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Purpose: The study aims to explore the extent to which human resources development quantifies the economic growth of BRICS countries under the globalization era by controlling country differences. Design/methodology/approach: The study used the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and Scheffe pairwise comparison tests to quantify the impact of the variables and the level of difference among the BRICS countries onto human Resources development. Findings: The study observes that the impact of human resources development on economic growth of BRICS counties is significant but limited to few countries. The study reveals that countries such as India and South Africa are unable to utilize their human resources efficiently to promote economic growth, as compared with Russia, China and Brazil. The study further argues that there is urgent need of amalgam of various economic development theories keeping in mind the regional needs to extract the positive impact from human resource on economic development. Research limitations/implications: The single limitation of this research is that it was not possible to compare the results with other developing countries to unleash the capabilities of human resources development with regard to economic growth at the universal level. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first of its kind to analyze human resources development at a much deeper level. The paper has chosen variables which are important from the policy perspective of government rather than the working perspective, which is a great contribution. Further, for human index the variables chose covering major aspects of human development from spending perspective.

Burn wound colonisation and infection is not only associated with delayed wound healing and scar formation, but may also lead to sepsisrelated mortality. A wide variety of microorganisms, like staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacteriaceae-like Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, are involved. Resistance is generally increasing, with reports of multidrug- and pan-resistant isolates. This study was conducted to determine the common aerobic bacterial isolates in our setting and describe their antimicrobial susceptibility. This retrospective, descriptive study was carried out on 243 patients, from whom 312 burn wound specimens were received by the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital microbiology laboratory of the National Health Laboratory Service, Mthatha. All samples were processed according to standard laboratory protocols; isolates were tabulated according to age and gender of the patients, and their percentage susceptibilities to relevant antibacterials were computed. A total of 229 patient specimens showed growth on culture. The total number of isolates was 629, out of which 269 were Gram-positive cocci and 360 were Gram-negative bacilli. The commonest organism was S. aureus (27.7%), followed by K. pneumoniae (13.4%), Proteus mirabilis (12.4%), Group D streptococcus (9.4%), P. aeruginosa (8.9%) and E. coli (6.2%). A generally high level of resistance was observed in many organisms. Methicillinresistant S. aureus accounted for 57.5% of the S. aureus. Resistance among the Gram-negative bacilli was, in general, least to imipenem, amikacin and ciprofloxacin. The common organisms causing burn wound infections in our setting include staphylococci, Klebsiella, Proteus and Pseudomonas and there is a high level of resistance against commonly used antimicrobials. Regular surveillance of burn wound organisms and their antimicrobial resistance patterns will help in determining empirical antibiotic therapy for subsequent related septic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although leprosy, a neglected tropical disease, has been eliminated (<1 case per 10 000 population) in South Africa (SA) since 1926, according to the World Health Organization, new cases continue to be reported. The management of leprosy poses several challenges, including patient adherence, education and insufficient training of healthcare practitioners., Objectives: To describe the biographical profile, clinical manifestations and treatment outcomes in patients with leprosy in KwaZulu-Natal Province., Methods: This retrospective study aimed to analyse the clinical data of leprosy patients in SA from 2002 to 2022. Data collected included patient demographics, comorbidities, cutaneous and neurological manifestations of leprosy, complications, treatment and adverse reactions. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data., Results: The study analysed the clinical data of 194 leprosy patients from 2002 to 2022. The majority of patients were male and middle aged, with a disproportionate representation of black South Africans. Regarding socioeconomic status, 80% were unemployed and 40% were social grant recipients. Most cases were clustered in urban centres and diagnosed at secondary care facilities, with 15% being HIV positive. The majority of patients (90%) were classified as having multibacillary leprosy. Common symptoms included upper respiratory tract involvement, hair loss and painful nerves, with the face and limbs being most frequently affected. Cutaneous morphology predominantly included plaques and hypopigmented patches, while neurological signs included ulnar nerve tenderness, muscle weakness and sensory deficits. Debilitating neurological complications were found in one-fifth of patients. Despite initiation of multidrug therapy in most patients, a significant proportion (27.3%) did not complete the full course of treatment, and treatment reactions were noted in 33.5% of patients., Conclusion: These findings emphasise the urgent need for enhanced patient and healthcare worker education, particularly in primary healthcare settings, to improve adherence to treatment, advocate for prophylactic measures and prevent new cases. Achieving leprosy-free status in SA requires the collaboration of many role-players to address these challenges and improve healthcare practices.