Survival of cervix cancer patients in Kampala, Uganda: 1995-1997.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Wabinga H
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2394214 | biostudies-other | 2003 Jul
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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Project description:GOALS OF WORK: Clinical trials have suggested that advances in chemotherapy significantly improve the survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Comparable evidence from clinical practice is scarce. This study aims to investigate the survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with chemotherapy in Alberta, Canada. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Trends of relative survival of patients diagnosed in 1994-2003 were assessed using Alberta Cancer Registry (ACR) data. The median overall survival (OS) of patients diagnosed in 2004 was determined by linking Cancer Registry data with Electronic Medical Records (EMR). Cox regression models were fitted to calculate the hazard ratio for patients treated with chemotherapy. RESULTS: The 2-year relative survival for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who received chemotherapy increased significantly from 29% to 41% over the 10 years (1994-2003, p < 0.015). A 69% reduction in the risk of mortality was observed in the 168 patients who received chemotherapy compared to the 87 patients who did not, after adjusting for age, gender, and number of metastases. The median OS of patients who received chemotherapy was 17.5 months. This is comparable to the 18-20 months seen in recently published clinical trials, considering the patients in this study were from the real clinical practice, nearly half of them were older than 70, and many of them might have important co-morbidities. CONCLUSIONS: The survival of patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer in Alberta has improved in recent years; this is most likely attributable in large part to the use of chemotherapy.
| S-EPMC2795864 | biostudies-other
Project description:In September 2014, a single fatal case of Marburg virus was identified in a healthcare worker in Kampala, Uganda. The source of infection was not identified, and no secondary cases were identified. We describe the rapid identification, laboratory diagnosis, and case investigation of the third Marburg virus outbreak in Uganda.
| S-EPMC5443453 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionAcute childhood illnesses, such as malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoea, represent the leading causes of under-five mortality in Uganda. Given that most early child deaths are treatable with timely interventions, emergency units dedicated to paediatric populations have been established in the country. In light of recent developments, the department of paediatrics at Makerere University requested a needs assessment in the paediatric acute care unit (PACU) at Mulago National Referral Hospital, which could guide the development of a new training curriculum for medical providers.MethodsWe administered a survey for medical providers working in the PACU at Mulago Hospital, which assessed their self-rated comfort levels with paediatric assessment, treatment, and teamwork skills. We also conducted focus groups with a smaller subset of medical providers to understand barriers and facilitators to paediatric emergency and critical care.ResultsOf 35 paediatric assessment, treatment, and teamwork skills, 29 (83%) questions had the median comfort rating of 6 or 7 on a 7-point Likert scale. The remaining 6 (17%) skills had a median comfort rating of 5 or lower. Focus groups identified a number of major barriers to caring for critically ill children, including limited resources and staffing, training gaps, and challenges with interprofessional teamwork. In terms of training development, focus group participants suggested continuous training for all medical providers working in the PACU led by local leaders.DiscussionThis study identified the need and desirability of continuous trainings in the PACU. Key components include objective skills assessment, simulation-based scenarios, and interprofessional teamwork. Training development should be augmented by increases in resources, staffing, and training opportunities in collaboration with the Uganda Ministry of Health.
| S-EPMC8058529 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundSeasonality in tuberculosis (TB) has been described, especially in children. However, few studies have assessed seasonality of TB in the equatorial region, and none in children.ObjectivesTo assess for seasonality of childhood TB cases in Kampala, Uganda, and determine the role of temperature, rainfall patterns, and influenza cases on TB diagnoses.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed demographic and clinical data of children (under 15 years) diagnosed with TB at a pediatric TB clinic in Kampala, Uganda from 2010 to 2015. We performed decomposition analysis of the monthly case time series to assess seasonality. We compared monthly mean plots and performed Poisson regression to assess any association between TB diagnoses and temperature, rainfall, and influenza.ResultsOf the 713 childhood TB cases diagnosed at the clinic, 609 (85%) were clinically diagnosed and 492 (69%) were pulmonary cases. There were minimal monthly variations in TB cases, with a trough in December and peaks in July and October, but there was no significant seasonality. Temperature variations did not show a clear pattern with TB diagnoses. Rainfall alternated with TB diagnoses in the first half of the year, but then overlapped in the second half and was significantly associated with TB diagnoses. Influenza cases were significantly related to TB diagnoses with (β = 0.05, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.09, p = 0.01) or without (β = 0.06, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.1, p = 0.01) rainfall, and had particular overlap with pulmonary TB cases.ConclusionsSeasonal variations in childhood TB diagnoses were non-significant. Temperature did not have a clear pattern with TB diagnoses, but rainfall and influenza cases correlated with the primarily clinically diagnosed childhood TB cases.
