[Predictors of catheter-related bladder discomfort]. / Facteurs prédictifs de l'inconfort lié à la sonde vésicale.

INTRODUCTION: Establish a descriptive epidemiological profile of patients with Catheter Related Bladder Discomfort (CRBD) and identify its predictive factors. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between June 2019 and December 2019, 300 patients have been evaluated. Different parameters were taken into account including: sex, age, body mass index (BMI), historical health data, duration and indications of the urinary catheterization, type of the transurethral catheter used, lubrication of the catheter and the existence of CRBD. We grouped our patients according to the intensity of CRBD syndrome. The various factors likely to be correlated with the occurrence of CRBD were subject of a univariate then multivariate analysis. RESULTS: 300 patients were included. The average age was 49 years (133 men and 167 women). 68 patients (22.6%) had history of urinary catheterization. 19% of patients were catheterized for acute urinary retention, while 81% were catheterized before surgery. The average duration of the urinary catheterization was 2.5 days. 54% showed CRBD symptoms, including more than 92% on the first day of the urinary catheterization. The significant risk factors in multivariate analysis were: the caliber of the catheter ≥18 Fr, the absence of lubrication, laparotomy, age <50 years, Cesarean and urinary catheterization medical history. CONCLUSION: This study identified various factors incriminated in the occurrence of CRBD. The role of the hospital practitioner is to prevent this syndrome by reducing predictive factors, particularly the technical ones. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

Prevalence of smoking in the Maghreb: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in the world and kills up to seven million people each year. Monitoring its prevalence is important for prevention programs. The aim of this work was to summarize the literature on the prevalence of smoking in the Maghreb countries during the past two decades. METHODS: The research was conducted on Medline via Pubmed based on the Mesh terms: «Tobacco Use¼, «Smoking¼ and «Africa, Northern¼. Were included articles reporting the prevalence of current smoking in the general population or a subgroup of the population in one or more Maghreb countries. The extracted data was related to current smoking, its definition, total prevalence and prevalence by sex. RESULTS: About 50 articles were included, the data was mainly from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Two studies reported prevalence among college students in Libya. The highest prevalences in the general population were noted in Tunisia with an overall prevalence, during the period studied, of 25% (95% CI [21% -29%]). This prevalence was 16% (95% CI [14% -18%]) in Morocco and 14% (95% CI [8% -22%]) in Algeria. CONCLUSION: The prevalence reported was generally high, especially in Tunisia, although lower than in developed countries, hence the importance of setting up and strengthening prevention and control measures, mainly among young people.

[Tinnitus : from the general practitioner to the specialist]. / Acouphènes : du généraliste au spécialiste.

Tinnitus is a common reason for ENT consultation. Patients who suffer from tinnitus are becoming more demanding and frequently ask questions about the cause, the mechanisms of onset, and the cure of their pathology. Quite often, they feel poorly managed or misunderstood, all the more so that, despite the proposed treatments, tinnitus persists and leads to adverse effects on the patients’ daily life. The general practitioner, because of his proximity, must be involved in the prevention, diagnosis and information of individuals with tinnitus and, thus, fully fulfill his acting public health role. To approach this condition, we will outline the clinical diagnosis and discuss the possible psychological repercussions; then, we will envisage the various treatment options that are currently available and evoke the future prospects in this area.

Les acouphènes représentent un motif fréquent de consultation en ORL. Les patients qui en souffrent sont de plus en plus exigeants et posent des questions sur la cause et les mécanismes d'apparition ainsi que sur le traitement curatif de leur affection. Souvent, ils se sentent mal pris en charge, voire incompris et, ce, d'autant plus que, malgré les traitements proposés, les acouphènes persistent et entraînent des retentissements sur leur vie quotidienne. Le médecin généraliste, par sa proximité, doit s'impliquer dans la prévention, le diagnostic et l'information des individus atteints d'acouphènes et remplir ainsi, pleinement, son rôle d'acteur de la santé publique. Pour approcher cette affection, nous tracerons les grandes lignes du diagnostic clinique en précisant les éventuelles répercussions psychologiques; ensuite, nous exposerons les différentes possibilités thérapeutiques actuellement disponibles tout en évoquant les perspectives d'avenir dans ce domaine.

