MyMedR

Displaying publications 201 - 220 of 411 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext Mental health-related experiences and challenges of informal HIV/AIDS caregivers: a brief review and analysis

Pei, Lin Lua, Norhayati Mustapha

ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, 2012;13(2):197-217.
MyJurnal

encountered particularly in mental health issues and to additionally analyze the methodologies used in studies involving HIV/AIDS informal caregivers.

Methods: Four electronic databases; Science Direct, EBSCOhost, Ovid and Springer Link were searched for articles published in the past 10 years (2002 - 2012). Only full-text English articles related to research on care giving of HIV-infected adult patients were selected.

Results: Twenty two out of 293 articles (7.5%) were reviewed, involving 2,765 caregivers in the USA (n=1,610), Africa (n=253), Asia (n=838) and Oceania (n=64) regions. A variety of age categories was involved in care giving with the youngest carer being 12 years old and the oldest, 60 years on average. Females and whites appeared to be dominant and 603 caregivers themselves were HIV positive. The main outcomes measured were care giving burden, challenges and coping. Stress and depression, stigma and discrimination, insufficient support, role overload and extreme poverty were the main challenges experienced in care giving. Both qualitative (n=11) and quantitative (n=9) were the equally preferred types of study. Purposive sampling emerged as the most preferred sampling technique. Various instruments were utilized, but the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was the most popular particularly in quantitative studies.

Conclusion: A variety of life aspects were negatively affected in the process of care giving for HIV/AIDS patients and studies of such nature commonly focused on caregivers' psychosocial burden.

Matched MeSH terms: Africa
Dental caries status of Chinese children in Johannesburg, South Africa

McInnes PM, Vieira E

Community Dent Oral Epidemiol, 1979 Jun;7(3):170-3.
PMID: 287589

The purpose of this study was to determine the dental health status of a representative sample of Johannesburg Chinese schoolchildren, all 250 attending the only Chinese school in the city. In 18 preschoolchildren, 3--5 years old, 16.7% were caries-free, mean dmft was 7.1 +/- 5.8 and labial caries was present in 33.3%. In 165 primary schoolchildren aged 5--16 years, the mean dmft was 590 +/- 3.2 with 20% of the primary dentition caries-free and the mean DMFT was 2.4 +/- 1.9 4.8% of the primary schoolchildren were caries-free. In 67 high school pupils of 11--17 years, 4.5% were caries-free and the mean DMFT score was 7.1 +/- 3.9. Caries prevalences among the Chinese were similar to corresponding groups of children of Chinese immigrants in the United Kingdom and Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: South Africa
Tropical medicine and industrial development

Waddy BB

J Trop Med Hyg, 1974 Apr;77(4):s:19-21.
PMID: 4841357
Matched MeSH terms: Africa
Fulltext A review of progress in the chemotherapy and control of filariasis since 1955

Hawking F

Bull World Health Organ, 1962;27:555-68.
PMID: 13953210

There has been little change since 1955 in the laboratory techniques for seeking new antifilarial compounds, although one valuable addition to laboratory study has been the experimental infection of cats with Brugia malayi.The chief drug for the treatment and control of filariasis-whether caused by Wuchereria bancrofti or by B. malayi-continues to be diethylcarbamazine, and the author reviews the reports recently published on its use. In India and China large-scale campaigns involving the use of this drug have been undertaken; and in Tahiti filariasis has been suppressed and almost eliminated. Campaigns on a smaller scale and pilot projects considered in this survey include those conducted in Pacific islands, Malaya, Ceylon, Brazil, Surinam and East and West Africa.It is generally agreed that the administration of diethylcarbamazine produces a great diminution in the microfilarial counts of those taking it, and in many persons both microfilariae and adult worms are eradicated. The difficulties which arise are due to toxic effects which occur in some recipients and which may adversely affect the acceptability of treatment.

