Knowledge and attitudes of healthcare workers about influenza vaccination.

BACKGROUND: Influenza infection is a highly contagious viral disease. It may cause several nosocomial outbreaks. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of healthcare workers (HCWs) about influenza vaccination and to identify factors associated with the uptake of influenza vaccination. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study over 5 months between November 2021 and March 2022. Data was collected using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. We included all HCWs at Taher Sfar University Hospital who were willing to participate in the study. RESULTS: A total of 395 HCWs were included. They were mainly women (78.7%) with an average age of 27 years. The medical personnel was the largest group (67.8%). Most respondents considered the vaccination to be optional and knew that it should be renewed every year, but 97.5% of them judged the efficacy of the vaccine to be low. The influenza vaccination uptake was only 20.2%. The main reasons for accepting vaccination were to protect patients and families. However, misconceptions about the severity and the risk of influenza and the belief that barrier measures were sufficient to prevent infection were the main causes of avoiding vaccination. The factors associated with adherence to vaccination were being a medical professional, old age, longer professional experience, and considering vaccination to be mandatory for HCWs. CONCLUSION: Our study showed a low adherence to influenza vaccination with misconceptions about vaccine efficacy and safety. More efforts are needed to improve the knowledge of HCW about the vaccine and boost the adherence rates.

Case Report: Case report: An unusual presentation of granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

Aim: We are reporting a case of an unusual presentation of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) with liver involvement. Case presentation: A 45-year-old male patient presented with erythematous plaques on the face and bilateral nasal obstruction. On physical examination, the patient had a ring-shaped squamous plaque on the face. The laboratory findings revealed an accelerated erythrocyte sedimentation rate at 100 mm/h, an elevated C-reactive protein at 66 mg/L, hyper gamma globulinemia 16 g/L and an elevated alkaline phosphatase (twice the upper normal limit). The craniofacial and thoracoabdominal computed tomography (CT) -scans showed ethmoid and maxillary sinusitis, low facial bone density, multiple mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy, diffuse small pulmonary nodules, and hepatomegaly. A cutaneous lesion biopsy, the nasal mucosa, and the liver showed a chronic inflammatory granulomatosis process with necrosis. Serum anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) against PR3 was positive. The clinical, biological, radiological, and histological findings substantiated the diagnosis of GPA. The patient received systemic steroids combined with cyclophosphamide pulses on days 1, 14 and 28 and then he was lost to follow-up. Two-years later, he presented with a cardiac failure and skin ulcer in the right lower limb. A nasal endoscopic exam showed nasal septum cartilage perforation with resorption of the middle and inferior nasal concha. Two weeks later, he developed a diffuse alveolar hemorrhage and was therefore transferred to the intensive care unit but died of respiratory failure 3 days later. Conclusion: Clinicians should be aware of GPA atypical clinical manifestations.

Parental self-medication with antibiotics in a Tunisian pediatric center.

INTRODUCTION: Self-medication of antibiotics among children is a very common problem in Tunisia. Its prevalence isn't well established. The aims of this study are to evaluate parents' knowledge concerning antibiotic use, and identify the factors associated with this problem. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study over a one year period (between August 2019 and July 2020). Data collection was performed using a questionnaire guided interview. We included parents of children consulting or hospitalized in the pediatric department of the university hospital Taher Sfar in Mahdia. RESULTS: A total of 354 parents were included with an average age of 36.4±9.2 years. The average knowledge score was 2±1.3 points. In fact, 61.6% of the parents had poor knowledge about antibiotics. The frequency of non-prescription antibiotics use among children was 20.6%. Amoxicillin was the most used antibiotic (72.6%). Sore throat, important fever and flu-like symptoms were the main symptoms justifying non-prescription antibiotic use among our pediatric population in 60.3%, 34.2% and 23.3% of cases respectively. The main reason of self-medication was the fact that the same antibiotic was once prescribed to treat the same symptoms (58.9%). The used antibiotic came from an old prescription for the same child in 57.5% of the cases and was recommended by the pharmacist in 39.7% of the cases. After multivariate analysis, the factors associated with parental self-medication with antibiotics were: the advanced parent's age, the ability to name an antibiotic and knowledge's score>2. CONCLUSION: Our study confirmed that parental knowledge about antibiotic use is low. In fact, the government should from one hand, organize antibiotic delivery and prohibit off the counter sells and in the other hand promote the education of the public through different procedures to stop this major health problem.

Necrotising otitis externa: A single centre experience.

INTRODUCTION: Necrotising otitis externa (NOE) is a rare infection of the ear canal with frequent bone erosion. This study's objective is to describe the different features of NOE as well as its management in an ear-nose-throat department. We also tried to identify the particularities of the fungal infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: It is an observational cohort that included all the patients hospitalised for the management of NOE. The study was carried out in the ear-nose-throat Department of Mahdia University Hospital in Tunisia between January 2006 and december 2019. RESULTS: A total of 40 patients were included. The mean age was 65 ± 12.9 years and the sex ratio was 0.9. Ninety percent of the patients included were diabetics. The most common signs found were oedema of the external canal (97.5%) and auricular discharge (92.5%). The main pathogen isolated was Pseudomonas aeruginosa (61.7%). Fungi were isolated in 9 cases (26.47%). Computed tomography was performed for 32 patients (80%). Bone erosion was seen in 26 cases (81.3%). The main complications were cerebral venous thrombosis, retropharyngeal abscess and cerebral empyema. Thirty one patients received only antibiotics, 2 received only antifungal treatment, and 7 received both antibiotics and antifungal treatment. All patients had a favorable outcome. Univariate analysis showed a higher median erythrocyte sedimentation rate was associated with fungal infections. No other differences were noted. CONCLUSION: Our management protocol seems to be efficient since all patients had initial favorable outcome. A higher median erythrocyte sedimentation rate was associated with fungal infections.

