Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Epidemiology Of Bacterial Vaginosis In Relation To Sexual Behaviour, Hans Verstraelen, Rita Verhelst, Mario Vaneechoutte, Marleen Temmerman

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) has been most consistently linked to sexual behaviour, and the epidemiological profile of BV mirrors that of established sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It remains a matter of debate however whether BV pathogenesis does actually involve sexual transmission of pathogenic microorganisms from men to women. We therefore made a critical appraisal of the literature on BV in relation to sexual behaviour.

Discussion: G. vaginalis carriage and BV occurs rarely with children, but has been observed among adolescent, even sexually non-experienced girls, contradicting that sexual transmission is a necessary prerequisite to disease acquisition. G. vaginalis carriage is enhanced …

Evaluation Of Health Workforce Competence In Maternal And Neonatal Issues In Public Health Sector Of Pakistan: An Assessment Of Their Training Needs, Shabina Ariff, Sajid B. Soofi, Kamran Sadiq, Asher B. Feroze, Shuaib Khan, Sadiqua N. Jafarey, Nabeela Ali, Zulfiqar A. Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: More than 450 newborns die every hour worldwide, before they reach the age of four weeks (neonatal period) and over 500,000 women die from complications related to childbirth. The major direct causes of neonatal death are infections (36%), Prematurity (28%) and Asphyxia (23%). Pakistan has one of the highest perinatal and neonatal mortality rates in the region and contributes significantly to global neonatal mortality. The high mortality rates are partially attributable to scarcity of trained skilled birth attendants and paucity of resources. Empowerment of health care providers with adequate knowledge and skills can serve as instrument of change. Methods: …

Examining The "Urban Advantage" In Maternal Health Care In Developing Countries, Zoe¨ Matthews, Amos Channon, Nyovani Madise, William Stones

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Although recent survey data make it possible to examine inequalities in maternal and newborn health care in developing countries, analyses have not tended to take into consideration the special nature of urban poverty.

Using improved methods to measure urban poverty in 30 countries, we found substantial inequalities in maternal and newborn health, and in access to health care.

The ‘‘urban advantage’’ is, for some, non-existent. The urban poor do not necessarily have better access to services than the rural poor, despite their proximity to services.

There are two main patterns of urban inequality in developing countries: (1) massive exclusion, in …

Birth Weight Estimation--A Sonographic Model For Pakistani Population, Waseem Akhtar, Arif Ali, Mubashir Aslam, Farah Saeed, Salman, Nadeem Ahmad

Department of Radiology

OBJECTIVE: To develop a sonographic birth weight estimation model for Pakistani population and to validate the published models in the same population.

METHODS: Data was collected for pregnant women who presented to Radiology Department of Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi from January 2007 to July 2008 and had undergone ultrasound estimation of foetal weight within 4 days prior to a term delivery (37-42 weeks gestation). The neonate's actual birth weight was used to validate the published foetal weight estimation models and modified sonographic birth weight estimation model was derived for our population by using linear regression.

RESULTS: Modified sonographic birth …

Is It Possible To Reduce Rates Of Placenta Praevia, Sheena Memon, Kaweeta Kumari, Haleema Yasmin, Sheerin Bhutta

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

To determine factors responsible for rising rates of placenta praevia. This comparative study was performed at Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre Karachi, (Group-A) from September 2000 to February 2002 and (Group-B) from January 2008 to January 2009. All women with major degree of placenta praevia diagnosed on ultrasound who came in emergency or through out patient department were included in the study. Patients with mild degree of placenta praevia were excluded. Group A had 100 patients and Group B, 58 patients. Chi-Squire test was used for comparison of previous study and current study. The number of unbooked cases in both …

Parent-Child Communication About Sexual And Reproductive Health In Rural Tanzania: Implications For Young People's Sexual Health Interventions, Joyce Wamoyi, Angela Fenwick, Mark Urassa, Basia Zaba, William Stones

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background

Many programmes on young people and HIV/AIDS prevention have focused on the in-school and channeled sexual and reproductive health messages through schools with limited activities for the young people's families. The assumption has been that parents in African families do not talk about sexual and reproductive health (SRH) with their children. These approach has had limited success because of failure to factor in the young person's family context, and the influence of parents. This paper explores parent-child communication about SRH in families, content, timing and reasons for their communication with their children aged 14-24 years in rural Tanzania.

