Impact de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur le suivi des maladies systémiques: enquête transversale multicentrique à Dakar / How the outbreak of COVID-19 did affected the follow-up of patients known for an autoimmune or autoinflammatory systemic diseases in Dakar

Introduction : La pandémie de covid-19 a eu un impact sur les systèmes de santé, entravant la prise en charge optimale des maladies chroniques. L'objectif de notre étude était d'évaluer son impact sur le suivi des pathologies systémiques. Patients - Méthodes : Nous avons mené une enquête transversale multicentrique dans les services de Médecine Interne, de Rhumatologie et de Néphrologie à Dakar. Les patients étaient inclus en accord avec les critères de consensus internationaux. L'enquête a porté sur les dossiers concernant 13 questions et a été complétée par un entretien téléphonique avec 38 questions potentielles. Les réponses étaient collectées grâce à une application Web puis exportées et analysées avec le logiciel SPSS 26.0. Résultats : Du 1er Août au 31 Octobre 2021, 131 patients ont été inclus avec un âge moyen de 41,5 ans (+/-12,4) et un sex-ratio de 0,08. Les pathologies inflammatoires étaient dominées par la polyarthrite rhumatoïde (47,3%) et le lupus systémique (22,9%). Les patients ont rapporté avoir raté un ou plusieurs rendez-vous de suivi dans 45% des cas. Les motifs étaient dominés par une difficulté d'obtenir un rendez-vous de suivi (18,6%) et la peur de fréquenter les hôpitaux (16,9%). Une rupture médicamenteuse a été notée dans 33,6% des cas et concernait notamment l'hydroxychloroquine (40,9%) ou le méthotrexate (47,7%) avec comme raison principale les ruptures de stock en pharmacie et les difficultés économiques. Une poussée de la maladie systémique a été rapportée dans 31% des cas corrélée à la rupture médicamenteuse. Onze (11) patients ont présenté une infection confirmée à SARS CoV-2. Conclusion : La pandémie de covid-19 a eu un impact non négligeable sur le suivi des patients atteints de maladies inflammatoires systémiques. Elle a mis en exergue l'intérêt de la réorganisation de la prise en charge de ces patients en période de crise sanitaire, l'éducation thérapeutique des patients et le recours à la télémédecine pour assurer la continuité des soins.

Introduction: The covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on health systems, compromising the optimal management of chronic diseases such as systemic autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases. The aim of our study was to assess its impact on the follow-up of systemic diseases in Dakar. Patients - Methods: We conducted a multicentre cross-sectional survey in the departments of Internal Medicine, Rheumatology and Nephrology in Dakar. Patients were included in accordance with international consensus criteria. The survey was based on records of 13 questions and was completed by a telephone interview with 38 potential questions. Responses were collected using a web-based application and then exported and analyzed using SPSS 26.0 software. Results: From 1 August to 31 October, 131 patients were included with a mean age of 41.5 years (+/-12.4) and a sex-ratio of 0.08. Inflammatory diseases were dominated by rheumatoid arthritis (47.3%) and systemic lupus erythematosus (22.9%). Patients reported missing one or more follow-up appointments in 45% of the cases. The reasons were dominated by difficulty in obtaining a follow-up appointment (18.6%) and fear of attending hospitals (16.9%). A drug shortage was also reported in 33.6% of the cases and concerned in particular hydroxychloroquine (40.9%) or methotrexate (47.7%), with the main reason being stock shortages in pharmacies and economic difficulties. A flare-up of the systemic disease was reported in 31% of the cases correlated with the drug rupture. Only 11 patients had a confirmed SARS CoV-2 infection. Conclusion: The covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the follow-up of patients with systemic inflammatory diseases. It highlighted the interest of reorganizing the follow-up of these patients during a health crisis, the patient education and the use of telemedicine to ensure continuity of care

[A socio-anthropological survey to support communication on Covid-19 in West Africa]. / Une enquête socio-anthropologique à l'appui de la communication sur le Covid-19 En Afrique de l'Ouest.

The population's adherence to preventive measures is crucial for the success of the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic, whether it is a question of respecting barrier gestures or vaccination. We conducted a socio-anthropological survey in five countries of the Economic Community of West African States (Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, and Sierra Leone) on the representations of Covid-19 that may influence this adherence. Our results showed that raising the awareness of barrier gestures was extremely well-received by the population and is perfectly understood, but that a substantial part of the population denies the presence of Covid-19 in their country, that the transmission of SARS-CoV2 by asymptomatic persons is mostly ignored, that the risk factors of severe forms of the disease are insufficiently known and that a majority of the respondents fear contracting Covid-19 when visiting a health center. The "infodemia" circulating on social networks does not seem to contribute to the various misconceptions we have highlighted, which are the product of the interviewees' observations and interpretation. We propose a reorientation of communication about Covid-19 based on the results of our survey.

