Project Gender NutriScope: Methods of a Mixed Methods, Community-Engaged Study Design to Explore the Nutritional Needs of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth and Young Adults.

Objective: Despite growing evidence of distinct nutrition-related experiences and disparities, transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth and young adults are an underrepresented population in nutrition research. This paper describes the methods and study design from Project Gender NutriScope, a study that will explore the nutritional needs of TGD youth and young adults.

Design: Parallel convergent cross-sectional mixed methods; community-engaged.

Multifunctional Dual Enzyme-Responsive Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for Targeting and Enhancing the Treatment of Bacterial Infections.

Bacterial infections pose an increasingly worrisome threat to the health of humankind, with antibiotic resistance contributing significantly to this burden. With current conventional antibiotics perpetuating the problem, and a paucity in developing antibiotics, drug delivery systems incorporating nanotechnology appear promising. As such, a dual enzyme-responsive multifunctional nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) incorporating farnesol (FAN) and triglycerol monostearate (TGMS), was conceptualized for the codelivery of vancomycin (VCM) and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) to enhance the antibacterial activity of VCM.

Prevalence and progression of chronic kidney disease among adults undergoing creatinine testing in South African public healthcare facilities: a study leveraging data from South Africa's National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS).

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has emerged as a substantial global health challenge, with a marked rise in associated mortality. However, it often goes undetected until advanced stages, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries such as South Africa. We investigated the prevalence and progression of CKD in South Africa, utilising a subset of data from the National Health Laboratory Services Multi-morbidity Cohort.

Ten-year health impact, economic impact and return on investment of the South African molecular diagnostics programme for HIV, tuberculosis and SARS-CoV-2.

Introduction: To ensure there is adequate investment into diagnostics, an understanding of the magnitude of impact and return on investment is necessary. We, therefore, sought to understand the health and economic impacts of the molecular diagnostic programme in South Africa, to deepen the understanding of the broad value of diagnostics and guide future healthcare investments.

Methods: We calculated the 10-year (where data were available) total cost and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) averted associated with molecular testing for tuberculosis diagnosis (2013-2022), HIV viral load monitoring (2013-2022), early infant diagnosis of HIV infection (2013-2022) and SARS-CoV-2 testing (2020-2022), based on the actual number of molecular tests conducted in South Africa for the respective time periods.

Exploring nutrition-related interests of the transgender and gender-diverse community: a content analysis of a transgender-centric discussion forum on Reddit.

Objective: The solicitation of nutrition-related health advice on social media platforms is on the rise. However, there is a paucity of research on the distinctive nutrition-related concerns and needs faced by transgender and gender-diverse individuals. Understanding patterns of nutrition-related information-seeking behaviour is vital to advancing health promotion efforts within this community.

Assessing compliance with national guidelines in diabetes care: A study leveraging data from south Africa's National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS).

Diabetes is a major global health issue. We evaluated compliance to laboratory-based management guidelines for diabetes (type 1 and 2), essential for effective treatment and reducing diabetes-related morbidity and mortality. Our study utilized South Africa's National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) data, focusing on patients from birth to age 80 years who underwent initial diabetes laboratory testing between January 1, 2012-January 1, 2016.

Gaps in the type 2 diabetes care cascade: a national perspective using South Africa's National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) database.

Background: Research out of South Africa estimates the total unmet need for care for those with type 2 diabetes mellitus (diabetes) at 80%. We evaluated the care cascade using South Africa's National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) database and assessed if HIV infection impacts progression through its stages.

Methods: The cohort includes patients from government facilities with their first glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) or plasma glucose (fasting (FPG); random (RPG)) measured between January 2012 to March 2015 in the NHLS.

A narrative review of clinic-community food provision interventions aimed at improving diabetes outcomes among food-insecure adults: examining the role of nutrition education.

Background: Food provision interventions (eg, produce/food prescriptions, food pharmacies, food voucher programs) that bridge clinic and community settings for improved nutritional health outcomes of at-risk patients have gained momentum. Little is known about the role of nutrition education and potential augmented impact on patient outcomes.

Objective: To describe intervention designs and outcomes of direct food provision clinic-community programs aimed at improving diabetes-related outcomes (glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c] levels) among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) or prediabetes and food insecurity, and to compare nutrition education components across interventions.

Improving Emergency Department Patient Experience Through an Organizational Values-Aligned Standardized Behavioral Model.

Introduction: Patient experience in the setting of the emergency department (ED) is an area of strategic priority forall healthcare facilities. Patient experience can be affected by several factors that encompass the cultural, behavioral, and psychological domains of the healthcare organization. Al Hada Armed Forces Hospital, in its efforts to achieve the strategic objectives of continuously improving the patient experience at scale, implemented an ED-basedbehavioral model of service behaviors that was adapted to match the local community needs and practiced by the frontline healthcare staff at the ED during Q2-2021.

Estimating the burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution (ambient PM2.5 and ambient ozone) in South Africa for 2000, 2006 and 2012.

Background: Globally, a growing body of research has shown that ambient air pollution is one of the most critical environmental issues, especially in relation to human health. Exposure to ambient air pollution leads to serious health conditions such as lower respiratory infections, cancers, diabetes mellitus type 2, ischaemic heart disease, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objectives: To estimate the burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution in South Africa (SA) for the years 2000, 2006 and 2012.

