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At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Glaucoma in Congo.

OBJECTIVE: To determine frequencies of various types of glaucoma in an urban community of Congo. METHODS: The records of 176 patients with the diagnosis of glaucoma examined between 1991 and 1995 at a non-university center were reviewed. A complete ophthalmological examination was performed in each patient including best visual acuity, refraction, slit-lamp examination, ophthalmology and intraocular pressure measurements. Gonioscopy and visual field examination were performed when needed. RESULTS: The frequency distribution of the various subtypes of glaucoma was: open-angle glaucoma (72.2%), aphakic glaucoma (9%), uveitis glaucoma (6%), exfoliative glaucoma (3%), glaucoma secondary to ocular trauma (2.2%), cataract glaucoma (1.7%), normal tension glaucoma (1.7%), congenital glaucoma (1.7%), neovascular glaucoma (1.3%), pigmentary glaucoma (0.6%), corticosteroid-induced glaucoma (0.6%), and glaucoma associated with retinoblastoma (0.6%); CONCLUSION: Despite the limitations inherent of a retrospective review of records, our study provides an indication of the prevalence of various types of glaucoma in a urban community of Congo. This study confirmed also the rarity of primary angle-closure glaucoma in the black.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Risk factors for open-angle glaucoma in 260 black subjects in Congo.

OBJECTIVE: To identify possible risk factors for open-angle glaucoma (OAG) among 260 black subjects in Kinshasa (Congo). METHODS: Between May 14, 1996 and June 14, 1996, 260 persons, aged 24-60 years old, working at a factory in Kinshasa, have been examined. Twenty-two patients with OAG and 238 controls were identified. Data were obtained through interviews and clinical examinations. OAG was defined by the presence of both optic disc damage and characteristic visual field defects. RESULTS: The frequency of OAG was 8.5%. Associations were found with intraocular pressure greater than 21 mmHg (Odds ratio (OR) = 119.4, 95% confidence interval (CI), 17.62 to 4960.64), current cigarette smoking (OR = 2.77, 95% CI, 1.04 to 7.34) and Mongo ethnic subgroup (OR = 3.195, 95% CI, 0.93 to 9.57). CONCLUSION: Mongo ethnic subgroup seemed to be another risk factor for OAG in Congo.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Risk evaluation of postvagotomy ulcer recurrence by using endoscopic Congo red test and gastric secretion tests.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate the usefulness of the endoscopic Congo red test (ECRT), and to compare sensitivity and specificity of different tests in the discrimination of cases with high risk for postvagotomy recurrent ulcer (RU). METHODOLOGY: In 271 consecutive postvagotomy duodenal ulcer patients the endoscopic Congo red test (ECRT) was used 5-12 years after vagotomy. Further, 39 patients out of 271 were selected and classified into two groups: A--13 ECRT positive cases with RU, B--26 controls without RU (13 ECRT positive and 13 ECRT negative cases). Basal acid output (BAO), maximal acid output (MAO), and nocturnal acid output (NAO) were determined pre- and postoperatively, the serum pepsinogen I (S-PGI) and insulin test were estimated postoperatively. RESULTS: Positive ECRT had 95% sensitivity and 53% specificity for RU. S-PGI > 150 microg/l had 54% sensitivity and 92% specificity (in ECRT positive cases 100% specificity). The insulin test showed 83% sensitivity and 78% specificity. The respective data for the combination of BAO > 1.5 mmol/h + NAO > 30 mmol/12 h were 80% and 81%. CONCLUSION: ECRT should be a primary step in estimating postvagotomy ulcer risk. In negative ECRT cases, the development of recurrent ulcer is unlikely. Additional gastric secretion studies as S-PGI or BAO+NAO or insulin test are needed only in ECRT positive cases.

Coloring Agents↗
PubMed2005

Emission frequency modulation by electronic confinement effect: Congo Red incorporated within a dendritic structure.

We have investigated the photophysical properties of an organic dye (Congo Red) incorporated within the internal cavities of a dendrimer (type polypropylenimine of fifth-generation modified with a dense shell of amino acids). In this paper we show that the luminescence properties of Congo Red encapsulated into the "dendritic box" can be modulated by the electronic confinement effect. The emission frequencies of this organic dye incorporated within the dendritic structure can be red shifted with respect to their emission in solution, and the magnitude of this shifting can be modulated under appropriate experimental conditions.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Effects of Congo red on the drag reduction properties of poly(ethylene oxide) in aqueous solution based on drop impact images.