Pancreatic heterotopia in mesentery.

INTRODUCTION: The pancreatic heterotopia of fortuitous operational discovery remains rare because of the medical imagery progress. We report a mesenteric localisation of aberrant pancreas identified during the assumption of responsibility of an abdominal emergency. OBSERVATION: A 26-year-old man was allowed with the urgencies for an acute obstruction of the small bowel. Surgical exploration revealed a distal support an ileo-parietal adherence near to an inflammatory hearth of appendicular origin. We noted, in addition to the mesentery of the first jejunal loop, a bilobate mass of glandular-like tissue with a pancreatic aspect. The adjacent jejunal handles were macroscopically healthy. The Pathological examination of the mass confirmed the existence of a mixed glandular exocrine and endocrine origin of pancreatic tissue, type I of the Heinrich's classification. CONCLUSION: This rare topographic entity of fortuitous discovery underlines the need for a meticulous surgical exploration of the abdominal cavity particularly in urgency when a summarized radiological assessment does not permit a complete morphological study.

Analysis of antibody responses to selected Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface antigens in mild and cerebral malaria and associations with clinical outcomes.

Merozoite surface proteins (MSPs) are critical for parasite invasion; they represent attractive targets for antibody-based protection against clinical malaria. To identify protection-associated target MSPs, the present study analysed antibody responses to whole merozoite extract (ME) and to defined MSP recombinant antigens in hospitalized patients from a low endemic urban area as a function of disease severity (mild versus cerebral malaria). Sera from 110 patients with confirmed severe cerebral malaria (CM) and 91 patients with mild malaria (MM) were analysed (mean age = 29 years) for total and subclass immunoglobulin (Ig)G to ME and total IgG to MSP1p19, MSP2, MSP3, MSP4 and MSP5 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Functional antibody responses were evaluated using the antibody-dependent respiratory burst (ADRB) assay in a subset of sera. There was a trend towards higher IgG1 and IgG4 levels to ME in CM compared to MM; only ME IgM responses differed significantly between fatal and surviving CM patients. Increased prevalence of IgG to individual MSPs was found in the CM compared to the MM group, including significantly higher levels of IgG to MSP4 and MSP5 in the former. Sera from fatal (24·5%) versus surviving cases showed significantly lower IgG to MSP1p19 and MSP3 (P < 0·05). ADRB assay readouts correlated with high levels of anti-MSP IgG, and trended higher in sera from patients with surviving compared to fatal CM outcome (P = 0·07). These results document strong differential antibody responses to MSP antigens as targets of protective immunity against CM and in particular MSP1p19 and MSP3 as prognostic indicators.

[Results of anastomotic urethroplasty for male urethral stricture disease]. / Résultats de l'urétroplastie anastomotique pour rétrécissement de l'urètre masculin.

OBJECTIVE: To report our experience with anastomotic uretroplasty (AU) due to male urethral stricture disease (USD) and to identify factors affecting the results. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study over a period of 4 years and 6 months (July 2012 to December 2016). Any subsequent use of endoscopic urethrotomy or new urethroplasty was considered a failure. RESULTS: Forty-eight cases were included. The mean age of patients was 53.5±17.3 years (23-87 years). Urinary retention was the reason for consultation in 42 cases (87.5%). The most common localization of USD was the bulbar urethra (n=45). The mean length of USD was 1.23±0.62cm (0.5-3cm) with a median length of 1cm. The etiology was post-infectious in 56.3% of cases. More than half (58.3%) of patients had already undergone at least one urethral manipulation. After an average follow-up of 21.1±12.6 months (1 to 52 months), the overall success rate was 77.1%. In univariate analysis, length, cause and location of the stricture, age of patient, the presenting symptoms of the stricture, previous urethral manipulation and surgeon experience did not significantly impact on the success rate of anastomotic urethroplasty at one and two years follow-up. CONCLUSION: The AU had provided good results in our practice. The infectious origin of the stricture and previous urethral manipulation did not significantly impact the result of this surgical technique. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

