Quality of hydro-alcoholic products used in Senegal: pilot study

Antisepsis and disinfection have always played an important role in the fight against infectious diseases. The use of these products has been effective in breaking the chain of transmission of microorganisms. Today, with the advent of COVID-19, the main recommendations are, among other things, physical distance and the use of antiseptic products, including hydro-alcoholic products. In Senegal, with poor regulations on the acquisition and distribution of antiseptics and disinfectants, this situation has led to a proliferation of antiseptics and disinfectants on the national market. this work aimed to study the quality of hydroalcoholic products found in the trade. We evaluated ten samples of hydro-alcohol products collected during the month of March 2020. Physical and microbiological controls were performed at the National Drug Control Laboratory. The alcohol content of the samples ranged from 63 to 85% and were consistent with WHO recommendations except for samples E3 and E5. The pH values varied between 4.02 and 6.64 and the densities of the hydro-alcoholic gel samples ranged from 0.84 to 0.92 g/cm3; E2, E4, E5, E6 samples had densities greater than 0.89 g/cm3. The samples of hydro-alcoholic products all conformed to the sterility test and no microbiological contamination was observed. Antimicrobial activities of the hydro-alcoholic samples tested ranged from 58.3 to 100% with two samples showing no activity (E2 and E5). In view of the results of this study, it would be relevant to expand and deepen investigations by a significant increase in the number of samples and by carrying out as complete an analysis as possible

Utilisation d’un SIG pour l’évaluation et la cartographie des risques d’érosion hydrique par l’Equation Universelle des Pertes en sol Révisée (RUSLE) dans le Département de Saraya (Sénégal)

Le département de Saraya (Sénégal) est confronté depuis ces deux dernières décennies à l’érosion. Malgré les stratégies antiérosives (digues, cordons pierreux, haies vives, diguettes, tranchées, régénération du couvert végétal, paillage) mises en place par les autochtones et les autorités locales, l’érosion prend une tournure de plus en plus inquiétante dans cette localité. Cet aléa naturel constitue un problème environnemental majeur et menace les activités économiques. Cette étude a consisté à évaluer le risque d’érosion par la modélisation des facteurs R, K, LS, C et P. L’intégration du modèle dans un Système d’information géographique (SIG) a facilité l’élaboration des cartes thématiques (topographique, érosivité des pluies, érodibilité du sol et occupation du sol) pour évaluer les risques d’érosion et cartographier les milieux vulnérables et ceux moins sensibles à cet aléa. Le couplage des SIG avec l’équation universelle des pertes de sols révisée a permis d’estimer les impacts du ruissellement en nappe. Les pertes en sols sont comprises entre 0,01 t/ha/an et 134,64 t/ha/an, soit une moyenne de 33,46 t/ha/an et un écart-type de 57,29. L’approche SIG/RUSLE apporte une aide aux décideurs et aux aménageurs au cours de l’élaboration des scénarios d’évolution de la dégradation du sol et la planification des stratégies antiérosives dans les zones où l’érosion est prédominante.The department of Saraya has been confronted with erosion for the last two decades. Despite the anti-erosion strategies (dykes, stone barriers, hedgerows, bunds, trenches, regeneration of vegetation cover, mulching) put in place by the local people and the local authorities, erosion is becoming increasingly worrying in this locality. This natural hazard constitutes a major environmental problem and threatens economic activities. This study assessed the potential risk of erosion by modelling the factors R, K, LS, C and P. The integration of the model into a Geographic information system (GIS) facilitated the elaboration of thematic maps (topography, rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility and land use) to assess the risk of erosion and to map the vulnerable areas and those less sensitive to this hazard. Coupling the GIS with the revised universal soil loss equation allowed the estimation of the impacts of groundwater runoff. Soil losses range from 0.01 t/ha/yr to 134.64 t/ha/yr, with an average of 33,46 t/ha/yr and a standard deviation of 57.29. The GIS/RUSLE approach helps decision-makers and planners to develop scenarios of soil degradation and to plan anti-erosion strategies in areas where erosion is predominant

Canal lombaire étroit par lipomatose épidurale: à propos d’un cas et revue de la littérature

