Knowledge, practices, and self-reported health outcomes related to chemical use and safety among beauty salons and parlor workers in Polokwane, Limpopo Province.

Introduction: daily, workers in beauty salons and parlors use different cosmetic products made of various chemicals. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, practices, and self-reported health outcomes related to chemical use and safety among workers in beauty salons and parlors.

Methods: a quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 145 participants, randomly selected using a simple random sampling design.

Drug administration errors among anaesthesia providers in South Africa: a cross-sectional descriptive study.

Background: Drug administration errors (DAEs) in anaesthesia are common, the aetiology multifactorial and though mostly inconsequential, some lead to substantial harm. The extend of DAEs remain poorly quantified and effective implementation of prevention strategies sparse.

Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using a peer-reviewed survey questionnaire, circulated to 2217 anaesthetists via a national communication platform.

Evaluating the Prevalence and Risk Factors of Schistosomiasis Amongst School-Aged Children in Low- and Middle-Income Communities: Ehlanzeni District Municipality, South Africa, 2015-2021.

This study aimed to assess the prevalence and identify risk factors of schistosomiasis among school-aged children in low- and middle-income communities. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to review patient records of school-age children. Data on gender, age, sub-district, area residing in, patient status, history of bilharzia, presence of blood in the urine, and schistosomiasis diagnoses were collected.

Infection prevention knowledge and practices among healthcare workers at a health facility in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of infection prevention practices among healthcare workers. Prioritizing this crucial aspect of healthcare can mitigate the spread of infectious diseases and ensure the well-being of our healthcare heroes and their communities. The purpose of the research was to investigate the knowledge and practice of infection prevention and control.

Social and Environmental Determinants of Diarrheal Diseases among Children under Five Years in Epworth Township, Harare.

Children five years or younger in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are severely affected by diarrheal disease, especially in the sub-Saharan region. Hence, this study aimed at determining the prevalence and determinants of diarrhoea disease among children under 5 years in Epworth Township, Zimbabwe. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at a local clinic in Epworth Township, Harare.

The chronic stress risk phenotype mirrored in the human retina as a neurodegenerative condition.

The brain is the key organ that orchestrates the stress response which translates to the retina. The retina is an extension of the brain and retinal symptoms in subjects with neurodegenerative diseases substantiated the eye as a window to the brain. The retina is used in this study to determine whether chronic stress reflects neurodegenerative signs indicative of neurodegenerative conditions.

Health sciences educator's simulation debriefing practice needs: A mixed methods study.

Background: Simulation debriefing influences learning from healthcare simulation activities. Health sciences educators must be competent in conducting simulation debriefing for healthcare students. A structured faculty development intervention for health sciences educators must be informed by educator needs to enhance its utility.

Assessment of Anti-Bacterial Effectiveness of Hand Sanitizers Commonly Used in South Africa.

Hand sanitizers are used as an alternative to hand washing to reduce the number of viable microorganisms when soap and water are not readily available. This study aimed to investigate the anti-bacterial effectiveness of commercially available hand sanitizers and those commonly used in healthcare and community settings. A mapping exercise was done to select and procure different hand sanitizers ( = 18) from retailers.

The link between indoor air pollution from cooking fuels and anemia status among non-pregnant women of reproductive age in Ethiopia.

Objective: The effect of indoor air pollution from different fuel types on the anemia status among non-pregnant women is rarely studied. This study aimed to assess the link between indoor air pollution from different fuel types and anemia among non-pregnant women of reproductive ages in Ethiopia.

Method: The secondary data from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey data have been employed for this study.

A comparison of the effectiveness of QCPR and conventional CPR training in final-year medical students at a South African university.

Introduction: High-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) saves lives. Training on basic first aid manikins allows students to practice manoeuvres and provides realistic resistance to chest compressions. Conventional CPR has no real-time feedback to observe the quality of CPR.

Chemogenomic Fingerprints Associated with Stage-Specific Gametocytocidal Compound Action against Human Malaria Parasites.

Kinase-focused inhibitors previously revealed compounds with differential activity against different stages of gametocytes. MMV666810, a 2-aminopyrazine, is more active on late-stage gametocytes, while a pyrazolopyridine, MMV674850, preferentially targets early-stage gametocytes. Here, we probe the biological mechanisms underpinning this differential stage-specific killing using in-depth transcriptome fingerprinting.

Machine Learning Uses Chemo-Transcriptomic Profiles to Stratify Antimalarial Compounds With Similar Mode of Action.

The rapid development of antimalarial resistance motivates the continued search for novel compounds with a mode of action (MoA) different to current antimalarials. Phenotypic screening has delivered thousands of promising hit compounds without prior knowledge of the compounds' exact target or MoA. Whilst the latter is not initially required to progress a compound in a medicinal chemistry program, identifying the MoA early can accelerate hit prioritization, hit-to-lead optimization and preclinical combination studies in malaria research.

MALBoost: a web-based application for gene regulatory network analysis in Plasmodium falciparum.

Background: Gene Regulatory Networks (GRN) produce powerful insights into transcriptional regulation in cells. The power of GRNs has been underutilized in malaria research. The Arboreto library was incorporated into a user-friendly web-based application for malaria researchers ( http://malboost.

Estimation of rainwater harvesting potential for emergency water demand in the era of COVID-19. The case of Dilla town, Southern, Ethiopia.

