Preliminary mechanistic insights into the detection of ethanol vapour using MnO NRs-CNPs-poly-4-(vinylpyridine) based solid-state sensor operating at room temperature.

Semiconductor metal oxide gas sensors are widely used to detect ethanol vapours, commonly used in industrial productions, road safety detection, and solvent production; however, they operate at extremely high temperatures. In this work, we present manganese dioxide nanorods (MnO NRs) prepared via hydrothermal synthetic route, carbon soot (CNPs) prepared via pyrolysis of lighthouse candle, and poly-4-vinylpyridine (P4VP) composite for the detection of ethanol vapour at room temperature. MnO, CNPs, P4VP, and MnO NRs-CNPs-P4VP composite were characterised using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy.

South African single surgeon experience: Comparison of oncological outcomes, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy versus open perineal radical prostatectomy.

Background: Studies comparing oncological outcomes between robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) and open radical prostatectomy (ORP) are often limited by bias because of their multi-institutional and multiple surgeon design. Studies from a single institution and single surgeon are uncommon.

Objective: To compare oncological outcomes between RARP and ORP at a single institution by a single surgeon.

Application of the workload indicators of staffing need (WISN) to assess dietetic workforce needs in South African central and tertiary public hospitals.

South Africa faces both under- and over-nutrition, highlighting the need for prioritizing nutrition services. Registered dietitians are crucial for delivering appropriate and quality nutrition services. Consequently, this case study employs the World Health Organization evidence-based Workload Indicators of Staffing Need to ascertain the requisite dietetic workforce needed at central and tertiary public hospitals in South Africa.

The power of caring touch: from survival to prosocial cooperation.

Cooperation is a pivotal biological phenomenon that occurs in diverse forms. In species that engage in helping, individuals vary in the time they spend together and the degree of their physical proximity, which affects the extent of physical touch between individuals. Here, we propose that touch activates a hormonal feedback loop that supports bond formation and maintenance in mating, parenting, and social contexts.

A Highly Divergent Mitochondrial Genome in Extant Cape Buffalo From Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa.

The reduced cost of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has allowed researchers to generate nuclear and mitochondrial genome data to gain deeper insights into the phylogeography, evolutionary history and biology of non-model species. While the Cape buffalo () has been well-studied across its range with traditional genetic markers over the last 25 years, researchers are building on this knowledge by generating whole genome, population-level data sets to improve understanding of the genetic composition and evolutionary history of the species. Using publicly available NGS data, we assembled 40 Cape buffalo mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) from four protected areas in South Africa, expanding the geographical range and almost doubling the number of mitogenomes available for this species.

Estimating the Early Transmission Inhibition of new treatment regimens for drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Introduction: Most drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) occurs due to transmission of unsuspected or ineffectively treated DR-TB. The duration of treatment to stop person-to-person spread of DR-TB is uncertain. We evaluated the impact of novel regimens, including BPaL, on DR-TB transmission using the human-to-guinea pig (H-GP) transmission model.

Superstable lipid vacuoles endow cartilage with its shape and biomechanics.

Conventionally, the size, shape, and biomechanics of cartilages are determined by their voluminous extracellular matrix. By contrast, we found that multiple murine cartilages consist of lipid-filled cells called lipochondrocytes. Despite resembling adipocytes, lipochondrocytes were molecularly distinct and produced lipids exclusively through de novo lipogenesis.

Pre-race medical clearance in 60,609 distance running race entrants: which entrants sought clearance, what physicians did, and what was the outcome? SAFER XXXVII.

Background: Medical clearance is often recommended for athletes prior to endurance exercise. The primary aim was to determine the percentage (%) of race entrants that sought medical clearance prior to participation in endurance running events, describe the diagnostic modalities used by doctors to assess entrants seeking medical clearance, and the clearance advice given. Secondary aims were to investigate the factors associated with seeking and outcome of clearance.

How Can Overlooking Social Interactions, Space Familiarity or Other "Invisible Landscapes" Shaping Animal Movement Bias Habitat Selection Estimations and Species Distribution Predictions?

