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Intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs at alarmingly high rates towards pregnant women in South Africa. Experiences of emotional, physical, and sexual IPV in pregnancy can adversely impact the health and safety of mother and fetus. Furthermore, IPV is associated with increased risk of HIV, exacerbating the public health impact of violence among pregnant women in this HIV endemic setting. In-depth understanding of cultural and contextual drivers of experiences of IPV is a critical precursor to development of interventions effectively addressing this issue among pregnant women in South Africa. The present study examines factors contributing to IPV among pregnant women to identify potential points of intervention. We conducted twenty in-depth interviews with postpartum women who used oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in pregnancy and reported recent experiences of IPV and/or ongoing alcohol use in a township near Cape Town, South Africa that experiences a heavy burden of both HIV and IPV. Interpretive thematic analysis was used. Several patterns of IPV during pregnancy were identified and violence was frequently described as co-occurring with male partner alcohol use. A majority of women referenced oral PrEP as their preferred method for HIV prevention, highlighting the agency and discretion it provided as beneficial attributes for women experiencing IPV. Fear of judgement from peers for remaining with an abusive partner and a lack of clear community messaging around IPV were identified as barriers to disclosure and support-seeking. Addressing the lack of social support received by women experiencing IPV during pregnancy in South Africa is essential to comprehensive IPV programming.

OBJECTIVE: To compare pregnancy outcomes using self-reported and objective levels of intracellular tenofovir diphosphate (TFV-DP) in pregnant women using preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). DESIGN: We enrolled pregnant women >15 years without HIV at first antenatal care visit in an observational cohort study to compare pregnancy outcomes by PrEP use. METHODS: Exposure defined as: any PrEP use [tenofovir disoproxil and emtricitabine (TDF/FTC]) prescription + reported taking PrEP], or objectively-measured TFV-DP in dried blood spots in PrEP-using pregnant women. The primary outcome was a composite of pregnancy loss, preterm birth (

Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) negatively affects the well-being of women globally. Pelvic Floor Muscle Training (PFMT) is a complex intervention that aims to decrease UI symptoms. Information about how the multiple complex components involved in PFMT achieve and maintain the desired effect are rarely studied as a whole. The evidence base lacks data about how women experience PFMT over time and in the longer-term. This study explored women's experiences of biofeedback-assisted PFMT and PFMT alone, to identify and understand what influenced self-reported adherence to PFMT, and UI outcomes over time. Methods: This rigorous longitudinal qualitative case study, nested within a randomised controlled trial, recruited forty cases (women with stress or mixed UI; 20 in biofeedback-assisted and 20 in PFMT alone group). A case included up to four semi-structured interviews with each woman (prior to starting PFMT, end of treatment [6 months], 12 months, 24 months). Analysis followed case study analytic traditions, resulting in a Programme Theory about PFMT from the perspectives of women with UI. Findings: The theory demonstrates factors that motivated women to seek UI treatment, and how these influenced long-term adherence. Therapists who delivered PFMT played a crucial role in supporting women to know how to undertake PFMT (to have capability). Some, but not all, women developed self-efficacy for PFMT. Where women did not have PFMT self-efficacy, adherence tended to be poor. When women had PFMT self-efficacy, the conditions to support adherence were present, but contextual factors could still intercede to inhibit adherence. The intercession of contextual factors was individual to a woman and her life, meaning any particular contextual factor had inconsistent influences on PFMT adherence over time for individual women and exerted varying influences across different women. Conclusion: Long term adherence to PFMT is a complex interaction between many different factors. Enquiring about an individual woman's motivation to seek treatment and understanding the contextual factors that affect an individual woman will enable a practitioner to support longer-term adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although HIV vertical transmission has declined significantly in sub-Saharan Africa, incident HIV infection in pregnant and postpartum women is estimated to account for over one-third of HIV vertical transmission. Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBFW) is included in South African PrEP guidelines since 2021; however, integration of PrEP services within ante- and postnatal care remains limited. Methods: Between March 2022 and September 2023, we evaluated the integration of PrEP for PBFW in eight antenatal clinics in Cape Town, South Africa, following training and mentorship of providers. We applied an adapted Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to evaluate the integration of PrEP services for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Before the study, PrEP was not routinely offered. We implemented a staff didactic/practice-based training and mentorship on PrEP provision targeting PBFW. We evaluated the following: (1) Reach as the proportion of women initiating PrEP among women counselled and tested for HIV, (2) effectiveness as PrEP continuation up to 3 months by pregnant vs. breastfeeding women, (3) adoption of PrEP integration via pre- and post-training assessments and ongoing mentorship assessments, (4) implementation through clinic trends of PrEP offer over time, and (5) maintenance: continued PrEP offer 3 months following the intervention. Results: In 8 facilities providing ante- and postnatal care, we trained 224 healthcare providers (127 nurses and 37 counsellors). Of those, we mentored 60 nurses, midwives, and HIV counsellors working with pregnant and breastfeeding women, with 80% of nurse/midwives and 65% of counsellors scoring ≥ 80% on the final mentoring assessment. Overall, 12% of HIV-negative pregnant women started PrEP, and 41% of those continued PrEP up to 3 months. Among HIV-negative breastfeeding women, 14% initiated PrEP, and 25% continued PrEP up to 3 months. All eight facilities continued providing PrEP 3 months post intervention. Conclusions: In these high HIV prevalence clinics, the proportion of pregnant and breastfeeding women initiating and continuing PrEP rapidly increased but was limited among breastfeeding women. Staff training, mentorship, and PrEP integration were well-adopted by nurses and counsellors, and services continued following the intervention. Barriers included limited HIV testing of breastfeeding mothers and need for additional PrEP-trained nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide. A recent realist review identified the behavioural mechanisms of trust, motivation, and confidence as key to optimising exercise prescription for persistent LBP. Objectives: Our objectives were to (1) design and develop an online training programme, and (2) gain end‐user feedback on the useability, usefulness, informativeness and confidence in using the online training programme using a mixed‐methods, pre‐post study design. Participants and Intervention: The online training programme was designed and developed using the results from a realist review, and input from a multi‐disciplinary stakeholder group. A five‐module online training programme was piloted by the first 10 respondents who provided feedback on the course. Further modifications were made prior to additional piloting. The satisfaction, usefulness, ease of use, and confidence of clinicians in applying the learned principles were assessed on completion. Results: The online programme was advertised to clinicians using social media. Forty‐four respondents expressed initial interest, of which 22 enrolled and 18 completed the course. Of the participants, most were physiotherapists (n = 16/18, 88.9%), aged between 30 and 49 (n = 11/18, 61.1%). All participants were satisfied with the course content, rated the course platform as easy to use and useful, and reported that they were very confident to apply the learning. Most (n = 10/14, 71.4%) reported that their manner of prescribing exercise had changed after completion of the course. Conclusions: An online training programme to optimise exercise prescription for persistent LBP appears to be easy to use, informative and improves confidence to apply the learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the use of popular culture, such as books, films, and video games, as a tool for teaching students about ancient history. It acknowledges that popular media may not always accurately depict ancient cultures, but argues that they can still be valuable for student learning. By analyzing and comparing popular interpretations with ancient sources, students can develop historical literacy and critical thinking skills. The article also highlights the concept of Classical Reception, which examines how ancient Greek and Roman cultures have been interpreted in modern times. It provides teaching strategies and resources, including online databases and open-access websites, to enhance student learning and critical thinking skills. Timelines Past offers educational programs in Ancient and Modern History, incorporating object-based learning and demonstrations to help students gain a deeper understanding of the past. Interested individuals can contact Karl Van Dyke for more information. [Extracted from the article]

The neurobiology of typical moral cognition involves the interaction of frontal, limbic, and temporoparietal networks. There is still much to be understood mechanistically about how moral processing is disrupted; such understanding is key to combating antisociality. Neuroscientific models suggest a key role for attention mechanisms in atypical moral processing. We hypothesized that attention-bias toward alcohol cues in alcohol use disorder (AUD) leads to a failure to properly engage with morally relevant stimuli, reducing moral processing. We recruited patients with AUD (n = 30) and controls (n = 30). During functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants viewed pairs of images consisting of a moral or neutral cue and an alcohol or neutral distractor. When viewing moral cues paired with