Influence of silver nitrate (ethylene inhibitor) on cucumber in vitro shoot regeneration

The effect of addition of silver nitrate (AgNO3) on organogenesis of proximal and distal cotyledon and hypocotyl explants of five cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cultivars was investigated. Distal cotyledon and hypocotyl were unresponsive while only poor shoot regeneration was observed in proximal cotyledon and hypocotyl explants of all cucumber cultivars. The addition of different concentrations of AgNO3 (10, 30 and 50 µM) to the medium, however, induced shoot regeneration in distal cotyledon except Suyo Long cultivar and effectively increased shoot regeneration response as well as the number of shoots per explant in proximal cotyledon and hypocotyl of all cucumber cultivars

Air Pollution Determination Using Remote Sensing Technique

Non

Antiretroviral therapy in a community clinic - early lessons from a pilot project

Objectives. To report on operational and clinical problems encountered during the first 6 months of a community-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) programme.Methods. ART was implemented in a primary care setting utilising an easily replicable service-delivery model based on a medical officer and nurse. Therapeutic counsellors, themselves HIV-infected, provided counselling and adherence support. Drug and monitoring costs were charitably funded and provincial health authorities supplied the medical infrastructure. The HIV Research Unit, University of Cape Town, supplied training and additional clinical support. Local HIV primary care clinics provided patient referrals. Standardised ART regimens were used with strict entry criteria (AIDS or CD4 count < 200 cells/μl).                                                                    Results. Demand for the service was high. Referred patients had advanced disease (AIDS 57%, median CD4 count 96/μl) and high pre-treatment mortality (83/100 person-years). Mycobacterial disease was a major  contributor to this mortality (40%). Scheduled clinic visit hours were six times higher during recruitment than maintenance. Attributable costs were: drugs 61%, staff 2.7%, viral load and CD4 cell counts 10% and safety monitoring 2%. Viral load after 16 weeks of therapy was < 400 copies/ml in the first 16 patients.Conclusions. ART can be successfully implemented within a primary care setting. Drug purchases and staff salaries drive programme costing. The service model is capable of managing 250 - 300 patients on chronic ART, but staffing needs to be increased during recruitment. Attention must be given to the diagnosis of tuberculosis during screening and early ART. Incorporating therapeutic counsellors into the programme increased community involvement and utilised a valuable and previously untapped resource

Removal of methyl orange dye by manganese/aluminium- layered double hydroxide

As textile production flourishes nowadays, the amount of dyed wastewater entering the water body has also increased. Dyes could have serious negative impacts to the environment and also the human health, hence, they need to be removed from the water body. In this study, layered double hydroxide (LDH) of manganese/aluminium (MnAl) was synthesised to be used as a potential adsorbent to remove methyl orange (MO) dye due to its unique lamellar structure which provides LDH with high anion adsorption and exchange ability. MnAl was synthesized by using co-precipitation method and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Sulphur (CHNS) elemental analysers, and Accelerated Surface Area and Porosity Analyzer (ASAP). Adsorption studies were conducted at different contact times and dosages of MnAl to evaluate the performance of MnAl in removing MO from water. Kinetic and isotherm models were tested using pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, Langmuir isotherm and Freundlich isotherm. MnAl LDH was found to be perfectly fitted into pseudo-second order and Langmuir isotherm

Oil palm trunk polymer composite: Morphology, water absorption, and thickness swelling behaviours.

In this research, impregnated oil palm trunks (OPT) and polymer composites were prepared from a combination of dried oil palm trunks with phenol formaldehyde (PF) and urea formaldehyde (UF) resin in different resin percentages using an impregnation method. Time of impregnation was a parameter used to control the percentage of resin content in the oil palm trunks. These studies investigated the effect of resin content and types of resin on the physical properties of impregnated OPT. Water absorption tests revealed that OPT polymer composite with 75% PF resin loading had increases of 21% and 26% for OPT polymer composites with 75% UF resin loading. The thickness swelling of OPT polymer composites with 75% PF resin loading exhibited the lowest value of 3.30% as compared with OPT polymer composite with 75% UF resin loading, which exhibited a value of 4.30%. The dimensional stability of the OPT polymer composites with the highest resin loading was slightly lower when compared to rubberwood. Scanning electron micrographs show that PF resin placement in OPT polymer composites was better, and resin penetration retained the original dried OPT structure

Delirium in HIV-infected patients admitted to acute medical wards post universal access to antiretrovirals in South Africa

Background. Delirium is associated with increased mortality and length of hospital stay. Limited data are available from HIV-infected acute hospital admissions in developing countries. We conducted a prospective study of delirium among acute medical admissions in South Africa (SA), a developing country with universal antiretroviral therapy (ART) access and high burdens of tuberculosis (TB) and non-communicable disease.Objectives. To identify the prevalence of, risk factors for and outcomes of delirium in HIV-infected individuals in acute general medical admissions.Methods. Three cohorts of adult acute medical admissions to Groote Schuur and Victoria Wynberg hospitals, Cape Town, SA, were evaluated for prevalent delirium within 24 hours of admission. Reference delirium testing was performed by either consultant physicians or neuropsychologists, using the Confusion Assessment Method.Results. The study included 1 182 acute medical admissions, with 318 (26.9%) HIV-infected. The median (interquartile range) age and CD4 count were 35 (30 - 43) years and 132 (61 - 256) cells/µL, respectively, with 140/318 (44.0%) using ART on admission. The prevalence of delirium was 17.6% (95% confidence interval (CI) 13.7 - 22.1) among HIV-infected patients, and delirium was associated with increased inpatient mortality. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, factors associated with delirium were age ≥55 years (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 6.95 (95% CI 2.03 - 23.67); p=0.002), and urea ≥15 mmol/L (aOR 4.83 (95% CI 1.7 - 13.44); p=0.003), while ART use reduced risk (p=0.014). A low CD4 count, an unsuppressed viral load and active TB were not predictors of delirium; nor were other previously reported risk factors such as non-opportunistic acute infections or polypharmacy.Conclusions. Delirium is common and is associated with increased mortality in HIV-infected acute medical admissions in endemic settings, despite increased ART use. Older HIV-infected patients with renal dysfunction are at increased risk for inpatient delirium, while those using ART on admission have a reduced risk