Workshop: Guidelines for the safe manufacture of refrigerated wheat-flour noodles

Established and supported under the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centre Progra

Postglacial vegetational and fire history: pollen, plant macrofossil and charcoal records from two Alaskan lakes

Pollen, plant macrofossil and charcoal analyses of sediments from two Alaskan lakes provide new data for inferring Lateglacial and Holocene environmental change. The records span the past 14,700 years at Lost Lake, 240m a.s.l., central Alaska, north of the Alaska Range and 9600 years at Grizzly Lake, 720m a.s.l., Copper River Plateau, south of the Alaska Range. Salix shrubs expanded in the herb tundra about 14,400 cal b.p., and Betula shrub tundra became established at ca. 13,200 cal b.p. Diminished Betula shrub cover in association with the increased abundance of herbaceous taxa occurred at 12,500-11,600 cal b.p., although the timing of these changes is not well constrained. Populus expanded at 11,200 cal b.p. and formed dense stands until 9600-9400 cal b.p. when Picea glauca forests or woodlands became established at both sites. The abundance of Alnus viridis increased markedly around 8500 cal b.p. at both sites, marking the development of alder shrub thickets around the lakes and on mountain slopes in these areas. Boreal forests dominated by Picea mariana became established around 7200 cal b.p. at Grizzly Lake and 5700 cal b.p. at Lost Lake. At Grizzly Lake, marked vegetational oscillations occurred within the past 8500 years; for example, A. viridis expanded at 2750 cal b.p. and 450 cal b.p. and declined at 150 cal b.p. Some of these oscillations coincide with large-scale climatic events, such as the Little Ice Age cooling (LIA), and they probably reflect vegetational sensitivity to climatic change at this high site. Microscopic charcoal at Lost Lake suggests that fire was important in the lateglacial birch tundra, probably because of severe moisture deficits of the regional climate and/or high abundance of fine fuels. On the basis of the Grizzly Lake microscopic charcoal record, regional fires were common between 8500 and 6800 cal b.p. and between 450 and 150 cal b.p. Around Grizzly Lake, the mean return intervals of local fires estimated from macroscopic charcoal were ∼386 years between 6800 and 5500 cal b.p. when Picea glauca dominated over P. mariana, ∼254 years between 5500 and 3900 cal b.p. when P. mariana was more abundant than P. glauca, and ∼200 years after 3900 cal b.p. in both P. glauca and P. mariana dominated forests. Correlation analysis of pollen and microscopic charcoal at Grizzly Lake reveals that increased fire activity led to the reductions of P. glauca, P. mariana, and tree Betula in association with the expansions of A. viridis, Epilobium, Lycopodium clavatum, and L. annotinu

Swiss results from a global observational study of venous thromboembolism risk and prophylaxis use in the acute care hospital setting: analysis from the ENDORSE study

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present analysis from the epidemiologic international day for the evaluation of patients at risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the acute hospital care setting (ENDORSE) study was to evaluate the prevalence of VTE risk in acute care hospitals and the proportion of at-risk medical and surgical patients who receive recommended prophylaxis in Switzerland. METHODS: All patients (age \u3eor=40 years) admitted to a medical ward or those (age \u3eor=18 years) admitted to a surgical ward in ten randomly selected Swiss hospitals were assessed for risk of VTE. The 2004 American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) evidence-based consensus guidelines were used to assess VTE risk and to determine whether patients were receiving recommended thromboprophylaxis. RESULTS: 2000 patients were eligible; of these 1153 (58%) were in surgical wards, and 847 (42%) in medical wards. According to the ACCP criteria, the proportion of surgical patients at VTE risk was similar in Switzerland (68%, between hospital range 48-86%) in comparison to the global ENDORSE study (64%) (p = 0.296). The rate of at-risk medical patients was lower in Switzerland (21%, range 3-44%) than in the global study (42%) (p \u3c0.001). The proportion of at-risk surgical patients with ACCP-recommended VTE prophylaxis was higher in Switzerland (81%, between-hospital range 76-93%) than in the global study (59%) (p \u3c0.001). Among medical patients at risk, the use of recommended thromboprophylaxis was higher in Switzerland (61%, between-hospital range 0-84%) than in the global ENDORSE (40%) (p \u3c0.001). However 56% of the patients with cancer, 41% with major trauma, and 29% undergoing vascular surgery did not receive any recommended prophylaxis. Among surgical patients at risk, the use of ACCP-recommended prophylaxis was lower in academic (77%) vs. non-academic (86%) institutions (p = 0.0025). CONCLUSIONS: In Switzerland, although the rate of recommended thromboprophylaxis is higher than in many countries, it is still improvable in medical patients at risk according to the ACCP guidelines. Consequently, hospital wide strategies for systematic risk factor assessment and implementation of practical tools to ensure appropriate use of prophylaxis in patients at VTE risk are required

