2,318 results match your criteria: "Rhodes University[Affiliation]"

Zambia's battle against cholera outbreaks and the path to public health resilience: a narrative review.

J Water Health

December 2024

Institute for Water Research (IWR), Rhodes University, Old Geology Building (off Artillery Road), P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.

In Zambia, cholera has been a persistent public health concern for decades, mainly attributed to inadequate sanitation and restricted access to clean water in some parts of the country. The literature was collected from PubMed, Google Scholar, and public health organization websites, focusing on cholera outbreaks in Zambia since 2000. Key search terms included 'cholera prevention' and 'Zambia outbreaks.

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In a hyperconnected world, framing and managing biological invasions poses complex and contentious challenges, affecting socioeconomic and environmental sectors. This complexity distinguishes the field and fuels polarized debates. In the present article, we synthesize four contentious issues in invasion science that are rarely addressed together: vocabulary usage, the potential benefits of nonnative species, perceptions shifting because of global change, and rewilding practices and biological invasions.

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Plastic pollution and marine mussels: Unravelling disparities in research efforts, biological effects and influences of global warming.

Sci Total Environ

December 2024

Université de Lille, CNRS, Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station marine de Wimereux, F-59000 Lille, France; Department of Marine Resources and Energy, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 4-5-7 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan; Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.

The ever-growing contamination of the environment by plastics is a major scientific and societal concern. Specifically, the study of microplastics (1 μm to 5 mm), nanoplastics (< 1 μm), and their leachates is a critical research area as they have the potential to cause detrimental effects, especially when they impact key ecological species. Marine mussels, as ecosystem engineers and filter feeders, are particularly vulnerable to this type of pollution.

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Alginate, a polysaccharide found in brown seaweeds, has regularly gained attention for its potential use as a source of bioactive compounds. However, it is structurally complex with a high molecular weight, limiting its application. Alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) are small, soluble fragments, making them more bioavailable.

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Probing the anticancer activities of facial trioxorhenium and tricarbonylrhenium compounds with heterocyclic ligands.

Chem Biol Interact

December 2024

Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Science, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa. Electronic address:

The cytotoxicity of four rhenium compounds: fac-[ReO(impy)CH] (1) (impy = 2-(1H-imidazole-2-yl)pyridine), fac-[Re(CO)(bzimpy)Cl] (2) (bzimpy = 2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazole), fac-[Re(CO)(bibzimpy)Cl] (3) (bibzimpy = 2,6-bis(2-benzimidazolyl)pyridine) and fac-[Re(CO)(impy)Cl] (4) was assessed against cancer cell lines, namely, the cervical hormone-responsive HeLa and the triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) HCC70 lines versus a non-tumorigenic control breast epithelial cell line, MCF12A. A rare facial trioxorhenium(VII) compound 1 was characterized via various physicochemical techniques. The rhenium compounds 1-4 were, in general, more cytotoxic to HeLa cells, compared to the TNBC HCC70 line, displaying half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC) values in the micromolar range, however, the compounds were not convincingly selective for cancer cells over non-cancerous cells.

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Through the definition of risk management and its interpretation in multidimensional protection of humans and animals in emergencies and during disasters, in this article, the authors focus on the ethical links between human well-being and animal welfare in emergency and disaster risk management. Coronavirus disease 2019 and its impact on animal welfare are used to consistently demonstrate the link between human well-being and animal welfare. Examples of international legal and ethical norms are provided to demonstrate the need for protecting humans and animals in emergencies and disasters, such as the proposed Universal Declaration of Animal Welfare.

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Atractoscion macrolepis was described as a species separate to A. aequidens, distinguished by a geographically-separated distribution, genetic evidence and a diagnostic meristic character: the number of pored lateral line scales. However, the distinction of these species and description of A.

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Relictorygmus Seidel, Minoshima, Arriaga-Varela & Fikáček, 2018, the only known African genus of the hydrophilid subfamily Cylominae, currently includes two lentic species from the far southwestern Cape of South Africa. Here Relictorygmus riparius sp. nov.

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Characterization of natural soda ash for dosimetry using thermoluminescence technique.

Appl Radiat Isot

December 2024

Department of Physics, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB 0022, Gaborone, Botswana.

Soda ash, due to its various use for industrial applications, is a phosphor likely to be found in the vicinities of radiation facilities where retrospective dosimetry may be required in the unlikely events of radiation accidents/incidents. The ash is therefore a potential material for retrospective dosimetry using luminescence techniques. In this report, the thermoluminescence characteristics of soda ash from Suan pan, Botswana are presented.

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The study of aquatic animal movements is a rapidly growing field of research, with tracking methodology ever developing and refining. Acoustic telemetry is arguably the most popular method used to study the movements of fish. Despite this method being able to elucidate many aspects of movement behavior, including residency, home range, and migration, among others, one aspect that remains challenging is the study and definition of connectivity, particularly within marine seascapes.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study details the morphology of the Canarian copper fly (Calliphora splendens) and compares it to other Calliphora species found in Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and Macaronesia.
  • * Genetic analysis shows a close connection between C. splendens and several other Calliphora species, while its ability to produce unisexual offspring and its association with the endemic laurel forest habitat highlight its relict nature.
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Hsp70-Hsp90 organising protein (HOP/STIP1) is required for KSHV lytic replication.

