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Biomedical subjects

Y Endeshaw

Publications and source records attributed to Y Endeshaw.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Learning through community participation: immunization program at an elementary school.

Many universities are establishing programs to bring health professions students, faculty, and communities together to address the communities' needs using public health models and tools. Such partnerships provide students with the opportunity to put into practice what they learn in the classroom, work together in interdisciplinary teams, and provide communities with access to preventive care and health education. The authors describe the experience of the partnership developed between a Washington, D.C., elementary school and a group of students from the schools of medicine, nursing, and public health and health services of the George Washington University and George Mason University. Working with both an academic preceptor and a community preceptor, the students assessed the schoolchildren's immunization status; prepared informational packets for parents; and organized and conducted an immunization fair at the elementary school. The authors describe how the program was implemented, the results of the program, and lessons learned.

Child↗

Efficient isolation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNA from cervical swabs.

An efficient method for the isolation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) nucleic acids from dry cervical swabs was developed. HIV-1 gag and env were detected in 96% (25 of 26) and 81% (21 of 26), respectively, of the samples tested by PCR from HIV-1-seropositive women in a Kenyan cohort study. Eighty-eight percent of the swabs (22 of 25) were positive for gag RNA, and 85% (17 of 20) were positive for env RNA. Fewer than 1,000 copies of HIV-1 gag RNA were detected in four swabs in which a competitive quantitative PCR assay was used. The method described here may be useful for both qualitative and quantitative analyses of HIV RNA in mucosal secretions as well as amplification and cloning of full-length viral genes for functional studies.

Cervix Uteri↗

The epidemiology of lathyrism in north and central Ethiopia.

Lathyrism is a neurotoxic disorder caused by excessive, prolonged consumption of the hardy, environmentally tolerant legume, the grass-pea, Lathyrus sativus, which contains the neurotoxic amino acid beta-N-oxalylamino-L-alanine acid (BOAA). The disease develops after heavy consumption of grass-pea for over two months. It is uniformly manifested by a predominantly motor spastic paraparesis with varying degrees of disability. A door-to-door epidemiological survey for the disease using trained lay health workers was carried out in the major areas of northwest and central Ethiopia where L. sativus is grown. For security reasons, some of the other endemic areas wre not accessible for the survey. The survey involved a population of 1,011,272. A total of 3,026 affected persons were identified. The disease was found to be widespread in the northwest and central highland areas of the country. The prevalence rates ranged from 1/10,000 to 7.5/1,000. The highest prevalences were in North and South Gonder, and East and West Gojam. The male:female ratio of cases was 2.6:1; the females exhibited a milder form of the disease. The cultivation of L. sativus is increasing in Ethiopia, which makes the development of low-BOAA strains very important in order to control the high incidence of lathyrism, a crippling disease which affects the productive young members of the society.

Adolescent↗

Malaria in pregnancy: clinical features and outcome of treatment.

Over two consecutive malaria seasons in 1987 and 1988, 37 patients were admitted to the Gonder College Hospital with malaria in pregnancy. In 10 patients the diagnosis was missed initially and delayed for up to 72 hours after admission. The differential diagnoses considered on first line included incomplete abortion, labour, postpartum haemorrhage, and fulminant hepatitis in pregnancy. Twelve patients (32.4%) died, five of these died undelivered. Fifteen pregnancies (40.5%) ended up in abortion, preterm delivery with early neonatal death and still birth. This study has shown that malaria in pregnancy can have different clinical manifestations that may mislead the physician. This may delay the diagnosis and initiation of treatment which may have a fatal outcome for both the mother and the baby.

Adolescent↗

Clinical and laboratory features of severe and complicated falciparum malaria the experience from Gonder Hospital.

Over a period of 6 months in 1988, 104 patients with severe and complicated falciparum malaria were admitted to the Gonder College Hospital (GCH), Gonder, Ethiopia; 85 male (81.7%) and 19 female (18.3%). The age ranged between 14 and 70 years with a mean age of 31 years. Eighty-one patients (78.3%) had moved from a nonendemic to a malariaendemic area shortly before their illness. Altered state of consciousness, hyperparasitaemia and severe anaemia were the most frequent complications found. Fifty-three patients (51.0%) died. Non-immune status and unknown duration of symptoms were significantly associated with mortality. Among those who died, comatose state on admission, hyperparasitaemia and acute renal failure were more frequently seen. Forty-six (86.8%) had developed two or more complications and 15 (28.3%) had superimposed bacterial infections. Inadequate preventive measures and treatment facilities may be two important factors accounting for the high mortality.

Adolescent↗

Cerebral malaria. Factors affecting outcome of treatment in a suboptimal clinical setting.

Over a period of 6 months, 109 patients were admitted to the medical wards of the Gondar College Hospital with malaria. Out of these, 26 patients (24.8%) had cerebral malaria as defined by the WHO Malaria Action Programme 1986. Fifteen of the 26 patients (57.7%) died. Longer duration of unconsciousness before coming to the hospital, hyperparasitaemia, oliguria, recurrent hypoglycaemia and convulsions were found to be significantly associated with mortality.

Adult↗

The role of milk and lactose intolerance in Ethiopian patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia: a case control study.

Milk intolerance, lactose intolerance and non-ulcer dyspepsia are common among Ethiopians. This study, therefore, was designed to find out if milk intolerance associated with lactase deficiency account for non-ulcer dyspepsia. Ninety-eight patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia and 95 controls were examined and interviewed for demographic data and milk drinking habits. Then each had a lactose tolerance test (LTT), stool examination for pH, ova and parasites. The demographic characteristics and the number of milk drinkers were comparable in the 2 groups. However, milk intolerance and lactose intolerance were significantly higher among the patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia than among the control group (p less than 0.01, p less than 0.05 respectively). The combination of milk intolerance, lactose intolerance and LTT was also significantly different (p less than 0.01). The mean stool pH was markedly reduced after lactose ingestion and there were more ova and parasites in the stools of the control group. These observations suggest that milk intolerance and/or lactose intolerance account significantly for the symptoms of the patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia. However, since lactose intolerance and abnormal LTT are very common among adult Ethiopians symptoms related to the drinking of milk should be interpreted with caution vis-a-vis the results of the lactose loading test.

Adolescent↗