Nutrition in neurological disability in paediatrics : cerebral palsy

The case study has been adapted from the original case discussion at the South African Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (SASPEN) 2011 Congress held at Diep-in-die-Berg, Pretoria. A summarised discussion of the case follows.http://www.sajcn.co.za/index.php/SAJC

Patient safety and nutrition : is there a connection?

Nutrition care is not always recognised as a patient safety issue. This article explores the origins of the patient safety initiative and seeks to identify possible connections between nutrition care and patient safety. Examples of tools that can be used to improve the safety of nutrition care are provided. This is also a call to action as patient safety data for nutrition care in the South African context are lacking and much can be learned from worldwide patient safety initiatives.http://www.sajcn.co.za/index.php/SAJCNam201

Comprehensive Survey of the Distribution of Colour and Phenolics of Different Red Grape Wine Vineyard Blocks from the Robertson Area in South Africa

Colour and phenolic content of red grapes are two of the most important constituents required to producea quality red wine. In the Robertson grape growing area, difficulty is sometimes experienced with colourdevelopment of grapes. This is especially linked to location and most probably greatly influenced byseason. Forty four vineyard blocks of the cultivars Pinotage, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz,were studied over 3 seasons primarily to focus on colour and phenolic content, but secondly on totalsoluble solids, titratable acidity and pH of the grapes. High performance liquid chromatography andspectrophotometric methods were used to determine various colour and phenolic parameters present atharvest. This data was used to indicate how colour and phenolic constitution of a part of the Robertsongrape growing area was distributed in relation to various factors, such as cultivar and season. GPS pointswere used to map data for the blocks visually. Results showed variable colour and phenolic content forthese grapes based on blocks and phenolic compounds investigated. Shiraz displayed a wider distributionof certain phenolic compounds over the three seasons than the other 3 cultivars. Seasonality had a greatinfluence on these results, with outlying blocks being identified

Data-driven Determination of Disease Markers’ Threshold Values in Rot-affected Wine Grapes

Grapevine bunch rot is detrimental to grape and wine quality. Traditionally, detecting and quantifyingthe severity of rot infection is executed visually. This study aimed at defining local, area-specific thresholdvalues of rot-associated disease markers. This is a first step towards making informed decisions aboutthe quality of grapes delivered at winery intake. Viticulturists visually assessed on-vine rot infection innine white wine grape cultivars. Results showed that severity ratings were consistent between assessors.Chemical analyses of the grape must from these assessed samples were done. Multiple factor analysis (MFA)showed that rot severity was positively correlated with glycerol, alcohol, gluconic acid and acetic acidconcentrations. As severity increased, gluconic acid, glycerol, alcohol, Brix, acetic acid and total titratableacidity (TA) concentrations also increased. Following the probability chosen for sensitivity and specificity,grape rot indicators’ threshold values in white grape must are as follow: Alcohol ≥ 0.10 %v/v; acetic acid≥ 0.17 g/L; glycerol ≥ 0.79 g/L; gluconic acid ≥ 0.99 g/L; TA ≥ 8.86 g/L. Statistical determined thresholdvalues differentiating between rot-affected and healthy grape must, would eliminate the subjectivity andbias associated with visual assessments

Probing structural relaxation in complex fluids by critical fluctuations

Complex fluids, such as polymer solutions and blends, colloids and gels, are of growing interest in fundamental and applied soft-condensed-matter science. A common feature of all such systems is the presence of a mesoscopic structural length scale intermediate between atomic and macroscopic scales. This mesoscopic structure of complex fluids is often fragile and sensitive to external perturbations. Complex fluids are frequently viscoelastic (showing a combination of viscous and elastic behaviour) with their dynamic response depending on the time and length scales. Recently, non-invasive methods to infer the rheological response of complex fluids have gained popularity through the technique of microrheology, where the diffusion of probe spheres in a viscoelastic fluid is monitored with the aid of light scattering or microscopy. Here we propose an alternative to traditional microrheology that does not require doping of probe particles in the fluid (which can sometimes drastically alter the molecular environment). Instead, our proposed method makes use of the phenomenon of "avoided crossing" between modes associated with the structural relaxation and critical fluctuations that are spontaneously generated in the system.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Comprehensive survey of the distribution of colour and phenolics of different red grape wine vineyard blocks from the Robertson area in South Africa