J Gen Virol

November 2024

Biomedical Biotechnology Research Unit (BioBRU), Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, Makhanda, 6139, South Africa.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a DNA virus that causes Kaposi's sarcoma, a cancer of endothelial origin. KSHV uses the activity of host molecular chaperones like Hsp70 and Hsp90 for the folding of host and viral proteins required for productive infection. Hsp70 and Hsp90 chaperones form proteostasis networks with several regulatory proteins known as co-chaperones.

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Article Synopsis
  • Visual attention plays a significant role in how both animals and humans interact, with its structure varying by species and the nature of the interaction.
  • Dolphins' cognitive abilities influence how they engage with humans, particularly in terms of visual attention and behavior based on their past experiences and familiarity with individual caretakers.
  • Research shows that while experience affects dolphins' behavior around humans, familiarity leads to longer engagement and a preference for using their right eye to observe known individuals, highlighting the impact of relationship quality on cognitive processing.
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, (L.), and (L.) are abundant plants and widely distributed in the Limpopo, Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal, North West and Mpumalanga provinces in South Africa.

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The J Domain Proteins of , a Zoonotic Malaria Parasite of Humans.

Int J Mol Sci

November 2024

Biomedical Biotechnology Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bioinformatics, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6140, South Africa.

is a zoonotic form of human malaria, the pathology of which is poorly understood. While the J domain protein (JDP) family has been extensively studied in , and shown to contribute to malaria pathology, there is currently very limited information on the JDPs (PkJDPs). This review provides a critical analysis of the literature and publicly available data on PkJDPs.

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It has been argued that domestication explains the ability of domestic animals to use human cues, but similar abilities exist in wild animals repeatedly exposed to humans. Little is known on the importance of the developmental stage of this exposure for developing such abilities. Orphancy and subsequent hand-rearing constitute a quasi-experimental situation for investigating this question.

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The nucleus is a highly organised yet dynamic environment containing distinct membraneless nuclear bodies. This spatial separation enables a subset of components to be concentrated within biomolecular condensates, allowing efficient and discrete processes to occur which regulate cellular function. One such nuclear body, paraspeckles, are comprised of multiple paraspeckle proteins (PSPs) built around the architectural RNA, NEAT1_2.

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Spatial synergies for urban foraging: A South African example.

Ambio

November 2024

Department of Environmental Science, Rhodes University, Makhanda (Grahamstown), South Africa.

Urban foraging for wild plant and animal products is increasingly recognised for its multiple benefits for people and nature stewardship. Planning for foraging in urban greenspace is one way that foraging can be made more accessible, beneficial, and equitable. Here, we explore how foraging could be recognised and provided for in urban municipalities in eastern South Africa.

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Bioinformatics analysis of the Microsporidia sp. MB genome: a malaria transmission-blocking symbiont of the Anopheles arabiensis mosquito.

BMC Genomics

November 2024

Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Bioinformatics, Research Unit in Bioinformatics (RUBi), Rhodes University, Makhanda, 6140, South Africa.

Background: The use of microsporidia as a disease-transmission-blocking tool has garnered significant attention. Microsporidia sp. MB, known for its ability to block malaria development in mosquitoes, is an optimal candidate for supplementing malaria vector control methods.

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Bacterial symbionts are critical members of many marine sponge holobionts. Some sponge-associated bacterial lineages, such as Poribacteria, sponge-associated unclassified lineage (SAUL), and Tethybacterales, appear to have broad-host ranges and associate with a diversity of sponge species, while others are more species-specific, having adapted to the niche environment of their host. Host-associated spirochete symbionts that are numerically dominant have been documented in several invertebrates including termites, starfish, and corals.

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The chubbyhead barbs, a distinct group of fishes endemic to southern Africa, currently include eight valid species. Historically, Enteromius anoplus was the most widespread freshwater fish in South Africa due to synonymizations in the 1960s. It occurred in nearly every river system except coastal systems in the Cape Fold Ecoregion and the lower Orange River.

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Revealing SARS-CoV-2 M mutation cold and hot spots: Dynamic residue network analysis meets machine learning.

Comput Struct Biotechnol J

December 2024

Research Unit in Bioinformatics (RUBi), Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bioinformatics, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6139, South Africa.

Deciphering the effect of evolutionary mutations of viruses and predicting future mutations is crucial for designing long-lasting and effective drugs. While understanding the impact of current mutations on protein drug targets is feasible, predicting future mutations due to natural evolution of viruses and environmental pressures remains challenging. Here, we leveraged existing mutation data during the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 protein drug target main protease (M) to test the predictive power of dynamic residue network (DRN) analysis in identifying mutation cold and hot spots.

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Counterillumination reduces bites by Great White sharks.

Curr Biol

December 2024

School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia. Electronic address:

In the open ocean, achieving camouflage is complicated by the fact that the downwelling light is generally much brighter than the upwelling light, which means that any object, even if its ventral surface is white due to countershading, will appear as a dark silhouette when viewed from below. To overcome this, many marine species employ counterillumination, whereby light is emitted from photophores on their ventral surface to replace the downwelling light blocked by their body. However, only a single behavioral study has tested the efficacy of counterillumination as an anti-predation strategy.

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The rosefin barb, Enteromius argenteus, as currently described, is a freshwater fish with a distribution that is geographically separated and divided into the northern population in the Kwanza River system in Angola, and the southern population in the Inkomati River system in South Africa and Eswatini. Due to this disjunct distribution pattern, it is likely that the two populations represent distinct species. mtDNA sequence data and detailed examination of morphometric characters revealed considerable genetic (2.

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