Do Child–Turcotte–Pugh and nutritional assessments predict survival in cirrhosis: A longitudinal study

BACKGROUND Cirrhotic patients face heightened energy demands,leading to rapid glycogen depletion,protein degradation,oxidative stress,and inflammation,which drive disease progression and complications.These disruptions cause cellular damage and parenchymal changes,resulting in vascular alterations,portal hypertension,and liver dysfunction,significantly affecting patient prognosis.AIM To analyze the association between Child–Turcotte–Pugh(CTP)scores and di-fferent nutritional indicators with survival in a 15-year follow-up cohort.METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study with 129 cirrhotic patients of both sexes aged>18 years.Diagnosis of cirrhosis was made by liver biopsy.The first year of data collection was 2007,and data regarding outcomes were collected in 2023.Data were gathered from medical records,and grouped by different methods,including CTP,handgrip strength,and triceps skinfold cutoffs.The prognostic values for mortality were assessed using Kaplan–Meier curves and multivariate binary logistic regression models.RESULTS The coefficient for CTP was the only statistically significant variable(Wald=5.193,P=0.023).This suggests that with a negative change in CTP classification score,the odds of survival decrease 52.6%.The other evaluated variables did not significantly predict survival outcomes in the model.Kaplan–Meier survival curves also indicated that CTP classification was the only significant predictor.CONCLUSION Although different classifications showed specific differences in stratification,only CTP showed significant predictive potential.CTP score remains a simple and effective predictive tool for cirrhotic patients even after longer follow-up.

Comparative study on emotional behavior and parental job stress of only-child and non-only-child preschool children

BACKGROUND Studies have revealed that Children's psychological,behavioral,and emotional problems are easily influenced by the family environment.In recent years,the family structure in China has undergone significant changes,with more families having two or three children.AIM To explore the relationship between emotional behavior and parental job stress in only preschool and non-only preschool children.METHODS Children aged 3-6 in kindergartens in four main urban areas of Shijiazhuang were selected by stratified sampling for a questionnaire and divided into only and nononly child groups.Their emotional behaviors and parental pressure were compared.Only and non-only children were paired in a 1:1 ratio by class and age(difference less than or equal to 6 months),and the matched data were compared.The relationship between children's emotional behavior and parents'job stress before and after matching was analyzed.RESULTS Before matching,the mother's occupation,children's personality characteristics,and children's rearing patterns differed between the groups(P<0.05).After matching 550 pairs,differences in the children's parenting styles remained.There were significant differences in children's gender and parents'attitudes toward children between the two groups.The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire(SDQ)scores of children in the only child group and the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form(PSI-SF)scores of parents were significantly lower than those in the non-only child group(P<0.05).Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that after matching,there was a positive correlation between children's parenting style and parents'attitudes toward their children(r=0.096,P<0.01),and the PSI-SF score was positively correlated with children's gender,parents'attitudes toward their children,and SDQ scores(r=0.077,0.193,0.172,0.222).CONCLUSION Preschool children's emotional behavior and parental pressure were significantly higher in multi-child families.Parental pressure in differently structured families was associated with many factors,and preschool children's emotional behavior was positively correlated with parental pressure.

Relationship between Authoritative Parenting Style and Preschool Children’s Emotion Regulation:A Moderated Mediation Model

An authoritative parenting style has been shown to promote children’s emotion regulation in European-American family studies.However,little is known about how sleep problems and the child’s sibling status in Chinese families affect this relationship.Based on family system theory,this study attempts to better understand the relationship between authoritative parenting style and emotion regulation.Mothers of preschool children in Chinese kindergartens completed questionnaires about their children’s sleep habits,their authoritative parenting styles,and children’s emotion regulation.A total of 531 children participated in this study.Results showed that authoritative parenting was positively associated with emotional regulation.Sleep problems mediated the effects of authoritative parenting style on emotion regulation.The child’s sibling status moderated the mediating effects of sleep problems in authoritative parenting and emotion regulation relationships.Specifically,the relationship between the authoritative parenting style and sleep problems was significant for only children,while birth order had no significant influence on the authoritative parenting style and sleep problems in two-child families.These findings suggest that a lowauthoritative parenting style predicts low emotion regulation through sleep problems,and this depends on the child’s sibling status,indicating that children without siblings may impair emotion regulation due to increased sleep problems.

