Missed Opportunities for the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Ashanti and Western Regions of Ghana; Polymerase Chain Reaction, A Better Tool

The diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) has mainly relied on sputum microscopy and culture. The use of molecular techniques such as the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and its overwhelming advantages compared with conventional diagnostic methodologies cannot be overemphasized. The main aim of this work was to compare the diagnostic sensitivities of microscopy, culture and PCR. Suspected PTB sputum samples were prospectively collected from six hospitals in the Ashanti and Western regions of Ghana. Microscopy was carried out on all samples at the field sites. Apart from culture and PCR, repeat sputum microscopy was carried out in the laboratories of the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR). Out of the total 425 cases recruited for the study, 123 (29.0%) were smear positive on site in contrast to 275 (64.7%) positivity rate at KCCR. Regarding culture, 254 (59.9%) samples were culture positive whilst PCR technique using INS 1&2 and PR 8&9 primers were positive in 59.9 % and 56% of cases respectively. The proportion of missed positive cases of microscopy were 131 (51%) compared with culture and 1.1% missed cases when compared with PCR. The sensitivity and specificity of microscopy were 123/254 (48.4%) and 154/302 (50.99%). The study confirms the superiority of PCR in the diagnosis of PTB and indicates that a substantial proportion of PTB cases are missed when microscopy alone is used. In areas where the incidence of PTB is high and at referral hospitals, PCR can be done to augment the diagnosis of TB.Keywords: Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Sputum Microscopy, Culture, Polymerase Chain Reactio

Urgent issues and prospects at the intersection of culture, memory, and witness interviews: Exploring the challenges for research and practice

Funder: UK Home Office and security and intelligence agenciesFunder: KU Leuven; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004040Funder: FWO Research ProjectAbstract: The pursuit of justice increasingly relies on productive interactions between witnesses and investigators from diverse cultural backgrounds during investigative interviews. To date, the role of cultural context has largely been ignored by researchers in the field of investigative interviewing, despite repeated requests from practitioners and policymakers for evidence‐based guidance for the conduct of interviews with people from different cultures. Through examining cultural differences in human memory and communication and considering specific contextual challenges for investigative interviewing through the lens of culture, this review and associated commentaries highlight the scope for considering culture and human diversity in research on, and the practice of, investigative interviewing with victims, witnesses, and other sources. Across 11 commentaries, contributors highlight the importance of considering the role of culture in different investigative interviewing practices (e.g., rapport building, questioning techniques) and contexts (e.g., gender‐based violence, asylum seeking, child abuse), address common areas of cultural mismatch between interviewer–interviewee expectations, and identify critical future routes for research. We call for an increased focus in the investigative interviewing literature on the nature and needs of our global community and encourage constructive and collaborative discussion between researchers and practitioners from around the world to better identify specific challenges and work together towards evidence‐based solutions

Negative Interpersonal Interactions and Dating Abuse Perpetration: The Mediating Role of Dispositional Forgivingness

© 2017, The Author(s) 2017. Theory and research suggest that an individual’s negative interactions with his or her parents or romantic partner are associated with the perpetration of dating abuse. Research is beginning to explore the role of forgivingness within abusive romantic relationships, and these preliminary findings suggest that dispositional forgivingness might mediate the relations between negative interpersonal interactions and dating abuse. The current study assessed negative interactions with one’s parents and one’s romantic partner, the frequency of dating abuse perpetration, and dispositional forgivingness of others and oneself among a sample of emerging adults in college (n = 421). Dispositional forgivingness of others was negatively associated with the perpetration of emotional/verbal dating abuse and threatening behaviors, and it mediated relations between negative interpersonal interactions and dating abuse perpetration. Our findings suggest that the tendency to forgive others may explain why some individuals who experience negative interpersonal interactions with parents or romantic partners do not escalate to perpetration of abuse within their romantic relationships. Implications for future research and application are discussed

Urgent issues and prospects at the intersection of culture, memory, and witness interviews: Exploring the challenges for research and practice

The pursuit of justice increasingly relies on productive interactions between witnesses and investigators from diverse cultural backgrounds during investigative interviews. To date, the role of cultural context has largely been ignored by researchers in the field of investigative interviewing, despite repeated requests from practitioners and policymakers for evidence-based guidance for the conduct of interviews with people from different cultures. Through examining cultural differences in human memory and communication and considering specific contextual challenges for investigative interviewing through the lens of culture, this review and associated commentaries highlight the scope for considering culture and human diversity in research on, and the practice of, investigative interviewing with victims, witnesses, and other sources. Across 11 commentaries, contributors highlight the importance of considering the role of culture in different investigative interviewing practices (e.g., rapport building, questioning techniques) and contexts (e.g., gender-based violence, asylum seeking, child abuse), address common areas of cultural mismatch between interviewer–interviewee expectations, and identify critical future routes for research. We call for an increased focus in the investigative interviewing literature on the nature and needs of our global community and encourage constructive and collaborative discussion between researchers and practitioners from around the world to better identify specific challenges and work together towards evidence-based solutions