Abstract: The Botswana Police Pathology unit records show that a total of 368 cases of suicide were reported between 2016 and 2019. A total of 367 of these cases were suicide by hanging while only 1 was of suicide by self-strangulation. Literature shows that suicidal ligature self-strangulation is uncommon and, in most cases, common household items such as scarves, belts, neckties and rope are used. We report an instance where a 25-year-old African male used two black plastic ligatures, each...
Abstract: The potential antimicrobial properties of a tridentate polypyridyl ligand 4-butoxy-N,N-bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)aniline (BUT) 1 and its corresponding mixed ligand ruthenium complexes were investigated on drug-resistant and non-drug-resistant bacterial species. The ligand and its complexes were synthesized and successfully characterized by 1H NMR, UV/Vis, and FTIR spectra; ESI-MS; and magnetic susceptibility. Electronic spectra and magnetic susceptibility of these Ru(II)/(III) complex...
Abstract: A mathematical model for a transmission of TB-HIV/AIDS co-infection that incorporates prevalence dependent behaviour change in the population and treatment for the infected (and infectious) class is formulated and analyzed. The two sub-models, when each of the two diseases are considered separately are mathematically analyzed. The theory of optimal control analysis is applied to the full model with the objective of minimizing the aggregate cost of the infections and the control eff...
Abstract: Kaposi Sarcoma (KS) is the most common AIDS-defining cancer, even as HIV-positive people live longer. Like other herpesviruses, human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) establishes a lifelong infection of the host that in association with HIV infection may develop at any time during the illness. With the increasing global incidence of KS, there is an urgent need of designing optimal therapeutic strategies for HHV-8-related infections. Here we formulate two models with innate and adaptive immune...
Abstract: In this article, a mathematical model for the transmission of COVID-19 disease is formulated and analysed. It is shown that the model exhibits a backward bifurcation at R0=1 when recovered individuals do not develop a permanent immunity for the disease. In the absence of reinfection, it is proved that the model is without backward bifurcation and the disease free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable for R0
Abstract: The novel coronavirus disease has ravaged many health systems around the world and has brought many economies to their knees. In the absence of an approved curing medicine or approved vaccine to date, the major control of the surge of infections is through use of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) and imposing specific standard operating procedures (SOPs) in instances when the disease spread curbs are relaxed. It is thus essential to quantify the extent to which specific NPIs ...
Abstract: We formulate a mathematical model for the spread of the coronavirus which incorporates adherence to disease prevention. The major results of this study are: First, we determined optimal infection coefficients such that high levels of coronavirus transmission are prevented. Secondly, we have found that there exists several optimal pairs of removal rates, from the general population of asymptomatic and symptomatic infectives respectively that can protect hospital bed capacity and fla...
Abstract: Albizia anthelmintica is a medicinal plant belonging to the Fabaceae family. It is widely used by smallholder farmers and pastoralists to treat internal parasites in their livestock.This study aimed to determine the antibacterial and antioxidant potential of A. anthelmintica on pathogenic veterinary isolates. 100% hexane (He100), 100% chloroform (Ch100), 100% ethanol (E100), and 70% ethanol (E70) extracts of the roots and barks of A. anthelmintica were tested against four bacterial...
Abstract: Unique severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19) prevention measures to distinct age, geographical and community groupings can only be effectively and efficiently implemented with a clear understanding on dynamics of the disease. Dynamics include disease spread, different risk factors and their level of influence and individual attributes that aid the spread. The paper aims at determining the major COVID-19 spread risk factors in Zimbabwe by identifying ...
Abstract: Several medicinal plants have anti-diabetic properties and can be considered as an alternative therapy because of their actions which are like those of conventional antidiabetic drugs. In this study, we investigated Myrothamnus flabellifolius (MF) ethanol: water (70:30) extract for its possible anti-diabetic potential in streptozotocin-high energy diet (STZ-HED) induced type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats and its possible mechanisms of action. Diabetic rats were divided into MF-50...
Abstract: Fairy shrimps (Anostraca) constitute an important component of seasonally aquatic habitats, but few complete mitochondrial genomes have been published for this group. Here, we report the mitoge nome of a common southern African species, Streptocephalus cafer, from Botswana (accession number: MN720104). Low-coverage shotgun sequencing recovered two contigs 15653 bp and 1347 bp in length that are separated by a repetitive region of unknown length within the non-coding control region....
Abstract: Aims: To identify virtual healthcare services and digital health technologies deployed in South Africa during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the challenges associated with their use. Methods: To determine the status of digital health utilization during COVID-19 in South Africa, the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses model was used to perform a systematic and in-depth critical analysis of previously published studies in well-known and trusted...
Abstract: This study was carried out to assess hand hygiene practices in the context of an institution that uses biometric identity machines to monitor employee attendance. The study involved 103 employees. The study revealed that 67.3% of the respondents felt the institution had adequate hand hygiene facilities but only 51.4 % said they always disinfect their hands after using the toilet. 33.6% said they never disinfected their hands when using the biometric machine due to unavailability of...
Abstract: The increasing population growth, depletion of natural recourses from mining and similar activities, and consequent insistent climate change have triggered diverse environmental challenges. It is well known that acid mine drainage (AMD) from mining operations in South Africa constitutes a serious environmental problem which requires heightened and crucial attention. The contamination threats from AMD presents a severe risk requiring prevention and mitigation measures for curbing co...
Abstract: Waste stabilisation pond system has been used more especially in developing countries for sewage treatment. The objective of this study was to investigate the hydraulic and performance efficiency of Palapye waste stabilisation ponds. The hydraulic efficiency was evaluated through drogue, pond geometry and sludge accumulation assessment. The performance efficiency was evaluated through periodic sampling and analysis of physiochemical and bacteriological parameters of individual unit...