Tuberculosis is one of the communicable diseases that still contributes substantially to the worldwide disease burden and is still a major health threat worldwide. In order to gain a better understanding of being a patient taking tuberculosis treatment and to improve adherence to treatment, this phenomenological study was conducted to explore the lived experience of patients on tuberculosis treatment. The population comprised patients in an identified tuberculosis clinic in Tshwane who had been on treatment for at least four months and who were able to communicate in English. The data gathering instrument was self-report by in-depth interview. Some of the main themes that emerged include influence of personal social situation, influence of good social support and disclosure, experience of taking medication daily and knowledge about tuberculosis treatment. Findings revealed that the personal social situations of the participants which include accommodation, unemployment and nutritional requirements influenced the adherence of the participants to treatment. It was discovered that good social support had an influence on adherence which could only be enjoyed when the treatment and diagnosis of tuberculosis is disclosed to the family members and friends. Some of the participants, who had been non-adherent in the past, attributed the reasons for their non-adherence to the side effects that they experienced. Lastly, participants also reported knowledge about tuberculosis, that is, knowledge about its causes, treatment and prevention, as crucial for adherence to treatment.

Low literacy can be described as the inability to read, write or use numbers effectively. The limited ability to read and understand health care instructions directly translates into poor health outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the English literacy levels of primary health care patients using the Learning Ability Battery (LAB) and the adapted Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy, Revised (REALM-R) and to determine how the results of the adapted REALM-R correlate with those of the LAB. Data were collected by means of a self-report whereby the participants had to answer the questions that were posed in the LAB and read the words out loud for the adapted REALM-R. The data analysis was performed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics, including the chi-square test and Spearman's rho. The result of the study indicated that in South Africa, school grades achieved and the reading levels of primary health care patients differ with four grades. In terms of the correlation between the results of the adapted REALM-R and those of the LAB, a correlation of r = 0.43 (p < 0.001) could be established. Depending on the cut-off point used for the adapted REALM-R, 67% of the participants had low literacy levels. The study provides evidence of the importance of a validated, quick and easy-to-administer literacy screening tool. The effective assessment of patients' literacy levels will assist registered professional nurses to provide health education on an appropriate level to improve patients' health literacy.

Lae geletterdheidsvlakke kan beskryf word as 'n persoon se onvermoë om doeltreffend te lees, te skryf of syfers te gebruik. Die beperkte vermoë om te lees en gesondheidsorgvoorskrifte te verstaan, gee direk tot swak gesondheidsuitkomste aanleiding. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die Engelse geletterdheidsvlakke van primêregesondheidsorg-pasiënte deur middel van twee instrumente, naamlik die Learning Ability Battery (LAB) en die aangepasde Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy, Revised (REALM-R) te assesseer. Daar is voorts ook bepaal hoe die resultate van die aangepaste REALM-R met die LAB korreleer. Data is deur self-rapportering ingesamel, waar die deelnemers vrae uit die LAB-instrument moes beantwoord en spesifieke woorde vir die aangepaste REALM-R hardop te lees. Die data is ontleed deur gebruik te maak van beskrywende en inferensiële statistiek, met inbegrip van 'n chikwadraat-toets en Spearman se rho. Die resultate dui daarop dat die skoolgraad bereik en die leesgeletterdheid van die deelnemers in Suid-Afrika met vier grade verskil. Die korrelasie tussen die resultate van die LAB en die aangepaste REALM-R was r = 0.43 (p < 0.001). Na gelang van die afsnypunt wat vir die aangepaste REALM-R gebruik word, dui die resultate daarop dat 67% van die deelnemers lae geletterdheidsvlakke het. Die studie toon die belang van 'n geldige, vinnige instrument vir geletterdheidsifting. Die doeltreffende assessering van pasiënte se geletterdheidsvlakke kan geregistreerde verpleegkundiges help om gesondheidsonderrig op 'n toepaslike vlak aan te bied ten einde pasiënte se gesondheidsgeletterdheid te verbeter.

Literacy levels are increasingly important in health care because professional nurses and other health care professionals often use written health education materials as a major component in patient education. In South Africa, no current instrument is available to assess the literacy levels of patients in the primary health care setting, though several instruments have been developed and validated internationally. The purpose of this paper was to adapt and validate the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine Revised (REALM-R) to the South African context. The REALM-R is a short instrument that is designed to rapidly screen clients in the primary health care setting for low health literacy. A modified Delphi-technique was used to measure the judgement of a group of experts for the purpose of making a decision. Eight experts in the field of Nursing Science were selected purposively to obtain the most reliable consensus. Data was collected by means of a self-report whereby participants responded to a series of questions posed by the researcher. Descriptive statistics was used for analysing data. The REALM-R was adapted to the South African context to ensure that the literacy level of South African clients is measured with an appropriate instrument.

Geletterdheidsvlakke word toenemend belangrik in gesondheidsorg aangesien geregistreerde verpleegkundiges en ander gesondheidswerkers dikwels geskrewe gesondheidopvoedkundige materiaal gebruik. Op die oomblik in Suid-Afrika is daar geen geletterdheidsvlaksinstrument beskikbaar om pasiënte in primêre gesondheidsorg se geletterdheid te toets nie. Daar bestaan wel gevalideerde internasionale instrumente. Die doel van die studie was om die REALM-R, 'n internasionaal gevalideerde mediese geletterdheidsinstrument, aan te pas en te valideer om in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks gebruik te kan word. Die REALM-R is 'n kort geletterdheidsinstrument wat ontwikkel was om primêre sorg pasiênte wat moontlik lae geletterdheidsvaardigheid het, te kan sif. 'n Aangepasde Delphi-tegniek is gebruik om die oordeel van 'n groep kundiges in te win. Agt kundiges in verpleegwetenskappe is doelgerig gekies ten einde 'n betroubare ooreenkoms te verkry. Data is deur middel van self-raportering ingewin deurdat die deelnemers op vrae, gestel deur die navorser, geantwoord het. Beskrywende statistiek is gebruik om die data te ontleed. Die REALM-R is aangepas vir die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks ten einde 'n geskikte instrument beskikbaar te stel om die geletterdheidsvaardigheid van primêre sorg pasiente vinnig en akkuraat te kan meet.

We have been able to label the excretory system of cercariae and all forms of schistosomula, immature and adult worms with the highly fluorescent dye resorufin. We have shown that the accumulation of the resorufin into the excretory tubules and collecting ducts of the male adult worm depends on the presence of extracellular calcium and phosphate ions. In the adult male worms, praziquantel (PZQ) prevents this accumulation in RPMI medium and disperses resorufin from tubules which have been prelabelled. Female worms and all other developmental stages are much less affected either by the presence of calcium and phosphate ions, or the disruption caused by PZQ. The male can inhibit the excretory system in paired female. Fluorescent PZQ localises in the posterior gut (intestine) region of the male adult worm, but not in the excretory system, except for the anionic carboxy fluorescein derivative of PZQ, which may be excreted by this route. All stages of the parasite can recover from damage by PZQ treatment in vitro. The excretory system is highly sensitive to damage to the surface membrane and may be involved in vesicle movement and damage repair processes. In vivo the adult parasite does not recover from PZQ treatment, but what is inhibiting recovery is unknown, but likely to be related to immune effector molecules.