A systematic scoping review of medicine availability and affordability in Africa.

Background: The most recent World Medicines Situation Report published in 2011 found substantial medicine availability and affordability challenges across WHO regions, including Africa. Since publication of the 2011 report, medicine availability and affordability has risen on the international agenda and was included in the Sustainable Development Goals as Target 3.8.

The role of government agencies and other actors in influencing access to medicines in three East African countries.

The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (MLEM) has since 1977 helped prioritize and ensure availability of medicines especially in low- and middle-income countries. The MLEM consists mainly of generic medicines, though recent trends point towards listing expensive on-patent medicines and increasing global support for medicines against non-communicable diseases. However, the implications of such changes for national essential medicines list (NEML) updates for access to essential medicines has received relatively little attention.

A political economy analysis of human resources for health (HRH) in Africa.

Background: Despite a global recognition from all stakeholders of the gravity and urgency of health worker shortage in Africa, little progress has been achieved to improve health worker coverage in many of the African human resources for health (HRH) crisis countries. The problem consists in how policy is made, how leaders are accountable, how the World Health Organization (WHO) and foreign donors encourage (or distort) health policy, and how development objectives are prioritized in these countries.

Methods: This paper uses political economy analysis, which stems from a recognition that the solution to the shortage of health workers across Africa involves more than a technical response.

The Code of Practice and its enduring relevance in Europe and Eastern and Southern Africa.

Background: The relevance and effectiveness of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Personnel will be reviewed by the World Health Assembly in 2015. The origins of the Code of Practice and the global health diplomacy process before and after its adoption are analyzed herein.

Methods And Results: Case studies from the European and eastern and southern African regions describe in detail successes and failures of the policy implementation of the Code.

Health worker migration from South Africa: causes, consequences and policy responses.

Background: This paper arises from a four-country study that sought to better understand the drivers of skilled health worker migration, its consequences, and the strategies countries have employed to mitigate negative impacts. The four countries-Jamaica, India, the Philippines, and South Africa-have historically been "sources" of skilled health workers (SHWs) migrating to other countries. This paper presents the findings from South Africa.

Mortality associated with tuberculosis/HIV co-infection among patients on TB treatment in the Limpopo province, South Africa.

Background: South Africa has a high tuberculosis burden, and Limpopo Province experienced higher than national average TB mortality rates between 1997 and 2008.

Objective: To establish factors associated with TB mortality in Limpopo Province in 2008.

Design: Retrospective study using provincial data for patients who died after commencing TB treatment between 01 January 2008 and 31 December 2008.

Factors influencing treatment outcomes in tuberculosis patients in Limpopo Province, South Africa, from 2006 to 2010: A retrospective study.

Background: South Africa has a high burden of tuberculosis (TB), with high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-TB co-infection rates and the emergence of multidrugresistant TB.

Objectives: To describe treatment outcomes and factors influencing outcomes amongst pulmonary TB (PTB) patients in the Limpopo Province.

Method: A retrospective review was conducted of data on the provincial electronic TB register (ETR.

Foreign advertisements for doctors in the SAMJ 2006 - 2010.

Background: There is much concern about the migration of health professionals from developing countries, and the contribution of active recruitment to the phenomenon. One active recruitment strategy is advertisements in professional journals and other media.

Objective: To establish the trends in foreign advertisements for doctors placed in the South African Medical Journal (SAMJ) from January 2006 to December 2010.

Policy and programmatic implications of task shifting in Uganda: a case study.

Background: Uganda has a severe health worker shortage and a high demand for health care services. This study aimed to assess the policy and programmatic implications of task shifting in Uganda.

Methods: This was a qualitative, descriptive study through 34 key informant interviews and eight (8) focus group discussions, with participants from various levels of the health system.

Profile and career preferences of pharmacy students at the University of Limpopo, Turfloop Campus, South Africa.

Context: There is a maldistribution of pharmacists in the South African health system, with only 15.6% of pharmacists working in the public sector, while the public sector serves more than 80% of the population.

Setting: University of Limpopo, Turfloop Campus, Pharmacy Programme.

Factors influencing the distribution of pharmacy graduates of the University of the North, South Africa.

Objective: To establish the whereabouts of pharmacists trained at the University of the North (UNIN), and the factors that influenced their career choices.

Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional study using quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Setting: Department of Pharmacy, University of Limpopo, South Africa.

