The HIV continuum of care in the Bahamas in 2014.

Objective: The HIV cascade of care describes the spectrum of engagement in HIV care from diagnosis to viral suppression (VS). The study objective was to develop a baseline HIV cascade of care for new HIV diagnoses in the Bahamas in 2014.

Methods: Individuals who were newly diagnosed with HIV in 2014 and known to be alive within a year of that diagnosis were included in the cascade of care (n = 250).

Impact of the 'Providing Access to Continued Education' Programme on Repeat Teenage Pregnancy in the Bahamas.

Objective: To determine the relationship of determinants such as age, ethnicity, education and sexual behaviour with repeat teenage pregnancy and to determine the impact of 'Providing Access to Continued Education' (PACE) programme in reducing repeat teenage pregnancy amongst its participants in The Bahamas.

Subjects And Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 397 attendees of the Adolescent Health Centre (AHC). Eighty-eight out of 139 registered participants completed the PACE programme.

The Prevalence of Elevated Blood Pressure in Adolescents in Nassau, The Bahamas.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of elevated blood pressure (EBP) in Bahamian adolescents.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey employing a self-administered questionnaire, and concurrently obtaining anthropometric measurements, was conducted involving selected grades 9, 10 and 11 students of all targeted public high schools in The Bahamas.

Results: The mean age of the 785 participants was 14.

Colorectal anastomotic leakage at the university hospital of the west indies: an analysis of risk factors.

Background: Anastomotic leakage remains a concern in general surgical practice. The significance lies in the resultant abdominal sepsis, related morbidity and mortality, risk of anastomotic loss, permanent stoma creation and the effect on local recurrence and overall patient survival in colorectal cancer cases.

Objectives: This study serves to determine the leak rates and the mortality thereof related to colonic and rectal anastomoses at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in Kingston, Jamaica.

Association between Obesity and Impaired Glucose Tolerance in New Providence Adolescents as Demonstrated by the HbA1c Test.

Objective: To explore the association between obesity and the development of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in Bahamian adolescents.

Methods: Eight hundred and seventy-three adolescents were randomly selected from five high schools in New Providence. Each student's weight, height, and waist and hip circumferences were recorded to determine body mass index (BMI).

A survey of patients with substance use disorders at government treatment facilities in the Bahamas.

Objective: To determine the sociodemographic information and characteristics of patients aged 18-60 years diagnosed with substance use disorders presenting to the three government treatment facilities. To determine the prevalence rates of alcohol, cannabis, cocaine and poly-substance use disorders in patients presenting to government treatment facilities.

Methods: The Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) Axis 1 disorders was the first instrument used to screen for drug abuse or dependence.

Severe sepsis in the emergency department - an observational cohort study from the university hospital of the West Indies.

Objective: To describe the incidence, treatment and outcomes of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock in a setting where early goal directed therapy (EGDT) is not routinely performed.

Method: An observational study of all adult patients admitted from the emergency department (ED) of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) with a diagnosis of severe sepsis and septic shock from July 5, 2007 to September 1, 2008 was conducted. Baseline parameters, treatment patterns and in-hospital outcomes were evaluated.

HIV/AIDS knowledge and sexual behaviour among junior high school students in New Providence, Bahamas.

Objective: To determine accuracy of knowledge and sexual behaviour patterns of junior high school students in New Providence towards HIV/AIDS and identify gender variations.

Methods: A cross-sectional study with cluster sampling of classrooms was undertaken at two schools utilizing a questionnaire. SPSS was used for statistical analysis.

Propofol sedation in patients undergoing colonoscopy in Jamaica.

Background: Propofol sedation is increasingly used for colonoscopy and may be associated with increased satisfaction and efficiency in diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy. However propofol has a relatively narrow therapeutic window as it frequently produces deep sedation, and can precipitate respiratory depression.

Aim: To determine the efficacy, safety and patient satisfaction with propofol sedation in patients undergoing colonoscopy at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI).

Febrile neutropaenia in cancer patients.

Backgrounds: Febrile neutropaenia is a common complication of chemotherapy in cancer patients. Empirical antibiotic regimes are based on the epidemiological characteristics of bacterial isolates globally and locally.

Method: This study retrospectively reviewed all cases of febrile neutropaenia in patients with confirmed cancer admitted at the University Hospital of the West Indies in the four-year period between, January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2006 and who received chemotherapy.

Dynamics of antibiotic usage in the intensive care unit at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

Objective: To determine antibiotic usage patterns in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI).

Method: A cross-sectional, analytical study of consecutive patients admitted to the ICU was conducted between July and December 2007. Exclusion criteria were HIV-positive patients, patients < 12 years and those discharged or who died within 48 hours of admission.

Prevalence of needlestick injuries and other high risk exposures among healthcare workers in Jamaica.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of needlestick injuries (NSIs) and other high risk exposures among healthcare workers at two hospitals in Jamaica.

