Antiracist Feminism and the Politics of Solidarity in Neoliberal Times

The chapter analyses the establishment and expansion of antiracist feminism in the last decade throughout the Nordic region, with new groups, media sites, and public events organised, especially in the large cities. Keskinen examines antiracist feminist and queer of colour activism in which the main or sole actors belong to groups racialised as non-white or ‘others’ in Nordic societies. A fundamental argument developed in the chapter is the central role and potential of these emerging social movements in the reconfiguring of political agendas and tackling pressing societal issues, due to its capacity to overlap and connect the borders of antiracist, feminist, and (to some extent) class-based politics. The chapter further argues for the usefulness of theorising the neoliberal turn of racial capitalism as the societal condition in which feminist activism takes place.Peer reviewe

Visual impairment from fibrous dysplasia in a middle-aged African man: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Fibrous dysplasia is a benign tumour of the bones and is a disease of unknown aetiology. This report discusses a case of proptosis and visual deterioration with associated bony mass involving the right orbit.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 32-year-old Nigerian man of Yoruba ethnic origin presented to the eye clinic of our hospital with right-eye proptosis and visual deterioration of 7-year duration. Presentation was preceded by a history of trauma. Proptosis was preceded by trauma but was non-pulsatile with no thrill or bruit but was associated with bony orbital mass. The patient reported no weight loss. Examination of his right eye showed visual acuity of 6/60 with relative afferent pupillary defect. Fundal examination revealed optic atrophy. Computed tomography showed an expansile bony mass involving all the walls of the orbit. The bony orbital mass was diagnosed histologically as fibrous dysplasia. Treatment included orbital exploration and orbital shaping to create room for the globe and relieve pressure on the optic nerve.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Fibrous dysplasia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of slowly developing proptosis with associated visual loss in young adults.</p

Treating cofactors can reverse the expansion of a primary disease epidemic

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cofactors, "nuisance" conditions or pathogens that affect the spread of a primary disease, are likely to be the norm rather than the exception in disease dynamics. Here we present a "simplest possible" demographic model that incorporates two distinct effects of cofactors: that on the transmission of the primary disease from an infected host bearing the cofactor, and that on the acquisition of the primary disease by an individual that is not infected with the primary disease but carries the cofactor.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We constructed and analyzed a four-patch compartment model that accommodates a cofactor. We applied the model to HIV spread in the presence of the causal agent of genital schistosomiasis, <it>Schistosoma hematobium</it>, a pathogen commonly co-occurring with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that cofactors can have a range of effects on primary disease dynamics, including shifting the primary disease from non-endemic to endemic, increasing the prevalence of the primary disease, and reversing demographic growth when the host population bears only the primary disease to demographic decline. We show that under parameter values based on the biology of the HIV/<it>S. haematobium </it>system, reduction of the schistosome-bearing subpopulations (e.g. through periodic use of antihelminths) can slow and even reverse the spread of HIV through the host population.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Typical single-disease models provide estimates of future conditions and guidance for direct intervention efforts relating only to the modeled primary disease. Our results suggest that, in circumstances under which a cofactor affects the disease dynamics, the most effective intervention effort might not be one focused on direct treatment of the primary disease alone. The cofactor model presented here can be used to estimate the impact of the cofactor in a particular disease/cofactor system without requiring the development of a more complicated model which incorporates many other specific aspects of the chosen disease/cofactor pair. Simulation results for the HIV/<it>S. haematobium </it>system have profound implications for disease management in developing areas, in that they provide evidence that in some cases treating cofactors may be the most successful and cost-effective way to slow the spread of primary diseases.</p

Methodologies for Studying the Well-Being of Minority Ethnic Groups in Scotland

No abstract available

The burden of neurosurgical emergencies in a tertiary hospital and the need to attract more trainees into Neurosurgery

Background: Neurosurgical coverage for hospital emergencies in sub-Saharan Africa has been a controversy considering the limited number of neurosurgeons and the need to institute prompt and appropriate management to reduce morbidity and mortality.Aim / Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the adequacy of available manpower for emergency neurosurgical care, compare it with available manpower in other surgical specialties and suggest ways of maintaining or improving available services.Methodology: A retrospective study of consecutive cases presenting at the Accident and Emergency Unit of our Teaching Hospital, over a twenty-four [24] month period, August 2008 to July 2010, was done.Data was collected from the records of thosetreated in theUnit within the period and analysis was done by simple proportion and percentages.Results: A total of 4,363 cases were treated within the study period in the Accident and Emergency Unit, out of which 2591 were males and the rest were females, giving a male:female ratio of 3:2. The requests for specialist consultations were 4277 for this population of cases, viz. Obstetrics and Gynaecology 227(5.3%), Internal Medicine 1751(40.9%), and Surgery 2299(53.8%). A breakdown of consultations to the Department of Surgery showed that Paediatric Surgery had the least 19 (0.8 %), whereas Neurosurgery received the highest 633 representing 27.5% of total consults in Surgery or 14.8% of emergency consultations to all specialties of the Hospital put together.Conclusion: Many cases presenting to the Accident and Emergency Unit require neurosurgical care, but the available neurosurgical manpower on ground is so thin that they are overworked. There is a very strong need to reduce the burden of work on these specialists, by increasing the number of available doctors in the service and improving on the remunerations for the available manpower, in order to attract more trainees to the specialty and ensure good quality of service.Keywords: Emergencies, neurosurgery, overwork, remuneration, trainee

Severe Neurological Involvement In Tuberous Sclerosis: A Report Of Two Cases And A Review Of The African Literature

Tuberous sclerosis (TS) is a genetic disorder characterised by the triad of cutaneous lesions, epilepsy and mental retardation. TS is known to have a wide clinical spectrum, with some affected individuals having only the cutaneous manifestations, normal IQ and no seizures, while others are severely affected having intractable seizures and profound mental retardation. A report of two Nigerian children with TS managed at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria is presented. Both had severe neurological manifestations of the disease and a sub clinical affectation was found in a first degree relative in one of them. African Journal of Neurological Sciences Vol. 26 (2) 2007: pp. 102-10