Chryseobacterium gleum in a man with prostatectomy in Senegal: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Here we report a rare case of a urinary tract infection due to Chryseobacterium gleum. This widely distributed Gram-negative bacillus is an uncommon human pathogen and is typically associated with health care settings. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a case of urinary tract infection caused by Chryseobacterium gleum in a 68-year-old man of Wolof ethnicity (an ethnic group in Senegal, West Africa) who presented to our Department of Urology in a university teaching hospital (Hôpital Aristide Le Dantec) in Dakar, Senegal, 1 month after prostatectomy. The strain isolated from a urine sample was identified as Chryseobacterium gleum by mass spectrometry (Vitek matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization, time-of-flight, bioMérieux) and confirmed by 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid sequencing. The organism was resistant to a wide range of antibiotics, including carbapenem, due to a resident metallo-ß-lactamase gene that shared 99% of amino-acid identity with Chryseobacterium gleum class B enzym. CONCLUSIONS: Infection by Chryseobacterium gleum is infrequent, and no such case has been previously reported in Africa. Despite its low virulence, Chryseobacterium gleum should be considered a potential opportunistic and emerging pathogen. Further studies on the epidemiology, pathogenicity, and resistance mechanisms of Chryseobacterium gleum are needed for better diagnosis and management.

High-quality genome sequence and description of Paenibacillus dakarensis sp. nov.

Strain FF9T was isolated in Dakar (Senegal) from a blood-culture taken from a 16-month-old child. MALDI-TOF analysis did not allow for identification. After sequencing, strain FF9T exhibited 98.18% similarity with the 16SrRNA sequence of Paenibacillus uliginis. A polyphasic study of phenotypic and genomic analyses showed that strain FF9T is Gram variable, catalase-positive, and presents a genome of 4,569,428 bp (one chromosome but no plasmid) with 4,427genes (4,352 protein-coding and 75 RNA genes (including 3 rRNA operons). The G+C content is 45.7%. On the basis of these genomic and phenotypic data analyses, we propose the creation of Paenibacillus dakarensis strain FF9T.

Noncontiguous finished genome sequence and description of Weeksella massiliensis sp. nov.

Strain FF8(T) (= CSUR P860 = DSM 28259) was isolated in Dakar, Senegal, from the urine of a 65-year-old man with acute cystitis. This strain shows a similarity of sequence of 16S rRNA of 98.38% with Weeksella virosa, and its GenBank accession numbers are HG931340 and CCMH00000000. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis had a poor score, ranging from 1.32 to 1.56, that did not allow identification of the bacterium. Using a polyphasic study made of phenotypic and genomic analyses, strain FF8(T) was a Gram-negative, aerobic rod and a member of the family Flavobacteriaceae. The sequenced genome is 2 562 781 bp with one chromosome but no plasmid. It exhibits a G + C content of 35.9% and contains 2390 protein-coding and 56 RNA genes, including a complete rRNA operon. On the basis of these data, we propose the creation of Weeksella massiliensis sp. nov.

Noncontiguous finished genome sequence and description of Necropsobacter massiliensis sp. nov.

Strain FF6(T) was isolated from the cervical abscess of a 4-year-old Senegalese boy, in Dakar, Senegal. MALDI-TOF MS did not provide any identification. This strain exhibited a 95.17% 16S rRNA sequence identity with Necropsobacter rosorum. Using a polyphasic study including phenotypic and genomic analyses, strain FF6(T) was an aero-anaerobic Gram-negative cocobacillus, oxidase positive, and exhibited a genome of 2,493,927 bp (1 chromosome but no plasmid) with a G+C content of 46.2% that coded 2,309 protein-coding and 53 RNA genes. On the basis of these data, we propose the creation of Necropsobacter massiliensis sp. nov.

[Inflammatory pseudo-tumor of the bladder expelled through the urethral meatus in a girl]. / Pseudo-tumeur inflammatoire vésicale expulsée par le méat urétral chez une fillette.

Inflammatory pseudo-tumors of the bladder are rare benign tumors that mostly arise in the differential diagnosis of sarcomas in children. The authors report an unusual case of pedunculated inflammatory pseudo-tumor of the bladder that externalized by the urethral meatus in a 13-year-old girl. The treatment consisted of a ligation-resection of the pedicle, followed by resection of the tumor. After regular follow-up for 18 months there was no tumor recurrence.

CTX-M-15-producing Morganella morganii from Hôpital Principal de Dakar, Senegal.

