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PNP is a crucial enzyme in purine metabolism, and its inherited defects result in severe T-lineage immune deficiency in humans. I hypothesized that PNP deficiency disrupts the development of late CD4-CD8- double negative (DN) thymocytes and induces mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis of CD4+CD8+ double positive (DP) thymocytes. By using PNP-deficient (PNP-/-) mice as well as an OP9-DL1 co-culture system simulating PNP-deficient conditions, I demonstrated that PNP deficiency interferes with the maturation of DN thymocytes at the transition from DN3 to DN4 stage. Although PNP deficiency does not affect the generation or proliferation of DP thymocytes, PNP-/- DP thymocytes were observed to undergo apoptosis at a higher rate. My results suggest that apoptosis is induced through a mitochondrial mediated pathway. Additionally, re-introduction of PNP into PNP-/- thymocytes protected the cells from the toxic effects of deoxyguanosine by preventing the formation of deoxyguanosine triphosphate, indicating that the toxic metabolite in PNP deficiency is deoxyguanosine.

PNP is a crucial enzyme in purine metabolism, and its inherited defects result in severe T-lineage immune deficiency in humans. I hypothesized that PNP deficiency disrupts the development of late CD4-CD8- double negative (DN) thymocytes and induces mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis of CD4+CD8+ double positive (DP) thymocytes. By using PNP-deficient (PNP-/-) mice as well as an OP9-DL1 co-culture system simulating PNP-deficient conditions, I demonstrated that PNP deficiency interferes with the maturation of DN thymocytes at the transition from DN3 to DN4 stage. Although PNP deficiency does not affect the generation or proliferation of DP thymocytes, PNP-/- DP thymocytes were observed to undergo apoptosis at a higher rate. My results suggest that apoptosis is induced through a mitochondrial mediated pathway. Additionally, re-introduction of PNP into PNP-/- thymocytes protected the cells from the toxic effects of deoxyguanosine by preventing the formation of deoxyguanosine triphosphate, indicating that the toxic metabolite in PNP deficiency is deoxyguanosine.

