Developing a provincial epidemiologic and demographic information system for health policy and planning in Kwazulu-Natal.

Thesis (M.Med.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2000.Since 1994, a turning point in the history of South Africa (SA), significant changes were made in the delivery of health services by the public sector, provincially and nationally. The process of change involved making important decisions about health services provision, often based on past experience but ideally requiring detailed information on health status and health services. For an example, Primary Health Care (PHC) was made freely accessible to all citizens of this country. Many studies on the impact of free PHC in the country have shown increased utilization of these services.40 In the context of HIV/AIDS and its complications and other emerging health conditions, reasons for this increased utilization may not be that simple. I17, II8. Parallel with increased utilisatIon has been uncontrollable escalation of costs in the Department of Health (DoH), often resulting in ad-hoc and ineffective measures of cost-containment.40. For these and many other reasons of critical importance to public health services management, the issue of health information generally, and epidemiological inforn1ation in particular, should be brought higher on the agenda of health management. Public health services management is about planning, organization, leading, monitoring and control of the same services.2 Any public health plan must have a scientific basis. In order to achieve rational planning of public health services in the province, adequate, up to date, accurate information must be available, as a planning tool. Health information is one of key resources and an essential element in health services management. It is a powerful tool by which to assess health needs, to measure health status of the population and most importantly, to decide how resources should be deployed.5 Trends in the health status of the population are suggested by the White Paper for transforn1ation of Health Services (White Paper), to be important indicators of the success of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), the country's programme of transformation. 37,39 It is within that context that the KwaZulu-Natal-Department of Health (KZN-DoH) resolved to establish an Epidemiology/Demographic Unit for the province, to assist management to achieve the department's objectives of providing equitable, effective, efficient and comprehensive health services. 37,89 Purpose: To develop a provincial Epidemiological-Demographic Inforn1ation System (EDIS) that will consistently inforn1 and support rational and realistic management decisions based on accurate, timely, current and comprehensive infom1ation, moving the DoH towards evidence based policy and planning. Objectives: To provide an ED IS framework to : .develop provincial health policy .assist management with health services planning and decision-making .ensure central co-ordination of health information in order to support delivery of services at all levels of the health system . . monitor implementation and evaluation of health programmes . ensure utilization of information at the point of collection, for local planning and interventlon. Methods: A rapid appraisal of the existing Health Information System (HIS) in the province was conducted from the sub-departments of the DoH and randomly selected institutions. A cross-sectional study involving retrospective review of records from selected hospitals, clinics and other sources, was conducted. The study period was the period between January 1998 to December 1998. Capacity at district and regional levels on managing health information and epidemiological information in particular, was reviewed and established through training progranmles. Results: The rapid appraisal of existing HIS in the province revealed a relatively electronically well resourced sub-department of Informatics within the KZN-DoH, with a potential to provide quality and timely data. However, a lot of data was collected from both clinics and hospitals but not analyzed nor utilized. Some critical data was captured and analyzed nationally. There was lack of clarity between the Informatics Department staff responsible for collecting and processing provincial data and top management with regards each other's needs. Demographics: The demographic composition and distribution profile of the KZN population showed features of a third world country for Blacks with the White population displaying contrasting first world characteristics. Socio-Economic Profile: The majority of the population was unemployed, poor, illiterate, economically inactive, and earning very low income. The water supply, housing and toilet facilities seemed adequate, but in the absence of data on urban/rural distinction, this finding needs to be interpreted with caution Epidemiology: All basic indicators of socio-economic status (infant, child, neonatal mortality rates) were high and this province had the second poorest of the same indicators in the country. Adult and child morbidity and mortality profiles of the province, both at clinics and district hospitals were mainly from preventable conditions. Indicators on women and maternal health were consistent with the socio-economic status of this province; and maternal mortality rate was high with causes of mortality that were mainly preventable. The issue of HIV / AIDS complications remains unquantifiable with the limited data available. HIV is a serious epidemic in KZN and this province continues to lead all the provinces in the country, a prevalence of 32 % in 1999.86 Health Services Provision: Inmmnization coverage was almost 50% below the national target and drop out rate was very high. Termlinations of Pregnancies (TOP) occurred mainly among adult, single women, and the procedure done within the first trimester and requested for social and economic reasons. Provincial clinics (mainly fixed) and hospitals provide family planning and Ante Natal Care (ANC) services to the majority of pregnant women in the province. Conclusion : KZN is a poor province with an epidemiological profile of a country in transition but predominantly preventable health conditions. The province has a potential for producing high quality health information required for management, planning and decision making. It is recommended that management redirects resources towards improving PHC services. Establishment of an Epidemiology Unit would facilitate the DoH's health services reforms, through provision of comprehensive, accurate, timely and relevant health information

Lipedema: A Call to Action!

