Protection of the human research participant: A structured review

The history of health research, and concerns about the protection of human participants, dates back as far as the 1800s. The regulation, legislation and ethics-review requirements regarding the protection of the human research participants cause lively debates among researchers and scientists. The objective of this article is to share the findings of a structured review that was aimed at investigating the impact of and challenges with regard to the legislation, governance and research regulations aimed at protecting human research participants. The thematic analysis of the findings revealed dissatisfaction with diverse operational practices; different legislation and regulation practices; and institutional governance. Simplified and universally agreed-upon regulations and operational practices are needed, as is a common understanding of all concepts relating to ethical research conduct.S Afr Med J 2017;107(10):847-85

Ways to improve research outputs of nurse academics in sub-Saharan Africa

Published ArticleIn academia, evidence of scholarship, e.g. published articles, is required for career progression. A consensus-seeking design was used to identify ways in which nurse academics in sub-Saharan Africa could be mentored to increase their publications. Convenient sampling was done and data were gathered through two nominal groups. Only 9 of the 24 participants who had at least a master's degree have had an article published. Nurses in sub-Saharan Africa who acquire master's and doctoral degrees should be mentored to get their findings published in journals. Developmental network mentoring appeared to be more appropriate for mentoring nurse academia over geographical distances than individual dyad mentoring relationships

Health system challenges: An obstacle to the success of isoniazid preventive therapy

Background. The researchers identified infection with HIV as the strongest risk factor in the reactivation of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection or progression to active disease. Isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) is one of the interventions recommended by the World Health Organization and the South African (SA) National Department of Health to prevent progression to active TB disease in people living with HIV. Adherence to IPT is therefore the responsibility of healthcare clients and clinicians.Objectives. To describe the incidence of TB among clients who received IPT, rates of completing and not completing IPT among those who started it, and the reasons for non-completion.Methods. A quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive retrospective cohort study was undertaken. The clinic records of 104 HIV-positive adults receiving care at a clinic in SA who started IPT between 1 July 2010 and 30 November 2011 were analysed.Results. Sixty-six of 104 study respondents (63.5%) completed the IPT course. None of the respondents who completed IPT was diagnosed with TB, and 86.8% of the respondents who did not complete the programme did so because of the poor quality of healthcare they received, and not by their own choice.Conclusion. The study results strengthened the findings of similar local and international studies that IPT is advantageous in the prevention of TB. The finding that so many patients did not complete the programme as a result of drug dispensing or prescription problems is alarming, and revealed a major shortcoming in the healthcare system

Groundwater discharges to aquatic ecosystems associated with the Table Mountain Group (TMG) aquifer: A conceptual model

This paper reports on a conceptual model that was developed to describe the different groundwater discharge ‘types’ from the Table Mountain Group (TMG) aquifer, that contributes to the different components of the flow regime in each of the recognised river reaches for streams and rivers associated with the TMG. This model integrates hydrogeological, ecological and geomorphological understandings into an ecohydrological perspective linking ground- and surface water systems. Through geospatial intersections of existing GIS layers a GIS model was also developed to highlight the quaternary catchments containing sensitive aquatic ecosystems that could be vulnerable to groundwater use from the TMG. The conceptual model demonstrates the intimate link between groundwater from the TMG aquifer and aquatic ecosystems in the mountain and foothill reaches of streams and rivers in the Cape Folded Mountains in particular. It also identifies two primary zones of interaction between groundwater and surface water in the TMG, namely, the ‘TMG aquifer daylightdomain’, located in the recharge zone, and the ‘TMG aquifer surface water interface-domain’, located at the discharge end of the aquifer. The conceptual model clearly indicates the difference between real groundwater, and perceived groundwater contributions to streamflow in the TMG. It is the lower flows of the flow regime that will be most vulnerable to groundwater use from the TMG aquifer in the ‘TMG aquifer daylight-domain’, which are unfortunately also the most important flows from an ecological perspective. However, any groundwater use from the TMG aquifer will also affect the discharge end of the aquifer, located far from the higher elevation recharge areas, or the point of groundwater abstraction, in lowland settings in the ‘TMG aquifer surface water interface-domain’. The GIS model integrated the conceptual understanding into a management tool by highlight all quaternary catchments associated with TMG containing sensitive aquatic ecosystems and gave the variable vulnerability for each.Keywords: ecohydrology, ecosystem dynamics, groundwater abstraction, river basin management, streamflow regime, TMG aquife

Is sexism a gender issue? A motivated social cognition perspective on men’s and women’s sexist attitudes toward own and other gender