Juvenile Xanthogranuloma Presenting as a Solitary Tracheal Mass in a Child: A Case Report and Literature Review

Juvenile xanthogranuloma （JXG） is an uncommon benign disease, which usually occurs on the skin of head and neck region, as a single or multiple nodular lesions. Tracheal involvement of JXG is extremely rare, and only few cases have been reported in literature. Herein we presented an additional new case and discussed the optimal management of this uncommon disease.

Negative efficacy of antidepressants in pharmacotherapy of child and adolescent depression

Antidepressants are the main drugs used to treat depression,but they have not been shown to be effective in the treatment of child and adolescent depression.However,many adolescent depression treatment guidelines still recommend the use of antidepressants,especially specific serotonin re-uptake inhibitors.Previous studies have suggested that antidepressants have little therapeutic effect but many side effects,such as switching to mania,suicide,and non-suicidal self injury(NSSI),in the treatment of child and adolescent depression.In the process of developing guidelines,drug recommendations should not only focus on impro-ving symptoms,but they should also consider potential side effects.This review discusses the serious side effects of antidepressants,including switching to mania,suicide,and NSSI.

Parental Knowledge of Pre-Hospital Management of Avulsed Permanent Tooth in Children at Kath

BACKGROUND: Permanent tooth avulsion is one of the severe forms of dental traumatic injuries. The immediate action taken at the site of the accident is crucial to the prognosis of the tooth. Replantation is considered as the treatment of choice. OBJECTIVE: The study was undertaken to assess the knowledge of parents who accompany their children to the pediatric dental clinic, KATH on the pre-hospital management of avulsed permanent tooth in children. METHODS: A researcher administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data on the knowledge of pre-hospital management of avulsed permanent tooth from 83 parents who accompanied their wards to the pediatric dental clinic at KATH. RESULTS: A total of 83 parents were involved in the study. 30 (36%) were males while 53 (64%) were females. The majority of the parents (57%) were either university trained or had attended college of education. Only 32 parents (39%) were aware of the possibility of replantation. Majority of the parents chose non-physiologic media as the transport media of choice and only 10% would attempt self-replantation before seeking professional help. 76 parents (92%) had no previous education on pre-hospital management of avulsed tooth. CONCLUSION: The results obtained from this study indicate that parental knowledge on pre-hospital management of avulsed permanent tooth is low hence the need for massive public educational campaigns.

Modified Child-Pugh grade vs albumin-bilirubin grade for predicting prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma patients after hepatectomy

BACKGROUND Hepatectomy is the main treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)and it has a high possibility for long-term cure potential.But the postoperative mortality and recurrence rates remain high.Since the long-term prognosis of HCC patients is strongly linked to liver function,preoperative assessment of liver function is very important for HCC patients.AIM To compare the predictive power of the modified Child-Pugh(MCP)and albumin-bilirubin(ALBI)grades for the long-term outcome of HCC.METHODS From January 2010 to June 2017,a total of 204 patients with HCC who underwent surgery at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University were enrolled in this retrospective study.Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to determine the independent predictive factors of survival and relapse.The area under the curve(AUC)was used to evaluate the discriminative performance of the MCP grade and ALBI grade to predict the postoperative overall survival(OS)time and recurrence-free survival(RFS)time.RESULTS The median OS and RFS times were 44.0 mo(range:22.0-74.0 mo)and 22.0 mo(range:5.0-45.0 mo),respectively.The median OS and RFS times of MCP grades 1,2,and 3 patients were 60.0,39.0,and 18.0 mo(P<0.001)and 36.0,15.0,and 7.0 mo(P<0.001),respectively.The median OS and RFS times of ALBI grades 1,2,and 3 patients were 56.0,26.0,and 6.0 mo(P<0.001)and 25.0,10.0,and 3.0 mo(P=0.003),respectively.Both the MCP and ALBI grades were more accurate than the Child-Pugh grade for predicting long-term prognosis.Further analysis demonstrated that for both predicting OS and RFS,the MCP grade performed better than the ALBI grade(AUC:0.642 vs 0.605 for OS;0.659 vs 0.594 for RFS).CONCLUSION The MCP grade is more accurate than the ALBI grade for predicting long-term outcome of patients with HCC.

Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the risk of childhood acute leukemia:a meta-analysis

Objective： The authors used a meta-analytic technique to quantify the evidence of an association between ma- ternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and childhood acute leukemia （AL）, which provided a basis for the prevention of childhood AL. Methods： Relevant literatures of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy were comprehensively searched and screened. Subgroup meta-analysis was conducted according to the type of leukemia. Results of research data of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy were tested for heterogeneity. Combined OR values and 95% CIs were statistically calculated with RevMan 4.2 software; Funnel plots were applied to conduct bias analysis for those included litera- tures. Results： Ten related literatures were included after data screening, 4593 cases in AL group and 6157 cases in control group respectively. According to heterogeneity test result （X2 = 16.26, P 〈 0.05）, the combined OR values and 95% CI were calculated with random effects model, which were 1.02 （0.92-1.14）, Z = 0.41, P = 0.68 〉 0.05, indicating that there was no significant difference between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the risk of childhood acute leukemia （AL）. Subgroup analysis： for the association between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and childhood acute lympho- blastic leukemia （ALL）, the combined OR value and 95% CI were 0.92 （0.84-1.00）, Z = 1.92, P = 0.05, indicating that there was significant difference between two groups; for the association between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and childhood acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia （ANLL）, the combined OR values and 95% CI were 0.82 （0.61-1.11）, Z = 1.30, P = 0.19 〉 0.05, indicating that there was no significant difference between two groups. Conclusion： Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a risk factor in childhood ALL, but not in childhood ANLL.

Research on the intelligent internet nursing model based on the child respiratory and asthma control test scale for asthma management of preschool children

BACKGROUND Childhood asthma is a common respiratory ailment that significantly affects preschool children.Effective asthma management in this population is particularly challenging due to limited communication skills in children and the necessity for consistent involvement of a caregiver.With the rise of digital healthcare and the need for innovative interventions,Internet-based models can potentially offer relatively more efficient and patient-tailored care,especially in children.AIM To explore the impact of an intelligent Internet care model based on the child respiratory and asthma control test(TRACK)on asthma management in preschool children.METHODS The study group comprised preschoolers,aged 5 years or younger,that visited the hospital's pediatric outpatient and emergency departments between January 2021 and January 2022.Total of 200 children were evenly and randomly divided into the observation and control groups.The control group received standard treatment in accordance with the 2016 Guidelines for Pediatric Bronchial Asthma and the Global Initiative on Asthma.In addition to above treatment,the observation group was introduced to an intelligent internet nursing model,emphasizing the TRACK scale.Key measures monitored over a six-month period included the frequency of asthma attack,emergency visits,pulmonary function parameters(FEV1,FEV1/FVC,and PEF),monthly TRACK scores,and the SF-12 quality of life assessment.Post-intervention asthma control rates were assessed at six-month follow-up.RESULTS The observation group had fewer asthma attacks and emergency room visits than the control group(P<0.05).After six months of treatment,the children in both groups had higher FEV1,FEV1/FVC,and PEF(P<0.05).Statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups(P<0.05).For six months,children in the observation group had a higher monthly TRACK score than those in the control group(P<0.05).The PCS and MCSSF-12 quality of life scores were relatively higher than those before the nursing period(P<0.05).Furthermore,the groups showed statistically significant differences(P<0.05).The asthma control rate was higher in the observation group than in the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION TRACK based Intelligent Internet nursing model may reduce asthma attacks and emergency visits in asthmatic children,improve lung function,quality of life,and the TRACK score and asthma control rate.The effect of nursing was significant,allowing for development of an asthma management model.

Assessing the prevalence of young children living in households prepared for COVID-19 in 56 low-and middle-income countries

Background:The COVID-19 pandemic and governments’attempts to contain it are negatively affecting young children’s health and development in ways we are only beginning to understand and measure.Responses to the pandemic are driven largely by confining children and families to their homes.This study aims to assess the levels of and associated socioeconomic disparities in household preparedness for protecting young children under the age of five from being exposed to communicable diseases,such as COVID-19,in low-and middle-income countries(LMICs).Methods:Using data from nationally representative household surveys in 56 LMICs since 2016,we estimated the percentages of young children under the age of five living in households prepared for communicable diseases(e.g.,COVID-19)and associated residential and wealth disparities at the country-and aggregate-level.Preparedness was defined on the basis of space for quarantine,adequacy of toilet facilities and hand hygiene,mass media exposure at least once a week,and phone ownership.Disparities within countries were measured as the absolute gap in two domains—household wealth and residential area-and compared across regions and country income groups.Results:The final data set included 766,313 children under age five.On average,19.4%of young children in the 56 countries lived in households prepared for COVID-19,ranging from 0.6%in Ethiopia in 2016 to 70.9%in Tunisia in 2018.In close to 90%of countries(50),fewer than 50%of young children lived in prepared households.Young children in rural areas or in the poorest households were less likely to live in prepared households than their counterparts.Conclusions:A large portion of young children under the age of five in LMICs were living in households that did not meet all preparedness guidelines for preventing COVID-19 and caring for patients at home.This study highlights the need to ensure all families in LMICs have the means to prevent the spread of the pandemic or other communicable illnesses to young children during pandemics.

