Exploring the role of Islam in perceptions of mental illness in a sample of muslim psychiatrists based in Johannesburg

Background. Western definitions of; and approaches to; mental illness have been critiqued for their lack of incorporation of cultural and spiritual elements. Objective. To explore perceptions of mental illness; particularly in terms of the role of Islam in the understanding of mental illness among South African Muslim psychiatrists practising in Johannesburg. Methods. Using a qualitative design; semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 7 Muslim psychiatrists in the Johannesburg area. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the transcribed data. Results. Psychiatrists subscribe to a more biomedical model of illness. The findings of this study also suggest that psychiatrists attempt to remain objective and to refrain from imposing their religious and cultural beliefs on their patients. However; their conceptualisation of mental illness is influenced by their religion and culture. Furthermore; all participating psychiatrists indicated that they always draw on Islamic values when treating their patients. Issues of cultural competence were also highlighted. Psychiatrists indicated that they were open to collaboration with traditional healers and psychologists but that this was quite challenging.Conclusion. The necessity for formal bodies to develop routes for collaboration between healthcare professionals and traditional healers was brought to the fore. So; too; was the need to incorporate indigenous theory and knowledge into mainstream definitions and approaches to mental illness

Importance-rating using the University of Washington quality of life questionnaire in patients treated by primary surgery for oral and oro-pharyngeal cancer.

BACKGROUND: There are now several validated and widely accepted head and neck cancer questionnaires. These record patients subjective levels of function and dysfunction, as well as symptoms related to their cancer and its treatment. One popular measure is the University of Washington head and neck cancer questionnaire (UW-QOL). Domain importance-ratings were added to the second version of the questionnaire, which was published in 1997. It is unique amongst head and neck cancer questionnaires in this respect. AIM: The purpose of the study was to evaluate UW-QOL with particular reference to domain importance-rating. It was also the intention to investigate how the importance-ratings related to 'quality of life' and comment on the cumulative scoring of the questionnaire. METHODS: Forty-eight patients with previously untreated oral or oro-pharyngeal cancer were recruited. All were treated by primary surgery. Questionnaires were completed pre-operatively, 6 months and 1 year post-operatively. RESULTS: This study demonstrates a wide variation in importance-ratings. Both pre- and post-treatment there was a general lack of correlation between importance-rating and domain scores. At all time points, patients tended to rate speech, chewing and swallowing as more important than the other UW-QOL domains. The cumulative UW-QOL score correlated strongly with the new single item QOL question. CONCLUSION: It remains unclear how best to incorporate importance-ratings into a single UW-QOL total score. However, for individual patients they can assist in setting priorities in treatment strategies.

Acute myocardial infarction following paclitaxel administration for ovarian carcinoma.

Evidence linking paclitaxel to cardiotoxicity arose from early Phase I trials in which continuous cardiac monitoring was performed because of the high incidence of major hypersensitivity reactions. A variety of cardiac manifestations have been reported, ranging from asymptomatic sinus bradycardia to fatal myocardial infarction. The following case report describes an acute myocardial infarction occurring shortly after paclitaxel therapy.

Detection of anti-delta antibodies among acute hepatitis B virus-infected patients.

A total of 130 acute HBsAg-positive subjects were tested for the presence of delta hepatitis antibodies (anti-HD). Of the 130 subjects, 56 were females and 74 were males. All patients were individuals attending the two teaching hospitals, i.e., Parirenyatwa and Harare Central hospitals. All the sera were examined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and results were read spectrophotometrically at a wavelength of 492 nm. Of 130, 11 (19.64%) males had anti-HD present in the serum with an overall prevalence of 21 (16.15%). The positivity rates of HBeAg and anti-HBc were 64 (49.23%) and 116 (89.23%), respectively. There was no significant difference between the positive rate in males as compared to females.