Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from raw milk sources in Victoria, Australia

Background Highly pathogenic strains of Staphylococcus aureus can cause disease in both humans and animals. In animal species, including ruminants, S. aureus may cause severe or sub-clinical mastitis. Dairy animals with mastitis frequently shed S. aureus into the milk supply which can lead to food poisoning in humans. The aim of this study was to use genotypic and immunological methods to characterize S. aureus isolates from milk-related samples collected from 7 dairy farms across Victoria. Results A total of 30 S. aureus isolates were collected from milk and milk filter samples from 3 bovine, 3 caprine and 1 ovine dairy farms across Victoria, Australia. Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) identified 11 distinct pulsotypes among isolates; all caprine and ovine isolates shared greater than 80 % similarity regardless of source. Conversely, bovine isolates showed higher diversity. Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) identified 5 different sequence types (STs) among bovine isolates, associated with human or ruminant lineages. All caprine and ovine isolates were ST133, or a single allele variant of ST133. Two new novel STs were identified among isolates in this study (ST3183 and ST3184). With the exception of these 2 new STs, eBURST analysis predicted all other STs to be founding members of their associated clonal complexes (CCs). Analysis of genetic markers revealed a diverse range of classical staphylococcal enterotoxins (SE) among isolates, with 11 different SEs identified among bovine isolates, compared with just 2 among caprine and ovine isolates. None of the isolates contained mecA, or were resistant to oxacillin. The only antibiotic resistance identified was that of a single isolate resistant to penicillin; this isolate also contained the penicillin resistance gene blaZ. Production of SE was observed at 16 °C and/or 37 °C in milk, however no SE production was detected at 12 °C. Conclusion Although this study characterized a limited number of isolates, bovine-associated isolates showed higher genetic diversity than their caprine or ovine counterparts. This was also reflected in a more diverse SE repertoire among bovine isolates. Very little antibiotic resistance was identified among isolates in this study. These results suggest maintaining the milk cold chain will minimise any risk from SE production and highlights the need to prevent temperature abuse

The drugs don't sell: DIY heart health and the over-the-counter statin experience

This paper draws on a study of over-the-counter statins to provide a critical account of the figure of the ‘pharmaceutical consumer’ as a key actor in the pharmaceuticalisation literature. A low dose statin, promising to reduce cardiovascular risk, was reclassified to allow sale in pharmacies in the UK in 2004. We analysed professional and policy debates about the new product, promotional and sales information, and interviews with consumers and potential consumers conducted between 2008 and 2011, to consider the different consumer identities invoked by these diverse actors. While policymakers constructed an image of ‘the citizen-consumer’ who would take responsibility for heart health through exercising the choice to purchase a drug that was effectively rationed on the NHS and medical professionals raised concerns about ‘a flawed consumer’ who was likely to misuse the product, both these groups assumed that there would be a market for the drug. By contrast, those who bought the product or potentially fell within its target market might appear as ‘health consumers’, seeking out and paying for different food and lifestyle products and services, including those targeting high cholesterol. However, they were reluctant ‘pharmaceutical consumers’ who either preferred to take medication on the advice of a doctor, or sought to minimize medicine use. In comparison to previous studies, our analysis builds understanding of individual consumers in a market, rather than collective action for access to drugs (or, less commonly, compensation for adverse effects). Where some theories of pharmaceuticalisation have presented consumers as creating pressure for expanding markets, our data suggests that sociologists should be cautious about assuming there will be demand for new pharmaceutical products, especially those aimed at prevention or asymptomatic conditions, even in burgeoning health markets

A programme for risk assessment and minimisation of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy developed for vedolizumab clinical trials

Introduction Over the past decade, the potential for drug-associated progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) has become an increasingly important consideration in certain drug development programmes, particularly those of immunomodulatory biologics. Whether the risk of PML with an investigational agent is proven (e.g. extrapolated from relevant experience, such as a class effect) or merely theoretical, the serious consequences of acquiring PML require careful risk minimisation and assessment. No single standard for such risk minimisation exists. Vedolizumab is a recently developed monoclonal antibody to α4β7 integrin. Its clinical development necessitated a dedicated PML risk minimisation assessment as part of a global preapproval regulatory requirement. Objective The aim of this study was to describe the multiple risk minimisation elements that were incorporated in vedolizumab clinical trials in inflammatory bowel disease patients as part of the risk assessment and minimisation of PML programme for vedolizumab. Methods A case evaluation algorithm was developed for sequential screening and diagnostic evaluation of subjects who met criteria that indicated a clinical suspicion of PML. An Independent Adjudication Committee provided an independent, unbiased opinion regarding the likelihood of PML. Results Although no cases were detected, all suspected PML events were thoroughly reviewed and successfully adjudicated, making it unlikely that cases were missed. Conclusion We suggest that this programme could serve as a model for pragmatic screening for PML during the clinical development of new drugs

