[External Quality Assessment of Thick and Thin Blood Smear Slides for the Diagnosis of Malaria in the Lomé and Gulf Health Districts of Togo]

Objective

In sub-Saharan Africa where 90% of malaria cases are concentrated, the control of this disease constitutes a major challenge whose diagnosis by thick and thin smear deserves to be exact and reproducible. The purpose of this study is to assess the performance of thick/thin blood smear in order to improve its implementation process.

Material and methods

This was a descriptive and analytical study that took place from May to June 2017 and involved participating laboratories (PL) coming from public, liberal and confessional sectors in Lomé. A set of 13 blood smear slides of variable parasite densities (PD) with assigned values (AV) of parasite densities and the Plasmodium species assigned was used. The criterion for establishing the parasite densities compliance interval was assigned values ± 25% and the performance rates were compared to the 80% recommended by the WHO for Africa region.

Results

41.9% (13/31) of the PLs had a compliance rate greater than 80% including four with a performance of 100% for the ability to identify the Plasmodium species. For the parasitaemia < 100/μl, 51.6% of participating laboratories had a performance rate less than 80% and for parasitaemia > 2000/μl, 100% of these laboratories had a performance rate greater than 80%.

Conclusion

The evaluated laboratories had insufficient ability for the identification of Plasmodium falciparum and the correct estimation of low parasitaemia. A need to strength the technical skills, adapted to the context of low parasitaemia are essential to improve the biological diagnosis of malaria in Togo.

Intermediate range structure of amorphous Cu2GeTe3: ab initio molecular dynamics study

We have investigated the intermediate range structure of amorphous Cu₂GeTe₃ based on ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. The highest population of ring size is three, which makes the triangle structure. This ring consists of mainly Cu₂Te. Rings may also consist of CuCuCu, Cu₂Ge, and CuGeTe, where approximately 88% of Cu atoms in the system are related with the three-membered ring. The second highest population of ring size is five. Three- and five-membered rings in the amorphous phase originate from six-membered ring in the crystalline phase. This situation can enhance the phase transition between crystalline and amorphous phases. In the phase change process, Cu atoms may diffuse in the amorphous state with changing bonds. The diffusion coefficient of Cu D _Cu is estimated to be approximately 0.12 × 10^-9 m² s^-1. Such high diffusion coefficient of Cu atoms is contributed from only 10% of Cu atoms in the amorphous phase.

[Epidemiological and clinical aspects of visible urogenital malformations among adolescent's schoolboys at Cotonou]

AIMS

To detect systematically visible urogenital malformations (VUGM) in adolescents and describe their epidemiological and clinical aspects.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

It was a cross sectional, descriptive and analytical study, conducted from February to August 2012. Upon 2724 adolescents from 10 to 19 years old, of the public secondary schools of Cotonou. Among the 26,594 registered pupils, 2724 were included and examined after a randomized sampling of 30 clusters.

RESULTS

The mean age of the pupils was of 15 ± 2.30 years (11-19 years), with a peak at 18 years. The prevalence of the VUGM was slightly higher (9.57%) in individuals those had parents with low socioeconomic level. The prevalence of the VUGM was high in Yoruba and related (P=0.02). It was stronger (9.84%) among subjects in puberty period's than in pre-puberty (6.69%) (P=0.03). From the 253 having VUGM, 78 (30.83%) had 146 functional signs. It was indexed 266 affections and of malformatives associations in 21 pupils (8.30%). Varicocele was the most frequent (5.47%), followed by inguinal hernia (0.99%), hydrocele (0.88%), anomalies of testis migration (0.59%), cyst of spermatic cord (0.51%), insulated testicular hypotrophy (0.48%), micro-penile (0.33%), hypospadias (0.22%), penile curvature (0.22%) and epididymis cyst (0.07%).

CONCLUSION

Among patients who had VUGM, the majority had at least a varicocele, which occupies so far the first place within these malformations at the adolescents in Cotonou.