alcohol distractors, individuals with AUD had lower medial prefrontal cortex engagement; this pattern was also seen for left amygdala in younger iAUDs. Across groups, individuals had less engagement of middle/superior temporal gyri. These findings provide initial support for AUD-related attention bias interference in sociomoral processing. If supported in future longitudinal and causal study designs, this finding carries potential societal and clinical benefits by suggesting a novel, leverageable mechanism and in providing a cognitive explanation that may help combat persistent stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Date Presented 03/23/24 Technology can improve older adults' lives as they age in place. Older adults were found to possess technology and be interested in using it, but individualized education is recommended to improve technology use, health, and independence. Primary Author and Speaker: Katy Schmidt Contributing Authors: Teresa Plummer, Aubrey Barcelo, Sarah Dean, Brianne Dombrowski, Alexandra Hurd, Alexandra Joynes, Kelly Struthers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"From cataloguing to metadata creation: a cultural and methodological introduction" by Mauro Guerrini is a comprehensive perspective on the evolution of cataloguing and metadata creation. Guerrini, a Professor of Library Science, outlines the international developments in cataloguing from the mid to late twentieth century to the present day and introduces key individuals and organizations involved in these changes. The book distinguishes between cataloguing and metadata creation, highlighting how metadata creation now deals with bibliographic data at a granular level. It also explains updates to metadata creation standards, principles, processes, and models, and discusses future developments in the field. The book is recommended for professionals and students in library and information science, although the technical writing style may be challenging for some readers. [Extracted from the article]

ANK3 encodes ankyrin‐G, a protein involved in neuronal development and signaling. Alternative splicing gives rise to three ankyrin‐G isoforms comprising different domains with distinct expression patterns. Mono‐ or biallelic ANK3 variants are associated with non‐specific syndromic intellectual disability in 14 individuals (seven with monoallelic and seven with biallelic variants). In this study, we describe the clinical features of 13 additional individuals and review the data on a total of 27 individuals (16 individuals with monoallelic and 11 with biallelic ANK3 variants) and demonstrate that the phenotype for biallelic variants is more severe. The phenotypic features include language delay (92%), autism spectrum disorder (76%), intellectual disability (78%), hypotonia (65%), motor delay (68%), attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (57%), sleep disturbances (50%), aggressivity/self‐injury (37.5%), and epilepsy (35%). A notable phenotypic difference was presence of ataxia in three individuals with biallelic variants, but in none of the individuals with monoallelic variants. While the majority of the monoallelic variants are predicted to result in a truncated protein, biallelic variants are almost exclusively missense. Moreover, mono‐ and biallelic variants appear to be localized differently across the three different ankyrin‐G isoforms, suggesting isoform‐specific pathological mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Methods Results Conclusions Interventions to support behaviour change in people living with chronic health conditions increasingly use patient groups as the mode of delivery, but these are often designed without consideration of the group processes that can shape intervention outcomes. This article outlines a new approach to designing group‐based behaviour change interventions that prioritizes recipients' shared social identity as group members in facilitating the adoption of established behaviour change techniques (BCTs). The approach is illustrated through an example drawn from research focused on people living with severe obesity.A prioritization process was undertaken in collaboration with stakeholders, including behaviour change experts, clinicians, and a former patient to develop an evidence‐based, group intervention informed by the social identity approach to health. Three phases of development are reported: (1) identification of the health problem; (2) delineation of intervention mechanisms and operationalization of BCTs for group delivery and (3) intervention manualization. The fourth phase, intervention testing and optimization, is reported elsewhere.A group‐based behaviour change intervention was developed, consisting of 12 group sessions and 3 one‐to‐one consultations. The intervention aimed to support the development of shared social identity among recipients, alongside the delivery of evidence‐based BCTs, to improve the likelihood of successful intervention and health outcomes among people living with severe obesity.A manualized intervention, informed by the social identity approach to health, was systematically designed with input from stakeholders. The development approach employed can inform the design of behavioural interventions in other health contexts where group‐based delivery is planned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]