scholarly journals Deep fungal infections diagnosed by histology in Uganda: a 70-year retrospective study

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 1044-1052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Kwizera ◽  
Felix Bongomin ◽  
Robert Lukande

Abstract Fungal infections cause substantial morbidity and mortality. However, the burden of deep fungal infections is not well described in Uganda. We aimed to estimate the burden and etiology of histologically diagnosed deep fungal infections in Uganda. We retrospectively reviewed histology reports at the Pathology Reference Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda from January 1950 to September 2019 to identify any reports that had a fungal infection as the diagnosis. Over the study period, 697 cases of deep fungal infections were identified with an average incidence of 0.73/100,000 persons per decade. There was a general decline in the number of cases detected. Median age of the cases was 28 years (IQR: 11–40) and majority (59%) were male. The age group of 0–10 years were the most affected. The foot was the most affected part of the body (26%). Deep mycoses identified include eumycetoma (32%), subcutaneous phycomycosis (26%), histoplasmosis (9.2%), chromoblastomycosis (4.6%), aspergillosis (3.3%), cryptococcosis (3.3%), blastomycosis (1.6%), subcutaneous mycosis (1.4%), dermatomycosis (1.3%), coccidioidomycosis (0.6%), mucormycosis (0.6%), and sporotrichosis (0.1%). Histoplasma was the commonest causative agent (9.2%) followed by Aspergillus (3.4%) and Cryptococcus (3.3%), while 81% of the fungal pathogens were not identified to genus/species level. Only 31% of the cases were diagnosed clinically as deep fungal infections. There is a substantial burden of deep fungal infections caused by multiple fungal pathogens in Uganda. There is need to build local capacity for mycology so as to improve on the index of clinical suspicion and diagnostic capabilities.

Author(s):  
Bharti Saraswat ◽  
Ashok Yadav ◽  
Krishna Kumar Maheshwari

Background- Electric burns and injuries are the result of electric current passing through the body. Temporary or permanent damage can occur to the skin, tissues, and major organs. Methods- This prospective study was carried out on patients admitted in burn unit of department of surgery M.G. Hospital associated with Dr. S.N. Medical College Jodhpur. Records of the patients admitted from January 2018 to December 2018 were studied. Bed head tickets of the patients evaluated in detail. Results- In our study out of 113 patients maximum no. of patients were in age group of 21-30 years 44 (38.94%) followed by age group <11 years in 21 (18.58%) patients and age group of > 60 years in only 3 (2.65%).39 (34.51%) patients were farmer and 15 (13.27%) were electrician in out of 113 total patients, while 37 (32.74%) were without any occupation. 65 (57.52%) cases of high voltage (HV) electrical injury and 48 (42.48%) cases were of low voltage (LV) electrical injury. Conclusion- Morbidity leading to permanent disabilities make the person physically dependent on others. It can be prevented by educating the people about the proper handling to electric circuits & devices. Proper communication among the electricians may help in lowering such accidents. Proper rehabilitation of the handicapped person & employment to the member of the affected family may reduce the social burden caused by such electricity concerned accidents.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 431-435
Author(s):  
Mohamed Mansy ◽  
Mostafa Kotb ◽  
Mohamed Abouheba

Congenital lumbar hernias are uncommonly seen in the pediatric age group, with only about 60 cases reported in the literature. It is usually accompanied by a multitude of congenital anomalies involving different organ systems of the body. For instance, it may involve the ribs, spine, muscles, and the kidneys. Herein, we report a case of congenital lumbar hernia in an 8-month-old boy who underwent an operative repair using a mesh with an uneventful outcome.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 124
Author(s):  
Charmaine Retanal ◽  
Brianna Ball ◽  
Jennifer Geddes-McAlister

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) change the structure and function of proteins and regulate a diverse array of biological processes. Fungal pathogens rely on PTMs to modulate protein production and activity during infection, manipulate the host response, and ultimately, promote fungal survival. Given the high mortality rates of fungal infections on a global scale, along with the emergence of antifungal-resistant species, identifying new treatment options is critical. In this review, we focus on the role of PTMs (e.g., phosphorylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, glycosylation, and methylation) among the highly prevalent and medically relevant fungal pathogens, Candida spp., Aspergillus spp., and Cryptococcus spp. We explore the role of PTMs in fungal stress response and host adaptation, the use of PTMs to manipulate host cells and the immune system upon fungal invasion, and the importance of PTMs in conferring antifungal resistance. We also provide a critical view on the current knowledgebase, pose questions key to our understanding of the intricate roles of PTMs within fungal pathogens, and provide research opportunities to uncover new therapeutic strategies.