Matched MeSH terms: Africa, Western
A needle in a haystack: the new genus Bernadottea (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae, Winnertziinae) with four new species in the Old World

Jaschhof M, Jaschhof C

Zootaxa, 2018 Feb 15;4379(4):529-538.
PMID: 29689964 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4379.4.5

A new genus of Winnertziini (Cecidomyiidae: Winnertziinae) named Bernadottea gen. nov. is introduced to absorb four new species from various different parts of the Old World: B. natalensis sp. nov. from South Africa, B. honshuensis sp. nov. from Japan, and B. pahangensis sp. nov. and B. selangorensis sp. nov. from Malaysia. Bernadottea are distinguished from previously known Winnertziini by the unusually complex genitalia of males, and from most members of this tribe by the absence of the fourth medial vein (M4). Another feature of Bernadottea is their rare occurrence in samples of Winnertziini taken by hand or by traps, a circumstance presumably expressing their scarcity in nature, at least at ground level. The new taxa are described based on the morphology of males, while females and larvae remain unknown.

Matched MeSH terms: South Africa
Fulltext Nutritional, phytochemical and pharmacological properties of Mikania micrantha Kunth

Amirah Haziyah Ishak, Nurul Husna Shafie, Norhaizan Mohd Esa, Hasnah Bahari

The Pertanika Journal of Scholarly Research Reviews, 2016;2(3):123-132.
MyJurnal

Mikania micrantha Kunth (Asteraceae) is a perennial creeping vine that can be found in South and North America, Africa, Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia, including Southern China and Malaysia. Previous studies have reported that this plant possesses several pharmacological properties which can be used to prevent and cure several diseases. Phytochemicals found from various parts of M. micrantha have been linked to beneficial medicinal properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antitumour, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, and also anti-diabetic activities. The primary aim of this paper is to review available scientific information on the nutritional, phytochemical and pharmacological properties of M. micrantha to provide baseline information for future studies.

Matched MeSH terms: Africa
Water or sediment? Partitioning the role of water column and sediment chemistry as drivers of macroinvertebrate communities in an austral South African stream

Dalu T, Wasserman RJ, Tonkin JD, Mwedzi T, Magoro ML, Weyl OLF

Sci Total Environ, 2017 Dec 31;607-608:317-325.
PMID: 28692901 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.267

Water pollution is a critical management issue, with many rivers and streams draining urban areas being polluted by the disposal of untreated solid waste and wastewater discharge, storm water and agricultural runoff. This has implications for biodiversity, and many rivers in the developing world are now considered compromised. We investigated benthic macroinvertebrate community structure and composition in relation to physico-chemical conditions of the water column and sediments. The study was conducted in an Austral catchment subject to both urban and agricultural pollutants in two different seasons. We assessed whether sediment characteristics were more important drivers of macroinvertebrate community composition than water column characteristics. We expected clear differences in macroinvertebrate community composition and in the associated community metrics due to distinct flow conditions between the two seasons. A combination of multivariate analyses (canonical correspondence analysis (CCA)) and biological indicator analysis were used to examine these patterns. Chironomidae was the most abundant family (>60%) in the upper mainstem river and stream sites. Stream sites were positively associated with CCA axis 2, being characterised by high turbidity and lower pH, salinity, phosphate concentration, channel width and canopy cover. Canopy cover, channel width, substrate embeddedness, phosphate concentration, pH, salinity and turbidity all had a significant effect on macroinvertebrate community composition. Using CCA variation partitioning, water quality was, however, a better predictor of benthic macroinvertebrate composition than sediment chemical conditions. Furthermore, our results suggest that seasonality had little effect on structuring benthic macroinvertebrate communities in this south-eastern zone of South Africa, despite clear changes in sediment chemistry. This likely reflects the relative lack of major variability in water chemistry compared to sediment chemistry between seasons and the relatively muted variability in precipitation between seasons than the more classic Austral temperate climates.

Matched MeSH terms: South Africa
Microplastics in Sediment Cores from Asia and Africa as Indicators of Temporal Trends in Plastic Pollution

Matsuguma Y, Takada H, Kumata H, Kanke H, Sakurai S, Suzuki T, et al.

