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Synthesis, characterisation and optimisation of bulk molecularly imprinted polymers from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Get PDFThe scope of this study was to synthesise and characterise the multi-template molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) and to use target compounds, naproxen, ibuprofen, diclofenac, fenoprofen and gemfibrozil as templates so as to achieve all maximum extraction efficiency for all compounds. These compounds are a class of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) generally used by humans, as they have pain-relieving activities. MIPs are cross- linked polymeric materials that display high binding capacity and selectivity towards templates of interest. The synthesis consisted of a bulk polymerisation process at 60 °C by using NSAIDs as multi-templates, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), 2-vinyl pyridine (2VP) and toluene as cross- linker, functional monomer and porogen, respectively. Nonimprinted polymer (NIP) was synthesised in a similar manner with the omission of the templates. Characteristics of the polymers were analysed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). An adsorption method of NSAIDs using the bulk polymerised MIP was investigated under various pH, mass, concentration and time conditions. Other parameters included adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms. Uptake of NSAIDs from an aqueous medium was achieved with 40 mg of MIP at pH 4.0 within 10 min of contact time. The extraction efficiencies achieved for NSAIDs in aqueous solutions ranged from 90–98% for all compounds tested. The adsorption capacity obtained for MIP ranged from 1.230–1.249 mg g−1 and 0.90–1.136 mg g−1 for NIP, whereas the selectivity values ranged from 1.12–2.4. A kinetic study revealed that adsorption obeys a second-order rate, and the Langmuir model explains adsorption isotherm data. This work showed that the multi-template approach for all the target compounds has the potential to give maximum extraction efficiencies in MIP extraction systems from aqueous samples. 
The Influence of Short Message Services (SMS) Advertisements on Purchase Intentions by Mobile Telecommunication Consumers in Tanzania
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to examine the influence of Short Message Services (SMS) advertisements on the purchase intention among mobile telecommunication consumers in Tanzania using the AIDA model. Data were collected in Dar-es-Salaam from 303 mobile telecommunication users using self-administered questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive, correlation, and multiple regression analysis techniques. The result concluded that consumers' attention to, interest in and desire for SMS advertisements do positively and significantly influence consumer purchase intention. The sample is constituted of respondents who were first and second-degree holders aged between 20 and 40 years. The results contribute to the existing literature on the influence of Short Message Services (SMS) advertisements on purchase intention among mobile telecommunication consumers in Tanzania. Managerially, the results shed light on possible areas of improvement to enhance the purchase intentions of their customers through short message services. The study expands on the intellectual discourse of the AIDA model by taking Action, one of the model’s components, and treating it as a consumer purchase intention variable. One of the key limitations of the study was that the respondents were only those who could fill out online questionnaires. It is strongly recommended that further studies are more inclusive
Records management in an ISO certified environment: a case study of Botho University in Botswana
Get PDFRecords are information assets of great value to organisations as they document decisions and activities of business. Organisations, therefore, have a duty to make sure that they put in place a systematic administrative programme for managing these records. The information contained in records has been seen as a key business resource for universities and their competitiveness; therefore, it is vital that university records should be managed. This study evaluated records management at Botho University, an ISO-certified university. The main objective of the study was to find out which records management practices were in place at Botho University as an ISO 9001-2008 certified institution. The population of the study comprised 23 respondents including deans, heads or managers of departments and departmental representatives who interact with records on a daily basis. The study was guided by ISO 9001-2008, section 4.2.4. Data for the study were collected through the use of semi-structured interviews, open-ended questionnaires and personal observations. The key findings of the study were that Botho University is not fully compliant with all the provisions of ISO 9001-2008 under which it was certified. The findings further showed that the university had an inadequate records management policy that did not cover all records issues, lacked adequate facilities for the storage and protection of records, lacked a records retention and disposition schedule and lacked dedicated staff to manage records. The findings also revealed that Botho University operated a hybrid system where some records were created electronically while some were physical copies. Based on these findings, the study recommends that in order for Botho University to be fully compliant with the provisions of ISO 9001-2008, it must revise its records management policy to enhance it to make it adequate, improve its records storage facilities and develop a records retention and disposition schedule
