Publications by authors named "E E Nel"

Objectives: To investigate the effects of automatic scene classification (SCAN) on speech perception in noise and real-world functional performance in children using cochlear implants (CIs).

Methods: We used a within-subjects repeated measures design in two studies. The first study assessed speech perception in noise with or without SCAN enabled in 25 school-aged children.

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The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway is a ubiquitous cellular pathway. mTORopathies, a group of disorders characterized by hyperactivity of the mTORC1 pathway, illustrate the prominent role of the mTOR pathway in disease pathology, often profoundly affecting the central nervous system. One of the most debilitating symptoms of mTORopathies is drug-resistant epilepsy, emphasizing the urgent need for a deeper understanding of disease mechanisms to develop novel anti-epileptic drugs.

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Article Synopsis
  • Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a rising concern in individuals living with HIV, specifically impacting children with perinatally acquired HIV (PHIV) on antiretroviral therapy (ART).
  • A study followed 263 children over two years, comparing those with PHIV on older ART regimens and those switched to a newer regimen (TLD) with children without HIV (HU).
  • Results indicated that PHIV on older ART had significantly higher controlled attenuation parameters (CAP) suggesting greater liver fat compared to HU, but those switched to TLD showed no differences, indicating early ART intervention may help prevent liver damage.
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Context: In 2020, 13.6 million children under 5 years suffered from severe acute malnutrition (SAM)/wasting. Standard ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) improve polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) status but contain suboptimal amounts of omega-3 (n-3) PUFAs with unbalanced n-6-to-n-3 PUFA ratios.

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Introduction Appropriate complementary feeding is important for the normal growth and development of children. This study aimed to describe the complementary feeding practices and identify suboptimal practices that would be possible targets for intervention to improve practices among mothers of infants aged six weeks to one year in Western Cape Province, South Africa. Methods This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the emergency unit of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health of Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa, between May 2017 and June 2017 among 110 mothers and their infants.

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