Project description:BackgroundPlasmodium falciparum malaria remains a major public health problem. A vital component of malaria control rests on the availability of good quality artemisinin-derivative based combination therapy (ACT) at the correct dose. However, there are increasing reports of poor quality anti-malarials in Africa.MethodsSeven collections of artemisinin derivative monotherapies, ACT and halofantrine anti-malarials of suspicious quality were collected in 2002/10 in eleven African countries and in Asia en route to Africa. Packaging, chemical composition (high performance liquid chromatography, direct ionization mass spectrometry, X-ray diffractometry, stable isotope analysis) and botanical investigations were performed.ResultsCounterfeit artesunate containing chloroquine, counterfeit dihydroartemisinin (DHA) containing paracetamol (acetaminophen), counterfeit DHA-piperaquine containing sildenafil, counterfeit artemether-lumefantrine containing pyrimethamine, counterfeit halofantrine containing artemisinin, and substandard/counterfeit or degraded artesunate and artesunate+amodiaquine in eight countries are described. Pollen analysis was consistent with manufacture of counterfeits in eastern Asia. These data do not allow estimation of the frequency of poor quality anti-malarials in Africa.ConclusionsCriminals are producing diverse harmful anti-malarial counterfeits with important public health consequences. The presence of artesunate monotherapy, substandard and/or degraded and counterfeit medicines containing sub-therapeutic amounts of unexpected anti-malarials will engender drug resistance. With the threatening spread of artemisinin resistance to Africa, much greater investment is required to ensure the quality of ACTs and removal of artemisinin monotherapies. The International Health Regulations may need to be invoked to counter these serious public health problems.
Project description:IntroductionWe sought to evaluate the efficacy and complications of urgent-start peritoneal dialysis (PD) compared with urgent-start temporary hemodialysis (HD) followed by subsequent elective transfer to PD.MethodsIn this multicenter open-label prospective randomized controlled trial, adults with kidney failure who required immediate dialysis but did not have access to definitive dialysis were randomized to receive either urgent-start PD or urgent-start temporary HD over 2 weeks to 4 weeks followed by a transition to a chronic PD program according to the country policy. The primary outcome was the composite end point of operation-related, catheter-related, and dialysis-related complications at 6 weeks. Secondary outcomes were 6-week mortality, 6-week technique survival, and 1-week composite complications.ResultsA total of 207 participants requiring urgent-start dialysis were enrolled from 3 tertiary hospitals between November 2018 and February 2020 as follows: 104 were assigned to receive urgent-start PD, and 103 were assigned to urgent-start temporary HD. Compared with urgent-start temporary HD, urgent-start PD had a lower composite complication rate at 6 weeks (19% vs. 37%, risk ratio [RR] 0.52, 95% CI 0.33-0.83), which was primarily accounted for by a reduction in dialysis-related complications (4% vs. 24%, RR 0.16, 95% CI 0.06-0.44). No significant differences were observed between the 2 groups with respect to patient and technique survival rates at 1 week and 6 weeks.ConclusionAn urgent-start PD strategy during the transition of kidney failure to chronic dialysis is safe and has fewer complications commensurate with their reduced exposure to procedural risk than urgent-start temporary HD up to 6 weeks after dialysis commencement.
Project description:Rationale & objectiveIt is a common practice to start patients in urgent need of dialysis on hemodialysis via a central venous catheter. Because central venous catheter use is associated with increased risk of infections, hospitalizations, and mortality, urgent start peritoneal dialysis (PD) increasingly represents a viable alternative. This study aimed to examine clinical outcomes, complications, mortality, and modality retention in patients who initiated urgent start PD.Study designRetrospective cohort study.Setting and participantsEighty-four adult members of a large integrated health care system who initiated urgent start PD between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2014.ExposureUrgent start PD.OutcomesRetention rates at 30, 90, and 365 days; time to the development of noninfectious and infectious complications, modality failure, and all-cause mortality.Analytical approachCumulative incidence of all-cause mortality was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Retention rates for PD were computed using binomial proportions.ResultsOccurrence of major complications was less than 5%. Catheter malfunction occurred in 6% of cases; of those, catheter patency could be established in 80%. Infectious complications occurred in 20% of patients who initiated PD and included peritonitis and exit site infections. At 365 days after initiation, the cumulative incidence of all-cause mortality was 9.7% (95% CI, 4.7%-19.4%). PD retention rates were 98.8%, 91.3%, and 80.0% at 30 days, 90 days, and 1 year, respectively.LimitationsRetrospective cohort design, a well-matched comparable group of urgent start hemodialysis patients could not be identified, small number of patients in a single integrated health care system, uncertain or limited generalizability of findings to other health care systems.ConclusionsAt 1 year after initiation, patients who initiated urgent start PD had high survival and modality retention rates. In unplanned initiation of dialysis, urgent start PD is a viable and sustainable option and should be considered in selected patients to optimize care.