Clinical monitoring and correlates of nephropathy in SIV-infected macaques during high-dose antiretroviral therapy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In many preclinical AIDS research studies, antiretroviral therapy (ART) is administered to experimentally simian immunodeficiency (SIV)-infected rhesus macaques for reduction of viral load to undetectable levels. Prolonged treatment of macaques with a high dose of PMPA (9-[2-(r)-(phosphonomethoxy) propyl] adenine or tenofovir; 30 mg/kg of body weight subcutaneously once daily) can result in proximal renal tubular dysfunction, a Fanconi-like syndrome characterized by glucosuria, aminoaciduria, hypophosphatemia, and bone pathology. In contrast, chronic administration of a low dose of PMPA (10 mg/kg subcutaneously once daily) starting at birth does not seem to be associated with any adverse health effects within 3 years of treatment. In contrast to PMPA, limited information on systemic toxicity in rhesus monkeys is available for FTC (5-fluoro-1-(2R,5S)-[2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-oxathiolan-5-yl]cytosine; emtricitabine) and stavudine (d4T).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, the clinical and biochemical correlates of tubular nephrosis in SIV-infected rhesus macaques associated with systemic administration of high-dose ART consisting of the three nucleoside analog inhibitors PMPA, FTC, and d4T were investigated. It was found that acute renal failure was uncommon (7.1% of treated animals) and that morphologic evidence of nephropathy, which persisted for more than 300 days following discontinuation of the drug cocktail, was more frequent (52.4% of treated animals). While parameters from single time points lacked predictive value, biochemical alterations in Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) and phosphorus were frequently identified longitudinally in the blood of ART-treated animals that developed evidence of nephropathy, and these longitudinal changes correlated with disease severity.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Recommendations are proposed to limit the impact of drug-induced renal disease in future SIV macaque studies.</p

Iceland as Stepping Stone for Spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus between Europe and North America

Funding Information: This study was supported by the European Union Horizon 2020 (program grant VEO no. 874735) and by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (project PREPMEDVET, grant no. 13N15449). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All rights reserved.Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) of hemagglutinin type H5 and clade 2.3.4.4b have widely spread within the northern hemisphere since 2020 and threaten wild bird populations, as well as poultry production. We present phylogeographic evidence that Iceland has been used as a stepping stone for HPAIV translocation from northern Europe to North America by infected but mobile wild birds. At least 2 independent incursions of HPAIV H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b assigned to 2 hemagglutinin clusters, B1 and B2, are documented for summer‒autumn 2021 and spring 2022. Spread of HPAIV H5N1 to and among colony-breeding pelagic avian species in Iceland is ongoing. Potentially devastating effects (i.e., local losses >25%) on these species caused by extended HPAIV circulation in space and time are being observed at several affected breeding sites throughout the North Atlantic.Peer reviewe

Comparison of 1.0 M gadobutrol and 0.5 M gadopentate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI in 471 patients with known or suspected renal lesions: Results of a multicenter, single-blind, interindividual, randomized clinical phase III trial

