The impact of mild COVID-19 on medium-term respiratory function.

Background: There is a paucity of evidence on the impact of mild COVID-19 on the respiratory system, particularly in non-healthcare seeking individuals.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of mild COVID-19 on respiratory function and to identify indicators of decreased lung function.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in 175 non-healthcare-seeking individuals with confirmed acute SARS-CoV-2 infection who did not require hospitalisation.

Retinal Vessel Functional Responses in South Africans Living With and Without HIV: The EndoAfrica-NWU Study.

Objectives: The effects of HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART) on microvascular function are poorly explored. We compared retinal vessel functional responses to flicker light-induced provocation (FLIP) in people living with HIV (PLWH) and people living without HIV (PLWoutH).

Methods: We included 115 PLWH and 51 PLWoutH with a median age of 41 years.

The temporal relationship between body composition and cardiometabolic profiles in an HIV-infected (on antiretroviral therapy) versus HIV-free Western Cape study population.

Cardiovascular risk is a health concern in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH). This longitudinal study (baseline vs 36 months) aimed to investigate the relationship between body composition and markers of cardiovascular risk in a South African study population [HIV free, = 22 vs HIV positive on antiretroviral therapy (HIV+ART), = 73)]. Health questionnaires, anthropometric measurements, biochemical analyses and flow-mediated dilation were performed.

No Association Between Gene Polymorphisms with Hypertension in a South African Population.

Purpose: Hypertension is a leading cause of cardiovascular-related morbidity and mortality worldwide, with a prevalence increasing at an alarming rate in both middle- and low-income countries. Various environmental and genetic factors have been attributed to play a significant role in the increasing prevalence of hypertension. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the angiotensinogen () gene are reported to have a significant association with hypertension; however, there are limited studies done on South African populations.

People living with HIV display increased anti-apolipoprotein A1 auto-antibodies, inflammation, and kynurenine metabolites: a case-control study.

Objective: This study aimed to study the relationship between auto-antibodies against apolipoprotein A1 (anti-apoA1 IgG), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, anti-retroviral therapy (ART), and the tryptophan pathways in HIV-related cardiovascular disease.

Design: This case-control study conducted in South Africa consisted of control volunteers ( = 50), people living with HIV (PLWH) on ART ( = 50), and untreated PLWH ( = 44). Cardiovascular risk scores were determined, vascular measures were performed, and an extensive biochemical characterisation (routine, metabolomic, and inflammatory systemic profiles) was performed.

Immunologic and vascular biomarkers of mortality in critical COVID-19 in a South African cohort.

Introduction: Biomarkers predicting mortality among critical Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients provide insight into the underlying pathophysiology of fatal disease and assist with triaging of cases in overburdened settings. However, data describing these biomarkers in Sub-Saharan African populations are sparse.

Methods: We collected serum samples and corresponding clinical data from 87 patients with critical COVID-19 on day 1 of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recombinant Endostatin as a Potential Radiosensitizer in the Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most prevalent type of lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Over the past decades, tumour angiogenesis has been intensely studied in the treatment of NSCLC due to its fundamental role in cancer progression. Several anti-angiogenic drugs, such as recombinant endostatin (RE), have been evaluated in several preclinical and clinical trials, with mixed and often disappointing results.

Concentrations of Efavirenz, Tenofovir, and Emtricitabine in Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Obesity is increasing worldwide including in people living with HIV (PLWH). Antiretroviral pharmacokinetic data in obesity are limited.

Objectives: To measure antiretroviral drug concentrations in obese and nonobese PLWH treated with the fixed-dose combination of efavirenz-tenofovir-emtricitabine.

Cardiovascular Profile of South African Adults with Low-Level Viremia during Antiretroviral Therapy.

Chronic inflammation is an HIV infection feature, contributing to elevated risk of cardiovascular disease among people with HIV, which can be induced by viral replication. A proportion of antiretroviral therapy (ART) recipients fail to achieve viral suppression, despite not meeting criteria for treatment failure, so-called low-level viremia (LLV). We investigated the relationship between LLV and an array of cardiovascular measures and biomarkers.

