Conferences, and webinars attendance 2024

The following staff members presented research results at congresses/courses

55^th Faculty Forum, University of the Free State, 24-25 August 2024

Title: Anatomical variations discovered during routine full body dissection: a year in review

Presenter: P Maass

Authors: P Maass, EE Anirudh, MJ Nkoi

Title: Arterial variations discovered during routine full body dissection: a year in review

Presenter: EE Anirudh

Authors: EE Anirudh, MJ Nkoi, P Maass

Title: Venous variations discovered during routine full body dissection: a year in review

Presenter: MJ Nkoi

Authors: MJ Nkoi, P Maass, EE Anirudh

Title: A guideline to address students’ lack of self-regulated learning in the undergraduate teaching and

learning environment

Presenter: PC de Wet

Fifth Annual Women in Autophagy Hybrid Conference, 28 October 2024

Title: The neuroprotective effects of medicinal Cannabis Sativa extracts against Aβ42-mediated toxicity in vitro

Authors: Ntsapi, C, Matsabisa, M

Fourth Annual BRIP Conference, 16-17 October 2024

Title: The neuroprotective effects of medicinal Cannabis Sativa extracts against Aβ42-mediated toxicity in vitro

Authors: Ntsapi, C, Matsabisa, M

Fifth ASSA World Anatomy Day Online Symposium

Title: World Anatomy Day 2024 artwork display

Presenter: EE Anirudh

Authors: EE Anirudh

NRF Next Generation and Emerging Researcher Symposium (23-25 October 2024), Gauteng

Title: Investigating Multidrug Resistant Protein 1 (MDR-1) drug efflux function in a docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer spheroid model

Presenter: B Abrahams

Author: B Abrahams, C Gouws, and M Ntsapi

Third Microphysiological Systems World Summit Seattle USA (10-14 June 2024)

Title: Establishing a doxorubicin-resistant triple-negative breast cancer spheroid model

Presenter: C Gouws

Author: V Fokazi, B Abrahams, C Gouws, and M Sekhoacha

Frontiers in Cancer Immunotherapy, New York, USA, 21-23 May 2024

Title: Niazimicin and its phytonanoparticle modulate Caspase-9 splice variants, IAPs and NFKB signalling in lung cancer cells

Presenter: C Tiloke

Authors: C Tiloke, K Anand, RM Gengan, AA Chuturgoon

SAERA, 29 October-1 November 2024

Title: A guideline to address students’ lack of self-regulated learning in the undergraduate teaching and

learning environment

Presenter: PC de Wet

Dr PC de Wet also presented research results at the following conferences: 

GLOBALET (international conference of Education and Teaching), FoHS FORUM, and the Centre for Teaching and Learning Academic Excellence conference

The following staff members attended congresses/courses/workshops

55^th Faculty Research Forum, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, South Africa

Dr S Gordon, Dr S van Zyl, Dr A Mostert (attendees)

Annual UFS Learning and Teaching Conference (16-19 September 2024)

Dr PC de Wet (presenter), Z Mvelase (presenter), Dr A Mostert, Dr S van Zyl (attendees)

SAAHE Conference (26-28 June 2024)

Dr A Mostert (attendee)

12^th Annual Free State Provincial Health Research Day webinar (22 November 2024)

            Dr H de Villiers, Dr S van Zyl (attendees)

Fifth ASSA World Anatomy Day Online Symposium

A Kalicharan (session chair and attendee), Dr S van Zyl (attendees)

NHREC Joint Meeting with HREC and AREC Chairs and Other Interested Persons (14-15 August 2024)

EE Anirudh (attendee)

Fifth Edition of the World Congress on Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism (EDM-2024 Congress), held 15-16 July 2024 in Vienna, Austria

          Z Mvelase (attendee)

50th Conference Anniversary of the Physiology Society of Southern Africa (PSSA) (25-28 August 2024)  Dr C Ntsapi

UFS Teaching and Learning conference (14-15 September 2024)

Dr A Mostert, Dr PC de Wet, Dr S van Zyl, S Singh

Prof Maass attended the following national and international seminars:

