'Doing' and 'using' sexual orientation: the role of gay male pornographic film in the identity construction of gay men

The taken-for-granted dominance of heteronormativity in contemporary society has been well documented and critiqued in several social science studies. Acutely aware of its fragility and vulnerability (Butler 1991), its proponents constantly seek to reinforce its hegemonic influence through ritualised performances associated with ‘doing’, ‘using’ and performing gender and sexual orientation. The article will provide a theoretical contemplation on whether both the proscriptive and negotiable nature of gender roles can be applied to themes associated with gay male identity in South Africa. This will be done by emphasising the manner in which gay men may possibly ‘do’ and ‘use’ their sexual orientation (cf. Dowsett et al. 2008) through viewing pornography produced in predominantly the United States as well as South Africa. It will be argued that this mirroring of ‘doing’ and ‘using’ sexual orientation facilitated through gay male pornography is evident in three interrelated dimensions of the construction of gay men’s gendered and/or sexual self – these being intrapsychic, interpersonal and culturalhttp://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rssr20/currenthttp://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21528586.2013.817048DOI: 10.1080/21528586.2013.81704

A phase II study of the sterilising activities of ofloxacin, gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin in pulmonary tuberculosis

SETTING: Current treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) might be shortened by the incorporation of fluoroquinolones (FQs). OBJECTIVES: A Phase II study aimed to assess the sterilising activities of three novel regimens containing FQs before a Phase III trial of a 4-month regimen containing gatifloxacin (GFX). DESIGN: A total of 217 newly diagnosed smear-positive patients were randomly allocated to one of four regimens: isoniazid (INH), pyrazinamide and rifampicin (RMP) with either ethambutol, GFX, moxifloxacin (MFX) or ofloxacin (OFX) for 2 months. At the end of the study, RMP and INH were given for 4 months. The rates of elimination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were compared in the regimens using non-linear mixed effects modelling of the serial sputum colony counts (SSCC) during the first 8 weeks. RESULTS: After adjustment for covariates, MFX substitution appeared superior during the early phase of a biexponential fall in colony counts, but significant and similar acceleration of bacillary elimination during the late phase occurred with both GFX and MFX (P = 0.002). Substitution of OFX had no effect. These findings were supported by estimates of time to conversion, using Cox regression, but there were no significant differences in proportions culture-negative at 8 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: GFX and MFX improve the sterilising activity of regimens and might shorten treatment; their progression into Phase III trials therefore seems warranted. © 2008 The Union.Articl

The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator: development and validation of a tool for identifying African surgical patients at risk of severe postoperative complications

Background: The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. Existing risk assessment tools are not valid for use in this population because the pattern of risk for poor outcomes differs from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a simple, preoperative risk stratification tool to identify African surgical patients at risk for in-hospital postoperative mortality and severe complications. Methods: ASOS was a 7-day prospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing surgery in Africa. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator was constructed with a multivariable logistic regression model for the outcome of in-hospital mortality and severe postoperative complications. The following preoperative risk factors were entered into the model; age, sex, smoking status, ASA physical status, preoperative chronic comorbid conditions, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. Results: The model was derived from 8799 patients from 168 African hospitals. The composite outcome of severe postoperative complications and death occurred in 423/8799 (4.8%) patients. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator includes the following risk factors: age, ASA physical status, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. The model showed good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.805 and good calibration with c-statistic corrected for optimism of 0.784. Conclusions: This simple preoperative risk calculator could be used to identify high-risk surgical patients in African hospitals and facilitate increased postoperative surveillance. © 2018 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Medical Research Council of South Africa gran