To evaluate the impact of internet technology on the print media and to recommend strategies to Independent Newspapers on the road going forward.

Thesis (MBA)-University of Kwazulu-Natal, 2004.The advent of globalisation and technology has had a profound effect on the business environment. This has changed both the manner and speed with which business is conducted globally. Technology has facilitated the expediency and closure of major business deals at the click of a mouse, to comply with the shift in consumer tastes, values and preferences. This paper will focus specifically on the impact that the World Wide Web, the Internet has had on the print media, the latter being narrowed down to newspapers generally and that specifically published by the Independent Newspaper Holdings stable. The literature review will expound the debates of various acclaimed academics. The works of Michael Porter on competitive advantage, Hamel and Prahalad on core competence, issues of leadership and change management by Kotter will be reviewed and the data collected by way of interviews and surveys will be evaluated in support of the findings. Strategic management tools (SWOT, PEST and Porter's Five Forces) will used to examine the strategic and operational environments in which Independent Newspapers is operating. This will be supported by the research findings, which will attempt to make recommendations of the strategies that must be implemented for the sustainability of the Group. Furthermore, since 1994, South Africa has experienced a change in government and its laws have changed causing global and local competition to intensify. Businesses also have to contend with a service quality revolution between consumers and service providers. Following the introduction of new labour laws, the workplace has become diverse in its composition and culture, resulting in workers, shareholders and customers demanding to be included in the decision - making process. Ethics is another key factor, which pervades almost every aspect of business. This code of ethics evolves with changing societal values. This is a primary dimension, which must be taken into account in charting the way forward. The existing code of ethics must be revisited, given the changes that have taken place. It is imperative that this framework be continuously evaluated. Management of all types of organisations has to rethink their approach with regard to their operations, human resources, marketing and the physical environment. This paradigm shift is causing new organisations to emerge, which are more responsive to both their internal and external environments. (Kasirnoglu 2000)

To evaluate the impact of internet technology on the print media and to recommend strategies to Independent Newspapers on the road going forward.

Thesis (MBA)-University of Kwazulu-Natal, 2004.The advent of globalisation and technology has had a profound effect on the business environment. This has changed both the manner and speed with which business is conducted globally. Technology has facilitated the expediency and closure of major business deals at the click of a mouse, to comply with the shift in consumer tastes, values and preferences. This paper will focus specifically on the impact that the World Wide Web, the Internet has had on the print media, the latter being narrowed down to newspapers generally and that specifically published by the Independent Newspaper Holdings stable. The literature review will expound the debates of various acclaimed academics. The works of Michael Porter on competitive advantage, Hamel and Prahalad on core competence, issues of leadership and change management by Kotter will be reviewed and the data collected by way of interviews and surveys will be evaluated in support of the findings. Strategic management tools (SWOT, PEST and Porter's Five Forces) will used to examine the strategic and operational environments in which Independent Newspapers is operating. This will be supported by the research findings, which will attempt to make recommendations of the strategies that must be implemented for the sustainability of the Group. Furthermore, since 1994, South Africa has experienced a change in government and its laws have changed causing global and local competition to intensify. Businesses also have to contend with a service quality revolution between consumers and service providers. Following the introduction of new labour laws, the workplace has become diverse in its composition and culture, resulting in workers, shareholders and customers demanding to be included in the decision - making process. Ethics is another key factor, which pervades almost every aspect of business. This code of ethics evolves with changing societal values. This is a primary dimension, which must be taken into account in charting the way forward. The existing code of ethics must be revisited, given the changes that have taken place. It is imperative that this framework be continuously evaluated. Management of all types of organisations has to rethink their approach with regard to their operations, human resources, marketing and the physical environment. This paradigm shift is causing new organisations to emerge, which are more responsive to both their internal and external environments. (Kasirnoglu 2000)

Single low-dose ceftriaxone for the treatment of gonococcal ophthalmia - Implications for the national programme for the syndromic management of sexually transmitted diseases

No abstract

Microbiology of vaginal discharge with emphasis on gardnerella vaginalis.

