43 research outputs found
Meat quality, skin damage and reproductive performance of ostriches exposed to extensive human presence and interactions at an early age
The effect human presence and interactions performed after hatch to 3 months of age has on ostrich meat quality, skin damage
and reproductive performance at a later age was investigated in 416-day-old ostrich chicks. The chicks were allocated to one of
the three treatments, which varied with regard to exposure to human presence and care for 3 months post-hatch: HP1âextensive
human presence with physical contact (touch, stroking), gentle human voice and visual contact; HP2âextensive human presence
with gentle human voice and visual contact without physical contact; Sâstandard control treatment, where human presence and
visual contact were limited to routine management, feed and water supply only. Carcass attributes (carcass weight, dressing
percentage and drumstick weight), meat quality traits (pH, colour and tenderness) and skin traits (skin size, skin grading and
number of lesions) were evaluated on twenty-four 1-year-old South African Black (SAB) ostriches
Regional projections of extreme apparent temperature days in Africa and the related potential risk to human health
Regional climate modelling was used to produce high resolution climate
projections for Africa, under a âbusiness as usual scenarioâ, that were translated into
potential health impacts utilizing a heat index that relates apparent temperature to health
impacts. The continent is projected to see increases in the number of days when health may be adversely affected by increasing maximum apparent temperatures (AT) due to climate
change. Additionally, climate projections indicate that the increases in AT results in a
moving of days from the less severe to the more severe Symptom Bands. The analysis of
the rate of increasing temperatures assisted in identifying areas, such as the East African
highlands, where health may be at increasing risk due to both large increases in the
absolute number of hot days, and due to the high rate of increase. The projections
described here can be used by health stakeholders in Africa to assist in the development of
appropriate public health interventions to mitigate the potential health impacts from
climate change.A Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
Parliamentary Grant.http://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerpham201
Polymerase chain reaction amplifying mycobacterial DNA from aspirates obtained by endoscopic ultrasound allows accurate diagnosis of mycobacterial disease in HIV-positive patients with abdominal lymphadenopathy
Abdominal lymphadopathy in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection
remains a diagnostic challenge. We performed a prospective cohort study
recruiting thirty-one symptomatic HIV+ patients with abdominal
lymphadenopathy assessing diagnostic yield of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)
fine needle aspiration (FNA). Mean age was 38 years, 52% were female, mean
CD4 count and viral load were 124 cells/pl, and 4 log respectively. EUS
confirmed additional mediastinal nodes in 26 %. Porta- hepatis was the most
common abdominal site. EUS FNA was subjected to cytology, culture and
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Mycobacterial infections were
confirmed in 67.7% and 31% had reactive lymphadenopathy. Cytology and
culture had low sensitivity whereas PCR identified 90% of mycobacterial
infections. Combining appearance of EUS FNA and cytology a diagnostic
algorithm was developed to indicate when analysis with PCR would be useful.
PCR performed on an EUS guided aspirate was highly accurate in confirming
mycobacterial disease and determining genotypic drug resistance.South African Gastroenterological Society (SAGES)/ Astra Zeneca Fellowship in Gastroenterology awarded to Schalk van der Merwehttp://www.journals.elsevier.com/ultrasound-in-medicine-and-biology/hb201
Age of the association between Helicobacter pylori and man
When modern humans left Africa ca. 60,000 years ago (60 kya), they were already infected with Helicobacter pylori, and these bacteria have subsequently diversified in parallel with their human hosts. But how long were humans infected by H. pylori prior to the out-of-Africa event? Did this co-evolution predate the emergence of modern humans, spanning the species divide? To answer these questions, we investigated the diversity of H. pylori in Africa, where both humans and H. pylori originated. Three distinct H. pylori populations are native to Africa: hpNEAfrica in Afro-Asiatic and Nilo-Saharan speakers, hpAfrica1 in Niger-Congo speakers and hpAfrica2 in South Africa. Rather than representing a sustained co-evolution over millions of years, we find that the coalescent for all H. pylori plus its closest relative H. acinonychis dates to 88â116 kya. At that time the phylogeny split into two primary super-lineages, one of which is associated with the former hunter-gatherers in southern Africa known as the San. H. acinonychis, which infects large felines, resulted from a later host jump from the San, 43â56 kya. These dating estimates, together with striking phylogenetic and quantitative human-bacterial similarities show that H. pylori is approximately as old as are anatomically modern humans. They also suggest that H. pylori may have been acquired via a single host jump from an unknown, non-human host. We also find evidence for a second Out of Africa migration in the last 52,000 years, because hpEurope is a hybrid population between hpAsia2 and hpNEAfrica, the latter of which arose in northeast Africa 36â52 kya, after the Out of Africa migrations around 60 kya.Table S1 Mitochondrial DNA haplotypes, number of H. pylori
cultures and unique H. pylori haplotypes per individual.Table S2 Primers designed from a whole genome alignment and
used to amplify and sequence the 7 homologous housekeeping
gene (MLST) fragments in Helicobacter cetorum.Table S3 H. pylori sequences used in Mantel regressions.Table S4 Source of human mitochondrial DNA sequences used
in Mantel regressions.Text S1 Treefinder script to generate confidence limits from the
spread of posterior IMA t values.The Max-Planck Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Wissenschaften, the ERA-NET PathoGenoMics, the Science Foundation of Ireland, the South African Gastroenterology Society (SAGES), and the German Research Foundation (DFG).http://www.plospathogens.orgam2022Immunolog
Multi-Target Prediction: A Unifying View on Problems and Methods
Multi-target prediction (MTP) is concerned with the simultaneous prediction
of multiple target variables of diverse type. Due to its enormous application
potential, it has developed into an active and rapidly expanding research field
that combines several subfields of machine learning, including multivariate
regression, multi-label classification, multi-task learning, dyadic prediction,
zero-shot learning, network inference, and matrix completion. In this paper, we
present a unifying view on MTP problems and methods. First, we formally discuss
commonalities and differences between existing MTP problems. To this end, we
introduce a general framework that covers the above subfields as special cases.
