Tuberculosis in an inflammatory bowel disease cohort from South Africa

Background. Potent immunosuppressive therapy is standard treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but carries a risk of reactivating latent tuberculosis (TB). No data exist on the burden of TB in South African patients with IBD. Objective. To evaluate the burden of TB in IBD patients attending a large tertiary IBD clinic. Methods. A retrospective analysis was performed on data pertaining to patients attending the Groote Schuur Hospital IBD clinic. Data were extracted from an existing IBD database, patient notes, the National Health Laboratory Services database and chest X-ray analysis. Results. Of 614 patients, 72 (11.7%) were diagnosed with TB; 40 (55.6%) developed TB prior to the diagnosis of IBD. On regression analysis, coloured IBD patients were at increased risk for TB development (p=0.004, odds ratio (OR) 3.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.49 - 8.56), as were patients with extensive Crohn’s disease (CD) compared with those with less extensive disease (p=0.001,OR 2.84, 95% CI 1.27 - 6.33). No other risk factors, including the use of immunosuppressive agents, were identified for the development of TB. Conclusions. Of over 600 patients, 12% had TB either before or after IBD diagnosis. The high rate of previous TB and positive association with ethnicity probably reflects the high burden of TB in a socio-economically disadvantaged community. We recommend that IBD patients should be screened actively and monitored for TB when immunosuppressive medications are used

Determinants of advice seeking within defined contribution retirement savings schemes

We report results from a study of superannuation member advice-seeking within their plan, explaining observed patterns by member age, gender, issue salience, and size-of-bet effect. Inquiry mode, frequency and volume of contact with the advice-provider, and sensitivity of members to legislative change and macroeconomic events are considered. Results show that gender (female more likely than male), age (older rather than younger), balance (larger rather than smaller) and experience (longer rather than shorter), are the strongest advice-seeking predictors, consistent over time. Findings suggest member engagement around retirement planning may be more effective when considering the factors affecting advice-seeking behaviour in general

Solutions of ionic liquids with diverse aliphatic and aromatic solutes – Phase behavior and potentials for applications:A review article

This article principally reviews our research related to liquid–liquid and solid–liquid phase behavior of imidazolium- and phosphonium-based ionic liquids, mainly having bistriflamide ([NTf2]−) or triflate ([OTf]−) anions, with several aliphatic and aromatic solutes (target molecules). The latter include: (i) diols and triols: 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol and glycerol; (ii) polymer poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG): average molecular mass 200, 400 and 2050 – PEG200 (liquid), PEG400 (liquid) and PEG2050 (solid), respectively; (iii) polar aromatic compounds: nicotine, aniline, phenolic acids (vanillic, ferulic and caffeic acid,), thymol and caffeine and (iv) non-polar aromatic compounds (benzene, toluene, p-xylene). In these studies, the effects of the cation and anion, cation alkyl chain and PEG chain lengths on the observed phase behaviors were scrutinized. Thus, one of the major observations is that the anion – bistriflamide/triflate – selection usually had strong, sometimes really remarkable effects on the solvent abilities of the studied ionic liquids. Namely, in the case of the hydrogen-bonding solutes, the ionic liquids with the triflate anion generally exhibited substantially higher solubility than those having the bistriflamide anion. Nevertheless, with the aromatic compounds the situation was the opposite – in most of the cases it was the bistriflamide anion that favoured solubility. Moreover, our other studies confirmed the ability of PEG to dissolve both polar and non-polar aromatic compounds. Therefore, two general possibilities of application of alternative, environmentally acceptable, solvents of tuneable solvent properties appeared. One is to use homogeneous mixtures of two ionic liquids having [NTf2]− and [OTf]− anions as mixed solvents. The other, however, envisages the application of homogeneous and heterogeneous (PEG + ionic liquid) solutions as tuneable solvents for aromatic solutes. Such mixed solvents have potential applications in separation of the aforesaid target molecules from their aqueous solutions or in extraction from original matrices. From the fundamental point of view the phase equilibrium studies reviewed herein and the diversity of the pure compounds – ionic liquids and target molecules – represent a good base for the discussion of interactions between the molecules that exist in the studied solutions

Highly Luminescent Salts Containing Well-Shielded Lanthanide-Centered Complex Anions and Bulky Imidazolium Countercations

In this paper, we report on the syntheses, structures, and characterization of four molten salts containing imidazolium cations and europium(III)- or terbium(III)-centered complex anions. In the complex anions, the lanthanide centers are wrapped by four pseudodiketonate anionic ligands, which prevent them from contacting with high-frequency oscillators and allow them to show intense characteristic europium(III) or terbium(III) emission, small line widths, high color purity, high quantum yields (30−49%), and long decay times (\u3e2 ms)

Green Pathways for the Enzymatic Synthesis of Furan-Based Polyesters and Polyamides

The attention towards the utilization of sustainable feedstocks for polymer synthesis has grown exponentially in recent years. One of the spotlighted monomers derived from renewable resources is 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), one of the most promising bio-based monomers, due to its resemblance to petroleum-based terephthalic acid. Very interesting synthetic routes using this monomer have been reported in the last two decades. Combining the use of bio-based monomers and non-toxic chemicals via enzymatic polymerizations can lead to a robust and favorable approach towards a greener technology of bio-based polymer production. In this chapter, a brief introduction to FDCA-based monomers and enzymatic polymerizations is given, particularly focusing on furan-based polymers and their polymerization. In addition, an outline of the recent developments in the field of enzymatic polymerizations is discussed. </p

Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) and their applications [forthcoming]

Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) and Their Application