Showing papers by "University of Zimbabwe published in 1998"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used panel data to investigate responses of one set of households to the risk of a major droughts in rural households in Zimbabwe and found that the main private coping mechanism is the sale of cattle.
314 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify and assess long-term impacts of land use change on catchment runoff in semi-arid Zimbabwe, based on analyses of long hydrological time series (25-50 years) from six medium-sized (200-1000 km2) non-experimental rural catchments.
296 citations
TL;DR: The most significant technological change since the 1960s has been the development and use of F1 hybrid seed, which has lead to a dramatic improvement in the crop’s productivity.
Abstract: Sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, is the world’s fifth most important cereal crop, cultivated on about 45 million hectares for food, feed, beverage, and fodder. The most significant technological change since the 1960s has been the development and use of F1 hybrid seed (14), which has lead to a dramatic
improvement in the crop’s productivity. Sorghum cultivation in intensive, commercialized systems where yields average 3 to 5 t ha-1 relies almost totally on hybrid seed. In contrast, yields vary widely and average less than 1 t ha-1 in low-input production systems.
160 citations
TL;DR: A common mechanism for the development of depression, as defined by international criteria, between Zimbabwe and London is indicated and the high frequency of severe events, and their especially adverse qualities, offer an explanation for the high incidence of depression in Harare.
Abstract: Background. A previous paper (Abas & Broadhead, 1997) reported that among 172 women randomly selected from a Zimbabwean township 30‐8% had a depressive or anxiety disorder during the previous year. Compared with London, the higher annual prevalence of disorders in Harare could mostly be accounted for by an excess of onset cases in the study year (annual incidence of depression 18%). This paper reports on the role of life events and diculties in the aetiology of depression among these women. Method. Randomly selected women (N fl 172) from a township in Harare were interviewed with a Zimbabwean modification of the Bedford College Life Events and Diculties Schedule (LEDS). Results. Events and diculties proved critical in provoking the onset of depression in Harare. Far more events occurring in Harare were severe or disruptive. Furthermore, a proportion of the Harare severe events were more threatening than have been described in London. As in London, certain types of severe event were particularly depressogenic, i.e. those involving the woman’s humiliation, her entrapment in an ongoing dicult situation, or bereavement. However, more severe events in Harare involved these specific dimensions. Conclusions. Results indicate a common mechanism for the development of depression, as defined by international criteria, between Zimbabwe and London. The high frequency of severe events, and their especially adverse qualities, oer an explanation for the high incidence of depression in Harare.
139 citations
TL;DR: The lack of such crucial resources as finance and an environment conducive to civic activity are, as the author suggests, major inhibitions to the development of Africa's civil society as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: There certainly exists an African civil society which is actively seeking to raise the living standards of citizens as well as to promote and protect their rights and interests.The lack of such crucial resources as finance and an environment conducive to civic activity are, however, as the author suggests, major inhibitions to the development of Africa’s civil society. In combating these problems, Africa will need external donor support in various forms for quite some time to come.
135 citations
TL;DR: The authors examines the many, overlapping discourses that are constructed into the dominant ideology of masculinity and that contrive to "unsay" indigenous male-to-male sexualities and draws lessons for researchers on the importance of interrogating the silences around masculinity.
Abstract: Many black Zimbabweans believe that homosexuality was introduced to the country by white settlers and is now mainly propagated by ‘the West’. The denial of indigenous homosexual behaviours and identities is often so strong that critics have been quick with accusations of homophobia. Yet those critics unfairly impose a rather crude and ultimately unhelpful analysis. Without denying that violent forms of homophobia do exist in Zimbabwe, the invisibility of indigenous homosexualities has more complex origins. This article examines the many, overlapping discourses that are constructed into the dominant ideology of masculinity and that contrive to ‘unsay’ indigenous male‐to‐male sexualities. It seeks in that way to gain insight into the over determination of assertively masculinist behaviour among Zimbabwean men today. It also draws lessons for researchers on the importance of interrogating the silences around masculinity.
127 citations
TL;DR: This study provides a unique basis for the development of novel management strategies for patients with cryptococcal meningitis who reside in resource-poor countries.