The prevalence of HIV infection in pregnant women is still on the rise despite existing preventive programmes aimed at reducing HIV-transmission. Voluntary counselling and testing during pregnancy is the key entry point in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (Department of Health, 2000:16; Birdsall et al. 2004:3). Women are often diagnosed as being HIV-positive for the first time when they attend antenatal clinics and consent to HIV testing (UNAIDS, 1997). The objective of this study was to determine the pregnant women's experiences of voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) and to explore and describe the impeding and facilitating factors that played a role in their choice whether or not to consent to HIV testing after having received pre-test counselling. By understanding the impeding and facilitating factors that play a role in the pregnant woman's choice to undergo HIV testing, recommendations could be made to possibly improve the uptake of HIV testing among pregnant women. The population studied in this research consisted of pregnant women making use of antenatal clinics in the Potchefstroom sub-district. Purposive sampling was used to select participants with the assistance of mediators who were working in the local clinics and the hospital. The sample size was determined by data saturation, which was reached after 10 interviews. A qualitative design was used and data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was carried out simultaneously with data collection. In consensus discussions, the researcher and the co-coder reached consensus on the main and sub-themes. The main themes are the facilitating and impeding factors that play a role in the pregnant women's choice to undergo HIV testing. Based on findings, it was concluded that facilitating and impeding factors that play a role in the pregnant woman's choice to HIV testing do indeed exist. Impeding factors identified were: fear of a positive status; fear of stigmatization and discrimination; fear of lack of support; lack of opportunity to consider their choice to undergo HIV testing; lack of trust that confidentiality will indeed be honoured; fear of knowing possible positive HIV-status that can lead to feelings of depression and mental anguish; differences between counsellors' and pregnant women's characteristics. Facilitating factors consist of the desire to be aware of own HIV status; desire to protect the baby; sufficient information and the importance of trust and confidentiality. Recommendations were subsequently made to make HIV counselling and testing services to pregnant women more user-friendly in order to facilitate the pregnant woman in her choice concerning HIV-testing. Heeding these recommendations will possibly lead to more pregnant women's HIV status being known by the time they go into labour. Recommendations were made that pregnant women be counselled for HIV testing during their first antenatal visit and the HIV-testing being offered to them during the second visit. Research findings reveal that most pregnant women need time to consider their choice to undergo HIV testing and to prepare themselves for the test. Most pregnant women felt that they would possibly consent to HIV testing during their second antenatal visit. / Thesis (M.Cur.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The prevalence of HIV infection in pregnant women is still on the rise despite existing preventive programmes aimed at reducing HIV-transmission. Voluntary counselling and testing during pregnancy is the key entry point in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (Department of Health, 2000:16; Birdsall et al. 2004:3). Women are often diagnosed as being HIV-positive for the first time when they attend antenatal clinics and consent to HIV testing (UNAIDS, 1997). The objective of this study was to determine the pregnant women's experiences of voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) and to explore and describe the impeding and facilitating factors that played a role in their choice whether or not to consent to HIV testing after having received pre-test counselling. By understanding the impeding and facilitating factors that play a role in the pregnant woman's choice to undergo HIV testing, recommendations could be made to possibly improve the uptake of HIV testing among pregnant women. The population studied in this research consisted of pregnant women making use of antenatal clinics in the Potchefstroom sub-district. Purposive sampling was used to select participants with the assistance of mediators who were working in the local clinics and the hospital. The sample size was determined by data saturation, which was reached after 10 interviews. A qualitative design was used and data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was carried out simultaneously with data collection. In consensus discussions, the researcher and the co-coder reached consensus on the main and sub-themes. The main themes are the facilitating and impeding factors that play a role in the pregnant women's choice to undergo HIV testing. Based on findings, it was concluded that facilitating and impeding factors that play a role in the pregnant woman's choice to HIV testing do indeed exist. Impeding factors identified were: fear of a positive status; fear of stigmatization and discrimination; fear of lack of support; lack of opportunity to consider their choice to undergo HIV testing; lack of trust that confidentiality will indeed be honoured; fear of knowing possible positive HIV-status that can lead to feelings of depression and mental anguish; differences between counsellors' and pregnant women's characteristics. Facilitating factors consist of the desire to be aware of own HIV status; desire to protect the baby; sufficient information and the importance of trust and confidentiality. Recommendations were subsequently made to make HIV counselling and testing services to pregnant women more user-friendly in order to facilitate the pregnant woman in her choice concerning HIV-testing. Heeding these recommendations will possibly lead to more pregnant women's HIV status being known by the time they go into labour. Recommendations were made that pregnant women be counselled for HIV testing during their first antenatal visit and the HIV-testing being offered to them during the second visit. Research findings reveal that most pregnant women need time to consider their choice to undergo HIV testing and to prepare themselves for the test. Most pregnant women felt that they would possibly consent to HIV testing during their second antenatal visit. / Thesis (M.Cur.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The widespread epidemic HIV/AIDS still remains a confirmed and terminal disease without any currable vaccine and therapy. The only means of protection to resist an infection and HIV spread is a patient´s education, motivation and proper prevention, whose essential tool for everybody is getting information. Especially young people are threatened by the attack of that infection, so mainly basic school should participate in the HIV/AIDS prevention. The first aim of my thesis is to find out, whether and what preventive activities are accomplished at basis schools in Pilsner Region. The research work has a qualitative character. The applied method was a questionaire which was sent and applied to 31 organizations associated in Forum of non-governmental organizations at National Comisssion for HIV/AIDS problem solving in 2006. Another applied method was the derived analysis of data and documents. The second aim of my thesis was to find out basic pupil´s knowledge about HIV/AIDS infection. A qualitative research was chosen to achieve objective results. A questionaire was a research method. 319 pupils from 8th and 9th classes created a selective group. HIV/AIDS problems are always included in some school subjects at all the basic schools. Tution of the appropriate topic is provide only by school teachers and outweighs the use of supporting preventive programmes. Increased demands on school teachers education about HIV/AIDS result from that fact. Basis school pupils have basic knowledge about HIV/AIDS infection. Most pupils acquired information about HIV/AIDS at basic schools. Pupils consider a condom to be a hundrer-per-cent protection to resist veneral diseases. Despite the knowledge of this danger pupils don´t feel threatened by HIV/AIDS infection. Results of my thesis proved that as for information handover, the prevention accomplished at basic schools is efficient. Pupils´ have information about HIV/AIDS. If they act up to them even in possible risky situations that is another question. Since it is a serious problem, it seems to be necessary to keep acting this prevention whose part should be not only the information handover, but also the action at pupil´s behaviour and their responsibility.

