UNDP-GEF Grasslands Project: The Southern Africa Botanical Network SABONET

This six-year biodiversity capacity building project closes at the end of June 2005. The principal outcomes have been greatly strengthened capacities within, and interaction between, the national herbaria of southern Africa, in order to improve plant taxonomic outputs to better serve the needs of conservation end-users. Grassland plants have in many ways been the main regional focus. The project was based in the National Botanical Institute (NBI) of Southern Africa (now the South Africa Biodiversity Institute - SANBI) and had components in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The NBI provide regional coordination and technical support

Pulmonary Embolism Complicating Permanent Cardiac Pacing

Pulmonary embolism arising from intracardiac electrodes in permanently-paced patients, is fortunately rare. The serious nature of the complication is illustrated by a case report

Epidemiology of urethral stricture at Tygerberg Hospital

Over a 12-month period, 120 consecutive male patients with confirmed urethral stricture were prospectively studied with regard to the epidemiology of the disease. Specific urethritis is the main aetiological factor (45%) and internal and external trauma account for an alarming 38,3% of cases. The prevalence is highest among 40 - 50-year-old coloured men who have had little schooling, multiple sexual partners and who have a low annual income. The incidence can be reduced by upliftment of moral and educational standards of the local population, and by emphasising the potential dangers of catheterisation and instrumentation to m.edical personnel

Measurement of antiacetylcholine receptor auto-antibodies in myasthenia gravis

Two different acetylcholine receptor (AChR) preparations derived from amputated human muscle (AChRAMP) and from the human rhabdomyosarcoma cell line TE671 (AChRTE67,) were compared in radio-immunoprecipitation assays for the detection of AChR auto-antibodies in serum specimens from 20 patients with proven myasthenia gravis. Tests performed with the AChRTE67, and AChRAMP antigen preparations were positive in all the patients and in 19/20 respectively. A high degree of correlation (r = 0,94) was evident between the two auto-antigen preparations. Assays based on the use of TE671-derived antigen represent a useful alternative to the conventional assay using AChRAMP  for the detection of AChR autoantibodies

Predicting mortality after start of long-term dialysis-International validation of one- and two-year prediction models

BackgroundMortality prediction is critical on long-term kidney replacement therapy (KRT), both for individual treatment decisions and resource planning. Many mortality prediction models already exist, but as a major shortcoming most of them have only been validated internally. This leaves reliability and usefulness of these models in other KRT populations, especially foreign, unknown. Previously two models were constructed for one- and two-year mortality prediction of Finnish patients starting long-term dialysis. These models are here internationally validated in KRT populations of the Dutch NECOSAD Study and the UK Renal Registry (UKRR). MethodsWe validated the models externally on 2051 NECOSAD patients and on two UKRR patient cohorts (5328 and 45493 patients). We performed multiple imputation for missing data, used c-statistic (AUC) to assess discrimination, and evaluated calibration by plotting average estimated probability of death against observed risk of death. ResultsBoth prediction models performed well in the NECOSAD population (AUC 0.79 for the one-year model and 0.78 for the two-year model). In the UKRR populations, performance was slightly weaker (AUCs: 0.73 and 0.74). These are to be compared to the earlier external validation in a Finnish cohort (AUCs: 0.77 and 0.74). In all tested populations, our models performed better for PD than HD patients. Level of death risk (i.e., calibration) was well estimated by the one-year model in all cohorts but was somewhat overestimated by the two-year model. ConclusionsOur prediction models showed good performance not only in the Finnish but in foreign KRT populations as well. Compared to the other existing models, the current models have equal or better performance and fewer variables, thus increasing models' usability. The models are easily accessible on the web. These results encourage implementing the models into clinical decision-making widely among European KRT populations.Peer reviewe

UK Renal Registry 20th Annual Report: Chapter 6 Adequacy of Haemodialysis in UK Adult Patients in 2016: National and Centre-specific Analyses

Data regarding the urea reduction ratio (URR) were available for analysis from 63 renal centres and 74% of the prevalent haemodialysis (HD) population in the UK. - Fifty-one centres provided URR data on more than 90% of prevalent HD patients. - The proportion of patients in the UK who met the Renal Association (RA) clinical practice guideline for URR (.65%) has been stable between 88–89% since 2011. - The median URR has been stable over the same period (75%). - There was persistent variation observed between centres, 15 centres attaining the RA clinical practice guideline in .90% of patients and 42 centres attaining the guideline in 70–90% of patients. . Over 95% of the prevalent HD population received dialysis three times a week but 26% did less than four hours per session. - Median URR was similar between patients irrespective of dialysis session duration

Improving Aboriginal maternal and infant health services in the \u27Top End\u27 of Australia; synthesis of the findings of a health services research program aimed at engaging stakeholders, developing research capacity and embedding change