Predictors of bullying reported by perpetrators in a sample of senior school students in Benin City, Nigeria
Get PDFBackground: Bullying behaviour amongst adolescents is becoming a significant public health challenge. Whilst the traditional and electronic bullying as reported by victims has been widely reported, surveys amongst perpetrators, particularly in Africa, are still lacking.Aim: This study is aimed at determining the prevalence of bullying by perpetrators and analysing the relationship between bullying perpetration and psycho-socio-demographic characteristics amongst senior school students in Benin City, Nigeria.Setting: Senior secondary school in Benin City, Nigeria.Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 465 final-year secondary school students aged 16–19 years, who were selected by multistage random sampling, was conducted. The students were made to fill a self-designed questionnaire, in addition to an adapted version of the Wagnild and Young’s resilience scale.Results: The lifetime prevalence of bullying was 16.3%. Binary logistic regression revealed bullying to be significantly associated with students who are male (adjusted odds ratio [AOD] = 2.13, confidence interval [CI] = 1.16–3.93), have poor relations with their teachers (AOR = 2.98, CI = 1.68–5.29), have used alcohol (AOR = 3.51, CI = 1.74–7.09) and are involved in cult and gangsterism (AOR = 9.14, CI = 2.55–32.75).Conclusion: The rate of bullying perpetration by youth in Benin City, Nigeria, is significant and is comparable to global occurrence. The predictors of bullying in this study suggest that perpetrators are individuals who may benefit from rehabilitative measures
The prevalence and clinical correlates of substance use disorders in patients with psychotic disorders from an Upper-Middle-Income Country
Get PDFBackground: Substance use disorders (SUDs) occur frequently in patients with psychotic disorders and have been associated with various demographic and clinical correlates. There is an absence of research on the prevalence and clinical correlates of SUDs in psychotic disorders in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs).Aim: We aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of SUDs in psychotic disorders.Setting: Patients attending a large secondary-level psychiatric hospital in Cape Town South Africa.Methods: We used the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I) to determine psychiatric and substance use diagnoses, depressive, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and posttraumatic symptoms. We used logistic regression models to determine significant predictors of SUDs.Results: In total sample (N = 248), 55.6% of participants had any SUD, 34.3% had cannabis use disorders, 30.6% alcohol use disorders, 27.4% methamphetamine use disorders, 10.4% methaqualone use disorders and 4.8% had other SUDs. There were significant associations with male sex for most SUDs, with younger age and Coloured ethnicity for methamphetamine use disorders, and with lower educational attainment for cannabis use disorders. Anxiety symptoms and suicide attempts were significantly associated with alcohol use disorders; a diagnosis of a substance induced psychosis with cannabis and methamphetamine use disorders. Across most SUDs legal problems and criminal involvement were significantly increased.Conclusion: This study found a high prevalence and wide distribution of SUDs in patients with psychotic disorders, consistent with previous work from high income countries. Given clinical correlates, in individuals with psychotic disorders and SUDs it is important to assess anxiety symptoms, suicidality and criminal involvement
Methods of deliberate self-harm in a tertiary hospital in South Africa
Get PDFBackground: Little is known about the methods of deliberate self-harm (DSH) in South Africa (SA), despite the importance of means restriction as a public health strategy to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with self-harm.Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the range of methods used in DSH and identify the socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with violent and non-violent methods of DSH among patients treated at a tertiary hospital in SA.Setting: The study was conducted at an urban, tertiary level emergency department at Groote Schuur hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.Method: Data were collected from 238 consecutive DSH patients who presented for emergency department treatment at the hospital. Logistic regression models were used to explore the factors associated with violent and non-violent methods of DSH.Results: Self-poisoning was the most common method of self-harm (80.3%). Prescription medication was the most common form of self-poison (57.6%), while a large number of patients used non-prescription paracetamol (40.9%). In the regression analysis, male gender, stating that the reason for DSH was to escape a situation and history of substance use were associated with violent method of DSH.Conclusion: Improved monitoring of prescription medications commonly used in DSH is integral to public health suicide prevention strategies in SA. This study underscores the need for substance use interventions in the healthcare setting
