalay Divisions, September 1999

In 1999 September a cross-sectional analytic study was conducted in 29 townships of Mandalay. Magwe and Bago divisions of Myanmar. Randomly selected 2074 urban and 1781 rural 15-24 year old youths from 4808 households were interviewed. 5.6 per cent of females and 67.6 per cent of male youths reported as current smokers. At age 14, 37 per cent of the boys smoked. At age 17, more than half of males smoked, and, at age 22 and older, nearly 80 per cent of them were already smoking. Girls started smoking later than boys. Only 1 per cent of 15-year-old girls smoked. When the females reached age 22-24, approximately 10 per cent of them smoked. Comparing different youth cohorts, the younger started smoking earlier than the older youths. Median age of starting tobacco smoking for the 16 year old males was 16; that was approximately 3 years earlier than the median age of smoking for the 24 years old males.

Serum calcium in normal and preeclamptic pregnant Myanmar women

To study the changes during normal pregnancy and in preeclampsia, serum calcium concentration was measured in 26 apparently healthy pregnant Myanmar women and in 15 preeclamptic patients. They were 20-40 years of age. In healthy pregnant women, serum total calcium levels measured at 24th week, 28th week, 32nd week and 36th week of gestation were 2.45 + or - 0.30 mmol/1, 2.47 + or - 0.29 mmol/1, 2.41 + or - 0.29 mmol/1 and 2.46 + or - 0.29 mmol/1 respectively and ionized calcium levels at these periods were 1.24 + or - 0.15 mmol/1, 1.23 + or - 0.14 mmol/1, and 1.20 + or - 0.16 mmol/1 respectively. In preeclamptic patients, the mean serum total calcium level (2.26 + or - 0.24 mmol/1) was significantly lower than that (2.52 + or - 0.23 mmol/1) of 0.27 mmol/1) and ionized calcium level (1.23 + or - 0.14 mmol/1) of preeclamptic patients were not significantly different from those (2.43 + or - 0.24 mmol/1 and 1.24 + or - 0.13 mmol/1 respectively) of control.

The serodiagnosis of amoebiasis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

We attempt to detect antibodies against Entamoeba histolytica in sera obtained from both healthy individuals and hospitalized patients by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The limiting value for ELISA-positive was established on the basis of serologic results of 1869 healthy persons living in a non-endemic area (Japan)> The ELISA then was applied to 61 patients in 5 hospitals in Myanmar who were suspected of having amoebiasis. The ELISA results were compared with those of stool examinations, and evaluated for sensitivity. Using the llimiting value for the ELISA, there was an 83 Percent agreement of positivity between the ELISA tests and microscopic examinations. Specific anti-E-histolytica IgM was observed in the sera of 44 patients; IgG in all of the 61 patients. Since high titers of specific IgM were not observed in both stool-positive and stool-negative patients, we judged that patients with early stages of amoebic infections were not included in this population. In our ELISA, the sera of the patients did not exhibit crosss-reactions betweeen antigens prepared from the HK-9 strain of E. histolytica and antigens prepared from Trichomonas vaginalis and Giardia lamblia. On the basis of these results, we suggest that it is necessary to do two or more different examinations in order to make a definite diagnosis of amoebic infection.

Detection of Entamoeba histolytica antigen in stool samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using monoclonal antibodies

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), using monoclonal antibodies, was applied for the detection of Entamoeba histolytica antigen in stool samples obtained from 148 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms, and the results are compared with microscopic findings. Ninety nine positives by microscopy generally had high ELISA OD values. Ninety one stool samples of asymptomatic cyst passers were also investigated by ELISA, and most were found to be positive. Although false positives were observed in both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases, the ELISA appears to be useful for the detection of amoebic antigen(s). However, our results suggest that both immunological methods and microscopic examination are needed for an accurate diagnosis of intestinal amoebiasis.