The management of urban rivers

This article addresses the problems involved in the management of urban rivers. These problems are identified as channel adjustments resulting from urbanisation, changes in water quality, solid waste disposal, and floods. Suggestions are made for alleviating these problems and establishing rivers which are assets to their urban environments

Chordoma

The history, origin, pathology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of chordoma involving the axial skeleton are reviewed, and the clinical histories of 3 cases of chordoma are given, noting some remarkable features, along with one case misdiagnosed as chordoma on the radiological appearance of the sacrum and treated as such, which later proved to be a case of multiple myelomatosis.S. Afr. Med. J., 48, 383 (1974

Chordoma

The history, origin, pathology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of chordoma involving the axial skeleton are reviewed, and the clinical histories of 3 cases of chordoma are given, noting some remarkable features, along with one case misdiagnosed as chordoma on the radiological appearance of the sacrum and treated as such, which later proved to be a case of multiple myelomatosis.S. Afr. Med. J., 48, 383 (1974

Unbiased Assessment Of First Language Acquisition In English: Distinguishing Development And Dialect From Disorder

No abstract available

Colorectal cancer is associated with increased circulating lipopolysaccharide, inflammation and hypercoagulability

Gut dysbiosis contributes to the development of a dysfunctional gut barrier, facilitating the translocation of bacteria and inflammagens, and is implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC) pathogenesis. Such ‘leaky gut’ conditions result in systemic inflammation, of which a hallmark is increased hypercoagulability. Fluorescence antibody confocal microscopy was used to determine circulating levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in control and CRC populations. Here we showed that circulating levels of LPS are significantly elevated in the CRC population. We also showed that markers of inflammation and hypercoagulability are increased in this population. Furthermore, anomalous blood clotting and structural changes in blood components are presented. Importantly, the association between LPS levels, inflammation, and hematological dysfunction was analysed. Statistical regression models were applied to identify markers with strong association with CRC, and to investigate the correlation between markers. A core aim is enhanced biomarker discovery for CRC. We conclude that circulating LPS can promote systemic inflammation and contribute to the development of a pathological coagulation system, with resulting chronic inflammation and an activated coagulation system implicated in tumorigenesis. Blood-based screening tools are an emerging research area of interest for CRC screening. We propose the use of additional (novel) biomarkers to effectively screen for CRC

The development of passive health surveillance by a sentinel network of family practitioners in South Africa

Objective. For the South African Sentinel Practitioner Research Network (SASPREN), a volunteer network of family practitioners in South Africa, to develop a health surveillance system through the surveillance of important health events.Motivation. The incidence of important preventable diseases and the burden of disease are not reliably known in South Africa, both in the public and private sector. Incidence rates determined at primary care level could help with planning and delivery of appropriate health services and monitoring of the impact of intervention programmes.Methods. Altogether 183 sentinel practitioners were recruited in nine provinces, from 2 478 doctors invited to participate. Of these 120 were active in reporting all their new cases of 13 selected health events to the study centre on mailed postcards. After data-capturing, incidence rates were calculated for defined periods. Feedback was given to the sentinels through a newsletter and personalised reports.Results. A network of sentinel family practitioners has been established in South Africa, and can provide incidence rates for both diseases and interventions through a simple and cheap surveillance system. The calculated rates demonstrated periodic trends for certain events, as well as inter-provincial, -gender and -population group differences.Conclusions. As the validity of the dataset and its generalisation to the whole population is uncertain, its usefulness as point estimates of incidence rates isunknown. This information serves as an important pointer for further research. The trends of these rates may provide a valuable tool for monitoring the impact of public health policies

Review of once-monthly oral ibandronate and the use thereof

An advisory board meeting of key opinion leaders was held in 2015 to discuss the clinical data on oral ibandronate in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.Boniva 150 mg (ibandronate) oral once-monthly is indicated for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, in order to reduce the risk of vertebral fractures.

The management of urban rivers

This article addresses the problems involved in the management of urban rivers. These problems are identified as channel adjustments resulting from urbanisation, changes in water quality, solid waste disposal, and floods. Suggestions are made for alleviating these problems and establishing rivers which are assets to their urban environments

A validated patient-specific FSI model for vascular access in haemodialysis

The flow rate inside arteriovenous fistulas is many times higher than physiological flow and is accompanied by high wall shear stress resulting in low patency rates. A fluid–structure interaction finite element model is developed to analyse the blood flow and vessel mechanics to elucidate the mechanisms that can lead to failure. The simulations are validated against flow measurements obtained from magnetic resonance imaging data