• Design of a senolytic proteolysis targeting chimera against the B-cell lymphoma – extra large protein using in silico approaches 

  Kotsovolos, Nikolaos (University of Pretoria, 2020)

  Senescent cells have been linked to age-related diseases and frailty. Their pathogenic effects are mediated by a group of cellular secretions called the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Removal of senescent ...
• Maternally inherited diabetes and deafness with a variable presentation across three generations within a pedigree, South Africa 

  Makgopa, Herbert; Kemp, Tanja; Meldau, Surita; Honey, Engela M.; Chale-Matsau, Bettina (AOSIS, 2024-05)

  INTRODUCTION: Maternally inherited diabetes and deafness (MIDD) is caused by the m.3243A>G pathogenic variant in maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA. Diabetes is prevalent in our setting; however, MIDD is rarely diagnosed. ...
• A scoping review evaluating the current state of gut microbiota research in Africa 

  Pheeha, Sara M.; Tamuzi, Jacques L.; Chale-Matsau, Bettina; Manda, S.O.M. (Samuel); Nyasulu, Peter S. (MDPI, 2023-08)

  The gut microbiota has emerged as a key human health and disease determinant. However, there is a significant knowledge gap regarding the composition, diversity, and function of the gut microbiota, specifically in the ...
• A framework for implementing best laboratory practices for non-integrated point of care tests in low resource settings 

  Jafri, Lena; Ahmed, Sibtain; Majid, Hafsa; Ghani, Farooq; Pillay, Tahir S.; Khan, Aysha Habib; Siddiqui, Imran; Shakeel, Shahid; Ahmed, Shuja; Azeem, Saba; Khan, Adil (International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, 2023)

  The method we respond to pandemics is still inadequate for dealing with the point of care testing (POCT) requirements of the next large epidemic. The proposed framework highlights the importance of having defined ...
• Impact of potassium test sample rejections on routine laboratory service, South Africa 

  McAlpine, Sarah; Chale-Matsau, Bettina (AOSIS, 2023-12-12)

  BACKGROUND : Accurate potassium measurements are necessary for effective clinical management of hyperkalaemia. Pre-analytical factors may affect laboratory measurements, leading to erroneous results and inappropriate ...
• 25-Hydroxycholecalciferol inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in SiHa cervical cells via autocrine vitamin D metabolism 

  Punchoo, Rivak; Dreyer, Greta; Pillay, Tahir S. (MDPI, 2023-03)

  Preclinical studies show that the anticancer actions of vitamin D metabolites are mediated by apoptosis, inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of cell cycle arrest. Cervical cancer cells express an autocrine vitamin ...
• Laboratory considerations for reporting cycle threshold value in COVID-19 

  Punchoo, Rivak; Bhoora, Sachin; Bangalee, Avania (International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, 2022-08)

  The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 RNA virus. Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) is the mainstay to confirm infection. A large number of reverse transcriptase polymerase ...
• The added value of molecular-based diagnostics in the African forensic medical setting 

  Van Deventer, B.S.; Makhoba, Aubrey Musa; Du Toit-Prinsloo, L.; Van Niekerk, Chantal (Clinics Cardive Publishing, 2022-09)

  Sudden unexpected infant death (SUDI) is reported to be an extraordinarily high burden in sub-Saharan Africa, with the incidence rate in South Africa among the highest in the world. It is common for the cause of many ...
• Neonatal presentation of a child with Liddle syndrome, South Africa 

  Steyn, Nicolene; Chale-Matsau, Bettina; Abera, Aron B.; Van Biljon, Gertruida; Pillay, Tahir S. (AOSIS, 2023-04-14)

  INTRODUCTION : Liddle syndrome is an autosomal dominantly inherited disorder usually arising from single mutations of the genes that encode for the alpha, beta and gamma epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) subunits. This leads ...
• Structure-based identification of galectin-1 selective modulators in dietary food polyphenols : a pharmacoinformatics approach 

  Bhowmick, Shovonlal; Saha, Achintya; AlFaris, Nora Abdullah; ALTamimi, Jozaa Zaidan; ALOthman, Zeid A.; Aldayel, Tahany Saleh; Wabaidur, Saikh Mohammad; Islam, Md Ataul (Springer, 2022-06)

  In this study, a set of dietary polyphenols was comprehensively studied for the selective identification of the potential inhibitors/modulators for galectin-1. Galectin-1 is a potent prognostic indicator of tumor progression ...
• Effects of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 on cell growth and cell death via regulation of the vitamin D metabolising system in a cervical adenocarcinoma cell line 

  Zhou, Esther V.M. (University of Pretoria, 2023)

  Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortalities in South African women. Vitamin D and its metabolites exert anti-cancer actions in various cancers; however, few studies have explored the effects of vitamin ...
• Ketamine : friend or foe? 

