The current study and discuss the long-term properties of biomedical polymers in vitro and invivo and presents means to design and manufacture antimicrobial composites. Antimicrobialcomposites with reduced tendency for biofilm formation should lead to lower risk for medicaldevice associated infection.The first part analyse in vivo degradation of invasive silicone rubber tracheostomy tubes andpresents degradation mechanism, degradation products and the estimated lifetime of thematerials.. It was found that silicone tubes undergo hydrolysis during the long-term exposurein vivo, which in turn results in decreased stability of the polymer due to surface alterationsand the formation of low molecular weight compounds.The second part of the study presents the manufacturing of composites with single, binary andternary ion-exchanged zeolites as an antimicrobial agent. The ion distribution and release ofthe zeolites and the antimicrobial efficiency of the different systems showed that single silverion-exchanged zeolite was superior to the other samples. Antimicrobial composites wereprepared by mixing the above-mentioned zeolites and pure zeolite (without any ion) withdifferent fractions into polyether (TPU), polyether (PEU) polyurethane and silicone rubber.The antimicrobial efficiency of binary and ternary ion-exchanged samples was similar whichis thought to be due to the ion distribution in the crystal structure.The changes in the mechanical and surface properties of the composites due to the zeolitecontent demonstrated that the increasing zeolite content reduced the mechanical propertieswhile the surface properties did not change significantly. The antimicrobial tests showed thatthe silver-containing composite was the most efficient among all the other samples. Thebinary and ternary ion-exchanged composites expressed similar antimicrobial efficiency as itwas seen previously for the different zeolite systems. Biocompatibility was studied byexposure to artificial body fluids to simulate the degradation of the composites in the humanbody. Significant changes were observed in the morphology, the surface properties and the chemical structure. / QC 20110511

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Thesis (M. Sc.)--Brock University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brock University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-111). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Co-trimoxazole, a combination of a 5-to-l ratio of Sulphamethoxazole (SMZ) and Trimethoprim (TMP) , is a highly effective, broad-spectrum antibacterial agent. Since its introduction in 1968, it has been extensively used in infections of the respiratory and urinary tracts. Co-trimoxazole was developed by the systematic investigation of a series of compounds whose mechanism of action was already known. As early as 1950 synergy between sulphonamides and 2,4-diaminopyrimidines was reported. This was to be expected as both groups of drugs exert their antibacterial activity by interfering with the same biochemical pathway in bacteria. TMP was chosen from among many 2,4-diaminopyrimidines tested because of its good antibacterial activity and low toxicity. SMZ was chosen from the sulphonamides available for combination with TMP because of similarity of their biological half-lives. The widespread use of the combination coupled with the fact that monitoring of the levels of all drugs in the body is becoming increasingly important has stimulated research into rapid and efficient methods for the analysis of TMP and SMZ in biological fluids. Another consequence of the immense popularity of the combination is the appearance on the market of several generic preparations of Co-trimoxazole. It is now generally recognized that drug products from different manufacturers which are chemically equivalent may not be therapeutically equivalent. This is due to the fact that the absorption rate and/or bioavailability (extent of absorption) of a poorly soluble drug may be markedly affected by its release rate from the product and by its subsequent dissolution rate in gastrointestinal fluids. Hence bioequivalence of these various products should be established

This thesis explores the interconnection of sacramental eating and humoural curing in selected plays by William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson. It contends that the drama actively participated in the medico-religious debates of post-Reformation England. Investigating the health benefits attributed to the Eucharistic meal in its pre- and post-Reformation forms, this thesis shows that early modern religious debates occupy an important place in contemporaneous drama, proposing that aspects of religion, particularly the Eucharist, were explored by Shakespeare and Jonson with regards to the Sacrament's medicinal efficacy. The thesis suggests that the drama identifies religious anxiety as medico-spiritual trauma, and offers performative sacramento-humoural therapy. In tracing intersections of sacramentality, cannibalism, and Galenic humourism in six plays, the thesis analyses early modern concepts of the body, blood, food, medicinal practices, the Eucharist, and morality, showing that drama was used as a medical and didactic tool. Chapter 1 explores issues of corporeality and community in Coriolanus, unearthing interconnected concepts of humoural eating and changing religious communities. Chapter 2 investigates early modern medical practices in Titus Andronicus, placing medicinal cannibalism at the nexus of martyrdom, sacramentality, and humoural disease. Chapter 3 develops notions of sacramentality by analysing the philosophy of neo-stoicism in Julius Caesar and linking it with acts of penance. Chapter 4 discusses the portrayal of these themes in Bartholomew Fair, examining Jonson's investigative approach to dramatic portrayals of medico-religious debates. Chapter 5 compares Every Man In His Humour and Every Man Out of His Humour, identifying themes of the medieval morality play, and showing that they were employed for didactic and medicinal purposes. This thesis concludes that interconnected discourses of sacramental eating and humoural curing constitute dramatic commentary on contemporaneous medico-religious issues, and offer temporary, performative salvation for a religiously troubled nation.

