The terminology used to describe neuropathic pain appears to be conserved across languages, which facilitates the translation of validated neuropathic pain screening tools into other languages. However, this assumption has not been assessed in an African language. Therefore we investigated the terminology used by 54 patients whose native language was isiZulu, a major Bantu language of Africa, when describing their symptomatic HIV-associated sensory neuropathy. Also, because English is a commonly spoken second-language in the region, we assessed these patients’ knowledge and understanding of 21 English terms commonly used to describe neuropathic pain. English translations of the most commonly used isiZulu symptom descriptors included: “hot/burning” (50%), “cramping” (35%), “painful/sore/aching” (32%), “itching” (22%), “numb” (22%), “cold/freezing” (17%), and “stabbing/pricking/pins-and-needles” (13%). Thus, the isiZulu terminology to describe neuropathic pain was very similar to that used in non-African languages. However, knowledge and understanding of English neuropathic pain descriptors by these non-native English speakers was highly variable. For example, knowledge of English terms ranged from>98% (“hot”, “cold/freezing”, “cramping”) to <25% (“pricking”, “radiating”, “throbbing”), and true understanding of English terms ranged from>90% (“hot”, “burning”, “cramping”) to <35% (“tingling”, “jumping”, “shooting”, “radiating”). In conclusion, we show significant similarity in the terms used to describe neuropathic pain in isiZulu compared to non-African languages, thus indicating that translation of existing neuropathic pain screening tools into this, and possibly other Bantu languages, is a viable option. However, the usefulness of English-language screening tools in this non-native English speaking population may be limited.

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Background/Aim:Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Human epidermal growth factor (Her-2/neu) has shown strong therapeutic implication in breast cancer. Although the prevalence of Her-2/neu over-expression in gastric cancer has been reported across the world, it is still unknown from South Asia. The aim of this study is to evaluate Her-2/neu expression in gastric adenocarcinomas and to correlate with various clinicopathological variables.Patients and Methods:A total of 95 consecutive patients undergoing endoscopic biopsy or gastrectomy were recruited in this study. Clinicopathological parameters of all patients were recorded and hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) staining was performed. Over-expression of Her-2/neu was investigated by immunohistochemistry using α-Her-2 antibody. To quantify Her-2/neu over-expression, the Hofmann validation scoring system was used and further its association was seen with age, gender, histopathological type, grade, and stage of the tumor. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 21. A P value of <0.05 was considered as significant.Results:Overall, 21 (22.1%) cases were positive for Her-2/neu overexpression from the total of 95 gastric adenocarcinomas. Her-2/neu was significantly expressed in low-grade gastric cancer (grade I = 50%, grade II = 34.5%, grade III = 14.5%; P = 0.030). Although there was insignificant difference between Her-2/neu over expression and other variables, Her-2/neu score 3+ was predominantly seen in females, age >60 years, Laurens intestinal type, and IIIC stage tumors.Conclusion:Her-2/neu is over-expressed in a limited group of gastric cancer patients in our population and indicates a significant strong association with low grades of gastric cancer.