scholarly journals Helminth Infection Increases the Probability of Indeterminate QuantiFERON Gold in Tube Results in Pregnant Women

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawit Gebreegziabiher ◽  
Kassu Desta ◽  
Rawleigh Howe ◽  
Markos Abebe
Keyword(s):  
Helminth Infection ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
World Population ◽  
Indeterminate Result ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Helminth Infections ◽  
Three Samples ◽  
Mycobacterial Antigens ◽  
Pregnant Mothers

Background.Approximately one-third of the world population is infected withM. tuberculosisand helminths (Kariminia et al. (2009), Walson et al. (2010)). Pregnancy and Helminth infection are known to suppress theTH1response (Kariminia et al. (2009), Elias et al. (2006)) on which the QuantiFERON Gold in Tube (QFT-GIT) assay, that measures the released IFN-γuponin vitrostimulation with mycobacterial antigens, relies on (Thomas et al. (2010)).Objective.To determine whether QFT-GIT indeterminate result is significantly associated with helminth infection or not.Methods.In this cross-sectional study, eighty-five pregnant mothers were screened for parasitic and LTBI using Kato-Katz and QFT-GIT test-respectively,Result.The prevalence of helminth infection in pregnant mothers was 23 (27%) of this 17 (20%) was due toSchistosoma mansoni. Among the total of 85 study participants 26.8% were QFT-GIT positive and 14 (17%) had indeterminate results. Three samples (21.4%) were randomly selected from the indeterminate QFT-GIT results and retested to check the reproducibility of the assay and remained indeterminate. QFT-GIT indeterminate result showed significant association with helminth infection.Conclusion.Helminth infections were significantly associated with indeterminate QFT-GIT results in pregnant mothers. Therefore further study is important to evaluate the possible effect of helminth infection by excluding the effect of pregnancy, as pregnancy also downregulates cellular immunity.

scholarly journals Lack of Consistent Association between Asthma, Allergic Diseases and Intestinal Helminth Infection in School-Aged Children in the Province of Bengo, Angola

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 6156
Author(s):  
Margarete Arrais ◽  
Ofélia Lulua ◽  
Francisca Quifica ◽  
José Rosado-Pinto ◽  
Jorge M. R. Gama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helminth Infection ◽  
Allergic Diseases ◽  
Specific Ige ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Intestinal Helminth ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Positive Skin ◽  
Helminth Infections ◽  
The Relationship

Epidemiological studies have shown conflicting findings on the relationship between asthma, atopy, and intestinal helminth infections. There are no such studies from Angola; therefore, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between asthma, allergic diseases, atopy, and intestinal helminth infection in Angolan schoolchildren. We performed a cross-sectional study of schoolchildren between September and November 2017. Five schools (three urban, two rural) were randomly selected. Asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema were defined by appropriate symptoms in the previous 12 months: atopy was defined by positive skin prick tests (SPT) or aeroallergen-specific IgE; intestinal helminths were detected by faecal sample microscopy. In total, 1023 children were evaluated (48.4% female; 57.6% aged 10–14 years; 60.5% urban). Asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis, or eczema were present in 9%, 6%, and 16% of the studies children, respectively. Only 8% of children had positive SPT, but 64% had positive sIgE. Additionally, 40% were infected with any intestinal helminth (A. lumbricoides 25.9%, T. trichiura 7.6%, and H. nana 6.3%). There were no consistent associations between intestinal helminth infections and asthma, allergic diseases, or atopy, except for A. lumbricoides, which was inversely associated with rhinoconjuctivitis and directly associated with aeroallergen-specific IgE. We concluded that, overall, intestinal helminth infections were not consistently associated with allergic symptoms or atopy. Future, preferably longitudinal, studies should collect more detailed information on helminth infections as part of clusters of environmental determinants of allergies.

MORBIDITY PATTERN AMONG ADOLESCENT SCHOOL GIRLS IN RURAL AND URBAN SCHOOL OF JHANSI (U.P.)- A COMPARATIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shubhanshu Gupta ◽  
Sanjeev Kumar ◽  
Piyush D Swami ◽  
Anjana Niranjan
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
World Population ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Rural And Urban

Background: According to World Health Organization, adolescents constitute about one fifth of the world population, and in India they constitute about 21% of the total population. Most of the surveys show that health status of adolescent girls is at sub-optimal level. Objectives: To assess nutritional status and morbidity pattern among the adolescent girls and to suggest measures for improvement of health status of adolescent girls.  Method: A community based cross-sectional study was carried out among 250 adolescent schoolgirls in Rural and urban field practice area of Jhansi school from January 2017 to July 2014. Results: Among the various morbidities eye problem was seen in maximum no of adolescent girls. Eye problem was present in 44.8% of adolescent girls followed by respiratory 14.7% and ear 13.06% disease. Skin disease was present in 3.2% of adolescent girls, which was more in rural girls 6.7% than in urban girls 1.7%, may be due to better hygienic practice in urban schoolgirls. Conclusions: Rural background, low socioeconomic status, illiteracy, birth rate and order, income and number of members in a family have shown to be significant determinants of morbidity pattern in the adolescent girls. Keywords: Adolescent, anemia, morbidity, vaginal discharge.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 Home Confinement in Children’s Refractive Errors

