Open Access

Background The business of clinical research has changed in the past two decades, shifting from industrialised Western countries to so-called emerging markets such as Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa. An appraisal of the trends could identify associated factors that may have implications for the local populations and their endemic diseases. Objectives To identify potential reasons why emerging countries have become attractive places for international sponsors to conduct their clinical trials. Methods Using ClinicalTrials.gov, the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry, the National Health Research Database and the Nigeria Clinical Trials Registry, trend data on clinical research development were determined for two emerging African markets, Nigeria and South Africa (SA), from 2010 to 2018. Also, health data on the two countries from the fact sheets of health statistics of the World Health Organization were compared, as well as regulatory and ethical conditions. Available data were analysed using descriptive statistics and trend analysis. Results The impact of globalisation is evident from the upward trend in clinical trials in SA before 2010, and the clear downward trend thereafter. One reason for this change could be the alignment of SA’s regulatory and ethical frameworks with the Western world. In contrast, the upward trend is only just beginning in Nigeria, with the introduction of ethical/regulatory frameworks, and supportive institutions making the business of clinical research more attractive on an international level. Although the number of international and local sponsors increased in Nigeria from 2010 to 2018, only the latter increased in SA, with the former decreasing over the same period. Overall, there is a mismatch between country-specific diseases and the drugs being tested, to the extent that leprosy, which is endemic in Nigeria, and tuberculosis in SA were not in the list of top 10 study areas in either country. Conclusions The globalisation trend is evident in the clinical trials business, but cannot be generalised to all emerging countries. Timing and intensity vary from country to country relative to factors that advance the existing profit-orientated business models of the sponsors. Furthermore, various diseases have been localised, which entails a diversely increasing need for research.

Hintergrund: Feedback von Patienten über erlebte Versorgungsaspekte erfolgt auch in der Rehabilitation inzwischen zunehmend online, beispielsweise auf Bewertungsportalen. Daher soll untersucht werden, welche von Rehabilitanden auf der für Reha-Kliniken führenden Bewertungsplattform Klinikbewertungen.de veröffentlichten Versorgungsaspekte mit der Weiterempfehlung einer Rehaklinik und welche negativen Aspekte mit der Nicht-Weiterempfehlung assoziiert sind. Methode: Eingeschlossen wurden Reha-Kliniken der Rentenversicherung Bund und federführend von ihr belegte Kliniken. Mit einem Mixed-Methods-Ansatz wurden aus acht Reha-Indikationsgruppen nach Zufriedenheitsstufen stratifizierte freitextliche Erfahrungsberichte von Rehabilitanden inhaltsanalytisch ausgewertet. Der Zusammenhang zwischen positiven (negativen) Aussagen mit der (Nicht-)Weiterempfehlung wurde in der jeweiligen Reha-Indikationsgruppe untersucht. Ergebnisse: Die Inhaltsanalyse von 911 Erfahrungsberichten ergab 20 thematische Kategorien. Der von Rehabilitanden wahrgenommene "Reha-Erfolg" war am häufigsten mit der Weiterempfehlung bzw. Nicht-Weiterempfehlung signifikant assoziiert. In fünf QS-Vergleichsgruppen war das Thema "Verpflegung" assoziiert. In allen QS-Vergleichsgruppen war mindestens ein prozessorientiertes Rehabilitationsthema assoziiert: "Reha-Maßnahmen", "Reha-Plan und Reha-Ziele" und/oder "Diagnose bis Entlassung". Diskussion und Schlussfolgerung: Reha-Kliniken können auf Basis der vorgestellten Ergebnisse indikationsspezifisch die für die Klinik-Weiterempfehlung relevanten Versorgungsaspekte identifizieren. Die Einbeziehung von Online-Erfahrungsberichten schafft zusätzliche Erkenntnisse über die Gründe der (Un-)Zufriedenheit von Rehabilitanden. Potenziellen Rehabilitanden steht das Erfahrungswissen als niederschwellige Informationsquelle und Entscheidungshilfe zur Verfügung

Since child maltreatment has highly negative effects on child adjustment, early identification of at-risk families is important. This study focuses on longitudinal risk factors for child maltreatment and associations between abuse risk and occurrence. It also examines whether abuse risk and involvement in early childhood intervention are associated. The sample comprises 197 German caregivers with children under 3 years of age. Data was collected in two waves. The Brief Child Abuse Potential Inventory assessed abuse risk. Socio-demographic, parent, child and family-related risk factors were measured using screening tools. The analysis revealed that parental characteristics (psychopathology, own maltreatment experiences etc.) were associated with concurrent abuse risk. Longitudinal changes in abuse risk were linked to caregiver education and child-related factors. Cumulative risk did not explain more variance than specific risk factors. Significant associations with caregiverreported abuse were found, and data suggest that some burdened families cannot be reached by early childhood intervention.

Background: India is the biggest HIV epidemic in the world. The role of a pharmacist is pivotal in educating the general masses. The aim of the study was to determine the knowledge and attitude of pharmacy students from University of Mumbai. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in University of Mumbai during February-March 2020. Therein, 307 students (214: females and 94: males) participated in the study. The questionnaire was distributed in the classroom and data was collected by means of Google-forms. Furthermore, the data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 23. Results: The participants demonstrated good knowledge (84%) and attitude (76%) score. With respect to knowledge score, no significant difference was observed except for responses of two questions, aim of the antiretroviral therapy (ART) and Avoidance of sexual intercourse can decrease the risk of HIV. With respect to attitude score, Volunteering to work at an institute for the welfare of HIV patients showed a significant difference. Conclusion: The current study showed that there were no misconceptions or negative attitude regarding HIV among the students. However, a study with greater sample size must be conducted across India for further investigation.

Background: In the recent times, there has been a resurging interest in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in India. The present study was conducted to examine the prevalence of CAM use in Mumbai, the knowledge and attitude regarding CAM regarding its safety and efficacy and the reasons for the use of CAM. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the general population of Mumbai and its adjoining regions during January-July 2020. 205 residents participated in the study and were asked to fill a pretested questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23. Results: Out of the 205 responses, 163 (79.51%) agreed to have used CAM at least once in their life. Of these, 108 (52.68%) respondents used Ayurveda and 105 (51.21%) used homeopathy. 60 (36.81%) of the respondents practicing CAM used it for common gastrointestinal (GIT)-related disorder with a 100% recovery rate, 125 (76.67%) for infectious diseases with a 93.6% recovery rate. 99 (60.74%) of the respondents preferring CAM for its safety profile, 68 (41.72%) believed that CAM is time tested and thus is efficacious. An integrative approach was suggested by 118 (57.56%) of all the respondents. Conclusions: There is a disparity between the high prevalence in the use of CAM and its knowledge. However, a general consensus suggests that CAM is efficacious and is practiced for various indications.