BackgroundHealth services research is a well-articulated research methodology and can be a powerful vehicle to implement sustainable health service reform. This paper presents a summary of a five-year collaborative program between stakeholders and researchers that led to sustainable improvements in the maternity services for remote-dwelling Aboriginal women and their infants in the Top End (TE) of Australia. MethodsA mixed-methods health services research program of work was designed, using a participatory approach. The study area consisted of two large remote Aboriginal communities in the Top End of Australia and the hospital in the regional centre (RC) that provided birth and tertiary care for these communities. The stakeholders included consumers, midwives, doctors, nurses, Aboriginal Health Workers (AHW), managers, policy makers and support staff. Data were sourced from: hospital and health centre records; perinatal data sets and costing data sets; observations of maternal and infant health service delivery and parenting styles; formal and informal interviews with providers and women and focus groups. Studies examined: indicator sets that identify best care, the impact of quality of care and remoteness on health outcomes,  discrepancies in the birth counts in a range of different data sets and ethnographic studies of ‘out of hospital’ or health centre birth and parenting. A new model of maternity care was introduced by the health service aiming to improve care following the findings of our research. Some of these improvements introduced during the five-year research program of research were evaluated. ResultsCost effective improvements were made to the acceptability, quality and outcomes of maternity care. However, our synthesis identified system-wide problems that still account for poor quality of infant services, specifically, unacceptable standards of infant care and parent support, no apparent relationship between volume and acuity of presentations and staff numbers with the required skills for providing care for infants, and an ‘outpatient’ model of care. Services were also characterised by absent Aboriginal leadership and inadequate coordination between remote and tertiary services that is essential to improve quality of care and reduce ‘system-introduced’ risk. ConclusionEvidence-informed redesign of maternity services and delivery of care has improved clinical effectiveness and quality for women. However, more work is needed to address substandard care provided for infants and their parents

Micro-anatomy of the ear of the southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum)

The white rhinoceros is the largest of the five extant rhinoceros species. The population is declining rapidly because of intense poaching. However, normal anatomical descriptions in this species are lacking. The purpose of this study is to describe the osseous anatomy of the middle and inner ear of the southern white rhinoceros using micro‐focus X‐ray computed tomography imaging. Four temporal bones obtained from two 1‐day old southern white rhinoceros preserved in 10% formalin were scanned. Tri‐dimensional reconstructions were obtained and volumes of the middle ear ossicles and inner ear structures were calculated. Excellent high spatial resolution 3D images were obtained for all samples and virtual models of the auditory ossicles and bony labyrinth were generated. Visualization of the tympanic membrane, middle ear and inner ear structures was possible in all samples. Whereas the stapes and incus had a shape similar to their human or equine counterparts, the malleus showed a unique appearance with a long rostral branch projecting latero‐distally to the manubrium. The cochlea described 2 turns rostro‐laterally around its axis, with a medial direction of rotation. However, identification of the soft tissue structures of the middle ear was sometimes difficult and visualization of the small structures of the membranous labyrinth was not possible using this formalin fixation and alternative techniques should be investigated. Further investigations are needed in order to provide a complete virtual model including both soft and bone tissues of this difficultly accessible region.The DST‐NRFhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/143902642021-11-11hj2021Companion Animal Clinical Studie

Site of struggle: the Freedom Park fracas and the divisive legacy of South Africa’s Border War/Liberation Struggle

In South Africa, Carcharias taurus is commonly known as the ragged-tooth shark or raggie. The species is also referred to as the sand-tiger shark in North America and as the grey-nurse shark in Australia. It is a long-lived species with an estimated longevity of up to 40 years (Goldman 2002). Female sharks reach sexual maturity at approximately 10 years (Goldman 2002), and they exhibit a biennial reproductive cycle (Branstetter and Musick 1994, Lucifora et al. 2002, G Cliff, Natal Sharks Board, unpublished data). Intra-uterine cannibalisation results in a maximum fecundity of two pups per litter after a gestation period of approximately 9–12 months (Bass et al. 1975, Gilmore et al. 1983). These life-history characteristics make this species particularly susceptible to overexploitation

Symbiotic performance and characterization of Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.) Rhizobia occurring in South African soils

Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) is an important grain legume, which, like several other legumes, depends on the process of biological nitrogen fixation for its nitrogen (N2 ) requirement by forming a symbiotic association with rhizobia. Compared to other tropical legumes, however, the productivity of pigeonpea in South Africa is low, despite the extensive interests in developing it for wider markets. To assist this process, the objectives of the current study were to (i) characterize putative indigenous rhizobial strains that were previously derived from local soils with no previous history of legume cultivation and (ii) confirm their nodulation abilities on a local landrace and a genetically improved (exotic) genotype of pigeonpea. DNA-based analyses using the 16S rRNA and recA genes showed that the strains predominantly represented Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium, although we also recovered Phyllobacterium and Paraburkholderia. These rhizobia nodulated both the local landrace and the improved pigeonpea genotype that were included for comparative purposes. In many cases, rhizobia performed similarly on the two genotypes, although the locally sourced landrace mostly performed better in terms of nodulation and plant biomass. While the current study generated vital information regarding the diversity of indigenous rhizobia associating with pigeonpea, further screening (including field inoculation trials) would be necessary to identify possible elite nitrogen-fixing rhizobial strains for development as inoculants to enhance South African pigeonpea production.The University of Venda Research and Publications Committee.The University of Venda Research and Publications CommitteeBiochemistryGenetic