Physical Exercise Potentially Targets Epicardial Adipose Tissue to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Patients with Metabolic Diseases: Oxidative Stress and Inflammation Emerge as Major Therapeutic Targets.

Excess epicardial adiposity, within a state of obesity and metabolic syndrome, is emerging as an important risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Accordingly, increased epicardial fat thickness (EFT) implicates the exacerbation of pathological mechanisms involving oxidative stress and inflammation within the heart, which may accelerate the development of CVDs. This explains increased interest in targeting EFT reduction to attenuate the detrimental effects of oxidative stress and inflammation within the setting of metabolic syndrome.

A systematic review exploring the significance of measuring epicardial fat thickness in correlation to B-type natriuretic peptide levels as prognostic and diagnostic markers in patients with or at risk of heart failure.

Emerging evidence suggests that epicardial fat thickness (EFT) may be a critical feature to understand cardiac health and determine the risk of heart failure. The current review critically assesses and discusses evidence on the efficiency of measuring EFT, in comparison to the well-known markers B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and its N-terminal fragment pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), as a prognostic and diagnostic approach in individuals with or at risk of heart failure. A systematic approach was undertaken to search major databases, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and the Cochrane library to identify studies that quantified EFT and serum BNP/NT-proBNP levels in individuals with or at risk of heart failure.

Mobility Deviations in Adults With Human Immunodeficiency Virus: A Cross-Sectional Assessment Using Gait Analysis, Functional Performance, and Self-Report.

Background: Little is known about how human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects walking biomechanics, or about associations between HIV-related gait deviations, functional performance, and self-reported outcomes. This paper reports on (1) gait biomechanics and variability in people with HIV (PWH) and (2) associations with clinical tests, self-reported function, and falls.

Methods: A cross-sectional study tested consecutively sampled PWH (n = 50) and HIV-seronegative participants ([SNP] n = 50).

Comparison of endothelial function and cardiometabolic profiles of people living with HIV in two South African regions: the EndoAfrica study.

Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) are at risk for cardiovascular disease, but regional differences have not been studied in South Africa. We compared endothelial function and cardiometabolic markers in PLWH and HIV-free controls from two distinct South African regions.

Methods: We measured flow-mediated dilation (FMD), cardiometabolic, immunological and viral markers in age- and gender-matched PLWH on antiretroviral therapy ( = 100/group) and HIV-free participants ( = 50/group) in samples from cohort studies in the North West and Western Cape provinces.

Cardiovascular effects of air pollution: current evidence from animal and human studies.

Air pollution is a global health concern. Particulate matter (PM), a component of ambient air pollution, has been identified by the World Health Organization as one of the pollutants that poses the greatest threat to public health. Cardiovascular health effects have been extensively documented, and these effects are still being researched to provide an overview of recent literature regarding air pollution-associated cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in humans.

Relationship between Endothelial Function, Antiretroviral Treatment and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in HIV Patients of African Descent in South Africa: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Limited information on the effect of antiretroviral treatment (ART) on vascular function in South Africans of African descent living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is available. The relationship between ART, vascular function and cardiovascular risk factors in South Africans of African ancestry with HIV was therefore studied. This cross-sectional study recruited 146 HIV-positive individuals on ART (HIVART), 163 HIV-positive individuals not on ART (HIVART) and 171 individuals without HIV (HIV) in Mthatha, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.

Vascular health assessment with flow-mediated dilatation and retinal image analysis: a pilot study in an adult population from Cape Town.

Aim: Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and retinal vascular analysis (RVA) may assist in predicting cardiovascular disease (CVD) but are poorly characterised in South Africa. We recorded baseline FMD and retinal vascular widths in healthy participants, and investigated associations with cardiovascular risk factors.

Methods: Endothelial function (measured with FMD), microvascular structure (evaluated via fundus image analysis) and major CVD risk factors were assessed in 66 participants from Cape Town.

