Seafood safety and quality: an analysis of the supply chain in the Sultanate of Oman

The globalization of trade in fish has created many challenges for the developing world specifically with regard to food safety and quality. International organisations have established a good basis for standards in international trade. Whilst these requirements are frequently embraced by the major importers (such as Japan, the EU and the USA), they often impose additional safety requirements and regularly identify batches which fail to meet their strict standards. Creating an effective national seafood control system which meets both the internal national needs as well the requirements for the export market can be challenging. Many countries adopt a dual system where seafood products for the major export markets are subject to tight control whilst the majority of the products (whether for the local market or for more regional trade) are less tightly controlled. With regional liberalization also occurring, deciding on appropriate controls is complex. In the Sultanate of Oman, fisheries production is one of the countries' chief sources of economic revenue after oil production and is a major source of the national food supply. In this paper the structure of the fish supply chain has been analysed and highlighted the different routes operating for the different markets. Although much of the fish are consumed within Oman, there is a major export trade to the local regional markets. Much smaller quantities meet the more stringent standards imposed by the major importing countries and exports to these are limited. The paper has considered the development of the Omani fish control system including the key legislative documents and the administrative structures that have been developed. Establishing modern controls which satisfy the demands of the major importers is possible but places additional costs on businesses. Enhanced controls such as HACCP and other management standards are required but can be difficult to justify when alternative markets do not specify these. These enhanced controls do however provide additional consumer protection and can bring benefits to local consumers. The Omani government is attempting to upgrade the system of controls and has made tremendous progress toward the implementation of HACCP and introducing enhanced management systems into its industrial sector. The existence of strengthened legislative and government support, including subsidies, has encouraged some businesses to implement HACCP. The current control systems have been reviewed and a SWOT analysis approach used to identify key factors for their future development. The study shows that seafood products in the supply chain are often exposed to lengthy handling and distribution process before reaching the consumers, a typical issue faced by many developing countries. As seafood products are often perishable, they safety is compromised if not adequately controlled. The enforcement of current food safety laws in the Sultanate of Oman is shared across various government agencies. Consequently, there is a need to harmonize all regulatory requirements, enhancing the domestic food protection and to continue to work towards a fully risk-based approach in order to compete successfully in the global market

Hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) in seafood processing: an analysis of its application and use in regulation in the Sultanate of Oman

When considering the supply of fish products to consumers, the adoption of food safety management systems throughout the 'net to plate' continuum is of a paramount importance. It is essential to safeguard consumers and to facilitate regional and international trade. This study has assessed the technical barriers and benefits associated with the implementation of management system incorporating HACCP and related pre-requisite programmes in the seafood processors in the Sultanate of Oman. A survey, using qualitative surveys and interviews, was conducted out to verify the level of implementation of the seafood safety and quality requirements. A total of 22 (92% returned) HACCP processors, and 15 (83% returned) non-HACCP processors and 15 (75%) officials completed the questionnaires. Differences between processors operating with or without a HACCP system in place have been identified. The survey of local officials provided an additional perspective on the issues involved. The implications of handling practices in the seafood supply chain, seafood trade and the cost implications of implementing HACCP-based food safety management systems were also assessed. In comparison to the non-HACCP processors, the results indicated that HACCP firms were more diversified in their export markets and were able to target the more lucrative markets such as EU, Japan and America. However, the processors felt that the main barrier for exporting to these markets was the restriction imposed by the government on exporting certain species which reduced their ability to meet contracts with these countries. The study has also shown inadequate execution of prerequisite programmes due mainly to lack of training delivered to food handlers and a poor knowledge of food safety concepts. In particular there is an overreliance on the use of CCPs to control hazards when prerequisite programmes would be more appropriate is many situations. When considering whether to implement HACCP-based control systems, the seafood processors identified barriers linked to costs as their main concerns. However, whilst recognising this issue, the officials also highlighted barriers linked to the lack of expertise, skills and commitment of the staff. In general, the study highlighted significant gaps which undermine the effectiveness and success of implementing safety and quality requirements to meet national legislative obligations. These include: poor attitudes and understanding toward HACCP and its pre-requisite programmes, lenient enforcement by the authorities, the lack of training and consultancy organizations in the country, a lack of awareness. The overlapping structure of the regulatory authorities in the country and the distribution of national inspection resources have also been identified as an issue of concern

