In the best interests of the child? : a case study of the psychological discourses of the custody decision-making process in a South African context

This study focuses on the process of custody decision-making in a South African divorce context with the aim of critically examining the operation of the principle of the best interests of the child. A narrative approach is incorporated into Parker and Fairclough's discourse analytic approaches in the context of an instrumental case study. More specifically, the focus falls on moving beyond the understandings of custody embodied within the current psychological literature in order to examine the relationship between theory and practice and to view custody as a dynamic process at both a textual and analytical level. Concepts of dialoguing, context, audience and intertextuality together with a storied approach are central. Further, an attempt is made to provide a disruptive reading of the case through the use of notions of power, ideology and institutional practices embedded within the case and its broader contexts. The analysis demonstrates the need for decision-making to be viewed as a broader process situated across multiple professional, institutional and socio-political texts and contexts. Further, it is argued that in order for the process to uphold the principle of the child's best interests, specialised training must be supplemented with changes at the level of policy, aimed at moving toward a more inclusive, process-oriented approach to custody decision-making

Induction of apoptosis in host cells: a survival mechanism for Leishmania parasites?

Leishmania parasites invade host macrophages, causing infections that are either limited to skin or spread to internal organs. In this study, 3 species causing cutaneous leishmaniasis, L. major, L. aethiopica and L. tropica, were tested for their ability to interfere with apoptosis in host macrophages in 2 different lines of human monocyte-derived macrophages (cell lines THP-1 and U937) and the results confirmed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). All 3 species induced early apoptosis 48 h after infection (expression of phosphatidyl serine on the outer membrane). There were significant increases in the percentage of apoptotic cells both for U937 and PBMC following infection with each of the 3 species. Early apoptotic events were confirmed by mitochondrial membrane permeabilization detection and caspase activation 48 and 72 h after infection. Moreover, the percentage of infected THP-1 and U937 macrophages increased significantly (up to 100%) following treatment with an apoptosis inducer. Since phosphatidyl serine externalization on apoptosing cells acts as a signal for engulfment by macrophages, induction of apoptosis in the parasitized cells could actively participate in spreading the infection. In summary, parasite-containing apoptotic bodies with intact membranes could be released and phagocytosed by uninfected macrophages

A study of crystal matrix extract and urinary prothrombin fragment 1 from a stone-prone and stone-free population.

South African blacks are immune to urinary calculi whereas whites have an incidence rate similar to that reported in Western societies. Urinary prothrombin fragment 1 (UPTF1) and the crystal matrix extract (CME) from which it is derived have been shown to be potent inhibitors of crystal growth and aggregation in undiluted human urine. The objective of the present study was to isolate CME and UPTF1 from the urines of black and white subjects in order to assess whether either might contribute to the black population's relative stone immunity. CME was isolated from freshly precipitated calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals and a crystallization study was conducted in synthetic urine. Coulter Counter, 14C-oxalate deposition, and scanning electron microscopy data demonstrated that the extracts from both race groups strongly inhibited CaOx nucleation. The extract derived from the black subjects inhibited nucleation to a greater extent than that from the whites. A phase conversion from COM to COD in the presence of the extracts, in support of the inhibitory effect of CME, was also observed. Purified UPTF1 isolated from both groups' CME was subjected to rigorous biochemical characterization involving matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, protein sequencing by Edman degradation, and amino acid analyses. No differences in molecular weight or amino acid sequence and composition were identified. It is suggested that the more potent inhibitory activity of the extract derived from the black subjects might be related to this group's relative stone immunity

Increased Expression of Fas Ligand in Human Tuberculosis and Leprosy Lesions: a Potential Novel Mechanism of Immune Evasion in Mycobacterial Infection

To study the location and mechanism of apoptosis within the human tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy lesions, parallel sections were analyzed for mycobacterial antigens (M.Ag), Fas ligand (FasL), Fas, CD68 and Mac387 by immunohistochemistry, and apoptotic cells by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated dUTP-digoxigenin nick end labelling method. Cutaneous leishmaniasis and foreign body granulomas were analyzed for comparison. The heavily infected macrophages in multibacillary TB and leprosy granulomas very strongly expressed FasL, indicating that a mycobacterial infection can induce an increased expression of FasL in a population of infected macrophages, which may protect them from the attack of Fas-expressing lymphocytes. However, macrophages with high levels of leishmania amastigotes did not selectively express FasL, suggesting that this phenomenon is specific for the mycobacteria. Interestingly, in the well-formed TB granulomas, 84% of the multinucleated giant cells strongly expressed FasL. The expression of Fas was weak (34%) or absent. A higher number (33%) of epithelioid cells expressed FasL than Fas (23%). Lymphocytes were scanty among the epithelioid cells. The frequency of apoptotic cells was higher in the epithelioid cells (0.25%) than the mononuclear cells in the mantle zone (0.14%). Thus, the epithelioid cells and the multinucleated giant cells by virtue of the increased expression of FasL may make these granulomas an immune privileged site for mycobacteria