Elucidating the effect of drug-induced mitochondrial dysfunction on insulin signaling and glucose handling in skeletal muscle cell line (C2C12) in vitro.

Efavirenz, tenofovir, rifampicin, simvastatin, lamotrigine and clarithromycin are known potential mitochondrial toxicants. Mitochondrial toxicity has been reported to disrupt the chain of events in the insulin signalling pathway. Considering the upward trajectory of diabetes mellitus prevalence, studies which seek to uncover probable risk factors for developing diabetes should be encouraged.

From Human Perception of Good Practices to Horse (Equus Caballus) Welfare: Example of Equine-Assisted Activities.

Equine-assisted intervention (EAI) studies deal with clients, whereas very few studies focused on the effects on animals. EAI equids are also submitted to management, which influences their welfare. Management and working conditions depend on human decisions and perception.

The role of high mobility group box-1 on the development of diabetes complications: A plausible pharmacological target.

Background: Diabetes mellitus has emerged as a pressing global concern, with a notable increase in recent years. Despite advancements in treatment, existing medications struggle to halt the progression of diabetes and its associated complications. Increasing evidence underscores inflammation as a significant driver in the onset of diabetes mellitus.

Histopathology based study of Nile tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus) as a biomarker for water pollution evaluation in the southern gulf of Lake Tana, Ethiopia.

In the past decade, the increasing distribution of pollutants in the aquatic environment has been observed, causing integrative effects on fish. Likewise, due to anthropogenic activities, the southern gulf of Lake Tana is an impacted region, and the production of Nile tilapia fish is reduced. For this reason, the aim of this study was to conduct a histopathological-based study of 48 Nile tilapia fishes' health status at the southern gulf of Lake Tana and aquaculture using a cross-sectional study from February 2023 to May 2023.

Exploring the Biological Effects of Anti-Diabetic Vanadium Compounds in the Liver, Heart and Brain.

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus and diabetes-related complications is rapidly increasing worldwide, placing a substantial financial burden on healthcare systems. Approximately 537 million adults are currently diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes globally. However, interestingly, the increasing morbidity rate is primarily influenced by the effects of long-term hyperglycemia on vital organs such as the brain, the liver and the heart rather than the ability of the body to use glucose effectively.

On mapping urban community resilience: Land use vulnerability, coping and adaptive strategies in Ghana.

Cities across the globe are prioritizing resilience in the wake of increasing climate change-related disasters. About 44% of these disasters are floods and their manifestation in cities is more pronounced, threatening urban social, ecological, and economic systems. This study draws on community resilience and participatory GIS, to examine land use vulnerability to flooding and local coping and adaptive strategies to achieve resilience.

The effects of Cannabis sativa and cannabinoids on the inhibition of pancreatic lipase - An enzyme involved in obesity.

Introduction: Obesity is a chronic noncommunicable disease characterized by excessive body fat that can have negative health consequences. Obesity is a complex disease caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. It is characterized by a discrepancy between caloric intake and expenditure.

Analysis of structural stability of Ar ion-implanted Pd/Zr/Pd/Ti/Pd multilayer stack in hydrogen annealing environment.

The influence of 150 keV argon ions at fluences in the range of 1 × 10-1 × 10 ions/cm on the stability of the multilayer stack Pd/Zr/Pd/Ti/Pd thin films system, deposited on Ti and TiAlV substrates, under thermal annealing in an H environment was investigated. For samples deposited on Ti substrate, RBS revealed structural instability that increases with fluence. This is evidenced by a decrease in the intensity of layers accompanied by increased consumption of the Pd layers.

Intraspecific variations in oyster (Magallana gigas) ploidy does not affect physiological responses to microplastic pollution.

Recent advances in genetic manipulation such as triploid breeding and artificial selection, have rapidly emerged as valuable hatchery methodologies for enhancing seafood stocks. The Pacific oyster Magallana gigas is a leading aquaculture species worldwide and key ecosystem engineer that has received particular attention in this field of science. In light of the growing recognition of the ecological effects of intraspecific variation, oyster polyploids provide a valuable opportunity to assess whether intraspecific diversity affects physiological responses to environmental stressors.

Bioengineering of one dimensional hierarchical CuS hollow nanotubes for non-enzymatic glucose sensing applications.

Herein, a novel and facile eco-friendly green chemistry approach has been devised at room temperature for synthesis of 1D hierarchical CuS hollow nanotubes on Cu substrate volatile organosulfur compounds from L for non-enzymatic glucose detection. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to characterize the surface morphology, structural phase, compositional, and chemical states of the obtained samples, respectively. The SEM results confirm the formation of 1D hierarchical CuS hollow nanotubes.

Plant-based nanoparticles targeting malaria management.

Malaria is one of the most devastating diseases across the globe, particularly in low-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The increasing incidence of malaria morbidity is mainly due to the shortcomings of preventative measures such as the lack of vaccines and inappropriate control over the parasite vector. Additionally, high mortality rates arise from therapeutic failures due to poor patient adherence and drug resistance development.

Effective toxicity of pH to embryonic development of the banded lampeye killifish (Duméril, 1861).

