Profil épidémioclinique et issue thérapeutique des patients hospitalisés pour COVID-19 au Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sourô Sanou de Bobo Dioulasso Burkina Faso / Clinical presentation and outcome of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at the Sourô Sanou University Teaching Hospital of Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso)

Objectif. L'apparition de plusieurs cas de pneumopathie d'origine inconnue en Chine a conduit à l'identification du SARS-CoV-2. L'objectif de ce travail était de décrire le profil épidémioclinique et évolutif des patients hospitalisés dans notre centre de prise en charge afin de contribuer à l'amélioration de la lutte contre cette pandémie. Population et Méthodes. Il s'est agi d'une étude de cohorte rétrospective qui s'est déroulée du 19 mars au 31 septembre 2020 au CHUSS de Bobo Dioulasso. Résultats. Au total, 44 patients ont été inclus dans l'étude. La moyenne d'âge des patients était de 46,8 ans [14-84 ans]. Le sex ratio était de 0,7. La tranche d'âge la plus représentée était celle 50 et 64 ans avec 38,4% des patients. Les patients diabétiques et hypertendus représentaient respectivement 25% et 29,5% des cas. Les principaux symptômes étaient la dyspnée, la fièvre et la toux notées respectivement chez 54,5%, 54,5 % et 47,7% des cas. A la radiographie thoracique, les opacités de type micronodulaire étaient les plus représentées dans 66,7% des cas. L'oxygénothérapie a été nécessaire dans 38,6% des cas. Le protocole Covid-19 en vigueur dans le pays était instauré chez 90,9% des cas. Avec une durée d'hospitalisation moyenne de 12,4 jours, l'évolution clinique a été marquée par un décès chez 22,7 % des cas. Conclusion. Dans notre contexte, cette maladie reste l'apanage des sujets âgés présentant des comorbidités. L'une de difficultés de sa prise en charge était l'insuffisance du plateau technique expliquant en grande partie ce fort taux de létalité.

Objective. The occurrence of several cases of pneumonia of unknown origin in China led to the identification of SARS-CoV-2. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical profile of patients admitted to our care center to contribute to the improvement of the control of this pandemic. Population and methods. This was a retrospective cohort study which took place from 19 March to 31 September 2020 at the CHUSS of Bobo Dioulasso. Results. A total of 44 patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 46.8 years [14- 84 years]. The sex ratio was 0.7. The most represented age group was 50-64 years with 38.4% of patients. Diabetic and hypertensive patients represented 25% and 29.5% of the cases respectively. The main symptoms were dyspnea, fever and cough, which were noted in 54.5%, 54.5% and 47.7% of cases respectively. On chest X-ray, micronodular opacities were the most common in 66.7% of cases. Oxygen therapy was required in 38.6% of cases. The Covid-19 protocol in force in the country was implemented in 90.9% of cases. With an average hospital stay of 12.4 days, the clinical course was marked by death in 22.7% of cases. Conclusion. In our context, this disease remains the prerogative of elderly subjects with comorbidities. One of the difficulties of its management was the insufficiency of the technical platform explaining in large part this high rate of lethality.

[Diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure over risk in HIV-infected people followed at Souro Sanou University Hospital Day Hospital, Bobo-Dioulasso 2018]. / Sur-risque de diabète sucré et d'hypertension artérielle chez les personnes infectées par le VIH suivies à l'hôpital de jour du CHU Souro Sanou, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, 2018.

