D.Phil. (Optometry) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A.(Social Work) / In South Africa very few facilities exist for the treatment of chemical substance dependency, and-many chemically dependent persons who, because of work and family commitments cannot admit themselves to a long-term inpatient government or registered treatment facility, are deprived of an opportunity to receive appropriate treatment for their condition. Riverfield Lodge, a private treatment centre, was designed and built to meet the need for a shorter-term intensive inpatient treatment programme for individuals and their families whose physical, psychological and social functioning, and work performance have become impaired as a result of their abuse of psychoactive chemical substances. Realizing the responsibility to be accountable both to the clients served and to the funding agents of this project, the need for an accountable empirically-based treatment programme which can be used at Riverfield Lodge was identified. This study was undertaken with the aim to develop a short-term treatment programme for chemically dependent persons in a therapeutic community, based on research findings and a literature study of already existing intervention strategies (social technology) and treatment programmes. This study is undertaken within the practice-research paradigma- - a new perspective which calls for social workers to adopt systematic research procedures to shape, direct and monitor their practice activities (in this case the treatment of chemically dependent persons), and (since theultimate aim of this study is to design new social technology) Development research, a relatively new research model 'that was designed by Edwin Thomas, is used as research design. In order to ascertain whether the treatment of chemically dependent persons is necessary and successful, and to identify and determine which treatment methods are most effective when treating chemical substance dependency, vailable literature on the treatment of chemical substance dependency was studied. Based on the finding of this investigation, a short-term treatment programme was designed. Although this programme was designed on request of the Management of Riverfield Lodge, it can also be adapted and used by any other praciitioners who render treatment services to persons who are addicted to chemical substances. The Riverfield Lodge treatment programme takes an holistic approach to treating the individual, rather than treating the symptoms. Symptomatic treatment of drug dependency is rarely successful, and this treatment programme provides for the' physical restoration, resocialization and psychological integration of the dependent individual and those close to him. It entails improvement in physical and social functioning, self image, self esteem, interpersonal relationships, positive family interaction and productivity, the establishment and attainment of realistic life goals, and a healthy lifestyle adjustment without chemical substances. Treatment at Riverfield Lodge will be rendered in a therapeutic community, and medical treatment, individual psychotherapy and social work intervention, group work, behaviour modification, occupational therapy and family therapy will be used as treatment methods. The importance of continuing, prolonged aftercare is emphasized, and post-discharge support services and follow-up counselling will be provided. Based on research findings it is recommended that, although a general treatment programme has been developed, it is imperative to assess every patient individually to determine which combination of the available forms of treatment methods are best suited in the case concerned. It is likely that in the individual suffering from chemical substance dependence, a number of interacting predisposing and precipitating factors have been at work to produce the condition which itself in turn produces physical, psychological, emotional and social changes. For these reasons it is unlikely that one and the same method of treatment would be effective for every individual case. Finally it is emphasised that the treatment of chemical substance dependency is not the prerogative or the responsibility of one profession. The multi-dimensional nature of this social problem necessitates the participation of a multi-disciplinary team of trained and skilled professionals in the treatment process. In addition the dependents family and friend, his employer and colleagues and other support systems have to work in close co-operation with the multi-professional team to achieve the best possible results. This short term, twenty eight day inpatient treatment programme will hopefully offer an extensive and comprehensive foundation for recovery from chemical substance dependence, and combined with long term aftercare treatment programmes, it is expected to make a significant contribution to the alcohol and drug treatment field in South Africa.

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of the combination of Nigersan® 4X, Citrokehl® 10X/30X/200X and Recarcin® 4X in the treatment of symptoms experienced with endometriosis. Endometriosis is a gynaecological disorder, where functioning endometrial tissue is present outside the uterine cavity. Symptoms are often associated with severe pain and/or infertility. The aetiology is unknown and there is no cure for endometriosis. This was a double blind study in which a placebo group was compared to an experimental group. Twenty five females with pre-diagnosed endometriosis were analysed over a twelve week period. The participants were randomly divided into two groups, one receiving Nigersan® 4X, Citrokehl® 10X/30X/200X and Recarcin® 4X and the other placebo. This was a subjective study with reference to the participant’s perception of their condition before, during and at the end of the study. Participants were asked to record the following on a daily basis: menstruation, pelvic pain, backache, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. The participants were then also asked to rate the following on a monthly basis: energy levels, general wellbeing, dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, menstrual clotting, menstrual flow, menstrual colour and dyspareunia. All forms and questionairres were then collected at four week intervals and analysed for comparison. The data was statistically analysed using the Analysis of Variance technique and Chi-squared statistics. Results revealed a significant decrease in the average number of days of backache and pelvic pain within the placebo group while the experimental group indicated a significant improvement in energy levels and general wellbeing. Therefore it is concluded that Nigersan® 4X, Citrokehl® 10X/30X/200X and Recarcin® 4X did not significantly alleviate symptoms associated with endometriosis. / Dr. N. Wolf Dr. S. Sarawan

M.Tech. / PURPOSE: To compare the effectiveness of Traumeel®S in combination with specific knee joint mobilisation with Traumeel®S tablets and ointment, or specific knee joint mobilisation alone, in the chiropractic treatment of knee osteoarthritis. By comparing the objective and subjective results obtained from this comparison, the most effective treatment protocol for knee osteoarthritis may be determined. STUDY DESIGN: A random sample of thirty patients, radiographically diagnosed with Grade 2 or Grade 3 knee osteoarthritis, were selected to participate in this study. These patients were randomly assigned to three equal groups of ten patients each. Monitoring examinations were conducted on the initial, third, sixth and final (ninth) consultations.

