The objective of this study was to compare the effects on eating behavior, lipids, lipoproteins, lipid peroxidation, and glycemic control in women with type 2 diabetes of a high-monounsaturated fat diet (HM) compared to a high-carbohydrate diet (HC). In an outpatient feeding study, ten hypertriglyceridemic postmenopausal type 2 diabetic women alternately for six weeks consumed the HM and HC diets. On the HM diet, 45% of total calories were consumed as carbohydrate and 40% as fat (27% monounsaturated) compared to 55% carbohydrate and 30% fat (10% monounsaturated) in the HC diet. At the beginning and end of each diet phase, total lipids, lipoproteins, lipid peroxidation, and glycemic variables were measured. For 8 days in each diet phase eating pattern frequency, palatability of foods, hunger and fullness were assessed. At the end of each diet phase, taste testing to determine preference for fat was conducted. Total cholesterol was significantly decreased on the HC diet. Serum triglyceride, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) triglyceride and cholesterol, and apolipoproteins A-1 and B were not significantly different on the two diets. When comparing initial to final values, both diets lowered LDL-C; however, the change was greater on the HM diet. Lipid peroxidation variables improved when the HM diet was consumed. Glycemic variables improved on both diets. No significant differences between total number of eating episodes on the HM and HC diet phases were found. Both diets were rated as highly palatable. Hunger and fullness ratings varied within and between subjects. However, fullness was more commonly experienced than hunger on both HM and the HC diet. Preference for fat was not found at the end ofHM or HC diets. However, subjects differed significantly in ratings for liking of foods that were salty, sour, and bitter when compared to nondiabetic women. Consumption of the HM and HC diets did not result in deterioration of lipid status. The HM diet by virtue of less oxidation of the LDL particle and improvement of glycemic control provides an important advantage over the HC diet. A description of eating behavior of women with type 2 diabetes emerged. / Graduation date: 2000

While replacement of dietary saturated fat with unsaturated fat has been advocated to reduce cardiovascular disease risk, diets high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) could increase low density lipoprotein (LDL) susceptibility to oxidation, potentially contributing to the pathology of atherosclerosis. To assess in vivo lipid peroxidation and susceptibility, of LDL surface and core lipids to ex vivo oxidation, in women consuming increased amounts of specific unsaturated fatty acids, 15 postmenopausal women took daily supplements of sunflower oil providing 12.3 g/day of oleate, safflower oil providing 10.5 g/day of linoleate, and fish oil providing 2.0 g/day of eicosapentaenoate (EPA) and 1.4 g/day of docosahexaenoate (DHA) during a crossover trial. Plasma F₂-isoprostanes (F₂-isoP), malondialdehyde (MDA), and thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TEARS) were measured to assess lipid peroxidation in vivo. Ex vivo oxidation of LDL was monitored by measuring the formation of phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxides (PCOOH) and cholesteryl linoleate hydroperoxides (CE18:200H) during coppermediated oxidation. Plasma free F₂-isoP and MDA concentrations were lower after EPA/DHA supplementation than after oleate (P = 0.001, F₂-isoP and 0.02, MDA) and linoleate supplementation (P = 0.04 for both F₂-isoP and MDA). However, plasma TBARS concentrations were higher after EPA/DHA than after oleate (P = 0.001) and linoleate supplementation (P = 0.0004). During LDL oxidation, the lag phase for PCOOH formation was shorter in EPA/DHA- than oleate- (P = 0.0001) and linoleate-enriched LDL (P = 0.002), while the lag phase for CE18:200H was shorter in EPA/DHA- than oleate- (P = 0.01) but not linoleate-enriched LDL. The maximal rate of PCOOH formation was lower in EPA/ DHA- than linoleate- (P = 0.007) but not oleate-enriched LDL, while the maximal rate of CE18:200H formation was lower in EPA/DHA- than oleate- (P = 0.03) and linoleate-enriched LDL (P [less than or equal to] 0.0001). The maximal concentrations of PCOOH and CE18:200H were lower in EPA/DHA- than oleate- (P [less than or equal to] 0.05) and linoleate-enriched LDL (P [less than or equal to] 0.01). Oleate-enrichment generally decreased the oxidative susceptibility of LDL surface and core lipids, while EPA/DHA-enrichment did not increase LDL oxidative susceptibility compared to linoleate-enrichment. This study emphasizes the need for more than one relevant assay of in vivo lipid peroxidation. / Graduation date: 2000

