89 research outputs found
A study of hair zinc levels and intraocular pressure
Zinc is present in the metalloenzyme carbonic anhydrase which is found in the ciliary body and is involved in the production of aqueous humor. It is known that a reduction in carbonic anhydrase, via carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, lowers intraocular pressure. This paper investigates the possibility that chronic subnormal zinc nutriture may also decrease carbonic anhydrase activity and thus lower intraocular pressure. Ten subjects each having intraocular pressures \u3c 10mm Hg, as measured by Goldmann tonometry, were selected from a normal clinical population. Ten control subjects, having intraocular pressures from 12-l?mm, were matched to the experimental group for sex and age. Hair zinc and other mineral levels were assessed for all subjects at the Parmae Laboratory in Dallas, Texas. Results indicate that there is no significant difference (at the .01 level) in hair zinc and other mineral levels for the experimental and control groups
The impact of policy on perceived livelihood vulnerability : the case of Cato Manor.
Thesis (M.Agric.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.This dissertation describes the outcome of a sustainable livelihoods approach to assess the
livelihood vulnerability of community structures in Cato Manor (an urban renewal project
of Durban City, KwaZulu-Natal). The sustainable livelihoods approach used looked at the
specifics of the nature of assets wealth, and how the poor made a living. The vulnerability
of poor households and communities depends on the way the poor have combined
available assets and capabilities within a particular context to achieve short and long term
priorities. Amongst other contextual issues of developing countries, structural adjustment
has affected urban survival strategies.
This study explored whether the impact of post-apartheid policy had reduced livelihood
vulnerability for members of ten community structures in Cato Manor (CM). The
investigation was broken down into two sub-problems. Sub-problem one was to establish
what impact post-apartheid policy outcomes had on livelihood strategies in Cato Manor.
Sub-problem two set out to ascertain whether the livelihood strategies described by
participants in Cato Manor reflect reduced livelihood vulnerability.
A unique feature of this study was an agreement between community based facilitators
from Cato Manor (Cato Manor Development Association (CMDA) team) and the
researcher for the development of two research agendas. The CMDA team, comprised of
five community facilitators from the Seliyabuya Housing Co-operative and a Cato Manor
Development Association consultant, conducted sustainable livelihoods analyses as the
first stage of strategic planning for community structures. A secondary case study analysis
of livelihood vulnerabilities was carried out by the researcher using the secondary data
from these sustainable livelihoods analyses. Ten of the thirty five community structures
(29%) identified by the CMDA team as possible participants elected to participate in the
sustainable livelihoods analyses. Members of these structures formed ten groups based on
the focus of their structure goals. Each focus group conducted a sustainable livelihoods
analysis that reflected the assets, strategies for livelihoods and constraints that affected
structures' priorities. Each participant was also asked to complete a household survey
questionnaire providing demographic data for the case study.
The findings of this study showed a tension between government's structural adjustment
goals and the realities of actual delivery. The development goals provided for an urban
space with the physical structures for livelihood security and sustainability. The study identified that development has provided a significant accumulation of physical assets
through infrastructure delivery. However, perceptions of the participants indicated that
development has not provided sufficient economic opportunities; adequate housing; or
educational, social and recreational facilities for desired livelihood outcomes. In addition,
participants believed manufacturing and business growth dependent on the successful
marketing of products was in direct conflict with the actual physical restrictions of the
topography, housing density goals and conceptualisation of the economic opportunities
existing in Cato Manor. Participants relied on survivalist strategies of micro-enterprises
(such as informal trading), and reliance on collective community support as available
rational options for survival. Livelihood vulnerabilities indicated by the study were:
overcrowding of homes, both in formal and informal areas; national economic trends
resulting in job shedding by the formal sectors; and the slow beginnings of local economic
development. In addition, there would be the threat to this community of the unknown
impact of or capacity for the eThekweni Municipality's continuing the development
required in Cato Manor after closure of the Cato Manor Development Association; and the
impact of HIV/AIDS on the human, economic and social capital.
This study showed increasing vulnerability for households and community structures
represented by the sample in terms of physical capital, financial capital, and human capital.
This vulnerability was particularly characterised at community level by the perception of
increased dependency on cash amidst a corresponding reduction in available cash. It has
been recommended that a creative institutional response, using clearly defined roles and
responsibilities, collaborate with the community to define and make use of entry points for
the transfer of skills and Local Economic Development support for the creation of
employment opportunities. In addition, it was recommended that local government make
full use of their knowledge of the livelihoods activities, and human capital in Cato Manor
to facilitate the speedy delivery of appropriate infrastructure and economic support in a
manner that supports the sustainability of municipal management as well as increases the
livelihood options of the poor. To complement this study, further research requires an
ongoing evaluation of the impact of local government and the community's responses; and
an exploration of how democratic citizenship can be developed through the facilitation of
grass-roots collective organisational strategies
Moving beyond substence : systemic integrity in commercialising homestead agriculture, with the Ezemvelo Farmers Organisation, KwaZulu-Natal.
Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.The transformation of South Africa’s rural communal spaces into an economically
viable, socially stable and harmonious sector is currently on the political agenda, the
efforts of the public sector to achieve this however have fallen far short of the intended
goal leaving subsistence and emerging farmers with little or no support. A current
decline in agricultural activity in South Africa’s rural areas threatens to weaken even
further the strength of rural economies. Calls for the return of ‘peasant’ agriculture to
the political and academic agendas and a clarion call for South African farmers to rewrite
their history lie within the problem of sustaining humanity with the economic,
social, environmental and temporal dimensions as a driver for development. This
thesis interprets the activities and behaviours that defined the innovative response of
small-scale commercial farmers in KwaZulu-Natal who role model ‘farming’ as a
‘way of life’ in communal land spaces.
The focus of the research was to interpret a useful meaning in the re-negotiation of
power relationships between producers and their market. It conceptualised the process
of individuals who had determined, and continue to define, their future. The events
observed over the three years of field work, offered the possibility of generating an
emergent solution to re-inventing farming as a way of life as season by season,
decisions were made at the individual homestead level, collectively at community
level and between internal and external decision-makers for market oriented
agriculture as an additional farming strategy.
A constructivist epistemology, relying on a pragmatic approach to using grounded
theory methods within a participatory process, constituted the study design. The
research focussed only on emic issues as the ‘culture’ or social and material priorities
of the agronomic system in transition. For this reason, sensitising concepts were drawn
from within the context to limit the scope and analysis of the study. Following the
field work and write up, the literature of agrarian change was used to locate the study
and consider the practical contribution of the study.
This research identified that ‘successful’ commercial homestead agriculture was the
result of changes in mind-set that allowed for new norms and behaviours for farming practice and for relationships. These shifts provided leverage points for overcoming
resistance between producers and markets in accommodating a sustainable market oriented
agronomy. Influencing the change was the impact of informed decision making,
which brought the stakeholders together through the sharing of values and
beliefs. Success was interpreted as using the market-orientated production of
amadumbe to tap into the factors that sustained and created social cohesion, as well as
those that stimulated agricultural activity. This emphasis encouraged the capacity for
development and cultivation of sustainability. The research proposes that deliberate
interdependence between producers and markets creates the incentive for development
that is self-determining, sustainable and derives economic benefits from agricultural
activity.
This research contributes towards understanding how to re-define commercialisation
as an inherent characteristic of traditional agricultural practice and, within this, a
meaningful description for stakeholders of the social impact of a deliberate and
mutually determined reconstruction of livelihood reality through a farmer-market researcher
relationship. The research introduces the need for a new way of engaging
over agriculture in communal spaces; how Discourse is defined and managed; for
whom the results of evaluation and monitoring are aimed; and to whom the results of
research belong. The research raises consciousness of the need for a space within
which dialogue and support for sustaining social agriculture and the role that research
institutions could play.
The product of this research is a theory whose core variable defines successful
commercial homestead agriculture as a dimension of systemic integrity between
internal and external economic interactions. Systemic integrity has been defined as
the process by which commercialisation of traditional agriculture has been
demonstrated through tapping into the motivations that stimulate agricultural activity
and nurturing social cohesion as the framework for legitimate development
partnerships. The findings contribute to the discussion of how to unlock the
technological and productive potential of rural communities within the images of
supportiveness, solidarity, and communalism that produce food for the survival of
humanity in a contemporary and dynamic world
Antimicrobial resistance of isolated Streptococcus pneumoniae in a hospital of the Brazilian public system
Streptococcus pneumoniae is the predominant bacterial agent that affects the human population with pneumonia. This disease is an important cause of death in the elderly and the children under five years old. in this study, 29 strains of invasive S. pneumoniae were isolated from 29 patients of pneumonia, bacteremia and meningitis in the laboratory of the Municipal Hospital in Paulinia, Brazil, from May 2006 to October 2007. Patients' age ranged from 8 months old to 60 years old. These strains of S. pneumoniae were isolated from blood, pleural fluid and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients. After typing of encapsulated strains of S. pneumoniae through quellung reaction, their resistance to antimicrobial agents was gauged through Disc Diffusion Technique followed by determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Among the 29 strains analyzed, 23 were methicillin-sensitive and six were methicillin-resistant and penicillin intermediate resistant. No strain presented full resistance to penicillin. Serotyping was performed only in two samples, which belonged to serotype 18. Our data may alert ambulatory regarding the incidence of pneumococcal strains resistant to the most common drugs due to inappropriate use of antimicrobials and also collaborate to the elaboration of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines specific to each region.NEPASHosp Municipal Paulinia, Setor Microbiol, Paulinia, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Farm Bioquim, Diadema, SP, BrazilFac Med ABC, Dept Morfol Fisiol, Lab Escrita Cientif, Santo Andre, BrazilUniv Estadual Paulista, Fac Filosofia & Ciencias, Dept Fonoaudiol, Marilia, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Farm Bioquim, Diadema, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc
Neonatal mortality within 24Â hours of birth in six low- and lower-middle-income countries.
