Obstetric vesico-vaginal fistulae seen in the Northern Democratic Republic of Congo: a descriptive study

Background: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a developing country with poor obstetric indicators. Despite ongoing efforts to improve care, women continue to suffer multiple complications of child birth including vesico-vaginal fistulae (VVF).Objective: To describe socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of VVF patients in Northern DRC.Methods: Women presenting at two VVF mobile surgical campaign missions in the province of Equateur in Northern DRC in August 2012 and October 2013 were examined and treated for VVF. We collected socio-demographic data, including marital status, education, and accompaniment by husbands for treatment, as a proxy for marital support, and clinical data related to characteristics of VVF in patients, duration of illness, and the outcome of treatment surgery.Results: Out of 163 VVF patients, 100 (61.3%) were less than 35 years old, 102 had no formal education ( 62.6%), and 100 were married ( 61.3%). The mean duration of illness before surgery was 8.4 years. Successful surgery rate for VVF was 87.1% (142/163). A majority of patients who were married, were accompanied to the hospital by their husbands for treatment (56/100; 56.00%). Association analysis revealed age was the only variable that maintained significant association with duration of illness after multivariate analysis (p-value <0.0001). Marital status was the only variable associated with surgical outcome (0.334, 95% CI 0.125- 0.847, p-value = 0.021).Conclusion: We found that most VVF patients were young adults, not educated, and married. Marital status and age may have important roles in outcome of VVF surgery and duration of illness, respectively.Keywords: Obstetric vesico-vaginal fistulae, Northern Democratic Republic of Cong

Obstetric vesico-vaginal fistulae seen in the Northern Democratic Republic of Congo: a descriptive study

Background: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a developing country with poor obstetric indicators. Despite ongoing efforts to improve care, women continue to suffer multiple complications of child birth including vesico-vaginal fistulae (VVF). Objective: To describe socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of VVF patients in Northern DRC. Methods: Women presenting at two VVF mobile surgical campaign missions in the province of Equateur in Northern DRC in August 2012 and October 2013 were examined and treated for VVF. We collected socio-demographic data, including marital status, education, and accompaniment by husbands for treatment, as a proxy for marital support, and clinical data related to characteristics of VVF in patients, duration of illness, and the outcome of treatment surgery. Results: Out of 163 VVF patients, 100 (61.3%) were less than 35 years old, 102 had no formal education ( 62.6%), and 100 were married ( 61.3%). The mean duration of illness before surgery was 8.4 years. Successful surgery rate for VVF was 87.1% (142/163). A majority of patients who were married, were accompanied to the hospital by their husbands for treatment (56/100; 56.00%). Association analysis revealed age was the only variable that maintained significant association with duration of illness after multivariate analysis (p-value <0.0001). Marital status was the only variable associated with surgical outcome (0.334, 95% CI 0.125- 0.847, p-value = 0.021). Conclusion: We found that most VVF patients were young adults, not educated, and married. Marital status and age may have important roles in outcome of VVF surgery and duration of illness, respectively

Children with Moderate Acute Malnutrition with No Access to Supplementary Feeding Programmes Experience High Rates of Deterioration and No Improvement: Results from a Prospective Cohort Study in Rural Ethiopia

Background: Children with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) have an increased risk of mortality, infections and impaired physical and cognitive development compared to well-nourished children. In parts of Ethiopia not considered chronically food insecure there are no supplementary feeding programmes (SFPs) for treating MAM. The short-term outcomes of children who have MAM in such areas are not currently described, and there remains an urgent need for evidence-based policy recommendations. Methods: We defined MAM as mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) of ≥11.0cm and <12.5cm with no bilateral pitting oedema to include Ethiopian government and World Health Organisation cut-offs. We prospectively surveyed 884 children aged 6–59 months living with MAM in a rural area of Ethiopia not eligible for a supplementary feeding programme. Weekly home visits were made for seven months (28 weeks), covering the end of peak malnutrition through to the post-harvest period (the most food secure window), collecting anthropometric, socio-demographic and food security data. Results: By the end of the study follow up, 32.5% (287/884) remained with MAM, 9.3% (82/884) experienced at least one episode of SAM (MUAC <11cm and/or bilateral pitting oedema), and 0.9% (8/884) died. Only 54.2% of the children recovered with no episode of SAM by the end of the study. Of those who developed SAM half still had MAM at the end of the follow up period. The median (interquartile range) time to recovery was 9 (4–15) weeks. Children with the lowest MUAC at enrolment had a significantly higher risk of remaining with MAM and a lower chance of recovering. Conclusions: Children with MAM during the post-harvest season in an area not eligible for SFP experience an extremely high incidence of SAM and a low recovery rate. Not having a targeted nutrition-specific intervention to address MAM in this context places children with MAM at excessive risk of adverse outcomes. Further preventive and curative approaches should urgently be considered

Numerical Simulation of Heat and Mass Transfer in an Open-Cell Foam Catalyst on Example of the Acetylene Hydrogenation Reaction

In the present work, based on numerical simulation, a comparative analysis of the flow of a chemically reacting gas flow through a catalyst is performed using the example of selective hydrogenation of acetylene in a wide range of flow temperatures variation. Catalyst models are based on open-cell foam material. A comparison is also made with calculations and experimental data for a granular catalyst. The porosity and cell diameter were chosen as variable parameters for the porous catalyst. The results of numerical studies were obtained in the form of component concentration fields of the gas mixture, vector fields of gas movement, values of conversion, and selectivity of the reaction under study. The parameters of the porous material of the catalyst are determined for the maximum efficiency of the process under study

Evaluation of the ProSpecT Microplate Assay for detection of Campylobacter: a routine laboratory perspective.

To evaluate the use of the new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the ProSpecT Campylobacter Microplate Assay (Alexon-Trend, Minneapolis, MN, USA), which allows 2-h detection of both Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli antigen directly in stool specimens.Comparative StudyEvaluation StudiesJournal Articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Numerical Simulation of Heat and Mass Transfer in an Open-Cell Foam Catalyst on Example of the Acetylene Hydrogenation Reaction

In the present work, based on numerical simulation, a comparative analysis of the flow of a chemically reacting gas flow through a catalyst is performed using the example of selective hydrogenation of acetylene in a wide range of flow temperatures variation. Catalyst models are based on open-cell foam material. A comparison is also made with calculations and experimental data for a granular catalyst. The porosity and cell diameter were chosen as variable parameters for the porous catalyst. The results of numerical studies were obtained in the form of component concentration fields of the gas mixture, vector fields of gas movement, values of conversion, and selectivity of the reaction under study. The parameters of the porous material of the catalyst are determined for the maximum efficiency of the process under study

Research priorities on the relationship between wasting and stunting

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