Poliomyelitis era in Trinidad from 1940 to 1972 and beyond: Implications for effective global health governance for its eradication.

Background: Acute poliomyelitis (APM/polio) is a viral infection caused by the polio virus that continues to have a fascinating social and economic impact on countries throughout the world. Humans acquire the virus by close personal contact with transmission occurring through the fecal-oral route. The majority of poliovirus infections results in no illness or produces only self-limited symptoms, however in approximately 5% of infected patients flaccid paralysis of the limbs can occur and 1% can die.

Breast Cancer in the Bahamas in 2009-2011.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer affecting women in the Bahamas, which consists of many islands. This is the first attempt to identify which island has the highest occurrence of breast cancer.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the sociodemographical and spatial features of breast cancer in the Bahamas in 2009-2011.

Towards the Elimination of Syphilis in a Small Developing Country.

Objective. To describe the current epidemiological features of syphilis and congenital syphilis in Trinidad, 2009-2012. Methods.

Challenges to the control of breast cancer in a small developing country.

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the clinicopathological features of breast cancer in two dedicated cancer treatment centers in north Trinidad. The histological types and stage at presentation were also investigated.

Design And Methods: A retrospective cohort design was used; data were collected from a review of medical records of patients meeting the entry criteria.

Assessing the HIV rapid test in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Trinidad.

Objective: To evaluate the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) rapid test as an effective tool in the response to the HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic in Trinidad.

Design And Methods: The study is comprised of a retrospective analysis of data collected from May 2008 to July 15, 2011 and a prospective arm of those tested during July 18, 2011 - August 30, 2011. During the prospective phase, blood samples were tested using rapid tests manufactured by Inverness Medical Innovation and Trinity Biotech followed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test, irrespective of the results of the rapid test.

Are teenagers at risk for developing cardiovascular disease in later life?

Background: The aim of this study is to measure the occurrences of the following risk factors: tobacco use, levels of physical activity, levels of physical inactivity, and body mass index (BMI) among adolescents in Trinidad.

Methods: A two-stage random sampling process was used to select schools and students. Data were collected using a pretested self-administered questionnaire and included age, gender, ethnicity, tobacco use, levels of physical activity, levels of physical inactivity, BMI, and frequency of fast food consumption.

The changing face of death in Trinidad and Tobago, before and after independence.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare the changing patterns of mortality in adults and infants during the pre-independence period 1953-1962 with the post-independence period 1962-2006 thus providing evidence for the burden of disease and the impact of independence on the state of health of the nation.

Methods: The study examined data from 1953-2006, collected under statutory regulations by the Central Statistical Office.

Results: While the population doubled during the study period, the standardized death rate improved from 16.

Knowledge, attitudes, practice on human papilloma virus and cervical cancer among Trinidadian women.

Cervical cancer remains a major reproductive health problem among women especially in developing countries where about 190,000 women die from this disease annually. Despite efforts to reduce the burden of this disease, most attempts in low-resourced countries have not been successful partly from lack of awareness by women of this common cancer, as well as the role the human papilloma virus (HPV) plays in its aetiology and pathogenesis. To determine knowledge, attitudes and practice of women in Trinidad (a developing country) on HPV, cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine, we conducted a cross-sectional survey among 426 women in the reproductive age.

The epidemiology of end stage renal disease at a centre in Trinidad.

Objective: The aim of this study is to estimate the trends in prevalence of end stage renal disease (ESRD) during the period 1999-2007 at one site in Trinidad, the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC), and to describe the epidemiological features, age, gender, ethnicity and comorbidities associated with ESRD.

Design And Methods: A retrospective cohort study design was used. There was a count of patients on haemodialysis at the EWMSC centre from 1999-2007 in order to demonstrate trends in prevalence but more detailed data were collected and analysed for patients with ESRD attending the nephrology clinic between January 2002 and December 2007.

Prostate cancer survival in Trinidad: Is PSA a prognostic factor?

Background: Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy among men in the western hemisphere, including Trinidad and Tobago. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiological features of prostate cancer among patients admitted to a tertiary level teaching hospital during 2002 to 2005. We assessed the long-term survival of patients with prostate cancer and the epidemiology of the disease.

The occurrence of left ventricular hypertrophy in normotensive individuals in a community setting in North-East Trinidad.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine primarily the occurrence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in normotensive Trinidadians.

Design And Methods: Enrollment into the study required participants to have normal blood pressure (≤ 140/90) using the JNC 7 (The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure) classification, free of type 2 diabetes, as well as no existing LVH. Upon entry into the study, participants were first screened for LVH using a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), using the Sokolow-Lyon index and the Cornell index.