OBJECTIVE: To estimate neonatal mortality, particularly within 24Â hours of birth, in six low- and lower-middle-income countries. METHODS: We analysed epidemiological data on a total of 149Â 570 live births collected between 2007 and 2013 in six prospective randomized trials and a cohort study from predominantly rural areas of Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Pakistan, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia. The neonatal mortality rate and mortality within 24Â hours of birth were estimated for all countries and mortality within 6Â hours was estimated for four countries with available data. The findings were compared with published model-based estimates of neonatal mortality. FINDINGS: Overall, the neonatal mortality rate observed at study sites in the six countries was 30.5 per 1000 live births (range: 13.6 in Zambia to 47.4 in Pakistan). Mortality within 24Â hours was 14.1 per 1000 live births overall (range: 5.1 in Zambia to 20.1 in India) and 46.3% of all neonatal deaths occurred within 24Â hours (range: 36.2% in Pakistan to 65.5% in the United Republic of Tanzania). Mortality in the first 6Â hours was 8.3 per 1000 live births, i.e. 31.9% of neonatal mortality. CONCLUSION: Neonatal mortality within 24Â hours of birth in predominantly rural areas of six low- and lower-middle-income countries was higher than model-based estimates for these countries. A little under half of all neonatal deaths occurred within 24Â hours of birth and around one third occurred within 6Â hours. Implementation of high-quality, effective obstetric and early newborn care should be a priority in these settings
Consumers' salient beliefs regarding dairy products in the functional food era: a qualitative study using concepts from the theory of planned behaviour
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Inadequate consumption of dairy products without appropriate dietary substitution may have deleterious health consequences. Social research reveals the factors that may impede compliance with dietary recommendations. This is particularly important given the recent introduction of functional dairy products. One of the challenges for public health professionals is to demonstrate the efficacy of nutrition education in improving attitudes toward nutrient rich foods. The aim of this study was to explore the salient beliefs of adult weight loss trial participants regarding both traditional and functional dairy products and to compare these with a control group not exposed to nutrition education.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Six focus groups were conducted, three with weight loss trial completers (<it>n </it>= 15) that had received nutrition education and three with individuals from the same region (<it>n </it>= 14) to act as controls. Transcribed focus groups were coded using the Theory of Planned Behaviour theoretical framework.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Non-trial participants perceived dairy foods as weight inducing and were sceptical of functional dairy products. A lack of time/ability to decipher dairy food labels was also discussed by these individuals. In contrast trial participants discussed several health benefits related to dairy foods, practised label reading and were confident in their ability to incorporate dairy foods into their diet. Normative beliefs expressed were similar for both groups indicating that these were more static and less amenable to change through nutrition education than control and behavioural beliefs.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Nutrition education provided as a result of weight loss trial participation influenced behavioural and control beliefs relating to dairy products. This study provides a proof of concept indication that nutrition education may improve attitudes towards dairy products and may thus be an important target for public health campaigns seeking to increase intake of this food group.</p
Reporting the whole story : Analysis of the 'out-of-scope' questions from the James Lind Alliance Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Priority Setting Partnership Survey
OBJECTIVE: We conducted a UK-wide survey to identify the top 10 research questions for young people's cancer. We conducted secondary analysis of questions submitted, which were 'out-of-scope' of the original survey aim. We sought to disseminate these questions, to inform practice, policy and the development of potential interventions to support young people with cancer. DESIGN: James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership. PARTICIPANTS: Young people aged 13-24 with a current/previous cancer diagnosis, their families/friends/partners and professionals who work with this population. METHODS: Eight hundred and fifty-five potential research questions were submitted, and 326 were classified as 'out-of-scope'. These questions, along with 49 'free-text' comments, were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The 375 out-of-scope questions and comments were submitted by: 68 young people, 81 family members/partners/friends and 42 professionals. Ten overarching themes were identified: diagnostic experience; communication; coordination of care; information needs and lack of information; service provision; long-term effects and aftercare support; family support; financial impact; end-of life care; and research methods and current research. CONCLUSIONS: The need to tailor services, information and communication is a striking thread evidenced across the 'out-of-scope' questions. Gaps in information highlight implications for practice in revisiting information needs throughout the cancer trajectory. We must advocate for specialist care for young people and promote the research priorities and these findings to funding bodies, charities, young people and health and social care policymakers, in order to generate an evidence base to inform effective interventions across the cancer trajectory and improve outcomes. PATIENT/PUBLIC CONTRIBUTIONS: Patients and carers were equal stakeholders throughout
