The association between a detectable HIV viral load and non-communicable diseases comorbidity in HIV positive adults on antiretroviral therapy in Western Cape, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Past studies have found a relationship between detectable HIV viral load and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in HIV-infected individuals on antiretroviral therapy in high-income settings, however there is little research in South Africa. Our objective was to investigate the association between detectable HIV viral load and prevalent NCDs in a primary health centre in peri-urban South Africa. METHODS: HIV-infected adults (aged ≥25) who had been on antiretroviral therapy for ≥ six months and attended the HIV clinic within a primary health centre in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, were recruited. We recorded participants' demographics, HIV characteristics, the presence of NCDs via self-report, from clinic folders and from measurement of their blood pressure on the day of interview. We used logistic regression to estimate the association between a detectable HIV viral load and NCD comorbidity. RESULTS: We recruited 330 adults. We found no association between a detectable HIV viral load and NCD comorbidity. Within our multivariable model, female gender (OR3·26; p = 0·02) age > 35 (OR 0·40; p = 0·02) low CD4 count (compared to CD4 < 300 (reference category): CD4:300-449 OR 0·28; CD4:450-599 OR 0·12, CD4:≥600 OR 0·12; p = < 0·001), and ever smoking (OR 3·95; p = < 0·001) were associated with a detectable HIV viral load. We found a lower prevalence of non-communicable disease in clinic folders than was self-reported. Furthermore the prevalence of hypertension measured on the day of interview was greater than that reported on self-report or in the clinic folders. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of association between detectable viral load and NCDs in this setting is consistent with previous investigation in South Africa but differs from studies in high-income countries. Lower NCD prevalence in clinic records than self-report and a higher level of hypertension on the day than self-reported or recorded in clinic folders suggest under-diagnosis of NCDs in this population. This potential under-detection of NCDs may differ from a high-income setting and have contributed to our finding of a null association. Our findings also highlight the importance of the integration of HIV and primary care systems to facilitate routine monitoring for non-communicable diseases in HIV-infected patients

AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH MOBILE NETWORK SERVICE FOR COMPETITIVE BUSINESS ADVANTAGE

Positioning for effective competitive advantage requires taking actions informed by the result of business data analysis. Business Intelligence provides the platform with which Information and knowledge is used to improve business operation. This exploratory study examines customer satisfaction as the basis of competitive advantage enjoyed by information network service providers and those responsible for decision making in related organizations. The aim is to statistically analyse data and complement this with Text mining, in order to have an holistic way of drawing inferences from both structured and unstructured data for the purpose of decision making. Two method of analysis were used to find the level of customer satisfaction. They include, descriptive method, which involves the use of SPSS15.0 and K-means clustering algorithm used to mine the unstructured part of the data gathering instrument (questionnaire). Questionnaire is used as the primary means of data gathering. The finding of this study reveal that competitive intelligence related inferences bring about a better customer service relationship between the network service providers and their customers and therefore improve the profits of the organizations involved

Sexual harassment and victimization of students: a case study of a higher education institution in South Africa

Introduction: Sexual harassment has been identified as a major public health problem that is hidden in most institutions/orga- nizations.Objective: This study assessed sexual harassment and victimization of students in a higher institution in South Africa.Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive design was used in this study. The target population was registered stu- dents of the higher education institution and the sample size was 342. Questionnaire was used for data collection and data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 23.0 program. The basic principles of ethics were duly observed and the ethical clearance certificate was obtained prior to data collection.Results: The findings revealed that 27 (17.3%) of the male and 47 (25.5%) of the female respondents (P = 0.047) had personally experienced unwanted touching. Two (1.3%) male and 5 (2.7%) female students admitted that they have been raped. Seventeen (10.8%) of the males and 19 (10.2%) of the females had been coerced to comply with a sexual relationship on campus.Conclusion:  This study shows that both male and female students on campus are experiencing different forms of sexual ha- rassment.Keywords: Students, sexual harassment, higher education institution

Students’ Assessment of Open Distance Learning Programmes and Services in Nigeria: A Comparative Description of Three Selected Distance Learning Institutions