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Thesis (MCur (Nursing Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge of Universal Precautions Policy by Registered Nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital (Kenya) and their perception of occupational risk of exposure to blood-borne pathogens. The study also assessed management of blood and body fluids of patients and identified the types and frequency of occupational exposure common among these Registered Nurses. A structured 24-item, self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 185 randomly sampled Registered Nurses in selected departments at this hospital. Compliance with Universal Precautions practices was also observed using a checklist. Data analysis was done by use of a computer software package, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.0. The study findings suggest: 1) lack of continuous education demonstrated by a high level of non-response about knowledge of Universal Precautions Policy with only 19% of the respondents having attended an in-service course in Universal Precautions Policy, and 2) inaccurate understanding of transmission modes of blood-borne pathogens. The majority of nurses surveyed were using Universal Precautions; with indications that nurses were not as familiar with Universal Precautions as they think they were. Respondents admitted modifying personal protection habits based on subjective judgment regarding patient’s perceived blood-borne infectious state. Non-compliant behaviours with barrier precautions were identified, which included failure to use gloves, gowns and protective eyewear, failure to wash hands, and recapping used needles. Compliance with barrier precautions was associated with patients’ perceived blood-borne status. The study revealed a high level of occupational exposures, of which the majority went unreported. Although respondents were aware of the risk of occupationally acquired blood-borne infections, their irregular practice of Universal Precautions Policy is likely to perpetuate the risks. The findings suggest a need for more educational interventions, which may result into integration of concepts into practice. Educational programmes should focus on the epidemiology of occupationally acquired blood-borne pathogens and their modes of transmission, risk of occupationally acquired blood-borne infections at work place, and with emphasis on the principle and practice of Universal Precautions Policy and current protocol of reporting mechanisms in Kenya.

Reproductive diseases, mainly those resulting in the infertility affect the chances of human being to reproduce. On the contrary, the heart disease, cancer and degenerative diseases currently account for majority of deaths in the world. Usually, these lifestyle diseases need longer lifespan to become the cause of death. The proteins secreted by cells carry important information about the cell's well-being, as well as about the condition of the tissues formed by these cells. Once secreted, these proteins may also be transferred throughout the body by means of body fluids, many of which are easily accessible for further 'in-depth' studies. Cellular and secreted proteins are often a focus of studies using proteomic means and the revelation of protein alterations can lead us to new ideas about the molecular mechanisms of diseases as well as possible identification of proteins that may be used as new targets for pharmaceutical intervention or molecules that could be used for diagnostic or prognostic purposes. Taking into consideration the above aspects, this research was undertaken to find proteins that could: (a) characterise the human follicular fluid as microenvironment of the maturing oocyte, to increase understanding of reproductive processes to improve the techniques of assisted repro- duction;...

It has been demonstrated that by using 1H NMR spectroscopy in combination with multivariate statistical modelling (PLS) it is possible, using urine samples obtained from rats, to distinguish between different types of CNS lesions. Against this background this thesis will explore whether the combination of 1H NMR and PLS modelling on biofluids can be used q-1eientify biomarkers in .. - different neurological diseases and in clinically relevant animal models of neurologic disease. The results in this thesis demonstrate that it is possible to separate sets of animals at different stages of disease in models of multiple sclerosis and to identify the presence of early brain metastasis. The same methodology was also applied to human biofluids. In MS patient cohorts (RR- MS, PP-MS and SP-MS) it was also possible to differentiate between RR-MS and SP-MS as well between MS and healthy controls. Therapy for these two stages of MS are very different and therefore a rapid test to determine a patient's stage of MS would be hugely beneficial in the clinic. Further investigation revealed that it is possible to separate MS patients from individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Metabolomics was then combined with other eo- variants in a study of cerebrospinal fluid obtained from patients with HIV associated dementia (HAD) to discover whether disease progression could be followed in this manner. The results show that it is possible to detect neurocognitive changes in patients with HAD. Indeed, the results demonstrate. that metabolomics is a far more sensitive tool for the following progression than other non-PLS biomarker techniques and should provide a useful method for early diagnosis of CNS disease and the evaluation of therapy in prospective studies.