Safe and adequate quantity of water is crucial for the implementation of infection prevention and control measures during the prevention of COVID-19. Rainwater harvesting could be an optional water source to fulfill or support the emergency water demand in areas where there is abundant rainfall. The study aimed to assess the rainwater harvesting potential and storage requirements for households and selected institutions and to determine its adequacy to satisfy the emergency water demand for the prevention of COVID-19 in Dilla town, Southern Ethiopia.

A Stress Syndrome Prototype Reflects Type 3 Diabetes and Ischemic Stroke Risk: The SABPA Study.

Type 3 diabetes (T3D) accurately reflects that dementia, e.g., Alzheimer's disease, represents insulin resistance and neurodegeneration in the brain.

Oligomerisation of tryptocidine C, a Trp-rich cyclodecapeptide from the antimicrobial tyrothricin complex.

Tryptocidine C (TpcC, cyclo[D-Phe-Pro-Trp-D-Trp-Asn-Gln-Trp-Val-Orn-Leu]) is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptide in the tyrothricin complex produced by a soil bacterium, Brevibacillus parabrevis. Electrospray mass spectrometric studies reveal the oligomerisation of TpcC into dimers and higher oligomers, analogous to tyrocidine C (TrcC, Trp replaced by Tyr). Ion mobility mass spectrometry (IMMS) further confirms the formation of stable peptide dimers and tetramers with diameters of 2.

Delayed retinal vein recovery responses indicate both non-adaptation to stress as well as increased risk for stroke: the SABPA study.

Objectives: Low or high sympatho-adrenal-medullary axis (SAM) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) dysregulation reflect chronic stress. Retinal vessel dynamics may relate to SAM, HPA activity and stroke risk. Our objectives were therefore to assess the relationships between retinal vessel, SAM and HPA responses, and to determine stroke risk.

Retinal-glia ischemia and inflammation induced by chronic stress: The SABPA study.

Background: Psychobiological processes linking stress and vascular diseases remain poorly understood. The retina and the brain share a common embryonic-diencephalon origin and blood-barrier physiology e.g.

Hierarchical transcriptional control regulates Plasmodium falciparum sexual differentiation.

Background: Malaria pathogenesis relies on sexual gametocyte forms of the malaria parasite to be transmitted between the infected human and the mosquito host but the molecular mechanisms controlling gametocytogenesis remains poorly understood. Here we provide a high-resolution transcriptome of Plasmodium falciparum as it commits to and develops through gametocytogenesis.

Results: The gametocyte-associated transcriptome is significantly different from that of the asexual parasites, with dynamic gene expression shifts characterizing early, intermediate and late-stage gametocyte development and results in differential timing for sex-specific transcripts.

Inflation of 430-parsec bipolar radio bubbles in the Galactic Centre by an energetic event.

The Galactic Centre contains a supermassive black hole with a mass of four million Suns within an environment that differs markedly from that of the Galactic disk. Although the black hole is essentially quiescent in the broader context of active galactic nuclei, X-ray observations have provided evidence for energetic outbursts from its surroundings. Also, although the levels of star formation in the Galactic Centre have been approximately constant over the past few hundred million years, there is evidence of increased short-duration bursts, strongly influenced by the interaction of the black hole with the enhanced gas density present within the ring-like central molecular zone at Galactic longitude |l| < 0.

Comprehensive Comparative Analysis of Cholesterol Catabolic Genes/Proteins in Mycobacterial Species.

In dealing with , the causative agent of the deadliest human disease-tuberculosis (TB)-utilization of cholesterol as a carbon source indicates the possibility of using cholesterol catabolic genes/proteins as novel drug targets. However, studies on cholesterol catabolism in mycobacterial species are scarce, and the number of mycobacterial species utilizing cholesterol as a carbon source is unknown. The availability of a large number of mycobacterial species' genomic data affords an opportunity to explore and predict mycobacterial species' ability to utilize cholesterol employing methods.

Inducing controlled cell cycle arrest and re-entry during asexual proliferation of Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites.

The life cycle of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is tightly regulated, oscillating between stages of intense proliferation and quiescence. Cyclic 48-hour asexual replication of Plasmodium is markedly different from cell division in higher eukaryotes, and mechanistically poorly understood. Here, we report tight synchronisation of malaria parasites during the early phases of the cell cycle by exposure to DL-α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), which results in the depletion of polyamines.

Potent Plasmodium falciparum gametocytocidal compounds identified by exploring the kinase inhibitor chemical space for dual active antimalarials.

Objectives: Novel chemical tools to eliminate malaria should ideally target both the asexual parasites and transmissible gametocytes. Several imidazopyridazines (IMPs) and 2-aminopyridines (2-APs) have been described as potent antimalarial candidates targeting lipid kinases. However, these have not been extensively explored for stage-specific inhibition of gametocytes in Plasmodium falciparum parasites.

An integrative approach to understanding pyrethroid resistance in Rhipicephalus microplus and R. decoloratus ticks.

Rhipicephalus microplus and Rhipicephalus decoloratus species occur in regions with savannah and temperate climates, typically in grassland and wooded areas used as cattle pasture. Both species are associated with the transmission of Anaplasma and Babesia spp., impacting livestock health and quality of livestock-associated products.