For the molecular diagnosis of Chagas disease by real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction), optimization of diagnostic accuracy is desirable. The detection limit of real-time PCR assays for the diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi in human serum is affected by various influences including the choice of th...e nucleic acid extraction assay. In this study, three nucleic acid extraction assays were compared regarding their influence on the sensitivity of a T. cruzi-specific real-time PCR with 62 reference sera containing T. cruzi target DNA (deoxyribonucleotide acid). More than 95% of the positive sera were correctly identified after all three nucleic acid extraction strategies with a detection rate ranging from 96.8% (60/62) for the worst assay to 100% (62/62) for the best one. A matched pairs analysis for the comparison of the cycle threshold (Ct) values obtained with the 59 reference samples with positive real-time PCR results after all three nucleic acid extraction schemes indicated differences in a range of about 3 Ct steps. Summarized, all three compared nucleic acid extraction schemes were basically suitable for T. cruzi-specific PCR from serum with some minor differences. However, in the case of low quantities of circulating parasite DNA in the serum of a patient with Chagas disease, even minor effects can make a difference in the individual diagnosis.
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Antibiotics save lives, but poor prescribing practices are putting patients at unnecessary risk for preventable allergic reactions,
super-resistant infections, and deadly diarrhea. Errors in prescribing decisions also contribute to antibiotic resistance, making these drugs less likely to work in th...e future.
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The world is facing an unprecedented range of emergencies. In reaction to these complex adversities, many people experience considerable distress and impairment, and a minority may even go on to develop mental health conditions. Meanwhile, those with pre-existing mental health conditions may experie...nce a worsening of their condition and are at risk of neglect, abandonment, abuse and lack of access to support. Unfortunately, evidence-based mental health care is often extremely limited in humanitarian settings. In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) published the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) Humanitarian Intervention Guide (mhGAP-HIG) in 2015. This practical tool supports health-care providers in assessing and offering first-line management of mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) conditions in humanitarian emergency settings.
2 December 2021. The current report, Stories of change from four countries: Building capacity for integrating mental health care within health services across humanitarian settings, describes efforts in four countries to build evidence-based mental health systems in humanitarian emergency settings using the mhGAP-HIG. This report includes three sections, the first describing the importance of scaling up mental health care in emergency contexts, the second outlining case studies (“stories of change”) to scale up the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) programme in four settings and the third describing lessons learned by stakeholders.
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Limited coverage of laboratory services and long turnaround times from real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) for the detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been insufficient to meet the demands in many African countries in response... to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rapid antigen diagnostic tests (AgRDTs) are potentially useful as they can inform healthcare workers and individuals of their infection status at point-of-care testing
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Reporting system for the general public - This document aims to provide practical guidelines on how to set up national systems for consumers to report adverse reactions to medicines. The purpose is to help countries set up a well-organized and effective consumer reporting system within their pharmac...ovigilance centre. Throughout this document, the phrase “consumer reporting” is used to refer to reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) by the general public.
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ScientificWorldJournal. 2007 Nov 12;7:1799-809.
Research indicates that family reaction to the birth of a disabled child changes according to the type of disability and the child's diagnostic category. The differences are probably an indirect consequence of anticipated or actual reactions by those ...surrounding the disabled child and the family, in addition to parental reactions. Many researchers have recently mentioned the positive coping and functioning of many families with developmentally disabled children. In the past there was a tendency to emphasize issues of illness and pressures, spousal strain and maladjustment within the family, while presently they are replaced with questions concerning positive adjustment, satisfaction, acceptance, and spousal harmony. Rather than perceiving the family as a helpless victim, it is perceived as a unit that adapts by a process of structuring. Professionals must acknowledge the importance of the family, this change towards a positive attitude towards disability and that the controls decisions concerning the disabled child and the family.
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Factsheet on PTSD | Most of us have had frightening experiences. Often we think about them long after the event. For some people, these distressing thoughts or images persist, as well as other symptoms such as a strong sense of threat, feeling emotionally numb, and irritability. If these reactions o...ccur frequently, last at least a month, and interfere with daily functioning, the person may be suffering from PTSD.
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Accessed on 03.03.2020
Cet article documente le processus de mise en œuvre du Traitement préventif intermittent TPI), une stratégie de prévention du paludisme dont l’administration est couplée au Programme élargi de vaccination (PEV) dans les services de santé, les réactions des prestat...aires, des populations et leurs facteurs explicatifs. Les résultats montrent que l’absence de connaissances adéquates à propos du TPI n’a pas empêché son appropriation par les communautés, dans la mesure où les perceptions lui accordent une valeur pratique et l’intègrent dans les besoins ressentis. C’est pourquoi les enfants ont reçu, dans la grande majorité, les médicaments administrés. Certains comportements en décalage s’expliquent plus par des contraintes, des insuffisances du système de santé et de vaccination que par un refus. Chez les prestataires de soins, l’information a été plus disponible du côté les infirmiers étatiques. Cependant, les processus de détournement et les attitudes d’indifférence étaient plus visibles chez ces derniers.
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Psychological first aid is a simple, yet powerful way of helping someone in distress. It involves paying attention to the person’s reactions, active listening and if relevant, practical assistance to help address immediate problems and basic needs. Learning psychological first aid skills and under...standing reactions to crises empowers helpers to help others and apply the same skills to their own lives.
A Short Introduction to Psychological First Aid contains chapters about What is PFA, Who needs PFA and How to provide PFA. It also contains a short introduction to PFA for children and PFA in Groups.
