Honey has been shown to have bioactivity. Fynbos (FB) honey was investigated for its bioactivity as this vegetation type is from a unique bio diverse region in the Cape Floristic Kingdom. Six FB and one medical grade Manuka (MAN) UMF 15+ honeys that were of quality grade (Codex Alimentarius) were used. Each honey sample was subjected to in vitro simulated gastro-duodenal digestion and the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of each fraction was determined. These fractions were undigested/raw honey (UD), gastric digest (GD) and gastro-duodenal digest (GDD). Included were pH and digestive enzyme controls. The total polyphenol and the flavonoid content (TPC and TFC) were determined with the Folin-Ciocalteu (F-C) and aluminium chloride methods respectively. Antioxidant activity was measured with the trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays. Cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) in the Caco-2 and SC-1 cell lines using the dichloroflourescein diacetate (DCFH DA) assay was investigated. Nitric oxide (NO) scavenging activity was determined with the sodium nitroprusside (SNP) assay. Pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects of honey were evaluated in non-stimulated and stimulated with LPS/IFN γ murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells, respectively. Cell viability using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was done. TPC and TFC of MAN were higher than that of FB honeys. With GD, TPC and TFC of MAN increased and following GDD, TPC decreased and TFC remained unchanged. In contrast TPC and TFC of FB honey were maintained with GD and GDD. TEAC assay revealed activity by MAN being higher than that of FB honeys. With GD digestion, the antioxidant activity of MAN was unchanged but following GDD, activity was reduced. For FB honeys, TEAC was maintained with GD and GDD. ORAC assay revealed that the activity of MAN was similar to that of FB. Digestion had no effect on activity of both MAN and FB honeys. CAA in the Caco-2 and SC-1 cell line was higher for MAN compared to FB honey. In both cell lines a similar trend was observed where with GD, CAA was unchanged while with GDD, CAA was reduced. This loss of CAA following GDD was found to be due to H2O2 formation as a result of polyphenol degradation in an alkaline environment containing sodium bicarbonate and pancreatin. NO scavenging activity of MAN was greater than FB. For both types of honey with GD, NO scavenging activity was unchanged and with GDD for MAN was reduced and for FB unchanged. Digestion showed an increased pro-inflammatory effect for MAN, FB1, FB2 and FB3. The UD fractions of MAN, FB1 and FB6 had anti-inflammatory effects. FB5 and FB6 honeys showed increased anti-inflammatory activity after GD and GDD. All honey fractions did not show any cytotoxicity. In conclusion, FB honey has antioxidant, pro- and anti-inflammatory properties. With digestion, GD activity was either increased or unchanged while with GDD activity was reduced, lost or unchanged. Observed effects were either due to pH and/or digestive enzyme activity. FB honey with its shown bioactivity could be an important local nutraceutical product. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Anatomy / MSc / Unrestricted

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Objective: The increased survival rate amongst female breast cancer survivors creates a need for an understanding of chronic disability after surgery. The objective of this study is to explore the association between impairments (e.g., pain, mobility, strength) and the personality trait, fear of physical activity, and chronic daily activity limitations for women who had their surgery at least six months prior to the study. Hypothesis: The study hypothesis is that women with high levels of physical impairments and the personality trait of fear of physical activity will also have higher levels of daily activity limitations six months or more after their breast cancer surgery. Design: A cross-sectional design. Outcome Measures: Disabilities of Shoulder, Arm, and Hand (DASH), Visual Analog Scale for Pain (VAS-Pain), Fear Avoidance Belief Questionnaire – Physical Activity (FABQ-PA), and objective measures of shoulder mobility and strength. Participants: Women who had been diagnosed and undergone surgery for breast cancer, stage 1-3. They must have had their surgery at least six months previously and have completed chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Both English- and French-speaking women from the Ottawa-Gatineau region were eligible. Results: Data from twelve women were analysed with a mean age of 58.0±8.9 years and post-operative time of 4.0± 2.8 years. DASH scores mean was 12.2 ± 11.38. VAS-Pain (rs=0.819; p<.001), FABQ-Physical Activity (rs=0.746; p<.005) were significantly associated with DASH score, whereas non-significant associations were found with supraspinatus strength (rs = 0.182; p < .572) or infraspinatus strength (rs=0.553; p<.062) using the Spearman Rho test. Also, no significant relationships were observed between range of motion (hand-behind-back; p =.366; hand-behind-head; p=.390) and DASH scores using a Kruskal-Wallis test. Conclusion: The results of this exploratory study suggest that the reported daily activity limitations of women who have had breast cancer surgery may be related to the participant pain perception and/or fear of physical activity.

