Evaluation of Pituitary/Cranial imaging results of central puberty precocious cases.

Background: The activation of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) pulse generator before the age of 8 years in girls and 9 years in boys results in central precocious puberty (CPP). Previous studies have shown that the height of the pituitary gland in the CPP cases is higher than in the normal children. Aim: In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the pituitary gland volüme by MRI in CPP children, and explore the intracranial lesions among children with CPP. Patients and Methods: The study was performed with 50 children (41 girls, 9 boys) who had been diagnosed with CPP. Pituitary MRI was performed in every child after the diagnosis of CPP. Pituitary gland volüme in CPP children was compared with age/sex-matched control subjects. In addition, if available, cranial MRI of patients were evaluated for the presence of additional intracranial abnormalities or space-occupying lesions. Results: The mean chronological age at diagnosis was 7.1 ± 1.0 (2.4-7.9) years in girls and 7.4 ± 1.7 (3.7-8.8) years in boys. CNS imaging showed pathological findings in 17% (7/41) of the girl cases and 55.5% (5/9) of the boy cases. Pituitary volumes of girls aged 6.0-7.9 years and boys aged 8.0-8.9 years were found to be increased compared to the control group. Conclusion: In this study, we found that CNS imaging showed pathological findings in 17% of the girl cases, and 55.5% of the boy cases. Pituitary volumes of girls aged 6.0-7.9 years and boys aged 8.0-8.9 years were found to be increased compared to the control group.

[Treatment outcome, survival and their risk factors among new tuberculosis patients co-infected with HIV during the Ebola outbreak in Conakry]. / L'issue du traitement, la survie et ses facteurs de risque chez les nouveaux tuberculeux co-infectés par le VIH pendant l'épidémie d'Ebola à Conakry.

BACKGROUND: Mortality among TB/HIV co-infected patients remains high in Africa. The study aimed to estimate survival and associated factors in a cohort of TB/HIV co-infected patients who started tuberculosis treatment during the Ebola outbreak in Conakry, Guinea. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted from April 2014 to December 2015. TB patients with HIV co-infection were enrolled at the University Hospital of Conakry. Survival and risk factors were analyzed according to Kaplan-Meier's method, log-rank test and Cox's regression. RESULTS: Data from 573 patients were analyzed. From these, 86 (15.0%) died before the end of treatment, 52% occurring within eight weeks of treatment onset. Survival at 4, 12 and 24 weeks after the beginning of the TB treatment was 92%, 86% and 83%, respectively. Independent risk factors associated with death were in the cell CD4 <200 cells/mm3 [adjusted hazard ratio (AHR): 2.25; 95% CI (confidence intervals): 1.16-4.37], opportunistic infections other than TB [AHR: 2.89; 95% CI: 1.39-6.02], and comorbidities [AHR: 4.12; 95% CI: 2.10-8.10]. An increase of one unit in hemoglobin [AHR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.75-0.91] was protective of death. CONCLUSION: TB/HIV co-infected patients had a higher fatality rate during treatment of tuberculosis. Prevention of opportunistic infections, anemia and proper management of tuberculosis treatment in early comorbidities may improve survival for TB/HIV co-infected patients in restoring immune function.

Rationality of drug prescriptions in rural health centres in Burkina Faso.

The objective of this study is to investigate the quality of drug prescriptions in nine health centres of three districts in rural Burkina Faso. 313 outpatient consultations were studied by methods of guided observation. Additionally interviews were held with the health care workers involved in the study. A total of 793 drugs prescribed by 15 health care workers during the observation period and 2815 prescribed drugs copied from the patient register were analyzed. An average of 2.3 drugs were prescribed per visit. 88.0% of the prescribed drugs were on the essential drug list. 88.4% were indicated according to the national treatment guidelines. 79.4% had a correct dosage. The study revealed serious deficiencies in drug prescribing that could not be detected by assessing selected quantitative drug-use indicators as recommended by the WHO. In two-thirds of the cases the patients received no information on how long the drug had to be taken. Errors in dosage occurred significantly more often in children under 5 years. The combined analysis of choice and dosage of drugs showed that 59.3% of all the patients received a correct prescription. Seven out of 21 pregnant women received drugs contraindicated in pregnancy. We conclude that assessment of quantitative drug-use indicators alone does not suffice in identifying specific needs for improvement in treatment quality. We recommend that prescribing for children under 5 and for pregnant women should be targeted in future interventions and that the lay-out, content and distribution of treatment guidelines must be improved.