The prevalence of emotional abuse in children living in Sub-Saharan Africa - A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: This study is meant to put a focus on the prevalence of emotional abuse in low-income states like the Sub-Saharan region. METHODOLOGY: Searching PubMed, Google scholar, and web of science during February and April 2021 a total of 2264 articles were identified, 27 met the inclusion criteria. We added the results of 13 VAC (Violence Against Children and Youth) studies, conducted by UNICEF capturing information about experienced sexual, physical, or emotional violence in 13-24-year-olds, as well as 56 MIC (Multiple Indicator Cluster) studies, conducted by the CDC to research the disciplinary methods used with children aged 1-14 years in the past month by older household members. Finally, in a meta-analytic approach, we aimed to calculate a pooled estimate of the prevalence. RESULTS: The included studies depicted a wide range in prevalence rates across countries. For example, while the VAC study in Lesotho in 2018 showed low incidence rates of emotional violence (6.9 % Females, 3.8 % Males), the average prevalence recorded by the MIC study was as high as 57.8 % for females and 59.2 % for males. On average, the MIC studies displayed a higher incidence and the discrepancy of prevalence of emotional abuse between females and males was small. Calculating a pooled estimate of the prevalence was not possible, due to the heterogeneity of the data. CONCLUSIONS: In general countries displayed a high prevalence. A standardized use of a uniform definition of emotional abuse might help to display a more homogenous data set in the future, giving the opportunity for pooled estimates of prevalence.

Determinants of the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets in pregnant women: a mixed-methods study in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Malaria in pregnancy remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, affecting the highly endemic countries of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are effective for malaria prevention. However, poor adherence in SSA remains a challenge. METHODS: We conducted a standard questionnaire survey among 710 pregnant women from 37 primary care clinics in the Upper West Region of Ghana from January through May 2019. Using a sequential explanatory design, we integrated the survey data from six focus group discussions with pregnant women. RESULTS: While 67% of women had some general knowledge about malaria prevention, only 19% knew the specific risks in pregnancy. Determinants of ITN use included ITN ownership (odds ratio [OR] 2.4 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.3 to 4.4]), good maternal knowledge of the risks of malaria in pregnancy (OR 2.4 [95% CI 1.3 to 4.3]) and more antenatal care (ANC) contacts (OR 1.3 [95% CI 1.0 to 1.5)]. Focus group discussions showed that non-use of ITNs resulted from inappropriate hanging infrastructure, a preference for other malaria prevention alternatives, allergy and heat. CONCLUSIONS: Specific maternal knowledge of malaria risks in pregnancy was low and influenced the regular use of ITNs. Community and ANC-based malaria interventions should prioritize increasing knowledge of the specific risks of malaria.

The impact of duration of residence on cause-specific mortality: a cohort study of migrants from the Former Soviet Union residing in Israel and Germany.

A cohort study of migrants from the Former Soviet Union in Israel (N=528,848) and in Germany (N=34,393) was conducted. The impact of length of residence on cause-specific mortality was investigated using Poisson regression and differences between the migrant groups were assessed. In both migrant cohorts, all cause mortality in males but not in females significantly decreased with increasing duration of residence (RR=0.76, 95% CI: 0.73-0.79 for 9+years of residence compared to 0-3 years), specifically in Israel for infectious diseases, cancer and CVD. For male and female migrants in Israel there was a large reduction in external cause mortality. The cancer risk in male migrants declined from 1 to 0.76 (95% CI: 0.69-0.83) and in female migrants to 0.85 (95% CI: 0.78-0.93) after nine and more years of stay. Adjusting for several covariables, there were differences between migrants in the cause of death patterns in the two host countries, which may be associated with differences in their initial conditions or with effects of the destination country. The study highlights the need for migrant-specific prevention approaches.

Prevalence of pre-malignant and malignant lesions in prophylactic mastectomy specimens of BRCA1 mutation carriers: comparison with a control group.

PURPOSE: BRCA1 mutation carriers are at high risk for breast cancer (BC). The risk management strategy may include radiological investigations for early detection or prophylactic mastectomy (PM). For a mutation carrier, PM may be more significant than surveillance alone when pre-malignant and malignant changes occur increasingly in mastectomy specimens, given normal findings on radiological investigations. In the present study we retrospectively investigated the differences between histological findings in PM specimens of BRCA1 carriers and those of a control group. METHODS: Twenty-four healthy and 28 affected carriers in the presence of normal preoperative radiological findings were included in the study. To compare the frequency of pre-malignant and malignant lesions in PM specimens, a control group matched for age and disease status was included. T-tests for independent samples and Wilcoxon's signed-rank test were used for comparison of groups. RESULTS: The entire study group differed significantly from the control group (42.3 vs. 5.8%; P < 0.001) in terms of the occurrence of pre-malignant and malignant lesions. Both, the sub-group comparison of healthy mutation carriers as well as diseased carriers with their controls, showed a significant difference in terms of the occurrence of pre-malignant and malignant changes (45.8 vs. 0%; P = 0.002; 39.3 vs. 10.7%; P = 0.03). In PM specimens of mutation carriers, carcinomas were identified in 5.8% (3/52) and pre-malignant changes in 36.5% (19/52). CONCLUSIONS: BRCA1 mutation carriers should be informed of the fact that pre-malignant and even malignant changes are frequently found in PM specimens despite normal radiological findings.