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol, 2017 Aug;73(2):230-239.
PMID: 28534067 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-017-0414-9

Microplastics (<5 mm) were extracted from sediment cores collected in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and South Africa by density separation after hydrogen peroxide treatment to remove biofilms were and identified using FTIR. Carbonyl and vinyl indices were used to avoid counting biopolymers as plastics. Microplastics composed of variety of polymers, including polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethyleneterphthalates (PET), polyethylene-polypropylene copolymer (PEP), and polyacrylates (PAK), were identified in the sediment. We measured microplastics between 315 µm and 5 mm, most of which were in the range 315 µm-1 mm. The abundance of microplastics in surface sediment varied from 100 pieces/kg-dry sediment in a core collected in the Gulf of Thailand to 1900 pieces/kg-dry sediment in a core collected in a canal in Tokyo Bay. A far higher stock of PE and PP composed microplastics in sediment compared with surface water samples collected in a canal in Tokyo Bay suggests that sediment is an important sink for microplastics. In dated sediment cores from Japan, microplastic pollution started in 1950s, and their abundance increased markedly toward the surface layer (i.e., 2000s). In all sediment cores from Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and South Africa, the abundance of microplastics increased toward the surface, suggesting the global occurrence of and an increase in microplastic pollution over time.

Matched MeSH terms: South Africa
Fulltext Lurking in the dark: Cryptic Strongyloides in a Bornean slow loris

Frias L, Stark DJ, Lynn MS, Nathan SK, Goossens B, Okamoto M, et al.

Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl, 2018 Aug;7(2):141-146.
PMID: 29988792 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2018.03.003

Within host communities, related species are more likely to share common parasitic agents, and as a result, morphological similarities have led researchers to conclude that parasites infecting closely related hosts within a community represent a single species. However, genetic diversity within parasite genera and host range remain poorly investigated in most systems. Strongyloides is a genus of soil-transmitted nematode that has been reported from several primate species in Africa and Asia, and has been estimated to infect hundreds of millions of people worldwide, although no precise estimates are available. Here we describe a case of infection with a cryptic species of Strongyloides in a Bornean (Philippine) slow loris (Nycticebus menagensis) living within a diverse community of several primate species in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Malaysian Borneo. Fresh fecal samples were collected from five primate species and nematode larvae cultured from these samples were selected for phylogenetic analyses. Sequences obtained for most larvae were identified as S. fuelleborni, grouping into three different clusters and showing no aggregation within specific hosts or geographic location. In contrast, a set of parasite sequences obtained from a slow loris clustered closely with S. stercoralis into a different group, being genetically distinct to sequences reported from other primate hosts, humans included. Our results suggest that although S. fuelleborni infects all haplorrhines sampled in this primate community, a different species might be infecting the slow loris, the only strepsirrhine in Borneo and one of the least studied primates in the region. Although more data are needed to support this conclusion, we propose that Strongyloides species in primates might be more diverse than previously thought, with potential implications for ecological and evolutionary host-parasite associations, as well as epidemiological dynamics.

Matched MeSH terms: Africa
Identity of the tree-spider crab, Parasesarma leptosoma (Hilgendorf, 1869 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Sesarmidae), with descriptions of seven new species from the Western Pacific

Li JJ, Rahayu DL, Ng PKL

Zootaxa, 2018 Sep 19;4482(3):451-490.
PMID: 30313809 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4482.3.2

The identity of the tree-spider crab, Parasesarma leptosoma (Hilgendorf, 1869) (family Sesarmidae), which is believed to be widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific, is reassessed and shown to be a species-complex with nine species, seven of which are here described as new. Parasesarma leptosoma sensu stricto is now restricted to South and East Africa; and P. limbense (Rathbun, 1914) from Sulawesi, which had been regarded as a junior synonym, is here recognized as a valid species. The following species are described as new: P. gecko n. sp. from Vanuatu, Fiji, Guam and Japan; P. macaco n. sp. from Taiwan and the Philippines; P. kui n. sp. from Taiwan; P. parvulum n. sp. from the Philippines; P. gracilipes n. sp. from Indonesian Papua; P. purpureum n. sp. from Malaysia; and P. tarantula n. sp. from Sulawesi, Indonesia. The nine species of the Parasesarma leptosoma species-complex can be separated by the different shapes of their carapaces, the form of the dactylar tubercles on the male chelipeds, proportions of their ambulatory legs and the structure of the male first gonopod.

