[C-reactive protein and agitation in patients with schizophrenia: A cohort study with a control group]. / Protéine C-réactive et agitation chez des patients atteints de schizophrénie : suivi d'une cohorte avec groupe témoin.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies first reported the relevant role of the immune system in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and then the association between inflammation and agitation. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aim to explore the relationship between CRP (C-reactive protein) levels and agitation in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study with a comparison group of 60 patients with a DSM5 diagnosis of schizophrenia who were followed by the Department of Psychiatry of the University Hospital of Marrakech in Morocco. Patients were divided into two groups according to the state of agitation evaluated by the PANSS Excitement scale. These two groups have been matched according to age and gender. A comparison of CRP level, clinical and laboratory characteristics between the two groups and a monitoring of CRP level in the agitated group after 3 weeks of treatment were performed. RESULTS: Inpatients with agitation displayed a significantly high CRP (P<0.0001), a high score of PANSS total (P<0.0001), PANSS positive (P<0.0001) and general PANSS (P<0.0001). After treatment, there was a significant reduction in CRP (P<0.0001) and PANSS excitement (P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: These results confirm the role played by inflammation and immunity in agitation behavior in patients with schizophrenia and highlight the interest of the CRP assay at the time of admission of patients as a potential marker of agitation in hospitalized patients with schizophrenia.

[Risk factors related to homicide in Moroccan patients with schizophrenia]. / Facteurs de risque de passage à l'acte d'homicide chez des patients marocains atteints de schizophrénie.

BACKGROUND: Persons with schizophrenia are thought to be at increased risk of committing violent crime - 4 to 6 times the level of general population individuals without this disorder. The relationship between schizophrenia and homicide is complex and cannot be reduced to a simple causal link. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to describe the characteristics of homicide in Moroccan patients suffering from schizophrenia and to determine the correlated sociodemographic, clinical and toxic variables. METHODS: The study included two groups of patients with a DSM IV diagnosis of schizophrenia who attended the "Ibn Nafis" university psychiatric hospital of Marrakech in Morocco. The first group was composed of 30 patients hospitalized for homicide in the forensic unit between 1 January 2005 and 31 August 2015. The second group included 90 patients without any criminal record. These two groups have been matched according to age and gender. Demographic, clinical and therapeutic variables were analyzed and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Data analysis has objectified the following results: the mean of age in the first group was 37.03 (±9.09) and in the second group was 31.4 (±8.76). No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding the different sociodemographic variables and the age of onset of disease. Significant differences were found between the two groups regarding: personal antecedents of attempt of homicide (P=0.003), personal antecedents of attempt of suicide (P<0.001), a history of previous violence (P=0.005), untreated psychosis before the act (P<0.001), poor medication compliance and a low familial support (P<0.001), antisocial behavior (P<0.001) and addictive behavior (P=0.005). DISCUSSION: Several studies identified some possible predictor factors for violent behavior: poor compliance, lack of insight impulsivity and paranoid-hallucinatory symptoms, systematized delusions and addictive behavior seem to considerably increase the risk of turning to violence. Demographic variables as suggested by other studies are less valuable predictors of homicide in patients with schizophrenia. CONCLUSION: Awareness of these factors will allow us to provide improved prevention of violence within schizophrenic subjects. Interventions for reducing such behavior should focus on clinical variables and integrate an early diagnosis of the disease and an improvement of medication compliance.

Measurement of visual function among patients undergoing corneal transplantation using the VF-14 index in Morocco.

OBJECTIVE: To validate the Moroccan version of the VF-14 in candidates for keratoplasty and to assess their quality of life using this tool before and after transplantation. METHODS: This is a longitudinal prospective study that assessed 57 patients who underwent penetrating keratoplasty, recruited in the ophthalmology service in Marrakech over 5 years. The original VF-14 questionnaire was adapted into Moroccan dialect. The questionnaire was administered before and 2 years after transplantation. The VF-12 questionnaire was also used, deleting the last two items. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 16.0 software. Comparisons of VF-14 scores before and after transplantation used the Wilcoxon test for paired samples. RESULTS: In total, 57 patients participated in the study. The most frequent indication for surgery was keratoconus (44%). All patients underwent penetrating keratoplasty. Chronbach's alpha value was 0.989 for VF-14 and 0.990 for VF-12. The two scores were negatively correlated with logMAR visual acuity. The strongest correlation was found with VA in the fellow eye. The average best-corrected visual acuity of the eye scheduled for keratoplasty was 1.1±0.16 logMAR. The average of VF-14 was 53±3. After keratoplasty, the average best-corrected visual acuity of operated eye was 0.34±0.31. The average postoperative astigmatism was 3 D. After keratoplasty, an increase in VF-14 score was observed from 53.5 to 81.92 (P<0.001). In postoperative follow-up, graft rejection was noted in two patients and maculopathy in a single patient. DISCUSSION: Graft transparency, absence of complications, minimal astigmatism, and good visual acuity have long been indicators of a successful corneal transplant. However, this does not provide information on visual quality and its impact on everyday life. It is in this sense that the VF-14 was adapted into several languages, as reliable, valid and sensitive as the original Anglo-American version, to assess objectively and subjectively the quality of life of patients after keratoplasty. CONCLUSION: With advances in techniques and availability of better materials, surgical success in performing keratoplasty is increasing. At the same time, vision-related quality of life of corneal graft recipients deserves more attention from ophthalmologists.