| S-EPMC6456174 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, is rapidly expanding without adequate wastewater treatment facilities to accommodate the current estimated population of 1.68 million people. Hence, freshwater bodies and natural ecosystems around the city are heavily polluted with organic and inorganic contaminants. Yet, there is a paucity of data on pathogenic microorganisms, which potentially threatens health of local communities. We performed a qualitative microbial analysis using a whole metagenome sequencing approach encompassing over 150 gigabases of sequencing data to characterize the Nakivubo wastewater system, which includes a wastewater channel and surrounding wetlands. We found that microbial diversity is heterogeneous throughout the system and that three community state types could be differentiated. We showed the presence of various waterborne agents of gastrointestinal infections in humans, which were associated with leakage occurring around two locations along the wastewater channel. Our data indicate that the microbial decontamination capacity of the local wastewater treatment facility was insufficient at the time of sampling, and that several areas of the wetlands were contaminated with human pathogens, indicating that parts of the wetlands are potentially unsafe for urban agriculture.
| S-EPMC6874685 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In this study, we sought to establish the prevalence of leptospirosis among renal patients and general outpatients attending Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda. A total of 254 patients were recruited, their blood samples collected and interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaires provided between July and October 2018. These questionnaires captured data on sociodemographic characteristics and symptoms of leptospirosis disease. An individual with an average body temperature of 37.3 ± 1.1 °C was considered to be having fever. The blood samples were analyzed using the standard Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) with a panel of 14 Leptospira-serovars belonging to 11 serogroups. Prevalence was reported with confidence intervals while questionnaire data was analyzed using logistic regression analysis. We present an overall prevalence of leptospirosis at 4.70% (95% CI = 2.60-8.30) after analysis of samples from recruited patients. This seropositivity (12/254) was classified into 7 serovars, among which, Canicola and Djasiman presented with titers between ≥ 200 and ≥ 400 in samples of both renal patients and outpatients, indicative of the active disease. Djasiman was the highest contributor to the reported prevalence. Overall, most examined participants presented with common symptoms of abdominal pain (AOR = 24.4, 95% CI (2.42-267.89), p = 0.02) and dehydration (AOR = 0.1, 95% CI (0.01-0.69), p = 0.05). Our study suggests that these symptoms and previous history of abdominal pain may be caused by Leptospira infections among the studied participants. We therefore recommend inclusion of leptospirosis in the differential diagnosis for renal and febrile illnesses. Indeed, abdominal pain and dehydration should be further studied with a bigger sample size and for other related febrile illnesses.
| S-EPMC9120167 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundTuberculosis is an ancient disease that continues to threaten individual and public health today, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Current surveillance systems describe general risk of tuberculosis in a population but do not characterize the risk to an individual following exposure to an infectious case.MethodsIn a study of household contacts of infectious tuberculosis cases (n = 1918) and a community survey of tuberculosis infection (N = 1179) in Kampala, Uganda, we estimated the secondary attack rate for tuberculosis disease and tuberculosis infection. The ratio of these rates is the likelihood of progressive primary disease after recent household infection.ResultsThe secondary attack rate for tuberculosis disease was 3.0% (95% confidence interval: 2.2, 3.8). The overall secondary attack rate for tuberculosis infection was 47.4 (95% confidence interval: 44.3, 50.6) and did not vary widely with age, HIV status or BCG vaccination. The risk for progressive primary disease was highest among the young or HIV infected and was reduced by BCG vaccination.ConclusionsEarly case detection and treatment may limit household transmission of M. tuberculosis. Household members at high risk for disease should be protected through vaccination or treatment of latent tuberculosis infection.