2007 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 215-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio Conzález

Generally, there is a significant relationship between some acoustic measures (F0 and formant parameters) and the body size of speakers; however, data become less clear when age and sex variables are controlled. To date, no other vocal parameter apart from F0 has been studied in relation to body size. In the present study, correlations between a set of 27 parameters of the Multi-dimensional Voice Program (Kay Elemetrics Corp.) and 4 body measures were obtained from 134 speakers of both sexes belonging to one age group (20–29 years). Correlations within sex groups were null or very weak, and all significant coefficients were below .35.


2021 ◽  
pp. 25-27
Author(s):  
P. Mohan ◽  
P. Revathi Guru ◽  
V. Sudha ◽  
L. Balamurugan ◽  
Pavithra Gunasekaran ◽  
...  

Paederus dermatitis is a form of irritant contact dermatitis due to contact with certain insects of the genus Paederus presenting with mostly erythematous linear lesions of sudden onset on exposed parts of the body. To study the clinico epi Aim: demiological features in patients with Paederus dermatitis. A retrospective analysis of clinicoepidemiological Materials & Methods: features of patients affected with Paederus dermatitis who had attended the Dermatology OPD, in a tertiary care hospital between January 2018 to December 2019 was done. All the required data had been collected from the OPD records and details were tabulated and analysed. A total of 56 patients had been affected with Result: Paederus dermatitis during the study period, of which 32 were males and 24 were females. 41out of 56 (73.21%) of patients presented between the months of August and December. Most common age group affected were between 11 to 30 yrs, with front and back of neck being the most common affected sites. In 42 out of the 56 patients the lesions resolved with post inammatory hyperpigmentation. Conclusion: Paederus dermatitis is a common condition that is often misdiagnosed and hence awareness is required for the clinicians and the general public to prevent it.


1982 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 35-38
Author(s):  
Z. P. Lati ◽  
V. F. Zhuravskaya ◽  
Ya. R. Kretova

We analyzed 105 profile teleroentgenograms of the head of patients at the age of milk, replaceable and permanent bite with progenic closure of the dentition. On the basis of cranio-, gnato, and profilometric studies, the average angular and linear measurements of teleroentgenograms were calculated for each age group of patients, with which the average data of the age norm were compared. It was found that in the period of milk bite, dentoalveolar forms of progeny prevail. In a removable and especially permanent bite, there is a violation of the proportionality of the ratio of the upper and lower jaws and a sharp discrepancy between the length of the body and the height of the branches of the lower jaw, that is, the signs of progeny increase.


Molecules ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 3032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suresh Mickymaray ◽  
Wael Alturaiki

Fungal sensitization is very common in bronchial asthmatic cases, and the connection with airway colonization by fungi remains uncertain. Antifungal therapy failure is a significant fraction of the cost and morbidity and mortality in the majority of the asthmatic cases. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate the antifungal activity of five marine macroalgae—Acanthaophora specifera, Cladophoropsis sp., Laurencia paniculata, Tydemania sp., and Ulva prolifera—which were tested on selected fungal pathogens isolated from 15 sputum of 45 bronchial asthmatic patients. The highest antifungal activity was observed in ethanol fractions of L. paniculata followed by U. prolifera, Cladophoropsis sp., A. specifera, and Tydemania sp. The minimum fungicidal concentration and minimum inhibitory concentration values of the ethanolic fractions of algal species were found to be 125–1000 µg/mL and 125–500 µg/mL, respectively. The algal extracts contained terpene alcohol, diterpene, steroids, sesquiterpene, and sesquiterpene alcohol, as determined by GC–MS/MS analyses. The present study shows that the marine macroalgae containing bioactive compounds had excellent inhibitory activity against a variety of fungal pathogens, which may be useful for combating fungal infections and recovering from chronic asthmatic states.


