Diagnosis and management of benign ovarian tumors at the Ignace Deen Maternity Hospital of Conakry University Hospital in Guinea

Background: Benign ovarian tumors are a common reason for consultation and intervention in gynecology. The objective of this was to describe the clinical, ultrasonographic, histological and therapeutic aspects of benign ovarian tumors in the department.Methods: This is a retrospective and descriptive study of three years and six months from January 1, 2016, to June 30, 2019, which focused on the records of women-operated during this period of benign ovarian tumors.Results: The incidence of benign ovarian tumors was 12.58%. The circumstances of discovery were dominated by disorders of the menstrual cycle (35.05%) followed by infertility (20.78%), the sensation of a pelvic mass (19.48%), and pelvic pain. (15.58%). The ultrasound report was in favor of a serous cyst in 74% of cases, a mucoid cyst in 14% of cases, a dermoid cyst in 9% and an endometriotic cyst in 3%. Histology revealed a serous cystadenoma in 70.13% of the cases, a mucinous cystadenoma in 16.88% of the cases, a mature poly tissue teratoma in 9.09% of the cases and an endometrial cyst in 3.90 % of the cases. Cystectomy was the most performed surgical procedure (71%).Conclusions: Benign ovarian tumors are common in our practice. The most common histological forms were serous and mucinous cystadenomas. Conservative treatment has been practiced in the majority of cases

How culturally unique are pandemic effects? Evaluating cultural similarities and differences in effects of age, biological sex, and political beliefs on COVID impacts

Despite being bio-epidemiological phenomena, the causes and effects of pandemics are culturally influenced in ways that go beyond national boundaries. However, they are often studied in isolated pockets, and this fact makes it difficult to parse the unique influence of specific cultural psychologies. To help fill in this gap, the present study applies existing cultural theories via linear mixed modeling to test the influence of unique cultural factors in a multi-national sample (that moves beyond Western nations) on the effects of age, biological sex, and political beliefs on pandemic outcomes that include adverse financial impacts, adverse resource impacts, adverse psychological impacts, and the health impacts of COVID. Our study spanned 19 nations (participant N = 14,133) and involved translations into 9 languages. Linear mixed models revealed similarities across cultures, with both young persons and women reporting worse outcomes from COVID across the multi-national sample. However, these effects were generally qualified by culture-specific variance, and overall more evidence emerged for effects unique to each culture than effects similar across cultures. Follow-up analyses suggested this cultural variability was consistent with models of pre-existing inequalities and socioecological stressors exacerbating the effects of the pandemic. Collectively, this evidence highlights the importance of developing culturally flexible models for understanding the cross-cultural nature of pandemic psychology beyond typical WEIRD approaches

Psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 in the Guinean population. An online cross-sectional survey.

Guinea, like many other African countries, has been facing an unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak, since March 2020. In April 2020, Guinean National agency for health security recorded 1351 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 313 recoveries and 07 deaths. To address this health crisis, some drastic measures were implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Those measures might potentially cause some psychological problems among Guineans. Thus, we conducted this study to assess the psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 in the Guinean population. We carried out an online cross-sectional survey among internet users in Guinea. A free e-survey platform was used, and questionnaires were sent to internet users. The study ran from May 1 through May 10 2020. Participation in the study was voluntary. Data collection was based on sociodemographic information and self-reported questionnaires: Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) for stress evaluation, Penn state worry questionnaire (PSWQ), and an adapted Social Psychological Measurements of COVID-19. A total of 280 participants took part in the study; responses from 5 participants were deleted because of incompleteness. The average age of participants was 28.9 [95% CI: 28.1;29.6]. Most of participants were male 65.5% [95% CI: 59.5%;71.1%]. Unemployed participants stood for 48.7% [95% CI: 42.7%;54.8%]. IES-R scale for stress evaluation yielded the following findings: 19.6% (mild), 5.23% (moderate) and 9.15% (severe); 82.8% and 17.2% of participants had respectively reported low and moderate worry. No significant statistical association was found between sociodemographic variables and traumatic events (IES-R and PSWQ). However, 82% of our participants had to cope with the negative impacts of COVID-19. Although there were few cases of traumatic events, negative impacts of COVID-19 on study participants deserve to be underlined. So, further investigations are necessary to identify and disentangle specific psychosocial problems in different Guinean socio-cultural contexts

The effects of nutritional supplementation on body mass index and CD4 count among adult people living with HIV aids on antiretroviral treatment in Conakry, Guinea

Whereas the HIV prevalence in Guinea is among the lowest in Africa, many PLHIV in Guinea are malnourished. This study assessed the effect of a nutritional supplementation program on body mass index and CD4 count among adult PLHIV on ART. Study participants were PLHIV who came for consultation in the study sites between May and July 2016. The data came from two sources: retrospectively from participants’ medical records and interviews at the time of recruitment into the study. About six months before they were recruited into the study, some of the PLHIV started to receive a monthly nutritional supplementation consisting of Corn-Soy Blend and oil. Analytic methods included bivariate and multivariable methods. The intervention increased the mean BMI by 7.4% and the average current CD4 count by 4.7% compared to non-intervention (p<. 001). Programs in low resource settings should consider nutrition assistance as part of a comprehensive strategy to ensure optimal metabolic and immunological functions among PLHIV

