Background: Worldwide there has been a shift in the ideology within healthcare systems that focuses on 'people' rather than the 'patients'. A patient should not only be perceived by their condition but rather viewed holistically as a person. Within a South African (SA) context, the constitution has been amended to state that all South African citizens have the right to healthcare that is caring, free from harm, and effective.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNonhuman primates (primates) are one of the most endangered mammalian taxa in the world. In the Global North, primates are considered exotic species and, as such, humans' impact on primate conservation and responsibility to protect primates is often ignored. This view differs from the spectrum of relations and attitudes of humans that live in connection to primates, which can include viewing these animals as culturally/religiously significant, cohabitors of forests, nuisances, or sources of protein.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMadagascar has a harsh and stochastic climate because of regular natural disturbances. This history of regular cyclones has been hypothesised to have directed evolutionary changes to lemur behaviour and morphology that make them more resilient to sudden environmental change. These adaptations may include: small group sizes, high degrees of energy-conserving behaviours, generalist habitat use, small home ranges, small body size, and a limited number of frugivorous species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Due to the rapid advance of coronavírus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, social distancing was the main way to reduce the transmission of the virus. Although this measure was efficient and necessary, the social distancing had severe consequences for physical function, mainly in older individuals. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of social distancing in the functional and cognitive capacity of community-dwelling oldest-old adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Unidirectional displacement flow (UDF) ventilation systems in operating rooms are characterized by a uniformity of velocity ≥80% and protect patients and operating room personnel against exposure to hazardous substances. However, the air below the surgical lights and in the surrounding zone is turbulent, which impairs the ventilation system's effect.
Aim: We first used the recovery time (RT) as specified in International Organization for Standardization 14644 to determine the particle reduction capacity in the turbulent spaces of an operating room with a UDF system.