The association between levels of socio-economic status and fibrin network architecture in women aged between 35 and 44 years

ThesisProspective epidemiological studies from 1980 to 1989 accumulated evidence of a possible relationship between cardiovascular disease and plasma fibrinogen concentration. It was soon evident that raised fibrinogen levels, causing hypercoagulable states, involve complex and multifactorial processes·. Consequently it is important to realise that hypercoagulability is associated with other risk factors of cardiovascular disease. This elevates the increasing importance of studying the haemostatic variables together with these risk factors. It is suspected however, that not only fibrinogen concentration, but also the quality of fibrin networks may contribute to coronary heart disease risk. It is known that other modulating factors in blood also affect the network structures as they are formed with otherwise constant fibrinogen and thrombin concentrations. Previous research extensively studied modulating factors such as albumin, glucose, smoking and diabetes. Socially patterned accumulation of health capital and cardiovascular risk begins in childhood. In the Whitehall II longitudinal study conducted by Brunner, adult occupational position was inversely associated with fibrinogen, other metabolic risk factors and risk factors like leisure time physical inactivity. Childhood, social position was associated with adult fibrinogen levels. The objective of this study was to determine the association between fibrin network architecture and socio-economic status in adult women. Three groups of adult women representing different socio-economic backgrounds were chosen randomly to voluntarily participate in the study. The study groups consisted of 27 white women (employees of the TFS), 30 "urbanized" black women (women living in an urbanized area for more than thirty years), and 30 "less urbanized" black women (women living in an urbanized area for less than thirty years). Fasting blood samples were taken on the premises of the Technikon Free State by a registered nurse and volunteers had medical examinations by a registered general practitioner. Fibrin network architecture variables and plasma fibrinogen were determined on fresh essentially platelet free plasma by standardised laboratory techniques. Other metabolic variables were performed on serum and full blood counts were performed on EDT A whole blood using standardised laboratory techniques. Results indicated that a association between socio-economic status and haemostatic profiles do exist. Many of the differences in analytical variables however, were expected and due to other relating factors such as ethnicity. The mean fibrinogen level of the white group of women was 3.S4±0.24 gIL. The group of black women defined as "less urbanized" displayed lower mean fibrinogen levels (3.16±.0.19 gIL). In contrast, the levels of the "urbanized" black women were much higher (4.04±0.22 gIL). However, these differences were not significant. This confirms the effect of urbanization and thus socio-economic status on plasma fibrinogen levels. Small differences were observed between network fibrin content and fibrinogen levels, and between mass length ratio and fibrinogen levels in all three the groups. It was unknown if these differences were static or in the process of development and an indication of future tendencies. Except for total protein values no significant differences were found between metabolic variables. This was expected as very strict inclusion/exclusion criteria were used to ensure that all volunteers were "apparently" healthy. This study in a way contradicts the hypothesis that socio-economic class itself may be the main cause of differences in some metabolic parameters from individuals within different levels of socio-economic backgrounds seeing as such strict exclusion criteria were used. It is believed that the factors related to the different levels of socio-economic status, such as the prevalence of tuberculosis, HIV, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolaemia, may play an important role in the outcome of the health status of the individuals within different levels of society. This study implies that the metabolic variables associated with different levels of socio-economic status are not necessarily associated with socio-economic class itself, but rather with the associated factors related to the different levels of socio-economic status. The study group was also very small which might have contributed to the lack of significance between groups. This study emphasises the need for prospective epidemiological trails to evaluate the true effect of socioeconomic variables and associated conditions on metabolic risk factors

Production and quality aspects of rooibos tea and related products. A review

Use of the herbal tea, rooibos, made from the indigenous South African fynbos plant, Aspalathus linearis spp. linearis, has shown tremendous growth on the international markets since the 1990s. From a small beginning in 1904, solely depended on wild harvesting, the industry has developed out of the selected and cultivated Nortier type, leading to improved quality. Traditional rooibos is processed, entailing an oxidation („fermentation“) step, essential to develop the characteristic sweetish flavour and red-brown colour. Higher antioxidant levels for unfermented rooibos resulted in the development of green rooibos and extracts enriched in aspalathin, a potent antioxidant unique to rooibos. Major markets for rooibos extracts are ready-to-drink iced teas and cosmetic products