Coupling of Smoothened to inhibitory G proteins reduces voltage-gated K

SMO (Smoothened), the central transducer of Hedgehog signaling, is coupled to heterotrimeric Gi proteins in many cell types, including cardiomyocytes. In this study, we report that activation of SMO with SHH (Sonic Hedgehog) or a small agonist, purmorphamine, rapidly causes a prolongation of the action potential duration that is sensitive to a SMO inhibitor. In contrast, neither of the SMO agonists prolonged the action potential in cardiomyocytes from transgenic GiCT/TTA mice, in which Gi signaling is impaired, suggesting that the effect of SMO is mediated by Gi proteins. Investigation of the mechanism underlying the change in action potential kinetics revealed that activation of SMO selectively reduces outward voltage-gated K+ repolarizing (Kv) currents in isolated cardiomyocytes and that it induces a down-regulation of membrane levels of Kv4.3 in cardiomyocytes and intact hearts from WT but not from GiCT/TTA mice. Moreover, perfusion of intact hearts with Shh or purmorphamine increased the ventricular repolarization time (QT interval) and induced ventricular arrhythmias. Our data constitute the first report that acute, noncanonical Hh signaling mediated by Gi proteins regulates K+ currents density in cardiomyocytes and sensitizes the heart to the development of ventricular arrhythmias. © 2018 Cheng et al

A viral CTL escape mutation leading to immunoglobulin-like transcript 4-mediated functional inhibition of myelomonocytic cells

Viral mutational escape can reduce or abrogate recognition by the T cell receptor (TCR) of virus-specific CD8+ T cells. However, very little is known about the impact of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitope mutations on interactions between peptide–major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I complexes and MHC class I receptors expressed on other cell types. Here, we analyzed a variant of the immunodominant human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B2705–restricted HIV-1 Gag KK10 epitope (KRWIILGLNK) with an L to M amino acid substitution at position 6 (L6M), which arises as a CTL escape variant after primary infection but is sufficiently immunogenic to elicit a secondary, de novo HIV-1–specific CD8+ T cell response with an alternative TCR repertoire in chronic infection. In addition to altering recognition by HIV-1–specific CD8+ T cells, the HLA-B2705–KK10 L6M complex also exhibits substantially increased binding to the immunoglobulin-like transcript (ILT) receptor 4, an inhibitory MHC class I–specific receptor expressed on myelomonocytic cells. Binding of the B2705–KK10 L6M complex to ILT4 leads to a tolerogenic phenotype of myelomonocytic cells with lower surface expression of dendritic cell (DC) maturation markers and co-stimulatory molecules. These data suggest a link between CTL-driven mutational escape, altered recognition by innate MHC class I receptors on myelomonocytic cells, and functional impairment of DCs, and thus provide important new insight into biological consequences of viral sequence diversificatio

Pregnancy, prescription medicines and the potential risk of herb-drug interactions:a cross-sectional survey

Funding All funding was from institutional resource. JSM, AS are employed by the University of Aberdeen. DS is employed by the Robert Gordon University. BP and CR are employed by NHS Scotland. ARP and MAH are employed by the Hamad Medical Corporation. Qatar. NI is a postgraduate student at the University of Aberdeen.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

'Asking the right question'. A comparison of two approaches to gathering data on 'herbals' use in survey based studies

BACKGROUND:Over the last decade academic interest in the prevalence and nature of herbal medicines use by pregnant women has increased significantly. Such data are usually collected by means of an administered questionnaire survey, however a key methodological limitation using this approach is the need to clearly define the scope of 'herbals' to be investigated. The majority of published studies in this area neither define 'herbals' nor provide a detailed checklist naming specific 'herbals' and CAM modalities, which limits inter-study comparison, generalisability and the potential for meta-analyses. The aim of this study was to compare the self-reported use of herbs, herbal medicines and herbal products using two different approaches implemented in succession. METHODS:Cross-sectional questionnaire surveys of women attending for their mid-trimester scan or attending the postnatal unit following live birth at the Royal Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, North-East Scotland. The questionnaire utilised two approaches to collect data on 'herbals' use, a single closed yes/no answer to the question "have you used herbs, herbal medicines and herbal products in the last three months"; and a request to tick which of a list of 40 'herbals' they had used in the same time period. RESULTS:A total of 889 responses were obtained of which 4.3% (38) answered 'yes' to herbal use via the closed question. However, using the checklist 39% (350) of respondents reported the use of one or more specific 'herbals' (p<0.0001). The 312 respondents who reported 'no' to 'herbals' use via the closed question but "yes" via the checklist consumed a total of 20 different 'herbals' (median 1, interquartile range 1-2, range 1-6). CONCLUSIONS:This study demonstrates that the use of a single closed question asking about the use of 'herbals', as frequently reported in published studies, may not yield valid data resulting in a gross underestimation of actual use

Stability of Hill Slopes and Foundation Condition at Radio Astronomy Centre Ootacamand