HIV-related cardiovascular disease: any role for high-density lipoproteins?

The introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has improved the life expectancy of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, this population is at an increased risk for noncommunicable diseases, including atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). Both ART and viral infection may be potential contributors to the pathophysiology of HIV-related CVD.

Vascular function and cardiovascular risk in a HIV infected and HIV free cohort of African ancestry: baseline profile, rationale and methods of the longitudinal EndoAfrica-NWU study.

Background: People living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (PLHIV) have an increased susceptibility to develop non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). Infection with HIV contributes to the development of CVD independent of traditional risk factors, with endothelial dysfunction being the central physiological mechanism. While HIV-related mortality is declining due to antiretroviral treatment (ART), the number of deaths due to CVD is rising in South Africa - the country with the highest number of PLHIV and the world's largest ART programme.

Rooibos () protects against nicotineinduced vascular injury and oxidative stress in Wistar rats.

Background: Rooibos () is an indigenous South African plant, traditionally used by the local population as a remedy against several ailments. More recently, rooibos was shown to exhibit potent antioxidant properties, attributed to its polyphenols. We assessed whether treatment with fermented rooibos (RF), unfermented rooibos (RUF) and melatonin (Mel), a well-documented antioxidant included for comparison, could counter the harmful vascular and pro-oxidant effects of nicotine.

Personal exposure to NO and benzene in the Cape Town region of South Africa is associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length in women.

Air pollution exposure is a major global health concern and has been associated with molecular aging. Unfortunately, the situation has not received much attention in the African region. The aim of this study was to investigate whether current personal ambient NO and benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene and xylenes (ortho (o)-, meta (m)- and para (p)-xylene (BTEX) exposure is associated with leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a marker of molecular ageing, in apparently healthy women (mean ± SD age: 42.

Fall History and Associated Factors Among Adults Living With HIV-1 in the Cape Winelands, South Africa: An Exploratory Investigation.

Background: People with HIV-1 (PWH) exhibit a high fall incidence and increased fracture risk. As little is known about fall frequency and associated factors in PWH residing in lower-middle-income countries (LMIC), we investigated fall frequency, bone quality, and factors associated with fall history in a South African cohort.

Methods: Fifty PWH without obvious predisposing factors for mobility impairments attending 2 public primary care clinics in the Western Cape region participated.

Antiretroviral drug-induced endothelial dysfunction is improved by dual PPARα/γ stimulation in obesity.

Obesity rates are rising in HIV-infected populations; however, the putative role of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the development of endothelial and cardiovascular derangements in the presence of pre-existing overweight/obesity is unclear. Although dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors-alpha/gamma (PPARα/γ) stimulation mitigates HAART-induced metabolic dysfunction, vascular effects are unresolved. To investigate whether HAART induces vascular dysfunction in obesity and to explore the underlying mechanisms of PPARα/γ stimulation, male Wistar rats were placed on a high-calorie diet for 16 weeks.

Personal NO and Volatile Organic Compounds Exposure Levels are Associated with Markers of Cardiovascular Risk in Women in the Cape Town Region of South Africa.

Exposure to ambient NO and benzene, toluene ethyl-benzene and m+p- and o-xylenes (BTEX) is associated with adverse cardiovascular effects, but limited information is available on the effects of personal exposure to these compounds in South African populations. This 6-month follow-up study aims to determine 7-day personal ambient NO and BTEX exposure levels via compact passive diffusion samplers in female participants from Cape Town, and investigate whether exposure levels are associated with cardiovascular risk markers. Overall, the measured air pollutant exposure levels were lower compared to international standards.

Ambient air pollution and health in Sub-Saharan Africa: Current evidence, perspectives and a call to action.

Background: People from low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected by the global burden of adverse health effects caused by ambient air pollution (AAP). However, data from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are still scarce. We systematically reviewed the literature to describe the existing knowledge on AAP and health outcomes in SSA.