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The Potential Of Task Shifting Selected Maternal Interventions To Auxiliary Midwives In Myanmar: A Mixed-Method Study, Kyu Kyu Than, Khaing Nwe Tin, Thazin La, Kyaw Soe Thant, Theingi Myint, James G. Beeson, Stanley Luchters, Alison Morgan

Population Health, East Africa

Background: An estimated 282 women die for every 100,000 live births in Myanmar, most due to preventable causes. Auxiliary Midwives (AMWs) in Myanmar are responsible for providing a package of care during pregnancy and childbirth to women in rural hard to reach areas where skilled birth attendants (Midwives) are not accessible. This study aims to examine the role of AMWs in Myanmar and to assess the current practices of three proposed essential maternal interventions (oral supplement distribution to pregnant women; administration of misoprostol to prevent postpartum haemorrhage; management of puerperal sepsis with oral antibiotics) in order to facilitate a formal …

Factors Associated With Low Birthweight In Term Pregnancies: A Matched Case–Control Study From Rural Pakistan, Atif Habib, Camille R. Greenow, Shabina Arif, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Abid Hussain, Qamar Junejo, A Hussain, Fariha Shaheen, Kirsten I. Black

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Low birthweight (LBW) remains a significant public health problem in Pakistan and further understanding of factors associated with LBW is required. We conducted a hospital-based matched case control study to identify risk factors associated with LBW in a rural district of Pakistan. We found that illiteracy (AOR: 2.68; 95% CI: 1.59 - 4.38), nulliparity (AOR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.26-2.44), having a previous miscarriage/abortion (AOR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.06-2.35), having < 2 antenatal care (ANC) visits during last pregnancy (AOR: 2.43; 95% CI: 1.34-2.88), seeking ANC in third trimester (AOR: 3.62; 95% CI : 2.14-5.03), non-use of iron folic acid during last pregnancy (AOR: 2.72; 95% CI: 1.75-3.17), having hypertension during last pregnancy (AOR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.13-2.20), being anemic (AOR: 2.67; 95% CI: 1.65-5.24) and having postpartum weight of <45 kg (AOR: 3.30; 95% CI : 1.97-4.52) were significantly associated with an increased odds of having a LBW baby. Our study identifies modifiable risk factors requiring immediate commitment from the health authorities.

Pre-Albumin As A Marker For Predicting Weight Loss In Hospitalised Children, Del-Rossi Sean Quadros, Rose Kamenwa, Samuel Akech, William Macharia

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Objectives: This study sought to determine the diagnostic utility of serum pre-albumin in predicting weight loss in hospitalised children.

Design: A hospital-based longitudinal survey was carried out between December 2013 and February 2014.

Setting: Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya, a tertiary care hospital.

Subjects: A total of 170 children aged 29 days to 15 years who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study.

Outcome measures: Serum pre-albumin levels and weight were measured at admission and repeated after 48–96 h. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated to determine the diagnostic utility of serum pre-albumin …

Root-Cause Analysis Of Persistently High Maternal Mortality In A Rural District Of Indonesia: Role Of Clinical Care Quality And Health Services Organizational Factors, Mohammad Afzal Mahmood, Ismi Mufidah, Steven Scroggs, Amna Rehana Siddiqui, Hafsa Raheel, Koentijo Wibdarminto, Bernardus Dirgantoro, Jorien Vercruyssen, Hayfaa A. Wahabi

Community Health Sciences

Background: Despite significant reduction in maternal mortality, there are still many regions in the world that suffer from high mortality. District Kutai Kartanegara, Indonesia, is one such region where consistently high maternal mortality was observed despite high rate of delivery by skilled birth attendants.
Method: Thirty maternal deaths were reviewed using verbal autopsy interviews, terminal event reporting, medical records' review, and Death Audit Committee reports, using a comprehensive root-cause analysis framework including Risk Identification, Signal Services, Emergency Obstetrics Care Evaluation, Quality, and 3 Delays.
Findings: The root causes were found in poor quality of care, which caused …

Hospital-Acquired Malnutrition In Children At A Tertiary Care Hospital, Del-Rossi Sean, Rose Kamenwa, Samuel Akech, William Macharia

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Objectives: This study sought to investigate the incidence and factors associated with hospital-acquired malnutrition in children.

Design: A hospital-based longitudinal survey carried out between December 2013 and February 2014.

