Maternal iron deficiency is a world wide and major public health issue. Despite recent researchers’ interest related to this topic, its impact in the offspring still remains unclear. The aim of this study is to understand the impact of maternal iron deficiency on the auditory functions and serum cortisol levels in the young and adult guinea pig at post-natal day (PNd) 24 and PNd84, respectively. Pregnant guinea pigs were given an iron deficient (ID) or iron sufficient (IS) diet during gestation and lactation. An iron sufficient diet was provided to all pups after weaning day. No significant difference was observed in the hearing threshold and latencies in siblings from both groups at PNd24 and PNd84. However, ID offspring showed a significant higher interpeak latency I-IV at 100 dB than IS pups at PNd24. ID offspring also had significant elevated cortisol levels at PNd24 compared to IS control group. Maternal iron deficiency affects negatively the auditory functions and raises the serum cortisol levels, a biomarker of stress in the offspring.

It is the aim of this work to study the role, if any, of C'4 in the immune response against Staphylococcus aureus infections.

Nanoparticles are currently used in a wide range of applications including industrially processes, consumer products, and as drug delivery vehicles. The potential toxicity of these nanoparticles in living organisms is concerning due to their ever-expanding applications and accumulation in the environment. The effects of properties of the human body on the potential harmful nature of these nanoparticles must be understood in order to ensure safety in workplaces and at-home products. In this thesis, the interactions between nanoparticles and the most abundant blood protein, serum albumin, were investigated. The effects of changing the aqueous environment was investigated over a range of different pH values and with different ionic salts dissolved in water. The effects of changing the nanoparticle substrate were investigated to determine if different nanoparticles affect proteins differently. Finally, the effects of changing the concentration of nanoparticles and the presence of protein were investigated in a model lung cell line in vitro. The studies over different pH values revealed that serum albumin was able to adsorb to the silica nanoparticle surface, and retained its secondary structure both as a function of pH and adsorption in a 2-hour time frame. However, adsorption was greater on the titanium dioxide nanoparticle surface and the protein lost secondary structure at acidic pH (pH 2.0). Studies with different ionic salts revealed a possible correlation between BSA adsorption and nanoparticle aggregation in that the attractive interactions between nanoparticles were least when the least amount of protein was adsorbed. To the nanoparticle surface. In vitro studies with A549 human adenocarcinoma lung cells were inconclusive in determining the potential toxicity of these nanoparticles, but preliminary results suggested that the addition of protein to the system decreased toxicity compared with nanoparticles alone. This research aims to inform the field of nanotechnology to investigate the safety and efficacy of nanoparticles before they reach the consumer.

Canine Parvovirus remains a leading cause of enteritis in dogs in South Africa and many other countries despite the wide availability of effective vaccines. The virus does not affect all dogs equally and the course of the disease depends on the age, immune status and breed of the puppies as well as the viral dose, route of exposure and the virulence of the strain. Although aggressive supportive treatment can be successful, the treatment and convalescent periods may be prolonged and consequently expensive and the mortality rate relatively high, causing many clients to forego treatment and elect for euthanasia of their pet. Acute phase proteins (APP) are proteins that change in concentration by at least 25% in animals subjected to external or internal inflammatory challenges, such as infection, inflammation or surgical trauma. Increased concentrations are associated with poor outcome in certain diseases. C-reactive protein (CRP) is the most sensitive APP in dogs. Its normal physiological concentration is low but increases rapidly with inflammation or tissue destruction. Due to the fact that CRP has a relatively short half life in serum (6-8 hours) and a high response in diseased animals, it can be used as a valid measure of a systemic response to an initiating stimulus at the time of blood sampling. By taking serial measurements, objective information about the extent of the ongoing lesions in the patient can be obtained and therefore may be used as a prognostic indicator. The objective of this prospective observational study was to evaluate the association of serum CRP concentrations in puppies suffering from canine parvoviral enteritis with morbidity and mortality, and to determine the usefulness of CRP to predict duration of hospitalisation time. Seventy-nine client owned puppies naturally infected with canine parvovirus were included. Parvovirus infection was diagnosed on electron microscopic examination of faeces from the puppies. CRP was measured using an automated human C-Reactive Protein Turbidimetric Immunoassay (TIA), which has been validated for use in dogs. Serum CRP measurements were performed at admission, twice daily for the first 48 hours, then once daily until death or discharge. There was a positive association between odds of mortality and CRP concentration on admission, as well as 12 and 24 hours after admission (P=0.04,P=0.005 and P=0.003, respectively). Survival time was negatively associated with CRP concentration at 12 and 24 hours after admission (P=0.002and P=0.001, respectively). Among the survivors, length of hospitalisation was positively associated with CRP concentration at 12, 24 and 36 hours after admission (P=0.012, P=0.001 and P=0.002, respectively). Utility for CRP concentration to correctly differentiate between survivors and non-survivors at 24 hours after admission had a sensitivity and specificity of 78.7% and 86.7% respectively. Although serum CRP concentration is associated with outcome in puppies infected with canine parvovirus, when used alone it did not prove to be a good predictor of survival. / Dissertation (MMedVet)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Companion Animal Clinical Studies / unrestricted