La lipomatose épidurale est une pathologie caractérisée par une l'accumulation anormale de graisse non encapsulée dans l'espace épidural. Bien que rare, elle est une cause possible de lombosciatique ou de canal lombaire étroit. Elle est souvent associée à des facteurs favorisants tels qu'une corticothérapie prolongée, ou une obésité. Nous rapportons une observation d'un patient qui a présenté des lombosciatalgies invalidantes et dont l'exploration radiologique a confirmé une lipomatose épidurale compressive. L'évolution a été favorable après décompression chirurgicale.Mots clés: Canal lombaire étroit, lipomatose, chirurgieEnglish Title: Narrow lumbar channel due to epidural lipomatosis: case report and literature reviewEnglish AbstractEpidural lipomatosis is characterized by the abnormal accumulation of non-encapsulated grease in the epidural space. Although rare, it is a possible cause of lombosciatica or narrow lumbar channel. It is often associated with contributing factors such as prolonged corticosteroid therapy or obesity. We report the case of a patient presenting with disabling lombosciatalgias. Radiological evaluation confirmed the diagnosis of compressive epidural lipomatosis. Patient's evolution was favorable after surgical decompression.Keywords: Narrow lumbar channel, lipomatosis, surger

Diagnostic and Therapeutic Implications of Conjoined Nerve Root Anomalies: A Senegalese Study of Three Cases

Background & Aim: Conjoined nerve root is defined as two adjacent nerve roots that share a common dural envelope at some points during their course from the thecal sac. This study reports our experience of conjoined roots involving three cases in Dakar. Methods & Materials/Patients: This is a consecutive study from 2013 to 2015 involving patients supported for disc herniation and who have presented conjoined nerve root anomalie s. Results: Three patients aged 32, 35 and 55 including two men have been concerned. Clinical analysis was done on sciatica with neuropathic occurrences in one case and lumbosciatica in two cases. The Lasegue sign was present in two patients at 45°. All three patients benefited a lumbar computerized tomography (CT scan) highlighting a degenerative disc disease with two in L5S1 space and one in L4L5 space. The imaging has not objectified radicular emerging anomalies. MRI objectified only one big root. A surgical root decompression was realized through interlaminar discectomy approach; foraminotomy and full laminectomy enabling diagnosis in intraoperative period. The evolution was favourable in all three cases with full recession of sympto matology. Conclusion: This study is the first Senegalese series on the lumbo-sciatica by anomaly of root emergence and highlights especially the difficulties for the diagnosis of these anomalies like other sub-Saharan African countries where expansion of MRI for the diagnosis is low, and still very expensive. MRI provides guidance signs and a large root appearance can warn about the existence of these anomalies. A good root release improves the symptoms

Pituitary Abscess: a Report of Two Cases

Background and Importance: Abscess of the hypophysis or pituitary adenoma is a very rare entity, and its preoperative diagnosis could be challenging. The clinical presentation is less specific, and despite the recent advancement in imaging, diagnosis before surgery is still difficult. Case Presentation: We reported two cases of pituitary abscesses in patients aged 38 and 42 years. The first patient was managed for maxillary sinusitis associated with pituitary adenoma whose diagnosis was made following surgery. For the second patient, the diagnosis was proposed before surgery following an MRI which showed a ring enhancement lesion of the hypophysis. Both patients benefitted from surgery where one had sub-labial rhino-septal trans-sphenoidal approach and the other through endoscopic endonasal trans-sphenoidal approach. Both received intravenous broad spectrum antibiotics.   Conclusion:  Post-operative evolution was good with control MRI showing complete disappearance of the sellar lesion. Early diagnosis and treatment improved the prognosis

Management of pituitary adenoma: Preliminary experience with endoscopic endonasal transphenoidal surgery in a developing country. Example of Senegal about 180 cases

