Social media for libraries : with specific reference to SABC Media Libraries

The social media statistics of South Africa reveal an exponential increase in the use of social media. Libraries, as part of a community, cannot ignore this! Social media provide libraries instant and direct connection with their members regardless their geographical location. This paper explores social media use in libraries. The establishment of social media for the SABC Media Libraries is discussed to demonstrate a practical implementation of social media in libraries and archives. Tips and resources, with specific mention to Twitter and Facebook, as well as social media etiquette and social media policy guidelines are supplied. The literature of published articles and Infographic show the changing role of librarians in the social media era and the need for librarians to keep learning and update their skills to accommodate users’ needs. The focus should now be on how well we do social media for the library, not on whether we should do it or not

The ‘persona’ lives of Roman Catholic priests

This study aimed to provide an in-depth description and interpretation of African Roman Catholic Church priests’ experiences integrating African and Western worldviews into their lives and works as Roman Catholic Church priests through the lens of Jungian constructs. Fifteen African priests were purposely selected and interviewed in depth. Additional sources of data were reflexive notes and observation notes. Data were subjected to various iterative cycles of analysis. Most participants (80%) indicated that, in one way or another, they were experiencing conflict in terms of the cultural values of manhood and Roman Catholic Church prescription. Findings suggest that a more concerted and serious effort should be undertaken by the Roman Catholic Church to support and guide its priests on a path of healing, which includes the priests risking cultural openness and being true to themselves and God

Patents and the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines

The impact of patent circumvention potentially has serious implications with regard to medicine quality, safety and efficacy, even if it was intended to improve accessibility and affordability of medicines. Companies should therefore conduct adequate research in order to understand the effect of patent circumvention on the quality, safety and efficacy of medicine.

Complementary medicines: When regulation results in revolution

Medicines have evolved over time and so has the realisation of the importance of quality control and regulatory processes. The regulatory practices include all the steps from the development and manufacture of the active ingredients until the medicines reach the consumer. The Medicines Control Council (MCC) is mandated to regulate medicines in South Africa. Complementary medicines were previously perceived to be unregulated, although the Medicines Act does not distinguish between allopathic and complementary medicine. As the era of unregulated complementary medicine ended, the requirements in terms of dossier content left many role-players at odds. However, the MCC has a mandate to ensure that the registration of a medicine is in the interest of the public and that complementary medicine is manufactured in a facility adhering to good manufacturing practice, according to which efficacy and safety are supported by reliable data with a known shelf-life

The impact of the Consumer Protection Act on pharmacists

The Consumer Protection Act of 2008 has had far-reaching consequences for suppliers of goods and services in South Africa. The implementation of the Act has important implications for all suppliers who enter into ‘consumer transactions’. This article aims to stimulate awareness of the legal consequences of the Act arising from day-to-day situations occurring in the pharmacy, and to highlight the compliance obligations that the Act creates for pharmacists

Implementation of electronic scripts in South Africa

The legal framework in South Africa (SA) provides for strict requirements regarding prescriptions. However, pharmacists are still confronted daily with illegible handwritten scripts, increasing the risk of medication errors. E-prescribing is being implemented in SA to overcome these disadvantages. The general regulations made in terms of the Medicines and Related Substances Act as well as the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act must be read conjointly for the purposes of understanding the legal framework of electronic prescriptions in SA

The ‘persona’ lives of Roman Catholic priests

This study aimed to provide an in-depth description and interpretation of African Roman Catholic Church priests’ experiences integrating African and Western worldviews into their lives and works as Roman Catholic Church priests through the lens of Jungian constructs. Fifteen African priests were purposely selected and interviewed in depth. Additional sources of data were reflexive notes and observation notes. Data were subjected to various iterative cycles of analysis. Most participants (80%) indicated that, in one way or another, they were experiencing conflict in terms of the cultural values of manhood and Roman Catholic Church prescription. Findings suggest that a more concerted and serious effort should be undertaken by the Roman Catholic Church to support and guide its priests on a path of healing, which includes the priests risking cultural openness and being true to themselves and God

Missed opportunities for retention in pre-ART care in Cape Town, South Africa

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated access to and retention in pre-ART care. Objectives To evaluate the proportion of People Living With HIV (PLWH) in pre-ART and ART care and factors associated with retention in pre-ART and ART care from a community cohort. METHODS: A cross sectional survey was conducted from February - April 2011. Self reported HIV positive, negative or participants of unknown status completed a questionnaire on their HIV testing history, access to pre-ART and retention in pre-ART and ART care. RESULTS: 872 randomly selected adults who reported being HIV positive in the ZAMSTAR 2010 prevalence survey were included and revisited. 579 (66%) reconfirmed their positive status and were included in this analysis. 380 (66%) had initiated ART with 357 of these (94%) retained in ART care. 199 (34%) had never initiated ART of whom 186 (93%) accessed pre-ART care, and 86 (43%) were retained in pre-ART care. In a univariable analysis none of the factors analysed were significantly associated with retention in care in the pre-ART group. Due to the high retention in ART care, factors associated with retention in ART care, were not analysed further. CONCLUSION: Retention in ART care was high; however it was low in pre-ART care. The opportunity exists, if care is better integrated, to engage with clients in primary health care facilities to bring them back to, and retain them in, pre-ART care

The altered human serum metabolome induced by a marathon

Introduction - Endurance races have been associated with a substantial amount of adverse effects which could lead to chronic disease and long-term performance impairment. However, little is known about the holistic metabolic changes occurring within the serum metabolome of athletes after the completion of a marathon. Objectives - Considering this, the aim of this study was to better characterize the acute metabolic changes induced by a marathon. Methods - Using an untargeted two dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry metabolomics approach, pre- and post-marathon serum samples of 31 athletes were analyzed and compared to identify those metabolites varying the most after the marathon perturbation. Results - Principle component analysis of the comparative groups indicated natural differentiation due to variation in the total metabolite profiles. Elevated concentrations of carbohydrates, fatty acids, tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates, ketones and reduced concentrations of amino acids indicated a metabolic shift between various fuel substrate systems. Additionally, elevated odd-chain fatty acids and α-hydroxy acids indicated the utilization of α-oxidation and autophagy as alternative energy-producing mechanisms. Adaptations in gut microbe-associated markers were also observed and correlated with the metabolic flexibility of the athlete. Conclusion - From these results it is evident that a marathon places immense strain on the energy-producing pathways of the athlete, leading to extensive protein degradation, oxidative stress, mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 inhibition and autophagy. A better understanding of this metabolic shift could provide new insights for optimizing athletic performance, developing more efficient nutrition regimens and identify strategies to improve recovery