• Forensic Frontiers: Exploring Anthropology and Pathology in Medicolegal Investigation. 12 July 2024. Hosted by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, Kuala Lumpur.
• Know Your Forensic Science Role Players. 29 February 2024. Hosted by the South African Academy of Forensic Sciences (SAAFS).
• Academic meeting: Department of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand:
  • Museums as Dark Tourism Destinations. 20 February 2024. Presented by Matsobane Steven Motena, University of Pretoria Museums interpretive officer and guide.
  • The Forensic Landscape in RSA – A Snapshot of Where We Are Right Now. 22 October 2024: Presented by Prof R Blumenthal, Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Pretoria.

Dr B Abrahams attended the following workshops:

• CelVivo online workshop (12 November 2024)
• What every new reviewer should know about peer review – presented by South African Journal of Science (9 September 2024)

• UFS/TCA sciComm workshop (21 August 2024)

Regional and national research media release:

UFS Research Homepage Feature (June 2024)

• Article title: UFS Researcher Investigates the Potential of Medicinal Plants to Treat Alzheimer’s and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Bloemfontein Courant Feature (28 June 2024)

• Article title: Medicinal Plants vs. Alzheimer's Disease.

Health For Mzansi Feature (11 July 2024)

• Article title: Ntsapi Leads Hunt for Plant-Based Therapies for Brain Diseases.
• Health For Mzansi is an award-winning online health publication with Africa-wide recognition.

News24 Feature (August 14, 2024)

• Article title: Medicinal Plant Usage Explored.

Conferences, and webinars attendance 2023

54^th Faculty Forum, University of the Free State, 24-25 August 2023

Winner laboratory papers: Best in the Senior category: Dr P Maass.

Title: Skeletal profiling: introducing the Free State collection for anthropological research.

Student Faculty of Health Sciences (FoHS) Faculty Forum, University of the Free State, 22-24 August 2023

MSSM student research project: First place School of Clinical Medicine; second place overall FoHS.

Title: Burnout and mindful self-care in undergraduate nursing students at the University of the Free State.

A Els, M Grové, C Kruger, J le Roux, J Steyl, E van der Spuy, N van Tonder

Supervisor: A Mostert

Attendance of congresses/courses and papers presented (paper and poster presentations)

54^rd Faculty Forum, University of the Free State, 24-25 August 2023

Title:  An investigation into the inflammatory properties of Tenofovir in HEPG2 human liver. Presenter: S Vazi (paper); Authors: S Vazi, S van Zyl, R Vorster-De Wet, and C Tiloke.

Title: Chronic diseases of lifestyle: a risk assessment and health promotion framework for a rural and urban primary healthcare setting in the Free State province, South Africa. Presenter: S van Zyl (poster); Authors: S van Zyl, WH Kruger, and CM Walsh.

Title:  Effect of receiving mobile text messages on cortisol concentrations in students at the University of the Free State. Presenter: R Vorster-De Wet (poster); Authors: R Vorster-De Wet, AM Gerber, and JE Raubenheimer.

Title:  The antiproliferate effect of Moringa oleifera aqueous leaf extract in

MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Presenter: MM Moremane (poster); Authors: MM Moremane, BA Abrahams, and C Tiloke.

Title:  The hepatoprotective effects of Moringa oleifera against antiretroviral induced cytotoxicity in HEPG2 cells. Presenter: M Saki (paper); Authors: M Saki, H de Villiers, C Ntsapi, and C Tiloke.

Title:  Skeletal profiling: introducing the Free State collection for anthropological research. Presenter: P Maass (paper); Authors: P Maass.

Title:  Assessing craniofacial symmetry in a Free State population.

Presenter: E Anirudh (paper); Authors: D van der Merwe, E Anirudh, and P Maass.

Title:  A profile of skeletal lesions that are associated with tuberculosis in South Africa. Presenter: R Masiu (paper); Authors: R Masiu, D Botha, and M Steyn.