BACKGROUND: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent the leading causes of death worldwide. HIV also increases the risk of developing NCDs including diabetes mellitus and hypertension. METHODS: A cross-sectional study, based on an analysis of the cohort database of the day hospital of the Souro Sanou teaching hospital in Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso). Diabetes mellitus was defined by the undergoing of anti-diabetic treatment or two successive measurements of fasting blood sugar above 7mmol/l and high blood pressure by the undergoing of antihypertensive treatment or two successive measurements of blood pressure above 140/90mmHg. Comparison of the frequency of diabetes and hypertension in the people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) population on antiretroviral therapy (ART) with that of the general population of Burkina Faso was made by indirect standardization according to age and gender. RESULTS: A total of 4259 patients including 3148 women (73.9%) were included in this study. The median age of the patients was 45 years (IQR: 38-52); the median body mass index (BMI) was 19.6kg/m2 (IQR: 15.4 - 22.7) and 48.3% of patients had a BMI≥25kg/m2. The median CD4 count was 590 cells/mm3 (IQR: 417-785). The median ART duration was 8.2 years (IQR: 4.7-11.2). The majority of patients (82.9%) were on treatment combinations consisting in 2 INTI+1 NNRTI. Prevalence of hypertension was 39.8%; it was statistically higher in men than in women (45.8% versus 37.8%). Prevalence of hypertension was 87.0% higher in the PLWHA population than among same-sex and same-age subjects in the general population. Prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 7.3%. Diabetes mellitus was more common in men than in women (10.1% versus 6.3%; P<10-3). Prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 36.0% higher in the PLWHA population than among same-sex and same-age subjects in the general population. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension was higher among PLHWA undergoing ART than in the general population. Care for the PLHWA population should more widely include NCD treatment.

Validation of the D:A:D chronic kidney disease risk score in people living with HIV: the IeDEA West Africa Cohort Collaboration.

OBJECTIVES: A risk score for long-term prediction of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in people living with HIV (PLHIV) has been developed using data from the D:A:D cohort. We assessed the performance of the D:A:D risk score in a cohort of PLHIV in West Africa. METHODS: Data from PLHIV starting antiretroviral treatment in four clinics in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Togo participating in the IeDEA West Africa collaboration were analysed. CKD was defined as two consecutive estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) of ≤ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 . The D:A:D score (short version) was calculated using age, gender, nadir CD4 and baseline eGFR and was categorized into low, medium, and high-risk groups. RESULTS: In 14 930 participants (70% female, median age = 38 years; median nadir CD4 count = 183 cells/µL) followed for a median duration of 5.7 years, 660 (4.4%) progressed to CKD, with an incidence [95% confidence interval (CI)] of 7.8 (7.2-8.4) per 1000 person-years (PY). CKD incidence rates were 2.4 (2.0-2.8), 8.1 (6.8-9.6) and, 30.9 (28.0-34.1) per 1000 PY in the low-, medium- and high-risk groups, respectively. In the high-risk group, 14.7% (95% CI: 13.3; 16.3) had progressed to CKD at 5 years. Discrimination was good [C-statistics = 0.81 (0.79-0.83)]. In all, 79.4% of people who progressed to CKD were classified in the medium- to high-risk group at baseline (sensitivity) and 66.5% of people classified in the low risk group at baseline did not progress to CKD (specificity). CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm the validity of the D:A:D score in identifying individuals at risk of developing CKD who could benefit from enhanced kidney monitoring in West African HIV clinics.

Management of necrotizing and non-necrotic bacterial erysipelas of the face in tropical areas: a series of four cases and a review of the literature.

The necrotizing and not necrotizing acute bacterial dermohypodermitis (DHD) are acute bacterial infections of tissues situated between the skin and the muscles. The localizations of the face are infrequent, and sometimes put diagnostic difficulties with other current facial dermatosis. We report in this article 4 cases of DHD of the face with skin source, hospitalized in the service of the Infectious and Tropical Diseases of the Teaching Hospital Yalgado Ouédraogo of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). The objective is to make a current situation of their etiologies and complications, and to look for the difficulties to take care of them in a country with limited resources. The patient's care journey for this disease is long while it constitutes a medical or medical-surgical emergency. Imaging, which is essential for the diagnosis of heart valve disease and the daunting complications of necrotizing fasciitis and mediastinitis, is generally available only in tertiary hospitals. Antibiotic therapy is most often inadequate or insufficient. Anti-inflammatories, widely used, according to several authors contribute to serious forms and excess mortality. Health workers in resource-limited settings need to be better educated and guidelines issued to recognize the signs of this condition in order to enable early referral of patients in specialized settings. In addition, education of the population and hygiene awareness of skin lesions should be a priority to reduce complications.

