Validating the adaptation of the first career measure in isiXhosa : the South African Career Interest Inventory–isiXhosa version

CITATION: Rabie, S. & Naidoo, A. V. 2019. Validating the adaptation of the first career measure in isiXhosa: the South African Career Interest Inventory–isiXhosa version. South African Journal of Psychology, 49(1):109–121. doi:10.1177/0081246318772419The original publication is available at https://journals.sagepub.com/description/sapSouth African career counselling practices have predominantly been informed by vocational theories and models developed in the United States and Europe. In view of South Africa’s peculiar history and its unique cultural and linguistic environment, the indiscriminate application of Western career models has become increasingly contentious, as the majority of these models fail to account for culture-specific values that influence an individual’s career interests, decision-making, and development. The South African Career Interest Inventory was developed to address this contention, through operationalising John Holland’s vocational personality theory in South Africa. This study adapted and translated the South African Career Interest Inventory into isiXhosa, in the process constructing the first career interest inventory in a South African indigenous language. Subsequently, we investigated the structural validity of the South African Career Interest Inventory, and therefore Holland’s model, on a sample of isiXhosa-speaking secondary school learners (n = 266). The randomisation test of hypothesised order relations, multidimensional scaling, and covariance structure modelling were employed to examine the structural validity of the inventory. The results demonstrated the South African Career Interest Inventory–isiXhosa version to be a reliable and valid measure of vocational interest on an early isiXhosa adolescent sample, suggesting the tenability of Holland’s model in the South African context. Implications for research and practice are discussed.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0081246318772419Publisher’s versio

Community context and individual factors associated with arrests among young men in a South African township.

BackgroundIn high-income countries, individual- and community-level factors are associated with increased contact with the criminal justice system. However, little is known about how these factors contribute to the risk of arrest in South Africa, which has one of the highest rates of arrests globally. We examine both individual- and community-level factors associated with arrests among young men living in the townships of Cape Town.MethodsData were collected from a stratified community sample of 906 young men aged 18-29 years old living in 18 township neighborhoods. Communities with high and low rates of arrest were identified. Logistic regression models were used to assess which individual-level (such as substance use and mental health status) and community-level (such as infrastructure and presence of bars and gangs) factors predict arrests.ResultsSignificant predictors of arrests were substance use, gang activity, being older, more stressed, and less educated. Living in communities with better infrastructure and in more recently established communities populated by recent immigrants was associated with having a history of arrests.ConclusionsWhen considering both individual- and community-level factors, substance use and gang violence are the strongest predictors of arrests among young men in South Africa. Unexpectedly, communities with better infrastructure have higher arrest rates. Community programs are needed to combat substance use and gang activity as a pathway out of risk among South African young men.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov registration #NCT02358226, registered Nov 24, 2014

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

A translation and psychometric investigation of the South African career interest inventory across gender and race among secondary school learners