This thesis aims to determine energy compensation following exercise induced energy expenditure (ExEE). The specific objectives were: I) to determine the impact of the time spent performing physical activity (PA) of varying intensities on body weight and composition (Study 1); II) to determine the overall energy compensation and the major predictors of energy compensation through the systematic review approach (Study 2); III) to develop new methods to measure energy intake (EI) (Study 3) and time spent performing different activities (Study 4); IV) to determine the effects of a lower (LI) and higher intensity (HI) ExEE intervention on energy compensation (Study 5); and V) to investigate the inter-individual variability regarding exercise induced energy compensation (Study 6). In Study 1, women spending more time performing light-intensity PA were shown to have lower adiposity compared to women spending more time performing moderate- and high-intensity PA. Results from Study 2 (systematic review) show an overall energy compensation of 25% following exercise interventions and that fat mass (FM), exercise intensity and duration of the intervention are the main predictors of energy compensation. To better capture energy compensation (i.e., EI and EE), new methods to measure EI and time spent performing activities were developed (Studies 3 and 4) and used in the following studies. In Study 5, overweight/obese women training at HI displayed higher energy compensation when compared to women training at LI, which was accompanied by a reduction of NSPA (non-structured physical activity) and a greater amount of time spent lying down. Results from Study 6 showed that complete compensators (CC) had higher EI, fat and carbohydrate intake at the onset of the ExEE intervention when compared to incomplete compensators (IC). However, the results also showed that dietary disinhibition was increased, whereas NSPA was decreased at the end of the intervention in IC. Taken together, these studies emphasize that weight loss following exercise is impeded by energy compensation. In addition to the impact of FM, exercise intensity and duration of the intervention on energy compensation, NSPA and cognitive factors also seem to modify energy compensation that occurs as a result of exercise.

For thousands of years ginger rhizomes are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Because of his significant pungent flavour is commonly used in foods and beverages all over the world. Nowadays many of the beneficial pharmacological positive effects of ginger rhizomes are identified. Their occurrence is due to the high concentration of bioactive compounds. This thesis is focused on analysing of occurrence of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and flavonoids and their influence on antioxidation and antimicrobial properties of samples of fresh and dried ginger. The results show that for extraction of bioactive compounds in different ginger samples is more suitable to use different types of extraction solvents. The highest antioxidation activity was measured for macerate of 100% bio ginger tea from Sonnentor company in 96% ethanol. Antimicrobial properties were showed only for 100% bio ginger tea against gram-positive bacteria Microccocus luteus.

Bibliographical identification: Author's first name and surname: RNDr. Lucie Brulíková (nee Spáčilová) Title: Synthesis, reactivity and biological activity of C-5 substituted uracil analogues Type of thesis: Ph.D. thesis Department: Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc Advisor: prof. RNDr. Antonín Holý, Dr.Sc., Dr.hc. mult. Advisor-consultant: doc. RNDr. Jan Hlaváč, Ph.D. The year of presentation: 2011 Abstract: The presented thesis is focused on the synthesis of various C-5 modified uracil analogues, the study of their reactivity and biological activity, especially cytotoxic activity. In the first part, the brief survey of described results for selected 5-alkoxymethyluracil analogues is performed. The second part of the presented thesis deals with the synthesis of novel uracil analogues modified at the C-5 position, the development and optimizing of procedure leading to the desired compounds, the study of biological activity and the evaluation of structure- activity relationship (SAR). This part presents the synthesis of a series of 5-[alkoxy(4- nitrophenyl)methyl)]uracil and 5-alkoxymethyluracil analogues and extended SAR studies depending on a substitution of metylene bridge directly attached at the C-5 position as well as alkoxy chain length. The last part of...

The presence of artificial light at night (ALAN) is one of many contributing factors to global change today. The spectral range of ALAN can also alter the potential effects of light pollution in certain contexts which creates an exceptionally complex cascade of impacts. The purpose of this thesis was to examine the interactions of various environmental factors including ALAN on biological variables, locomotor activity and corticosterone concentration, of two species of rodent. This was accomplished by manipulating the environmental factors; environmental enrichment, temperature and lighting in captivity. A pilot field study was also conducted in order to test the future feasibility of incorporating information garnered from the laboratory study into larger scale real world experiments. The two species were collected from the field and was subsequently subjected to various light cycles, during which locomotor activity was monitored and urinary corticosterone stress hormone was assessed. Results showed that Micaelamys namaquensis, a nocturnal species, reacted favourably to the addition of enrichment by increasing activity levels whereas Rhabdomys dilectus, a diurnal species decreased activity levels while improving the strength of entrainment. Both M. namaquensis and R. dilectus decreased activity during a light cycle which simulated natural dawn and dusk patterns of light. The two species reacted differently when a 24hr ambient temperature cycle was introduced, with M. namaquensis increasing its locomotor activity and R. dilectus decreasing overall activity. M. namaquensis decreased its average activity in response to ALAN and did not show any difference in reaction towards different types of light at night. R. dilectus on the other hand increased its activity under ALAN but also showed no preference between different spectra of light at night. While corticosterone concentrations were monitored during all the environmental factor experiments, fluctuations in hormone concentrations were noted, however found to be statistically non-significant. Thus, only speculations could be made regarding the impacts of the various environmental factors on the stress physiology of M. namaquensis and R. dilectus. These results highlight the importance of considering species specific outcomes even under virtually identical circumstances. Understanding the impacts of environmental factors is crucial in order to extrapolate laboratory-based findings into real world experiments. This work can be used to further understand the impacts of different environmental factors on the circadian systems of nocturnal and diurnal rodent species as well as the potential implication of ALAN under various environmental conditions. In future, this can be combined into a large-scale field experiment in order to monitor the impacts of light pollution using the methodology elucidated during the pilot study. The results of this study show that the impacts of ALAN can be incredibly diverse and specific to the species in which they are examined. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Zoology and Entomology / MSc / Unrestricted