The purpose of this phase III clinical trial was to compare two different extracellular contrast agents, 1.0 M gadobutrol and 0.5 M gadopentate dimeglumine, for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with known or suspected focal renal lesions. Using a multicenter, single-blind, interindividual, randomized study design, both contrast agents were compared in a total of 471 patients regarding their diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity to correctly classify focal lesions of the kidney. To test for noninferiority the diagnostic accuracy rates for both contrast agents were compared with CT results based on a blinded reading. The average diagnostic accuracy across the three blinded readers ('average reader') was 83.7% for gadobutrol and 87.3% for gadopentate dimeglumine. The increase in accuracy from precontrast to combined precontrast and postcontrast MRI was 8.0% for gadobutrol and 6.9% for gadopentate dimeglumine. Sensitivity of the average reader was 85.2% for gadobutrol and 88.7% for gadopentate dimeglumine. Specificity of the average reader was 82.1% for gadobutrol and 86.1% for gadopentate dimeglumine. In conclusion, this study documents evidence for the noninferiority of a single i.v. bolus injection of 1.0 M gadobutrol compared with 0.5 M gadopentate dimeglumine in the diagnostic assessment of renal lesions with CE-MRI

Improvements and Limitations of Humanized Mouse Models for HIV Research: NIH/NIAID “Meet the Experts” 2015 Workshop Summary

The number of humanized mouse models for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and other infectious diseases has expanded rapidly over the past 8 years. Highly immunodeficient mouse strains, such as NOD/SCID/gamma chainnull (NSG, NOG), support better human hematopoietic cell engraftment. Another improvement is the derivation of highly immunodeficient mice, transgenic with human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) and cytokines that supported development of HLA-restricted human T cells and heightened human myeloid cell engraftment. Humanized mice are also used to study the HIV reservoir using new imaging techniques. Despite these advances, there are still limitations in HIV immune responses and deficits in lymphoid structures in these models in addition to xenogeneic graft-versus-host responses. To understand and disseminate the improvements and limitations of humanized mouse models to the scientific community, the NIH sponsored and convened a meeting on April 15, 2015 to discuss the state of knowledge concerning these questions and best practices for selecting a humanized mouse model for a particular scientific investigation. This report summarizes the findings of the NIH meeting

Small animal models for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis b, and tuberculosis: Proceedings of an NIAID workshop

The main advantage of animal models of infectious diseases over in vitro studies is the gain in the understanding of the complex dynamics between the immune system and the pathogen. While small animal models have practical advantages over large animal models, it is crucial to be aware of their limitations. Although the small animal model at least needs to be susceptible to the pathogen under study to obtain meaningful data, key elements of pathogenesis should also be reflected when compared to humans. Well-designed small animal models for HIV, hepatitis viruses and tuberculosis require, additionally, a thorough understanding of the similarities and differences in the immune responses between humans and small animals and should incorporate that knowledge into the goals of the study. To discuss these considerations, the NIAID hosted a workshop on ‘Small Animal Models for HIV, Hepatitis B, and Tuberculosis’ on May 30, 2019. Highlights of the workshop are outlined below

Personality profiles of cultures: aggregate personality traits

Personality profiles of cultures can be operationalized as the mean trait levels of culture members. College students from 51 cultures rated an individual from their country whom they knew well (N = 12, 156). Aggregate scores on Revised NEO Personality Inventory scales generalized across age and gender groups, approximated the individual-level Five-Factor Model, and correlated with aggregate self-report personality scores and other culture-level variables. Results were not attributable to national differences in economic development or to acquiescence. Geographical differences in scale variances and mean levels were replicated, with Europeans and Americans generally scoring higher in Extraversion than Asians and Africans. Findings support the rough scalar equivalence of NEO-PI-R factors and facets across cultures, and suggest that aggregate personality profiles provide insight into cultural differences