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5347
Author(s):  
Cristina Alvarez-Peregrina ◽  
Clara Martinez-Perez ◽  
Cesar Villa-Collar ◽  
Cristina Andreu-Vázquez ◽  
Alicia Ruiz-Pomeda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
World Population ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
Visual Screening ◽  
Near Work ◽  
The Impact

Background: Myopia is a public health problem, with estimations that 50% of the world population will be myopic by 2050. Some environmental factors, such as time spent outdoors, doing near work, and using digital devices, influence the development of myopia in children. Home confinement in Spain has increased these risk factors, so this study aims to investigate the impact of home confinement during the COVID-19 outbreak in the vision of school-aged children; Methods: A cross-sectional study in children between 5 and 7 years old that completed a visual screening and a questionnaire about their lifestyles at opticians in Spain in September and October of 2019 and 2020. Statistical analysis to compare lifestyles pre and post confinement, and vision in 2020 versus a similar cohort examined at the same opticians in 2019, was conducted; Results: Spanish children spent less time outdoors and more time doing near work in 2020 than in 2019 (p ≤ 0.001). There was a significant decrease of the spherical equivalent (mean ± standard deviation; 0.66 ± 2.03 D in 2019 vs. 0.48 ± 1.81 D in 2020; p ≤ 0.001); Conclusions: Lifestyles of Spanish children changed during the home confinement at the beginning of 2020. Together with changes in their lifestyles, spherical equivalents have decreased, which implies higher figures of myopia for children aged between 5 and 7.

scholarly journals Depression and anxiety among pregnant mothers in the initial stage of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the southwest of Iran

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Najmeh Maharlouei ◽  
Pedram Keshavarz ◽  
Niloufar Salemi ◽  
Kamran B. Lankarani
Keyword(s):  
Short Form ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Medical Histories ◽  
Southwest Of Iran ◽  
Maternity Clinics ◽  
Abnormal Level ◽  
Pregnant Mothers

Abstract ‌Background Women are at a higher risk for depression progression, especially during pregnancy. The current study purposed to investigate depression, anxiety, and stress levels of pregnant mothers in the initial stage of the COVID-19 infection in the southwest of Iran. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted during March and April, 2020, in Shiraz, Iran. Pregnant mothers registered in maternity clinics affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences were included. An online self-administered checklist was used. It included socio-demographic, obstetric and medical histories, and the short form of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) to evaluate depression, anxiety, and stress. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results In total, 540 pregnant mothers answered the questionnaire. 83.5% had no comorbidity. Abnormal depression scores were significantly higher in those who had no insurance (OR = 2.5) and in those with poor self-rated health (SRH) (OR = 27.8). Pregnant mothers with lower SRH and two or more comorbidities had a higher chance of having an abnormal level of anxiety subscale (6.9, 3.7 times, retrospectively). Conclusion The results revealed that an abnormal level of depression was associated with SRH and medical insurance status. Moreover, the number of comorbidities and poor SRH significantly increased the chance of achieving abnormal anxiety levels in pregnant mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Time to Positivity of Bacteria Cultures in Peritoneal Dialysis Fluid: Evaluation of Different Laboratory Techniques

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 342-344
Author(s):  
Roberta M. Katzap ◽  
Vany Elisa Pagnussatti ◽  
Ana Elizabeth Figueiredo ◽  
Julia Gabriela Motta ◽  
Domingos O. d'Avila ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peritoneal Dialysis ◽  
Peritoneal Fluid ◽  
Antibiotic Sensitivity ◽  
Positive Culture ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Peritoneal Dialysis Fluid

Patients with chronic kidney disease on peritoneal dialysis (PD) are susceptible to infections, with peritonitis being the primary cause of dropout. Peritoneal fluid culture is one of the essential elements for proper diagnosis and peritonitis treatment. The aim of this study was to compare the time required to obtain a positive culture using different laboratory methods. An in vitro cross-sectional study was conducted comparing different techniques for preparation and culture of bacteria in peritoneal fluid. The research was carried out with 21 sterile dialysis bags and 21 PD bags containing peritoneal fluid drained from patients without peritonitis. Fluids from the 42 PD bags were contaminated by injecting a coagulase-negative Staphylococcus suspension and then prepared for culture using 4 distinct techniques: A - direct culture; B - post-centrifugation culture; C - direct culture after 4 h sedimentation; and D - culture after 4 h sedimentation and centrifugation. This was followed by seeding. In the 21 contaminated sterile bags, mean times to obtain a positive culture with techniques D (19.6 h ± 2.6) and C (19.1 h ± 2.3) were longer than with technique A (15.8 h ± 3.0; p < 0.01), but not statistically different from group B (19.0 h ± 3.2). The same occurred in the 21 bags drained from patients, with mean times for techniques D (14.0 h ± 1.9) and C (14.5 h ± 1.7) being longer than technique A (12.22 h ± 1.94; p < 0.05) but not statistically different from technique B (13.2 h ± 1.3). The sedimentation and centrifugation steps seem to be unnecessary and may delay antibiotic sensitivity test results by approximately 8 hours.

