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Background: The relationship between self-rated health (SRH) and cardiovascular events in individuals with hypertension, but without diabetes mellitus, is understudied., Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis of data from SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial). SRH was categorized into excellent, very good, good and fair/poor. Using multivariable Cox regression, we estimated hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of SRH with both all-cause mortality and a composite of cardiovascular events (the primary outcome), which was defined to include myocardial infarction (MI), other acute coronary syndromes, stroke, acute decompensated heart failure, and cardiovascular death., Results: We included 9319 SPRINT participants (aged 67.9 ± 9 years, 35.6% women) with a median follow-up of 3.8 years. Compared with SRH of excellent, the risk [hazard ratio (95% CI)] of the primary outcome associated with very good, good, and fair/poor SRH was 1.11(0.78-1.56), 1.45 (1.03-2.05), and 1.87(1.28-2.75), respectively. Similarly, compared with SRH of excellent, the risk of all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (95% CI)] associated with very good, good, and fair/poor SRH was 1.13 (0.73-1.76), 1.72 (1.12-2.64), and 2.11 (1.32-3.38), respectively. Less favorable SRH (LF-SRH) was also associated with a higher risk of each component of the primary outcome and serious adverse events (SAE)., Conclusion: Among individuals with hypertension, SRH is independently associated with the risk of incident cardiovascular events, all-cause mortality, and SAE. Our study suggest that guidelines should consider the potential significance of including SRH in the clinical history of patients with hypertension., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: We investigated the effect vigorous physical activity (VPA) on the risk of incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and probable dementia among individuals with high-risk hypertension., Methods: Baseline self-reported frequency of VPA was categorized into low VPA (<1 session/week), and high VPA (≥1 session/week). We used multivariate Cox regression analysis to examine the association of VPA categories with incident MCI and probable dementia events., Results: Participants in the high VPA category, compared with low VPA, experienced lower events rates (per 1000 person-years) of MCI (13.9 vs 19.7), probable dementia (6.3 vs 9.0), and MCI/probable dementia (18.5 vs 25.8). In the multivariate Cox regression model, high VPA, compared with low VPA, was associated with lower risk of MCI, probable dementia, and MCI/probable dementia (HR [95% CI]: 0.81 [0.68-0.97], 0.80 [0.63-1.03], and 0.82 [0.70-0.96]), respectively., Discussion: This study provides evidence that VPA may preserve cognitive function in high-risk patients with hypertension., Highlights: Hypertension is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment Physical activity (PA) is associated with a lower risk of decline in cognition The effect of ≥1 sessions of vigorous-intensity PA (VPA) per week was assessed This analysis included SPRINT MIND trial participants with high-risk hypertension ≥1 VPA sessions/week was associated with lower risk of future cognitive impairment., (© 2024 The Author(s). Alzheimer's & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.)

Altered neural processing and increased respiratory sensations have been reported in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as larger respiratory-related evoked potentials (RREPs), but the effect of healthy-aging has not been considered adequately. We tested RREPs evoked by brief airway occlusions in 10 participants with moderate-to-severe COPD, 11 age-matched controls (AMC) and 14 young controls (YC), with similar airway occlusion pressure stimuli across groups. Mean age was 76 years for COPD and AMC groups, and 30 years for the YC group. Occlusion intensity and unpleasantness was rated using the modified Borg scale, and anxiety rated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. There was no difference in RREP peak amplitudes across groups, except for the N1 peak, which was significantly greater in the YC group than the COPD and AMC groups (p = 0.011). The latencies of P1, P2 and P3 occurred later in COPD versus YC (p < 0.05). P3 latency occurred later in AMC than YC (p = 0.024). COPD and AMC groups had similar Borg ratings for occlusion intensity (3.0 (0.5, 3.5) [Median (IQR)] and 3.0 (3.0, 3.0), respectively; p = 0.476) and occlusion unpleasantness (1.3 (0.1, 3.4) and 1.0 (0.75, 2.0), respectively; p = 0.702). The COPD group had a higher anxiety score than AMC group (p = 0.013). A higher N1 amplitude suggests the YC group had higher cognitive processing of respiratory inputs than the COPD and AMC groups. Both COPD and AMC groups showed delayed neural responses to the airway occlusion, which may indicate impaired processing of respiratory sensory inputs in COPD and healthy aging., (© 2022 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.)