Project description:IntroductionUrgent-start peritoneal dialysis (PD) in patients with newly diagnosed end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a well-tolerated alternative to hemodialysis (HD). The primary aim of this study was to identify the demographic and clinical characteristics of ESRD patients, as well as the presurgical, surgical, and postsurgical factors associated with urgent-start PD complications.MethodsA retrospective cross-sectional observational study was performed on 102 patients with ESRD who merited urgent-start PD from January 2015 to June 2019. The primary clinical outcome measures were catheter leakage, dysfunction, and peritonitis, whereas the secondary outcomes were catheter removal, repositioning, and death. Statistical inferences were made with the χ2 or Fisher's exact test and independent samples t tests.ResultsOne hundred two subjects (65 men, 63.7%) 56.2 ± 15.1 years old were included in this study; 64 of the subjects had diabetes and hypertension (62.7%). Catheter leakage occurred in 8 patients (7.8%), catheter dysfunction in 27 patients (26.5%), and peritonitis in 14 patients (13.7%); meanwhile, catheter removal occurred in 6 patients (5.9%), catheter repositioning in 21 patients (20.6%), and death in 3 patients (2.9%). Peritonitis was associated with younger age (i.e., 47.0 ± 16.8 vs. 57.6 ± 14.4 years; P = 0.014; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.2-19.1; odds ratio [OR] 0.96; P = 0.018; 95% CI: 0.92-099), higher creatinine levels upon admission (i.e., 20.2 ± 9.8 vs. 14.1 ± 8.3; P = 0.014; 95% CI: -10.9 to -1.2), and heart failure (OR 4.79; P = 0.043; 95% CI: 1.05-21.88). Patients with abdominal hernia were 7.5 times more likely to have their catheter leak (OR 7.5; P = 0.036; 95% CI: 1.14-49.54). Catheter removal was associated with obesity (i.e., body mass index [BMI] of 31.6 ± 4.1 vs. 25.9 ± 4.9; P = 0.007; 95% CI: -9.8 to -1.6; OR 1.26; P = 0.013; 95% CI: 1.05-1.51) and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease glomerular filtration rate (MDRD-GFR) (i.e., 2.5 ± 0.6 vs. 3.7 ± 2.3; P = 0.003; 95% CI: 0.5-1.9).ConclusionPeritonitis was associated with younger age, higher creatinine levels upon admission, and heart failure; meanwhile, catheter removal was linked to obesity and lower glomerular filtration rate. Compared with previous reports, our study included patients in which PD was initiated shortly after catheter insertion, making the intervention a true urgent-start PD. This study contributes to the existing urgent-start PD literature by providing evidence that urgent-start PD with catheter opening within 72 hours has limited complications, making it a relatively safe option.
Project description:Objectives: Infantile and childhood epileptic encephalopathies are a group of severe epilepsies that begin within the first year of life and often portend increased morbidity. Many of them are genetically determined. The medical strategy for their management depends on the genetic cause. There are no facilities for genetic testing of children in Kazakhstan but we have a collection of data with already defined genes responsible for clinical presentations. Methods: We analyzed children with epileptic encephalopathies that began in the first 3 years of life and were accompanied by a delay/arrest of intellectual development, in the absence of structural changes in the brain. Such patients were recommended to undergo genetic testing using epileptic genetic panels in laboratories in different countries. Results: We observed 350 infants with clinical presentation of epileptic encephalopathies. 4.3% of them followed our recommendations and underwent genetic testing privately. In total 12/15 children became eligible for targeted treatment, 3/15 were likely to have non-epileptic stereotypies/movements, 2/15 were unlikely to respond to any therapy and all had a high chance of intellectual disability, behavioral and social communication disorders. Conclusion: The genetic results of 15/350 (4.3% of patients) have demonstrated the potential and enormous impact from gene panel analysis in management of epileptic encephalopathy. Availability of genetic testing within the country will improve management of children with genetic epilepsies and help to create a local database of pathogenic variants.
Project description:BackgroundSeveral studies have suggested that urgent-start peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a feasible alternative to hemodialysis (HD) in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), but the impact of the dialysis modality on outcome, especially on short-term complications, in urgent-start dialysis has not been directly evaluated. The aim of the current study was to compare the complications and outcomes of PD and HD in urgent-start dialysis ESRD patients.MethodsIn this retrospective study, ESRD patients who initiated dialysis urgently without a pre-established functional vascular access or PD catheter at a single center from January 2013 to December 2014 were included. Patients were grouped according to their dialysis modality (PD and HD). Each patient was followed for at least 30 days after catheter insertion (until January 2016). Dialysis-related complications and patient survival were compared between the two groups.ResultsOur study enrolled 178 patients (56.2% male), of whom 96 and 82 patients were in the PD and HD groups, respectively. Compared with HD patients, PD patients had more cardiovascular disease, less heart failure, higher levels of serum potassium, hemoglobin, serum albumin, serum pre-albumin, and lower levels of brain natriuretic peptide. There were no significant differences in gender, age, use of steroids, early referral to a nephrologist, prevalence of primary renal diseases, prevalence of co-morbidities, and other laboratory characteristics between the groups. The incidence of dialysis-related complications during the first 30 days was significantly higher in HD than PD patients. HD patients had a significantly higher probability of bacteremia compared to PD patients. HD was an independent predictor of short-term (30-day) dialysis-related complications. There was no significant difference between PD and HD patients with respect to patient survival rate.ConclusionIn an experienced center, PD is a safe and feasible dialysis alternative to HD for ESRD patients with an urgent need for dialysis.