Species' future distributions are commonly predicted using models that link the likelihood of occurrence of individuals to the environment. Although animals' movements are influenced by physical and non-physical landscapes, for example related to individual experiences such as space familiarity or previous encounters with conspecifics, species distribution models developed from observations of unknown individuals cannot integrate these latter variables, turning them into 'invisible landscapes'. In this theoretical study, we address how overlooking 'invisible landscapes' impacts the estimation of habitat selection and thereby the projection of future distributions.

Measuring trends in extinction risk: a review of two decades of development and application of the Red List Index.

The Red List Index (RLI) is an indicator of the average extinction risk of groups of species and reflects trends in this through time. It is calculated from the number of species in each category on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with trends influenced by the number moving between categories when reassessed owing to genuine improvement or deterioration in status. The global RLI is aggregated across multiple taxonomic groups and can be disaggregated to show trends for subsets of species (e.

Whose conservation, revisited: how a focus on people-nature relationships spotlights new directions for conservation science.

Georgina Mace introduced a compelling perspective on the major shifts in conservation science's framing and purpose from 1960 to 2010. A decade ago, she proposed that the conservation community had begun to move into a new framing of 'people and nature' based on changes in perspectives on the relationships between people and nature and new interdisciplinary concepts and methods used in conservation. Progress in using this frame is clear as 'two-way dynamic relationships between people and nature' have since taken centre stage in science, practice and policy.

Navigating marginalized identities in diverse organizations.

People with marginalized identities must often manage the diversity dynamics that are activated by their presence in organizations. Due to underrepresentation and stigmatization, they cope with a range of identity threats while navigating diverse settings. A host of studies over the past twenty-five years have examined the wide range of verbal and nonverbal tactics that people use to suppress and express their devalued versus valued social identities at work.

The Impact of Selected Regimens of Chronic HIV-Antiretroviral Treatment on Glycemic Control Markers and Correlates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocol.

Background And Aim: Diabetes mellitus is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among non-communicable diseases worldwide. The etiology of diabetes can be mainly attributed to factors such as genetic susceptibility, unhealthy diets, and chronic medications. Chronic medications such as HIV-antiretrovirals (ARVs) have been previously associated with the risks of developing metabolic complications.

Diverse phenotype of Ménière's disease associated with family history, thyroid disorder, migraine and associated disorders.

Objective: To better understand the clinical phenotype of Ménière's disease (MD), we examined family history, thyroid disorder, migraine, and associated disorders in complaints of people living with MD.

Method: We designed the study as a retrospective and examined data gathered from 912 participants with MD. Their data were originally collected by the Finnish Ménière Federation (FMF).

Real-Time Automated Measurements of Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter for Noninvasive Assessment of Intracranial Pressure in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Background: Optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) is a promising noninvasive parameter for intracranial pressure (ICP) assessment. However, in the setting of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), several previous studies have reported no association between ultrasonically measured ONSD and ICP. In this study, we evaluate ONSD in patients with aSAH using a novel method of automated real-time ultrasonographic measurements and explore whether factors such as having undergone surgery affects its association to ICP.

Synthesis and characterisation of DOTA-kisspeptin-10 as a potential gallium-68/lutetium-177 pan-tumour radiopharmaceutical.

Kisspeptin (KISS1) and its cognate receptor (KISS1R) are implicated in the progression of various cancers. A gallium-68 labelled kisspeptin-10 (KP10), the minimal biologically active structure, has potential as a pan-tumour radiopharmaceutical for the detection of cancers. Furthermore, a lutetium-177 labelled KP10 could find therapeutic application in treating oncological diseases.

Accuracy of approximate methods for the calculation of fluorescence-type linear spectra with a complex system-bath coupling.

Much can be learned about molecular aggregates by modeling their fluorescence-type spectra. In this study, we systematically describe the accuracy of various methods for simulating fluorescence-type linear spectra in a dimer system with a complex system-environment interaction, which serves as a model for various molecular aggregates, including most photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes (LHCs). We consider the approximate full cumulant expansion (FCE), complex time-dependent Redfield (ctR), time-independent Redfield, and modified Redfield methods and calculate their accuracy as a function of the site energy gap and coupling, excitonic energy gap, and dipole factor (i.

