ABSTRACT
A cross-sectional seroepidemiological study was conducted in the Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaër region of Morocco in 2007 among 267 barbers and 529 clients, all men with no history of hepatitis B (HBV) vaccination. The overall prevalence of HBV seropositivity was 28.1% in barbers and 25.1% in clients; 1.9% and 1.7% respectively had active HBV (HBsAg positive). Risk factors for HBV included older age, low educational level, urban living, being married, history of transfusion, lack of current heterosexual relationship and liver-associated symptoms. Observations showed that HBV seropositivity was lower in clean barbershops and those using alum as an antispetic. The rate of PCR-confirmed hepatitis C virus (HCV) was only 1.1% and 1.3% in barbers and clients respectively, and was associated with increased age, drug use, history of surgery and symptoms of liver disease. Less than 1% of barbers were aware of HBV or HCV as causative agents of liver disease or jaundice.
Subject(s)
Barbering , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Hepatitis B/epidemiology , Hepatitis C/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Cross-Sectional Studies , Hepatitis B/prevention & control , Hepatitis C/prevention & control , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Morocco/epidemiology , Risk Factors , Seroepidemiologic StudiesABSTRACT
A cross-sectional seroepidemiological study was conducted in the Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaer region of Morocco in 2007 among 267 barbers and 529 clients, all men with no history of hepatitis B [HBV] vaccination. The overall prevalence of HBV seropositivity was 28.1% in barbers and 25.1% in clients; 1.9% and 1.7% respectively had active HBV [HBsAg positive]. Risk factors for HBV included older age, low educational level, urban living, being married, history of transfusion, lack of current heterosexual relationship and liver-associated symptoms. Observations showed that HBV seropositivity was lower in clean barbershops and those using alum as an antispetic. The rate of PCR-confirmed hepatitis C virus [HCV] was only 1.1% and 1.3% in barbers and clients respectively, and was associated with increased age, drug use, history of surgery and symptoms of liver disease. Less than 1% of barbers were aware of HBV or HCV as causative agents of liver disease or jaundice
Subject(s)
Hepatitis C , Prevalence , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Barbering , Cross-Sectional Studies , Risk Factors , Surveys and Questionnaires , Hepatitis BSubject(s)
Emigration and Immigration , HIV Infections/epidemiology , Tuberculosis/epidemiology , Education/methods , Emigration and Immigration/trends , Europe/epidemiology , HIV Infections/therapy , Humans , Mediterranean Region/epidemiology , Morocco/epidemiology , Spain/epidemiology , Tuberculosis/therapyABSTRACT
We analysed 2 evaluation lots of the TB IgA EIA test in pulmonary tuberculosis patients (TBp). Sera were obtained from 345 TBp, 18 healthy subjects (HS), 28 subjects in contact with tuberculous patients (CS) and 16 non-tuberculous lung disease patients (N-TB) for the first evaluation lots and 302 TBp, 60 HS, 21 CS and 18 N-TB for the second. IgA titres against p-90 antigen with the second evaluation lot were significantly higher than the first evaluation lot. With the second evaluation lots, the sensitivity was 78.8% whereas with the first evaluation lot, the sensitivity was 75.9%. Specificity for the first and second evaluation lots was 50% and 70.7% respectively. The sensitivity of this test is still not satisfactory to establish pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Bacterial/blood , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods , Immunoglobulin A/blood , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/immunology , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/diagnosis , Adolescent , Adult , Age Distribution , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Analysis of Variance , Case-Control Studies , Child , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/standards , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Morocco/epidemiology , ROC Curve , Sensitivity and Specificity , Sex Distribution , Statistics, Nonparametric , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/blood , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/epidemiology , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/immunologyABSTRACT
We analysed 2 evaluation lots of the TB IgA EIA test in pulmonary tuberculosis patients [TBp]. Sera were obtained from 345 TBp, 18 healthy subjects [HS], 28 subjects in contact with tuberculous patients [CS] and 16 non-tuberculous lung disease patients [N-TB] for the first evaluation lots and 302 TBp, 60 HS, 21 CS and 18 N-TB for the second. IgA titres against p-90 antigen with the second evaluation lot were significantly higher than the first evaluation lot. With the second evaluation lots, the sensitivity was 78.8% whereas with the first evaluation lot, the sensitivity was 75.9%. Specificity for the first and second evaluation lots was 50% and 70.7% respectively. The sensitivity of this test is still not satisfactory to establish pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis
Subject(s)
Tuberculosis, Pulmonary , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Mycobacterium tuberculosis , Antibodies, Bacterial , Immunoglobulin AABSTRACT
Morocco is a country with Muslim-Arab tradition. In this sociocultural context, drug abuse in women is very taboo. We tried to approach the subject of drug use in women in a cross-sectional study of a sample of 1208 students (744 women and 464 men) who completed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. We found 6.59% of women and 36.2% of men used drugs. Using DSM IV criteria, drug dependence was found in 2% of the subsample of female drug users and drug abuse in 1.5%. Place of residence and level of income were statistically significant risk factors for drug use.
