Application of ICT in strengthening health information systems in developing countries in the wake of globalisation.

Information Communication Technology (ICT) revolution brought opportunities and challenges to developing countries in their efforts to strengthen the Health Management Information Systems (HMIS). In the wake of globalisation, developing countries have no choice but to take advantage of the opportunities and face the challenges. The last decades saw developing countries taking action to strengthen and modernise their HMIS using the existing ICT.

Some pharmacological properties of extracts of Terminalia sericea roots.

Terminalia sericea Burch. Ex. DC (Combretaceae) extracts are used to treat bacterial infections, diarrhea, and diabetes.

Intussusception in children seen at Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar es Salaam.

Objective: To review infants and children with intussusception and assess its magnitude of concern and any seasonal variation in our environment.

Design: A retrospective study.

Setting: Muhimbili National Hospital general paediatric and surgical wards from January 2000 to February 2004.

Simple and cost-effective liquid chromatographic method for determination of pyrimethamine in whole blood samples dried on filter paper.

A cost-effective HPLC method for determination of pyrimethamine (PYR) in human whole blood samples dried on filter paper (Whatman) is reported. Trimethoprim (TMP) was used as an internal standard. Whole blood spiked with PYR was transferred (100 microl) onto filter paper and dried at room temperature.

Assessing prescribing practice in church-owned primary healthcare (PHC) institutions in Tanzania: a pilot study.

A retrospective survey of prescribing patterns in 10 church-owned primary healthcare (PHC) institutions in Dar es Salaam region, Tanzania, was carried out by trained research assistants in order to assess the prescribing practices of healthcare providers in these institutions. From a total of 15,000 prescriptions, 600 were recorded randomly from patient registers retrospectively. This work was carried out between April to September 1996.

Prevalence of wheeze and self-reported asthma and asthma care in an urban and rural area of Tanzania and Cameroon.

We investigated the prevalence of wheeze, self-reported asthma, and asthma care via four cross-sectional surveys among adults and children (5-15 years) in urban and rural populations from Tanzania and Cameroon. Age-standardized prevalence of current wheeze (in the previous year) was 2.2% to 5.

Assessing mothers' concerns in the postpartum period: methodological issues.

Aim: This paper reports a study evaluating the sensitivity of a semi-structured interview schedule and card sort methods in assessing postpartum concerns of women.

Background: Several methods have been used to assess postpartum maternal concerns and the process of becoming a mother, but few studies have evaluated the methods with respect to their sensitivity for obtaining information.

Method: A cohort of mothers was followed-up at one (n = 110) and 6 weeks (n = 83) after childbirth in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Intravaginal gels as drug delivery systems.

Recently, there has been a great deal of interest in the design and application of different dosage forms via the vaginal route. Several studies have proven that the vagina is an effective route for drug administration intended mainly for local action, but systemic effects of some drugs also can be attained. The major advantages of this route include accessibility, good blood supply, the ability to bypass first-pass liver metabolism, and permeability to large molecular weight drugs, such as peptides and proteins.

Anthranoid compounds with antiprotozoal activity from Vismia orientalis.

A phytochemical investigation of the 80% ethanolic extract of stem bark of Vismia orientalis Engl. (Guttiferae or Clusiaceae), a plant used in traditional medicine in Tanzania, resulted in the isolation and spectroscopic characterisation of 3-geranyloxy-6-methyl-1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone, emodin, vismione D and bianthrone A1. Vismione D exhibited a broad range of antiprotozoal activities against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and T.

The natural course of disease following HIV-1 infection in dar es salaam, Tanzania: a study among hotel workers relating clinical events to CD4 T-lymphocyte counts.

Current HIV management guidelines are based on natural history studies from the developed world. Data on the similarity of the natural course of HIV-1 infection conflict with studies in the developing world. A cohort of 1887 hotel workers with no access to antiretroviral therapy was followed between 1990 and 1998 in Dar es Salaam through annual clinical evaluations and CD4+ T-lymphocyte (CD4 cell) count determinations.

Occlusal characteristics during different emergence stages of the permanent dentition in Tanzanian Bantu and finnish children.

Occlusal characteristics and anomalies were studied among 869 (428 boys, 441 girls) Tanzanian Bantu children aged 3.5-16 years and 706 (319 boys, 387 girls) Finnish children aged 5-11 years during different emergence stages of the permanent dentition. Various occlusal variables were registered according to described criteria.

Demands out of context: Tanzanian women combining exclusive breastfeeding with employment.

This research, conducted in Tanzania, involved 6 women and their experiences as they combined exclusive breastfeeding with work outside their home. Additional data were collected at a conference in Tanzania and from women in North America. We found that while public health officials did a spectacular job of convincing the women of the advantages of exclusive breastfeeding in terms of their babies' health and their own, they then left the women to their own devises when it came to solving the practical problems of breastfeeding at the same time as holding down a full-time job.

Odontogenic myxoma: a clinicopathological study of 33 cases.

Odontogenic myxoma, a rare tumour that occurs in the jaws, has been reported to be the second commonest odontogenic tumour in many countries. Few studies, however, provide detailed clinicopathological findings of a large series of cases and no study so far has attempted to calculate the incidence of this condition. Retrospective and prospective studies were carried out in Tanzania from 1982 to 1998 (16 years) and 1999 to 2002 (4 years), respectively.

