Psychological working conditions and predictors of occupational stress among nurses, Salaga Government Hospital, Ghana, 2016 Basil Benduri Kaburi et al. Stress is the psychological and physiological response to undesirable experiences generally termed as stressors. Though "stress" is more commonly thought of as harmful, responses to stress are a spectrum that stretch from the less discussed "eustress" - where positive responses such as innovation and improved productivity result, to "distress" - which is associated in varying degrees to the better known negative outcomes of stress. READ MORE Assessment of self-medication practices with antibiotics among undergraduate university students in Rwanda Jacques Tuyishimire et al. Globally, self-medication was found to be on the rise. Self-medication has been defined as "the taking of drugs, herbs or home remedies on one's own initiative, or on the advice of another person, without consulting a doctor". Major problems related to self-medication include wastage of resources, increased resistance of pathogens (which generally cause serious health hazards such as adverse reactions), prolonged suffering and drug dependence. READ MORE

IMAGES IN CLINICAL MEDICINE A closer look at the eyelashes! Kawtar Belkhadir et al. A 7-year-old child presented with bilateral anterior blepharitis. He had no medical history. The careful examination of the eyelashes found several lice attached to them with their ovoid nits. The parasitological examination revealed a phtirius pubis. Screening of other family members did not find similar effects.  READ MORE Black tumor of the umbilicus Fatima-zahra Agharbi et al. Pigmented nevi, still called melanocytic nevi or more improperly "naevus naevocellulaires" are benign melanocytic tumors characterized by a proliferation of melanocytes near the dermoepidermal junction. They are grouped in clusters or in theca cells that differentiate them from normal melanocytes. They occur at birth in approximately 1% of newborns with no sex predominance. READ MORE

CASE REPORTS Duodenal duplication: a rare cause of abdominal pain in adults Soumaya Mrabet et al. Duodenal duplication is an extremely rare congenital abnormality that occurs mostly in children. It represents only 2% to 12% of all gastrointestinal tract duplication. Its clinical presentation is highly variable and non-specific making the positive diagnosis very difficult. Imaging modalities can help to detect the lesions making the diagnosis more accurate before surgery. READ MORE Non-obstetric vulva haematomas in a low resource setting: two case reports Ako Annabel Mangwi et al. Vulva haematomas are uncommon outside the obstetric population, with an incidence of 3.7% and represent only 0.8% of all gynaecological emergencies. The first case is a 24-year-old G2P1011 referred after the failure of conservative management of a progressively increasing right labia majora swelling. Vulva incision, exploration and relieve of hematoma were done under local anaesthesia. The second case is a 17-year-old G1P1001, a student who presented with spontaneous pain and swelling of the left labia majora. The swelling was rapidly increasing, tense and tender. It spontaneously ruptured, clots were drained and the wound was packed. READ MORE

CASE SERIES Prognostic factors of myringoplasty: study of a 140 cases series and review of the literature Youssef Darouassi et al. Myringoplasty is one of the most frequent interventions in otology. It aims to restore the eardrum in order to protect against extrinsic contamination by water and to improve hearing. Our study aimed to analyze the factors that may affect anatomical and functional results of myringoplasty or type I tympanoplasty. A retrospective study was performed of a series of 140 cases of myringoplasty over a 6-years period from 2010 to 2015. READ MORE Prenatal diagnosis of multicystic dysplastic kidney: about 18 cases Hekmat Chaara et al. Multicystic dysplastic kidney (MCDK) is the most common Congenital Abnormality of Kidney and Urinary Tract (CAKUT) in clinical practice. Its etiology and pathogenesis are still controversial and obstruction is a generally accepted causative assumption. Obstetric ultrasound is the gold standard for prenatal diagnosis and for the detection of other associated malformations.  READ MORE

LATEST SUPPLEMENT WHO Response to Disease Outbreaks in Liberia: Lessons learned from the 2014 - 2015 Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak This special issue of the Pan African Medical Journal documents the successful application of lesson learnt from response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in Liberia and identifies some best practices that could be applied to other disease prevention, control and elimination programmes with similar success. The papers, written by those who were actively engaged in response to epidemics in Liberia, cover critical topics in from preparedness and response to disease outbreaks, strengthening surveillance systems and integration as well as strengthening health workforce post Ebola virus disease outbreak. READ MORE