Urease of Helicobacter pylori is an important virulence factor implicated in the pathogenesis of many clinical conditions, such as chronic gastritis, peptic ulceration, and gastric cancer. Many urease inhibitors have been discovered, like phosphorodiamidates, hydroxamic acid derivatives, and imidazoles. Despite good activities at the enzyme level and excellent kinetic properties most of them have not been used as therapeutic agents in vivo because of their side effects, toxicity and instability. This has led to much attention to focus on exploring the novel urease inhibitory activities of natural products because of their low toxicity and good bioavailability. Honey, a natural product has been used in folk medicine due to its antitumor, antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. The aims of this study were to isolate, characterise, purify urease produced by H. pylori and investigate the inhibitory effects of solvent honey extracts on its enzymatic activity. Urease was found to be both surface-associated and cytoplasmic. Maximum cytoplasmic urease activity was found to occur after 72 hr whereas maximum extracellular urease activities were found to occur after 96 hr. Characterization of the crude cytoplasmic urease revealed optimal activity at a pH of 7.5 and temperature of 40°C. The kinetic parameters Vmax and Km were 45.32 U ml-1 and 61.11 mM respectively.The honey extracts inhibited the activity of the crude urease in a concentration dependent manner. The Lineweaver-Burk plots indicated a non-competitive type of inhibition against H. pylori urease. The two honey extracts gave promising inhibitory activities against urease of H. pylori. Thus the results of this study delineates that inhibition of urease can ease development in therapeutic and preventative approaches based on the enzymatic activity of this Helicobacter protein.

Masters of Art / The aim of this study was to investigate indigenous knowledge of vegetation resource utilisation, in particular the use of traditional medicinal plants in the provision of health care in the community of Khayelitsha and to determine traditional resource management approaches. / South Africa

This dissertation is an ethnographic exploration of gossip and rumour around the fear and distrust that surrounds a local hospital in KwaNdebele that has acquired a reputation as a slagpale (an Afrikaans term for slaughterhouse). Using ethnographic data gathered over an 18 month period, I examine how gossip (ukuhleba) and rumour (amahemuhemu) capture patient voices of discontent with hospital service while also being a means by which patients seek to discipline medical professionals and to warn others about possible abuse when visiting the hospital. The focus on gossip and rumour answers an often neglected question in scholarship, which is how patients respond to the widely reported power that medical professionals exercise over them? Furthermore, having broadly traced the uses of gossip and rumour in resistance to biomedical technologies to the 1800s, this dissertation moves beyond a focus on patient responses to examine the logic underpinning this resistance. To do this I compare three categories of traditional healers in KwaNdebele. I found that gossip and rumours also circulated about traditional healers although unequally among the three types. There is particular suspicion around non-initiating healers called amagedla who are thought to practice outside ancestral structures of control. I read the emphasis on ancestral regulation as a metaphor for communal control and accordingly conclude that biomedicine and its practitioners similarly meet with much resistance particularly because they are far removed and disempowering to what are often semi-literate and illiterate residents. Finally, the dissertation focuses on stories of hospital hauntings and deaths said to be connected with a diminishing traditional practice of ‘fetching’ the spirits of those who die at the hospital and shows that discourses around hospital deaths and burial rites are intimately connected to broader considerations that extend beyond the hospital setting to encompass socio-economic changes and resultant anxieties. These considerations are framed through an idiom of a call for a return to tradition and ultimately express a perceived crisis of social reproduction in post-apartheid KwaNdebele. / Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / UP Postgraduate Merit Bursary / NRF Scarce Skills Master's Scholarship / Anthropology and Archaeology / MSocSci / Unrestricted

MAAS / Department of African Studies / This study explored into the effects of traditional medicine on reproductive health of rural women. Negative reports associated with traditional medicine due to bogus traditional practitioners expose most women to the harmful consequences of concoctions supplied and administered on them. However, factors such as people’s great confidence in traditional medicine and high costs associated with conventional Western medical treatments lead most rural women to traditional medicine usage. The study examined women’s perspectives on traditional medicine, factors which led rural women to use traditional medicine, meanings that people make about women and reproductive health, reproductive health implications of using traditional medicine as well as remedies for ensuring that traditional medicine is safe for women’s reproductive health. The study was grounded on the critical and socio-cultural theory. An explorative qualitative research was used. Data was collected through open-ended questions, observation as well as focus group interviews and then analysed using the thematic analysis method. The study participants consisted of rural women, traditional healers, elderly people and Western-trained doctors who were all sampled using non-probability sampling methods. The findings of the study showed that African traditional medicine plays a pivotal role in reproductive health care by offering readily available, cheap, culturally-oriented and accessible health care for most rural women. However, it was noted that the use of African traditional medicine by unqualified practitioners and the incorrect usage of the medicine by patients resulted in negative results that could lead to death or barrenness. Thus, the study recommends an introduction of a regulatory framework on the production, storage, use and trade of African traditional medicine. / NRF