Thesis (M. Med. Sci.)- University of Natal, Department of Microbiology. 1990The microbiological aetiology of vaginal discharge was studied in 208 women attending various outpatient clinics at King Edward VIII Hospital. Specimens from the lower genital tract were collected for microscopy and culture. Vaginal wet smear examination, amine liberation test and vaginal pH estimation were performed and assessed for their reliability for the rapid diagnosis of vaginal infections. Vaginal and endo-cervical infections were present in 163 (78,4%) women. G. vaginalis (65,4%), T. vaginalis (37,9%), genital yeasts (37,0%), M. hominis (59,6%), g. urealyticum (48,1%), anaerobic bacteria (32,6%), N. gonorrhoeae (11,1%), f. trachomatis (22,1%) and Herpes simplex virus (0,9%) were detected. Of the 104 women in • whom vaginal infections were detected, bacterial vaginosis was present as the sole infection in 32 (22,2%), I. vaginalis in 35 (24,3%) and C. albicans in 23 (15,9%). Bacterial vaginosis occurred concurrently with T. vaginalis and f. albicans in 24 (16,5%) and 11 (7,5%) women respectively; whilstT. vaginalis and f. albicans occurred concurrently in 14 (9,7%) women. In 6 (4,1%) women all three infections were present. No vaginal or endo-cervical pathogens were detected in 45 (21,6%) women. Women with bacterial vaginosis were found to be significantly colonised with G. vaginalis, M, hominis, anaerobic bacteria and curved Gram-negative bacilli (p < 0,05). Vaginal wet smear microscopy detected T.. vaginalis in 29% and "clue" cells in 41,3% of smears. The presence of "clue" cells (91,8%) and a positive amine test (76,7%) was significantly associated with bacterial vaginosis. Although a raised vaginal pH was also significantly associated with bacterial vaginosis, this test was less specific (65,2%) than "clue" cells (85,9%) and the amine test (95,5%). The vaginal Gram stain, as performed in this study, was found to be unreliable for the detection of "clue" cells. G. vaginalis biotypes 1 and 5 were significantly associated with bacterial vaginosis, however the serotyping scheme did not distinguish between strains isolated from women with and without bacterial vaginosis. The antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of 93 strains of G. vaginalis was not typical of either Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria. Serological tests revealed reactive syphilis serology in 47 (22,6%) and the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen in 16 (7,7%) women. Antibody to human immunodeficiency virus was detected in 4 (1,9%) women attending the colposcopy clinic. This study clearly demonstrates the high prevalence of vaginal and/or endo-cervical infections in women locally, the majority of whom were asymptomatic. The high frequency of concurrent infections is of concern and there is a need for the recognition, and appropriate management of such infections

Calymmatobacterium granulomatis: culture, electron microscopic studies and molecular analysis.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Abstract available in PDF.Publications on page vi. Presentations at scientific meetings on page vii

Direct Questioning of Genital Symptoms Increasing Opportunities for Identifying and Treating Sexually Transmitted Infections in Primary Health-care settings

We investigated the validity of self-reporting of genital symptoms amongst rural women attending primary health care clinics in rural KwaZulu-Natal. Random samples of 226 women were interviewed to measure self-reporting (unprompted), prompted and pelvic examination findings of genital symptoms. Against the presence of any STI self- reporting (unprompted) of symptoms had a sensitivity of 46.1%, specificity of 64.7%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 80.0% and negative predictive value (NPV) of 28.0% compared to prompted symptoms which had a sensitivity of 78.5%, specificity of 52.9%, PPV of 80.4% and NPV of 50.0%. The agreement between self- reporting (unprompted) and prompted symptoms was 0.54 (Kappa statistic). Our results suggest that in rural areas, by prompting women with a simple set of questions, the identification and treatment of STIs in this population would be enhanced, leading to better reproductive health outcomes including reduction of risk of infection with HIV. African Journal of Reproductive Health Vol. 10 (2) 2006: pp. 105-11

The dynamics of HIV transmission in out of school young heterosexual men in South Africa: a systematic scoping review protocol

PRISMA-P checklist. (DOCX 29 kb

High prevalence of abnormal Pap smears among young women co-infected with HIV in rural South Africa - implications for cervical cancer screening policies in high HIV prevalence populations

Objective. To establish the relationship between HIV infection and cervical  dysplasia in young women in rural South Africa,Methods. This cross"sectional study was conducted at a primary health care clinic in Vulindlela, KwaZulu-Natal. Standardised questionnaires were used  to collect sociodemographic and clinical presentation data from women attending family planning and other reproductive health services. Pap  smears were done using standard methods. Pap smear data were linked to HIV serostatus.Results. Four hundred and sixty-six women were included in the study. The median age was 24.3 years (range 15 -55 years),and 80% were younger than 30 years. The HIV prevalence .rate was 24.5% (95% confidence interval: 20.7 - 28.7%) and the prevalence of abnormal Pap smears was 16.9- 6.4% ASCUS (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance), 9.2% LGSIL (low-grade squamous intra epithelial lesions), and 1.3% HGSIL (high-grade squamous intraepitheliallesions). The association between BIV seropositivity and abnormal Pap results was statistically significant (p &lt; 0.05).Conclusion. There is a need for more data on cervical changes in HIV  co-infected women and for review of guidelines on selective Pap smear screening in high HIV prevalence settings such as sub-Saharan Africa and  where access to antiretroviral treatment remains limited

HIV infection and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa : current status, challenges and opportunities.

CAPRISA, 2016.Abstract available in PDF file