Thesis (D.Phil)--Stellenbosch University, 2017.ENGLISH SUMMARY: A major component of the practice of career counselling and assessment is the measurement of vocational interests. Both globally and in South Africa, John Holland’s (1997) theory of vocational personalities is one of the most influential career theories, providing a theoretical framework from which practitioners develop and administer vocational interest inventories. However, technological advances in the course of the 21st century have resulted in a rapid transformation in the world of work, rendering popular career interest inventories based on Holland’s model obsolete, both in terms of content and occupational environments. To address these limitations, Morgan, de Bruin, and de Bruin (2014) employed Holland’s typology and constructed an interest inventory, namely the South African Career Interest Inventory (SACII), for a South African university student and young adult sample that yielded reliable and valid scores. Building on this foundation, the aim of this quantitative study was to further explore the validity of the SACII by investigating gender, racial, and language differences in the psychometric properties and interest structures of female and male, Black, Coloured and White South African Grade 9 learners (n = 628), as measured by the SACII. To achieve this aim, the present study also involved translating the SACII into isiXhosa, hereby constructing the first career interest inventory in an indigenous South African language. The study also provided a back-translation of the Afrikaans version of the SACII. Using convenience sampling, all Grade 9 learners from five secondary schools in the Cape Winelands District of South Africa were included as participants for the research sample. Accordingly, the research aimed to investigate whether the SACII can be applied validly, reliably, and indiscriminately on a sample of middle adolescents across different gender, race, and language groups. The results for the present study provided support for the reliability and validity of the scores on the SACII across different racial and language groups in South Africa, but failed to find support for the equal applicability of the scale across gender. Gender, race and language comparisons demonstrated the best model fit for the respective female, Black and isiXhosa participants. It is recommended that future studies further explore the gender difference on the SACII with sample groups diverse in race, culture, age and language. Moreover, future studies should conduct measurement invariance tests to determine the validity of the different language versions of the SACII. In summary, it appears that practitioners may continue to use Holland’s (1997) model in career assessment and counselling in the South African context when a valid career interest inventory, such as the SACII, is employed.AFRIKAANS OPSOMMING: Die meting van beroepsbelangstellings is ʼn belangrike komponent van die praktyk van beroepsvoorligting en -assessering. Regoor die wêreld en in Suid-Afrika word John Holland (1997) se teorie van beroepspersoonlikhede beskou as een van die mees invloedryke beroepsteorieë. Dit verskaf ʼn teoretiese raamwerk waarvolgens praktisyns loopbaanbelangstellingsinventarisse ontwikkel en administreer. Nietemin, die tegnologiese vooruitgang deur die loop van die 21ste eeu het aanleiding gegee tot ʼn transformasie in die wêreld van werk en as gevolg daarvan word gewilde loopbaanbelangstellingsinventarisse beskou as verouderd, beide met betrekking tot inhoud en werksomgewings. Ten einde hierdie tekortkominge aan te spreek, het Morgan (2014) gebruik gemaak van Holland se tipologie om ʼn loopbaanbelangstellingsinventaris te ontwikkel wat betroubaar en geldig is vir die Suid-Afrikaanse bevolking, naamlik die Suid-Afrikaanse Loopbaanbelangstellingsinventaris (The South African Career Interest Inventory - SACII). Binne die bogenoemde konteks was die doel van hierdie kwantitatiewe studie om die geldigheid van die SACII verder te verken deur ondersoek in te stel na die verskille in die psigometriese eienskappe en belangstellingstruktuur van vroulike en manlike Kleurling, Swart en Wit Graad 9-leerders (n = 628), soos gemeet deur die SACII. Daarbenewens het die studie die SACII vertaal na isiXhosa, en in die proses die eerste loopbaanbelangstellingsinventaris in ʼn inheemse Suid-Afrikaanse taal ontwikkel. Verder sluit die studie ʼn terugvertaling van die Afrikaanse weergawe van die SACII in. Deur middel van gerieflikheidsteekproefneming is alle Graad 9-leerders van vyf sekondêre skole in die Kaapse Wynlanddistrik van Suid-Afrika geselekteer as navorsingsdeelnemers. Die navorsing het ondersoek of die SACII met geldigheid, betroubaarheid en voor die voet toegepas kan word op ʼn steekproef van middel-adolessente oor verskillende geslags-, etniese- en taalgroepe heen. Die resultate van hierdie studie ondersteun die betroubaarheid en geldigheid van die SACII oor verskillende ras- en taalgroepe in Suid-Afrika, maar het nie daarin geslaag om ondersteuning vir die gelyke toepasbaarheid van die metingskaal oor geslag te bied nie. Geslags-, ras- en taalvergelykings het daarop gedui dat die model die beste toepassing kon vind op vroulike, Swart, en isiXhosa deelnemers. Toekomstige studies kan die geslagsverskille in die toepassing van die SACII verder bestudeer met steekproewe wat diverse etniese-, kultuur-, ouderdom- en taalgroepe insluit. Verder moet toekomstige studies metingsinvariansietoetse uitvoer om die geldigheid van die verskeie taalweergawes van die SACII te bepaal. Ter opsomming blyk dit dat praktisyns kan voortgaan om Holland (1997) se model in beroepsvoorligting and -assessering toe te pas indien ʼn geldige loopbaanbelangstellingsinventaris soos die SACII gebruik word

A biophysical and biochemical approach to understanding the interplay between Quaternary structure and function of human calprotectin

Thesis: Ph. D. in Biological Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Chemistry, 2018.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Vita.Includes bibliographical references.In response to an invading pathogen, the host organism initiates an immune response to fight infection. One component of the response involves metal-sequestering proteins that starve pathogens of essential metal nutrients. Humans release calprotectin (CP), a heterooligomer of S100A8 and S100A9, from neutrophils and epithelial cells to prevent microbes from accessing manganese, iron, nickel, and zinc. CP also binds Ca(II) ions, which increases the transition-metal affinity and antimicrobial activity of CP. In addition, Ca(II) causes the S100A8/S100A9 CP heterodimer to form a S100A82/S100A9₂ tetramer. When this dissertation research began, it was known that CP inhibited bacterial growth by sequestering transition metals, and that CP could transmit a proinflammatory signal; however, little was known about the fate of CP after release. The focus of this work was to better understand how the extracellular space may affect CP on biophysical and biochemical levels. Our approach was to study the molecular-level consequences of Ca(II) binding and tetramerization. We found that the heterotetramer exhibited significant resistance to enzymatic proteolysis compared to the heterodimer. Using NMR spectroscopy, we observed that the dynamics of CP change significantly upon Ca(II) binding small, yet notable, alterations in secondary structure. Finally, we discovered that methionine oxidation of CP inhibited Ca(II)-induced tetramerization, resulting in accelerated proteolysis. Taken together, our studies provided new insights into how CP survives the harsh conditions of the extracellular space, and a mechanism for clearing CP from the extracellular space.by Jules Rabie Stephan.Ph. D. in Biological Chemistr

