104 research outputs found
Deletion of vitamin D receptor leads to premature emphysema/COPD by increased matrix metalloproteinases and lymphoid aggregates formation
No full textDeficiency of vitamin D is associated with accelerated decline in lung function. Vitamin D is a ligand for nuclear hormone vitamin D receptor (VDR), and upon binding it modulates various cellular functions. The level of VDR is reduced in lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which led us to hypothesize that deficiency of VDR leads to significant alterations in lung phenotype that are characteristics of COPD/emphysema associated with increased inflammatory response. We found that VDR knock-out (VDR(-/-)) mice had increased influx of inflammatory cells, phospho-acetylation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) associated with increased proinflammatory mediators, and up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) MMP-2, MMP-9, and MMP-12 in the lung. This was associated with emphysema and decline in lung function associated with lymphoid aggregates formation compared to WT mice. These findings suggest that deficiency of VDR in mouse lung can lead to an early onset of emphysema/COPD because of chronic inflammation, immune dysregulation, and lung destruction
Autonomic neuropathy and impotence in Zambian diabetics
No full textA Study was carried out among male diabetic subjects over a period of six months to determine the prevalences of both autonomic neuropathy and impotence in diabetics in Zambia. The subjects of the study group were from those diabetics attending the diabetic outpatient clinic at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia, Three tests were used to diagnose autonomic neuropathy;
1.A fall in systolic blood pressure of more than 30 mmHg from supine to erect.
2.An abnormal heart rate response to standing measured on an electro cardiogram.
3.An abnormal heart rate response to deep breathing, measured on an electro cardiogram, expressed as Expiratory : Inspiratory (E:l) ratio.The normal E:l ratios had previously been determined in healthy male Zambians.Autonomic neuropathy was considered to be present if any one of the above tests were abnormal.Out of a total of forty two diabetic subjects admitted to the study fifteen (35.7%) had autonomic neuropathy; impotence was present in fourteen subjects (33.3%). The prevalence of autonomic neuropathy in impotent diabetics was 64.3%.These findings are comparable to results where. As symptomatic autonomic neuropathy carries a grave prognosis, this complication should be kept in mind and looked for in all diabetic patients
Development of tools to predict rockburst potential using microseismic and geotechnical data: a case study of Konkola mine no.1 shaft, Zambia.
No full textThesis of Doctor of Philosophy in Mining EngineeringSince 1995, Konkola Mine No.1 Shaft in Zambia has been experiencing increased seismic activity, leading to more rockburst incidents, which could present significant safety and production challenges at deeper levels. This study aimed to develop tools to predict rockburst from microseismic and geotechnical data. The specific objectives were to review and compile the global factors or conditions that cause rockburst, determine the site-specific rockburst indicators at Konkola Mine No. 1 Shaft, develop the tools that can be used to predict rockburst potential based on the determined rockburst indicators and validate the predictive tools on rockburst data from other mines. Seventeen rockburst case histories were collected from different mines around the world and analysed to identify contributing factors to rockbursts. Next, 40 rockburst events captured by the microseismic (MS) monitoring system at the Konkola Mine No.1 Shaft were back analyzed. The 3D modelling software, Leapfrog Geo and Surpac, were used to analyse and visualise the rockburst events and to estimate hypocentral distances from the stopes, respectively. The study found that the global contributing factors to rockburst included geological structures, mining depth, rockmass strength, stress conditions, mining methods and MS. The analysis results revealed that the mines with an orebody dip of 610 to 850 had a higher risk of rockbursts. Additionally, the study found that open stoping and cut and fill mining methods had a higher risk of rockbursts than other mining methods. The study found significant correlations between rockburst at Konkola Mine No.1 Shaft and rock quality designation (RQD), tangential stress (σθ), uniaxial compressive strength (σc), uniaxial tensile strength (σt), linear elastic energy (Wet), and principal in-situ stress (σ1). The results further showed that rockburst patterns were confined by fault zones in the south and north, most rockbursts occurred in excavations within a distance of 0 to 53 m from the ore shale or stopes, and argillaceous sandstone (AGSST), porous conglomerate (PC), footwall sandstones (FWSS), and ore shale (OS) rock types were more susceptible to rockbursts. The study then developed two rockburst predictive tools (RPTs) to forecast rockburst potential based on geotechnical and MS data. The geotechnical-based RPT used RQD, σθ, σc, σt, Wet, and σ1, while the MS-based tool used ML, E, and P factors. Sixteen rockburst cases from a different mine (Mufulira Mine) were used to independently validate the RPTs. The results showed that the MS factor-based RPT had an accuracy of 94 percent, while the geotechnical factor-based RPT had an accuracy of 87.5 percent
Autonomic neuropathy and impotence in Zambian diabetics
No full textA Study was carried out among male diabetic subjects over a period of six months to determine the prevalences of both autonomic neuropathy and impotence in diabetics in Zambia. The subjects of the study group were from those diabetics attending the diabetic outpatient clinic at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia, Three tests were used to diagnose autonomic neuropathy;
1.A fall in systolic blood pressure of more than 30 mmHg from supine to erect.