Regulation of genes associated with angiogenesis, growth, and metastasis by specific p53 point mutations in a murine melanoma cell line

K1735 murine melanoma cells transfected with p53 cDNAs bearing specific point mutations are metastatic in nude mice, whereas the parent and control-transfected cells are nonmetastatic. To determine whether p53 gene mutations regulate genes associated with angiogenesis, growth, and metastasis, we examined expression of vascular endothelial growth factor I, IGF-I receptor, epidermal growth factor insulin-like growth factor I, IGF-I receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor, c-MET, and thrombospondin 1 in K1735 cells transfected with one of four different mutant p53 cDNAs. Northern blot analysis demonstrated differential upregulation of these genes in cells transfected with different mutant p53 cDNAs. Up-regulation of angiogenesis-, growth-, and metastasis-related genes by mutant p53 may contribute to metastasis formation.

Urethral mucosal prolapse in young girls: a report of nine cases in Cotonou

BACKGROUND

Urethral mucosal prolapse is rare. This condition may be confused with tumour or sexual abuse in girls. This study aims at reporting the pathology presentation and therapeutic options of urethral prolapse in girls.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective study was undertaken from January 2000 to December 2008. Authors analysed the clinical features and the treatment options.

RESULTS

There were nine cases of urethral prolapse. The ages ranged from 2.5 to 10 years (mean age: 5.08 years). The main presentation was vaginal bleeding (five cases). Physical examination revealed a soft, non-tender mass that bleeds on touch (six cases), with a length ranging from 0.75 to 1 cm. Urine culture in four patients revealed urinary infection that yielded Escherichia coli in three cases and the Staphylococcus aureus in one case. Six patients had surgical treatment while three had medical treatment. In those who had surgery, one had acute urine retention and one had recurrence that was treated successfully without operation. All the nine girls are cured.

CONCLUSION

Urethral prolapse is a disease of the prepubertal girls of low socio-economic group. Diagnosis is clinical. The treatment of choice is surgical.

Femoral bifurcation associated with tibial aplasia: about 3 cases

Femoral bifurcation associated with tibial aplasia of the limb is a very rare pathology. Its radical treatment is a disarticulation of the knee, followed by fitting of a prosthesis. In Benin the reluctance of parents to allow their children to undergo amputation and the access to equipment for the amputated child are a major technical and financial hindrance. Here we report three cases.

[Pott's disease paraplegia in children. Mechanics and therapeutic strategies. Six cases]

PURPOSE

We report a series of 6 Pott's disease paraplegias treated between 1982 and 1996.

MATERIALS AND METHOD

Out of 15 children suffering from Pott's disease, 6 had paraplegia. Treatment consisted of anterior medullar decompression and anterior spine fusion with bone grafting. Two or three weeks later, posterior spine fusion was achieved systematically using a CD fixation device in 3 cases.

RESULTS

Neurological signs completely disappeared in 5 children. Vertebral fusion was correct in all patients and kyphosis was less than 50 degrees.

DISCUSSION

The posterior approach to the spine must be proscribed as a first step, except for spine dislocation. The anterior approach allowed us to drain the abscess, to correct the kyphosis, and to perform an anterior spine fusion. The posterior spine fusion was performed a few weeks later in order to avoid kyphosis aggravation.

CONCLUSION

Prognosis of Pott's disease is good but at the present time, paraplegia remains too frequent. Adapted treatment must be performed without delay.

[Injuries of the external male genital organs. Apropos of 20 cases]

The authors report 20 cases of trauma of the male external genital organs observed over a 10-year period, due to various causes, particularly road accidents, domestic quarrels, and self-mutilation. Lesions of the testis and its appendages were frequent and treatment was usually surgical.

Cell density-dependent regulation of basic fibroblast growth factor expression in human renal cell carcinoma cells

We investigated some of the mechanisms that regulate the expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in human renal cell carcinoma (HRCC). HRCC SN12PM6 cells were cultured as adherent monolayers. The expression of steady-state bFGF mRNA (measured by in situ hybridization and Northern blot) and protein (measured by immunohistochemistry and ELISA) correlated inversely with the culture density. Tumor cells harvested from dense cultures (low bFGF expression) and plated under sparse conditions expressed high levels of bFGF mRNA and protein prior to cell division, suggesting that bFGF may be a competence factor. Similar data were obtained with human vascular endothelial cells. The expression of bFGF was not regulated by spent culture medium, cell cycle, or rate of cell division but was down-regulated by contract inhibition. These data show that the expression of bFGF in HRCC is cell density dependent.