Setting: Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya, a tertiary care hospital.

Subjects: One hundred and seventy children who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study.

Outcome measures: Anthropometry was done at admission and discharge. Incidence of hospital-acquired malnutrition was estimated from the total number of children showing a decrease in weight-for-height/length (WFH) or Body Mass Index (BMI) z-scores from the time of admission to discharge. Logistic regression analysis was …

The Satisfactory Growth And Development At 2 Years Of Age Of The Intergrowth-21st Fetal Growth Standards Cohort Support Its Appropriateness For Constructing International Standards., José Villar, Leila Cheikh Ismail, Eleonora Staines Urias, Francesca Giuliani, Sikolia Wanyonyi

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: The World Health Organization recommends that human growth should be monitored with the use of international standards. However, in obstetric practice, we continue to monitor fetal growth using numerous local charts or equations that are based on different populations for each body structure. Consistent with World Health Organization recommendations, the INTERGROWTH-21st Project has produced the first set of international standards to date pregnancies; to monitor fetal growth, estimated fetal weight, Doppler measures, and brain structures; to measure uterine growth, maternal nutrition, newborn infant size, and body composition; and to assess the postnatal growth of preterm babies. All these standards …

The Global Impact Of The Dracma Guidelines Cow’S Milk Allergy Clinical Practice, Alessandro Fiocchi, Holger Schunemann, Ignacio Ansotegui, Amal Assa’Ad, Sami Bahna, Roberto Berni Canani, Martin Bozzola, Lamia Dahdah, Christophe Dupont, Motohiro Ebisawa, Elena Galli, Haiqi Li, Rose Kamenwa, Gideon Lack, Alberto Martelli, Ruby Pawankar, Maria Said, Mario Sánchez-Borges, Hugh Sampson, Raanan Shamir, Jonathan Spergel, Luigi Terracciano, Yvan Vandenplas, Carina Venter, Susan Waserman, Gary Wong, Jan Brozek

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: The 2010 Diagnosis and Rationale for Action against Cow’s Milk Allergy (DRACMA) guidelines are the only Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) guidelines for cow’s milk allergy (CMA). They indicate oral food challenge (OFC) as the reference test for diagnosis, and suggest the choice of specific alternative formula in different clinical conditions. Their recommendations are flexible, both in diagnosis and in treatment.

Objectives & methods: Using the Scopus citation records, we evaluated the influence of the DRACMA guidelines on milk allergy literature. We also reviewed their impact on successive food allergy and CMA guidelines at national and …

What’S Coming For Health Science And Policy In 2018? Global Experts Look Ahead In Their Field, Soumya Swaminathan, Robin S. Room, Louise C. Ivers, Graham Hillis, Rebecca F. Grais, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Peter Byass

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing Choice Of Skilled Birth Attendance At Anc: Evidence From The Kenya Demographic Health Survey, Caroline Nyongesa, Xiaoyue Xu, John J. Hall, William Macharia, Faith Yego, Brigid Hall

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: In Kenya, skilled attendance at delivery is well below the international target of 90% and the maternal mortality ratio is high at 362 (CI 254–471) per 100,000 live births despite various interventions. The preventative role of skilled attendance at delivery makes it a benchmark indicator for safe motherhood.

Methods: Maternal health data from the Service Provision Assessment Survey, a subset of the 2010 Kenya Demographic Health Survey was analyzed. Logistic regression models were employed using likelihood ratio test to explore association between choice of skilled attendance and predictor variables.

Results: Overall, 94.8% of women are likely to seek …

Relationship Among Hypovitaminosis D, Maternal Periodontal Disease, And Low Birth Weight, Farhan Raza Khan, Tashfeen Ahmad, Rabia Hussain, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Section of Dental-Oral Maxillofacial Surgery

Objective: To determine if low birth weight is associated with hypovitaminosis D and periodontal disease among a sample of Pakistani women residing in district Jhelum, Punjab.STUDY Design: Cross-sectional study nested in a large community-based longitudinal study.PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Tehsil Pind Dadan Khan, District Jhelum, Pakistan from August 2012 to October 2015.METHODOLOGY: Women during 12-16th week of pregnancy were selected. Dental examination was performed. Probing depth >3 mm was labeled as periodontal disease, whereas serum level 2500 g) babies. Odds ratio was applied to measure the strength of association of low birth weight with maternal hypovitaminosis D and also …

Involving Men To Improve Maternal And Newborn Health: A Systematic Review Of The Effectiveness Of Interventions, Mariam Tokhi, Liz Comrie-Thomson, Jessica Davis, Anayda Portela, Matthew Chersich, Stanley Luchters

Population Health, East Africa

Background: Emerging evidence and program experience indicate that engaging men in maternal and newborn health can have considerable health benefits for women and children in low- and middle-income countries. Previous reviews have identified male involvement as a promising intervention, but with a complex evidence base and limited direct evidence of effectiveness for mortality and morbidity outcomes.

