Articles: disease.
-
Eur. J. Obstet. Gynecol. Reprod. Biol. · Dec 1997
Seroprevalence and mother-to-infant transmission of hepatitis C in asymptomatic Egyptian women.
In this study, we sought to determine (1) the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA, or its antibodies, in a healthy parturient Egyptian population and (2) the risk of mother-to-infant transmission in this population. ⋯ There is a high prevalence of anti-HCV in healthy pregnant Egyptian women and vertical transmission is a major risk for chronic HCV carriers.
-
To determine the effectiveness of strategies to promote adherence to treatment for tuberculosis. ⋯ Reliable evidence is available to show some specific strategies improve adherence to tuberculosis treatment, and these should be adopted in health systems, depending on their appropriateness to practice circumstances. Further innovations require testing to help find specific approaches that will be useful in low income countries. Randomised controlled trials evaluating the independent effects of directly observed treatment are awaited.
-
To evaluate the research evidence on the efficacy and tolerability of mefloquine chemoprophylaxis. ⋯ One trial showed mefloquine to be effective in preventing malaria, but withdrawal rates, presumably from side effects, were high across most studies. This is likely to impair mefloquine's effectiveness in general travellers, and it may therefore not be useful for routine prophylaxis. Mefloquine may be useful in specific situations such as for groups travelling to regions with a high risk of chloroquine resistant malaria and only limited access to effective medical care.
-
A single point mutation in the gene coding for coagulation factor V results in a form of factor Va that is resistant to degradation by activated protein C and leads to a relative hypercoagulable state. This mutation, factor V Leiden, is found in 4% to 6% of the U.S. population. ⋯ The presence of factor V Leiden mutation predisposes patients to venous thromboembolism, but screening for this disorder is of uncertain utility. Decisions about whether to screen for the mutation will depend on the results of clinical trials designed to evaluate the benefit-to-risk ratio of long-term anticoagulation in the secondary prevention of venous thromboembolism in patients with resistance to activated protein C.
-
In areas endemic for malaria, pregnant women frequently present with a placenta that has been parasitized by Plasmodium falciparum, an infection associated with a reduction in the birth weight of the offspring. However, the impact of placental infection on malaria-related morbidity during the infant's first years of life has not been investigated. Between 1993 and 1995, 197 children in southern Cameroon were followed weekly clinically and monthly parasitologically. ⋯ Thus, malarial infection of the placenta seems to result in a higher susceptibility of infants to the parasite. This was not related to maternally transmitted antibodies, as specific antibody levels were similar in both groups of infants. A better understanding of the involved mechanisms may have important implications for the development of malaria control strategies.