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We report two observations of portal cavernoma diagnosed successively in Bamako and Dakar. The first is a 6-year-old male admitted to the service for ascites and abdominal pain. At admission the clinical parameters (weight, height, temperature, cranial perimeter and temperature) were within the norms for age. The clinical examination noted a moderate skin-mucosal pallor, asthenia. The biological assessment returned to moderate normochrome anemia with impaired pancreatic function while renal and hepatic functions were maintained. The abdominal scan performed after two low-contribution abdominal ultrasounds, objected signs in favor of a portal cavernoma with perisplenic and gastric varicose veins. The second is an 8-year-old male child born from an unborn marriage and from a followed pregnancy with premature delivery. His pathological history includes a notion of prematurity that required a stay in neonatology with umbilical catheterization and repeated abdominal pain. He had an acute abdominal episode in March 2015 justifying a surgical hospitalization for suspicion of appendicitis. At admission the clinical parameters (weight, height, temperature, cranial perimeter and temperature) were within the norms for age. The abdominal ultrasound prescribed for this was suggestive of portal cavernoma, later confirmed by abdominal computed tomography., (Le comité de rédaction se réserve le droit de renvoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de conserver un exemplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

Introduction: Early neonatal bacterial infection (ENBI) is a major concern in neonatology. In Mali, no study had addressed this aspect, hence the initiation of this work to study the epidemiological-clinical, biological and bacteriological profile of ENBI., Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive longitudinal study that took place from june 27 to september 3, 2016 involving newborns aged ≤ 72 hours hospitalized for ENBI confirmed by blood culture in the neonatology service of the pediatrics department of the Center Hospitalier et Universitaire (CHU) Gabriel Toure in Bamako. The parameters studied were the socio-demographic and obstetrical characteristics of the mothers, the clinical, biological and bacteriological characteristics of newborns infected early., Results: Of the 324 blood cultures performed, 52 were positive, i.e. an ENBI frequency of 11.04%. The sex ratio was 1.3 with 73.1% low birth weight. On admission, 90.4% of newborns had less than 24 hours of life and 86.5% were births outside the CHU Gabriel Toure. The main clinical signs were hyperthermia or hypothermia and respiratory distress. The main bacteria isolated in blood culture were Staphylococcus aureus (55.8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (13.5%) and Escherichia coli (07.7%). Sensitivity to first-line biantibiotic therapy (ceftriaxone + gentamicin) was low (63.6%) and that of amikacin was better (100%). Half of the newborns infected early died and 19.2% of exeat without medical agreement was recorded., Conclusion: Early neonatal bacterial infection is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. In our context, amikacin could be a better therapeutic alternative., (Le comité de rédaction se réserve le droit de renvoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de conserver un exemplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

Malnutrition among children under five is a major public health problem in low-income countries, and contributes significantly to mortality in this age group. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the epidemiological and clinical profile of malnourished children at the Nara hospital in north of Mali., Method: It was a retrospective and descriptive study, from 01/01/2016 to 31/12/2016. Children aged 6 months to 59 months admitted for acute malnutrition were included., Results: Four hundred and sixty-one children had malnutrition, representing 15% of consultations and 50% of hospitalizations. The median age was 26 months (2 months-93 months). The sex ratio was 0.92 (M = 222, F = 239). Nineteen percent of the patients had progressive weaning (n = 90), and it was brutal in 371 patients (80%). The distribution of patients according to the Z-score was as follows: Z-score <-1 (n = 15, 3%), Z-score <-2 (n = 46, 10%), Z-score <-3 (n = 400, 87%). Mean MUAC was 105 mm (99mm-124mm). Hypoglycemia was noted in 45% (n = 204). The marasmus cases accounted for 80% (n = 367) kwashiorkor 10% (n = 48). The mixed form of malnutrition accounted for 10% (n = 46). The disease associated with malnutrition were pneumonia (n = 219, 47%), malaria (n = 115, 25%) and gastroenteritis (n = 68, 15%). The F75 milk was administered predominantly for 3 months in 93% of cases. For phase 2 of treatment, Plumpy Nut and F100 milk were respectively administered in 88% and 12%. The nutritional recovery rate was 95% (n = 435). Five percent of the patients died (n = 26). Pneumonia was the cause of death in 85% of cases. The cure rate for marasmus and kwashiorkor cases was respectively 94% and 93%., Conclusion: Acute malnutrition remains frequent in the Sahelian environment. Better knowledge of mothers about weaning and dietary diversification will improve the nutritional status of children., (Le comité de rédaction se réserve le droit de renvoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de conserver un exemplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