2.An abnormal heart rate response to standing measured on an electro cardiogram.
3.An abnormal heart rate response to deep breathing, measured on an electro cardiogram, expressed as Expiratory : Inspiratory (E:l) ratio.The normal E:l ratios had previously been determined in healthy male Zambians.Autonomic neuropathy was considered to be present if any one of the above tests were abnormal.Out of a total of forty two diabetic subjects admitted to the study fifteen (35.7%) had autonomic neuropathy; impotence was present in fourteen subjects (33.3%). The prevalence of autonomic neuropathy in impotent diabetics was 64.3%.These findings are comparable to results where. As symptomatic autonomic neuropathy carries a grave prognosis, this complication should be kept in mind and looked for in all diabetic patients
Impact of education leadership and management (ELM) training programme on school head teachers in selected primary schools in Kasama district of Northern province, Zambia.
No full textThesisThis study sought to investigate the impact of education leadership and management (ELM) training programme on school head teachers in selected primary schools in Kasama district of Northern Province of Zambia. The study was necessitated by a number of school managers, particularly in Kasama district who have undergone training in ELM and have since obtained qualifications in this programme. However, the impact of ELM training programme on these graduates has not been established. Therefore, a research was conducted on selected schools in order to ascertain the impact of ELM training programme on its recipients. The objectives of the study were to: establish head teacher’s views on ELM training programme, to investigate the extent to which head teachers have applied the acquired skills of ELM training programme in their schools, and to establish the challenges head teachers encounter in applying ELM training programme in schools. The study was based on Goal setting theory. Goal setting theory shows how the field should progress from a well-known theoretical foundation to sophisticated research application of more effective management practice. It is widely applied in educational management since education is a highly result oriented discipline. The research design for this study was descriptive survey design. A total of 60 respondents comprising of 10 head teachers, 10 deputy head teachers, 10 senior teachers, 20 teachers, 5 standard officers and 5 Lecturers.
The study adopted mixed survey methods meaning that data collection was done using qualitative and quantitative research techniques. The study used purposive sample technique to select the participants. In conducting the survey, document analysis, two sets of questionnaires and interview schedule were drawn up. One set was administered to the head teachers and the other one to Lecturers. Other information from the teachers were obtained using interview schedule only. Simple descriptive tables were employed to analyze the data in order to establish relationship between variables.
The study found out that ELM has helped head teachers to improve overall school performance through prudent leadership and management skills of the institutions. It also promotes efficient and effective leadership and management skills for improved school performance against set goals by the ministry. The study recommended that there is need for ELM to be a prerequisite for one to be promoted to the position of head teacher, ELM should be one of the courses offered to all Colleges of Education including Universities that offer Education degrees and serving head teachers without ELM should be encouraged to undergo ELM training programme
Maternal socio-demographic characteristics and foetal losses: An analysis of data from 2013/14 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey
No full textM ARTS IN POPULATION STUDIESOBJECTIVES: To determine social and demographic characteristics of mothers that were risk
factors for pregnancy losses and; assess the relative importance of respective socioeconomic
and demographic characteristics of mothers in determining the risk of losing a pregnancy
METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional, quantitative design that used data from the
2013/14 ZDHS. Binary logistic regression models were fitted to the data to explore and
determine maternal factors associated with pregnancy losses among Zambian women aged
15-49. A total of 2399 cases were selected from the women’s questionnaire sub dataset. The
following variables were selected: Age of the mother, education, Body Mass Index, Children
ever born, Family planning use, marital status, STI symptoms and age at first child.
RESULTS: Ten and half percent of the women reported having lost a pregnancy in the 12
months before the interview and nearly 75 percent did so within three months of pregnancy.
When all variables were considered together, education and BMI, were not statistically
significantly (α=0.05). The older the woman (older than19 years) the higher the risk of
pregnancy loss, (OR=2.79; 95% CI, 1.45-5.35) for those aged 30-34, (OR=2.53; 95% CI,
1.50-4.29) for those aged 20-29 and (OR=2.51; 95% CI, 1.28-4.92) for those aged 35+. The
risk of losing a pregnancy reduced with increasing number of Children Ever born (CEB)
(OR=0.40; 95% CI, 0.21-0.74) for CEB=1, (OR=0.14; 95% CI, 0.07-0.28) for those with 5+
children. Having had STI symptoms, significantly increased twofold the odds of losing a
pregnancy (OR=2.33; 95% CI, 1.35-4.02). Women who had their first child from 17-19
years, were 32 percent less likely (OR=0.68; 95% CI, 0.47- 1.00) and those who started child
bearing after 19 years, were 54 percent less likely (OR=0.46; 95% CI, 0.29-0.73) to have lost
a pregnancy than those who had their first child before 17 years of age.
