Assessment of a post-basic nursing education programme

A post-basic nursing education programme was introduced by the School of Nursing, University of the Free State, in 1999. The main aim o f the programme is to offe r vocationally directed specialisation and continuing educational opportunities to registered nurses. Qualifications, exit possibilities, the learning programme and the teaching- learning methods are described. A year after the programme was introduced student evaluation of the programme took place by means of questionnaires. The survey method was used to obtain the opinion of students via questionnaires. A convenience sample was applied and 82% of the questionnaires were returned. Although students appeared to be satisfied, they found some modules difficult. Twenty-three per cent found the lecturers helpful and considerate and 93% found contact with lecturers to be essential. The greatest advantage of the programme, however, is that it offers registered nurses an opportunity to qualify as clinical experts, because the programme focuses mainly on clinical specialisation. Tutorial staff are compelled by student estimates to examine the relevancy of curricula on a regular basis

Black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) from semi-arid rangelands in South Africa harbour Hepatozoon canis and a Theileria species but apparently not Babesia rossi

Despite the importance of disease as a wildlife management challenge in South Africa, baseline data on the epidemiology of pathogens occurring in free-ranging species has received little attention to date. Black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) are a wide-ranging, abundant carnivore with substantial economic importance due to their role in livestock depredation. They are known reservoirs hosts of Babesia rossi, a virulent pathogen in domestic dogs in sub-Saharan Africa. We investigated the prevalence and diversity of tick-borne pathogens (TPBs) including Babesia, Theileria, Hepatozoon, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma species, together with host-attached tick diversity, in a black-backed jackal population from the semi-arid Central Karoo, a small-livestock farming region in South Africa. Using reverse line blot hybridisation, we screened 43 blood samples and sequenced the 18S rRNA gene from positive samples to confirm and characterise pathogen identity using a phylogenetic framework. Hepatozoon canis, a ubiquitous pathogen of domestic and wild canids globally, was observed in 47% of jackals, while a Theileria sp. most similar to T. ovis, a piroplasm found in small livestock, was observed in 5% of jackals. No Babesia, Ehrlichia or Anaplasma species were identified, although a Sarcocystis sp. sequence was isolated from one jackal. Host-attached ticks (n = 20) comprised three species, Amblyomma marmoreum, Haemaphysalis elliptica/zumpti and Ixodes rubicundus, commonly known ticks in the region. In summary, prevalence of TBPs in black-backed jackals from this semi-arid rangeland region was lower than in jackal populations in more mesic regions. These jackals were apparently not infected with B. rossi. While this study is one of the first investigations into the epidemiology of TBPs infecting jackals and adds to the sparse literature, further studies which span landscape uses, climate conditions and seasonality are encouraged.Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town; Foundational Biodiversity Information Programme, National Research Foundation of South Africa; University of Cape Town Science Faculty Grant and National Research Foundation of South Africa; National Research Foundation Freestanding Masters bursary and Wilderness Wildlife Trust bursary.https://www.elsevier.com/locate/vprsr2022-03-31hj2022Centre for Veterinary Wildlife StudiesVeterinary Tropical Disease

Boekbespreking

No abstract available

Boekbespreking

No abstract available

Phylogenomic analysis of a 55.1 kb 19-gene dataset resolves a monophyletic Fusarium that includes the Fusarium solani Species Complex

Scientific communication is facilitated by a data-driven, scientifically sound taxonomy that considers the end-user¿s needs and established successful practice. In 2013, the Fusarium community voiced near unanimous support for a concept of Fusarium that represented a clade comprising all agriculturally and clinically important Fusarium species, including the F. solani species complex (FSSC). Subsequently, this concept was challenged in 2015 by one research group who proposed dividing the genus Fusarium into seven genera, including the FSSC described as members of the genus Neocosmospora, with subsequent justification in 2018 based on claims that the 2013 concept of Fusarium is polyphyletic. Here, we test this claim and provide a phylogeny based on exonic nucleotide sequences of 19 orthologous protein-coding genes that strongly support the monophyly of Fusarium including the FSSC. We reassert the practical and scientific argument in support of a genus Fusarium that includes the FSSC and several other basal lineages, consistent with the longstanding use of this name among plant pathologists, medical mycologists, quarantine officials, regulatory agencies, students, and researchers with a stake in its taxonomy. In recognition of this monophyly, 40 species described as genus Neocosmospora were recombined in genus Fusarium, and nine others were renamed Fusarium. Here the global Fusarium community voices strong support for the inclusion of the FSSC in Fusarium, as it remains the best scientific, nomenclatural, and practical taxonomic option availabl

DIE ONTSTAAN EN DIE ONTWIKKELING VAN DIE SKOOLKADETTE-STELSEL IN DIE RSA: GREPE UIT DIE GESKIEDENIS EN 'N OORSIG OOR DIE HUIDIGE STELSEL

The origin and development of the school cadet system in the Republic of South Africa is dealt with in this article. A historical revue is furnished as well as a perspective of the present syste

A community partnership programme addresses the needs of three partners in a unique way

The process for the establishment of a community development programme between three partners, namely the community of Mangaung, the University of the Orange Free State and the Health Department of the Free State is discussed from the beginning. The phases of the process, the related stumbling blocks, the reasons for success, the scope of the programme, as well as the extent to which the three partners benefited from it, are discussed

Influence of exercise on preconception, pregnant women, the developing foetus and delivery

There are many questions about the relationship between pregnancy and exercise. This article presents an overview of published works on a) exercise and problems with conception, with the focus on amenorrhea and miscarriage, b) exercise and pregnancy, highlighting the influence of exercise on maternal metabolism, cardiovascular and respiratory function, c) exercise and the developing embryo / foetus, with the focus on placental formation / growth, substrate availability and foetal hyperthermia, d) exercise and the labour / delivery process, with the emphasis on preterm labour, as well as e) exercise and the postpartum period, with the focus on neonatal outcome, maternal recovery after parturition and lactation. It concludes with recent recommendations and precautions associated with exercise during pregnancy, as well as shortcomings in available information. In general, literature does not seem to support the concerns about prenatal exercise, but rather shows that both mother and foetus benefit when the mother is involved in moderate exercises during pregnancy. Indications are that the benefits will only be experienced in full by women who, within reasonable limits, continue to exercise throughout their pregnancy