Abstract: A prospective observational study was conducted over a 10-month period to determine the clinical and laboratory manifestations of cryptococcal meningitis in Zimbabwe, a country where antifungal agents are not widely available. Eighty-nine patients with cryptococcal meningitis (median age, 34 years; range, 11-63 years; 56 males) were identified from 406 patients for whom a clinical diagnosis of meningitis had been made. All patients tested were positive for antibody to human immunodeficiency virus. Cryptococcal meningitis was the first AIDS-defining illness in 88% of patients. Typical presentations were headache, mental impairment, and meningism (median duration, 14 days; range, 1-180 days). The median CD4+ cell count was 70/microL (range, 0-651/microL). The cumulative median survival from the time of diagnosis was 14 days (range, 0-233 days); 22% of patients survived for >30 days. Independent indicators of a good prognosis were not identified. This study provides a unique basis for the development of novel management strategies for patients with cryptococcal meningitis who reside in resource-poor countries.
114 citations
University of Hong Kong1, University of the Western Cape2, University of California, Berkeley3, Universiti Sains Malaysia4, Tribhuvan University5, Massey University6, Nanjing Normal University7, University of Manitoba8, City University of Hong Kong9, University of San Carlos10, University of Western Sydney11, University of Zimbabwe12, Magadh University13, Addis Ababa University14
TL;DR: This paper found that participants from the 10 collectivist cultures placed greater salience for their self-concepts on "family values" than did those from the individualist cultures, but this cultural difference was not found for social relationships.
Abstract: Ratings of the importance of and satisfaction with 20 areas of the self were obtained from 3604 first or second year social science undergraduates from 14 countries (15 cultures). Factor analysis at the culture by gender level supported four factors for both sets of ratings. The resulting factor scores were analyzed for mean differences according to the cultural dimension of Individualism-Collectivism by Gender and by correlations with other cultural dimenions and economic indicators. It was found that participants from the 10 collectivist cultures placed greater salience for their self-concepts on “family values” than did those from the individualist cultures. However, this cultural difference was not found for “social relationships”. The expected gender differences, with females valuing “family values” and “social relationships” more highly, were found only for the individualist countries. The findings indicate that there may be a strong cultural level interaction effect between gender and Individualism-Collectivism on the nature of self-conceptions, and that the “family” and “social” aspects of self-concept in collectivist countries need to be considered separately.
113 citations
TL;DR: This article reported a U-Pb zircon age of 1105 ± 2 Ma for the extensive Umkondo dolerites in eastern Zimbabwe, which are part of a large igneous province that can be traced over much of southern Africa and originally contiguous parts of East Antarctica.
Abstract: We report a U-Pb zircon age of 1105 ± 2 Ma for the extensive Umkondo dolerites in eastern Zimbabwe, which are part of a large igneous province that can be traced over much of southern Africa and originally contiguous parts of East Antarctica. Other members of the province include widespread tholeiitic intrusions in Botswana and South Africa, bimodal volcanic rocks in Botswana and Namibia, and dolerites and flood basalts in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Available data indicate that substantial parts of the province were emplaced in a restricted interval at ca. 1.1 Ga and originated from a large-scale mantle thermal anomaly inboard of a coeval continental-margin orogen. Striking similarities in age and tectonic setting between the Umkondo igneous province and widespread 1.1 Ga within-plate magmatism in Laurentia are consistent with reconstructions of the early Neoproterozoic Rodinia supercontinent that place southern Africa and Dronning Maud Land off the southern tip of Laurentia.
109 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors employ their own research using Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) in a Zimbabwean Resettlement Area, to examine how knowledge is created through this type of research act, and how later research may be used to turn back and make sense of PRA data.
Abstract: The increased popularity of ‘participatory’ methods in research, development projects, and rural extension in developing countries, has not consistently been accompanied by a critical evaluation of the quality and reliability of knowledge created and extracted in the process. In this article, the author employs her own research using Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) in a Zimbabwean Resettlement Area, to examine how knowledge is created through this type of research act, and how later research may be used to turn back and ‘make sense’ of PRA data. The article explores how power relations among participants are both revealed and concealed in PRA, focusing specifically on the implications for gendered perspectives. The paper also highlights the dynamic, contested and often contradictory nature of ‘local knowledge’ itself. Apparently transparent chunks of ‘local reality’ gleaned through PRA can turn out to be part of complex webs of multiple ideologies and practices. The author argues that while participatory methodologies may offer effective ways of beginning a research project, adoption of short PRA workshops in academic or project related research could lead to dangerously faulty representations of complex social worlds.