Troubleshooting Time-Dependent Density-Functional Theory for Photochemical Applications: Oxirane

The development of analytic-gradient methodology for excited states within conventional time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) would seem to offer a relatively inexpensive alternative to better established quantum-chemical approaches for the modeling of photochemical reactions. However, even though TDDFT is formally exact, practical calculations involve the use of approximate functionals, in particular the TDDFT adiabatic approximation, whose use in photochemical applications must be further validated. Here, we investigate the prototypical case of the symmetric CC ring opening of oxirane. We demonstrate by direct comparison with the results of high-quality quantum Monte Carlo calculations that, far from being an approximation on TDDFT, the Tamm-Dancoff approximation (TDA) is a practical necessity for avoiding triplet instabilities and singlet near instabilities, thus helping maintain energetically reasonable excited-state potential energy surfaces during bond breaking. Other difficulties one would encounter in modeling oxirane photodynamics are pointed out but none of these is likely to prevent a qualitatively correct TDDFT/TDA description of photochemistry in this prototypical molecule.Comment: 19 pages, 17 figures, submitted to the Journal of Chemical Physic

Inhalation therapy during acute asthma : the role of a combined steroid and beta-stimulant preparation

CITATION: Joubert, J. R., Burger, G. & Shephard, E. 1985. Inhalation therapy during acute asthma : the role of a combined steroid and beta-stimulant preparation. South African Medical Journal, 68:381-384.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaA compound consisting of a β-stimulant, salbutamol (100 μg/puff), and a steroid, beclomethasone diproprionate (50 μg/puff), was studied to test the hypothesis that the corticosteroid could enhance the bronchodilator proporties of the β-stimulant during chronic asthma and simulated acute attacks (antigen challenge). Conventional doses (200 μg and 100 μg of salbutamol and beclomethasone respectively) were compared using a schedule which included a second administration 1 hour later. The results obtained on the baseline bronchial responsiveness of chronic asthmatics and during the delayed asthmatic response (simulated acute asthma) were similar. The compound was as effective as salbutamol alone but not more so. A significantly greater bronchodilator response was recorded in all patients after the second administration of both the compound and salbutamol alone. The practical advantages of having one rather than two inhalers are evident, but the appropriate application of this compound agent, probably in a prophylactic role, must be defined.Publisher’s versio

Computed tomography features of basal ganglia and periventricular calcifications in childhood

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Maceration Before and During Fermentation: Effect on Pinotage Wine Phenolic Composition, Total Antioxidant Capacity and Objective Colour Parameters

Low-temperature maceration treatments (1, 2 and 4 days at 10 and 15°C) before fermentation and juice/skin mixing treatments (punching-down, pumping-over and rotor action every hour and every 3 hours) duringfermentation were investigated in terms of their effects on Pinotage wine phenolic composition, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and colour over three vintages (2000 to 2002). Results for pre-fermentation maceration were notconsistent between vintages. Very few significant differences in the phenolic content, TAC and objective colour parameters were observed between the control wines and wines subjected to different pre-fermentation macerationtreatments. Pre-fermentation maceration, especially at 15°C, resulted in wines with increased vitisin A content.  Improvement of wine quality when using pre-fermentation maceration treatments at 10°C was noted previously, while no detrimental effect on the wine TAC was observed. The pumping-over treatment yielded wines with lower TAC and phenol content, as well as less favourable objective colour values, indicating that the punching-down or rotor treatment would be preferred. Although mixing at hourly intervals yielded a higher content of some phenolic compounds compared to the 3-hour interval mixing, mixing frequency did not affect the TAC of the wine. The objective colour parameters, h* and b*, were slightly lower at the higher mixing frequency in 2002 indicating a shift in the direction of a magenta hue

Energy deposited by neutrons and gamma rays in the cryogenic system of SISSI

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