Post-operative epidural haematoma as complication of overconsumption of dried fruit in lumbar spinal surgery: a case report and review of the literature.

Purpose: Mebos, a traditional South Africa confection consisting of dried, pulped, and sugared apricots, is rich in fibre and vitamins, but also contains salicylic acid, flavonoids, and citric acid. We report a case of postoperative surgical site bleeding in a healthy patient who consumed approximately 2 kg of mebos per day prior to his elective spinal surgery.

Methods: The clinical course of a previously healthy 54-year-old male patient with cauda equina syndrome secondary to lumbar spinal stenosis who underwent surgical intervention with subsequent bleeding into the surgical site is discussed.

Metabolomic profiling of wild rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) ecotypes and their antioxidant-derived phytopharmaceutical potential.

Introduction: Aspalathus linearis (commonly known as rooibos) is endemic to the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa and is a popular herbal drink and skin phytotherapeutic ingredient, with health benefits derived primarily from its unique phenolic content. Several, seemingly habitat-specific ecotypes from the Cederberg (Western Cape) and Northern Cape have morphological, ecological, genetic and biochemical differences.

Objectives And Methods: Despite the commercial popularity of the cultivated variety, the uncultivated ecotypes are largely understudied.

Stevens' Cure (Umckaloabo)-the vindication of a patent medicine.

Stevens' Cure (Umckaloabo) emerged as a patent medicine claiming to treat tuberculosis in the United Kingdom at the beginning of the 20th century. However, due to its identity being shrouded in secrecy, it was never truly accepted by the medical community. It was "rediscovered" in the 1970s and subsequently developed into a very popular and successful phytopharmaceutical for the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections.

SHoC-IVC: Does assessment of the inferior vena cava by point-of-care ultrasound independently predict fluid status in spontaneously breathing patients with undifferentiated hypotension?

Background: Accurately determining the fluid status of a patient during resuscitation in the emergency department (ED) helps guide appropriate fluid administration in the setting of undifferentiated hypotension. Our goal was to determine the diagnostic utility of point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) for inferior vena cava (IVC) size and collapsibility in predicting a volume overload fluid status in spontaneously breathing hypotensive ED patients.

Methods: This was a post hoc secondary analysis of the SHOC-ED data, a prospective randomized controlled trial investigating PoCUS in patients with undifferentiated hypotension.

Exploratory data fusion of untargeted multimodal LC-HRMS with annotation by LCMS-TOF-ion mobility: White wine case study.

Applied sciences have increased focus on omics studies which merge data science with analytical tools. These studies often result in large amounts of data produced and the objective is to generate meaningful interpretations from them. This can sometimes mean combining and integrating different datasets through data fusion techniques.

Does point-of-care ultrasonography improve diagnostic accuracy in emergency department patients with undifferentiated hypotension? An international randomized controlled trial from the SHOC-ED investigators.

Purpose: Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) is an established tool in the management of hypotensive patients in the emergency department (ED). We compared the diagnostic accuracy of a POCUS protocol versus standard assessment without POCUS in patients with undifferentiated hypotension.

Methods: This was an international, multicenter randomized controlled trial included three EDs in North America and three in South Africa from September 2012 to December 2016.

Budget Impact Analysis of Empagliflozin in the Treatment of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes With Established Cardiovascular Disease in South Africa.

Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the budget impact and affordability of empagliflozin added to usual care compared with usual care alone, in a diabetic population with established cardiovascular disease, from a private healthcare payer perspective in South Africa.

Methods: A budget impact model was adapted and localized. Epidemiological data were obtained from the South African Council for Medical Schemes.

Essential Oil Composition and Traditional Uses of , a Poorly Known Medicinal Plant from Namaqualand, South Africa.

South Africa has a rich history of medicinal plant species and their documented uses as traditional medicines, and is also home to three well-known, blue-flowered sage species of ethnobotanical importance. The Namaqualand () has so far remained unstudied and apparently overlooked. Our study is the first to report on the essential oil chemistry of this medicinally relevant species and provide a comparison with the other two (well-studied) closely related Cape ( and ).

Corrigendum: Mass spectrometry metabolomics and feature-based molecular networking reveals population-specific chemistry in some species of the genus.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.

Authentic leadership and flourishing: Do trust in the organization and organizational support matter during times of uncertainty?

This study investigated the influence of authentic leadership on employee flourishing while considering the potential mediating effect of trust in the organization and organizational support as underlying mechanisms in an uncertain setting. To examine the relationship between authentic leadership and employee flourishing by evaluating the indirect effect of organizational support and trust in the organization as potential mediators. An authentic leadership approach, organizational support, and trust in the organization may influence the flourishing of employees in uncertain times.

Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Metabolomic Characterization of Blanched Pomegranate Peel Extracts: Effect of Cultivar.

Hot water blanching at 80 °C for 3 min can be used as a novel pre-treatment step in pomegranate peel to preserve the integrity of the phytochemical content within the peel extracts by lowering or inactivating enzymes such as polyphenol (PPO) oxidase and peroxidase (POD) that are responsible for the break-down of phytochemicals within the peel. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hot water blanching pre-treatment on yield, bioactive compounds, antioxidants, enzyme inactivation, and antibacterial activity of ‘Wonderful’, ‘Acco’, and ‘Herskawitz’ pomegranate peel extracts. We used a variety of spectrophotometric-based assays and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based approach to characterize and quantify metabolites within the peel extracts.

