Breast self examination and breast cancer: Knowledge and practice among female medical students in a Kenyan university

Background: Medical students play an important role in creating a supportive environment within their communities for screening behaviours in health promotion. Medical students must possess the appropriate knowledge concerning breast self examination (BSE) and breast cancer to be effective health educators. objective: To investigate the level of knowledge concerning BSE and breast cancer and to evaluate the practice of BSE among female medical students. Materials and methods: A crosssectional descriptive study conducted between March and June 2008 involving female students drawn from schools within the College of Health sciences, University of Nairobi. The questionnaires contained items on the biodata, knowledge and practice of BSE and knowledge on breast cancer. Responses on awareness on breast cancer were weighed using a 3-point Likert’s scale. Results: A total of 169 respondents were interviewed. Majority (94.6%) had heard about BSE with 114 (69.9%) having ever practiced it. Less than 20% of the respondents performed BSE regularly. There were no significant differences between clinical and preclinical students. Mass media was the most common source of information (45.2%). Relatives an formal lectures formed the least (7%) source of information for the respondents. Significant interschool differences on knowledge and practice are presented. Conclusion: Despite being aware, a significant proportion of female medical students do not practice BSE. Information dissemination regarding breast health is underprovided among family members. Recommendation: Programs targeting improved propagation of information and BSE especially among medical trainees should be instituted so as to strengthen health promotion in the community. Key words: Breast self examination, breast cancer, female medical student

Census and ear-notching of black rhinos (Diceros bicornis michaeli) in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya

This paper updates the status of the black rhino population in Tsavo East National Park (NP). Data were acquired through aerial counts of the black rhino between 3 and 9 October 2010 using three fixed-wing husky aircrafts and a Bell 206L helicopter in an area of about 3,300 km2. Based on previous sightings of rhinos, the area was divided into 14 blocks, with each block subdivided into 400 m transects. An aircraft flying at about 500 m above the ground was assigned to carry out the aerial survey following these transects within each block. Observers scanned for rhinos about 200 m on either sides of the flight paths. Intensive searches in areas with dense vegetation, especially along the Galana and Voi Rivers and other known rhino range areas was also carried out by both the huskies and the helicopter. The count resulted in sighting of 11 black rhinos. Seven of these individuals were ear notched and fitted with radio transmitters and the horns were tipped off to discourage poaching. Three of the seven captured rhinos were among the 49 animals translocated to Tsavo East between 1993 and 1999. The other four animals were born in Tsavo East. Two female rhinos and their calves were not ear-notched or fitted with transmitters. It is recommended that another count be carried out immediately after the wet season as the rhinos spend more time in the open areas while the vegetation is still green. The repeat aerail count is to include blocks north of River Galana

Surface Modification of Polyethylene with Multi-End-Functional Polyethylene Additives

We have prepared and characterized a series of multifluorocarbon end-functional polyethylene additives, which when blended with polyethylene matrices increase surface hydrophobicity and lipophobicity. Water contact angles of >112° were observed on spin-cast blended film surfaces containing less than 1% fluorocarbon in the bulk, compared to 98° in the absence of any additive. Crystallinity in these films gives rise to surface roughness that is an order of magnitude greater than is typical for amorphous spin-cast films but is too little to give rise to superhydrophobicity. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirms the enrichment of the multifluorocarbon additives at the air surface by up to 80 times the bulk concentration. Ion beam analysis was used to quantify the surface excess of the additives as a function of composition, functionality, and molecular weight of either blend component. In some cases, an excess of the additives was also found at the substrate interface, indicating phase separation into self-stratified layers. The combination of neutron reflectometry and ion beam analysis allowed the surface excess to be quantified above and below the melting point of the blended films. In these films, where the melting temperatures of the additive and matrix components are relatively similar (within 15 °C), the surface excess is almost independent of whether the blended film is semicrystalline or molten, suggesting that the additive undergoes cocrystallization with the matrix when the blended films are allowed to cool below the melting point

Genetic linkage of the aphid resistance gene, Rac, in cowpea

Linkage of the aphid resistance gene, Rac, with various polymorphic loci controlling morphological traits and aspartate amino-transferase isozyme (AAT) was studied in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) with the objective of identifying simply inherited and easily identifiable markers for aphid resistance and to distiguish between Rac1 and Rac2 reported by Pathak (1988). The F2 and F2 - derived F3 populations from crosses IT87S-1459 x Tvu 946 x ICV 5, and IT84S-2246 x Tvu 946 segragating for Rac1 and cross ICV 12 x Tvu 946 segragating for Rac2 were scored for various polymorphic morphological traits. Locus pd, controlling peduncle colour, was found to be linked to both Rac1 and Rac2 (P <0.05). The recombination frequencies estimated by the maximum likehood method were 26 +/- 8.3% and 35 +/- 7.5% for Rac1-pd and Rac2-pd co-segregation, respectively, thus indicating that Rac1 and Rac2 were not different from one another. No linkage was found between aphid resistance genes and the genes controlling other polymorphic morphological traits or AAT isozyme.La relation entre le gene de resistance aux aphids, Rac, avec de nombreux loci polymorphiques qui controlent les traits morphologiques et l'isozyme asparate d'amino transferase (AAT) etait etudie chez le niebe dans l'optique d'identifier les marqueurs facilement heritables et facilement identifiables pour la resistance aux aphides et envue de faire la distinction entre Rac1 et Rac2 tels que precaunise par Pathak (1988). Les populations F2 et F2 - derivees de F3 des croisements IT87S-1459 x Tvu 946 segregues pour Rac2 ont ete cotees pour leurs differents traits morphologiques polymorphiques. Le locus pd, controllant la couleur de pedoncule etait associe au Rac1 et Rac2 (P<=0.05). Les frequences de recombination estimees par une methode de probabilite maximale etaient de 26 +/- 8.3% et de 35 +/- 7.5% pour la co-segregation des Rac1-pd et Rac-2-pd-respectivement; ce qui indique que la Rac2 n'etait pas differents l'une de l'autre. Aucune relation n'a ete revelee entre les genes de resistance aux aphides et les genes qui controllent les autres traits morphologiques polymorphiques ou l'isozyme AAT