Methods …

Reproductive Health Services For Populations At High Risk Of Hiv: Performance Of A Night Clinic In Tete Province, Mozambique, Yves Lafort, Diederike Geelhoed, Luisa Cumba, Carla Das Dores Mosse Lázaro, Wim Delva, Stanley Luchters, Marleen Temmerman

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Different models exist to provide HIV/STI services for most-at-risk populations (MARP). Along the Tete traffic corridor in Mozambique, linking Malawi and Zimbabwe, a night clinic opening between 4 and 10 PM was established targeting female sex workers (FSW) and long-distance truck drivers (LDD). The clinic offers free individual education and counselling, condoms, STI care, HIV testing, contraceptive services and outreach peer education. To evaluate this clinic model, we assessed relevance, service utilisation, efficiency and sustainability.

Methods: In 2007-2009, mapping and enumeration of FSW and LDD was conducted; 28 key informants were interviewed; 6 focus group discussions (FGD) were held …

Non-Invasive Prenatal Determination Of Fetal Rhd Genotyping From Maternal Plasma: A Preliminary Study In Pakistan, Nuruddin Badruddin Mohammed, Fatima Kakal, Mehreen Somani, Wajiha Zafar

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Objectives: To determine the accuracy of the non-invasive pre-natal real-time polymerase chain reaction based fetal RhD genotyping from maternal plasma.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Place And Duration Of Study: Juma Health Sciences Research Laboratory, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from July to December 2008.

Methodology: Cell-free plasma DNA from 21 D-negative women with D-positive spouse between 20-39 weeks of gestation was tested for the presence of exon 5 region of RhD gene using real-time polymerase chain reaction. b-globin was employed as the house-keeping gene. Sensitivity and specificity of the real-time PCR-based non-invasive fetal RhD genotyping was obtained by calculating …

Presenting Signs And Symptoms Of Ovarian Cancer At A Tertiary Care Hospital, Ambareen Khan, Khusro Sultana

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Objective: To identify early warning signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer to create awareness for early diagnosis and management of the disease.
Methods: This study was conducted at the department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi from 2003 to 2007, having 75 patients. The information collected included age, education, and self perceived state of socio-economic class, presenting clinical signs and symptoms, basic and specific laboratory investigations. The disease was staged from I to IV upon surgical staging and the type of cancer was determined by histopathological examination.
Results: Mean age of the patients was 51 +/- 12.3 years. …

Factor Vii Deficiency And Pregnancy: A Case Report And Review Of Literature, Syed Mohammad Asad Zaidi, Rahat Qureshi, Salman Naseem Adil

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Factor VII deficiency is one of the 'rare inherited disorders of coagulation.' Few cases of Factor VII deficiency have been reported during pregnancy, a state which could potentially cause fatal haemorrhage. Here we report a case of a pregnant lady with a history of heavy menorrhagia and multiple first pregnancy failures. Delivery was carried out via Caesarean section due to non-reassuring foetal heart monitoring. Patient was treated with Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFPs) and Factor VII concentrates, however, the patient developed bleeding postoperatively. Literature indicates that whilst Factor VII levels rise during pregnancy in normal women, no increase is seen in …

Analysis Of The Uk Recommendations On Obesity Based On A Proposed Implementation Framework, Amudha S. Poobalan, Lorna S. Aucott, Sheraz Ahmed, W. Cairns S. Smith

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: There is considerable expertise in the obesity field in identifying, appraising, and synthesising evidence to develop guidelines and recommendations for policy and practice. The recommendations, while based on evidence, are not formulated in a way that readily leads to implementation. This paper analyses the recent UK recommendations on obesity using a proposed implementation framework. Methods: Two bibliographic databases (Medline and Embase) and various health related and government websites were systematically searched for obesity recommendations published between 1996 and 2007. All the documents published on recommendations for either prevention or treatment of obesity in the UK were assessed. A proposed …

‘Maternal Intensive Care’: A Systematic Literature Review, An-Sofie Van Parys, Hans Verstraelen, Kristien Roelens, Marleen Temmerman

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Objective: The objective of this systematic literature review is to review current scientific knowledge on the definition of and the indications for maternal/obstetric intensive care (MIC).

