Seroprevalence of leptospirosis in dogs in urban Harare and selected rural communities in Zimbabwe

A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate seroprevalence of canine leptospirosis in urban Harare and five selected rural communities in Zimbabwe and to assess public awareness of the disease. Sera from randomly selected dogs were tested for antibodies to the serovars Canicola, Grippotyphosa, Icterohaemorrhagiae and Pomona of Leptospira interrogans using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Clinical chemistry was performed on all seropositive and selected seronegative sera to screen for hepatic and renal insufficiency. A questionnaire- based survey was conducted in Harare to assess dog owners’ awareness of leptospirosis and other zoonoses. Overall, 15.6% of sera samples tested (39 out of 250; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.0% – 20.2%) were positive for leptospiral antibodies. A significantly higher (p < 0.05) seroprevalence was recorded in urban dogs than in rural dogs (25% vs. 11.2%). No significant difference in seroprevalence was observed amongst dogs from different rural communities or between sexes of dogs. There was a significant association between seropositivity and hepatic and/or renal insufficiency (p < 0.01), with dogs having hepatic and/or renal insufficiency being approximately twice as likely to be seropositive (relative risk = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.3–3.0). Of the dog owners, 78.8% (119/151) were aware of zoonoses. Except for rabies (92.4%), awareness of leptospirosis (5.0%) and other zoonoses amongst these owners was low. This study showed that leptospirosis was present and represented a risk to dogs from urban Harare and the selected rural communities in Zimbabwe. Availing training programmes for dog owners would be beneficial in improving disease control and reducing the public health risk of pet zoonoses.

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Prevalence and Economic Significance of Hydatidosis on Cattle Slaughtered at Nekemte Municipal Abattoir, Western Ethiopia

Veterinary Medicine - Open Journal ◽

10.17140/vmoj-5-150 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 57-63

Author(s):

Tuge Temesgen ◽

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Cattle Breed ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Hydatid Cysts ◽

Financial Loss ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Viability Test ◽

Significant Difference ◽

And Control

Aim The study was conducted to determine the prevalence of hydatidosis, to identify the association between expected risk factors and occurrence of the disease, to investigate economic importance and to evaluate fertility and viability of the hydatid cyst in cattle slaughtered at the abattoir. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study, which involves both ante-mortem and post-mortem examination, was conducted at Nekemte municipal abattoir from November 2015 to March 2016. Results A total of 355 local cattle breed was randomly sampled and examined for the presence of hydatid cysts in the organs of the animals using the standard meat inspection procedures, 66 (18.6%) animals were found harboring hydatid cysts. Statistical analysis showed that there was a significant difference (p<0.05) between the prevalence of bovine hydatidosis in all risk factors with exception of sex of the animals. Among 207 hydatid cysts recorded, 93 (44.92%) were from lungs, 65 (31.40%) from livers, 4 (1.93%) from heart, 3 (1.44%) from kidney, 1 (0.48%) from spleen and 41 (19.8%) were in two organs from lung and liver. Fifty-seven (57) of these 207 cysts were randomly selected and subjected to fertility and viability test which revealed 19 (33.33%) as fertile, 25 (43.86 %) sterile and 13 (22.81%) calcified. Viability test proved 7 (12.28%) of 19 fertile cysts as viable and 12 (21.05%) of 19 fertile cysts as non-viable. Viability of cysts in different organs revealed that 5 (16.1%) and 2 (10%) of cysts from lungs and liver, respectively. The estimated financial loss during the study period both due to condemnation of organs and an in direct carcass weight loss from hydatidosis was 2,190,143.52 ETB. Conclusion The results of this study revealed that bovine hydatidosis was an economically important disease of cattle which need serious attention for prevention and control actions in and around Nekemte. Hence, establishment of well-equipped standardized abattoirs, prohibition of backyard slaughter, creation of public awareness, deworming and control of stray dogs are of paramount importance.

