University of Zimbabwe

About: University of Zimbabwe is a education organization based out in Harare, Harare, Zimbabwe. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The organization has 4378 authors who have published 6800 publications receiving 160720 citations. The organization is also known as: UZ & University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

Ligninolytic enzyme production in selected sub-tropical white rot fungi under different culture conditions.

Abstract: Lignin peroxidase (LiP), manganese peroxidase (MnP) and laccase activities in selected sub-tropical white rot fungal species from Zimbabwe were determined. The enzyme activities were assayed at varying concentrations of C, N and Mn2+. Manganese peroxidase and laccase activities were the only expressed activities in the fungi under the culture conditions tested. Trametes species, T. cingulata, T. elegans and T. pocas produced the highest manganese peroxidase activities in a medium containing high carbon and low nitrogen conditions. High nitrogen conditions favoured high manganese peroxidase activity in DSPM95, L. velutinus and Irpex spp. High manganese peroxidase activity was notable for T. versicolor when both carbon and nitrogen in the medium were present at high levels. Laccase production by the isolates was highest under conditions of high nitrogen and those conditions with both nitrogen and carbon at high concentration. Mn2+ concentrations between 11–25 ppm gave the highest manganese peroxidase activity compared to a concentration of 40 ppm or when there was no Mn2+ added. Laccase activity was less influenced by Mn2+ levels. While some laccase activity was produced in the absence of Mn2+, the enzyme levels were higher when Mn2+ was added to the culture medium.

Gender differences in self-construal: how generalizable are Western findings?

Abstract: The authors used the Twenty Statements Test in 2 studies to investigate gender and country differences in the spontaneous self-descriptions of 811 college students from Hong Kong, India, Nepal, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe and 136 secondary school students from Taiwan and Hong Kong. The authors performed statistical analysis and found no significant gender differences in the percentage of responses classified as belonging to the idiocentric self in either study. However, the authors found significant Country effects in both studies for responses classified as representing the idiocentric self and some aspects of the collective self, and the authors found significant Country x Gender effects involving all 4 categories of the idiocentric self and the collective self for the college students. These findings raise questions about the generalizability of Western findings that males are more likely to espouse an independent conception of self than females. However, as the authors predicted, females were more likely to use small group self-descriptions than their male peers.

Community-acquired bacteremia in human immunodeficiency virus-infected children in harare, zimbabwe

Abstract: Researchers compared data on 168 HIV-positive pediatric patients with data on 141 HIV-negative pediatric patients to examine the etiology and outcome of HIV-related bacterial infections in a pediatric population admitted to Harare Hospital in Zimbabwe during June 1993 to December 1994. The age of the children ranged from less than 1 month to 96 months. 72% were less than 12 months old. 54% of all pediatric patients tested were HIV-infected. HIV-infected children were more likely to have a bacterial infection than HIV-negative children (40% vs. 20%; odds ratio [OR] = 2.68; p < 0.001). The difference in the bacterial infection rate was only significant for children aged less than 18 months (41% vs. 19%; OR = 2.94; p < 0.001) however. 14% of the children suffered from severe malnutrition. Nutritional status was not significantly associated with bacterial infection. In both HIV-positive and HIV-negative children Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent bacterial pathogen (29% for HIV-positive and 18% for HIV-negative children). Many Gram-positive and Gram-negative isolates were resistant to the combination therapy of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Only 1 child who was HIV-positive had more than one bacterial infection (both Streptococcus pneumoniae and Actinomyces israelii). HIV-positive children were more likely to have an enterobacterial infection than HIV-negative children (10% vs. 0.7%; p < 0.001). Mortality was significantly higher among HIV-infected children aged less than 6 months old than their HIV-negative counterparts (28% vs. 12%; OR = 2.81; p < 0.05). Even though it was also higher among HIV-positive children aged more than 6 months (17% vs. 7%) the difference was not significant. Regardless of HIV status children with bacteremia were more likely to die than those without bacteremia (24% vs. 14%; OR = 2.03; p < 0.05). These findings stress the importance of early and effective antibiotic therapy. This therapy will reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with bacteriemia in HIV-infected children in Africa.

Stable Incidence Rates of Tuberculosis (TB) among Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)–Negative South African Gold Miners during a Decade of Epidemic HIV-Associated TB

Abstract: During the last decade, annual tuberculosis (TB) case-notification rates increased 4-fold, to >4000 cases/100000 person-years, in the study workforce, among whom prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was 30% in 2000. Three separate cohort studies, totalling 6454 HIV-negative participants, were combined and analyzed for time trends. Observed incidence of TB varied between 962 (1991-1994) and 1589 (1999-2000) cases/100000 person-years (P=.17, test for trend). There was, however, a progressive increase in age, and, for each period, older age was associated with increased incidence rates of TB (P<.001). Having adjusted for age differences, there was no significant association between incidence of TB and calendar period (P=.81, test for trend). Relative to 1991-1994, multivariate-adjusted incidence-rate ratios were 0.94, for 1995-1997, 0.96, for 1998-1999, and 1.05, for 1999-2000. Preventing a secondary epidemic of TB among HIV-negative individuals may be achievable with conventional means, even in settings with a high burden of HIV-associated TB.