Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the thyroid, type MALT: a case report from the Adolphe SICE General Hospital, Pointe Noire (Congo - Brazzaville)

Primary lymphomas of the thyroid are rare tumours, representing less than 5% to 15% of thyroid cancers. These lymphomas develop on a pre-existing thyroid disease, notably Hashimoto's thyroiditis, or as a secondary site of a disseminated lymphoma. This pathology is aggressive and presents as a painful, rapidly evolving goitre with signs of compression. The most common histological types are non-Hodgkin's lymphoma type B. We report a case of thyroid non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the MALT type in a 71 year old woman with a specific history; the positive diagnosis was made thanks to a histological study of the surgical specimen completed by an immunohistochemical study on paraffin sections. The postoperative clinical course after six years was favourable, with no local recurrence or distant metastasis. Keywords: Goiter; Primary Lymphoma; Thyroid; MALT; Immunohistochemistry

Entrevista com a escritora Marie-Léontine Tsibinda: a escrita como um ato de libertação e de denúncia

Marie-Léontine Tsibinda tem um lugar de destaque no universo das Letras congolesas, sendo considerada a primeira escritora-poetisa do Congo-Brazzaville. Marie-Léontine , possui diversos textos literários escritos. Diante disso, La Porcelaine de Chine (2013) foi a nossa escolha para desenvolver essa entrevista, visto que, nos chama a atenção por ser contemporânea e por vermos na referida peça uma ferramenta que pode favorecer diálogos aos aspectos históricos e culturais no contexto brasileiro, além de, fazer esta escritora ser conhecida no Brasil.

Molecular Epidemiology of Epstein-Barr Virus in Women Breast Cancer in Congo Brazzaville

Introduction: the Epstein Barr virus is one of the very first oncogenic viruses to be identified as responsible for human malignancies. Its role as an etiological agent of breast cancer remains controversial, however, despite the growing molecular evidence. The aim of this study was detected the presence of EBV DNA in patients with breast cancer in the Republic of Congo. Methods: The study was conducted on 90 samples of formalin fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue blocks (FFPE) from breast cancer tissue. The immunohistochemistry technique was used to test for the expression of the LMP1 antibody and DNA was extracted from all blocks of formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded breast cancer tissue (FFPE) to detect presence of EBV 1 DNA by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: EBV was detected in 12.33% (12/90) of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) breast cancer tissue blocks. All formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) breast cancer tissue blocks with positive EBV DNA were high tumor grades (II and III). Overall EBV infection with clinicopathological features of breast cancer cases showed no significant difference (P>0.05). However, a statistically significant difference was observed between EBV infection and histological types (P=0.04). Conclusion: Our results provide evidence for the presence of EBV DNA in female breast cancer in Congo Brazzaville. However, this evidence is substantial but inconclusive for the involvement of viruses in the development of breast cancer. Therefore, future investigations will be needed to elucidate the exact role of EBV in breast cancer in women in the Republic of Congo. Key words: EBV, breast cancer, women, Congo Brazzaville.

Etude de la variabilité saisonnière des précipitations sur le plateau de Mbé au Pool-Nord (Congo-Brazzaville) : impacts sur les eaux de surface et souterraines

Cette étude porte sur l'impact de la variabilité saisonnière des précipitations sur les eaux du Plateau de Mbé. 120 échantillons d'eau ont été prélevés dans huit (08) points d'eau (1 puits, 4 forages et 3 rivières) entre novembre 2017 et août 2018. L'analysés au laboratoire de ces échantillons, permettent de caractériser les éléments physico-chimiques des eaux. Ces résultats sont traités à partir d'une méthode hydrochimie, en utilisant les diagrammes : de Piper, de Schoeller Berkaloff, de Stiff, et de Wilcox. Les données traitées montrent que les valeurs obtenues après les analyses des eaux des saisons ne présentent pas une variation considérable et sont toutes conformes aux normes prescrites par l'OMS pour l'eau de boisson, en dehors de la température qui est légèrement supérieure à la normale avec une moyenne de 27 ∘C. Le pH a une moyenne de 5.0; ce qui confirme le caractère acide des eaux dans toute cette zone d'étude. Abstract. This study examines the impact of seasonal rainfall variability on the Mbé Plateau waters. 120 water samples were taken from eight (08) water points (1 well, 4 boreholes and 3 rivers) between November 2017 and August 2018, analyzed in the laboratory, to characterize the physicochemical elements of the water. These results are processed from a hydrochemical method, using the diagrams : of Piper, Schoeller Berkaloff, Stiff, Wilcox. They show that the water values analyzed between the 4 seasons do not vary considerably and all comply with the standards prescribed by the WHO for drinking water, except for the abnormal temperature with an average of 27 ∘C and average pH of 5.0 which confirms the acidity of the waters throughout this study area.

Cervical trauma: Epidemiological, Diagnostic and Therapeutic aspects at the Adolphe SICE General Hospital in Pointe-Noire

Introduction: Cervical spine injuries are relatively rare, and caused by external sharp and vulnating agents. They can be potentially serious and life-threatening. The aim of this work was to describe the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects. Patients and Method: This was a descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study of the records of patients with neck trauma from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2018, conducted in the ENT and Cervico-Facial Surgery Department of the Adolphe SICE Hospital in Pointe-Noire (Congo-Brazzaville). Results: The study included 30 patients from a total of 107 cases of cervicofacial trauma. The average annual incidence of cervical trauma was 2 cases per year, with a predominance of males, including 25 males (83.3%) and 5 females (16.6%), i.e. a sex ratio of 5:1. The average age was 34.4 years with extremes of 17 to 70 years. 50% of our patients were single. The circumstances of occurrence were represented by knives (83% of cases), followed by road traffic injuries (13%) and firearms (3%). Sharp objects were the most common cause of injury (83%). The mechanism of injury was a section in 87% and a contusion in 13%. Neck pain was the main symptom in 100% of cases. The wound represented 87% of the physical examination, followed by edema and hemorrhage in 33% and 20% respectively. The trauma was isolated in 80% of cases and in a context of polytrauma in 4%. Exploratory and reparative cervicotomy was the most common surgical procedure, 87%, followed by tracheotomy, 27%. The evolution was simple, in spite of the parietal suppuration noted in 10% of the cases. Conclusion: Despite their rarity, cervical trauma remains a worrying surgical emergency in our work context. These traumas are the prerogative of young adult males in connection with external vulnating agents with high traumatic risk. Keywords: Trauma ; penetrating wound; Neck; Cervicotomy

Congo-Brazzaville-IMF agreement may raise false hopes

Headline CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE: IMF agreement may raise false hopes