Qualitative and quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in untreated wastewater in Western Cape Province, South Africa

Recent studies have shown that the detection of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in wastewater may provide the basis for a surveillance system to track the environmental dissemination of this virus in communities. An effective wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) system may prove critical in South Africa (SA), where health systems infrastructure, testing capacity, personal protective equipment and human resource capacity are constrained. In this proof-of-concept study, we investigated the potential of SARS-CoV-2 RNA surveillance in untreated wastewater as the basis for a system to monitor COVID-19 prevalence in the population, an early warning system for increased transmission, and a monitoring system to assess the effectiveness of interventions. The laboratory confirmed the presence (qualitative analysis) and determined the RNA copy number of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (quantitative) analysis from 24-hour composite samples collected on 18 June 2020 from five wastewater treatment plants in Western Cape Province, SA. The study has shown that a WBE system for monitoring the status and trends of COVID-19 mass infection in SA is viable, and its development and implementation may facilitate the rapid identification of hotspots for evidence-informed interventions

Design and preliminary validation of the Barriers to Sports Coaching Questionnaire for Women in South Africa: An application of the ecological model

The purpose of this study was to develop and preliminarily validate a questionnaire to examine barriers to coaching that are encountered by women sports coaches in South Africa. Two series of studies were conducted to assess content and face validity, factorial structure, and reliability of a new questionnaire. In study one, 40 items were developed based on LaVoi and Dutove’s ecological model of barriers and supports for female coaches and a thorough literature review. A panel of experts was employed to explore content validity and suitability of the provisional items. In study two, an initial 35-item questionnaire (the Barriers to Sports Coaching Questionnaire for Women; BSCQW) was administered to 152 women sports coaches who were working in South Africa. Principal component analysis was used to reduce items and determine the factorial structure of the questionnaire. Analyses resulted in a 32-item BSCQW, which consists of intrapersonal, interpersonal, organisational, and socio-cultural barriers to coaching. The most proximal barriers were organisational (M = 2.71, SD = 1.24) and interpersonal (M = 2.22, SD = 1.04). The findings indicate that the overall internal consistency of the BSCQW was .81, demonstrating that the questionnaire was reliable. Thus, BSCQW is a valid tool to assess barriers experienced by women sports coaches in South Africa. Further rigorous psychometric assessments are warranted

Glycated Haemoglobin A1c Measurement in Stored Whole Blood Sample is Reliable for Clinical Use. ( La Medición de la Hemoglobina Glicada en Muestras de Sangre Entera Almacenadas es Confiable para el uso Clínico)

Glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) gives an integrated plasma glycaemia for the previous 2–3 months and its measurement is central in the management of diabetic patients. However, in many developing countries because kits/regents or expertise for HbA1c measurement are not always available and the test must be conducted on fresh whole blood samples, HbA1c tests are not routinely performed. Thus, this study aimed to determine if the degradation products from whole blood sample storage are significant enough to compromise the diagnostic value of HbA1c measurements. Two hundred and thirty-one fresh whole blood samples with pre-determined HbA1c values were stored at between 2–8°C and using boronate affinity immunoassay technique, HbA1c values were then measured in the same whole blood samples after 20 days of storage. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the mean values of the initial HbA1c measurement and the values obtained after storage (7.5 ±2.0 vs. 7.5 ± 2.1, p >0.05) and this was irrespective of gender. Furthermore, irrespective of gender, there were significant correlations between the HbA1c values measured in fresh whole blood samples and values obtained after storage (r = 0.83, p < 0.01). Therefore, based on these findings and other previous reports, the effect of storage degradation product was not significant enough to compromise the clinical or research use of HbA1c test results from stored whole blood samples. However, we recommend that diagnostic laboratories should evaluate their HbA1c measurement techniques for HbA1c determination in stored whole blood samples. Any persistent upward or downward bias in stored whole blood samples should be reported to guide the physician in interpreting HbA1c results from stored whole blood samples from that laboratory and/or technique. (La Medición de la Hemoglobina Glicada en Muestras de Sangre Entera Almacenadas es Confiable para el uso Clínico) La hemoglobina glicada o glicosilada A1c (HbA1c) produce una glicemia plasmática integrada en los últimos 2–3 meses y su medición es fundamental para el tratamiento de pacientes diabéticos. Sin embargo, en muchos países en vías de desarrollo – debido a que no siempre hay kits/reactivos o conocimiento experto para la medición de HbA1c, y la prueba tiene que realizarse con muestras de sangre entera fresca – no se realizan tests de HbA1c de forma rutinaria. Así, este estudio apuntó a determinar si los productos de degradación del almacenamiento de la muestra de sangre entera son suficientemente significativos como para comprometer el valor del diagnóstico de las mediciones de las dimensiones de HbA1c. Doscientos treinta y una muestras de sangre entera fresca con valores HbA1c pre-determinados, fueron almacenadas entre 2–8°C y usando la técnica de inmunoensayo de afinidad al boronato, los valores de HbA1c fueron entonces medidos en las mismas muestras de sangre entera después de 20 días de almacenamiento. Los resultados mostraron que no había ninguna diferencia significativa en los valores promedios de la medición inicial de HbA1c y los valores obtenidos después del almacenamiento (7.5 ±2.0 vs. 7.5 ± 2.1, p > 0.05), independientemente del género. Además, con independencia del género, hubo correlaciones significativas entre los valores de HbA1c medidos en las coefmuestras de sangre entera fresca y los valores obtenidos después del almacenamiento (r = 0.83, p < 0.01). Por lo tanto, basado en estos hallazgos y otros informes anteriores, el efecto del producto de la degradación por almacenamiento no fue suficientemente significativo como para comprometer el empleo clínico o investigativo de los resultados de la prueba de HbA1c a partir de muestras de sangre entera almacenada. Sin embargo, recomendamos que los laboratorios de diagnóstico evalúen sus técnicas de medición para la determinación de HbA1c en las muestras de sangre entera almacenada. Cualquier tendencia persistente ascendente o descendente en las muestras de sangre entera almacenada debe ser reportada a fin de orientar al médico en la interpretación de los resultados de HbA1c de las muestras de sangre entera almacenadas por el laboratorio y/o para la técnica

Qualitative and quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in untreated wastewater in Western Cape Province, South Africa

CITATION: Johnson, R. et al. 2021. Qualitative and quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in untreated wastewater in Western Cape Province, South Africa. South African Medical Journal, 111(3):198-202, doi:10.7196/SAMJ.2021.v111i3.15154.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaENGLISH ABSTRACT: Recent studies have shown that the detection of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in wastewater may provide the basis for a surveillance system to track the environmental dissemination of this virus in communities. An effective wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) system may prove critical in South Africa (SA), where health systems infrastructure, testing capacity, personal protective equipment and human resource capacity are constrained. In this proof-of-concept study, we investigated the potential of SARS-CoV-2 RNA surveillance in untreated wastewater as the basis for a system to monitor COVID-19 prevalence in the population, an early warning system for increased transmission, and a monitoring system to assess the effectiveness of interventions. The laboratory confirmed the presence (qualitative analysis) and determined the RNA copy number of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (quantitative) analysis from 24-hour composite samples collected on 18 June 2020 from five wastewater treatment plants in Western Cape Province, SA. The study has shown that a WBE system for monitoring the status and trends of COVID-19 mass infection in SA is viable, and its development and implementation may facilitate the rapid identification of hotspots for evidence-informed interventions.http://www.samj.org.za/index.php/samj/article/view/13190Publisher's versio

Perfectionistic concerns cognitions predict burnout in college athletes: a three-month longitudinal study

The majority of research examining the relationship between perfectionism and athlete burnout has focused on trait perfectionism, while overlooking the importance of the cognitive elements of perfectionism. Perfectionistic cognitions represent an influential cognitive bias driving perfectionistic behavior. Although perfectionistic cognitions have been shown to correlate with burnout symptoms in athletes, this body of work is very limited and does not include college athletes. In addition, it is currently unclear whether perfectionistic cognitions also predict changes in athlete burnout over time. To address these issues, we conducted a two-wave, three month longitudinal study and measured perfectionistic cognitions and burnout in a sample of 170 college athletes both at the start and end of a competitive season. In doing so, we also sought to empirically test the different models of perfectionistic cognitions that have been proposed (original, short, and multidimensional). Using cross-lagged panel models, we found that perfectionistic concerns cognitions predicted increases in burnout. The findings provide initial evidence that perfectionistic cognitions predict changes in athlete burnout over time in college athletes. Consequently, the findings have important implications for our understanding of both athlete burnout and perfectionistic cognitions