This study investigated the prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in the stool of confirmed and non-confirmed diarrhoeic HIV/AIDS patients. Escherichia coli O157:H7 was isolated by culture-based and immunomagnetic separation from three hundred and sixty stool swabs. Identification was by conventional IMViC, 20E API and molecular techniques. Confirmed and non-confirmed diarrhoeic HIV/AIDS patients had 56.5% (74/131) and 43.5% (57/131) respectively of E. coli O157:H7. Molecular results indicated that the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 was 12.16% (9/74) and 8.77% (5/57) from stool swabs of confirmed and non-confirmed diarrhoeic HIV/AIDS patients. Antimicrobial resistance was higher for E. coli O157:H7 isolates from stools of confirmed HIV/AIDS than it was for non-confirmed HIV/AIDS patients. Escherichia coli O157:H7 might be a silent cause of diarrhoea in HIV/AIDS patients. It is recommended that HIV/AIDS patients with diarrhoea should be screened for E. coli O157:H7 and surveillance programmes for these bacteria should be established in both urban and rural areas of South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Malaria adversely affects pregnant women and their fetuses or neonates. Estimates of the malaria burden in pregnant women based on health facilities often do not present a true picture of the problem due to the low proportion of women delivering at these facilities in malaria-endemic regions. METHODS: Data for this study were obtained from the Healthy Beginning Initiative using community-based sampling. Self-identified pregnant women between the ages of 17-45 years were recruited from churches in Enugu State, Nigeria. Malaria parasitaemia was classified as high and low based on the malaria plus system. RESULTS: Of the 2069 pregnant women for whom malaria parasitaemia levels were recorded, over 99 % tested positive for malaria parasitaemia, 62 % showed low parasitaemia and 38 % high parasitaemia. After controlling for confounding variables, odds for high parasitaemia were lower among those who had more people in the household (for every one person increase in a household, OR = 0.94, 95 % CI 0.89-0.99). CONCLUSION: Results of this study are consistent with hospital-based estimates of malaria during pregnancy in southeastern Nigeria. Based on the high prevalence of malaria parasitaemia in this sample, education on best practices to prevent malaria during pregnancy, and resources in support of these practices are urgently needed.

No description available.

Faculty of Health Sciences School of Public Health 0003100h Vicon@tiscali.co.za / The causative association between alcohol, cannabis use and accidents in the workplace have been shown in some studies. The adverse effects of these on employee’s health, work performance, public and industrial safety have also been researched internationally. But there still remains a paucity of information on the knowledge, attitudes, practices and prevalence of alcohol and cannabis use on diamond mines in South Africa even though anecdotal evidence suggests widespread use that is on the rise. As a result of this, effective intervention strategies to stem the rise have not been developed. This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, practices and prevalence of alcohol and cannabis use amongst South African diamond miners. It was a cross-sectional analytical study which ascertained the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the miners in relation to alcohol and cannabis use through face to face structured interviews. The prevalence of alcohol was ascertained through breathalyser testing and that of cannabis through urine tests. The study site was a large diamond mine located in the northern part of South Africa. Individual written informed consent was obtained from each of the participants before questionnaire interviews, breathalyser and urine tests were carried out. All the interviews and tests were anonymous and unlinked. None of the test methods were invasive. The questionnaire was tested in a pilot survey. This research was commissioned by the Safety in Mines Research and Advisory Committee (SIMRAC). vii The reported prevalence for alcohol was 44% whilst the tested prevalence was 1.4%.For cannabis, the reported prevalence was 2.0% whilst the tested prevalence was 2.8%.The significant factors associated with alcohol use were higher educational qualification and type of work. Full time employees were more likely to have ever used alcohol. Reported users of alcohol and cannabis started before starting work on the mines. An overwhelming majority of the participants reported that alcohol and cannabis use could lead to accidents on the mines. A large majority reported that intervention strategies such as education, regular testing of employees and entertainment will decrease the use of alcohol and cannabis. Possible explanations for the patterns observed in the use of these substances have been given and suggestions on how to influence the use of these substances have been made.

Environmental sources within 5 feedlots were sampled for E. coli O157:H7 and O157:NM to determine the prevalence of this pathogen with a view to minimize or control its spread in the feedlot environment. Monthly samples were taken from the feedlots in the Panhandle and South Plains of Texas over a nine-month period. Samples were examined by an immunomagnetic bead separation, followed by plating onto CT-SMAC and CHROMagar O157 media. Sorbitol-negative colonies were tested using ImmunoCard Stat! E. coli O157:H7 Plus and confirmed as E. coli O157:H7, using biochemical (Vitek system) and serological tests (latex agglutination). Additionally, one hundred sponge samples were collected from the hides of stunned cattle at the slaughter plant. All isolates were subjected to rep-PCR DNA fingerprinting and antimicrobial profiling. E. coli O157 was isolated from hide (56%) and environmental samples (4%). E. coli O157 was isolated from all environmental sources, with peak prevalence during November (9%) and March (10%). At least one sample from each feedlot was positive 42% of the time. The most contaminated sites were the chute area (6%) and sludge from waste water ponds (6%). Positive samples were most frequently found from feedlot 5 (7%) and the greatest variation in positive samples between feedlots (0-34%) occurred during March. A decrease in the presence of E. coli O157 in feedlots was observed during January (0%), when ambient, water, and pond sludge temperatures were consistently low. No correlation with other environmental factors was observed. Hide was a primary source of E. coli O157 on carcasses with an overall prevalence of 56%. Of two sampling days, the number of positive hide samples varied from 14% for the first day to 98% for the second day. The total positive samples collected (environmental (47); hide (56)) were 64% H7, and 36% NM. The environmental isolates showed similar antibiotic resistance patterns, regardless of the source. Most E. coli O157 isolates from the feedlots and hides showed a high level of resistance to cephalothin (45%) and sulfisoxazole (56%). E. coli O157 isolates from feedlots were resistant to more than 10 antibiotics (9/317). All of the isolates appeared highly similar, with an average similarity of 53% by rep-PCR DNA fingerprinting.