The present research investigated the antecedents of ambivalent sexism (i.e., hostile and benevolent forms) in both men and women toward own and other gender. In two heterogeneous adult samples (Study 1: N = 179 and Study 2: N = 222), it as revealed that gender itself was only a minor predictor of sexist attitudes compared to the substantial impact of individual differences in general motivated cognition (i.e., Need for closure). Analyses further showed that the relationship between Need for closure and sexism was mediated by social attitudes (i.e., right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation), which were differently related to benevolent and hostile forms of sexism. In the discussion it is argued that sexism primarily stems from individual differences in motivated cognitive style, which relates to peoples? perspective on the social world, rather than from group differences between men and women

Health system challenges: An obstacle to the success of isoniazid preventive therapy

Background. The researchers identified infection with HIV as the strongest risk factor in the reactivation of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection or progression to active disease. Isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) is one of the interventions recommended by the World Health Organization and the South African (SA) National Department of Health to prevent progression to active TB disease in people living with HIV. Adherence to IPT is therefore the responsibility of healthcare clients and clinicians.Objectives. To describe the incidence of TB among clients who received IPT, rates of completing and not completing IPT among those who started it, and the reasons for non-completion.Methods. A quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive retrospective cohort study was undertaken. The clinic records of 104 HIV-positive adults receiving care at a clinic in SA who started IPT between 1 July 2010 and 30 November 2011 were analysed.Results. Sixty-six of 104 study respondents (63.5%) completed the IPT course. None of the respondents who completed IPT was diagnosed with TB, and 86.8% of the respondents who did not complete the programme did so because of the poor quality of healthcare they received, and not by their own choice.Conclusion. The study results strengthened the findings of similar local and international studies that IPT is advantageous in the prevention of TB. The finding that so many patients did not complete the programme as a result of drug dispensing or prescription problems is alarming, and revealed a major shortcoming in the healthcare system

A semi-quantitative survey of macroinvertebrates at selected sites to evaluate the ecosystem health of the Olifants River

This study was conducted to evaluate the ecosystem health of the Olifants River by means of semi-quantitative surveys of the macroinvertebrates at 7 selected sites in the catchment. These surveys were performed during the high- and low-flow seasons for 2 consecutive years. Macroinvertebrates were collected by using a net consisting of a 30 cm square steel frame with a sturdy handle, to which a Perlon gauze net with a mesh of 1 mm was attached. Semi-quantitative surveys were done by sampling the vegetation, as well as the substratum, with the net at each site for approximately 15 min. The pH, water temperature and conductivity were measured in situ at each site during the different surveys. Samples were fixed and preserved in 90% ethanol and thereafter sorted, identified up to family level and counted. The specimens were categorised as tolerant, moderately sensitive or highly sensitive, according to the guidelines set by the South African Scoring System Version 5 (SASS5). Although a total of 95 taxa were recovered during this study, only 7 of these taxa were categorised as highly sensitive, it can be concluded that the water of the Olifants River is in a poor state of health as revealed by the macroinvertebrate assemblages.Keywords: Olifants River, macroinvertebrates, river healt

Multi-gene phylogeny for Ophiostoma spp. reveals two new species from Protea infructescences

Ophiostoma represents a genus of fungi that are mostly arthropod-dispersed and have a wide global distribution. The best known of these fungi are carried by scolytine bark beetles that infest trees, but an interesting guild of Ophiostoma spp. occurs in the infructescences of Protea spp. native to South Africa. Phylogenetic relationships between Ophiostoma spp. from Protea infructescences were studied using DNA sequence data from the β-tubulin, 5.8S ITS (including the flanking internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2) and the large subunit DNA regions. Two new species, O. phasma sp. nov. and O. palmiculminatum sp. nov. are described and compared with other Ophiostoma spp. occurring in the same niche. Results of this study have raised the number of Ophiostoma species from the infructescences of serotinous Protea spp. in South Africa to five. Molecular data also suggest that adaptation to the Protea infructescence niche by Ophiostoma spp. has occurred independently more than once

Quantification of three macrolide antibiotics in pharmaceutical lots by HPLC: Development, validation and application to a simultaneous separation

A new validated high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with rapid analysis time and high efficiency, for the analysis of erythromycin, azithromycin and spiramycin, under isocratic conditions with ODB RP18 as a stationary phase is described. Using an eluent composed of acetonitrile –2-methyl-2-propanol –hydrogenphosphate buffer, pH 6.5, with 1.5% triethylamine (33:7: up to 100, v/v/v), delivered at a flow-rate of 1.0 mL min-1. Ultra Violet (UV) detection is performed at 210 nm. The selectivity is satisfactory enough and no problematic interfering peaks are observed. The procedure is quantitatively characterized and repeatability, linearity, detection and quantification limits are very satisfactory. The method is applied successfully for the assay of the studied drugs in pharmaceutical dosage forms as tablets and powder for oral suspension. Recovery experiments revealed recovery of 97.13–100.28%