A large potentiation effect of serum on the in vitro potency of tulathromycin against Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida

The antimicrobial properties of tulathromycin were investigated for M.haemolytica and P.multocida. Three invitro indices of antimicrobial activity, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and time-kill curves, were established for six isolates of each organism. Each index was measured in two growth media: Mueller-Hinton broth (MHB) and calf serum. It was shown that MICs and MBCs were markedly lower in serum than in MHB. MHB:serum ratios for MIC were 47:1 (M.haemolytica) and 53:1 (P.multocida). For both serum and MHB, adjustment of pH led to greater potency at alkaline compared to acid pH. Tulathromycin MIC was influenced by size of inoculum count, being 4.0- to 7.7-fold greater for high compared to low initial counts. It was concluded that for the purpose of determining dosages for therapeutic use, pharmacodynamic data for tulathromycin should be derived in biological fluids such as serum. It is hypothesized that invitro measurement of MIC in broth, conducted according to internationally recommended standards, may be misleading as a basis for estimating the invivo potency of tulathromycin

Impact of foods with health logo on ssaturated fat, sodium and sugar intake of young Dutch adults

Objective Health logos are introduced to distinguish foods with ‘healthier’ nutrient composition from regular foods. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of changed food compositions according to health logo criteria on the intake of saturated fat, sugar and sodium in a Dutch population of young adults. Design Foods in the Dutch food composition table were evaluated against nutrient criteria for logo eligibility. Three replacement scenarios were compared with the nutrient intake ‘as measured’ in the Dutch consumption survey. The foods not complying with health logo criteria were replaced either by ‘virtual’ foods exactly complying with the health logo criteria, with real 2007 market shares (scenario I) and 100 % market shares (scenario II), or by existing similar foods with a composition that already complied with the health logo criteria (scenario III). Results The percentage reduction in nutrient intake with the current 2007 market shares of ‘health logo foods’ was -2·5 % for SFA, 0 % for sodium and -1 % for sugar. With a 100 % market share these reductions would be -10 % for SFA, -4 % for sodium and -6 % for sugar. This may lead to a reduction of -40 % for SFA, -23 % for sodium and -36 % for sugar in the most optimal replacement scenario. Conclusions With ‘health logo foods’, available in 2007 and current consumption patterns, small reductions can be achieved for SFA and sugar. For additional reductions, lowering the fat/sodium content of meat (products) towards health logo criteria and drinks without sugar towards limits far below health logo criteria would be the most effective reformulation strategy

Cumulative Exposure Assessment of Triazole Pesticides

In the EFSA opinion on identification of new approaches to assess cumulative and synergistic risks from pesticides to human health a tiered approach for cumulative risk assessment has been proposed. The first tier is a deterministic approach using average and large portion consumption statistics. The higher tiers include probabilistic exposure assessment and Benchmark Dose (BMD) modeling. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility and applicability of a higher tier assessment of cumulative exposure using probabilistic modeling in combination with the relative potency factor (RPF) approach. The RPFs are used to weigh the toxicity of each pesticide relative to the toxicity of a chosen index compound (pesticide). In this report the authors address both the short-term and long-term cumulative exposure to triazoles using different statistical model

Injection-site lesion prevalence and potential risk factors in UK beef cattle

Injectable veterinary medicinal products (VMPs) are widely used in cattle in the UK, and in particular vaccines are often used on large numbers of animals in the herd. The formation of injection-site lesions (ISLs) is a risk when using injectable products and has potential consequences for meat quality, animal welfare and beef industry income. This study used carcase observation in four abattoirs in England to determine ISL prevalence in beef cattle. Additionally, a questionnaire survey was used to investigate vaccination technique among UK beef farmers. The ISL prevalence was 4.1 per cent (95 per cent CI 3.4 per cent to 4.9 per cent). A potential difference between sites being used for vaccination and the distribution of ISLs on carcases suggested that factors other than vaccination were contributing to ISL incidence. Questionnaire responses highlighted deficits in good vaccination practices such as using the recommended site of injection and needle hygiene. The role of the veterinarian in knowledge transfer is crucial in providing practical injection advice when prescribing vaccines and other VMPs. This study identified factors to address when aiming to reduce ISL formation in UK beef animals

Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy (MERIT) with a Patient with Persistent Negative Symptoms

Metacognition comprises a spectrum of mental activities involving thinking about thinking. Metacognitive impairments may sustain and trigger negative symptoms in people with schizophrenia. Without complex ideas of the self and others, there may be less reason to pursue goal-directed activities and less ability to construct meaning in daily activities, leading to the experience of negative symptoms. As these symptoms tend to be nonresponsive to pharmacotherapy and other kinds of treatment metacognition might be a novel treatment target; improvement of metacognition might lead to improvements in negative symptoms. One therapy that seeks to promote metacognition is the Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy (MERIT). In this study, a case is presented in which a first episode patient with severe negative symptoms is treated with MERIT. A case illustration and the eight core principles of MERIT are presented. Independent assessments of metacognition and negative symptoms before and after therapy show a significant increase of metacognition and decrease of negative symptoms over the course of 40 weeks

Shifting the historical narrative of the Banda Islands From colonial violence to local resilience

peer reviewedHistory is a representation of the past based on (written) knowledge which has been passed on from one generation to the next, with a preference given to written sources from a Eurocentric tradition. However, written sources about (former) colonial territories are a product of the colonial system in which they were produced. Acknowledging the biases in these archives, therefore, opens the way for acceptance of other forms of knowledge which were previously deemed "not objective"in Eurocentric historical disciplines. This paper presents several examples from the Banda Islands in Maluku province in Indonesia to attest that, by placing contemporary perceptions of the past and local reiterations of history on an equal pedestal as colonial documentation, we can work towards a more decolonial practice of writing histories. In the case of the Banda Islands, this means a shift from a colonial Eurocentric perspective of its history towards a narration of the past which honours the Bandanese heroes, religion, and resilience

Virtual meeting ground for colonial (re)Interpretation of the Banda Islands, Indonesia

This paper presents a conceptual project aimed to create a digital archive pertaining to the colonial past of the Banda Islands. This archive not only offers a bottom-up opportunity to gather archival material through crowdsourcing but could also be connected to an interactive virtual map that connects this information real-time.  As crowdsourcing would be a main tool, this archive has the potential to function as a platform where both the former colonizer and colonized can reflect on the past, moreover, it will provide scholars a source of information to revisit the history of the Banda Islands. </p

Gaitography on lower-limb amputees:Repeatability and between-methods agreement

Background: Gaitography is gait parametrization from center-of-pressure trajectories of walking on an instrumented treadmill. Gaitograms may be useful for prosthetic gait analyses, as they can be rapidly and unobtrusively collected over multiple gait cycles without constraining foot placement. However, its reliability must still be established for prosthetic gait. Objectives: To evaluate (a) within-method test–retest repeatability and (b) between-methods agreement for temporal gait events (foot contact, foot off) and gait characteristics (e.g. step times, single-support duration). Study design: Cohort study with repeated measurements. Methods: Ten male proficient prosthetic walkers with a unilateral trans-femoral or trans-tibial amputation were equipped with a pressure-insole system and were invited to walk on separate days on an instrumented treadmill. Results: We found better between-methods reproducibility than within-method repeatability in temporal gait characteristics. Step times, stride times, and foot-contact events matched well between the two methods. In contrast, insole-based foot-off events were detected one-to-two samples earlier. Likewise, a similar bias was observed for temporal gait characteristics that incorporated foot-off events. Conclusion: Notwithstanding small systematic biases, the good between-methods agreement indicates that temporal gait characteristics may be determined interchangeably with gaitograms and insoles in persons with a prosthesis. However, the relatively poorer test–retest repeatability hinders longitudinal assessments with either method. Clinical relevance: Clinical practice could potentially benefit from gaitography as an efficient, unobtrusive, easy to use, automatized, and patient-friendly means to objectively parametrize prosthetic gait, with immediate availability of test results allowing for prompt clinical decision-making. Temporal gait parameters demonstrate good between-methods agreement, but poorer within-method repeatability hinders detecting prosthetic gait changes