Introduction: Household accidental child poisonings are frequent pediatric medical emergencies in developing countries., Objective: To study the epidemiological, etiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of acute accidental domestic poisoning in children aged 0 to 15 years admitted to the pediatric emergency department of Gabriel Toure., Method: This was a prospective, descriptive study that ran from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. All patients aged 0 to 15 years admitted to pediatric emergencies for acute intoxication were included., Results: A hundred cases of acute accidental poisoning were collected. Children under five accounted for 94%. The majority of mothers was housewives and had custody of children (83%). Forty-nine percent of the mothers were unschooled. The place of storage of the product was indoor in 96% of cases. The product was taken by the child himself (88%). A gesture at the scene of the accident was reported in 68% of cases, the ingestion of milk (72%) and water (10%) were the first acts used. The hospital was the first resort (72%). The time between taking the product and admission to hospital was 1 to 5 hours in 58% of cases. Vomiting (37 cases), agitation (17 cases) and respiratory distress (16 cases) were the most common symptoms. Domestic products (48%) followed by drugs (33%) ranked first among the families of poisons. Caustic soda (18%) and bleach (17%) were the most commonly found intoxication products. The evolution was good with a cure without sequelae (93%)., Conclusion: Accidental acute intoxications to household products are common in Mali. The hospital admission deadline is still long; the actions taken by patients at the accident site often aggravate their states but are largely done by the parents before the use of health care., (Le comitée de rédaction se réserve le droit de revoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de sonserver un examplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

We report two observations of congenital hypothyroidism diagnosed in 2011 in the university hospital of Gabriel Toure in Bamako. The first occurred in a male infant of 40 days, admitted for respiratory distress and anterior compressive cervical swelling. Although his neonatal period occurred without any medical particularity, family medical history revealed the presence of unexplored goiter in three paternal uncles. Neurological examination was normal with the presence of constipation. A cervical-thoracic scan showed a homogeneous and symmetric hypertrophy of thyroid lobes with a compression of the trachea. The dosage of thyroid hormones confirmed hypothyroidism (FT4 = 1.6 pmol/l, TSH = 60 µUI/ml). After one month of treatment using Levothyroxine, 10 mg/kg, there was a drastic improvement of respiratory distress, a regression of goiter and normalization of thyroid hormones. At six months of life he had no goiter and psychomotor development was normal. The second case occurred in a male infant of 2 years, from an area of endemic goiter. Puffiness of the face without lower limb edema, constipation, and delayed independent walking were the reasons for consultation. On examination, we noted the absence of goiter, large anterior fontanel with facial dysmorphism (lunar facies, hypertelorism, flat nose, macroglossia) and infiltration of the skin more marked in the face with cold extremities. He required support to sit. The thyroid function tests confirmed hypothyroidism (FT4 = 72 nmol/l, FT3 = 0.40 nmol/l, TSH > 60 µUI/l). Under levothyroxine, there was normalization of thyroid hormones after one month of treatment and disappearance of the skin infiltration. At six months of treatment he had acquired independent walking. Mental prognosis remains to be evaluated. These cases confirm the necessity of routine neonatal diagnosis of hypothyroidism., (Le comitée de rédaction se réserve le droit de revoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de sonserver un examplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

