HIV testing and counselling in Colombia: evidence from a national health survey and recommendations for health-care services.

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of, and the factors associated with HIV testing and pre- and post-test counselling (PPTC) in Colombia. Cross-sectional data from the National Health Survey carried out during 2007 were analysed. Data were gathered from records of 29,760 individuals between the ages of 18 and 69 from the main regions of the country. Only 19.7% of the sample had taken an HIV test. Men, people with no education, those not affiliated with the health-care system, residents of rural areas and those aged older than 65 were less likely to have been tested for HIV; 42% of those tested did not receive pre-test counselling and 56.9% received no report of the results. Considering the low prevalence of HIV testing among the Colombian population, it is necessary to design and apply guidelines for HIV screening in all health-care settings and to conduct targeted testing in high-risk sub-populations. A national norm of PPTC in those who undergo HIV testing should be examined.

Síndrome de Rapunzel (tricobezoar gástrico con extensión a duodeno y yeyuno): a propósito de un caso / Rapunzel syndrome (gastric trichobezoar extending into duodenum and jejunum): report of a case

El síndrome de Rapunzel, corresponde a un raro fenómeno con pocos casos comunicados y descritos en la literatura mundial. Así pues, compartimos un nuevo caso. Se trata de paciente femenino de 6 años de edad, que consulta por presentar desde hace 2 meses crisis de epigastralgia, vómitos a repetición y pérdida de peso. Su sintomatología ha empeorado en la última semana y refiere sensación de masa en epigastrio. Como antecedente importante tricofagia de dos años de evolución. Al examen se palpa masa epigástrica alargada. Al ecosonograma abdominal se aprecia en epigastrio, en la zona que corresponde a la cámara gástrica, una línea hiperecogénica, curvilínea, discretamente heterogénea, que produce sombra acústica completa, sugestivo de masa ecogénica de más de 5 cm de longitud . La radiología de estómago muestra una imagen de defecto que se extiende desde el cuerpo hasta la región antropilórica, de 6 x 4 cms. La Videogastroscopia muestra una concreción de pelos (tricobezoar), que se extiende a través del píloro. El 26-02-2009 es intervenida quirúrgicamente, se realiza gastrostomía con extracción de tricobezoar que se extiende a través del duodeno hasta el yeyuno. En ocasiones el tricobezoar se extiende más allá del estómago, alcanzando duodeno, yeyuno, ileon, e incluso colon, dándosele entonces, el nombre de Síndrome de Rapunzel...

The Rapunzel syndrome is a rare condition with few cases reported and described in the literature. Thus, WE SHARE a new case. Is a 6 years old female patient who went to consult because she had had from 2 months ago epigastralgia`s crisis, vomits and regurgitation, and lost of weight. Her symptomatology has gotten worst in the last week and refers a sensation of a mass in the epigastrium. As an important background she had had trichophagia of two years evolution. An elongated epigastric mass is felt on examination. The abdominal echosonogram shows a hyperechoic curvilinear line, discretely heterogeneous, in the epigastrium, specifically, in the gastric zone, which produces a complete acoustic shadow allusive of echogenic mass of more than 5 cm. of length. The stomach radiography shows a defect image of 6 x 4 cm. that extends from the body to the antro-pyloric region. The video-gastroscopy reveals a hair concretion (trichophagia) that extends through the pylorus. On February 26, 2009 the patient underwent surgical intervention, a gastrostomy with extraction of the trichobezoar that expands through the duodenum to the jejunum. In occasions the trichobezoar extends beyond the stomach reaching to the duodenum, jejunum, ileum and even colon, that's when it's called Rapunzel Syndrome...