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.

Q fever in Zimbabwe. A review of the disease and the results of a serosurvey of humans, cattle, goats and dogs.

Abstract: Sera from 494 hwnans, 180 cattle, 180 goats and 27 dogs, collected from different regions of Zimbabwe, were examined by indirect fluores­ cence for antibodies reactive with phase 11 Coxiella burnetii antigen. Overall, 37% of hwnans were reactive at a titre of 1140 or greater, and there was no evidence of age- or sex-related differences in seroprevalence. A review of clinical and epi­ demiological features of Q fever is presented in order to alert health workers to this infection, which apparently occurs frequently in Zimbabwe even though clinical cases have not been reported. In animals, serological evidence of Q fever infec­ tion was found in 39% of cattle, but only 15% of dogs and 10% of goats. These results suggest that cattle are important reservoirs of C. burnetii in Zimbabwe. S Air Med J 1993; 83: 21 ·25.

Coping with droughts and floods: A Case study of Kanyemba, Mbire District, Zimbabwe

Abstract: Most of Southern Africa is affected by extreme weather events, droughts and floods being the most common. The frequency of floods and droughts in Southern Africa in general, of which the Zambezi River Basin is part of, has been linked to climate change. Droughts and floods impact on the natural environment, and directly and indirectly impact on livelihoods. In the Middle Zambezi River Basin, which is located between Kariba and Cahora Bassa dams, extreme weather events are exacerbated by human activities, in particular the operation of both the Kariba and the Cahora Bassa reservoirs. To understand better, whether, and in what ways extreme weather events impact on livelihoods, this study used both quantitative and qualitative research methods to analyse rainfall variability and coping strategies used by households in the river basin. Data collection was done using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and structured questionnaires which were administered to 144 households. An analysis of rainfall variability and Cahora Bassa water level over 23 years was carried out. The study found that perceptions of households were that average rainfall has decreased over the years, and dry-spells have become more frequent. Furthermore, households perceived flood events to have increased over the last two decades. However, the analysis of rainfall variability revealed that the average rainfall received between 1988 and 2011 had not changed but the frequency of dry-spells and floods had increased. The occurrence of floods in the study area was found to be linked to heavy local rain and backflow from Cahora Bassa dam. The study found that households adopted a number of strategies to cope with droughts and floods, such as vegetable farming and crop production in the floodplain, taking on local jobs that brought in wages, planting late and livestock disposals. Some households also resorted to out-migration on a daily basis to Zambia or Mozambique. The study concluded that coping mechanisms were found to be inflexible and poorly suited to adapt to floods and droughts. The study recommends the implementation of adaptation measures such as the cultivation of drought-resistant crop varieties, irrigation and off-farm employment opportunities.

Determination of Carbohydrate-deficient Transferrin Using Capillary Zone Electrophoresis

Abstract: Background: Current methods for carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) often suffer from low precision, complexity, or risk of false positives attributable to genetic variants. In this study, a new capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method for CDT was developed. Methods: CZE was performed on a P/ACE 5000 using fused-silica capillaries [50 μm (i.d.) × 47 cm] and the CEOFIX CDT buffer system with addition of 50 μL of anti-C3c and 10 μL of anti-hemoglobin. Native sera were loaded by high-pressure injection for 3 s, separated at 28 kV over 12 min, and monitored at 214 nm. Results: CDT was completely resolved by differences in migration times (di-trisialotransferrin, 9.86 ± 0.05 min; monosialotransferrin, 9.72 ± 0.05 min; asialotransferrin, 9.52 ± 0.04 min), with a CV of 0.15%. The number of theoretical plates was 312 000 ± 21 000 for the mono- and 199 000 ± 6500 for the di-trisialylated transferrin. Genetic CB and CD variants showed prominent peaks with migration times of 10.12 ± 0.06 and 9.89 ± 0.03 min, respectively, and the carbohydrate-deficient glycoprotein syndrome could be detected, excluding false-positive results. CZE results (as a percentage; y ) correlated with the Axis %CDT TIATM ( x ) values by Deming regression analysis: y = 1.92 x − 7.29; r = 0.89. CDT values in 130 healthy nonalcoholics were determined. The 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles were 1.84% and 6.79%. Conclusions: CZE without sample pretreatment can determine CDT with good precision, allows detection of variants, and correlates with ion-exchange chromatography.