The nature and effect of section 56 of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 and the uncertainties surrounding it.

Master of Laws in Business Law. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2017.Consumer protection is a global phenomenon and has seen many countries enact legislation in an attempt to protect consumers from exploitation. Consumers have been exploited in a number of ways, one of which is the sale of defective products which often result in serious consequences such as injury or death. In a bid to protect the consumer, South Africa enacted the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008. The CPA introduced the consumer’s rights to safe, good quality goods (section 55) and the implied warranty of quality (section 56). The study is aimed at evaluating the above mentioned sections with the intention of highlighting areas of uncertainty and, where legislative gaps exist, making recommendations on how these provisions could be interpreted, extended and modified to sufficiently protect all interested parties. Currently, the CPA provisions lack specific standards of conformity for products, particularly relating to quality. Of particular interest to the study is the choice of remedies given solely to the consumer in the event of breach of warranty of quality. As a secondary issue, the study also analyses the treatment of minor defects and the position of the voetstoots clause in light of the CPA, which is questionable. The study makes comparative analyses of consumer protection legislation in specific legal systems with the aim of developing suitable solutions to improve the specified provisions of the CPA. The legal jurisdictions that are considered are namely the United Kingdom (UK), other EU member states and the United States of America (USA). It is hoped that the submissions made will be considered, that decisive statutory reforms will be made with the intent of narrowing the legislative gaps and move the CPA in a more progressive direction ultimately granting consumers the same or similar protection as its international counterparts

Pulmonary metastasis: very late relapse of testicular embryonal carcinoma

Testicular carcinoma recurrences represent a rare finding (1-6% in non-seminomatous germ cell tumours). However, cases of recurrence have been described many years later. We report a case of late recurrence of embryonic testicular carcinoma, after 26 years, with pulmonary metastases. Following evidence of increase of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), the patient underwent a total body computed tomography scan that exhibited two pulmonary nodules, one in upper left lobe and other in left hilar region with multiple mediastinal and retrocrural lymph node enlargements All consolidations showed increased sugar uptake value at PET CT. Biopsies of lung consolidations confirmed diagnosis of recurrence of testicular carcinoma

Jejunum-derived NF-κB reporter organoids as 3D models for the study of TNF-alpha-induced inflammation

Inflammation is an important process for epithelial barrier protection but when uncontrolled, it can also lead to tissue damage. The nuclear factor-kappa light chain enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling pathway is particularly relevant in the intestine, as it seems to play a dual role. Whereas NF-κB protects intestinal epithelium against various noxious stimuli, the same pathway mediates intestinal inflammatory diseases by inducing pro-inflammatory gene expression. The availability of appropriate in vitro models of the intestinal epithelium is crucial for further understanding the contribution of NF-κB in physiological and pathological processes and advancing in the development of drugs and therapies against gut diseases. Here we established, characterized, and validated three-dimensional cultures of intestinal organoids obtained from biopsies of NF-κB-RE-Luc mice. The NF-κB-RE-Luc intestinal organoids derived from different intestine regions recreated the cellular composition of the tissue and showed a reporter responsiveness similar to the in vivo murine model. When stimulated with TNF-α, jejunum-derived NF-κB-RE-Luc-reporter organoids, provided a useful model to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of natural and synthetic compounds. These reporter organoids are valuable tools to explore the epithelial TNF-α-induced NF-κB contribution in the small intestine, being a reliable alternative method while helping to reduce the use of laboratory animals for experimentation.Agencia Nacional de Investigación e InnovaciónFOCEM (MERCOSUR Structural Convergence Fund

Análisis del concepto evaluación educativa mediante cartografía conceptual, camino hacia la calidad

The purpose of this article is to clarify the concept of educational evaluation due to the existing need for teachers to understand this complex process in their work and to offer suggestions to know and reassess the importance of evaluation. In its preparation, the methodology of documentary analysis and the conceptual mapping study technique were used. The results were to identify the latent need to clarify the importance and functionality of the evaluation, as well as the use of the information obtained to improve learning. As the main conclusion, the importance of reflecting that evaluation is not an act that is carried out at the end of a period was identified, but rather a process that is carried out at the beginning, during and at the end, and offers the possibility of obtaining important information about performance of students to make consensual decisions that continually improve that performance to develop talentsEste artículo tiene como propósito clarificar el concepto de evaluación educativa por la necesidad existente en los docentes de comprender este proceso tan complejo en su labor y brindar sugerencias para conocer y revalorar la importancia de la evaluación. En su elaboración se empleó la metodología de análisis documental y la técnica de estudio de cartografía conceptual. Los resultados fueron, identificar la necesidad latente de clarificar la importancia y funcionalidad de la evaluación, así como el uso de la información obtenida para la mejora del aprendizaje. Como principal conclusión se identificó la importancia de reflexionar que la evaluación no es un acto que se realiza al término de un periodo, sino un proceso que se realiza al inicio, durante y al final, y brinda la posibilidad de obtener información importante sobre el desempeño de estudiantes para la toma de decisiones consensuadas que mejoren continuamente ese desempeño para desarrollar talentos

Socioformative Rubric to evaluate in teachers’ basic level the degree of mastery of educational evaluation

El propósito del artículo fue evaluar el grado de dominio de docentes de básica de las zonas 150 y 134 del constructo “evaluación educativa”, elaborando un mapa mental, evaluado con una Rúbrica Analítica Socioformativa. Se realizó un estudio instrumental, haciendo la investigación documental sobre evaluación educativa, se construyó la rúbrica y pasó por juicio de 13 expertos en dos fases, para determinar la validez de contenido calculando la V de Aiken. Para el análisis de confiabilidad, se aplicó a un grupo piloto obteniendo una alta confiabilidad con valores del alfa de Cronbach superiores a 0.8. Finalmente se aplicó el instrumento a una población objetivo teniendo como diagnóstico: 60% tienen los conocimientos para evaluar con enfoque socioformativo y el 40% muestran confusión y reducen la evaluación a la aplicación de un examen, identificando como necesidad, capacitación a docentes que se traduzca en nuevas concepciones y formas de evaluar a los estudiantes.The purpose of the article was to evaluate the level of mastery of elementary school teachers in zones 150 and 134 of the construct “educational evaluation”, developing a mental map, evaluated with a Socioformative Analytical Rubric. An instrumental study was carried out, doing the documentary research on educational evaluation, the rubric was built and it passed through the judgment of 13 experts in two phases, to determine the content validity by calculating the V of Aiken. For the reliability analysis, it was applied to a pilot group, obtaining high reliability with Cronbach's alpha values ​​higher than 0.8. Finally, the instrument was applied to a target population having as a diagnosis: 60% have the knowledge to evaluate with a socioformation approach and 40% show confusion and reduce the evaluation to the application of an exam, identifying as a need, teacher training that translates in new conceptions and ways of evaluating students

Cancer risk in children, adolescents, and young adults conceived by ART in 1983-2011

STUDY QUESTION: Do children, adolescents, and young adults born after ART, including IVF, ICSI and frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET), have an increased risk of cancer compared with children born to subfertile couples not conceived by ART and children from the general population? SUMMARY ANSWER: After a median follow-up of 18 years, the overall cancer risk was not increased in children conceived by ART, but a slight risk increase was observed in children conceived after ICSI. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: There is growing evidence that ART procedures could perturb epigenetic processes during the pre-implantation period and influence long-term health. Recent studies showed (non-)significantly increased cancer risks after ICSI and FET, but not after IVF. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A nationwide historical cohort study with prospective follow-up was carried out, including all live-born offspring from women treated with ART between 1983 and 2011 and subfertile women not treated with ART in one of the 13 Dutch IVF clinics and two fertility centers. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Children were identified through the mothers' records in the Personal Records Database. Information on the conception method of each child was collected through the mother's medical record. In total, the cohort comprises 89 249 live-born children of subfertile couples, of whom 51 417 were conceived using ART and 37 832 were not (i.e. conceived naturally, through ovulation induction, or after IUI). Cancer incidence was ascertained through linkage with the Netherlands Cancer Registry for the period 1989-2019. Cancer risk in children conceived using ART was compared with risk in children born to subfertile couples but not conceived by ART (hazard ratio (HR)) and children from the general population (standardized incidence ratios (SIRs)). MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: In total, 358 cancers were observed after a median follow-up of 18 years. Overall cancer risk was not increased in children conceived using ART, when compared with the general population (SIR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.81-1.12) or with children from subfertile couples not conceived by ART (HR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.84-1.33). Compared with children from subfertile couples not conceived by ART, the use of IVF or FET was not associated with increased cancer risk, but ICSI was associated with a slight risk increase (HR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.08-2.31). Risk of cancer after ART did not increase at older ages (≥18 years, HR = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.88-1.81) compared to cancer risk in children not conceived by ART. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The observed increased risk among children conceived using ICSI must be interpreted with caution owing to the small number of cases. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: After a median follow-up of 18 years, children conceived using ART do not have an increased overall cancer risk. Many large studies with prolonged follow-up are needed to investigate cancer risk in (young) adults conceived by different types of ART. In addition, international pooling of studies is recommended to provide sufficient power to study risk of specific cancer sites after ART. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This work was supported by The Dutch Cancer Society (NKI 2006-3631) that funded the OMEGA-women's cohort, Children Cancer Free (KIKA; 147) that funded the OMEGA-I-II offspring cohort. The OMEGA-III offspring cohort was supported by a Postdoc Stipend of Amsterdam Reproduction &amp; Development, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health &amp; Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01HD088393. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The authors declare no competing interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:N/A.</p

Elderly with COPD: comoborbitidies and systemic consequences

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represents a comple respiratory disorder characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms due to chronic airflow limitation caused by exposure to noxious particles/gases with an increased inflammatory response of the airways. COPD is common in older people, with an estimated prevalence of 10% in the US population aged > 75 years and is often accompanied by other concomitant chronic conditions that negatively impact prognosis and health status. The aim of this paper is to highlight the relationship between COPD and other comorbidities in elderly population. We focus our attention on the relationship existing between COPD and cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer, obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, malnutrition/sarcopenia and osteoporosis with particular attention to adipokines, considering that adipose tissue plays a relevant role in the cross-talk between organs

Nature-based solutions for climate change in the UK: a report by the British Ecological Society

Nature-based solutions (NbS) address societal problems in ways that benefit both people and nature. The main focus of this report is the joint role of NbS for addressing the climate and biodiversity crises we currently face. Natural habitats act as NbS for climate if they sequester carbon (contributing to Net Zero targets) or provide adaptation to climate change effects (for example, reducing flooding, protecting coastline against sea-level rise or creating cool spaces in cities). As well as these climate benefits, they can enhance biodiversity, create improved and more resilient ecosystem functioning, enhance human wellbeing and provide economic benefits, in terms of monetary value and job creation. Despite the huge range of benefits NbS have, they should be seen as complementary to other climate and conservation actions, not as a replacement to them. This Executive Summary provides five key themes which emerge across the report, across the multiple habitats and multiple NbS studied. Six ‘priority’ habitats for NbS are given at the end of the summary. However, we emphasise that all habitats covered in the report can act as NbS and all can play a role in addressing the climate and biodiversity crises