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Breaking the barriers for women in higher education institutions has been on the global agenda for over a decade. Women's lived experiences in academia has notably focused on issues of inequality and systemic gendered barriers that lead to women opting out of academia. This study acknowledges that many black women academics feel caged and overlooked in their positions and argues that despite these challenges, women are resilient and need to carve out spaces to navigate their paths in the academy. Using the autoethnography inquiry approach, we reflect on how our experiences shaped our academic journey in higher education institutions. The principles of Communities of Practice (CoP) is adopted as a framework underpinning this paper. It is envisaged that this framework will help examine the challenges and opportunities black women academics experience in higher education. Our reflective discussion on the sisterhood we embraced during our academic journeys has suggested that institutions need to provide mentorship opportunities, and spaces to talk, support and be supported.

Abstract Background Mutations of the human FAM111B gene are associated with hereditary fibrosing poikiloderma with tendon contracture, myopathy, and pulmonary fibrosis (POIKTMP), a rare and autosomal dominant multi-systemic fibrosing disease. To date, a total of 36 cases are documented, with eleven associated mutations identified and confirmed by Whole-Exome Sequencing and Sanger sequencing. However, these methods require a certain level of expertise. The FAM111B gene was annotated using the SNAPGENE tool to identify various restriction enzymes. The enzymes that cut at the positions where mutations of interest have been reported were selected. The method was implemented using the DNA samples extracted from the skin fibroblast collected from an affected South African family and unrelated control. Results The findings showed that of the eleven FAM111B mutational sites investigated with this method, ten mutations can be identified including the known mutation FAM111B NM_198947.4: c.1861T>G (pTyr621Asp) associated with the POIKTMP in South Africa. Conclusions Limited access to molecular diagnosis contributes to why POIKTMP is rarely diagnosed. Our study describes an inexpensive PCR–RFLP method to screen for POIKTMP FAM111B gene mutations. The PCR–RFLP can be used as a cost-effective method for diagnosing FAM111B mutations in POIKTMP, and it does not require having robust experience in molecular biology.

The location of writing centres in universities has attracted attention from practitioners and researchers in the field of academic support scholarship. These writing centres, known as spaces where students discuss their writing ideas, have become part of the decoloniality discourse in South African higher education. This study adopts a mixed-method approach and builds upon Grimm's theory of transitional space to examine tutor perspectives on the contribution of writing centres' pedagogical practices and physical location to the decolonisation of education at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) and Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT). The findings reveal that the writing centres in these contexts contribute to the decolonial agenda by employing various approaches such as multilingualism and one-on-one consultations that are sensitive to the African context. However, despite these positive contributions, it is necessary to initiate decolonial discussions that address historical past injustices. The study recommends that the creation of decolonised spaces is a complex process requiring collaborative engagement between writing centres and the university community, including management. Writing centres have an integral role to play in decolonising the university space, particularly in the South African context.

Background: Scalp cooling is reported to reduce Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). Aim: To compare the efficacy of scalp cooling for straight versus curly hair in a pilot trail. Setting: A radiation oncology breast cancel clinic. Methods: This 20-month randomised controlled trial recruited females (18–65 years) to receive chemotherapy (Adriamycin or Epirubicin and Cyclophosphamide followed by Paclitaxel) with or without scalp cooling. Outcomes were percentage alopecia (Severity ALopecia Tool) by hair curvature and treatment retention. Results: Forty eight patients (24 per group) were randomised; four in each group withdrew before first study visit and photographs of three in the cooling group could not be found for assessment. Thus 77% constituted the intention-to-treat population (17 cooling vs. 20 control). Agreement on alopecia severity was good overall (intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.94; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85–0.97) and at six of seven time points. Overall, cooling significantly reduced CIA, relative to no-cooling (58.15 ± 28.46 vs. 37.29 ± 20.52; p = 0.0167); however, percentage alopecia was cosmetically significant. There was no difference in CIA between cooling participants with straight (n = 8) versus curly hair (n = 9), (p = 0.0740). The number of patients completing the various cycles of chemotherapy declined from 77.1% at cycle 1 to 18.8% at cycle 7 for the whole study, and from 100% each to 17.6% and 30.0% for cooling and control groups, respectively (p = 0.451). Conclusion: This study suggests that hair curvature has no significant impact on the efficacy of scalp cooling to reduce CIA, however, this requires confirmation.