Epidemiological Survey of the Prevalence of Non-fatal Injury among Children Aged 5-14 Years in China

Objective To determine the prevalence of non-fatal injuries among children aged 5-14 years in China. Methods Data of 21 973 children aged 5-14 years were extracted from the Fourth National Health Service Survey of China carried out between June 15 and July 10, 2008. Injury-related indicators included： history of ever having had an injury, and injury frequency, cause, location and severity. Results The overall prevalence of non-fatal injuries among the children in the previous 12 months was 17.0 per 1000 subjects. The leading causes of non-fatal injuries were falls, animal bites, traffic accidents, falling objects and burns. The majority of children sustained only one injury. The main place of injury was at home in 40% and 54% of urban boys and girls, respectively, at school in 48% of rural boys, and at home and at school each in 33% of rural girls. Medical treatment for one day was the main option for 80% of urban boys and girls, 84% of rural boys, and 72% of rural girls. Conclusion Nonfatal injuries among children aged 5-14 years are a serious public health concern in China.

Efficiency of HAART in the prevention of mother to children HIV-1 transmission at Saint Camille medical centre in Burkina Faso,West Africa

Objective:To evaluate efficiency of HAART in the prevention of mother to child HIV transmission.Methods:A longitudinal study was conducted on 1 300 women attending the antenatal service at Saint Camille Medical Centre from September 2010 to July 2011.The HIV status of mothers was determined by rapid tests and EUSA.Discordant results were confirmed by real-time PCR.PCR was used to determine HIV status of children born from HIV-positive mothers.Results:Among 1 300 pregnant women tested for HIV,378 were seropositive.Mothers were predominantly housewives(69.7%),and their mean age was(28.32±0.15) years.The overall prevalence of HIV transmission from mother to child was 4.8%(18/378).This prevalence differed significantly from 0.0%(0/114) to 6.8%(18/264) in children born from mothers under HAART and those with mothers under New Prophylactic Protocol(ACT + 3TC + NVP),respectively(P【 0.01).Children’s mortality rate during the medical follow up was 1.3%(5/378).Among 16 women with HIV dubious status by ELISA,the Real Time PCR confirmed 2/16(12.5%) as HIV positive. Conclusions:The protocol of prevention of mother to children HIV transmission(PMTCT) is effective.The rate of HIV vertical transmission is significantly reduced.Early diagnosis determined by PCR of children born from HIV- positive mother is necessary and recommended in the context of PMTCT in Burkina Faso.We also found that PCR is an effective tool to confirm HIV status in pregnant women.

Ethnic Differences in Body Mass Index and Prevalence of Obesity in School Children of Urumqi City, Xinjiang, China

Objective To investigate the prevalence of obesity and distribution of body mass index （BMI） in school children of four ethnic groups in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China. Methods A total of 55 508 school children of Han, Hui, Uygur and Kazak nationalities aged 8-18 years were selected by a cluster sampling from a districts of Urumqi City for anthropometrie measurement and demographic survey. Prevalence of obesity and overweight and distribution of body mass index （BMI） by gender, age, and nationality were analyzed and compared. Cutoff points of BMI for defining obesity and overweight were based on the proposal set by the Working Group on Obesity in China （WGOC） to assess age-, gender- and nationality-specific prevalence of obesity and overweight. Results Prevalence of obesity was 5.34%, 6.78%, 3.39 %, and 1.22% for boys and 2.61%, 1.83%, 1.78%, and 1.40% for girls of Han, Hui, Uygur and Kazak nationalities, respectively. Prevalence of obesity tended to decrease with age overall, whereas that of overweight increased with age in Han children. Conclusions Prevalence of obesity in school children in Urumqi varies with their nationalities and is lower than that of an average national level and a level of western countries. Obesity is more prevalent in boys than in girls of Urmuqi overall, which is just the opposite in Kazak children. Han boys and Hui girls have the highest prevalence of obesity and Kazak boys and girls have the lowest ones. Prevalence of obesity decreases with age, but that of overweight shows a different trend.