94 citations
TL;DR: A brief method of detecting women at high risk of developing a postnatal mental disorder can be used with reasonable accuracy in the 8th month of pregnancy, and interventions applied to this high risk group can reduce their postnatal morbidity.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Postnatal mental disorders are common causes of morbidity but are rarely diagnosed or treated in busy primary care clinics in developing countries. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a brief psychiatric screening questionnaire used in the 8th month of pregnancy can predict postnatal mental disorder. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SITE: A peri-urban settlement in Zimbabwe. POPULATION: 500 women in the 8th month of pregnancy identified by traditional birth attendants and primary care clinics. SAMPLE: "High risk" cohort consisted of all women who scored 8 or more on the Shona Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ), an indigenous psychiatric questionnaire (n = 95). Low risk cohort consisted of 105 women randomly selected from the remainder of the sampling frame. OUTCOME MEASURE: Revised Clinical Interview Schedule at six to eight weeks postpartum; scores of 14 or more indicate psychiatric caseness. RESULTS: The prevalence of postnatal mental illness was 16%. Odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for high risk women becoming cases in the postnatal period were 10.6, 4.8, 23.9, p < 0.0001 after adjustment for age, marital status, and occupation. CONCLUSIONS: A brief method of detecting women at high risk of developing a postnatal mental disorder can be used with reasonable accuracy in the 8th month of pregnancy. Further research is needed to determine whether interventions applied to this high risk group can reduce their postnatal morbidity.
TL;DR: The correlation between HIV and HSV-2 remained significant after controlling for multiple sex partners, paying for sex, and history of sexually transmitted disease, and if the association between HSv-2 and HIV is causal, then the high seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 suggests that suppressive HSV -2 treatment should be considered as a strategy to reduce HIV transmission in this population.
Abstract: To determine the seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), to identify correlates of infection, and to describe the correlation with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositivity, 224 HIV-negative and 191 HIV-positive male factory workers in Zimbabwe were screened for HSV-2-specific antibodies. HSV-2 seroprevalence was 35.7% among HIV-negative subjects and 82.7% among HIV-positive subjects. The weighted estimate of HSV-2 seroprevalence in this population is 44.6%. The correlation between HIV and HSV-2 remained significant after controlling for multiple sex partners, paying for sex, and history of sexually transmitted disease (adjusted odds ratio, 8.0; 95% confidence interval, 4.8-13.1). If the association between HSV-2 and HIV is causal, then the high seroprevalence of HIV and HSV-2 suggests that suppressive HSV-2 treatment should be considered as a strategy to reduce HIV transmission in this population. HSV-2 seroconversion may be a suitable surrogate end point to evaluate HIV prevention interventions.
TL;DR: Incubation temperature had a significant effect on starter growth rate and the rate of production and amount of the malty compounds, lactate, diacetyl, ethanol, acetoin and acetaldehyde, and 3-Methyl butanal concentrations were above the taste threshold level of 0.06 ppm in almost all products, including stored products.
TL;DR: Segregation analysis provides further evidence for a genetic influence on iron overload in Africans through an interaction between a postulated iron-loading gene and dietary iron content.
TL;DR: The findings suggest that serum transferrin receptors are decreased in the presence of iron overload, in keeping with the regulation of transferrin receptor expression at the cellular level.