Title:  Autophagy activity in an in vivo brain injury model: exploring the effects of intermittent fasting. Presenter: C Ntsapi (paper); Authors: C Ntsapi and B Loos. Authors: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, UFS.

11^th Annual Free State Provincial Health Research Day, 23 November 2023.

Chronic diseases of lifestyle: a risk assessment and health promotion framework for a rural and urban primary health care setting in the Free State province, South Africa. Presenter: S van Zyl (paper); Authors: S van Zyl, WH Kruger, CM Walsh.

Second International Conference on Pharmaceutics and Novel Drug Delivery Systems, Rome in Italy, 21-22 September 2023.

Title: Niazimicin and its phytonanoparticle modulate Caspase-9 splice variants, IAP’s and NFκB signalling in lung cancer cells. Presenter: C Tiloke (invited speaker); Authors: C Tiloke, K Anand, RM Gengan, AA Chuturgoon.

European Association for Cancer Research Congress 2023, Torino, Italy 12-15 June 2023.

Title: Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor and Doxorubicin synergistically inhibits proliferation and drug efflux in MDA-MB 231 and MCF-7 cells in vitro. Presenter: B Abrahams (paper); Authors: B Abrahams and DC Hiss.

International Conference on Future of Teaching and Education (ICFTE), Vienna, Austria, 16-18 June 2023. Presenter: R Vorster-De Wet (highlighted speaker).

Women in Autophagy Beth Levine’s Legacy Network Fourth Annual Symposium Webinar, 26-27 October 2023. Title: Regulation of autophagy and cellular energetics. Presenter: C Ntsapi (invited panellist).

South African Education Research Association (SAERA) Conference, 31 October 2023, East London. Presenter: R Vorster (paper).

Fourth World Anatomy Day Online Symposium. 13 October 2023. Virtual symposium hosted by the Anatomical Society of Southern Africa (ASSA).

Title: Morphology and branching pattern of the internal iliac artery in a Free State male cadaveric sample. Presenter: Nkoi, MJ (paper); Authors: Nkoi, MJ, Maass, P and Govender, S.

Title: A profile of skeletal lesions that are associated with tuberculosis in South Africa. Presenter: Masiu, R (paper).

SAAHE Conference, Nelson Mandela University, 19-21 June 2023.

Title: Gender differences in quality of life among first-year medical students. Presenter (paper): A Mostert; Authors: A Mostert, MP Jama, G Joubert, LJ van der Merwe.

International Symposium on Morphological Sciences (ISMS XXVIII). 5-8 August 2023. Attended: R Masiu.

Society for Advanced Cell Culture Modelling in Africa, SACCMA Second Conference, Potchefstroom, 9-11 October 2023.  Attended: B Abrahams attended in the capacity of vice-chairperson of the society.

Virtual Webinar. Digitalisation and Education: Current and Emerging Technology in Education. 19-20 October 2023. Attended: R Masiu.

Bone Pathology and Paleopathology Workshop, 18-20 April 2023. Attended: R Masiu.

13^th Annual BRIP Symposium, 16-17 October 2023. Attended: Dr C Ntsapi (session chair).

Conferences, and webinars attendance 2022

Prize winners

Runner-up, Junior Educational Paper at the Faculty Forum. Does residing on- or off-campus make a difference to first-year health sciences students' quality of life? Arnelle Mostert, MP Jama; G Joubert and LJ van der Merwe

Presenters:

53^rd Faculty Forum, University of the Free State, 25 – 26 August 2022

Title: Does residing on-or off-campus make a difference to first-year health sciences students’ quality of life.  Authors: Dr A Mostert, Prof MP Jama, G Joubert, LJ van der Merwe (paper)

Title: Perceived barriers and challenges to the implementation of Chronic Diseases of Lifestyle programs experienced by patients and primary health care teams in primary health care settings in South Africa. Authors: Dr S van Zyl, Prof W Kruger and C M Walsh (paper)

Title: An anatomical perspective of the histological prevalence of intracranial meningiomas within a select South African population Authors: EE Anirudh, R Harrichandparsad and L Lazarus (paper)

