The prevalence of recurrent ameloblastoma at the Wits oral health centre

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Dentistry, June 2018Abstract Background Ameloblastoma is a slow growing, locally invasive, benign tumour of odontogenic origin. Ameloblastoma is the most common odontogenic tumour with varying recurrence rates, depending on the adequacy of the tumour removal. A number of factors including inadequate removal of tumour have been associated with recurrence Aim The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of recurrent ameloblastoma in patients treated at the Wits Oral Health Centre. Methods This study was a retrospective analysis of 246 records of patients diagnosed with ameloblastoma over a 24 year period (January 1992 to December 2015) in order to determine factors associated with recurrence. Descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation, frequencies, percentages and proportions were used to summarize the data. Chi- squared and multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the association between the variables and recurrence associated with AMB. Results Males (49.6%) and females (50.4%) were equally affected with a mean age of 31 years (range 7-82 years). AMB affected the mandible (96%) more than the maxilla (4%). Multicystic AMB represented the majority (76.8%) of cases. Most AMB’s (92.7%) presented with bone perforation. Nineteen cases (7.7%) recurred, mostly in soft tissues, fifteen of which were treated radically and four conservatively. Fifteen (78.95%) recurrent AMB’s presented within 10 years of surgical treatment with the remainder (2, 1 and 1) presenting 13, 17 and 21 years post-treatment, respectively. AMB’s larger than 4cm in greatest diameter were associated with 84.21% of the recurrences. Multicystic AMB accounted for 84.21% of the recurrences. Conclusions This study is in agreement with most studies with regard to demographic data and clinicopathological features of AMB. Large multicystic AMB with soft tissue encroachment have a high propensity to recur even when treated by radical resection. Recurrence is a significant associated with histological margins and the surgical method of treatment.XL201

Effects of season and regulated photoperiod on the reproductive performance of sows

Reproductive performance of experimental commercial Dalland sows (n = 87) maintained under a constant photoperiod (10 h light and 14 h darkness) and control sows (n = 187) maintained under natural daylight length (10.4 h light in winter and 13.4 h light in summer) were compared. In early summer 4.1% of experimental sows returned to oestrus compared to 20.8% of the control sows. In late summer 9.1% of experimental sows returned to oestrus compared to 21.9% of the control sows. Reduced photoperiod improved the farrowing rate of experimental sows in the early summer breeding compared to the control group (95.4% and 81.3%, respectively). With winter breeding there was a small proportion of sows that returned to service in both groups (7.9% and 8.9%) while the farrowing rate was high in both groups (93.9% and 91.0% in the experimental and control groups, respectively). Litter sizes derived from early summer services were 11.4 and 11.6 for the experimental and control groups, respectively, while winter services led to litter sizes of 11.6 and 12.4 whereas in late summer services, regulated photoperiod had improved the litter size of the experimental group (12.3) compared to the control group (11.2)

Tlh goba hl: Bothata bja mongwalo le mopeleto baboleding ba Sesotho sa Leboa ba go kgona go ngwala le go bala