We report the detection and molecular characterization of extended spectrum ß-lactamases in a series of 112 clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae from the Hôpital Principal de Dakar, Senegal, including five CTX-M-15-producing Morganella morganii isolates, which are reported for the first time in this country.

[Pathology of the processus vaginalis in urological practice]. / La pathologie du canal péritonéo-vaginal en pratique urologique.

PURPOSE: To describe the epidemiological, anatomico-clinical and therapeutic aspects of the patent vaginoperitoneal canal (PVPC) in urological practice and to compare our results with those of pediatric teams. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective descriptive study of PVPC cases operated in a urology unit. The following parameters were studied: medical history, age, method of installation, the anatomo-clinical type, side and the results of the treatment. RESULTS: A total of 163 cases were collected over a period of 5 years. The average age was 7.5 ± 7 years with a range of 2 months and 39 years. Thirty-four patients had less than or equal to age 2 ears and 28 patients were adults. The reason for consultation was an inguinal or scrotal inguinal, painless and intermittent swelling in 72.3% of cases. Installation mode was progressive in 45 patients (27.6%). The PVPC was sitting right in 81 patients (49.7%) and was bilateral in 12 patients (7.3%). The anatomo-clinical types were dominated by the communicating hydrocele (52%). The treatment was carried out in controlled surgery in all patients and the mean duration of hospitalization was 24 hours. The postoperative course was marked by 5 cases of scrotal hematoma and 2 cases of parietal suppuration. Postoperative mortality was zero. After a mean postoperative decrease of 2 years we observed 3 cases of testicular atrophy and two recurrences. CONCLUSION: Our results in terms of morbidity and mortality although satisfactory were lower than those of pediatric teams. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 5.

[Flexible ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy for kidney and ureter stone: indications, morbidity and outcome]. / L'urétéroscopie souple-laser dans le traitement des calculs du rein et de l'uretère: indications, morbidité et résultats.

PURPOSE: To report our experience with Flexible Ureteroscopy-laser (FU-L) in the treatment of renal and/or ureteric stones. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 191 kidney and/or ureteric stones treated in the urology department of New Civil Hospital (Strasbourg) over a period of 2 years. Two hundred and nineteen FU-L were performed. We were interested in the indications of FU-L, its complications, treatment outcomes and predictors of obtaining a stone-free outcome. Postoperative complications were reported according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. RESULTS: The indications were first line in 62.3% of cases, failures of shock wave lithotripsy in 26.2% of cases and failure of alkalinization of urine in 5.2% of cases. As intraoperative complications, we had one case of ureteropelvic avulsion and one case of bronchospasm leading to stop ureteroscopy. Postoperative complications occurred after 38 FU-L (17.3%). All grades combined these postoperative complications were infectious in 50% of cases. They were grade I, II, III, IV and V respectively in 5.9; 7.3; 2.7; 1.3 et 0% of cases. Their occurrence was not significantly correlated to the size of the stones or the unilateral or bilateral nature of the FU-L. The overall rate of stone-free was 71.7%. The factors determining significantly a stone-free outcome were the size of kidney stone and experience of the operator. CONCLUSION: In our center, the FU-L is increasingly used as first-line option due to its low morbidity and excellent results especially for the treatment of kidney stones less than 20mm and ureteric stones. It is a quality alternative to PCNL in kidney stones over 20mm.

[Scrotal calcinosis: clinical and therapeutic aspects in 5 cases]. / La calcinose scrotale : aspects cliniques et thérapeutiques à propos de 5 cas.

Scrotal calcinosis is a rare pathology and etiology still discussed. We report five cases in patients without particular history of another disease. Clinical examination revealed scrotal wall with painless nodules of various sizes producing a whitish substance, pasty. The phosphate levels were normal in all patients. They all had a resection of the lesions associated with scholarships plasty recovery. Histopathological study revealed calcified epidermoid cysts in 4 cases.

[Testicular bilharzioma by Schistosomia haematobium: about two cases]. / Bilharziome testiculaire à Schistosomia haematobium: à propos de deux observations.

Bilharzioma are inflammatory pseudotumors, which often pose the problem of differential diagnosis with neoplastic processes. Using the keywords "testicular" and "schistosomiasis", there are only 14 cases of testicular bilharzioma identified on PubMed. The authors report two new cases in a 6-year-old child and an adult of 38 years, collected over a period of 5 years. In both cases, orchidectomy was performed and histological analysis of the surgical specimen was allowed to diagnose testicular bilharzioma by Schistosomia haematobium. The authors emphasize the need to evoke a bilharzioma before any testicular nodule in a patient living in an endemic area.

