Opportunities and challenges in open distance postgraduate student training in chemistry: Unisa’s experience

The Department of Chemistry at the University of South Africa (UNISA) has a proven track record and culture of research and postgraduate student training dating back to the correspondence era. The practice of offering postgraduate programs in laboratory-based disciplines within the Open Distance Learning (ODL) context as practiced in UNISA is discussed in detail. The authors use their experience to shed light on the models that work well for  laboratory-based postgraduate student training within the ODL framework. [AJCE 4(3), Special Issue, May 2014

In-hospital outcome of patients discharged from the ICU with tracheostomies

Objective. To document the outcome of patients discharged from the intensive care unit (ICU) with  tracheostomies.Design and setting. This was a retrospective study conducted in the ICU of Dr George Mukhari  Hospital, Pretoria.Patients. All patients discharged from the ICU with tracheostomies over a period of 1 year from 1 January to 31 December 2003.Interventions. None.Measurements. The main variables studied were post-ICU mortality and length of hospital stay, the  Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at discharge from ICU and the multiple organ dysfunction score on the day of discharge from the ICU.Main results. Forty-seven patients were discharged with tracheostomies during the study period. The post-ICU mortality was 57%. The mortality of patients discharged with a GCS below 8 was statistically higher than that of patients discharged with a GCS above 8 (79% v. 22%, p = 0.0002). Survivors had  significantly longer duration of hospitalisation (26.95 ± 21.47 days v. 13.48 ± 14.24 days, p = 0.021) than non-survivors. The mortality rate was higher if the tracheostomy was performed for a low GCS than whenit was performed for reasons other than a low GCS (p = 0.0001). The 20 surviving patients were  decanulated before discharge from hospital.Conclusion. The outcome of patients discharged from the ICU with tracheostomies is, on the whole,  unfavourable compared with predicted mortality. A GCS of less than 8 is a good predictor of poor  outcome

Isolation and Crystal Structure of 3-Aryl-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy- 1- propanones Derived from Claisen-Schmidt Condensation of 2- Hydroxyacetophenone with Benzaldehyde Derivatives

2-Hydroxyacetophenone reacted with benzaldehyde derivatives under alkalinic conditions followed by addition of dilute hydrochloric acid solution to afford mixtures of the known 2-hydroxychalcone derivatives and the corresponding previously undescribed 3-aryl-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-1-propanones. The isolation of the b-hydroxyketone derivatives depends on the work-up conditions. Their structures were established using a combination of NMR, IR and mass spectroscopic techniques. The conformation of the b-hydroxyketones was probed using 1 H NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. South African Journal of Chemistry Vol.55 2002: 97-110PDF and Supplemetry file attache

HBV/HIV co-infection: The dynamics of HBV in South African patients with AIDS

Objective. As sub-Saharan Africa is highly endemic for hepatitis Bvirus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections,and their co-infection requires special management, we aimedto assess the serological and molecular characteristics of HBV inpatients with AIDS.Design. This was a cross-sectional, case control study, whichenrolled 200 patients with AIDS and 200 HIV-negative controls.HBV serology was done in all participants and HCV serologyin participants with a hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) onlyserological pattern. Nested HBV polymerase chain reaction (PCR)and HBV viral load assays were used for HBV molecular detection.Results. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) prevalence was3-fold higher while the ‘anti-HBc only’ pattern was 6-fold higher inthe AIDS group compared with the controls. Mean HBV viral loadwas significantly higher in HBsAg-positive patients with CD4+cell counts <100 cells/ìl than in patients with CD4+ cell counts of100-200 cells/ìl (p=0.019). There were markedly reduced hepatitisB surface antibody (anti-HBs) titres in the AIDS group comparedwith the controls (p=0.002). A significant proportion of AIDSpatients with an ‘anti-HBc only’ pattern had CD4+ cell counts <100cells/ìl (p=0.004). Occult HBV prevalence was 3.5% in the AIDSgroup compared with 1% in the controls (p=0.092). When occultHBV infection was taken into consideration, the overall HBVprevalence became 10% in the AIDS group and 3% in the controlgroup.Conclusion. We showed an increased HBV prevalence in patientswith AIDS and identified a CD4+ cell count <100 cells/ìl as amajor risk factor for the ‘anti-HBc only’ pattern and increasedHBV replication. These data have significant public healthimplications for HBV in developing countries, especially in areaswhere antiretroviral (ARV) guidelines do not cater for HBV/HIVco-infection