Objective: To determine the effect of interventions to engage men during pregnancy, childbirth and infancy on mortality and morbidity, as well as effects on mechanisms by which male involvement is hypothesised to influence mortality and morbidity outcomes: home care practices, care-seeking, and couple relationships. …

Midwives’ Knowledge Of Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative In Uganda, Jaliah Namutebi, Hanifah Nakanwagi, Leila Naluyima, Grace Edwards

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a worldwide programme well known to midwives globally for supporting the initiation of successful breastfeeding. In low resource countries, initiation of breastfeeding immediately after birth would help to reduce neonatal complications such as infection. Knowledge of the 10 steps is critical for midwives in developing countries, yet our research in Uganda suggested that midwives’ knowledge is poor, despite a commitment at government level. There is a disconnect between policy and practice which must be addressed to ensure that midwives give standardised advice to new mothers to ensure successful and exclusive breastfeeding. This is …

Factors Influencing High Prevalence Of Fresh Still Births In Mbagathi County Hospital, Nairobi - Kenya, Abednego Ongeso, Magdalene Lukorito, Jane Kabo

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: The annual global burden of stillbirths is approximately 2.6 million, 98% of which occur in Sub Saharan Africa. In 2016, approximately 24 still births per month occurred in Mbagathi County Hospital (MCH) representing a 33.3% increase from 2015. A third of these were Fresh Still Births (FSBs).

Objectives: To establish factors influencing increase in FSB among women delivering at MCH.

Methodology: The study was conducted at MCH postnatal ward. A descriptive cross sectional study design was employed. Forty three respondents with FSBs were consecutively sampled. Clearance to conduct the study was sought from Ethics Review Committee, MCH and respondents. …

Prevalence Of Hla-B*5701 In A Kenyan Population With Hiv Infection, Reena Shah, H. Nabiswa, Nancy Okinda, Gunturu Revathi, Mark Hawken, Nelson M.

Internal Medicine, East Africa

We read with interest the article published in your Journal entitled “Real-world persistence with antiretroviral therapy for HIV in the United Kingdom: a multicentre retrospective cohort study”1 which concluded that treatment discontinuation attributable to toxicity profile is not an uncommon event. They also acknowledged lack of data collection on HLA-B*5701 status, which would heavily influence initial ART regimen and the choice to discontinue medication. Of the 25.6 million living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Africa, an estimated 1.6 million people live in Kenya.2 With an HIV prevalence of 5.6%, Kenya has upscaled HIV treatment and care in the past …

Accelerating Kenya’S Progress To 2030: Understanding The Determinants Of Under-Five Mortality From 1990 To 2015, Emily C. Keats, William Macharia, Neha S. Singh, Nadia Akseer, Nirmala Ravishankar, Anthony Ngugi, Arjumand Rizvi, Emma Nelima Khaemba, John Tole, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Introduction: Despite recent gains, Kenya did not achieve its Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for reducing under-five mortality. To accelerate progress to 2030, we must understand what impacted mortality throughout the MDG period.

Methods: Trends in the under-five mortality rate (U5MR) were analysed using data from nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys (1989–2014). Comprehensive, mixed-methods analyses of health policies and systems, workforce and health financing were conducted using relevant surveys, government documents and key informant interviews with country experts. A hierarchical multivariable linear regression analysis was undertaken to better understand the proximal determinants of change in U5MR over the MDG …

Inspire : Vol 1, Issue 1, Department Of Medicine

INSPIRE – Department of Medicine Archives

Content:

- Message From the Chair

- Faculty News

- Featured Faculty Profile

- Publications

Spoon Nails: Still Seen In Today's World, Bushra Moiz

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Koilonychia is a nail abnormality characterized by thin, brittle, and spoon-shaped nails. It is frequently observed in chronic iron deficiency secondary to malnutrition, chronic blood loss, or malabsorption. It may also be idiopathic or related to occupation and rare systemic disorders. Presence of koilonychia should prompt investigations for iron deficiency.