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Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in sheep flocks in Kaduna State, Northwestern Nigeria

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica ◽

10.1556/004.2021.00034 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shuaibu Gidado Adamu ◽

Junaidu Kabir ◽

Jarlath Udo Umoh ◽

Mashood Abiola Raji

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Coxiella Burnetii ◽

Q Fever ◽

Jugular Vein ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Sectional Study ◽

High Seroprevalence ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of Q fever in sheep in the northern part of Kaduna State, Nigeria. This study aimed to determine Coxiella burnetii infection and its risk factors in sheep in Kaduna State. A total of 400 blood samples consisting of 259 samples from females and 141 from males were aseptically collected from the jugular vein of sheep from flocks in Kaduna State. The sera obtained were screened for Q fever using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). The obtained data were analysed to determine whether there is a relationship between sex, age, and the animals tested. The analysis revealed that 8.0% of the sera was seropositive by iELISA. There was no significant difference in Q fever seropositivity in the study area according to the sex of sheep (P > 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in Q fever seropositivity according to the age of sheep. This study indicated a high seroprevalence of Q fever mainly among female animals and older sheep. Further studies are required to determine the epizootiology of Q fever in the study area more precisely.

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KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES REGARDING VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY AMONG WOMEN ATTENDING IMAM HUSSEIN MEDICAL CITY IN KARBALA 2018

International Journal of Current Pharmaceutical Research ◽

10.22159/ijcpr.2019v11i6.36339 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 39-43

Author(s):

SARAH JAFAR AL-GHRAIBAWI ◽

SAAD IBRAHIM AL-GHABBAN ◽

RIYADH DHEYHOOD AL-ZUBAIDY

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D ◽

Vitamin D Deficiency ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Sun Exposure ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Medical City ◽

The Mean ◽

Socio Demographic Factors

Objective: Vitamin D deficiency is a global health problem. It is significantly associated with skeletal and non-skeletal problems. Prevention can be maintained mainly by effective sun exposure or supplementation and to lesser extent by dietary intake. To determine the magnitude of knowledge and practice of women towards vitamin D deficiency. Methods: A cross-sectional study, purposive sample of 442 women were approached who attended consultants’ clinics of Imam Hussein Medical City in Karbala. Data collection done between March 2 and June 30, 2018 through direct interviews using a special questionnaire prepared for the purpose of the study. Results: Less than half (45.2%) of the women had heard about vitamin D; their source of information was from relatives and friends then from health care provider. The mean score for the participants’ knowledge about VDD was 4.25 out of 9.0 (47%). It has a significant association with higher educational levels and urban residence. There is no significant difference regarding age, marital status or occupation. The mean score for the participants’ practice about vitamin D deficiency was 2.53 out of 5 (50.71%). There is no influence of practice score by socio-demographic factors. Conclusion: Overall knowledge towards vitamin D deficiency was suboptimal. Improving practices towards VD is directly related to increase knowledge about it that indicates the need to increase public awareness about the problem, encourage appropriate way of sun exposure, consumption of vitamin D rich food and taking supplementation when sun exposure is difficult.

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The Role of Ischemia-modified Albumin as a Biomarker in Preeclampsia

Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia / RBGO Gynecology and Obstetrics ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1709662 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (03) ◽

pp. 133-139

Author(s):

Süleyman Serkan Karaşin ◽

Tayfur Çift

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Laboratory Data ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Ischemia Modified Albumin ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Gestational Week ◽

