Development and evaluation of the Dignity Talk question framework for palliative patients and their families: A mixed-methods study

Background: Effective patient–family communication can reduce patients’ psychosocial distress and relieve family members’ current suffering and their subsequent grief. However, terminally ill patients and their family members often experience great difficulty in communicating their true feelings, concerns, and needs to each other. Aim: To develop a novel means of facilitating meaningful conversations for palliative patients and family members, coined Dignity Talk, explore anticipated benefits and challenges of using Dignity Talk, and solicit suggestions for protocol improvement. Design: A convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Dignity Talk, a self-administered question list, was designed to prompt end-of-life conversations, adapted from the Dignity Therapy question framework. Participants were surveyed to evaluate the Dignity Talk question framework. Data were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods. Setting/participants: A total of 20 palliative patients, 20 family members, and 34 healthcare providers were recruited from two inpatient palliative care units in Winnipeg, Canada. Results: Most Dignity Talk questions were endorsed by the majority of patients and families (>70%). Dignity Talk was revised to be convenient and flexible to use, broadly accessible, clearly stated, and sensitively worded. Participants felt Dignity Talk would be valuable in promoting conversations, enhancing family connections and relationships, enhancing patient sense of value and dignity, promoting effective interaction, and attending to unfinished business. Participants suggested that patients and family members be given latitude to respond only to questions that are meaningful to them and within their emotional capacity to broach. Conclusion: Dignity Talk may provide a gentle means of facilitating important end-of-life conversations

Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Domestic Animals, Wild Pigs, and Off-Host Environmental Sampling in Guam, USA

Background: Guam, a United States of America (USA) island territory in the Pacific Ocean, is known to have large populations of ticks; however, it is unclear what the risk is to wildlife and humans living on the island. Dog (Canis familiaris), cat (Felis catus), and wild pig (Sus scrofa) sentinels were examined for ticks, and environmental sampling was conducted to determine the ticks present in Guam and the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in hosts. Methods and Results: From March 2019-November 2020, ticks were collected from environmental sampling, dogs, cats, and wild pigs. Blood samples were also taken from a subset of animals. A total of 99 ticks were collected from 27 environmental samples and all were Rhipicephalus sanguineus, the brown dog tick. Most ticks were collected during the dry season with an overall sampling success rate of 63% (95% CI: 42.4–80.6). 6,614 dogs were examined, and 12.6% (95% CI: 11.8–13.4) were infested with at least one tick. One thousand one hundred twelve cats were examined, and six (0.54%; 95% CI: 0.20–1.1) were found with ticks. Sixty-four wild pigs were examined and 17.2% (95% CI: 9.5–27.8) had ticks. In total, 1,956 ticks were collected and 97.4% of ticks were R. sanguineus. A subset of R. sanguineus were determined to be the tropical lineage. The other tick species found were Rhipicephalus microplus (0.77%), Amblyomma breviscutatum (0.77 %), and a Haemaphysalis sp. (0.51%). Blood samples from 136 dogs, four cats, and 64 wild pigs were tested using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing methods. Five different tick-borne pathogens with the following prevalences were found in dogs: Anaplasma phagocytophilum 5.9% (95% CI: 2.6–11.3); Anaplasma platys 19.1% (95% CI: 12.9–26.7); Babesia canis vogeli 8.8% (95% CI: 4.6–14.9); Ehrlichia canis 12.5% (95% CI: 7.5–19.3); Hepatozoon canis 14.7% (95% CI: 9.2–28.8). E. canis was detected in one cat, and no tick-borne pathogens were detected in wild pigs. Overall, 43.4% (95% CI: 34.9–52.1) of dogs had at least one tick-borne pathogen. Serological testing for antibodies against Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. showed prevalences of 14.7% (95% CI: 9.2–28.8) and 31.6% (95% CI: 23.9–40), respectively. Conclusion: Four different tick species were found in Guam to include a Haemaphysalis sp., which is a previously unreported genus for Guam. Dogs with ticks have a high prevalence of tick-borne pathogens which makes them useful sentinels

Protein Engineering of a Spectroscopic Probe into Malate Dehydrogenase (MDH)

Malate dehydrogenase (MDH) is an enzyme that has a key role in biological processes, like the Krebs cycle. Specifically, it reversibly catalyzes the interconversion of (S)-malate with NAD+ to oxaloacetate and NADH. Once oxaloacetate is synthesized, MDH dispatches it to citrate synthase, but it is not clear how this happens. One theory is that MDH channels it to citrate synthase by forming a metabolon, a mechanism for direct channeling, preventing diffusion of reaction intermediates into a bulk matrix. There is a lack of research in this area due to the absence of a spectroscopic probe necessary to visualize MDH’s conformational changes. Therefore, a method was tested to incorporate a fluorescent landmark into MDH’s structure and thus be used in future research to reveal the interactions between MDH and citrate synthase. Specific amino acids of MDH were mutated to tryptophan, an amino acid known to fluoresce (V189, I319, A120, I136, P119, G218). The coding sequence for the wildtype MDH and mutant MDHs were incorporated into plasmids and bacterially transformed into Escherichia coli. Both wildtype and mutant proteins were over-expressed, then purified by nickel affinity chromatography using a hexahistidine tag on the N-terminus of MDH. Data will demonstrate that I139W, V189W, and A120W had significantly lower activity than wildtype MDH, and the same is predicted for I136W. I139W and V189W emitted fluorescence at 290 nm, but I136W did not. The mutations P119W and G218W could not be overexpressed or purified. Next steps in design of a fluorescent, active MDH will be discussed