Magister Public Health - MPH / Human Immune-deficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a major public health problem. Globally, the number of new HIV infections is decreasing but the total number of people living with the disease is increasing. An estimated 5.7 million South Africans are currently living with the disease. The life expectancy of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in South Africa has slowly increased due to the availability of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART). The progressive "chronicity" of HIV may be associated with a variety of impairments and disabilities for people living with HIV. This emphasising the increasingly important role that physiotherapists play to minimize the disabling impact of the disease and improve quality of life for PLHIV. The aim of study was to determine the HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes and the occupational risk perception of physiotherapists practicing in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. This study utilized a cross sectional descriptive quantitative survey to collect data. The data was collected via a structured self-administered postal questionnaire. The questionnaires were captured in Microsoft Excel and analysed statistically using CDC Epi-Info version 3.5.1. Data was analysed descriptively and the chi-square test, T-tests and ANOVA was used to identify any statistically significant relationship between variables. The results of the study identified that the physiotherapists in the study have "high" general HIV related knowledge, although major gaps regarding HIV prevention and transmission still exists. The physiotherapists expressed a positive attitude towards PLHIV, while they perceive themselves to be at low risk of HIV transmission risk when managing PLHIV. The physiotherapists with more than 10 years' experience had significantly better HIV related knowledge compared to those with less than 10 years' experience while the attitudes of married physiotherapists towards PLHIV were significantly less favourable than those who were not married. There is a need for intervention strategies to address the HIV knowledge gaps of physiotherapists. Intervention strategies need to address physiotherapists HIV prevention and transmission knowledge.

This study was conducted to assess what type of intervention is most effective for enhancing attitudes in college students toward people living with HIV and AIDS. The assigned groups consisted of either a live presentation or a video presentation emphasizing content that was either emotional or factual. A male HIV-positive speaker made a presentation to participants in the four experimental conditions. The AIDS Compassion and Empathy Scale (ACE) developed by Pollard (1997) to measure attitudes of college students toward people living with HIV and AIDS, was administered. The AIDS Phobia Scale developed by Pleck (1998) was used as the second measure. ANOVAs were performed to determine any significant differences between groups. It was hypothesized that a live presentation would enhance attitudes more than a video presentation and that emotional content would enhance attitudes more than factual content. It was also hypothesized that a live presentation with an emotional theme would be more effective (the ACE and AIDS Phobia Scale scores being significantly higher) for attitude enhancement than the other three groups. Results of the study showed that a live presentation was most effective for improving attitudes toward individuals living with HIV and AIDS versus a video presentation. Contrary to what was predicted, emotional versus factual presentation had no significant effect.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / Life expectancy in South African has been fluctuating following the global trends that affects both developed and developing countries. In South Africa the average life expectancy from 1994 to 1996 was higher with an average of 61,3 years. As from 1997 to 1999 it declined to an average of 58,4 years. The difference in years between 1994-1996 and 1997- 1999 was 2,9 years. From 2000-2002, life expectancy continued to decline to an average of 54,6 years. Life expectancy declined in a constant proportion from 2003-2005 and 2006-2008. In 2003-2005 it slightly declined to 52 years and in 2004-2007 it declined to 42,0 years. Life expectancy escalated after the mentioned years to 54,4 years between 2009-2011 and from 2012-2013 life expectancy was 54,0 years on average. This study examined factors or variables that verify the socioeconomic determinants of life expectancy in post-apartheid South Africa. Understanding the relationship between life expectancy and the socioeconomic variables was based on three objectives. The main objective for this study was to determine the impact of socioeconomic variables and health policy efforts on life expectancy, seeking an in-depth understanding by investigating the causality relationship between life expectancy and socioeconomic variables thus later investigating the difference between male and female’s life expectancy. This study was motivated by the fluctuating life expectancy in South Africa. The fluctuation in life expectancy were thus studied in relation to socioeconomic determinants which are government health expenditure, government education expenditure, GDP per capita, total fertility rate, urban population, access to sustainable drinking water and undernourishment. The mentioned variables were used as socioeconomic determinants of life expectancy during post-apartheid South Africa.

Magister Public Health - MPH / Background: Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) is a public health challenge worldwide. Antiretroviral therapies (ART) are medications that treat HIV virus infection by suppressing the virus and stopping progression of HIV disease, and that improve quality of life. People initiated on ART need to adhere to their treatment for the rest of their lives. In 2016, there were 7,1 million people (age 15-49) in South Africa living with HIV, representing 19 % of the global HIV burden, with 56% of the adults on ART. Life expectancy of South Africans for both males and females improved between 2009 and 2011 because of ART treatment. People lost to follow up while on ART compromise their own health and the long term positive benefits of the ART regimen, and hence there is a growing emphasis to improve the retention of people who are already on treatment. Aim: This study was conducted examining HIV positive South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU) members who are currently on ART treatment and had previously been lost to follow up (LTFU) from ART care. The study aimed to explore factors associated with LTFU of clients on ART treatment and care among the South African Clothing and Textile Union members living with HIV and attending the SACTWU Worker Health Program Clinic.