Severity Of The Disease

Abstract Objective Ischemia-modified albumin (IMA)is a modified type of albumin protein that is formed under oxidative stress. This study aims to compare the levels of serum IMA between normotensive and preeclamptic pregnancies and to evaluate the relationship between the severity of the disease. Methods A total of 90 pregnant women aged between 18 and 45 years participated in this cross-sectional study. The levels of serum IMA were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 30 preeclamptic pregnant women with the severe signs of the disease, 30 preeclamptic pregnant women, and 30 normotensive pregnant women.. The study was designed as a cross-sectional clinical study. Results When the demographic characteristics were examined, statistically significant differences were found between the groups in terms of age, gestational week at birth and blood pressure. Age was higher in the preeclampsia with signs of severity group than in the normotensive group (p = 0.033). Pregnancy week was significantly the lowest in the preeclampsia with the severity signs group (p = 0.004). In normotensive patients, IMA levels were lower than in the preeclampsia groups (p < 0.001) but there was no significant difference in terms of severity of disease (p = 0.191). According to laboratory data; only the creatinine level was significantly different between the groups. Conclusion The levels of serum IMA were higher in patients with preeclampsia than in healthy pregnancies. However, there was no significant correlation in terms of preeclampsia severity; more extensive, prospective and long-term studies are needed.

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Salivary Levels of IL-6 and IL-17 Could Be an Indicator of Disease Severity in Patients with Calculus Associated Chronic Periodontitis

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2018/8531961 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Husniah Batool ◽

Ahmed Nadeem ◽

Muhammad Kashif ◽

Faheem Shahzad ◽

Romeeza Tahir ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Periodontitis ◽

Alveolar Bone ◽

Gingival Crevicular Fluid ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Crevicular Fluid

Background/Purpose. Chronic periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of gums that causes loss of supporting structures of teeth, that is, gingiva, periodontal ligament, cementum, and alveolar bone. Levels of various cytokines in the serum, gingival tissues, and gingival crevicular fluid in patients with chronic periodontitis have been studied, but limited data are available on the level of cytokines in saliva. Therefore, a study was designed to determine levels of salivary IL-6 and IL-17 in patients with calculus associated chronic periodontitis. Materials and Methods. It was a comparative, cross-sectional study that is comprised of 41 healthy controls and 41 calculus associated chronic periodontitis patients (CP patients). According to the degree of attachment loss, CP patients were subcategorized as mild (CAL 1-2 mm), moderate (CAL 3-4 mm), and severe (CAL > 5 mm) forms of periodontitis. Salivary levels of IL-6 and IL-17 were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0. Results. Between healthy controls and CP patients (moderate and severe disease), a statistically significant difference was observed in the concentrations of IL-6 and IL-17. In CP patients, the highest mean ± SD of salivary IL-6 and IL-17 was observed in severe CP, followed by moderate and mild CP. Regarding level of IL-6, a statistically significant difference was observed between mild and severe disease and between moderate and severe subcategories of CP patients. Similarly, statistically significant difference was observed in the level of IL-17 between mild and moderate, mild and severe disease, and moderate and severe disease. Conclusion. The levels of salivary IL-6 and IL-17 were increased significantly in calculus associated CP patients as compared to healthy controls and these levels increased with the progression of CP. Clinical Significance. Salivary levels of IL-6 and IL-17 may help in the subcategorization of CP.

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Ghrelin levels in hypertensive obese and normotensive obese subjects.

The Professional Medical Journal ◽

10.29309/tpmj/2021.28.08.6066 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (08) ◽

pp. 1142-1146

Author(s):

Zehra Niazi ◽

◽

Sundus Tariq ◽

Muhammad Azhar Saeed ◽

Sana Akram ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Ghrelin Level ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

P Value ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Social ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Minimum Age ◽

Obese Subjects

Objective: The purpose was to determine the ghrelin level, its effect and relationship with blood pressure levels in obese subjects. Study Design: Comparative Cross Sectional study. Settings: General OPD of Madinah Teaching Hospital (MTH) and District Head Quarter hospital Faisalabad (DHQ). Period: 2019 to 2020. Material & Methods: Blood samples were collected from hypertensive and compared with the normotensive obese (BMI >30). Ghrelin level was measured by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analysis was done on Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) 20 software. Mean ±SD has been given for quantitative variables. Independent sample t test was used for comparisons. Significance has been chosen as p ≤ 0.05. Results: Total 114 obese patients were selected for this study, of which 57 were hypertensive and 57 were normotensive. Minimum age was 30 years and maximum age was 60 years with mean age 39.35 ± 10.08 years. Mean age of hypertensive obese was 43.42 ± 10.46 years and mean age of normotensive was 35.28 ± 7.87 years. Statistically significant difference of mean fasting ghrelin levels between hypertensive obese and normotensive obese was noted with p value 0.013. Conclusion: Obese persons with elevated circulating concentration of ghrelin may be susceptible to the progression of increasing blood pressure.

