639 research outputs found
Voorwoord / Preface
From text: In order to describe contemporary social work contextually, a synopsis of developments in the discipline is called for. Various developmental phases in the profession are described in the research. Concerning the South African context, Potgieter (1998: 20-4) distinguishes three phases, namely social welfare in South Africa in the preapartheid era, that of the apartheid era and that of what he terms âthe new era 1990 and beyondâ. During the pre-apartheid area, social work in South African was primarily focused on the effects of poverty and unemployment which went hand-in-hand with urbanisation and industrialisation
The Emmaus narrative and contemporary Christian followership â An empirical case study
This article aims to explore a âlived discipleshipâ by determining whether and how contemporary communities of faith could implement the norms and principles reflected in the Emmaus narrative of Luke 24:13â35 within a plausible epistemological framework that might facilitate a fresh understanding of Christian followership as discipleship. This was done through an empirical case study using two focus groups as co-researchers, in order to actively listen to their respective understandings of lived theology in their unique South African contexts. The two focus groups consisted of (1) a contemporary Christian grouping of Afrikaans-speaking, active churchgoers situated in Hazeldean, a suburb in Pretoria East, Tshwane, Gauteng and (2) a contemporary Christian grouping of African, active churchgoers situated in Ivory Park, a suburb in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. This article concluded that Luke 24:13â35 nudged the co-researchers to re-evaluate their contemporary understanding of discipleship and moved them to additional and new perspectives in terms of practical expressions thereof that can be best described as âlived followershipâ. A shift from perceiving Jesus in terms of an âact to followâ by gaining the correct knowledge, to following Jesus as âa performative actâ, a shift from âtheoretical knowledgeâ to âheart knowledgeâ.
Contribution: This article is a part of the Festschrift for Prof. Stephan Joubert. This article plays into similar creative interdisciplinary relationship as seen in the work of Prof. Joubert, by looking at the relationship between New Testament and Practical Theology in order to improve practices of faith that is rooted in a biblical understanding of Jesus
Voorwoord / Preface
From text: In order to describe contemporary social work contextually, a synopsis of developments in the discipline is called for. Various developmental phases in the profession are described in the research. Concerning the South African context, Potgieter (1998: 20-4) distinguishes three phases, namely social welfare in South Africa in the preapartheid era, that of the apartheid era and that of what he terms âthe new era 1990 and beyondâ. During the pre-apartheid area, social work in South African was primarily focused on the effects of poverty and unemployment which went hand-in-hand with urbanisation and industrialisation
PHP136 A Comparison of Coverage and Reimbursement Decisions in Germany (AMNOG) and Scotland (SMC)
Risk factors for major adverse cardiovascular events in phase III and longâterm extension studies of tofacitinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Objective:
Tofacitinib is an oral JAK inhibitor for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study was undertaken to evaluate the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with RA receiving tofacitinib.
Methods:
Data were pooled from patients with moderately to severely active RA receiving â„1 tofacitinib dose in 6 phase III and 2 longâterm extension studies over 7 years. MACE (myocardial infarction, stroke, cardiovascular death) were independently adjudicated. Cox regression models were used to evaluate associations between baseline variables and time to first MACE. Following 24 weeks of tofacitinib, changes in variables and time to future MACE were evaluated after adjusment for age, baseline values, and timeâvarying tofacitinib dose. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated.
Results:
Fiftyâtwo MACE occurred in 4,076 patients over 12,873 patientâyears of exposure (incidence rate 0.4 patients with events per 100 patientâyears). In univariable analyses of baseline variables, traditional cardiovascular risk factors and glucocorticoid and statin use were associated with MACE risk; disease activity and inflammation measures were not. In subsequent multivariable analyses, baseline age, hypertension, and the total cholesterol to highâdensity lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ratio remained significantly associated with risk of MACE. After 24 weeks of treatment, an increase in HDL cholesterol and a decrease in the total to HDL cholesterol were associated with decreased MACE risk; changes in total cholesterol, lowâdensity lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and disease activity measures were not. Increased erythrocyte sedimentation rates trended with increased future MACE risk.
Conclusion:
In this post hoc analysis, after 24 weeks of tofacitinib treatment, increased HDL cholesterol, but not increased LDL cholesterol or total cholesterol, appeared to be associated with lower future MACE risk. Further data are needed to test the cardiovascular safety of tofacitinib
Cretaceous fossils from the Orapa Diamond Mine
Main articleThe Orapa kimberlite pipe, situated in north-central Botswana, is well-known for its rich reserves
of diamonds. It is indeed one of the largest and richest diamond mines in the world. The kimberlite
magma transporting the diamonds from the upper mantle erupted through a sequence ofKaroo-aged
rocks before the deposition ofthe Kalahari Sands. This eruption has been radiometrically dated at
early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Coniacian). When volcanism ceased, a succession of epiclastic
crater lake sediments was deposited above the kimberlite plug. Analysis of these sediments, which
mostly comprise the results of mudflows and debris flows and fmer sediments during quiescenttimes,
suggests that most of the sediments within the crater were deposited rapidly as mass flows, and were
therefore mobilised soon after the volcanic eruption. Buried within the fine-grained sediments is a
unique assemblage of fossils including flowering plants and many whole-bodied insects. The fossils
are commonly exquisitely preserved in extremely fine-grained mudstone. Interpretation of the
sedimentary facies and fossils is that the mid-Cretaceous climate of central Botswana was temperate,
seasonal and wet, and the area surrounding the crater was forested. The fossils represent the recovery
of the biota of the area after the violent eruptions of Orapa and other nearby kimberlite fissures and
pipes. The fossils have contributed considerably to our understanding of mid-Cretaceous insects and
flowering plants and suggest intimate relationships between the two at an early stage in the radiation
of flowering plants. It seems that southern Gondwana (including southern Africa) was a centre of
diversification for both insects and angiosperms in the mid-Cretaceous.Friends of the Museum,
Gaborone; Debswana (Orapa); University of the Witwatersrand;
South African Foundation for Research Developmen
Changes in lipid levels and incidence of cardiovascular events following tofacitinib treatment in patients with psoriatic arthritis: a pooled analysis acrossphase III and longâterm extension studies
Objective:
The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is higher in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) compared to the general population. Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor for the treatment of PsA. Because tofacitinib increases circulating lipid levels in some patients, we evaluated CVD risk factors and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with active PsA receiving tofacitinib 5 or 10 mg twice daily plus conventional synthetic diseaseâmodifying antirheumatic drugs.
Methods:
Data were pooled from 2 phase III studies (Efficacy and Safety of Tofacitinib in Psoriatic Arthritis [OPAL Broaden] and Tofacitinib in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis With Inadequate Response to TNF Inhibitors [OPAL Beyond]) and 1 ongoing longâterm extension (OpenâLabel Extension Study of Tofacitinib in Psoriatic Arthritis [OPAL Balance], data cutoff January 2017; database not locked). Outcomes included fasting lipid levels, blood pressure, hypertensionârelated adverse events (AEs; including hypertension, high blood pressure, and increased blood pressure), and MACE.
Results:
Overall, 783 tofacitinibâtreated patients were included. Percentage increases from baseline in lowâdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLâc) and highâdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLâc) levels ranged from 9% to 14% for tofacitinib 5 mg and 10 mg at 3 and 6 months; no meaningful changes in LDLâc:HDLâc or total cholesterol:HDLâc ratios were observed. Blood pressure remained stable for 24 months. Fiftyâeight patients (7.4%) had hypertensionârelated AEs; none were fatal (incidence rate [IR] per 100 patientâyears 4.81 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 3.65â6.22]). Five patients (0.6%) had MACE (IR 0.24 [95% CI 0.05â0.70]); 2 were fatal.
Conclusion:
Serum lipid level increases at month 3 following tofacitinib treatment in PsA were consistent with observations in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. The IR of hypertensionârelated AEs and MACE was low; longâterm followâup is ongoing
Immunopathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory arthropathy. The majority of evidence, derived from genetics, tissue analyses, models, and clinical studies, points to an immune-mediated etiology associated with stromal tissue dysregulation that together propogate chronic inflammation and articular destruction. A pre-RA phase lasting months to years may be characterized by the presence of circulating autoantibodies, increasing concentration and range of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and altered metabolism. Clinical disease onset comprises synovitis and systemic comorbidities affecting the vasculature, metabolism, and bone. Targeted immune therapeutics and aggressive treatment strategies have substantially improved clinical outcomes and informed pathogenetic understanding, but no cure as yet exists. Herein we review recent data that support intriguing models of disease pathogenesis. They allude to the possibility of restoration of immunologic homeostasis and thus a state of tolerance associated with drug-free remission. This target represents a bold vision for the future of RA therapeutics
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