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Transitioning from undergraduate to postgraduate studies: A multistage evaluation of a discipline-specific writing intervention
No full textThis study attempted to address academics’ general concern about the steady decline in students’ academic writing abilities and the impact this has on students’ ability to demonstrate their learning and negotiate written tasks in their respective disciplines. The study focused on what can be done within a higher education institution in terms of academic writing instruction to develop the literacy abilities required to enable students to cope with the demands of tertiary studies within specific disciplines, as students progress from undergraduate to postgraduate work. Given the varied and specialised nature of academic discourses in different fields of study, a discipline-specific approach to writing instruction was adopted to facilitate students’ familiarity with the conventions of academic and discoursespecific writing, and develop their ability to produce effective and appropriate texts for their courses. A multistage evaluation design was used to measure the potential effect of the writing intervention, the results of which indicate an improvement in students’ academic literacy and writing abilities, as well as their ability to apply these abilities to writing in their subject area
All the hits and more: Transkei’s Capital Radio and non-segregationist playlisting
No full textIn the 1960s the South African government institutionalised apartheid of the airwaves, implementing separate radio stations in line with its policy of ‘cultural purity’ whereby each ethnic group’s culture was to be treated separately. Music played on government radio was streamlined according to what the government’s South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) deemed appropriate for each ethnic group. Furthermore, there was strict censorship, ruling out controversial lyrical messages. The SABC’s popular music station – Radio 5 – broadcast in English and Afrikaans with a white audience in mind and played middle-of-the-road western pop music. The apartheid government also created separate ‘independent’ homelands for each black ethnic group, and in one of these homelands – the Transkei – an independent radio station named Capital Radio was set up in 1979. Its slogan was ‘All the hits and more’ and, unlike the SABC stations, it did not practise severe censorship or segregation of musical styles according to different race groups. This paper incorporates the memories of Capital Radio’s management, DJs, and listeners in providing an analysis of the way Capital Radio’s broad, relatively eclectic and inclusive music playlisting not only contested apartheid airwaves but attracted listeners of different backgrounds, exposing them to a diversity of musical styles and influences with which they began to identify
Knowledge, attitudes and practices of mental healthcare workers in management of intentional self-harm in a mental health care referral facility: a qualitative study
No full textBackground: Intentional Self-Harm (ISH) contributes to a significant disease burden globally. Despite the urgent need for effective treatment, health care workers lack adequate training on ISH. Evidently, there is a correlation between attitude and practice that could determine ISH treatment outcomes.Objective: To explore the knowledge, attitudes and practices of mental health care workers towards ISH in a mental health referral facility.Main Outcome Measures: Saturation of themes for in-depth description of knowledge, attitude and practices regarding ISH.Methods: This was qualitative research whereby a non-probability purposive sampling technique was used to identify participants for interviewing. Audio recorded data was transcribed verbatim and uploaded on the QSR International NVivo version 10 software for analysis.Results: The study highlighted inadequacy in training and supervision of the psychiatric doctors. Negative attitude towards ISH patients was highlighted. Absence of ISH treatment guidelines and lack of collaboration in patient care was identified. ISH management was also described as challenging due to factors like stigma, poverty and shortage of staff.Conclusion: Knowledge and competence on ISH intervention could be enhanced through effective training and mentorship. Regardless, ISH was not adequately covered in the curriculum and consultant psychiatrists had limited time for training resident doctors. Despite the majority of Mental health care workers demonstrating positive attitude towards ISH patients, some had negative attitudes. In practice, lack of collaborative care model and guidelines contributed to challenges in management of ISH. Other factors hindering ISH management were stigma, poverty and institutional challenges like staff shortage
Evaluation of the performance of lecturers in general surgery by 4th- and 6th-year MB ChB students at the University of Limpopo, Polokwane, South Africa
No full textBackground. Students’ evaluation of teaching performance is one of the important means of measuring the quality of higher education worldwide. Students are valuable contributors to improvement of the teaching performance of lecturers. For any academic institution, it is very important to receive feedback on teaching quality from students.Objectives. To determine lecturers’ performance as evaluated by undergraduate students in general surgery, with the aim of identifying the lecturers’ strengths and planning tactics for any necessary improvement measures.Methods. This study followed a descriptive research design to evaluate seven lecturers in general surgery by 4th- and 6th-year MB ChB students at the University of Limpopo, Polokwane, South Africa.Results. Seven lecturers were evaluated by the students. From the study results, there is strong evidence that the majority of the participants were satisfied with 5/7 lecturers’ interpersonal skills and communication and presentation style, including an overall rating (p<0.0001). Two lecturers were considered by the students to require some level of improvement in performance (p<0.0001).Conclusion. General surgery students expressed satisfaction with the teaching performance of most members of the academic staff. However, some lecturers need to improve with regard to audibility and preparation for slide presentations
Splenic injury after colonoscopy: An unexpected complication
No full textColonoscopy is a useful diagnostic and therapeutic modality, but has a number of reported complications. Splenic injury, although a rare complication, can easily be mistaken for other injuries. We report a case of splenic rupture post colonoscopy that occurred at Job Shimankana Tabane Hospital in Rustenburg, North West Province, South Africa
