Socio-demographic insights into South African student drinking behaviour

Hazardous and harmful drinking is on the rise among adolescents and young adults and has been classified as a major health problem. University students is a subgroup of young adults that are characterised by more frequent, and even more dangerous drinking behaviours than their non-student peers and new intervention approaches are needed to foster behavioural change. The purpose of this study is to investigate the drinking behaviour and socio-demographic profile of a cohort of South African university students and propose future research avenues to address student drinking behaviour. Ex post facto survey data was collected by means of a questionnaire including the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and a demographic section. Data was gathered from university students (n=474) from a single campus within South Africa. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, independent sample t-tests and one-way ANOVAs. Results indicate significant differences in drinking behaviour for gender groups; age; level of disposable income; type of beverage consumed, binge drinking, level and frequency of consumption. The findings have implications for higher education management, public health authorities, and academia and provide valuable insight on the socio-demographic profile and drinking behaviour of a cohort of university students. The findings serve as a foundation for future research into the development of a persuasive communications strategy (educational and prevention campaigns) that could foster much needed behavioural change

An evaluation of the planning and control system required for technology management in an engineering business

Script contains articles in Afrikaans and some text also in AfrikaansOpportunities abound in the Armaments industry is South Africa and abroad. This is probably one of the main reasons why it has grown to almost astronomical amounts in va lu e . Simultaneously, the vast f igures in turnover and profits have attracted numerous competitors into the business. The next factor which has contributed most significantly to the increase in development and manufacture of armaments is of course the need of countries to defend themselves against aggressors. Political unrest , terrorism , border conflicts , war and invasions are the order of the day. All of these events require a show of arms, if not retaliation . In order to satisfy a need for strategic independence, even to a limited extent , countries have insisted on development and establishment of various categories of technologies. During the past fifty years there has been an explosion in the amount of information published in the technology sector. Some highly sophisticated technologies have become commonplace in most technical fields , including the armaments industry . As might be expected, the armaments industry is also greatly influenced by trends and change in the sector of economics, by social and cultural factors , and new legislation. It may rightfully be regarded as a highly volatile , complex and dynamic part of any economy. Under these circumstances the role of technology management in a country and in a business enterprise becomes more important, more difficult , and more essential. To ensure that a large organisation stays competitive, or becomes more competitive, the system of planning and control must be well integrated , kept up to date, and well/managed to fulfil its purpose. For the purpose of this script an investigation was undertaken into the corporate and business systems for technology management in a firm in the local engineering industry . The description covers planning and control theory, system models, innovation and technology management principles , and the theory of forecasting methods usually adapted for technology predictions , Evaluation of the practical systems which are in place and are being utilised , led to a few significant observations and conslusions. The investigation was by no means exhaustive, but was aimed at getting an overview of the corporate and business systems as they operate with in the stated strategic frameworks. It is concluded that technology planning and control systems are well-developed, highly integrated and applied in a top-down fashion . Not all aspects are conducted as efficiently as should be possible. Also, due to the dynamic nature of the industry, effectiveness can still improve for the company. Moves are afoot to meet new challenges and requirements and there is no doubt that the future will see great achievements.Business ManagementM.B.L

Review of Engaging Education: Developing Emotional Literacy, Equity and Co-education. Brian Matthews. (Book Review)

The book is only about a fraction of its title Engaging Education. His section on ‘engaging the emotions’ sums this up: whereas the book is largely about engaging the emotions positively, the definition of ‘Engaging’ is more far reaching: “that pupils should be involved in their learning; be active and absorbed and not just passive recipients of a set curriculum. Additionally, they should feel engaged in the processes of education and have some input into creating their own agendas for learning” (p.2). Exploring the full impact of this statement across the curriculum really needs a different book

Advances in the diagnosis and management of allergic disease: Applications to South African practice

There have been a number of advances in the diagnosis and management of allergic diseases that are relevant to South African (SA) circumstances. These are all published or about to be published in new guidelines that provide practical advice to guide SA doctors who treat patients with these conditions. The guidelines include those for atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and food allergy. This article reflects the most pertinent aspects of the guidelines. It also provides a short summary of a new allergy diagnostic test available in SA, the multiplexmicroarray chip, known as the immuno-solid-phase allergen chip (ISAC) test. It provides component-resolved allergy testing for special circumstances and complex allergic problems and is certainly not required as a screening allergy test. Finally, this article gives an update on allergen immunotherapy – some patients with allergic conditions may benefit from immunotherapy. In SA, some forms of immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis and mild asthma may currently include sublingual immunotherapy

Education and specialist referral of patients with atopic dermatitis

Educating patients with atopic dermatitis is an essential and necessary part of therapy and particularly important when young children are involved. Quality of life is seriously impaired if patients or their carers do not understand the chronic and relapsing nature of the disease and how it can be treated.

