Table of Contents ! Declaration!............................................................................................................................................................!I! ! Acknowledgements!.......................................................................................................................................!III! ! Summary!..........................................................................................................................................
ABSTRACT Variegate porphyria (VP) is the clinical disorder associated with. a deficiency of the haemsynthesising enzyme protoporphyrinogen oxidase of the commonest monogenic inherited disorders in South Africa. The chmcal effects mclu~e p~otocutaneous sensitivity and the development of potentially life-threatening ~cute porp?ync cnses. . . Section 1 of this dissertation examines the molecular basIS for VP m South Africa. It IS shown to be a genetically heterogeneous disorder. The identificat...
ABSTRACT Two-dimensional X-ray imaging is the dominant imaging modality in low-resource countries despite the existence of three-dimensional (3D) imaging modalities. This is because fewer hospitals in low-resource countries can afford the 3D imaging systems as their acquisition and operation costs are higher. However, 3D images are desirable in a range of clinical applications, for example surgical planning. The aim of this research was to develop a tool for 3D approximation of scapula bone f...
Abstract Background: Heart failure (HF) is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality both in the developed and the developing nations. Acute heart failure (AHF) is a syndrome characterized by hospital admission for heart failure as defined by the presence of acute dyspnea and the presence of heart failure signs by physical examination with at least 2 of the following: rales, edema, elevated JVP, hepatomegaly and ascites. AHF can occur de novo or as worsening of symptoms in...
Abstract The study comprises of two sections; i) a survey to determine the attitude towards fitness training for rugby and the current fitness training habits of elite high school rugby players in their penultimate year at school, ii) a training study on a sample of the same population group, to measure the effect of a 12 week fitness training programme, based on scientific principles, on anthropometric, physiological and performance variables. The training study also measured the efficacy o...
Abstract Prevalence of and risk factors for falls in older people in an urban community in South Africa Sebastiana Zimba Kalula February 2012 Background. Falls are a major cause of disability and mortality in older people. Little is known of the extent and gravity of the problem in South Africa. Methods. A cross-sectional study with a 12-months follow-up was conducted on 837 randomly sampled, ambulant community-dwelling subjects aged ≥ 65 years to determine the prevalence and incidence o...
Abstract The first aim of this dissertation was to monitor both rat and human responses to short-term perturbations in energy balance brought about through food energy restriction and refeeding, exercise training and the cessation of exercise training or surgical lipectomy. The second aim of this dissertation was to identify factors which might explain differences in food energy intake in weight-matched, weight-stable "large and small eaters". The final aim of this dissertation was to identi...
ABSTRACT THESIS TITLE: Studies of the excretion of aluminium by the kidney and the toxic effects of the element on DNA. CANDIDATE: Felix Salvador Emilio Monteagudo, c/o Department of Pharmacology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town. February, 1991. Aluminium is an element of increasing clinical importance. It not only has uses as a medicinal substance but also in recent years it has been shown to be the cause of considerable toxicity, particularly in the setting of chronic renal failure. Dis...
Table of Contents Declaration Acknowledgements Summary Table of Contents Glossary of molecular Biology Terms Abbreviations List of Figures and Tables Chapter 1: Introduction A. BACKGROUND 1.1 Heart Disease: global and local burden B. DEFINITIONS 1.2 Ischemia 1.2.1 Ischemia and Infarction 1.2.2 Ischemic Damage iI 1 4 8 11 13 17 18 18 20 20 21 1.2.3 Reperfusion Injury 22 1.2.4 IschemiaJReperfusion vs Hypoxia/reoxygenation 23 1.3 Preconditioning Stimuli 1.3.1 Ischemic preconditioning 1.3.2 Pharm...
ABSTRACT It is a recognized fact that most well defined population groups have their own typical pattern of inherited disorders. The genetic conditions most commonly found in Greek persons are the thalassaemias, glucose-6-dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency and, to a lesser extent, certain of the haemoglobinopathies. The clinical and socio-economic consequences of these disorders are significant. In the homozygous state, alpha-thalassaemia is incompatible with life, while thalassaemia major (ho...
Abstract Metabolic remodeling is thought to be an important contributor towards the development of various cardiac pathophysiologic conditions. Therefore, studies attempting to delineate undenying mechanisms driving cardiac metabolic remodeling represent an important initiative toward the development of novel therapeutic interventions. To further investigate the role of metabolic substrate switches in the heart, we focused on a pivotal, rate-limiting step of cardiac fatty acid metabolism i.e...
Man is not always plainly discernible in scientific writings about him. His individuality denied, in many psychological studies man becomes a cipher. Science demand useful generalisations, and psychiatry is in part so unsatisfactory a discipline precisely because human life is complex. To affect an impression of simplicity when encountering bewildering diversity, although usual, remains foolish, particularly when important matters are being dealt with.
ABSTRACT The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or noncommercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author FIELD