ENGLISH TTITLE: Tlh or hl: An orthographic dilemma for the literate Northern Sotho speakers Northern Sotho, like other members of the Sotho language group (Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho and Western Sotho), differs when it comes to the pronunciation of the phonemes: hl, tlh and ṱlh ([ɬ], [tlʰ] and [ṱlʰ]. There is still a problem of choosing which of the aforementioned phonemes to use when writing Sesotho and Northern Sotho words, whilst Setswana uses only one grapheme, /tlh/. This impasse has affected the Northern Sotho literate community to the extent that when it comes to the writing of words, one chooses any of the following two graphemes, /hl or /tlh/, without following the rules. This article explains the cause of such variations and how this can be corrected. To come with a tangible solution, phonotactics as a phonological theory, was applied, where ‘a representation is well-formed by virtue of where it came from, not what it is’ (Goldsmith, 1995:4). The study will employ a descriptive qualitative research design, where the participants who are literate Northern Sotho speakers, mostly university students and teachers, including Northern Sotho authors, provided the data. The findings of the study showed that a majority of the respondents found it tough differentiating between the graphemes /hl/ and /tlh/. To combat this problem, the paper reminisced on the possibilities of resuscitating the rules of grammar as postulated in Northern Sotho Terminology and Orthography No. 4 of 1988. SENAGANWA Sesotho sa Leboa, bjalo ka ye nngwe ya dipolelo tša sehlopha seo se bego se tsebja e le tša sehlopha sa Sesotho (Sesotho sa Leboa, Sesotho sa Borwa le Sesotho sa Bodikela), se fapantšha pitšo ya medumopolelo ye e latelago: hl, tlh le ṱlh ([ɬ], [tlʰ] le [ṱlʰ]. Bothata bjo bo lego gona ke tirišo ya medumopolelo ye ya ka godimo ge go ngwalwa lelemeng la Sesotho sa Leboa gammogo le go leleme la Sesotho. Ge e le leleme la Setswana lona ga le na bothata, le diriša modumotlhaka o nnoši fela, e lego modumotlhaka wa /tlh/. Tlhakahlakano ye ya napa ya dira gore baboledi ba polelo ye ya Sesotho sa Leboa ba se sa šala melao ya popopolelo morago ge ba ngwala, mongwe le mongwe a no kgetha modumotlhaka wo mongwe le wo mongwe wo a o ratago, /hl/ goba /tlh/. Taodišwana ye e hlalosa phapantšho ye e lego gona ya medumotlhaka go leka go tloša kgakanego ye. Gore se se kgonege, go šetšwe morago molawana wa tšhutelelano ya medumo, fao medumo ye mengwe e gapeletšegago go fetoga ge e swanetše e be kgauswi le mengwe, fao go ya ka Goldsmith (1995:4), medumo e dumelegago go ya ka gore e tšwa e le kae, e sego e tlwaetšwe e le efe. Taodišwana ye e latetše mok-gwanyakišišo wa boleng, fao bakgathatema e bilego baboledi ba Sesotho sa Leboa bao ba kgonago go ngwala le go bala. Bontši bja tshedimošo bo tlišitšwe ke baithuti ba diyunibesithi, barutiši gammogo le bangwadi ba dipuku. Go tšwa nyakišišong ye, go lemogilwe gore bakgathatema ba bile le bothata bja go farolo-gantšha medumotlhaka ya /hl/ le /tlh/. Go lokiša se, nyakišišo e lekile go tsošološa tsebo ya melao ya thutapopopolelo bjalo ka ge e boletšwe ka go Sesotho sa Leboa: Mareo le Mongwalo No. 4 ya 1988

Loanword Nativisation in Tshivenda: A Descriptive Analysis

This paper describes the process of loanword adaptation in Tshiven a The description also foregrounds the factors that are often assumed to play a role in the alterations that adopted and adapted words in Tshiven a undergo Aided by the intuitive method the study adopted the qualitative approach and descriptive design to analyse its data which was a predetermined set of loanwords gathered from previous loanword research The analysis was also developed by means of a Canonical Approach where loanwords in Tshiven a were classified according to whether they conform to various canonical patterns and if not according to the direction and extent of their derivation from these patterns Clements and Keyser s 1983 CV-Phonology and Chomsky and Halle s 1968 Generative Phonology Model also fortified the description of loanword adaptation in Tshiven a Affixation and other morpho-phonological changes were found to be significant processes operating in loanword adaptation in Tshiven a which starts out with phonetic adaptation and ends with semantic adaptation The paper concludes by endorsing loanword adaptation as a significant phenomenon that combats language deat

The Impact Of Proverbs In Traditional Healing Philosophy

This study aimed to investigate the impact of proverbs on traditional healing philosophy. Proverbs are ancient wise sayings that guide people in their daily lives, serving as a concise medium through which past generations captured the essence of life. In traditional healing philosophy, proverbs convey complex information in a succinct and meaningful way. A qualitative research approach was employed, with three traditional healers from the Sekhukhune District selected through purposive and convenience sampling. The researcher used three Sepedi proverbs to elicit responses from the participants. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically. The findings revealed that proverbs play a crucial role in explaining and summarising of traditional healing philosophy. Thorough proverbs learning is recommended to ensure smooth communication between traditional healers and their clients

The anti-proliferative, antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of the D2 fraction and HPLC semi-purified sub-fractions of dicerocaryum senecioides