Genomic characterization of two novel viruses infecting Barleria cristata L. from the genera Orthotospovirus and Polerovirus

Barleria cristata L. has become naturalized in South Africa, where it is commonly used as an ornamental. In 2019, plants of B. cristata showing putative viral symptoms were collected from two locations in Gauteng, South Africa. RNAtag-seq libraries were prepared and sequenced using an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform. De novo assembly of the resulting data revealed the presence of a novel member of the family Tospoviridae associated with the plants from both locations, and this virus was given the tentative name "barleria chlorosis-associated virus". Segments L, M, and S have lengths of 8752, 4760, and 2906 nt, respectively. Additionally, one of the samples was associated with a novel polerovirus, provisionally named "barleria polerovirus 1", with a complete genome length of 6096 nt. This is the first study to show the association of viruses with a member of the genus Barleria.SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION : Supplementary Figure 1: Foliar symptoms associated with Barleria cristata plants that were sampled in this study. Large, diffuse chlorotic spots were associated with the single infection of barleria severe mosaic virus (BSMoV) (19-3031), while a more defined mosaic was associated with the mixed involving both BSMoV and barleria polerovirus 1 (19-3037).Supplementary Figure 2: Maximum likelihood phylogeny based on the amino acid sequences of the N-protein of barleria chlorosis-associated virus (indicated by solid circle markers) and selected members of the Tospoviridae family. The phylogeny represents the tree with the highest log likelihood and was generated in MEGA X using the best-fit (Le Gascuel) model with gamma distribution (n=4). Bootstrapping was applied (1000 replicates) and the percentage of trees in which the associated taxa clustered together is shown next to the branches. Bootstrap percentages lower than 50 are not shown. The cognate amino acid sequence of Guaroa virus was used as an outgroup.Supplementary Figure 3: Maximum likelihood phylogeny based on the amino acid sequences of the RNA-dependant RNA polymerase of barleria polero virus 1 (indicated by solid circle markers) and selected members of the Luteoviridae family. The phylogeny represents the tree with the highest log likelihood and was generated in MEGA X using the best-fit (Jones-Taylor-Thornton) model. Bootstrapping was applied (1000 replicates) and the percentage of trees in which the associated taxa clustered together is shown next to the branches. Bootstrap percentages lower than 50 are not shown. The cognate amino acid sequences of two enamoviruses were used as outgroups.http://link.springer.com/journal/7052022-07-01hj2022Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI

Postgraduate palliative care education: Evaluation of a South African programme

Aim. We aimed to assess the postgraduate palliative care distance education programme of the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of its perceived ability to influence palliative care delivery. Methods. A mixed-methods approach, consisting of two surveys using open-ended and multiple-choice options, was conducted from January - December 2007 at the UCT School of Public Health and Family Medicine. All students registered in the programme from 2000 - 2007 were invited to participate; 83 (66.4% of all eligible participants) completed the general survey, and 41 (65.7%) of the programme's graduates completed the graduate survey. The survey scores and open-ended data were triangulated to evaluate UCT’s palliative care postgraduate programme. Results. General survey scores of graduates were significantly higher in 5 of the 6 categories in comparison with current students. The graduate survey indicated that curriculum and teaching strengths were in communication and dealing with challenging encounters. Graduates also stressed the need to develop a curriculum that incorporated a practical component. Conclusions. In addition to current postgraduate training, palliative care education in South Africa should be extended to undergraduate medical students, as the benefits of UCT’s programme were limited to a small cohort of practitioners

Postgraduate Palliative care education: Evaluation of a South African Programme

AIM: We aimed to assess the postgraduate palliative care distance education programme of the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of its perceived ability to influence palliative care delivery. METHODS: A mixed-methods approach, consisting of two surveys using open-ended and multiple-choice options, was conducted from January to December 2007 at the UCT School of Public Health and Family Medicine. All students registered in the programme from 2000 - 2007 were invited to participate; 83 (66.4% of all eligible participants) completed the general survey, and 41 (65.7%) of the programme's graduates completed the graduate survey. The survey scores and open-ended data were triangulated to evaluate UCT's palliative care postgraduate programme. RESULTS: General survey scores of graduates were significantly higher in 5 of the 6 categories in comparison with current students. The graduate survey indicated that curriculum and teaching strengths were in communication and dealing with challenging encounters. Graduates also stressed the need to develop a curriculum that incorporated a practical component. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to current postgraduate training, palliative care education in South Africa should be extended to undergraduate medical students, as the benefits of UCT's programme were limited to a small cohort of practitioners