Abstract: To test the hypothesis that the quantities of circulating transferrin receptors are reduced in iron overload, we studied serum transferrin receptors and indirect measures of iron status in 150 subjects from rural Zimbabwe. We found significant inverse correlations between serum concentrations of transferrin receptors and ferritin, the ratio of ferritin to aspartate aminotransferase, and transferrin saturation ( r ≥0.44; P 300 μg/L and transferrin saturation >60%) was 1.55 ± 0.61 mg/L, significantly lower than the 2.50 ± 0.62 mg/L in 75 subjects with normal iron stores (ferritin 20–300 μg/L and transferrin saturation 15–55%; P <0.0005) and the 2.83 ± 1.14 mg/L in 8 subjects with iron deficiency (ferritin <20 μg/L; P = 0.001). In keeping with the regulation of transferrin receptor expression at the cellular level, our findings suggest that serum transferrin receptors are decreased in the presence of iron overload.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The percentage distribution of the mental foremen in relation to the lower teeth in the adult Black Zimbabwean mandible was at variance with that of other population groups, however, the quantitative position of themental foremen was bilaterally symmetrical in theadult Black Zimbabwea mandible.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE To provide some anatomical information on the shape, size, and position of the mental foramen among Black Zimbabweans that could be used as reference material by dental and other health practitioners during clinical practice in Zimbabwe. DESIGN Cross sectional anatomical study. SETTING Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zimbabwe, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe. SUBJECTS 32 mandibles derived from adult Black Zimbabweans. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The shape of the mental foramen, its relation to the lower teeth and its position in relation to the mandibular symphysis, the posterior border of the ramus of the mandible, the lower border of the mandible, and the alveolar margin. RESULTS The shape of the mental foramen was round in 14 out of 32 mandibles (43.8%) and was oval in the remaining 18 (56.3%). The percentage of occurrence of the mental foramen was highest below the lower second premolar tooth on the right side (position 4) and posterior to it on the left side (position 5). In the vertical plane, the mental foramen lay slightly below the midpoint of the distance between the lower border of the mandible and the alveolar margin (44.1% and 45.5% for the right and left sides respectively). In the horizontal plane, it lay approximately one quarter (27.3% for the right and 27.4% for the left sides) of the distance from the mandibular symphysis to the posterior border of the ramus of the mandible. CONCLUSION The percentage distribution of the mental foremen in relation to the lower teeth in the adult Black Zimbabwean mandible was at variance with that of other population groups. However, the quantitative position of the mental foremen was bilaterally symmetrical in the adult Black Zimbabwean mandible. The latter observation is of clinical significance to dental and other health practitioners in Zimbabwe with regards to the achievement of effective mental nerve block anaesthesia and the prevention of damage to the mental nerve during surgical procedures on the lower jaw.
TL;DR: In the Shamva-Bindura greenstone belt, early layer-parallel shear zones began to form at 2670 Ma and accommodated imbricate stacking of oceanic and volcanic arc material between large nappe structures with felsic gneiss cores.
Abstract: Structural-metamorphic data and mineral ages from the northern parts of the Zimbabwe craton indicate that Archean crustal formation and stabilization evolved in two stages. In the Shamva-Bindura greenstone belt, early layer-parallel shear zones began to form at 2670 Ma and accommodated imbricate stacking of oceanic and volcanic arc material between large nappe structures with felsic gneiss cores. The resultant crustal pile of anomalously hot felsic and mafic crustal slices reached isostatic and mechanical equilibrium at a thickness of 35 km. Further shortening of this pile caused strain partitioning into vertical strike-slip zones. The subsequent establishment of an equilibrium geotherm resulted in large-scale crustal melting and diapirism between 2620 and 2600 Ma. The rise of the melt and diapirs caused a second transient metamorphic imprint and much of the strain pattern regarded as typical for the Zimbabwe craton. This diapiric stage led to cooling and stabilization of the craton.
TL;DR: The results of a retrospective survey on the mortality and life situation of individuals with spinal cord injuries sustained through trauma are presented, however major unresolved problems are inadequate housing, lack of financial support, practically no prospect of employment and depression compounded by boredom.
Abstract: Spinal cord injury is a common occurrence in Zimbabwe and carries with it a high morbidity and mortality. In the past almost all patients discharged from hospital were dead within a year. Reasons for this high mortality are presented. The establishment of the National Rehabilitation Centre has had a profound impact on the survival of these individuals as well as on improving their quality of life. The results of a retrospective survey on the mortality and life situation of individuals with spinal cord injuries sustained through trauma are presented. However major unresolved problems are inadequate housing, lack of financial support, practically no prospect of employment and depression compounded by boredom.
TL;DR: Compared the purE-pepN regions of various H. influenzae laboratory strains and clinical isolates are compared to reconstructed a hypothetical ancestral genotype, the extended hif cluster, and it is proposed that a progenitor strain acquired the extended cluster by horizontal transfer and that other variants arose as deletions.