Thesis (M.Sc. (Biochemistry)) --University of Limpopo, 2011Dicerocaryum senecioides is a crawling herb that is found growing mostly in sandy areas of southern and south-eastern Africa and its small, hairy leaves have been used over the years as food, shampoo, and for treatment of various ailments. In this study, the dichloromethane (D2) fraction was prepared from a crude methanol extract of D. senecoides leaves, and its effect on the proliferation of RAW 264.7 murine macrophages was investigated. Treatment of the macrophages with the extract resulted in a dose- and time-dependent decrease in cell viability as determined by the MTT assay and real time cell analysis. Cytotoxicity of the D2 fraction on the macrophages was demonstrated to be due to apoptosis by staining the cells with DAPI nucleic acid stain. Anti-inflammatory activity of D2 fraction on RAW cells was determined by evaluating intracellular ROS production by the DCFH-DA fluorescent assay. Cells treated with the D2 fraction and stimulated with PMA were found to have a lower fluorescence intensity compared to untreated, stimulated cells; thus mimicking the response observed in the resting cells. The percentage fluorescence in untreated, stimulated cells doubled, while no significant change was observed in the D2-treated cells. The effect of the D2 fraction on iNOS activity was also assessed. The fraction reduced the NO synthesised by iNOS in cells treated with the D2 fraction and stimulated with LPS dose-dependently. The D2 fraction was further fractionated by semi-preparative HPLC; and thin layer chromatography was used to analyse phytocompounds of the 96 HPLC sub-fractions as well as to screen these sub-fractions for anti-oxidative activity. Sub-fractions 1-7 and 33-39 showed an intensely pronounced DPPH-scavenging compound and this scavenging ability was confirmed by a quantitative DPPH assay that provided parallel results. The reducing potential of the sub-fractions was assessed by evaluating their Fe3+-reducing ability through the FRAP assay. Sub-fractions 1-7 and 33-39 displayed remarkable reducing potential. Taken together with the DPPH-scavenging activity, these findings suggest that HPLC sub-fractions 1-7 and 33-39 possess a compound(s) with impressive antioxidant activity. These findings merit the D2 fraction as an extract that can be used to control chronic inflammation as it does not only inhibit free radical production, but also scavenges excessive ROS and has the ability to induce apoptosis in the macrophages responsible for dysregulated production of the free radicals. The extract also has commendable chemoprotective and chemotherapeutic potential as it demonstrated pro-apoptotic activity along with prevention of excess free-radical production.National Research Foundation and the University of Limpopo Research Offic

Career management in the South African Police Service

The placement, lack of promotion linked with the appointment of public service employees (PSA) to police service (SAPS Act), and the turnover rate of the SAPS members pose a threat to the safety and security of the country. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the growth of the evolving practice of the human capital by determining how career management policies and procedures leverage the advancement of highly competent and skilled employees in the SAPS. The concepts of theories and models of career management and motivation were discussed with regard to the history, conceptual foundation, theoretical approach, types, variables, and consequences. The study adopted a qualitative research approach using data collection instruments associated with both quantitative and qualitative research paradigms. The thesis focused on a sample of SAPS employees from Forensic, Detective, and HRM divisions. In the process following the implementation of the survey and interviews, ideas and themes were identified in the data. The study found that the SAPS lacks effective career management programmes, and use career path and scarce skills policy as career management strategy. The study found that there is an absence of succession planning and that employees are unhappy with the promotional system of the SAPS. The study also found that the retention management policy is in the process of being implemented. The study recommended that to retain highly qualified and competent employees the proposed career management model would allow the SAPS to effectively manage the careers of all its members (who serve under the PSA and SAPS Act). Furthermore, it would enable the SAPS to retain its institutional knowledge and intellectual capital, which would allow it to provide better service delivery.D. Phil. (Public Administration)Public Administration and Managemen

Integrative analysis of the epigenetic modification in a breast cancer cell line treated with a bioactive extract of bidens pilosa