[Post-hysterectomy vesicovaginal fistula]. / Fistules vésicovaginales posthystérectomie.

OBJECTIVE: Describe the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of vesicovaginal fistula (VVF). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of all cases of VVF secondary to hysterectomy. The following parameters were studied: age, parity, indication for hysterectomy, risk factors, the consultation period, the anatomical type of VVF, the paraclinical, the surgical approach and results of the cure. RESULTS: Fourteen cases were identified over 10 years. All hysterectomies were performed by laparotomia. The average age of patients was 54.3±13 years. Hysterectomy was performed in view of a uterine leiomyoma in eight cases, a cancer of the cervix in four cases, a menometrorrhagia in one case and a choriocarcinoma in one case. Four patients had received neoadjuvant radiotherapy. The mean time from injury was 13.5±18 months. Examination under valve was allowed to find 11 VVF type 1 and three type 2 VVF. IVU was normal in seven patients and allowed to find an ureterohydronephrose stage III in one patient. VVF was addressed by high in ten cases including 5 by transperitoneovaginale and 5 by transvesical pure. The postoperative course was uneventful in 11 patients (78%) but marked by vesicocutaneous fistula, parietal suppuration and one failure. CONCLUSION: In this short series of post-hysterectomy VVF treated by laparotomia, we observed a rate of cure satisfying in spite of an important psychosocial morbidity.

[Anderson-Hynes open pyeloplasty: which indications in the area of laparoscopic surgery?]. / La pyéloplastie à ciel ouvert selon Anderson-Hynes : quelles indications devant le développement de la laparoscopie ?

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the results of Anderson-Hynes open pyeloplasty in our institution. And then to compare them to those of laparoscopic procedure and identify what can be considered now as the indications of the open procedure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: It was a retrospective study on 30 cases of ureteropelvic junction syndrome managed by Anderson-Hynes open procedure. The clinical, biological and radiologic characteristics of the patients as well as the surgical technique and its results were taken into account. The patients were classified, according to Valdeyer and Cendron classification as type II in eight cases (26.7%), type III in ten cases (33.3%) and type IV in four cases (13.3%). There were also eight cases of giant hydronephrosis (26.7%). The operating time, the length of hospital stay and the outcomes were studied and compared with those of the laparoscopic pyeloplasty found in the medical literature. RESULTS: The mean operating time was 115 ± 33.4 minutes (90-230 min). The mean length of hospital stay was 10.4 ± 5.1 days. Six patients (20%) had postoperative complications. After a mean follow-up of 28 ± 13.7 months (13-48 months), our first-hand success rate was 90% (n=27). CONCLUSION: Anderson-Hynes open pyeloplasty reached good results but nowadays its indications can be limited to laparoscopic contraindications, severe hydronephrosis (grade IV or giant hydronephrosis) and second-hand cases. The two latter indications depend on the surgeon experience in laparoscopic surgery.

Absence of association between ex vivo susceptibility to doxycycline and pftetQ and pfmdt copy numbers in Plasmodium falciparum isolates from Dakar, Senegal.

The objective of this study was to validate the use of pftetQ and pfmdt genes as molecular markers of decreased in vitro susceptibility to doxycycline in 113 Plasmodium falciparum isolates from Dakar, Senegal. The results show that copy numbers of pftetQ and pfmdt, estimated by TaqMan real-time PCR, are not significantly associated with reduced susceptibility to doxycycline in vitro; however, the number of samples with a high doxycycline IC(50) was likely to be too low to derive statistically significant results. Thus, no definitive conclusions could be drawn. The markers should be further tested by analysing more isolates.

[Flaccid paraplegia revealing an adenoma of Conn: a case report]. / Paraplégie flasque révélant un adénome de Conn : à propos d'un cas.

We report the case of Conn's adenoma in a 36-year-old woman, revealed by low extremities weakness. The patient had hypertension at 170/90 mmHg. Her initial potassium level was low i.e., 1.5 mmol/L. The diagnosis, confirmed by hormonal investigation, showed an elevation of plasma aldosterone and lower plasma renin activity. Abdominal MRI revealed a lesion in left adrenal gland, measuring 1.8 cm in diameter and taking contrast in periphery, compatible with an adrenal adenoma. The patient underwent a left laparoscopic adrenalectomy and microscopic examination confirmed the diagnosis. The postoperative course was uneventful with normalization of serum potassium level and blood pressure.