Salivary gland tumors in Uganda: clinical pathological study.

Background: The incidence of salivary gland tumors is claimed to be influenced by geographical and racial factors. The pathological classification and nomenclature of salivary gland tumors as defined by WHO classification (1991), is accepted world-wide but little is available in the literature regarding the spectrum of salivary gland tumors in Africa in the basis of this classification. Such efforts would allow comparison and justify any differences between the black African population and the rest of the world.

Decayed/missing/filled teeth and shortened dental arches in Tanzanian adults.

Purpose: This study assessed decayed/missing/filled teeth (DMFT), presence of occlusal units, and prevalence of shortened dental arches in a Tanzanian adult population.

Materials And Methods: The dental state of samples of the Tanzanian population was studied. Oral examinations were conducted on 5,532 adults from rural and urban cluster samples.

Exposure to wood dust and endotoxin in small-scale wood industries in Tanzania.

Workers in small-scale wood industries (SSWI) have increased risks of developing asthma and other respiratory diseases. Wood dust and microbial agents have both been suggested to play a role, but few studies have measured endotoxin exposure in SSWI in Africa. We assessed inhalable dust levels in 281 samples from 115 workers and bacterial endotoxins levels in 157 samples from 136 workers from SSWI in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Rate of decline of absolute number and percentage of CD4 T lymphocytes among HIV-1-infected adults in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Objective: To determine the rate of decline of CD4 T lymphocytes among HIV-1-infected individuals.

Design And Setting: A prospective open cohort study of workers in three hotels in Dar es Salaam.

Methods: The workers were seen yearly during the study.

Need for orthodontic treatment among Tanzanian children.

Objective: To determine the need for orthodontic treatment among Tanzanian Bantu children.

Design: Prospective study using dental casts.

Setting: Sixteen randomly selected schools from the Ilala district, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

Demand for orthodontic treatment among 9-18 year-olds seeking dental care in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

Objective: To investigate the demand for orthodontic treatment among 9-18 olds seeking dental care in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

Design: Case-control, interview and clinical study.

Settings: Children seeking dental care.

Perceptions of dental attractiveness and orthodontic treatment need among Tanzanian children.

The aim of this study was to assess the opinions of Tanzanian children on dental attractiveness and their perceptions of orthodontic treatment need in relation to their own dental attractiveness as measured by the aesthetic component (AC) of the index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN). In a random sample of 386 school children (48% boys, 52% girls), aged 9 to 18 years, the subjective need was assessed by using a prestructured questionnaire, and attractiveness was scored by using 18 intraoral frontal photographs. Orthodontic treatment need was measured with the IOTN, and 11% of the children definitely needed orthodontic treatment (grades 8-10 of the AC with 4-5 of the dental health component [DHC]).

The usefulness of using Ramfjord teeth in predicting periodontal status of a Tanzanian adult population.

Objectives: The only partial mouth index that has been validated against full-mouth examinations in the East African population is the CPITN (Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs). Since the Ramfjord index can potentially shorten the examination time by almost half, we evaluated Ramfjord teeth in predicting full-mouth periodontal status of an adult population in Tanzania.

Material And Methods: Pocket depth was measured for 192 consecutive patients aged from 15 to 77 years (36 years old on average); 86 (45%) females referred to the Department of Restorative Dentistry, Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania between January 1997 and December 1999, and the mean pocket depth for full-mouth and Ramfjord teeth was calculated.

Management of hypertension in pregnancy as a quality indicator of antenatal care in rural Tanzania.

To assess the ability of antenatal care to manage hypertension in pregnancy, a cross-sectional study involving 379 pregnant women was conducted in 16 randomly selected antenatal clinics in Rufiji district of Tanzania. We observed necessary structural availability, provider client interaction, interviewed women attending antenatal clinics, and measured their blood pressure. Measurements made by observers and health workers were compared.

Comparison between the opinions of Tanzanian parents and their children on dental attractiveness.

The objective was to investigate the opinion of Tanzanian parents on dental attractiveness and to compare their opinion with that of their children. A prestructured questionnaire with 18 intraoral frontal photographs was given to 286 parents and their children aged 9-18 years. The photographs represented various types of occlusion traits, with the first 10 intraoral photographs representing grade 1-10 of the aesthetic component (AC) of the index of orthodontic treatment need, and the remaining eight photographs were added to represent malocclusions that are often seen in Tanzania.

Prevalence and clinical presentation of HIV infection among newly hospitalised surgical patients at Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Background: In Tanzania information is lacking on the prevalence of HIV infection in surgical patients in tertiary care facilities, in whom there are many points of special interest.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of HIV infection and associated clinical and demographic features among hospitalised surgical patients at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH).

Setting: Muhimbili National Hospital.

Occupational exposure and health problems in small-scale industry workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: a situation analysis.

Background: Workers in informal small-scale industries (SSI) in developing countries involved in welding, spray painting, woodwork and metalwork are exposed to various hazards with consequent risk to health. Aim To assess occupational exposure and health problems in SSI in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Methods: Focused group discussions (FGD) were conducted among SSI workers.