Introduction: Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery is currently the gold-standard therapeutic approach for pituitary adenomas. Although being spread worldwide, the endoscopic endonasal approach for pituitary adenomas is recently implemented in Senegal.This study aimed to report our results and the complications observed in the context of an under-equipped facility. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective study including all patients with a pituitary adenoma treated who underwent endonasal transsphenoidal resection under a single endoscopic approach from January 2014 to May 2022, in the Neurosurgery Department of Fann National Hospital Centre, Dakar. All patients were assessed according to clinical, radiological, and endocrinological criteria. They all were operated by the same team with an average follow-up of 24 months. Results: In this series of 180 patients, including 57.7 % women and 42.3% men with a mean age of 44.8 years (extremes of 18 and 76 years), the visual deficit was the most frequent onset symptom (69.4 %), followed by clinical forms of hormone hypersecretion (30.5 %). Twelve cases of pituitary apoplexy and 1 case of incidentaloma were reported. The most frequent tumors were non-functional tumors (61.6 %). Among the functional adenomas, the most frequent was prolactinoma (15.5 %). Regarding tumor size, 75 % were macroadenomas, 15.5 % were microadenomas, and 9.5 % were giants. Cavernous sinus invasion (Knosp grade ≥ 3) and suprasellar extension were noted in 14.4 % and 53.3 %, respectively. The resection was total in 80 % of cases, subtotal in 18.8 %, and partial in 1.2 %. Partial improvement of sight was observed in 91.1% and endocrine hypersecretion remission in 76.6 %. As for complications, the most frequent was transient diabetes insipidus (32.7 %). Conclusion: Despite the scanty resources, our results are similar to the best-reported series and strengthen scientific evidence on the efficacy and safety of performing this technique in an under-equipped setting context

Brain tumor programs in Asia and Africa: current status, challenges, and future perspectives

Objective: To assess the status of brain tumor programs in Asia and Africa and propose comprehensive evidence-based short- and long-term measures for improving the existing systems. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in June 2022 by the Asia-Africa Neurosurgery Collaborative. A 27-item questionnaire was designed and distributed to gain insight into the status and future directions of brain tumor programs in Asia and Africa. Six components of brain tumor programs were identified-surgery, oncology, neuropathology, research, training, and finances-and assigned scores of 0-14. The total scores allowed subclassification of each country into levels of brain tumor program from I to VI. Results: A total of 110 responses from 92 countries were received. These were subdivided into 3 groups: group 1, countries with response from neurosurgeons (73 countries); group 2, countries with no neurosurgeons (19 countries); and group 3, countries without a neurosurgeon response (16 countries). The components associated with the highest level of brain tumor program were surgery, neuropathology, and oncology. Most countries in both continents had level III brain tumor programs with a mean surgical score of 2.24. The major lag between each group was with respect to the advances in neuropathology and financial support. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to improve and develop existing and nonexistent neuro-oncology infrastructure, personnel, and logistics in countries across the continents, especially for the countries with no neurosurgeons

Tech Neck Syndrome: A global epidemic of the modern era among students at the University of Abomey Calavi in Benin

Context and Objective: “Tech neck” is a recent term used to describe neck pain related to smartphone use. It is a health problem that has been increasing considerably since the last decade. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Teck Neck syndrome among young students at the University of Abomey Calavi, in order to highlight the different factors that contribute to the occurrence of this condition. Patients and Method: This is a prospective descriptive study with consecutive sampling conducted over a period of 3 months. The study involved 1,835 young students at the University of Abomey Calavi in Benin, 850 of whom had symptoms of Tech Neck.Epi Data 3.1 software was used for data entry and R software for statistical analysis. Proportions were calculated for qualitative variables. Quantitative variables were expressed as mean ± standard deviation. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare means. The significance level was set at risk alfa = 0.05. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: For 421 (49.52%) of the participants, their symptoms would be caused by prolonged neck flexion when writing messages. Of the 1835 students, 1368 (74.55 %) reported constant communication by telephone message. In this study, 55.91 % and 89.43 % of participants respectively stated that they could not determine how often they handled their smartphone within 1 h and 24 h. None of the participants kept their neck straight when writing a message. Conclusion: The Tech neck syndrome is a health problem that has increased considerably over the last decade, especially among students, due to the misuse of NICT

History of African women in neurosurgery

The number of women in the medical field has increased in Africa over the last few decades, yet the underrepresentation of women within neurosurgery has been a recurrent theme. Of all surgical disciplines, neurosurgery is among the least equitable, and the rate of increase in female surgeons lags behind other surgical disciplines such as general surgery. This historical review provides an overview of the history of women in neurosurgery and their current status on the African continent. To the authors\u27 knowledge, this is the first article to provide such an overview