Sedentary behavior (SB) contributes to many negative health-related outcomes. Motivation to reduce SB and increase physical activity (PA) are necessary to reduce co-morbidities. Tracking SB and PA provides objective data to help promote wellness. The purposes of this quasi-experimental study were to 1) determine the accuracy of three commercially available activity trackers compared to research-grade accelerometers, and 2) explore whether using these activity trackers led to a change in activity level one week after gathering baseline data. Activity trackers used in this study were Apple Watch, Fitbit Surge, and Microsoft Band 2. A convenience sample of college-age students and community members wore the research-grade ActiGraph 3GTX+ accelerometer on the non-dominant wrist for one week. Participants returned and the activity tracker was added to the non-dominant wrist with the ActiGraph 3GTX+ for another week. All activity trackers significantly differed from the ActiGraph accelerometers. Fitbit Surge had a significant regression equation that could adjust for this difference, but not Apple Watch or Microsoft Band 2. Participants had below average sedentary time, exhibiting 288.4 min/day (SD 100.7) of SB. They also surpassed United States PA standards, averaging 130.3 (SD 48.8) min/day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Few significant changes in activity level transpired between week 1 and week 2. In a group that already has low SB and high PA, activity trackers do not seem to make an impact on activity levels. Further testing is required to determine if activity trackers are motivating to reduce SB and increase PA in groups with different activity profiles.

Previous studies have shown the positive effect of increased physical activity for cancer patients during treatments of chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. Moderate exercise has shown to cause significantly less loss of muscle mass, less symptoms of cancer related fatigue, less need for platelet transfusions during treatment time and shorter hospitalisation. Inactivity at hospital clinics is though still a major concern and it seems like lack of motivation plays a big roll. It has been shown that an overview of activity level, personal goal setting and education on the importance of physical activity can work as a motivation towards increased physical activity. This project aimed to make a prototype that can quantify physical activity of hospitalised cancer patients and represent it in a motivational and informative way. An accelerometer was used to collect activity data; the data was processed and used to train a support vector machine for classification of activities. Activities recognised by the prototype are the postures lying down, sitting and standing as well as recognising when the user is active. Over 90% accuracy was obtained in activity recognition for specific training sets. The prototype was tested on patients at the haematology clinic at the Karolinska hospital in Huddinge. Test subjects rated the classification accuracy and the motivational value of the prototype on a scale of 1-5. The accuracy was rated 4.2 out of 5 and the motivational value 3.25 out of 5. A pilot study to further test the feasibility of the product will be performed in the summer of 2015.

This study examined the reliability and validity of the SenseWear Armband (SWA, BodyMedia, Inc.) during rest and exercise compared to indirect calorimetry (IC). Energy expenditure (EE) was assessed with SWA and IC in 13 males during two resting and one cycle ergometry (40 min at 60% VO_2peak) sessions. In a second experiment, 20 adults walked on a treadmill for 30 min at 3 intensities while IC and SWA measured EE. At rest, no significant differences were found between EE measurements from the SWA (1.3 ± 0.1 kcal/min) and IC (1.3 ± 0.1 kcal/min), and the methods were significantly correlated (r = 0.76). The SWA EE estimation was reliable when comparing the two resting visits (r = 0.93). For the ergometer protocol, no significant differences were found between the SWA and IC measurements of EE early, mid, or late in exercise or for the total bout, although the measurements were not correlated (r = 0.03-0.12). The SWA EE estimate of walking increased with treadmill speed but not with inclination. The SWA significantly overestimated the EE of walking with no grade (27.4% for 3mph; 12.6% for 4mph) and significantly underestimated EE on the 5% grade (21.9%) (p<0.02). The SWA estimation of EE correlated with IC (r = 0.47-0.69). The SWA provided valid and reliable estimates of EE at rest. The SWA provided similar mean estimates of EE as IC on the ergometer, however the individual error was large. The SWA overestimated the EE of flat walking and underestimated inclined walking EE. / Master of Science