Health-Related Quality of Life of Tuberculosis Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Conakry, Guinea: A Mixed Methods Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on all facets of life and has exacerbated many challenges faced by people living with tuberculosis (TB). This study aimed to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of TB patients in Guinea during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A mixed methods study was conducted using two validated tools to assess HRQoL and qualitative interviews among TB patients enrolled in treatment at 11 health centers in Conakry, Guinea. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with the deterioration of HRQoL. We included 439 participants in the study, among whom 44% and 31% experienced pain and anxiety, respectively. We found that an increase in the number of household size and the distance from participants’ residence to the health centers were significantly associated with lower HRQoL. Qualitative interviews highlighted nutritional and financial issues, which were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic and beliefs that the Guinean Government’s assistance plan was insufficient. This study supports the implementation of specific relief plans for TB patients, which includes nutritional and psychological support, especially those whose movements are limited by travel restrictions, preventing access to TB care, reducing work opportunities and exacerbating financial needs and stress

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Novel Systematic Screening Approach for Tuberculosis among Individuals Suspected or Recovered from COVID-19: Experiences from Niger and Guinea

Evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacts tuberculosis (TB) activities. As TB and COVID-19 have similar symptoms, we assessed the effectiveness of integrated TB/COVID-19 screening in Guinea and Niger. From May to December 2020, TB screening was offered to symptomatic patients after a negative COVID-19 PCR test or after recovery from COVID-19 in Guinea. From December 2020 to March 2021, all presumptive COVID-19 patients with respiratory symptoms were tested simultaneously for COVID-19 and TB in Niger. We assessed the TB detection yield and used micro-costing to estimate the costs associated with both screening algorithms. A total of 863 individuals (758 in Guinea, and 105 in Niger), who were mostly male (60%) and with a median age of 34 (IQR: 26–45), were screened for TB. Reported symptoms were cough ≥2 weeks (49%), fever (45%), and weight loss (30%). Overall, 61 patients (7%) tested positive for COVID-19 (13 in Guinea, 48 in Niger) and 43 (4.9%) were diagnosed with TB disease (35 or 4.6% in Guinea, and 8 or 7.6% in Niger). The cost per person initiating TB treatment was USD $367 in Guinea and$566 in Niger. Overall, the yield of both approaches was high, and the cost was modest. Optimizing integrated COVID-19/TB screening may support maintaining TB detection during the ongoing pandemic

Evaluation of maternal and child care continuum in Guinea: a secondary analysis of two demographic and health surveys using the composite coverage index (CCI)

International audienceIntroduction: The composite coverage index (CCI) is the weighted average coverage of eight preventive and curative interventions received along the maternal and childcare continuum. This study aimed to analyse maternal and child health indicators using CCI.Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of demographic and health surveys (DHS) focused on women aged 15 to 49 and their children aged 1 to 4. This study took place in Guinea. The CCI (meeting the need for planning, childbirth assisted by qualified healthcare workers, antenatal care assisted by qualified healthcare workers, vaccination against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, taking oral rehydration salts during diarrhoea and seeking care for pneumonia) is optimal if the weighted proportion of interventions is > 50%; otherwise, it is partial. We identified the factors associated with CCI using the descriptive association tests, the spatial autocorrelation statistic and multivariate logistic regression.Results: The analyses involved two DHS surveys, with 3034 included in 2012 and 4212 in 2018. The optimal coverage of the CCI has increased from 43% in 2012 to 61% in 2018. In multivariate analysis, in 2012: the poor had a lower probability of having an optimal CCI than the richest; OR = 0.11 [95% CI; 0.07, 0.18]. Those who had done four antenatal care visits (ANC) were 2.78 times more likely to have an optimal CCI than those with less OR = 2.78 [95% CI;2.24, 3.45]. In 2018: the poor had a lower probability of having an optimal CCI than the richest OR = 0.27 [95% CI; 0.19, 0.38]. Women who planned their pregnancies were 28% more likely to have an optimal CCI than those who had not planned OR = 1.28 [95% CI;1.05, 1.56]. Finally, women with more than 4 ANC were 2.43 times more likely to have an optimal CCI than those with the least OR = 2.43 [95% CI; 2.03, 2.90]. The spatial analysis reveals significant disparities with an aggregation of high partial CCI in Labé between 2012 and 2018.Conclusion: This study showed an increase in CCI between 2012 and 2018. Policies should improve access to care and information for poor women. Besides, strengthening ANC visits and reducing regional inequalities increases optimal CCI