Association between recorded physical activity and cancer progression or mortality in individuals diagnosed with cancer in South Africa.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the association between progression and mortality in individuals with stage 1 cancer and their recorded physical activity before the diagnosis of the cancer.

Methods: We included 28 248 members with stage 1 cancers enrolled in an oncology programme in South Africa. Physical activity was recorded using fitness devices, logged gym sessions and participation in organised fitness events.

Statistical methods in the analysis of multicentre HIV randomized controlled trials in the African region: a scoping review.

Background: The majority of phase 3 clinical trials are implemented in multiple sites or centres, which inevitably leads to a correlation between observations from the same site or centre. This correlation must be carefully considered in both the design and the statistical analysis to ensure an accurate interpretation of the results and reduce the risk of biased results. This scoping review aims to provide a detailed statistical method used to analyze data collected from multicentre HIV randomized controlled trials in the African region.

Systematic review of international ethics knowledge in the speech-language pathology literature (1980-2022).

Purpose: A systematic review was conducted to describe various viewpoints expressed in speech-language pathology literature over four decades concerning ethics knowledge in the profession.

Method: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were employed. Our sample search encompassed peer-reviewed journal articles sourced from electronic databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, MasterFILE Premier, E-Journals, Africa-Wide Information, and Academic Search Premier, spanning the period from 1980 to 2022.

High Detection Rate of Rotavirus Infection Among Children Admitted with Acute Gastroenteritis to Six Public Hospitals in Luanda Province After the Introduction of Rotarix Vaccine: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Rotavirus group A (RVA) is a major cause of pediatric acute gastroenteritis (AGE). Vaccination is an effective public health strategy and Angola implemented it in 2014. This hospital-based study aimed to estimate the prevalence of RVA infection and the severity of AGE in children under five years of age treated at six hospitals in Luanda Province.

Gastrointestinal Shedding of Rubulaviruses from Egyptian Rousette Bats: Temporal Dynamics and Spillover Implications.

Bats are recognized as reservoirs for diverse paramyxoviruses, some of which are closely related to known human pathogens or directly implicated in zoonotic transmission. The emergence of the zoonotic Sosuga virus (SOSV) from Egyptian rousette bats (ERBs), which caused an acute febrile illness in a reported human case in Africa, has increased the focus on the zoonotic potential of the subfamily. Previous studies identified human parainfluenza virus 2 (HPIV2)- and mumps (MuV)-related viruses in ERBs from South Africa, with HPIV2-related viruses restricted to gastrointestinal samples, an underexplored target for rubulavirus biosurveillance, suggesting that sample-type bias may have led to their oversight.

Multilocus Sequence Typing and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Isolated from Foods Surveyed in Kosovo.

In the absence of data on the reporting of resistance to antibiotics, we sought to determine which clonal complexes (CCs)/sequence types (STs) circulate in the food chain in Kosovo and to determine their antibiogram profiles to a panel of 18 antibiotics. From a total of 114 isolates, 21 different typical STs were identified by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Each isolate derived from the food categories was subjected to tests to verify its susceptibility to the selected antibiotics according to the designed Sensititre GPN3F panel.

Compounds Inhibit MtrCDE Efflux Pump Transport Protein for the Potential Management of Gonorrhoea Infection.

The progressive development of resistance in to almost all available antibiotics has made it crucial to develop novel approaches to tackling multi-drug resistance (MDR). One of the primary causes of antibiotic resistance is the over-expression of the MtrCDE efflux pump protein, making this protein a vital target for fighting against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in . This study was aimed at evaluating the potential MtrCDE efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs) and their stability in treating gonorrhoea infection.

Determination of Calcium and Phosphorus Digestibility of Individual Feed Ingredients as Affected by Limestone, in the Presence and Absence of Phytase in Broilers.

To begin formulating broiler diets on a digestible calcium (Ca) basis, robust Ca digestibility values for ingredients and factors affecting this digestibility are needed. This study had three main objectives: (1) determine the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of Ca and phosphorus (P) for seven plant-based feed ingredients in broilers, (2) assess the impact of phytate source on SID Ca from limestone (LS), and (3) evaluate the effect of phytase on SID Ca and P for the different ingredients. Two experiments were conducted to satisfy these objectives.