Effectiveness of a community based low intensity exercise program for older adults.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a community-based, low-intensity exercise programme in older adults from socio-economically and historically disadvantaged communities.

Design: Three community centres were selected: two were allocated to the same 20-week, twice-weekly exercise program (EX1, n=38; EX2, n=32); and a third to relaxation classes (control/CTL; n=21). Measurements at baseline, 10 and 20 weeks included field tests for anthropometry, static and dynamic balance, gait, upper and lower body strength, 6-minute walk test, blood pressure, activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), physical activity recall and self perceived health status.

A Chiropracticness Test.

Background: There is little homogeneity of opinion in the chiropractic profession about its essence and identity. Matters compromising the establishment of a coherent identity include the issue of vertebral subluxation, philosophy, mercantilism, poverty of qualifications in some chiropractic college faculty, and lack of intellectual productivity in some chiropractic college faculty.

Discussion: The Chiropractic profession has mislabeled rhetoric, supposition and cant as philosophy, whilst showing sparse evidence for the existence of more than a few chiropractors writing in philosophy as a discipline.

Development and validation of instruments measuring body image and body weight dissatisfaction in South African mothers and their daughters.

Objective: We sought to validate questionnaires concerning body image perception, body size dissatisfaction and weight-related beliefs in multi-ethnic South African mothers and their daughters.

Settings And Subjects: Girls attending primary school (ages 9-12 years, n = 333) and their mothers (n = 204) were interviewed regarding their demographics and body image. Weight, height and skinfold thicknesses were measured.

Development of a novel nutrition screening tool for use in elderly South Africans.

Objective: To develop a nutrition screening tool for use in older South Africans.

Design: A cross-sectional validation study in 283 free-living and institutionalised black South Africans (60+ years).

Methods: Trained field-workers administered a 24-hour recall and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) screening tool, and performed anthropometric measurements and physical function tests.

Subluxation: dogma or science?

Subluxation syndrome is a legitimate, potentially testable, theoretical construct for which there is little experimental evidence. Acceptable as hypothesis, the widespread assertion of the clinical meaningfulness of this notion brings ridicule from the scientific and health care communities and confusion within the chiropractic profession. We believe that an evidence-orientation among chiropractors requires that we distinguish between subluxation dogma vs.

Ethnic differences in intake and excretion of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium in South Africans.

Objectives: To determine any differences in the urinary excretion and dietary intake of sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium intake in three South African ethnic groups, and to assess whether the blood pressure-cation association varies according to ethnic status.

Design: A cross-sectional study of 325 black, white and mixed-ancestry men and women, conveniently sampled in Cape Town. Twenty-four-hour urine samples were collected on three separate occasions for assessment of urinary electrolytes, and three 24-h dietary recalls for the corresponding urine collection times were administered by two trained fieldworkers.

Micronutrient dilution associated with added sugar intake in elderly black South African women.

Objectives: To investigate the association between added sugar and macronutrient and micronutrient intakes, and to assess whether added sugar intake is related to biochemical indices of nutritional status, Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) score, body mass index (BMI) and performance on physical function tests.

Design: A cross-sectional, analytical study.

Setting And Subjects: Convenient sample of 285 institutionalised and community-dwelling black South African men and women aged 60+ y.

Knowledge of iodine nutrition in the South African adult population.

Objectives: To determine the level of knowledge regarding iodine nutrition and its relationship with socio-economic status in the South African population.

Design: A cross-sectional population survey collecting questionnaire information on knowledge of iodine nutrition and sociodemographic variables in a multistage, stratified, cluster study sample, representative of the adult South African population.

Setting: Home visits and personal interviews in the language of the respondent.

Generation of a monoclonal human single chain antibody fragment to hepatic stellate cells--a potential mechanism for targeting liver anti-fibrotic therapeutics.

Background/aims: Hepatic stellate cells are pivotal to fibrogenesis in the liver and many potential anti-fibrotic therapeutics are required to act on targets within hepatic stellate cells. The aim of this study was to generate a human antibody fragment to hepatic stellate cells.

Methods: Phage display was used to generate a human monoclonal antibody fragment to a peptide sequence present on an extracellular domain of synaptophysin, a protein expressed on the surface of hepatic stellate cells.

Beliefs, attitudes, and practices of breastfeeding mothers from a periurban community in South Africa.

The aim of this study was to document the breastfeeding practices, beliefs, and attitudes of periurban South African lactating mothers with infants younger than 6 months. None of the mothers (n = 115, mean age 26 +/- 6.3 years) reported exclusively breastfeeding their infants, with complementary breastfeeding being the most practiced (78%) feeding mode.

Predictors of food variety and dietary diversity among older persons in Botswana.

Objective: We investigated whether food variety and diversity are associated with physical and cognitive functioning in older adults in Botswana and designed a simple set of screening questions that predict food variety in this population.

Methods: Data were collected (1998) as a national household survey of 1085 subjects 60 y and older. A food variety score, based on a food frequency checklist, was calculated by summing the frequency of weekly intakes of 16 food items (0 to 66).

Diet and blood pressure in South Africa: Intake of foods containing sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium in three ethnic groups.

Objectives: We investigated whether habitual intakes of sodium (Na), potassium, magnesium, and calcium differ across South African ethnic groups, assessed the proportion of Na intake, which is discretionary, and identified which food sources were the major contributors to Na intake.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 325 black, white, and mixed ancestry hypertensive and normotensive subjects. Three repeated 24-h urine samples were collected for assessment of urinary Na, and three corresponding 24-h dietary recalls were administered by trained fieldworkers.

