RESULTS: The overall prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium was 12.9%, whereas that of Schistosoma mansoni was 2.95%. Additionally, the males had higher prevalence (60%) of S. mansoni than females (40%). However, both gender were equally infected with S. haematobium (50%). With regard to risk factors, distance of residence from water source and source of drinking water are relatively associated with the infection.
METHODS: This is a retrospective comparative cohort study design. Two hundred and fifty Malaysian women were part of a previous study examining the prevalence of PND in a multiracial country and the effects of postnatal rituals. All women were at least 6 weeks post-partum when asked to complete the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Sociodemographic and birth data were obtained.
RESULTS: Data collected were divided into two groups: 55 emergency delivery and 191 non-emergency delivery. There were four missing data. There was no significant difference in the mean age, parity, gestational period, baby birthweight, 5 min baby Apgar score and EPDS scores of the two groups. However, the analysis of PND indicated that women with emergency delivery had a relative risk of 1.81 compared with women with non-emergency delivery. The comparison of the two groups using chi2 indicated a significant (chi2 = 3.94, d.f. = 1, P = 0.04) increase in the presence of PND in the emergency delivery.
CONCLUSION: When compared with women having non-emergency delivery, women having emergency delivery had about twice the risk of developing PND. Special attention to this group appears warranted.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the pattern of gestational weight gain (GWG) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and their risk factors among a cohort of Emirati and Arab women residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A secondary objective was to investigate pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and its socio-demographic correlates among study participants.
METHODS: Data of 256 pregnant women participating in the cohort study, the Mother-Infant Study Cohort (MISC) were used in this study. Healthy pregnant mothers with no history of chronic diseases were interviewed during their third trimester in different hospitals in UAE. Data were collected using interviewer-administered multi-component questionnaires addressing maternal sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics. Maternal weight, weight gain, and GDM were recorded from the hospital medical records.
RESULTS: Among the study participants, 71.1% had inadequate GWG: 31.6% insufficient and 39.5% excessive GWG. 19.1% reported having GDM and more than half of the participants (59.4%) had a pre-pregnancy BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. The findings of the multiple multinomial logistic regression showed that multiparous women had decreased odds of excessive gain as compared to primiparous [odds ratio (OR): 0.17; 95% CI: 0.05-0.54]. Furthermore, women with a pre-pregnancy BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 had increased odds of excessive gain (OR: 2.23; 95%CI: 1.00-5.10) as compared to those with pre-pregnancy BMI risk of having GDM (OR: 2.37; 95%CI: 1.10-5.12). As for the associations of women's characteristics with pre-pregnancy BMI, age and regular breakfast consumption level were significant predictors of higher pre-pregnancy BMI.
CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed alarming prevalence rates of inadequate, mainly excessive, GWG and GDM among the MISC participants. Pre-pregnancy BMI was found a risk factor for both of these conditions (GWG and GDM). In addition, age and regular breakfast consumption were significant determinants of pre-pregnancy BMI. Healthcare providers are encouraged to counsel pregnant women to maintain normal body weight before and throughout pregnancy by advocating healthy eating and increased physical activity in order to reduce the risk of excessive weight gain and its associated complications.
AIM: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between -174 G>C IL-6 polymorphism gene on the level of IL-6 and CRP in the population of western Indonesia obese who are obese.
METHODS: In this study, we examined 178 subjects consisting of 89 who are obese with BMI> 25, and controls with BMI between 18.5 and 23. Fasting blood was taken from each subject for the examination of IL-6 and CRP levels by the ELISA method. Determination of genotype -174 G>C IL-6 gene was examined by Polymerase Chain reaction- Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) methods.
RESULTS: The results of this study showed increased levels of IL-6 and CRP in the obese group compared to the controls. In the obese group, CC genotype had higher CRP and lower IL-6 levels than the GC and GG genotypes. The frequency of CC genotype in the obese group was 47.2% compared with 28.1% in controls and this genotype was considered a risk factor for obesity. Carriers of the C genotype as a dominant or a recessive model had greater risk of obesity.
CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the polymorphism - 174G>C IL-6 gene is a risk factor for obesity and is associated with increased levels of IL-6 and CRP in an obese group of the Western Indonesian ethnic population.
METHODS: A PubMed search was performed on HIV or acquired immune deficiency syndrome together with a search for specific vaccines. Review of the literature was performed to develop recommendations on vaccinations for HIV-positive travellers to high-risk destinations.
RESULTS: The immune responses to several vaccines are reduced in HIV-positive people. In the case of vaccines for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, pneumococcus, meningococcus and yellow fever there is a good body of data in the literature showing reduced immune responsiveness and also to help guide appropriate vaccination strategies. For other vaccines like Japanese encephalitis, rabies, typhoid fever, polio and cholera the data are not as robust; however, it is still possible to gain some understanding of the reduced responses seen with these vaccines.
CONCLUSION: This review provides a summary of the immunological responses to commonly used vaccines for the HIV-positive travellers. This information will help guide travel medicine practitioners in making decisions about vaccination and boosting of travellers with HIV.
METHODS: Intervention studies published in English between 2000 and August 2018 were retrieved from PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science using various keywords.
RESULTS: This article is a review of 36 studies conducted in 13 different countries which included a total of 15,931 participants between 19 and 70 years of age. The effect of 26 genes and 64 SNPs on the reduction of body weight and metabolic risk factors in response to diet, exercise, and lifestyle interventions was reviewed.
CONCLUSION: Gene-lifestyle interaction studies on the same candidate gene in different populations have reported information which is challenging to interpret. Thus, it is difficult to arrive at a particular model for a strategy on weight management at this point in time. Most of the intervention studies focus on the effect of variants of a single candidate gene on weight loss. Further evidence from large-scale studies is necessary to assess the effect of multiple candidate genes to compute a gene score that could be used in a model intervention programme. Our review suggests that a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and regular physical activity will benefit individuals who carry the risk alleles of the obesity-related candidate genes. This message should be the mainstay of the recommendations and guidelines published by nutrition societies across the world.
Methods: A cross-sectional study with a cross-sectional methodology was done in selected places from August 2018 to December 2018. We interviewed 197 participants aged equal to or more than 18 years old and measured their blood pressure (BP). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were applied.
Results: The overall HTN prevalence of 30.0% was recorded. The differences of HTN prevalence rates were seen by several characters including age groups (p <0.001), accompanying disease (p <0.001) and alcohol drinking (p <0.05). Factors independently associated with hypertension were age (ORs: 3.1 [1.1-9.1]; 6.1 [1.7-22.3]), much salty consumption (OR: 2.6 [1.1-6.6]), alcohol use (OR: 3.1 [1.2-8.1]), HTN familial history (OR: 4.2 [1.3-13.3]) and at least one suffering disease (OR: 5.2 [2.1-12.7]).
Conclusions: Thus, this study highlighted the high overall HTN prevalence in the Vietnam Northwestern region. Significant differences of HTN rate were observed among several characteristics such as age groups, accompanying disease and alcohol drinking. Age group, much salty consumption, alcohol use, hypertension familial history and at least one suffering disease were risk factors for HTN in study group.
Objectives: This study describes an unusual septicaemia cases with Janthinobacterium lividum in neonatal Intensive Care Units.
Methods: Bacterial causes of early onset neonatal sepsis in Kuala Lumpur Hospital Malaysia were investigated using broad range 16S rDNA PCR and sequencing. The bacterial DNA was isolated directly from blood without pre-incubation. All samples collected were equally cultured and incubated in automated BACTEC system.
Results: Two hundred and fifty two neonates were recruited in this study with mean (SD) gestational age of 35.9. Neonates with J. lividum infection lacked microbiological evidence of septicaemia as their blood culture yielded no bacterial growth. However, the PCR analysis of these samples yielded 1100bp corresponding to bacteria species.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates the value of PCR in detecting bacteria where special growth requirement is involved.