As a second contribution, we provide a structured overview of MTP methods. This
is accomplished by identifying a number of key properties, which distinguish
such methods and determine their suitability for different types of problems.
Finally, we also discuss a few challenges for future research
CD14+ macrophages that accumulate in the colon of African AIDS patients express pro-inflammatory cytokines and are responsive to lipopolysaccharide
BACKGROUND : Intestinal macrophages are key regulators of inflammatory responses to the gut microbiome and play
a central role in maintaining tissue homeostasis and epithelial integrity. However, little is known about the role of
these cells in HIV infection, a disease fuelled by intestinal inflammation, a loss of epithelial barrier function and
increased microbial translocation (MT).
METHODS : Phenotypic and functional characterization of intestinal macrophages was performed for 23 African AIDS
patients with chronic diarrhea and/or weight loss and 11 HIV-negative Africans with and without inflammatory
bowel disease (IBD). AIDS patients were treated with cotrimoxazole for the prevention of opportunistic infections
(OIs). Macrophage phenotype was assessed by flow cytometry and immuno-histochemistry (IHC); production of
proinflammatory mediators by IHC and Qiagen PCR Arrays; in vitro secretion of cytokines by the Bio-Plex Suspension
Array System. Statistical analyses were performed using Spearmanâs correlation and Wilcoxon matched-pair tests.
Results between groups were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis with Dunnâs post-test and the MannâWhitney U tests.
RESULTS : None of the study participants had evidence of enteric co-infections as assessed by stool analysis and
histology. Compared to healthy HIV-negative controls, the colon of AIDS patients was highly inflamed with increased
infiltration of inflammatory cells and increased mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokine (tumour necrosis factor
(TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1ÎČ, IFN-Îł, and IL-18), chemokines (chemokine (C-C motif) ligand (CCL)2 and chemokine (C-X-C)
motif ligand (CXCL)10) and transcription factors (TNF receptor-associated factor (TRAF)6 and T-box (TXB)21). IHC
revealed significant co-localization of TNF-α and IL-1ÎČ with CD68+ cells. As in IBD, HIV was associated with a marked
increase in macrophages expressing innate response receptors including CD14, the co-receptor for lipopolysaccharide
(LPS). The frequency of CD14+ macrophages correlated positively with plasma LPS, a marker of MT. Total unfractionated
mucosal mononuclear cells (MMC) isolated from the colon of AIDS patients, but not MMC depleted of CD14+ cells, secreted increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines ex vivo in response to LPS
CONCLUSIONS : Intestinal macrophages, in the absence of overt OIs, play an important role in driving persistentinflammation in HIV patients with late-stage disease and diarrhea. These results suggest intensified treatmentstrategies that target inflammatory processes in intestinal macrophages may be highly beneficial in restoringthe epithelial barrier and limiting MT in HIV-infected patients.This research and selected researchers (EC, TR, PM, SM and CS) were funded
in part by a grant from the Delegation of the European Union to South
Africa: âDrug Resistance Surveillance and Treatment Monitoring Network for
the Public Sector HIV Antiretroviral Treatment Programme in the Free State â
Sante 2007/147-790â and by a grant from the National Research Council of
South Africa, Unlocking the Future 61509.http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdisam201
Depositional architecture of sand-attached and sand-detached channel-lobe transition zones on an exhumed stepped slope mapped over a 2500 km2 area
The geomorphology and seismic stratigraphy of deep-water clastic systems from slope valleys through channel-levee systems to basin-floor fans have been observed and described in modern and ancient sub surface examples around the world. However, the distribution of sedimentary facies, grain size, and small-scale architectural elements remains poorly constrained. Extensive exposures (>2500 km2) of four stacked deep-water composite sequences have been mapped from heterolithic channel-levee systems on the slope to sand-rich basin-floor deposits. The data set from Units C-F of the Fort Brown Formation in the Permian Laingsburg depocenter of South Africa permits a unique opportunity to document and compare their depositional architecture at a high resolution for tens of kilometers downdip. Isopach thickness maps indicate that compensational stacking across multiple stratigraphic scales occurs on the basin floor, whereas preferred axial pathways were present on the slope, leading to subvertical stacking patterns. Units C and D are sand-attached systems; slope valley systems are mapped to pass transitionally downslope through leveeconfined channels to lobe complexes over distances of >30 km. The slope valley fills of Units E and F, however, are separated from their downdip sand-rich lobe complexes by a thin, sand-poor tract several kilometers in length and are termed sand detached. Locally, this sand-poor tract is characterized by a distinctive facies association