Modern yeast development: finding the balance between tradition and innovation in contemporary winemaking

MinireviewA key driver of quality in wines is the microbial population that undertakes fermentation of grape must. Winemakers can utilise both indigenous and purposefully inoculated yeasts to undertake alcoholic fermentation, imparting wines with aromas, flavours and palate structure and in many cases contributing to complexity and uniqueness. Importantly, having a toolbox of microbes helps winemakers make best use of the grapes they are presented with, and tackle fermentation difficulties with flexibility and efficiency. Each year the number of strains available commercially expands and more recently, includes strains of non-Saccharomyces, strains that have been improved using both classical and modern yeast technology and mixed cultures. Here we review what is available commercially, and what may be in the future, by exploring recent advances in fermentation relevant strain improvement technologies. We also report on the current use of microbes in the Australian wine industry, as reported by winemakers, as well as regulations around, and sentiment about the potential use of genetically modified organisms in the future.Jennifer M. Gardner, Lucien Alperstein, Michelle E.Walker, Jin Zhang, Vladimir Jirane

Adverse events with isoniazid preventive therapy: experience from a large trial.

OBJECTIVES: We describe isoniazid-related adverse events in Thibela TB, a cluster-randomized study of community-wide isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) among gold miners in South Africa, where HIV prevalence is estimated at 30%. METHODS: Consenting employees were screened prior to IPT for active tuberculosis and increased risk of isoniazid toxicity using a questionnaire and chest radiograph. Study-defined IPT-related adverse events were sought at each study visit: liver function tests were only performed if clinically indicated. In a substudy, we questioned consecutive participants at baseline and months 1, 3, and 6 concerning minor IPT-related adverse events. RESULTS: Among 24,221 participants (95.2% men, median age 40 years), 130 individuals had 132 study-defined adverse events (0.54%); 61 (0.25%) possible hypersensitivity rash, 50 (0.21%) peripheral neuropathy, 17 (0.07%) clinical hepatotoxicity, and four (0.02%) convulsions. Four events (two hepatotoxicity, one fatal, and two convulsions) fulfilled criteria for seriousness. Clinical hepatotoxicity was associated with consumption of alcohol [0.11 vs. 0.03% if no alcohol consumed, odds ratio 3.9 (95% confidence interval 1.2-12.1)], but not with sex, age, weight, or concurrent antiretroviral therapy. In the substudy, 324 of 498 (65.1%) participants reported better health since starting IPT; 180 of 324 (55.6%) reported that this was because of increased appetite. The frequency of specific minor symptoms was low among those taking IPT, and all symptoms were reported less often than at baseline. CONCLUSION: The risk of adverse events, particularly hepatotoxicity, was very low in this population. Our data suggest that clinical criteria can safely be used for screening prior to and monitoring during IPT

Yeast bioprospecting versus synthetic biology–which is better for innovative beverage fermentation?

Producers often utilise some of the many available yeast species and strains in the making of fermented alcoholic beverages in order to augment flavours, aromas, acids and textural properties. But still, the demand remains for more yeasts with novel phenotypes that not only impact sensory characteristics but also offer process and engineering advantages. Two strategies for finding such yeasts are (i) bioprospecting for novel strains and species and (ii) genetic modification of known yeasts. The latter enjoys the promise of the emerging field of synthetic biology, which, in principle, would enable scientists to create yeasts with the exact phenotype desired for a given fermentation. In this mini review, we compare and contrast advances in bioprospecting and in synthetic biology as they relate to alcoholic fermentation in brewing and wine making. We explore recent advances in fermentation-relevant recombinant technologies and synthetic biology including the Yeast 2.0 Consortium, use of environmental yeasts, challenges, constraints of law and consumer acceptance.Lucien Alperstein, Jennifer M Gardner, Joanna F Sundstrom, Krista M Sumby, Vladimir Jirane

Not just another multi-professional course Part II: Nuts and bolts of designing a transformed curriculum for multi-professional learning.

Multi-professional education has traditionally aimed to develop health professionals who are able to collaborate effectively in comprehensive healthcare delivery. The respective professions learn about their differences in order to work together, rather than developing unity in their commitment to a shared vision of professionalism and service. In this, the second of two papers, the 'nuts and bolts' or practicalities of designing a transformed curriculum for a multi-professional course with a difference is described. Guidelines for the curriculum design process, which seeks to be innovative, grounded in theory and relevant to the learning of the students and the ultimately the health of the patients, include: valuing education; gaining buy-in; securing buy-out; defining of roles; seeking consensus; negotiating difference and expediting decisions. The phases of the design process are described, as well as the educational outcomes envisaged during the process. Reflections of the designers, in particular on what it means to be a multi-professional team, and a reconceptualization of multi-professional education are presented as challenges for educators of health professionals.</p

Not just another multi-professional course Part I: rationale for a transformative curriculum

Undergraduate inter- and multi-professional education has traditionally aimed to develop health professionals who are able to collaborate effectively in comprehensive healthcare delivery. The respective professions learn from and about each other through comparisons of roles, responsibilities, powers, duties and perspectives in order to promote integrated set-vice. Described here is the educational rationale of a multi-professional course with a difference; one that injects value to undergraduate health professional education through the development of critical cross-field knowledge, skills and attitudes that unite rather than differentiate professions. The aim of this course, offered at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, is to lay an integrated, pan-professional foundation for the advancement of collective commitment to and understanding of national health and social development objectives such as primary health care, human rights and professionalism. Pan-professional refers to curriculum content that is core and of critical relevance to all participating professions. What is learned, how it is learned, how learning is facilitated and how it is applied, has been co-constructed by a multi-professional design team representing a range of health professions (audiology, medicine, occupational therapy, nursing, physiotherapy and speech therapy) and academic disciplines (anthropology, sociology, psychology, history, African studies and social development, information technology and language literacy). Education specialists facilitate the ongoing design process ensuring that the structure and content of the curriculum complies with contemporary adult learning principles and national higher education imperatives. Designing the original curriculum required the deconstruction of intra-professional and disciplinary canons of knowledge and ways of 'doing things' in order to identify and develop shared interpretations of critical epistemology and axiology for health professional practice in the South African context. This enabled the alignment of the learning objectives, at first year level, of all the represented professions. ne educational rationale guiding the curriculum design process is discussed in Part I of two articles. Part 2 describes the 'nuts and bolts' or practicalities of the curriculum design process.</p

Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: From Diagnosis to Prognosis

Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common childhood cancer. Although the appearance of the disease is often quite dramatic, there are many patients who present much more indolently, creating a diagnostic dilemma for the primary care pediatrician. The appropriate diagnostic work-up assesses the initial extent of disease and stability of a patient, and provides information that is important for risk stratification. Such information includes patient age and white blood cell count at diagnosis, leukemia immunophenotype, presence or absence of extramedullary disease, and blast cytogenetic abnormalities. After therapy is initiated, the response of the disease to treatment is key for predicting outcomes. Altogether, this information is used to guide overall treatment intensity. Chemotherapy is administered in sequential blocks or phases, and lasts for several years. In general, outcomes are excellent and the majority of patients survive, but there are still subsets of patients who do not fare as well, either due to resistant or recurrent disease, or due to long-term and late effects of therapy

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF REINFORCED FOAMS.

The tensile elastic modulus of fiberglass reinforced high density polyester foams, the compression elastic modulus of particulate reinforced medium density polyurethane foams and their compressive creep behavior were investigated. The measured elastic properties were compared with predicted values based on the modified Kerner equation and the quasi-isotropic laminate theory. The compressive creep behavior was described by a power law and its temperature and load dependence by an Arrhenius type expression