Tropical Doctor最新文献

Our study looks at malaria data from 2016 to 2021 in Meta in Colombia, where most cases were found in Puerto Gaitán, Villavicencio and Mapiripán. A significant relationship was found between age category and acquiring malaria. Although not a part of the malaria endemic zone, Meta has municipalities located near rivers, where contact with the vector is enhanced. No eradication programme will succeed without the cooperation of its inhabitants.

The primary goal of breast conservation surgery (BCS) is to achieve tumour-free margins. However, it is known that in 20% patients, a tumour-free margin may not be obtained. Positive margins frequently lead to re-operation and are the strongest predictors of local recurrence. We therefore evaluated the performance of ultrasound (US) and frozen section (FS) in predicting the margin status of lumpectomy specimens of ultrasound-detectable breast carcinoma patients undergoing BCS. In our prospective study on 54 patients who underwent lumpectomy, the margins were analyzed by ultrasound and frozen section. Patient-wise and margin-wise diagnostic parameters were calculated for both modalities.

Despite an effective vaccine, the goal of measles elimination has remained elusive so far. Our study found that almost one-third of children with measles were less than 9 months of age, which suggests the need for strengthening routine immunisation along with adolescent vaccination.

Delays in breast cancer diagnosis remain a critical barrier to timely care in low-resource settings. In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic accuracy, feasibility, and clinical impact of Touch Imprint Cytology (TIC) of core needle biopsies. TIC demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity for detecting malignancy, allowing same-day breast cancer diagnosis and earlier initiation of treatment decisions without the need for repeat visits. This easy-to-perform, frugal, innovative, pragmatic solution requires minimal resources, and can easily be integrated into existing diagnostic workflows in low-resource environments.

Melioidosis, an infection caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, has earned the nickname 'the great mimicker' owing to its tendency to resemble common infections, often leading to a delayed diagnosis and high mortality. We report three cases where it mimicked scrub typhus, tubercular arthritis, and Klebsiella pneumoniae infection. The diagnosis of melioidosis was achieved by extensive workup; our case series sends the lesson that none should stop and settle for less, but continuously search for the actual pathogen where no adequate response to treatment is perceived.

Paediatric coronal-plane angular knee deformities are very common and should be corrected before skeletal maturity to prevent significant morbidity in adulthood. Hemi-epiphysiodesis using bone staples was traditionally used for correction, but this is now most often performed using tension band plating. However, these implants are costly and therefore we believe that there is still a role for bone staples in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Results of a 30-year retrospective, single-centre study of bone stapling performed for angular knee deformity correction in Trinidad showed that of 121 knees stapled, only 12 (10%) of these eventually required corrective osteotomies. Although our complication rate of 36.4% was higher than previous studies, two-thirds of these children had underlying bony pathology, which is known to increase complication rates. Physeal stapling has a proven record of successful deformity correction and remains suitable for LMICs owing to its low cost.