We examined the effect of overexpression of TLR2 and TLR4 on apoptosis. TLR2 and TLR4 transfected CHO cells were subjected to serum deprivation for 0, 24, and 48 h. CHO cells served as control. The survival was 80.4% and 66.8% in CHO cells, 73.8% and 47.6% in TLR2/CHO, and 70.5% and 53.0% in TLR4/CHO, respectively. Flow cytometry examination suggested that apoptotic cells were 7.17% and 32.91% in control CHO cells, 29.0% and 64.6% in TLR2/CHO, and 41.4% and 64.6% in TLR4/CHO, respectively. The levels of FasL and caspase-8 activity in TLR2/CHO and TLR4/CHO cells were significantly higher than that of CHO cells. Transfection of dominant negative FADD into TLR2/CHO and TLR4/CHO cells significantly reduced apoptosis. Our results suggest that overexpression of TLR2 and TLR4 in CHO cells sensitizes the cells to serum deprivation-induced apoptosis and that the mechanisms are involved in the death receptor-mediated signaling pathway.

Twelve university women students served as experimental subjects in a study of the serum lipids and urinary estrogens of healthy nonpregnant menstruating young women, who were living under their usual conditions. The subjects maintained constant weight on their ordinary diets during the entire study period. Antecubital blood and 24-hour urine specimens were collected on certain days which represented different stages of the menstrual cycle. Quantitative analyses were made on serum total cholesterol, lipid phosphorus (phospholipids), triglycerides and total lipids. Gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of the fatty acid composition of each serum lipid component was also made. Urinary estrone, 17β- estradiol and estriol were separated and quantitatively determined by chromatographic and spectrophotometric techniques. Basic data on serum lipid levels , composition of the fatty acids of cholesterol esters, phospholipids and triglycerides and urinary estrogens were obtained on these young women . Findings included the following: 1. Mean values of serum total cholesterol, phospholipids, triglycerides and total lipids were 162, 165, 105 and 544 mg per cent, respectively. The interindividual variation was greater than intraindividual variation. The values of triglycerides were more variable than those of cholesterol and phospholipids. 2. The major fatty acids in lipid fractions were palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic. The highest amounts of fatty acid in cholesterol esters, phospholipids and triglycerides were linoleic, 51; palmitic, 28; and oleic, 33 per cent, respectively. Inter- and intra-individual variations were high. 3. The urinary estrogen values showed that 17 B-estradiol (E 2 ), was usually present in the least and estriol (E 3 ), in the greatest amounts. The mean values of E 1 (estrone), E 2 , E 3 and Et (total) were as follows: 8. 7, 4. 8, 16. 4, and 29. 9 μg per 24-hour urine. 4. The menstrual cycle did affect the urinary excretion of estrogens which showed the lowest values during the first week and then rose to a peak which occurred on or about the time of ovulation or mid-cycle. Then it fell and rose again between the third and fourth week of the cycle. The second peak was usually lower than the first one. 5. Cyclical changes of the concentrations of serum total cholesterol, phospholipids and total lipids have been observed. These changes appeared to be influenced by the estrogenic hormonal activity of the menstrual cycle. The increased excretion of urinary estrogens with a decreased (negative correlation) concentration of serum lipids was recognized. 6. Linoleic acid in cholesterol esters, as well as palmitic acid in phospholipids were found in cyclic changes. The patterns were quite similar to those of serum lipids.

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Although maternal vitamin D status has been linked to asthma in offspring, the relationship between vitamin D status and asthma in adults still remains unclear. The current study assessed the relationship between measures of vitamin D status and self-reported asthma/wheeze in 186 healthy women aged 18-30 years. Although the risk of asthma/wheeze symptoms was three-times higher among women with low dietary vitamin D intake (<200 IU>/day) than in those with higher vitamin D intake, suboptimal serum levels of 25(OH)D ( <70 nmol>/L) were associated with a 48% lower risk of asthma/wheeze than “optimal” serum levels. These contradictory effects underscore the poor correlation between dietary vitamin D intake and serum vitamin levels and suggest that other components in vitamin D-rich foods may be protective. Alternatively, women with higher serum vitamin D levels may have spent more time outdoors, increasing their exposure to asthma triggers. This study also identified predictors of serum 25 (OH) D in this sample. In addition to total dietary vitamin D (r= 0.2; p=0.03), intake of cold cereal (p=0.02) also significantly predicted serum 25(OH)D levels. Among non-dietary factors, month of blood draw (p=0.05) and oral contraceptive use (p<0.0001) were positive predictors of serum 25(OH) D; sunscreen use (p=0.04) was a negative predictor. After adjusting for covariates, oral contraceptive use was associated with 25(OH)D levels that were on average 24 nmol/L greater than those observed in women who did not use oral contraceptives. Additional prospective studies are needed to further evaluate the relationship between vitamin D status and asthma.