CouncilConvocationSefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) is a university in Pretoria North, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Its current incarnation was formed on 1 January 2015. Previously it was known as Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA) and later as a campus of the University of Limpopo. It is named after South African ANC leader Sefako Makgatho. Since its name-change, students have colloquially referred to the institution using the acronym of its current name ("SMU") in a similar fashion to manner in which they used the acronym "MEDUNSA" to refer to the institution prior to the change of name..
Heavy metal contamination in river systems has become a cause for concern due to complex transport mechanisms. Sediment plays a significant role in the behaviour and fate of metals in aquatic ecosystems. The present study was carried out to investigate seasonal heavy metal contamination (As, Cr, Cu, Fe, and Zn) and the possible response of macrobenthos to wastewater effluent discharge along the longitudinal gradient of the Apies River. The bottom sediment samples were collected from ten (A-J) sites along the longitudinal gradient of the Apies River. Five (n = 5) samples were collected from each site using acid-pretreated bottles. Digestion was carried out using aqua regia, and metal analyses were performed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Macrobenthos were collected through substrate disturbance and the use of a dip net. Sites A and B exhibited negligible to moderate metal concentrations, whereas Sites C—J showed considerable concentrations, with Cr and Cu exceeding the guidelines for aquatic ecosystems. No definite trend was observed for seasonal variation; however, sites immediately after wastewater plant discharge points showed high contamination, which suggests their possible role in metal contamination. Macrobenthos biomass showed a negative correlation with Cr and Cu, and with the contamination degree, pollution load index, and the potential risk index (RI). Heavy metal contamination indices indicated moderate to high contamination from Sites D—J, with the RI signifying low ecological risk. These findings provide an insight into the impact of wastewater effluents on metal enrichment, hence increasing the ecological risk.
This paper introduces a novel projection and contraction algorithm enhanced with past extrapolation for solving variational inequality problems in real Hilbert spaces. The key innovation lies in incorporating extrapolation from previous iterates, which reduces the computational cost from two operator evaluations per iteration in the original projection and contraction algorithm to only one evaluation. Under standard assumptions of pseudo-monotonicity and Lipschitz continuity, we establish the weak convergence of the generated sequence to a solution of the variational inequality. Furthermore, we derive non-asymptotic error bounds for the ergodic iterates via the gap function, proving a convergence rate of 𝒪(1/n) . Numerical experiments demonstrate the superior efficiency of our method compared to existing related algorithms in the literature.
Despite growing interest in South African medicinal plants, advanced metabolomic workflows that integrate positive (ESI+) and negative (ESI−) ionization modes in UPLC-MS/MS remain sparsely applied to South African flora, and especially to Acorus calamus and Lippia javanica species. Herein, application of a dual-polarity (positive (ESI+) and negative (ESI−) ionization modes) using an untargeted UPLC–MS/MS workflow, integrated with HEK293T cytotoxicity screening, to map their metabolomes, and rank potential signature metabolites for targeted antiviral follow-up. SwissADME supported in silico drug-likeness. Neither plant extract was cytotoxic across the concentration range, with absorbance-based cell viability of 73.82% for L. javanica and 77.23% for A. calamus at 250 µg/mL, and fluorescence-based cell viability ≥59.87% and ≥55.89%, respectively. Dual-polarity expanded coverage with ESI− yielded 312 features, compared with 225 with ESI+, consistent with the predominance of acidic phenolics in plant species. Unsupervised and supervised models segregated the plant species (PCA PC1/PC2 variance: ESI+ 89.4%/3.0%; ESI− 93.5%/1.8%; R2X(cum) = 0.799). Differential analysis identified 118 significant features in ESI+ with 80 up-regulated, 38 down-regulated, and 139 in ESI− with 96 up-regulated, 43 down-regulated. The ESI− showed the wider dynamic range. Chemotypes enriched among significant metabolites include flavonols of 3-O-methylkaempferol, apigenin, and conjugates of Pollenin A, iridoid glycosides of oleoside, forsythoside B, and jasmonate-pathway oxylipins of 7-epi-12-hydroxyjasmonic acid and its glucoside. These also include caryoptosidic acid and catechin-7-glucoside, which are ionized in both modes, pinning the increase in biomarker robustness. In conclusion, a dual-mode UPLC–MS/MS approach, integrated with cytotoxicity exploration, delivers a complementary metabolome coverage and a safety awareness for shortlisting of potential signature metabolites from L. javanica and A. calamus. Moreover, in vitro inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro) by these plants links chemical signatures to antiviral relevance. Shortlisted significant metabolites that demonstrated favorable drug-likeness include flavonol scaffolds of 3-O-methylkaempferol, Pollenin A, and jasmonate-pathway derivatives of 7-epi-12-hydroxyjasmonic acid. Moreover, the dual ionization mode may eliminate ionization bias, broaden metabolome coverage, and yield a mechanism-ready shortlist of metabolites from South African medicinal plants for downstream antiviral investigation.
