The prevalence of insufficient iodine intake in pregnancy in Africa: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Authors: Charles Bitamazire Businge , Benjamin Longo-Mbenza , Andre Pascal Kengne
- Date: 22-8-2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/3387 , vital:43338 , https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13643-019-1092-7#citeas
- Description: Background: Insufficient iodine intake in pregnancy is associated with many adverse pregnancy outcomes. About 90% of African countries are at risk of iodine deficiency due to poor soils and dietary goitrogens. Pregnancy predisposes to insufficient iodine nutrition secondary to increased physiological demand and increased renal loss. Iodine deficiency is re-emerging in countries thought to be replete with pregnant women being the most affected. This review seeks to identify the degree of iodine nutrition in pregnancy on the entire African continent before and after the implementation of national iodization programmes. Methods: A systematic search of published literature will be conducted for observational studies that directly determined the prevalence of insufficient iodine intake among pregnant women in Africa. Electronic databases and grey literature will be searched for baseline data before the implementation of population-based iodine supplementation and for follow-up data up to December 2018. Screening of identified articles and data extraction will be conducted independently by two investigators. Risk of bias and methodological quality of the included studies will be assessed using a risk of bias tool. Appropriate meta-analytic techniques will be used to pool prevalence estimates from studies with similar features, overall and by major characteristics including the region of the study, time period (before and after implementation of iodization programmes), sample size and age. Heterogeneity of the estimates across studies will be quantified and publication bias investigated. This protocol is reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 guidelines. Discussion This review will help ascertain the impact of national iodization programmes on the iodine nutrition status in pregnancy in Africa and advise policy on the necessity for monitoring and mitigating iodine deficiency in pregnancy in Africa. This review is part of a thesis that will be submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, for the award of a PhD in Medicine whose protocol has been granted ethics approval (UCT HREC 135/2018). In addition, the results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
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- Date Issued: 22-8-2019
A tree cannot make a forest: looking inward, reaching out in African Art Studies
- Authors: Fọlárànmí, Stephen
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146090 , vital:38494 , https://0-doi.org.wam.seals.ac.za/10.1162/afar_a_00453
- Description: These proverbs from the Yorùbá of southwestern Nigeria and the Bemba of Zambia are a few examples that can be found in many Africa languages. While these proverbs are rich in philosophical sayings and muses, many are being forgotten because fewer and fewer people possess deep knowledge of languages, and in the arts, Africans tend to look to the Global North for theoretical frameworks to examine their art and other cultural properties. The title of this piece is therefore an identification with the potency of the proverbs because of the trends of collaboration that I have noticed in the last few years in African Art Studies. It could also be said to be a call to look into what could be shared within Global Souths in terms of an available knowledge base that could be used to forge ahead rather than subjecting thoughts and knowledge to the Global North.
