A comparative study of the cutting efficiency of diamond rotary instruments with different grit sizes with a low-speed electric handpiece against zirconia specimens.

Statement Of Problem: The use of zirconia in dentistry has increased. However, little attention has been given to the difficulty experienced by clinicians when cutting zirconia restorations intraorally. Evidence for which grit size and type of rotary instrument is best for cutting zirconia intraorally is lacking.

Laparoscopic versus open appendectomy: A retrospective cohort study on the management of acute appendicitis (simple and complicated) in children under 13 years of age.

Introduction: Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical emergency with a lifetime incidence of 7%-8%. There are two operative modalities that are currently used for the management of this condition in the paediatric population. The objective of this cohort study was to review the outcome of the management of paediatric surgical patients presenting with acute appendicitis after either an open appendectomy (OA) or laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) was performed.

Do precursor tests influence the performance of Oral Hygiene students in subsequent semester tests?

Introduction: Precursor tests may be useful educational tools in dentistry to enhance learning among Oral Hygiene students, but their application and possible effect on the subsequent performance of these students have not been studied.

Aim: To determine whether precursor tests, used as dental educational and formative assessment tools, influence the performance of undergraduate Oral Hygiene students in ensuing formal semester tests in the discipline of Basic Restorative Dentistry.

Methods: This descriptive cross sectional study involved seventeen consenting Oral Hygiene students.

Inpatients' awareness of admission reasons and management plans of their clinical conditions at a tertiary hospital in South Africa.

Background: Inpatient awareness of the reason for their admission and the planned management enhances patient compliance and empowers patients to be resourceful in subsequent consultations. The objective of this study was to determine patients' awareness of their clinical conditions while admitted to an academic hospital.

Methods: A survey was conducted at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital in Pretoria, from 6 to 17 December 2010, on 264 inpatients drawn from a population of 837 through a systematic sampling method.

Screening, identification and characterization of bacteriocins produced by wine-isolated LAB strains.

Aims: To screen and identify wine-isolated LAB strains for bacteriocin production, and to identify and characterize bacteriocins.

Methods And Results: One hundred and fifty-five LAB strains isolated from South African red wines undergoing spontaneous malolactic fermentation were screened for bacteriocin production. Eight isolates were identified to be bacteriocin producers and were identified as Enterococcus faecium.

A comparison of the pharmacokinetics of Aspen Ceftriaxone and Rocephin in community-acquired meningitis.

Background: Community-acquired bacterial meningitis (CABM) is a life-threatening condition that is common among immunocompromised individuals. Intravenous ceftriaxone, of which Rocephin (ROC) is the originator brand, is recommended as first-line therapy in South Africa. Despite concerns regarding therapeutic equivalence with generic agents, this is the first study that has been conducted comparing clinical pharmacokinetics (PK) of a generic ceftriaxone formulation with the originator.

Achieving blood preSsure goals sTudy in uncontrolled hypeRtensive pAtients treated with a fixed-dose combination of ramipriL/hydrochlorothiazide: the ASTRAL study.

Background: Hypertension is a common cardiovascular disease, affecting adults worldwide and it accounts for up to 30% of all deaths. The need for better control of arterial hypertension justifies observational studies designed to better understand the real-life management of hypertensive patients. The ASTRAL study was primarily designed to evaluate the percentage of hypertensive patients achieving blood pressure goals after eight weeks of treatment with a fixeddose combination of ramipril/hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ).

Randomized controlled trial of trained patient-nominated treatment supporters providing partial directly observed antiretroviral therapy.

Background: Directly observed therapy (DOT) for antiretroviral therapy (ART) may improve adherence, but there are limited data on its clinical effectiveness.

Methods: Adult patients initiating ART in a public clinic in Cape Town, South Africa, were randomized to treatment-supporter DOT-ART or self-administered ART. DOT-ART patients and supporters received baseline and follow-up training and monitoring.

Establishing a risk-assessment process for release of genetically modified wine yeast into the environment.

The use and release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is an issue of intense public concern and, in the case of food and beverages, products containing GMOs or products thereof carry the risk of consumer rejection. The recent commercialization of 2 GM wine yeasts in the United States and Canada has made research and development of risk assessments for GM microorganisms a priority. The purpose of this study was to take a first step in establishing a risk-assessment process for future use and potential release of GM wine yeasts into the environment.

A cross-sectional study of blood pressure control in hypertensive patients in general practice (the I-TARGET study).

Introduction: Despite the availability of multiple effective antihypertensive drugs, hypertension control rates remain poor. The reasons for this are complex, but increasingly, physician inertia has been identified as a crucial factor. In this study we attempted to define the level of blood pressure (BP) control and reasons for not achieving control in a survey of selected general practices within South Africa.

Generic versus non-generic formulation of extended-release clarithromycin in patients with community-acquired respiratory tract infections: a prospective, randomized, comparative, investigator-blind, multicentre study.

Background And Objective: There is a general concern about the use of multisource (generic) antibacterials in the clinical setting with registration based solely on bioequivalence data. In order to address this concern, two modified-release formulations of clarithromycin (i.e.

Patient and provider delay in tuberculosis suspects from communities with a high HIV prevalence in South Africa: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Delay in the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) results in excess morbidity and mortality, particularly among HIV-infected individuals. This study was conducted at a secondary level hospital serving communities with a high HIV prevalence in Cape Town, South Africa. The aim was to describe patient and provider delay in the diagnosis of TB in patients with suspected TB requiring admission, and to determine the risk factors for this delay and the consequences.

Prophylaxis of venous thrombosis in medical patients: A real-world perspective.

