The Power of Solidarity: Anti-Apartheid Activism on US Campuses and at UNC-Chapel Hill

This article explores solidarity as an important political praxis with diverse ways of participation through a case study of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s student anti-apartheid movement. Research heavily draws upon primary resources from the Southern Historical Collection at the Wilson Library. Secondary resources are utilized to contextualize the history of apartheid, internal resistance, and anti-apartheid solidarity within the global community. The focus is placed primarily on the Anti-Apartheid Support Group (AASG) due to limited archival materials. This article explores the AASG’s organizational structure, influences, collaborating organizations, strategies and tactics employed, challenges, and gains to argue that student solidarity efforts made an impact on the national anti-apartheid movement by influencing public awareness and policies that eventually aided the fall of the apartheid regime in South Africa. While the AASG was a prominent student organization, it does not represent the entire UNC Chapel Hill student movement nor paint a picture of the exact way the movement occurred, as there were various students who participated outside of university-recognized organizational bodies. Additionally, there were other student organizations such as the Black Student Movement and Action Against Apartheid, the participation of which is not fully accounted for due to the lack of an archival collection

High performance thin-layer chromatography and in vitro cytotoxic studies on ethanol extract of Matricaria chamomilla L (Asteraceae) flowers

Purpose: To develop a high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC procedure for quantitation of apigenin in ethanol extract of Matricaria chamomilla (Babunaj) flowers, and to evaluate the extract for in vitro cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 cell lines. Methods: Quantification of apigenin was carried out using a CAMAG TLC system. A combination of toluene, ethyl acetate and formic acid (4.5:3.5:0.2 v/v/v) was used as mobile phase, with densitometry detection at 336 nm. The HPTLC procedure was subjected to validation as per ICH guidelines. The cytotoxicity of the extract was assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Results: A sharp apigenin band at Rf of 0.51 was obtained, and the content of apigenin in the extract was 0.062 % w/w. The detection limit (LOD) and quantification limit (LOQ) were 0.19 and 0.57 ng/band, respectively. MTT assay results indicate that M. chamomilla was cytotoxic to Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) cells, with half-maximal concentration (IC50) of 74 µg/mL. Conclusion: The developed HPTLC method is linear, precise, accurate and specific for the determination of apigenin. M. chamomilla exerts cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 cell line via induction of apoptosis

Increased supraspinatus thickness with reduced acromohumeral distance in people with mild and moderate rotator cuff tendinopathy: A reliability and comparative study.

This scientific abstract was published in BMJ following peer review and can be viewed on the journal website at: http://ard.bmj.com/content/72/Suppl_3/A725.1Background Subacromial impingement syndrome has historically been ascribed to extrinsic compression of the supraspinatus tendon (SsT) due to altered acromial morphology. More recently intrinsic tendon pathology has been proposed as an important mechanism, leading to degenerative changes in the tendon, superior translation of the humeral head occurs due to rotator cuff (RC) failure and subsequent narrowing of the subacromial space, measured as the acromiohumeral distance (AHD). The continuum model of RC pathology proposes that people in the reactive or disrepair stage may have a swollen SsT, which further compromises the subacromial space (Lewis 2010). Objectives The aims of this study were to (i) examine the intra and inter-rater reliability of ultrasound measurements of AHD and SsT thickness in healthy controls, and people with RC tendinopathy (RCT) of varying degrees. (ii) to compare AHD and SsT thickness between shoulders in controls and in people with unilateral RCT Methods A total of 25 healthy controls (mean age=50), 21 swimmers with mild unilateral RCT (mean age=53) and 21 patients with moderate-severe unilateral RCT (mean age=61) were recruited. Repeated ultrasound measurements of AHD and SsT thickness were obtained in a single session, with the shoulder in a neutral position, by one experienced rater in the controls and mild RCT group, and by two raters in the third group. Results Intra-rater reliability for AHD and SsT thickness measurement was excellent, with all intra-class correlation (ICC) values >0.9, and small standard error of measurement (SEM) values (0.1-0.4mm). Inter-rater reliability for AHD and SsT thickness measurement was also excellent for the mod-severe RCT group, with ICC values >0.9, and small SEM values (0.3-0.5mm). There was no difference between shoulders for AHD or SST thickness measures for the control group (p>0.05). There was a significantly smaller AHD in the painful shoulder for both the mild (p=0.014), and mod-severe RCT groups (p=0.009). There was also a significantly larger SsT thickness in both the mild (p=0.001), and mod-severe RCT groups in the painful shoulder (p=0.009). Conclusions The results support the reliability of ultrasound for the measurement of AHD and SsT thickness in RCT. People with RCT in this study had significantly smaller AHD and larger SsT thickness in their painful shoulder compared to non-painful side. While the finding of reduced AHD in people with RCT supports the work of other studies, the concurrent increase in SsT thickness in the painful shoulders is an important additional finding which may further compromise the subacromial space. The results of this study provide support for the continuum model of rotator cuff tendon pathology.Peer reviewe