Bontle Mbongwe

Identification of a Large Pool of Microorganisms with an Array of Porphyrin Based Gas Sensors

The association between volatile compounds (VCs) and microorganisms, as demonstrated by several studies, may offer the ground for a rapid identification of pathogens. To this regard, chemical sensors are a key enabling technology for the exploitation of this opportunity. In this study, we investigated the performance of an array of porphyrin-coated quartz microbalance gas sensors in the identification of a panel of 12 bacteria and fungi. The porphyrins were metal complexes and the free base of a functionalized tetraphenylporphyrin. Our results show that the sensor array distinguishes the VC patterns produced by microorganisms in vitro. Besides being individually identified, bacteria are also sorted into Gram-positive and Gram-negative.

The prevalence and factors associated with overweight and obesity among University of Botswana students

Abstract Recently, overweight and obesity were found to be an increasing public health crisis in Botswana. Despite these findings, there is scant epidemiological studies carried out to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of obesity among tertiary students in Botswana. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with overweight/obesity among University of Botswana (UB) students. A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted at University of Botswana between February and April 2016 using convenient sampling to recruit participants. A total of 202 students in the age range of 18–30 with mean age 21.59 ± 1.81 completed the study procedures. Self-administered questionnaires were used for data collection, body mass and height were measured from participants in order to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) to determine whether they fall under the category of being overweight/obese. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 36.8%. Overweight and obesity among students was significantly associated with age (Odds Ratio [OR]: 1.72, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.06–4.46), year of study (OR: 1.60, 95%CI: 1.09–3.99), physical activity and ones opinion about him/her being overweight/obese (p < 0.05). The findings also revealed that gender, faculty of study, family history of obesity and alcohol are not significantly associated with obesity. The prevalence of obesity is relatively high (36.8%) among UB students. Obesity and overweight are associated with age and level of studies. Students practiced unhealthy dietary practices and lifestyle behaviors that should be targeted and modified. Promoting healthy dietary and weight management practices might be of great importance when developing health education programs.

Knowledge and Attitudes towards Cervical Cancer Screening amongst University of Botswana Female Students

Background: Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Botswana. More than two-thirds of cases occur in HIV-infected women, in a nation with a high HIV prevalence of 17%. Even though cancer screening is free in health facilities, cervical cancer screening is low. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of University of Botswana female students on cervical cancer screening. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among University of Botswana female students to elicit information about their knowledge and attitudes on cervical cancer screening. Results: A total of 335 students completed the questionnaire and all reported that they were aware of cervical cancer. The awareness was mostly through brochures, posters and other printed material. Regarding cervical cancer risk 315 (94%) attributed cervical cancer to smoking and 301 (89.9%) to early sexual debut. The majority of students 329 (98.2 %) were aware of cervical cancer screening. Papanicolaou (Pap) smear was the most popular screening test reported by 160 (47.8%) of the respondents as compared to Human Papilloma Virus testing (HPV) reported by 106 (31.6 %) of the respondents. The overall Pap smear screening rate was 92 of 335 students (27.5%). Those who perceived themselves to be at risk of contracting cervical cancer 203 (60.6%) where 1.8 times more likely to go for Pap smear than those who perceived to be safe, (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 1.834; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]; 1.094-3.067), (P = 0.02). Conclusions: Pap smear screening uptake is low amongst University of Botswana female students. The likely reason for this could be because students do not perceive themselves to be susceptible to cancer so the lesser the likelihood of engaging in preventive behaviours. There is urgent need for university based cancer education campaign on cervical cancer screening benefits and incorporating these campaigns into the existing university medical services to increase uptake of screening programs offered.

Addressing the Challenge of P-Value and Sample Size when the Significance is Borderline: The Test of Random Duplication of Participants as a New Approach

The issue of borderline p -value seems to divide health scientists into two schools of thought. One school of thought argues that when the p -value is greater than or equal to the statistical significance cut-off level of 0.05, it should not be considered statistically significant and the null hypothesis should be accepted no matter how close the p -value is to the 0.05. The other school of thought believes that by doing so one might be committing a Type 2 error and possibly missing valuable information. In this paper, we discuss an approach to address this issue and suggest the test of random duplication of participants as a way to interpret study outcomes when the statistical significance is borderline. This discussion shows the irrefutability of the concept of borderline statistical significance, however, it is important that one demonstrates whether a borderline statistical significance is truly borderline or not. Since the absence of statistical significance is not necessarily evidence of absence of effect, one needs to double check if a borderline statistical significance is indeed borderline or not. The p -value should not be looked at as a rule of thumb for accepting or rejecting the null hypothesis but rather as a guide for further action or analysis that leads to correct conclusions.