News in brief

Getting the message across
Ms Jean Fourie of the Chronic Diseases of Lifestyle Research Unit (CDL) recently added a unique qualification to her port-folio: that of an MPhil (Translation). She was one of only three students who had managed this feat.

The focus of Ms Fourie's thesis was the quality of translation of medical research questionnaires. "I believe that you cannot give enough attention to the proper translation of questionnaires. Not only should the translation be accurate, but it should also address the target audience, and not be a mere 'direct' translation," she says.

She sees the research questionnaire as an integral part of the research process. "If the questionnaire, as well as any translation, is not carefully thought through, information gleaned from research participants won't be accurate.

The quality of the research will suffer." Although translation was the major focus, she also learnt the finer details of editing and inter-cultural communication. This is an especially valuable skill, since South Africa has a diverse population with different cultures - a difficult research population! Ms Fourie's flair for language was spotted approximately twenty years ago by Dr Krisela Steyn, currently the director of the CDL. Ms Fourie edited and polished Dr Steyn's MD thesis. "But I never had any formal qualifications in editing, so I was very glad when I heard about this course," she adds. So if you have a research proposal, a research paper or any other research-based publication that needs the careful touch of an editor, contact Ms Fourie at (021) 938-0434, 073 165-8125, or fax (021) 933-5519.

Meeting the MRC
The new Minister of Science and Technology, Mr Mosibudi Mangena, visited the MRC recently. Next to him (sitting down) is Prof William Pick. Standing behind them are, from left, Dr Koos Louw, Mr Achmat Noor, Dr Niresh Bhagwandin, Dr Carol Nonkwelo, Mr Ben Durham, Prof Anthony MBewu and Mr Bulelani Mahlangu.

Celebrating ten years of bone research
The MRC/WITS Bone Research Unit was officially opened in 1994 and has, since its inception, become a front-runner in the field of bone tissue engineering in Africa.

The unit's research pivots on the unique potential of inducing new bone for use in a clinical environment to replace bone lost due to injury or disease. The concept of bone regeneration, and its applications, emanate from the discovery of a diverse group of proteins which can be derived by extraction from dry bones. During embryonic development, these proteins are naturally used to form bones, cartilage and other tissues.

The proteins have an exceptional capacity to form new bone when used as constituents in bone implants together with a suitable delivery system or carrier. They are now also available as man-made products using recombinant DNA technology.

The clinical importance of the Bone Research Unit's work is that it potentially makes it unnecessary to use bone grafts to replace lost bone. This makes the surgical procedure of bone replacement less complex for the medical practitioner and less demanding for the human patient.

"Our present and future research is poised to reveal new discoveries in health research in alignment with the mission and vision of the MRC," says Prof Ugo Ripamonti, director of the Bone Research Unit.

Motivating midwives
Midwives at the Mowbray Maternity Hospital received training in motivational interviewing, organised by the MRC's Health Promotion Research and Development Group. The workshops were part of an NIH-funded grant to build capacity in Tobacco Control. This is the third series of workshops in motivational interviewing hosted by the group.

Reading the write stuff
Scientists and science communicators enjoyed the copies of MRC News they received at the recent I-rite/I-speak workshop in Cape Town. The workshop was co-facilitated by the MRC's Corporate Communications and Stakeholder Relations Division, and was funded by the National Research Foundation (via SAASTA). The two-day workshop was designed by Stanford University and teaches scientists how to explain their research in a way the general public can understand. This is an important skill, and one not necessarily taught to scientists at university level. The researchers were also taught to explain how their research benefits the people of South Africa. This can be used to great effect when competing with many other proposals for limited research funding. For more information, call Elmien Wolvaardt on (021) 938-0557.

The nominee is...
Prof Valerie Corfield from the MRC/US Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology was recently nominated for the Shoprite/Checkers Woman of the Year in the category Science and Technology.

Brushing up on life skills
Dr Tracy Nichols of Cornell University in New York was at the MRC recently to facilitate a training workshop using an adapted Lifeskills Training (LST) curriculum for Grade 8. LST was developed by Dr Gilbert J Botvin of Cornell University and has twenty years of research behind it. The MRC's Health Promotion Research and Development Group will use the curriculum to conduct a pilot study - part of the Tobacco Control Project in SA schools. This project is funded by an NIH R01 grant received through the Fogarty International Centre.

Preventing injury
World Health Day 2004 saw the launch of the MRC/UNISA Crime Violence and Injury Lead Programme's new book; Crime, Violence and Injury Prevention in South Africa: Developments and Challenges. Here Mr Ashley van Niekerk hands copies of the book to Prof Anthony MBewu of the MRC and Prof Louis Molamu, Registrar of Academic Affairs at UNISA.