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Urinary incontinence has already been identified worldwide for years as a health problem affecting essentially women, which can interfere with their overall quality of life. However in Rwanda, this problem has yet not been addressed adequately either because of lack of expertise, or because of cultural traditions associated with taboos among women. Social conditions of women facing this problem hinder them from seeking possibly adequate medical assistance. It is important that this problem be addressed because it may lead to disability, social seclusion, psychological stress and economic burdens. This study was a pioneer one, intended to diagnose the extent of the problem through determining the prevalence of urinary incontinence as well as its impact on the quality of life among women. The study will hopefully be followed by the promotion of physiotherapy to tackle the problem and therefore reduce the number of people suffering from urinary incontinence.

<p>This study explored women's perceptions of how their illness (Rheumatoid Arthritis- RA) affects their relationship with their intimate life partner. RA is a chronic, inflammatory, auto-immune illnes, which mainly affects the synovial membranes of multiple joints. This highly inflammatory poly-arthritis may lead to joint destruction, chronic pain, deformity and loss of functioning as unfortunate outcomes of the established illness. RA affects key life domains such as psychological well-being, social well-being, family and couple relationships, employment, loss of independence and restrictions in daily functioning.</p>

M.Tech. (Homoeopathy) / Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the involuntary loss of urine when sudden, external forces cause a brief increase in intra-abdominal pressure during stress events such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, bending, lifting, or exercise (ICS, 2013).SUI is a subcategory of urinary incontinence (UI) and affects middle aged women predominantly due to weakened support of the bladder by the pelvic floor and surrounding structures (Beji et al 2010). Damage to the pelvic floor and pelvic structures can cause the bladder and bladder neck to move or bend into problematic positions which adds unnecessary placement of external pressures on the bladder and in turn urine loss occurs (Badlani et al., 2009). The treatments available for treating SUI is behavioural changes, pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation or invasive surgeries. Pharmacological treatment options available for incontinence focus more on different subcategories of UI and has little effect on treating SUI directly and due to various side effects of these medications many patients avoid taking it (Shamilyan et al., 2012). There is currently no known effective treatment for SUI (ICS, 2013). SUI is the loss of small amounts or a few drops of urine at a time (Beers et al., 2006). Although the symptoms of this condition may not be life threatening it can interfere with the quality of life in those who suffer from loss of bladder control (Cheung et al., 2012). The negative effects can be seen in all areas physical activities, social activities, relationship strain and even emotional status of the patient (De Ridder et al, 2013). Many women report having SUI for several years and have learned to live with the incidents and use preventative methods when severity of SUI episodes worsen (Peterson, 2008). Additionally the symptom can be distressing on a physical level and consistent SUI episodes may cause recurrent urinary tract infections, irritation, pain and discomfort of the lower urinary tract (Beers et al., 2006). The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of the homoeopathic remedy Causticum 30cH on SUI episodes experienced by women by means of using a voiding diary and validated quality of life questionnaires. This was a five week double blind, placebo-controlled study, using forty female participants between the ages of 30-65 years old, and was conducted at a homoeopathic practice in Alberton, Johannesburg (Appendix B) under the supervision of a qualified homoeopath. There were three consultations, at the first consultation the study was explained and a full history taking and focused physical examination was conducted which included vital signs and a midstream urine dipstick test (Appendix E) to rule out any UTI. Participants were required to complete the QOLQ IIQ-7 SF (Appendix F) and the UDI-6 SF (Appendix G) (Uebersax et al., 1995). iii The first week no remedy was given (baseline week) and was followed by a four week treatment period. Participants had to complete a 7-day voiding diary (Appendix H) to evaluate symptom frequency for the duration of the study at home and were collected at the follow-up consultation after week three and week five. Participants were requested to complete the QOLQ IIQ-7 SF (Appendix F) and UDI-6 SF (Appendix G) (Uebersax et al., 1995) during the follow up consultations. Nocturnal voiding was also recorded on the voiding diaries. After week one the voiding diaries were collected and the participants were asked to select a remedy thereby, randomly allocating herself to either the experimental group or the control group. Data was collected and was analysed by STATKON. Frequencies, descriptives and crosstabulations were done for the demographic information between groups. Non-parametric test were utilized for the analysis because the sample size was small. The inter-group data analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney test to compare between the groups. Comparisons over time for each group were assessed using the Friedman test, and a Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test was done to ascertain where in time the differences had occurred. The Bonferrani adjustment/correction test is a post-hoc test and was done after the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test which is an adjustment to the original p value and a re-evaluation of p value of the comparisons (Becker, 2013)...