Synthesis of novel carbon-supported iron oxide sorbents for adsorption of dye from aqueous solutions: equilibrium and flow-through studies.

Textile effluents contain dyes that negatively affect water bodies and inhibit photosynthesis by reducing sunlight penetration. This study investigated the adsorption capacity of an iron oxide sorbent immobilised on naturally derived carbon foam for the removal of organic methylene blue dye from water. In this study, the carbon precursor and iron oxide precursor were mixed and carbonised in a single vessel.

Case report: Novel treatment regimen for encephalitis in SCID.

Most non-polio infections in immunocompetent individuals are acute and self-limiting in nature; however, infection can be severe, chronic and have devastating outcomes in immunocompromised hosts. Therapeutic strategies have predominantly involved supportive care, with the lack of approved antiviral treatments proving challenging for management. We report a case of an 8-month-old child who presented with severe encephalitis following gene therapy for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (X-SCID) and who demonstrated clinical and microbiological improvement after a novel regimen of favipiravir, fluoxetine, and high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg).

OPERAnet, a multimodal activity recognition dataset acquired from radio frequency and vision-based sensors.

This paper presents a comprehensive dataset intended to evaluate passive Human Activity Recognition (HAR) and localization techniques with measurements obtained from synchronized Radio-Frequency (RF) devices and vision-based sensors. The dataset consists of RF data including Channel State Information (CSI) extracted from a WiFi Network Interface Card (NIC), Passive WiFi Radar (PWR) built upon a Software Defined Radio (SDR) platform, and Ultra-Wideband (UWB) signals acquired via commercial off-the-shelf hardware. It also consists of vision/Infra-red based data acquired from Kinect sensors.

Physiological suitability of sulfate-reducing granules for the development of bioconcrete.

Regular monitoring and timely repair of concrete cracks are required to minimize further deterioration. Self-healing of cracks has been proposed as an alternative to the crack maintenance procedures. One of the proposed techniques is to use axenic cultures to exploit microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP).

Gene Therapy for Inborn Errors of Immunity: Severe Combined Immunodeficiencies.

Severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) causes profound deficiency in T cells and variable deficiencies in B and NK cells. Untreated, the condition is fatal within the first 2 years of life. HSCT has traditionally been the only curative approach; however, success rates are suboptimal in those lacking an HLA-matched donor and conditioning regimens can cause significant toxicity.

Determination of the ursolic and oleanolic acids content with the antioxidant capacity in apple peel extract of various cultivars.

Apples are rich sources of ursolic acid (UA) and oleanolic acid (OA) which are the major and most prominent triterpenes in the peel of an apple. Pentacyclic triterpenes are ideal nutraceuticals due to their ability to reduce the risk of many life-threatening diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and diabetes. This study was to determine the content of UA and OA in the apple peel extract from different cultivars grown in South Africa as well as the correlation of their content level with antioxidant capacity.

Sentinel seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Gauteng Province, South Africa, August - October 2020.

Background: Estimates of prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity (seroprevalence) for tracking the COVID-19 epidemic are lacking for most African countries.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in a sentinel cohort of patient samples received for routine testing at tertiary laboratories in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Methods: This sentinel study was conducted using remnant serum samples received at three National Health Laboratory Service laboratories in the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) district.

The importation and establishment of community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during the first eight weeks of the South African COVID-19 epidemic.

Background: We describe the epidemiology of COVID-19 in South Africa following importation and during implementation of stringent lockdown measures.

Methods: Using national surveillance data including demographics, laboratory test data, clinical presentation, risk exposures (travel history, contacts and occupation) and outcomes of persons undergoing COVID-19 testing or hospitalised with COVID-19 at sentinel surveillance sites, we generated and interpreted descriptive statistics, epidemic curves, and initial reproductive numbers (Rt).

Findings: From 4 March to 30 April 2020, 271,670 SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests were performed (462 tests/100,000 persons).

A novel granular sludge-based and highly corrosion-resistant bio-concrete in sewers.

Bio-concrete is known for its self-healing capacity although the corrosion resistance was not investigated previously. This study presents an innovative bio-concrete by mixing anaerobic granular sludge into concrete to mitigate sewer corrosion. The control concrete and bio-concrete (with granular sludge at 1% and 2% of the cement weight) were partially submerged in a corrosion chamber for 6 months, simulating the tidal-region corrosion in sewers.

Co-digestion of primary sewage sludge with drinking water treatment sludge: A comprehensive evaluation of benefits.

Anaerobic co-digestion of primary sludge with two types of drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS), namely iron- or aluminum-rich DWTS (Fe- or Al-DWTS) were systematically evaluated by biochemical methane potential tests, kinetic modelling, downstream process parameters and microbial community analysis. Specific methane yields decreased approximately 19% to 123 mL·g VS, while the hydrolysis constant k decreased from 0.21 d to 0.

COVID-19: lessons and experiences from South Africa's first surge.

On 5 March 2020, South Africa recorded its first case of imported COVID-19. Since then, cases in South Africa have increased exponentially with significant community transmission. A multisectoral approach to containing and mitigating the spread of SARS-CoV-2 was instituted, led by the South African National Department of Health.