Electrochemical formation of silver nanoparticles and their catalytic activity immobilised in a hydrogel matrix

Silver nanoparticles were formed electrochemically in the presence of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) to generate highly stable nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 12 nm. The optimised conditions involved formation at − 6.0 V vs Ag|Ag+ with a PVP:Ag+ ratio of 75:1. Particle agglomeration was observed when the PVP:Ag+ ratio was reduced to 25:1 and when extended polarisation periods were employed. Using the optimised conditions, the silver nanoparticles remained stable for periods in excess of 2 months. The nanoparticles were immobilised inside a polyacrylamide hydrogel and used for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol. The rate constant obtained for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol was calculated as 7.1 × 10−4 to 1.6 × 10−3 s−1 depending on the amount of silver. The hydrogel–Ag composite was stable and could be stored for several months, while there was little change in the rate constant when it was repeatedly used

The publics of public health in Africa

How do we understand the public character of public health in contemporary Africa? What are the parameters of community engagement in health care delivery, medical research and disease control programmes? To what extent is public health in Africa a project led by African Governments? Through what political processes and deliberative practices can African publics influence the priorities of research in health sciences and interventions which aim in broad terms to improve the health of such publics? Drawing insight from empirical research conducted with African scientists, nurses, community members, clinical trialists and policy-makers, this special section examines the multiple ways in which the public comes into being around public health provisioning and investigation in sub-Saharan Africa, its role and political reach. Collectively, these papers show how contestation and negotiation around different ideas about who the public is and what being public means can lead to the emergence of conflicting understandings, with implications for who and what is seen to represent the public interest, and for the acceptance of research and other interventions

Web-Based Software for Managing Research

aeroCOMPASS is a software system, originally designed to aid in the management of wind tunnels at Langley Research Center, that could be adapted to provide similar aid to other enterprises in which research is performed in common laboratory facilities by users who may be geographically dispersed. Included in aeroCOMPASS is Web-interface software that provides a single, convenient portal to a set of project- and test-related software tools and other application programs. The heart of aeroCOMPASS is a user-oriented document-management software subsystem that enables geographically dispersed users to easily share and manage a variety of documents. A principle of "write once, read many" is implemented throughout aeroCOMPASS to eliminate the need for multiple entry of the same information. The Web framework of aeroCOMPASS provides links to client-side application programs that are fully integrated with databases and server-side application programs. Other subsystems of aeroCOMPASS include ones for reserving hardware, tracking of requests and feedback from users, generating interactive notes, administration of a customer-satisfaction questionnaire, managing execution of tests, managing archives of metadata about tests, planning tests, and providing online help and instruction for users

Integrated Spacecraft Autonomous Attitude Control (ISAAC)

The purpose of this project is to give undergraduate students an opportunity to design, manufacture, and maintain a mock spacecraft to be used as a testbed for autonomous control systems. The spacecraft is based on two previous models: the JX-01, an undergraduate built testbed, and the Asteroid Free Flyer led by NASA engineer and ERAU doctoral student, Michael Dupuis. This model includes cable improvements, Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), and object-based state estimation to improve control stabilization. When completed, the hardware built for this project will provide undergraduates and researchers a platform with which they can test control algorithms and spacecraft component design. The results gathered from the project thus far is the building and design and controls experience between the team. After completion we will be able to obtain a properly modeled control algorithm and test it against multiple conditions. The final goal of the spacecraft is to provide the capabilities and perform experiments to test multiple methods to mitigate the effects of internal and external forces such as fuel sloshing, solar radiation, debris collision, and CG change

Integrated Spacecraft Autonomous Attitude Control (ISAAC)

The purpose of this project is to give undergraduate students an opportunity to design, manufacture, and maintain a mock spacecraft to be used as a testbed for autonomous control systems. The spacecraft is based on two previous models: the JX-01, an undergraduate built testbed, and the Asteroid Free Flyer led by NASA engineer and ERAU doctoral student, Michael Dupuis. This model includes cable improvements, Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), and object-based state estimation to improve control stabilization. When completed, the hardware built for this project will provide undergraduates and researchers a platform with which they can test control algorithms and spacecraft component design. The results gathered from the project thus far is the building and design and controls experience between the team. After completion we will be able to obtain a properly modeled control algorithm and test it against multiple conditions. The final goal of the spacecraft is to provide the capabilities and perform experiments to test multiple methods to mitigate the effects of internal and external forces such as fuel sloshing, solar radiation, debris collision, and CG change

Engaging the Dynamics of Pastoral Imagination for Field Education

The importance and the process of engaging pastoral imagination in field education