Second victims of obstetric care – Support for healthcare professionals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
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Coulrophobia: An investigation of clinical features
Get PDFBackground: Coulrophobia refers to fear or disgust elicited by clowns, or images of clowns, and may be accompanied by significant distress. The medical literature on sociodemographic and clinical features of coulrophobia is, however, sparse.Aim: This study aimed to investigate coulrophobia sociodemographic and clinical features in an online support group.Setting: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to an online support group for coulrophobia.Methods: Members of the online coulrophobia support group received a link to a selfadministered questionnaire. The questionnaire focused on sociodemographic and clinical features, including fear-related and disgust-related symptoms, and included DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for specific phobia.Results: Of the 95 survey respondents, 79 were female respondents (mean age: 39.8 ± 12.6 years), with the mean age of onset 9 ± 6.1 years. Coulrophobia symptoms were associated with significant psychological distress and with impaired social functioning. About 7.4% of respondents reported severe anxiety with panic attacks. Comorbid disorders included major depressive disorder (9.5%), obsessive-compulsive disorder (5.3%) and panic disorder(3.2%). Individuals with fear-related symptoms were more likely to fulfil DSM-5 criteria for specific phobia.Conclusion: Coulrophobia is a phenomenon that warrants clinical attention, given its association with significant comorbidity, psychological distress and impaired functioning. Several sociodemographic and clinical features are consistent with a diagnosis of specific phobia, although future work employing clinician-administered diagnostic tools is needed to consolidate and extend the findings here
Mental health distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria: Need for psychological intervention
Get PDFBackground: The world began to realise the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in January 2020, and since then the number of people infected has exceeded 1 million globally. In less than 1 month following the first reported case in Nigeria, over 180 people had tested positive to the disease. Studies have shown that such rapidly spreading infectious diseases have the potential to create widespread fear, apprehension, panic and anxiety amongst the general public.Aim: This study aimed at evaluating the impact of information dissemination and public mental healthcare needs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. It also hopes to determine if there is an unmet need for telepsychiatry in Nigeria.Setting: Community-based study covering the North, South and West of Nigeria.Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study using an on-line survey form via the snowballing sampling method.Results: Social media was identified as the main source of information concerning COVID-19, and half of the respondents opined that information dissemination was inadequate. Psychological distress was present in 90.5% of the participants and 61.8% admitted that this distress was worsened by fake news and myths concerning COVID-19. However, 53.8% of the participants were willing to access mental healthcare services, with telepsychiatry being the preferred choice.Conclusion: There is a need to implement a national public mental health service during this emergency. Telepsychiatry has numerous advantages in this context and maybe an opportunity to roll out a novel means of delivering mental healthcare
Common mental disorders amongst frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study
Get PDFBackground: A novel coronavirus had a profound physiological and psychological burden with regards to contracting the disease or uncertainties in the care of infected patients. Especially, at risk are frontline healthcare workers who are participating in the care of such patients.Aim: This study investigated the burden of mental health problems amongst the frontline health workers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Ethiopia.Setting: East Hararghe Zone of Oromia Region and Harari Regional State, Ethiopia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three selected hospitals of COVID-19 treatment centers. Simple random sampling was used to select a sample of 423 participants from each hospital. The self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) was used to assess the presence of common mental disorders. Binary and multivariable logistic regressions were fitted to identify factors associated with common mental disorders. Statistical significance was declared at a p-value less than 0.05.Results: The prevalence of common mental disorders amongst frontline healthcare workers was 22.6%. Being female, married, having had direct contact with COVID-19 patients, working in COVID-19 treatment centers and ICU, having any symptoms of COVID-19, current threemonth use of any substances, and poor social support were found to be strong predictors of common mental disorders in frontline health workers during COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia.Conclusion: The considerable proportions of frontline health care workers have common mental health problems. Strategies need to address COVID-19 related mental health problems, and integrate psychosocial intervention to support the frontline health workers is paramount