  Steyn, Nicolene (BMJ Publishing Group, 2023-09)

  Ketamine, a dissociative anaesthetic drug, acts on the central nervous system (CNS) primarily through antagonism of the n-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Methods of administration include intravenous, intramuscular, ...
• Practical tips to using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue archives for molecular diagnostics in a South African setting 

  Van Deventer, Barbara Stroh; Du Toit-Prinsloo, L.; Van Niekerk, Chantal (AOSIS, 2022-06-23)

  BACKGROUND : Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue archives in hospitals, biobanks, and others offer a vast collection of extensive, readily available specimens for molecular testing. Unfortunately, the use of ...
• Postmortem genetic testing in young individuals : what clinical medical practitioners need to know 

  Van Deventer, Barbara Stroh; Du Toit-Prinsloo, Lorraine; Van Niekerk, Chantal (Health and Medical Publishing Group, 2022-12)

  The death of a young person is most often a tragic occurrence, more so when this death was unexpected. Forensic pathologists are mandated to investigate such deaths, and there has been a strong move internationally towards ...
• Cardiovascular deaths : what do the genes say? 

  Van Deventer, Barbara Stroh; Du Toit-Prinsloo, Lorraine; Van Niekerk, Chantal (Health and Medical Publishing Group, 2022-12)

  Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are ever-increasing, and as such are considered to be one of the most concerning public health burdens worldwide. They remain the leading cause of death across the world (~17.7 million deaths ...
• Decline in antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 post-vaccination poses a risk to health care workers 

  Worsley, Catherine M.; Van der Mescht, Mieke Adri; Hoffmann, Daniel; Meyer, Pieter Willem Adriaan; Ueckermann, Veronica; Rossouw, Theresa M. (Elsevier, 2022-09)

  No abstract available.
• Genetic analysis of Lamin A/C gene variants in cases of sudden cardiac death admitted to a medico-legal laboratory 

  Da Silva, Natalie (University of Pretoria, 2022)

  The sudden death (SD) of a young and healthy individual can be traumatic. Approximately 85% of all SD cases are of cardiac origin, a condition known as sudden cardiac death (SCD). Familial dilated cardiomyopathy (FDCM) ...
• Analysis of the potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily Q member 1 gene in sudden unexplained deaths in a South African population 

  Hawksley, Megan (University of Pretoria, 2022)

  This research aims to analyse the KCNQ1 gene in sudden unexpected deaths in a young South African population, to better understand the prevalence of variations within this gene. The KCNQ1 gene is a potassium ion channel ...
• Identification of selective Lyn inhibitors from the chemical databases through integrated molecular modelling approaches 

  Shetve, V.V.; Bhowmick, Shovonlal; Alissa, Siham A.; Alothman, Z.A.; Wabaidu, S.M.; Asmary, F.A.; Alhajri, Hassna Mohammed; Islam, Md Ataul (Taylor and Francis, 2021)

  In the current study, the Asinex and ChEBI databases were virtually screened for the identification of potential Lyn protein inhibitors. Therefore, a multi-steps molecular docking study was carried out using the VSW utility ...
• Spinal epidural abscess caused by Aspergillus spp masquerading as spinal tuberculosis in a person with HIV 

  Rule, Roxanne; Mitton, Barend C.; Govender, Nelesh P.; Hoffmann, Daniel; Said, Mohamed (Elsevier, 2021-11)

  Spinal epidural abscess caused by Aspergillus spp is a debilitating form of invasive aspergillosis that can easily be misdiagnosed as spinal tuberculosis due to shared risk factors and clinical features. In this Grand ...

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