Sensory integration intervention and the development of the premature infant: A controlled trial

Background. Premature infants are at risk of sensory processing difficulties and developmental delays due to an immature central nervous system and possible episodes of medical instability, discomfort, pain and stress during the first weeks or months after birth.Objective. To investigate the effect of Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI) on the development of premature infants in the first 12 months of life.Methods. A pre-/post-test experimental design was used to randomly divide 24 premature infants from a low socioeconomic setting in Bloemfontein, South Africa, into experimental and control groups after being matched by corrected age and gender. Developmental status was determined with the Bayley III Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, the Test of Sensory Functions in Infants and the Infant/ Toddler Sensory Profile. The experimental group received 10 weeks of ASI intervention.Results. ASI intervention had a positive effect on the sensory processing and development of premature infants, especially in terms of cognitive, language and motor development.Conclusions. ASI intervention at an early age enhances the developmental progress of premature infants

Die Afrikaanse Geskiedbeskouing

Na aanleiding van my voor drag voor die vierde kongres ter bevordering van die wysbegeerte wat in Februarie in Pretoria gehou is, het die redaksie my genader oor bogenoemde onderwerp. Voor die kongres het ek gepraat oor die Afrikaanse geskiedenisbeeld, wat natuurlik iets anders is as die geskiedbeskouing van die Afrikaner. Maar tussen die twee dinge is daar ’n same hang.'n Beeld is juis die resultaat van ’n skou in of oor die verlede en dit suggereer ’n bepaalde visie op die afgelope gebeurtenisse

Four-year stability of anthropometric and cardio-metabolic parameters in a prospective cohort of older adults

Aim: To examine the medium-term stability of anthropometric and cardio-metabolic parameters in the general population. Materials & methods: Participants were 5160 men and women from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (age ≥50 years) assessed in 2004 and 2008. Anthropometric data included height, weight, BMI and waist circumference. Cardio-metabolic parameters included blood pressure, serum lipids (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides), hemoglobin, fasting glucose, fibrinogen and C-reactive protein. Results: Stability of anthropometric variables was high (all intraclass correlations >0.92), although mean values changed slightly (-0.01 kg weight, +1.33 cm waist). Cardio-metabolic parameters showed more variation: correlations ranged from 0.43 (glucose) to 0.81 (HDL). The majority of participants (71–97%) remained in the same grouping relative to established clinical cut-offs. Conclusion: Over a 4-year period, anthropometric and cardio-metabolic parameters showed good stability. These findings suggest that when no means to obtain more recent data exist, a one-time sample will give a reasonable approximation to average levels over the medium-term, although reliability is reduced

Exploring the Potential of a Wearable Camera to Examine the Early Obesogenic Home Environment: Comparison of SenseCam Images to the Home Environment Interview.

BACKGROUND: The obesogenic home environment is usually examined via self-report, and objective measures are required. OBJECTIVE: This study explored whether the wearable camera SenseCam can be used to examine the early obesogenic home environment and whether it is useful for validation of self-report measures. METHODS: A total of 15 primary caregivers of young children (mean age of child 4 years) completed the Home Environment Interview (HEI). Around 12 days after the HEI, participants wore the SenseCam at home for 4 days. A semistructured interview assessed participants' experience of wearing the SenseCam. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), percent agreement, and kappa statistics were used as validity estimates for 54 home environment features. RESULTS: Wearing the SenseCam was generally acceptable to those who participated. The SenseCam captured all 54 HEI features but with varying detail; 36 features (67%) had satisfactory validity (ICC or kappa ≥0.40; percent agreement ≥80 where kappa could not be calculated). Validity was good or excellent (ICC or kappa ≥0.60) for fresh fruit and vegetable availability, fresh vegetable variety, display of food and drink (except sweet snacks), family meals, child eating lunch or dinner while watching TV, garden and play equipment, the number of TVs and DVD players, and media equipment in the child's bedroom. Validity was poor (ICC or kappa <0.40) for tinned and frozen vegetable availability and variety, and sweet snack availability. CONCLUSIONS: The SenseCam has the potential to objectively examine and validate multiple aspects of the obesogenic home environment. Further research should aim to replicate the findings in a larger, representative sample

Parental control over feeding in infancy. Influence of infant weight, appetite and feeding method