This study compared the treatment outcomes of three groups of alcoholic clients which varied in the extent to which their spouses were involved in a 26-day residential treatment program. The three groups consisted of 24 clients whose treatment included a one-day conjoint spouse involvement program, 35 clients whose treatment included a five-day conjoint spouse involvement program, and 22 clients whose spouses did not participate in the treatment program. Self-report measures at 9.3 months follow-rup indicated that significantly more of the clients who participated in the five-day spouse involvement program were controlling their drinking than clients in either of the other two groups. It was suggested that longer, more intensive spouse involvement may be the preferred alternative for alcohol programs with a controlled drinking goal. In comparing the present findings with the existing literature, it was also suggested that spouse inolvement may be most beneficial for those programs with modest success rates, but of less benefit to those programs with high success rates. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

This case study is a performance improvement project focusing on the organizational system and management practices in a center for children with autism. Staff interviews and a process improvement map were used to assess the organization and assist in identifying potential solutions. The analysis led to treatment integrity as the key outcome measure. The center's administrative team decided to implement treatment delivery process changes to impact treatment integrity measures. This study measured data sheet changes and treatment implementation to determine the impact of process changes on treatment integrity. High levels of variability in treatment integrity across all teams were observed, and results suggest that a process change was not enough to increase treatment integrity. Further study is necessary to investigate measurement and impact of treatment integrity on desired outcomes for children with autism.

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The objective of this thesis is twofold - (1) to design the unit processes for treating the waste from a specific industrial plant using the best practicable technology, and (2) to critically examine the theory of these unit processes for utilization in design. The industrial waste was derived from a synthetic button and textile trimmings factory producing polyester and casein buttons. The effluent has a high pH and COD; contains metallic poisons; and is highly coloured. It exceeds the limitations for effluent quality promulgated by the Cape Town Municipality before discharge to the sewers. A certain measure of pretreatment before discharge to the sewers was therefore required. The treatment process eventually selected consists of neutralization; flocculation; sedimentation; sand filtration of the sludge; and atmospheric drying of the sludge.

Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in water and wastewater is a major public concern. In drinking water treatment plants (WTP), DON and biodegradable DON (BDON) may form carcinogenic by-products during disinfection and might also serve as a nutrient for microbiological growth in distribution systems. BDON in treated wastewater can promote algal growth in receiving water bodies. Understanding biodegradability of DON is important to develop strategies and processes capable of minimizing DON impact on the wastewater effluent receiving water bodies and drinking water. WTPs are nutrient-poor oligotrophic systems that receive source water with DON of about ≤2 mg N/L. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are nutrient-rich eutrophic systems which receive raw wastewater with DON of ≥8 mg N/L. At WWTPs, sidestream deammonification is a highly eutrophic system employed to treat highly concentrated streams of DON (≥100 mg N/L) and ammonia (≥1,500 mg N/L) generated from filtrate from anaerobically digested sludge dewatering. DON characteristics including biodegradability for different trophic levels could differ. The main goal of this dissertation is to investigate biodegradability of DON in these oligotrophic and eutrophic systems. Three research tasks were performed. In the first task, a method to measure BDON in oligotrophic systems was developed and applied to determine the fate of BDON along four treatment stages of a WTP with ozonation prior to filtration. Optimum dose of inocula and incubation time were identified for the BDON measurement. The Moorhead WTP, Moorhead, MN on average removed 30% of DON and 68% of BDON. The second task involved investigating the role of four biological wastewater treatment processes in removing DON from eutrophic systems. Nitrification process biodegraded 70, 54, and 57% of DON in influent, primary effluent, and secondary effluent, respectively. Heterotrophic DON removal was less (1.7 to 38%) while denitrification and deammonification did not remove DON. For the third task, BDON biodegradability in highly eutrophic system was investigated using nitrifying sludge. About 45 to 90% of DON in sidestream effluent was biodegradable. Information from this dissertation provides a better understanding on DON and BDON fate through water and wastewater treatment processes representing different trophic levels. / District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC WASA) / Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease characterized with poor bone quality and low bone mineral density. The pathogenesis of osteoporosis is the imbalance of bone resorption and bone formation. Two strategies can be employed to cure osteoporosis. One is to inhibit bone resorption and the other is to stimulate bone formation. Currently, therapeutic drugs approved by FDA are mainly antiresorptive agents. Till now, there is only one bone anabolic agent approved. Obviously, more efforts should be poured into the development of bone anabolic agents. Sclerostin is a key negative regulator of osteoblast Wnt signaling making it a promising therapeutic target for bone anabolic therapy. Anti-sclerostin humanized monoclonal antibody romosozumab, which could effectively promote bone formation, has been accepted by the FDA for the review of biologic license application in 2017. However, there are several concerns about the humanized anti-sclerostin antibody, including immunogenicity, high cost of production and relative low stability. Nucleic acid aptamers are short single stranded oligonucleotides. They can bind to their targets with similar high affinity as antibodies. Moreover, aptamers have some superior advantages compared to antibodies, such as no immunogenicity, easily synthesized, and high stability. Aptamers against sclerostin could be a promising alternative to antibodies in terms of promotion of bone formation and reversal of osteoporosis. In this thesis, 20 rounds of SELEX were performed to select aptamers with high binding affinity and specificity to sclerostin. The inhibition potency of aptamer candidates to the antagonistic effect of sclerostin on Wnt signaling was also evaluated. Low KD and EC50 values of aptamer candidates against sclerostin implied a great potential of sclerostin aptamer being novel agents to promote bone formation. The study establishes the foundation for the next stage of preclinical studies and it will benefit the development of novel bone anabolic agents to reverse osteoporosis.