Authentic Leadership, Trust (in the Leader), and Flourishing: Does Precariousness Matter?

Orientation: This study employed a second stage moderated mediation analysis to investigate the influence of authentic leadership on employee flourishing via trust in the leader (mediating variable) and job overload (moderating variable).

Research Purpose: To explore the relationship between authentic leadership and flourishing by considering the indirect effect of trust in the leader as potentially moderated by job overload.

Motivation For The Study: An authentic leadership style, trust in the leader, and job overload may impact employee flourishing.

Mass Spectrometry Metabolomics and Feature-Based Molecular Networking Reveals Population-Specific Chemistry in Some Species of the Genus.

The genus has been of medicinal importance in southern Africa for millennia and (Aizoaceae), one of eight species in the genus has gained pharmaceutical importance as an anxiolytic and anti-depressant due to the presence of mesembrine alkaloids. is used for the manufacture of herbal teas, dietary supplements and other phytopharmaceutical products. This study aimed to provide a metabolomic characterization of and its sister species as these are not easy to distinguish using morphology alone.

Ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to travelling wave ion mobility-time of flight mass spectrometry for the screening of pharmaceutical metabolites in wastewater samples: Application to antiretrovirals.

The presence of pharmaceutical compounds in the aquatic environment is a significant environmental health concern, which is exacerbated by recent evidence of the contribution of drug metabolites to the overall pharmaceutical load. In light of a recent report of the occurrence of metabolites of antiretroviral drugs (ARVDs) in wastewater, we investigate in the present work the occurrence of further ARVD metabolites in samples obtained from a domestic wastewater treatment plant in the Western Cape, South Africa. Pharmacokinetic data indicate that ARVDs are biotransformed into several positional isomeric metabolites, only two of which have been reported wastewater samples.

Sonographic Findings of Left Ventricular Dysfunction to Predict Shock Type in Undifferentiated Hypotensive Patients: An Analysis From the Sonography in Hypotension and Cardiac Arrest in the Emergency Department (SHoC-ED) Study.

Introduction Patients that present to the emergency department (ED) with undifferentiated hypotension have a high mortality rate. Hypotension can be divided into four categories: obstructive, hypovolemic, distributive, and cardiogenic. While it is possible to have overlapping or concomitant shock states, being able to differentiate between cardiogenic shock and the other categories is important as it entails a different treatment regime and extra cautions.

Blanching Pre-Treatment Promotes High Yields, Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidants, Enzyme Inactivation and Antibacterial Activity of 'Wonderful' Pomegranate Peel Extracts at Three Different Harvest Maturities.

'Wonderful' pomegranate ( L.) peel contains a wide range of phytochemicals including vitamins, dietary fibre, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant properties. Yet, it is often used as animal feed or discarded in landfills, which is not the best eco-friendly way to utilize this phenolic-rich bioresource.

Positive Psychological Coaching Tools and Techniques: A Systematic Review and Classification.

Positive psychological coaching (PPC) has emerged as a popular "paradigm" for practitioners interested in the professional development of people. A recent review consolidated the literature on PPC and produced a 5-phase positive psychological coaching model aimed at facilitating professional growth. However, little is known about practically operationalizing each phase of the coaching process (i.

A link between urease and polyamine metabolism in Cryptococcus neoformans.

The urease enzyme of Cryptococcus neoformans is linked to different metabolic pathways within the yeast cell, several of which are involved in polyamine metabolism. Cryptococcal biogenic amine production is, however, largely unexplored and is yet to be investigated in relation to urease. The aim of this study was therefore to explore and compare polyamine metabolism in wild-type, urease-negative and urease-reconstituted strains of C.

A photoswitchable GPCR-based opsin for presynaptic inhibition.

Optical manipulations of genetically defined cell types have generated significant insights into the dynamics of neural circuits. While optogenetic activation has been relatively straightforward, rapid and reversible synaptic inhibition has proven more elusive. Here, we leveraged the natural ability of inhibitory presynaptic GPCRs to suppress synaptic transmission and characterize parapinopsin (PPO) as a GPCR-based opsin for terminal inhibition.

Profiling the Production of Antimicrobial Secondary Metabolites by J194 Under Different Culturing Conditions.

Species from the genus endosymbiotic bacteria of nematodes, produce several antibacterial and antifungal compounds, some of which are anti-parasitic. In this study, we report on the effect growth conditions have on the production of antimicrobial compounds produced by J194. The strain was cultured in aerated and non-aerated broth, respectively, and on solid media.

Fatal pyrrolizidine alkaloid poisoning of infants caused by adulterated Senecio coronatus.

Senecio coronatus (known as izonkozonko and ubulibazi in Zulu) is commonly used in traditional medicine in South Africa as purification purgative and enemas for infants during weaning. We show for the first time that this species does not contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids and that reported cases of fatal hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome in infants were caused by wrongly identified Senecio species containing large amounts of retrorsine-N-oxide. A validated ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for the detection and quantitation of pyrrolizidine alkaloids is described.

Recent applications of ion mobility spectrometry in natural product research.

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is a rapid separation technique capable of extracting complementary structural information to chromatography and mass spectrometry (MS). IMS, especially in combination with MS, has experienced inordinate growth in recent years as an analytical technique, and elicited intense interest in many research fields. In natural product analysis, IMS shows promise as an additional tool to enhance the performance of analytical methods used to identify promising drug candidates.