Haematological and micronutrient values in volunteer subjects in Addis Abeba

Abstract: This haematological and micronutrient study was based on 675 residents of Addis Abeba. Twenty three volunteers (3.4%) were excluded from the main study for the following reasons: BP>140/90mm of mercury, inflammatory conditions, infections or systemic illnesses. Out of the remaining 652 volunteers, stool examination led to exclusion of 207 individuals (31.7%) that were harbouring one or more types of parasite. According to ‘reference value’ suggested in this paper 50% of parasite infected volunteers were anaemic. Haematological data from 386 clinically ‘normal’ subjects and micronutrient data from 50 samples selected by stratified sampling from 386 samples were used to calculate ‘reference values’. Comparison of our results with that of Peters (15) indicates that both haematological results are similar (p-value = 0.000). Since haematological data based on 50 samples are similar to those of a larger set of samples (n=386), values of folic acid and vitamin B12 obtained for the former may apply to the latter. In conclusion, results shown in Table 1 can be used as Addis Abeba ‘reference value’. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1998;12(3):217-223

Performance evaluation of tuberculosis smear microscopists working at rechecking laboratories in Ethiopia

Background: Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis. According to the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health’s 2013–2014 report, the tuberculosis case detection rate was 53.7%, which was below the target of 81% set for that year. Objective: This study assessed the performance of tuberculosis smear microscopists at external quality assessment rechecking laboratories in Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at 81 laboratories from April to July 2015. Panel slides were prepared and validated at the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory. The validated panel slides were used to evaluate the performance of microscopists at these laboratories compared with readers from the reference laboratory. Results: A total of 389 external quality assessment rechecking laboratory microscopists participated in the study, of which 268 (68.9%) worked at hospitals, 241 (62%) had more than five years of work experience, 201 (51.7%) held Bachelors degrees, and 319 (82%) reported tuberculosis smear microscopy training. Overall, 324 (83.3%) participants scored ≥ 80%. Sensitivity for detecting tuberculosis bacilli was 84.5% and specificity was 93.1%. The overall percent agreement between participants and reference readers was 87.1 (kappa=0.72). All 10 slides were correctly read (i.e., scored 100%) by 80 (20.6%) participants, 156 (40.1%) scored 90% – 95%, 88 (22.6%) scored 80% – 85% and 65 (16.7%) scored below 80%. There were 806 (20.7%) total errors, with 143 (3.7%) major and 663 (17%) minor errors. Conclusion: The overall performance of participants in reading the slides showed good agreement with the reference readers. Most errors were minor, and the ability to detect tuberculosis bacilli can be improved through building the capacity of professionals

Global, regional, and national burden of colorectal cancer and its risk factors, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Funding: F Carvalho and E Fernandes acknowledge support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (FCT), in the scope of the project UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of the Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences UCIBIO and the project LA/P/0140/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy i4HB; FCT/MCTES through the project UIDB/50006/2020. J Conde acknowledges the European Research Council Starting Grant (ERC-StG-2019-848325). V M Costa acknowledges the grant SFRH/BHD/110001/2015, received by Portuguese national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), IP, under the Norma Transitória DL57/2016/CP1334/CT0006.proofepub_ahead_of_prin

Detection of Macroprolactinemia and Molecular Characterization of Prolactin Isoforms in Blood Samples of Hyperprolactinemic Women

