Effects of antilymphocyte serum on hyperacute renal rejection in goats

An experiment is described whereby the suppressive action of antilymphocyte serum on the suspected immunological response in exteriorized goat kidneys, produced by specifically sensitized thoracic duct cells, was tesIed. The results suggest Ihat in this system, the specific lymphocytic reaction mechanism is inhibited by antilymphocyte serum and is more in accord with the 'blindfolding' theory than any other

Sportsmen’s experience of the impact of massage by somatologists in enhancing aerobic performance

For the purpose of massages before and after sports events, sportsmen are increasingly visiting somatologists working at private somatology clinics instead of other massage therapists. Massage is frequently utilised as a means of enhancing performance. It is known to have both calming and stimulating properties. Subsequently, it will have the potential to improve performance in numerous different circumstances. In the context of sportsmen visiting somatology clinics, it is unclear how men experience the impact of a massage by a therapist in the somatology environment in relation to the enhancement of sport performance. The objectives of this qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual study were to explore and describe the experiences of sportsmen receiving massage therapy in a somatology clinic, and to give recommendations to therapists for providing the treatment, prior to the sportsmen’s subsequent competitive events. A purposive sample was selected from sportsmen who visited a somatology clinic, and who had sought to be massaged at least during the fortnight prior to taking part in an individual interview. They were between the ages of 25 and 50 years, and actively participated in aerobic sports; such as boxing, squash, soccer, short and long distance running and rugby. The data were collected by means of eight in-depth, unstructured, individual interviews and written field notes, until saturation of data was achieved. Open coding of data followed. Some participants’ experiences of massage at a somatology clinic were positive, and stated that it assisted them to recuperate from fatigue and to reduce recovery time; especially during times of competition; and consequently was enhancing performance during the next event. Other participants were unable to comprehend exactly what was required of them while they were reflecting on their experiences. It was concluded that there was a need for somatologists to participate in the sporting industry, as they would educate sportsmen about the value of massage to the body.Department of HE and Training approved lis

Sportmen’s experiences at a somatology clinic receiving a sport massage

Sportsmen are increasingly visiting somatology clinics for massages prior to an aerobic sports event. Massage is frequently utilised prior to an athletic activity, as a means of enhancing performance. Massage is known to have both calming and stimulating properties, thereby possessing the potential to benefit performance in numerous different circumstances. In the context of sportsmen visiting somatology clinics, it is unclear how men experienced the benefits of a massage by a therapist in the somatology environment, prior to participating in an aerobic sports event. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual study was to explore and describe the experiences of men regarding sports massage in a somatology clinic prior to an aerobic sports event. Purposive sampling was used to select eight (8) men, aged between 25 and 50 years, who received two massages within two weeks prior to participating in an aerobic sports event. The data were collected through in-depth, unstructured, individual interviews and field notes until saturation of data was achieved. Trustworthiness was ensured by utilising the principles of Lincoln and Guba’s model. The men experienced the sports massage as relaxing and giving perceived holistic beneficial effects. They described their experience during the massage and during and after participation in an aerobic sports event. A sports massage brings about psychological, physical, and spiritual effects during and after participation in an aerobic sports event.Web of Scienc

ACUTE DESTRUCTION BY HUMORAL ANTIBODY OF RAT SKIN GRAFTED TO MICE : THE ROLE OF COMPLEMENT AND POLYMORPHONUCLEAR LEUKOCYTES

A study has been made of the roles played by complement and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) in the acute destruction of xenografts of rat skin that follows injection of their hosts with antisera specifically reactive with graft antigens. The rat skin was grafted onto mice whose immune responses were suppressed by removal of the thymus and a brief course of treatment with rabbit antimouse lymphocyte serum. At about 2 wk after grafting the mice were injected intravenously or intraperitoneally with mouse antirat serum (MARS). This time interval was chosen because it avoided the complications that might be associated with either the process of healing in or with incipient rejection. Signs of graft damage were evident as early as 10 min after the injection of MARS, and in most animals so injected the grafts were completely destroyed within 24–48 h. The role of complement (C) in this acute destructive process is indicated by the results of three lines of experimentation. (a) Non-C-fixing antibodies or antibody fragments failed to cause damage to the grafts. Indeed, both chicken antirat serum and F(ab')2 fragments from rabbit antirat serum completely protected the grafts against the effects of MARS that was administered 24 h later. (b) When mice were depleted of hemolytic C by treatment with cobra venom factor or heat-aggregated gamma globulin, the damage caused by MARS was greatly reduced or completely inhibited. (c) In mice with a genetically determined absence of C5 much greater quantities of MARS were required to cause graft damage; the tempo of the destructive process was consistently slower; and a greater number of grafts recovered from the initial inflammatory process than was the case for animals with an intact complement system. The participation of PMN in serum-mediated destruction of grafts was initially suggested by the results of microscope examination of fixed tissues. The essential role of these cells in the process is indicated by the failure of MARS to cause tissue damage in mice whose circulating PMN have been reduced to very low levels by treatment with nitrogen mustard or more specifically with an anti-PMN serum. The absence of tissue damage when circulating PMN are reduced but C levels are normal suggests that C-mediated cytolysis is unimportant in graft destruction and that the role of C lies in its ability to generate chemotactic factors. The latter may then attract the PMN that provide mediators of tissue damage

Prior expectations of leadership programme attendees and their subsequent reflections on completion thereof