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- Date Issued: 2019
An experimental test of the allotonic frequency hypothesis to isolate the effects of light pollution on bat prey selection:
- Authors: Bailey, Lauren A , Brigham, R Mark , Bohn, Shelby J , Boyles, Justin G , Smit, Ben
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/158309 , vital:40171 , https://0-doi.org.wam.seals.ac.za/10.1007/s00442-019-04417-w
- Description: Artificial lights may be altering interactions between bats and moth prey. According to the allotonic frequency hypothesis (AFH), eared moths are generally unavailable as prey for syntonic bats (i.e., bats that use echolocation frequencies between 20 and 50 kHz within the hearing range of eared moths) due to the moths’ ability to detect syntonic bat echolocation. Syntonic bats therefore feed mainly on beetles, flies, true bugs, and non-eared moths. The AFH is expected to be violated around lights where eared moths are susceptible to exploitation by syntonic bats because moths’ evasive strategies become less effective. The hypothesis has been tested to date almost exclusively in areas with permanent lighting, where the effects of lights on bat diets are confounded with other aspects of human habitat alteration. We undertook diet analysis in areas with short-term, localized artificial lighting to isolate the effects of artificial lighting and determine if syntonic and allotonic bats (i.e., bats that use echolocation frequencies outside the hearing range of eared moths) consumed more moths under conditions of artificial lights than in natural darkness.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Chinese engagement of Zimbabwe and the limits of elite agency:
- Authors: Chipaike, Ronald , Bischoff, Paul, 1954-
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/161548 , vital:40637 , https://0-doi.org.wam.seals.ac.za/10.1177/0021909619848783
- Description: This article contends that Zimbabwe’s agency in its engagement with China has been limited and at best circumscribed. This owes to factors such as indifference by state authorities to cooperation with civil society actors in negotiating with Chinese actors, the desperation of the The Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front regime in the face of isolation by erstwhile partners as well as the opacity and secrecy that characterizes significant areas of the Zimbabwe–China relationship. The pressing need for critical institutions such as parliament to play independent oversight roles as well as the creation of space for civil society watchdog functions are highlighted as key enablers if Zimbabwean agency is to generate positive gains from the country’s engagement with China.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Condition Report 3: Art History in Africa: debating localization,legitimization and new solidarities
- Authors: Simbao, Ruth K , Kouoh, Koyo , Nzewi, Ugochukwu-Smooth C , Sousa, Suzana , Koide, Emi
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146055 , vital:38491 , https://0-doi.org.wam.seals.ac.za/10.1162/afar_a_00456
- Description: Following on from the African Arts dialogue, “Zimbabwe Mobilizes: ICAC's Shift from Coup de Grăce to Cultural Coup” (Simbao et al. 2017) this dialogue considers another important event in the visual arts that recently took place on the African continent. Like the International Conference on African Cultures (ICAC) that was held in Harare in 2017, this event in Dakar contributes in important ways towards a shift of the center of gravity of the global academy, particularly the study of art history in and of Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Humor, innovation, and competition in Jamaican music:
- Authors: Stanley Niaah, Sonjah
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146398 , vital:38522 , ISBN 9781351266628
- Description: Book abstract. An essential part of human expression, humor plays a role in all forms of art, and humorous and comedic aspects have always been part of popular music. For the first time, The Routledge Companion to Popular Music and Humor draws together scholarship exploring how the element of humor interacts with the artistic and social aspects of the musical experience. Discussing humor in popular music across eras from Tin Pan Alley to the present, and examining the role of humor in different musical genres, case studies of artists, and media forms, this volume is a groundbreaking collection that provides a go-to reference for scholars in music, popular culture, and media studies.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Improving TB infection control in a regional hospital in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Haeusler, Ilsa Louisa , Knights, Felicity , George, Vishaal , Parrish, Andy
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Quality circles Tuberculosis--Prevention Computer File
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6399 , vital:45465 , https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v77i2.6828