CLOTHING COLOUR PREFERENCES IN A HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENT IN HONG KONG: PART I - CHILD PATIENT'S PREFERENCES OF COLOUR ON NURSE UNIFORM

The aim of this study explored the importance of colour application on clothing and investigated whether there is a preference of colour on clothing among children under hospital environment. A modified colour associated test based on the Luster Color Test was used to carry out the survey. Fifty child patients aged four to sixteen were asked to look at two specially designed colour cards and to name their preferences and associations on each of the colour.

Association between Prenatal Environmental Factors and Child Autism: A Case Control Study in Tianjin,China

Objective To investigate the association between autism and prenatal environmental risk factors.Methods A case-control study was conducted among 193 children with autism from the specialeducational schools and 733 typical development controls matched by age and gender by usingquestionnaire in Tianjin from 2007 to 2012. Statistical analysis included quick unbiased efficientstatistical tree （QUEST） and logistic regression in SPSS 20.0.Results There were four predictors by QUEST and the logistic regression analysis, maternal airconditioner use during pregnancy （OR=0.316, 95% CI： 0.215-0.463） was the single first-level node（χ2=50.994, P=0.000）; newborn complications （OR=4.277, 95% CI： 2.314-7.908） and paternalconsumption of freshwater fish （OR=0.383, 95% CI： 0.256-0.573） were second-layer predictors（χ2=45.248, P=0.000; χ2=24.212, P=0.000）; and maternal depression （OR=4.822, 95% CI： 3.047-7.631）was the single third-level predictor （χ2=23.835, P=0.000）. The prediction accuracy of the tree was 89.2%.Conclusion The air conditioner use during pregnancy and paternal freshwater fish diet might bebeneficial for the prevention of autism, while newborn complications and maternal depression might bethe risk factors.

Child-Pugh-Turcott versus Meld score for predicting survival in a retrospective cohort of black African cirrhotic patients

AIM: To compare the performance of the Child-Pugh-Turcott (CPT) score to that of the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score in predicting survival of a retrospective cohort of 172 Black African patients with cirrhosis on a short and mid-term basis.METHODS: Univariate and multivariate (Cox model) analyses were used to identify factors related to mortality. Relationship between the two scores was appreciated by calculating the correlation coefficient. The Kaplan Meier method and the log rank test were used to elaborate and compare survival respectively. The Areas Under the Curves were used to compare the performance between scores at 3, 6 and 12 mo.RESULTS: The study population comprised 172 patients, of which 68.9% were male. The mean age of the patient was 47.5 ± 13 years. Hepatitis B virus infection was the cause of cirrhosis in 70% of the cases. The overall mortality was 31.4% over 11 years of follow up. Independent factors significantly associated with mortality were: CPT score (HR = 3.3, 95% CI [1.7-6.2]) (P < 0.001) (stage C vs stage A-B); Serum creatine (HR = 2.5, 95% CI [1.4-4.3]) (P = 0.001) (Serum creatine > 1.5 mg/dL versus serum creatine < 1.5 mg/dL); MELD score (HR = 2.9, 95% CI [1.63-5.21]) (P < 0.001) (MELD > 21 vs MELD < 21). The area under the curves (AUC) that predict survival was 0.72 and 0.75 at 3 mo (P = 0.68), 0.64 and 0.62 at 6 mo (P = 0.67), 0.69 and 0.64 at 12 mo (P = 0.38) respectively for the CPT score and the MELD score.CONCLUSION: The CPT score displays the sameprognostic significance as does the MELD score in black African patients with cirrhosis. Moreover, its handling appears less cumbersome in clinical practice as compared to the latter.

Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS during Pregnancy and Delivery and Associated Factors in the Region of Couffo in Benin

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the mother-to-child HIV Prevention Program, in Benin in 2016 reported a national rate of 6.7%. The Region of Couffo, within 12 Regions (departments) in the country, had the highest rate of transmission, which was 16.1%. The study aimed to determine transmission rate during pregnancy and delivery as well as the factors associated with it. This is a retrospective and analytical study based on a sample of seventy (70) babies born to HIV-infected mothers in 2016 in Couffo. Key findings showed, there is a perinatal transmission of five percent (5%) and the factors associated with this transmission are: delay in carrying out first antenatal visits at the health facility, low frequency of visits performed versus number requested and appropriate time, poor health condition of mothers during pregnancy, absence or late start of antiretroviral care and treatment during pregnancy, irregular intake of intermittent presumptive treatment at sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine to prevent malaria, a short antiretroviral therapy (less than three months) for mothers before delivery and the default in cleaning mother’s genital tract with betadine after the woman’s water broke.

Mental health of mothers and their premature infants for the prevention of child abuse and maltreatment

Birth of preterm infants is a stressful event for their parents, particularly for mothers. The mothers of preterm infants often feel hard to relate their infants because they have separated since their first days after delivery. Long term separation and less attractive, less responsive appearance of preterm infants also make it difficult to build mother-child relationships. In addition, the mothers of preterm infants are likely to have mood disorders such as depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders. The mothers’ psychiatric illnesses affect the psychosocial development of preterm infants and are often regarded as a risk factor for child abuse and maltreatment in later life. Child abuse and maltreatment are also prevalent among preterm infants than the full term infants. Intervention from the early period of preterm birth is an important issue for both preterm infants and their mothers. Medical and co-medical professionals should pay attention to developmental outcome of preterm as well as psychosocial conditions of their mothers for the improvement of their mental health.

Evaluation of the Implementation of the WHO’s 2010 Guide on Prevention of Mother To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/Aids: Case of Two Hospitals in Yaoundé

Introduction: The prevalence of HIV infection amongst pregnant women in Cameroon is 5.6%. Mother-to-child transmission is a major expansion factor. In 2010, Cameroon adopted new strategies pegged to WHO guidelines. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the implementation of the new guidelines of prevention of mother to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV in the Yaoundé Central Hospital and the Yaoundé Teaching Hospital. Methodology: It was a cross sectional descriptive and prospective study over a period of 6 months in Yaoundé. It included all HIV-positive women, doing their antenatal care in the above cited hospitals, and having given their consent. The studied variables included socio demographic features, obstetrical history, the antenatal care, the initiation of anti retroviral (ARV) drugs, the ARV regimen, the number of years on ARV drugs, the mode of delivery and the mother and child outcome. The data was collected using a pre-tested questionnaire. They were obtained by interview of the seropositive pregnant women. Data were analysed using Epi info 3.5.3. Results: We performed 3104 antenatal consultations and 287 women were recruited in the study. The prevalence of HIV infection was 9.24%. The mean age of women was 28.77 (SD: 5.13) years. The women were aged between 20 and 29 years in 51.20%. Amongst the 156 women who knew their status before pregnancy, 109 (70.50%) had their first ANC in the first trimester. All were managed according to the 2010 WHO recommendations on PMTCT of HIV. Amongst the women unaware of their status, 25.20% had their booking ANC in the first trimester, 25.14% started ARVs at 14 weeks, 69.46% at 28 weeks. We had 125 live births, 84.8% by vaginal route, neonatal prophylaxis in all babies was effective. Conclusion: PMTCT of HIV is available and guidelines are well applied in Yaoundé. Late treatment initiation still remains a problem to optimize care.

Father Prepared, Committed, and Involved in His Child’s Birth: The Experience of Early Father-Child Skin to Skin Contact at Birth

Although the figure of the father has progressively gained a place in birth, it is still displaced and in the mere role of a companion. Objective: To understand the experience of fathers who have prepared to get actively involved in birth and to undergo the experience of early physical contact with their newborns. Method: A qualitative Action-Research (AR) design was carried out, which considered the antenatal educational intervention of 12 fathers together with their pregnant partners. After delivery, individual interviews were conducted in depth to collect the paternal experience at birth. Results: The central emerging theme developed during AR was “Paternal role and early bonding with the child”, whereas the experience was comprehended in two central themes related to the meaning of the father-child encounter-contact: “The impact of the face-to-face encounter with the child”;“The first physical contact with the child, a key moment”. Conclusion: The fathers who were prepared and involved from pregnancy and at birth attribute a special meaning to the father-child relationship which generated since the first encounter, allowing them to feel, enjoy and commit to care.