A research report submitted to the faculty of the Humanities at the University of Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the degree of Master of Arts in Demography and Population Studies, June 2017 / Background An estimated 2,000 women in Zambia suffer from obstetric fistula. Suggestions are that more women could be suffering from the same condition but do not report it due to fear of stigmatization. Incidences of obstetric fistula in Zambia may indicate that most pregnant women do not access the much-needed maternal health services, especially at the time of delivery. Therefore, understanding the factors that lead to obstetric fistula is vital for developing primary preventive interventions. This study estimated the prevalence and investigated the factors associated with obstetric fistula among women in Zambia. Methodology The study used data from the 2013-14 Zambia Demographic and Healthy Survey (ZDHS). A sample of 16,411 women aged 15-49 years old took part in the fistula module of the ZDHS. Descriptive and Complementary log-log regression model were conducted to assess the relationship between the covariates and obstetric fistula. Results The prevalence of obstetric fistula was estimated at 5.91 obstetric fistulas per 1000 women of reproductive ages. Age at first sex (AOR=0.86, CI: 0.77-0.97) and being in households of rich wealth status (AOR=0.36, CI: 0.14-0.79) were negatively associated with obstetric fistula. Conclusion Evidence suggest that in order to eradicate obstetric fistula in Zambia, there is need to implement interventions that will focus on improving the socioeconomic, health status, reproductive status, access to health care and use of healthcare resources of women. / XL2018

Abstract Background In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. An estimated 15 million malaria cases and 40 000 malaria deaths were reported in Kenya. Malaria during pregnancy is associated with adverse health outcomes for both the mother as well as her foetus. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between socioeconomic correlates and the uptake of malaria prevention methods during pregnancy. Methodology: Data was drawn from the 2008-2009 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey. A total of 8098 women aged 15-49 were analysed. Stata version 12 was used for the management and analysis of data. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis was carried out to meet the objectives of this study. Results: Forty-eight percent of women made use of Insecticide Treated Net (ITNs), 52 percent were administered with Intermittent Preventative Therapy (IPTp) and 36 percent made use of both measures during pregnancy. Multivariate results indicate that urban women were found to display slightly higher odds of ITN usage (1.13) and the combined usage of ITNs and IPTp (1.22) during pregnancy in comparison to rural women. Women with higher levels of education and women from middle income and rich households displayed higher odds of the uptake of these malaria prevention methods during pregnancy. Conclusion: This study has shown that socioeconomic indicators influence the usage of malaria prevention methods during pregnancy. It is therefore imperative that these factors be considered when designing and implementing policies aimed at improving the uptake of these measures during pregnancy.