[Clinical and developmental aspects of care-related tetanus in the reference service of the teaching hospital of Abidjan]. / Aspects cliniques et évolutifs du tétanos lié aux soins dans le service de référence du CHU d'Abidjan.

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from medical data of inpatients with tetanus in the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases of the University Hospital of Treichville in Abidjan from January 2003 to December 2007. In five years, 221 cases of tetanus have been hospitalized. The tetanus gateway was found in 188 patients (85%). Tetanus gateway linked to care was found in 22 patients (11.7%). Acts of care in question were intramuscular injections (10 cases) and operative procedures (12 cases). Concerning medical care by intramuscular injection, quinine (four cases), sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (one case), and long-acting penicillin (one case) were the identified drugs. The operative procedures mainly involved were skin sutures (nine cases), cures of hernia (two cases), and flattening of Fournier's gangrene (one case). The average incubation period was 9.5 days. The invasion lasted for an average of 1.8 days. On admission, tetanus was immediately generalized for all patients with the presence of paroxysms in 20 patients (90.9%). The lethality of tetanus related care was 54.5%. The death rate in the first 48 hours of hospitalization was estimated at 83.3%. The average length of hospital stay was 14.6 days. Health workers should be involved in the prevention of tetanus in improving the quality of care and especially in reducing intramuscular injections. Also, any patient not immunized against tetanus should receive anti-tetanus serum and an update of its tetanus vaccine before any invasive procedures.

Effects of nicardipine and clonidine on cognitive functions and electroencephalography in hypertensive patients.

The aim of this study was to investigate the cognitive and electroencephalography (EEG) short-term effects of a calcium antagonist, nicardipine, compared to placebo and clonidine (which, having known sedative effects, acted as a negative control) for 15 days in elderly hypertensive patients with memory complaints. Nicardipine and clonidine were compared with placebo in a double-blind, randomized, three-way cross-over controlled study after a 2-week placebo run-in period. This was a phase II clinical study carried out on out-patients in a single research centre. Fifteen elderly (63 +/- 10 years) hypertensive patients, without dementia but with memory complaints, were included. Psychomotor performance and cognition were assessed using both an extensive battery of validated psychometric tests (which evaluated attention and vigilance, body sway and memory) and an EEG profile. Cardiovascular parameters measured were blood pressure and heart rate. No detrimental effects of nicardipine were found on attention, vigilance, body sway or memory. Nicardipine produced a significant increase in alpha EEG energies, which may indicate possible alerting effects. In contrast, clonidine induced well-known deleterious sedative effects in psychometric tests and in EEG analysis (decrease in alpha and increase in delta and theta waves). The two drugs produced equivalent decreases in blood pressure at steady state. In conclusion, clonidine induced well-known sedative effects, while nicardipine did not impair central nervous system activity and may have had some short-term alerting effects in elderly hypertensive patients with memory complaints. This study supports the hypothesis of a dissociation between blood pressure and direct drug effects on the central nervous system.

[Characteristics of occupational accidents in the building industry and public works in Senegal]. / Caracteristiques des Accidents du Travail dans une industrie des Bâtiments et Travaux Publics au Sénégal.

The objectives of this study were to appreciate the magnitude of work accidents in a building construction sector, to specify their type and characteristics. A retrospective study was undergone in a big building construction industry in Senegal. Data were collected from records of accidents reported to the Social Security Administration between 1994--1996. We looked for characteristics of accidents as well as workers involved in accident. 244 accidents were collected in a three years period, i e 81.5/year, 132 work injuries involved temporaryworkers. 55.73% occurred in chantiers, and 1/3 in working room. Moving and handle objects generated most accidents (36,47%). Wounds and contusions were the most frequent lesion (51,62.%). Arms and feets were concerned in 51.63%, and ocular lesions were noticed in 13.94%. These accidents generate an overall number of 3055 days lost. Work injuries in the building construction sector in Senegal are identical to those described in othercountries. Prevention measures requires improvement of working conditions, education of workers and availability of personal protective equipment's.