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Background. The presence of fathers during the birth of their babies has been recognised as beneficial for both the mother and the baby. Objective. To investigate the reasons and demographic factors associated with father absence at delivery. Methods. We conducted a quantitative, cross-sectional study. Anonymous questionnaires were completed by mothers admitted to the postnatal ward at Pelonomi Tertiary Hospital in Bloemfontein, South Africa, after a live birth. Mothers answered questions regarding mother and father characteristics (age, employment, residence), whether the father was present or absent at delivery and the reasons for his absence. Results. The highest percentage (30.7%) of the 137 participating mothers was in the age range 20 - 25 years. More than half (56.2%) resided in Bloemfontein/Mangaung, and 70.6% were unemployed. Most mothers (68.4%) were multiparous. In total, 81.0% of fathers were absent at delivery, although 50.0% had planned to be at the delivery. The main reason for their absence was employment (52.7%), which can be substantiated by the fact that most fathers (80.3%) were employed. For more than half (58.1%) of the deliveries, neither the father nor any other person (family member or friend) was present at the delivery. There was no association between maternal or paternal demographics and father absence at delivery. Conclusion. Father absence was common. Community-based programmes must encourage father involvement in all spheres of their children's lives and create awareness of the impact that their presence during birth can have. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burkholderia species have environmental, industrial and medical significance, and are important opportunistic pathogens in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). Using a combination of existing and newly determined genome sequences, this study investigated prophage carriage across the species B. vietnamiensis , and also isolated spontaneously inducible prophages from a reference strain, G4. Eighty-one B. vietnamiensis genomes were bioinformatically screened for prophages using PHASTER (Phage Search Tool Enhanced Release) and prophage regions were found to comprise up to 3.4% of total genetic material. Overall, 115 intact prophages were identified and there was evidence of polylysogeny in 32 strains. A novel, inducible Mu-like phage (vB_BvM-G4P1) was isolated from B. vietnamiensis G4 that had lytic activity against strains of five Burkholderia species prevalent in CF infections, including the Boston epidemic B. dolosa strain SLC6. The cognate prophage to vB_BvM-G4P1 was identified in the lysogen genome and was almost identical (>93.5% tblastx identity) to prophages found in 13 other B. vietnamiensis strains (17% of the strain collection). Phylogenomic analysis determined that the G4P1-like prophages were widely distributed across the population structure of B. vietnamiensis . This study highlights how genomic characterization of Burkholderia prophages can lead to the discovery of novel bacteriophages with potential therapeutic or biotechnological applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Global health matters to every nurse everywhere. In this article we outline why. We highlight some important health issues confronting the world today; explore how these issues are being tackled; and consider the implications for nursing. We describe how nurses are making a difference in the challenging contexts, range and complexity of nursing work round the globe, and we conclude with a call to action. Nurses can influence, and become, policy-makers and politicians, and explain to them why the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be reached without strengthening nursing. In this International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, the window of opportunity is open, but it will not stay open for long. Nurses and midwives globally and locally must be ready to jump through it. We ask you to join hands, and join us.

Biofilm formation in wounds is considered a major barrier to successful treatment, and has been associated with the transition of wounds to a chronic non-healing state. Here, we present a novel laboratory model of wound biofilm formation using ex-vivo porcine skin and a custom burn wound array device. The model supports high-throughput studies of biofilm formation and is compatible with a range of established methods for monitoring bacterial growth, biofilm formation, and gene expression. We demonstrate the use of this model by evaluating the potential for bacteriophage to control biofilm formation by Staphylococcus aureus , and for population density dependant expression of S. aureus virulence factors (regulated by the Accessory Gene Regulator, agr ) to signal clinically relevant wound infection. Enumeration of colony forming units and metabolic activity using the XTT assay, confirmed growth of bacteria in wounds and showed a significant reduction in viable cells after phage treatment. Confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed the growth of biofilms in wounds, and showed phage treatment could significantly reduce the formation of these communities. Evaluation of agr activity by qRT-PCR showed an increase in activity during growth in wound models for most strains. Activation of a prototype infection-responsive dressing designed to provide a visual signal of wound infection, was related to increased agr activity. In all assays, excellent reproducibility was observed between replicates using this model.

Proteus mirabilis forms dense crystalline biofilms on catheter surfaces that occlude urine flow, leading to serious clinical complications in long-term catheterized patients, but there are presently no truly effective approaches to control catheter blockage by this organism. This study evaluated the potential for bacteriophage therapy to control P. mirabilis infection and prevent catheter blockage. Representative in vitro models of the catheterized urinary tract, simulating a complete closed drainage system as used in clinical practice, were employed to evaluate the performance of phage therapy in preventing blockage. Models mimicking either an established infection or early colonization of the catheterized urinary tract were treated with a single dose of a 3-phage cocktail, and the impact on time taken for catheters to block, as well as levels of crystalline biofilm formation, was measured. In models of established infection, phage treatment significantly increased time taken for catheters to block (∼ 3-fold) compared to untreated controls. However, in models simulating early-stage infection, phage treatment eradicated P. mirabilis and prevented blockage entirely. Analysis of catheters from models of established infection 10 h after phage application demonstrated that phage significantly reduced crystalline biofilm formation but did not significantly reduce the level of planktonic cells in the residual bladder urine. Taken together, these results show that bacteriophage constitute a promising strategy for the prevention of catheter blockage but that methods to deliver phage in sufficient numbers and within a key therapeutic window (early infection) will also be important to the successful application of phage to this problem., (Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

Autologous and allogenic bone grafts are considered as materials of choice for bone reconstructive surgery, but limited availability, risks of transmittable diseases and inconsistent clinical performances have prompted the development of alternative biomaterials. The present work compares the bone regeneration potential of a soybean based bone filler (SB bone filler) in comparison to a commercial 50:50 poly(D: ,L: lactide-glycolide)-based bone graft (Fisiograft((R)) gel) when implanted into a critical size defect (6-mm diameter, 10-mm length) in rabbit distal femurs. The histomorphometric and microhardness analyses of femoral condyles 4, 8, 16 and 24 weeks after surgery showed that no significant difference was found in the percentage of both bone repair and bone in-growth in the external, medium and inner defect areas. The SB filler-treated defects showed significantly higher outer bone formation and microhardness results at 24 weeks than Fisiograft((R)) gel (P < 0.05). Soybean-based biomaterials clearly promoted bone repair through a mechanism of action that is likely to involve both the scaffolding role of the biomaterial for osteoblasts and the induction of their differentiation.