Bibliography: p. 100-105. / Culture plays a significant role in the treatment of certain illnesses and in the maintenance of good health in communities. In hospitals, professionals are constantly faced with medication non-compliance and other defaulting behaviour by health consumers or patients due to lack of their sensitivity towards cultural issues. It is true that most Africans are faced with a dilemma of choosing between Western treatment approaches and their own traditional healing. Therefore some may need still to adopt both Western and African approaches. The study examines the attitudes of both the professionals and mothers with malnourished children towards the cultural values linked to the treatment modalities. An exploratory- descriptive method is used as a focus for the study. Because of the illiteracy of the mothers, an interview schedule was used to collect data and get impressions about certain issues. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the professionals; which included nurses, an occupational therapist, a physiotherapist, and people working for the Kwashiorkor Centre. Both the literature review and other studies showed that there is a difference in attitudes regarding cultural issues in the treatment of malnourished children between the health consumers and the health professionals. Findings of this study revealed negative attitude towards mothers who used traditional medicine before coming to hospital. Mothers felt that they were reprimanded regarding their cultural value systems. This study includes recommendations that health professionals need to be sensitive to the cultural belief system of the health consumers for better compliance and service delivery. It is recommended that health care providers be aware of their value systems and above all respect those of the consumers. To facilitate better participation in health education programmes it is important that these programmes are culturally sensitive.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / We estimated home remedy use (HRU) prevalence and associated factors in adults who present symptoms, disease, or accidents using the National Household Survey 2019. The estimation was performed in a population that did not access a health care facility. We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study in adults over 18 years of age. The dependent variable was HRU (Yes/No) as the main reason for not going to health care facilities. We collected these variables: age, sex, education, marital status, ethnicity, region of residence, chronic diseases or disability, and health insurance. The HRU prevalence was associated with older participants, who lived in the highlands or the jungle, belonged to Quechua or Aymara ethnic groups, and had comprehensive health insurance. In contrast, there was a lower HRU prevalence for those enrolled in private insurance. The HRU was associated with various socio-demographic factors in adults with any symptoms, illness, or accidents not attending health centers. / Revisión por pares

Today we have many alternative medicines, not a few of which connect back to aboriginal cultures. Some of these alternative medicines were born under the influence of European imperialism, as they were not "alternative" until modern empires and modern medicine came to these distant regions. The present study begins with a broad question: how did conceptions of the relationship between modern Western medicine and traditional local non-Western medicine come to be? To explore the historical origins of these two conceptions, I focus herein on Japanese colonial Taiwan (1895–1945), where modern medicine became dominant while traditional medicine also flourished. My research finds that the historical realities of colonial Taiwan were not reflected in the progressive narrative of medicine. According to this narrative, modern medicine became dominant around the world while traditional medicines were swept into the ash heap of history because only modern medicine was the true, effective science of preventing, diagnosing, and treating physical ailments. The history of colonial Taiwan teaches us a much different lesson: practitioners of traditional medicine there were a significant part of the public health system during the colonial period. For example, they rallied against the plague in the late 19th century, diagnosing and treating patients when antibiotics had yet to be developed. Even so, the island witnessed an institutional medical shift, in which licensed practitioners of modern medicine deified modern medicine and denigrated traditional medicine, labeling the latter "primitive" and "non-medicine." In response, practitioners of traditional medicine produced new narratives aiming to challenge this colonial boundary between medicine and non-medicine. These practitioners' fundamental argument was that traditional medicine, though epistemologically different from modern medicine, was still legitimate medicine. From this effort, we now have the widely held belief today that both modern medicine and traditional medicine are legitimate, but distinct, medicines. This historical outcome of colonial resistance occurred worldwide. In my study, I identify the social, political, and colonial contexts of medical resistance in Japanese Taiwan, revealing their roots in issues related to inequality, distrust, economic affordability, and conceptions of body and health care. / Doctor of Philosophy / In this study, I explore conceptions of modern and traditional medicine through a historical lens, and break down two related myths: the first myth is the progressive narrative of modern medicine, which holds that modern medicine became dominant because of its medical superiority; and the second myth is the narrative held by extremist supporters of traditional medicine, who insist that only millennia-old traditional medicine can resolve human ailments without giving rise to untoward side effects and exorbitant costs. I show that, in the case of Japanese colonial Taiwan (1895–1945), both modern and traditional medicine flourished. The history of colonial Taiwan shows us that modern medicine on the island became dominant for two main reasons: first, the public health system successfully dealt with epidemics, which were the most significant threat to life at that time; and second, the colonial government recognized only modern medicine and labeled traditional medicine a non-medicine despite relying on its practitioners in the pre-antibiotic age. The history of colonial Taiwan also shows us that traditional medicine is not "old wisdom" unchanged for thousands of years. Beginning in the 19th century, practitioners of Taiwanese traditional medicine re-constituted it for colonial consumption, arguing that traditional medicine was also true medicine, though epistemologically distinct from modern medicine. This conception of traditional medicine has since informed many current views of traditional medicine. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), which, for the first time, featured a chapter on traditional Chinese medicine covering such topics as diagnostic techniques for Qi, blood, and fluid disorders. This inclusion of traditional medicine into the ICD-11 is a major step forward in this process of medical integration and may help resolve the historical confrontation between modern and traditional medicine. However, the WHO decision limits recognition of traditional medicine to Chinese medicine, excluding all other kinds of traditional medicine. Thus, the historical question of whether or not traditional medicine is a true medicine remains ultimately unanswered.