Matched MeSH terms: Africa, Eastern
Fulltext Physicochemical characteristics and sensorial properties of dry noodle supplemented with unripe banana flour

Anggraeni, R., Saputra, D.

Food Research, 2018;2(3):270-278.
MyJurnal

Banana is a type of fruit that grows in tropical and sub-tropical areas such as Indonesia,
Malaysia, Africa (Madagascar), South America and also central America. Indonesia
itself is the largest banana producing country in Asia because 50% of the production of
banana Asia is produced by Indonesia. This fruit is consumed in the form of fresh (fresh
fruit) because it tastes good. In addition, bananas can be processed into banana chips and
banana butter, but still, a few who processed it into another durable product. Banana
flour has been processed into various types of food, including made into bread, baby
food, pancakes, pastries, dry noodles, and pasta. This study aimed to utilize unripe
bananas into dried noodle food products and evaluate their chemical, physical and
sensory contents. This research was divided into 4 stages, namely the production of
banana flour, the characterization of banana flour, the manufacture of dry noodle
substitution of banana flour and the characterization and sensory analysis of banana flour
substitution noodles. The results showed that unripe banana flour contains 12.91%
moisture content, 0.46% fat content, 1.02% ash content, 4.45% protein content 4.45%,
81.15% carbohydrate content and 2.75% food fiber (dry basis). The resulting unripe
banana flour was then applied as a substance of flour substitution in the manufacture of
noodles. The results showed that noodles that had the same acceptance as control were
noodles containing 10% and 30% unripe banana flour.

Matched MeSH terms: Africa
Fulltext Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Pathogenic Strain of Ehrlichia minasensis

Moura de Aguiar D, Pessoa Araújo Junior J, Nakazato L, Bard E, Aguilar-Bultet L, Vorimore F, et al.

Microorganisms, 2019 Nov 05;7(11).
PMID: 31694172 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7110528

The genus Ehrlichia is composed of tick-borne obligate intracellular gram-negative alphaproteobacteria of the family Anaplasmataceae. Ehrlichia includes important pathogens affecting canids (E. canis, E. chaffeensis, and E. ewingii), rodents (E. muris), and ruminants (E. ruminantium). Ehrlichiaminasensis, an Ehrlichia closely related to E. canis, was initially reported in Canada and Brazil. This bacterium has now been reported in Pakistan, Malaysia, China, Ethiopia, South Africa, and the Mediterranean island of Corsica, suggesting that E. minasensis has a wide geographical distribution. Previously, E. minasensis was found to cause clinical ehrlichiosis in an experimentally infected calf. The type strain E. minasensis UFMG-EV was successfully isolated from Rhipicephalus microplus ticks and propagated in the tick embryonic cell line of Ixodes scapularis (IDE8). However, the isolation and propagation of E. minasensis strains from cattle has remained elusive. In this study, the E. minasensis strain Cuiabá was isolated from an eight-month-old male calf of Holstein breed that was naturally infected with the bacterium. The calf presented clinical signs and hematological parameters of bovine ehrlichiosis. The in vitro culture of the agent was established in the canine cell line DH82. Ehrlichial morulae were observed using light and electron microscopy within DH82 cells. Total DNA was extracted, and the full genome of the E. minasensis strain Cuiabá was sequenced. A core-genome-based phylogenetic tree of Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. confirmed that E. minasensis is a sister taxa of E. canis. A comparison of functional categories among Ehrlichia showed that E. minasensis has significantly less genes in the 'clustering-based subsystems' category, which includes functionally coupled genes for which the functional attributes are not well understood. Results strongly suggest that E. minasensis is a novel pathogen infecting cattle. The epidemiology of this Ehrlichia deserves further attention because these bacteria could be an overlooked cause of tick-borne bovine ehrlichiosis, with a wide distribution.