[Characteristics of Low-Level Persistent viraemias in HIV-1 Patients Treated with Second-Line ARVs at the Sourô Sanou Teaching Hospital of Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso)]. / Caractéristiques des virémies persistantes de bas niveau des patients VIH-1 sous traitement antirétroviral de deuxième ligne au CHU Sourô Sanou de Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso).

We describe the characteristics of patients infected with HIV-1 as second-line antiretroviral therapy, with persisting low-level viremia. This was a descriptive retrospective study, conducted from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2016, from the Cohort of the Infectious Diseases Department of Bobo-Dioulasso University Hospital. Patients infected with HIV-1, a second line of stable ARV treatment, with ≥95% compliance for at least 12 months, asymptomatic with CVp between 50 and 1000 copies/ml in two consecutive samplings at least 3 months apart. Out of 244 patients in second-line therapy, 79 met our inclusion criteria. The mean age of the patients was 42±10.2 years. Women (35.8 years) were younger than men (43.8 years) (p=0.001). Most were married (48.1%), 23.5% of whom were polygamous. The majority of patients (38/79) in the study had a CD4 count of <200 cells/ mm3. The median duration of ARV therapy since the beginning of the therapeutic history has been 4.8 (2.5-11 years). CVp greater than 10,000 copies/ml at the start of second-line therapy (p=0.003) and TDF+FTC + DRV + RTV combination (p=0.001) were associated with persistent low viremia. A genotypic resistance test is needed for these patients in order to better adapt the ARV treatment.

Nous décrivons les caractéristiques des patients infectés par le VIH-1 en deuxième ligne de traitement antirétroviral, avec une virémie persistante de bas niveau. Il s'agissait d'une étude rétrospective à visée descriptive, menée du 1er janvier 2010 au 31 décembre 2016, à partir de la cohorte du service des maladies infectieuses du CHU de Bobo-Dioulasso. Ont été inclus les patients infectés par le VIH-1, en deuxième ligne de traitement ARV stable, ayant une observance ≥ 95 % depuis au moins 12 mois, asymptomatiques, avec une charge virale plasmatique comprise entre 50 et 1 000 copies/ml sur deux prélèvements consécutifs à au moins 3 mois d'intervalle. Sur 244 patients en deuxième ligne de traitement antirétroviral, 79 répondaient à nos critères d'inclusion. L'âge moyen des patients était de 42 ± 10,2 ans. Les femmes (35,8 ans) étaient moins âgées que les hommes (43,8 ans) (p = 0,001). La plupart des patients étaient mariés (48,1 %), parmis lesquels certains vivaient dans des régimes polygames (23,5 %). La majorité des patients (38/79) de l'étude avaient un taux de CD4 ≤ 200 cellules/mm3. La durée médiane du traitement ARV depuis le début de l'histoire thérapeutique était de 4,8 ans (2,5- 11 ans). La charge virale plasmatique supérieure à 10 000 copies/ml au début du traitement (p = 0,003), et la combinaison TDF+FTC+DRV+RTV (p = 0,001) étaient associées à la virémie persistante de bas niveau. La réalisation d'un test génotypique de résistance s'impose pour ces patients afin de mieux adapter le traitement antirétroviral.

[About 98 cases of dengue hospitalized in a private clinic of Ouagadougou: epidemiology, diagnostic and evolution]. / À propos de 98 cas de dengue hospitalisés dans une clinique privée de Ouagadougou : aspects épidémiologiques, diagnostiques et évolutifs.

