South African medical rehabilitation services delivery: a mixed method exploring the views of stakeholders on availability, accessibility, quality, affordability, equity, effectiveness, and efficiency.

Introduction: South Africa has endeavored to provide access to rehabilitation to more people with the greatest needs via its National Rehabilitation Policy. To achieve the aim of the Framework and Strategy for Disability and Rehabilitation Services in South Africa, scientific knowledge on rehabilitation services would be essential to inform implementation, yet little is known in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province. This paper describes South African rehabilitation services delivery focused on availability, accessibility, quality, affordability, equity, effectiveness, and efficiency based on stakeholders´ perspectives in KZN.

Sarcoidosis Treatment Patterns in the United States: 2016-2022.

Background: There are limited US Federal Drug Administration-approved medications and real-world data on sarcoidosis treatment in the United States. Concordance of practice patterns with guideline recommendations have not been well characterized.

Research Question: What are the practice patterns and factors associated with treatment for patients with sarcoidosis in the year following diagnosis?

Study Design And Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of patients with sarcoidosis from 2016 to 2022 using a multicenter, all-payer claims database (TriNetX).

CT guided sharp recanalization to restore dialysis access in patients with central venous obstruction: A single centre experience and review of alternative techniques.

Central venous obstructions that impedes catheter placement or results in catheter dysfunction is a significant problem for haemodialysis patients. Recanalization can be performed with an intent to restore central venous access, improve outflow from arteriovenous fistula or to relieve symptomatic venous obstructions. Sharp recanalization encompasses various interventional techniques using a sharp instrument to puncture through or bypass around a venous obstruction.

Novel Staged Device Occlusion of Portosystemic Shunt With Atrial Flow Regulator in IVC Stent Platform.

We present the cases of 2 children diagnosed with extrahepatic portosystemic shunts, a very rare vascular anomaly, on investigation of cardiac symptomatology. Poorly developed portal venous systems necessitated staged shunt occlusion. This was achieved using atrial flow regulator devices positioned in an inferior vena cava stent platform performed in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.

Iso-mukaadial acetate and ursolic acid acetate bind to Plasmodium Falciparum heat shock protein 70: towards targeting parasite protein folding pathway.

Plasmodium falciparum is the most lethal malaria parasite. P. falciparum Hsp70 (PfHsp70) is an essential molecular chaperone (facilitates protein folding) and is deemed a prospective antimalarial drug target.

A technique to retrieve an internalised embedded central venous catheter.

Background: Central venous catheters may become embedded due to the formation of adhesions between the indwelling catheter and the vein wall.

Case Presentation: A 49-year-old patient with bacteraemia was referred for retrieval of an embedded internalised central venous dialysis catheter. Recently the catheter had been surgically ligated at the venotomy site internalising the intravascular catheter component, which precluded antegrade ballooning through the catheter hub.

Assessment of Drimia delagoensis (Jessop) Baker Total Phenol, Flavonoids Content and Antioxidant Activity of Both Bulb and Leaves.

Drimia delagoensis has been utilized for its medicinal properties since antiquity. The bulb and leaves are predominantly composed of secondary metabolites that exhibit biological activity. The quantification of total phenolic and flavonoid content, as well as the assessment of antioxidant activity was conducted using the Folin-Ciocalteus method, coulometric analysis, DPPH and the FRAP assays.

Patterns and predictors of cultural competence practice among Nigerian hospital-based healthcare professionals.

Background: Being culturally competent would enhance the quality of care in multicultural healthcare settings like Nigeria, with over 200 million people, 500 languages, and 250 ethnic groups. This study investigated the levels of training and practice of cultural competence among clinical healthcare professionals in two purposively selected Nigerian tertiary hospitals.

Methods: The research was a cross-sectional study.

Occupational therapy assessment and interventions for young autistic children in South Africa.

Background: Occupational Therapy is among the top interventions for autistic children, hence the need for equitable and effective services in the public and private health and education sectors. Ongoing research into the therapies for autism spectrum disorders in different contexts is also required.

Objectives: To explore and describe occupational therapists' assessment and intervention for autistic children in South Africa.

Exploring community reintegration among Nigerian stroke survivors.

Background: Community reintegration is one of the ultimate goals of stroke rehabilitation. The increasing burden of stroke morbidity by other non-communicable diseases in Nigeria indicated the need for our study.

Objectives: The authors explored the factors contributing to successful community reintegration among Nigerian stroke survivors.

A prospective, single-center, randomized phase 2 trial of etoposide in severe COVID-19.

The systemic inflammatory response seen in patients with severe COVID-19 shares many similarities with the changes observed in hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH); a disease characterized by excessive immune activation. Many patients with severe COVID qualify for a diagnosis of HLH. Etoposide, an inhibitor of topoisomerase II is used to control inflammation in HLH.