The Seminole people of Florida have used plants as traditional remedies for hundreds of years. After European contact their knowledge was transformed from proto-Muskhogean practices to new hybrids of traditional and modem practices. As a result of European pressure and influence, there is a risk of this knowledge being lost. Traditional Botanical Knowledge (TBK) can shed light on new compounds and healing properties for use in the medical and holistic communities of the U.S. This project systematically examines the connections between extant cosmological knowledge and extant medicinal knowledge among the Seminole. This study uses a number of methods and sources of data: ethnographic interviews, field observations at Seminole and Miccosukee events, demographic information, myths, material culture, artwork, field notes and publications by anthropologists and botanists were used as well to find patterns connecting medicinal flora with metaphysical associations such as animals, directions, colors, and temperatures similar to other Native American cultures. Larger implications of this research include the production of a useful ethno-medical and ethno-botanical research tool and the preservation of cultural practices within a threatened culture.

Résumé En République Démocratique du Congo, la crise économique nationale, la dévaluation du franc Congolais et les guerres de ces dernières années ont entraîné une dépendance croissante des populations des villes et des campagnes vis-à-vis de la médecine traditionnelle. Deux types de médecines traditionnelles sont pratiqués par les bantous et les pygmées de Bikoro. La médecine traditionnelle populaire, c'est-à-dire celle connue de la majorité de la population du village et la médecine traditionnelle spécialisée, c'est-à-dire pratiquée par les spécialistes (Guérisseurs). Une enquête ethnobotanique sur l’utilisation des plantes en médecine traditionnelle par les bantous et les pygmées a été réalisée dans 10 villages du territoire de Bikoro, durant 11 mois. Dans chaque village, l’enquête s’est déroulée en deux étapes : la première sur les maladies soignées, les plantes et les recettes utilisées en médecine traditionnelle populaire et la seconde sur les maladies soignées, les plantes et les recettes utilisées en médecine traditionnelle spécialisée. Les informations relatives à la médecine traditionnelle populaire ont été récoltées au cours d’entretiens collectifs en utilisant un questionnaire semi-structuré, tandis que celles relatives à la médecine traditionnelle spécialisée ont été collectées au cours d’entretiens directs en utilisant le même type de questionnaire. Au total, 133 affections sont soignées en médecine traditionnelle par les pygmées et les bantous de Bikoro. Elles font intervenir 205 espèces botaniques et 976 recettes. En médecine traditionnelle populaire, les pygmées soignent 42 affections, utilisent 73 espèces botaniques et emploient 150 recettes. Les bantous soignent 41 affections, utilisent 62 espèces botaniques et 128 recettes. En médecine traditionnelle spécialisée, les pygmées soignent 54 affections, utilisent 74 espèces botaniques et 151 recettes. Les spécialistes bantous soignent 119 affections, utilisent 185 espèces botaniques et 704 recettes. En médecine traditionnelle populaire de Bikoro, les bantous et les pygmées utilisent souvent les mêmes organes végétaux, les mêmes modes de préparation des drogues et les mêmes modes d’administration de recettes. Ils soignent en général les mêmes maladies. Les différences s’observent au niveau des plantes utilisées et des recettes préparées par chaque communauté. Si les pygmées Twa et leurs voisins Oto utilisent les mêmes organes des plantes et emploient les mêmes modes de préparation et d’administration de recettes en médecine traditionnelle spécialisée, il existe une différence significative entre les maladies soignées, les plantes utilisées et les recettes préparées par ces deux communautés. Cette étude a permis de caractériser le territoire de Bikoro concernant son recours à la médecine traditionnelle et a mis en évidence l’existence des flux d’utilisations des plantes entre la médecine traditionnelle populaire (bantoue et pygmée) et la médecine traditionnelle spécialisée (bantoue et pygmée). Mots clés : Plantes, Médecine traditionnelle populaire, Médecine traditionnelle spécialisée, Bantous, Pygmées, Bikoro. Abstract In the Democratic republic of Congo, the national economic crisis, the devaluation of the Congolese franc and the wars of the last decades involved an increasing dependence of the populations of the cities and rural areas with respect to traditional medicine. Two types of traditional medicines are practiced by the bantus (Oto) and the pygmies (Twa) of Bikoro. Popular traditional medicine, that is to say the one