Maternal serum lipids in some women with pre-eclampsia in Yaoundé.

Preeclampsia is one of the most common complications of pregnancy and occurs in approximately 3-8% of all pregnancies worldwide. Although the aetiology of preeclampsia still largely remains unclear, it is thought to be related to endothelial dysfunction and can lead to serum lipid abnormalities. Therefore, this case-control study was conceived and designed with the aim to compare maternal lipid profile parameters and cardiovascular risk factors, between preeclamptic and healthy pregnancies. Blood samples were collected after overnight fasting from 48 preeclamptics and 96 healthy pregnant controls matched for age and gestational weeks and serum lipid profile concentrations were estimated and used them to calculate cardiac risk ratio I and II. There was a significant rise in serum lipid levels in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia. These lipids turn out to be risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Positive correlation of maternal serum lipids to high blood pressure suggests a causal relationship.

Prevalence of intestinal parasites among HIV patients at the Yaoundé Central Hospital, Cameroon.

INTRODUCTION: Intestinal parasites are more common in people with HIV, especially in tropical developing countries. This cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the prevalence of intestinal parasites among people with HIV at the Yaoundé Central Hospital Accredited Treatment Centre. METHODS: Structured questionnaires were used to collect clinical information after obtaining consent from the participants. Stool samples were collected from 207 HIV-positive patients for the investigation of intestinal pathogens using direct microscopy, formalin-ether concentration, ZiehlNeelsen modified and Kato-Katz methods. Data was analyzed using Epi-info version 3.4.1. and Microsoft Office Excel 2007. RESULTS: A total of 207 people were recruited. Eighty (38.65%) were male and 127 (61.35%) were female. The overall prevalence of intestinal parasite infections was 57.48% (119/207). The parasites detected in our study population included Entamoeba coli (22.68%), Ascaris lumbricoïdes (22.68%), Entamoeba histolytica(15.93%), Cryptosporidium spp (12.60%), Isospora belli (10.08%), Trichuris trichiura (7.60%), Strongyloïdesstercoralis (5.88%), Ancylostomaduodenale and Necatoramericanus (2.52%). CONCLUSION: At the end of our study, it appears that intestinal parasites still occupy an important place among HIV-positive patients.