Shared decision making for in-patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: Patients' participation in treatment planning is being increasingly advocated in mental health. The model of "Shared Decision Making" (SDM) is proposed as a promising method of engaging patients in medical decisions and improving health-related outcomes. In the present study, the feasibility and effects of SDM for in-patients with schizophrenia should be evaluated. METHOD: Randomized controlled trial comparing a SDM program with routine care (n = 107). RESULTS: The intervention studied was feasible for most of the patients and did not take up more of the doctors' time. Patients in the intervention group had a better knowledge about their disease (P = 0.01) and a higher perceived involvement in medical decisions (P = 0.03). The intervention increased the uptake of psychoeducation (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Sharing medical decisions with acutely ill in-patients with schizophrenia is in many cases possible and improves important treatment patterns. This might help in destigmatizing this group of patients and improving schizophrenia-related health outcomes.

A simple method to estimate tobacco-related lung cancer deaths based on smoking prevalence data.

OBJECTIVE: Tobacco is the major cause of cancer and a relevant risk factor for several other chronic diseases. Due to the epidemiological transition in developing countries with overall increasing life expectancy there is an increasing relevance of chronic diseases to the total burden of diseases. Furthermore, there are indications for a rise in the consumption of tobacco products in developing countries. Since in Africa data on smoking prevalence are scarce and cancer diagnosis is often imprecise or missing, it is difficult to estimate the current and future number of cancer cases attributable to tobacco smoking. In this paper, we present an approach to estimate the effects of smoking on lung cancer in selected developing countries in Africa. METHODS: We combined data on smoking prevalence from different African countries with estimates on age-specific lung cancer rates in smokers and non-smokers from industrialized countries and data on age and sex distribution in African countries. We perform a sensitivity analysis to evaluate the effect of the assumptions necessary for the procedure. RESULTS: If the smoking prevalence in African countries will remain on the current level, we estimate age-specific lung cancer rates lower than those in Germany. Despite the relatively small proportion of adults aged 50 and more which is the age when most cancer cases occur, there is an appreciable number of deaths from lung cancer that could be prevented when smoking prevalence could be reduced. Depending on assumptions we estimate up about 50,000 lung cancer deaths per year in Africa, most of which could be prevented. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts for smoking prevalence reduction are much more needed in the developing world. Better and more comprehensive data on smoking are needed for more precise estimates.

[Systemic mastocytosis]. / Systemás mastocytosis.

The systemic mastocytosis is a rare disorder, however, the authors recently diagnosed two cases causing diagnostic problems. The diagnosis was proved by bone marrow biopsy in both patients. The authors review the diagnostic pathway considering the pitfalls. According to their conclusion, the most important factor in the diagnosis of systemic mastocytosis is to think of the possibility of systemic mastocytosis.

[Albers-Schönberg disease]. / Az Albers-Schönberg-kór.

The authors while describing their patients suffering from osteopetrosis disease, discuss its morphological aspects and possible patho-mechanism. The disease with osteosclerosis can be inherited recessively or dominantly. The recessively inherited type is less frequent and leads to early death due to secondary developing myelofibrosis. The dominantly inherited form is more benevolent, the patients are free of symptoms in half of cases. The patients described by the authors belong to the dominantly inherited type of the Albers-Schönberg disease. One of their patients suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and myelodisplastic syndrome apart from osteopetrosis. Having considered the publications authors have found data based on which the common source and connection of these three diseases can be rendered possible. Analyzing these data they draw attention to the possible pathogenic role of cytokines, first of all of the macrophag colony stimulating factor, moreover to the rheumatic manifestation of the paraneoplastic syndrome.

Analysis of tomato polygalacturonase expression in transgenic tobacco.

Tomato polygalacturonase is a cell wall enzyme secreted in large amounts during tomato fruit ripening. Polygalacturonase is synthesized as a glycoprotein precursor that undergoes numerous cotranslational and post-translational processing steps during its maturation, yielding three isozymes in tomato fruit, PG1, PG2A, and PG2B. To investigate the physiological roles of the three isozymes and the functional significance of the polygalacturonase processing domains in its intracellular transport and activity, we have examined polygalacturonase expression in transgenic tobacco plants. A full-length polygalacturonase cDNA was placed under control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter and introduced into tobacco by way of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Analysis of transgenic tobacco plants indicated that (1) immunologically detectable polygalacturonase can be extracted from leaves, roots, and stems of transgenic tobacco plants; (2) only PG2A and PG2B were detectable in transgenic tobacco; (3) the polygalacturonase isozymes present in transgenic tobacco were electrophoretically indistinguishable from the tomato isozymes; (4) the N-terminal sequence, degree of N-linked glycosylation, and extent of oligosaccharide processing were similar in polygalacturonase from transgenic tobacco and tomato; (5) polygalacturonase was properly localized in cell walls of transgenic tissue; (6) the protein was enzymatically active in vitro; however, (7) accumulation of PG2A and PG2B in cell walls of transgenic tobacco did not result in pectin degradation in vivo. These results indicated that tomato polygalacturonase was properly processed and transported to the cell wall of tobacco. However, accumulation of the two polygalacturonase isozymes expressed in this heterologous host was insufficient to promote polyuronide degradation in tobacco leaf tissue.