Calcium-induced tetramerization and zinc chelation shield human calprotectin from degradation by host and bacterial extracellular proteases

Calprotectin (CP, S100A8/S100A9 oligomer, MRP-8/14 oligomer, calgranulins A and B) is a protein component of the innate immune system that contributes to the metal-withholding response by sequestering bioavailable transition metal ions at sites of infection. Human CP employs Ca(II) ions to modulate its quaternary structure, transition metal binding properties, and antimicrobial activity. In this work, we report the discovery that Ca(II)-induced self-association of human CP to afford heterotetramers protects the protein scaffold from degradation by host serine proteases. We present the design and characterization of two new human CP-Ser variants, S100A8(C42S)(I60E)/S100A9(C3S) and S100A8(C42S)(I60K)/S100A9(C3S), that exhibit defective tetramerization properties. Analytical size exclusion chromatography and analytical ultracentrifugation reveal that both variants, hereafter I60E and I60K, persist as heterodimers in the presence of Ca(II) only, and form heterotetramers in the presence of Mn(II) only and both Ca(II) and Mn(II). Coordination to Fe(II) also causes I60E and I60K to form heterotetramers in both the absence and presence of Ca(II). The Ca(II)-bound I60E and I60K heterodimers are readily degraded by trypsin, chymotrypsin, and human neutrophil elastase, whereas the Ca(II)-bound CP-Ser heterotetramers and the Ca(II)- and Mn(II)-bound I60E and I60K heterotetramers are resistant to degradation by these host proteases. The staphylococcal extracellular protease GluC cuts the S100A8 subunit of CP-Ser at the C-terminal end of residue 89 to afford a ΔSHKE variant. The GluC cleavage site is in close proximity to the His3Asp metal-binding site, which coordinates Zn(II) with high affinity, and Zn(II) chelation protects the S100A8 subunit from GluC cleavage. Taken together, these results provide new insight into how Ca(II) ions and transition metals modulate the chemistry and biology of CP, and indicate that coordination to divalent cations transforms human CP into a protease-resistant form and enables innate immune function in the hostile conditions of an infection site.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (1DP2OD007045)Kinship Foundation. Searle Scholars Program ((Searle Scholar Award)Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Stephen J. Lippard Fellowship Fund

Who can we reach and who can we keep? predictors of intervention engagement and adherence in a cluster randomized controlled trial in South Africa

CITATION: Rabie, S., et al. 2020. Who can we reach and who can we keep? predictors of intervention engagement and adherence in a cluster randomized controlled trial in South Africa. BMC Public Health, 20:275, doi:10.1186/s12889-020-8357-x.The original publication is available at https://bmcemergmed.biomedcentral.comBackground: Engaging and retaining young men in community-based interventions is highly challenging. The purpose of this study was to investigate the individual factors that predict intervention engagement and adherence in a sample of at-risk South African men. Methods: Baseline data were collected as a part of a cluster randomised control trial (RCT) situated in Khayelitsha and Mfuleni, two peri-urban settlements situated on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Neighbourhoods were randomised to one of three intervention conditions. We performed univariate descriptive statistics to report neighbourhood and individual socio-demographic factors, and ran multivariate models, adjusting for entry of study, to determine if high adherence and consistency of engagement with the intervention were associated with sociobehavioural demographics and risk behaviours, such as hazardous substance use, gangsterism, and criminal activity. Results: Total of 729 men were on average 22.5 years old (SD 2.8), with a mean of 10 years of education. More than half of the sample were single (94%), lived with their parents (66%) and had an income below ~$30 (52%). The overall mean of adherence is 0.41 (SD 0.24) and mean of consistency of engagement is 0.61 (SD 0.30). Our data indicated that completing more years of education, living with parents, and having higher socioeconomic status were significantly associated with higher rates of engagement and adherence. Men with a history of gang membership demonstrated higher levels of adherence and consistent engagement with the intervention, compared with other men who were recruited to the intervention. Crucially, our data show that young men with a history of substance use, and young men who report symptoms of depression and high levels of perceived stress are equally likely as other young men to adhere to the intervention and attend intervention sessions consistently. Conclusion: Our results may contribute to a better understanding of young men’s patterns of engagement and adherence to public health interventions. The results may have important implications for policy and practice, as they may be useful in planning more effective interventions and could potentially be used to predict which young men can be reached through community-based interventions.https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-8357-xPublisher's versio