Matched MeSH terms: South Africa
The ongoing cut-down of the Amazon rainforest threatens the climate and requires global tree planting projects: A short review

Peng W, Sonne C, Lam SS, Ok YS, Alstrup AKO

Environ Res, 2020 02;181:108887.
PMID: 31732170 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.108887

The Amazon rainforest has sustained human existence for more than 10,000 years. Part of this has been the way that the forest controls regional climate including precipitation important for the ecosystem as well as agroforestry and farming. In addition, the Amazon also affects the global weather systems, so cutting down the rainforest significantly increases the effects of climate change, threatening the world's biodiversity and causing local desertification and soil erosion. The current fire activities and deforestation in the Amazon rainforest therefore have consequences for global sustainability. In the light of this, the current decisions made in Brazil regarding an increase in Amazon deforestation require policy changes if the global ecosystems and biodiversity are not to be set to collapse. There is only one way to move forward and that is to increase efforts in sustainable development of the region including limitation in deforestation and to continuously measure and monitor the development. The G7 countries have offered Brazil financial support for at least 20 million euros for fighting the forest fires but the president denies receiving such financial support and says that it is more relevant to raise new forests in Europe. In fact, this is exactly what is happening in Denmark and China in order to reduce climate change. Such activities should be global and include South America, Europe, Africa and Asia where deforestation is important issue. Forest restoration reduces climate change, desertification, and preserves both the regional tropical and global environment if the wood is not burned at a later stage but instead used in e.g. roads as filling material. Changes are therefore needed through improved international understanding and agreements to better avoid the global climate changes, from cutting down the precious rainforest before it is too late as rainforest cannot be re-planted.

Matched MeSH terms: Africa
Fulltext Supporting the Management of Patients with Heart Failure within Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and African Countries: A Toolbox for Healthcare Providers

Kabbani S, Al Habeeb W, Liew HB, Mohan JC, Ogola E, Sim D, et al.

Cardiology, 2019;142 Suppl 1:1-10.
PMID: 30947179 DOI: 10.1159/000496663

OBJECTIVES: The management of heart failure (HF) is most effective when established treatment guidelines and recommendations are followed. We aimed to develop a "Toolbox" of resources to facilitate the care of patients with acute HF and chronic HF with reduced ejection fraction delivered by healthcare professionals across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa (henceforth referred to as the "Region").
METHODS: We convened a group of cardiologists from across the Region to develop a set of checklists, algorithms, and other practical resources. These resources are based on our experiences, current evidence, and international guidelines.
RESULTS: The HF Toolbox comprises three simplified sets of resources for use in the Emergency Room (ER), hospital and outpatient settings. Resources include admission and discharge checklists, treatment algorithms, recommendations for forming a multidisciplinary team, patient education, and self-management materials, and key performance indicators to monitor whether standards of care are met or maintained, or should be improved.
CONCLUSIONS: The HF Toolbox provides practical resources to simplify the management of patients with HF and to support the formation of HF programs in the Region. The Toolbox is aligned with current guideline recommendations and can support the management of patients from presentation in the ER, through hospital admission to outpatient care.

Matched MeSH terms: Africa
Fasting experience of patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus on insulin therapy during Ramadan: VISION Ramadan substudy

Jabbar A, Wan Mohamed WMI, Spaepen E, Reed V, Tayeb K, Assaad Khalil SH, et al.

Diabetes Res Clin Pract, 2019 May;151:285-289.
PMID: 30822495 DOI: 10.1016/j.diabres.2019.02.021

AIMS: To describe the characteristics and fasting experience of a subgroup of patients in the VISION study who initiated insulin therapy and chose to fast during Ramadan, and to discuss the VISION Ramadan substudy data in the context of previous Ramadan studies.
METHODS: The VISION study was a prospective, non-interventional, observational study of adult patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus in 6 countries in the Western Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, receiving insulin injection therapy for the first time. In this VISION Ramadan substudy, fasting data was collected during Ramadan 2014 and 2015.
RESULTS: Of 1617 patients in the VISION study, data was collected for 357 patients who chose to fast during Ramadan. At baseline, mean HbA1c was 10.1%, duration of diabetes was 8.8 years, and mean BMI was 30 kg/m2. All patients with non-missing data (n = 169) received advice on fasting during Ramadan. The majority of patients fasted for the full month of Ramadan, and around one-third of patients fasted outside Ramadan.
CONCLUSIONS: Here we provide an update on the characteristics and Ramadan experience of patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus who initiated insulin therapy and chose to fast during Ramadan. There is still a need to explore patient's experience during fasting, and identify and address methods to better help manage those patients.