Public-private partnership models for rehabilitation service delivery: A scoping review.

Background: Public-private partnership (PPP) for the delivery of health services is known to improve access to healthcare, yet little is known about its utilisation for rehabilitation services, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Objectives: As a first step to generating evidence to develop a PPP model for physiotherapy service delivery in South Africa, our study mapped and described available research evidence on PPP models for rehabilitation services in the global literature.

Method: The Arksey and O'Malley framework guided our scoping review.

Current Practice in Occupational Therapy for COVID-19 and Post-COVID-19 Conditions.

The onset of the pandemic highlighted the need for a review of rehabilitation practices to ensure coordinated, effective, and efficient services for people affected by COVID-19. This paper reports on a global survey highlighting the delivery of occupational therapy services to people with COVID-19/post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) and makes recommendations to facilitate quality service delivery for this population. An online cross-sectional descriptive survey was developed and distributed to the global occupational therapy community via member organisations and communication channels of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists to collect information for this study.

1845 or 2023? Friedrich Engels's insights into the health effects of Victorian-era and contemporary Canadian capitalism.

The Condition of the Working Class in England (hereafter, CWCE) by Friedrich Engels is a masterpiece of urban research not only for its explicit descriptions of the living and working conditions of members of the Victorian-era working class and their effects on health but also its insights into the sources of these conditions through a political economy analysis. For Engels, the capitalist economic system, with the support of the state apparatus, prematurely sickened and killed men, women and children in its unrestrained pursuit of profits. Our reading of CWCE in 2023 concludes that Engels identified virtually every social determinant of health now found in contemporary discourse with his insights into how their quality and distribution shape health clearly relevant to present-day Canada.

Evaluation of the suitability of integrated bone char- and biochar-treated groundwater for drinking using single-factor, Nemerow, and heavy metal pollution indexes.

The treatment of contaminated groundwater using integrated bone char and biochar beds has been studied. The bone char and biochar were made in a locally built double-barrel retort utilising cow bones, coconut husks, bamboo, neem trees, and palm kernel shells at 450 °C and were graded into 0.05- and 0.

High-flow nasal oxygen vs. standard oxygen therapy for patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement with conscious sedation: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Minimally invasive surgery is becoming more common and transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement is offered to older patients with multiple comorbidities. Sternotomy is not required but patients must lie flat and still for up to 2-3 h. This procedure is increasingly being performed under conscious sedation with supplementary oxygen, but hypoxia and agitation are commonly observed.

A scoping review on the implementation of Global Observatory on Physical Activity recommendations for school children in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Promoting physical activity (PA) is a critical first step in preventing and lowering the prevalence of non-communicable chronic diseases across all age groups. The Global Observatory on Physical Activity (GoPA) of the World Health Organization (WHO) suggested country-specific guidelines for promoting PA across all age categories to achieve this. However, despite an increase in obesity, there is no information on their compliance for pre-secondary school children in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Prevention and early intervention in South African disability claims management: The private insurer perspective.

Background: Current available literature lacks a focus on the prevention and early intervention stages of the disability claims management process within the South African context.

Objective: This study aimed to identify fundamental principles to be applied during the prevention and early intervention stages of the disability claims management process within South Africa.

Methods: A qualitative explorative design with a purposive sampling technique to identify stakeholders.

Mapping global evidence on public-private partnership for medical rehabilitation services delivery: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Access to medical rehabilitation remains poor in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is partly due to inadequate service delivery emanating from ill-defined public health policies. Developed countries have adopted public-private partnership (PPP) agreements between the government and private sectors, thus presenting superior quality and access to rehabilitation services.

Maternal mental health and caregiver competence of HIV-positive and negative women caring for their singleton newborns in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.

Background: Maternal mental health during the perinatal period has been of interest to many researchers, with antenatal depression and postnatal depression (PND) being a leading cause of morbidity. The adverse effects of maternal depression on the offspring throughout infancy, childhood and adolescence are well documented. Studies on the mental health of persons living with HIV have also reported a high prevalence of depression.

An audit of clinically triaged women at low risk for breast cancer presenting to the Helen Joseph Mammography Unit.

Background: The Helen Joseph Hospital (HJH) breast clinic utilises a clinical triage system to stratify patients based on their risk of breast cancer into high-, medium-, or low-risk profiles. This allows for timeous imaging and subsequent management of those patients at increased risk for breast cancer. The primary objective was to determine the cancer detection rate (CDR).

Levels and Patterns of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour of Primary School Learners in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Background: Physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) assessment in children is critical for the prevention of noncommunicable diseases. African studies examining PA and SB of primary school-age children are few. This study investigated PA, SB levels and their correlates among primary school children in Lagos, Nigeria.