Explore the vast range of titles available.

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP), a sensitive marker of inflammation, is an independent predictor of future cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is a major cause of death worldwide. In epidemiological trials, high-fibre intakes have consistently been associated with reduction in CVD risk and CRP levels. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the influence of dietary fibre (DF) on CRP in clinical trials. Data sources: Databases were searched from the earliest record to April 2008 and supplemented by crosschecking reference lists of relevant publications. Study selection: Human adult intervention trials, at least 2 weeks in duration, with an increased and measurable consumption of DF were included and rated for quality. Data synthesis: Seven clinical trials were included, and six of these reported significantly lower CRP concentrations of 25-54% with increased DF consumption with dosages ranging between 3.3-7.8 g/MJ. The seventh trial with psyllium fibre supplementation failed to lower CRP levels significantly in overweight/obese individuals. Weight loss and altered fatty acid intakes were present in most of the studies. Conclusions: In the presence of weight loss and modified saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat intakes, significantly lower CRP concentrations (25-54%) are seen with increased fibre consumption (3.3 g/MJ). Mechanisms are inconclusive but may involve the effect of DF on weight loss, and/or changes in the secretion, turnover or metabolism of insulin, glucose, adiponectin, interleukin-6, free fatty acids and triglycerides. Clinical studies of high- and low-fibre diets are needed to explore the potential favourable effects as observed epidemiologically, and to understand individual susceptibility to its anti-inflammatory effect and long-term cardiovascular reduction.

A prevalence of political violence and political assassinations characterised post-1994 South Africa. These politically motivated killings appeared to be dominant in the controversial KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province. Political killings in South Africa started as a form of inter-party warfare, especially during the transition to democracy, when the two rivals, the African National Congress (ANC) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), fought each other for some areas of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. However, following the dominance of the ANC in the KZN Province, members of the ruling party fought each other for positions in government and political party structures. Considering this, the article analyses the crisis of factionalism by examining the ANC’s intra-party tensions and targeted killings, and how this poses a risk to human security in KZN. Methodologically, the article employs a qualitative literature assessment and content analysis is used to delve into the impact of intra-party tensions and targeted killings on human security in the KZN province.ContributionIn quest for curbing the crisis of factionalism in the ruling ANC, the article recommends that the ANC needs to re-visit its leadership selection as these killings have seemingly happened during leadership selection, which leads to ruthless competition of positions in government and party structures. Members of the ruling party need to identify themselves as one, as opposed to belonging to different factional groups within the party. Failure by the ruling party to address divisions within the organisation shall result in more fatal killings resulting from competition for positions and resources.

This paper compares the performance of three competing corridors serving landlocked SADC countries (Beira, Dar es Salaam, and Durban) based on total economic cost from the perspective of transporters, retailers, and manufacturers. The motivation for the research is the paradox that, while Beira is closest to the hinterland served by these corridors, it attracts the least cargo. Historical research compares corridors in terms of both direct costs and time delays, but without translating time delays and variability in time delays into the economic costs experienced by corridor users. Unpredictable time delays reduce the competitiveness of cargo owners forming part of global just-in-time value chains. Our novel TEC model includes direct costs and the cost impact of delays and variability in delays and quantifies the relative contributions of ports, border posts, and road travel. The Port’s efficiency proved to be the biggest differentiator between these corridors, followed by border posts and road links. We found that while the Beira corridor has the lowest cost if only average travel time is considered, the Durban corridor proves to be the most competitive when variability in time delays is also considered, explaining why Durban enjoys the largest share of cargo transported to the landlocked hinterland.

BackgroundPostoperative patients’ risk for developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) can be predicted using the adapted Caprini risk assessment model which informs administration of postoperative VTE prophylaxis. The study aimed to assess the appropriateness of postoperative VTE prophylaxis of patients according to the adapted Caprini scores and investigate whether a patient’s HIV status influenced postoperative VTE prophylaxis administration.MethodsThis cohort study included patients who had elective or urgent surgery at a tertiary hospital, Bloemfontein. Data from patient files were captured on datasheets that comprised the adapted Caprini risk assessment model. The type of prophylaxis received was noted. The appropriateness of the prophylaxis prescribed was compared with the patient’s score.ResultsDetails of 147 patients were included. Three of the 16 patients who did not qualify for prophylaxis, were on VTE prophylaxis on day-one post-surgery. Only 24 (18.3%) of the 131 patients who qualified for prophylaxis were on prophylaxis one day post-surgery. Of the prophylaxis prescribed, 88.5% was enoxaparin, and 11.5% \"other\", mainly aspirin. Twenty-three (17.6%) patients who qualified for prophylaxis were discharged on prophylaxis. Of the 147 patients, 24 patients were HIV positive, and eight of these patients received postoperative VTE prophylaxis.ConclusionThe majority of postoperative patients at the various surgical departments of the hospital did not receive appropriate postoperative VTE prophylaxis compared to the adapted Caprini scores obtained from their medical information. A patient’s HIV status alone did not influence the decision of administering postoperative VTE prophylaxis.

