Cart is empty Claims for financial compensation for medical mistakes in South Africa have been on the rise since 2007. Recently, however, criminal charges for medical errors have also become more prevalent. One such case is that of Dr. Danie van der Walt, who was ultimately acquitted on a charge of negligently causing the death of a child. Another example is the case of Dr. Peter Beale, who was charged with, but not yet tried of, causing the death of a 10-year-old. Yet another is the ongoing case and charge of murder brought against Dr. Avindra Dayanand for the death of a 35-year-old patient.
Low-cost sensor detects early-stage Parkinson’s disease in biological samples
Researchers at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in Brazil have developed an electrochemical sensor that detects Parkinson’s disease at different stages. The device was fabricated using an ordinary 3D printer and proved capable of early diagnosis, also serving as a model for the identification of other diseases, according to an article published in the journal Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical.
Taking a placebo improves adherence to treatment for opioid use disorder, study finds
Substance use disorder affects 20 million Americans, and more than 100,000 people died from a drug overdose in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the medication methadone has the strongest evidence-based effectiveness to prevent relapse, about half of patients drop out of their treatment within one year of initiation. The solution could lie in taking a simple “sugar pill” or placebo along with the methadone, according to a randomized clinical trial led by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Four in five Americans would change diets to improve mental health, but rate other life factors as more impactful
Nutrition and mental health are linked, and studies on mental wellness and the gut biome, the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, among other topics, have been garnering more attention in recent years. Americans are picking up that understanding: the latest American Psychiatric Association Healthy Minds Monthly poll reveals that two-thirds (66%) of American adults feel knowledgeable about the link between nutrition and mental health. A majority (81%) would be willing to change their diet to improve mental health.
Attention to disease naming and framing can shape public health attitudes, perceptions
Research from Associate Professor of Medical and Linguistic Anthropology T.S. Harvey demonstrates how a disease’s name can have a significant impact on the public’s perception, attitude and behavior toward the disease. Disease names should be chosen with careful consideration of the impacts of miscommunication, disinformation and the “infodemic” on public health, he said.
People who think positively about aging are more likely to recover memory
A Yale School of Public Health study has found that older persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a common type of memory loss, were 30% more likely to regain normal cognition if they had taken in positive beliefs about aging from their culture, compared to those who had taken in negative beliefs.
Study identifies enzyme that helps tumors evade the immune system
Northwestern Medicine scientists have identified an enzyme which aids tumors in evading the immune system, findings that could provide future directions for tumor treatment, according to a study published in Nature Communications.
US names veterinary drug, fentanyl mixture ’emerging threat’
The U.S. has named a veterinary tranquilizer as an “emerging threat” when it’s mixed with the powerful opioid fentanyl, clearing the way for more efforts to stop the spread of xylazine.
Organoids shown to speed glycoengineered vaccine development
Testing the efficacy of a vaccine candidate is typically a long process, with the immune response of an animal model taking around two months.
SACCORD slams political violence
By KALOBWE BWALYA
THE Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) is concerned with the reported acts of political violence and clashes by alleged ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres together with Socialist Party (SP) counterparts in the on-going campaigns for the local government elections in Serenje and other localities.
SACCORD executive director Bornface Cheembo has said the continued acts of political violence is an indicator of the magnitude of the problem that as a country when it comes to political violence especially at a time when many Zambians were beginning to be of the view that have addressed this challenge as a country.
Mr Cheembo said Zambia just recently held the Summit for Democracy where the nation’s democracy was celebrated and these reported acts of political violence go contrary to the spirit of democracy where tolerance and peaceful co-existence are supposed to be the norm as opposed to violence. He however said the arrest of opposition political leaders, unless they have categorically come into conflict with the law does not help in fostering the necessary unity, harmony and promotion of human rights that a democracy is supposed to offer.
“Therefore, we appeal for de-escalation and restraint on the part of both the ruling UPND and opposition political parties as the continuation of a politics of violence only seeks to discredit the good democratic credentials that the country has built over the years.