Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute kidney injury (AKI) are major public health problems. It is important to be able to identify those at high risk of adverse outcome, CKD progression and associated cardiovascular disease. The aim of the thesis was to study novel promising biomarkers, their relationship to kidney function, chronic inflammation and/or cardiovascular risk - placental growth factor (PlGF), pregnancy associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE), calcium binding protein S100A12 or extracellular newly identified RAGE binding protein (EN-RAGE), and high mobility group box protein-1 (HMGB-1) in patients with renal diseases including CKD, haemodialysis (HD), AKI patients, and healthy controls for comparison. First study revealed that PlGF is elevated in patients with decreased renal function. Second study demonstrated the association of MMP-2 and PAPP-A with proteinuria in patients with CKD. Moreover, serum MMP-2, MMP-9 and PAPP-A levels significantly differed in patients with various nephropathies. EN-RAGE levels are not elevated in patients with CKD, but are related to inflammatory status. PAPP-A, EN-RAGE and HMGB-1 levels are significantly elevated, but sRAGE and PlGF...

Text in English with abstracts in English, Northern Sotho, Tshivenda and Xitsonga / The purpose of this study was to determine the self-reported competence of newly qualified professional nurses on the critical midwifery skills. The study was conducted in the four public hospitals designated for community service in Gauteng Province. A quantitative descriptive design was used with a structured self-report questionnaire as data collection instrument. Non-probability convenience sampling was used for the study. The sample size was eighty-four newly qualified professional nurses. The Stata 15 software was used for statistical analyses. The researcher used descriptive statistics to describe and synthesize the collected data. The findings revealed that most newly qualified professional nurses had no knowledge in identifying different types of decelerations, management of late and variable decelerations, but had knowledge in most of the skills related to management of third stage of labour. / Maikemišetšo a dinyakišišo tše e be e le go hwetša bokgoni bja go ipega ka nnoši bja baoki bao ba ithutetšego profešene ya booki ka go bokgoni bjo bohlokwa bja pelegišo. Dinyakišišo di dirilwe dipetleleng tše nne tša bohle tšeo di kgethetšwego tirelo ya setšhaba ka Profenseng ya Gauteng. Khwanthitheitif diskriptif disaene ‘Quantitative descriptive design’ e dirišitšwe gammogo le lenaneopotšišo leo le beakantšwego la go ipega ka nnoši ‘structured self-report questionnaire’ bjalo ka sedirišwa sa go kgoboketša bohlatsi. “Non-probability convenience sampling” e dirišitšwe mo go kgetheng banyakišišwa. Bogolo bja sešupo e be e le baoki ba masomeseswai-nne ba baswa bao ba ithutetšego profešene ya booki. “Stata 15 software” e dirišitšwe tshekatshekong ya dipalopalo. Monyakišiši o dirišitše dipalopalo tša tlhalošo ‘descriptive statistics’ go hlaloša le go kopanya ‘data’ yeo e kgobokeditšwego. Ditšweletšo di utollotše gore bontši ba baoki ba baswa bao ba ithutetšego profešene ya booki ga ba na le tsebo ya go hlatha mehuta yeo e fapanego ya diphokotšo, taolo ya diphokotšo tša morago le tša go fetoga, efela ba na le tsebo ka go bokgoni bjo bontši bjoo bo amanago le taolo ya kgato ya boraro ya lešoko. / Ndivho ya ngudo iyi yo vha u wanulusa nḓivho ya vhukoni ha iwe muṋe ya vhaongi vhaswa vha kha ḓi bvaho u phasa vhuongi uri vha na zwikili zwa ndeme zwa vhuongi vhubebisi u swika ngafhi. Ngudo iyi yo itwa kha zwibadela zwiṋa zwa muvhuso zwo ṋewaho u isa tshumelo zwitshavhani kha vunḓu ḽa Gauteng. Kha u kuvhanganya mafhungo muṱoḓisi o shumisa ngona ya u ṱalutshedza ya khwanthithethivi ho ṱanganyiswa na mbudziso dzo dzudzanyiwaho dzi bviselaho khagala kha iwe muṋe (structured self-report questionnaire). Vhunanguludzi ho shumiswaho kha ngudo iyi ho vha “Non-probability convenience”. Tshivhalo tsha vhashelamulenzhe vho nanguludzwaho tsho vha vhaongi vhaswa vha kha ḓibvaho u phasa vha fumalo ina. “The Stata 15 software” ndi tshishumiswa tsho shumiswaho kha u sengulusa mafhungo o kuvhanganywaho. Muṱoḓisisi o shumisa zwisiṱatisitika zwa u ṱalutshedza kha u ṱalutshedza na u dzudzanya mafhungo o kuvhanganyiwaho. Ngudo iyi yo bvisela khagala uri vhunzhi ha vhaongi vhaswa vha kha ḓi bvaho u phasa a vha na nḓivho ya u vhona tshaka dzo fhambanaho dza kurwele kwa mbilu ya ṅwana na u langa u lenga ha u rwa ha mbilu ya ṅwana zwo katela na u sa dzudzanyea fhethu huthihi ha kurwele kwa mbilu ya ṅwana, honeha vha na nḓivho ya zwikili zwi yelanaho na vhulanguli ha tshipiḓa tsha vhuraru tsha u beba. / Xikongomelo xa ndzavisiso lowu i ku kuma vuswikoti lebyi munhu a byi twisisaka hi vaongori lava ha ku thwaselaka tidyondzo ta vuongori eka swikili swa nkoka hi vusungukati. Ndzavisiso lowu wu endliwile eka swibedlhele swa mune swa mani na mani leswi yisaka vukorhokeri evanhwini eka Phurovhinsi ya Gauteng, laha ku tirhisiweke maendlelo ya tinhlayo lama hambanaka na swivutiso ku hlengeleta timhaka. Ku tirhisiwile xiphemu xo karhi xa vanhu ku kuma vuxokoxoko hi mayelano na vona hinkwavo. Xiphemu lexi tirhisiweke i xa nhlayo ya vaongori vo ringana makumenhungu-mune wa vaongori lawa ha ku thwaselaka tidyondzo ta vuongori. Ku tirhisiwile “stata software” ku hlela tinhlayo leti tirhisiweke. Mulavisisi u tirhisile tinhlayo, tinhlayonhlamuselo ku hlamusela no katsakanya mahungu lama a ma hlengeleteke. Leswi kumiweke swi paluxa leswaku vunyingi bya vaongori lava ha ku thwaselaka tidyondzo ta vuongori va hava vutivi byo hambanisa mabelo ya mbilu, ku hlawula ku hlwela no hambana ka mabelo ya mbilu, kambe va na vutivi eka swikili mayelana no lawula xiyimo xa vunharhu xo lumiwa. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing)