Management of preterm birth using protocols in a low resource setting.

Background: Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal deaths and the second leading cause of death in children under five after pneumonia. The study aimed at improving the management of preterm birth through the development of protocols for standardization of care.

Methods: The study was conducted in Mulago National Referral Labor ward in two phases.

Reintegration needs of young women following genitourinary fistula surgery in Uganda.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Genitourinary fistulas (usually arising following prolonged obstructed labor) are particularly devastating for women in low-income counties. Surgical repair is often difficult and delayed. While much attention has been devoted to technical surgical issues, the challenges of returning to normal personal, family, and community life after surgical treatment have received less scrutiny from researchers.

Estimating the cost and cost-effectiveness for obstetric fistula repair in hospitals in Uganda: a low income country.

In Africa, about 33 000 cases of obstetric fistula occur each year. Women with fistula experience debilitating incontinence of urine and/or faeces and are often socially ostracized. Worldwide, Uganda ranks third among countries with the highest burden of obstetric fistula.

Aspherical high-speed varifocal mirror for miniature catadioptric objectives.

We present a varifocal mirror based on a piezo-actuated glass membrane that can be used as a secondary mirror in miniature Cassegrain-type mirror- or catadioptric objectives. The mirror section has a diameter of 10 mm on a clear membrane diameter of 23 mm, with a focal range of ±8 m and a response time on the millisecond-scale. The two piezo layers enable an aspherical tuning range that covers the elliptic, parabolic and hyperbolic regime over most of the focal range.