Helminth parasites in the intestinal tract of indigenous poultry in parts of Kenya : short communication

A study was carried out on 456 indigenous poultry intestinal specimens from various towns in Kenya to determine the occurrence and distribution of helminth parasites in the intestinal tract of the birds. Of the specimens examined, 414 had parasites whereas the remaining 42 had none, which is an infection rate of 90.78 %. The main species of helminths found in the intestines were Raillietina sp. (47.53 %), Heterakis gallinarum (21.33 %), Ascaridia galli (10.03 %), Strongyloides avium (9.96 %), Choanotaenia infundibulum (4.61 %), Cotugnia digonopora (3.6 %), Capillaria sp. (1.5 %), Trichostrongylus tenius (1.04 %) and Syngamus trachea (0.40 %). Most helminths were present in both the mid- and hindguts. Syngamus trachea and C. digonopora were only found in the foregut and midgut, respectively. Although chickens from which the specimens were collected appeard healthy, the high prevalence of helminthiasis observed shows the poor level of helminth infection control practiced by the indigenous poultry keepers in the country, which might affect the health status of the birds and their growth rates. Poultry keepers should be encouraged to prevent, control and treat such cases

HyperMacs – long chain hyperbranched polymers: A dramatically improved synthesis and qualitative rheological analysis

We have previously reported a novel (albeit modestly successful) strategy for the synthesis of polystyrene HyperMacs – long chain branched analogues of hyperbranched polymers. The building blocks for HyperMacs, AB2 macromonomers are synthesized by living anionic polymerization and as such are well-defined in terms of molecular weight and polydispersity but the nature of the coupling reaction used to generate the highly branched HyperMacs results in branched polymers with a distribution of molecular weights and architectures. In our previously reported studies the extent of the coupling reaction was significantly hampered by side reactions, however, we report here dramatic improvements to the coupling chemistry which overcome the previously experienced limitations resulting in a fourfold increase in the extent of the coupling reactions. Furthermore we report the effect of the addition of varying amounts of a B3 core molecule to the coupling reaction and the resultant ‘control’ of the final molecular weight of the HyperMac. Melt rheology showed polystyrene HyperMacs to be thermorheologically simple, obeying William–Landel–Ferry (WLF) behaviour. HyperMacs showed little evidence for relaxation by reptation and when the molecular weight of the macromonomer was ⩽Me for polystyrene, HyperMacs resemble unentangled polymers below the gel point, despite being well above the entanglement molecular weight for linear polystyrene. Increasing the molecular weight of the macromonomer to substantially above Me seems to introduce some entangled nature to the HyperMac as evidenced by the emergence of a near horizontal plateau in G″ – the loss modulus

HyperMacs to HyperBlocks: A Novel Class of Branched Thermoplastic Elastomer

We demonstrate here the great versatility of the macromonomer approach for the synthesis of long chain hyperbranched polymers (HyperMacs) and describe the synthesis of HyperMacs from polybutadiene and poly(methyl methacrylate) using analogous yet modified synthetic strategies. Furthermore, we report the synthesis, morphology, and mechanical properties of an entirely new class of HyperMacs—HyperBlocks—prepared from the coupling of polystyrene−polyisoprene−polystyrene triblock copolymer macromonomers. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies show that these unconventional block copolymers undergo microphase separation, but the resulting morphologies lack any long-range order. Tensile testing shows that these materials offer promise as a new class of branched thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). Finally, blends of HyperBlock (10%) with a commercial linear TPE produced by Kraton show both enhanced ultimate tensile stress and elongation at break

Multihydroxyl End Functional Polyethylenes: Synthesis, Bulk and Interfacial Properties of Polymer Surfactants

Multihydroxyl end functional polyethylenes have been prepared with controlled molecular weight, microstructure, and functionalization. These materials, designed as interfacially active blend additives for polar interfaces, are thermally stable up to 250 °C and to have similar crystallinity and dynamics to their unfunctionalized homopolymer analogues. The polymers segregated strongly to silicon oxide interfaces, with adsorbed layers forming spontaneously at annealed polymer interfaces, having surface excess concentrations approaching 2Rg and a maximum areal density of approximately 0.6 adsorbed chains per nm2. This interfacial activity is achieved almost without detriment to the bulk physical properties of the polymer as evidenced by thermal analysis, quasi-elastic neutron scattering, and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). SANS experiments show little evidence for aggregation of the dihydroxyl functionalized polymers in blends with PE homopolymers, which is thought to explain why these additives have particularly strong interfacial adsorption, even at relatively high concentrations. A modest level of segregation of the additives to exposed blend surfaces was also seen, particularly when the additive molecular weight was significantly lower than that of the matrix. We attribute this to a combination of the relatively low molecular weight of the additives and the marginally lower surface energy associated with deuterated polymers