Extremely widespread, the dengue is a reemerging infectious disease. In Burkina Faso, dengue is a reality that was little known. The aim of this study was to study epidemiology, diagnostic and outcomes of dengue patients in Ouagadougou. A retrospective study covered a period of two years, from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2014 in a private clinic in Ouagadougou. Patients included in the study were hospitalized for fever and painful syndrome with a positive test to the dengue non-structural antigen 1 (NS1 Ag). Ninety-eight cases of dengue on 343 suspected cases were registered. The average age of patients was 35.9 years. The sex-ratio (M/F) was 1.18. According to the professional activity, there was a predominance of civil servants (35.7%). The pain syndrome was found in 93.9% of patients. Leukopenia (73.5%), neutropenia (56.1%) and severe thrombocytopenia (57.1%) were the predominant hematological disturbances. Of the patients, 18.4% had hemorrhagic dengue and 11.2%, a dengue shock syndrome. Four patients died. The use of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs was associated with the severity of the infection (p=0.04). Dengue fever occurs in our context and constitutes a risk of mortality. The diagnosis of dengue should be performed systematically in front of a painful and febrile syndrome. The vector control is the best way of prevention against dengue pending the development of a vaccine.

Microbiological characteristics of community-acquired peritonitis at Souro Sanou Teaching Hospital of Bobo Dioulasso.

The purpose of this study was to describe the microbiological characteristics of community-acquired peritonitis at the Souro Sanou teaching hospital of Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. This 10-month prospective study, from July 2012 through May 2013 included all cases of community-acquired peritonitis who underwent surgery at our hospital and had a pus sample taken at that time. Bacteriological analyses were performed according to the hospital laboratory's protocol. The study included 72 patients (45 men and 27 women with a sex-ratio of 1.6). Their mean age was 27.3 years (range: 14 months to 67 years). The analysis of 72 samples of pus enabled confirmation of 39 cases and led to the identification of 53 bacterial strains. The most common families were enterobacteriaceae in 58% and Gram-positive cocci in 36%. The most common enterobacteria species was Escherichia coli (47%) followed by Streptococcus species (22%). The microbiological confirmation of peritonitis was most frequent in the 20-30 year-old age group. These bacteria appeared most susceptible to gentamycin, ceftriaxone, and ciprofloxacin, while we observed resistance to amoxicillin and the combination of clavulanic acid-amoxicillin. These findings suggest that the best probabilistic antibiotic treatment for the peritonitis in our context would combine a third-generation cephalosporin with aminoglycosides, with imidazole to cover potential anaerobic bacteria.

[Evaluation of stool microscopy and culture to assist the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in a tuberculosis endemic country]. / Évaluation de la microscopie et de la culture des selles dans le diagnostic de la tuberculose pulmonaire dans un pays d'endémie tuberculeuse.

OBJECTIVE: the aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of stool microscopy and culture in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). MATERIAL AND METHOD: In resource-limited settings, PTB is mainly diagnosed in sputum by microscopy methods. In patients unable to provide sputum, invasive procedures are necessary to obtain alternative respiratory tract specimens. Because Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) organisms are known to survive in gastric fluid, we hypothesized that swallowed MTC organisms would be detectable in stool samples. We compared the presence of MTC organisms in sputum and stool specimens collected at the same time from the same patients. RESULTS: We included samples routinely submitted to our laboratory of microbiological diagnosis from patients with suspected PTB. In addition, a stool specimen was collected within 24 h of the sputum collection or gastric aspirate. In the 57 patients included, sputum microcopy and culture confirmed respectively 9 (21%) and 15 (26%) cases. Stool samples made it possible to confirm 9 cases by microscopy and 5 cases by culture. The sensitivity of microscopy was 60% and that of culture 33%. Sputum analysis was negative for one HIV-infected patient, but the stool sample was positive and permitted the diagnosis of PTB. CONCLUSION: This study proves that despite the low sensitivity of stool cultures it can be an alternative or additional interesting sample for the diagnosis of PTB in patients who have difficulty expectorating.

Comparison of on-line detectors for field flow fractionation analysis of nanomaterials.