[Intra-articular use of sodium hyaluronate (2,2,-2,7 MDa) in the treatment of Moroccan patients with knee osteoarthritis: randomized controlled trial]. / Intérêt de la viscosupplémentation a l'hyaluronate de sodium (2,2-2,7 MDa) dans le traitement de la gonarthrose chez des patients marocains: etude randomisée contrôlée.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of intra-articular sodium hyaluronate, administred once weekly for 3 weeks (3 injections) in Moroccan patients with knee osteoarthritis over 6-month period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We prospectively studied the outcome of 75 patients with painful knee osteoarthritis in grade 1, 2 and 3 on ACR radiological criteria in our rheumatology clinic in Morocco. Group 1: 45 patients were treated with 3-weekly injections of intra-articular sodium hyaluronate (1%; 2,2-2,7 MDa). Group 2 : 30 patients treated with symptomatic slow-acting drugs for osteoarthritis (SYSADOA). The efficacy parameters were Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Lequesne index. RESULTS: In group 1: 35/45 were female, a mean age of patients was 57.2 (± 8.2) years, and a mean Body Mass Index (BMI) was 28 (± 1.4) kg/m2. In group 2: 23/30 were female, a mean age of patients was 58.6 (± 2.8) years, and a mean of BMI was 27.8 (± 1.4) kg/m2. Before treatment in group 1, the mean of VAS was 6.5 cm (± 1), and of Lequesne index 10.5 (± 2.1). At 3 and 6 months after the third injection of sodium hyaluronate, there was a significant improvement from baseline of Lequesne index and VAS (P = 0.001). In group 2 before treatment, the mean of VAS was 7 cm (± 0,7), and of Lequesne index 8 (+ 1.1), but the improvement from baseline at 3 and 6 months of treatment was lower than group 1. CONCLUSION: The results of this prospective study, showed the efficacy of 3-weekly injections of sodium hyaluronate in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in Moroccan patients over a 6-month period.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the knee and hip health-related quality of life (OAKHQoL) in a Moroccan Arabic-speaking population.

The aim of this study was to adapt the knee and hip osteoarthritis quality of life questionnaire (OAKHQoL) into Moroccan Arabic and to determine its psychometric properties. After translation, back-translation and pretesting, the translated version was submitted to an expert committee. The psychometric properties were tested on patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis. Internal consistency was tested using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α), and the test-retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Construct validity was assessed by examining item-convergent and divergent validity and by comparing the average scores between age groups and walk perimeter groups. The study was conducted on 131 patients (115 with osteoarthritis of the knee and 16 with osteoarthritis of the hip). The "physical activities" (α = 0.93), "mental health" (α = 0.84) and "pain" (α = 0.88) dimensions of the Arabic version were internally reliable. The ICC were adequate to good; 0.83 for "physical activities", 0.65 for "mental health" and 0.70 for "pain" dimensions. The instrument demonstrated good construct validity; all items exceeded the 0.4 criterion for convergent validity, except items 13 and 41 and most of the correlations between items and their own scale were significantly higher than their correlations with other scales. A semantically equivalent translation has been developed with cultural adaptation of OAKHQoL. It is quite reliable and a valid measure of the effect of osteoarthritis on the quality of life on Moroccan patients.

Burden of smoking in Moroccan rural areas.

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and characteristics of current smoking among rural Moroccans. The population study included 3438 individuals aged 15 years and above from both sexes. The crude prevalence of current smoking (currently smoked and had smoked > 100 cigarettes in lifetime) was 16.9% in the adolescent and adult rural population: 31.0% among men and 1.1% among women. The majority of smokers 74.4% of men and 68.8% of women) began smoking before age 20 years. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age, sex, marital status, occupation and region of residence were the strongest determinants of current smoking. These results showed a high prevalence of smoking among males in the rural population of Morocco.

Association of the ENPP1 K121Q polymorphism with type 2 diabetes and obesity in the Moroccan population.

AIM: The ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 enzyme (ENPP1), which downregulates insulin signaling by inhibiting insulin-receptor tyrosine kinase activity, is encoded by the ENPP1 gene. A common functional ENPP1 K121Q polymorphism has been suggested to contribute to insulin resistance, obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in various ethnic groups. For this reason, we assessed the association between the ENPP1 K121Q polymorphism in T2D and obesity phenotypes in the Moroccan population. METHODS: Using LightCycler((R)) technology, we genotyped the ENPP1 K121Q polymorphism in 503 subjects with T2D and 412 normoglycaemic individuals. RESULTS: There was no evidence of an association between ENPP1 K121Q and T2D in either an additive (P=0.99) or recessive mode of inheritance (P=0.47). However, the Q121 variant was significantly more frequent in obese than in non-obese subjects after adjusting for age, gender and T2D status. We observed genetic heterogeneity between obese and non-obese T2D patients (P=0.02). The K121Q polymorphism was associated with T2D in the presence of obesity in both additive (1.55 [95% CI 1.16-2.07]; P=0.003) and recessive (2.31 [95% CI 1.34-3.97]; P=0.002) modes of inheritance. CONCLUSION: Although there was no evidence of an association between the ENPP1 K121Q variant and the general phenotype of T2D, we did find an association with adult obesity and T2D. The Q121 allele frequency in Morocco is 37.3%, placing it between European Caucasians (15%) and Black Africans (79%). This study is the first to report an association between K121Q and metabolic diseases in the Moroccan population.

