Digital Commons Network^™

Inspire : Vol 1, Issue 5, Department Of Medicine

INSPIRE – Department of Medicine Archives

Content

• Message From The Chair
• Congratulations Dr. Aysha Almas on successfully defending her Ph. D. thesis!
• Department of Medicine at Various National and International Forums
• What Are Academics Around the World Reading This Month?
• Featured Faculty Profile .Dr. Ali Raza Khan; Travel, Stay healthy and Have Fun!
• Publications

Advancing Universal Health Coverage In South Asian Cities: A Framework, Alayne M. Adams, Devaki Nambiar, Sameen Siddiqi, Bushra Binte Alam, Srinath Reddy

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

Integrating Facility-Based Surveillance With Healthcare Utilization Surveys To Estimate Enteric Fever Incidence: Methods And Challenges, Jason R. Andrews, Caitlin Barkume, Alexander T. Yu, Samir K. Saha, Farah Qamar, Denise Garrett, Stephen P. Luby

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Cohort studies and facility-based sentinel surveillance are common approaches to characterizing infectious disease burden, but present trade-offs; cohort studies are resource-intensive and may alter disease natural history, while sentinel surveillance underestimates incidence in the population. Hybrid surveillance, whereby facility-based surveillance is paired with a community-based healthcare utilization assessment, represents an alternative approach to generating population-based disease incidence estimates with moderate resource investments. Here, we discuss this method in the context of the Surveillance for Enteric Fever in Asia Project (SEAP) study. We describe how data are collected and utilized to adjust enteric fever incidence for blood culture sensitivity, facility-based enrollment, …

A Retrospective Study Of Laboratory-Based Enteric Fever Surveillance, Pakistan, 2012-2014, Farah Naz Qamar, Mohammad Tahir Yousafzai, Shazia Sultana, Attaullah Baig, Sadia Shakoor, Farzeen Hirani, Abdul Wassay, Sehrish Khushboo, Junaid Mehmood, Alexander Freeman

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Introduction: The Surveillance for Enteric Fever in Asia Project (SEAP) is a multisite surveillance study designed to capture morbidity and mortality burden of enteric fever (typhoid and paratyphoid) in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. We aim to describe enteric fever disease burden, severity of illness, and antimicrobial resistance trends in Pakistan.
Methods: In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, laboratory records of hospitalized patients who received a blood culture in any of 3 Aga Khan University hospitals in Karachi and Hyderabad, Pakistan, from 2012 to 2014 were reviewed. A case was defined as having a positive blood culture for Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) …

Phase I Of The Surveillance For Enteric Fever In Asia Project (Seap): An Overview And Lessons Learned, Caitlin Barkume, Kashmira Date, Samir K. Saha, Farah Qamar, Dipika Sur, Jason R. Andrews, Stephen P. Luby, M Imran Khan, Alex Freeman, Mohammad Tahir Yousafzai, Denise Garret

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Objective: The objective of Phase I of the Surveillance for Enteric Fever in Asia Project (SEAP), a multiphase surveillance study characterizing the burden of disease in South Asia, was to inform data collection for prospective surveillance and to capture clinical aspects of disease.
Methods: Through a retrospective record review conducted at hospitals in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, we examined laboratory and clinical records to assess the culture positivity rate for Salmonella Typhi and Salmonella Paratyphi, age and sex distribution, and antimicrobial susceptability in each country.
Results: Of all blood cultures performed in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, 1.5%, 0.43%, …

Large Mediastinal Mass In A 15-Year-Old Boy, Mariyam Gohar Ali, Ali Bin Sarwar Zubairi, Farah Naz Qamar

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

Hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome is a rare multisystem inherited disorder characterised by high serum IgE levels, skin disorder causing eczema, dermatitis, recurrent staphylococcal infections and pulmonary infections and various skeletal and connective tissue abnormalities. Common presentation is with recurrent skin and sinopulmonary infections. Several features unrelated to immune system such as characteristic facial features, hyperextensibility of joints, multiple bone fractures and craniosynostosis have been described in the literature. We describe a rare presentation of this disease with invasive aspergillosis presenting as mediastinal mass with extension to mediastinalstructures and pulmonary vasculature.

Diagnostic Value Of Gauze Filtration Technique: A Comparison With Conventional Methods In A Diagnostic Laboratory In Pakistan, Naima Maqsood, Aymen Shakeel, Najia Karim Ghanchi, Ahmed Raheem Buksh, ,Feroz Zaheruddin, Ghazala Jabeen, Afsheen Raza, Mohammad A. Beg

Section of Internal Medicine

Background: Intestinal parasites cause significant morbidity and impact human development with an enormous global burden. Diagnosis of intestinal parasites by conventional methods has several limitations. The gauze filtration technique is a relatively simple method that has been shown to identify intestinal parasites with a high sensitivity and specificity. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic value of this technique as compared to more conventional methods in a large acclaimed laboratory within Pakistan.