| S-EPMC3038854 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundWhile the sanitation ladder is useful in analysing progressive improvements in sanitation, studies in Uganda have not indicated the sanitation barriers faced by the urban poor. There are various challenges in shared latrine use, cleaning and maintenance. Results from Kampala city indicate that, failure to clean and maintain sanitation infrastructure can lead to a reversal of the potential benefits that come with various sanitation facilities.MethodsA cross sectional qualitative study was conducted between March and May 2013. Data were collected through 18 focus group discussions (FGDs) held separately; one with women, men and youth respectively. We also used pictorial methods; in addition, 16 key informant interviews were conducted. Data were analysed using content thematic approach. Relevant quotations per thematic area were identified and have been used in the presentation of the results.ResultsWhether a shared sanitation facility was improved or not, it was abandoned once it was not properly used and cleaned. The problem of using shared latrines began with the lack of proper latrine training when people do not know how to squat on the latrine hole. The constrained access and security concerns, obscure paths that were filthy especially at night, lack of light in the latrine cubicle, raised latrines sometimes up to two metres above the ground, coupled with lack of cleaning and emptying the shared facilities only made a bad situation worse. In this way, open defecation gradually substituted use of the available sanitation facilities. This paper argues that, filthy latrines have the same net effect as crude open defection.ConclusionWhereas most sanitation campaigns are geared towards provision of improved sanitation infrastructure, these findings show that mere provision of infrastructure (improved or not) without adequate emphasis on proper use, cleaning and maintenance triggers an involuntary descent off the sanitation ladder. Understanding this reversal movement is critical in sustainable sanitation services and should be a concern for all actors.
| S-EPMC4071028 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Leptospirosis, brucellosis, and Q fever (coxiellosis) are bacterial zoonoses that cause acute febrile illness in people as well as reproductive losses in pigs. Pig keeping is an increasingly important livelihood to millions of smallholder farmers in Uganda because of exponential increases in demand for pork. The prevalence of leptospirosis and Q fever in pigs is unknown, and the few studies of porcine brucellosis have estimated a range of seroprevalence. Therefore, we undertook a prevalence survey of leptospirosis, brucellosis, and Q fever in pigs using quantitative real-time PCR to determine the potential importance of these zoonoses to the growing pig sector in Uganda. Six hundred forty-nine pigs were sampled in 2015-2016 at an urban pork slaughterhouse. Ten percent of pigs (n = 68) had leptospiral DNA in either their kidney or reproductive tissue. In adjusted analyses, variables predictive of leptospiral status included female sex (odds ratio [OR]: 2.37, P < 0.01) and pigs sampled in March 2016 (OR: 2.23, P = 0.02) and October 2016 (OR: 0.30, P = 0.04). DNA fingerprinting revealed circulation of at least four distinct serovars in these pigs. Brucella spp. and Coxiella burnetii DNA were not detected in any sampled pig. This is the first report of widespread circulation of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in pigs in Uganda, suggesting that leptospirosis likely has a greater impact on the health of pigs than was previously recognized. Pig farmers, pig traders, and slaughterhouse workers may be at greatest occupational risk because of their direct contact with infective leptospires in aborted fetuses, bodily fluids, and other tissues.
| S-EPMC7695076 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesIn Uganda, infection-related cancers have made the greatest contribution to cancer burden in the past; however, burden from lifestyle-related cancers has increased recently. Using the Kampala Cancer Registry data, we projected incidence of top five cancers, namely, Kaposi sarcoma (KS), cervical, breast and prostate cancer, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in Uganda.DesignTrend analysis of cancer registry data.SettingKampala Cancer Registry, Uganda.Main outcome measureCancer incidence data from 2001 to 2015 were used and projected to 2030. Population data were obtained from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics. Age-standardised incidence rates (ASRs) and their trends over the observed and projected period were calculated. Percentage change in cancer incidence was calculated to determine whether cancer incidence changes were attributable to cancer risk changes or population changes.ResultsIt was projected that the incidence rates of KS and NHL continue to decrease by 22.6% and 37.3%, respectively. The ASR of KS was expected to decline from 29.6 per 100 000 population to 10.4, while ASR of NHL was expected to decrease from 7.6 to 3.2. In contrast, cervical, breast and prostate cancer incidence were projected to increase by 35.3%, 57.7% and 33.4%, respectively. The ASRs of cervical and breast were projected to increase up to 66.1 and 48.4 per 100 000 women. The ASR of prostate cancer was estimated to increase from 41.6 to 60.5 per 100 000 men. These changes were due to changes in risk factors and population growth.ConclusionOur results suggest a rapid shift in the profile of common cancers in Uganda, reflecting a new trend emerging in low/middle-income countries. This change in cancer spectrum, from infection-related to lifestyle-related, yields another challenge to cancer control programmes in resource-limited countries. Forthcoming cancer control programmes should include a substantial focus on lifestyle-related cancers, while infectious disease control programmes should be maintained.
| S-EPMC8928275 | biostudies-literature