Correction of electrolyte balance in surgical patients with urgent surgical interventions

Annotation. Acute appendicitis is one of the most common acute pathologies of the abdominal cavity, which requires immediate surgical intervention and can lead to water-electrolyte imbalance. The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical significance of electrolyte imbalance in patients operated on for acute appendicitis and their correction. We examined 20 urgent surgical patients who were part of the control group and received “traditional” postoperative therapy and 23 patients of the study group who received oral rehydration therapy in the postoperative period to correct water-electrolyte disorders. To analyze the results of the study, profile analysis was used as a modification of multidimensional covariance analysis with repeated measurements. As can be seen from the results of testing the hypothesis of normalization of homeostasis due to the use of oral rehydration therapy schemes, the hypothesis was confirmed with a threshold significance of p=0.0642. The only significant effect of the rate of normalization of potassium concentration in blood plasma is the appointment of oral rehydration therapy with p=0.045. Also, the appointment of oral rehydration therapy is a significant effect of the rate of normalization of sodium and glucose in plasma (normalization of plasma glucose is significantly better in the dynamics of younger patients (p=0.045)). Thus, normalization of potassium and glucose, which correlates with the patient's age, was better in patients receiving oral rehydration mixture in the postoperative period than in patients receiving “traditional” postoperative therapy. Oral rehydration therapy is an acceptable alternative to infusion therapy in patients undergoing surgery for acute appendicitis in the postoperative period.

Impact of the Liberian National Community Health Assistant Program on Childhood Illness Treatment in Grand Bassa County, Liberia: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis of Population-Based Data

Liberia launched its National Community Health Assistant Program in 2016, which seeks to ensure that all people living 5 kilometers or farther from a health facility have access to trained, supplied, supervised, and paid community health workers (CHWs). This study aims to evaluate the impact of the national program following implementation in Grand Bassa County in 2018 using data from population-based surveys. We measured before-to-after changes in childhood treatment from qualified providers in a portion of the county that implemented in a first phase compared to those which had not yet implemented. We also assessed changes in whether children received oral rehydration therapy for diarrhea and malaria rapid diagnostic tests if they had a fever by a qualified provider (facility based or CHW). For these analyses, we used a difference-in-differences approach and adjusted for potential confounding using inverse probability of treatment weighting. We also assessed changes in the source from which care was received and examined changes by key dimensions of equity (distance from health facilities, maternal education, and household wealth). We found that treatment of childhood illness by a qualified provider increased by 60.3 percentage points (95%CI 44.7-76.0) more in intervention than comparison areas. Difference-in-differences for oral rehydration therapy and malaria rapid diagnostic tests were 37.6 (95%CI 19.5-55.8) and 38.5 (95%CI 19.9-57.0) percentage points, respectively. In intervention areas, treatment by a CHW increased from 0 to 81.6% and care from unqualified providers dropped. Increases in treatment by a qualified provider did not vary significantly by household wealth, remoteness, or maternal education. This evaluation found evidence that the Liberian National Community Health Assistant Program has increased access to effective treatment in rural Grand Bassa County. Improvements were approximately equal across three measured dimensions of marginalization.

A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Assessment of Caregivers’ Knowledge and Practices Regarding the Prevention and Management of Diarrhea among Children under the Age of Five in Thulamela B Clinics, South Africa

Diarrhea is a common cause of child-related hospitalization and mortality among children under the age of five in South Africa. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge and practices of caregivers regarding prevention and management of diarrhea among children under the age of five in the Thulamela Municipality of South Africa. A quantitative approach using a descriptive cross-sectional survey was used. A questionnaire was adopted to collect data from caregivers at thirty primary health-care facilities using convenient sampling. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0 was used to analyze data. Most of the respondents have fair knowledge about diarrhea, oral rehydration therapy/salt sugar solution and its usage during diarrheal episodes. However, most of them (81.7%) do not use the salt sugar solution when their children have diarrhea. Almost all the respondents practice a hand washing hygiene for themselves and their children; 97.2% do not reheat cooked food before feeding their children; 95.5% do not drink untreated water as their source of drinking water is the municipal supply. The practices of these respondents do not reflect their knowledge in terms of the use of oral rehydration solution/salt and sugar solution. Further efforts should be made to educate caregivers on the mode of transmission of diarrheal pathogens.