Methods: A total of 50 stool samples collected for routine diagnostic workup from patients age between 2-70 years were collected from the parasitology section of …

963. Whole Blood Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Differences In Erythropoiesis And Neurologically Relevant Pathways Between Cerebral Malaria And Severe Malarial Anemia, Srinivas Nallandhighal, Gregory Park, Yen-Yi Ho, Robert Opoka, Chandy John, Tuan Tran

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: Plasmodium falciparum malaria can rapidly progress to severe disease that can lead to death if left untreated. Severe malaria cases commonly present as severe malarial anemia (SMA), defined in children as hemoglobin (Hb) <5 g/dL with parasitemia, or as cerebral malaria (CM), which manifests as parasitemia with acute neurological deficits and has an inpatient mortality rate of ~20%. The molecular and cellular processes that lead to CM and SMA are unclear.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we compared genome-wide transcription profiles of whole blood obtained from Ugandan children with acute CM (n = 17) or SMA (n = 17) and community children without P. falciparum infection (n = 12) who were enrolled in a parent cohort study of severe malaria. We determined the relationships between gene expression, hematological indices, and plasma biomarkers, including inflammatory cytokines. …

Mapping Maternal Mortality Rate Via Spatial Zero-Inflated Models For Count Data: A Case Study Of Facility-Based Maternal Deaths From Mozambique, Osvaldo Loquiha, Niel Hens, Leonardo Chavane, Marleen Temmerman, Nafissa Osman, Christel Faes, Marc Aerts

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Maternal mortality remains very high in Mozambique, with estimates from 2015 showing a maternal mortality ratio of 489 deaths per 100,000 live births, even though the rates tend to decrease since 1990. Pregnancy related hemorrhage, gestational hypertension and diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS are amongst the leading causes of maternal death in Mozambique, and a significant number of these deaths occur within health facilities. Often, the analysis of data on maternal mortality involves the use of counts of maternal deaths as outcome variable. Previously we showed that a class of hierarchical zero-inflated models were very successful in dealing with …

Kawasaki Disease: Two Case Reports From The Aga Khan Hospital, Dar Es Salaam-Tanzania, Mariam Noorani, Nuruddin Lakhani

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: Kawasaki disease is a common childhood vasculitis which may result in cardiovascular morbidity if not adequately treated. Its epidemiology in the African region is not well described. Its features may mimic other childhood infections and hemoglobinopathies and it is rarely diagnosed in the East African region. These are the first reports of this disease from Tanzania. Case presentation We present two cases of complete Kawasaki disease seen over a 2 year period and diagnosed as per the criteria defined by the American Heart Association. One child was and infant and the other a 3 year old. Both of them …

Kawasaki Disease: Two Case Reports From The Aga Khan Hospital, Dar Es Salaam-Tanzania, Mariam Noorani, Nuruddin Lakhani

Faculty of Health Sciences, East Africa

Background

Kawasaki disease is a common childhood vasculitis which may result in cardiovascular morbidity if not adequately treated. Its epidemiology in the African region is not well described. Its features may mimic other childhood infections and hemoglobinopathies and it is rarely diagnosed in the East African region. These are the first reports of this disease from Tanzania. Case presentation We present two cases of complete Kawasaki disease seen over a 2 year period and diagnosed as per the criteria defined by the American Heart Association. One child was and infant and the other a 3 year old. Both of them …

Vitamin D Status In Healthy Black African Adults At A Tertiary Hospital In Nairobi, Kenya: A Cross Sectional Study, Elizabeth Kagotho, Geoffrey Omuse, Nancy Okinda, Peter Ojwang

Pathology, East Africa

Background: Vitamin D has been known since the twentieth Century for its benefits in bone health. Recent observational studies have demonstrated its benefits in infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. This has led to a dramatic increase in testing among adults. The cut-offs for vitamin D deficiency have been debated for decades and the current cut off is derived from a Caucasian population. Studies done among black African adults in Africa are few with vitamin D deficiency ranging from 5 to 91%. A few cut- offs have correlated vitamin D …

Factors Associated With Substance Use Among Adolescents Living With Hiv In Kenya, Wambui Kagucia

