Met and unmet palliative care needs of people living with HIV/AIDS in Rwanda

The rising number of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) worldwide has made health care professionals and policy makers search for accessible health care that will meet the needs of people who are suffering from the disease and enhance their quality of life (QoL).This study investigated met and unmet palliative care needs of PLWHA in selected areas in Rwanda.The study sample included 306 participants: PLWHA, health care professionals and coordinators of HIV/AIDS units. Quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used.The data were analysed separately and then triangulated. In the findings, over 50% of PLWHA had symptoms related to HIV/AIDS most of the time, with the most common symptom being pain. Participation in activities of daily living was significantly associated with the health status of PLWHA (

Effective teaching in the college classroom: current perspectives and future directions

La efectividad de la enseñanza en la educación superior es importante tanto para los estudiantes, profesores e investigadores, como para los administradores, y, en consecuencia, ha originado un considerable interés. El propósito de este artículo es realizar una revisión de las evidencias empíricas acerca de cuál sea la enseñanza más eficaz en el nivel universitario, con el objetivo puesto en los siguientes problemas: las cualidades o conductas que caracterizan al profesor eficaz; el impacto que estas conductas tienen en los estudiantes, y las implicaciones de los hallazgos empíricos en la mejora de la enseñanza eficaz que se extraen de diversas experiencias, como son las de organización, claridad y expresividad; las distintas perspectivas principales para la obtención y acumulación de resultados de investigación, fundamentalmente, la descriptiva, la correlaciona y la experimental, y, por último, algunas de las virtualidades y limitaciones conceptuales y metodológicas de estas perspectivas. Esperamos que este artículo proporcione al lector una idea suficiente acerca del estado actual, métodos y preocupaciones de la investigación sobre la enseñanza en las instituciones universitarias de América del Norte

Physical Environmental Barriers to School Attendance among Children with Disabilities in two Community Based Rehabilitation Centres in Rwanda

Background: It is estimated that more than 90% of children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend schools. Children with disabilities either do not receive any education or, if they do, it is often inappropriate. The aim of this study was to identify the physical Environmental barriers to school attendance by children with disabilities in two community based rehabilitation (CBR) centres in Rwanda. Method: A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted to identify barriers to school attendance in two CBR centres. Parents/caregivers of children with disabilities participated in the study. The data was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).The level of significance (alpha) was set at α=0.05. Results: The long distance from home to the nearest school, and the status of the school physical environment were the major barriers to school attendance. Conclusion: To meet the Special Needs Education, strengthening existing measures to make a conducive physical environment would enhance school attendance among children with disabilities and subsequently the overall inclusive education.Key words: Parents/caregivers, children with disabilities, barrier

Pretreatment with beta-blockers and the frequency of hypokalemia in patients with acute chest pain

Plasma potassium concentration was measured at admission in 1234 patients who presented with acute chest pain. One hundred and ninety five patients were on P blockers before admission. The potassium concentrations of patients admitted early (within four hours of onsetof symptoms) were compared with those admitted later (4-18 hours after onset of symptoms). There was a transient fall in plasma potassium concentrations in patients not pre-treated with , B blockers. This was not seen in patients who had been on P blockers before admission. Nonselective, B blockers were more effective than cardioselective agents in maintaining concentrationsof plasma potassium. These findings suggest a mechanism for the beneficial effects of ,B blockers on morbidity and mortality in acute myocardial infarction

Hepatitis-B virus infection and the dental profession: a survey in the Witwatersrand area

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The shortwave infrared bands response to stomatal conductance in Conference" Pear Trees (Pyrus communis L.)"

Published: 8 October 201

Attitudes of physiotherapists in Botswana to treating people living with HIV/AIDS

Physiotherapists are increasingly treating people living with HIV /AIDS.However, there is little information reported on either their attitudes when providingtreatment to people with HIV /AIDS, or what facilitates positive attitudes. This studyaimed to determine the attitudes of physiotherapists in Botswana towards treating people living with HIV /AIDS. A  qualitative approach was used with a purposive sample of 10 physiotherapists working in hospitals and private clinics in Gaborone and Ramotswa. In-depth interviews were conducted with individual physiotherapists, utilising an interview guide in. The results indicated that most physiotherapists had a positive attitude towards treating people living with HIV /AIDS. The positive attitude was associated with interrelated factors including their experiencewith people living with HIV /A IDS (PLW HA ); knowledge of HIV /AIDS; job satisfaction; and a belief in a duty to treatall. A  few physiotherapists had a negative attitude which was related to being judgmental and to a fear of acquiring HIVthrough occupational infection