What’S Coming For Health Science And Policy In 2018? Global Experts Look Ahead In Their Field, Soumya Swaminathan, Robin S. Room, Louise C. Ivers, Graham Hillis, Rebecca F. Grais, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Peter Byass

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

Prevalence And Possible Factors Associated With Anaemia, And Vitamin B 12 And Folate Deficiencies In Women Of Reproductive Age In Pakistan: Analysis Of National-Level Secondary Survey Data, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Gul Nawaz Khan, Kamran Sadiq, Shabina Ariff, Atif Habib, Sumra Kureishy, Imtiaz Hussain, Muhammad Umer, Zamir Suhag, Arjumand Rizvi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Objective: To determine the prevalence and possible factors associated with anaemia, and vitamin B12 and folate deficiencies in women of reproductive age (WRA) in Pakistan.
Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted on data collected through the large-scale National Nutrition Survey in Pakistan in 2011. Anaemia was defined as haemoglobin levels <12 g/dL, vitamin B12 deficiency as serum vitamin B12 levels of <203 pg/mL (150 pmol/L) and folate deficiency as serum folate levels <4 ng/mL (10 nmol/L).
Results: A total of 11751 blood samples were collected and analysed. The prevalence of anaemia, vitamin B12 deficiency and folate deficiency was 50.4%, 52.4% and 50.8%, respectively. After adjustment, the following factors were positively associated with anaemia: living in Sindh province (RR 1.07; 95%CI 1.04 to 1.09)P<0.00, food insecure with moderate hunger (RR 1.03; 95%CI 1.00 to 1.06)P=0.02, four or more pregnancies (RR 1.03; 95%CI 1.01 to 1.05)P<0.00, being underweight (RR 1.03; 95%CI 1.00 to 1.05)P=0.02, being overweight or obese (RR 0.95; 95%CI 0.93 to 0.97)P<0.00 and weekly intake of leafy green vegetables (RR 0.98; 95%CI 0.95 to 1.00)P=0.04. For vitamin B12 deficiency, a positive association was observed with rural population (RR 0.81; 95%CI 0.66 to 1.00)P=0.04, living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (RR 1.25; 95%CI 1.11 to 1.43)P<0.00 and living in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (RR 1.50; 95%CI 1.08 to 2.08)P=0.01. Folate deficiency was negatively associated with daily and weekly intake of eggs (RR 0.89; 95%CI 0.81 to 0.98)P=0.02 and (RR 0.88; 95%CI 0.78 to 0.99)P=0.03.
Conclusions: In Pakistan, …

Iron Deficiency Anemia As A Risk Factor For Simple Febrile Seizures, Tipu Sultan, Abdul Islam Hanif Hanif, Shaila Ali

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

To determine the association of iron deficiency anemia with simple febrile seizures in children presenting in a tertiary care hospital.

Low Birth Weight: Case Definition & Guidelines For Data Collection, Analysis, And Presentation Of Maternal Immunization Safety Data, Clare L. Cutland, Eve M. Lackritz, Tamala Mallett-Moore, Azucena Bardají, Ravichandran Chandrasekaran, Chandrakant Lahariya, Muhammad Imran Nisar, Milagritos D. Tapia, Jayani Pathirana, Sonali Kochhar

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

Failure To Thrive: Case Definition & Guidelines For Data Collection, Analysis, And Presentation Of Maternal Immunisation Safety Data, Elizabeth Ross, Flor M. Munoz, Bassey Edem, Cassandra Nan, Fyezah Jehan, Julie Quinn, Tamala Mallett Moore, Sanie Sesay, Hans Spiegel, Librada Fortuna

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

Setting Priorities For Knowledge Translation Of Cochrane Reviews For Health Equity: Evidence For Equity, Peter Tugwell, Jennifer Petkovic, Vivian Welch, Jennifer Vincent, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Rachel Churchill, Don Desavigny, Lawrence Mbuagbaw, Tomas Pantoja

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: A focus on equity in health can be seen in many global development goals and reports, research and international declarations. With the development of a relevant framework and methods, the Campbell and Cochrane Equity Methods Group has encouraged the application of an 'equity lens' to systematic reviews, and many organizations publish reviews intended to address health equity. The purpose of the Evidence for Equity (E4E) project was to conduct a priority-setting exercise and apply an equity lens by developing a knowledge translation product comprising summaries of systematic reviews from the Cochrane Library. E4E translates evidence from systematic reviews into …