Background: Swallowing disorders occur in COPD, but little is known about tongue strength and mastication. This is the first assessment in COPD of tongue strength and a test of mastication and swallowing solids (TOMASS)., Methods: Anterior tongue strength measures were obtained in 18 people with COPD, aged 73±11 years (mean±sd), and 19 healthy age-matched controls, aged 72±6 years. Swallowing dynamics were assessed using an eating assessment tool (EAT-10), timed water swallow test (TWST), and TOMASS. Swallowing measures were compared to an inhibitory reflex (IR) in the inspiratory muscles to airway occlusion (recorded previously in the same participants)., Results: Tongue strength was similar between COPD and controls (p=0.715). Self-assessed scores of dysphagia EAT-10 were higher (p=0.024) and swallowing times were prolonged for liquids (p=0.022) and solids (p=0.003) in the COPD group. During TWST, ∼30% of COPD group showed clinical signs of airway invasion (cough and wet voice), but none in the control group. For solids, the COPD group had ∼40% greater number of chews (p=0.004), and twofold-higher number of swallows (p=0.0496). Respiratory rate was 50% higher in COPD group than controls (p <0.001). The presence of an IR was not related to better swallowing outcomes, but signs of airway invasion were associated with a delayed IR., Conclusion: Dysphagia in stable COPD is not due to impaired anterior tongue strength, but rather swallowing-breathing discoordination. To address dysphagia, aspiration and acute exacerbations in COPD, therapeutic targets to improve swallowing dynamics could be investigated further., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: I. Epiu has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: S.C. Gandevia reports receiving a fellowship from the NHMRC. Conflict of interest: C.L. Boswell-Ruys has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: E. Wallace has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: J.E. Butler has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: A.L. Hudson reports grants from NHMRC and the Rebecca L. Cooper Foundation during the conduct of the study., (Copyright ©The authors 2021.)

Brief airway occlusion produces a potent reflex inhibition of inspiratory muscles that is thought to protect against aspiration. Its duration is prolonged in asthma and obstructive sleep apnea. We assessed this inhibitory reflex (IR) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Reflex responses to brief (250 ms) inspiratory occlusions were measured in 18 participants with moderate to severe COPD (age 73 ± 11 yr) and 17 healthy age-matched controls (age 72 ± 6 yr). We compared the incidence and properties of the IR between groups. Median eupneic preocclusion electromyographic activity was higher in the COPD group than controls (9.4 μV vs. 5.2 μV, P = 0.001). Incidence of the short-latency IR was higher in the COPD group compared with controls (15 participants vs. 7 participants, P = 0.010). IR duration for scalenes was similar for the COPD and control groups [73 ± 37 ms (means ± SD) and 90 ± 50 ms, respectively] as was the magnitude of inhibition. IRs in the diaphragm were not detected in the controls but were present in 9 participants of the COPD group ( P = 0.001). The higher incidence of the IR in the COPD group than in the age-matched controls may reflect the increased inspiratory neural drive in the COPD group. This higher drive counteracts changes in chest wall and lung mechanics. However, when present, the reflex was similar in size and duration in the two groups. The relation between the IR in COPD and swallowing function could be assessed. NEW & NOTEWORTHY A potent short-latency reflex inhibition of inspiratory muscles produced by airway occlusion was tested in people with COPD and age-matched controls. The reflex was more prevalent in COPD, presumably due to an increased neural drive to breathe. When present, the reflex was similar in duration in the two groups, longer than historical data for younger control groups. The work reveals novel differences in reflex control of inspiratory muscles due to aging as well as COPD.

