An analysis of the performance of Black African junior provincial cricket batsmen

Objectives. This study investigated the difference in performance of white (W), coloured/Indian (C/I) and black African (BA) cricket batsmen at a junior provincial level in South Africa over a period of 7 years. Methods. Data of all players participating in the South African interprovincial under-15 (U15) and under-19 (U19) tournaments between the years 2004 and 2010 were analysed. The number of participants, batting averages and number of batsmen in the top 20 run scorers in the tournament were compared between groups. Results. 52% of players were white and 48% were black (27% BA and 21% C/I). BA batting averages (runs/dismissal) were significantly (p<0.05) lower than W batting averages for every year from 2004 to 2010 for both the U15 and U19s. W batsmen only had significantly better batting averages than C/I for the U/15s in 2010 and for the U19s in 2009 and 2010. W batsmen dominated the top 20 run scorers in the tournament in each year for both U15s and U19s while there were few BA batsmen represented in the top 20. Conclusion. The performances of BA batsmen at junior provincial level are well below those of W batsmen and appear to follow the same trend as the senior provincial batsmen

MB ChB fifth-year student response to e-learning in orthopaedic surgery during COVID-19

Background. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent country-wide lockdown, South African (SA) universities were forced to quickly adapt to teaching that minimised or eliminated in-person contact. The pandemic period necessitated rapid changes to the way in which learning occurs and resulted in significant shifts in the academic environment. There is limited evidence in the literature to support e-learning in undergraduate orthopaedic training. This is the first study of its kind evaluating e-learning in orthopaedic surgery in a middle-to-low-income country.Objectives. To identify the University of Cape Town fifth-year MB ChB cohort’s attitudes towards the e-learning component of blended learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also aimed to investigate whether e-learning facilitates comparable levels of confidence and results among students and face-to-face methods.Methods. Multi-year cross-sectional survey analysis was completed by retrospectively analysing the students’ end-of-block evaluations and end-of-block marks. Responses from the cohorts between 2016 and 2020 were compared.Results. Regarding course definition, workload, course organisation, intended preparation and course presentation, the 2020 cohort’s responses were similar to those of previous years. The 2020 cohort agreed that the e-learning material was relevant; this response was higher than in previous years. They also agreed that the online practical sessions were useful and that the course stimulated more interest. Significantly, they also strongly agreed that the online course was easier to attend and participate in than in previous years. The 2020 cohort perceived the end-of-block assessment to be somewhat unreasonable; however, this cohort yielded similar grades compared with previous cohorts. Subjectively, the students’ responses to e-learning were positive, as many of them welcomed the usefulness and stimulation of online media as a study tool. Students felt that more time should be made available to work through online material and that there was incongruity between the content taught and the content of the end-of-block assessments.Conclusion. Subjectively, the students’ responses to e-learning were positive, as many of them welcomed the usefulness and stimulation of online media. With comparable outcomes in terms of student confidence and final marks (compared with traditional teaching only), it further encouraged a move towards formulating a novel blended learning curriculum. With these positive findings, we were able to explore the possibilities of developing an e-learning course curriculum incorporating international blended learning practices, using locally sourced SA evidence-based literature to provide orthopaedic teaching relevant to our unique setting

A comparison of economy and sagittal plane trunk movements among back-, back/front- and head-loading.

It has been suggested that freedom of movement in the trunk could influence load carriage economy. This study aimed to compare the economy and sagittal plane trunk movements associated with three load carriage methods that constrain posture differently. Eighteen females walked at 3 km.h-1 with loads of 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 20 kg carried on the back, back/front and head. Load carriage economy was assessed using the Extra Load Index (ELI). Change in sagittal plane trunk forward lean and trunk angle excursion from unloaded to loaded walking were assessed. Results show no difference in economy between methods (p = 0.483), despite differences in the change in trunk forward lean (p = 0.001) and trunk angle excursion (p = 0.021) from unloaded to loaded walking. We conclude that economy is not different among the three methods of load carriage, despite significant differences in sagittal plane trunk movements

In Silico Characterisation of Putative Prophages in Lactobacillaceae Used in Probiotics for Vaginal Health

While live biotherapeutics offer a promising approach to optimizing vaginal microbiota, the presence of functional prophages within introduced Lactobacillaceae strains could impact their safety and efficacy. We evaluated the presence of prophages in 895 publicly available Lactobacillaceae genomes using Phaster, Phigaro, Phispy, Prophet and Virsorter. Prophages were identified according to stringent (detected by ≥4 methods) or lenient criteria (detected by ≥2 methods), both with >80% reciprocal sequence overlap. The stringent approach identified 448 prophages within 359 genomes, with 40.1% genomes harbouring at least one prophage, while the lenient approach identified 1671 prophages within 83.7% of the genomes. To confirm our in silico estimates in vitro, we tested for inducible prophages in 57 vaginally-derived and commercial Lactobacillaceae isolates and found inducible prophages in 61.4% of the isolates. We characterised the in silico predicted prophages based on weighted gene repertoire relatedness and found that most belonged to the Siphoviridae or Myoviridae families. ResFam and eggNOG identified four potential antimicrobial resistance genes within the predicted prophages. Our results suggest that while Lactobacillaceae prophages seldomly carry clinically concerning genes and thus unlikely a pose a direct risk to human vaginal microbiomes, their high prevalence warrants the characterisation of Lactobacillaceae prophages in live biotherapeutics

