Reconciliation, resilience and resistance in Inuit teacher’s professional development and practices

Acknowledgements We are extremely grateful to the Inuit teachers and long-term northern educators from all Inuit regions who were able to participate, and for the community of Nain, Nunatsiavut for hosting the Forum. We want to highlight the support of ArcticNet, the Nunatsiavut Ministry of Education and Economic development, ITK and the SSHRC for their financial and in-kind support in the form of time and resources. We also thank Shanti Subedar (student at the University of Winnipeg) who transcribed Forum recordings.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Counting the bodies: Estimating the numbers and spatial variation of Australian reptiles, birds and mammals killed by two invasive mesopredators

Aim Introduced predators negatively impact biodiversity globally, with insular fauna often most severely affected. Here, we assess spatial variation in the number of terrestrial vertebrates (excluding amphibians) killed by two mammalian mesopredators introduced to Australia, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus). We aim to identify prey groups that suffer especially high rates of predation, and regions where losses to foxes and/or cats are most substantial. Location Australia. Methods We draw information on the spatial variation in tallies of reptiles, birds and mammals killed by cats in Australia from published studies. We derive tallies for fox predation by (i) modelling continental-scale spatial variation in fox density, (ii) modelling spatial variation in the frequency of occurrence of prey groups in fox diet, (iii) analysing the number of prey individuals within dietary samples and (iv) discounting animals taken as carrion. We derive point estimates of the numbers of individuals killed annually by foxes and by cats and map spatial variation in these tallies. Results Foxes kill more reptiles, birds and mammals (peaking at 1071 km−2 year−1) than cats (55 km−2 year−1) across most of the unmodified temperate and forested areas of mainland Australia, reflecting the generally higher density of foxes than cats in these environments. However, across most of the continent – mainly the arid central and tropical northern regions (and on most Australian islands) – cats kill more animals than foxes. We estimate that foxes and cats together kill 697 million reptiles annually in Australia, 510 million birds and 1435 million mammals. Main conclusions This continental-scale analysis demonstrates that predation by two introduced species takes a substantial and ongoing toll on Australian reptiles, birds and mammals. Continuing population declines and potential extinctions of some of these species threatens to further compound Australia's poor contemporary conservation record

Multiple novel prostate cancer susceptibility signals identified by fine-mapping of known risk loci among Europeans

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous common prostate cancer (PrCa) susceptibility loci. We have fine-mapped 64 GWAS regions known at the conclusion of the iCOGS study using large-scale genotyping and imputation in 25 723 PrCa cases and 26 274 controls of European ancestry. We detected evidence for multiple independent signals at 16 regions, 12 of which contained additional newly identified significant associations. A single signal comprising a spectrum of correlated variation was observed at 39 regions; 35 of which are now described by a novel more significantly associated lead SNP, while the originally reported variant remained as the lead SNP only in 4 regions. We also confirmed two association signals in Europeans that had been previously reported only in East-Asian GWAS. Based on statistical evidence and linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure, we have curated and narrowed down the list of the most likely candidate causal variants for each region. Functional annotation using data from ENCODE filtered for PrCa cell lines and eQTL analysis demonstrated significant enrichment for overlap with bio-features within this set. By incorporating the novel risk variants identified here alongside the refined data for existing association signals, we estimate that these loci now explain ∼38.9% of the familial relative risk of PrCa, an 8.9% improvement over the previously reported GWAS tag SNPs. This suggests that a significant fraction of the heritability of PrCa may have been hidden during the discovery phase of GWAS, in particular due to the presence of multiple independent signals within the same regio

