[Evaluation of midwives' practices for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B in Abidjan (Ivory Coast)]. / Évaluation de la pratique des sages-femmes sur la prévention de la transmission mère-enfant du virus de l'hépatite B à Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire).

UNLABELLED: Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) assumes and requires good practices by midwives. The objective of this study was to evaluate their practices for this prevention. METHODOLOGY: This prospective, descriptive study in Abidjan took place from January 2 to May 31, 2014 and included the midwives in Abidjan (recruited from university hospitals, general hospitals, and peripheral health care facilities) at the time of the survey who agreed to complete this written survey. Univariate analyses were done with Pearson Chi 2 tests or Fisher's test, as appropriate, P<0.05 was defined as significant. RESULTS: The study included 197 of the 220 midwives approached (89.5%), 88 (44.6%) of whom worked in the university hospital delivery rooms. Overall, 59% performed HBsAg tests during the second trimester, and 47.72% vaccinated newborns of HBsAg-positive mothers at birth. Hospital-based midwives had the best prevention practices, including HBsAg testing (P = 0.023) and immunization of the newborn at birth (P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Midwives' practices for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HBV in Abidjan are improving.

[Colonic transit time in healthy Ivorian subjects]. / Détermination du temps de transit colique de sujets ivoiriens sains.

Colonic transit time (CTT) values obtained from healthy Western populations cannot be applied to the population of the Cote d'Ivoire, whose diet is very different. We report the first study of CTT among healthy Ivorian volunteers. This study included 20 healthy Ivorian volunteers (16 men, 4 women, mean age: 25). None was constipated, and all had at least three stools a week. They took no medication and presented no diseases that might affect their digestion. Vegetable fiber was not added to their diet. CTT was assessed according to the method described by Chaussade and al. in 1986: Subjects ingested three types of radiopaque markers in soluble medication capsules at fixed hours for three successive days; plain abdominal radiography was performed on days four, seven, and, if markers remained in the colon on day seven, again on day ten. The plain abdominal radiographs were divided into three parts, representing the right, left and rectosigmoid colons, and radiopaque markers were counted in each segment. CTT was calculated according to Arhan's formula. Mean values (m+/-SD) for CTT were 8.94+/-5.76 hours in the right colon, 12.6+/-8.29 hours in the left, 14.4+/-5.45 hours in the rectosigmoid and 34.94+/-15.09 hours for the entire colon. The corresponding upper limits (M + 2DS) for each segment were 20, 29, 25, and 65 hours. These results suggest the specificity of CTT in healthy Ivorian subjects. CTT norms obtained from healthy Caucasian subjects must not be used to assess CTT in Ivorian patients with constipation.