[Retrospective study of neuromeningeal cryptococcosis in patients infected with HIV in the infectious diseases unit of university hospital of Casablanca, Morocco]. / Étude rétrospective de la cryptococcose neuroméningée chez les patients infectés par le VIH dans le service des maladies infectieuses du CHU de Casablanca, Maroc.

OBJECTIVE: To report the cases of neuromeningeal cryptococcosis and to describe the clinical, paraclinical, therapeutic and outcomes of patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of 43 patients infected with HIV admitted from January first 2010 to June 30th 2015 in the infectious disease unit of UHC Ibn Rochd, for neuromeningeal cryptococcus. RESULTS: The mean frequency of neuromeningeal cryptococcosis in patients infected with HIV was 1.4%. The mean age was 39 years and a sex ratio of 1.38. The mean CD4 count was 70 cells/mm3. The diagnosis of HIV was revealed by neuromeningeal cryptococcus in 77% of cases. Fifteen days interval was reported between the first symptom and hospital admission. Headache (77%) was the most represented clinical sign. The cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed hypoglycorachy (67%), hyperproteinorachy (65%) and lymphocytosis (63%). Chinese ink direct examination for Cryptococcus neoformans in CSF was positive in 86% of cases and all cases were positive after culture on Sabouraud's medium. Patients were treated with monotherapy amphotericin B (42%) or fluconazole (28%) and bitherapy amphotéricine B/fluconazole (28%). Fatal evolution was observed in 60% of cases. CONCLUSION: Neuromeningeal cryptococcosis remains a severe opportunistic infection in HIV patients with a heavy mortality rate.

[Sensitivity to change of the USP score (Urinary Symptoms Profile) after surgical treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)]. / Sensibilité au changement du score USP (Urinary Symptoms Profile) après traitement chirurgical de l'hypertrophie bénigne de la prostate (HBP).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the sensitivity to change in USP score (Urinary Symptoms Profile) after surgical treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospective study collecting IPSS (International Prostatic Symptom Score) and USP scores before and 6 weeks after surgery for BPH. Sensitivity to change was assessed using effect size (ES) and mean standardized response (MSR). RESULTS: Thirty patients, mean age of 68±10 years (min: 52, max: 90) were included in this study. The mean IPSS and USP scores were 14.3 (e.t.: 5.42), 20.3 (e.t.: 5.22) and 3.53 (e.t.: 3.68), 3.43 (e.t.: 3.48) before and after surgery respectively. The overall USP score showed excellent sensitivity to change with a global value of ES and MSR of 1.986 and 2.322 respectively. CONCLUSION: The USP score has an excellent sensitivity to change. It seems to be a valid and reliable score that can be perfectly adapted to the assessment of symptoms associated with BPH, with good sensitivity to changes in the overall score, with the advantage over the IPSS of an exhaustive exploration of all urinary symptoms particularly in the field of urge urinary incontinence and stress urinary incontinence. LEVEL OF PROOF: 4.

[Prevalence of type 2 diabetes and factors associated in depression]. / Prévalence du diabète de type 2 et facteurs associés au cours de la dépression.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to estimate the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in patients with depression and to describe its associated factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted over a period of three months (from May to August 2012) in a hospital in Tlemcen, Algeria. The sample study had included 73 consecutive depressed patients who had attended the unit for assessment, education or treatment of depression or its complications. Data collection was conducted using a questionnaire. Blood sampling was performed in all patients to measure glycemic levels. Data analysis was performed using the spss version 10 software. P-value was considered significant when ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: Means age was 53 ± 15 years. Sex-ratio female/male was 1.35. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 69.9% with 95% CI [57.9; 79.8]. Heredity and collective lifestyle were significantly associated with diabetes (P<0.0001). We have not found an association of diabetes with the factors studied: gender, presence of remaining associated diseases, smoking, and treatment regime. CONCLUSION: In the absence of national epidemiological data, the results of our study provide the frequency of type 2 diabetes during depression. This requires planning strategies for diagnosis and appropriate care for this population.

[Prevalence of obesity and overweight among children in primary schools in Marrakech, Morocco]. / Prévalence de l'obésité et du surpoids chez les écoliers de primaire à Marrakech, Maroc.

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity is a phenomenon of growing concern today because of its rapid growth worldwide. The aim of our study was to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school age children in Marrakech. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of a random sample of 1418 schoolchildren aged 8-15 years in the public sector in Marrakech in May 2011. Trained physicians measured the weight and size of respondents. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated for each child. Overweight was assessed by comparing BMI with World Health Organization (WHO) and International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) references. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 16.0 and using a macro of WHO Anthro for SPSS. RESULTS: The mean age was 10.8 ± 1.6 years. The sex ratio (girl/boy) was 1. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 8 % (95 % CI [6.7, 9.6]) and 3 % (95 % CI [2.2, 4.1] based on WHO reference. This prevalence were respectively 12.2 % (95 % IC [10.5; 14.0]) and 5.4 % (95 % IC [4.3; 6.7]) using the IOTF reference. CONCLUSION: In the absence of national data, our results reflect the importance of the phenomenon in our context, hence the importance of monitoring the nutritional status on both individual and collective levels and the need to develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis and early treatment before the problem becomes more widespread.

