South West food community: A place-based pilot study to understand the food security system

The objectives of this study were to: (i) Identify initiatives supporting healthy food availability, access and utilisation in the South West region of Western Australia (WA); and (ii) understand how they were functioning as a system to enhance community-level food security (FS). This study used a novel approach; a Systemic Innovation Lab, to interview initiative leaders/stakeholders about their FS initiative. Initiative characteristics measured included those which were associated with creating the effective conditions for FS systems change. Information was uploaded to an innovative online tool, creating a \u27transition card\u27 (matrix) of initiatives and partnering organisations. Fifty-one participants reported on 52 initiatives. Initiatives were most likely to possess characteristics relating to reinforcing changes towards an enhanced way of working to address FS and creating disruption to the old way of working. The initiative characteristic that initiatives were least likely to possess related to identifying the different causal factors of FS, and working with other stakeholders on specific components of FS. The South West Food Community pilot project used a comprehensive yet defined approach to demonstrate the value of a place-based, co-design project. Participants and stakeholders could strengthen specific initiative characteristics to facilitate enhanced community-level FS

GrOW National Study of Grandfamilies During COVID-19: Wave I and Wave II Results and Recommendations

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted families across the globe. This study highlights how a multidisciplinary workgroup, Grandfamilies Outcome Workgroup (GrOW) operationalized a caregiver-centered data cycle to learn how COVID-19 has impacted grandfamilies across the United States. The National Grandfamilies and COVID-19 Wave I (n=600, June 2020) and Wave II (n=225, July 2021) surveys recruited grandfamilies nationwide through GrOW’s network of kinship community partners. Wave I survey results illuminated that all sources of social support were reduced for grandfamilies during the pandemic, except for online support groups. Wave II provided an opportunity to revise the survey to capture emergent issues relevant to a later stage of the pandemic for grandfamilies. Results indicated that 73% of caregivers were vaccinated. Results also identified gaps in caregiver knowledge of kinship navigator programs and supports in their communities. Recommendations for future research are provided. Keywords Kinship, COVID-19, Grandfamilies’ Outcome Workgroup, Culturally Responsive Research, Translational Disseminatio

Metabolic Engineering of the Chloroplast Genome Using the Echerichia coli ubiC Gene Reveals That Chorismate Is a Readily Abundant Plant Precursor for p-Hydroxybenzoic Acid Biosynthesis1

p-Hydroxybenzoic acid (pHBA) is the major monomer in liquid crystal polymers. In this study, the Escherichia coli ubiC gene that codes for chorismate pyruvate-lyase (CPL) was integrated into the tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) chloroplast genome under the control of the light-regulated psbA 5′ untranslated region. CPL catalyzes the direct conversion of chorismate, an important branch point intermediate in the shikimate pathway that is exclusively synthesized in plastids, to pHBA and pyruvate. The leaf content of pHBA glucose conjugates in fully mature T1 plants exposed to continuous light (total pooled material) varied between 13% and 18% dry weight, while the oldest leaves had levels as high as 26.5% dry weight. The latter value is 50-fold higher than the best value reported for nuclear-transformed tobacco plants expressing a chloroplast-targeted version of CPL. Despite the massive diversion of chorismate to pHBA, the plastid-transformed plants and control plants were indistinguishable. The highest CPL enzyme activity in pooled leaf material from adult T1 plants was 50,783 pkat/mg of protein, which is equivalent to approximately 35% of the total soluble protein and approximately 250 times higher than the highest reported value for nuclear transformation. These experiments demonstrate that the current limitation for pHBA production in nuclear-transformed plants is CPL enzyme activity, and that the process becomes substrate-limited only when the enzyme is present at very high levels in the compartment of interest, such as the case with plastid transformation. Integration of CPL into the chloroplast genome provides a dramatic demonstration of the high-flux potential of the shikimate pathway for chorismate biosynthesis, and could prove to be a cost-effective route to pHBA. Moreover, exploiting this strategy to create an artificial metabolic sink for chorismate could provide new insight on regulation of the plant shikimate pathway and its complex interactions with downstream branches of secondary metabolism, which is currently poorly understood

Differences in satiety effects of alginate- and whey protein-based foods

Satiety is important in regulating food intake and has important public health significance in the control of obesity. Food containing protein and non-starch polysaccharides provides a satiety effect through various mechanisms but a comparison of the satiety effect on each has not previously been investigated. This study compared the satiety effect or reduction of hunger after consumption of (i) a whey proteinbased drink versus an alginate-based drink of the same viscosity where only the protein content differed, (ii) two alginate-based drinks differing in alginate type and viscosity, and (iii) a whey protein-based drink versus an alginate-based drink differing in protein content and viscosity. Fasted subjects assessed the effect of a drink on hunger that was one of three variants: a low viscosity whey protein drink (LVHP); a high viscosity low protein alginate-based drink (HVLP); or a low viscosity low protein alginate-based drink (LVLP) over the 240 min postprandial period using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). When protein differed and viscosity was the same, results showed subjects felt significantly less hungry after consuming the LVHP drink compared to the LVLP drink, so protein reduced hunger. Subjects reported reduced hunger from the HVLP drink compared to the LVLP drink where viscosity of drinks differed, suggesting viscosity and/or gelation reduced hunger. Subjects reported reduced hunger from the HVLP drink compared to LVHP drink where both protein and viscosity differed, suggesting that viscosity reduced hunger more than the protein effect. Results suggest the physical characteristics such as viscosity and/or gel strength and protein content reduce hunger. Further studies should investigate which of these parameters is more important

