Multidisciplinary Training to Undergraduate Students in the Faculty of Health Sciences: Hypertension as a Case Study

Background: Healthcare students should be aware of the specific skills, knowledge and management options of other disciplines in order to achieve an effective and cohesive working relationship. Aim: The aim of this study was to expose healthcare students at the University of the Free State to one another\'s domains, as related to hypertension management, during a formal didactic lecture attended by medical, physiotherapy and dietetic students, and to determine whether they could apply in practice the theoretical knowledge regarding blood pressure measurement and exercise, obtained during a multidisciplinary session. The perceptions of students regarding multidisciplinary sessions were also to be obtained. Method: Students received a formal lecture on hypertension from a medical doctor, a dietitian, a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist and they then worked in multidisciplinary groups to demonstrate the physiological effect of exercise on blood pressure and pulse rate. Students had to report their findings and perceptions of the session by completing data forms. Results: A total of 125 medical, physiotherapy and human nutrition students participated in the session. The students were able to demonstrate the influence of exercise on blood pressure and pulse measurements. They reported that they enjoyed the multidisciplinary session and gained information on the scope of practice of the domains of the other disciplines. Negative feedback was received on the size of the groups and lack of equipment. Conclusion: The students could apply theoretical knowledge in practice and all gave positive feedback. The sessions will continue in the current format but attention will be given to smaller groups and the availability of more equipment. South African Journal of Family Practice Vol. 50 (4) 2008: pp. 70a-70

Compliance in black patients with non-insulindependent diabetes mellitus receiving oral hypoglycaemic therapy

Poor compliance with drug therapy is an important cause of therapeutic failure. Sixty-eight black patients with non-insulin- dependent diabetes mellitus receiving oral hypoglycaemic agents were interviewed and various factors, such as age, sex, degree of control and type of therapy, were recorded by means of a questionnaire. Compliance was determined by qualitatively assessing urine for the presence of the drugs. An alarmingly high incidence of non-compliance of 65% was found, which could still be an under-estimation because of the long half-life of one of the drugs involved - chlorpropamide. Although interesting trends were noted, no statistically significant differences between compliant and non-compliant patients were found. In the light of the high incidence of non-compliance, a larger and more detailed study seems to be warranted to identify problem areas and to plan appropriate interventions

High dose-rate brachytherapy in the radical treatment of cervical cancer. An analysis of dose effectiveness and incidence of late radiation complications

Published ArticleWorldwide, uterine cervical cancer is one of the most frequently occurring cancers in women, with more than 80% of these cases occurring in developing countries. The South African screening policy and screening program, implemented in 2001, attempt to reduce this incidence of cervical cancer in South Africa. It is essential to treat these women with the best modalities available. This retrospective study focused specifically on the curative potential of radiotherapy administered to patients at the Oncology Department, Bloemfontein, since a new modality of high dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy was implemented in 1994. Late radiation complications were also investigated

Essais de dépistage de la pneumonie à virus du Porc en France

Goret Pierre, Joubert L., Girard H. C., Mackowiak Czesław, Lucam François. Essais de dépistage de la pneumonie à virus du Porc en France. In: Bulletin de l'Académie Vétérinaire de France tome 106 n°10, 1953. pp. 569-575

Des divers types de virus aphteux souches pures et « mutations »

Girard H. C., Mackowiak Czesław, Camand R., Joubert L., Goret Pierre. Des divers types de virus aphteux souches pures et «mutations». In: Bulletin de l'Académie Vétérinaire de France tome 107 n°3, 1954. pp. 117-124

Nutritional, immune, micronutrient and health status of HIV-infected children in care centres in Mangaung

Aim: To assess the nutritional, immune, micronutrient and health status of antiretroviral-naïve HIV-infected children.Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken between September 2004 and March 2006 amongst HIV-infected children of which none received antiretroviral therapy, in care centres in Mangaung, Free State.Results: The study included 37 clinically stable and food-secure HIV-infected children. Their median age was 5.4 years (range 1.2–10.2 years). Fifteen children (41%) were underweight, 30 (81%) were stunted and one (3%) was wasted. The most commonly observed clinical features were lymphadenopathy (84%), skin rashes (51%), hepatomegaly (32%) and pallor (41%). Eight per cent of children had features of TB, while 19% had a lower respiratory tract infection. The median viral load of the group (n = 35) was 117 000 copies/ml, the median CD4+ cell count was 477 cells/mm3 and the median CD4 percentage was 22.5%. A significant negative correlation could be demonstrated between viral load and nutritional indicators. Children had deficient serum levels relative to normal reference values for glutathione (91% of children), albumin (78%), vitamin A (63%), vitamin D (44%), zinc (38%) and vitamin E (13%). Sixty per cent of the children were anaemic and 30% were iron deficient.Conclusion: A high prevalence of acute and chronic malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies occurred among HIV-infected children residing in care centres. The study highlights the need to investigate early initiation of antiretroviral therapy and nutrition interventions, including aggressive supplementation, in order to improve the prognosis of these children

Nuclear structure and reaction studies at SPIRAL

The SPIRAL facility at GANIL, operational since 2001, is described briefly. The diverse physics program using the re-accelerated (1.2 to 25 MeV/u) beams ranging from He to Kr and the instrumentation specially developed for their exploitation are presented. Results of these studies, using both direct and compound processes, addressing various questions related to the existence of exotic states of nuclear matter, evolution of new "magic numbers", tunnelling of exotic nuclei, neutron correlations, exotic pathways in astrophysical sites and characterization of the continuum are discussed. The future prospects for the facility and the path towards SPIRAL2, a next generation ISOL facility, are also briefly presented.Comment: 48 pages, 27 figures. Accepted for publication in Journal of Physics

Non-stoichiometric oxide and metal interfaces and reactions

We have employed a combination of experimental surface science techniques and density functional calculations to study the reduction of TiO2(110) surfaces through the doping with submonolayer transition metals. We concentrate on the role of Ti adatoms in self doping of rutile and contrast the behaviour to that of Cr. DFT+U calculations enable identification of probable adsorption structures and their spectroscopic characteristics. Adsorption of both metals leads to a broken symmetry and an asymmetric charge transfer localised around the defect site of a mixed localised/delocalised character. Charge transfer creates defect states with Ti 3d character in the band gap at similar to 1-eV binding energy. Cr adsorption, however, leads to a very large shift in the valence-band edge to higher binding energy and the creation of Cr 3d states at 2.8-eV binding energy. Low-temperature oxidation lifts the Ti-derived band-gap states and modifies the intensity of the Cr features, indicative of a change of oxidation state from Cr3+ to Cr4+. Higher temperature processing leads to a loss of Cr from the surface region, indicative of its substitution into the bulk