First Description of Natural and Experimental Conjugation between Mycobacteria Mediated by a Linear Plasmid

Background: in a previous study, we detected the presence of a Mycobacterium avium species-specific insertion sequence, IS1245, in Mycobacterium kansasii. Both species were isolated from a mixed M. avium-M. kansasii bone marrow culture from an HIV-positive patient. the transfer mechanism of this insertion sequence to M. kansasii was investigated here.Methodology/Principal Findings: A linear plasmid (pMA100) was identified in all colonies isolated from the M. avium-M. kansasii mixed culture carrying the IS1245 element. the linearity of pMA100 was confirmed. Other analyses suggested that pMA100 contained a covalently bound protein in the terminal regions, a characteristic of invertron linear replicons. Partial sequencing of pMA100 showed that it bears one intact copy of IS1245 inserted in a region rich in transposase-related sequences. These types of sequences have been described in other linear mycobacterial plasmids. Mating experiments were performed to confirm that pMA100 could be transferred in vitro from M. avium to M. kansasii. pMA100 was transferred by in vitro conjugation not only to the M. kansasii strain from the mixed culture, but also to two other unrelated M. kansasii clinical isolates, as well as to Mycobacterium bovis BCG Moreau.Conclusions/Significance: Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is one of most important mechanisms leading to the evolution and diversity of bacteria. This work provides evidence for the first time on the natural occurrence of HGT between different species of mycobacteria. Gene transfer, mediated by a novel conjugative plasmid, was detected and experimentally reproduced.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Cooperacion Interuniversitaria UAM-Banco Santander con America Latina (CEAL), UAM, SpainConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, Escola Paulista Med, São Paulo, BrazilLab Nacl Comp Cient, Petropolis, BrazilUniv Autonoma Madrid, Fac Med, Dept Prevent Med, Madrid, SpainInst Adolfo Lutz Registro, Nucleo TB & Micobacterioses, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, Escola Paulista Med, São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: FAPESP - 06/01533-9Web of Scienc

Analysis of the African coelacanth genome sheds light on tetrapod evolution

It was a zoological sensation when a living specimen of the coelacanth was first discovered in 1938, as this lineage of lobe-finned fish was thought to have gone extinct 70 million years ago. The modern coelacanth looks remarkably similar to many of its ancient relatives, and its evolutionary proximity to our own fish ancestors provides a glimpse of the fish that first walked on land. Here we report the genome sequence of the African coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae. Through a phylogenomic analysis, we conclude that the lungfish, and not the coelacanth, is the closest living relative of tetrapods. Coelacanth protein-coding genes are significantly more slowly evolving than those of tetrapods, unlike other genomic features . Analyses of changes in genes and regulatory elements during the vertebrate adaptation to land highlight genes involved in immunity, nitrogen excretion and the development of fins, tail, ear, eye, brain, and olfaction. Functional assays of enhancers involved in the fin-to-limb transition and in the emergence of extra-embryonic tissues demonstrate the importance of the coelacanth genome as a blueprint for understanding tetrapod evolution

Temporal association of HLA-B*81:01- and HLA-B*39:10-mediated HIV-1 p24 sequence evolution with disease progression.

HLA-B*81:01 and HLA-B*39:10 alleles have been associated with viremic control in HIV-1 subtype C infection. Both alleles restrict the TL9 epitope in p24 Gag, and cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte (CTL)-mediated escape mutations in this epitope have been associated with an in vitro fitness cost to the virus. We investigated the timing and impact of mutations in the TL9 epitope on disease progression in five B*81:01- and two B*39:10-positive subtype C-infected individuals. Whereas both B*39:10 participants sampled at 2 months postinfection had viruses with mutations in the TL9 epitope, in three of the five (3/5) B*81:01 participants, TL9 escape mutations were only detected 10 months after infection, taking an additional 10 to 15 months to reach fixation. In the two remaining B*81:01 individuals, one carried a TL9 escape variant at 2 weeks postinfection, whereas no escape mutations were detected in the virus from the other participant for up to 33 months postinfection, despite CTL targeting of the epitope. In all participants, escape mutations in TL9 were linked to coevolving residues in the region of Gag known to be associated with host tropism. Late escape in TL9, together with coevolution of putative compensatory mutations, coincided with a spontaneous increase in viral loads in two individuals who were otherwise controlling the infection. These results provide in vivo evidence of the detrimental impact of B*81:01-mediated viral evolution, in a single Gag p24 epitope, on the control of viremia