Calcium Intake in Elderly Australian Women Is Inadequate

The role of calcium in the prevention of bone loss in later life has been well established but little data exist on the adequacy of calcium intakes in elderly Australian women. The aim of this study was to compare the dietary intake including calcium of elderly Australian women with the Australian dietary recommendation, and to investigate the prevalence of calcium supplement use in this population. Community-dwelling women aged 70–80 years were randomly recruited using the Electoral Roll for a 2-year protein intervention study in Western Australia. Dietary intake was assessed at baseline by a 3-day weighed food record and analysed for energy, calcium and other nutrients. A total of 218 women were included in the analysis. Mean energy intake was 7,140 ± 1,518 kJ/day and protein provided 19 ± 4% of energy. Mean dietary calcium intake was 852 ± 298 mg/day, which is below Australian recommendations. Less than one quarter of women reported taking calcium supplements and only 3% reported taking vitamin D supplements. Calcium supplements by average provided calcium 122 ± 427 mg/day and when this was taken into account, total calcium intake increased to 955 ± 504 mg/day, which remained 13% lower than the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR, 1,100 mg/day) for women of this age group. The women taking calcium supplements had a higher calcium intake (1501 ± 573 mg) compared with the women on diet alone (813 ± 347 mg). The results of this study indicate that the majority of elderly women were not meeting their calcium requirements from diet alone. In order to achieve the recommended dietary calcium intake, better strategies for promoting increased calcium, from both diet and calcium supplements appears to be needed

Developing an initial programme theory for a model of social care in prisons and on release (empowered together): A realist synthesis approach

Many people are living in prison with a range of social care needs, for example, requiring support with washing, eating, getting around safely, and/or maintaining relationships. However, social care for this vulnerable group is generally inadequate. There is uncertainty and confusion about who is legally responsible for this and how it can best be provided, and a lack of integration with healthcare. We used realist-informed approaches to develop an initial programme theory (IPT) for identifying/assessing social care needs of, and providing care to, male adults in prison and on release. IPT development was an iterative process involving (a) an initial scoping of the international prison literature; (b) scoping prison and community social care policy documents and guidelines; (c) full systematic search of the international prison social care literature; (d) insights from the community social care literature; (e) stakeholder workshops. Information from 189 documents/sources and stakeholder feedback informed the IPT, which recommended that models of prison social care should be: trauma-informed; well integrated with health, criminal justice, third-sector services and families; and person-centred involving service-users in all aspects including co-production of care plans, goals, and staff training/awareness programmes. Our IPT provides an initial gold standard model for social care provision for people in prison and on release. The model, named Empowered Together, will be evaluated in a future trial and will be of interest to those working in the criminal justice system, care providers and commissioners, local authorities, housing authorities, voluntary groups, and service-users and their families

Long-term effects of a protein-enriched diet on blood pressure in older women

Short-term randomised, controlled trials have found that dietary protein relative to carbohydrate can reduce blood pressure. Our objective was to investigate the effects on blood pressure of an increase in protein intake from whey over 2 years in women aged over 70 years. From the general population, 219 women aged between 70 and 80 years were recruited to a 2-year randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-design trial: 181 women completed the trial to the end of year 2. Participants were randomly assigned to consume a daily whey protein-based beverage (protein) or an energy-matched low-protein high-carbohydrate beverage (control). Blood pressure measurements were performed at baseline, year 1 and year 2. For protein relative to control, the estimated mean net differences in protein and carbohydrate intakes were 18 (95 % CI 13, 23) and − 22 (95 % CI − 9, − 35) g/d at year 1, and 22 (95 % CI 17, 28) and − 18 (95 % CI − 6, − 31) g/d at year 2. Intention-to-treat analysis found no overall differences between groups in blood pressure (P>0.5). Net differences in systolic and diastolic blood pressure were – 2.3 (95 % CI – 5.3, 0.7) and – 1.5 (95 % CI – 3.6, 0.6) mmHg at year 1, and 1.6 (95 % CI – 1.5, 4.7) and 0.3 (95 % CI – 1.9, 2.4) mmHg at year 2. Similar differences in systolic and diastolic blood pressure at years 1 and 2 were observed with per-protocol analysis. Therefore, the present study did not provide evidence that a higher whey protein intake in older women can have prolonged effects on blood pressure

Wellbeing and Nurture: Physical and Emotional Security in Childhood

While there is increasing concern about developing and reinforcing children’s physical and emotional security, researchers have been busy working out the actual mechanics, even at the cellular level, of how this can be achieved. This report will provide a concise update on what is known about optimising children’s wellbeing and security in childhood and far beyond. In examining the ways in which children grow and develop, we can learn from that because their physical and emotional wellbeing and therefore that of our future society will depend on it. This report represents what we have learned and we hope that it will contribute in a small way to the making of the brave new ‘post-Covid’ world

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy