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Atetrahydroisoquinoline (THIQ) core is able to mimic the A and B rings of 2-methoxyestradiol (2ME2), an endogenous estrogen metabolite that demonstrates promising anticancer properties primarily by disrupting microtubule dynamic instability parameters, but has very poor pharmaceutical properties that can be improved by sulfamoylation. The nonsteroidal THIQ-based microtubule disruptor 2-(3-bromo-4,5-dimethoxybenzyl)-7-methoxy-6-sulfamoyloxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro isoquinoline (STX3451), with enhanced pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles, was explored for the first time in radition biology. We investigated whether 24 h pre-treatment with STX3451 could pre-sensitize MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells to radiation. This regimen showed a clear increase in cytotoxicity compared to the individual modalities, results that were contiguous in spectrophotometric analysis, flow cytometric quantification of apoptosis induction, clonogenic studies and microscopy techniques. Drug pre-treatment increased radiation-induced DNA damage, with statistically more double-strand (ds) DNA breaks demonstrated. The latter could be due to the induction of a radiation-sensitive metaphase block or the increased levels of reactive oxygen species, both evident after compound exposure. STX3451 pre -exposure may also delay DNA repair mechanisms, as the DNA damage response element ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) was depressed. These in vitro finding s may translate into in vivo models, with the ultimate aim of reducing both radiation and drug doses for maximal clinical effect with minimal adverse effects.

Individuals’ satisfaction with their career development remains an important research theme. Little is known about the extent to which individuals’ cognitive evaluations of organisational context conditions are simultaneously influenced by their affective responses to, and mindsets about such conditions. The study explored the reciprocal correspondence among workers’ (1) cognitive evaluations of organisational career development support conditions (i.e., functions of workplace relationships and organisational career goal instrumentality) and (2) their affective responses (i.e., career satisfaction) and mindsets (i.e., affective, continuance, and normative commitment) that are embedded in experiencing such conditions. Drawing from the recent living systems theory of vocational behaviour and development, these constructs represent simultaneously occurring evaluative thought processes, mindsets, and affective responses that pertain to experiencing context conditions as either supporting or thwarting individuals’ career development. A sample of ( N = 606) professional people (mean age = 37 years; SD = 11.08) employed in cross-boundary service industry settings across the globe participated in the study. The multivariate statistical procedure canonical correlation analysis was performed. Three core synthetic common psychological themes emerged from studying the corresponding associations among the two variable sets. Overall, the feelings of career satisfaction and mindsets of affective/normative commitment were positively intertwined with context-condition evaluations of the organisation being instrumental to career goal achievement and coworkers providing active support in career advancement and personal growth. The study findings contribute new insights to contemporary career development theory.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the association of harmonious work passion with career satisfaction, while probing the mediating role of employees’ psychological career resources and career preoccupations as important psychosocial career mechanisms in this association. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a cross-sectional quantitative study comprising a sample of (n = 550) employees in various South African organisations. Findings The current study found that individuals’ career preferences, career drivers, career harmonisers and career adaptation preoccupations are dynamic mechanisms that regulate the link between harmonious passion and career satisfaction. Research limitations/implications The study is located in South Africa and was cross-sectional in design. Generalisation to other occupational contexts and establishing cause-effect relations were not possible. Practical implications This paper demonstrates the usefulness of harmonious work passion as an additional positive psychological construct in understanding the psychosocial motivational career mechanisms that drive employees’ career satisfaction. The mediating role of certain psychological career resources (i.e. flexible career preferences, career drivers and career harmonisers) and career adaptation preoccupations in the link between employees’ harmonious passion and career satisfaction need to be considered in career management support practices. Social implications This paper demonstrates the growing need to better understand the psychosocial mechanisms that influence employees’ career satisfaction. Originality/value The study contributed new insights that extend theory and research on the harmonious work passion phenomenon in relation to important career constructs in the work-career context by means of self-determination theory.

The increased usage of information and communications technologies (ICT) in global enterprises has resulted in the rise of a new type of employee, namely, the collarless worker. In this chapter, we conceptualise the collarless worker as a highly adaptable and flexible employee who partners with ICT to deliver unique knowledge-based virtual products and services to multiple organisations, often at the same time. The psychological coping needs, skills, competencies, processes and HR policies and processes required to keep collarless workers engaged and productive are highly complex. This chapter contributes to the existing career and psychological coping literature by focusing on three areas: Firstly, it provides an overview of the concept of the collarless worker, the socio-economic factors that have contributed to the rise of this new type of employee and the competencies required to be a successful collarless worker. Secondly, the organisational conditions required for this type of worker to thrive and cope are explored within the context of expanding modern online psychological interventions in global organisations and the effect this has on the employee’s experience of psychological growth.