The impact of chronic pseudomonal infection on pulmonary function testing in individuals with cystic fibrosis in Pretoria, South Africa

Background. Colonisation of the airway by Pseudomonas in cystic fibrosis has been reported to be an important determinant of decline in pulmonary function.Objective. To assess pulmonary function decline and the presence of bacterial colonisation in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) attending a CF clinic in a developing country. Methods. A retrospective audit of patients attending the CF clinic at Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa, was performed. The data included spirometric indices and organisms routinely cultured from airway secretions (Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA)).Results. There were 29 study subjects. Analysis of variance for ranks (after determining that baseline pulmonary function, age, gender and period of follow-up were not contributing to pulmonary function decline) revealed a median decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second, forced vital capacity and forced expiratory flow over 25 - 75% expiration of 12%, 6% and 3%, respectively, for individuals colonised by PA. There was no pulmonary function decline in individuals not colonised by PA, or in individuals colonised by SA. Conclusion. Pulmonary function decline in this South African centre is significantly influenced by chronic pseudomonal infection. Other influences on this phenomenon should be explored.

Molecular cloning of KS, a novel rat gene expressed exclusively in the kidney

Molecular cloning of xKSx, a novel rat gene expressed exclusively in the kidney.BackgroundWe aimed to identify genes with kidney specific, developmentally regulated expression. Here we report the cDNA sequence and expression pattern of KS, a novel kidney-specific rat gene.MethodsA partial cDNA was identified by differential display polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of a renal cell fraction enriched for proximal tubular and renin-expressing cells. Using the partial cDNA as a probe, a rat kidney cDNA library was screened. The full-length KS sequence was obtained by PCR amplification of cDNA ends. The expression pattern of KS was investigated by Northern blot. RNA was extracted from several organs of newborn and adult rats, as well as from the kidneys of rats with altered tubular function, that is, rats that had undergone unilateral nephrectomy, unilateral ureteral obstruction, neonatal losartan treatment, and the appropriate control animals. The expression of KS was also investigated in the kidneys of rats with spontaneous or renovascular hypertension.ResultsThe KS cDNA (2426bp) contained one open reading frame encoding a predicted 572 amino acid protein. The derived peptide sequence displayed approximately 70% similarity to the hypertension-related SA gene product and approximately 50% similarity to prokaryotic and eukaryotic acetyl-CoA synthases (EC 6.2.1.1). KS was expressed in the kidney and not in any other organ assayed. KS RNA was not detected in fetal and newborn rat kidney but became apparent after one week of postnatal life. Gene expression was downregulated in rat models of altered tubular function. KS expression was decreased in spontaneously hypertensive rats but not in renovascular hypertension.ConclusionKS, a novel rat gene, exhibits a unique tissue-specific expression exclusively in mature kidneys. The data suggest KS may encode an adenosine monophosphate binding enzyme

Measurement of Alcohol Use and Misuse in a Cohort of Students Followed from Grade 6 Through Grade 12

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66189/1/j.1530-0277.1994.tb00938.x.pd

Misuse of "study drugs:" prevalence, consequences, and implications for policy

BACKGROUND: Non-medical/illegal use of prescription stimulants popularly have been referred to as "study drugs". This paper discusses the current prevalence and consequences of misuse of these drugs and implications of this information for drug policy. RESULTS: Study drugs are being misused annually by approximately 4% of older teens and emerging adults. Yet, there are numerous consequences of misuse of prescription stimulants including addiction, negative reactions to high dosages, and medical complications. Policy implications include continuing to limit access to study drugs, finding more safe prescription drug alternatives, interdiction, and public education. CONCLUSION: Much more work is needed on prescription stimulant misuse assessment, identifying the extent of the social and economic costs of misuse, monitoring and reducing access, and developing prevention and cessation education efforts

Code Status Discussions Between Attending Hospitalist Physicians and Medical Patients at Hospital Admission

BackgroundBioethicists and professional associations give specific recommendations for discussing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).ObjectiveTo determine whether attending hospitalist physicians' discussions meet these recommendations.DesignCross-sectional observational study on the medical services at two hospitals within a university system between August 2008 and March 2009.ParticipantsAttending hospitalist physicians and patients who were able to communicate verbally about their medical care.Main measuresWe identified code status discussions in audio-recorded admission encounters via physician survey and review of encounter transcripts. A quantitative content analysis was performed to determine whether discussions included elements recommended by bioethicists and professional associations. Two coders independently coded all discussions; Cohen's kappa was 0.64-1 for all reported elements.Key resultsAudio-recordings of 80 patients' admission encounters with 27 physicians were obtained. Eleven physicians discussed code status in 19 encounters. Discussions were more frequent in seriously ill patients (OR 4, 95% CI 1.2-14.6), yet 66% of seriously ill patients had no discussion. The median length of the code status discussions was 1 min (range 0.2-8.2). Prognosis was discussed with code status in only one of the encounters. Discussions of patients' preferences focused on the use of life-sustaining interventions as opposed to larger life goals. Descriptions of CPR as an intervention used medical jargon, and the indication for CPR was framed in general, as opposed to patient-specific scenarios. No physician quantitatively estimated the outcome of or provided a recommendation about the use of CPR.ConclusionsCode status was not discussed with many seriously ill patients. Discussions were brief, and did not include elements that bioethicists and professional associations recommend to promote patient autonomy. Local and national guidelines, research, and clinical practice changes are needed to clarify and systematize with whom and how CPR is discussed at hospital admission