University of Cape Town

Airflows redefine the cost of aerial transport in the wild

Fuel economy matters to both animals and machines, as the cost of transport can determine where, when, and how far locomotion is possible. However, established estimates of these values for animal flight come from laboratories and treat the atmosphere as constant, even though fre...

Agonistic interactions and vocalizations among Procellariiformes in multi-species feeding aggregations, observed through bird-borne cameras

Abstract Marine predators frequently aggregate at food sources, where interactions can range from cooperative group hunting to interference competition for resources. To investigate interactions at feeding aggregations among procellariiforms, we equipped wandering albatrosses Dio...

Aberrant one-carbon metabolism and ancestral genetics underlie edematous severe acute malnutrition

Edematous severe childhood malnutrition is distinct from the non-edematous form of malnutrition and remains a major cause of under-five mortality. Its etiology remains unclear, although aberrant one-carbon metabolism has emerged as a potential contributor. Here, we assess genetic...

Protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial among young people and their peers to reduce substance use and inequitable gender beliefs in Southern Africa

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Substance use and the internalization of traditional gender norms, or inequitable gender beliefs, are co-occurring risk behaviors for poorer health and well-being in young people in Southern Africa. Addressing the social and structural factors that reinforce...

Procedural Complications and Implant Cutout of the SpineJack®-System in Thoracolumbar Vertebral Fractures: A Retrospective Analysis of 204 Implants from a Level-1 Trauma Center

Study DesignRetrospective cohort study.ObjectivesImplant-related complications of SpineJack® stent-kyphoplasty, particularly endplate cutout, remain poorly characterized. This study determined the incidence of procedural complications, with a focus on cutout, and identified assoc...

Association between gestational diabetes mellitus and periodontal inflammation in a South African cohort

Abstract Objectives To investigate the association between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), periodontal status, and systemic inflammatory gene expression among pregnant women in South Africa. Materials and methods This case–control study included 105 pregnant women, comprisin...

Can multi-dimensional descriptive representation increase policy priority alignment? Evidence from South African municipalities

Abstract Does an increase in the number of shared identity traits between citizens and their public representatives increase the likelihood that they will agree on policy priorities? The identities of citizens and politicians are complex and multi-dimensional, but we know little...

Building Research Software in the Age of gAI

This presentation was prepared for: University of Cape Town's FHS Symposium on Tech-Enhanced Teaching and Research Friday, 9 October 2026 | 08:00–12:30 Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town Abstract This session explores how generative AI is affecting research softw...

Gut microbial metabolism of peanuts generates immunoregulatory metabolites

Background. Complementary feeding practices and timing are thought to significantly influence early life immune development, with the early introduction of allergenic foods being especially important for prevention of food allergy. We hypothesized that allergen-containing foods s...

Brief internet intervention for grieving children and adolescents: co-design and trial protocol

ISRCTN.org identifier: ISRCTN21132251.

Health system and household costs of preventive treatment delivery for children exposed to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in South Africa

Background Tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment (TPT) is a core component of TB control. Levofloxacin was recently recommended by the World Health Organization as TPT in children exposed to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). However, the affordability and feasibility of...

Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prevalence of Mental Disorders and Suicidality Among Children and Adolescents Living with HIV in South Africa

Abstract Despite progress in HIV prevention and treatment, global data suggests that youth living with HIV remain at risk of mental disorders and suicidality. However, reliable epidemiological data from South Africa (SA) are limited. We conducted a systematic review and meta-anal...

Neuropsychiatry genetics in Africa

Across Africa, rising mental health needs coincide with rapid advances in genomics, digital health and continental policy reform. Yet research into the genetic, environmental and social determinants of neuropsychiatric illness remains sparse and underfunded. This review argues th...

Perceptions of preparedness for mental health practice among newly qualified occupational therapists in South Africa

Abstract Background Newly qualified healthcare professionals are often the backbone of service delivery, particularly in resource-constrained settings where workforce shortages persist. In South Africa, newly qualified occupational therapists frequently assume responsibility for...

Multi-omics analyses reveal key immunological and metabolic correlates of mortality in HIV-associated Pneumocystis pneumonia

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) remains a major cause of life-threatening respiratory failure in people with advanced HIV, yet the biological factors associated with mortality are incompletely understood. We performed integrated transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic p...

Phage-based depletion of Variovorax reveals interactions within intact microbiomes

Abstract Background Testing microbial interaction hypotheses, including metabolite cross-feeding, remains a major challenge in microbiome research. Phages have the potential to probe organism-organism interactions within complex microbiomes yet are rarely utilised for this purpos...

Pharmacokinetics of Efavirenz in Pregnancy and Postpartum with and Without First-line Tuberculosis Drugs: Results from IMPAACT P1026s

Efavirenz (EFV) pharmacokinetics (PK) may be influenced by both pregnancy-related physiological changes and concurrent treatment for drug-sensitive tuberculosis (DS-TB), and intensive 24-h EFV PK data during rifampin (RIF)/ isoniazid (INH) treatment in pregnant women living with...

Evidence-based atlas of risk and protective factors for psychotic disorders: an umbrella review to inform personalized prognosis and prevention.

Identifying updated, evidence-based risk and protective factors for psychotic disorders is essential to advancing scientific and clinical knowledge of their etiology. Since the most recent umbrella review published in this journal, the evidence base has expanded substantially. Fo...

Big data and psychiatry: advances, constraints and future directions.

Early work in psychiatry research, often involving single sites, small samples, and limited variables, has shifted to contemporary research involving multiple sites, large samples, and many variables. Such research raises important questions, including concerns about data quality...

Field sampling guidelines for sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) research in lacustrine and coastal systems: from field collection to laboratory subsampling

Abstract Sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) has emerged as a powerful proxy for reconstructing past biodiversity and environmental change in lacustrine and coastal systems, yet standardized field guidance remains limited, particularly for researchers working in tropical and coasta...