ABSTRACT
Given the dearth of literature on the influence of religiosity on attitudes toward people with HIV/AIDS, the present study surveyed these variables in a sample of South African Muslim university students using the Religious Orientation Scale (ROS) and an attitude to people with HIV scale. Gender differences in attitudes towards people with HIV were also examined. The sample comprised 90 male and female undergraduate and postgraduate Muslim students. While both males and females displayed high religiosity scores, male students were found to be significantly more religious than female students. No gender differences were found on the attitude to people with HIV scale, with students indicating positive attitudes to people with HIV. Higher religiosity was significantly correlated with a more positive attitude to people with HIV. The implications of the findings are discussed.
Subject(s)
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/psychology , Attitude to Health , Attitude , HIV Infections/psychology , Islam , Students/psychology , Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/epidemiology , Adaptation, Psychological , Adult , Child , Female , HIV Infections/epidemiology , Humans , Male , Prevalence , Sex Characteristics , South Africa/epidemiology , UniversitiesABSTRACT
Between 1970 and 1979, 140 patients aged between 19 and 84 years with endoscopically confirmed gastric ulcer (GU), were treated with Biogastrone in reducing doses for 6 months. They received a daily dose of 300 mg for one week, 150 mg for 5 weeks, 100 mg for 6 weeks and 50 mg for the remainder of the 6 months. All the patients were reviewed at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 32, and 38 weeks and thereafter every 3 months or earlier in the event of significant dyspepsia. The anticipated recurrence rate of GU of approximately 42% at 2 years (3) was nearly halved to 26.7% over a median follow-up of 36 months in 140 cases completing the full six months course of treatment. The incidence of side effects was as follows: (i) A weight gain of 3.5 kg or more was seen in 23% of the patients at 2 weeks; this effect was maintained through the 6 month period. (ii) Oedema was noted in 14% of the patients at 2 weeks but declined to a 2% incidence by the end of the study. (iii) Elevated diastolic blood pressure in 14--18% of patients below 60 years and 20--27% patients above 60 years of age was noted throughout the study period. A high proportion of patients (38%) receiving other therapy had hypertension prior to the trial period; Carbenoxolone treatment had little further effect on blood pressure in these patients. (iv) Hypokalaemia was noted in the early stages of treatment especially in those over 60 years (43%). The incidence declined with the reduction in dosage through the 6 month treatment period. All side effects were successfully treated by diuretics and potassium supplements.
Subject(s)
Carbenoxolone/therapeutic use , Glycyrrhetinic Acid/analogs & derivatives , Stomach Ulcer/prevention & control , Adult , Aged , Blood Pressure/drug effects , Body Weight/drug effects , Carbenoxolone/administration & dosage , Carbenoxolone/adverse effects , Edema/chemically induced , Female , Humans , Hypokalemia/chemically induced , Male , Middle Aged , RecurrenceSubject(s)
Anemia, Macrocytic/genetics , Metabolism, Inborn Errors , Vitamin B 12/metabolism , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , MaleABSTRACT
A thin-layer chromatographic method for the simultaneous assessment of formimino-glutamic (Figlu) and urocanic acid excretion after loading with 15 g. histidine has been applied to 15 control subjects and to 49 selected patients. Upper limits of normal excretion were determined for urocanic acid and Figlu alone (15 mg. and 30 mg/8 hr. respectively), and for the combined metabolites (40 mg./8 hr.). Of the 49 patients studied, 27 excreted total metabolites above 40 mg./8 hr.; of these 19 would have been revealed by their abnormal excretion of Figlu and 22 by their abnormal excretion of urocanic acid. Of 74 tests in the 64 subjects, urocanic acid was present in all but 27% of the tests, and in 29.8% of the tests urocanic acid was in excess of the amount of Figlu excreted. In six normal and six abnormal tests urocanic acid was the sole metabolite present. These results re-emphasize the value of estimating both histidine metabolites in tests for folate deficiency in man, and underline the greater relative importance of urocanic acid.
Subject(s)
FIGLU Test , Folic Acid Deficiency/diagnosis , Histidine/metabolism , Histidine/pharmacology , Imidazoles , Anemia, Pernicious/metabolism , Gastrointestinal Diseases/metabolism , Humans , Hyperthyroidism/metabolism , Liver Cirrhosis/metabolism , Neoplasms/metabolism , UrineABSTRACT
The beneficial effect of antitoxin in clinical tetanus has not previously been established, and in many places it is not used. A clinical trial to test the value of antitoxin has been carried out. The mortality rate was 49 percent among patients receiving 200,000 i.u. of antitoxin and 76 percent in those not receiving antitoxin. The probability of this result arising by chance is less than 1 in 20. After correction for a chance allocation which favoured the group receiving antitoxin, there was still a substantially lower mortality among patients in this group. Tetanus antitoxin is a valuable remedy in clinical tetanus
