Presentation patterns of invasive cancer of the cervix: results from Parirenyatwa Oncology and Radiotherapy Centre, Harare, Zimbabwe 1998-2010

A research paper on cancer of the cervix in Zimbabwe.Cancer of the uterine cervix is the second most common cancer among women worldwide with a high incidence in Sub-Saharan Africa.1 In developing countries such as Zimbabwe invasive cancer of the cervix (CaCx) is the most common cancer in females and also the leading cause of cancer related deaths in women.2 The American Cancer Society3 estimated that 12.710 million new cases of invasive CaCx were going to be diagnosed in 2011 and about 4.290 million women were going to die with invasive CaCx. The same author reported that there is a significant decrease in incidence and mortality rate of invasive CaCx in developed countries over the past three decades as compared to the developing countries. This was attributed to available options of disease prevention with the possibility of early diagnosis of the disease due to effective screening and accessibility to effective treatment procedures in developed countries. To this end it has been noted that women living in developed countries have a 208% greater chance of being successfully treated when compared with women in less developed countries

Partnerships between language and disciplinary specialists

English Language and Linguistics Joint Annual Conference 2011 (LSSA, SAALA, EPIP, SAALT

The effect of nitric oxide on seizure activity in lithium-pilocarpine model of epilepsy in rats

Bu çalışmada, lityum-pilokarpinle oluşturulan nöbetler üzerine, bir endojen nitrik oksit (NO) vericisi olan L-Arginine ve bir NO sentaz inhibitörü olan N^-nitro L-arginine methyl esterin (L-NAME) etkileri araştırıldı. Deneylerde 240-340 g ağırlığında 51 adet erişkin, erkek Wistar albino türü sıçan kullanıldı. Deneysel çalışmalara başlanmadan önce, elektrokortikal aktivitenin kaydedilebilmesi amacıyla, tüm sıçanların kafatasına vida elektrodlar epidural olarak yerleştirildi ve bir hafta sonra deneylere başlandı. Çalışma, lityum-pilokarpin (kontrol), L-Arginine ve L-NAME grupları olmak üzere üç grup şeklinde planlandı. Her grupta 15'er sıçan kullanıldı. Ayrıca cerrahi girişimin nöropatolojik hasara yol açıp açmadığını değerlendirebilmek için 4 sıçana yalnızca elektrodlar takılarak serum fizyolojik enjeksiyonları yapıldı (sham kontrol), 2 sıçana ise hiçbir işlem uygulanmadı (naif). Kontrol grubundaki sıçanlara 3 mEq/kg LiCİ (i.p.) verildikten 24 saat sonra 45 mg/kg pilokarpin HC1 (i.p.) enjeksiyonu yapıldı. L-Arginine grubu sıçanlara 3 mEq/kg LiCİ verildikten 24 saat sonraki pilokarpin enjeksiyonundan 30 dakika önce 300 mg/kg L-Arginine (i.p.) uygulandı. L-NAME grubu sıçanlara 3 mEq/kg LiCİ verildikten 24 saat sonraki pilokarpin enjeksiyonundan 30 dakika önce 20 mg/kg L-NAME (i.p.) enjekte edildi. L-Arginine ve L-NAME'in nöbet aktivitesi üzerine etkileri davranışsal ve elektrokortikografik olarak değerlendirildi. Deneyler sonrasında sıçanlar dekapite edilerek beyinleri çıkartıldı ve hipokampal CAİ ve CA3 alanlarında piramidal nöron sayımı yapıldı. 1Pilokarpinden 30 dakika önce uygulanan L-Arginine sıçanların status epileptikusa (SE) girmesini önleyici etkinlik gösterdi. L-NAME'in ise nöbet aktivitesi üzerine etkisi olmadı, fakat 24 saatlik yaşam şansını anlamlı olarak azalttı. Tüm gruplarda, SE'a giren sıçanlarda CAİ ve CA3 alanlarında piramidal nöron sayılan SE'a girmeyen sıçanlara göre anlamlı olarak azaldı. L-Arginine ve L-NAME gruplarında SE'a giren sıçanlarda nöron kaybı, kontrol grubunda SE'a giren sıçanlardan anlamlı olarak fazlaydı. Bu sonuçlar, L-Arginine'in 300 mg/kg dozda antikonvulsan etkinliğe sahip olduğunu, L-NAME'in ise 20 mg/kg dozda nöbetler üzerine etkisiz olduğunu, fakat bu modelde olasılıkla solunum sistemi üzerine etkisi ile mortaliteyi arttırdığım düşündürmektedir.The effects of an endogenous nitric oxide (NO) donor L-Arginine and a NO synthase inhibitor lST-nitro L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) on lithium-pilocarpine-induced seizures were investigated in this study. 51 adult male Wistar albino rats, weighing 240-340 g were used in this experiment. Before the experiments, all rats were implanted with epidural screw electrodes on their sculls in order to obtain electrocortical recordings. One week was allowed to pass before the experimental procedures. The study was designed as three groups, namely lithium-pilocarpine (control), L-Arginine and L-NAME groups, each of which consisted of 15 rats. In addition, in order to evaluate the neuropathological damage that might be observed due to the surgical procedure, 4 rats were implanted with electrodes and received only saline injections (sham control) and 2 rats were used as naives. Control rats received 45 mg/kg pilocarpine HC1 (i.p.) 24 hours after 3 mEq/kg LiCl (i.p.) injection. Rats in the L-Arginine group were injected with 3 mEq/kg LiCL followed 24 hours later by 45 mg/kg pilocarpine and these rats received 300 mg/kg L-Arginine (i.p.) 30 minutes before the pilocarpine injection. Rats forming the L-NAME group were also 3treated with 3 mEq/kg LiCL followed 24 hours later by 45 mg/kg pilocarpine and received 20 mg/kg L-NAME (i.p.) 30 minutes before the pilocarpine treatment. The effects of L-Arginine and L-NAME on seizure activity were evaluated by means of behavioural and electrocorticographic parameters. At the end of the experiments, rats were decapitated, brains were removed and pyramidal cell counts were obtained from hippocampal CA1 and CA3 fields. L-Arginine, injected 30 minutes before pilocarpine significantly prevented SE onset. L-NAME had no overt effect on seizure activity, but significantly decreased the 24-hour survival. In all groups, pyramidal cell counts from CA1 and CA3 fields in rats which had entered status epilepticus (SE) were significantly lower than those in rats that had not displayed SE. The neuronal loss induced by SE in L-Arginine and L-NAME groups was significantly greater than that induced by SE in control rats. These results suggest that, the 300 mg/kg dose of L-Arginine possesses anticonvulsant activity, while 20 mg/kg L-NAME has no overt effect on seizure activity, but increases mortality in this model, possibly due to an effect on the respiratory system