Master of Medicine in Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Substance use is rife in our society and adolescents (10-19 years) do face this problem during this vulnerable period of growth and development. Use of substances is known to be associated with poor health choices and risky sexual behaviour. Since the advent of antiretroviral therapy (ART), significant progress has been made with reduced rates of mother to child transmission (MTCT) and a general downward global trend in acquired immunodeficiency disease (AIDS) related mortalities. However, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS is still a leading cause of mortality in adolescents living in Sub Saharan Africa, with an upward trend in new HIV …

Microbiological Testing Of Adults Hospitalised With Community-Acquired Pneumonia: An International Study, Manuela Carugati, Stefano Aliberti, Luis Felipe Reyes, Ricardo Franco Sadud, Muhammad Irfan

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

This study aimed to describe real-life microbiological testing of adults hospitalised with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and to assess concordance with the 2007 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) and 2011 European Respiratory Society (ERS) CAP guidelines.

This was a cohort study based on the Global Initiative for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureusPneumonia (GLIMP) database, which contains point-prevalence data on adults hospitalised with CAP across 54 countries during 2015.

In total, 3702 patients were included. Testing was performed in 3217 patients, and included blood culture (71.1%), sputum culture (61.8%), Legionella urinary antigen test (30.1%), pneumococcal urinary antigen test (30.0%), …

Perceived Causes Of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes And Remedies Adopted By Kalenjin Women In Rural Kenya, Roselyter Riang’A, Anne Nangulu, Jacqueline Broerse

Population Health, East Africa

Background: There have been few studies about the basis on which women in developing regions evaluate and choose traditional rather than western maternal care. This qualitative study explores the socio-cultural perceptions of complications associated with pregnancy and childbirth and how these perceptions influence maternal health and care-seeking behaviours in Kenya.

Methods: Kalenjin women (n = 42) aged 18–45 years, who were pregnant or had given birth within the last 12 months, were interviewed. A semi-structured interview guide was used for data collection. A further nine key informant interviews with Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) who were also herbalists (n …

Use Of Quantitative Molecular Diagnostic Methods To Assess The Aetiology, Burden, And Clinical Characteristics Of Diarrhoea In Children In Low-Resource Settings: A Reanalysis Of The Mal-Ed Cohort Study, James A. Platts-Mills Md, Jie Liu, Elizabeth T. Rogawski, Furqan Kabir, Paphavee Lertsethtakarn, Adil Kalam, Fatima Aziz, Shahida Qureshi, Najeeha Talat Iqbal, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Optimum management of childhood diarrhoea in low-resource settings has been hampered by insufficient data on aetiology, burden, and associated clinical characteristics. We used quantitative diagnostic methods to reassess and refine estimates of diarrhoea aetiology from the Etiology, Risk Factors, and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development (MAL-ED) cohort study.
Methods: We re-analysed stool specimens from the multisite MAL-ED cohort study of children aged 0–2 years done at eight locations (Dhaka, Bangladesh; Vellore, India; Bhaktapur, Nepal; Naushero Feroze, Pakistan; Venda, South Africa; Haydom, Tanzania; Fortaleza, Brazil; and Loreto, Peru), which included active …

Use Of Quantitative Molecular Diagnostic Methods To Investigate The Effect Of Enteropathogen Infections On Linear Growth In Children In Low-Resource Settings: Longitudinal Analysis Of Results From The Mal-Ed Cohort Study, Elizabeth T. Rogawsk, Jie Liu, James A. Platts-Mill, Furqan Kabir, Paphavee Lertsethtakarn, Adil Kalam, Fatima Aziz, Shahida Qureshi, Najeeha Talat Iqbal, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Enteropathogen infections in early childhood not only cause diarrhoea but contribute to poor growth. We used molecular diagnostics to assess whether particular enteropathogens were associated with linear growth across seven low-resource settings.
Methods: We used quantitative PCR to detect 29 enteropathogens in diarrhoeal and non-diarrhoeal stools collected from children in the first 2 years of life obtained during the Etiology, Risk Factors, and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development (MAL-ED) multisite cohort study. Length was measured monthly. We estimated associations between aetiology-specific diarrhoea and subclinical enteropathogen infection and quantity and attained …

Frequency Of Bloodstream Infection In Febrile Neutropenic Patients, Experience From A Developing Country, Basit Siddiqui, Rabeea Azmat, Shiyam Sunder Tikmani, Shumaila Rafi, Beenish Syed, Muhammad Tahir Khan, Hareem Rehman, Saleemullah Paracha

Section of Nephrology

Introduction: About 20% of febrile neutropenic patients are presented with bloodstream infection which is a leading cause of mortality among these patients. Awareness of the locally prevalent pathogens and their susceptibility pattern is important for proper treatment of infection which improves survival in these patients. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of bloodstream infection in patients with febrile neutropenia admitted in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.
Methods; This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Medical wards in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi from 21-2-2016 to 20-8-2017. Patients of over 15 years of age of either gender with severe neutropenia …

