UWCScholar

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Citrate reduced gold nanoparticles lowered lipid content in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes by altering the expression of adipogenic genes
(Springer, 2026) Hyera, Anelisiwe; Fadaka, Adewale Oluwaseun; Gabuza, Kwazikwakhe Bethuel; Mganto-Khuselo, Zanele; Madiehe, Abram Madimabe; Meyer, Mervin; Sibuyi, Nicole Remaliah Samantha
Obesity and related metabolic disorders are increasing at alarming rates worldwide, posing a major public health challenge. Current anti-obesity therapies are limited by toxicity and adverse side effects, highlighting the need for alternative strategies. Nanotechnology offers a promising approach, with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) attracting significant attention in biomedical applications due to their unique physicochemical properties and potential therapeutic effects. This study investigated the anti-lipogenic effects of citrate-capped AuNPs (cAuNPs) on differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The 14 nm cAuNPs were synthesized using the citrate reduction method and characterized using UV-vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of cAuNPs were evaluated on cell viability, lipid accumulation, and gene expression in 3T3-L1 cells and differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. cAuNPs were non-cytotoxic to 3T3-L1 cells at concentrations up to 400 nM. Oil Red O (ORO) staining revealed a concentration-dependent reduction in lipid accumulation, with the maximal effect at 72 h. Gene expression analysis using RT2 PCR arrays identified 35 differentially expressed genes, with significant alterations in genes related to adipogenesis and lipid metabolism. Functional enrichment and protein–protein interaction (PPi) network analyses highlighted modulation of PPAR signalling and key hub genes involved in adipocyte function. These findings demonstrated that cAuNPs exert anti-adipogenic effects by altering molecular pathways associated with lipid storage, suggesting their potential as a nanotechnology-based strategy for obesity management. Future in vivo studies will be essential to assess their therapeutic efficacy and safety in order to advance AuNPs as innovative anti-obesity agents.
New photometry of ten eclipsing white dwarf/ red dwarf binary stars
(OUP.com, 2026) Koen, Chris; Özdarcan, O
For nine of the stars light curves were obtained in (Formula presented), for the tenth observations also included the B filter. The periods of the stars are short, ranging from 0.12 to 0.19 d. The compact nature of the hotter star is evident from the steepness of the primary eclipse ingress/egress, while the de-reddened colours suggest that the secondary stars are M dwarfs. Accurate temperatures and luminosities of the red components are derived from published standardized photometry and parallaxes. The results of modelling the light curves using the well known Wilson–Devinney software are presented. Half the binaries are found to be semi-detached. The lack of overt signs of substantial mass transfer suggests that contact is marginal. The remaining five systems are best modelled as being in detached configurations. The white dwarf components are cool, effective temperatures with one exception being below 7000 K.
Factors associated with return-to-sport outcomes following pathogen-confirmed acute respiratory infections in athletes: aware x study
(BMJ Publishing Group, 2026) Jooste, Marcel; Sewry, Nicola; Valtonen, Maarit; Dyer, Marlise; Jordaan, Esme; Schwellnus, Martin
Objective: To identify factors associated with return-to-sport (RTS) outcomes following confirmed acute respiratory infections (ARinf) in athletes. Methods: This prospective cohort study included 114 confirmed ARinf cases among athletic individuals. Causative pathogens were identified using multiplex PCR testing, and illness severity was classified per International Olympic Committee consensus (mild, moderate and severe). RTS outcomes included time (days) to return-to-training (RTT), return-to-full-training (RTFT) and return-to-full-performance (RTFP). Cox regression models (HRs) assessed associations between RTS outcomes and demographics, sport participation, pathogen groups and illness severity. Results: The median (IQR) days to RTT were 3.5 (0–7), RTFT 8 (6–11) and RTFP 11 (7–14). Amateur athletes had prolonged RTS outcomes (HR range=0.51–0.59; p≤0.03) compared with professional athletes. RTS outcomes differed between the most common pathogen groups: influenza and SARS-CoV-2 had longer RTS than rhinovirus (HR range=0.11–0.23; p≤0.003). Severe illness was associated with prolonged RTS outcomes compared with mild and moderate illnesses (HR range=0.17–0.31; p<0.0001). Pathogen-related differences in RTS persisted within each severity group. Within mild/moderate illnesses, the influenza/SARS-CoV-2 subgroup had longer RTS than rhinovirus (HRs: RTT=0.35; RTFT=0.05; RTFP=0.06; p<0.05) and within severe illnesses (HRs: RTT=0.23; RTFT=0.21; RTFP=0.13; p≤0.01). Conclusion: Factors associated with RTS outcomes following ARinf in athletes are level of sport participation, illness severity at presentation and the causative pathogen. Clinical assessment of illness severity remains valuable in RTS decision-making, particularly in low-resource settings. However, identifying the causative pathogen may provide additional predictive value and refine RTS clinical decision-making.
Transcriptome profiling of leaves and roots from rooibos (aspalathus linearis) using oxford nanopore sequencing
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2026) Beckett, Tanweer; Hesse, Uljana
Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) is one of the few endemic South African plants that has achieved economic importance and international acclaim, mostly as a herbal tea. Plant production, limited to a small mountainous region in South Africa, is at risk as commercial rooibos longevity is in decline, mostly due to low stress tolerance. Transcriptome data can serve to identify molecular markers for improved stress response, which would speed up selection and facilitate the establishment of breeding programmes. Previously, rooibos leaf transcriptomes have been sequenced using Illumina, which yields short reads, hampering correct reassembly of full-length transcripts. Here, we established Oxford Nanopore-based, long-read transcriptome analysis for leaf and root samples from rooibos. We report on potential pitfalls in data pre-processing (PolyA tail trimming and rRNA removal), and compare two assemblers (RATTLE and RNA-Bloom2) and two clustering algorithms (VSEARCH and CD-HIT). The best assembly comprising 169,122 transcripts was generated using RNA-Bloom2 with short-read polishing, followed by CD-HIT clustering. Of the 95,054 predicted proteins, only 67% were also present in the Illumina dataset. The remainder comprised substantially shorter, mostly full-length sequences from a wide range of primary and secondary biosynthesis pathways. Functional annotation indicated that this transcriptome represents a high-quality, comprehensive resource for data mining.
African innovation and entrepreneurship research for sustainable development: a young scholars’ perspective
(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2026) Nwachukwu, Juliet; Müller, Susan; Boso, Nathaniel
This article presents a collection of essays on African Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research for Sustainable Development, authored by young scholars from the 2024 PhD Winter School at Bern University of Applied Sciences. To help harness the transformative power of innovation and entrepreneurship for sustainable development, the five essays explore necessary change on multiple levels – including the institutional, ecosystem, industry, and individual levels – as well as key concepts such as social entrepreneurship and affordable innovation. Collectively, they emphasize the importance of contextualized research in entrepreneurship and innovation. This multi-voice article serves both as a call to action and a collaborative platform for PhD students from Africa and Europe to jointly generate new insights into how entrepreneurship and innovation can contribute to sustainable development in Africa. The collection is framed by an introduction and conclusion written by the editors of the multi-voice article.