Theses and Dissertations (Social and Behavioral Health Sciences)

Construction of a model for human rights education in the health professions

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Construction of a model for human rights education in the health professions Mokoena, Joyce Desia A theory - generative, qualitative, descriptive, exploratory and contextual design was used in this study, in phases 1 and 2. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the nature of human rights education in the health professions programmes at the University of Limpopo, MEDUNSA Campus in order to develop a model for human rights education and teaching of the students in such programmes. In Phase 1, data were collected by means of unstructured, in-depth interviews from the sampled lecturers teaching ethics and/or human rights, as well as by observation, field notes and document analysis. The findings indicated that human rights education is an empowering process for the students, which can be facilitated through a collaborative, Inter-professional and interdisciplinary approach. The content for a human rights education programme should include Ethics and Human Rights which is contextual in terms of the South African society and also considers the international perspectives of human rights. Interactive teaching strategies should be used to facilitate maximum involvement and engagement of the student with the subject matter. In Phase 2, the construction and description of the model is done, based on the guidelines of Dickoff, James & Weidenbach (1968); Chinn & Kramer (2008); Walker & Avant (2011). The concepts which were derived from the themes that emerged from the interviews with the key informants, the observations made, the field notes, the review of selected documents and the literature which used as data, provided the framework for the model “Human Rights Education in the Health Professions”. The thesis provides the research report, and a description of the model, including the guidelines for implementation. Recommendations which are based on the findings of the study have been made with respect to education, practice and research. A key recommendation concerns the review of the content of the curriculum for human rights. Key words: collaboration, education, empowerment, ethics, human rights, human rights education. Thesis (Ph.D. (Health Sciences))-- University of Limpopo, 2012

The effect of silicone gel breast prosthesis on the electron beam dose distribution

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The effect of silicone gel breast prosthesis on the electron beam dose distribution Uushona, Ndeshihafela Vera Introduction The primary role of breast cancer treatment with radiation is to deliver a sufficient radiation dose to the cancer cells without unduly causing biological damage to the healthy tissues. For over 50 years, electron beam therapy has been an important modality for providing an accurate dose of radiation to superficial cancers and disease and for limiting the dose to underlying normal tissues and structures in particular to boost the dose to the tumour bed and surgical scars after mastectomy. The Monte Carlo code MCNP5 was used to determine the effect of silicone gel breast prosthesis on the electron beam dose distribution. Materials and Method Percentage depth dose curves (PDD) for 6, 9, 12, and 15 MeV electron energies along the electron central axis depth dose distributions in a water phantom and with silicone prosthesis immersed in a water phantom were simulated using MCNP5. In order to establish the accuracy of the MCNP5 code, the depth dose curves obtained using MCNP5 were compared against the measured depth dose curves obtained from the Varian 2100C linear accelerator. The simulated depth dose curves with silicone prosthesis immersed in water were compared to the measured depth dose curves with the vi silicone prosthesis in water. The dose at the interface of the prosthesis with water was measured using thermoluminiscent dosimeters. Results The simulated and measured depth dose curve and the investigated dosimetric parameters are within 2%. Simulations in the presence of silicone showed a decrease in dose as the at the interface as the beam passes from the prosthesis to water for most energies however, for 15 MeV beam there is an increase in dose at the interface between the prosthesis and water and this was verified by physical measurements. Conclusion There were good correlations between the measured and MCNP simulated depth dose curve. Differences were in order of 2%. Small deviations occurred due to the fact that the simulations assumed a monoenergetic beam that exits the accelerator head, while in the measured results the beam exiting from the accelerator head includes scatted radiation from the collimators and the applicator. The presence of the prosthesis does not perturb the electron beam central axis depth dose curve however, the 15 MeV beam enhanced the dose in front of the interface between the prosthesis and water. Despite the limitations mentioned above MCNP5 results agree reasonably with the measured results. Hence, MCNP5 can be very useful in simulating electron percentage depth dose data. Thesis --(MSc. (Medical Physics)), 2009.

Mycoplasma genitalium,passenger or pathogen?

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Mycoplasma genitalium,passenger or pathogen? le Roux, Marie Cecilia Mycoplasma genitalium is the smallest existing self-replicating prokaryote, lacks a cell wall and has a genome consisting of only 580 kilo base pairs. It has characteristic pear/flask-like morphology with a terminal tip organelle used for attachment. Many researchers, mainly in developed countries, have investigated the role the organism plays in the aetiology of male urethritis and the majority of studies show an association between M. genitalium and male urethritis. In this study, the modified Koch’s postulates were applied to answer the question whether M. genitalium is a true pathogen, or merely a passenger, invading already inflamed or damaged cells. A total of 300 urine specimens were collected from adult males with symptoms and/or signs of urethritis and 75 from asymptomatic men. In the first study, three molecular assays; viz, a commercial conventional PCR test, a real-time PCR (q- PCR) test and a transcription mediated amplification (TMA) assay were evaluated for the detection of M. genitalium. The comparison between the assays was based on the extended gold standard concept, where a specimen was deemed positive when any two nucleic acid amplification tests were positive. In the second study, the specimens were tested for four common urethral pathogens (N. gonorrhoeae, C. trachomatis, T. vaginalis and M. genitalium) using TMA assays. Finally, the bacterial loads for M. genitalium were determined using the q-PCR assay. v All three assays tested were highly specific (98-99%) for the detection of M. genitalium. However, where q-PCR and TMA demonstrated high sensitivities (96% and 100%), the sensitivity of the conventional PCR assay was low (78%). One or more pathogens were detected in a total of 129 (43%) men with urethritis. M. genitalium was the most frequently detected pathogen in men with urethritis (129; 43%), and significantly more (p= 0.04) than in asymptomatic men (7; 9.0%). There is a strong association with M. genitalium bacterial load and clinical urethritis. Patients with urethral discharge had significantly higher M. genitalium concentrations than those with only burning on micturition (p<0.001), and the bacterial concentrations in men with symptoms and/or signs of urethritis were significantly higher than that in asymptomatic men (p=0.02). As the number of organisms increased, the severity of the symptoms increased; an indication of the role that the organism plays in disease progression. In conclusion, by applying the modified Koch postulates, it was shown that Mycoplasma genitalium is by no means a passenger, but rather an important cause of adult male urethritis that should be taken into account when making diagnosis and when designing treatment strategies. Thesis (D Phil. (Microbiology))--2010.