scholarly journals Survey of iodine deficiency and intestinal parasitic infections in school-going children: Bie Province, Angola

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1314-1318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Tomlinson ◽  
Vera Adams ◽  
Mickey Chopra ◽  
Pieter Jooste ◽  
Emmerentia Strydom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iodine Deficiency ◽  
International Health ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Parasitic Infections ◽  
Intestinal Protozoa ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Helminth Infections ◽  
Stool Samples ◽  
The Government

AbstractObjectiveTo obtain baseline pre-intervention prevalence levels of iodine deficiency and parasitic and helminth infections in school-going children in Bie Province, Angola.DesignA cross-sectional study conducted in randomly selected schools. The target population was children aged 6–10 years.SettingBie Province, Angola.SubjectsA total of 1029 children sampled, with 791 stool samples and 826 urine samples collected from twenty-four schools.ResultsWidespread severe and moderate deficiencies in iodine. Children in five schools were severely iodine deficient. All sampled schoolchildren were iodine deficient to a greater or lesser extent. In all, 80 % of all children across the twenty-four schools were infected with one or a combination of intestinal helminths and intestinal protozoa.ConclusionsThese findings have serious implications for the cognitive development of Angolan children, as well as for Angola’s development in terms of productivity and economic potential. It is strongly recommended that the provincial and national Ministries of Health, in collaboration with international health agencies, immediately plan and implement a strategy to provide sufficient iodine through iodised oil capsules and iodised salt to the iodine-deficient population. National coalitions need to be strengthened among the government, partners and salt producers. It is also recommended that all the children in schools be de-wormed for multiple helminth species at least twice a year.

scholarly journals HIV infection is associated with reduced serum alpha-1-antitrypsin concentrations

2010 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney L Bryan ◽  
K Scott Beard ◽  
Gregory B Pott ◽  
Jeremy Rahkola ◽  
Edward M Gardner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Fluid Phase ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Infected Group ◽  
Cd4 T Cell ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
Alpha 1 Antitrypsin

Purpose: Several observations suggest the presence of HIV-suppressive factors in the fluid phase of blood. Alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT), the most abundant serine protease inhibitor in the circulation, has potent anti-HIV activity in vitro, and may function as an endogenous HIV suppressor. Therefore, we assessed serum AAT concentrations for association with HIV infection. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, serum AAT concentrations were measured in 66 persons with HIV infection and in 45 healthy persons (Controls). In the HIV-infected group, antiretroviral therapy (ART) use was assessed and CD4+ T cell levels and plasma HIV RNA were quantified. Results: Median AAT concentration was significantly lower in the HIV-infected group (1.64 mg/mL) in comparison with Controls (1.94 mg/mL; p=0.001). AAT reduction was most pronounced in the HIV-infected subgroup with CD4+ T cell levels > 200 cells/µL in comparison with Controls (p < 0.01). Serum AAT concentrations < 1.0 mg/mL are clinically significant, and concentrations below this level were identified in 4.5% of the HIV-infected group and in no Control subjects. No association between AAT levels and viral load or use of ART was observed in HIV-infected subjects. Conclusion: The association between reduced serum AAT concentration and HIV infection is consistent with a role for AAT as an endogenous HIV suppressor.

scholarly journals The challenges in control COVID-19 in Injibera, Awi Zone, North East Amhara, Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alemayehu Amsalu
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
P Value ◽  
World Population ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Housing Status ◽  
North East ◽  
Control Virus

Abstract Background: In the globe, on April 2021, 130 million coronavirus cases, around 2.8 million were deaths, 102 million were recovered and 105.2 million were closed cases of COVID-19 reported. On April 2021, the world population were 7.9 billion of which United Nations estimates were 1.65% COVID-19 cases included the Ethiopia in report. The main objective of the study was identify the challenges of in control COVID-19.Methods: The cross-sectional study design was used November to February 2021 in Injibera from Ethiopia. The total 385 respondents using simple random sampling were interviewed. The chi-square test of association and ordinal logistic regression was applied to identify the effect of predictor variables on challenges in control COVID-19.Results: Out of 385 respondents 277(71.95%) were high challenges in control COVID-19 in Injibera. There was a significant relationship with social media and challenges of in control virus (p-value = 0.047). The variables considered social media, housing status and influence were significant relationship with challenges of in control virus (p-value < 5%). Facebook users were the responsible causes of challenges in control COVID-19 (p-value = 0.023). The more social media followed, decreased the occurrence of challenges in control virus. In addition, a unit increase rented, the challenges in control virus decreased by 0.60 times (p-value = 0.009).Conclusion: Winning against the coronavirus together with world couldn’t be a marathon. COVID-19 couldn’t be won without collective global and local effort. It would also need serious thinking, discipline and war against the only virus. COVID-19 war needs in control, the globe should be faced free, coordination and discover scientific methods together.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document