Characterization of macadamia ringspot-associated virus, a novel Orthotospovirus associated with Macadamia integrifolia in South Africa

South Africa is the largest producer of macadamias in the world, producing an estimated 61,288 tons nut-in-shell in 2022. In order to ensure the sustainability of the industry, it is important that research focuses on the control and eradication of economically important pests and diseases. Macadamia trees in the Mpumalanga Lowveld of South Africa have for some time shown severe chlorosis, which coincides with a significant drop in production, with losses of up to 60% being recorded. The disease has since been coined Macadamia Chlorosis Disease (MCD). In an attempt to determine whether MCD may be associated with a virus, high-throughput Illumina sequencing was performed on RNA extracted from both diseased and healthy trees collected from farms in Mpumalanga. Subsequent data analyses could not link a specific virus to MCD, however, reads spanning the full genome of a novel virus belonging to the Orthotospovirus genus were obtained. An RT-PCR assay was optimized for the detection of this virus and subsequent surveys linked the virus to ringspot symptoms which are commonly observed on different macadamia cultivars. The virus has to date been identified from orchards in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal. Other viruses described in the genus are known to cause severe crop losses and it is therefore important that the virus, provisionally named macadamia ringspot-associated virus (MRSV), be further studied to determine whether association with this virus can lead to yield losses, and whether appropriate control strategies must be implemented to prevent the spread of MRSV.Macadamias South Africa NPC (SAMAC). Open access funding provided by Agricultural Research Council.https://link.springer.com/journal/10658hj2024Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI)SDG-02:Zero Hunge

Issues of the Ends of Life: The Segelberg Series

The Segelberg Series explores the intersection of religious faith and public policy. This book contains the lectures focused on The Ends of Life. Dalhousie University’s School of Public Administration managed the series through a lecture committee under the able leadership of the former Dean of Dalhousie’s Law School, Professor Innis Christie, QC

Metaviromic characterization of betaflexivirus populations associated with a Vitis cultivar collection in South Africa

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : All RNAseq datasets are available at National Center for Biotechnology Information’s (NCBI) Sequence Read Archive (SRA), accession PRJNA626577. All assembled sequences have been submitted to NCBI GenBank, listed in Table S1.SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS : FIGURE S1: RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) gene phylogeny of GRSPaV variants; FIGURE S2: pairwise ANI values shared between GRSPaV variants; FIGURE S3: RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) gene phylogeny of GVA variants; FIGURE S4: pairwise ANI values shared between GVA variants; FIGURE S5: RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) gene phylogeny of GVB variants; FIGURE S6: pairwise ANI values shared between GVB variants; FIGURE S7: RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) gene phylogeny of GVE variants; FIGURE S8: pairwise ANI values shared between GVE variants; FIGURE S9: RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) gene phylogeny of GVF variants; FIGURE S10: pairwise ANI values shared between GVF variants; FIGURE S11: RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) gene phylogeny of GVH variants; FIGURE S12: pairwise ANI values shared between GVH variants; FIGURE S13: RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) gene phylogeny of GVI variants; FIGURE S14: pairwise ANI values shared between GVI variants; FIGURE S15: RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) gene phylogeny of GVM variants; FIGURE S16: pairwise ANI values shared between GVM variants; TABLE S1: sample information, number of reads, and BioSample and GenBank accession numbers for each accession; TABLE S2: mixed infections for cultivar accessions with more than one betaflexivirus present.South Africa is associated with a centuries-old viticultural industry, accompanied by a diverse range of wine and table grape cultivars and an extensive history of pervasive introductions of vine material and associated viruses. The Vitis D2 collection in Stellenbosch represents the most comprehensive collection of Vitis species, hybrids, and cultivars in South Africa. We collected leaf petiole material from 229 accessions from this collection. Our metaviromic analyses revealed a total of 406 complete/near complete genomes of various betaflexiviruses. Among these, we identified the presence of grapevine rupestris stem pitting-associated virus and grapevine viruses A, B, E, F, H (GVH), I (GVI), and M (GVM). Notably, this study marks the first report of GVH, GVI, and GVM in South Africa, which were confirmed via RT-PCR. This research significantly contributes to our understanding of viral diversity and introductions in South African viticulture and emphasizes the need for vigilant monitoring and management of viral infections. Our findings lay the groundwork for strategies that mitigate the impact of viruses on South Africa’s wine industry, which generates an annual revenue of approximately 500 million USD.National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa.https://www.mdpi.com/journal/virusesam2024BiochemistryForestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI)GeneticsMicrobiology and Plant PathologySDG-15:Life on lan