Background and objective: Parental control over feeding has been linked to child overweight. Parental control behaviours have been assumed to be exogenous to the child, but emerging evidence suggests they are also child-responsive. This study tests the hypothesis that parental control in early infancy is responsive to infant appetite and weight. Subjects and methods: Participants were 1920 mothers from the Gemini twin cohort, using one randomly selected child per family. Data come from questionnaires completed when the children were approximately 8 months. Mothers completed measures of ‘pressure’ and ‘restriction’, reported feeding method (breast- and bottle feeding), rated their infant's appetite during the first 3 months, provided health professional recorded weight measurements, and reported their concerns about their infant's weight. Logistic regression examined predictors of ‘pressure’ and ‘restriction’, adjusting for maternal demographics and BMI. Interactions between feeding method and control were also tested. Results: ‘Pressure’ was associated with lower birth weight (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.65–0.97), greater concern about underweight (OR = 1.88, 1.29–2.75), and lower infant appetite (OR = 0.59, 0.47–0.75). ‘Restriction’ was associated with higher appetite (OR = 1.44, 1.09–1.89) and bottle feeding (OR = 2.86, 2.18–3.75). A significant interaction with feeding method indicated that infants with high appetites were more likely to be restricted only if they were bottle-fed (OR = 1.52, 1.13–2.04). Conclusion: Mothers vary in their levels of control over milk-feeding and this is partly responsive to the infant's characteristics. They tend to pressure infants who are lighter and have a smaller appetite, and restrict infants with larger appetites if they are bottle-fed. Guidance on infant feeding may be better received if it acknowledges that parents respond to infant characteristics in order to achieve their feeding goals

Die spore van Raka: Oor herskrywing en kanonisering (Deel 2)

Every literary system possesses a canon with the classical canon as the most stable and simultaneously the one with the most restrictive access. Writers and texts can only maintain their position within the canon through continuous rewriting: critical rewriting by literary critics (as shapers of taste and gatekeepers) and creative rewriting by fellow writers. In this study the critical rewriting (and rerealisation) of one of the most acclaimed and seminal texts in Afrikaans literature, Raka (1941), by N. P. van Wyk Louw is scrutinized. Since its publication this verse epic has been firmly entrenched in the classical Afrikaans literary canon and its continuous rewriting / rerealisation can act as a case study of how a literary “masterpiece” is dependent on institutional relationships, relevant characteristics and strategic position-taking within a literary field in order to retain this status. In this second and concluding part of this study, the specifics of Raka’s rewriting / rerealisation is discussed utilising two supplementary typlogies as heuretical tools. In this survey of the rewriting / rerealisation the focus is on the continuallly changing ideological and poetical paradigms underpinning such processes

Die spore van Raka: oor herskrywing en kanonisering (Deel 1)

Every literary system possesses a canon with the classical canon as the most stable and simultaneously the one with the most restrictive access. Writers and texts can only maintain their position within the canon through continuous rewriting: critical rewriting by literary critics (as shapers of taste and gate-keepers) and creative rewriting by fellow writers. In this study the critical rewriting (and rerealisation) of one of the most acclaimed and seminal texts in Afrikaans literature, Raka (1941), by N. P. van Wyk Louw is scrutinized. Since its publication this verse epic has been firmly entrenched in the classical Afrikaans literary canon and its continuous rewriting / rerealisation can act as a case study of how a literary “masterpiece” is dependent on institutional relationships, relevant characteristics and strategic position-taking within a literary field in order to retain this status. Against the backdrop of a theoretical framework set out in part one of this study, the specifics of Raka’s rewriting / rerealisation is discussed in the second part

The Effect of Grape Temperature on the Sensory Perception of Méthode Cap Classique Wines

The production process of South African bottle-fermented sparkling wine, the Méthode Cap Classique (MCC), follows the traditional French method (méthode champenoise), although each cellar has its own unique additions to the method. South African winemakers use different techniques and blends to achieve their award-winning MCCs, but there have not been many scientific investigations of the science behind these wines. This project is one of the first scientific studies on MCC. MCC wines were made using Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes harvested over two vintages (2014 and 2015) from two regions (Robertson and Darling) and stored at 0°C, 10°C, 25°C and 30°C before processing. The study was aimed at investigating the effect of grape storage temperature on the sensory characteristics of MCCs. The aroma and taste of the final nine-month old MCCs were evaluated, with each region analysed separately. The study showed a grouping of the MCCs according to temperature treatments for both vintages. There werevintage differences in terms of the attributes cited and the frequency of citations. Based on the frequency of citation, the MCCs made 2014 from grapes stored at 0°C and 10°C were described by the judges as having a fruity, fresh and crisp aroma, whilst those made from grapes stored at 25°C and 30°C were described as having oxidised fruit, volatile acidity and solvent-like aromas. The judges perceived less oxidation and volatile acidity (VA) (in terms of the frequency of citation) in the aroma of the 2015 MCCs, although treatments at higher temperatures were still associated with less desirable attributes compared to treatments at lower temperature. This study shown that the temperature of the grape at the time ofprocessing has a significant effect on the aroma of MCCs aged nine months, and not so much of an effect on the taste

Effective Health Care and Global Pandemic Preparedness. Policy paper for G20

Well-functioning health systems are a pre-requisite for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) Good Health and Wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that the global health system should become more effective and equitable. The World Health Organization (WHO) serves as a vital resource for countries to enhance their national public health systems, and as a catalyst and enabler of multilateral cooperation for addressing global health-related threats. This policy paper proposes several key recommendations that, in the view of an expert panel, could be implemented in the near term to further strengthen and empower the WHO