South African abortion attitudes from 2007-2016: the roles of religiosity and attitudes toward sexuality and gender equality

ABSTRACT

Abortion is legal in South Africa, but negative abortion attitudes remain common and are poorly understood. We used nationally representative South African Social Attitudes Survey data to analyze abortion attitudes in the case of fetal anomaly and in the case of poverty from 2007 to 2016 (n = 20,711; ages = 16+). We measured correlations between abortion attitudes and these important predictors: religiosity, attitudes about premarital sex, attitudes about preferential hiring and promotion of women, and attitudes toward family gender roles. Abortion acceptability for poverty increased over time (b = 0.05, p < .001), but not for fetal anomaly (b = ?0.008, p = .284). Highly religious South Africans reported lower abortion acceptability in both cases (Odds Ratio (OR)_anomaly = 0.85, p = .015; OR_poverty = 0.84, p = .02). Premarital sex acceptability strongly and positively predicted abortion acceptability (OR_anomaly = 2.63, p < .001; OR_poverty = 2.46, p < .001). Attitudes about preferential hiring and promotion of women were not associated with abortion attitudes, but favorable attitudes about working mothers were positively associated with abortion acceptability for fetal anomaly ((OR_anomaly = 1.09, p = .01; OR_poverty = 1.02, p = .641)). Results suggest negative abortion attitudes remain common in South Africa and are closely tied to religiosity, traditional ideologies about sexuality, and gender role expectations about motherhood.     

The opportunity costs of caring for people with dementia in Southern Spain

Objective

The aim of this paper is to study the opportunity costs (OC) that are involved in being a caregiver and to compare them with the direct costs assumed by the State and the families. We evaluate direct cost (those that imply a payment-out-of-pocket) and indirect cost (those that imply a dedication in time). We hypothesized that costs increase with the severity of the dementia, with the educational level and active occupational situation of caregiver. They are greater if the caregiver is male, but if the patient and caregiver cohabit they are reduced.

Quantification of refractive error: comparison of autorefractor and focometer.

PURPOSE: The advantages of a focometer (FOCOMETER) over other methods of refraction for use in developing countries are that it is lightweight, compact, relatively inexpensive, fairly quick, and easy to use with minimal training. This clinical trial compared the repeatability, validity, and ease of use of the focometer with an autorefractor. METHODS: The refractive status of the right eye of 80 participants was determined with an autorefractor (Canon RK3). Three measurements were also taken with the focometer. RESULTS: The spherical equivalent (M) of the focometer was 0.25 D more positive than the autorefractor (p < 0.001) and 84% of measurements were within 0.75 D of the autorefractor. The autorefractor detected astigmatism in 91% (73) of the eyes, whereas the focometer identified only 32% (26). The design of the clock target restricts cylinder axis accuracy to the nearest 15 degrees . There was evidence of a learning effect for the focometer: the second and third measurements were more repeatable in the untrained group. There were no differences between the mean (1.03 +/- 2.28) and third focometer (-1.05 +/- 2.32) measurements (p = 0.34). However, using the third focometer measurement, 94% of participants had visual acuities of at least 6/12(-2). CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the focometer's restricted power range, inaccuracy of astigmatism and axis determination, and dependence on subject understanding and compliance. Therefore, in most clinical settings, the focometer would not be adequate for quantifying refractive error, but the focometer spherical equivalent was within acceptable limits of the autorefractor, and the visual acuity with lenses determined by the focometer indicates its potential usefulness in public health settings, especially where only spherical ready-made spectacles are dispensed. There may be more cost-effective ways to determine refractive error in these circumstances. A potentially important enhancement in focometer methodology that improves its ease of use was identified: use only the third measurement for each eye.     

Influences of obese (ob/ob) and diabetes (db/db) genotype mutations on lumber vertebral radiological and morphometric indices: Skeletal deformation associated with dysregulated systemic glucometabolism

Background  

Both diabetes and obesity syndromes are recognized to promote lumbar vertebral instability, premature osteodegeneration, exacerbate progressive osteoporosis and increase the propensity towards vertebral degeneration, instability and deformation in humans.     

P2X(7) receptors are expressed during mouse nephrogenesis and in collecting duct cysts of the cpk/cpk mouse.

BACKGROUND: Purinergic receptors are cell-surface molecules that bind extracellular nucleotides, notably ATP. The P2X family includes seven nonselective ion channels with one member, P2X(7), implicated in cytolytic pore formation and cell death. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We sought P2X(7) expression in mouse nephrogenesis and cpk/cpk renal cyst growth, conditions in which both proliferation and apoptosis are prominent. RESULTS: P2X(7) immunolocalized to condensed metanephric mesenchyme: both proliferation and apoptosis were detected in this compartment, assessed by proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression and propidium iodide-stained pyknotic nuclei respectively. Later in nephrogenesis, P2X(7) was detected in collecting ducts, a pattern persisting to maturity. A mesenchymal to epithelial shift of P2X(7) expression was also documented in ureter development. In cpk/cpk kidneys, P2X(7)-expressing collecting duct cysts dominated histology from two weeks until four weeks after birth, when animals die from uremia. In polycystic kidneys pyknotic nuclei were rarely identified in P2X(7)-expressing epithelia, but were detected between cysts, consistent with a non-apoptotic role for P2X(7) in cyst enlargement. CONCLUSION: P2X(7) is expressed during normal nephrogenesis and in a model of congenital polycystic kidney disease. Further experiments are necessary to define possible functions of P2X(7) in these settings.