Appraisal of the inherent socio-demographic dynamics of HIV/AIDS epidemic in four districts of South-Western Uganda.

Although HIV prevalence in Uganda is much lower than it once was, AIDS is still claiming many lives each year with clear signs of escalating rural epidemics. The objective of this study was to appraise the socio-economic and demographic dynamics of HIV/AIDS epidemic in South-Western Uganda. Data were collected with standard closed ended semi-structured questionnaires self-administered to consenting, 605 HIV/AIDS patients, selected using the multistage random sampling technique, logistic linear regression, randomized block design and Pearson's Chi square test (α=0.01) were used to analyse the data obtained. The duration of carriage was inversely proportional (r=-0.94) to population of HIV/AIDS patients surveyed. There were 98.2% Bantu (55.5% Banyankole and 22.6% Baganda); 77.5% females and 22.5% males; more widows (38.0%) than married (35.5%). HIV/AIDS prevalence generally decreased with increasing level of education. The highest (66.7%) HIV/AIDS prevalence was recorded in Bushenyi, followed by 58.4% in Masaka, 57.9% in Mbarara and 53.3% in Rukungiri. Rukungiri patients above 60 years of age harboured 57.1% HIV/AIDS followed by 45.5% among Masaka patients aged 11 - 20 years and 40% among Mbarara patients less than 10 years of age. HIV/AIDS prevalence was significantly (p<0.05) dependent on socio-economic and demographic factors of surveyed population. Therefore socio-economic and demographic factors underlie HIV/AIDS prevalence in this region. Observed differences in prevalence of HIV/AIDS between the surveyed districts were remarkable and warrant regular surveillance for updated disease epidemiology. Education can debunk the generally misconstrued roles of social, economic and demographic factors in the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Appraisal of the inherent socio-demographic dynamics of HIV/AIDS epidemic in four districts of South-Western Uganda

Although HIV prevalence in Uganda is much lower than it once was; AIDS is still claiming many lives each year with clear signs of escalating rural epidemics. The objective of this study was to appraise the socio-economic and demographic dynamics of HIV/AIDS epidemic in South-Western Uganda. Data were collected with standard closed ended semi-structured questionnaires self-administered to consenting; 605 HIV/AIDS patients; selected using the multistage random sampling technique; logistic linear regression; randomized block design and Pearson's Chi square test (a=0.01) were used to analyse the data obtained. The duration of carriage was inversely proportional (r=-0.94) to population of HIV/AIDS patients surveyed. There were 98.2 Bantu (55.5 Banyankole and 22.6 Baganda); 77.5 females and 22.5 males; more widows (38.0) than married (35.5). HIV/AIDS prevalence generally decreased with increasing level of education. The highest (66.7). HIV/AIDS prevalence generally decreased with increasing level of education. The highest (66.7) HIV/AIDS prevalence was recorded in Bushenyi; followed by 58.4 in Masaka; 57.9 in Mbarara and 53.3 in Rukungiri. Rukungiri patients above 60 years of age harboured 57.1 HIV/AIDS followed by 45.5 among Masaka patients aged 11 - 20 years and 40 among Mbarara patients less than 10 years of age. HIV/AIDS prevalence was significantly (p0.05) dependent on socio-economic and demographic factors of surveyed population. Therefore socio-economic and demographic factors underlie HIV/AIDS prevalence in this region. Observed differences in prevalence of HIV/AIDS between the surveyed districts wereremarkable and warrant regular surveillance for updated disease epidemiology. Education can debunk the generally misconstrued rolesof social; economic and demographic factors in the spread of HIV/AIDS

Deformable mock stenotic artery with a lipid pool.

The comparison, evaluation, and optimization of new techniques, models, or algorithms often require the use of realistic deformable test phantoms. The purpose of this paper is to present a multilayer deformable test specimen mimicking an atherosclerotic coronary artery, suitable for mechanical testing and intravascular imaging. Mock arteries were constructed in three phases using two molds: building a first layer of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) cryogel, adding a lipid pool and building a second layer of PVA cryogel. To illustrate the deformation of the mock arteries, one has been placed in a custom-made bath, axially stretched then inflated while acquiring intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) images. The resulting specimen presents a progressing lumen narrowing of 25% in cross-sectional area at the peak and a lipid pool. The average inner gel layer is about 0.4 mm thick and the outer about 0.6 mm. The dimensions are of the same order as clinical observations, the first gel layer mimicking the intima-media and the second layer the adventitia. In the sequence of IVUS images, the different components of the mock artery are visible and differentiable. The variation in diameter of the segmented contours is presented for a specific specimen subjected to intraluminal pressure. This double-layer stenotic mock artery is approximately the size of a human coronary artery, has a lipid inclusion, can withstand relative large deformation, suitable for (intravascular) ultrasound imaging, and has customizable geometry and wall material parameters.