known to the majority of the village population, and specialized traditional medicine, which is only practiced by specialists (Healers). An ethnobotanic investigation on plant use in traditional medicine by the Bantus and the pygmies was carried out in 10 villages of the territory of Bikoro, during 11 months. In each village, the investigation proceeded in two stages: the first concerning the treated diseases, as well as the plants and the recipes used in popular traditional medicine and the second concerning the treated on the looked after diseases, as well as the plants and the recipes used in specialized traditional medicine. The information relative to popular traditional medicine were collected during collective meetings with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire, while those relating to specialized traditional medicine were collected during direct interviews with the same type of questionnaire. On the whole, 133 affections are treated in traditional medicine by the pygmies and the Bantu of Bikoro. They make use of 205 botanical species and 976 recipes. In popular traditional medicine, the pygmies Twa address 42 affections, use 73 botanical species and employ 150 recipes. The Bantu (Oto) address 41 affections use 62 botanical species and 128 recipes. In specialized traditional medicine, the pygmies address 54 affections, use 74 botanical species and 151 recipes. The specialists Bantu address 119 affections use 185 botanical species and 704 recipes. In the Bikoro region, both Bantus (Oto) and pygmies (Twa) do use the same plant parts, the same modes of preparing drogues and the same processes of administering drogues in their respective popular traditional medicine. There are differences in plant species used and drogue types prepared by each community. If the Twa pygmies and their neighbors Oto use the plant parts and the same processes in administering drogues in their specialized medical practices, there is, nevertheless, a significant difference between types of treated diseases, utilized plant species and prepared drogues between the two communities. This study made possible the characterization of the territory of Bikoro concerning its recourse to traditional medicine and highlighted the existence of flows of plant uses between popular traditional medicine (bantu and pygmy) and specialized traditional medicine (bantu and pygmy). Key words: Plants, popular traditional Medicine, specialized traditional Medicine, Bantus, Pygmies, Bikoro.

This mini-thesis provides empirical evidence on the level of public participation and its correlation with trust, reciprocity, class and power amongst African traditional health practitioners (ATHPs) in the regulation of African traditional medicines (ATMs) in South Africa. Data on public participation of ATHPs was collected and analysed, using a social capital theoretical model created from an adaptation of Putnam’s (2000) concepts of trust and reciprocity as central to social capital theory. The analysis further employed Bourdieu’s (1968) thinking to link power and class to the concept of social capital and borrowed from feminist and historical materialism theories. The thesis sought to test how the analysis of power and class, once politicised, could be used to convert Putnam’s notion of trust and reciprocity into "critical trust” and “critical reciprocity”, based on hyper-reflexive engagement of social agents with their own reality within social networks. ATHPs were requested to rank themselves from a scale of high to low to determine their level of involvement. Public participation (the dependant variable) was tested against acts of reciprocity, trust, power and income or class (the independent variables) to ascertain correlation. Data was analysed using STATA, a computer-based programme for analysing quantitative data. The findings of the study showed that income and power play a significant role in determining public participation. The level of one’s income and power determines whether one is active or passive in participation. The high levels of trust and reciprocity demonstrated by ATHPs towards government had no particular significance in facilitating active participation instead trust, in particular, played a negative role, in that it demobilised ATHPs from active participation since they trusted that government will protect their best interest in the regulation process. The argument in this thesis is that trust and reciprocity has to be converted into ‘critical trust’ and ‘critical reciprocity’ through active questioning and analysis of power and class dynamics for it to activate and invoke conscious active participation. A follow-up study is necessary to test the possibility and success of such a conversion for public participation. / Magister Artium - MA