Background: The neonatal mortality rate in Mali is one of the highest in the world. Only one national reference neonatology unit is available in the country., Aim: To describe the time-course of morbidity, mortality, staff and accommodation facilities from 2008 to 2009 in Mali's unique national reference neonatology unit., Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in the neonatology unit of Gabriel Touré Teaching Hospital, Bamako. Data concerning staff number of admissions, sex ratio, diseases, patients outcome, capacity and length-of-stay were compiled for the period from 1st January 2008 to 31 December 2012., Results: Medical staff increased from one to three in 2009 and the number of nurses and midwives decreased from 16 to 14 with an average number of beds of 44. The mean number of hospitalizations per year was 3,900 (range: 3667-4585) with 14% of in-born deliveries and a mean length-of-stay of 3.7 days. Prematurity birth asphyxia and infection represented 80.5% of reasons for admission and 79.5% of deaths. The mortality rate varied from 28.5% to 36.8% with an annual mean of 33.2%. The diseases associated with the highest mortality were tetanus (60.8%), prematurity (42.7%), birth asphyxia (29.4%) and infection (25.7%)., Conclusion: Neonatal mortality remains very high in Mali. Health authorities should take measures to decentralize the care of sick newborns in order to reduce neonatal mortality in Mali.

Aim: In Mali society, female excision is a cultural practice. Despite the awareness campaigns, it affects nearly 85% of the female population (EDSM IV). This study was initiated to assess the knowledges, attitudes and practices of mothers about female circumcision., Method: We conducted a prospective, cross-sectional study from June 1 to July 31, 2011, in the Department of Pediatrics of the teaching hospital of Gabriel Touré, Bamako, regarding the knowledge, attitudes and practices of mothers related to the female excision., Résults: We interviewed 224 mothers. The prevalence of female circumcision was 73%. In 72.7% of cases, the area affected by the mutilation was unknown to the mother. Nearly seventy percent (69.6%) of mothers thought that female circumcision had advantages only and should even be mandatory (74.6%). Female circumcision was associated with tradition, and it would be a religious obligation for 65%, and 21.4% of mothers, respectively. More than half of the girls were circumcised before their first year (76.3%) and 26.3% in the neonatal period. The majority of mothers were against a law banning the practice of female circumcision (54%). Ninety five percent of mothers reported that they would renew the experience of female circumcision., Conclusion: Female circumcision remains a well-established practice. Policies to fight against female circumcision are faced to very deep beliefs., (Le comitée de rédaction se réserve le droit de revoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de sonserver un examplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

Unlabelled: Neonatal morbidity and mortality is a real concern in our context. Several factors including the organization of the reference contribute to it. Our work was aimed at studying the conditions of newborns transfer of the towards the service of pediatrics of teaching hospital Gabriel Touré., Material and Methods: Our study proceeded from October 15th, 2006 to January 15th, 2007 in the unit of neonatology of the service of Pediatrics of the CHU of the Hospital Gabriel Touré. It was a cross sectional and descriptive study. All the newborns referred by a health structure were included., Results: We included 760 referred newborns out of 1072 neonatal admissions which means a frequency of reference of 71%. In 91.6% of the cases, the newborn were referred on the very day of their birth. Prematurity (29%), perinatal anoxia (24%), respiratory distress (13.9%) were the main reasons for reference. In no case, the service of pediatrics was contacted in advance by the referring health agent. More than half of the cases (58.6%), the public transport was used. Ambulance car transported 17.4% of the newborns. All the newborns came held in the arms of a member of their family. The referring agent was a physician in 70.3% of cases. Hypothermia was found for all the newborns (759/760) when being received. More half of the newborns (56.4%) had a small weight at birth and the quarter (25.8%) was resuscited. Lethality was 32%. Mother illiteracy, small weight at birth, the outborn birth were factors related to neonatal mortality., Conclusion: In our context, the reduction of neonatal morbidity and mortality has to go through an improvement of the reference system.