Predictors of delayed health seeking for febrile children: multi-level analysis of cross-sectional study data from southern Ethiopia.

Background: Febrile illnesses are commonly reported as a primary reason for seeking healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa. Timely diagnosis and getting prompt treatment within 24 h of fever onset is crucial to avert the risk of developing severe complications and death. Understanding factors contributing to delayed health seeking is important for public health interventions.

TB index case tracing in the Roma community in the Czech Republic.

Tuberculosis (TB) contact tracing and TB preventive treatment are key tools in preventing the transmission of TB with the aim of eliminating the disease. Our study seeks to demonstrate how the infection spread from an individual patient to the entire community and how proactive contact tracing facilitated prompt diagnosis and treatment. Our work was conducted as a retrospective analysis of the spread of TB infection within the Roma community in the Czech Republic, following the case of an index patient who succumbed to pulmonary TB.

First report of Anopheles stephensi from southern Ethiopia.

Background: Anopheles stephensi is an emerging exotic invasive urban malaria vector in East Africa. The World Health Organization recently announced an initiative to take concerted actions to limit this vector's expansion by strengthening surveillance and control in invaded and potentially receptive territories in Africa. This study sought to determine the invasion of An.

First report of Anopheles stephensi in Southern Ethiopia.

Background: is an emerging exotic invasive urban vector of malaria in East Africa. The World Health Organization recently announced an initiative to take concerted actions to limit this vector's expansion by strengthening surveillance and control in invaded and potentially receptive territories in Africa. This study sought to determine the geographic distribution of in southern Ethiopia.

Trends in the utilisation of skilled birth attendance among pregnant women in Benin, from 2001 to 2017-2018, and projections to 2030.

Background: Skilled birth attendance during childbirth is known to promote better pregnancy outcomes as well as contribute to maternal and newborn survival. The study aimed to analyse the progress in the use of skilled birth attendance by pregnant women over the last two decades (2001 to 2017-2018) in Benin, and then to make projections to 2030.

Methods: A secondary analysis was made using Benin's Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) databases.

Temporal variations in air pollution at two roundabouts in the city of Cotonou (Benin).

Background: Air pollution has caused health and environmental problems around the world. In this study we analysed the temporal evolution of air pollution in Cotonou regarding the standards of Benin and of World Health Organization (WHO).

Design And Methods: Solar-powered electrochemical sensors (CO: carbon monoxide, SO2: sulphur dioxide, and O3/NO2: ozone/nitrogen dioxide) and photoionization detectors (for NMVOC: nonmethane volatile organic compounds) were permanently installed and monitored from June 2019 to March 2020 at Akpakpa PK3 (A) and Vèdokô Cica-Toyota (B) roundabouts.

Are our 'UHC systems' learning systems? Piloting an assessment tool and process in six African countries.

Background: If there is one universal recommendation to countries wanting to make progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC), it is to develop the learning capacities that will enable them to 'find their own way' - this is especially true for countries struggling with fragmented health financing systems. This paper explores results from a multi-country study whose main aim was to assess the extent to which UHC systems and processes at country level operate as 'learning systems'.

Method: This study is part of a multi-year action-research project implemented by two communities of practice active in Africa.

Evaluation of Lumbar Spine Load by Computational Method in Order to Acknowledge Low-back Disorders as Occupational Diseases.

Aim: The aim of the study was to develop a computational module for the prediction of compressive force on the L4/L5 disc suitable for use in field settings.

Method: The value of compressive force is intended to be used as a proxy measure of the mechanical burden of low-back when performing work activities. The compressive force predicted by the module in a particular worker should be compared with the NIOSH limit value of 3,400 N for the assessment of lumbar spine load during manual lifting tasks.

Contribution to the development of a food guide in Benin: linear programming for the optimization of local diets.

Objective: Food guides are important tools for nutrition education. While developing a food guide in Benin, the objective was to determine the daily number of servings per food group and the portion sizes of common foods to be recommended.

Design: Linear programming (LP) was used to determine, for each predefined food group, the optimal number and size of servings of commonly consumed foods.

Tick-borne encephalitis associated with consumption of raw goat milk, Slovenia, 2012.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) developed in 3 persons in Slovenia who drank raw milk; a fourth person, who had been vaccinated against TBE, remained healthy. TBE virus RNA was detected in serum and milk of the source goat. Persons in TBE-endemic areas should be encouraged to drink only boiled/pasteurized milk and to be vaccinated.

New-onset seizures: a possible association with clonidine?

Clonidine is used as second-line medication for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children. Product information concerning clonidine reported seizures only after overdosage of clonidine, and the prescription of clonidine has not been contraindicated in patients with known epilepsy. The present case report discusses a possible association of clonidine with new-onset seizures, in the context of status epilepticus in a 9-year-old girl.

Ribotyping and biotyping of Staphylococcus epidermidis isolated from hospital environment.

The Staphylococcus strains acquired from scrapings from hospital environments were identified to the species level based on their biochemical properties. From the monitored sample the Staphylococcus epidermidis strains were selected for more accurate typing and tested on their virulence factor and ribotyped. The biotyping of S.

Dopamine transporter in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder normalizes after cessation of methylphenidate.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder of childhood, which is frequently treated with methylphenidate. The short-term response to treatment with methylphenidate is a substantial decrease in dopamine transporter density, with improvement in neuropsychological tests. In this study, single-photon emission computed tomography was used to investigate possible long-term alterations in the cerebral dopamine system after cessation of treatment with methylphenidate in five children with ADHD.

Adverse effects and compliance with mefloquine or proguanil antimalarial chemoprophylaxis.

Objective: We had the impression that adverse reactions to standard antimalarial prophylaxis were reported much more often than stated by the package insert and medical drug references; and that side effects adversely affected compliance. Therefore, we evaluated adverse effects and compliance of the two standard malaria prophylactic regimens (mefloquine 250 mg per week and proguanil 100 mg twice per day) among short-term travellers. We expected that travellers who had experienced possible adverse effects on previous journeys might avoid antimalarial drugs on subsequent journeys (self-selection) and we therefore looked at adverse effects dependent on prior use.