This article describes the reflections of nursing academics on their personal expectations prior to commencement of a leadership programme and their subsequent reflections on completion of this introduction to the leadership programme. The programme aimed at developing the participants as leaders in conjunction with developing the culture of research in a school of nursing at a university in the Western Cape, South Africa. A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive design was used. A total sample of eight nursing academics at a higher education institution (HEI) took part and narratives were written in July 2012. The results indicated active participation and involvement; development of skills and knowledge; a balance between programme and personal goals; a sense of confidence amongst attendees; creating structure for growth; and critical thinking. The implication of the study was that a leadership research team has been established with clear underlying assumptions of transformative leadership in research driven by self-leadership.Department of HE and Training approved lis

Discrimination of arid vegetation with airborne multispectral scanner hyperspectral imagery

"This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder."Hyperspectral imagery from the airborne multispectral scanner was evaluated for discrimination and mapping of vegetation components in a semi-arid rangeland environment in Southern Australia. Automated unmixing of two image strips with 5-m resolution revealed several vegetation endmembers in the visible, near infrared (near-IR), and short-wave infrared portions of the imagery. Identity of the endmembers was determined through examination of their short-wave infrared and full-wavelength spectra, and their mapped distributions and correlation with percent cover of vegetation species were measured in sample plots. In addition, to assist interpretation of the image signatures, short-wave infrared reflectance spectra for the dominant vegetation components at the study site were collected with a portable infrared mineral analyzer (PIMA) spectrometer. Endmembers separately mapped included Eucalyptus and other trees such as sugarwood, understorey chenopod shrubs, dry plant litter, and soil surface cryptogamic crust. Several endmembers were significantly positively correlated with field measurements of plant cover. Most of the tree canopy endmembers showed broad cellulose–lignin absorption features in the short-wave infrared (SWIR), and narrower absorptions caused by plant waxes and oils. The field spectra confirmed that the sclerophyll and xerophytic plants show identifiable cellulose, lignin, and plant wax absorption features, even when live and actively photosynthesising. This spectral expression of biochemical constituents in live plants points to the benefit of using the whole spectral range from visible to short-wave infrared in vegetation studies.Megan Lewis, Vittoria Jooste and Aurelio A. de Gaspari

Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3.

Grapevine leafroll disease (GLD) is one of the most important grapevine viral diseases affecting grapevines worldwide. The impact on vine health, crop yield, and quality is difficult to assess due to a high number of variables, but significant economic losses are consistently reported over the lifespan of a vineyard if intervention strategies are not implemented. Several viruses from the family Closteroviridae are associated with GLD. However, Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3), the type species for the genus Ampelovirus, is regarded as the most important causative agent. Here we provide a general overview on various aspects of GLRaV-3, with an emphasis on the latest advances in the characterization of the genome. The full genome of several isolates have recently been sequenced and annotated, revealing the existence of several genetic variants. The classification of these variants, based on their genome sequence, will be discussed and a guideline is presented to facilitate future comparative studies. The characterization of sgRNAs produced during the infection cycle of GLRaV-3 has given some insight into the replication strategy and the putative functionality of the ORFs. The latest nucleotide sequence based molecular diagnostic techniques were shown to be more sensitive than conventional serological assays and although ELISA is not as sensitive it remains valuable for high-throughput screening and complementary to molecular diagnostics. The application of next-generation sequencing is proving to be a valuable tool to study the complexity of viral infection as well as plant pathogen interaction. Next-generation sequencing data can provide information regarding disease complexes, variants of viral species, and abundance of particular viruses. This information can be used to develop more accurate diagnostic assays. Reliable virus screening in support of robust grapevine certification programs remains the cornerstone of GLD management

An electronic survey of preferred podcast format and content requirements among trainee emergency medicine specialists in four Southern African universities

CITATION: Ekambaram, K., et al. 2021. An electronic survey of preferred podcast format and content requirements among trainee emergency medicine specialists in four Southern African universities. African Journal of Emergency Medicine, 11(1): 3-9, doi:10.1016/j.afjem.2020.10.014.The original publication is available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/african-journal-of-emergency-medicinestudy aims to explore the desired content, format and delivery characteristics of a potential educational, context- specific Southern African EM podcast, by investigating current podcast usages, trends and preferences among Southern African EM registrars of varying seniority. Methods: We developed an electronic survey - using a combination of existing literature, context-specific specialist-training guidance, and input from local experts – exploring preferred podcast characteristics among EM registrars from four Southern African universities. Results: The study’s response rate was 75%, with 24 of the 39 respondents being junior registrars. Ninety-four percent (94%) of respondents used EM podcasts as an educational medium: 64% predominantly using pod- casts to supplement a personal EM study program. The primary mode of accessing podcasts was via personal mobile devices (84%). Additionally, respondents preferred a shorter podcast duration (5–15 min), favoured multimedia podcasts (56%) and showed an apparent aversion toward recorded faculty lectures (5%). Eighty-two percent (82%) of respondents preferred context-specific podcast content, with popular topics including toxi- cology (95%), cardiovascular emergencies (79%) and medico-legal matters (74%). Just-in-Time learning proved an unpopular learning strategy in our study population, despite its substantial educational value. Conclusion: Podcast-usage proved to be near-ubiquitous among the studied Southern African EM registrars. Quintessentially, future context-specific podcast design should cater for mobile device-use, shorter duration podcasts, more video content, context-specific topics, and content optimised for both Just-in-Time learning.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211419X20301312Publisher’s versio