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Les premiers secours psychologiques sont un moyen simple, mais efficace, d'aider une personne en détresse. Ils consistent à prêter attention aux réactions de la personne, à l'écouter activement et, le cas échéant, à lui apporter une aide pratique pour l'aider à résoudre ses problèmes imm...édiats et à satisfaire ses besoins fondamentaux. L'apprentissage des premiers secours psychologiques et la compréhension des réactions aux crises permettent aux personnes qui les pratiquent d'aider les autres et d'appliquer ces mêmes compétences à leur propre vie.
A Short Introduction to Psychological First Aid contains chapters about What is PFA, Who needs PFA and How to provide PFA. It also contains a short introduction to PFA for children and PFA in Groups.
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Les premiers secours psychologiques sont un moyen simple, mais efficace, d'aider une personne en détresse. Ils consistent à prêter attention aux réactions de la personne, à l'écouter activement et, le cas échéant, à lui apporter une aide pratique pour l'aider à résoudre ses problèmes imm...édiats et à satisfaire ses besoins fondamentaux. L'apprentissage des premiers secours psychologiques et la compréhension des réactions aux crises permettent aux personnes qui les pratiquent d'aider les autres et d'appliquer ces mêmes compétences à leur propre vie.
A Short Introduction to Psychological First Aid contains chapters about What is PFA, Who needs PFA and How to provide PFA. It also contains a short introduction to PFA for children and PFA in Groups.
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Les pays du monde entier sont confrontés à des situations épidémiologiques diverses, et disposent de capacités de réaction différentes et d’un accès inégal aux outils permettant de sauver des vies. L’Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS) recommande aux autorités nationales de contin...uer à appliquer une approche fondée sur les risques lorsqu’elles mettent en œuvre des mesures relatives aux voyages internationaux dans le contexte de la COVID-19, tout en respectant la dignité, les droits humains et les libertés fondamentales des voyageurs. Cette approche doit prendre en compte le risque d’importation et d’exportation de cas posé par les voyages dans le cadre de l’évolution de la situation épidémiologique, y compris de l’émergence et de la circulation de variants préoccupants du SARS-CoV-2, du déploiement de la vaccination contre la COVID-19 et des enseignements tirés de la riposte à la pandémie, notamment en ce qui concerne la détection précoce et la prise en charge des cas, ainsi que l’application de mesures sociales et de santé publique.
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Any individual that meets the suspected case definition of monkeypox should be offered testing in appropriately equipped laboratories by staff trained in the relevant technical and safety procedures. Confirmation of monkeypox virus infection is based on nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT), usi...ng real-time or conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR), for detection of unique sequences of viral DNA. PCR can be used alone, or in combination with sequencing. The recommended specimen type for laboratory confirmation of monkeypox is skin lesion material, including swabs of lesion surface and/or exudate, roofs from more than one lesion, or lesion crusts.
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Trachoma is a bacterial eye infection, not unlike the common ‘pink-eye’ or conjunctivitis. Repeated reinfection, combined with the body’s immune reaction, often has devastating consequences.
Trachoma starts as an infection of the membrane that covers the outside of the eyeball and lines th...e inner surface of the eyelids (conjunctiva). Repeated infections can over years eventually lead to scarring that causes the margin of the eyelid to turn inwards.
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On 27 September 2024, the Rwanda Ministry of Health announced the confirmation of Marburg virus disease (MVD). Blood samples taken from people showing symptoms were tested by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at the National Reference Laboratory of the Rwanda Biomedi...cal Center and were positive for Marburg virus. As of 29 September 2024, a total of 26 confirmed cases, including eight deaths have been reported. The cases are reported from seven of the 30 districts in the country. Among the confirmed cases, over 70% are healthcare workers from two health facilities in Kigali.
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Marburg and Ebola are filoviruses that cause hemorrhage, multiple organ failure, and high mortality rates. Diagnosis is with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), or electron microscopy. Treatment is supportive. Strict isolation and quarantine measures are necessary to ...contain outbreaks.
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This booklet is recommended for all health workers who diagnose and treat leprosy, especially those at the first referral level such as a health centre. It contains more detail than the WHO Guide to Eliminate Leprosy as a Public Health Problem. The Guide gives practical advice on how to diagnose lep...rosy and how to give the correct treatment, and basic information on how to recognise and manage leprosy reactions.e
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This is a detailed manual giving a step by step approach to undertaking the pharmacovigilance of antiretrovirals. It is intended to be a source of practical advice for Pharmacovigilance Centres and health professionals involved in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programmes. A number of WHO publica...tions are available that provide a background to pharmacovigilance and, as far as possible, that material will not be repeated here. Health officials, planners, the staff of Pharmacovigilance Centres, public health teams and all health workers should become familiar with these publications, which are: • Safety of Medicines: A guide to detecting and reporting adverse drug reactions
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Background: Evidence based treatment interventions for young people with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and trauma histories is lacking. Although case formulation (CF) has been widely regarded in cognitive behavioural therapy manuals as beneficial, there is limited empirical research examining how cl...ients and therapists experience the process. Aim: This study aimed to explore young people’s reactions to CF in treatment for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and FEP
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children and adolescents occurs when a child is exposed to one or more events that are unexpected, uncontrollable, life-threatening, and likely to cause serious harm or injury to himself/herself or someone significantly important to the child. In response, th...e child experiences fear, hopelessness, or horror and responds with a characteristic set of physiological and psychological reactions, which perpetuates the overwhelming and confusing feelings. Symptoms are characterized into three groups: persistent, intrusive re-experiencing of traumatic recollections; avoidance of reminders/numbing; and increased arousal.
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