November 2010

Comparison of various immunoassay kits for rapid screening of pandemic influenza H1N1-2009 viruses

The success of therapeutic measures is predicted on the basis of rapid and precise diagnosis of  infection. A comparison of three rapid influenza immunoassay (RIIA) kits, the Directigen Flu A+B test, QuickVue influenza A+B test and the Quick S-INFLU A.B, for detection of pandemic influenza H1N1 (2009) viruses, have been made on 105 patients with flu like syndrome. The sensitivity, specificity and ability to screen...

Author(s): Binod Kumar, Bhavna Sharma, Madhu Khanna, Varinder Singh, Mradul K Daga, V. K. Vijayan, A. C. Mishra, M. S. Chadha, Mamta Chawla-Sarkarand Harpreet Kaur

November 2010

Contraception among persons living HIV with infection attending an HIV care and support centre in Kabale, Uganda

The choice of contraception in people living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is constrained by the need to prevent both sexual transmission of HIV and unwanted pregnancies.  We assessed contraceptive use among 400 HIV- positive persons attending a care and support centre in Kabale, Uganda. Participants completed a structured questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristics, sexuality,...

Author(s): Othman Kakaire, Dan K. Kaye and  Michael O. Osinde

November 2010

Community social capital and the use of health care services in Uganda

Evidence mainly from high and middle income countries shows that community social capital is associated with positive health outcomes. The current policy interest in social capital stems from the anticipation that investing in it will enhance improvements in population health and some governments in high income countries have promoted initiatives to enhance its generation. However, there is a paucity of empirical...

Author(s): Bakeera S. K., Petzold M., Pariyo G. W., Galea S., Tomson G. and Wamala S.,

November 2010

Influenza surveillance results during 2008 - 2009 season in Turkey

National influenza surveillance was performed by two institutions in Turkey, Refik Saydam National Public Health Agency (RSNPHA) and Istanbul Faculty of Medicine (IFM), which both are National Influenza Reference Laboratories. RSNPHA received samples from 9 sentinel Provinces and IFM received samples from 5 sentinel Provinces. We report the 2008 to 2009 surveillance results from October 2008 - May 2009. As many as 1,980...

Author(s): Nurhan Albayrak, Meral A. Ciblak, Ayse Basak Altas, Melis Kanturvardar, Yavuz Odabas, Bahadir Sucakli, Gulay Korukluoglu, Selim Badur and Mustafa Ertek

November 2010

Adolescent suicidal behaviors, self rated health and multiple health risk behaviors: Exploring new perspectives in suicide prevention research

We sought to evaluate the extent to which self-rating of health, gender, and the co-occurrence of other health risk behaviors were related to suicidal behaviors among adolescents. Cross-sectional survey data of Colorado middle and high school students aged 12 to 18 years were analyzed using logistic regression. Main outcome variables were suicide ideation, suicide planning, and suicide attempt. Predictors included...

Author(s): Stephen Nkansah-Amankra, Abdoulaye Diedhiou, Ashley Dawn Walker, Harry Agbanu and Alena Clark

November 2010

Environmental risk factors and hospital-based cancers in two Nigerian cities

This ecologic study assessed disparities between environmental risk factors and cancers in two Nigerian cities. Environmental data were obtained for Port Harcourt (highly industrialized) and Ibadan(less industrialized) cities respectively. Ten- year cancer records were also obtained from the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Port Harcourt and the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. Data were...

Author(s): Godson R. E. E. Ana, Mynepalli K. C. Sridhar and Michael C. Asuzu