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Recent Submissions
Investigation of variants within the COL27A1 and TNC genes and achilles tendinopathy in two populations
(Wiley, 2012) Saunders, Colleen J; Van der Merwe, Lize; Posthumus, Michael; Cook, Jill; Handley, Christopher; Collins, Malcolm; Alison, September V
The TNC gene has previously been associated with Achilles tendinopathy (AT) in a South African population. The aims of this study were (i) to investigate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms within the TNC gene, and the additional candidate
gene, COL27A1, with AT in two populations, and (ii) to identify if there is a risk haplotype for AT in both populations. Three hundred and thirty nine healthy control participants (CON) and 179 participants clinically diagnosed with AT (TEN) from South Africa and Australia, were genotyped for variants: rs4143245, rs1249744, rs753085, rs946053 (COL27A1) and rs13321, rs2104772, rs1330363 (TNC). Haplotypes were inferred using the genotype data. The rs2104772 (p ¼ 0.017) and rs1330363 (p ¼ 0.020) variants within TNC showed a significant allele association with AT. The GCA haplotype (rs946053-rs13321-rs2104772) occurred significantly more frequently
in TEN participants compared to CON (27% vs. 18%; p ¼ 0.019). This study further implicates the genomic region containing the TNC and COL27A1 genes in influencing risk of AT, and maps the potential risk allele to a genetic interval flanked by rs946053 and rs2104772. This region may have functional effects on the transcription, structure and properties of tenascin-C and the alpha-1 chain of type XXVII collagen.
Application of the standardised streamflow index for hydrological drought monitoring in the Western Cape Province, South Africa: a case study in the Berg River catchment.
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2023) Mukhawana, Mxolisi Blessing; Kanyerere, Thokozani; Kahler, David
In many regions around the world, drought has been recurrent, more frequent, and more intense over time. Hence, scientific research on drought monitoring has become more urgent in recent years. The aim of this study was to test the applicability of the Standardised Streamflow Index (SSI) for hydrological drought monitoring in the Berg River catchment (BRC), Western Cape (WC) province, South Africa (SA). Using various methods described in this study, the sensitivity of the SSI to the commonly used Gamma, Log-normal, Log-logistic, Pearson Type III, and Weibull Probability Distribution Functions (PDFs) was tested. This study has found that all the tested PDFs produced comparable results for mild to severe drought conditions. The SSI calculated using the Gamma, Log-Normal, and Weibull PDFs is recommended for the BRC because it consistently identified extreme drought conditions during the 1990–2022 study period and identified the 2015–2018 droughts as the worst during the study period. Although more studies are required to test other PDFs not considered, this study has shown that the SSI can be applicable in the BRC. This study has provided a foundation for more research on the application of the SSI in the BRC and other catchments in SA.
Elucidating the effects of covid-19 lockdowns in the UK on the o3-nox-voc relationship
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2024) Shallcross, Dudley; Holland, Rayne; Seifert, Katya
The unprecedented reductions in anthropogenic emissions over the COVID-19 lockdowns were utilised to investigate the response of ozone (O3) concentrations to changes in its precursors across various UK sites. Ozone, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and NOx (NO+NO2) data were obtained for a 3-year period encompassing the pandemic period (January 2019–December 2021), as well as a pre-pandemic year (2017), to better understand the contribution of precursor emissions to O3 fluctuations. Compared with pre-lockdown levels, NO and NO2 declined by up to 63% and 42%, respectively, over the lockdown periods, with the most significant changes in pollutant concentrations recorded across the urban traffic sites. O3 levels correspondingly increased by up to 30%, consistent with decreases in the [NO]/[NO2] ratio for O3 concentration response. Analysis of the response of O3 concentrations to the NOx reductions suggested that urban traffic, suburban background and suburban industrial sites operate under VOC-limited regimes, while urban background, urban industrial and rural background sites are NOx-limited. This was in agreement with the [VOC]/[NOx] ratios determined for the London Marylebone Road (LMR; urban traffic) site and the Chilbolton Observatory (CO; rural background) site, which produced values below and above 8, respectively. Conversely, [VOC]/[NOx] ratios for the London Eltham (LE; suburban background) site indicated NOx-sensitivity, which may suggest the [VOC]/[NOx] ratio for O3 concentration response may have had a slight NOx-sensitive bias. Furthermore, O3 concentration response with [NO]/[NO2] and [VOC]/[NOx] were also investigated to determine their relevance and accuracy in identifying O3-NOx-VOC relationships across UK sites. While the results obtained via utilisation of these metrics would suggest a shift in photochemical regime, it is likely that variation in O3 during this period was primarily driven by shifts in oxidant (OX; NO2 + O3) equilibrium as a result of decreasing NO2, with increased O3 transported from Europe likely having some influence.
