Plotting through the pandemic

No Abstract

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE BUDGET

MM - P&DMA municipality is regarded as a sphere of government that is closer to the people and can be used as a bridge to close the gap. However municipalities are still faced with the challenge of adhering to the legislative pre-requisite of ensuring that there is public participation in the budget process. It is therefore important that this research investigate and explore public participation in the budget process of the Mbombela Local Municipality. A qualitative approach has been used as real events were identified and analyzed. More research is required that will focus on public participation in the budget process. The ineffectiveness of ward committees has contributed to the problems being experienced. All municipalities are mandated to come up with a mechanism that will ensure public participation as a function is in place. Administrative support for these ward committees is thus of great importance. Comprehensive capacity building programmes will assist officials, ward committees and the councillors to understand and be able to drive the function of public participation in the budget proces

An update of the bovine trypanosomosis situation at the edge of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa : research communication

To obtain updated data on and assess the contribution of trypanosomosis to the disease burden of cattle kept at the edge of the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, a survey was conducted at Mvutshini Dip. Use was made of a purposeful sampling strategy by restricting sampling to animals that the livestock owner considered to be in poor condition. Of a total of 76 blood samples collected, 26 were parasitologically positive and 46 were positive on PCR / RFLP. Almost all infections were due to Trypanosoma congolense savannah subgroup. A total of 63 animals had a PCV < 24 % and were considered to be anaemic. Results from the survey show that trypanosome infections contribute significantly to the overall burden of disease in the area. Further research is required to develop appropriate control methods

Oral lipid-based nanoformulation of tafenoquine enhanced bioavailability and blood stage antimalarial efficacy and led to a reduction in&nbsp;human red blood cell loss in mice

Paula Melariri,1 Lonji Kalombo,2 Patric Nkuna,2 Admire Dube,2,3 Rose Hayeshi,2 Benhards Ogutu,4,5 Liezl Gibhard,6 Carmen deKock,6 Peter Smith,6 Lubbe Wiesner,6 Hulda Swai2 1Polymers and Composites, Material Science and Manufacturing, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Port Elizabeth, South Africa; 2Polymer and Composites, Material Science and Manufacturing, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa; 3School of Pharmacy, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa; 4Centre for Research in Therapeutic Sciences, Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya; 5Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya; 6Division of Pharmacology, University of Cape Town Medical School, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape&nbsp;Town, South Africa Abstract: Tafenoquine (TQ), a new synthetic analog of primaquine, has relatively poor bioavailability and associated toxicity in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD)-deficient individuals. A microemulsion formulation of TQ (MTQ) with sizes &lt;20 nm improved the solubility of TQ and enhanced the oral bioavailability from 55% to 99% in healthy mice (area under the curve 0 to infinity: 11,368&plusmn;1,232 and 23,842&plusmn;872 min&middot;&micro;mol/L) for reference TQ and MTQ, respectively. Average parasitemia in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice was four- to tenfold lower in the MTQ-treated group. In vitro antiplasmodial activities against chloroquine-sensitive and chloroquine-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum indicated no change in half maximal inhibitory concentration, suggesting that the microemulsion did not affect the inherent activity of TQ. In a humanized mouse model of G6PD deficiency, we observed reduction in toxicity of TQ as delivered by MTQ at low but efficacious concentrations of TQ. We hereby report an enhancement in the solubility, bioavailibility, and efficacy of TQ against blood stages of Plasmodium parasites without a corresponding increase in toxicity. Keywords: microemulsion, solubility, G6PD deficiency, in vivo efficac