Lipedema is a chronic progressive disease characterized by abnormal fat distribution resulting in disproportionate, painful limbs. It almost exclusively affects women, leading to considerable disability, daily functioning impairment, and psychosocial distress. Literature shows both scarce and conflicting data regarding its prevalence. Lipedema has been considered a rare entity by several authors, though it may be a far more frequent condition than thought. Despite the clinical impact on women's health, lipedema is in fact mostly unknown, underdiagnosed, and too often misdiagnosed with other similarly presenting diseases. Polygenic susceptibility combined with hormonal, microvascular, and lymphatic disorders may be partly responsible for its development. Furthermore, consistent information on lipedema pathophysiology is still lacking, and an etiological treatment is not yet available. Weight loss measures exhibit minimal effect on the abnormal body fat distribution, resulting in eating disorders, increased obesity risk, depression, and other psychological complaints. Surgical techniques, such as liposuction and excisional lipectomy, represent therapeutic options in selected cases. This review aims to outline current evidence regarding lipedema epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, and management. Increased awareness and a better understanding of its clinical presentation and pathophysiology are warranted to enable clinicians to diagnose and treat affected patients at an earlier stage

Titanium dioxide-based 64 degrees YX LiNbO3 surface acoustic wave hydrogen gas sensors

Amorphous titanium dioxide (TiO2) and gold (Au) doped TiO2-based surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors have been investigated as hydrogen gas detectors. The nanocrystal-doped TiO2 films were synthesized through a sol-gel route, mixing a Ti-butoxide-based solution with diluted colloidal gold nanoparticles. The films were deposited via spin coating onto 64° YX LiNbO3 SAW transducers in a helium atmosphere. The SAW gas sensors were operated at various temperatures between 150 and 310°C. It was found that gold doping on TiO2 increased the device sensitivity and reduced the optimum operating temperature

Titanium dioxide based 64° YX LiNbO3 surface acoustic wave hydrogen gas sensors

Amorphous titanium dioxide (TiO2) and gold (Au) doped TiO2-based surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors have been investigated as hydrogen gas detectors. The nanocrystal-doped TiO2 films were synthesized through a sol-gel route,mixing a Ti-butoxide-based solution with diluted colloidal gold nanoparticles. The films were deposited via spin coating onto 64\ub0 YX LiNbO3 SAWtransducers in a helium atmosphere. The SAW gas sensors were operated at various temperatures between 150 and 310 \ub0C. It was found that gold doping on TiO2 increased the device sensitivity and reduced the optimum operating temperature

Nose and throat complications associated with passive smoking among Congolese school children

Objective: To assess associations between nose-throat (NT) diseases and passive smoking prevalence among school children.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out on a randomized multistage sample of 381 school children (50.9% males, aged 9.8 ± 3.5 years) from Kinshasa town. Parents and children were asked to fill in a questionnaire detailing their smoking habits. The NT symptoms and diseases were assessed by the survey NT specialist.Results: The prevalence of passive smoking was 38.6% (n=147). Residence in peripheral areas, catholic school system, elementary level, exposure of family to passive smoking ,history of NT surgery, medicines and menthol inhaling, headache, nasal pain, dysphagia, odynophagia, dysosmia, dysphonia, pharyngeal irritation, dry throat, snooze, , and chronic pharyngitis were more reported by passive smokers. After adjusting for confounding factors, passive smoking (OR=16.7 95%CI 3.3-83.3), catholic system(OR=2 95%CI 1.2-3.2), and elementary degree(OR=1.4 95%, CI 1.1-2.1) were identified as independent determinants of chronic pharyngitis.Conclusion: Parents should not smoke in the same room used by their children.Keywords: Passive smoking, children, nose, throat, chronic pharyngitisAfrican Health Sciences 2011; 11(3): 315 - 32

