Sequence analysis of an HIV-1 subtype C acutely infected cohort from Durban, South Africa.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a global public health concern. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS estimated that 36.9 million people were infected with HIV globally at the end of 2017. Almost 20% of these resided in South Africa, making this the highest global HIV burden held by any one country. It is thus important that HIV infection be detected early as this may have important implications in the control of the pandemic. The early recognition of acute HIV infection could present early treatment options that could alter the natural history of the disease, or even eliminate infection. Detecting acute infection early could also provide a unique opportunity to understand HIV transmission and pathogenesis, including early host-virus interactions. In the present study, blood samples were collected from 18-23 year old HIV-1 subtype C acutely infected women from Umlazi Township in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, that had participated in a study called Females Rising through Education, Support and Health (FRESH). Eleven blood samples from this cohort, collected within 24 hours of onset of plasma viremia, were used for this study. The aim of the present research was to identify sites within pol that were experiencing positive selective pressure and the likely implications of these mutations on viral functional domains and host cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes. The study also sort to observe the loss of drug resistant mutations (DRM) in the viral sequences of participants who had multiple timepoints and to correlate mutation loss to structural changes. Datamonkey and Phylogenetic Analysis by Maximum Likelihood (PAML) were used to detect positively selected sites. Putative functional domains were detected using Prosite and CTL epitopes were identified using the Los Alamos Molecular Immunology Database. Ancestral reconstruction was performed using PAML and Bayesian Evolutionary Analysis by Sampling Trees (BEAST) was used to calculate the time to the most recent common ancestor. Altogether 16 unique positively selected sites were identified in this cohort. Putative functional domains were highly conserved in protease, while positive mutations in reverse transcriptase resulted in either a loss of functional domains in conserved regions or in the gain of functional sites in non-conserved regions. Owing to the important role that protease plays in viral maturation and infectivity, mutations within these conserved regions could possibly lead to defective viral particles with reduced viral infectivity. The K103N in reverse transcriptase, observed in one participant, was the only DRM inherited from its common ancestor. The major limitation of this study was the small sample size

Entrepreneurship at Further Education and Training Colleges in Durban: a demand side perspective.

Master of Business Administration. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville 2014.Entrepreneurship has long been considered an important factor in stimulating economic growth and in reducing unemployment. The youth, in particular, constitute the largest portion of the South African population, making them the most vulnerable to unemployment. Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges have received considerable government interest as a platform to empower young people to become economically active. The aim of this study, therefore, was to ascertain whether young people at Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges in the Durban area had any intentions towards entrepreneurship. Consequently, the study investigated FET College students’ perceptions and attitudes towards entrepreneurship. In so doing, students’ awareness of the existence of entrepreneurial initiatives at their colleges was also assessed. In order to achieve this, a quantitative research approach was used. FET College students in the Durban area were selected as the population of interest. This comprised of 3 FET Colleges with a joint population size of 29 200 students. A total of 670 students participated. Data was collected by means of a structured questionnaire. All 670 questionnaires that were administered were returned. The study found that overall FET College students had positive perceptions and attitudes towards entrepreneurship. Students also demonstrated high levels of self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intention. The majority of students who had self-employed parents indicated that in light of this they would like to start their own businesses. However, parent and family entrepreneurial background did not have any influence on collective students’ decisions to start their own businesses. Neither did gender nor age demonstrate any significant influence on student perceptions of, and intentions towards, entrepreneurship. This study highlighted the need to invest in efforts to heighten entrepreneurial awareness at FET Colleges. It is recommended that FET Colleges respond to students’ demands for entrepreneurship-related initiatives, to expand current entrepreneurship offerings and to extend their offerings to all College students. The study was not without its challenges. Significant limitations encountered included student strikes and logistical challenges

Health-related quality of life among people living with HIV in the era of universal test and treat: Results from a cross-sectional study in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Background: The World Health Organization’s (WHO) key population-based strategy for ending the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic is universal HIV test and treat (UTT) along with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Despite the successful scale-up of the UTT strategy in sub-Saharan Africa, the quality of life (QoL) of people living with HIV (PLHIV) remains sub-optimal. Poor quality of life in PLHIV may threaten the UNAIDS 95-95-95 programme targets. Monitoring QoL of PLHIV has become a key focus of HIV research among other outcomes so as to understand health-related quality of life (HRQoL) profiles and identify interventions to improve programme performance. This study aimed to describe HRQoL profiles and identify their predictors in PLHIV in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional survey conducted between May and June 2022 among PLHIV (n=105) accessing HIV services at an outpatient clinic in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Socio-demographic, HRQoL (EQ-5D-5L index scores), clinical data, depressive symptoms (CES-D-10) and viral load data were collected from all participants. We examined predictors of HRQoL using generalised linear models controlling for age and sex. Results: The mean age of the participants was 45 years (SD= 13). The proportion of participants with disabilities and comorbidities was 3% and 18%, respectively. Depressive symptoms were present in 49% of the participants. Participant’s mean EQ-5D-5L index score was 0.87 (SD= 0.21) and ranged from 0.11 to 1.0. The mean general health state (EQ-VAS) was 74.7 (SD= 18.8) and ranged from 6 to 100. Factors that reduced HRQoL were disability (β=-0.607, p<0.001), comorbidities (β = - 0.23, p<0.05), presence of depressive symptoms (β = -0.10, p<0.05) and old age (β = -0.04, p<0.05). Factors that increased HRQoL were a good perceived health state (β = 0.147, p<0.001) and availability of social support (β = 0.098, p<0.05). Conclusion: A combination of old age (60 years and above), any disability and comorbidities had a considerable effect on HRQoL among PLHIV. Our findings support the recommendation for an additional fourth UNAIDS target that should focus on ensuring that 95% of PLHIV have the highest possible HRQoL. Psycho-social support interventions are recommended to improve the HRQoL of PLHIV

Premiers résultats d'une étude quantitative de la reproduction de la sardine dans le Golfe du Lion

In this paper are given the first results of a quantitative study of the spawning of Pilchard Sardina pilchardus in the Gulf of Lion~during Winter 1975 and Winter 1976. The mean density of eggs at each station and their average abundance in the spawning area were estimated. The incubation time of eggs depending upon temperature was also calculated. En 1975 et 1976 une étude de la reproduction de la sardine dans le Golfe du Lion a été réalisée. Les premiers résultats de cette étude, qui a pour but d'évaluer quantitativement la ponte de cette espèce, permettent de donner une estimation moyenne de l'abondance des oeufs au cours d'une campagne. La durée de l'incubation en fonction de la tempé­rature a d'autre part été déterminée