Invasive Mediastinal Aspergillosis Presenting As Superior Vena Cava Syndrome In An Immunocompetent Patient, Yasmin Rahim, Aisha Memon, Javaid Khan

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a disease of the immunocompromised with a predilection for the lungs, although dissemination to all organs is possible. Its diagnosis remains a challenge due to the absence of specific clinical manifestations and laboratory findings. In most cases, diagnosis is eventually made via invasive methods. It carries with it a high mortality due to late diagnosis and delayed treatment. Here, we report a fascinating case of a young, otherwise healthy, immunocompetent patient that presented to us with superior vena cava syndrome and a mediastinal mass. It was anticipated that a malignancy would be found on further workup …

Integrating Standardized Whole Genome Sequence Analysis With A Global Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Antibiotic Resistance Knowledgebase, Rumina Hasan, Matthew Ezewudo, Amanda Borens, Álvaro Chiner-Oms, Paolo Miotto, Leonid Chindelevitch, Angela M. Starks, Debra Hanna, Richard Liwsk, Matteo Zignol

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Drug-resistant tuberculosis poses a persistent public health threat. The ReSeqTB platform is a collaborative, curated knowledgebase, designed to standardize and aggregate global Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) variant data from whole genome sequencing (WGS) with phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST) and clinical data. We developed a unified analysis variant pipeline (UVP) ( https://github.com/CPTR-ReSeqTB/UVP ) to identify variants and assign lineage from MTBC sequence data. Stringent thresholds and quality control measures were incorporated in this open source tool. The pipeline was validated using a well-characterized dataset of 90 diverse MTBC isolates with conventional DST and DNA Sanger sequencing data. The UVP exhibited …

Pharmacy Newsletter : September 2018, Pharmacy Department

Department of Pharmacy Archives

Content:

• Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis
• New Update: Direct Oral Anti-Coagulants (DOACs)
• Case Study: Use of Cholestyramine for Management Of Digoxin Toxicity
• Updates : Use of Doxycycline in Children
• Serotonin Syndrome – Myths & Misconceptions

Invasive Community Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcal Aureus (Ca-Mrsa) Infections In Children, Muhammad Khalid, Samina Junejo, Fatima Mir

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Staphylococci are gram-positive bacteria divided into coagulase positive and coagulase negative classes, Staphylococcus aureus is the most important bacterium of this class. Epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has changed a lot. It is no more the problem of only hospitalised patients. Children coming from community has also been increasingly affected by MRSA-called community acquired methicillin-resistant (CA-MRSA) infection. The higher severity of CA-MRSA is due to its ability to produce the toxin Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) associated with staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IV gene. Here, we are presenting five cases of CA-MRSA infection in children having age range 0.5 …

To Identify The Features Differentiating Peritoneal Tuberculosis From Carcinomatosis On Ct Scan Abdomen Taking Omental Biopsy As A Gold Standard, Farah Naz Farid, Waseem Akhtar, Nauman Hashmani, Raza Sayani

Department of Surgery Docs

OBJECTIVE:
To differentiate peritoneal tuberculosis from carcinomatosis on computed tomography scan of abdomen, taking omental biopsy as the gold standard.. METHODS:
This retrospective diagnostic accuracy review of cases was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised patient's medical record files from February 2007 to February 2016. Computed tomography scan findings were compared with diagnosis made on the basis of histopathology. Multiple logistics regression analysis was done and sensitivity and specificity were tested through Pearson chi square test.
RESULTS:
Of the 98 patients identified, 62(63.2%)were found to be cases of disseminated tuberculosis and 36(36.7%) were diagnosed as malignant on …

Chikungunya Virus Associated Guillain-Barre Syndrome With Variable Presentation: A Case Series., Salman Farooq, Muhammad Imran, Ejaz Karim, Dureshahwar Kanwar, Muhammad Bilal Tariq

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Chikungunya Virus Is A Mosquito-borne Alpha Virus Which Occasionally Causes Neurologic Complications Including Guillain-barre Syndrome, Myelitis, Myopathies And Encephalitis. Pakistan Experienced Its First Chikungunya Outbreak In The Metropolis Of Karachi Officially Confirmed By World Health Organization In December 2016. During This Outbreak, Over 30,000 People Have Been Reported To Be Infected In Different Parts Of Karachi. We Report Four Cases Of Chikungunya Virus Infection Associated Guillain-barre Syndrome Having An Atypical Clinical Presentation And Variable Outcome. Each Case Presented As A Different Variant Of Gbs Including Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, Acute Motor And Sensory Axonal Neuropathy And Pharyngeal-cervical-brachial.

