scholarly journals Tay-Sachs disease preconception screening in Australia: self-knowledge of being an Ashkenazi Jew predicts carrier state better than does ancestral origin, although there is an increased risk for c.1421 + 1G > C mutation in individuals with South African heritage

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 201-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raelia Lew ◽  
Leslie Burnett ◽  
Anné Proos
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Carrier State ◽  
Ancestral Origin ◽  
African Heritage ◽  
Tay Sachs Disease ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Self Knowledge ◽  
Better Than

scholarly journals Physical Performance and Anthropometric Characteristics of Male South African University Soccer Players

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alliance Kubayi ◽  
Yvonne Paul ◽  
Prescott Mahlangu ◽  
Abel Toriola
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Body Fat ◽  
Body Height ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
Successful Performance ◽  
Physiological Profile ◽  
Percentage Of Body Fat ◽  
Body Fat Content ◽  
Anthropometric Characteristics ◽  
Better Than

Abstract Soccer is the most popular sport worldwide. Despite its global acclaim, scientific studies of soccer have tended to focus on tactics and techniques, thereby neglecting the physical and physiological profile of the players. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine physical and anthropometric characteristics of male South African university soccer players. Twenty-seven male soccer players aged 19 to 24 (mean age: 22.1 years; s = 1.5 years) volunteered to participate in the study. The results showed that goalkeepers (77.5 ± 9.7 kg) and defenders (68.2 ± 6.5 kg) were the heaviest compared to players in other playing positions. The goalkeepers also had the highest percentage of body fat (11.3 ± 2.3%), in contrast to midfielders who had the lowest body fat content (9.1 ± 0.9%). With regard to flexibility, defenders (45.1 ± 4.9 cm) and midfielders (45.9 ± 5.4 cm) performed better than goalkeepers (37.1 ± 4.3 cm) and strikers (40.1 ± 3.4 cm). Midfielders (57.2 ± 3.1 ml1·kg−1·min1) and defenders (56.1 ± 5.1 ml1·kg−1·min1) had significantly higher values of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) than goalkeepers (47.9 ± 0.2 ml−1·kg−1·min−1) and strikers (49.8 ± 6.2 ml−1·kg−1·min−1). No significant (p > 0.05) differences were observed for all other variables, with the exception of body height, body mass, and VO2max. It was therefore concluded that sports scientists and coaches should tailor conditioning programmes in soccer according to players’ positions in view of the implications for successful performance.

“Traditional” Venḓa Women’s Beadwork Accessing the Contemporary Tourist Market in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-224
Author(s):  
Mathodi F. Motsamayi ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
The Past ◽  
African Heritage ◽  
Trading Networks

Beads and beadwork have played a role in South Africa’s Limpopo Province dating back to the pre-colonial times. Whether the beads were produced locally or imported via trading networks, the region already had a rich tradition of constructing beadwork before the arrival of Europeans. Today, this tradition is continued by new generations of women beaders. It has been found that literature on contemporary Limpopo beadwork produced by Vhavenḓa women is scarce. This article addressed this imbalance. It is vital to state that, during the last decade and in the context of South African heritage and tourism, there has been a steadily increasing number of scholarly studies on Nguni beadwork. This study offered new insights into contemporary beadwork traditions. It also contributed to an understanding of Vhavenḓa beading by drawing on the knowledge and experience of beadworkers, identifying influences from the past, and countering some stereotypical perceptions of beadwork production.

scholarly journals Expanded CURB-65: a new score system predicts severity of community-acquired pneumonia with superior efficiency

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-liang Liu ◽  
Feng Xu ◽  
Hui Zhou ◽  
Xue-jie Wu ◽  
Ling-xian Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Severity Score ◽  
Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽  
Score System ◽  
Pneumonia Severity ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Severity Scores ◽  
Low Blood Pressure ◽  
Health Care Associated Pneumonia ◽  
Score Systems ◽  
Better Than

Abstract Aim of this study was to develop a new simpler and more effective severity score for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients. A total of 1640 consecutive hospitalized CAP patients in Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University were included. The effectiveness of different pneumonia severity scores to predict mortality was compared, and the performance of the new score was validated on an external cohort of 1164 patients with pneumonia admitted to a teaching hospital in Italy. Using age ≥ 65 years, LDH > 230 u/L, albumin < 3.5 g/dL, platelet count < 100 × 109/L, confusion, urea > 7 mmol/L, respiratory rate ≥ 30/min, low blood pressure, we assembled a new severity score named as expanded-CURB-65. The 30-day mortality and length of stay were increased along with increased risk score. The AUCs in the prediction of 30-day mortality in the main cohort were 0.826 (95% CI, 0.807–0.844), 0.801 (95% CI, 0.781–0.820), 0.756 (95% CI, 0.735–0.777), 0.793 (95% CI, 0.773–0.813) and 0.759 (95% CI, 0.737–0.779) for the expanded-CURB-65, PSI, CURB-65, SMART-COP and A-DROP, respectively. The performance of this bedside score was confirmed in CAP patients of the validation cohort although calibration was not successful in patients with health care-associated pneumonia (HCAP). The expanded CURB-65 is objective, simpler and more accurate scoring system for evaluation of CAP severity, and the predictive efficiency was better than other score systems.

scholarly journals THE SCORPIONS LOSE THEIR STING: Challenges to incorporation of the DSO into the SAPS

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Minnaar
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
New South ◽  
Modus Operandi ◽  
Special Operations ◽  
South African Police Service ◽  
Direct Contrast ◽  
South African Police ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Better Than ◽  
The Way

While it would appear that the motivations to incorporate the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO) or Scorpions into a new South African Police Service directorate are largely politically driven, there are a number of practical obstacles standing in the way of a ‘smooth’ incorporation. Foremost among these is the manner of operations of the Scorpions, the way that they investigate certain crimes by means of prosecution-led teams, and their more effective use of intelligence-driven crime information. This is diametrically opposed to the SAPS investigation modus operandi, which is largely reactive. Furthermore, many of the Scorpions investigators, representing as they do a vast pool of built up experience and expertise, do not want to serve in the SAPS under the latter’s investigating regime. Other sticking points would be the fact that they are paid infinitely better than SAPS detectives, are better funded and resourced, have a far lighter case load (and one shared in a team) – all in direct contrast to members of the SAPS.