Delaying The Start Of Iron Until 28 Days After Antimalarial Treatment Is Associated With Lower Incidence Of Subsequent Illness In Children With Malaria And Iron Deficiency., Ericka Jaramillo, Ezekiel Mupere, Robert Opoka, James Hodges, Troy Lund, Michael Georgieff, Chandy John, Sarah Cusick

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

We evaluated the incidence of all-cause and malaria-specific clinic visits during follow-up of a recent trial of iron therapy. In the main trial, Ugandan children 6–59 months with smearconfirmed malaria and iron deficiency [zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP > = 80 μmol/mol heme)] were treated for malaria and randomized to start a 27-day course of oral iron concurrently with (immediate group) or 28 days after (delayed group) antimalarial treatment. All children were followed for the same 56-day period starting at the time of antimalarial treatment (Day 0) and underwent passive and active surveillance for malaria and other morbidity for the entire follow-up period. …

Management Of Undernutrition And Failure To Thrive In Children With Congenital Heart Disease In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Andrew C. Argent, Rakhi Balachandran, Balu Vaidyanathan, Amina Khan, R. Krishna Kumar

Section of Cardiology

Poor growth with underweight for age, decreased length/height for age, and underweight-for-height are all relatively common in children with CHD. The underlying causes of this failure to thrive may be multifactorial, including innate growth potential, severity of cardiac disease, increased energy requirements, decreased nutritional intake, malabsorption, and poor utilisation of absorbed nutrition. These factors are particularly common and severe in low- and middle-income countries. Although nutrition should be carefully assessed in all patients, failure of growth is not a contraindication to surgical repair, and patients should receive surgical repair where indicated as soon as possible. Close attention should be paid …

Investigating Parental Involvement In Their Childrens Education In A Government Aided Secondary School In Maracha Uganda, Alesi Judith

Master of Education

The concept of parental involvement in their children‟s education has been core in enhancing students‟ academic performance and life in general regardless of their socio economic background. Families provide the base upon which the learners are supported in their social, moral, financial, psychological and academic growth which ushers them into great achievements. This study therefore aimed at investigating parental involvement in their children‟s education in a rural secondary school where most parents are of low socio economic status, and how they offer their support both at school and at home. Based on the context of the study, we should acknowledge …

Integration Of Ict In Teaching And Learning Biology: A Case Study Of A Secondary School In Mvomero District, Tanzania., Jamal Hassan Mwaya

Master of Education

This study was conducted to find out how Biology teachers integrate ICT in teaching and learning activities. The plan for carrying out this study was motivated by various policies such as Education and Training Policy 1995; ICT Policy 2007, and Education Policy 2014which emphasize the integration of ICT in basic education. However, teaching and learning of Biology requires much use of technology, the information regarding to teachers if they are using ICT in teaching and learning Biology is inadequate. This qualitative research study, therefore, explored how teachers integrate ICT in teaching and learning of Biology in one of selected secondary …

December 2017 (Issue 1) : Nutrition In Gout, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi

Nutrition and Food Services Department (NFSD) Archives

• What is gout?
• Who is at risk of developing gout?
• What are purines?
• Nutrition and Gout
• How to Balance Diet for Gout

Pharmacy Newsletter : December 2017, Pharmacy Department

Department of Pharmacy Archives

Content:

• Twice Daily Dose of Levetiracetam and Clinical Pharmacokinetics
• Management of Acute Hyperkalemia in Neonates
• Drug Induced Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS)
• Influenza and Influenza Vaccine Myths and Reality.

Exploration Of The Enhancement Of Scientific Literacy By Nursery School Teachers: A Case Of Excel Nursery School, In Eastern Uganda., Adengo Emmanuel

Master of Education

This study investigated on the enhancement of scientific literacy (SL) by nursery school teachers in Uganda. It studied the teacher’s perception about SL, approaches used by teachers to enhance SL amongst learners and the challenges they face while promoting such approaches in the teaching and learning process. The study involved four nursery school teachers and one head teacher from a purposefully selected nursery school in Iganga Municipality, Uganda. The study engaged the qualitative research approach and case study design where by data were collected through one on one semi-structured interviews and also involved non-participatory classroom observation together with document analysis. …