Therapeutic Potential of Pectin and Its Derivatives in Chronic Diseases.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are described as a collection of chronic diseases that do not typically develop from an acute infection, have long-term health effects, and frequently require ongoing care and therapy. These diseases include heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic lung disease, neurological diseases, osteoporosis, mental health disorders, etc. Known synthetic drugs for the treatment or prevention of NCDs become increasingly dangerous over time and pose high risks due to side effects such as hallucination, heart attack, liver failure, etc.

Advancing ethnobiology for the ecological transition and a more inclusive and just world: a comprehensive framework for the next 20 years.

This opinion piece, written by ethnobiologists from different parts of the world, emphasizes the importance of ethnobiology research in advancing contemporary biology, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and, especially, contributing to the ecological transition and more just and inclusive world. To achieve these goals, it is essential to develop research and collaborate with social groups that live in close relationship with nature in research activities, such as Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC), as well as Afro-descendants and other Marginalized, Minority or Minoritized Communities (AMMC). Ethnobiology can identify and provide locally appropriate solutions to local problems, enabling sustainable resource management at the landscape level.

Ciprofloxacin and Norfloxacin Hybrid Compounds: Potential Anticancer Agents.

Background: The concept of utilizing drug repurposing/repositioning in the development of hybrid molecules is an important strategy in drug discovery. Fluoroquinolones, a class of antibiotics, have been reported to exhibit anticancer activities. Although anticancer drug development is achieving some positive outcomes, there is still a need to develop new and effective anticancer drugs.

Preliminary efficacy, feasibility and safety of intra-umbilical oxytocin to reduce the time to placental delivery at caesarean section: an exploratory randomized trial.

Background: Delayed placental separation either after vaginal birth or caesarean birth is an important cause of postpartum haemorrhage, among other causes such as uterine atony. Intra-umbilical oxytocin has been shown to reduce the time to placental delivery after vaginal birth. However, the efficacy of intra-umbilical oxytocin to reduce the time to placental delivery following caesarean section birth is not known.

The bii4africa dataset of faunal and floral population intactness estimates across Africa's major land uses.

Sub-Saharan Africa is under-represented in global biodiversity datasets, particularly regarding the impact of land use on species' population abundances. Drawing on recent advances in expert elicitation to ensure data consistency, 200 experts were convened using a modified-Delphi process to estimate 'intactness scores': the remaining proportion of an 'intact' reference population of a species group in a particular land use, on a scale from 0 (no remaining individuals) to 1 (same abundance as the reference) and, in rare cases, to 2 (populations that thrive in human-modified landscapes). The resulting bii4africa dataset contains intactness scores representing terrestrial vertebrates (tetrapods: ±5,400 amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) and vascular plants (±45,000 forbs, graminoids, trees, shrubs) in sub-Saharan Africa across the region's major land uses (urban, cropland, rangeland, plantation, protected, etc.

Evaluating the Appropriateness of Podcasts to Improve the Knowledge and Awareness of Selected Health Topics Among Undergraduate General Nursing Students: Protocol for an International Feasibility Study.

Background: Podcasts have proven to be a successful alternative source of educational material for students. Given the ability to listen to podcasts 24/7 and while on the go, this technology has the potential to provide informative and educational material to a large number of people at any given time. Podcasts are usually freely available on commonly used mobile devices, such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets.

Synthesis of Ursolic Acid-based Hybrids: Antibacterial, Cytotoxicity Studies, Physicochemical and Pharmacokinetic Properties.

Background: There is a critical need for the discovery of novel and effective antibacterial or anticancer molecules.

Objectives: Amine-linked ursolic acid-based hybrid compounds were prepared in good yields in the range of 60-68%.

Methods: Their molecular structures were successfully confirmed using different spectroscopic methods including H/C NMR, UHPLC-HRMS and FTIR spectroscopy.

Synthesis of EDTA-cysteine-β-cyclodextrin for the removal of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFR) from sediments and soil samples from the Buffalo River Estuary, Eastern Cape of South Africa.

Due to the growing water and environmental pollution worldwide, it is important to develop new effective materials for the remediation of sediments, soil and water contaminated with organic pollutants including flame retardants. In this study, a new soluble and hydrophilic polymer material containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), cysteine and beta cyclodextrin (β-CD) depicted as EDTA-Cysteine-β-Cyclodextrin was prepared for the removal of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) from simulated sediment and soil samples and those collected from the Buffalo River Estuary in East London, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The β-CD was modified using cysteine and EDTA.

Improving soil fertility through dual inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and on a eutric cambisol cultivated with forage legumes in a semi-arid region.

The Sub-Saharan region of southern Africa is characterized by high temperatures, low rainfall, and poor land-use management practices such as continuous cropping without replenishment of soil nutrients. The combination of these factors has resulted in nutrient depletion and land degradation. The current study aimed at investigating the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and bacteria inoculation on soil chemical properties in field-grown forage legumes, namely, (mucuna) (lablab) and (cowpea), in the semi-arid region of the Eastern Cape Province (South Africa).

Towards Room Temperature Thermochromic Coatings with controllable NIR-IR modulation for solar heat management & smart windows applications.

Solar heat management & green air-conditioning are among the major technologies that could mitigate heat islands phenomenon while minimizing significantly the CO global foot-print within the building & automotive sectors. Chromogenic materials in general, and thermochromic smart coatings especially are promising candidates that consent a noteworthy dynamic solar radiation Infrared (NIR-IR) regulation and hence an efficient solar heat management especially with the expected increase of the global seasonal temperature. Within this contribution, two major challenging bottlenecks in vanadium oxide based smart coatings were addressed.