The presence of very small amounts (ppm) of high-MW polymers in solution produces high levels of drag reduction in a turbulent flow. This phenomenon, often termed as the Toms effect, is highly dependent not only on MW, but also on the flexibility of the macromolecular chain. The Toms effect can be studied through the images of the structures produced after the drop impact against shallow solution surfaces. The splash structures composed of crown, cavity, and Rayleigh jet are highly dependent on the elongational properties of the solution. This work presents the effects of Congo red on the drag reduction properties of poly(ethylene oxide) in aqueous solutions through the analysis of splash structures. Results obtained in this analysis indicate that Congo red molecules act as physical cross-linking agents, decreasing the polymer elasticity and its drag reduction capacity. It was observed that the maximum height of the Rayleigh jet can be used as a sensitive parameter to the complexation between the dye and the polymer molecules.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

Isolation and characterization of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAggEC) by genotypic and phenotypic markers, isolated from diarrheal children in Congo.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAggEC) in African diarrheal children in Lwiro, Congo, to characterize EAggEC isolates by possible genotypic and phenotypic markers, and to evaluate the EAggEC probe pCVD432 in identifying EAggEC. METHODS: The Hep-2 cell adhesion assay and colony-blot hybridization assays were carried out for the identification of EAggEC. O:H serotyping, biotyping, antibiogram and plasmid-profile analysis were done. To detect the E. coli LT and ST, ELISA tests were used and, for VT, a vero cell assay was used. RESULTS: EAggEC strains were isolated from 56 out of 115 diarrheal children (48.7%): the organism was present alone and presumed to cause diarrhea in 22 (19.1%) cases. The rest of the cases were associated with two or more diarrheagenic E. coli strains. EAggEC strains were isolated from 25% of total diarrheal children (first day of isolation) and 8.86% of age-matched healthy individuals (p<0.03). This isolation rate was significantly higher than the one found for other diarrheagenic E. coli strains. In parallel, we evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of EAggEC probe pCVD432, and found that it had 56% sensitivity with 100% specificity compared with the Hep-2 cell test. EAggEC isolates were characterized by serotyping, biotyping, antibiotic resistance pattern, plasmid profiling and toxin production analysis. They did not produce any one of these classical toxins and nor did they relate to any particular serotypes. Plasmid analysis of the 79 EAggEC isolates (n=315) showed seven different profiles. Ten resistance patterns were identified and 34 strains were sensitive to all drugs. There was no association between plasmid profiles and antibiotic resistance patterns. All 16 classical E. coli biotypes were found in this small EAggEC population. CONCLUSIONS: EAggEC has been emerging as a cause of childhood diarrhea in African children in Congo. From the accumulated data it was found that there is a great heterogeneity in EAggEC populations.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1980

Nosocomial outbreak of viral hemorrhagic fever caused by Crimean Hemorrhagic fever-Congo virus in Pakistan, January 1976.

This paper describes the clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory investigations undertaken to isolate and identify the etiological agent of a nosocomial cluster of hemorrhagic fever cases due to Crimean hemorrhagic fever (CHR)-Congo virus. Since this virus is usually transmitted by ticks it was surprising that the index case, in a nomadic shepherd, occurred during the winter season when ticks are relatively inactive. These are the first cases of CHF-Congo virus found in humans in Pakistan. Investigations on other biological properties, particularly strain differences and virulence, are being continued at the Islamabad laboratory.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever].

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever was for the first time recognized in Yugoslavia in 1971. In this paper were presented clinical and laboratory findings of a patient infected with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Kosovo in 1999. The disease was manifested with fever, headache, vomiting, myalgia, abdominal pain, pharyngitis, conjuctival injection, diarrhoea, hypotension, gingival bleeding, skin hemorrhages, hematuria, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, jaundice, thrombocytopenia, prolonged prothrombin and partial thromboplastin time, high serum fibrinogen degradation product, leukocytosis, mild anemia, elevated levels of bilirubin and serum aminotransferases. Diagnosis was set clinically, epidemiologically and supported by serological tests. Supportive management of hypotension, multi-organ failure, coagulation disturbances the patient was of the utmost in the treatment together with the isolation and prophylactic measures.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Congo-Crimean haemorrhagic fever in South Africa. Report of a fatal case in the Transvaal.

