An assessment of the food safety knowledge and attitudes of food handlers in hospitals

Abstract Background The possession of inadequate food safety knowledge (FSK) by food handlers poses a serious threat to food safety in service establishments. The aim of this research was to investigate factors that influenced the FSK and food safety attitudes (FSA) of employees involved in the preparation and/or the serving of food from nine hospitals in the Capricorn District Municipality (CDM) in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Method Up to 210 individuals (18–65 years) who were employed in these hospitals, and who were involved in the preparation and serving of food to patients were purposefully selected. Data collection was by means of an interview using a questionnaire design for this study. The FSK and FSA scores of hospital food handlers were obtained by adding the correct response to FSK or FSA questions. Results Only 29% of the hospital food handlers have attended a food safety-training course. Many food handlers were not knowledgeable on the correct temperature for handling foods, and on the correct minimum internal cooking temperature for poultry, seafood and egg. Only the minority of food handlers knew that Salmonella is the main foodborne bacteria pathogen mostly associated with poultry products (47.1%) and that food borne bacteria will grow quickly in food at a temperature of 37 °C (38.1%). Hospital food handlers with higher academic qualifications do not possess more FSK than those with lower academic qualifications. 51% of the hospital food handlers possessed a Satisfactory FSK while 10% possessed a Good FSK and 39% possessed an Inadequate FSK. Conclusion More than 60% of the hospital food handlers possesses either Good FSK or Satisfactory FSK. Higher levels of education, experience in food handling and job position did not lead to better FSK outcome. All the hospital food handlers possess at least a Satisfactory FSA. There was a weak positive but significant correlation between the FSK and FSA of hospital food handlers. It is recommended all employees involved in food handlers be subjected to food safety training programmes on a regular basis irrespective of their academic, employment and training details

Increased muscle blood supply and transendothelial nutrient and insulin transport induced by food intake and exercise: effect of obesity and ageing.

This review concludes that a sedentary lifestyle, obesity and ageing impair the vasodilator response of the muscle microvasculature to insulin, exercise and VEGF-A and reduce microvascular density. Both impairments contribute to the development of insulin resistance, obesity and chronic age-related diseases. A physically active lifestyle keeps both the vasodilator response and microvascular density high. Intravital microscopy has shown that microvascular units (MVUs) are the smallest functional elements to adjust blood flow in response to physiological signals and metabolic demands on muscle fibres. The luminal diameter of a common terminal arteriole (TA) controls blood flow through up to 20 capillaries belonging to a single MVU. Increases in plasma insulin and exercise/muscle contraction lead to recruitment of additional MVUs. Insulin also increases arteriolar vasomotion. Both mechanisms increase the endothelial surface area and therefore transendothelial transport of glucose, fatty acids (FAs) and insulin by specific transporters, present in high concentrations in the capillary endothelium. Future studies should quantify transporter concentration differences between healthy and at risk populations as they may limit nutrient supply and oxidation in muscle and impair glucose and lipid homeostasis. An important recent discovery is that VEGF-B produced by skeletal muscle controls the expression of FA transporter proteins in the capillary endothelium and thus links endothelial FA uptake to the oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle, potentially preventing lipotoxic FA accumulation, the dominant cause of insulin resistance in muscle fibres

Deformed diapiric structure evidence in the basal zone of Béni Bousera Massif (internai Rif, Morocco)

La région basale du massif uitrabasique des Beni-Bousera correspond pétrographiquement à des lherzolites à spine/le avec des textures à gros grain et porphyrodastique à gros grain. Les données microstructurales et de ia fabrique du réseau de i'oiivine laissent suggérer une structure diapirique dont le diamètre ne dépasse pas un kilomètre. Une telle structure subirait une déformation plastique sous des conditions généralement de très haute températureThe basai zone of Beni-Bousera uitramafic massif is composed of spinel lherzolites with coarse and porphyroclastic textures. Microstructure data olivine fabrics reflet a small diapiric structure, of about 1 Km in diameter, which suffered a plastic deformation under very high temperature condition

Comparative feeding patterns of early stages of mesopelagic fishes with vertical habitat partitioning

13 pages, 7 figures, 4 tablesThe present study analysed the trophic ecology of the early developmental stages of four species of mesopelagic fish, the myctophids Ceratoscopelus maderensis, Hygophum benoiti and Benthosema glaciale and the sternoptychid Argyropelecus hemigymnus. These species display different morphological traits and a segregated vertical distribution throughout the water column. The study was conducted off Mallorca Island (39° N, 3° E) in the western Mediterranean, during the summer stratification period. The results indicated that feeding patterns of myctophid larvae were strictly diurnal, while in A. hemigymnus larvae, day and night feeding occurred. In the transformation stage of C. maderensis, B. glaciale and A. hemigymnus, day and night feeding was evidenced. The feeding incidence during the larval stages was low, increasing in the transformation stages, and being particularly high for A. hemigymnus. Although an increasing tendency in size and number of ingested prey was observed, the trophic niche breadth did not indicate a trophic specialization in any of the species analysed. Gut content analysis determined that diet composition was very similar among the four species, with the different developmental stages of copepods being the dominant prey throughout the early larval development. Nevertheless, in transformation stages of C. maderensis and H. benoiti, other preys, like ostracods, become important contributors to the diet. Despite the important physical and biological structuring of the water column, no differences in feeding success were observed for larvae occurring in the layers of higher biological productionThis research was funded by project CTM2008-04489-C03Peer Reviewe

UNESCO 2030 Culture Indicators

The goal of our project was to conduct a preliminary assessment of the methodology of the UNESCO 2030 Culture Indicators for the entire municipality of Venice. To meet this goal, we collaborated with UNESCO and the Venice Rotary Club to assess Venice’s baseline alignment with key culture and sustainability indicators. With a specific focus on preserving the cultural heritage of their community, the Rotary Club of Venice will take advantage of this unique opportunity to better understand the role of culture in sustainable development for the city. Through the repetition of this process across a broader timeline, the indicators will reveal trends for the cultural sector. To visualize this data, and to provide a foundation for future applications of the same indicators, we have built an interactive website amplifying the indicators’ practicality in the city of Venice along with this booklet and its addendum