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Low vision: Knowledge, attitude, and practice among optometrists in India

British Journal of Visual Impairment ◽

10.1177/02646196211019071 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 026461962110190

Author(s):

Nidhi Pandya ◽

Nayan Gupta ◽

Dimple Nagpal

Keyword(s):

Low Vision ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Care Services ◽

Attitude And Practice ◽

The Social ◽

Training Programmes ◽

Number Of Individuals ◽

Knowledge Attitude And Practice

In a developing country like India, affordable eye care services are limited and less developed. Moreover, a general lack of awareness about proper vision care leads to a rise in the number of individuals with visual impairment. In developing countries like India, the low vision services are still growing. Hence, it becomes necessary to understand the knowledge and practice patterns among optometrists regarding low vision services. This was a cross-sectional study carried out from May 2020 to July 2020 among optometrists across India. The questionnaire was constructed using the information from the already existing literature, and content validity was done through experts in this field. Furthermore, this survey was circulated to 1374 optometrists in the form of Google survey. The participants were able to participate in the survey only after a written informed consent. Analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, Version 20.0 (SPSS, Inc., IBM), to report the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the low vision services in India. In total, 280 individuals participated in this survey, and the mean age of the participants was 28 ± 8 years. There were 156 (55.7%) females and 124 (44.3%) males with a response rate of 20.37%. Out of 280 participants, 184 (65.7%) were involved in clinical practice, whereas 96 (34.3%) in optical practice. Lack of accessibility and time were found to be the two major barriers to enhance knowledge in low vision; however, accessibility, lack of awareness, and cost were the hindering factors to practise low vision services among these participants. This study reports that accessibility to the low vision services and awareness about the services are the barriers to uptake of low vision services. Besides this awareness, training programmes and public awareness would effectively contribute to enhance low vision services.

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Public awareness of ear health and hearing loss in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

South African Journal of Communication Disorders ◽

10.4102/sajcd.v66i1.633 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 66 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Khalid A. Alshehri ◽

Waleed M. Alqulayti ◽

Bassam E. Yaghmoor ◽

Hisham Alem

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Family History ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

World Health ◽

Public Knowledge ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Health Organization

Background: Knowledge of ear health and hearing loss is essential for early intervention and treatment, but the state of public knowledge of such in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, remains unknown.Objectives: To measure public knowledge of ear health and hearing loss.Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted during August 2018 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. An electronic survey questionnaire was distributed to 2372 residents of various districts in Jeddah. The survey was created in 2013 by adopting previously published World Health Organization material, designed to assess knowledge and perception of ear health. All males and females aged 10 years or older living in Jeddah had the chance to participate in this study. A total of 2372 people participated. Percentages mean ± standard deviation, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVAs) and independent t-tests were applied to determine the significant difference. p-values of 0.05 or less were considered significant.Results: The overall mean number of correct responses on the survey’s true/false questionnaire was 10.66 ± 1.92 out of 14. Female participants gave a higher mean number of correct answers than did male participants (10.73 ± 2.03 vs. 10.54 ± 2.03, respectively). Participants with a family history of hearing loss gave a higher mean number of correct answers compared with participants who reported a negative family history (10.89 ± 1.82 vs. 10.53 ± 1.97, respectively).Conclusion: Overall awareness of ear health and hearing loss management is fair. However, the results indicate a need for more integrated educational materials to be made available both to the general population as well as to hearing loss individuals and their families.