Polyvinyl alcohol cryogel: optimizing the parameters of cryogenic treatment using hyperelastic models.

The PVA gels obtained by freezing/thawing cycles of PVA solutions, also called cryogels, exhibit non-linear elastic behavior and can mimic, within certain limits, the behavior of biological soft tissues such as arterial tissue. Several authors have investigated the effects of cryogenic processing parameters on the Young's modulus. However, an elastic modulus does not describe the non-linearity of the cryogel's stress-strain response. This study examines the non-linear elastic response of PVA cryogel under uniaxial tension and investigates how processing parameters such as the concentration, the number of thermal cycles, and the thawing rate affect this response. The relationship between the coefficients of the material model and the processing parameters was interpolated to find the set of parameters that would best approximate the elastic response of healthy porcine coronary arteries under uniaxial tension.

Zero prevalence of parasites associated with oral lesions of HIV infected and AIDS patients in South Western Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Despite paucity of information regarding oral lesions with parasitic etiology, parasitic diseases continue to be problematic among impoverished and immunocompromised individuals in developing countries. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of parasites in the oral lesions of Ugandan HIV infected and AIDS patients, in South Western Uganda. METHODS: Adult HIV/AIDS positive patients attending The AIDS Support Organization Clinics in South Western Uganda with oral lesions were recruited for this study. Standard parasitological methods (direct microscopy, saline and iodine wet preparations, Giemsa-Romanosky staining of smears and culture) were adopted in analysis of randomly collected six hundred and five samples (469 from females; 136 from males) for parasites. RESULTS: No ova, cyst, trophoziotes, lava or segment of parasites were seen in the oral lesions identified among the studied population. CONCLUSION: Parasites were absent and therefore may not be implicated as etiologic microbial agents of observed oral lesions associated with HIV infected and AIDS patients living in South Western Uganda.

Accuracy assessment of human trunk surface 3D reconstructions from an optical digitising system.

The lack of reliable techniques to follow up scoliotic deformity from the external asymmetry of the trunk leads to a general use of X-rays and indices of spinal deformity. Young adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis need intensive follow-ups for many years and, consequently, they are repeatedly exposed to ionising radiation, which is hazardous to their long-term health. Furthermore, treatments attempt to improve both spinal and surface deformities, but internal indices do not describe the external asymmetry. The purpose of this study was to assess a commercial, optical 3D digitising system for the 3D reconstruction of the entire trunk for clinical assessment of external asymmetry. The resulting surface is a textured, high-density polygonal mesh. The accuracy assessment was based on repeated reconstructions of a manikin with markers fixed on it. The average normal distance between the reconstructed surfaces and the reference data (markers measured with CMM) was 1.1 +/- 0.9 mm.

Xanthomonas albilineans Haplotype B Responsible for a Recent Sugarcane Leaf Scald Disease Outbreak in Cuba.

Over the past 3 years, the incidence of sugarcane leaf scald disease (LSD) caused by Xanthomonas albilineans has increased at alarming rates in some Caribbean countries. LSD was in latent phase since 1978, when the disease was reported in Cuba, until February 1998 when typical symptoms were observed in germ plasm collections and in some commercial plantings. More than 150 bacterial isolates from different sugarcane varieties and from different localities were isolated on Wilbrink agar medium and characterized. All isolates had shown similar cultural and biochemical patterns. However, serological differences between isolates from the recent outbreak and the ones obtained prior to 1998 were detected by indirect ELISA testing. Differences between Cuban isolates obtained prior to 1998 and those from the recent outbreak were confirmed by analysis of repetitive DNA sequences dispersed throughout the genome. According to the pattern obtained, the newer isolates were similar to reference strains classified as haplotype B by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (1). It is concluded that the recent outbreak of LSD was caused by a strain different than the ones previously detected in Cuba. Reference: (1) M. J. Davis et al. Phytopathology 87:316, 1997.