Women who were currently using a family planning (FP) method were about 34 percent less
(OR=0.66; 95% CI, 0.45-0.98), and those who had used a method before were about 86
percent more likely (OR=1.86; 95% CI, 1.28-2.68), to experience a pregnancy loss that those
who had never used any contraceptive method. Women who were currently leaving with a
partner, were 17 times more likely (OR=17.04; 95% CI, 4.24-68.45), while those who were
currently married were 13 times more likely (OR=13.03; 95% CI, 7.37-23.05) to experience a
pregnancy loss than those who had never been in a union. Those who were
separated/widowed/divorced were more likely to start FP immediately after pregnancy loss
(29.2% vs 19.3% for those in a union) while those in a union (married/cohabiting) were more
likely to fall pregnant again than those who were separated/widowed/divorced (22.8% vs
16.6%).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study provides indications in the patterns of pregnancy
losses in Zambia. Findings point to concerns raised in other studies on Zambia, that cases
usually reported as miscarriages are mostly induced as indicated by the higher tendency to
promptly turn to family planning after loss among those who were not in formal unions.
Increased access to family planning and screening for STIs may hold the key to reduced
incidence of pregnancy losses, as it is likely to promote delaying the timing at first child and
reduced length of exposure to syphilis during pregnancy as women in Zambia generally
report late for first prenatal visi
Evaluating Groundwater Flow Effects for Enhancement of Ground-Source Heat Pipes in the Case of the Toyohira River Alluvial Fan, Japan
No full textThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential enhancement of ground-source heat pipes by groundwater advection at two sites within an alluvial fan of Toyohira River, Sapporo. Two sites were selected: one in the fan toe, for negligible groundwater flow (Site 1), and the other in the apex for fast flows, the latter characterized by a specific discharge of 1.0 m/d from the losing river (Site 2). The evaporator section(s) of a single (double) heat pipe(s) was installed in a borehole at each site; the condenser section(s) on the ground was placed inside cooled brine at a set temperature, resulting in heat extraction under steady conditions. The single heat pipe experiments showed that the heat extraction rates ranged between 0.23 and 0.79 kW and were not clearly different at the two sites, considering some uncertainty. For double heat pipes, the heat extraction rates were unchanged at Site 1, but were about 146% higher at Site 2 compared to the single tests, due to groundwater advection. This study revealed that the number of ground-source heat pipes required could be reduced from three to two in areas near Site 2
USE OF EXPERIAN MOSAIC TO EXPLORE VARIABILITY IN PROCESS AND OUTCOMES IN LUNG CANCER PATIENTS
No full textIntroduction:Factors such as stage and performance status (PS) areknown to correlate strongly with outcomes in lung cancer. Whilesocioeconomic status (SES) is known to correlate with incidence(following smoking habits), the relationship between care provided/outcomes of care and SES is less clear. Traditionally, SES has beenmeasured by mapping postcode to the Index of MultipleDeprivation (IMD). MOSAIC UK is a system provided byExperian which classifies all consumers in the UK into 61 typesaggregated into 11 groups. We hypothesised that this system mightbe more effective in highlighting differences in cancer care andoutcomes in different SES groups.Methods:All lung cancer patients in the hospital database wereanalysed by mapping postcode to IMD quintiles as well as toMOSAIC groups and types (kindly provided by Experian).Differences in proportions were analysed by x2 analysis and survivalby Kaplan-Meier methods.Results: 527 patients (58% male, 24% female) were used in theanalysis. The proportions in IMD quintiles 1–5 were 12%, 20%,25%, 27% and 17%, respectively (1=most deprived, 5=leastdeprived). Due to small numbers in some MOSAIC types, thelargest five groups were chosen for analysis; similarly, the largest sixMOSAIC groups were analysed . There were nosignificant differences between IMD quintiles or MOSAIC groups/types in the proportion of patients having histological confirmation,emergency presentation, disease stage (IIIA, PS 0–1 and surgicalresection. Similarly, median survival was not significantly differentbetween the SES groups. However, patients in MOSAIC type 22were more likely to have chemotherapy than type 23 (p,0.001).Conclusions: In our study only chemotherapy rates differed betweengroups. This may reflect an absence of any real association, but mayalso be due to a small sample size or a lack of socioeconomicvariation in our catchment population. Use of MOSAIC as a tool toevaluate these differences in larger datasets may still be useful dueto the rich picture of UK consumers in terms of demographics,socioeconomics, lifestyles, culture and behaviour that it provides
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