Mobile Genetic Elements of Vibrio cholerae and the Evolution of Its Antimicrobial Resistance

Vibrio cholerae (VC) is the causative agent of the severe dehydrating diarrheal disease cholera. The primary treatment for cholera is oral rehydration therapy (ORT). However, in case of moderate to severe dehydration, antibiotics are administered to reduce morbidity. Due to the emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) strains of VC routinely used antibiotics fail to be effective in cholera patients. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is encoded in the genome of bacteria and is usually acquired from other organisms cohabiting in the environment or in the gut with which it interacts in the gut or environmental niche. The antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) are usually borne on mobile genetic elements (MGEs) like plasmids, transposons, integrons and SXT constin. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) helps in the exchange of ARGs among bacteria leading to dissemination of AMR. In VC the acquisition and loss of AMR to many antibiotics have been found to be a dynamic process. This review describes the different AMR determinants and mechanisms of resistance that have been discovered in VC. These ARGs borne usually on MGEs have been recovered from isolates associated with past and present epidemics worldwide. These are responsible for resistance of VC to common antibiotics and are periodically lost and gained contributing to its genetic evolution. These resistance markers can be routinely used for AMR surveillance in VC. The review also presents a precise perspective on the importance of the gut microbiome in the emergence of MDR VC and concludes that the gut microbiome is a potential source of molecular markers and networks which can be manipulated for the interception of AMR in the future.

Awareness and Knowledge of Mothers Regarding Home Management of Diarrheal Disease for Children Less Than Five

Background: Diarrhea is the major cause of morbidity and mortality among children less than 5 years of age. Adequate rehydration therapy is the most important aspect of management. Home-based Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) prevents morbidity and mortality. In this study, our objective was to assess the awareness and knowledge of mothers regarding home management of the diarrheal disease for children less than five years in Gaffer Ibnauf specialized children’s hospital. Methods: This study was descriptive cross-sectional in gaffer ibnauf specialized children hospital. A questionnaire was provided to all the mothers admitted by children under five. in gastroenteritis word. Results: A total of 50 mothers60% of mothers have an aware understanding of the term childhood diarrhea. 52% of mothers were aware of signs of diarrhea. 48.0% of mothers aware of the severe symptoms noticed in children with diarrhea. 40.0% of mothers identify the mode of diarrhea spread, and more than halve the mothers had poor knowledge. 52.0% of mothers are aware of the danger of diarrhea. 42.0% of respondents were aware that dehydration is associated with acute loss of water and salt from the body. 52.0% of responders had good knowledge about the management of diarrhea. 64.0% of the respondents were aware of the composition of oral rehydration therapy. 48.0% of the respondents had knowledge of how to avoid some diets (like fat and fiber) in order to prevent diarrhea. Conclusions:- The study concluded that mothers had good knowledge about definition, signs, symptoms, main danger of diarrhea, the composition of ORT, importance of fluid and breastfeed continuation, and they had poor knowledge about the diet control types of diarrheal diseases and mode of its transmission.

Team-based, problem-solving exercises using studies of diarrhea and oral rehydration encourage students to integrate knowledge of systems physiology

We describe an inquiry activity that aims to develop students’ ability to interpret findings that span whole body systems and so encourage the integration of knowledge. The scenario we choose was the physiological challenge posed by diarrhea and the physiological mechanisms that underpin oral rehydration therapy. Before the staff-facilitated inquiry activity, students engage with an online information resource and complete a formative, but mandatory, prelaboratory quiz. These tasks encourage students to develop some mastery of the relevant physiology before the timetabled inquiry activity. The 3-h inquiry activity is driven by a paper workbook containing data from published studies, mainly from veterinary physiology, of the various consequences of diarrhea. Figures from published data are arranged so that, initially, the impact of dehydration on a single system (the cardiovascular system) could be appreciated. Integration with other systems (respiratory and renal systems) is then introduced progressively through the activity. The exercise is designed as a team-based inquiry activity that emphasizes the value of discussion to identify appropriate features for interpretation of the data. Students are obliged to complete a postlaboratory quiz within 5 days of the inquiry activity, serving to consolidate the students’ learning and provide staff with feedback on the attainment of intended learning outcomes. Marks from formative pre- and postlaboratory quizzes typically have a median mark in excess of 80% (pass mark is 50%), and qualitative feedback suggests that the majority of students recognized the value of the activity, despite simultaneously reporting that it was intellectually demanding.