Research priorities for young people with cancer : a UK priority setting partnership with the James Lind Alliance
OBJECTIVES: To conduct a UK-wide survey of young people who have experienced cancer, carers and professionals, to identify and prioritise research questions to inform decisions of research funders and support the case for research with this unique cancer population. DESIGN: James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership. SETTING: UK health service and community. METHODS: A steering group oversaw the initiative and partner organisations were recruited. Unanswered questions were collected in an online survey. Evidence searching verified uncertainties. An interim survey was used to rank questions prior to a final prioritisation workshop. PARTICIPANTS: Young people aged 13-24 years with a current or previous cancer diagnosis, their families, friends, partners and professionals who work with this population. RESULTS: Two hundred and ninety-two respondents submitted 855 potential questions. Following a refining process and removal of 'out of scope' questions, 208 unique questions remained. Systematic evidence checking identified seven answered questions and 16 were the subject of ongoing studies. The interim survey was completed by 174 participants. The top 30 questions were prioritised at a workshop attended by 25 young people, parents and multidisciplinary professionals. The top three priorities are: (1) What psychological support package improves psychological well-being, social functioning and mental health during and after treatment? (2) What interventions, including self-care, can reduce or reverse adverse short-term and long-term effects of cancer treatment? (3) What are the best strategies to improve access to clinical trials? The remaining questions reflect the complete cancer pathway: new therapies, life after cancer, support, education/employment, relapse and end-of-life care. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified shared research priorities for young people with cancer using a rigorous, person-centred approach involving stakeholders typically not involved in setting the research agenda. The breadth of priorities suggest future research should focus on holistic and psychosocial care delivery as well as traditional drug/biology research
Temporal Aggregation in Political Budget Cycles
While existing cross-country studies on political budget cycles rely on annual data, we build a panel with quarterly and monthly data from Latin American and OECD countries over the 1980-2005 period. Disaggregated data allow to center the electoral year more precisely, and show the effects are concentrated in a three-quarter window around elections. Cycles are statistically significant only in Latin America, but the pattern is similar to OECD countries: the budget surplus/GDP ratio falls in the election period and rises in the post-election period. In line with the logic of rational opportunistic manipulation, these effects cancel out
Variants of the EAAT2 Glutamate Transporter Gene Promoter Are Associated with Cerebral Palsy in Preterm Infants
© 2017, The Author(s). Preterm delivery is associated with neurodevelopmental impairment caused by environmental and genetic factors. Dysfunction of the excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (EAAT2) and the resultant impaired glutamate uptake can lead to neurological disorders. In this study, we investigated the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; g.-200CCloseSPigtSPiA and g.-181ACloseSPigtSPiC) in the EAAT2 promoter in susceptibility to brain injury and neurodisability in very preterm infants born at or before 32-week gestation. DNA isolated from newborns’ dried blood spots were used for pyrosequencing to detect both SNPs. Association between EAAT2 genotypes and cerebral palsy, cystic periventricular leukomalacia and a low developmental score was then assessed. The two SNPs were concordant in 89.4% of infants resulting in three common genotypes all carrying two C and two A alleles in different combinations. However, in 10.6% of cases, non-concordance was found, generating six additional rare genotypes. The A alleles at both loci appeared to be detrimental and consequently, the risk of developing cerebral palsy increased four- and sixfold for each additional detrimental allele at -200 and -181bp, respectively. The two SNPs altered the regulation of the EAAT2 promoter activity and glutamate homeostasis. This study highlights the significance of glutamate in the pathogenesis of preterm brain injury and subsequent development of cerebral palsy and neurodevelopmental disabilities. Furthermore, the described EAAT2 SNPs may be an early biomarker of vulnerability to neurodisability and may aid the development of targeted treatment strategies
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