Lifetime physical activity and determinants of estimated bone mineral density using calcaneal ultrasound in older South African adults.

Unlabelled: Increased levels of physical activity (PA) have been linked to higher peak bone mass and increased bone area. The aim of the study was to identify the association between lifetime and current PA with estimated Bone Mineral Density (BMD) in a population of older, socio-economically disadvantaged South Africans of mixed racial ancestry.

Methods: Estimated BMD and T-scores were measured using calcaneal ultrasound (SAHARATM) in 47 men and 105 women, mean age, 65 +/-7 years.

Full-term, peri-urban South African infants under 6 months of age are at risk for early-onset anaemia.

Objective: There is a paucity of data on the micronutrient status of low-income, lactating South African women and their infants under 6 months of age. The aim of this study was to elucidate the level of anaemia and vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in peri-urban breast-feeding women and their young infants.

Design: Cross-sectional study including anthropometric, biochemical and infant feeding data.

Sources and credibility of nutrition information among black urban South African women, with a focus on messages related to obesity.

Objectives: (1) To identify the major sources of nutrition information, and the perceived credibility thereof, among urban black South African women; and (2) to determine the level of knowledge regarding nutrition, particularly regarding the topic of obesity.

Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study that was both qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative (individual questionnaires). Three hundred and ninety-four black women aged 17-49 years were conveniently sampled from the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces in South Africa.

Ultrasound bone measurements in pre-adolescent girls: interaction between ethnicity and lifestyle factors.

Aim: We obtained calcaneal ultrasound measurements in 198 girls between 7.5 and 11.7 y of age, representing ethnic groups (black [n = 80], white [n = 41], mixed ancestral origin [n = 77]) in South Africa.

Immediate life support training in an operational environment.

The Immediate Life Support (ILS) course is a 1 day programme designed by the Resuscitation Council (UK) to bridge the gap between Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS). During the build up to Operation TELIC, the aim was to provide ILS training to all staff who may be involved in the acute care of patients within PCRF ARGUS, and also to members of staff from other units who may be involved in similar situations. In total, 101 staff received ILS training during Op TELIC, all of whom were successful in completing the course.

Identification of a truncated ratp28-related protein expressed in kidney.

An RT-PCR based strategy to clone the membrane-associated steroid binding protein ratp28 additionally amplified a novel sequence-related PCR product termed HC5. The HC5 PCR product was cloned and sequenced and showed 94% nucleotide sequence similarity to ratp28. The HC5 cDNA sequence open reading frame encodes a predicted 75 amino acid (8.

Lowered plasma vitamin C, but not vitamin E, concentrations in dementia patients.

Background: Alzheimer s disease (AD), according to the free radical hypothesis, affects brain regions where free radical damage occurs. Antioxidant nutrients may help to protect these brain regions.

Objective: To investigate whether plasma vitamin C and E status is lowered in subjects with AD and dementia.

Influence of cranberry juice on the urinary risk factors for calcium oxalate kidney stone formation.

Objective: To investigate the potential influence of cranberry juice on urinary biochemical and physicochemical risk factors associated with the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones, as this product might affect the chemical composition of urine.

Subjects And Methods: Urinary variables were assessed in a randomized cross-over trial in 20 South African men (students) with no previous history of kidney stones. The first group of 10 subjects drank 500 mL of cranberry juice diluted with 1500 mL tap water for 2 weeks, while the second group drank 2000 mL of tap water for the same period.

Development and validation of a knowledge test for health professionals regarding lifestyle modification.

Objectives: We wanted to develop and validate a test that assesses the knowledge and practices of health professionals (HPs) with regard to the role of nutrition, physical activity, and smoking cessation (lifestyle modification) in chronic diseases of lifestyle.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional validation study was carried out. The validation design consisted of two phases, namely 1) test planning and development and 2) test evaluation.

The use of iodised salt in the manufacturing of processed foods in South Africa: bread and bread premixes, margarine, and flavourants of salty snacks.

Salt is widely used by the food industry, but information on the use of iodised salt as an ingredient in the manufacturing of processed foods in South Africa is not available. The iodine content of salt used in the manufacturing of bread, margarine and salty snack flavourants was investigated in a cross-sectional descriptive study. Questionnaire information and salt sampled on 1 day per week for 5 consecutive weeks were obtained from 12 food manufacturers (eight bread and bread premix manufacturers, two margarine manufacturers and two salty snack flavourant manufacturers).

Cues to deception.

Do people behave differently when they are lying compared with when they are telling the truth? The combined results of 1,338 estimates of 158 cues to deception are reported. Results show that in some ways, liars are less forthcoming than truth tellers, and they tell less compelling tales. They also make a more negative impression and are more tense.

Eating well: ageing gracefully!

The potential impact of dietary manipulation on the maintenance of physical and cognitive function between middle and old age has profound consequences for optimization of health, independence and well-being for the latter years. This review article considers four key areas: the role of diet and longevity; potential dietary measures to prevent sarcopenia; diet and cognitive function; and dietary interventions with regard to primary or secondary prevention of age-related chronic disorders. Caloric restriction has been shown to slow ageing and maintain health status in both primates and rats.