[Cross-cultural adaptation difficulties in health quality of life scales for developing countries: example of St-George respiratory questionnaire validation in Morocco]. / Difficultés de l'adaptation transculturelle des échelles de mesure en santé dans les pays du sud : exemple de la validation du St-George Respiratory Questionnaire au Maroc.

BACKGROUND: In developing countries, quality of life (QoL) is becoming an increasingly relevant question. The use, in these countries, of the validated English scales could resolve an important problem of a lack of QoL tools noted in southern countries. However, this approach raises methodological problems of cross-cultural adaptation. This paper underlines the principal difficulties related to cross-cultural adaptation of QoL measurement scales based on the example of St-George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) translation from English to the Moroccan Arabic language. METHODS: The SGRQ, initially designed in English, was translated into dialectical Arabic by four translators following the recommended stages of translation and cultural adaptation: translation with conceptual and linguistic evaluation, back translation, comparison of the source and target versions and verification of the new instrument. RESULTS: During this cross-cultural adaptation process, some items were modified to adapt the original questionnaire to the Moroccan culture. Because of the great diversity of the Moroccan dialectal language, some words were, sometimes, translated into two or more equivalents which were put in the brackets in the final version of the SGRQ(m). Some questions were not applicable to all the Moroccan population such as a question about sports that did not concern women. On the other hand, some questions involving the same items posed differently in different dimensions, gave rise to confusion or the impression of repetition in the Moroccan Arabic version. CONCLUSION: The cross-cultural adaptation process, even if carried out in a rigorous way, does not always lead to the best target version and suggests it would be useful to develop new scales specific to each culture and at the same time, to think about the Trans cultural adaptation.

Inequalities in smoking profiles in Morocco: the role of educational level.

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking is increasingly associated with lower socio-economic status, indicated by lower educational levels. This association has never been investigated in Morocco. OBJECTIVE: The MARTA survey was undertaken to assess tobacco use in the Moroccan population according to level of education and other socio-demographic characteristics. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey based on a representative sample of the Moroccan population was conducted in 2005-2006. The survey questionnaire gathered socio-demographic information, educational level and smoking status. chi(2) analyses were performed to determine whether the smoking outcome variables differed significantly between different educational levels in relation to demographic variables. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratio for smoking status according to educational level. RESULTS: A total of 9195 subjects were included in the study; 52% were men and 17.9% illiterate. The overall prevalence of current smoking was 18.0% (95%CI 17.2-18.8): 31.5% (95%CI 30.2-32.9) in males and 3.3% (95%CI 2.8-3.8) in females. The prevalence of current smoking was inversely associated with level of education in men and increased with educational level in women. Illiterate males tended to have a higher probability of being current smokers than males with university-level education (OR 1.93, 95%CI 1.51-2.46). CONCLUSION: These results indicate a need for tobacco control to reach all sectors of society, and especially the illiterate population.

[Prevalence and risk factors for nosocomial infections in Hassan II University Hospital, Fes, Morocco]. / Prévalence et facteurs de risque des infections nosocomiales au CHU Hassan II de Fès (Maroc).

We determined the prevalence and risk factors for nosocomial infection at Hassan II University Hospital and the causative microorganisms among 282 inpatients. The mean duration of hospitalization was 16.4 (SD = 15) days. The prevalence of nosocomial infection was 6.7%. Infections at the site of the operation were the commonest. No catheter-related infection was noted. The main organisms isolated were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Candida albicans. The occurrence of a nosocomial infection was significantly associated with surgical operation (P = 0.005), presence of urinary catheter (P = 0.002) and length of hospital stay greater than 3 weeks (P = 0.04).

Validation of the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire in patients with COPD or asthma in Morocco.

SETTING: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are a public health problem in Morocco. Their evaluation should be supplemented by quality of life measurement, but there is no specific instrument available in local Moroccan Arabic. OBJECTIVE: To validate a Moroccan Arabic version of the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) in patients with COPD or asthma in Morocco. DESIGN: After a rigorous translation process of the SGRQ into local Moroccan Arabic (SGRQm), the SGRQm, spirometry, Fletcher scale and a visual analogical scale (VAS) were administered to each patient at recruitment. Data were used to examine the construct validity and reliability of the SGRQm. To examine the test-retest reliability, patients completed the SGRQm a second time 10 days later. RESULTS: A total of 131 patients with a mean age of 52 years were recruited into the study. Patients had a mean forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) of 1.70 1 and a mean VAS of 51.5 mm. Internal consistency of symptoms, activity and impact components was assessed using Cronbach's alpha (a) reliability coefficient; they were 0.94, 0.91 and 0.90, respectively. The test-retest reliability of components scores ranged from 0.70 to 0.87. The Fletcher scale correlated with all SGRQm scores, while the VAS had a similar correlation except with symptoms (P > 0.05). FEV1 values were negatively correlated with all SGRQm scores. CONCLUSION: The SGRQm yielded satisfactory psychometric properties.

