Fire and grass-bedding construction 200 thousand years ago at Border Cave, South Africa.

Early plant use is seldom described in the archaeological record because of poor preservation. We report the discovery of grass bedding used to create comfortable areas for sleeping and working by people who lived in Border Cave at least 200,000 years ago. Sheaves of grass belonging to the broad-leafed Panicoideae subfamily were placed near the back of the cave on ash layers that were often remnants of bedding burned for site maintenance. This strategy is one forerunner of more-complex behavior that is archaeologically discernible from ~100,000 years ago.

The effect of curing hepatitis C with direct-acting antiviral treatment on endothelial function.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological data suggest that chronic HCV infection (CHC) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, but it is unknown if it is associated with endothelial dysfunction. We aimed to assess the effect of antiviral treatment on endothelial function in non-cirrhotic adults with CHC. METHODS: Self-controlled before and after study. All patients had genotype-1 CHC and were treated with 12 weeks of paritaprevir/ritonavir, ombitasvir and dasabuvir (PrOD), with ribavirin added for those with genotype-1a infection. Endothelial function was assessed at three time points before antiviral treatment, at treatment weeks 1, 4, 8 and 12, and 12 weeks after the end of treatment. The main assessment tools were reactive hyperaemia peripheral arterial tonometry (RHPAT) and serum concentrations of angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and E-selectin. RESULTS: A total of 16 patients were enrolled. Mean (sd) age was 51.4 (6.9) years and 11 participants (69%) were male. All 16 patients achieved a sustained virological response. The mean (sd) baseline RHPAT index was 2.05 (0.48), and there was no significant change during treatment (mean within-patient change from baseline to end of treatment =-0.23 [0.45]; P= not significant). There was a significant improvement in both mean Ang-2 (baseline 2.44 [0.79] ng/ml, within-patient change -0.60 [0.44]; P<0.001) and E-selectin (baseline 48.7 [21.5] ng/ml, within-patient change -14.4 [13.0]; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Removing HCV viraemia is associated with a significant improvement in endothelial function as measured by serum markers, but not in bedside microvascular reactivity. Chronic HCV viraemia may be associated with endothelial cell dysfunction and therefore long-term cardiovascular risk.

Phytomedicine versus gonorrhoea: the Bapedi experience.

Records regarding the phytomedicine employed by the Bapedi are almost non-existent. This is the first study of herbal remedies used by Bapedi traditional healers to treat gonorrhoea, of concern as it is a danger to reproductive health. A semi-structured questionnaire, centred on sexual health, was administered to 30 traditional healers in 15 local municipalities across the three districts of Limpopo Province during 2009/10. The questionnaire focussed on the use of plants for medicine as well their application in reproductive health management. This investigation found that the Bapedi employed no less than 18 different plant species, sometimes as multiple-plant extracts, but more often as single-plant extracts. The single most used species was Catharanthus roseus, which accounted for 60% of all reported cases, followed by Aloe marlothii subsp. marlothii (13.3%). Both these species occur abundantly throughout the province and are currently not threatened. This is the first record for the use of Callilepis salicifolia, Jatropha zeyheri and Cotyledon orbiculata to treat gonorrhoea by people of any culture.