Abstract All classes of antiretroviral therapy (ART) have been implicated to induce adverse drug reactions such drug‐induced liver injury (DILI) and immune‐mediated adverse reactions in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected individuals. Patients that develop adverse drug reactions tend to have prolonged stays in hospital and may require to change to alternative regimens if reactions persist upon rechallenge or if rechallenge is contraindicated due to severity of the adverse reaction. Diagnosis of DILI remains a huge obstacle that delays timely interventions, since it is still based largely on exclusion of other causes. There is an urgent need to develop robust diagnostic and predictive biomarkers that could be used alongside the available tools (biopsy, imaging, and serological tests for liver enzymes) to give a specific diagnosis of DILI. Crucial to this is also achieving consensus in the definition of DILI so that robust studies can be undertaken. Importantly, it is crucial that we gain deeper insights into the mechanism of DILI so that patients can receive appropriate management. In general, it has been demonstrated that the mechanism of ART‐induced liver injury is driven by four main mechanisms: mitochondrial toxicity, metabolic host‐mediated injury, immune reconstitution, and hypersensitivity reactions. The focus of this review is to discuss the type and phenotypes of DILI that are caused by the first line ART regimens. Furthermore, we will summarize recent studies that have elucidated the cellular and molecular mechanisms of DILI both in vivo and in vitro.

Background: Patient satisfaction is one of the key outcome measures of healthcare services. Aim and Setting: To explore factors that influence women’s satisfaction with peri-partum care at Bertha Gxowa district hospital, South African primary care. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 260 women was conducted. A structured questionnaire collected information from participants on pain relief, health education provided by healthcare providers, privacy, cleanliness of the ward and their participation in decision-making about care received in the peri-partum period. Results: Most respondents were co-habiting with their partners (100, 38%) and had completed only secondary school education (119, 46%). The average participant age was 27 years, with an average parity of two children. Most participants were satisfied with the privacy (218, 84%) and the general cleanliness of the wards (233, 90%). However, large proportions of women were dissatisfied with the information given to them by doctors (104, 55%) and nurses (89, 37%), and the rest were unsure. About 189 (73%) participants were dissatisfied with the extent of their participation in decision-making about their own care. The study had a caesarean rate of 53 (20%). Compared to normal vaginal delivery, participants who had caesarean section were significantly more likely to report being satisfied with pain relief during labour (p 0.001). Conclusion: The study findings showed varying levels of satisfaction with different aspects of peri-partum care and suggested the need for better pain relief during vaginal delivery, information sharing by doctors and patient emancipation for decision-making about their own care.

Introduction Suicidal behaviour remains a major public health challenge worldwide. Several countries have developed national suicide guidelines aimed at raising awareness of and preventing deaths by suicide. One of the interventions often mentioned in these national guidelines is the involvement of family members as a protective factor in suicide prevention. However, the level or type of family involvement required to reduce suicidal behaviour is not well understood. Thus, in this systematic review, we seek to determine the effectiveness of family-based interventions as a suicide prevention tool, by comparing suicide mortality rates between countries whose national suicide prevention guidelines include family-based interventions and those whose do not.Methods and analysis MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science and WHO MiNDbank databases as well as grey literature such as National Guideline Clearinghouse will be searched. National guidelines for suicide prevention published within the last 20 years (between 1999 and 2019) will be included. Results will be analysed using thematic and qualitative analyses.Ethics and dissemination The findings of the study will help improve the efficacy of national suicide prevention strategies. Findings will be disseminated using easily accessible summary reports and resources to primary end users.PROSPERO registration number This protocol has been registered on PROSPERO (CRD42019130195).

Keloids are considered as benign fibroproliferative skin tumors growing beyond the site of the original dermal injury. Although traditionally viewed as a form of skin scarring, keloids display many cancer-like characteristics such as progressive uncontrolled growth, lack of spontaneous regression and extremely high rates of recurrence. Phenotypically, keloids are consistent with non-malignant dermal tumors that are due to the excessive overproduction of collagen which never metastasize. Within the remit of keloid pathobiology, there is increasing evidence for the various interplay of neoplastic-promoting and suppressing factors, which may explain its aggressive clinical behavior. Amongst the most compelling parallels between keloids and cancer are their shared cellular bioenergetics, epigenetic methylation profiles and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition amongst other disease biological (genotypic and phenotypic) behaviors. This review explores the quasi-neoplastic or cancer-like properties of keloids and highlights areas for future study.

Angioedema is a type-1 hypersensitivity reaction that can be life threatening. It affects the skin airways and the gastrointestinal tract. Henna is a green powder used to dye skin and nails. We report a 29 year old patient who presented with angioedema Her patch test was positive to paraphenynlenediamine. She was discharged after successful treatment with intravenous steroids and later topical steroids.