Publications by authors named "B C Vorster"

Article Synopsis
  • - Weeds are valuable for research because they affect agriculture and can quickly adapt to changes caused by human activities.
  • - A shortage of genomic data limits the understanding of how weeds rapidly adapt, especially regarding traits like resistance to herbicides and stress tolerance.
  • - The International Weed Genomics Consortium aims to create genomic resources that enhance weed control research and support crop breeding by providing insights into adaptation and stress tolerance.
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In recent decades, scarcity of available resources, population growth and the widening in the consumption of processed foods and of animal origin have made the current food system unsustainable. High-income countries have shifted towards food consumption patterns which is causing an increasingly process of environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources, with the increased incidence of malnutrition due to excess (obesity and non-communicable disease) and due to chronic food deprivation. An urgent challenge is, therefore, to move towards more healthy and sustainable eating choices and reorientating food production and distribution to obtain a human and planetary health benefit.

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Article Synopsis
  • Achieving a proper diagnosis for Indigenous individuals with rare genetic diseases is essential for fair healthcare access.
  • The International Rare Disease Research Consortium has created a global Task Force aimed at addressing the challenges in diagnosing these rare diseases among Indigenous populations.
  • The initiative focuses on finding solutions to improve health equity for Indigenous communities dealing with these illnesses.
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Background: Multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD) is an autosomal recessive disorder resulting from pathogenic variants in three distinct genes, with most of the variants occurring in the electron transfer flavoprotein-ubiquinone oxidoreductase gene (ETFDH). Recent evidence of potential founder variants for MADD in the South African (SA) population, initiated this extensive investigation. As part of the International Centre for Genomic Medicine in Neuromuscular Diseases study, we recruited a cohort of patients diagnosed with MADD from academic medical centres across SA over a three-year period.

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