South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde
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Burn victims commonly experience acute kidney injury (AKI), which can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. ⋯ The study highlights the high prevalence of AKI among burn victims requiring tertiary care and its association with high mortality rates. Improving living conditions in informal settlements could help prevent burns and their complications.
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Pregnant women were indirectly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic owing to heightened stress, fear of mother-to-child transmission of COVID-19 and the disruption of antenatal health services. Increased stress and lack of antenatal healthcare could result in an increase in adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth or low birthweight. ⋯ The high prevalence of low birthweight in infants born ≥37 weeks' gestation during the pandemic could result in an increase in child stunting and poor development. Future research should measure early child development and growth in infants born during the pandemic to assess whether there is a need to intervene and provide additional support to minimise the negative effects.
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There is a plethora of literature that suggests that a failure by a medical practitioner to obtain informed consent from a patient amounts to assault. Assault is a loaded concept in South African (SA) law, and has applicability to both criminal and civil law. ⋯ However, the criminal law aspect has not been explored in the same level of detail. This article aims to delve deeper into this aspect by outlining the requirements for assault as defined by the SA common law, and to evaluate whether a criminal offence has actually been committed by a medical practitioner in the event that proper informed consent was not obtained.