Abstract: Haemophilus influenzae is a ubiquitous colonizer of the human respiratory tract and causes diseases ranging from otitis media to meningitis. Many H. influenzae isolates express pili (fimbriae), which mediate adherence to epithelial cells and facilitate colonization. The pilus gene (hif) cluster of H. influenzae type b maps between purE and pepN and resembles a pathogenicity island: it is present in invasive strains, absent from the nonpathogenic Rd strain, and flanked by direct repeats of sequence at the insertion site. To investigate the evolution and role in pathogenesis of the hif cluster, we compared the purE-pepN regions of various H. influenzae laboratory strains and clinical isolates. Unlike Rd, most strains had an insert at this site, which usually was the only chromosomal locus of hif DNA. The inserts are diverse in length and organization: among 20 strains, nine different arrangements were found. Several nontypeable isolates lack hif genes but have two conserved open reading frames (hicA and hicB) upstream of purE; their inferred products are small proteins with no data bank homologs. Other isolates have hif genes but lack hic DNA or have combinations of hif and hic genes. By comparing these arrangements, we have reconstructed a hypothetical ancestral genotype, the extended hif cluster. The hif region of INT1, an invasive nontypeable isolate, resembles the hypothetical ancestor. We propose that a progenitor strain acquired the extended cluster by horizontal transfer and that other variants arose as deletions. The structure of the hif cluster may correlate with colonization site or pathogenicity.
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of wet/dry cycles on microstructure of Vertisol from Zimbabwe were investigated and compared to undisturbed samples of the field soil, showing that a fine porous structure may be rapidly regenerated from an unfavourable dense structure through this method of wetting.
TL;DR: It is concluded that oral potassium iodide is effective for the prophylaxis of iodine deficiency if given as a dose of 30 mg I monthly or 8 mg biweekly.
TL;DR: Although the quantity of protein provided no nutritional explanation for inclusion of lower energy foods in the diet, the quality of protein may differ between food types, and Herbivorous tortoises are known to face limitations from calcium and sodium balance.
Abstract: 1. Mixed diets are common in vertebrates, and may be explained by several hypotheses including the availability and nutrient composition of different types of food, the presence of toxins, associative effects in digestion or non-nutritional factors such as foraging efficiency or predation. This study investigated diet mixing in the omnivorous tortoise Kinixys spekii, which consumes fungi, vascular plants and invertebrates in the field. Tortoises feeding ad libitum on these three diets had a higher intake of digestible energy from fungi than from leaves or millipedes (69, 42 and 31 kJ kg–1 day–1 respectively).
2. Tortoises offered pairwise combinations of foods chose mostly that giving the highest rate of digestible energy intake; 73:27 fungi:leaves, 92:8 fungi:millipedes, and 91:9 leaves:millipedes, by wet mass. Nevertheless, some of the food giving a lower energy intake was eaten.
3. Tortoises feeding ad libitum on a mixed diet (90:10 leaves:millipedes by wet mass) had similar food intake rates and gut retention times to those feeding on leaves. The digestibility of energy was lower for the mixed diet than for diets of leaves or millipedes; a significant negative associative effect.
4. The rate of intake of dry mass did not differ between the three pure diets, the selected diets, or the mixed diet, though this was about 50% higher at 30 °C than outdoors, and represents a limitation due to digestion or appetite. Intake of other foods decreased the intake of dry mass of the preferred food, fungi, by an equal amount.
5. The three foods had similar levels of protein as a proportion of dry mass, partly because of the high ash content of millipedes. The digestibility of protein was higher in millipedes, but the rate of intake of total and of digestible protein was in the same rank order as that of energy (fungi > leaves > millipedes). Although the quantity of protein provided no nutritional explanation for inclusion of lower energy foods in the diet, the quality of protein may differ between food types.
6. Herbivorous tortoises are known to face limitations from calcium and sodium balance. Fungi had a lower level of calcium and a lower ratio of sodium:potassium than leaves; millipedes had values higher than leaves. Foods that are non-optimal in terms of energy are probably included in the diet for micronutrients such as minerals or essential amino acids.
TL;DR: Geographic and demographic differences in patients affect gB distribution and should be considered before associations of gB genotypes and virulence are made.