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Sero-Epidemiological Study of Hepatitis E Virus among Thalassemia as High Risk Patients: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Jahrom, Southern, Iran

Global Journal of Health Science ◽

10.5539/gjhs.v8n9p245 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. 245 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Abdolreza Sotoodeh Jahromi ◽

Abbas Ahmadi-vasmehjani ◽

Hassan Zabetian ◽

Hossein Hakimelahi ◽

Alireza Yusefi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis E Virus ◽

Age Groups ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Hepatitis E ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Ig G

<p>Hepatitis E virus (HEV) could be cause of viral hepatitis in the developing countries and cause severe epidemics. According to other studies, blood transfusion as a probable route of HEV infection has been suggested. An infection with hepatitis agents such as HEV causes active liver failure in multi-transfusion patients in particular thalassemia. The purpose of this study determines the seropositivity of anti-HEV antibodies in thalassemia individuals in Jahrom. In a cross-sectional study, sera from 110 thalassemia were collected between 2013 and 2014. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was performed to detection of anti-HEV antibodies. Individuals’ data were collected such as, demographic and clinical, for statistical analysis. Our results show that 10% and 1.8% of the enrolled patients were HEV Ig-G and Ig-M positive antibodies respectively. In addition, there was statiscally significant difference in age groups for prevalence of anti-HEV Ig-G (P = 0.01). Also the serum levels of liver enzymes such as ALT and AST in the HEV Ig-G and Ig-M positive samples were significantly higher than anti-HEV negative samples. But there were no significant difference between sex and splenectomy with anti-HEV positive samples. The results indicate more study are needed to assess HEV screening of blood products to these patients that those have a probably risk of exposure to HEV especially in higher years old. </p>

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Circulating ERBB3 levels are inversely associated with the risk of overweight-related hypertension: a cross-sectional study

BMC Endocrine Disorders ◽

10.1186/s12902-021-00793-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lijun Zhu ◽

Zhengmei Fang ◽

Yuelong Jin ◽

Weiwei Chang ◽

Mengyun Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Conditional Logistic Regression ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Chinese Patients ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Healthy Control ◽

Independent Risk Factors

Abstract Background Hypertension and overweight are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and overweight increase the risk of developing high blood pressure. ERBB3( also known as HER3) plays a considerable role in the development of cardiovascular diseases. However, the effect of ERBB3 levels in hypertensive overweight patients is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the association between ERBB3 levels and hypertension in overweight Chinese patients. Methods We evaluated the height,weight, blood pressure, biochemical indicators, and ERBB3 levels in 128 Chinese adults aged 33–79 years. Plasma ERBB3 levels were assessed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and body mass index(BMI) was calculated as body weight divided by height squared. Participants were allocated into three groups according to blood pressure and BMI: healthy control (CNT, n = 31; normotensive and non-overweight), hypertension (HT, n = 33; hypertension and non-overweight), and hypertension with overweight (HTO, n = 64; hypertension and overweight). Statistical significance was defined as a two-tailed P < 0.05. Results There was no significant difference in mean ERBB3 levels among the three groups, although a linear decrease from CNT (1.13 ± 0.36), HT (1.03 ± 0.36), to HTO (0.84 ± 0.26 ng/mL) was observed in men (P = 0.007). Among the drinking population, the ERBB3 level was significantly reduced in the HTO group as compared with those of the CNT and HT groups (0.76 ± 0.23 versus 1.18 ± 0.37 and 1.20 ± 0.30, respectively). ERBB3 levels were negatively correlated with diastolic blood pressure in men (r= − 0.293, P = 0.012), smoking (r= − 0.47, P = 0.004), and drinking (r = − 0.387, P = 0.008). BMI in men and among drinkers, and uric acid among drinkers were negatively correlated with ERBB3 levels. Multivariate conditional logistic regression showed that plasma ERBB3 levels were associated with a reduced risk of HTO in men [odds ratio (OR) 0.054; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.007–0.412) and drinkers (OR 0.002; 95 % CI: 0.000–0.101). Conclusions ERBB3 may contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension in overweight patients, with BMI, gender, and drinking all potentially modulating the process.

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