A 13-year-old boy, after having spent a week at a camp in a nature reserve in the western Transvaal, developed an acute illness of sudden onset characterized by chills, severe headache, muscle pains and high fever. On the 3rd day he developed a haemorrhagic state with profuse bleeding from the gastro-intestinal tract and other mucous membranes and petechial haemorrhages into the skin, from which he died on the 6th day after onset of the illness. A tick, identified as a species of Hyalomma, was found attached to his scalp. The provisional clinical diagnosis of Congo virus fever was confirmed in the laboratory by the isolation of the virus in newborn mice inoculated with the patient's blood. This is the first incrimination of Congo virus as the cause of a fatal case of haemorrhagic fever in South Africa, although it is known to occur in several countries in the tropical region of Africa and in south-eastern Europe and Asia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2025

The Single Amino Acid Change of R516K Enables Efficient Generation of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus-Based Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Reporter Virus.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a medically important tick-borne virus, causing severe hemorrhagic diseases in humans. There are no approved vaccines and therapeutics for CCHFV infection. The study of CCHFV authentic virus requires biosafety level 3 facilities, hindering the research and development of antivirals. Here we report the generation of a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) bearing both CCHFV glycoprotein precursor (GPC) and EGFP reporter (rVSV-CCHFV-GFP). We also find that the acquisition of an unexpected single R516K mutation in the GPC protein enables the packaging of high-titer pseudotyped particles. The replication-competent rVSV-CCHFV-GFP reporter virus resembles the entry properties of the authentic virus and allows for rapid assessment of susceptible cell lines, neutralizing antibodies, and host entry factors such as heparan sulfate in fluorescence-based assays. This study provides a valuable strategy for packaging of high-titer CCHFV pseudovirus, and the tool generated here can be served for the identification and evaluation of countermeasures against the cell entry of CCHFV.

Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo↗
PubMed1991

Multilocus isozyme identification of Trypanosoma brucei stocks isolated in central Africa: evidence for an animal reservoir of sleeping sickness in Congo.

Six Congolese and 3 Zairian Trypanosoma brucei stocks were studied by isozyme cellulose acetate electrophoresis. Twenty isozyme systems were used, of which only 5 showed variability. These 5 polymorphic systems made it possible to identify 5 different zymodemes. Zymodemes isolated from man were recorded both from pig and sheep too, which confirms the results of previous authors. This favors the existence of an animal reservoir of human African trypanosomiasis in the Congo, which could play a role in the transmission of the disease, at least by the maintenance of residual foci.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Genetic heterogeneity and pathogenic potential of historical Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus isolates in China.

The Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) poses a significant public health threat. In China, CCHFV has been circulating for decades, yet the genomic diversity and pathogenic potential of the circulating strains remain poorly characterized, hindering risk assessment and countermeasure development. In this study, we recovered 24 historical CCHFV strains isolated between 1966 and 2004 from humans, ticks and jerboas in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Whole-genome sequencing was performed, followed by comprehensive analyses of their phylogenetic relationships, in vitro infectivity and in vivo pathogenicity. Phylogenetic analyses revealed high genetic heterogeneity, identifying seven genotypes for the L segment, nine for the M segment (including a novel Asia 4 genotype), and nine for the S segment. Amino acid mutation analysis revealed that the mucin-like domain (MLD) of the glycoprotein (GP) exhibited the highest mutation rate, contributing substantially to sequence diversity. In vitro, Asia 2 (75024) and Asia 3 (79121M18) strains exhibited robust replication in monkey-, hamster-, and human-derived cell lines. In C57BL/6 mice, all four representative strains induced viral replication and specific antibody responses (IgM and IgG), causing mild to moderate pathological damage in the liver, spleen, and kidneys. In IFNAR-/- mice, virulence varied markedly among representative strains: Asia 2 and Asia 3 strains were highly lethal (LD50 < 1 TCID50), Asia 1 was moderately virulent (LD50 = 142.5 TCID50), and Asia 4 exhibited atypical, non-dose-dependent mortality. Collectively, our work reports a novel Asia 4 genotype and suggests strain- and lineage-associated differences in virulence for CCHFV in China, providing critical insights for surveillance and targeted countermeasure development.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Decreased survival of HTLV-I carriers in leprosy patients from the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a historical prospective study.

