Characterization of children under five with severe protein-energy malnutrition treated in a clinic in Timor Leste

Background: protein-energy malnutrition is a very common condition in third world countries. In children morbidity and mortality associated with it have increased. Objective: to characterize children with severe protein-energy malnutrition treated at a clinic in Timor Leste in the period from january to june 2009. Methods: an observational, descriptive, prospective, cross-sectional study conducted in all children under 5 years old who attended consultation during that period. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. To obtain the data an examination, a clinical and nutritional assessment and a review of the medical records was performed for each patient. Results: the most affected age group was from 0 to 2 years old (61, 3 %) with a predominance of females (57 %). The predominant type of malnutrition was marasmus (66,7 %), which predominated in children from 0 to 2 years old (68,6 %), whereas in children suffering from kwashiorkor the predominant age group was from 3 to 5 years old (53,4 %). The non-measurement at birth was more frequent (50, 6 %), as well as the improper weaning (in 91, 6 % of the cases) and the sustained breastfeeding beyond six months of age observed in 96, 4 % of children. Conclusion: the age group from 0 to 2 years old, female sex, improper weaning and breastfeeding maintained after six months of age were predominant. A relationship between age, weaning and breastfeeding for the type of malnutrition with a reliability of 99 % was found

Biochemical Evolution and Histological Response of Patients with Hepatitis C Undergoing Antiviral Therapy.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Fundamento: la hepatitis C es uno de los principales problemas de salud a nivel mundial y la indicación más frecuente de transplante hepático en muchos países. Objetivo: determinar la evolución bioquímica y respuesta histológica de pacientes con hepatitis crónica tipo C bajo tratamiento con Interferón alfa 2b recombinante y ribavirina atendidos en consulta provincial de Hepatología. Métodos: estudio observacional y descriptivo, en 31 pacientes portadores del virus de la hepatitis C, remitidos a la consulta de Hepatología Provincial de Cienfuegos en el Hospital Universitario “Dr. Gustavo Aldereguía Lima”, entre enero de 2007 y junio de 2009; y tratados con interferon alfa 2b recombinante más ribavirina. Se estudiaron las variables: edad, sexo, posible vía de infección, valores séricos de alanito aminotransferasa, evaluación bioquímica (al concluir el tratamiento y al finalizar el seguimiento) y respuesta histológica. Para la evaluación de la actividad histológica de las lesiones hepáticas crónicas se empleó el índice de Knodell. Para comparar los resultados (respuesta bioquímica y la respuesta histológica) antes y después del tratamiento se empleó la Prueba de los Signos. Resultados: El sexo femenino predominó en la muestra (58,1 %). La edad promedio fue de 45,5±11,6 años. La vía posible de trasmisión no se pudo identificar en 51,6 % de los pacientes. El tratamiento quirúrgico fue identificado como vía de infección en el 22,6 %, seguido del tratamiento parenteral reiterado (16,1 %). Conclusión: al finalizar el tratamiento se obtuvo un mayor porcentaje de respuesta en cuanto a la evolución bioquímica y a la respuesta histológica.</p

Nutritional Status of a Group of Children Under Five Suffering from Malaria in a Timor Leste District

Background: Malaria is a health problem in underdeveloped countries. The child population is particularly vulnerable. Objective: to determine the nutritional status of children under five suffering from malaria who attended a clinic in Timor Leste. Method: a descriptive, correlational study was conducted. The sample consisted of 435 children under five years old, diagnosed with malaria, who attended consultation from June 2008 to July 2009. Nutritional status was evaluated. A medical history demographic, socioeconomic and Plasmodium type data was obtained. Results: 254 children (58.4%) were in the group from 2 to 4 years old. Most children (415, 95.4%) had no toilet or piped water in their homes. The average number of people living in the house is 8.3; 5.6 per room. Females were predominant with 50.3%, as well as rural children 402 (92.4%). Most children (84.6%) are undernourished. Statistical relationship was found between nutritional status and age (X2 = 7.44, df = 1, p = 0.01) and nutritional status and sex (X2 = 14.37, df = 1, p = 0, 01). A higher frequency of moderate malnutrition was observed in children with malaria (41; 61.2%). Plasmodium vivax was highly frequent, being present in 299 children (68.7%). Conclusion: children from 0 to 1 year of age are 2 to 4 times more likely to experience malnutrition. Females are between 2 and 5 times more likely to be undernourished than other children with malaria

Technical difficulties and success of endoscopic retrograde colangiopancreatography in a group of patients

Background: Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography has been effective in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the biliopancreatic system. Objective: To determine the grade of technical difficulties and the success of cholangiopancreatography in a group of patients. Methods: prospective, descriptive, observational study that included all the patients who were tested through this procedure from January to December 2009 in the hospital “Dr. Gustavo Aldereguía Lima” from Cienfuegos. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied so the sample was composed by 34 patients. In order to define the technical difficulty of this test Madhotra’s difficulty modified test was used. Results: 67,6 % of the patients were males. Age comprised the interval from 31 to 90 years old patients with a mean age of 60.8±16 years. Cholestatic icterus was the predominant medical indication in (55,9 %), followed by choledocholitiasis (26,5 %). Echogram showed normal results in 41,2 % of the patients. The most frequent diagnosis of this test was postcholecystectomy with dilated biliary tract (17,6 %) followed by choledocho and cholelithiasis (14,7 % each one). The grade of technical difficulty was 1 in 91,2 %, grade 2 in 8,8 %. A complete technical success was obtained in 55,9 %, partial success was obtained in 32,3 % and the attempt failed in 11,8 % of the patients. Conclusion: the grade of technical difficulty can influence upon the success of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography. Its usefulness has been demonstrated with a minimum amount of complications for the patient

Emergency diagnostic laparoscopy in abdominal trauma: a study of 41 patients

<strong>Background</strong>: laparoscopy is a test used in the patients with abdominal trauma with suspicion of intra-abdominal organic damage and an imminent surgical behavior. <strong><br />Objectives</strong>: to expose the results of the urgency laparoscopic diagnosis in the traumatic acute abdomen. <strong><br />Methods</strong>: an descriptive and retrospective study in patient with diagnosis of abdominal trauma to which were carried out urgency laparoscopy at the Hospital Dr. Gustavo Aldereguía Lima", from january 2001 to december 2008, when not being possible to define injury of intra-abdominal viscera performing other tests. Inclusion and exclusion criterion were applied. <strong><br />Results</strong>: we study 41 patients with average of 39, 2 ± 7, 7 years. Most of the studied patients were in the age range from 31 to 40 years with 21 patients (51, 2 %) the open abdominal trauma with 26 patients prevailed (63, 4 %). The masculine sex prevailed with 38 patients (92,7 %) and as much the open trauma as the closed one were more frequent in this sex with 25 patients (96,2 %) and 13 patients (86,7 %) respectively. They didn't show visceral damage during the laparoscopy 93, 3 % of the patients with closed abdominal trauma by what the surgical treatment was avoided, the same as in the patients with open abdominal trauma which had a non penetrating damage in abdominal cavity (80, 8 %). <strong><br />Conclusion</strong>: laparoscopic diagnosis is a useful test in patients with abdominal trauma and it avoids a considerable number of unnecessary conventional surgical treatment