Characterization of nanomaterials must include analysis of both size and chemical composition. Many analytical techniques, such as dynamic light scattering (DLS), are capable of measuring the size of suspended nanometer-sized particles, yet provide no information on the composition of the particle. While field flow fractionation (FFF) is a powerful nanoparticle sizing technique, common detectors used in conjunction with the size separation, including UV, light-scattering, and fluorescence spectroscopy, do not provide the needed particle compositional information. Further, these detectors do not respond directly to the mass concentration of nanoparticles. The present work describes the advantages achieved when interfacing sensitive and elemental specific detectors, such as inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, to FFF separation analysis to provide high resolution nanoparticle sizing and compositional analysis at the µg/L concentration level, a detection at least 10-100-fold lower than DLS or FFF-UV techniques. The full benefits are only achieved by utilization of all detector capabilities, such as dynamic reaction cell (DRC) ICP-MS. Such low-level detection and characterization capability is critical to nanomaterial investigations at biologically and environmentally relevant concentrations. The techniques have been modified and applied to characterization of all four elemental constituents of cadmium selenide-zinc sulfide core-shell quantum dots, and silver nanoparticles with gold seed cores. Additionally, sulfide coatings on silver nanoparticles can be detected as a potential means to determine environmental aging of nanoparticles.

Mechanical properties and structure of the biological multilayered material system, Atractosteus spatula scales.

During recent decades, research on biological systems such as abalone shell and fish armor has revealed that these biological systems employ carefully arranged hierarchical multilayered structures to achieve properties of high strength, high ductility and light weight. Knowledge of such structures may enable pathways to design bio-inspired materials for various applications. This study was conducted to investigate the spatial distribution of structure, chemical composition and mechanical properties in mineralized fish scales of the species Atractosteus spatula. Microindentation tests were conducted, and cracking patterns and damage sites in the scales were examined to investigate the underlying protective mechanisms of fish scales under impact and penetration loads. A difference in nanomechanical properties was observed, with a thinner, stiffer and harder outer layer (indentation modulus ∼69 GPa and hardness ∼3.3 GPa) on a more compliant and thicker inner layer (indentation modulus ∼14.3 GPa and hardness ∼0.5 GPa). High-resolution scanning electron microscopy imaging of a fracture surface revealed that the outer layer contained oriented nanorods embedded in a matrix, and that the nanostructure of the inner layer contained fiber-like structures organized in a complex layered pattern. Damage patterns formed during microindentation show complex deformation mechanisms. Images of cracks identify growth through the outer layer, then deflection along the interface before growing and arresting in the inner layer. High-magnification images of the crack tip in the inner layer show void-linking and fiber-bridging exhibiting inelastic behavior. The observed difference in mechanical properties and unique nanostructures of different layers may have contributed to the resistance of fish scales to failure by impact and penetration loading.

Characterization of silver nanoparticles using flow-field flow fractionation interfaced to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

The ability to detect and identify the physiochemical form of contaminants in the environment is important for degradation, fate and transport, and toxicity studies. This is particularly true of nanomaterials that exist as discrete particles rather than dissolved or sorbed contaminant molecules in the environment. Nanoparticles will tend to agglomerate or dissolve, based on solution chemistry, which will drastically affect their environmental properties. The current study investigates the use of field flow fractionation (FFF) interfaced to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) as a sensitive and selective method for detection and characterization of silver nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is used to verify the morphology and primary particle size and size distribution of precisely engineered silver nanoparticles. Subsequently, the hydrodynamic size measurements by FFF are compared to dynamic light scattering (DLS) to verify the accuracy of the size determination. Additionally, the sensitivity of the ICP-MS detector is demonstrated by fractionation of µg/L concentrations of mixed silver nanoparticle standards. The technique has been applied to nanoparticle suspensions prior to use in toxicity studies, and post-exposure biological tissue analysis. Silver nanoparticles extracted from tissues of the sediment-dwelling, freshwater oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus increased in size from approximately 31-46nm, indicating a significant change in the nanoparticle characteristics during exposure.