Methods: Employing a cross-sectional study design, medical personnel (physicians, nurses) at two hospitals in Jamaica, were studied, utilizing a structured questionnaire consisting of 14 items to collect data on needle stick injuries and other injuries.

Results: There were 67 needlestick injuries in 47 persons.

Knowledge and practice of occupational infection control among healthcare workers in Jamaica.

Objective: To assess the knowledge, compliance and practice among healthcare workers of occupational infection control at two hospitals in Jamaica.

Methods: Employing a cross-sectional study design, medical personnel (physicians and nurses) at two hospitals in Jamaica, were studied, utilizing a structured questionnaire consisting of 14 items to collect the data.

Results: Participants considered the following fluids, not blood stained, high risk for HIV transmission: breast milk (79%), saliva (14%), urine (27%), pleural fluid (53%), CSF (55%), synovial fluid (37%), faeces (27%), peritoneal fluid (53%) and vomitus (21%).

Chronic regulation of colonic epithelial secretory function by activation of G protein-coupled receptors.

Background: Enteric neurotransmitters that act at G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are well known to acutely promote epithelial Cl(-) and fluid secretion. Here we examined if acute GPCR activation might have more long-term consequences for epithelial secretory function.

Methods: Cl(-) secretion was measured as changes in short-circuit current across voltage-clamped T(84) colonic epithelial cells.

Commonly used botanicals and vitamins and their impact on blood pressure and blood loss in surgical gynaecology patients.

We wanted to determine botanical and vitamin use in surgical gynaecology patients at UHWI and their effects on blood pressure and blood loss. The study was prospective and observational. Before elective surgery, we evaluated 133 patients on the use of botanicals and vitamins.

Cholelithiasis on imaging--an analysis of clinical presentations by age and gender in a Jamaican population.

Objective: This study is a descriptive analysis of the clinical presentations in which cholelithiasis was diagnosed on imaging over a five-year period at the University Hospital of the West Indies, Jamaica and how the clinical presentation varied with age and gender.

Method: A retrospective review was done of all cases of cholelithiasis recorded in the reports of the Radiology section during the period January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2006. Patients' age and gender were noted.

The impact of helmets on motorcycle head trauma at a tertiary hospital in Jamaica.

Background: Although the Jamaica road traffic act mandates motorcycle riders to wear approved helmets, opponents suggest that the local road conditions obviate any benefits from helmet use that have been proven in Developed countries. They suggest that the narrow, winding, poorly surfaced, congested local highways do not allow motorcyclists to sustain high velocity travel. The accidents then tend to occur at lower speeds and are accompanied by less severe injuries.

Sociocultural deterrents to mammographic screening in Jamaica.

Objective: Less than five per cent of eligible Jamaican women had mammograms in 2003. The sociocultural determinants and the perceptual barriers modulating screening behaviour in Jamaican women are unclear. We sought to investigate sociocultural effects, in particular knowledge and fear of the procedure on mammographic screening behaviour in Jamaican women.

Access surgery for hemodialysis in the Cayman Islands: Preliminary results of a vascular access service.

Objective: In the Cayman Islands, a vascular access service was created in 2005 to facilitate the creation of vascular access for hemodialysis by local surgeons. The present retrospective audit aims to establish the outcomes of this practice in the Cayman Islands.

Methods: Data from the operative log of the Cayman Islands Hospital was collected over a period of 36 months.

Association among health habits, risk factors, and all-cause mortality in a black California population.

We evaluated dietary and other risk factors in a black California cohort. Baseline data were gathered in 1974 and 1976, and mortality follow-up continued through 1985. A study census questionnaire was returned from 3,299 subjects who lived in a household containing at least one Seventh-Day Adventist.

Effectiveness of various medications on postoperative pain following root canal obturation.

This prospective study compared the effectiveness of nine medications and a placebo in controlling pain following obturation. A total of 588 patients who required root canal obturation were included. After obturation of root canals, each patient took one of the medications, salicylic acid (2 x 250 mg), acetaminophen (2 x 250 mg), ibuprofen (2 x 250 mg), ketoprofen (2 x 250 mg), acetaminophen (2 x 250 mg) plus codeine (2 x 250 mg), penicillin (2 x 250 mg), erythromycin base (2 x 250 mg), penicillin plus ibuprofen (2 x 250 mg), methylprednisolone (2 x 250 mg) plus penicillin (2 x 250 mg), or a placebo, every 6 h for 72 h.

Effectiveness of various medications on postoperative pain following complete instrumentation.

The root canals of 588 consecutive nonsurgical patients with varying levels of pain were completely instrumented in 10 endodontic practices and 4 endodontic graduate programs. The participants were sequentially assigned to one of nine medications and a placebo. The severity of pain was assessed by the visual analog scale for 72 h following instrumentation.