Prescribing patterns of antimicrobial agents in private practice in Umtata, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Objective: To describe the prescription patterns of antimicrobial drugs in the private sector in Umtata.

Design: Descriptive, retrospective study.

Setting: Umtata Pharmacy, Umtata (a town in the Eastern Cape).

When is it herbal intoxication? A retrospective study of children admitted with herbal intoxication at Umtata General Hospital, South Africa.

Objective: To establish the profile and fate of children admitted with a "herbal intoxication" label.

Design: Retrospective cross sectional study of records for all children admitted with "herbal intoxication" for the years 1998 to 2001 inclusive.

Setting: The Paediatrics Department at Umtata General Hospital, the main teaching hospital for the University of Transkei Faculty of Health Sciences.

Career intentions of UNITRA medical students and their perceptions about the future.

Context: The University of Transkei (UNITRA) medical programme follows a problem-based learning and community-based education curriculum.

Objective: To gauge the views of UNITRA medical students about their future, and their career intentions.

Design: A semi-structured questionnaire on intentions to specialize or not, preferred place of work, overall view of the future, and careers guidance.

Traditional remedies in children around Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Objective: To gauge the views of mothers and other caregivers on the use of traditional remedies in the community.

Design: Descriptive study.

Setting: Five health centres affiliated to the UNITRA, Faculty of Health Sciences.

Does tutor subject-matter expertise influence student achievement in the problem-based learning curriculum at UNITRA Medical School?

Objective: To establish whether or not tutor subject-matter expertise influences student achievement in content-based examinations in the problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum at the University of Transkei (UNITRA) Medical School.

Design: A retrospective study of MB ChB III student achievement in end-of-block modified essay questions (MEQ) examinations in microbiology, pathology and pharmacology for the years 1994-1999, inclusive. Pooled scores from the expert-tutored groups were compared with those from the groups tutored by non-experts using analysis of variance (ANOVA) or t-test.

The effect of propofol on human gastric and colonic muscle contractions.

Unlabelled: Although propofol is widely used for sedation in the intensive care unit, there are limited data on its effects on gastrointestinal motility. For that reason, we studied the in vitro effects of propofol on human gastric and colonic smooth muscle. Grossly normal human gastric and colonic muscle strips were mounted in an organ bath set-up for isometric contraction and stimulated by acetylcholine (Ach), using a cumulative dose schedule in the absence or presence of different concentrations of propofol [1.

Influence of temperature, pH and naloxone on the antinociceptive activity of Channa striatus (haruan) extracts in mice.

We have previously shown that extracts from the snakehead fish, Channa striatus (haruan), have antinociceptive activity on their own, and enhance morphine antinociception. In furtherance of that study, we investigated the effects of temperature, pH and naloxone on the antinociceptive effects of haruan extracts in the mouse abdominal constriction test. The effects of temperature were only studied on mucus extracts since the fillet extract is prepared at high temperature under pressure.

Antinociceptive activity of Channa striatus (haruan) extracts in mice.

Haruan, Channa striatus, is a snakehead fish consumed in many parts of the southeast Asian region. It is believed to promote wound healing, as well as reduce post-operative pain. In an attempt to establish the scientific basis for the alleged pain-relieving benefits of this fish, we studied the antinociceptive effects of whole fillet and mucus extracts from haruan in the mouse using the abdominal constriction and tail flick tests.

Effects of bupivacaine and its isomers on guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle.

The effects of racemic bupivacaine and its (-)-(S)- and (+)-(R)-isomers on guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle tension were studied in vitro. Racemic bupivacaine had a dual action with contraction at low concentrations (6.9-55 x 10(-6) M) and relaxation at high concentrations (1.

A thromboelastography study on the in vitro effects of L-arginine and L-NG-nitro arginine methyl ester on human whole blood coagulation and fibrinolysis.

The effects of L-arginine and L-NG-nitro arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) on human blood coagulation and fibrinolysis were studied in vitro using computerized thromboelastography and native whole blood. L-Arginine (8-80 microM) prolonged the split point (SP), reaction time (R) and biKoatugulierung time (K); and diminished the angle (alpha), maximum amplitude (MA) and TEG index. L-NAME (0.

Role of nitric oxide in the induction and expression of morphine tolerance and dependence in mice.

1. The possible involvement of nitric oxide (NO) in the induction and expression of morphine tolerance and dependence was studied in mice. A two-day repeated injection regimen was used to induce morphine tolerance and dependence.