Future scenarios and power generation of marine energy deployment around Great Britain

Renewable energy from wave energy converters and tidal stream turbines could play an important role in the future power system of Great Britain. However, scenarios of future deployment are highly uncertain and rarely spatially or temporally detailed enough to be used as suitable inputs to power system models. This paper presents a new resource for power system modellers which combines published projections for wave and tidal stream installed capacities with discrete geospatial coordinates of potential deployment sites from the literature to develop 'build scenarios' of future deployment around GB. Three build scenarios (low, intermediate and high) are presented for both wave and tidal stream generation. These scenarios can be used by power system modellers to analyse the contributions of marine energy to the future power system of Great Britain.</p

Mecamylamine, dihydro-β-erythroidine, and dextromethorphan block conditioned responding evoked by the conditional stimulus effects of nicotine

Current smokers express the desire to quit. However, the majority find it difficult to remain abstinent. As such, research efforts continually seek to develop more effective treatment. One such area of research involves the interoceptive stimulus effects of nicotine as either a discriminative stimulus in an operant drug discrimination task, or more recently as a conditional stimulus (CS) in a discriminated goal-tracking task. The present work investigated the potential role nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the CS effects of nicotine (0.4 mg/kg) using antagonists with differential selectivity for β2*, α7*, α6β2*, and α3β4* receptors. Methyllycaconitine (MLA) had no effect on nicotine-evoked conditioned responding. Mecamylamine and dihydro-β-erythroidine (DHβE) dose dependently blocked responding evoked by the nicotine CS. In a time-course assessment of mecamylamine and DHβE, each blocked conditioned responding when given 5 min before testing and still blocked conditioned responding when administered 200 min before testing. Two novel bis-picolinium analogs (N, N’-(3, 3′-(dodecan-1,12-diyl)-bis-picolinium dibromide [bPiDDB], and N, N’- (decan-1,10-diyl)-bis-picolinium diiodide [bPiDI]) did not block nicotine-evoked conditioned responding. Finally, pretreatment with low dose combinations of mecamylamine, dextromethorphan, and/or bupropion were used to target α3β4* receptors. No combination blocked conditioned responding evoked by the training dose of nicotine. However, a combination of mecamylamine and dextromethorphan partially blocked nicotine-evoked conditioned responding to a lower dose of nicotine (0.1 mg/kg). These results indicate that β2* and potentially α3β4* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors play a role in the CS effects of nicotine and are potential targets for the development of nicotine cessation aids

Mecamylamine, dihydro-β-erythroidine, and dextromethorphan block conditioned responding evoked by the conditional stimulus effects of nicotine

Current smokers express the desire to quit. However, the majority find it difficult to remain abstinent. As such, research efforts continually seek to develop more effective treatment. One such area of research involves the interoceptive stimulus effects of nicotine as either a discriminative stimulus in an operant drug discrimination task, or more recently as a conditional stimulus (CS) in a discriminated goal-tracking task. The present work investigated the potential role nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the CS effects of nicotine (0.4 mg/kg) using antagonists with differential selectivity for β2*, α7*, α6β2*, and α3β4* receptors. Methyllycaconitine (MLA) had no effect on nicotine-evoked conditioned responding. Mecamylamine and dihydro-β-erythroidine (DHβE) dose dependently blocked responding evoked by the nicotine CS. In a time-course assessment of mecamylamine and DHβE, each blocked conditioned responding when given 5 min before testing and still blocked conditioned responding when administered 200 min before testing. Two novel bis-picolinium analogs (N, N’-(3, 3′-(dodecan-1,12-diyl)-bis-picolinium dibromide [bPiDDB], and N, N’- (decan-1,10-diyl)-bis-picolinium diiodide [bPiDI]) did not block nicotine-evoked conditioned responding. Finally, pretreatment with low dose combinations of mecamylamine, dextromethorphan, and/or bupropion were used to target α3β4* receptors. No combination blocked conditioned responding evoked by the training dose of nicotine. However, a combination of mecamylamine and dextromethorphan partially blocked nicotine-evoked conditioned responding to a lower dose of nicotine (0.1 mg/kg). These results indicate that β2* and potentially α3β4* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors play a role in the CS effects of nicotine and are potential targets for the development of nicotine cessation aids