In this historical prospective study using sera stored for 22 years, we investigated the effect of HTLV-I infection on survival in a population of leprosy patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). We also determined the distribution of HTLV-I by subpopulation, age, and gender. Stored sera taken from a population of leprosy patients and controls in 1969 were tested for HTLV-I. Follow-up survival data on these patients were obtained in 1991. The sera collected in 1969 from 520 individuals was used to determine the prevalence of HTLV-I. Included in this number were 328 patients resident in the sanatorium. Survival and other data were available for 327 of these. A multivariate survival analysis using a logistic regression model was performed to evaluate the influence of HTLV-I status, age, type of leprosy, gender, duration of hospitalization, and ethnic group on survival. The overall prevalence of HTLV-I among the 520 individuals in the prevalence study was 34%, with 37.4% in the leprosy group and 25.2% in the control group (p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis using logistic regression showed that females of the Mongo and Ngombe ethnic group taken together were significantly more likely to be infected than the other groups (OR = 3.67, 95% CI: 2.14 to 6.30). A comparison of the death rates directly standardized for age and sex showed that the rate was significantly higher for HTLV-I positive (5.5/100 person-years of observation) compared with HTLV-I negative (3.6/100 person-years of observation). A survival analysis using the Cox model showed a risk ratio of 1.4 (CI: 1.04 to 1.89) for those infected with HTLV-I. An increase in the death rate was associated with HTLV-I infection in leprosy inpatients. The decreased survival associated with HTLV-I infection may result from an increased susceptibility to a variety of diseases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The historical question of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in the 1960s in the Congo River basin area in relation to cryptococcal meningitis.

In Europe before the advent of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), fatal cases of infection with Cryptococcus neoformans resembling acute meningitis were rarely described and never in young adults. However, rapidly fatal cryptococcal meningitis in young Africans has been known to exist in central Africa for at least 30 years, mainly in the lower area of the Congo River basin. Cases have been reported in this area since 1953, particularly in young patients during the 1950s. It is also known that central African AIDS patients frequently suffer from cryptococcosis, and there is a possibility that earlier clinical reports of encephalitis were actually fatal cases of AIDS in young Africans. It appears possible that the central part of the African continent is the area where human immunodeficiency virus originated.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1964

OBSERVATIONS ON BILHARZIASIS AND THE POTENTIAL SNAIL HOSTS IN THE REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE).

In 1962, the author conducted a preliminary investigation of bilharziasis in the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville), at the request of the Government, in order to review existing information and work done on bilharziasis, to assess the prevalence and distribution of the disease, to make observations on the potential snail hosts, and to propose further suitable studies and control measures.Although little time was available for this study, it appears reasonable to conclude that Schistosoma haematobium is confined to a few foci in the west of the country, the main snail host being a new subspecies of Bulinus (B.) truncatus. Intestinal bilharziasis is apparently very rare, but systematic stool surveys have not been done; S. mansoni may be, or become, endemic at Dolisie, where Biomphalaria camerunensis is abundant. The main factors governing the restricted distribution of bilharziasis are discussed.Bilharziasis control appears to merit relatively low priority compared with that due to several other diseases, and the author concludes that bilharziasis is unlikely to become widespread in future years unless there is major environmental change, although the intensity of transmission may increase in some present endemic foci.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Infant and child mortality and malaria in the Congo. The trend in the suburbs of Brazzaville between 1981 and 1988.

This survey was carried out on a cohort of children born between 1st January 1981 and 30th June 1987 in the maternity department of the hospital in Linzolo, a village situated 25 km south-west of Brazzaville, the capital of the Congo. The mothers of the children resided in the suburbs of Brazzaville at the time of delivery. In this region, the rate of transmission of Plasmodium falciparum malaria is high without marked seasonable variations. The mothers and children were traced in the second quarter of 1989 in order to assess the rates and, where possible, the causes of mortality. Information on 75% of the recorded births (2424 children) was obtained directly by interviewing the mothers in the home. Between 1981 and 1988, the infant mortality rate varied overall between 33 and 52 per thousand, and in the 1-2 year age group, between 7 and 25 per thousand (1981 to 1987). The number of deaths attributable to malaria was relatively low although resistance to amino-4-quinolone is well established since 1985. During this period, no particular trend was observed in the mortality at 0-2 years, or at 0-5 years.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed2005

Extended interhuman transmission of monkeypox in a hospital community in the Republic of the Congo, 2003.

This report describes the first reported outbreak of human monkeypox in the Republic of Congo. Eleven confirmed and probable monkeypox cases were observed during this outbreak, all were less than 18 years old, and most resided on the grounds of the Government Hospital in Impfondo. Molecular, virologic, and serologic, and diagnostic assays were used to detect evidence of monkeypox (or orthopox) virus infection in individuals with striking dermatologic and other clinical manifestations. The majority of cases in this outbreak experienced significant, symptomatic illnesses; there was one death, possibly involving secondary complications, and one instance of profound sequelae. Up to six sequential transmissions of monkeypox virus from person to person are hypothesized to have occurred, making this the longest uninterrupted chain of human monkeypox fully documented to date. The pattern of sustained human-to-human transmission observed during this outbreak may influence our current perception of the capacity for this zoonotic virus to adapt to humans.

Adolescent↗