The rest-breaking agent, hydrogen cyanamide (HC), can substitute insufficient chill unit accumulation in Vitis vinifera and induce uniform bud-break; however, due to its toxicity it is being banned. In South Africa, red seedless grapes, including V. vinifera Crimson Seedless (CS), are the largest table grape export group; therefore, replacing HC in V. vinifera CS is crucial. This study aimed to confirm the molecular triggers induced by HC and assess the bud-break-enhancing abilities of commercial plant biostimulants. Forced bud-break assay experiments using V. vinifera CS single-node cuttings and a small-scale field trial were performed. Results demonstrated that increased chill unit accumulation (CUA) reduced HC efficacy. Bud-break started between 10 and 20 days after treatment, irrespective of final CUA. The small-scale field trial found that HC 3% and biostimulants were similar to the negative control. The treatment of dormant grapevine compound buds with nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and hypoxia trigger dormancy release to a certain extent, supporting the molecular models proposed for HC action. NO, H2O2, and hypoxia, in combination with PBs, may potentially replace HC; however, this needs to be confirmed in future experiments.

A survey of the dog genome sequence (6.22 million sequence reads; 1.5x coverage) demonstrates the power of sample sequencing for comparative analysis of mammalian genomes and the generation of species-specific resources. More than 650 million base pairs (>25%) of dog sequence align uniquely to the human genome, including fragments of putative orthologs for 18,473 of 24,567 annotated human genes. Mutation rates, conserved synteny, repeat content, and phylogeny can be compared among human, mouse, and dog. A variety of polymorphic elements are identified that will be valuable for mapping the genetic basis of diseases and traits in the dog.

Although there is considerable literature pertaining to IgE and non IgE-mediated food allergy, there is a paucity of information on non-immune mediated reactions to foods, other than metabolic disorders such as lactose intolerance. Food additives and naturally occurring ‘food chemicals’ have long been reported as having the potential to provoke symptoms in those who are more sensitive to their effects. Diets low in ‘food chemicals’ gained prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, and their popularity remains, although the evidence of their efficacy is very limited. This review focuses on the available evidence for the role and likely adverse effects of both added and natural ‘food chemicals’ including benzoate, sulphite, monosodium glutamate, vaso-active or biogenic amines and salicylate. Studies assessing the efficacy of the restriction of these substances in the diet have mainly been undertaken in adults, but the paper will also touch on the use of such diets in children. The difficulty of reviewing the available evidence is that few of the studies have been controlled and, for many, considerable time has elapsed since their publication. Meanwhile dietary patterns and habits have changed hugely in the interim, so the conclusions may not be relevant for our current dietary norms. The conclusion of the review is that there may be some benefit in the removal of an additive or a group of foods high in natural food chemicals from the diet for a limited period for certain individuals, providing the diagnostic pathway is followed and the foods are reintroduced back into the diet to assess for the efficacy of removal. However diets involving the removal of multiple additives and food chemicals have the very great potential to lead to nutritional deficiency especially in the paediatric population. Any dietary intervention, whether for the purposes of diagnosis or management of food allergy or food intolerance, should be adapted to the individual’s dietary habits and a suitably trained dietitian should ensure nutritional needs are met. Ultimately a healthy diet should be the aim for all patients presenting in the allergy clinic.

Mycoplasma genitalium with 517 genes has the smallest gene complement of any independently replicating cell so far identified. Global transposon mutagenesis was used to identify nonessential genes in an effort to learn whether the naturally occurring gene complement is a true minimal genome under laboratory growth conditions. The positions of 2209 transposon insertions in the completely sequenced genomes of M. genitalium and its close relative M. pneumoniae were determined by sequencing across the junction of the transposon and the genomic DNA. These junctions defined 1354 distinct sites of insertion that were not lethal. The analysis suggests that 265 to 350 of the 480 protein-coding genes of M. genitalium are essential under laboratory growth conditions, including about 100 genes of unknown function.

Since 2007, the Oncofertility Consortium Annual Conference has brought together a diverse network of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and professional levels to disseminate emerging basic and clinical research findings in fertility preservation. This network also developed enduring educational materials to accelerate the pace and quality of field-wide scientific communication. Between 2007 and 2019, the Oncofertility Consortium Annual Conference was held as an in-person event in Chicago, IL. The conference attracted approximately 250 attendees each year representing 20 countries around the world. In 2020, however, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted this paradigm and precluded an in-person meeting. Nevertheless, there remained an undeniable demand for the oncofertility community to convene. To maintain the momentum of the field, the Oncofertility Consortium hosted a day-long virtual meeting on March 5, 2021, with the theme of “Oncofertility Around the Globe” to highlight the diversity of clinical care and translational research that is ongoing around the world in this discipline. This virtual meeting was hosted using the vFairs ® conference platform and allowed over 700 people to participate, many of whom were first-time conference attendees. The agenda featured concurrent sessions from presenters in six continents which provided attendees a complete overview of the field and furthered our mission to create a global community of oncofertility practice. This paper provides a synopsis of talks delivered at this event and highlights the new advances and frontiers in the fields of oncofertility and fertility preservation around the globe from clinical practice and patient-centered efforts to translational research.

Very high energy γ-rays probe the long-standing mystery of the origin of cosmic rays. Produced in the interactions of accelerated particles in astrophysical objects, they can be used to image cosmic particle accelerators. A first sensitive survey of the inner part of the Milky Way with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) reveals a population of eight previously unknown firmly detected sources of very high energy γ-rays. At least two have no known radio or x-ray counterpart and may be representative of a new class of \"dark\" nucleonic cosmic ray sources.