Immunosuppressed persons such as HIV/AIDS patients are at risk of acquiring diarrhoeal infections from water-borne E. coli O157:H7. In the present study, we investigated the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in drinking water collected from selected distribution systems within the Amathole District of the Eastern Cape and its predicted impact on diarrhoeic conditions of HIV/AIDS persons living in this area. One hundred and eighty water samples and 360 stool swabs from confirmed and nonconfirmed HIV/AIDS diarrhoeic patients were analysed. Escherichia coli O157:H7 were isolated using enrichment culture and confirmed using molecular techniques. Of the 180 drinking water samples, 46 (25.56%) were positive for E. coli O157. The prevalence of E. coli O157 in the stools was at 36.39% (131/360) of which 56.5% (74/131) and 43.5% (57/131) were from stools of confirmed and non-confirmed HIV/AIDS patients, respectively. Molecular analysis of 27, 25 and 29 representative presumptive E. coli O157 from water and stools of confirmed and non-confirmed HIV/AIDS patients, respectively, revealed that 14.81%, 36% and 17.24% of the isolates were E. coli O157:H7. The findings predicted a possible link between E. coli O157:H7 isolated from drinking water and diarrhoeic conditions of both confirmed and non-confirmed HIV/AIDS patients visiting Frere Hospital for treatment.

Dental caries is a widespread global public health problem with significant health and financial implications. The purpose of this study was to determine dental caries prevalence, experience and severity, as well as to investigate disparities by geographic (urban/rural) location, dental health care utilization and oral hygiene practices in seven to eight year old Nova Scotia school children in 2006-2007. The study results demonstrated that over half (57.3%) of the seven to eight year old population was afflicted by dental caries in the overall dentition. Primary dentition caries prevalence was 55%, with a mean deft score of 2.58 ± 0.08 SE. Prevalence of permanent dentition caries was 14%, with a mean DMFT score of 0.26 ± 0.02 SE. The mean defs score was 6.86 ± 0.28 SE and the average DMFS score was 0.47 ± 0.04 SE. Geographic location was not found to have a major influence on dental caries prevalence, experience and severity in this population. However, a significant relationship was observed between dental caries and dental visit frequency, with higher overall caries prevalence and severity among those who visited the dentist less than once per year. Disparities in dental caries were also found by frequency of brushing, with significantly lower caries rates in those who brushed at least twice per day. Health promotion measures such as pit and fissure sealants and topical fluoride application in susceptible and high-risk children, and appropriate health education regarding recommended frequency of brushing twice per day using fluoridated toothpaste, as well as preventive and regular dental visits are merited to help promote children’s overall health and well-being.

The first aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of Exercise Dependence (ED) in the Norwegian male population. The second aim was to examine what characterize men with high scores on Exercise Dependence Scale–Revised (EDS-R), when it comes to mode of exercise, exercise frequency, exercise intensity, exercise at a competitive level and hours exercising at the gym. To achieve these aims 5000 questionnaires were sent to randomly selected men between 18 and 65 years in Norway, and 1824 returned completed forms. Cases were excluded when data were missing and the final sample consisted of 1546 men. The questionnaire consisted of the Norwegian translated version of the Exercise Dependence Scale- Revised (EDS-R), demographic items and items that inquired about exercise-related characteristics. Results showed prevalence of exercise dependence in the male Norwegian population of 0.4%, and a higher occurrence of exercise dependence symptoms (21.4%). Higher total EDS-R score were found among these sub-groups of men: men engaging in power and weight class sports, exercising frequently, that often exercise with high intensity, exercising at a competitive level, and exercising more than 5 hours a week at the gym. The results offer insight into ED in the Norwegian male population, but more research is needed to further elucidate the phenomenon.

No description available.

South African criminology's structural aetiology is in crisis. This dissertation offers a novel account of the nature, origin, severity, implications, and possibilities of that crisis. It suggests that, rather than a normative problem, it should be understood as an empirical one, related to the challenge of crime prevalence measurement. The question of crime prevalence patterns and trends has mistakenly been treated as trivial. This dissertation conducts meta-theoretical and historical analyses to reveal a fundamental criminological quandary: making defensible and testable claims about aggregate crime prevalence patterns and trends is at once both indispensable and impossible. This dilemma is in some respects inherent to the task of primary criminology, but its origin and manifestation are also uniquely crippling and revealing in the South African context. The aetiological crisis is more severe, more fundamental, and more complex than previously thought. In demonstration of this, this dissertation seeks to establish, as defensibly as possible, just one observation about long-term South African crime prevalence trends that would seem to require explanatory effort. It collects official South African police murder statistics over the longest-possible time frame and at the lowest-possible level of aggregation and combines them with census data using Geographic Information System technology. The result is by far the most extensive and defensible possible description of South African long-term crime prevalence patterns and trends. It shows a large, unprecedented, widespread murder rate decrease from 1994 to 2011. This poses problems for existing theory and reveals the discipline's failure to even identify that which is relatively unequivocal and requires explanation. This dissertation concludes that there is an unidentified void at what should be the empirical heart of South African criminology. There is much to gain in engaging head-on the question of how to go about systematic empirical observation in the context of profound ambiguity about the meaning and measure of crime.