Comprehensive Assessment of Maize Aflatoxin Levels in Eastern Kenya, 2005–2007

Background: Aflatoxin, a potent fungal toxin, contaminates 25% of crops worldwide. Since 2004, 477 aflatoxin poisonings associated with eating contaminated maize have been documented in Eastern Kenya, with a case-fatality rate of 40%

Hepatitis A, B and C viral co-infections among HIV-infected adults presenting for care and treatment at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Tanzania is currently scaling-up access to anti-retro viral therapy (ART) to reach as many eligible persons as possible. Hepatitis viral co-infections are known to influence progression, management as well as outcome of HIV infection. However, information is scarce regarding the prevalence and predictors of viral hepatitis co-infection among HIV-infected individuals presenting at the HIV care and treatment clinics in the country.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study conducted between April and September 2006 enrolled 260 HIV-1 infected, HAART naïve patients aged ≥18 years presenting at the HIV care and treatment clinic (CTC) of the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH). The evaluation included clinical assessment and determination of CD4+ T-lymphocyte count, serum transaminases and serology for Hepatitis A, B and C markers by ELISA.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of anti HAV IgM, HBsAg, anti-HBc IgM and anti-HCV IgG antibodies were 3.1%, 17.3%, 2.3% and 18.1%, respectively. Dual co-infection with HBV and HCV occurred in 10 individuals (3.9%), while that of HAV and HBV was detected in two subjects (0.8%). None of the patients had all the three hepatitis viruses. Most patients (81.1%) with hepatitis co-infection neither had specific clinical features nor raised serum transaminases. History of blood transfusion and jaundice were independent predictors for HBsAg and anti-HBc IgM positivity, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There is high prevalence of markers for hepatitis B and C infections among HIV infected patients seeking care and treatment at MNH. Clinical features and a raise in serum alanine aminotransferase were of limited predictive values for the viral co-infections. Efforts to scale up HAART should also address co-infections with Hepatitis B and C viruses.</p

Levofloxacin versus placebo for the prevention of tuberculosis disease in child contacts of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: study protocol for a phase III cluster randomised controlled trial (TB-CHAMP)

Background Multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) presents a challenge for global TB control. Treating individuals with MDR-TB infection to prevent progression to disease could be an effective public health strategy. Young children are at high risk of developing TB disease following infection and are commonly infected by an adult in their household. Identifying young children with household exposure to MDR-TB and providing them with MDR-TB preventive therapy could reduce the risk of disease progression. To date, no trials of MDR-TB preventive therapy have been completed and World Health Organization guidelines suggest close observation with no active treatment. Methods The tuberculosis child multidrug-resistant preventive therapy (TB-CHAMP) trial is a phase III cluster randomised placebo-controlled trial to assess the efficacy of levofloxacin in young child contacts of MDR-TB cases. The trial is taking place at three sites in South Africa where adults with MDR-TB are identified. If a child aged < 5 years lives in their household, we assess the adult index case, screen all household members for TB disease and evaluate any child aged < 5 years for trial eligibility. Eligible children are randomised by household to receive daily levofloxacin (15–20 mg/kg) or matching placebo for six months. Children are closely monitored for disease development, drug tolerability and adverse events. The primary endpoint is incident TB disease or TB death by one year after recruitment. We will enrol 1556 children from approximately 778 households with an average of two eligible children per household. Recruitment will run for 18–24 months with all children followed for 18 months after treatment. Qualitative and health economic evaluations are embedded in the trial. Discussion If the TB-CHAMP trial demonstrates that levofloxacin is effective in preventing TB disease in young children who have been exposed to MDR-TB and that it is safe, well tolerated, acceptable and cost-effective, we would expect that that this intervention would rapidly transfer into policy. Trial registration ISRCTN Registry, ISRCTN92634082. Registered on 31 March 2016