European Journal of Medical and Health Sciences

Statistical Study on Maternal Immunological Adaptation During Normal Pregnancy

2024-09-25T10:46:13-04:00

Background: The immune system of the mother’s body undergoes several modifications throughout pregnancy to protect the baby from harm and prevent the mother’s immune system from attacking it. In addition, physiological and immunological changes that occur during pregnancy increase the risk and severity of some infections. Aim of the study: Provide comprehensive documentation of immune system adaptation in pregnant mothers and variables associated with the immune system. Methods: In this study, 40 pregnant women between the ages of 15 and 43 participated. The Abu Alkhaseeb General Hospital in Basra City filed data from March 2023 to August 2023. The data gathered included age, the number of abortions, the impact of WBC levels during pregnancy, and frequent diseases during pregnancy. Results and Discussion: Urinary tract infection was found to be the most frequent referral among pregnant women, constituting about 62% of the data, and comparisons of proportions were performed. A p-value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The results indicated that the number of white blood cells in the first, second, and third trimesters does not differ significantly. The highest white blood cell count was recorded in the third trimester (10.34), while the percentages for the first and second trimesters were close at 9.935 and 9.510, respectively. Conclusion: There are no significant associations with maternal white blood cell count during the first, second, and third trimester. Urinary tract infection was indicated to be the most frequent among pregnant women. 86% of pregnant women did not miscarry.

Lobular Breast Carcinoma with an Isolated Bladder Metastasis: A Case Report

2024-09-11T10:45:28-04:00

Metastasis of the bladder is an exceptionally rare occurrence in primary breast cancer. We report the case of a 68-year-old woman with a history of lobular breast carcinoma who developed metastatic bladder involvement ten years after her initial treatment. Cystoscopy and biopsy confirmed submucosal infiltration by carcinoma with an immunohistochemical profile consistent with lobular breast carcinoma, featuring estrogen receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) negative. The therapeutic decision recommended was to start first-line treatment with Fulvestrant plus Cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors.

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and Associated Factors Among Individuals During the Second Wave of Infection in Yaounde, Cameroon

2024-09-25T10:46:23-04:00

Background: The first case of new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was reported in Cameroon on March 5, 2020, in Yaounde. Since then, viral propagation occurred nationwide with a higher burden in urban settings and limited evidence on transmission patterns. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and associated factors among individuals in urban settings of Cameroon during the second wave of the pandemic.

Methods: a population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from January 18 to April 26, 2021, among 807 consenting individuals living in four major districts of the city of Yaoundé. Out of 711 nasopharyngeal swabs collected, 671 tests were performed by SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) extraction and real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL). Data were analysed using SPSS v21.0, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results: overall SARS-CoV-2 RNA positivity rate was 11.62% (78/671), without any significant difference between males and females with 10.9% versus 12.20% respectively (OR = 0.87, p = 0.5). However, clinical status was associated with SARS-CoV-2 RNA positivity rate in symptomatic (26.3%) vs. asymptomatic (9.7%) individuals (Odds Ratio [OR] = 3.30, p = 0.0001). Other factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 RNA positivity include exposure to more than 15min with confirmed cases, wearing a non-conventional facemask (p ˂ 0.05), the practice of occasional hand hygiene before and after contact with patients (OR = 3.60, p < 0.0001) or always as recommended (OR = 0.28, p = 0.0001), hand hygiene before and after occasional contact with objects (OR = 2.05, p = 0.0043) or always as recommended (OR = 0.48, p = 0.0027), surgical mask (OR = 0.17, p = 0.013) and standard mask (p = 0.026).

Conclusion: From this urban setting of Cameroon, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reached an alert burden (10-20%) during the second wave of the pandemic at the district level. Interestingly, SARS-CoV-2 infection was driven by the presence of symptoms, close contact with confirmed cases, limited adherence to recommended barrier measures, and the use of non-conventional facemasks.

A Post-Traumatic Nasal Septal Abscess about a Case Report

2024-08-26T10:44:05-04:00

Introduction: Nasal septal abscess is the presence of pus between the nasal septum and its mucosa. It Is a rare condition but there are risks of fatal complications if left untreated, it can occur spontaneously or after trauma of nasal septum. Treatments include antibiotics, surgical drainage of abscess, and treatment of its etiology.
Case Report: A case of a post-traumatic septal abscess has observed in a 11-year-old child Who was presented with a 5-day history of nasal obstruction, swelling and pain. We have performed incision and drainage with administration of antibiotic, the patient showed satisfactory recovery without any complication.
Conclusion: Nasal septal abscess is rare; it can be accompanied by fatal complications if left untreated.

Meningiomas in Elderly Subjects: Retrospective Studies of 8 Cases and a Literature Review

2024-09-18T10:45:49-04:00

Aim. Intracranial meningiomas in adults are mainly benign tumors that develop from the meninges. They are common, accounting for about 18 to 20% of primary intracranial tumors, and they are slow-growing, with a predominance in women. They can occur at any age but are most common after the age of 56. Symptoms vary depending on the location of the tumor, its size, and the anatomical structures it comes into contact with. Surgery is the main treatment modality for meningiomas. The objective of this study is to evaluate the cases of meningiomas in our series and to compare their different aspects, such as epidemiological, clinical, radiological, therapeutic, histological, evolutionary, and prognostic characteristics, with those reported in other series of the literature. We seek to highlight the similarities and differences between our series and previous studies, considering recent advances in this field.

Materials and measures. In our series, the retrospective study of 8 cases of intracranial meningioma in elderly subjects diagnosed and operated on at the Neurosurgery Department of a hospital over a period of 4 years. Brain CT and MRI were the primary preoperative diagnostic means. The use of these imaging techniques was essential to establish the diagnosis and plan the surgical procedure. The histopathological study was performed to confirm the post-operative diagnosis and determine the histological type, as well as the grade of the meningiomas, referring to the WHO classification to plan an appropriate follow-up of the management.

Results. Meningiomas accounted for 2.33% of intracranial meningiomas in elderly subjects, and 22.22% were in subjects under 65 years of age out of 342 tumors operated on in the Department during the same period. The female predominance was clear, at 62%, compared to 38% for men. The average age of our patients was 69.9 years, with extremes of 65 and 74 years. The main clinical symptoms observed in our patients were headache, motor deficit (hemiparesis, hemiplegia), sensory deficit, convulsions, and cranial pair involvement (optic nerve and facial nerve).On CT, the tumor mass was spontaneously hyperdense in 100% of cases. After the injection of iodine product, there was a homogeneous intense contrast intake in all cases. Only 2 patients in our series performed CT scans, of which we found perilesional edema and mass effect in 100% of cases. No calcifications or bone abnormalities were detected. MRI was performed on all our patients, allowing us to better specify the topographical diagnosis of meningiomas. Overall, surgical excision was complete (Simpson’s grade I and grade II) in 62.5% of cases. The most common histological types were meningotheliomatous meningioma (4 cases), transitional meningioma (1 case), mucoid fibrous meningioma (1 case), and atypical meningioma (2 cases). The post-operative course was favorable in most patients, and the post-operative complications consisted mainly of wound infection (1 case), CSF leakage (1 case), and hemorrhage (1 case).