Molecular modeling and simulation studies of selex-derived high-affinity dna aptamers to the ebola virus nucleoprotein
(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2024) Martin, Darius Riziki; Madiehe, Abram; Meyer, Mervin
Ebola viral disease (EVD) is a highly infectious and potentially fatal illness with a case fatality rate ranging from 25% to 90%. To effectively control its spread, there is a need for rapid, reliable and lowcost point-of-care (P OC) diagnostic tests. While various EVD diagnostic tests exist, few are P OC tests, and many are not cost-effective. The use of antibodies in these tests has limitations, prompting the exploration of aptamers as potential alternatives. Various proteins from the Ebola virus (EBOV) proteome, including EBOV nucleoprotein (NP), are considered viable targets for diagnostic assays. A previous study identified three aptamers (Apt1. Apt2 and Apt3) with high affinity for EBOV NP using systemic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). This study aimed to employ in silico methods, such as Phyre2, RNAfold, RNAComposer, HADDOCK and GROMACS, to model the structures of EBOV NP and the aptamers, and to investigate their binding. The in silico analysis revealed successful binding of all the three aptamers to EBOV NP, with a suggested ranking of Apt1 > Apt2 > Apt3 based on binding affinity. Microscale thermophoresis (MST) analysis confirmed the binding, providing dissociation constants of 25 ± 2.84, 56 ± 2.76 and 140 ±3.69 nM for Apt1, Apt2 and Apt3, respectively. The study shows that the findings of the in silico analysis was in agreement with the MST analysis. Inclusion of these in silico approaches in diagnostic assay development can expedite the selection of candidate aptamers, potentially overcoming challenges associated with aptamer application in diagnostics.
Stakeholder perspectives on promoting health enhancing sport through the Rwanda sports policy
(Routledge, 2023) Frantz, Jose; Mukaruzima, Lela; Duhamahoro, Jimmy
Sport is an adaptable channel for change. It has been widely used to enhance health and wellbeing, foster social cohesion, and engender peace and development in different societies. The government of Rwanda developed a Sports Development Policy (SDP) to advance sports within the spectrum of its development agendas. However, the extent to which health constructs are integrated and implemented within the tenets of this policy remain unexplored, despite their pivotal role in population wellbeing and in contributing to the country’s overarching development goals. This study sought to understand if and how the Rwanda SDP promotes sports for health from the stakeholders’ perspectives. In-depth semi structured interviews were used for thirteen purposively sampled stakeholders of the SDP. Thematic and narrative analysis were used to examine and report the findings. Themes highlighted a progressive awareness of the Sports Policy pertaining to health outcomes, less involvement of stakeholders in sport policy formulation which affected its implementation, disproportionate efforts between sports policies for health, competitive, and mass sports activities. Stakeholders further underscored cultural beliefs, attitudes, and contextual environmental factors as the key constraints to bridge the policy theory and practice of sports. Finally, findings emphasise the integral role stakeholders play in the life course of a policy. Further, the SDP does not primarily promote sports for health, but rather elite sports, on the premise that health benefits are automatically achieved through participation in sports activities. Thus, reinforcements are still needed to clearly define the national physical activity plan either through the SDP or other national physical activity guidelines.