Noninvasive fungal rhinosinusitis: a case series.

Introduction: Fungal rhinosinusitis (FRS) remains a rare disease. The noninvasive forms are hard to diagnose. The management protocols remain controversial. We aim to describe the clinical, radiological and pathological features of noninvasive FRS and present our management protocol and follow-up results. Patients and methods: This descriptive study was conducted in the ear-nose-throat department of the university hospital, Taher Sfar in Mahdia, Tunisia. All patients who responded to the definition of noninvasive FRS (fungal balls and allergic fungal sinusitis) were included. The study was conducted over a three year period (May 2017 - April 2021). Results: Eleven patients were included in this study: four cases of fungal balls and seven cases of allergic fungal sinusitis. Patients presented with symptoms of chronic recurrent rhinosinusitis with no response to conventional treatments. Computed tomodensitometry scan showed opacification of the paranasal sinuses in all patients. Other signs were heterogeneous opacities, local calcifications and thinning of the bony walls of the sinuses. Histopathological findings were inflammatory polyps in all cases of allergic FRS with the presence of fungal hyphae in 42.8% of the cases. All patients underwent surgery after a median delay of 12 [6-24] months of the symptom's onset. The used procedures were endoscopic middle meatal antrostomy for all patients, ethmoidectomy (81.8%) and sphenoidotomy (36.4%). None received systemic antifungals or corticosteroids with a favorable outcome in all cases. Conclusion: Symptoms of noninvasive FRS are nonspecific. The scan images contribute to the diagnosis, but the perioperative findings and the histopathological results remain crucial.  The management is mainly surgical.

Predictive epidemiological and clinical factors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma diagnosis: Adult versus pediatric population.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to compare the clinical presentation and the cancer staging of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) between pediatric and adult populations to highlight the main characteristics of this disease within the two subgroups. MATERIEL AND METHODS: It is a retrospective study including all patients with a primary diagnosis of NPC over a period of 19 years. The pediatric group included patients aged less then 16 years old. RESULTS: A total of 80 patients were included. The pediatric population represented 22.5% of the cases. No difference in gender distribution was found (p˃.05). The most common presenting symptom was neck mass in children (77.8% vs. 48.4%, p = .02), and nasal obstruction in adult patients (64.5% vs. 16.7%, p < .01). The median time between the presenting symptom's onset and the diagnosis was 5 months. The diagnosis of NPC was delayed in pediatric patients compared to adults (<0.05). We noted a predominance of patients with stages III and IV (32.5% and 40%, respectively) with no difference between the two subgroups (p˃.05). CONCLUSION: Our study showed some differences in NPC clinical features between pediatric patients and adults. Neck mass was the most common symptom in children. The initial presentation is sometimes misleading. NPC was mainly diagnosed in advanced locoregional stages in both pediatric and adult patients. Efforts toward early diagnosis are of great importance.

Orbital complication of acute ethmoiditis: A Tunisian paediatric cross sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The anatomical and developmental particularities of sinus cavities in paediatric population lead acute ethmoiditis to be the earliest form of sinusitis in children. Orbital complications are frequent and could lead to visual and neurological impairment. This study investigated the clinical, biological and radiological features of orbital complications. We identified the predictive factors of severe ophthalmological lesions and/or associated cerebral complications of acute ethmoiditis. DESIGN AND METHODS: This cross sectional study included all patients identified as having orbital extension of acute ethmoiditis in the database of a single academic paediatric care centre over a period of 14 years. All orbital and cerebral Scans of the included patients were reviewed and the cohort was classified using Chandler's classification as having less severe lesions (Chandler's 1 and 2) or more serious lesions (Chandler's 3, 4 and 5). RESULTS: In total, 16 patients (12 girls and 4 boys) were included among 39 consecutives cases of ethmoiditis recessed with a complication rate of 41%. Average consultation delay was 4.88 days. The mean age was 4.37 years. Fever was objectified in 13 cases (81%). Six patients (37.5%) had exophthalmos. Orbital extension spectrum was: stage I (n = 4, 25%), stage II (n = 4, 25%), stage III (n = 6, 37.5%), stage IV (n = 1, 6.5%), stage V (n = 1, 6.5%) and intra cranial extension was associated in two cases. Univariate analysis showed that fever, exophthalmos, ophthalmoplegia, positive CRP, age and white blood cells count were not associated with more severe lesions in the CT scan. Initially, all children received intravenous antibiotic treatment. Association of multiple antibiotics was prescribed in 75% of the cases. With 21.07 days ±â€¯5.51 days as a total treatment duration. Only Four patients underwent surgical treatment. CONCLUSION: Orbital complications of ethmoiditis are frequent. No clinical or biological criteria seem to predict the severity of orbital lesions. Both orbital and brain CT scan could help detect eventual complications on time to adapt antibiotic treatment and eventually bring forward surgical intervention.