Subject(s)
Students/statistics & numerical data , Substance-Related Disorders/ethnology , Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology , Universities , Women , Arabs/ethnology , Attitude to Health/ethnology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , Family , Female , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Health Surveys , Humans , Income/statistics & numerical data , Islam/psychology , Male , Morocco/epidemiology , Residence Characteristics/statistics & numerical data , Risk Factors , Sex Distribution , Sex Factors , Smoking/epidemiology , Socioeconomic Factors , Students/psychology , Substance-Related Disorders/diagnosis , Surveys and Questionnaires , Taboo , Women/education , Women/psychologyABSTRACT
Morocco is a country with Muslim-Arab tradition. In this sociocultural context, drug abuse in women is very taboo. We tried to approach the subject of drug use in women in a cross-sectional study of a sample of 1208 students [744 women and 464 men] who completed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. We found 6.59% of women and 36.2% of men used drugs. Using DSM IV criteria, drug dependence was found in 2% of the subsample of female drug users and drug abuse in 1.5%. Place of residence and level of income were statistically significant risk factors for drug use
Subject(s)
Arabs , Attitude to Health , Cross-Sectional Studies , Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , Income , StudentsABSTRACT
The incorporation of two ionic steroids, namely the sodium salts of hydrocortisone 21-hemisuccinate (HNa) and prednisolone 21-succinate (PNa), at a silica/water interface in the presence of adsorbed cetyltrimethylammonium bromide has been investigated first at a constant pH value. It is shown that this coadsorption effect is qualitatively similar to the adsolubilization effect which is described for neutral molecules. The adsorption of the cationic surfactant induces the coadsorption of the anionic drug molecules although the silica surface is negatively charged. At surfactant equilibrium concentration above the critical micelle concentration the drug molecules are distributed between the adsorbed aggregates and the free micelles. At larger surfactant concentration, the drugs may be completely depleted from the silica/water interface. Based upon Langmuir-type isotherms, the equilibrium constants of the drug molecules with the adsorbed aggregates and the free micelles are calculated. The constants are about three times larger for the former than for the latter aggregates. The signification of such results is discussed. The coadsorption of HNa at low surfactant surface coverage was also investigated in the pH interval between 3 and 9. HNa is strongly coadsorbed at lower pH onto the silica surface. The coadsorption goes through a maximum at a pH value which may be considered as equal to the apparent pK of the drug and decreases to zero at higher pH values. A pK value equal to 4.2 is proposed for HNa. This behaviour is interpreted as the result of the interplay of the drug dissociation and that of the surface silanol groups upon the change of pH.
Subject(s)
Hydrocortisone/analogs & derivatives , Prednisone/analogs & derivatives , Surface-Active Agents/chemistry , Adsorption , Algorithms , Cetrimonium , Cetrimonium Compounds , Hydrocortisone/chemistry , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Isoelectric Focusing , Micelles , Prednisone/chemistry , Silicon Dioxide , Sodium/chemistry , ThermodynamicsABSTRACT
The investigation of a measles epidemic that occurred in May 1995 in the locality of Kouf [Province of Tetouan] detected 64 cases of measles among 281 children below 15 years of age. The attack rate was 22.8%. The most affected age group was 1-3 years. Age, sex, sublocality, school attendance and number of brothers and sisters did not seem to be risk factors for measles in this epidemic. The vaccine coverage among children aged 9 to 59 months was 83.8% with or without vaccination document and 92.7% with document. The vaccine efficacy in children 9 months to 3 years of age was 40%. Further investigations would be needed in order to clarify the reasons for this low percentage