[Reactive arthritis following Chlamydia infection]. / Chlamydia fertözést követö reaktív arthritis.

The authors report on the clinical observation of 23 patients (5 women, 18 men) who suffered from seronegative spondylarthritis following chlamydia infection diagnosed clinically and serologically. Nine patients (2 women, 7 men) carried HLA B27 histocompatibility antigen. Sacroileitis confirmed by radiology was found in 16 cases. Genicular synovitis was the most frequent peripheral articular syndrome as well as Achilles tendinitis, "sausage-like" swelling of the finger and toes were observed and the ankle-, wrist-, elbow- and in a few cases the sternoclavicular and temporomandibular joint showed also involvement. Urological inflammation occurred in 9 cases, ophthalmological inflammation in 3 cases and pleuritis, pericarditis was observed in 1 patient. During the observation period 15 patients recovered upon Doxycyclin (Chinoin), Eryc (Biogal) non-steroid and occasional steroid therapy given 3 weeks long.

[Sulfasalazine therapy in spondylarthritis ankylopoietica]. / Sulphasalazin kezelés spondylarthritis ankylopoeticában.

In the past few years several reports have been published on the favourable effect of sulphasalazine in ankylosing spondylitis. This induced us to compare sulphasalazine with placebo in a prospective, randomized single-blind trial in 63 patients with active ankylosing spondylitis. After termination of the 24 week course of treatment significant improvement was registered in several clinical parameters both in the group taking the active drug (31 patients) and in that on placebo (32 patients). The advantage of sulphasalazine over placebo only proved to be significant in the duration of articular morning stiffness and in reducing disturbances of sleep. Observations claiming sulphasalazine to act as a remission inducing drug for ankylosing spondylitis have neither been confirmed nor ruled out by our experiences. Accurate appraisal of the effectiveness of sulphasalazine still calls for further extensive placebo-controlled double-blind studies.

Determination of norflurazon residues in mixed crop matrices.

A method for determining norflurazon residues in mixed crop matrices is described. The method included methanol Soxhlet extraction, hexane wash, addition of 10% saline, methylene chloride extraction, concentration, preparative thin layer chromatography of 10% sample aliquot, and resuspension of sample zone for gas-liquid chromatographic analysis. The lower level of electron capture detection is 0.01 ppm. Recoveries for 0.08 ppm spiked samples of cottonseed; soybean seed and foliage; peanut seed plus hulls and foliage; orange and tangerine; lemon; apple and peach; and soil are generally greater than 80%.

In vitro and in vivo considerations of a novel matrix-controlled bovine progesterone-releasing intravaginal device.

An in vitro system measuring progesterone release from silicone matrixes into serum is described. Drug release followed a matrix-controlled diffusion model in which the cumulative quantity released was linear with the square root of time. A bovine intravaginal device, consisting of a steel coil coated on both sides with a progesterone silicone matrix, was used as an in vivo drug delivery system. In vivo drug release also was matrix controlled, with rates comparable to those obtained in vitro. However, lag times of 1.7 and 4.2 days before reaching the steady-state rate were obtained for the outer and inner surfaces, respectively. The combination of effects resulted in a pseudo-zero-order drug-releasing device in which cumulative drug released was linear with time for at least 16 days.

Analysis of tissue progesterone residues by gas chromatography - mass spectral and radioimmunological detection methods.

Methods for the extraction, isolation and analysis of tissue concentrations of progesterone suitable for studying residue levels from livestock treated with this steroid for the control and synchronization of estrus are presented. The system employs biphasic partitioning for the extraction and silica gel chromatography for the isolation and demonstrates 80 to 90% recovery of 14C-labeled progesterone added as an internal standard. Residue analysis of fat, kidney, liver and muscle tissue samples from ovariectomized non-treated and progesterone treated ewes are compared employing a competitive inhibition radioimmunoassay system which appears to be less specific for progesterone than the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method employing selective ion monitoring detection.

Collaborative study of assay method for erythromycin in pelleted feeds containing binding agents.

A modified method for analysis of erythromycin in feeds containing the pelleting adjuvants bentonite and Masonex has been evaluated by collaborative study. Erythromycin is freed from the binding action of these adjuvants by an aqueous methanolic pH 8 buffer presoak before extraction with methylal. The recovery values for mash and pellets of 6 different sample types range from 86.6 to 103.0% of theory with a grand mean of 96.8%. This modification has been adopted as official first action.