Abstract: To test the hypothesis that human cytomegalovirus (CMV) gB genotype may differ with geographic origin or patient demographics, CMV DNA was amplified for gB typing from immunocompromised patients in Italy and Africa and compared with previously reported frequencies in California. Increased gB2 frequency occurred in Italian homosexual AIDS patients, as compared with both Italian heterosexual injection drug users with AIDS and heterosexual Zimbabwe AIDS patients. Occurrence of gB3 in Italy was higher in injection drug users than in homosexual AIDS patients. The incidence of gB4 was higher overall in the Italian as compared with the California patients. Therefore geographic and demographic differences in patients affect gB distribution and should be considered before associations of gB genotypes and virulence are made.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: This study has demonstrated that a number of first year medical students of the University of Zimbabwe were at various levels of stress and/or depression and those students in the extreme stress or depression group need serious attention.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To assess stress levels among first year medical students at the University of Zimbabwe. DESIGN: A cross sectional study using two questionnaires. SETTING: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zimbabwe, Mount Pleasant, harare, Zimbabwe. SUBJECTS: First year medical students aged between 18 and 24 years who have spent about seven months in the medical school. RESULTS: A total of 109 out of 123 first year medical students were used in the study. The two questionnaires produced similar results with an average of about 35.5% normal and an average of 64.5% of the students being at various levels of stress and or depression. About 11% reported very high levels of stress while the majority of the stressed students fell within the middle bracket. The number of affected students decreased as the level of stress and depression increased and demonstrates the differences in the stress threshold of the individual students. Estimation of suicide tendencies from both questionnaires showed that about 12% of the students were at serious risk and about 20% at lesser risk of psychological and emotional depression. The stratification of group 2 of SRQ-20 was valuable in isolating those students seriously stressed and/or depressed. CONCLUSION: This study has demonstrated that a number of first year medical students of the University of Zimbabwe were at various levels of stress and/or depression. Those students in the extreme stress or depression group need serious attention. This state of psychological and emotional distress in the subsequent years of medical training and during the professional years may lead to serious social consequences. A system of identifying students with low stress threshold early in their training is recommended as well as a means of helping them to deal with the stress and its causes. Language: en
TL;DR: In sub‐Saharan Africa, TB pleural effusions have become associated with older age, a chronic onset, and an increased mycobacterial load, and these data emphasize the complex relationship between pleural TB, HIV infection and a low CD41 count.
Abstract: objective To elucidate the relationship between HIV, CD41 count and pleural TB.method In a prospective study, 94 patients presenting at two large Harare hospitals with clinically suspected pleural TB were enrolled over a 10-month period. All underwent standardized evaluation, closed pleural aspiration and biopsy. Patients receiving directly observed anti-TB therapy were followed-up.results Pleural TB was diagnosed in 90 individuals (median age 33 years; range 18-65; 64 males); the seroprevalence of HIV was 85%. HIV-positive patients were older than HIV-negative individuals (median age 33 vs 23 years, P= 0.013) and had a significantly lower median CD41 count (191 vs 1106 × 106/l respectively, P= 0.004). A CD41 count of 30 days (65% vs 37%; P= 0.05), a positive pleural fluid smear (37% vs 0%; P= 0.0006) and a positive pleural biopsy Ziehl-Neelsen stain (35% vs 7%; P= 0.021). However, a relationship between CD41 count and either pleural granuloma formation or radiological evidence of disseminated disease was not observed.conclusion In sub-Saharan Africa, TB pleural effusions have become associated with older age, a chronic onset, and an increased mycobacterial load. These data emphasize the complex relationship between pleural TB, HIV infection and a low CD41 count.
TL;DR: This is the first study to demonstrate a positive association between maternal obesity and pre-eclampsia risk in a black African population and biological mechanisms thought to explain this relatively consistent epidemiological finding include endothelial cell injury, possibly resulting from hyperlipidaemia.