CITATION: Van der Merwe, H., Nieuwoudt, H. H., De Beer, D. & Du Toit, W. J. 2012. Comprehensive survey of the distribution of colour and phenolics of different red grape wine vineyard blocks from the Robertson area in South Africa. South African Journal of Enology and Viticulture, 33(1):58-71, doi:10.21548/33-1-1307.The original publication is available at http://www.journals.ac.za/index.php/sajevColour and phenolic content of red grapes are two of the most important constituents required to produce a quality red wine. In the Robertson grape growing area, difficulty is sometimes experienced with colour development of grapes. This is especially linked to location and most probably greatly influenced by season. Forty four vineyard blocks of the cultivars Pinotage, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, were studied over 3 seasons primarily to focus on colour and phenolic content, but secondly on total soluble solids, titratable acidity and pH of the grapes. High performance liquid chromatography and spectrophotometric methods were used to determine various colour and phenolic parameters present at harvest. This data was used to indicate how colour and phenolic constitution of a part of the Robertson grape growing area was distributed in relation to various factors, such as cultivar and season. GPS points were used to map data for the blocks visually. Results showed variable colour and phenolic content for these grapes based on blocks and phenolic compounds investigated. Shiraz displayed a wider distribution of certain phenolic compounds over the three seasons than the other 3 cultivars. Seasonality had a great influence on these results, with outlying blocks being identified.http://www.journals.ac.za/index.php/sajev/article/view/1307Publisher's versio

Commentary on muscle dysmorphia as an addiction: A response to Grant (2015) and Nieuwoudt (2015)

Background: Following the publication of our paper ‘Muscle Dysmorphia: Could it be classified as an addiction to body image?’ in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions, two commentaries by Jon Grant and Johanna Nieuwoudt were published in response to our paper. Method: Using the ‘addiction components model’, our main contention is that muscle dysmorphia (MD) actually comprises a number of different actions and behaviors and that the actual addictive activity is the maintaining of body image via a number of different activities such as bodybuilding, exercise, eating certain foods, taking specific drugs (e.g., anabolic steroids), shopping for certain foods, food supplements, and purchase or use of physical exercise accessories. This paper briefly responds to these two commentaries. Results: While our hypothesized specifics relating to each addiction component sometimes lack empirical support (as noted explicitly by both Nieuwoudt and Grant), we still believe that our main thesis (that almost all the thoughts and behaviors of those with MD revolve around the maintenance of body image) is something that could be empirically tested in future research by those who already work in the area. Conclusions: We hope that the ‘Addiction to Body Image’ model we proposed provides a new framework for carrying out work in both empirical and clinical settings. The idea that MD could potentially be classed as an addiction cannot be negated on theoretical grounds as many people in the addiction field are turning their attention to research in new areas of behavioral addiction

High efficient differentiation of functional hepatocytes from porcine induced pluripotent stem cells

Hepatocyte transplantation is considered to be a promising therapy for patients with liver diseases. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide an unlimited source for the generation of functional hepatocytes. In this study, we generated iPSCs from porcine ear fibroblasts (PEFs) by overexpressing Sox2, Klf4, Oct4, and c-Myc (SKOM), and developed a novel strategy for the efficient differentiation of hepatocyte-like cells from porcine iPSCs by following the processes of early liver development. The differentiated cells displayed the phenotypes of hepatocytes, exhibited classic hepatocyte-associated bio-functions, such as LDL uptake, glycogen storage and urea secretion, as well as possessed the metabolic activities of cytochrome P-450 (CYP) 3A and 2C. Furthermore, we compared the hepatocyte differentiation efficacy of our protocol with another published method, and the results demonstrated that our differentiation strategy could significantly improve the generation of morphological and functional hepatocyte-like cells from porcine iPSCs. In conclusion, this study establishes an efficient method for in vitro generation of functional hepatocytes from porcine iPSCs, which could represent a promising cell source for preclinical testing of cell-based therapeutics for liver failure and for pharmacological applications. © 2014 Ao et al

Muscle dysmorphia: Could it be classified as an addiction to body image?

BACKGROUND: Muscle dysmorphia (MD) describes a condition characterised by a misconstrued body image in which individuals who interpret their body size as both small or weak even though they may look normal or highly muscular. MD has been conceptualized as a type of body dysmorphic disorder, an eating disorder, and obsessive–compulsive disorder symptomatology. METHOD AND AIM: Through a review of the most salient literature on MD, this paper proposes an alternative classification of MD – the ‘Addiction to Body Image’ (ABI) model – using Griffiths (2005) addiction components model as the framework in which to define MD as an addiction. RESULTS: It is argued the addictive activity in MD is the maintaining of body image via a number of different activities such as bodybuilding, exercise, eating certain foods, taking specific drugs (e.g., anabolic steroids), shopping for certain foods, food supplements, and the use or purchase of physical exercise accessories). In the ABI model, the perception of the positive effects on the self-body image is accounted for as a critical aspect of the MD condition (rather than addiction to exercise or certain types of eating disorder). CONCLUSIONS: Based on empirical evidence to date, it is proposed that MD could be re-classified as an addiction due to the individual continuing to engage in maintenance behaviours that may cause long-term harm