The assessment of general nutrition knowledge in New Zealand athletes

Background: The foundation of any young athlete’s nutrition regimen begins with the knowledge of a balanced and nutritionally adequate diet, which enables the athlete to meet the physical demands of training and competition. At an elite level, athletes often have access to a sports dietitian or nutritionist for appropriate and accurate nutritional advice, however, it is not clear whether athletes score higher in general nutrition knowledge when compared to a non-athletic (NA) control group. Despite the recognised importance of using validated and reliable assessment tools, the nutrition knowledge of athletes has inconsistently been assessed with such tools. Using a previously validated tool, we aim to evaluate the general nutrition knowledge of New Zealand athletes (with access to a sports dietitian or nutritionist) against a non-athletic control (NA) group of similar age and sex. Method: Convenience samples of male athletes (n=125) and non-athletes (n=153) with similar age and education backgrounds were recruited to complete the online or paper-format version of the previously validated general nutrition knowledge questionnaire (GNKQ) (G. A. Hendrie, Cox, & Coveney, 2008; Parmenter & Wardle, 1999). The revised scoring protocol (R-GNKQ) for the tool, developed by Spendlove et al (2011) was used to assess four domains of general nutrition knowledge including: dietary recommendations, sources of nutrients, choosing everyday foods and diet-disease relationships. Psychometric assessment of the R-GNKQ was performed, including internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Findings: The NA control group scored significantly higher than the athletes in all domains of general nutrition knowledge and for total nutrition knowledge score (TNKS) (all p≤0.038). When adjustments were made for confounding factors of nutrition knowledge (age, education, ethnicity and living arrangements), the between-group differences were attenuated for all sections and TNKS; the athletes were still found to score less than the NA group however the differences between groups were no longer statistically significant. The highest and lowest scoring sections of the GNKQ were dietary recommendations and diet-disease relationships, respectively. Acceptable levels of internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha= 0.86) and test-retest reliability (Spearman’s rank correlation= 0.83; Intraclass correlation= 0.80) were demonstrated by the R-GNKQ scoring protocol when used in a young adult NZ population. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the male athletes with access to a sports dietitian or nutritionist did not possess a higher level of general nutrition knowledge when compared to a male NA control group of similar age. The results of this study provide a baseline measure of nutrition knowledge for young NZ athletes and non-athletes; however, further research is needed to determine whether a relationship exists between general nutrition knowledge and dietary intake in these populations

The assessment of general nutrition knowledge in New Zealand athletes

Background: The foundation of any young athlete’s nutrition regimen begins with the knowledge of a balanced and nutritionally adequate diet, which enables the athlete to meet the physical demands of training and competition. At an elite level, athletes often have access to a sports dietitian or nutritionist for appropriate and accurate nutritional advice, however, it is not clear whether athletes score higher in general nutrition knowledge when compared to a non-athletic (NA) control group. Despite the recognised importance of using validated and reliable assessment tools, the nutrition knowledge of athletes has inconsistently been assessed with such tools. Using a previously validated tool, we aim to evaluate the general nutrition knowledge of New Zealand athletes (with access to a sports dietitian or nutritionist) against a non-athletic control (NA) group of similar age and sex. Method: Convenience samples of male athletes (n=125) and non-athletes (n=153) with similar age and education backgrounds were recruited to complete the online or paper-format version of the previously validated general nutrition knowledge questionnaire (GNKQ) (G. A. Hendrie, Cox, & Coveney, 2008; Parmenter & Wardle, 1999). The revised scoring protocol (R-GNKQ) for the tool, developed by Spendlove et al (2011) was used to assess four domains of general nutrition knowledge including: dietary recommendations, sources of nutrients, choosing everyday foods and diet-disease relationships. Psychometric assessment of the R-GNKQ was performed, including internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Findings: The NA control group scored significantly higher than the athletes in all domains of general nutrition knowledge and for total nutrition knowledge score (TNKS) (all p≤0.038). When adjustments were made for confounding factors of nutrition knowledge (age, education, ethnicity and living arrangements), the between-group differences were attenuated for all sections and TNKS; the athletes were still found to score less than the NA group however the differences between groups were no longer statistically significant. The highest and lowest scoring sections of the GNKQ were dietary recommendations and diet-disease relationships, respectively. Acceptable levels of internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha= 0.86) and test-retest reliability (Spearman’s rank correlation= 0.83; Intraclass correlation= 0.80) were demonstrated by the R-GNKQ scoring protocol when used in a young adult NZ population. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the male athletes with access to a sports dietitian or nutritionist did not possess a higher level of general nutrition knowledge when compared to a male NA control group of similar age. The results of this study provide a baseline measure of nutrition knowledge for young NZ athletes and non-athletes; however, further research is needed to determine whether a relationship exists between general nutrition knowledge and dietary intake in these populations