- Description: This quality improvement (QI) work was carried out in Cecilia Makiwane Hospital (CMH), a regional public hospital in the Eastern Cape, South Africa (SA). SA has among the highest incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the world and this is a leading cause of death in SA. Nosocomial infection is an important source of TB transmission. Adherence to TB infection prevention control (IPC) measures in the medical inpatient department was suboptimal at CMH. The overall aim of this QI project was to make sustainable improvements in TB IPC. A multidisciplinary team was formed to undertake a root cause analysis and develop a strategy for change. The main barriers to adherence to IPC measures were limited knowledge of IPC methods and stigma associated with TB. Specifically, the project aimed to increase the number of: ‘airborne precaution’ signs placed above patients’ beds, patients correctly isolated and patients wearing surgical face masks. Four Plan Do-Study-Act cycles were used. The strategy for change involved education and awareness-raising in different formats, including formal in-service training delivered to nurses and doctors, a hospital-wide TB awareness week with engaging activities and competitions, and a World TB Day provincial solidarity march. Data on adherence to the three IPC measures were collected over an 8-month period. Pre-intervention (October 2016), a mean of 2 percent of patients wore face masks, 22 percent were correctly isolated and 12 percent had an airborne precaution sign. Postintervention (May 2017), the compliance improved to 17 percent, 50 percent and 25 percent, respectively. There was a large variation in compliance to each measure. Improvement was greatest in the number of patients correctly isolated. We learnt it is important to work with, not in parallel to, existing teams or structures during QI work. On-the-ground training of nurses and clinicians should be undertaken alongside engagement of senior staff members and managers. This improves the chance of change being adopted into hospital policy.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Masked in metaphors: counter narratives in the works of Nigerian cartoonist Mike Asukwo
- Authors: Jimoh, Ganiyu A
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/145974 , vital:38483 , https://0-doi.org.wam.seals.ac.za/10.1162/afar_a_00458
- Description: At the time of independence, most African countries were poised to take charge of their own affairs. However, postcolonial realities characterized by political upheavals, coups and counter-coups, civil wars, and economic downturn, among other setbacks, created a sense of ambivalence in terms of political and economic freedom. In Nigeria, satirical expressions became the tool used against oppressive regimes. In post-independence Nigeria, from the military dictatorial era to the present civilian dispensations,1 sociopolitical issues have been lampooned in different forms of expression such as music, performance, cartoons, and memes. Within this environment, political cartoons began to thrive, as they became a relatively safe way to comment on the political issues of the day (Akande 2002: 2). This was achieved largely by concealing the main subject matter behind the “masks” of metaphoric imagery, which enabled cartoonists to develop narratives that counter the dominant narratives, often opposing governmental policies and practices.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Molecular identification and antibacterial properties of an ericoid associated mycorrhizal fungus
- Authors: Adeoyo, Olusegun R , Pletschke, Brett I , Dames, Joanna F
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/440378 , vital:73778 , https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-019-1555-y
- Description: The quest for novel sources of antibacterial compounds have necessitated the inclusion of ericoid mycorrhizal fungi (ERM) commonly found within the root of ericaceous plants. Agar-well diffusion method was used to detect antibacterial activity and was followed by the microbroth diffusion method [minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC)].
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- Date Issued: 2019
Spatial and Seasonal Distribution of Forensically Important Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in Makhanda, Eastern Cape, South Africa:
- Authors: Williams, Kirstin A , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140716 , vital:37912 , DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz056
- Description: The seasonal activity of adults of eight forensically important blow fly species [Calliphora croceipalpis (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Jaennicke, Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), L. cuprina (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Chrysomya chloropyga (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Ch. albiceps (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Ch. marginalis (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Ch. putoria (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Ch. megacephala (Fabricius) (Diptera: Calliphoridae)] was quantified from collections in Makhanda, South Africa. Flies were collected in traps baited with chicken liver and placed in the field at eight locations for four consecutive days each fortnight for 14 mo. The seasonal distribution of each species compared well to published seasonal distributions of these blow flies elsewhere in South Africa, with evidence of year-to-year variation within seasons that might be explained by weather. This information is important for determining when and where certain species are likely to occur and will be of use in forensic investigations and myiasis management plans.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Synthesis of N-Substituted phosphoramidic acid esters as “reverse” fosmidomycin analogues
- Authors: Adeyemi, Christiana M , Hoppe, Heinrich C , Isaacs, Michelle , Klein, Rosalyn , Lobb, Kevin A , Kaye, Perry T
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/443238 , vital:74101 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tet.2019.02.003
- Description: An efficient synthetic pathway to a series of novel “reverse” fosmidomycin analogues has been developed, commencing from substituted benzylamines. In these analogues, the fosmidomycin hydroxamate moiety is reversed and the tetrahedral methylene carbon adjacent to the phosphonate moiety is replaced by a nitrogen atom bearing different benzyl groups. The resulting phosphonate esters were designed as potential antimalarial “pro-drugs”.
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- Date Issued: 2019