of thin-bedded turbidites with numerous scours mantled with rip-up clasts, and a top surface that includes megaflutes and remobilized sediments. This assemblage is interpreted to indicate a widespread area of sand bypass. This unique data set provides an exploration- scale insight and understanding of how different segments of a prograding slope evolved over time in terms of gradient, physiography, and hence the degree to which sand was stored or bypassed to the basin floor, and the evolution from sand-attached to sand-detached systems. The development of sand-detached systems suggests that a steeper gradient formed, possibly related to developing underlying structure, that led to the development of a stepped slope profile. The study highlights that updip stratigraphic trapping at reservoir scale can occur with minor bathymetric changes
Return to sport soccer after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: ISAKOS consensus
Many factors can affect the return to pivoting sports, after an Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. Prehabilitation, rehabilitation, surgical and psychological aspects play an essential role in the decision to return to sports. The purpose of this study is to reach an international consensus about the best conditions for returning to sports in soccer-one of the most demanding level I pivoting sports after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction
Recommended from our members
ENIGMA and global neuroscience: A decade of large-scale studies of the brain in health and disease across more than 40 countries.
This review summarizes the last decade of work by the ENIGMA (Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) Consortium, a global alliance of over 1400 scientists across 43 countries, studying the human brain in health and disease. Building on large-scale genetic studies that discovered the first robustly replicated genetic loci associated with brain metrics, ENIGMA has diversified into over 50 working groups (WGs), pooling worldwide data and expertise to answer fundamental questions in neuroscience, psychiatry, neurology, and genetics. Most ENIGMA WGs focus on specific psychiatric and neurological conditions, other WGs study normal variation due to sex and gender differences, or development and aging; still other WGs develop methodological pipelines and tools to facilitate harmonized analyses of "big data" (i.e., genetic and epigenetic data, multimodal MRI, and electroencephalography data). These international efforts have yielded the largest neuroimaging studies to date in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. More recent ENIGMA WGs have formed to study anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts and behavior, sleep and insomnia, eating disorders, irritability, brain injury, antisocial personality and conduct disorder, and dissociative identity disorder. Here, we summarize the first decade of ENIGMA's activities and ongoing projects, and describe the successes and challenges encountered along the way. We highlight the advantages of collaborative large-scale coordinated data analyses for testing reproducibility and robustness of findings, offering the opportunity to identify brain systems involved in clinical syndromes across diverse samples and associated genetic, environmental, demographic, cognitive, and psychosocial factors
ENIGMA and global neuroscience: A decade of large-scale studies of the brain in health and disease across more than 40 countries
This review summarizes the last decade of work by the ENIGMA (Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) Consortium, a global alliance of over 1400 scientists across 43 countries, studying the human brain in health and disease. Building on large-scale genetic studies that discovered the first robustly replicated genetic loci associated with brain metrics, ENIGMA has diversified into over 50 working groups (WGs), pooling worldwide data and expertise to answer fundamental questions in neuroscience, psychiatry, neurology, and genetics. Most ENIGMA WGs focus on specific psychiatric and neurological conditions, other WGs study normal variation due to sex and gender differences, or development and aging; still other WGs develop methodological pipelines and tools to facilitate harmonized analyses of "big data" (i.e., genetic and epigenetic data, multimodal MRI, and electroencephalography data). These international efforts have yielded the largest neuroimaging studies to date in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. More recent ENIGMA WGs have formed to study anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts and behavior, sleep and insomnia, eating disorders, irritability, brain injury, antisocial personality and conduct disorder, and dissociative identity disorder. Here, we summarize the first decade of ENIGMA's activities and ongoing projects, and describe the successes and challenges encountered along the way. We highlight the advantages of collaborative large-scale coordinated data analyses for testing reproducibility and robustness of findings, offering the opportunity to identify brain systems involved in clinical syndromes across diverse samples and associated genetic, environmental, demographic, cognitive, and psychosocial factors