Proteomic and peptidomic profiling of spirulina-fortified probiotic powder formulations during in vitro digestion.

This study reports on the influence of lactic acid fermentation on the proteomic and peptidomic profiles of spirulina protein isolate (SPI)-fortified, freeze-dried powders containing living Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) cells during in vitro digestion. For comparison, powders fortified with whey protein isolate (WPI) and pea protein isolate (PPI) were also evaluated. Prior to freeze-drying, the powder precursors were either non-treated or fermented.

Engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae for application in integrated bioprocessing biorefineries.

After decades of research and development, no organism - natural or engineered - has been described that can produce commodity products through direct microbial conversion to meet industry demands in terms of rates and yields. Variation in lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) feedstocks, the lack of a widely applicable pretreatment method, and the limited economic value of energy products further complicates second-generation biofuel production. Nevertheless, the emergence of advanced genomic editing tools and a more comprehensive understanding of yeast metabolic systems offer promising avenues for the creation of yeast strains tailored to LCB biorefineries.

Impact of Flaxseed Gums on the Colloidal Changes and In Vitro Digestibility of Milk Proteins.

Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) mucilage is one of the most studied plant seed gums in terms of its techno-functional and health-promoting properties. Nonetheless, the interplay of flaxseed gum (FG) with other food biopolymers, such as milk proteins, under in vitro digestion conditions remains underexplored.

A South African Epidemiological Study of Fatal Drownings: 2016-2021.

Drowning is a serious public health concern. Low-and-middle-income countries are the most affected by drowning, as they carry 90% of the global drowning burden. The purpose of this retrospective epidemiological study is to provide an overview of fatal drownings in South Africa between 2016 and 2021.

Structure conformation, physicochemical and rheological properties of flaxseed gums extracted under alkaline and acidic conditions.

The present work aimed at investigating an extraction protocol based on consecutive steps of isoelectric point (pH ~ 4.25) mediated gum swelling and deproteinisation as an alternative method to produce flaxseed gum extracts of enhanced techno-functional characteristics. The osidic and proximate composition, structure conformation, flow behaviour, dynamic rheological and thermal properties of gums isolated from brown and golden flaxseeds were assessed.

Cryotropic gel-forming capacity of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum) seed galactomannans.

Cryotropic gelation is one of the most common approaches to design novel hydrogels with multifaceted technological and biological functionalities. In the present paper, we studied the ability of highly galactosyl-substituted galactomannans, i.e.

Nanomedicine for drug delivery in South Africa: a protocol for systematic review.

Background: The emergence of nanomedicine in the past decade has changed the landscape of disease diagnosis and treatment. Nanomedicine makes use of nanostructures for applications in different fields of medicine, including drug delivery, biosensors, neuro-electronic interfaces, in vivo imaging, and cell-specific molecular interactions. Despite its relative infancy, nanomedicine has generated a significant body of research as evidenced by peer reviewed literature and several patents.

The Impact of mHealth Interventions on Breast Cancer Awareness and Screening: Systematic Review Protocol.

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) is the use of mobile communication technologies to promote health by supporting health care practices (eg, health data collection, delivery of health care information). mHealth technologies (such as mobile phones) can be used effectively by health care practitioners in the distribution of health information and have the potential to improve access to and quality of health care, as well as reduce the cost of health services. Current literature shows limited scientific evidence related to the benefits of mHealth interventions for breast cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide and contributes a large proportion of all cancer deaths, especially in developing countries.

The impact of mHealth interventions on health systems: a systematic review protocol.

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) has been described as a health enabling tool that impacts positively on the health system in terms of improved access, quality and cost of health care. The proposed systematic review will examine the impact of mHealth on health systems by assessing access, quality and cost of health care as indicators.

Methods: The systematic review will include literature from various sources including published and unpublished/grey literature.

Peer influences on internalizing and externalizing problems among adolescents: a longitudinal social network analysis.

Adolescents who like each other may become more similar to each other with regard to internalizing and externalizing problems, though it is not yet clear which social mechanisms explain these similarities. In this longitudinal study, we analyzed four mechanisms that may explain similarity in adolescent peer networks with regard to externalizing and internalizing problems: selection, socialization, avoidance and withdrawal. At three moments during one school-year, we asked 542 adolescents (8th grade, M-age = 13.

A review of ICT systems for HIV/AIDS and anti-retroviral treatment management in South Africa.

Telemedicine and e-health systems have been proposed as a support tool, to monitor and evaluate HIV/AIDS management strategies. The aim of the present study was to provide an overview of telemedicine and e-health systems for HIV/AIDS in South Africa as a basis for developing an e-health toolkit for anti-retroviral treatment (ART). An initial literature review and a subsequent interactive networking approach were chosen to identify telemedicine and e-health systems, projects and services for HIV/AIDS and ART facilities in low-resource settings and under-served areas.

Tele-cardiology.

After defining tele-medicine, we describe its situation in the public health service of South Africa and its application to cardiology. Methods of communication relevant to tele-cardiology are outlined, together with their bearing on primary healthcare. The range of tele-cardiological applications to electrocardiology, echocardiology, auscultation, imaging and pathology are indicated.

Sensitivity of glaciers and small ice caps to greenhouse warming.

Recent field programs on glaciers have supplied information that makes simulation of glacier mass balance with meteorological models meaningful. An estimate of world-wide glacier sensitivity based on a modeling study of 12 selected glaciers situated in widely differing climatic regimes shows that for a uniform 1 K warming the area-weighted glacier mass balance will decrease by 0.40 meter per year.

Hybridization studies of fibroblasts from Hurler, Scheie, and Hurler/Scheie compound patients: support for the hypothesis of allelic mutants.

Heterokaryons were made by fusion of alpha-L-iduronidase-deficient fibroblasts from patients with the Hurler, Scheie, or Hurler/Scheie compound syndrome. The fused cell populations remained alpha-L-iduronidase deficient and accumulated 35S-labeled glycosaminoglycans (35S-GAG) to the same extent as the parental cells strains. Also, when 35S-GAG accumulation was studied by autoradiography at the level of single bi- and multinuclear hybrid cells, no evidence was found for genetic complementation.

Pericellular glycosaminoglycans in cultured human cells. A possible source of error in prenatal diagnosis of mucopolysaccharidoses.

Normal fibroblasts and amniotic fluid cells, and cells from patients with Mucopolysaccharidosis type I and II, were cultured in the presence of 35SO4. After harvesting by trypsinization, the radioactivity was recovered from the intracellular and pericellular pool of glycosaminoglycans. The amount of incorporated radioactivity in these respective pools was 1 : 2.

Autoradiographic detection of mucopolysaccharide accumulation in single fibroblasts.

A method is described for localizing acid mucopolysaccharides autoradiographically in cultured cells. Normal fibroblasts and fibroblasts, from patients suffering from Mucopolysaccharidosis II disease (MPS II), were cultured for six days in the presence of 35SO4 and one day in unlabelled medium. The cultured cells were transferred to plastic film dish and, after settling, they were rapidly quenched, freeze-dried, fixed in osmium tetroxide vapour and embedded in Epon.