[Weaning before the age of 6 months in Marrakech: associated factors and prevalence]. / Sevrage des nourrissons avant six mois à Marrakech: facteurs associés et prévalence.

BACKGROUND: In Morocco breastfeeding has become a declining practice. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of weaning before the age of 6 months and to identify associated factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 400 mothers of infants aged 0 to 24 months. Participants were recruited from patients attending 40 randomly selected general practices in Marrakech. A trained interviewer administered a questionnaire to collect data on breastfeeding practice and factors associated with it. Early weaning was defined as a cessation of breastfeeding before the age of 6 months and was studied in mother-child couples whose infants were aged 6 months and older. Three binary logistic regression models were used to model the probability that an infant aged 6 months or more is weaned early. RESULTS: Breastfeeding was initiated by the majority of respondents (97.5%). Early weaning was observed in 75 infants (28% of registered weaning). Factors associated with early weaning were: mother having an occupational activity (Odds Ratio [OR]=2.09; 95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.07-4.06]), caesarean delivery (OR=4.15; 95% CI: [1.74-9.88]) and the fact that the pregnancy was desired (OR=0.19; 95% CI: [0.05-0.68]). CONCLUSION: Weaning before 6 months of age is a common practice in our context. Identifying factors associated with early weaning is critical to promote breastfeeding.

[Food intake during the month of Ramadan in Moroccan patients with type 2 diabetes]. / Apports alimentaires durant le mois de ramadan chez le patient diabétique de type 2 marocain.

This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the daily dietary intake of type 2 diabetes patients attending Mohamed VI hospital in Marrakech during Ramadan 2010. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected by interview, and qualitative and quantitative food intake, based on French nutritional tables, was assessed by a dietician. Of the 71 patients recruited, 55% were fasting. The average age of participants was 56.3 (SD 11,2) years. There were no statistically significant clinical differences between the fasting and nonfasting groups except for overweight/obesity and insulin dependence, which were more prevalent in the nonfasting group. The mean total daily caloric intake was significantly lower in the fasting than nonfasting group [1447.5 (SD 756.3) versus 1919.0 (SD 823.4) Kcal/d], as was the carbohydrate, lipid and protein intake. Carbohydrate intake was 57% and 56% of total calories. Overall during Ramadan the diet of the fasting group was calorie deficient and inadequate while for non-fasters it was excessive, which put them at risk of complications. Nutritional education may be needed for diabetic patients for Ramadan.

Food intake during the month of Ramadan in Moroccan patients with type 2 diabetes

This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the daily dietary intake of type 2 diabetes patients attending Mohamed VI hospital in Marrakech during Ramadan 2010. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected by interview, and qualitative and quantitative food intake, based on French nutritional tables, was assessed by a dietician. Of the 71 patients recruited, 55% were fasting. The average age of participants was 56.3 [SD 11.2] years. There were no statistically significant clinical differences between the fasting and nonfasting groups except for overweight/obesity and insulin dependence, which were more prevalent in the nonfasting group. The mean total daily caloric intake was significantly lower in the fasting than nonfasting group [1447.5 [SD 756.3] versus 1919.0 [SD 823.4] Kcal/d], as was the carbohydrate, lipid and protein intake. Carbohydrate intake was 57% and 56% of total calories. Overall during Ramadan the diet of the fasting group was calorie deficient and inadequate while for non-fasters it was excessive, which put them at risk of complications. Nutritional education may be needed for diabetic patients for Ramadan

Correlación entre el índice de masa corporal y circunferenciade la cintura en personas mayores de 15 años / Correlation between body mass index and waist circumference in individuals aged 15 years and over

Introducción: La detección y tratamiento precoz del sobrepeso y la obesidad son una prioridad de salud pública. El Índice de masa corporal (IMC) y la circunferencia de la cintura (CC) son los principales índices antropométricos utilizados para medir el exceso de adiposidad. Objetivo: Describir la relación existente entre la obesidad abdominal, medida mediante el IMC y la obesidad central a través de la CC. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo de corte transversal desde Enero a Marzo de 2007,en 662 personas mayores de 15 años reclutadas en diez centros de salud de Marrakech. Profesionales capacitados recolectaron datos sobre edad, sexo y medidas antropométricas (peso, talla y circunferencia de la (..) (AU)

Introduction: Screening and early treatment of overweight and obesity are a public health priority. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC)are major anthropometric indices used to measure the excess of adiposity in practice. Objective: To describe the correlations between abdominal obesity measured by BMI and central obesity as measured by WC. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from January to March 2007, with 662 individuals aged 15 and over recruited ten health-care centers of Marrakech. Trained professionals collected data on age and gender, and anthropometric measurements(weight, height and waist circumference). The correlations between BMI and WC were calculated for both (..) (AU)