The global rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections poses a significant threat to public health, mainly driven by antibiotic efflux pumps that actively expel drugs from bacterial cells and lower intracellular antibiotic concentrations below therapeutic levels. Efflux pumps, including the resistance-nodulation-division (RND), major facilitator superfamily (MFS), ATP-binding cassette (ABC), small multidrug resistance (SMR), multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE), and proteobacterial antimicrobial compounds efflux pumps (PACE) families, confer broad-spectrum resistance and play a critical role in biofilm formation, persistence, and tolerance to antibiotic treatment. Currently available efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs) encompass a wide range of synthetic molecules, plant-derived compounds, seaweed-derived components, and microbe-derived inhibitors. Nanocarrier-based drug delivery systems have emerged as a viable approach to circumvent efflux-mediated resistance and restore antibiotic efficacy. Metallic, polymeric, and lipid nanocarriers potentiate antibiotic efficacy, decrease the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), and reduce bacterial efflux pumps gene expression. Early preclinical and clinical studies demonstrate the feasibility of this approach, though challenges remain regarding safety, scale-up, and potential bacterial adaptation. This review discusses the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, focusing on bacterial efflux systems and the specific mechanisms that contribute to antibiotic resistance. Finally, the review examined the diverse strategies involving nanocarriers in inhibiting bacterial efflux pumps, surface engineering of nanocarriers to inhibit efflux pumps, as well as a discussion of the limitations and future perspectives regarding the use of such nanocarriers for this purpose.
Background: The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) in May 2023 marked a transition from disruption to recovery and rebuilding of health systems. The WHO African Region entered this period with declining routine immunization coverage, widening inequities, and fragile surveillance systems. We conducted a critical narrative synthesis of post-PHEIC recovery and the transformation of immunization systems in the region from 2023 to 2025. Methods: We thematically analyzed publicly available data from the WHO and other sources using a systems-oriented framework covering immunization coverage, equity, vaccine introductions, disease control, governance, financing, and data systems. Results: Regional coverage for most antigens was restored to 2019 pre-pandemic levels by 2024, e.g., three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-containing vaccines at 76%. However, progress remains insufficient to meet the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) target of 90% coverage. In addition, there were 6.7 million zero-dose children in the 2024 birth cohort (6.3% higher than the 6.3 million in 2019), concentrated in a few countries. The IA2030 target is a 50% reduction in the number of zero-dose children by 2030, compared to 2019. Recovery initiatives have restored services, while accelerated introductions (e.g., malaria vaccines introduced in 20 new countries in 2024–2025) signal renewed system momentum. Yet, progress has plateaued at pre-pandemic levels, reflecting structural constraints rather than sustained transformation. Concurrently, recurrent outbreaks of measles, yellow fever, and other vaccine-preventable diseases highlight persistent immunity gaps and surveillance limitations. Structural constraints (including financing fragility, subnational inequities, and system fragmentation) continue to limit sustained progress. Conclusion: This study offers important insights that can inform immunization policymaking in the WHO African Region and beyond. Current post-PHEIC trends reflect recovery without transformation. Achieving IA2030 targets will require a shift from broad coverage expansion to precision delivery approaches that prioritize zero-dose and underserved populations. Immunization must be positioned as a central pillar of primary health care and health security systems.