Access to postpartum tubal ligation services in Cape Town, South Africa – an observational study
No full textBackground. Many women receiving antenatal care in public health services in Cape Town choose bilateral tubal ligation as their preferred method of postpartum contraception during their antenatal course. If the sterilisation does not occur immediately, these women are discharged on an alternative form of contraception and, ideally, an interval date for bilateral tubal ligation is arranged.Objectives. To assess the access to tubal ligation services in the Metro West area of Cape Town, South Africa, in women who request permanent contraception following delivery, looking specifically at the number of women requesting bilateral tubal ligation who receive the procedure intrapartum, immediately postpartum or as an interval procedure. Other objectives included determining the reproductive outcomes if bilateral tubal ligation was not performed, investigating the alternative forms of contraception provided and to study the demographics of the population requesting bilateral tubal ligation as a form of contraception.Methods. The study was conducted as a cross-sectional observational study collecting data over a period of 3 months, from June 2019 to August 2019. Maternity case records for deliveries between June 2019 and August 2019 from four facilities were reviewed. The facilities, representing all levels of care, were Vanguard Midwife Obstetric Unit, Wesfleur Hospital (district hospital), New Somerset Hospital (regional hospital), Groote Schuur Hospital (tertiary hospital).Results. There were 260 women who requested tubal ligation as their choice of contraception. Only 50% of these received a tubal ligation. Of the 131 tubal ligations performed, 2 were interval sterilisations. Ninety-one percent (120/131) of the tubal ligations were done at the time of caesarean section. Of the 129 women who received alternative forms of contraception, 13 women had a recurrent pregnancy.Conclusion. The study suggests that only 50% of women requesting tubal ligation as form of contraception actually end up receiving the procedure. Alternative forms of contraception are widely used and relied upon, but not without risks of recurrent pregnancy. Interval tubal ligation was not easily accessed by those women who were referred for the procedure
The utility of mobile telephone-recorded videos as adjuncts to the diagnosis of seizures and paroxysmal events in children with suspected epileptic seizures
No full textBackground. Epilepsy is often diagnosed through clinical description, but inter-observer interpretations can be diverse and misleading.Objective. To assess the utility of smartphone videos in the diagnosis of paediatric epilepsy.Methods. The literature was reviewed for evidence to support the use of smartphone videos, inclusive of advantages, ethical practice and potential disadvantages. An existing adult-based quality of video (QOV) scoring tool was adapted for use in children. A pilot study used convenience sampling of videos from 25 patients, which were reviewed to assess the viability of the adapted QOV tool against the subsequent diagnosis for the patients with videos. The referral mechanism of the videos was reviewed for the source and consent processes followed.Results. A total of 14 studies were identified. Methodologies varied; only three focused on videos of children, and QOV was formally scored in three. Studies found that smartphone videos of good quality assisted the differentiation of epilepsy from non-epileptic events, especially with accompanying history and with more experienced clinicians. The ethics and risks of circulation of smartphone videos were briefly considered in a minority of the reports. The pilot study found that the adapted QOV tool correlated with videos of moderate and high quality and subsequent diagnostic closure.Conclusions. Data relating to the role of smartphone video of events in children is lacking, especially from low- and middle-income settings. Guidelines for caregivers to acquire good-quality videos are not part of routine practice. The ethical implications of transfer of sensitive material have not been adequately addressed for this group. Prospective multicentre studies are needed to formally assess the viability of the adapted QOV tool for paediatric videos
COP27 Climate Change Conference: urgent action needed for Africa and the world
No full textCOP27 Climate Change Conference: urgent action needed for Africa and the worl
MiR 378a/FSCN1 regulatory axis inhibits tumor stemness and increases the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs in colorectal cancer cells
No full textPurpose: To evaluate the effect of miR-378a/FSCN1 axis on tumor stemness and aerobic glycolysis in colorectal cancer cells (CRC).
Methods: Abnormal expressions of miR-378a and FSCN1 in CRC tissues were analyzed through TCGA database. Cell viability and apoptosis were determined using 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo (-z-y1)-3,5-di- phenytetrazoliumromide (MTT) assay and flow cytometry, respectively, while expression of miR-378a was evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Furthermore, Western blotting assay was used to assess protein expressions. The miR-378a target was evaluated using ENCORI and confirmed by luciferase assay. Aerobic glycolysis was evaluated by determining glucose uptake, lactate production and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity.
Results: Downregulation of miR-378a and upregulation of FSCN1 were observed in both CRC tissues and cell lines (p < 0.05). Overexpression of miR-378a and repression of FSCN1 reduced cell viability and tumor sphere formation, and induced cell apoptosis. Protein expression of SOX2, KLF4, Bmi1 and Oct-4 were downregulated by either the overexpression of miR-378a or repression of FSCN1 (p < 0.01). Glucose uptake, lactate production and LDH activity were inhibited by either overexpression of miR-378a or repression of FSCN1, while cytotoxicity of Dox and 5-Fu was increased by upregulation of miR-378a or downregulation of FSCN1 (p < 0.05). The predictive results of ENCORI demonstrated that FSCN1 was the direct target of miR-378a, and this was confirmed by luciferase assay results (p < 0.005). All the effects of miR-378a in CRC were reversed by overexpression of FSCN1 (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: This study has shown that miR-378a suppresses tumor stemness and increases the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs by directly targeting FSCN1, resulting in the prevention of CRC tumorigenesis. Thus, these findings suggest a new approach to the chemotherapeutic management of CRC