Motives for deliberate self-harm in a South African tertiary hospital.

BACKGROUND: Although there is a growing body of literature on the epidemiology of deliberate self-harm (DSH) in South Africa, comparatively few studies have investigated the motives for self-harm. No studies have investigated the motives for DSH in Cape Town. AIM: The objective of the study was to identify the range of motives for DSH in Cape Town, and how these motives are associated with different socio-demographic factors, the severity of self-injury and levels of suicidal intent. SETTING: Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. METHODS: Data were collected from 238 consecutive patients presenting with DSH to the emergency department. The data were analysed by using bivariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Patients engaged in DSH for a range of motives. Interpersonal issues were the most common motive (70%), followed by financial concerns (22%). Male patients were twice as likely as female patients to report interpersonal motives for their self-harm. Patients who reported interpersonal issues were more likely to engage in methods of DSH that involved damage to body tissues. Patients without tertiary education were more likely to report academic concerns as a motive, and patients who reported psychiatric illness as motive for DSH were more likely to require medical interventions than those who did not. CONCLUSION: This study contributes novel insights into the motives for DSH in the Cape Town context and provides the foundation for continued research on the subject. The study also gives impetus to the development of therapeutic interventions focussed on the motives for self-harm.

Enrichment of maize and triticale bran with recombinant Aspergillus tubingensis ferulic acid esterase.

Ferulic acid is a natural antioxidant found in various plants and serves as a precursor for various fine chemicals, including the flavouring agent vanillin. However, expensive extraction methods have limited the commercial application of ferulic acid, in particular for the enrichment of food substrates. A recombinant Aspergillus tubingensis ferulic acid esterase Type A (FAEA) was expressed in Aspergillus niger D15#26 and purified with anion-exchange chromatography (3487 U/mg, Km  = 0.43 mM, Kcat = 0.48/min on methyl ferulate). The 36-kDa AtFAEA protein showed maximum ferulic acid esterase activity at 50 °C and pH 6, suggesting potential application in industrial processes. A crude AtFAEA preparation extracted 26.56 and 8.86 mg/g ferulic acid from maize bran and triticale bran, respectively, and also significantly increased the levels of p-coumaric and caffeic acid from triticale bran. The cost-effective production of AtFAEA could therefore allow for the enrichment of brans generally used as food and fodder, or for the production of fine chemicals (such as ferulic and p-coumaric acid) from plant substrates. The potential for larger-scale production of AtFAEA was demonstrated with the A. niger D15[AtfaeA] strain yielding a higher enzyme activity (185.14 vs. 83.48 U/ml) and volumetric productivity (3.86 vs. 1.74 U/ml/h) in fed-batch than batch fermentation.

Production of the Aspergillus aculeatus endo-1,4-beta-mannanase in A. niger.

The beta-mannanase gene (man1) from Aspergillus aculeatus MRC11624 (Izuka) was patented for application in the coffee industry. For production of the enzyme, the gene was originally cloned and expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However the level of production was found to be economically unfeasible. Here we report a 13-fold increase in enzyme production through the successful expression of beta-mannanase of Aspergillus aculeatus MRC11624 in Aspergillus niger under control of the A. niger glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase promoter (gpd (P)) and the A. awamori glucoamylase terminator (glaA(T)). The effect of medium composition on mannanase production was evaluated, and it was found that the glucose concentration and the organic nitrogen source had an effect on both the volumetric enzyme activity and the specific enzyme activity. The highest mannanase activity levels of 16,596 nkat ml(-1) and 574 nkat mg(-1) dcw were obtained for A. niger D15[man1] when cultivated in a process-viable medium containing corn steep liquor as the organic nitrogen source and high glucose concentrations.