Effect of traditional beer consumption on the iron status of a rural South African population

Objective. To determine the effect of traditional beer consumption on the iron status of rural black subjects. Design. A cross-sectional study was undertaken. Setting. Dikgale field site and the surrounding villages in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Subjects. Eight hundred and forty-four non-alcohol consumers (738 women and 106 men) and 280 alcohol consumers (163 women and 117 men) aged 30 years and above, participated in the study. Outcome measures. Outcome measures included alcohol consumption, serum ferritin levels, percentage transferrin saturation, total iron-binding capacity, haemoglobin and C-reactive protein levels. Results. Traditional beer fermented in either iron pots or plastic containers was found to have iron levels ranging from 15 mg/l to 67.8 mg/l and 6 mg/l to 17 mg/l, respectively. Iron status as measured by serum ferritin, serum iron, percentage transferrin saturation, and haemoglobin levels was significantly higher in alcohol consumers than in non-consumers, even after adjustment for age and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. A high percentage of women (12.3%) and men (8.2%) consuming alcohol had iron overload. Conclusion. This study showed that consumption of traditional beer in a non-urban population in Limpopo Province was associated with high levels of markers of iron status. Traditional beer consumption seemed to prevent iron deficiency in those at risk of developing such deficiency, but appeared to precipitate iron overload in those at risk of developing iron overload.South African Journal Clinical Nutrition Vol. 20 (2) 2007: pp. 62-6

Buccal corridor changes in orthodontically treated extraction and non-extraction Class 1 patients

Patients seek orthodontic treatment mainly to improve their facial aesthetics and obtain an acceptable smile. It is purported that orthodontic extraction treatment may result in narrow buccal corridors which in turn may lead to unaesthetic smile. To determine if the dimensions of the buccal corridors are influenced by extraction or non-extraction treatment in Class 1 patients. Retrospective record-based study conducted between 2012 and 2017 at University of Pretoria Orthodontic department. Smile pictures of pre- and post-treatment Class 1 patients treated with or without premolar extractions were matched. Buccal corridors between the two groups were measured by measurement of visible maxillary dentition and oral aperture dimensions. Data analysis included frequencies and correlations using chi-square test, with a significance level set at p<0.05. Seventy-one patient records met the selection criteria with the majority being females (70%). The age range was between 10 and 37 with a mean of 17.5 years. Thirty-five patients were treated with extractions and thirty-six patients with non-extraction treatment. There was a significant difference in the visible maxillary dentition pre and post treatment with extraction patients showing a 6 to 6 and non-extraction showing 5 to 5 dentition post treatment (p<0.05). There were no differences in the ratios of the visible maxillary dentition and oral aperture in both groups pre and post treatment (p> 0.05). Orthodontic treatment of Class 1 cases with premolar extraction did not lead to deleterious changes in the buccal corridors

The Evolution of Diversity: Revising Student Learning Outcomes

Presentation and group discussion about the composition and revision of diversity-related student learning outcomes

Molecular contrast in optical coherence tomography using a pump-probe technique and a optical switch suppression technique

We describe two novel techniques for contrast enhancement in optical coherence tomography (OCT) which enables molecular specific imaging. The first, a pump-probe technique, is employed in which a pulsed pump laser is tuned to ground-state absorption in a molecule of interest. The location of the target molecule population is derived from the resulting transient absorption of OCT sample arm light acting as probe light. Preliminary results exhibiting contrast enhancement in cross-sectional OCT images using methylene blue dye are presented. The second method is an optical switch suppression technique based on the use of a transmembrane protein called bacteriorhodopsin. Initial experiments indicate that biochemical optical switches, such as bacteriorhodopsin, are excellent contrast agent candidates for molecular contrast OCT

Molecular contrast in optical coherence tomography using a pump-probe technique and a optical switch suppression technique

We describe two novel techniques for contrast enhancement in optical coherence tomography (OCT) which enables molecular specific imaging. The first, a pump-probe technique, is employed in which a pulsed pump laser is tuned to ground-state absorption in a molecule of interest. The location of the target molecule population is derived from the resulting transient absorption of OCT sample arm light acting as probe light. Preliminary results exhibiting contrast enhancement in cross-sectional OCT images using methylene blue dye are presented. The second method is an optical switch suppression technique based on the use of a transmembrane protein called bacteriorhodopsin. Initial experiments indicate that biochemical optical switches, such as bacteriorhodopsin, are excellent contrast agent candidates for molecular contrast OCT

Application of direct bioautography and SPME-GC-MS for the study of antibacterial chamomile ingredients

The isolation and characterization of antibacterial chamomile components were performed by the use of direct bioautography and solid phase microextraction (SPME)-GC-MS. Four ingredients, active against Vibrio fischeri, were identified as the polyacetylene geometric isomers cis- and trans-spiroethers, the coumarin related herniarin, and the sesquiterpene alcohol (-)-alpha-bisabolol

Detection of antibacterial activity of essential oil components by TLC-bioautography using luminescent bacteria

The aim of the present study was the chemical characterization of some medically relevant essential oils (tea tree, clove, cinnamon bark, thyme and eucalyptus) and the investigation of antibacterial effect of the components of these oils by use of a direct bioautographic method. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) was combined with biological detection in this process. The chemical composition of the oils was determined by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Eucalyptol (84.2%) was the main component of the essential oil of eucalyptus, eugenol (83.7%) of clove oil, and trans-cinnamic aldehyde (73.2%), thymol (49.9%) and terpinen-4-ol (45.8%) of cinnamon bark, thyme and tea tree oils, respectively. Antibacterial activity of the separated components of these oils, as well as their pure main components (eucalyptol, eugenol, trans-cinnamic aldehyde and thymol) was observed against the Gram-negative luminescence tagged plant pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola (Psmlux) and the Gram-negative, naturally luminescent marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri. On the whole, the antibacterial activity of the essential oils could be related to their main components, but the minor constituents may be involved in this process. Trans-cinnamic aldehyde and eugenol were the most active compounds in TLC-bioautography. The sensitivity of TLC-bioautographic method can be improved with using luminescent test bacteria. This method is more cost-effective and provides more reliable results in comparison with conventional microbiological methods, e.g. disc-diffusion technique