Thesis (Ph.D. (Biochemistry)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021Breast cancer is the leading cause of female deaths in the world. Varying types of therapy options are available, yet these conventional treatments for the malignancy are known to have numerous side effects. Similar to other diseases, herbal remedies are being explored as alternative treatment options as well as starting points for development of new drugs to treat breast cancer. Bidens pilosa is a weed distributed throughout the world with known medicinal properties. Its anti-cancer activity has been established in various cancers. This study aimed to investigate the epigenetic patterns affected by a bioactive extract of B. pilosa in breast cancer. A crude methanol extract of B. pilosa was fractionated with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, 65% methanol and water. Healing properties of plants are often an attribute of the presence of phenolic compounds within the plant and the sub-fractions of the methanol extract of B. pilosa were, therefore, assayed for these compounds. The water sub-fraction showed the highest content of total phenolic compounds, however, when the sub-fractions were analysed for the presence of two classes of specific phenolic compounds, the butanol sub-fraction boasted the highest concentration of flavonoids and tannins, affording it superior antioxidant activity in a quantitative DPPH assay. Distribution of the antioxidant compounds in TLC-DPPH analysis also supported this finding. Despite its high antioxidant compound content, cytotoxicity of the butanol sub-fraction in MCF-7 breast cancer cells was not impressive in the MTT viability assay. Treatment with varying concentrations of the chloroform sub-fraction resulted in a better dose- and time-dependent decrease in cell viability of MCF-7 cells than all the other sub-fractions as well as the crude methanol extract. Analysis of breast cancer genes affected by the chloroform sub-fraction on the Human Breast Cancer RT2 Profiler PCR array showed repression in BRCA1 and BRCA2, genes classified as tumour suppressors. Bisulfite pyrosequencing showed no significant modification in methylation of selected CpG islands within the promoter regions of both genes. Results of the array also showed decreased expression of CDH1 which is associated with invasiveness and aggression of tumours. Its investigated CpG island was also shown not to be differentially methylated by treatment of the cells with the chloroform sub-fraction of the extract. As a well-appreciated biomarker for breast cancer risk, BRCA1 protein expression was further investigated. Western blot analysis showed parallel findings to those of the PCR array, with down-regulation of BRCA1 within 24 hours of treatment of MCF-7 cells with the sub-fraction. Repression of the BRCA genes is strongly linked to arrest of cells at the G2/M phase of the cell division cycle, and this was therefore also assessed. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with the chloroform sub-fraction effected a dose-dependent accumulation of cells at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle as determined by flow cytometry. Results of global DNA methylation analysis showed an increase in chromosomal instability by a significantly reduced level of methylation of the genome. This hypomethylation also supports arrest of the cells at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, as cells accumulate at this checkpoint, awaiting repair to prevent segregation of broken chromosomes during mitosis. However, the lack of BRCA1 suggests that repair proteins were not recruited to the sites of repair and the cells were consequently directed to apoptosis. Analysis of the effect of the chloroform sub-fraction of the methanol extract of B. pilosa in the Mitopotential assay showed an increase in the number of dead cells with depolarised mitochondrial membranes, alluding to the intrinsic mode of apoptotic cell death in MCF-7 cells treated with the sub-fraction. Down-regulation of BRCA1 is further associated with telomerase inactivation in cancer cells. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with the chloroform sub-fraction reduced telomerase activity within 24 hours of treatment, with an absence of activity following treatment with 100 and 125 μg/ml of the sub-fraction. This lack of telomerase activity resulted in shortened telomeres which limit proliferative ability of the cells. Characterisation of the six sub-fractions of the methanol extract of B. pilosa with GC-MS showed an abundance of fatty acids in the chloroform sub-fraction, specifically α-linolenic acid, palmitic acid and linoleic acid. Palmitic acid is alleged to play a role in down-regulation of BRCA1 and its abundance in this sub-fraction leads to the conclusion that palmitic acid may be responsible for the decreased expression of BRCA1 in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The down-regulation results in hypomethylation of the genome leading to cell cycle arrest at the G2/M checkpoint and subsequent apoptosis as a result of this repression of BRCA1. Repression of BRCA1 also leads to inactivation of telomerase, inhibiting cell proliferation. Taken together, the observed antioxidant activity and pro-apoptotic potential attributed to epigenetic modifications validate B. pilosa as an anticancer agent. Our findings merit the plant for use in development of potential breast cancer drugs.SAMRC and University of Limpopo (UL