Traditional eye medication and pterygium occurrence in Limpopo Province

Background. The relative importance of environmental and hereditary factors in the occurrence of pterygium in African blacks has not been reported.Aim. To investigate the relative significance of factors associatedwith pterygium occurrence.Methods. This was a prospective case-controlled study where150 pterygium patients and 150 controls participated. Interviewswere conducted, eyes examined and multivariate analysis done. Thefamilies of 51 pterygium cases and 50 controls were examined forpresence of pterygium.Results. Of 150 cases and 150 controls, 79 (52.6%) and 60 (40%)used traditional eye drops (odds ratio (OR) 2.03; p=0.009. Ten cases (6.6%) and 26 controls (17.3%) had unstable tear film (OR 0.30; p=0.007. Forty-six cases (30.6%) and 15 controls (10%) reported a positive family history (OR 3.93; p<0.001). Groups of 3 - 5 pterygium cases in a household occurred in 36 of 51 pterygium families (70.5%) v. 1 of 50 controls (2%).Conclusions. Pterygium occurrence was associated with the use of traditional eye drops, a positive family history and having groupsof diagnosed pterygium-affected relatives. However, unstable tearfilm seemed protective against pterygium occurrence

Process intensification of zinc oxide leaching process using sulphuric acid

This study investigated methods of intensifying the leaching of zinc oxide ore using sulphuric acid for the improvement of zinc recovery. The factors that were investigated in this study were agitation speed, acid concentration and the feeding mechanism of reactants into the reactor (batch and semi-batch processes). Analysis of the elemental composition of the ore was performed using XRF prior to leaching and an Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) was used to determine the amount of zinc recovered. The results obtained, showed that increasing the acid concentration results in a significant increase zinc recovery..

Development of low content phosphogypsum waste composites modified by lime-fly ash-basic oxygen furnace slag

Abstract: The generation and disposal of phosphogypsum (PG) is a worldwide challenge, due to the environmental pollution posed by the material. The contaminants laden in the material are the major limitations for the utilisation of PG. Other materials considered as wastes such as fly ash (FA) and basic oxygen furnace slag (BOF slag) are generated by numerous industrial activities and disposed into environment. This study investigated the use of three wastes materials for the development of a composite applicable for road construction. Two types of PG were investigated, namely citric acid treated PG (TPG), for the removal of the contaminants and raw PG (RPG). Lower content PG containing 20% and 30% were investigated and modified with FA, Lime (L) and BOF slag. The effect of particle size distribution (PSD) on unconfined compressive strength development, durability of the composites and hydration products contributing to strength development were studied. Modification of PG with FA-L-BOF slag significantly improved the unconfined compressive strength of PG. The PG content of 20% for the RPG and TPG yielded the highest strengths of 7.4 MPa and 5.4 MPa, respectively when cure at elevated temperatures. Normal curing of the composites over 7 days and 28 also showed an increase in strength development. Particle size played a significant role in the unconfined compressive strength development. Kieserite, calcium aluminium sulphate and calcite were the predominant hydration products formed during the curing process

Gender inequalities in morbidity : a South African investigation

International studies of gender differences in health status largely attest that women have worse health conditions than men, which compromise women’s contribution to economic development. Using the South African Demographic and Health Survey of 2003, we investigate whether this disparity also holds in developing countries such as South Africa. Our results concur with previous findings that South African women are more likely to suffer from poor health than men. They also reveal that the health gap is largely driven by a relatively higher prevalence of health conditions among women, rather than by the severity of the conditions that they face. Furthermore, contrary to the common view that the health gap closes with age, we find that the gap exhibits little variation across age groups and it persists in old age. This suggests a need for preventive measures to reduce the occurrence of health conditions in South Africa – which is vital for economic development.http://www.scimagojr.comam2017School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA

Antimicrobial stewardship for outpatients with chronic bone and joint infections in the orthopaedic clinic of an academic tertiary hospital, South Africa

Bone and joint infections are associated with prolonged hospitalizations, high morbidity and complexity of care. They are difficult to treat and successful therapy requires organism specific antimicrobial therapy at high doses for a prolonged duration as recommended in standard treatment guidelines (STG). Adherence to the treatment plan is equally important, which is enhanced with knowledge of the condition as well as appropriate antibiotics. Consequently, the aim of this study was to provide antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) services to outpatients with chronic bone and joint infections presenting to the orthopaedic clinic at a public South African tertiary hospital . A total of 44 patients participated in this study. Chronic osteomyelitis was diagnosed in 39 (89%) patients and septic arthritis in 5 (11%). The majority (43%) of infections were caused by Staphylococcus aureus followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (14%). 71 antibiotics were prescribed at baseline with rifampicin prescribed the most (39%) followed by ciprofloxacin (23%). The majority (96%) of the antibiotics were not prescribed according to the South African STG; however, interventions were only needed in 31% of prescribed antibiotics (n=71) since the STG only recommends empiric therapy directed against Staphylococcus aureus. 77% of the patients obtained a high self-reported adherence score at baseline. Consequently, there is a need to improve AMS in bone and joint infections to improve future care

