Indoor air pollution from cooking with biomass fuels is a major cause of chronic bronchitis among women in a rural district of Rwanda

In the developing world, households are using biomass fuel for cooking and heating this leads to high concentration of toxic pollutants indoor causing several respiratory diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the association between biomass fuels and chronic bronchitis among women leaving in a rural district of Rwanda.Methods: A prospective study was conducted for a period of 15 months between March 2015 and May 2016 and all patients willing to participate were recruited from test villages selected randomly in the district of Gisagara. Obtained data were compared with those from control villages from the distric Huye. 448 women aged 20 years and above were recruited for the study, among them 302 were using biomass fuel for cooking and there was a control group of 146 age-matched women who were using either liquefied gas petroleum or had not been cooking the last 3 years.Results: Out of 448 women recruited for the study, 12 (2.6%) were excluded for various reasons, among them 298 (68.3%) were using biomass fuel for cooking and 138 (31.7%) belonged to the control group. Using our case definition of chronic bronchitis the overall prevalence was 10.7% of all participants. Chronic bronchitis was significantly associated with cooking indoor (OR: 8.14; 95%, CI 3.45 to 16.84), age (OR: 2.32; 95% CI 1.93 to 3.59) and education level (OR: (OR: 1.66; 95% CI , 0.90 to 3.11).Conclusion: This study showed that cooking indoor with biomass fuel, age and the level of education are the main risk factors for chronic bronchitis

COAGULATION FACTORS LEVEL IN FRESH FROZEN PLASMA IN RWANDA.

UNLABELLED: Objectives: To determine the level of coagulation factors and inherited inhibitors in Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) and to evaluate Prothrombin Time and activated partial thrombin time in fresh frozen plasma. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Medical Laboratory Sciences. SUBJECTS: Eighteen blood bags collected from voluntary blood donors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Coagulation factors and inhibitors levels, Prothrombin Time (PT) and Activated Partial thrombin Time (APTT) remained within the reference range requested by quality assurance regulations after three months of storage. RESULTS: APTT and PT show an increase from baseline to one month then remain constant up to three months, while, Fibrinogen, Factor II, Factor V, Factor VII, Factor X, Von Willbrand Factor, Protein C and Antithrombin decreased from baseline up to three months and then Factor VIII, Factor IX, Factor XI, Factor XII and Protein S, remained constant from baseline up to one month and decreased up to three months. CONCLUSION: There is good retention of all coagulation factors and inhibitors in plasma produced from whole blood within eight hours of collection, stored at minus 18 degrees C for three months.