The banded lampeye killifish, feeds on larvae of the anopheles mosquito, which makes the fish a good candidate for biological control of malaria. Aquatic organisms require optimal hydrogen ion concentration (pH) for healthy aquatic life, but the impact of pH alteration on . reproductive potential is not known.

Task-shifting of prolonged exposure for primary care (PE-PC) for PTSD in a semirural setting in South Africa: A pilot implementation study.

Implementation science (IS) has received increased attention as it provides a means to bridge the know-do gap to implement evidence-based interventions in real-world settings. Against this backdrop, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a global mental health concern (Koenen et al., 2017), especially in low- and middle-income countries characterized by limited trained health professionals, infrastructure, and limited access to evidence-based mental health care (Chen et al.

Discovery of a small-molecule inhibitor of KSHV lytic replication from the MMV pandemic response box.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the causative agent for primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). KSHV is one of the oncoviruses that contribute to 1.5 million new infection-related cancer cases annually.

Food security and disability in South Africa: an analysis of General Household Survey data.

Purpose: We investigated the relationship between disability and food security in South Africa using data from the General Household Survey (GHS).

Materials And Methods: Regression models were utilised with GHS data (2014-2018) to gauge the likelihood of food insecurity (the dependent variable) among individuals with disabilities. Socioeconomic and demographic traits of the 2018 GHS sample were analysed.

Creating sustainable capacity for river science in the Congo basin through the CRuHM project.

In this article, we examine the scientific and sustainable research capacity outcomes of the 'Congo River: user Hydraulics and Morphology' or CRuHM project, a six-year effort supported by the Royal Society's Africa Capacity Building Initiative. This project brought together a consortium of African and UK universities to undertake the first large-scale scientific expeditions to the Congo basin of the modern era in order to better understand the hydraulics and geomorphology of this understudied but globally important river. The river is essential for navigation, irrigation, drinking water and hydroelectric power generation for the 10 basin countries and is critically important for biodiversity and global nutrient, carbon and climatological cycles.

Results From South Africa's 2022 Healthy Active Kids' Report Card on Physical Activity, Body Composition Proxies, and Nutritional Status in Children and Adolescents.

Background: Physical activity (PA) and nutrition in children have an impact on overall physical and mental well-being, cognitive, and social development. This study aims to report on the best current available evidence on PA, body composition proxies, and nutritional status of South African children and adolescents, based on the published findings between 2018 and 2022, which comprise the 2022 Healthy Active Kids South Africa Report Card.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search of online databases, along with hand searching and a gray literature search, was conducted based on PA, body composition proxies, and nutrition indicators defined, in part, by the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance.

Ocean weather, biological rates, and unexplained global ecological patterns.

As on land, oceans exhibit high temporal and spatial temperature variation. This "ocean weather" contributes to the physiological and ecological processes that ultimately determine the patterns of species distribution and abundance, yet is often unrecognized, especially in tropical oceans. Here, we tested the paradigm of temperature stability in shallow waters (<12.

Regimes of truth regarding 'sexual justice' in academic literature from 2012 to 2022: a scoping review.

The notion of 'sexual justice' has gained traction in academic and policy arenas in recent years. This paper presents a scoping literature review of the regimes of truth, following Foucault, of 'sexual justice' appearing in the scientific literature from 2012 to 2022. Thirty-eight papers were coded using (1) content analysis of the studies' central problematics, the programmes referred to, and institutional location(s); and (2) thematic analysis of how the notion was deployed.

Maternal prediabetes as a risk factor of preeclampsia and placental dysfunction in pregnant female Sprague-Dawley rats.

Background: Prediabetes (PD) is associated with intermediate hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia, reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and moderate hypertension. All these factors are risk factor for preeclampsia (PE). However, the effects of the PD on placental function have not been shown.

Identification of South African Plant-Based Bioactive Compounds as Potential Inhibitors against the SARS-CoV-2 Receptor.

The expected progress in SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations, as anticipated in 2020 and 2021, has fallen short, exacerbating global disparities due to a lack of universally recognized "safe and effective" vaccines. This study focuses on extracts of South African medicinal plants, and , to identify metabolomic bioactive compounds inhibiting the binding of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to ACE2 receptors. The extracts were monitored for cytotoxicity using a resazurin cell viability assay and xCELLigence real-time cell analyzer.

Tracking movements of meagre (Argyrosomus regius) during the spawning season: Preliminary indications of off estuary spawning.

Understanding the spawning behavior of meagre (Argyrosomus regius) is crucial for fisheries management and conservation. Meagre forms large spawning aggregations in estuaries, yet details of its spawning grounds remain elusive. We tagged 41 individuals and monitored their movements throughout several spawning seasons.

Brain plasticity and adolescent HIV: A randomised controlled trial protocol investigating behavioural and hemodynamic responses in attention cognitive rehabilitation therapy.

Despite advances in antiretroviral pharmacology, neuroHIV in the central nervous system (CNS), causes neuronal dysregulation, which is associated with compromised neurocognition. Non-pharmaceutical interventions such as HIV cognitive rehabilitation training (HIV-CRT), have shown potential to partially reverse cognitive deficits, sequent HIV neuroinvasion. Nonetheless, no studies exist pairing cognitive outcomes with objective neuroimaging biomarkers in adolescent HIV-CRT.