Human coronavirus OC43 3CL protease and the potential of ML188 as a broad-spectrum lead compound: Homology modelling and molecular dynamic studies

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus 3 chymotrypsin-like protease (3CL(pro)) is a validated target in the design of potential anticoronavirus inhibitors. The high degree of homology within the protease’s active site and substrate conservation supports the identification of broad spectrum lead compounds. A previous study identified the compound ML188, also termed 16R, as an inhibitor of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) 3CL(pro). This study will detail the generation of a homology model of the 3CL(pro) of the human coronavirus OC43 and determine the potential of 16R to form a broad-spectrum lead compound. MODELLER was used to generate a suitable three-dimensional model of the OC43 3CL(pro) and the Prime module of Schrӧdinger predicted the binding conformation and free energy of binding of 16R within the 3CL(pro) active site. Molecular dynamics further confirmed ligand stability and hydrogen bonding networks. RESULTS: A high quality homology model of the OC43 3CL(pro) was successfully generated in an active conformation. Further studies reproduced the binding pose of 16R within the active site of the generated model, where its free energy of binding was shown to equal that of the 3CL(pro) of SARS-CoV, a receptor it is experimentally proven to inhibit. The stability of the ligand was subsequently confirmed by molecular dynamics. CONCLUSION: The lead compound 16R may represent a broad-spectrum inhibitor of the 3CL(pro) of OC43 and potentially other coronaviruses. This study provides an atomistic structure of the 3CL(pro) of OC43 and supports further experimental validation of the inhibitory effects of 16R. These findings further confirm that the 3CL(pro) of coronaviruses can be inhibited by broad spectrum lead compounds

The cricket bowling performance of different racial groups at a junior provincial level in South Africa

Objective. To investigate the difference in performance and bowling opportunity of black African (BA), coloured/Indian (C/I) and white (W) cricket bowlers at a junior provincial level in South Africa between 2006 and 2012.Methods. Data of all players performing in the South African interprovincial under-13 (U13), under-15 (U15) and under-19 (U19) tournaments were analysed. Bowling performance (bowling average and the top 20 wicket takers relative to their par representation) and bowling opportunity (number of overs bowled) were compared between racial groups.Results. There were no significant differences in the bowling averages between BA bowlers and the other racial groups between 2008 and 2012. BA bowling averages were only significantly worse than W bowlers in the U13s in 2006 and U19s in 2007. BA bowling averages were also only significantly worse than C/I in the U13s and U15s in 2007. BA bowlers were below par representation in the top 20 wicket takers in each year for the U15s and U19s and below par representation for the U13s in 2007 - 2009 and 2011. The performance of C/I and W bowlers was relatively similar across the age groups. BA players bowled significantly fewer overs than W bowlers in the U13s in 2006, in the U15s in 2007 and 2009 and in the U19s in 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011. C/I bowlers bowled significantly fewer overs than W bowlers in the U13s in 2008 and 2009.Conclusion. The bowling averages of the different racial groups are similar. However, there were relatively few BA bowlers in the top 20 wicket takers each year. This could be because of a lack of highly skilled BA bowlers or the lack of opportunity provided to BA bowlers to bowl in these tournaments

Exploration of recovery of people living with severe mental illness (SMI) in low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC): A scoping review protocol

Introduction: The construct of recovery was conceptualised in high-income countries and its applicability in low-income and middle- income countries is underexplored. A scoping review is proposed to synthesise knowledge, review conceptual overlap and map key elements of recovery from severe mental illness in low-income and middle-income countries. We aim to appraise the literature so as to inform future recovery-oriented services that consider the cultural and contextual influences on recovery from severe mental illness. Methods and analysis: The following electronic databases: MEDLINE via PubMed, SCOPUS (which included contents of Embase), PsycINFO, CINAHL, Africa-Wide Information, PsycARTICLES, Health source: Nursing/Academic Edition, Academic Search Premier and SocINDEX all via the EBSCOHOST platform, the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, the Cochrane Centre Register of Controlled Trials) and grey literature sources will be searched between May and December 2019. Eligible studies will be independently screened for inclusion and exclusion by two reviewers using a checklist developed for this purpose. Studies published between January 1993 and November 2019 that focus on recovery from severe mental illness in a low-income and middle-income country will be included. Findings will be compared and discrepancies will be discussed. Unresolved discrepancies will be referred to a third reviewer. All bibliographic data and study characteristics will be extracted and thematically analysed using a tool developed through an iterative process by the research team. Indicators will be classified according to a predefined conceptual framework and categorised and described using qualitative content analysis. Ethics and dissemination: The review aims to synthesise information from available publications, hence it does not require ethical approval. The results will be disseminated through publications, conference presentations and future workshops with stakeholders involved within the recovery paradigm of mental health policy and practice. The scoping review title is registered with the Joanna Briggs Institute