Matched MeSH terms: Africa, Northern
First Report of Fruit Rot of Loquat Caused by an Alternaria sp. in Taiwan

Ko Y, Liu CW, Chen SS, Chen CY, Yao KS, Maruthasalam S, et al.

Plant Dis, 2010 Apr;94(4):481.
PMID: 30754488 DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-94-4-0481B

During March 2007, a fruit rot disease was observed in several loquat (Eriobotrya japonica (Thunberg) Lindley) fields located in Taichung, Nantou, and Miaoli counties. Loquat is a valuable fruit crop grown predominantly in central Taiwan, and hence, even a minor yield loss by this new disease is economically significant. Symptoms on fruits initially appeared as small lesions (<1 mm) that later developed into light-to-dark brown, circular, larger (7 mm), sunken lesions, indicating invasion of a pathogen into the fruit. Pieces of rotted fruit tissue (1 × 1 × 1 mm) were immersed for 1 min in 3% commercial bleach, followed by 70% ethanol, cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA), and incubated under constant fluorescent light (185 ± 35 μE·m-2·s-1) at 24°C for 2 days. Three single conidial isolates (AS1 to AS3) were selected and used in morphological and pathogenicity studies. All three isolates were identified as an Alternaria sp. (1-3) and formed abundant, dark brown mycelium when cultured on PDA with light at 24°C. Conidiophores were 60 to 89 × 3 to 5 μm, densely fasciculate, cylindrical, simple or branched, and had distinct conidial scars. Conidia were 12 to 74 × 6 to 14 μm, golden brown, straight or curved, obclavate with beaks measuring half the length of the conidium, and observed in chains of 10 or more spores with four to seven transverse septa and several longitudinal septa. Pathogenicity tests were conducted twice by inoculating eight surface-sterilized wounded or unwounded fruits with each of the three isolates in each experiment. Two cuts (1 × 1 × 1 mm) were made on each fruit 3 cm apart with a sterile scalpel, and a 300-μl spore suspension (2 × 105 conidia per ml) was placed on each wound. Similarly, a 300-μl spore suspension was placed on unwounded fruits and air dried for 5 min. Control fruits were similarly treated with sterile water. Inoculated fruits were enclosed in a plastic bag and kept at 24 ± 1°C. Symptoms of soft rot were observed on 60% (unwounded) and 100% (wounded) of inoculated fruits 5 days after inoculation, while control fruits did not develop disease symptoms. Reisolation from the symptomatic fruits consistently yielded an Alternaria sp. This fungus previously has been reported as the causal agent of fruit rot or black spot of papaya, mango, kiwifruit, pear, and carambola from Australia, India, Malaysia, South Africa, and the United States (1-3). To our knowledge, this is the first report of fruit rot of loquat caused by an Alternaria sp. in Taiwan. To manage this disease, growers may resort to fungicidal sprays followed by bagging of fruits to reduce pre- and postharvest losses. References: (1) A. L. Jones and H. S. Aldwinckle. Compendium of Apple and Pear Diseases. The American Phytopathological Society. St. Paul, MN, 1990. (2) R. C. Ploetz. Diseases of Tropical Fruit Crops. CABI Publishing. Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK, 2003. (3) R. C. Ploetz et al. Compendium of Tropical Fruit Diseases. The American Phytopathological Society. St. Paul, MN, 1994.

