Preparing society to create the world we need through“One Health”education

A previous concept paperpublished in this journal and a Press Release in June 2016 focused on the importance of raising awareness about the UN-2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, in particular, developing a better understanding about the critical need to ensure the sustainability of people and the planet in this decade and beyond. A recurring theme that weaves through the literature and practical realities is that education presents the best option for ensuring a sustainable future– one that encompasses the health and well-being of humans, animals and the environment (One Health!). To this end, the One Health Education Task Force (OHETF), led by the One Health Commission in association with the One Health Initiative, agreed to conduct an online survey and conference in the fall of 2016to engage interested colleagues in a discussion about the possible application of One Health in K-12 (or equivalent) educational settings. Seventy-six people from around the world participated in the survey which focused on basic concepts, values and principles associated with One Health and Well-Being.  Input was sought on the various ways that One Health intersects with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how they might work together toward common objectives.Questions also explored the why, how, and where One Health could be incorporated into K-12 curricula, and who should be involved in creating this new curriculum.  The survey also addressed the challenges that might be encountered in gaining support, funding and implementing a One Health and Well-Being curriculum globally. Overall, there was a great deal of agreement among participants as to the priorities and major challenges that would be encountered in moving this initiative forward and, most importantly, that this type of initiative is greatly needed. The online conference involved twenty-five participants, including ten who had also participatedin the survey, and others who had shown interest in previous publications and presentations on this topic.  The conference was designed to present the results of the survey and conduct a more in depth discussion about potential curriculum development designs, funding sources, and implementation challenges.  Five strategies were presented for K-12 One Health curriculum innovation, from teacher training programs and grants, to the development of a digital sharing network and knowledgebase.  Funding options were discussed and included multi-national organizations such as the United Nations and World Bank as well as large foundations that have funded major change initiatives in the past.  Critical points were made regarding the scope of this initiative and the need to integrate any curriculum with the diverse needs of local people, their cultures, and the particular One Health challenges facing their region. Importantly, a “Community of Practice” model was put forward as a means to support and promote the goals of One Health teaching and learning in a meaningful and supportive way for the benefit of all involved. This survey and conference provided valuable external input and support for the OHETF’s proposal to develop a global K-12 One Health -themed educational initiative. The perspectives reported here are also a useful account of the progress we have made as a One Health community in consolidating our values and principles so that they can drive meaningful change initiatives such as that being proposed. &nbsp

Presynaptic Localization of Sodium/Calcium Exchangers in Neuromuscular Preparations

Calcium ions play a critical role in neurotransmitter release. The cytosolic Ca 2+ concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) at nerve terminals must therefore be carefully controlled. Several different mechanisms, including a plasmalemmal Na/Ca exchanger, are involved in regulating [Ca2+]cyta We employed immunofluorescence microscopy with polyclonal antiserum raised against dog cardiac sarcolemmal Na/Ca exchanger to determine the distribution of the exchanger in vertebrate neuromuscular preparations. Our data indicate that the Na/Ca exchanger is concentrated at the neuromuscular junctions of the rat diaphragm. The exchanger is also present in the nonjunctional sarcolemma, but at a much lower concentration than in the junctional regions. Denervation markedly lowers the concentration of the exchanger in the junctional regions; this implies that the Na/Ca exchanger is concentrated in the presynaptic nerve terminals. In Xenopus laevis nerve and muscle cell cocultures, high concentrations of the exchanger are observed along the neurites as well as at the nerve terminals. The high concentrations of Na/Ca exchanger at presynaptic nerve terminals in vertebrate neuromuscular preparations suggest that the exchanger may participate in the Ca-dependent regulation of neurotransmitter release. The Na/Ca exchanger is also abundant in developing neurites and growth cones, where it may also be important for Ca2+ homeostasis