Title: Student self-efficacy in the teaching and learning environment of undergraduate natural sciences. Authors: PC de Wet; LJ Van der Merwe and L Nel (paper)

Title: The effects of nutrient deprivation on macroautophagic flux in an in vitro model of Alzheimer's disease. Authors: C Ntsapi, B Loos (paper)

34 ^th EORTC/AACR/NCI symposium, Barcelona, Spain, 26-28 October 2022

Title: Combination treatment with egfr inhibitors and doxorubicin synergistically inhibits proliferation of mda-mb 231 breast cancer cells. Presenter: Dr B Abrahams (poster)

10^th Annual Free State Provincial Health Research Day, 17 November 2022

Title: Chronic diseases of lifestyle programme implementation in South African primary health care settings: perceived barriers and challenges experienced by patients and primary health teams. Presenter: Dr S van Zyl (paper)

49^th annual Anatomical Society of Southern Africa (ASSA) virtual symposium, 19-21 April 2022.

Title: The association between skeletal lesions and tuberculosis in a pre-antibiotic South African sample. Presenter: R Masiu (poster)

The Africa Microscopy Initiative Symposium. Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, 20 October 2022

Title: Virtual Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy (CLEM) of amyloid precursor protein (APP) localization in response to APP overexpression over time. Presenter: Dr C Ntsapi (paper)

3^rd Annual Symposium Webinar. 14-15 November 2022.

Chaperone-mediated autophagy modulates regulatory T-cell differentiation and function. Women in Autophagy. Beth Levine Legacy Network. Presenter: Dr C Ntsapi (paper)

6th World Conference of Qualitative research on 27 January 2022. Dr PC de Wet (paper)

Attendees:

McGraw-Hill Virtual Symposium.  Innovative Medical Education in the Digital Era: Virtual Symposium. 8 February 2022.

Dr S van Zyl, Dr  A Mostert, Dr R Vorster

Cengage Conference, Cengage event “Empowered Educator Conference” , 5-6 April 2022.

Dr A Mostert

SAAHE (Southern African Association for Health Educationalists) “The Reality of Virtual Reality in Health Professions Education: The Endless Possibilities”, 8 February 2022

Dr  A Mostert

1^st Society of advance cell culture models of Africa (SACCMA) conference, October 2022.

Dr  B Abrahams

6th World Qualitative Conference Jan 2022 (Online) and 6^th World Conference of Qualitative research. Higher Education Learning Management (HELM) summit 16-17 November 2022.

Dr R de Wet

AMEE conference, 27 – 31 August 2022.

Dr S van Zyl   

UFS Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, UFS, 13-14 September 2022.

Dr  S van Zyl, Dr R de Wet, Dr. A Mostert, S Singh.

Faculty Forum, University of the Free State, 25 – 26 August 2022.

Dr S van Zyl, Dr C Tiloke (online), Dr R de Wet, Dr  A Mostert, Dr  C Ntsapi, G van Zyl,  EE Anirudh,  Z Mvelase.

10^th Annual Free State Provincial Health Research Day, 17 November 2022.

Dr  S van Zyl, Dr  S Gordon

49^th Annual Anatomical Society of Southern Africa (ASSA) virtual symposium, 19-21 April 2022.

R Masiu,  S Singh, Dr S van Zyl, Dr P Maass, Dr A Mostert, A Kalicharan

ASSA world anatomy day symposium, 13 October 2022.

S Singh, Dr A Mostert, A Kalicharan, R Masiu, Dr S van Zyl, Dr P Maass.

49^th Physiology Society of Southern Africa (PSSA) Conference. A New Beginning: Research after COVID. 4-9 September 2022.

Dr. C Ntsapi:

Conferences, and webinars attendance 2021

PAPERS AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS

48^th Annual Conference of the Anatomical Society of Southern Africa:

Several staff members attended the 48^th Annual Conference of the Anatomical Society of Southern Africa virtual conference from the 19 – 21 April 2021. Dr Petra Maass presented research results: Title “Leading from the Front: Sex & Ancestry Variation of the Frontal Bone in a South African Cadaveric Sample” at the conference.

