Cornual pregnancy as a complicaton of the use of a levonorgestrel intrauterine device: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Complications of copper load intrauterine devices, including ectopic pregnancies are well reported. Rates of ectopic pregnancy are 0.6 to 1.1% per year. However, the levonorgestrel intrauterine device has been described as more protective against ectopic pregnancies due to the addition of the hormone levonorgestrel. The hormone released from the intrauterine device causes some systemic effects, but local effects such as glandular atrophy and stromal decidualization, in addition to foreign body reaction, are dominant. Few case reports have described ampullary ectopic pregnancies. However, we report, for the first time, a major complication of levonorgestrel intrauterine device: a cornual pregnancy.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 36-year-old Caucasian nulliparous woman presented with complaints of progressive nausea, abdominal pain and irregular vaginal bleeding for 2 months. For 3 years, she had been using a levonorgestrel intrauterine device. A two-dimensional transvaginal sonogram noted a sac situated external to the endometrial cavity in the right cornua of the uterus with an empty uterus. She was successfully treated with chemotherapy.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Many complications have been described, including ectopic pregnancies, using copper intrauterine devices. The levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system is a particularly good choice for adolescents because of associated non-contraceptive benefits such as decreased menstrual bleeding, dysmenorrhea and pain associated with endometriosis <abbrgrp><abbr bid="B1">1</abbr></abbrgrp>. Yet a cornual pregnancy following the use of a levonorgestrel intrauterine device is a complication which, to our knowledge, has not been described before. Physicians prescribing this type of intrauterine device should be aware of this rare event.</p

Accelerated HIV testing for PMTCT in maternity and labour wards is vital to capture mothers at a critical point in the programme at district level

TORONTO AIDS Conference 200

Teaching Mindfulness to Teachers: a Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis

School teachers report high levels of stress which impact on their engagement with pupils and effectiveness as a teacher. Early intervention or prevention approaches may support teachers to develop positive coping and reduce the experience and impact of stress. This article reviews research on one such approach: mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for school teachers. A systematic review and narrative synthesis were conducted for quantitative and qualitative studies that report the effects of MBIs for teachers of children aged 5– 18 years on symptoms of stress and emotion regulation and self-efficacy. Twelve independent publications were identified meeting the inclusion criteria and these gave a total of 13 samples. Quality appraisal of the identified articles was carried out. The effect sizes and proportion of significant findings are reported for relevant outcomes. The quality of the literature varied, with main strengths in reporting study details, and weaknesses including sample size considerations. A range of MBIs were employed across the literature, ranging in contact hours and aims. MBIs showed strongest promise for intermediary effects on teacher emotion regulation. The results of the review are discussed in the context of a model of teacher stress. Teacher social and emotional competence has implications for pupil wellbeing through teacher–pupil relationships and effective management of the classroom. The implications for practice and research are considered

Virus Replication Strategies and the Critical CTL Numbers Required for the Control of Infection

Vaccines that elicit protective cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) may improve on or augment those designed primarily to elicit antibody responses. However, we have little basis for estimating the numbers of CTL required for sterilising immunity at an infection site. To address this we begin with a theoretical estimate obtained from measurements of CTL surveillance rates and the growth rate of a virus. We show how this estimate needs to be modified to account for (i) the dynamics of CTL-infected cell conjugates, and (ii) features of the virus lifecycle in infected cells. We show that provided the inoculum size of the virus is low, the dynamics of CTL-infected cell conjugates can be ignored, but knowledge of virus life-histories is required for estimating critical thresholds of CTL densities. We show that accounting for virus replication strategies increases estimates of the minimum density of CTL required for immunity over those obtained with the canonical model of virus dynamics, and demonstrate that this modeling framework allows us to predict and compare the ability of CTL to control viruses with different life history strategies. As an example we predict that lytic viruses are more difficult to control than budding viruses when net reproduction rates and infected cell lifetimes are controlled for. Further, we use data from acute SIV infection in rhesus macaques to calculate a lower bound on the density of CTL that a vaccine must generate to control infection at the entry site. We propose that critical CTL densities can be better estimated either using quantitative models incorporating virus life histories or with in vivo assays using virus-infected cells rather than peptide-pulsed targets

Too few staff, too many patients: A qualitative study of the impact on obstetric care providers and on quality of care in Malawi

Background: Shortages of staff have a significant and negative impact on maternal outcomes in low-income countries, but the impact on obstetric care providers in these contexts is less well documented. Despite the government of Malawi's efforts to increase the number of human resources for health, maternal mortality rates remain persistently high. Health workers' perceptions of insufficient staff or time to carry out their work can predict key variables concerning motivation and attrition, while the resulting sub-standard care and poor attitudes towards women dissuade women from facility-based delivery. Understanding the situation from the health worker perspective can inform policy options that may contribute to a better working environment for staff and improved quality of care for Malawi's women. Methods: A qualitative research design, using critical incident interviews, was used to generate a deep and textured understanding of participants' experiences. Eligible participants had performed at least one of the emergency obstetric care signal functions a in the previous three months and had experienced a demotivating critical incident within the same timeframe. Data were analysed using NVivo software. Results: Eighty-four interviews were conducted. Concerns about staff shortages and workload were key factors for over 40% of staff who stated their intention to leave their current post and for nearly two-thirds of the remaining health workers who were interviewed. The main themes emerging were: too few staff, too many patients; lack of clinical officers/doctors; inadequate obstetric skills; undermining performance and professionalism; and physical and psychological consequences for staff. Underlying factors were inflexible scheduling and staff allocations that made it impossible to deliver quality care. Conclusion: This study revealed the difficult circumstances under which maternity staff are operating and the professional and emotional toll this exacts. Systems failures and inadequate human resource management are key contributors to the gaps in provision of obstetric care and need to be addressed. Thoughtful strategies that match supply to demand, coupled with targeted efforts to support health workers, are necessary to mitigate the effects of working in this context and to improve the quality of obstetric care for women in Malawi

Local health workers' perceptions of substandard care in the management of obstetric hemorrhage in rural Malawi

<p>Background: To identify factors contributing to the high incidence of facility-based obstetric hemorrhage in Thyolo District, Malawi, according to local health workers.</p><p>Methods: Three focus group discussions among 29 health workers, including nurse-midwives and non-physician clinicians ('medical assistants' and 'clinical officers').</p><p>Results: Factors contributing to facility-based obstetric hemorrhage mentioned by participants were categorized into four major areas: (1) limited availability of basic supplies, (2) lack of human resources, (3) inadequate clinical skills of available health workers and (4) substandard referrals by traditional birth attendants and lack of timely self-referrals of patients.</p><p>Conclusion: Health workers in this district mentioned important community, system and provider related factors that need to be addressed in order to reduce the impact of obstetric hemorrhage.</p>