Prevalence of and factors associated with placental malaria in the White Nile State: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Malaria during pregnancy can lead to maternal and perinatal adverse effects. Despite the preventive measures, recent research has shown that malaria during pregnancy is still a threatening health problem, especially in Sub-Saharan African countries. The current study was conducted to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with placental malaria in Rabak Hospital in central Sudan. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September to October 2021. Pregnant women who delivered at the Rabak Maternity Hospital in Central Sudan were included. A questionnaire was used to gather both obstetric and socio-demographic information. Blood films for malaria were prepared using the maternal, placental, and cord blood, and a placental histology was performed. A logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: For the 208 women, the medians (interquartile range) of their age and parity were 25 (21.0 ‒30.0) years and 2 (1‒4), respectively. Twenty-five (12.0%) of the women had used insecticide-treated nets. Active infection, active-chronic infection, and past-chronic infection were detected in four (1.9%), five (2.4%), and 35 (16.8%) placentas, respectively. One hundred and sixty-four (78.8%) placentas showed no signs of infection. Logistic regression analysis showed that none of the examined factors (age, parity, education, antenatal care level, use of insecticide-treated nets, and blood group) was associated with placental malaria. CONCLUSIONS: Malaria affects 20% of pregnant women, regardless of their age and parity. Preventative measures should therefore be encouraged in this area.

The association between female newborn and placental malaria infection: A case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: There are few published data on the influence of the sex of the fetus or the newborn on the rate of malaria infection. Moreover, the results of these studies are not conclusive. This study was conducted to investigate the association between sex of the newborn and placental malaria infection. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted at Al Jabalian maternity hospital in central Sudan during the rainy and post rainy seasons from May to December 2020. The cases were women who had placental malaria, while the controls were subsequent women who had no placental malaria. A questionnaire was filled out by each woman in the case and control groups in order to gather demographic data as well as medical and obstetric history. Malaria was diagnosed using blood films. Logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: There were 678 women in each arm of the study. Compared with the women without placental malaria (controls), women with placental malaria had a significantly lower age and parity. A significantly higher number of the cases had delivered female newborns, 453 (66.8%) vs. 208 (30.7%), P < 0.001. In logistic regression, women with placental malaria: lived in rural areas, had low antenatal attendance, did not use bed nets, and had more female newborns (adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 2.90, 95% CI = 2.08-4.04). DISCUSSION: Women who delivered female were more likely to have placental malaria. Further research into the immunologic and biochemical parameters is warranted.

Common coronary artery occlusions in patients with myocardial infarction.

Introduction: coronary artery disease (CAD) is a significant cardiovascular disease (CVD) that affects people worldwide. This study aimed to determine the main occluded coronary arteries in patients with myocardial infarction in Najran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods: a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted between March 2020 and March 2021 and involving 661 myocardial infarction patients recruited from two hospitals (King Khalid Hospital and Prince Sultan Centre for Healthcare in Najran) used sampling for enrolled patients. Patients over the age of 15 years, current residents of KSA, and diagnosed with coronary artery occlusion based on at least one identifiable coronary lesion on a coronary angiography were considered eligible. We created generalized linear mixed models to investigate patients´ clinical and coronary angiographic features and identify statistically relevant components. Results: there were 661 CAD cases in this study: 548 (82.9%) males and 113 (17.1%) females, with a mean and standard deviation (SD) age of 4.03 ± 1.370 years. Ages of the 661 participants ranged from 15 to 85, who had been diagnosed with myocardial infarction were evaluated. It was found that most of the patients were in the 55-64 age range. The majority of cases (366 (55.4%) had ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), 187 (28.3%) had non-ST-segment elevation (NSTEMI), 101 (15.3%) had acute coronary syndrome-non-ST-segment elevation (ACS-NSTEMI), and 7 (1.1%) had acute coronary syndrome-ST-segment elevation (ACS-STEMI). Conclusion: the left anterior descending artery (LAD) is the commonest lesion found in both ST-segment elevation and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients.

Evaluation of causes of female infertility using ultrasonography in Najran, Saudi Arabia.

Descriptive cross-sectional, hospital-based study carried out at the Maternal and Childbirth Hospital, Najran, Saudi Arabia, from May 2020 to May 2021 Using Ultrasonography. This study assessed the causes of female infertility by evaluating 100 women with infertility who attended the hospital. The mean age of the women with infertility was 34.8 ± years, with most between 35 -44 years 49%, 31% between 25-34 years old, 11% between 15 - 24 years old and 19% were ≥45were. Of the sample, 65% had primary infertility, while 35% had secondary infertility. A statistical significant association was found between age and the type of infertility (p < 0.05) with polycystic ovary disease being the most common cause of infertility 56%, followed by fibroids 22%, Endometrial polyps 9%, Adenomyosis 5%, Hydrosalpinx 4%, Congenital abnormality 2% and other causes was 1%. Our findings demonstrate the usefulness of ultrasound in diagnosing and evaluating female infertility. The cause of female infertility are polycystic ovary disease, fibroids, Endometrial polyps, Adenomyosis, Hydrosalpinx and congenital anomalies.