Two-photon Absorption In Direct Bandgap Semiconductors Quantum Dots

We present degenerate and nondegenerate two-photon absorption spectra in a series of CdSe and CdTe quantum dots. The measurements show that the two-photon absorption (2PA) spectrum is strongly dependent on the quantum dot size and that the 2PA coefficient decreases as the quantum dot size decreases, and it is larger for the frequency nondegenerate process. Previously we had shown a theoretical analysis of these results based on a simple model using the effective mass approximation. Although this model works well for larger quantum dots, it fails for the smaller ones. Here we use the more realistic k→ p→ model for the band structure and consider the hole band mixing in quantum dots to describe our data. This theory better describes the spectral structures for smaller quantum dots and also predicts the decrease of the 2PA coefficient with the decrease of quantum dot size. This is due to the reduction of the number of possible transitions and the blue shift of the optical bandgap from quantum confinement. This theory predicts the reduction of the 2PA coefficient with size, although our experimental results show an even stronger reduction.6327Larson, D.R., Zipfel, W.R., Willians, R.M., Clark, S.W., Bruchez, M.P., Wise, F.W., Webb, W.W., (2003) Science, 300, pp. 1434-1436Sargent, E.H., (2005) Adv. Matt., 17, pp. 515-522Padilha, L.A., Neves, A.A.R., Rodriguez, E., Cesar, C.L., Barobosa, L.C., Cruz, C.H.B., (2005) Appl. Phys. Lett., 86, pp. 1611111-1611113Uskov, A.V., O'Reilly, E.P., Manning, R.J., Webb, R.P., Cotter, D., Laemmlin, M., Ledentsov, N.N., Bimberg, D., (2004) IEEE Phot. Tech. Lett, 16, pp. 1265-1267Cerletti, V., Coish, W.A., Gywat, O., Loss, D., (2005) Nanotech., 16, pp. R27-R49Sercel, P.C., Vahala, K.J., (1990) Phys. Rev. B, 42, pp. 3690-3710Cotter, D., Burt, M.G., Manning, R.J., (1992) Phys. Rev. Lett., 68, pp. 1200-1203Seo, J.T., Yang, Q., Creekmore, S., Temple, D., Qu, L., Yu, W., Wang, A., Kim, J.H., (2003) Phys. E, 17, pp. 101-103Banfi, G.P., Degiorgio, V., Ricard, D., (1998) Adv. Phys., 47, pp. 447-510Padilha, L.A., Fu, J., Hagan, D.J., Van Stryland, E.W., Cesar, C.L., Barbosa, L.C., Cruz, C.H.B., (2005) Opt. Exp., 13, pp. 6460-6467Padilha, L.A., Fu, J., Hagan, D.J., Van Stryland, E.W., Cesar, C.L., Barbosa, L.C., Cruz, C.H.B., (2005) Proc. SPIE, 5931, pp. 226-235Fedorov, A.V., Baranv, A.V., Inoue, K., (1996) Phys. Rev. B, 54, pp. 8627-8632Sheik-Bahae, M., Said, A.A., Wei, T.H., Hagan, D.J., Van Stryland, E.W., (1990) IEEE J. of Quantum Electron., 26, pp. 760-769Negres, R.A., Hales, J.M., Kobyakov, A., Hagan, D.J., Van Stryland, E.W., (2002) IEEE J. Quantum Electron., 38, pp. 1205-1216Hales, J.M., Hagan, D.J., Van Stryland, E.W., Schafer, K.J., Morales, A.R., Belfield, K.D., Pacher, P., Bredas, J.L., (2004) J. Chem. Phys., 121, pp. 3152-3160Barbosa, L.C., Reynoso, V.C.S., De Paula, A.M., De Oliveira, C.R.M., Alves, O.L., Craievich, A.F., Marotti, R.E., Cesar, C.L., (1997) J. Non-cryst. Solids, 219, pp. 205-211Yu, W.W., Qu, L.H., Guo, W.Z., Peng, X.G., (2003) Chem. Mater., 15, p. 2854Bunge, S.D., Krueger, K.M., Boyle, T.J., Rodriguez, M.A., Headley, T.J., Colvin, V.L., (2003) J. Mater. Chem., 13, p. 1705Qu, L.H., Peng, X.G., (2002) J. Am. Chem. Soc., 124, p. 2049L.A. Padilha, J. Fu, D.J. Hagan, E.W. Van Stryland, C.L. Cesar, L.C. Barbosa, C.H.B. Cruz, D. Buso, and A. Martucci, to be published (2006)Kane, E.O., Semiconductors & Semimetals, 1. , Cap. 3Ekimov, A.I., Hache, F., Schanne-Klein, M.C., Richard, D., Flytzanis, C., Kudryavtsev, I.A., Yazeva, T.V., Efros, Al.L., (1993) J. Opt. Soc. Am. B, 10, pp. 100-10

Análise de transferibilidade de primers microssatélites de Cucumis melo para Cucurbita moschata e Luffa cylindric.

bitstream/CENARGEN/29527/1/bp203.pd

Reação de genótipos de melão a patógenos do solo em condições de infestação natural do Vale do São Francisco.

Avaliou-se a reação de genótipos de melão do tipo amarelo a Didymella bryoniae e Macrophomina phaseolina, em condições de campo, do qual foi obtido, em anos anteriores, agressivos isolados destes fungos. O ensaio foi sob fertirrigação, com delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso, sendo 26 genótipos e quatro repetições, na Estação Experimental de Bebedouro, em Petrolina-PE, durante o período de setembro a dezembro de2004, sem nenhuma aplicação de fungicida. Utilizou-se uma escala de notas (1= sadias, sem nenhuma lesão ou descoloração; 5= severos cancros, exudados no colo e ramos até morte da planta) e foram obtidas diferenças significativas entre os genótipos avaliados: 58% suscetíveis (os dois híbridos comerciais, AF-682 e Frevo, estão incluídos neste grupo), 34% com moderadas lesões e 8% resistentes. Nas condições epidemiológicas do ensaio, apesar de que todas as linhagens segregaram para resistência às doenças, os tratamentos 2, 3 6, 14, 23 e 26 tiveram os melhores desempenhos, apresentando entre 33 a 46% das plantas com o mínimo de lesões, sendo necessário continuar o programa de seleção para resistência aos referidos patógenos do solo.Suplemento. Edição dos resumos expandidos do 45. Congresso Brasileiro de Olericultura; 15. Congresso Brasileiro de Floricultura e Plantas Ornamentais; 2. Congresso Brasileiro de Cultura de Tecidos de Plantas, Fortaleza, ago. 2005