Project description:BackgroundDespite international evidence supporting community participation in health for improved health outcomes and more responsive and equitable health systems there is little practical evidence on how to do this. This work sought to understand the process involved in collective implementation of a health-related local action plan developed by multiple stakeholders.MethodsCommunities, government departments and non-government stakeholders convened in three iterative phases of a participatory action research (PAR) learning cycle. Stakeholders were involved in problem identification, development, and implementation of a local action plan, reflection on action, and reiteration of the process. Participants engaged in reflective exercises, exploring how factors such as power and interest impacted success or failure.ResultsThe local action plan was partially successful, with three out of seven action items achieved. High levels of both power and interest were key factors in the achievement of action items. For the achieved items, stakeholders reported that continuous interactions with one another created a shift in both power and interest through ownership of implementation processes. Participants who possessed significant power and influence were able to leverage resources and connections to overcome obstacles and barriers to progress the plan. Lack of financial support, shifting priorities and insufficient buy-in from stakeholders hindered implementation.ConclusionThe process offered new ways of thinking and stakeholders were supported to generate local evidence for action and learning. The process also enabled exploration of how different stakeholders with different levels of power and interest coalesce to design, plan, and act on evidence. Creation of safe spaces was achievable, meanwhile changing stakeholders' level of power and interest was possible but challenging. This study suggests that when researchers, service providers and communities are connected as legitimate participants in a learning platform with access to information and decision-making, a shift in power and interest may be feasible.
Project description:BackgroundGiven limited resources for injury prevention, it is essential to determine which mechanisms of injury to target to provide the most benefit to the largest proportion of the population. We developed objective, evidence-based injury prevention priority scores (IPPSs) for the Canadian population across 4 prevention perspectives: mortality, injury severity, resource use and societal cost.MethodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study of all injuries in Canada from 2009/10 to 2013/14. Hospital admissions were obtained from the Discharge Abstract Database, and deaths from the Statistics Canada Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database. For each mechanism of injury, we calculated an IPPS as a balanced measure of injury frequency and 1) mortality rate, 2) median 1 - ICISS (Injury Severity Score derived from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision, enhanced Canadian version), 3) median cost per hospital stay or 4) median potential years of life lost (PYLL), providing a ranking of mechanisms of injury in priority order. The IPPS by definition has a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. The higher the IPPS, the higher the priority for injury prevention.ResultsA total of 694 535 injuries were identified over the study period. The most frequent mechanism of injury was falls (391 068 [56.3%]). The overall mortality rate was 0.09 deaths/injured person, the median 1 - ICISS was 0.017, the median cost was $5217, and the median PYLL was 0. The mechanisms with the 3 highest IPPSs were falls (75), self-harm (67) and drowning (66) for mortality; falls (77), drowning (70) and suffocation (61) for severity; falls (80), suffocation (63) and fire (60) for resource use; and falls (72), assault (62), and firearms and legal interventions (59 in both cases) for societal cost.ConclusionThis study produced IPPSs for traumatic injuries in Canada that provide objective and quantifiable methods for identifying mechanisms of injury to target for specific prevention initiatives. Preventing falls would provide the most benefit to the largest proportion of Canadians and should be prioritized in injury-prevention policy.
Project description:To achieve UNAIDS 90:90:90 targets at population-level, knowledge of HIV status must be followed by timely linkage to care, initiation and maintenance of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for all people living with HIV (PLHIV). Interpreting quantitative patterns using qualitative data, we investigate time taken to link to care and initiate ART amongst individuals aware of their HIV-status in high HIV-prevalence urban communities in the HPTN 071 (PopART) study, a community-randomised trial of a combination HIV prevention package, including universal testing and treatment, in 21 communities in Zambia and South Africa. Data are drawn from the seven intervention communities where immediate ART irrespective if CD4 count was offered from the trial-start in 2014. Median time from HIV-diagnosis to ART initiation reduced after 2 years of delivering the intervention from 10 to 6 months in both countries but varied by gender and community of residence. Social and health system realities impact decisions made by PLHIV about ART initiation.