Methods: We conducted a extensive search in OVID MEDLINE, EMBASE, COCHRANE, CINHAL and CEBAM using the keywords: maternal/obstetric intensive care, subacute care, intermediate care, postacute care, critical care, sub intensive care, progressive patient care, postnatal care, perinatal care, obstetrical nursing, neonatology, pregnancy, maternal mortality/morbidity and pregnancy complication. A total of 180 articles and one guideline were identified and supplemented by a hand search. After title, abstract and full text evaluation, the articles and guideline …

Hiv Prevention Through Sport: The Case Of The Mathare Youth Sport Association In Kenya., Wim Delva, Kristien Michielsen, Bert Meulders, Sandy Groeninck, Edwin Wasonga, Pauline Ajwang, Marleen Temmerman, Bart Vanreusel

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Sport has become a popular tool for HIV prevention, based on claims that it can foster life skills that are necessary to translate knowledge, attitudes and behavioural intentions into actual behaviour. Empirical evidence of the effectiveness of sport-based HIV prevention programmes is, however, sorely lacking. We therefore conducted a cross-sectional survey assessing sexual behaviour and the determinants thereof among 454 youth of the Mathare Youth Sport Association (MYSA) in Kenya and a control group of 318 non-MYSA members. Multiple (ordinal) logistic regression models were applied to measure the association between MYSA membership and attitudes, subjective norms and self-efficacy related to …

Association Of Hiv Infection With Distribution And Viral Load Of Hpv Types In Kenya: A Survey With 820 Female Sex Workers, Stanley Mf Luchters, Davy Vanden Broeck, Matthew F. Chersich, Annalene Nel, Wim Delva, Kishor Mandaliya, Christophe E. Depuydt, Patricia Claeys, John-Paul Bogers, Marleen Temmerman

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) and HIV are each responsible for a considerable burden of disease. Interactions between these infections pose substantial public health challenges, especially where HIV prevalence is high and HPV vaccine coverage low.

Methods: Between July 2005 and January 2006, a cross-sectional community-based survey in Mombasa, Kenya, enrolled female sex workers using snowball sampling. After interview and a gynaecological examination, blood and cervical cytology samples were taken. Quantitative real-time PCR detected HPV types and viral load measures. Prevalence of high-risk HPV was compared between HIV-infected and -uninfected women, and in women with abnormal cervical cytology, measured using conventional …

Perspectives On The Practice Of Vaginal Birth After Caesarean Section In East Africa, Sikolia Wanyonyi, Abraham Mukaindo, William Stones

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: The increasing Caesarean section rates being observed in most facilities will ultimately result in a larger proportion of women with previous scar. Choices need to be made by both the patient and the health worker between attempted vaginal birth after Caesarean section (VBAC) and Elective Repeat Caesarean section (ERCS). Both practices are associated with perinatal risks and benefits that call for certain objectivity and prudence in decision making especially where resources are scarce.

Objective: To determine perceptions on the practice of vaginal birth after Caesarean section among maternity service providers in East Africa.

Design: A semi-qualitative cross sectional survey …

The Utility Of Clinical Care Pathways In Determining Perinatal Outcomes For Women With One Previous Caesarean Section; A Retrospective Service Evaluation, Sikolia Wanyonyi, Robinson N. Karuga

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: The rising rates of primary caesarean section have resulted in a larger obstetric population with scarred uteri. Subsequent pregnancies in these women are risk-prone and may complicate. Besides ensuring standardised management, care pathways could be used to evaluate for perinatal outcomes in these high risk pregnancies. We aim to demonstrate the use of a care pathway for vaginal birth after caesarean section as a service evaluation tool to determine perinatal outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective service evaluation by review of delivery case notes and records was undertaken at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya between January 2008 and December …