The ongoing conflict in Yemen, which began in 2014, has led to one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises. The Hudaydah region, located on the Red Sea coast and home to the country's second-largest port, is critical for the delivery of food and medical supplies. We conducted a two-stage cluster randomised survey to estimate the prevalence of acute malnutrition among children and pregnant and lactating women (PLW).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The existence of a relationship between hospital surgical volume and outcome after lung cancer surgery remains an ongoing debate. We aimed to evaluate the association between volume and 60-day mortality, 1- and 3-year observed survival (OS) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in Belgium.
Methods: Patients diagnosed with NSCLC in 2010-2011 were identified in the database of the Belgian Cancer Registry, excluding patients with multiple tumours.
Objective: To evaluate the quality of care for all patients diagnosed with lung cancer in Belgium based on a set of evidence-based quality indicators and to study the variability of care between hospitals.
Design, Setting, Participants: A retrospective study based on linked data from the cancer registry, insurance claims and vital status for all patients diagnosed with lung cancer between 2010 and 2011. Evidence-based quality indicators were identified from a systematic literature search.
Current guidelines recommend radical resection for stage I rectal cancer. However, since screening programs are being installed, an increasing number of cancers are being detected in early stages. Endoscopic resection is often performed at the time of diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Understanding the effectiveness of treatment for depression in both the short term and long term is essential for clinical decision making. The present meta-analysis examined treatment effects on depression and quality of life in acute-phase psychotherapeutic interventions compared to no treatment control groups for adult depression at 6 months or longer postrandomization.
Methods: A systematic literature search resulted in 44 randomized controlled trials with 6,096 participants.
Control of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) in the Democratic Republic of Congo is based on mass population screening by mobile teams; a costly and labor-intensive approach. We hypothesized that blood samples collected on filter paper by village health workers and processed in a central laboratory might be a cost-effective alternative. We estimated sensitivity and specificity of micro-card agglutination test for trypanosomiasis (micro-CATT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)/T.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA retrospective chart review of 4,925 human African trypanosomiasis patients treated with melarsoprol in 2001-2003 in Equateur Nord Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo showed a treatment failure rate of 19.5%. This rate increased over the 3 years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To date, no biological marker for treatment outcome in human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) has been described. The accuracy of biological markers for prediction of treatment outcome of HAT caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense was assessed.
Methods: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white blood cell (WBC) count and immunoglobulin M (IgM), trypanosome-specific antibody, total protein, and interleukin-10 levels were determined before and up to 24 months after treatment of late-stage HAT.
Emerg Infect Dis
October 2007
The control of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is compromised by low sensitivity of the routinely used parasitologic confirmation tests. More sensitive alternatives, such as mini-anion exchange centrifugation technique (mAECT) or capillary tube centrifugation (CTC), are more expensive. We used formal decision analysis to assess the cost-effectiveness of alternative HAT confirmation algorithms in terms of cost per life saved.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) with standard pentavalent antimonial therapy is hampered by cumbersome administration, toxicity, and potential failure. Knowledge of factors influencing treatment outcome is essential for successful management.
Methods: A case-control study of incident cases was performed with patients experiencing their first CL episode.
Human African trypanosomiasis treatment is stage dependent, but the tests used for staging are controversial. Central nervous system involvement and its relationship with suramin treatment failure were assessed in 60 patients with parasitologically confirmed hemolymphatic-stage Trypanosoma brucei gambiense infection (white blood cell count of
Emerg Infect Dis
September 2005
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) reached unprecedented levels in the 1990s. To assess recent trends and evaluate control efforts, we analyzed epidemiologic and financial data collected by all agencies involved in HAT control in DRC from 1993 to 2003. Funds allocated to control populations, as well as to the population screened, doubled from 1993 to 1997 and from 1998 to 2003.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrop Med Int Health
April 2005
Introduction: Population screening for human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is often based on a combination of two screening tests: lymph node palpation (LN) and card agglutination test for trypanosomiasis (CATT). This decision analysis compared the efficiency of three alternative detection strategies: screening by LN only, CATT only and their combination (LN and CATT).
Method: An HAT detection strategy was defined as the sequence of screening and confirmation.
Background: The human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) control programme of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) uses mass screening with the card agglutination test for trypanosomes (CATT). We looked at the contribution of CATT and improved parasitological confirmation to the effectiveness of screening and treatment.
Method: The effectiveness of the screening and treatment process is measured by the percentage of HAT cases that is effectively cured after a single round of screening.