Talent assessment continues to evolve at a rapid pace. A demanding and dynamic business environment and the advent of exponential technologies places renewed importance on conducting talent assessment protocols in a manner that strengthens the psychological contract between employers and employees. This chapter provides a framework for conducting contemporary talent assessments in an inclusive, ethical and responsible manner. It focuses on the candidate experience as a key part of the talent assessment process and incorporates the learning of modern Talent Management principles in delivering impactful assessment journeys. The chapter has three broad focus areas: Firstly, it evaluates the expansion of modern talent assessment and the effect this has on the experience of psychological contract. Secondly, it provides a framework for conducting talent assessment in a manner that supports and expands the psychological contract. Thirdly, the role of technology in scaling talent assessment is evaluated, considering specifically potential risks and opportunities for the psychological contract in digitally enabled assessment approaches. Practical recommendations are provided.

Background: The fast-changing Industry 4.0 employment conditions require employees to be highly adaptable and resilient in their career self-management. More insight is needed regarding the manner in which facets of career agility (as indicators of adaptive readiness) explain the activation of career adaptability (as an indicator of self-regulated career management resources that help employees proactively respond to the demands of the modern-day technological-driven work context). Objectives: The study explored the career agility facets of technological adaptivity, agile learning, and career navigation as potential explanatory mechanisms of individuals’ career adaptability. Method: The study utilised a cross-sectional research design which involved a convenience sample ( N = 177) of employees (mean age = 34 years; SD = 10.14) from various industries on managerial (39%), staff (38%), and professional consultant (23%) level positions across the globe. The sample was mostly represented by individuals employed in the South African organisational context (72%). Results: Multiple regression analyses revealed that technological adaptivity, agile learning and career navigation function as facets of adaptive readiness that explain higher levels of the career adaptability resources embedded in individuals’ career concern, career control, career curiosity, and career confidence. Conclusion: The findings contribute new insights into the construct of career agility and extends research on antecedents of career adaptability. Modern-day career counselling practice may find the results useful in helping clients be nimble in their adaptation to the changing career and job conditions of the digital era.

Tuberculous intracranial mass lesions are common in settings with high tuberculosis (TB) incidence and HIV prevalence. The diagnosis of such lesions, which include tuberculoma and tuberculous abscesses, is often presumptive and based on radiological features, supportive evidence of TB elsewhere and response to TB treatment. However, the treatment response is unpredictable, with lesions frequently enlarging paradoxically or persisting for many years despite appropriate TB treatment and corticosteroid therapy. Most international guidelines recommend a 9-12 month course of TB treatment for central nervous system TB when the infecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) strain is sensitive to first-line drugs. However, there is variation in opinion and practice with respect to the duration of TB treatment in patients with tuberculomas or tuberculous abscesses. A major reason for this is the lack of prospective clinical trial evidence. Some experts suggest continuing treatment until radiological resolution of enhancing lesions has been achieved, but this may unnecessarily expose patients to prolonged periods of potentially toxic drugs. It is currently unknown whether persistent radiological enhancement of intracranial tuberculomas after 9-12 months of treatment represents active disease, inflammatory response in a sterilized lesion or merely revascularization. The consequences of stopping TB treatment prior to resolution of lesional enhancement have rarely been explored. These important issues were discussed at the 3rd International Tuberculous Meningitis Consortium meeting. Most clinicians were of the opinion that continued enhancement does not necessarily represent treatment failure and that prolonged TB therapy was not warranted in patients presumably infected with M.tb strains susceptible to first-line drugs. In this manuscript we highlight current medical treatment practices, benefits and disadvantages of different TB treatment durations and the need for evidence-based guidelines regarding the treatment duration of patients with intracranial tuberculous mass lesions.

