African health sciences
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African health sciences · Dec 2012
Mammographic breast density patterns among a group of women in sub Saharan Africa.
Mammographic breast density is a measure of parenchymal breast patterns on film and in part a marker of cumulative exposure to oestrogen. The risk of breast cancer for women with increased density is up to six fold more than in women with less dense tissues. The pattern of mammographic breast density among Ugandan women is not known. ⋯ Mammographic densities in this Ugandan population appear to be of low grade. The pattern established here is markedly different from findings in other studies that indicated much higher proportions for high dense tissues in other races. Mammographic interpretation of films could therefore be easier.
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Acute intoxications become more and more a serious problem in developing countries. However, epidemiologic data are very scarce in these countries. ⋯ Our study revealed that pharmaceuticals were the most common cause of acute intoxications. The great majority of poisoned-patients were young. Female patients were the major poisoned-patients. Most admissions in the emergency services due to acute intoxications resulted from accidental poisoning.
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African health sciences · Dec 2012
Endoscopic findings in upper gastrointestinal bleeding patients at Lacor hospital, northern Uganda.
Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a common emergency medical condition that may require hospitalization and resuscitation, and results in high patient morbidity. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is the preferred investigative procedure for UGIB because of its accuracy, low rate of complication, and its potential for therapeutic interventions. ⋯ Esophageal varices are the commonest cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in this environment as compared to the west which is mainly peptic ulcer disease.
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African health sciences · Dec 2012
Prevalence and factors associated with anterior open bite in 2 to 5 year old children in Benin city, Nigeria.
Anterior open bite is said to exist when there is an actual vertical gap between the upper and lower incisors with the teeth in centric occlusion. This could occur in the anterior or posterior region, and may be attributed to the supra eruption of the posterior teeth or the infra eruption of the anterior teeth and it is common in both adults and children. ⋯ The prevalence of AOB in this study is 2.8%. Thumb sucking is the most important aetiological factor in the formation of an AOB in 2 to 5-year-old children.
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African health sciences · Dec 2012
Case ReportsA rare case of a patient with a foreign body in the esophagus for two years which perforated into the mediastinum.
A 6-year-old girl was referred to the ENT (Ear nose and throat) unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital with a foreign body in the esophagus diagnosed by routine chest radiograph. The child's parents recall she had ingested a round object (galvanised iron umbrella cap of a roofing nail) two years prior to this, but they thought that the child had passed it out in stool since she had continued eating and swallowing normally. ⋯ The cardiothoracic surgeons were consulted, and they removed the foreign body via a thoracotomy. The child recovered well and was discharged from hospital on day 55.