Nurturing lifelong learning in communities through the National University of Lesotho: prospects and challenges

This paper analyses one aspect of a pan-African action research project called ITMUA (Implementing the Third Mission of Universities in Africa). This particular paper draws on the data from that project to explore the National University of Lesotho’s contribution to lifelong learning in its communities. It provides background information on the ITMUA initiative and analyses interview and focus group responses to two case studies in terms of their contribution to lifelong learning. It uses, as its analytical framework, a modified version of Mbigi’s African perspective on the four De Lors’ ‘pillars’, by adding a fifth pillar, courtesy of Torres. The paper argues that community engagement is a two-way process between universities and their wider constituencies with opportunities for mutual lifelong learning. But there are also challenges of understanding and process which must be addressed if the full range of these lifelong learning pillars is to be accommodated within African contexts. The paper provides an introduction to the history of community engagement in Africa as a university mission, followed by a brief discussion of lifelong learning within African perspectives. After describing the particular context of Lesotho, the concept of community service and community engagement in contemporary African contexts introduces the action research project and the case studies. The final part of the paper presents and discusses the research findings

Cash vs. food assistance to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected adults in Tanzania.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the effectiveness of short-term cash and food assistance to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and retention in care among people living with HIV in Tanzania. METHODS: At three clinics, 805 participants were randomized to three groups in a 3 : 3 : 1 ratio, stratified by site : nutrition assessment and counseling (NAC) and cash transfers (∼$11/month, n = 347), NAC and food baskets (n = 345), and NAC-only (comparison group, n = 113, clinicaltrials.gov NCT01957917). Eligible people living with HIV were at least 18 years, initiated ART 90 days or less prior, and food insecure. Cash or food was provided for 6 or less consecutive months, conditional on visit attendance. The primary outcome was medication possession ratio (MPR ≥ 95%) at 6 months. Secondary outcomes were appointment attendance and loss to follow-up (LTFU) at 6 and 12 months. RESULTS: The primary intent-to-treat analysis included 800 participants. Achievement of MPR ≥ 95% at 6 months was higher in the NAC + cash group compared with NAC-only (85.0 vs. 63.4%), a 21.6 percentage point difference [95% confidence interval (CI): 9.8, 33.4, P < 0.01]. MPR ≥ 95% was also significantly higher in the NAC + food group vs. NAC-only (difference = 15.8, 95% CI: 3.8, 27.9, P < 0.01). When directly compared, MPR ≥ 95% was similar in the NAC + cash and NAC + food groups (difference = 5.7, 95% CI: -1.2, 12.7, P = 0.15). Compared with NAC-only, appointment attendance and LTFU were significantly higher in both the NAC + cash and NAC + food groups at 6 months. At 12 months, the effect of NAC + cash, but not NAC + food, on MPR ≥ 95% and retention was sustained. CONCLUSION: Short-term conditional cash and food assistance improves ART possession and appointment attendance and reduces LTFU among food-insecure ART initiates in Tanzania

Revival of the magnetar PSR J1622-4950: observations with MeerKAT, Parkes, XMM-Newton, Swift, Chandra, and NuSTAR

New radio (MeerKAT and Parkes) and X-ray (XMM-Newton, Swift, Chandra, and NuSTAR) observations of PSR J1622-4950 indicate that the magnetar, in a quiescent state since at least early 2015, reactivated between 2017 March 19 and April 5. The radio flux density, while variable, is approximately 100x larger than during its dormant state. The X-ray flux one month after reactivation was at least 800x larger than during quiescence, and has been decaying exponentially on a 111+/-19 day timescale. This high-flux state, together with a radio-derived rotational ephemeris, enabled for the first time the detection of X-ray pulsations for this magnetar. At 5%, the 0.3-6 keV pulsed fraction is comparable to the smallest observed for magnetars. The overall pulsar geometry inferred from polarized radio emission appears to be broadly consistent with that determined 6-8 years earlier. However, rotating vector model fits suggest that we are now seeing radio emission from a different location in the magnetosphere than previously. This indicates a novel way in which radio emission from magnetars can differ from that of ordinary pulsars. The torque on the neutron star is varying rapidly and unsteadily, as is common for magnetars following outburst, having changed by a factor of 7 within six months of reactivation.Comment: Published in ApJ (2018 April 5); 13 pages, 4 figure

Oral health care for children attending a malnutrition clinic in South Africa

Most health problems dealt with at a primary care level have an oral health impact, making it vital for oral health services to find means to integrate with other facility-based programmes at primary health care (PHC) centres. Aim: 1) To determine the oral status of the children attending a facility-based nutrition programme and the oral health knowledge, attitude and practices of their parents ⁄ caregivers; and 2) To develop a framework for an oral health component to complement this programme