Tuberculous intracranial mass lesions are common in settings with high tuberculosis (TB) incidence and HIV prevalence. The diagnosis of such lesions, which include tuberculoma and tuberculous abscesses, is often presumptive and based on radiological features, supportive evidence of TB elsewhere and response to TB treatment. However, the treatment response is unpredictable, with lesions frequently enlarging paradoxically or persisting for many years despite appropriate TB treatment and corticosteroid therapy. Most international guidelines recommend a 9-12 month course of TB treatment for central nervous system TB when the infecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) strain is sensitive to first-line drugs. However, there is variation in opinion and practice with respect to the duration of TB treatment in patients with tuberculomas or tuberculous abscesses. A major reason for this is the lack of prospective clinical trial evidence. Some experts suggest continuing treatment until radiological resolution of enhancing lesions has been achieved, but this may unnecessarily expose patients to prolonged periods of potentially toxic drugs. It is currently unknown whether persistent radiological enhancement of intracranial tuberculomas after 9-12 months of treatment represents active disease, inflammatory response in a sterilized lesion or merely revascularization. The consequences of stopping TB treatment prior to resolution of lesional enhancement have rarely been explored. These important issues were discussed at the 3rd International Tuberculous Meningitis Consortium meeting. Most clinicians were of the opinion that continued enhancement does not necessarily represent treatment failure and that prolonged TB therapy was not warranted in patients presumably infected with M.tb strains susceptible to first-line drugs. In this manuscript we highlight current medical treatment practices, benefits and disadvantages of different TB treatment durations and the need for evidence-based guidelines regarding the treatment duration of patients with intracranial tuberculous mass lesions.

MA (Research Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains an epidemic in Southern Africa which disproportionately affects women in their reproductive year, many of which are or will become mothers. HIV is a communicable virus that compromises the immune system of those infected. Symptoms of the virus include fatigue, headaches, fatigue, sleep disturbances, depression and anxiety which may limit the functioning of those infected. Motherhood, which is known to be demanding, may be affected by these symptoms which result in impaired maternal care. This impairment may further impact the mother-child interactions, relationships and overall experience of motherhood. In South Africa, limited research exploring the role of HIV on motherhood exists. This study will address this gap and is an affiliated study of Spies (2015), using a portion of qualitative data previously collected. Spies (2015) investigated the role of HIV-related psychosis on motherhood and mother-child attachment relationships in South Africa. This study aims to explore the role of HIV in the experience of motherhood and the mother-child relationship. Secondly, it will aim to determine whether mothers with simililar mother-child attachment relationships have similar experiences. Forty-one semi-structured interviews were qualitatively analysed using thematic analysis and four themes were identified. It was found that the role of HIV in motherhood experiences and that motherhood is a maternal driver for MLWH. It was very clear from the data that unemployment and poverty significantly impede motherhood. Finally, the role of anti-retroviral treatment, self-care, and multiple types of support systems as crucial safeguard mechanisms for mothers living with HIV was also apparent. The themes that emanated from the participants with the same mother-child attachment relationships were compared to determine whether patterns of similarity could be identified. When comparing the experiences of mothers with the same mother-child attachment relationships, no significant patterns of similarity was found. This lack of similarity in the experiences of motherhood may suggest that mother-child attachment relationships poorly propose how motherhood could be experienced. This study contributed to the understanding of motherhood in a South African context. Masters

Orientation: It is not clear from research whether the dualistic model holds true across binary ethnic and gender groups in the South African organisational context.Research purpose: The present research aimed to test the validity and reliability of the two-factor Passion Scale and to assess for measurement invariance of the two-factor scale across binary ethnic and gender groups in the South African context.Motivation of the study: The construct of passion helps to better understand some of the psychological attributes that contribute to experiences of either well-being or strain at work and is therefore an important attribute to measure.Research approach, design and method: The study involved a convenience sample (N = 550) of managerial and staff-level South African employees from various industries with a mean age of 34 years (SD = 10.95). Confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory structural equation modelling, t-tests and tests for measurement invariance were performed.Main findings: The results confirmed the validity and measurement invariance of the two-factor structure of the Passion Scale in the South African work context. The observed differences between the ethnic groups and men and women were practically small.Practical/managerial implications: Well-being interventions should consider the use of the Passion Scale as a measure of the psychological attributes that explain differentiating experiences of harmonious and obsessive passion in the workplace.Contribution/value-add: The findings provided encouraging evidence for the relevance and usefulness of the Passion Scale’s dualistic model of passion for people of different binary ethnic and gender groups in South African organisations.