Dangerous liaisons or critical alliances: student perceptions of community engagement at Rhodes University, South Africa

Community Engagement (CE) in South Africa is an increasingly important feature of the relationship between the university and a broader community, and may aid in bridging the entrenched social divisions of this nation. This will only be possible if CE succeeds in uniting the knowledge production interests of the university and the broader community. Through CE, knowledge production and dissemination from within the university should be made more relevant and applicable because it is based on a relationship or engagement with a community. Based on the perceptions of student volunteers in a CE programme at a South African university, this thesis set out to ask whether or not students are transformed through university-community collaboration. This research examines the perceptions and motivations of student volunteers entering community partnership programmes. More importantly, it asks whether these engagements are merely a “weekend special” consisting of shallow engagements, which last only a few hours a week that provide institutional window dressing; or well-intended engagements through which students build meaningful relationships and experience learning opportunities that prepare them for real world civic participation. As this thesis focuses on the student perspective, it explores whether or not CE has an impact, both personally and educationally or academically, on the lives of individual student volunteers. The literature on CE argues that students’ participation in CE opportunities should enhance academic learning, personal growth and promote a sense of citizenship or civic responsibility. Based on the perceptions of a small group of student volunteers at one university, this thesis identifies possible successes and limitations of CE volunteering programmes in order to see if what is promoted in the literature or institutional policies is being experienced or achieved in practice at universities. I argue that students are indeed transformed through processes of CE, often in unexpected ways, and despite many difficulties. Therefore, if CE provides students with more holistic learning opportunities while attending universities for academic ends, it is important to look at in what ways this is achieved

Can a two-hour lecture by a pharmacist improve the quality of prescriptions in a pediatric hospital? A retrospective cohort study

Background: A high rate of prescription errors exists in pediatric teaching hospitals, especially during initial training.Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of a two-hour lecture by a pharmacist on rates of prescription errors and quality of prescriptions.Methods: A two-hour lecture led by a pharmacist was provided to 11 junior pediatric residents (PGY-1) as part of a one-month immersion program. A control group included 15 residents without the intervention. We reviewed charts to analyze the first 50 prescriptions of each resident.Results: Data were collected from 1300 prescriptions involving 451 patients, 550 in the intervention group and 750 in the control group. The rate of prescription errors in the intervention group was 9.6% compared to 11.3% in the control group (p=0.32), affecting 106 patients. Statistically significant differences between both groups were prescriptions with unwritten doses (p=0.01) and errors involving overdosing (p=0.04). We identified many errors as well as issues surrounding quality of prescriptions.Conclusion: We found a 10.6% prescription error rate. This two-hour lecture seems insufficient to reduce prescription errors among junior pediatric residents. This study highlights the most frequent types of errors and prescription quality issues that should be targeted by future educational interventions

Human disease locus discovery and mapping to molecular pathways through phylogenetic profiling

Genes with common profiles of the presence and absence in disparate genomes tend to function in the same pathway. By mapping all human genes into about 1000 clusters of genes with similar patterns of conservation across eukaryotic phylogeny, we determined that sets of genes associated with particular diseases have similar phylogenetic profiles. By focusing on those human phylogenetic gene clusters that significantly overlap some of the thousands of human gene sets defined by their coexpression or annotation to pathways or other molecular attributes, we reveal the evolutionary map that connects molecular pathways and human diseases. The other genes in the phylogenetic clusters enriched for particular known disease genes or molecular pathways identify candidate genes for roles in those same disorders and pathways. Focusing on proteins coevolved with the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), we identified the Notch pathway suppressor of hairless (RBP-Jk/SuH) transcription factor, and showed that RBP-Jk functions as an MITF cofactor

Riscos Ocupacionais em Atividade de Coleta de Resíduos Sólidos

RESUMO O mundo é movido pela busca incessante de saciar suas necessidades. O ser humano é o único animal que não se adapta ao meio ambiente e sim o adapta a sua rotina e atividades. Como prova disso está a globalização provando que a evolução mecânica, eletrônica e social está cada dia mais forte e inserida na cultura mundial. Essa inserção está ligada principalmente ao desenvolvimento socioeconômico. Porém, em uma sociedade tão desenvolvida ainda encontra-se desigualdades e deficiências, principalmente quando se refere à educação, orientação e cultura de segurança no trabalho. Apesar de muitas campanhas estarem surgindo, o reconhecimento da importância da conduta e de práticas de segurança em muitas áreas ainda precisa amadurecer os seus objetivos e métodos, para atingir a realização das diversas atividades sem danos para saúde e integridade do colaborador. O presente trabalho consiste em uma análise realizada voltada para área de limpeza, conservação e organização pública; em específico a atividade de coleta domiciliar de lixo, que atualmente não é assunto em evidência, porém é necessária e indispensável para uma das necessidades naturais humana: a de limpeza, e é justo no domicilio o lugar onde a população não tem interesse em separação de resíduos, menos ainda em identificação dos mesmos. Por esse motivo além de apontar riscos potenciais, o trabalho visa propor medidas preventivas e de controle para os riscos analisado nos postos de trabalho da atividade de coleta de lixo domiciliar

Best Practices for Virtual Care: A Consensus Statement From the Canadian Rheumatology Association

Objective. To develop best practice statements for the provision of virtual care in adult and pediatric rheumatology for the Canadian Rheumatology Association\u27s (CRA) Telehealth Working Group (TWG). Methods. Four members of the TWG representing adult, pediatric, university-based, and community rheumatology practices defined the scope of the project. A rapid literature review of existing systematic reviews, policy documents, and published literature and abstracts on the topic was conducted between April and May 2021. The review informed a candidate set of 7 statements and a supporting document. The statements were submitted to a 3-round (R) modified Delphi process with 22 panelists recruited through the CRA and patient advocacy organizations. Panelists rated the importance and feasibility of the statements on a Likert scale of 1-9. Statements with final median ratings between 7-9 with no disagreement were retained in the final set. Results. Twenty-one (95%) panelists participated in R1, 15 (71%) in R2, and 18 (82%) in R3. All but 1 statement met inclusion criteria during R1. Revisions were made to 5/7 statements following R2 and an additional statement was added. All statements met inclusion criteria following R3. The statements addressed the following themes in the provision of virtual care: adherence to existing standards and regulations, appropriateness, consent, physical examination, patient-reported outcomes, use in addition to in-person visits, and complex comanagement of disease. Conclusion. The best practice statements represent a starting point for advancing virtual care in rheumatology. Future educational efforts to help implement these best practices and research to address identified knowledge gaps are planned

Transient Visual Loss induced by Pregnancy

During pregnancy, because of estrogen stimulation, Pituitary gland almost always enlarge and can sometimes exceeding 100 % and return to normal within six month after post partum. It usually does not expand to the extrasellar area to cause symptoms such as headache or vision impairement. In some rares cases the mass effect threaten the vision