Preparing society to create the world we need through“One Health”education

A previous concept paperpublished in this journal and a Press Release in June 2016 focused on the importance of raising awareness about the UN-2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, in particular, developing a better understanding about the critical need to ensure the sustainability of people and the planet in this decade and beyond. A recurring theme that weaves through the literature and practical realities is that education presents the best option for ensuring a sustainable future– one that encompasses the health and well-being of humans, animals and the environment (One Health!). To this end, the One Health Education Task Force (OHETF), led by the One Health Commission in association with the One Health Initiative, agreed to conduct an online survey and conference in the fall of 2016to engage interested colleagues in a discussion about the possible application of One Health in K-12 (or equivalent) educational settings.Seventy-six people from around the world participated in the survey which focused on basic concepts, values and principles associated with One Health and Well-Being.  Input was sought on the various ways that One Health intersects with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how they might work together toward common objectives.Questions also explored the why, how, and where One Health could be incorporated into K-12 curricula, and who should be involved in creating this new curriculum.  The survey also addressed the challenges that might be encountered in gaining support, funding and implementing a One Health and Well-Being curriculum globally. Overall, there was a great deal of agreement among participants as to the priorities and major challenges that would be encountered in moving this initiative forward and, most importantly, that this type of initiative is greatly needed.The online conference involved twenty-five participants, including ten who had also participatedin the survey, and others who had shown interest in previous publications and presentations on this topic.  The conference was designed to present the results of the survey and conduct a more in depth discussion about potential curriculum development designs, funding sources, and implementation challenges.  Five strategies were presented for K-12 One Health curriculum innovation, from teacher training programs and grants, to the development of a digital sharing network and knowledgebase.  Funding options were discussed and included multi-national organizations such as the United Nations and World Bank as well as large foundations that have funded major change initiatives in the past.  Critical points were made regarding the scope of this initiative and the need to integrate any curriculum with the diverse needs of local people, their cultures, and the particular One Health challenges facing their region. Importantly, a “Community of Practice” model was put forward as a means to support and promote the goals of One Health teaching and learning in a meaningful and supportive way for the benefit of all involved.This survey and conference provided valuable external input and support for the OHETF’s proposal to develop a global K-12 One Health -themed educational initiative. The perspectives reported here are also a useful account of the progress we have made as a One Health community in consolidating our values and principles so that they can drive meaningful change initiatives such as that being proposed. 

Garden and landscape-scale correlates of moths of differing conservation status: significant effects of urbanization and habitat diversity

Moths are abundant and ubiquitous in vegetated terrestrial environments and are pollinators, important herbivores of wild plants, and food for birds, bats and rodents. In recent years, many once abundant and widespread species have shown sharp declines that have been cited by some as indicative of a widespread insect biodiversity crisis. Likely causes of these declines include agricultural intensification, light pollution, climate change, and urbanization; however, the real underlying cause(s) is still open to conjecture. We used data collected from the citizen science Garden Moth Scheme (GMS) to explore the spatial association between the abundance of 195 widespread British species of moth, and garden habitat and landscape features, to see if spatial habitat and landscape associations varied for species of differing conservation status. We found that associations with habitat and landscape composition were species-specific, but that there were consistent trends in species richness and total moth abundance. Gardens with more diverse and extensive microhabitats were associated with higher species richness and moth abundance; gardens near to the coast were associated with higher richness and moth abundance; and gardens in more urbanized locations were associated with lower species richness and moth abundance. The same trends were also found for species classified as increasing, declining and vulnerable under IUCN (World Conservation Union) criteria

Changes in Body Weight and Psychotropic Drugs: A Systematic Synthesis of the Literature

<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>Psychotropic medication use is associated with weight gain. While there are studies and reviews comparing weight gain for psychotropics within some classes, clinicians frequently use drugs from different classes to treat psychiatric disorders.</p> <h3>Objective</h3><p>To undertake a systematic review of all classes of psychotropics to provide an all encompassing evidence-based tool that would allow clinicians to determine the risks of weight gain in making both intra-class and interclass choices of psychotropics.</p> <h3>Methodology and Results</h3><p>We developed a novel hierarchical search strategy that made use of systematic reviews that were already available. When such evidence was not available we went on to evaluate randomly controlled trials, followed by cohort and other clinical trials, narrative reviews, and, where necessary, clinical opinion and anecdotal evidence. The data from the publication with the highest level of evidence based on our hierarchical classification was presented. Recommendations from an expert panel supplemented the evidence used to rank these drugs within their respective classes. Approximately 9500 articles were identified in our literature search of which 666 citations were retrieved. We were able to rank most of the psychotropics based on the available evidence and recommendations from subject matter experts. There were few discrepancies between published evidence and the expert panel in ranking these drugs.</p> <h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Potential for weight gain is an important consideration in choice of any psychotropic. This tool will help clinicians select psychotropics on a case-by-case basis in order to minimize the impact of weight gain when making both intra-class and interclass choices.</p> </div

Preparing society to create the world we need through ‘One Health’ education

Growing concerns about a threatened environment, conflicts, inequities, poverty, ideological extremes, and consumerism  are all indicative of a pressing need to reflect on the global status quo and to find constructive and long-term, sustainable strategies for planet and people. The need to give the younger generation “a better deal” for helping to shape a sustainable world has been embraced by the global One Health Commission (OHC) in association with the One Health Initiative (OHI). Envisioning a program that provides funding for national and global One Health-themed educational projects, One Health leaders - in collaboration with partners - call for collective action by legislators, public / private educators, and public health professionals to support the development and implementation of progressive and comprehensive global One Health learning opportunities. One Health (and well-being) projects led by teachers who want to make a difference could begin in primary/secondary schools and extend through graduate and professional education. The overall intent of the concept paper is to raise awareness about the urgent need for the development  and to explore the concept further through a small pre-project proposal conference  (possibly off and/or on-line) with a view to fleshing out a strong plan to fund the envisioned global learning program.