Self-Knowledge Creation Through Collective Poetic Inquiry: Cultivating Productive Resistance as University Academics

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 262-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisy Pillay ◽  
Kathleen Pithouse-Morgan ◽  
Inbanathan Naicker
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
South African ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Turning Point ◽  
Poetic Inquiry ◽  
Collaborative Creativity ◽  
Self Knowledge ◽  
Found Poetry ◽  
Research Analysis

We explore how using the literary arts-based methodology of collective poetic inquiry deepened our own self-knowledge as South African academics who choose to resist a neoliberal corporate model of higher education. Increasingly, poetry is recognized as a means of representing the distinctiveness, complexity and plurality of the voices of research participants and researchers. Also, poetry is understood as a mode of research analysis that can intensify creativity and reflexivity. Using found poetry in the pantoum and tanka formats, we provide an example of a poetic inquiry process in which we started off by exploring other university academics’ lived experiences of working with graduate students and came to a turning point of reflexivity and self-realization. The escape highlights our evolving understanding that collaborative creativity and experimentation in research can be acts of self-knowledge creation for nurturing productive resistance as university academics.

scholarly journals Effects of injectable progestogen contraception versus the copper intrauterine device on HIV acquisition: sub-study of a pragmatic randomised controlled trial

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 175-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Justus Hofmeyr ◽  
Mandisa Singata-Madliki ◽  
Theresa A Lawrie ◽  
Eduardo Bergel ◽  
Marleen Temmerman
Keyword(s):  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
South African ◽  
Pregnancy Termination ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intrauterine Device ◽  
Randomised Trial ◽  
Contraceptive Device ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Hiv Acquisition ◽  
Randomised Controlled

BackgroundEvidence from observational studies suggests an increased risk of HIV acquisition among women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) contraception.MethodsWithin the context of a South African programme to increase women's access to the intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD), we conducted a pragmatic, open-label, parallel-arm, randomised controlled trial (RCT) of the IUD versus injectable progestogen contraception (IPC) at two South African hospitals. The primary outcome was pregnancy; secondary outcomes included HIV acquisition. Consenting women attending termination of pregnancy services were randomised after pregnancy termination between July 2009 and November 2012. Condoms were promoted for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. Voluntary HIV testing was offered at baseline and at 12 or more months later. Findings on HIV acquisition are reported in this article.ResultsHIV acquisition data were available for 1290 initially HIV-negative women who underwent a final study interview at a median of 20 months after randomisation to IPC or an IUD. Baseline group characteristics were comparable. In the IPC group, 545/656 (83%) of participants received DMPA, 96 (15%) received injectable norethisterone enanthate, 14 (2%) received the IUD and one received oral contraception. In the IUD group 609 (96%) received the IUD, 20 (3%) received IPC and 5 (1%) had missing data. According to intention-to-treat analysis, HIV acquisition occurred in 20/656 (3.0%) women in the IPC arm and 22/634 (3.5%) women in the IUD arm (IPC vs IUD, risk ratio 0.88; 95% confidence interval 0.48–1.59;p=0.7).ConclusionsThis sub-study was underpowered to rule out moderate differences in HIV risk, but confirms the feasibility of randomised trial methodology to address this question. Larger RCTs are needed to determine the relative risks of various contraceptive methods on HIV acquisition with greater precision.Trial registration numberPan African Clinical Trials Registry number PACTR201409000880157 (04-09-2014).

Efficacy of Rifampin in Eliminating Pharyngeal Carriage of Haemophilus influenzae Type b

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-8
Author(s):  
Eugene D. Shapiro ◽  
Ellen R. Wald
Keyword(s):  
Haemophilus Influenzae ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Carrier State ◽  
Haemophilus Influenzae Type ◽  
Haemophilus Influenzae Type B ◽  
Type B ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Control Subjects ◽  
Increased Risk

Household contacts less than 6 years of age of children with Haemophilus influenzae type b meningitis are at increased risk of developing systemic H influenzae type b disease. Positive oropharyngeal cultures for H influenzae type b were found in 17/97 patients (18%) and 7/62 staff members (11%) at a chronic care facility at which two patients had developed ampicillin-resistant H influenzae type b meningitis. H influenzae type b colonization was eliminated in 8/9 carriers treated with a single daily oral dose of rifampin, 20 mg/kg/day (maximum 600 mg) for four days; colonization persisted in 9/10 control subjects (Fisher's exact test P &lt; .001; corrected X2 P &lt; .005). After treatment of additional H influenzae type b-positive individuals and the remaining control subjects, rifampin was found to have eradicated H influenzae type b in a total of 24/25 carriers (96%). All isolates of H influenzae type b were sensitive to rifampin at either 0.5 or 1.0 µg/ml. Rifampin is effective in eliminating the H influenzae type b carrier state and may be useful in preventing associated H influenzae type b disease in close contacts of children with H influenzae type b meningitis.

Re-Envisioning Greater Johannesburg: South African Heritage Development in the First Decade of Democracy

African Arts ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 30-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Delmont
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
African Heritage ◽  
Heritage Development
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