This study reported students' assessment of open and distance learning programmes and services vis-à-vis teaching and learning experience, educational resources, technical support service and infrastructural facilities in ODL institutions in Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design and the participants for the study comprised of 719 students randomly drawn from three purposively selected ODL institutions in Nigeria. A semi-structured questionnaire was used as an instrument for the study. Quantitative data generated from the survey were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) while the qualitative data was content analysed. Result of the study showed that students enrol in open and distance learning programmes majorly as a result of the flexibility in learning. While students relatively rate their teaching &amp; learning experience, educational resources and available infrastructural facilities in their universities good, they, however, rate technical support services provided in the ODL institutions as being poor. A comparative analysis of the students’ assessment in the three institutions revealed that there exists a statistically significant difference in teaching &amp; learning experiences, available educational resources, technical support services and infrastructural facilities in the institutions. Based on the findiings of the study, some recommendation were made

Assessment of Food Safety Practices in a Rural Community in Southwest Nigeria

Food safety has been a major health challenge in both developed and developing countries. Ensuring food safety is key to preventing food borne illnesses which are contracted through consumption of unsafe foods. The aim of this study was to identify the food safety practices of residents of a rural community in Southwest, Nigeria. The study design was cross-sectional. Five clusters were selected by simple random sampling from the sampling frame. All households in the clusters were sampled to achieve a sample size of 216 households. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. The results show that majority of the respondents were female (62.2%), Christians (78.1%), married (53.1%), and belong to the Yoruba ethnic group (88.3%). Residents of the community showed good food safety practices with 80.6% reported to always washing their hands before cooking, 90.3% always clean their cooking utensils before and after use, 83.7% always clean their cooking environment, and nearly all (96.9%) reported washing their hands after using the toilet. A statistical association was found between educational level and washing of hands after the use of toilet (p = 0.037). Though the results show a satisfactory level of food safety practice, however, more improvements can still be made. The method of waste disposal and source of drinking water pose a future threat to the health of the community residents. Hence, a call for government’s intervention in providing potable water and modernised waste disposal facilities

Understanding the rise of cardiometabolic diseases in low- and middle-income countries

Increases in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), particularly cardiometabolic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes, and their major risk factors have not been uniform across settings: for example, cardiovascular disease mortality has declined over recent decades in high-income countries but increased in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The factors contributing to this rise are varied and are influenced by environmental, social, political and commercial determinants of health, among other factors. This Review focuses on understanding the rise of cardiometabolic diseases in LMICs, with particular emphasis on obesity and its drivers, together with broader environmental and macro determinants of health, as well as LMIC-based responses to counteract cardiometabolic diseases

Assessment of radon concentration in groundwater within Ogbomoso, SW Nigeria

The study is aimed at investigating the level of radon and to determine the health effect connected to radon in drinking water. A total of thirty (30) water samples were randomly investigated in Ogbomoso using an active electronic device RAD 7, produced by Durridge Company USA. The radon concentrations within the study area vary from 0.60 to 2.64 Bq L-1 , with the mean value of 1.86 Bq L-1 . The committed annual effective doses due to ingestion vary from 6.25 × 10-3 to 1.93 × 10-2 mSv y-1 , with mean values of 0.02 mSv y-1 . The radon concentrations in water samples of Ogbomoso are lower than the threshold as set by both United States Environmental and Protection Agency, and European Commission of 11 and 100 Bq L-1 respectivel

Effect of Celluclast 1.5L on the Physicochemical Characterization of Gold Kiwifruit Pectin

The effects of Celluclast 1.5L concentration on the physicochemical characterization of gold kiwifruit pectin was evaluated. Varying the enzyme concentration affected the pectin yield and pectin physicochemical properties. The viscosity of extracted pectin was largely dependent on the enzyme concentration. Celluclast 1.5L with medium concentration exhibited the highest viscosity. Varying the enzyme concentration also influenced the molecular weight distribution. High molecular weight (Mw) pectin (1.65 × 106 g/mol) was obtained when the medium concentration was used. Overall, the study clearly reflects the importance of taking into consideration the amount of cellulytic enzyme added in order to determine the final quality of pectin