Epidemiology of multiple myeloma and the role of M-band detection on serum electrophoresis in a small developing country. A retrospective study.

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the role of M-band component on serum protein electrophoresis and bone marrow biopsy in the diagnosis.

Methods: Data was collected on 34 patients with MM diagnosed and/or treated.

Results: There were equal numbers of men 17 (50%) and women 17 (50%).

The rabies epidemic in Trinidad of 1923 to 1937: an evaluation with a Geographic Information System.

Background: Rabies, although not preeminent among current infectious diseases, continues to afflict humans with as many as 55,000 deaths annually. The case fatality rate remains the highest among infectious diseases, and medical treatments have proven ineffective.

Objective: This study analyzes the rabies epidemic of 1929 to 1937 in Trinidad from a geographical perspective, using Geographic Information System (GIS) software as an analytical tool.

Trinidadian women's knowledge, perceptions, and preferences regarding cesarean section: How do they make choices?

Objectives: The objective of this study is to determine the awareness of perception and attitude toward cesarean section (CS) in a high-user setting.

Design And Methods: A cross-sectional design using multistage sampling methods was used to select participants from antenatal and postnatal clinics in a primary health care setting in north Trinidad. A multi-item structured questionnaire was designed and administered by in-depth interviews.

Contraceptive knowledge, attitudes and changing practices in women presenting to maternal and child health clinics in North Central Trinidad.

Unlabelled: The relationship between contraceptive awareness and use in an environment of both high levels of unplanned pregnancies and prevalence of HIV/AIDS continues to be a major challenge. The objective of this study is to ascertain the knowledge of contraception and methods chosen in women of 18-45 years old attending primary care facilities in North Central Trinidad.

Methods: We used a cross-sectional study design with a knowledge, attitude, and practices type survey design.

An evaluation of intervention strategies for HIV/AIDS in Trinidad and Tobago (2000-2007).

Unlabelled: To evaluate the impact of health promotional strategies against The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Trinidad and Tobago.

Methods: The HIV/AIDS Morbidity and Mortality reports were used to chart the pattern of change in the incidence of new HIV positive cases for the years 2000-2007 to determine the decrease in new HIV positive cases after 2004 with the implementation of the National Strategic Plan as well as What's Your Position (WYP), KNOW Your Status and Get Tested Now campaigns. These effects were tested using a quasi-experimental, post exposure design.

Is gestational diabetes mellitus an important contributor to metabolic disorders in trinidad and tobago?

Objective. To investigate the incidence of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus at the Mt. Hope Women's Hospital and to describe its epidemiological pattern.

The epidemiology of unplanned pregnancies in North-Central Trinidad.

Objective: to investigate the epidemiology of unplanned pregnancies in North-Central Trinidad and to evaluate the effect of level of education, marital status, religion, ethnicity, economics, and socioeconomic factors on the use of contraceptives in the society.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted between April and May 2007 at four primary health care facilities in Trinidad using a de novo pilot-tested questionnaire.

Results: Of the 172 participants, 103 had unplanned pregnancies (64.

Epidemiological trends of Kawasaki disease among paediatric patients admitted to the Wendy Fitzwilliam Paediatric Hospital, Trinidad, during 2004-2007.

The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological trends, clinical presentation and outcomes in patients presenting with Kawasaki disease (KD) in Trinidad at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, a 350-bed teaching hospital, during the years 2004-2007. Using a retrospective study design, data from all established cases during the period 2004-2007 were collected. Overall, 39 confirmed cases of KD occurred in Trinidad and six on the island of Tobago.

Drugs in upper respiratory tract infections in paediatric patients in North Trinidad.

Objective: We explored the prescribing patterns of physicians in North Trinidad in treating upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) in paediatric patients and the appropriateness of drugs prescribed.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted, with a sample size of 523 paediatric patients, diagnosed with an URTI during the period of June 2003 to 22 June 2005. The study was conducted at five Primary Health Care Facilities in North Trinidad.

Has early initiation of sexual activity in adolescence had an impact on teenage childbearing in Trinidad and Tobago?

Unlabelled: Published data indicate that young people are initiating sexual activity at an early age and many do not practice contraceptive methods, which should impact on adolescent fertility and births.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of sexual activity at an early age on adolescent childbearing in Trinidad and Tobago.

Study Group: Adolescents age 15-19 years.

Taking the next step in 2005, the year of the diabetic foot.

Objectives: To determine the age-standardized rate of lower limb amputations among Type 2 diabetics admitted to the Port of Spain General Hospital (POSGH), San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) and Sangre Grande County Hospital (SGCH) for the period 2000-2004. To determine in-hospital mortality following amputation, for the same period. To determine the risk factors that contributed to diabetic foot complications.