Using Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) in the Community

For ORT to have a maximum impact on public health it should be used in the community, in the home. A number of programs have been developed over the years to extend ORT to home use. One of the most successful approaches was the Oral Therapy Education Program (OTEP) developed by BRAC, the world’s largest NGO. Mothers were taught in the home by an OTEP worker using seven simple messages and a demonstration. The program, which led to high levels of use and knowledge retention, is described. What the OTEP and other successful home-based programs have demonstrated is that home care of diarrhea using ORS can be effectively implemented and can have a positive impact on the reduction of diarrhea morbidity and mortality.

Cost-effectiveness of oral ondansetron for children with acute gastroenteritis in primary care: a randomised controlled trial

Background: Acute gastroenteritis is a common childhood disease with substantial medical and indirect costs, mostly because of referral, hospitalization and parental absence from work. Aim: To determine the cost-effectiveness of adding oral ondansetron to care-as-usual for children with acute gastroenteritis in out-of-hours primary care. Design and setting: A pragmatic randomised controlled trial at three out-of-hours primary care centres, with a follow-up of 7 days. Method: Inclusion criteria were: 1) age 6 months to 6 years; 2) diagnosis of acute gastroenteritis; 3) at least four reported episodes of vomiting 24 hours before presentation, whereof; 4) at least one in the 4 hours before presentation; and 5) written informed consent from both parents. Children were randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either care-as-usual (oral rehydration therapy) or care-as-usual plus one dose of 0.1 mg/kg oral ondansetron. Results: In total, 194 children were included for randomisation. One dose of oral ondansetron decreased the proportion of children who continued vomiting within the first 4 hours from 42.9% to 19.5%, with an odds ratio of 0.4 (95% CI = 0.2–0.7, NNT 4). Total mean costs in the ondansetron group were 31.2% lower (€488 vs €709), and the total incremental mean costs for an additional child free of vomiting in the first 4 hours was −€9 (95% confidence interval, −€41 to €3). Conclusion: A single oral dose of ondansetron for children with acute gastroenteritis, given in out-of-hours primary care settings, is both clinically beneficial and cost-effective.

Barriers and facilitators to implementation of oral rehydration therapy in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review

Background Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is an effective and cheap treatment for diarrheal disease; globally, one of the leading causes of death in children under five. The World Health Organization launched a global campaign to improve ORT coverage in 1978, with activities such as educational campaigns, training health workers and the creation of designate programming. Despite these efforts, ORT coverage remains relatively low. The objective of this systematic review is to identify the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of oral rehydration therapy in low and middle-income countries. Methods A comprehensive search strategy comprised of relevant subject headings and keywords was executed in 5 databases including OVID Medline, OVID Embase, OVID HealthStar, Web of Science and Scopus. Eligible studies underwent quality assessment, and a directed content analysis approach to data extraction was conducted and aligned to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to facilitate narrative synthesis. Results The search identified 1570 citations and following removal of duplicates as well as screening according to our inclusion/exclusion criteria, 55 articles were eligible for inclusion in the review. Twenty-three countries were represented in this review, with India, Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa having the most representation of available studies. Study dates ranged from 1981 to 2020. Overarching thematic areas spanning the barriers and facilitators that were identified included: availability and accessibility, knowledge, partnership engagement, and design and acceptability. Conclusion A systematic review of studies on implementation of ORT in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) highlights key activities that facilitate the development of successful implementation that include: (1) availability and accessibility of ORT, (2) awareness and education among communities, (3) strong partnership engagement strategies, and (4) adaptable design to enhance acceptability. The barriers and facilitators identified under the CIFR domains can be used to build knowledge on how to adapt ORT to national and local settings and contribute to a better understanding on the implementation and use of ORT in LMICs. The prospects for scaling and sustaining ORT (after years of low use) will increase if implementation research informs local applications, and implementers engage appropriate stakeholders and test assumptions around localized theories of change from interventions to expected outcomes. Registration A protocol for this systematic review was developed and uploaded onto the PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews database (Registration number: CRD420201695).