SAAHE conference:

Dr Arnelle Mostert, Dr Rone De Wet and Dr Sanet van Zyl presented research at the SAAHE conference, 21 – 25 of June 2021

Cardio-oncology and Anesthesiology joint symposium:

 Dr Yogeshni Govender presented research results at the symposium that took place on the 26^th of May 2021.

Faculty of Health Sciences annual Faculty Research Forum on the 25 – 27 August 2021:

Best poster in the Senior category: Educational posters

LJ van der Merwe, S van Zyl, G Joubert

School of Clinical Medicine, Basic Medical Sciences, Biostatistics

Title of presentation: How did academic staff experience online learning in the MBChB programme during covid-19 lockdown in 2020?

Research topics presented at the Faculty Research Forum:

Beynon Abrahams: Combination treatment of Tyrosine kinase inhibitor EGFRi and Doxorubicin synergistically inhibits proliferation of MDA-MB 231 cells

Tshegofatso Ramphaleng: Clinal variation of population in the Raymond Dart life and death mask collection

Rone Vorster de Wet: Guidelines for student self-efficacy in the teaching and learning environment of

undergraduate natural sciences

Sanet Van Zyl: Medical students’ perceptions of the chronic diseases of lifestyle curriculum and related experiences in primary health care settings in central South Africa

Dr Petra Maass served as session chair during the main forum, and as chairperson for the associated student forum.

The African Association of Physiological Sciences (AAPS) and the Physiological Society of Southern Africa (PSSA) 2021 virtual congress 2021, 12- 15 September 2021. Theme:  “Bridging the gap between science and policy practice”

The following research results were presented at the congress:

Dr Rone Vorster-de Wet: Guidelines for student self-efficacy in the teaching and learning environment of undergraduate natural sciences

Faith Moichela: Moringa oleifera (MO) antioxidants induce in vitro reductive state which inhibits sperm capacitation and acrosome reaction in normozoospermic donors

The following staff members acted as chairs/adjudicators at the African Association of Physiological Sciences (AAPS) and the Physiological Society of Southern Africa (PSSA) 2021virtual congress 2021, 12- 15 September 2021.

Chairperson: Sanet van Zyl, Session: Johny vd Walt Poster Competition;

Adjudicators: Dr Rone Vorster-de Wet and Dr Charlette Tiloke

Dr Rone Vorster-de Wet attended the PSSA (CARMA) virtual quarterly symposium on “Student mental health”.

SAERA conference 2021

Dr Roné De Wet presented research results at the conference. Title: Guidelines for student self-efficacy in the teaching and learning environment of undergraduate natural sciences, 11-12 November 2021. 

Taking a Breath: Reflecting on Respiratory Disease in Bioarchaeology Online Symposium and “(Un)natural Lives Bioarchaeology of Urbanization Research Group (BURG) 2021 Conference and 9th Face Science Symposium

Dr Petra Maass attended the “Taking a Breath: Reflecting on Respiratory Disease in Bioarchaeology Online Symposium” on 7-8 June 2021, and the “(Un)natural Lives Bioarchaeology of Urbanization Research Group (BURG) 2021 Conference” on 19 – 20 October 2021. Both meetings were presented by the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology. She also attended the  9th Face Science Symposium (Virtual edition) on 3 November 2021, which was hosted in collaboration with the University of Cape Town, University of Stellenbosch, University of the Western Cape, and the South African Police Service.

Inaugural South African Clinicians Scientist conference

Dr Claudia Ntsapi attended the Inaugural South African Clinicians Scientist conference (transforming healthcare through clinical science conference) on the 25 -16 October 2021 and acted as session chair (sessions 2 and 6).