Background: Although low-molecular weight heparins (LMWH) have been proven to be efficacious for prophylaxis of venous thrombo-embolism (VTE) in non-surgical patients, their use and safety outside the setting of a clinical trial has not been investigated.

Objective: The objective of this survey was to determine the efficacy and safety of LMWH (enoxaparin) in the prevention of VTE in a study population comprising general medical patients.

Methods: The study involved an open-label, non-controlled, multicentre survey of any patient confined to bed due to medical illness, where the physician had made an independent decision to prescribe LMWH as prophylaxis for VTE.

Costs of measures to control tuberculosis/HIV in public primary care facilities in Cape Town, South Africa.

Objective: To measure the costs and estimate the cost-effectiveness of the ProTEST package of tuberculosis/human immunodeficiency virus (TB/HIV) interventions in primary health care facilities in Cape Town, South Africa.

Methods: We collected annual cost data retrospectively using ingredients-based costing in three primary care facilities and estimated the cost per HIV infection averted and the cost per TB case prevented.

Findings: The range of costs per person for the ProTEST interventions in the three facilities were: US$ 7-11 for voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), US$ 81-166 for detecting a TB case, US$ 92-183 for completing isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) and US$ 20-44 for completing six months of cotrimoxazole preventive therapy.

Effects of triamcinolone on quality of life in patients with persistent allergic rhinitis.

Objective: To study the effects of triamcinolone acetonide on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in adult patients with allergic rhinitis.

Methods: This study was conducted in South Africa as a placebo-controlled, multicenter, randomized, double-blind study. Following a 7-day baseline run-in, patients were treated for 28 days with either triamcinolone or placebo.

Out-of-season breeding of milk goats--the effect of light treatment, melatonin and breed.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectivity of melatonin in addition to light treatment (exposure to 2 hours of light during the night = a long-day photoperiod) to modify the breeding season of Saanen and cross-bred milk goats and to compare the difference between the breeds. Twenty-two Saanen and 22 cross-bred does were randomly divided into 3 treatment groups. Group 1 (controls) received no treatment, Group 2 received light treatment for 37 days and Group 3 received light treatment plus melatonin implants after the light treatment.

The development of bactericidal yeast strains by expressing the Pediococcus acidilactici pediocin gene (pedA) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The excessive use of sulphur dioxide and other chemical preservatives in wine, beer and other fermented food and beverage products to prevent the growth of unwanted microbes holds various disadvantages for the quality of the end-products and is confronted by mounting consumer resistance. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of controlling spoilage bacteria during yeast-based fermentations by engineering bactericidal strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To test this novel concept, we have successfully expressed a bacteriocin gene in yeast.

A survey of animal welfare needs in Soweto.

The diagnostic phase of an interactive research evaluation model was used in the investigation of the animal welfare needs of a low-income urban community in South Africa. Data were gathered by means of a structured interview and direct observations by animal welfare officers. During the survey of 871 animal owners in Soweto, it was found that dogs were owned by 778 households and cats by 88 households.

Combating tuberculosis--lessons learnt from a rural community project in the Klein Drakenstein area of the Western Cape.

Objective: To describe and evaluate a lay worker project designed to enhance the effective control of tuberculosis in a rural/farm setting.

Design: A descriptive cohort study using both qualitative and quantitative research methodology.

Setting And Participants: Farming community in the Klein Drakenstein area of Paarl, Western Cape, with health services provided by the Cape Metropolitan Council.

Shear bond strength of a composite resin to differently silicoated base metal alloys.

This study was undertaken to determine the shear bond strength of Charisma composite resin to both thermal and pyrogenic silicoated base metal alloys namely, Duracast MS, Rexillium V and Wironit extra-hard. The bonded specimens were subjected to three stress treatments prior to shear bond testing. The results indicated that both silicoating techniques significantly improved shear bond strengths to sandblasted alloys, whereas wet heat and thermocycling treatments reduced the bond strengths, except for pyrogenic silicoated Wironit.

Ototoxicity of aminoglycoside drugs in tuberculosis treatment.

The possible ototoxic effect of kanamycin, streptomycin and a standard anti-TB drug combination, used in the treatment of 92 TB patients (7-71 years old), was examined by measuring the highest audible electric bone conduction frequency before and after treatment, using an Audimax 500 audiometer. At the so-called "safe" levels of drug administration it was found that kanamycin was markedly ototoxic, streptomycin very slightly ototoxic and the standard anti-TB drug combination had practically no ototoxic effect. Furthermore, it was found that none of these drugs were gender specific.

A comparison of the metabolic effects of captopril and atenolol on glucose, insulin and lipoproteins in patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension.

The metabolic effects of captopril 25 mg twice daily and atenolol 50 mg daily on glucose, insulin and lipids were compared in 83 otherwise healthy mild-to-moderate hypertensive between the ages of 25 and 60 years in a randomised double-blind trial. Hourly glucose and insulin levels were measured during a 2-hour 75 g oral glucose tolerance test at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment. Lipid profiles including total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, HDL2, HDL3, triglycerides, apoprotein (Apo)A1, ApoB, and Apo(a) were obtained before and after the treatment period.

Tentative age-related norms for high frequency electric bone conduction audiometry.

From 172 male and female patients aged 7-71 years old and admitted in one month to a tuberculosis hospital, 150 had their highest audible electric bone conduction (EBC) frequency evaluated, prior to the commencement of any medical treatment. Various problems in establishing high frequency norms are discussed and from the results of this study tentative age-related highest frequency EBC norms are suggested. Possible clinical applications of evaluating the highest audible EBC frequency is suggested.