Frequency and spectrum of outpatient musculoskeletal diagnoses at a pediatric hospital in Kenya.

Chronic pediatric musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are a major cause of morbidity. The burden of pediatric rheumatic diseases in East Africa is largely unknown. The purposes of this study were to estimate frequencies and assess the spectrum of MSK-related diagnoses using ICD-10 diagnostic codes among outpatients at a pediatric hospital in Kenya and to evaluate the accuracy of the assigned codes used for the 'arthropathies' category.

Cystic Echinococcosis in Turkana, Kenya: The Role of Cross-Sectional Screening Surveys in Assessing the Prevalence of Human Infection.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a neglected zoonotic disease caused by . Infection leads to formation of cysts within the viscera of the human host. In the 1980s, the transhumant population of northwest Turkana, Kenya, was found to have the highest prevalence of CE in the world.

The spectrum of rheumatic in-patient diagnoses at a pediatric hospital in Kenya.

Background: Pediatric rheumatic diseases are chronic illnesses that can cause considerable disease burden to children and their families. There is limited epidemiologic data on these diseases in East Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the spectrum of pediatric rheumatic diagnoses in an in-patient setting and determine the accuracy of ICD-10 codes in identifying these conditions.

Prevalence and correlates of treatment failure among Kenyan children hospitalised with severe community-acquired pneumonia: a prospective study of the clinical effectiveness of WHO pneumonia case management guidelines.

Objective: To determine the extent and pattern of treatment failure (TF) among children hospitalised with community-acquired pneumonia at a large tertiary hospital in Kenya.

Methods: We followed up children aged 2-59 months with WHO-defined severe pneumonia (SP) and very severe pneumonia (VSP) for up to 5 days for TF using two definitions: (i) documentation of pre-defined clinical signs resulting in change of treatment (ii) primary clinician's decision to change treatment with or without documentation of the same pre-defined clinical signs.

Results: We enrolled 385 children.

n-3 Fatty acids affect haemostasis but do not increase the risk of bleeding: clinical observations and mechanistic insights.

n-3 Fatty acids (EPA and DHA, from fish oil) are essential fatty acids that are approved for the treatment of severe hypertriacylglycerolaemia and, in some countries, used for reducing the risk of CVD. Because of their inhibitory effects on platelet function, some practitioners have, perhaps unnecessarily, discontinued their use in patients undergoing invasive procedures or being treated with anti-platelet or anticoagulation drugs. Thus, the aim of the present study was to review the effects of n-3 fatty acids on bleeding complications in a wide variety of clinical settings, and to summarise their biochemical mechanism of action in platelet function and coagulation.

Cardiovascular disease and bridging the diagnostic gap.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is now the leading cause of death worldwide. It continues to be on the rise and has become a true pandemic that has no respect to borders.' Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of CVD.

Doxycycline-induced pancreatitis: a rare finding.

Background: Drug-induced pancreatitis (DIP) is a rare problem in medicine. A retrospective study from 45 German centers of gastroenterology concluded that only 22 of 1613 (1.4 percent) cases of acute pancreatitis in 1993 were DIP.

Ketosis-resistant diabetes: a rare case in unlikely territory.

Background: Ketosis-resistant diabetes is a syndrome that has undergone numerous classification schemes in the past. In 1979, the National Diabetes Data Group (NDDG) introduced an association of malnutrition and diabetes. In 1985, the World Health Organization (WHO) created a new diabetes category called malnutrition-related diabetes mellitus (MRDM).

Cleft lip and palate: a descriptive comparative, retrospective, and prospective study of patients with cleft deformities managed at 2 hospitals in Kenya.

This was a combined retrospective and prospective study in which 2 sets of results from 2 hospitals in Nairobi were analyzed and compared. The retrospective study was conducted at Kenyatta National Hospital, whereas the prospective study was conducted at Metropolitan Hospital.The main objective of the study was to establish the presentation and pattern of patients with cleft lip and palate and complications of repair at the 2 hospitals.

Ultrastructural study of Echnococcus granulosus larval forms.

The larval forms of Echinococcus granulosus were surgically removed from Turkana hydatid patients and studied on the electron microscope. It was found that the larval forms "hydatid cyst" consists of a protective laminated layer that surrounds the germinal layer. The germinal layer is made up of numerous germinal cells that transform to brood capsules within which protoscolices are formed.

Cellular immunity to Echinococcus granulosus cysts.

A fundamental feature of Echinococcus granulosus infection is its chronicity. There are many reasons for this, including weak natural immunity and the ability of the larval stages to evade or resist elimination by the hosts' specific immune responses. To identify the types of hosts' cellular immune response, a series of ultrastructral studies of hydatid cysts surgically removed from Turkana patients was conducted based on transmission electron microscopy.