1970 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Reza Jabbari Amiri ◽  
Rora Siami ◽  
Azad Khaledi

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary tuberculosis is one of the most important health concerns. Pulmonary fungal infections have clinical and radiological characteristics similar to tuberculosis which may be easily misdiagnosed as tuberculosis. This study aimed to evaluate tuberculosis (TB) status and coinfection of TB with pulmonary fungal infections in patients referred to reference laboratory of health centers Ghaemshahr city during 2007-2017.METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted during eleven years, between 2007 2017, on 3577 patients with suspected TB referred to health centers of Ghaemshahr City. For isolation, sputum smear preparation and Ziehl-Neelson staining in companying with microscopy direct observation and KOH 10% + white Calcofluor staining was used. The culture of fungi was performed on Sabouraud Dextrose agar, Czapek and chrome agar media. Then, data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 16) through Student's t-test, Fisher test, and Odds Ratio. P values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.RESULTS: Of 3577 patients, 10731 smears were prepared, 3.6% (n=130) of patients were identified as smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis, 86.4% (n=3090) were smear negative and 10% (n=357) drug-resistant TB. The mean age of patients was 48±1.8 years. With increasing age, the prevalence of TB has increased which was statistically significant (P value <0.05). Prevalence of tuberculosis in the age group over than 57 years in males and females had an ascending trend. Amongst the positive tuberculosis patients, 16/130 cases (12.3%) had the coinfection of TB with fungi microorganisms.CONCLUSION: Our findings showed the coinfection of fungi agents in patients with tuberculosis that should be considered. 


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu Sun ◽  
Liuna Yang ◽  
Xinzhu Hu ◽  
Yalan Zhu ◽  
Boxi Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Injury is one of the major public health problems, which causes more than 5 million deaths in the world every year. Cases of specific types of injury put a tremendous threat to human health and also add a heavy medical burden on individuals and societies. This study was to calculate and analyze the current curative expenditure (CCE) of injury in Dalian and consequently to provide control strategies for decision-makers. Main text: A total of 565 medical institutions were selected with multistage stratified cluster random sampling, containing 4,375,351 valid samples. Subsequently, the distribution of injury CCE in different dimensions (including age and site of injury) was analyzed under the framework of System of Health Accounts 2011(SHA 2011) using the established database. There were increases from 32.36/100,000 in 2006 to 37.34/100,000 in 2017 and from 46.12/100,000 in 2006 to 54.48/100,000 in 2017 in urban and rural residents respectively. The study found that the CCE of injury in Dalian had reached 1572.73 million RMB, accounting for 7.45% of the total curative care expenditure. In the 15–25 age group, the cost of injury accounts for a larger proportion of CCE than other age groups. Among the injuries in different regions of the body, injuries to the spine, lower limb, head and foreign body entering cost the most. Conclusions Dalian has a relatively serious burden of injury costs. The essential and primary goal is to reduce the cost and increase the benefit of attending to patients with injuries. Specific control strategies should be tilted toward the age group 15–25. Injuries to the spine, lower limb, head and foreign body entering also should be priorities of interventions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (12) ◽  
pp. e2016818118
Author(s):  
Sheena D. Singh-Babak ◽  
Tomas Babak ◽  
Hunter B. Fraser ◽  
Alexander D. Johnson

Candida albicans is the most common cause of systemic fungal infections in humans and is considerably more virulent than its closest known relative, Candida dubliniensis. To investigate this difference, we constructed interspecies hybrids and quantified mRNA levels produced from each genome in the hybrid. This approach systematically identified expression differences in orthologous genes arising from cis-regulatory sequence changes that accumulated since the two species last shared a common ancestor, some 10 million y ago. We documented many orthologous gene-expression differences between the two species, and we pursued one striking observation: All 15 genes coding for the enzymes of glycolysis showed higher expression from the C. albicans genome than the C. dubliniensis genome in the interspecies hybrid. This pattern requires evolutionary changes to have occurred at each gene; the fact that they all act in the same direction strongly indicates lineage-specific natural selection as the underlying cause. To test whether these expression differences contribute to virulence, we created a C. dubliniensis strain in which all 15 glycolysis genes were produced at modestly elevated levels and found that this strain had significantly increased virulence in the standard mouse model of systemic infection. These results indicate that small expression differences across a deeply conserved set of metabolism enzymes can play a significant role in the evolution of virulence in fungal pathogens.


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