Matched MeSH terms: South Africa
Early-career researchers: an interview with Danielle Levesque

J Exp Biol, 2019 Jan 03;222(Pt 1).
PMID: 30606794 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.197764

Danielle Levesque is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maine, USA, where she studies hibernation and torpor in mammals. She received her Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Biology from McGill University, Canada, in 2006, before completing her PhD with Barry Lovegrove at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in 2014. She then completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Malaysia Sarawak with Andrew Alek Tuen before moving to Maine in 2015.

Matched MeSH terms: South Africa
Sinks and sources: Assessing microplastic abundance in river sediment and deposit feeders in an Austral temperate urban river system

Nel HA, Dalu T, Wasserman RJ

Sci Total Environ, 2018 Jan 15;612:950-956.
PMID: 28886547 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.298

Microplastics are important novel pollutants in freshwaters but their behaviour in river sediments is poorly understood due to the large amounts of coloured dissolved organic matter that impede sample processing. The present study aimed to 1.) estimate the microplastic pollution dynamics in an urban river system experiencing temporal differences in river flow, and 2.) investigate the potential use of chironomids as indicators of microplastic pollution levels in degraded freshwater environments. Microplastic levels were estimated from sediment and Chironomus spp. larvae collected from various sites along the Bloukrans River system, in the Eastern Cape South Africa during the summer and winter season. River flow, water depth, channel width, substrate embeddedness and sediment organic matter were simultaneously collected from each site. The winter season was characterised by elevated microplastic abundances, likely as a result of lower energy and increased sediment deposition associated with reduced river flow. In addition, results showed that particle distribution may be governed by various other external factors, such as substrate type and sediment organic matter. The study further highlighted that deposit feeders associated with the benthic river habitats, namely Chironomus spp. ingest microplastics and that the seasonal differences in sediment microplastic dynamics were reflected in chironomid microplastic abundance. There was a positive, though weakly significant relationship between deposit feeders and sediment suggesting that deposit feeders such as Chironomus spp. larvae could serve as an important indicator of microplastic loads within freshwater ecosystems.

Matched MeSH terms: South Africa
Fulltext Moringa Genus: A Review of Phytochemistry and Pharmacology

Abd Rani NZ, Husain K, Kumolosasi E

Front Pharmacol, 2018;9:108.
PMID: 29503616 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00108

Moringa
is a genus of medicinal plants that has been used traditionally to cure wounds and various diseases such as colds and diabetes. In addition, the genus is also consumed as a source of nutrients and widely used for purifying water. The genus consists of 13 species that have been widely cultivated throughout Asia and Africa for their multiple uses. The purpose of this review is to provide updated and categorized information on the traditional uses, phytochemistry, biological activities, and toxicological research ofMoringaspecies in order to explore their therapeutic potential and evaluate future research opportunities. The literature reviewed for this paper was obtained from PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar journal papers published from 1983 to March 2017.Moringaspecies are well-known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antihyperglycemic activities. Most of their biological activity is caused by their high content of flavonoids, glucosides, and glucosinolates. By documenting the traditional uses and biological activities ofMoringaspecies, we hope to support new research on these plants, especially on those species whose biological properties have not been studied to date.

Matched MeSH terms: Africa
Advancing Neuroscience Research in Africa: Invertebrate Species to the Rescue

Balogun WG, Cobham AE, Amin A, Seeni A

Neuroscience, 2018 03 15;374:323-325.
PMID: 29427653 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.01.062

Neuroscience research and training in many African countries are difficult due to funding and infrastructure deficit. This has resulted in few neuroscientists within Africa. However, invertebrates such as Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans could provide the perfect answer to these difficulties. These organisms are cheap, easy to handle and offer a comparable advantage over vertebrates in neuroscience research modeling because they have a simple nervous system and exhibit well-defined behaviors. Studies using invertebrates have helped to understand neurosciences and the complexes associated with it. If Africa wants to catch up with the rest of the world in neuroscience research, it needs to employ this innovative cost-effective approach in its research. To improve invertebrate neuroscience within the Africa continent, the authors advocated the establishment of invertebrate research centers either at regional or national level across Africa. Finally, there is also a need to provide public funding to consolidate the gains that have been made by not-for-profit international organizations over the years.

Matched MeSH terms: Africa

Filters

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links