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Cardiac Patients: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Considerations for Assessment and Treatment

There is increasing awareness of the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on physical health, particularly cardiovascular disease. We review the literature on the role of trauma in the development of cardiovascular risk factors and disease, aftermath of a cardiac event, and risk for recurrence in cardiac patients. We explore possible mechanisms to explain these relationships, as well as appropriate assessment and treatment strategies for this population. Our main conclusion is that screening and referral for appropriate treatments are important given the high prevalence rates of PTSD in cardiac populations and the associated impact on morbidity and mortality

The Impact of Long-Term Physical Activity Interventions for Overweight/Obese Postmenopausal Women on Adiposity Indicators, Physical Capacity, and Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Physical activity interventions have recently become a popular strategy to help postmenopausal women prevent and manage obesity. The current systematic review evaluates the efficacy of physical activity interventions among overweight and obese postmenopausal women and sheds light on the behavioral change techniques that were employed in order to direct future research. Method. Five electronic databases were searched to identify all prospective RCT studies that examine the impact of physical activity on adiposity indicators, physical capacity, and/or mental health outcomes among healthy, sedentary overweight, and obese postmenopausal women in North America. The behavior change technique taxonomy was used to identify the various strategies applied in the programs. Results. Five RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The findings showed that adiposity indicators and physical capacity outcomes significantly improved following long-term interventions; however, mental health outcomes showed nonsignificant changes. Furthermore, 17 behavior change techniques were identified with the taxonomy across all trials. The intrapersonal-level techniques were the most common. Conclusion. Physical activity interventions had a positive effect on adiposity measures and physical capacity. Future research should focus on testing the effectiveness of physical activity interventions on mental health and incorporate strategies at the individual and environmental level to maximize the health impact on the population

Cardiac rehabilitation is associated with greater improvements in psychological health following coronary artery bypass graft surgery when compared with percutaneous coronary intervention

Following coronary revascularization, patients treated with coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) have lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events when compared with those treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We compared changes in cardiovascular risk factors, such as psychological and cardiometabolic health indicators, among patients who completed cardiac rehabilitation (CR) following CABG and PCI. Longitudinal records of 278 patients who completed an outpatient CR program following CABG or PCI were analyzed. We compared changes in anxiety and depression assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) measured by the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36); and indicators of cardiometabolic health (i.e., body mass, blood pressure, glucose, and lipid profiles) between CABG and PCI groups using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). At baseline, patients treated with PCI (n = 191) had superior physical function (i.e., physical functioning: 62.5 ± 22.1 vs. 54.3 ± 23.0 points, p = 0.006; and role limitations due to physical health: 31.2 ± 36.8 vs. 20.6 ± 31.8 points, p = 0.024) when compared with those treated with CABG (n = 87). Following CR, patients treated with PCI showed significantly smaller improvements in depression (–0.4 ± 3.1 vs. –1.3 ± 2.7 points, p = 0.036) and mental HR-QoL (mental component summary: 2.4 ± 10.8 vs. 5.7 ± 10.7 points, p = 0.020) when compared with those treated with CABG. Novelty • Patients with coronary artery disease treated with PCI have smaller functional limitations but similar psychological health when compared with those treated with CABG at CR enrollment. • Patients participating in CR following PCI appear to achieve smaller psychological health benefits from CR when compared with those recovering from CABG.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author