South African Academy of Science (SAAFS) meetings

Dr Petra Maass, Shivani Govender and the Anatomy honours students attended the following sessions of the South African Academy of Science (SAAFS) meetings:

• So You Have To Testify – Now What? Presented by J Jordaan.
• An Introduction to Digital Forensics: No Magic Buttons. Presented by S Kuschke.
• The Dose Makes the Poison – the Role of Forensic Toxicology in Investigating Drug-Related Impairment & Death. Presented by B Davies.
• Crime Scene Reconstruction – Science from Scene to Courtroom. Presented by Dr M Reynolds.
• Regulation of the Forensic Science Profession in South Africa. Presented by the board of directors of the South African Academy of Forensic Science.
• A Risk-Based Approach to Cognitive Bias in Forensic Science. Presented by  A Camilleri.
• Autopsy – Life in the Trenches with a Forensic Pathologist in Africa. Presented by Prof R Blumenthal.

Annual UFS Learning and Teaching conference

The following staff members attend the Annual UFS Learning and Teaching conference: Dr Arnelle Mostert, Dr Sanet van Zyl, Dr Carol-Lynn van der Merwe, Dr Simone Gordon, Dr Tshego Ramphaleng, Dr Mada Ferreira, Dr Rone de Wet, Dr Helena de Villiers

Research activities 2019

Recent master’s graduate, Dr Arnelle Mostert, presented research results at the 12th South African Association of Health Educationalists (SAAHE) Conference hosted by the University of the Free State in June 2019 and at the 51st Faculty Research Forum, hosted by the Faculty of Health Sciences (UFS)., She was awarded the prize for Best Educational Paper – Junior Category. Dr Sanet van Zyl also presented research results at the Faculty Research Forum. As part of the presentation titled “Multiple risk factors and inflammatory markers for chronic diseases of lifestyle in urban and rural communities in the Free State”, Dr Van Zyl highlighted some of the key findings of her collaborative research with colleagues from the departments of Nutrition and Dietetics and Biostatistics. Dr van Zyl also presented research results at the Free State Research day on the 7th and 8th of November 2019, with the presentation title “Chronic diseases of lifestyle: similarities and differences in the socio-behavioural-metabolic risk profiles of urban and rural communities in the Free State”.

The department was well represented at the 47th Annual Conference of the Anatomical Society of Southern Africa (ASSA), hosted in the Pilanesberg. Dr Carina Vorster and Shivani Govender gave an oral presentation on “The potential harmful effects of exposure to embalmed cadavers on first-year medical students at the University of the Free State”, while Tshegofatso Ramphaleng gave an oral presentation on “The face mask collection: the face forms of the living and the dead”.

Research activities 2018

Symposium on “Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutic”  2018

B Abrahams attended the 30th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on “Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutic” from the 13-16th November 2018 in Dublin, Ireland. The symposium is organised by the European organisation for research and treatment of cancer, the National cancer institute (USA) and the American Association of Cancer Research. This event discussed the latest developments in molecular targets and cancer therapeutics. The symposium was attended by many delegates of different fields of expertise (clinical radiologists, pathologist, medical oncologists, neurosurgeons, pharmacologist, academics, etc.). Workshop topics included managing immunological toxicities, targeting cancer stem cells, molecular targets in radiation oncology, new targets in metabolism and the tumour microenvironment, and mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies. B Abrahams successfully applied for the Knowledge, Interchange and Collaboration (KIC) travel grant in 2018. He will have the opportunity to work with Dr Kevin Lam in 2019. Dr Lam currently holds a reader position in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Greenwich in the U.K. His research group is currently studying the syntheses of a variety of biologically active molecules with important pharmacological properties. They are particularly interested in Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs). Tyrosine kinase inhibitors are one of the anticancer compounds that  Abrahams is using in his PhD research project.
Dr C Vorster and  K Mpolokeng (MSc student) attended the 46th Annual Conference of the Anatomical Society of Southern Africa 2018, held at Muldersdrift, Gauteng, South Africa from 22 April to 25 April 2018 and presented research results at the conference.  

Drs S van Zyl, A Vorster, C Larson attended a Nutrition Symposium, Bloemfontein, South Africa, 21 June 2018. Dr M Ferreira presented GCP workshops in 2018 and was an invited speaker at a CLIC (Clinical Investigator Certification) course, 17 -19 July 2018 in Cape Town.