Adaptation and validation of the Moroccan Arabic version of the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ).

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to translate and culturally adapt the PIDAQ native English version into Moroccan Arabic, and to assess the psychometric characteristics of the version thereby obtained. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The PIDAQ original English version was sequentially subjected to translation into Moroccan Arabic, back-translation into English, committee review, and pre-testing in 30 subjects seeking orthodontic treatment. RESULTS: The final Moroccan Arabic version further underwent an analysis of psychometric properties on a random sample of 99 adult subjects (84 females and 15 males, aged 20.97 ± 1.10 years). The intraclass coefficient correlation of the scores of the responses obtained after administration of the questionnaire twice at a 1-month interval to a random sample of 30 subjects ranged from 0.63 for "Self-confidence" to 0.85 for "Social Impact". Cronbach α coefficients ranging from 0.78 for "Aesthetic Concerns" to 0.87 for "Self-confidence" were obtained; the different subscales of the Moroccan Arabic version of the PIDAQ showed good correlation with the perception of aesthetics and orthodontic treatment need. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate that the Moroccan Arabic version of the PIDAQ obtained following thorough adaptation of the native form is both reliable and valid. It is able to capture self-perception of orthodontic aesthetic and treatment need and is consistent with normative need for orthodontic treatment.

Immunohistochemical expression of latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) and p53 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Moroccan experience.

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant epithelial tumor intimately associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). NPC is a characteristic tumor displaying epidemiological, genetic and regional distribution properties that makes it unique by its natural behavior. OBJECTIVES: To assess the expression pattern of LMP1 and p53 proteins in the different histological types of NPC in a sample of the Moroccan population and to define any association between the expression of those proteins with the sex, the age and the histological types of NPC. METHODS: Archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded NPC biopsies were evaluated in 23 Moroccan patients for the presence of LMP1 and p53 using immunohistochemistry (IHC). RESULTS: No LMP1 expression was observed whereas 8 of 23 cases (34. 7%) had detectable p53 protein in the nuclei of tumor cells. After statistical analysis according to the Fisher's exact probability test, no significant association between p53 expression and histological type, age and sex distributions was demonstrated (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: This study confirms that p53 overexpression is present in a subset of Moroccan NPC patients. Our results are consistent with those reported by other studies concerning the same NPC endemic risk area and provide original data concerning Morocco.

The use of antenatal services in health centres of Fès, Morocco.

Morocco has reported important achievements in coverage for mother and child healthcare services. Nevertheless, client-use and quality of antenatal care (ANC) services need to be improved. The aim was to identify factors related to the use of ANC services through a cross-sectional survey among women attending an urban maternity hospital in Fès. We describe quality of ANC services assessed in six health centres through pre-established national checklists. Of 240 women interviewed in postnatal wards, 23% had not undertaken any ANC consultation during their last pregnancy. The main characteristics of women not using ANC services were being multiparous (OR: 2.7; CI: 1.5 - 4, 8) and having no formal schooling (OR: 3.7; CI: 2.2 - 6.4). These women stated three main reasons: (1) did not find it necessary (46.9%); (2) health centre too far away (14%); (3) dissatisfied about the quality of care (12%). Evaluation of the quality of care showed a shortage of personnel and basic supplies and malfunctions were identified at various levels. In the region of Fès, there is a need to strengthen ANC and overall maternal health activities through community mobilisation and information and education. We recommend that the WHO ANC protocol (less ANC visits with emphasis on quality) be pilot tested in Morocco.

Burden of smoking in Moroccan rural areas

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and characteristics of current smoking among rural Moroccans. The population study included 3438 individuals aged 15 years and above from both sexes. The crude prevalence of current smoking [currently smoked and had smoked > 100 cigarettes in lifetime] was 16.9% in the adolescent and adult rural population: 31.0% among men and 1.1% among women. The majority of smokers [74.4% of men and 68.8% of women] began smoking before age 20 years. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age, sex, marital status, occupation and region of residence were the strongest determinants of current smoking. These results showed a high prevalence of smoking among males in the rural population of Morocco

[Prevalence and risk factors for nosocomial infections in Hassan II University Hospital, Fes, Morocco]

We determined the prevalence and risk factors for nosocomial infection at Hassan II university hospital and the causative microorganisms among 282 inpatients. The mean duration of hospitalization was 16.4 [SD = 15] days. The prevalence of nosocomial infection was 6.7%. Infections at the site of the operation were the commonest. No catheter-related infection was noted. The main organisms isolated were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Candida albicans. The occurrence of a nosocomial infection was significantly associated with surgical operation [P = 0.005], presence of urinary catheter [P = 0.002] and length of hospital stay greater than 3 weeks [P = 0.04]