Detection of Macroprolactinemia and Molecular Characterization of Prolactin Isoforms in Blood Samples of Hyperprolactinemic WomenProlactin (PRL) circulates in the blood in the form of monomeric prolactin, dimeric prolactin and macroprolactin. Macroprolactin is a common cause of hyperprolactinemia. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of macroprolactinemia in hyperprolactinemic women and to undertake the biochemical characterization of macroprolactin. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on one hundred hyperprolactinemic patients. All the sera were subjected to polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation and were divided into true hyperprolactinemics (PRL recovery &gt;60%), probable macroprolactinemics (PRL recovery between 40 and 60%) and macroprolactinemics (PRL recovery &lt; 40%). The prevalence of macroprolactinemia was found to be 34%. Sera from each group were further analyzed for isoforms of prolactin by gel filtration chromatography (GFC). The clinical spectrum of presenting complaints in the hyperprolactinemic cohort included oligomenorrhea, galactorrhea and infertility, but the presentation did not differ between macroprolactinemic and truly hyperprolactinemic patients. GFC showed three major PRL isoforms, viz., 23.5 kDa (monomeric), 47 kDa (dimeric) and 150-174.6 kDa (PRL-IgG complexes) along with the medium and heavy weight aggregates of prolactin. The results of the study showed that macroprolactinemia is one of the causes of hyperprolactinemia with high prevalence. It is recommended that all hyperprolactinemic patients be screened for macroprolactinemia.</jats:p

Comparison of cryptococcal antigenemia between antiretroviral naïve and antiretroviral experienced HIV positive patients at two hospitals in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Cryptococcal meningitis is a major cause of HIV/AIDS-related deaths in Africa. Cryptococcosis is a neglected killer. However, meningitis can be prevented by early cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) screening and preemptive antifungal treatment during a prolonged period of detectable, subclinical infection. We determined the prevalence of cryptococcal antigenemia in comparison to CD4 count and clinical symptoms. METHODS: We surveyed 254 consenting HIV-infected participants to obtain demographic information and clinical history. Serum CrAg was measured by latex agglutination at two sites in the Oromia region of Ethiopia among all persons receiving a CD4 count. RESULTS: Of the 254 participants, 127(50.0%) were ART-naïve, 121(47.6%) were ART-experienced, and 6(2.4%) were ART-defaulters. The prevalence of cryptococcal antigenemia was 10.2% overall being 14.2% among ART-naive, 4.1% among ART-experienced, and 50% (3/6) among ART-defaulters, irrespective of CD4 count. Cryptococcal antigenemia was more frequently detected from ART-naïve patients (p = 0.012) and ART-defaulters (p = 0.001) compared with ART-experienced. Serum CrAg positivity was 20.9% in persons with CD4≤150 cells/µL, 12.2% in 151-200 cells/µL, 5.8% among 201-350 CD4/µL, and none above 350 cells/µL. Potential meningitis symptoms were common in the outpatient cohort irrespective of CrAg-status, with only fever and altered mental status statistically more common in CrAg-positive compared to CrAg-negative persons (P<0.05), yet no symptom had a positive predictive value >33%. CONCLUSION: We report a 20.9% cryptococcal antigenemia prevalence among those with CD4+ T cells count ≤150 cells/µL, irrespective of ART status, with even higher CrAg prevalence in ART-naïves and ART-defaulters. These groups are target populations for CrAg screening at entry into HIV care

Thyroid responses to varying doses of oral iodized oil in school children in Awassa, Ethiopia

A longitudinal study was conducted during 1994 - 1996 among elementary school children aged 6-14 years in Awassa, South Ethiopia. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of varying doses of oral iodized oil (200mg and 400mg) on thyroid function. The study included clinical examination of goitre, biochemical tests for thyroid function, and assessment of nutritional status of the children. A total of 110 children were randomly selected from six elementary schools and randomly assigned into high or 400mg (n=53) and low or 200 mg (n=57) dose groups for administration. After 13 months of intervention 42% goitre reduction was noted in the 200mg group while 49% regress of goitre was observed in the 400mg group. The difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in serum concentrations of T3, T4 and TSH between the two dose groups before or after administration. These clearly indicate that the two graded doses of oral iodized oil have the same effect on thyroid function and goitre reduction. (Ethiopian Journal of Health Development: 2000, 14(1): 49-66

Cryptococcal antigenemia and Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) status.

<p>P-value determined by Fisher’s exact test using those on ART as the reference group.</p

Clinical manifestation associated with cryptococcal antigenemia.

<p>Clinical manifestation associated with cryptococcal antigenemia.</p