In Africa, about 33 000 cases of obstetric fistula occur each year. Women with fistula experience debilitating incontinence of urine and/or faeces and are often socially ostracized. Worldwide, Uganda ranks third among countries with the highest burden of obstetric fistula. Obstetric fistula repair competes for scarce resources with other healthcare interventions in resource-limited settings, even though it is surgically efficacious. There is limited documentation of its cost-effectiveness in the most affected settings. We therefore sought to assess the cost-effectiveness of surgical intervention for obstetric fistula in Uganda so as to provide appropriate data for policy-makers to prioritize fistula repair and reduce women's suffering in similarly burdened countries. We built a decision-analytic model from the perspective of Uganda's National Health System to estimate the cost-effectiveness of vesico-vaginal and recto-vaginal fistula surgery vs a competing strategy of no surgery for Ugandan women with fistula. Long-term disability outcomes were assessed based on a lifetime Markov state-transition cohort and effectiveness of surgery. Surgical costs were estimated by micro-costing local Ugandan health resources. Disability weights associated with vesico-vaginal, recto-vaginal fistula and mortality rates among the general population in Uganda were based on published sources. The cost of providing fistula repair surgery in Uganda was estimated at $378 per procedure. For a hypothetical 20-year-old woman, surgery was estimated to decrease the lifetime disability burden from 8.53 DALYs to 1.51 DALYs, yielding a cost per DALY averted of $54. The results were robust to variations in model inputs in one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Surgery for obstetric fistula appears highly cost-effective in Uganda. In similar low-income countries, governments and non-governmental organizations need to prioritize training and strengthening surgical capacity to increase access to fistula surgical care, which would be an important step towards achieving universal health coverage.

Background: Uganda is far from meeting the sustainable development goals on maternal and neonatal mortality with a maternal mortality ratio of 383/100,000 live births, and 33% of the women gave birth by 18 years. The neonatal mortality ratio was 29/1000 live births and 96 stillbirths occur every day due to placental abruption, and/or eclampsia - preeclampsia and other unkown causes. These deaths could be reduced with access to timely safe surgery and safe anaesthesia if the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care services (CEmONC), and appropriate intensive care post operatively were implemented. A 2013 multi-national survey by Epiu et al. showed that, the Safe Surgical Checklist was not available for use at main referral hospitals in East Africa. We, therefore, set out to further assess 64 government and private hospitals in Uganda for the availability and usage of the WHO Checklists, and investigate the post-operative care of paturients; to advocate for CEmONC implementation in similarly burdened low income countries., Methods: The cross-sectional survey was conducted at 64 government and private hospitals in Uganda using preset questionnaires., Results: We surveyed 41% of all hospitals in Uganda: 100% of the government regional referral hospitals, 16% of government district hospitals and 33% of all private hospitals. Only 22/64 (34.38%: 95% CI = 23.56-47.09) used the WHO Safe Surgical Checklist. Additionally, only 6% of the government hospitals and 14% not-for profit hospitals had access to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) services for postoperative care compared to 57% of the private hospitals., Conclusions: There is urgent need to make WHO checklists available and operationalized. Strengthening peri-operative care in obstetrics would decrease maternal and neonatal morbidity and move closer to the goal of safe motherhood working towards Universal Health Care.

Background: Despite recent advances in surgery and anaesthesia which significantly improve safety, many health facilities in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain chronically under-resourced with inability to cope effectively with serious obstetric complications (Knight et al., PLoS One 8:e63846, 2013). As a result many of these countries still have unacceptably high maternal and neonatal mortality rates. Recent data at the national referral hospitals in East Africa reported that none of the national referral hospitals met the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists (WFSA) international standards required to provide safe obstetric anaesthesia (Epiu I: Challenges of Anesthesia in Low-and Middle-Income Countries. WFSA; 2014 http://wfsa.newsweaver.com/Newsletter/p8c8ta4ri7a1wsacct9y3u?a=2&p=47730565&t=27996496 ). In spite of this evidence, factors contributing to maternal mortality related to anaesthesia in LMICs and the magnitude of these issues have not been comprehensively studied. We therefore set out to assess regional referral, district, private for profit and private not-for profit hospitals in Uganda., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey at 64 government and private hospitals in Uganda using pre-set questionnaires to the anaesthetists and hospital directors. Access to the minimum requirements for safe obstetric anaesthesia according to WFSA guidelines were also checked using a checklist for operating and recovery rooms., Results: Response rate was 100% following personal interviews of anaesthetists, and hospital directors. Only 3 of the 64 (5%) of the hospitals had all requirements available to meet the WFSA International guidelines for safe anaesthesia. Additionally, 54/64 (84%) did not have a trained physician anaesthetist and 5/64 (8%) had no trained providers for anaesthesia at all. Frequent shortages of drugs were reported for regional/neuroaxial anaesthesia, and other essential drugs were often lacking such as antacids and antihypertensives. We noted that many of the anaesthesia machines present were obsolete models without functional safety alarms and/or mechanical ventilators. Continuous ECG was only available in 3/64 (5%) of hospitals., Conclusion: We conclude that there is a significant lack of essential equipment for the delivery of safe anaesthesia across this region. This is compounded by the shortage of trained providers and inadequate supervision. It is therefore essential to strengthen anaesthesia services by addressing these specific deficiencies. This will include improved training of associate clinicians, training more physician anaesthetists and providing the basic equipment required to provide safe and effective care. These services are key components of comprehensive emergency obstetric care and anaesthetists are crucial in managing critically ill mothers and ensuring good surgical outcomes.