Stability aspects of hill slopes and foundation considerations of Radio Astronomy Centre at Ootacamand are described. The analysis of slopes indicated that if joints are not covered, the material in joints may lose strength and the slopes may enter a state of instability. Footings with inclined legs were found to resist the horizontal forces, pull and overturning movements. Lime piles adopted for strengthening soft material at one of the tower locations were found to be effective

A core outcome set for evaluating self-management interventions in people with comorbid diabetes and severe mental illness : study protocol for a modified Delphi study and systematic review

BACKGROUND: People with diabetes and comorbid severe mental illness (SMI) form a growing population at risk of increased mortality and morbidity compared to those with diabetes or SMI alone. There is increasing interest in interventions that target diabetes in SMI in order to help to improve physical health and reduce the associated health inequalities. However, there is a lack of consensus about which outcomes are important for this comorbid population, with trials differing in their focus on physical and mental health. A core outcome set, which includes outcomes across both conditions that are relevant to patients and other key stakeholders, is needed. METHODS: This study protocol describes methods to develop a core outcome set for use in effectiveness trials of self-management interventions for adults with comorbid type-2 diabetes and SMI. We will use a modified Delphi method to identify, rank, and agree core outcomes. This will comprise a two-round online survey and multistakeholder workshops involving patients and carers, health and social care professionals, health care commissioners, and other experts (e.g. academic researchers and third sector organisations). We will also select appropriate measurement tools for each outcome in the proposed core set and identify gaps in measures, where these exist. DISCUSSION: The proposed core outcome set will provide clear guidance about what outcomes should be measured, as a minimum, in trials of interventions for people with coexisting type-2 diabetes and SMI, and improve future synthesis of trial evidence in this area. We will also explore the challenges of using online Delphi methods for this hard-to-reach population, and examine differences in opinion about which outcomes matter to diverse stakeholder groups. TRIAL REGISTRATION: COMET registration: http://www.comet-initiative.org/studies/details/911 . Registered on 1 July 2016

Nursing Perceptions of Patient Safety at Hamad Medical Corporation in the State of Qatar

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)The ability to improve the safety of patient care delivery is dependent on the safety culture, or the norms surrounding reactions following an error, the learning that takes place, and the proactive strategies in place to prevent future errors. While measurement of patient safety culture is now common in the United States (US) using instrument specifically developed for US healthcare organizations, no measurements of safety culture had been conducted at Hamad Medical Corporation in the State of Qatar, a Middle Eastern country; nor were valid or reliable instruments available. The purpose of this study was to assess registered nurses’ perceptions of the safety culture in the units where they provide nursing care at Hamad Medical Corporation using a modified version of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) patient safety culture an instrument (Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Culture). Eight hundred surveys were distributed to all randomly-selected nurses from eight targeted clinical services with a response rate of 57%. Survey results were compared with those from US hospitals using the original AHRQ survey. Ranking of subscales for this study in terms of strengths and areas needing improvement were almost identical to the ordering of US hospital results, with teamwork within units ranked highest and indicating a strength; and the subscale non-punitive response to error the lowest and indicating an area for improvement. Positive response rates in terms of safety culture for this study were generally lower on most subscales compared to the US results and may reflect the intensity of patient safety improvement activity in the US over the last eight years in response to the Institute of Medicine’s report on medical errors in 1999. Results from this study provide a baseline measurement for safety culture at Hamad Medical Corporation and beginning adaptation of an instrument that can be used in other Middle Eastern healthcare organizations in the future

Effective seafood safety and quality management systems: an analysis of the situation in the Sultanate of Oman

Globally there have been many challenges in establishing effective food safety control systems. Of particular interest to the Sultanate of Oman is the control of the safety and quality of seafood for its importance to the national economy, food security and trade. The research focused on the particular issue of food safety management systems (including the application of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system within the Omani seafood processors. To understand the whole context, a wider review was initially conducted which looked into the whole structure of food control in Oman including the legal documents and the administrative structures. The evidence indicates that there is no unified national food safety agency and that current laws and regulations are shared across various governmental authorities. By investigating the various challenges, weaknesses and strengths of the existing system it is noted that there are still deficiencies in comparison to international guidance. Subsequently the structure of the seafood supply chain was analysed and a survey was conducted to assess the issues pertinent to HACCP implementation in the seafood industry and the role of the regulatory authorities in governing the safety of seafood products. The survey identified more precisely the benefits and barriers of implementing the HACCP system for the HACCP processors and the non-HACCP processors, which are usually small industry. In conclusion, the research has shown the importance of adopting strategies to enhance safety and quality requirements from farm to fork covering all aspects of seafood harvesting, processing and distribution regardless of the target markets. A legal requirement to adopt HACCP systems and the application of related food safety management systems (FSMSs) and their pre-requisites programmes is recommended. It should be imposed on all seafood processors regardless of their markets to ensure conformity with national and international requirements