Black () and silver wattle () invasive tree species impact on soil physicochemical properties in South Africa: A systematic literature review.

Invasive alien plant species are a problem to global biodiversity, ecosystem dynamics, and human livelihood. The risks and potential effects of invasive alien species on local vegetation are growing, particularly the potential loss of ecological services. Thus, this study aimed to synthesise the impacts of acacia 'species' on soil physicochemical properties in South Africa.

Polyphasic Characterization of spp. in Livestock Slaughtered from Abattoirs in Eastern Cape, South Africa.

In livestock, brucellosis is mainly an asymptomatic disease except when abortion occurs; therefore, two serological tests are used for diagnosis as no single test is suitable. Abattoir samples enable a combination of culture, molecular, and serological tests to detect brucellosis. This study assessed -specific PCR (ITS-PCR) to detect brucellosis and to conduct a molecular characterization of spp.

Knowledge Gaps on the Utilization of Fossil Shell Flour in Beef Production: A Review.

Population growth in many countries results in increased demand for livestock production and quality products. However, beef production represents a complex global sustainability challenge, including meeting the increasing demand and the need to respond to climate change and/or greenhouse gas emissions. Several feed resources and techniques have been used but have some constraints that limit their efficient utilization which include being product-specific, not universally applicable, and sometimes compromising the quality of meat.

Draft genome sequence of multi-drug resistant subsp. isolated from a teaching hospital wastewater in South West, Nigeria.

This broadcast is about the whole genome sequence of subsp. (ST 1422) isolated from a teaching hospital wastewater in South West, Nigeria, in May 2022. This data set compiles information on the DNA size (5,332,183 bp) and GC content (57.

Time for a paradigm shift? Small carnivores' sensitivity highlights the importance of monitoring mid-rank predators in future global change studies.

Research Highlight: Jachowski, D. S., Marneweck, C.

Rhodophyta DNA Barcoding: Ribulose-1, 5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase Gene and Novel Universal Primers.

Red algae (Rhodophyta) are a heterogeneous group of marine algal species that have served as a source of high-value molecules, including antioxidants and scaffolds, for novel drug development. However, it is challenging to identify Rhodophytes through morphological features alone, and in most instances, that has been the prevailing approach to identification. Consequently, this study undertook the identification of red algae species in Kenton-on-Sea, South Africa, as a baseline for future research on red algae biodiversity and conservation.

Nanotherapeutics for the delivery of antifungal drugs.

The treatment of fungal infections is challenging with high death rates reported among immunocompromised patients. The currently available antifungals suffer from poor bioavailability and solubility, pharmacokinetics, and drug resistance, with limited cellular uptake. The clinical pipeline of new antifungals is dry.

Antifungal Activities of Natural Products and Their Hybrid Molecules.

The increasing cases of drug resistance and high toxicity associated with the currently used antifungal agents are a worldwide public health concern. There is an urgent need to develop new antifungal drugs with unique target mechanisms. Plant-based compounds, such as carvacrol, eugenol, coumarin, cinnamaldehyde, curcumin, thymol, etc.

In Silico Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Non-Structural Proteins Reveals an Interaction with the Host's Heat Shock Proteins That May Contribute to Viral Replications and Development.

The non-structural protein 2 (NSP2) is an RNA-binding protein involved in coronavirus genome replication, and it often decreases human immune response to promote viral invasion and development. It is believed that the NSP2 associates itself with polyamines and heat shock proteins inside the host cell to proceed with viral development. This study aimed to investigate how the SARS-CoV-2 virus' key non-structural proteins (NSP2) utilize polyamines and heat shock proteins using a molecular docking approach and molecular dynamics (MD).

Infrastructure development and environmental risk perceptions in the Wild Coast, South Africa.

Unlabelled: Government's proposal to construct the N2 Toll Road in the Wild Coast was lauded for its 'developmental agenda' in the historically neglected Wild Coast communities of the Eastern Cape province. This project, the government and business groups envisaged, would open up the coastal communities of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces to economic development of the region and the nation in general. However, the road project has equally been criticised by several local communities and environmental advocacy groups who associate the road with the controversial plan to mine titanium in the region and its anticipated social and ecological disasters.

Serological Evidence and Coexposure of Selected Infections among Livestock Slaughtered at Eastern Cape Abattoirs in South Africa.

Zoonotic infections were investigated in a cross-sectional study on asymptomatic livestock slaughtered in abattoirs in the Eastern Cape. Antibodies against spp., , , and the coexposure were investigated in sera using serological tests.

Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors Among People Living with HIV/AIDS and Undergoing Antiretroviral Therapy: A Cross-Sectional Study in the Amathole District, South Africa.

Background And Aim: People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are susceptible to depressive symptoms. Consequently, we examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms and associated factors among PLWHA and on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in South Africa.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 150 PLWHA on ART in primary health facilities in Amathole District, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.

Exploring the concepts of decent work through the lens of SDG 8: addressing challenges and inadequacies.

Promoting decent work and sustainable economic growth within the framework of Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8) entails addressing gender inequality, the consequences of market economies, and the role of the informal sector while also considering environmental sustainability. Research on SDG 8 remains limited, often adopting an appraisal perspective, and the concept of decent work within this goal remains relatively unexplored. Additionally, the focus on the challenges and inadequacies of achieving sustainable economic growth through decent work in the context of SDG 8 is insufficient, resulting in significant knowledge gaps.