Abstract: Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity is a risk factor for preeclampsia (proteinuric hypertension in pregnancy) among North American and European women. We studied the relationship between maternal obesity and risk of pre-eclampsia among Zimbabwean women. A case-control study was conducted at Harare Maternity Hospital Harare Zimbabwe between June 1995 and April 1996. Study participants were 144 women with pre-eclampsia and 194 normotensive women serving as controls. Maternal weight height and mid-arm circumference were measured and recorded during study participants postpartum hospital admission. Maternal mid-arm circumference considered to be relatively stable during pregnancy among women of developing countries was used as the primary indicator of maternal pre-pregnancy obesity. Logistic regression procedures were used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. There were linear trends in risk of preeclampsia with increasing mid-arm circumference increasing weight and increasing body mass index. After adjusting for potential confounding factors women in the highest quintile for mid-arm circumference (28-39 cm) were 4.4 times more likely to have had their pregnancy complicated by pre-eclampsia than women in the lowest quintile (21-23 cm). Odds ratios of similar magnitude were observed for the other anthropometric measures. To our knowledge this is the first study to demonstrate a positive association between maternal obesity and pre-eclampsia risk in a black African population. Biological mechanisms thought to explain this relatively consistent epidemiological finding include endothelial cell injury possibly resulting from hyperlipidaemia. (authors)
TL;DR: Fetal size may be inversely related to systolic blood pressure in childhood in an African population of schoolchildren in Harare city, Zimbabwe.
Abstract: AIM—To determine whether poor uterine growth may be associated with increased blood pressure and subsequent hypertension in adulthood.
METHODS—A retrospective cohort study of 756 schoolchildren (mean age 6.5 years) was carried out in six low income areas in Harare city, Zimbabwe. Indices of intrauterine growth and blood pressure were assessed.
RESULTS—Adjusted for current weight, the children's systolic blood pressure was inversely related to their birthweight; for each decreasing kg of birthweight, systolic blood pressure rose by 1.73 mm Hg (95% CI; 0.181 to 3.28). After adjustment for current weight, systolic blood pressure was also inversely associated with occipito-frontal circumference, but not with birth length or gestational age. Diastolic blood pressure was not associated with any of the intrauterine indices.
CONCLUSION—Fetal size may be inversely related to systolic blood pressure in childhood in an African population.
TL;DR: The majority of HIV-infected infants who died in the first 2 years of life were likely to have acquired in utero infection.
Abstract: Transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and mortality was studied among infants of infected women in Zimbabwe. Of 367 infants born to HIV-infected women, 72 (19.6%) died compared with 20 (5.4%) of 372 infants of uninfected women (P o .01). Infection by HIV DNA polymerase chain reaction among infants who survived u7 days and died within 2 years could be assessed in 87% (58/67) of infants of infected women and 83% (5/6) of infants of uninfected women; transmission occurred in 40 of 58 infants. Among 27 infected infants tested at birth, 19 (70%), 5 (19%), and 3 (11%) were apparently infected via in utero, intrapartum or early postpartum, and late postpartum transmission, respectively. The majority of HIV-infected infants who died in the first 2 years of life were likely to have acquired in utero infection.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the steps taken by the Agricultural Research Council of Zimbabwe to generate a consensus among scientists, farmers and policy makers to reform the National Agricultural Research System by increasing the voice of smallholders and other stakeholders in setting research priorities, making scientists more accountable to smallholders, and generating new sources of financial support from user fees and taxes on commodities.
TL;DR: Two new species are described and illus- trated: Fusarium brevicatenulatum isolated from the noxious witchweed in Madagascar, and E pseudoanthophilum isolated from Zea mays in Zimbabwe.
Abstract: Two new species are described and illus- trated: Fusarium brevicatenulatum isolated from the noxious witchweed (Striga asiatica) in Madagascar, and E pseudoanthophilum isolated from Zea mays in Zimbabwe. F brevicatenulatum is characterized by long-oval to obovoid, mostly 0-septate conidia adher- ing usually in false heads on mostly monophialidic conidiophores in the aerial mycelium, the formation of very short false chains of conidia under continu- ous black light, the rare production of 3-septate spo- rodochial conidia, and the absence of chlamydo- spores; F pseudoanthophilum by the production of mostly 0-septate, obovoid to clavate and some pyri- form conidia that adhere in false heads and some- times in very short chains on conidiophores of the aerial mycelium that are often branched and poly- phialidic, by 3-5-septate sporodochial conidia, and by chains of chlamydospores.