Neurological Complications In Patients With Plasmodium Vivax Malaria From Karachi, Pakistan, Mohammad Asim Beg, A Akhlaq, Najia Karim Ghanchi, B Usmani, R Shahzad, A Rahim, Mohammad Wasay

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: Malaria remains an endemic disease in Pakistan with an estimated healthcare burden of 1.6 million cases annually, with Plasmodium vivax accounting for 67% of reported cases. P. vivax is the most common species causing malaria outside of Africa, with approximately 13.8 million reported cases worldwide.
Method: We report a series of P. vivax cases with cerebral involvement that presented at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.
Results: The majority of the patients presented with high-grade fever accompanied by projectile vomiting and abnormal behaviour, seizures, shock and unconsciousness. Seven of 801 patients with P. vivax monoinfection presented or developed cerebral …

Fungal Osteomyelitis In A Patient With Chronic Granulomatous Disease: Case Report And Review Of The Literature, Muhammad Khalid, Syed Asad Ali

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is the most common of the primary immunodeficiency in children. It is caused by single gene defect resulting in dysfunctional nicotinamide adenine dineucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase complex causing recurrent bacterial and fungal infections. Here we present the case of a 9 year old boy who was a known case of CGD since three years of age. He presented with recent history of fever, left sided pain in the scapular region and difficulty in breathing. Chest imaging revealed developing left upper lobe consolidation and erosion of the 3rd posterior rib. The child underwent video assisted thoracoscopic surgery …

Pathophysiology Of Environmental Enteric Dysfunction And Its Impact On Oral Vaccine Efficacy, Chelsea Marie, Syed Asad Ali, Kanta Chandwe, William Petri Jr A, Paul Kelly

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) refers to a subclinical disorder of intestinal function common in tropical countries and in settings of poverty and economic disadvantage. The enteropathy that underlies this syndrome is characterized by mucosal inflammation and villus blunting mediated by T cell activation. Epithelial cell disruption and microbial translocation drive systemic inflammation. EED in young children is associated geographically with growth failure, malnutrition, and greatly impaired responses to oral vaccines, notably rotavirus and poliovirus vaccines. In this review, we describe the pathophysiology of EED and examine the evidence linking EED and oral vaccine failure. This evidence is far from conclusive. …

Microbiological And Clinical Profile Of Infective Endocarditis Patients: An Observational Study Experience From Tertiary Care Center Karachi Pakistan, Uzma Shahid, Hasanat Sharif, Joveria Farooqi, Bushra Jamil, E. Khan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background:
The study analyzed microbiological and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of organisms isolated from patients with infective endocarditis (2015–17) and compared disease outcomes in cohorts of endocarditis patient with history of prior invasive vascular intervention (high risk group) vs those without (native valve group). We hypothesized that high risk group would be more likely to have severe disease outcomes.
Methods:
This was a prospective cohort study (2015–17). All blood and cardiac tissue samples of enrolled patients suspected of endocarditis according to modified Duke’s criteria were followed for microbiological and antimicrobial susceptibility profile. The high risk group was compared with the native …

Rapid Development Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Eradication Of Hepatitis C Virus With Directly Acting Antiviral Treatment, Fakhar Ali Qazi Arisar, Saeed Hamid

Section of Gastroenterology

Hepatitis C is a major risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), arising typically on a background of liver cirrhosis. Treatment of hepatitis C has been revolutionized by the addition of oral direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) with sustained virological response (SVR) rates above 90%. There is a recent concern under debate about the increased risk of early HCC recurrence in patients with chronic hepatitis C who were treated with direct-acting antivirals. Nonetheless, these reports mostly focused on patients who were cirrhotic and were already treated for HCC. We report 4 cases of treatment naive, chronic hepatitis C patients who …

Setting The Stage: Reviewing Current Knowledge On The Health Of New Zealand Immigrants—An Integrative Review, Blessing Kanengoni, Sari Andajani-Sutjahjo, Eleanor Holroyd

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

The growth of migrant communities continues to rise globally, creating unique and complex health challenges. Literature on immigrant health in New Zealand (NZ) remains scant. This integrative literature review was conducted drawing on peer-reviewed research articles on immigrant health in NZ published between 2012 and 2018. The objectives were to: (i) provide a critical overview of immigrant health in NZ; (ii) identify general trends in health research conducted in NZ on immigrants; (iii) compare, contrast, and evaluate the quality of the information; (iv) develop a summary of research results and; (v) identify priorities and recommendations for future research. A search …