Background: Da Nang city is located in the central of Vietnam and is a developing country in Asia. Previous studies have shown high dental caries prevalence among young children in Vietnam. Dental caries is a chronic disease that can cause pain and discomfort for individuals suffering from the disease. In 2008 intervention program was made at Hoa Huong Dong Pre-school, in Da Nang. The intervention was made to promote better dental health in children at the school, after study results showed that almost all children had at least one dental caries lesion. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of dental caries among pre-school children in Da Nang, Vietnam. Method: The study was a cross-sectional cohort study with clinical dental examination, among 143 children aged 3 and 5 at Hoa Huong Dong Pre-school in Da Nang. Result: Results showed that 96.5 % of all participating children suffered from at least one initial and, or manifest dental carious lesion. Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that dental caries prevalence among 3- and 5-year old children is high. Further prevention programs and more studies to promote better dental health for young children in Da Nang are needed.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Medicine / Master / Doctor of Medicine

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

The objective of this study was to compare 2 different techniques used in Peru for diagnostic and evaluate the antibody titters for B. bacilliformis in inhabitants of both post-outbreak and one established endemic area.

The protein transduction domain (PTD) of the HIV-I TAT protein has been shown to be capable of crossing cellular membranes and even the blood-brain barrier while carrying cargo molecules along with it. Exploiting this property to deliver biologically active acid β-glucosidase (GBA) would be of use to improve the current treatment of Gaucher disease by enzyme replacement therapy. Genetic fusion of the TAT PTD to GBA was performed and the resulting gene was inserted into an insect expression vector, p2ZOptcxF, to allow for heterologous protein production in Sf9 cells. A TAT fusion with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was also created to serve as a control. The insect vector encoded a cellulose-binding domain to allow for affinity purification of the heterologous proteins. The Sf9 system produced 0.9-1.2 μg/ml quantities of EGFP fusion proteins, but only low ng/ml levels of GBA fusions. The addition of the cellulose binding domain decreased protein expression, but could be used for purification when μg/ml quantities of protein were produced. This suggests that expression of soluble, unglycosylated proteins such as EGFP can be achieved in the p2ZOptcxF/Sf9 system and to a lesser extent complex, highly-glycosylated proteins such as GBA can also be produced. In order to improve the expression of GBA fusions further optimization of the vector, selection and production must be undertaken.

No description available.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) is a lymphoproliferative disorder that was first described by Thomas Hodgkin and Samuel Wilks in the first half of the nineteenth century. It is characterised by the presence of painless lymphadenopathy, usually in the cervical region. Constitutional symptoms are a common presenting feature. Clinical staging is based on the backbone of the Ann Arbor staging classification. Patients with advanced disease often have hepatosplenomegaly and bone marrow infiltration. True extranodal disease is rare. HL is broadly divided into two distinct clinical entities: nodular lymphocyte predominant HL (5%) and classical HL (95%) - which is further subdivided into four groups: nodular sclerosis HL, mixed cellularity HL, lymphocyte-rich HL and lymphocyte-depleted HL. Most patients are treated with combination chemotherapy and involved field radiotherapy. With excellent cure rates of >95% for early stage disease nowadays, the challenge is to minimise the adverse long term effects of chemo-radiotherapy, while at the same time achieving optimal cure rates. There are clear differences in the demographics and clinical presentation of HL between the developed world and developing countries. Hence, the main aim of this study was to determine the demographics and clinical presentation of HL in a developing, sub-Saharan African population, and to compare these findings with findings elsewhere in the world. Secondary objectives included assessing the treatment used and response to therapy, prognostic factors affecting survival, differences in the presentation between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive and negative individuals, the association of HL with tuberculosis, and the documentation of the long term effects of therapy. Method: This was a retrospective review of all adult patients diagnosed with HL at Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital (CHBH) in Soweto during the period January 1990 – December 2004. Results: 163 patients were seen over a fifteen year period. There were 93 males and 70 females, with a Male(M):Female(F) ratio of 1.3:1. The median age at presentation was 29yrs, with an absence of a second peak in older patients. Seventy eight percent of patients had B symptoms and 69% had advanced stage disease at presentation. Nodular sclerosis HL was the main histological subtype in the younger, HIV negative population. Mixed cellularity HL was the commonest histological subtype seen in older patients and the HIV positive group. Sixty three percent of patients had a complete response to first line therapy, 18% a partial response, 2% stable disease and 17% progressive disease. Prognostic features of statistical significance that negatively affected survival included older patients (>40yrs), patients with advanced stage disease and HIV seropositivity. The histological subtype and presence of B symptoms did not significantly affect outcome. Twenty three percent of the patients were HIV positive, and increasing seropositivity appears to be an emerging trend. Conclusion: HL in patients at CHBH displays many clinical characteristics typical of a developing nation, such as the absence of a bimodal age distribution, more B symptoms and more advanced stage disease. The predominance of the more favourable nodular sclerosis histological subtype in the younger, HIV negative population tends to follow the pattern of a developed nation. Older patients, patients with advanced stage disease and HIV positive patients have a poorer outcome. The large number of patients lost to follow up precludes accurate assessment of long term overall survival in the study population, as well as documentation of long term adverse effects/complications of therapy.