Background: The United Nations 2015 Millennium Development Goals targeted a 75% reduction in maternal mortality. However, in spite of this goal, the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births remains unacceptably high across Sub-Saharan Africa. Because many of these deaths could likely be averted with access to safe surgery, including cesarean delivery, we set out to assess the capacity to provide safe anesthetic care for mothers in the main referral hospitals in East Africa., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at 5 main referral hospitals in East Africa: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi. Using a questionnaire based on the World Federation of the Societies of Anesthesiologists (WFSA) international guidelines for safe anesthesia, we interviewed anesthetists in these hospitals, key informants from the Ministry of Health and National Anesthesia Society of each country (Supplemental Digital Content, http://links.lww.com/AA/B561)., Results: Using the WFSA checklist as a guide, none of respondents had all the necessary requirements available to provide safe obstetric anesthesia, and only 7% reported adequate anesthesia staffing. Availability of monitors was limited, and those that were available were often nonfunctional. The paucity of local protocols, and lack of intensive care unit services, also contributed significantly to poor maternal outcomes. For a population of 142.9 million in the East African community, there were only 237 anesthesiologists, with a workforce density of 0.08 in Uganda, 0.39 in Kenya, 0.05 in Tanzania, 0.13 in Rwanda, and 0.02 anesthesiologists in Burundi per 100,000 population in each country., Conclusions: We identified significant shortages of both the personnel and equipment needed to provide safe anesthetic care for obstetric surgical cases across East Africa. There is a need to increase the number of physician anesthetists, to improve the training of nonphysician anesthesia providers, and to develop management protocols for obstetric patients requiring anesthesia. This will strengthen health systems and improve surgical outcomes in developing countries. More funding is required for training physician anesthetists if developing countries are to reach the targeted specialist workforce density of the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery of 20 surgical, anesthetic, and obstetric physicians per 100,000 population by 2030.

Background: Mortality from anaesthesia and surgery in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa remain at levels last seen in high-income countries 70 years ago. With many factors contributing to these poor outcomes, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the "Safe Surgery Saves Lives" campaign in 2007. This program included the design and implementation of the "Surgical Safety Checklist", incorporating ten essential objectives for safe surgery. We set out to determine the knowledge of and attitudes towards the use of the WHO checklist for surgical patients in national referral hospitals in East Africa., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at the main referral hospitals in Mulago (Uganda), Kenyatta (Kenya), Muhimbili (Tanzania), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kigali (Rwanda) and Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire de Kamenge (Burundi). Using a pre-set questionnaire, we interviewed anaesthetists on their knowledge and attitudes towards use of the WHO surgical checklist., Results: Of the 85 anaesthetists interviewed, only 25 % regularly used the WHO surgical checklist. None of the anaesthetists in Mulago (Uganda) or Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire de Kamenge (Burundi) used the checklist, mainly because it was not available, in contrast with Muhimbili (Tanzania), Kenyatta (Kenya), and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kigali (Rwanda), where 65 %, 19 % and 36 %, respectively, used the checklist., Conclusion: Adherence to aspects of care embedded in the checklist is associated with a reduction in postoperative complications. It is therefore necessary to make the surgical checklist available, to train the surgical team on its importance and to identify local anaesthetists to champion its implementation in East Africa. The Ministries of Health in the participating countries need to issue directives for the implementation of the WHO checklist in all hospitals that conduct surgery in order to improve surgical outcomes.