The role of energy cost in food choices for an Aboriginal population in northern Australia

Objective: To explore the relationship between dietary quality and energy density of foods (MJ/kg) and energy cost ($/MJ) for an Aboriginal population living in a remote region of northern Australia.Design: For a 3-month period in 2005, we collected food and non-alcoholic beverage supply data from food outlets available to the study population. From these data, we compared the energy density of foods with their energy cost.Main outcome measures: Energy density and energy cost of food purchases.Results: The diet of the study population was high in refined carbohydrates and low in fresh fruit and vegetables. Foods with high energy density were associated with lower costs and contributed disproportionately to energy availability.Conclusion: The energy–cost differential between energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and energy-dilute, nutrient-rich foods influences the capacity of Australian Aboriginal people living in remote communities to attain a healthy diet. This is consistent with the “economics of food choice” theory, whereby people on low incomes maximise energy availability per dollar in their food purchasing patterns, and has particular relevance for developing nutrition policy and strategies in Aboriginal communities, where poor nutrition is a major determinant of preventable chronic disease

Restoration of Sp4 in Forebrain GABAergic Neurons Rescues Hypersensitivity to Ketamine in Sp4 Hypomorphic Mice.

BackgroundKetamine produces schizophrenia-like behavioral phenotypes in healthy people. Prolonged ketamine effects and exacerbation of symptoms after the administration of ketamine have been observed in patients with schizophrenia. More recently, ketamine has been used as a potent antidepressant to treat patients with major depression. The genes and neurons that regulate behavioral responses to ketamine, however, remain poorly understood. Sp4 is a transcription factor for which gene expression is restricted to neuronal cells in the brain. Our previous studies demonstrated that Sp4 hypomorphic mice display several behavioral phenotypes relevant to psychiatric disorders, consistent with human SP4 gene associations with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. Among those behavioral phenotypes, hypersensitivity to ketamine-induced hyperlocomotion has been observed in Sp4 hypomorphic mice.MethodsIn the present study, we used the Cre-LoxP system to restore Sp4 gene expression, specifically in either forebrain excitatory or GABAergic inhibitory neurons in Sp4 hypomorphic mice. Mouse behavioral phenotypes related to psychiatric disorders were examined in these distinct rescue mice.ResultsRestoration of Sp4 in forebrain excitatory neurons did not rescue deficient sensorimotor gating nor ketamine-induced hyperlocomotion. Restoration of Sp4 in forebrain GABAergic neurons, however, rescued ketamine-induced hyperlocomotion, but did not rescue deficient sensorimotor gating.ConclusionsOur studies suggest that the Sp4 gene in forebrain GABAergic neurons regulates ketamine-induced hyperlocomotion

Protecting Consumers from Themselves: Consumer Law and the Vulnerable Consumer

Attitudes toward consumer protection are shaped primarily by complex assumptions about human nature and its interaction with modern marketing. The dominant perspective governing American consumer law is individualism, a descriptive and frequently normative assumption that places watchdog responsibilities on the individual consumer. This perspective is described and analyzed through an examination of public policy arguments about (1) advertising that targets children, (2) restrictions on consumption of sugared beverages, and (3) creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Board. Individualism is then contrasted with the portrayal of consumers as vulnerable. Specifically, insights from behavioral economics and neuropsychology are used to gain a more accurate starting point for creating consumer protection laws and regulations that reflect respect for consumers as they are, rather than as who they are in deductive rational actor models of market exchange

Optimisation Modelling to Assess Cost of Dietary Improvement in Remote Aboriginal Australia

BackgroundThe cost and dietary choices required to fulfil nutrient recommendations defined nationally, need investigation, particularly for disadvantaged populations.ObjectiveWe used optimisation modelling to examine the dietary change required to achieve nutrient requirements at minimum cost for an Aboriginal population in remote Australia, using where possible minimally-processed whole foods.DesignA twelve month cross-section of population-level purchased food, food price and nutrient content data was used as the baseline. Relative amounts from 34 food group categories were varied to achieve specific energy and nutrient density goals at minimum cost while meeting model constraints intended to minimise deviation from the purchased diet.ResultsSimultaneous achievement of all nutrient goals was not feasible. The two most successful models (A & B) met all nutrient targets except sodium (146.2% and 148.9% of the respective target) and saturated fat (12.0% and 11.7% of energy). Model A was achieved with 3.2% lower cost than the baseline diet (which cost approximately AUD$13.01/person/day) and Model B at 7.8% lower cost but with a reduction in energy of 4.4%. Both models required very large reductions in sugar sweetened beverages (−90%) and refined cereals (−90%) and an approximate four-fold increase in vegetables, fruit, dairy foods, eggs, fish and seafood, and wholegrain cereals.ConclusionThis modelling approach suggested population level dietary recommendations at minimal cost based on the baseline purchased diet. Large shifts in diet in remote Aboriginal Australian populations are needed to achieve national nutrient targets. The modeling approach used was not able to meet all nutrient targets at less than current food expenditure

MicroRNAs as Novel Biomarkers for Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a complex phenotypically diverse genetic disease, involving a variety of changes in gene expression and structure. Recent advances in molecular profiling technology have made great progress in unravelling the molecular taxonomy of breast cancer, which has shed new light on the aetiology of the disease and also heralded great potential for the development of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Mi(cro)RNAs are a contemporary class of small noncoding endogenous RNA molecules, generating great excitement in the clinical and scientific communities. The recent discovery that miRNA expression is frequently dysregulated in cancer has uncovered an entirely new repertoire of molecular factors upstream of gene expression, which warrants extensive investigation to further elucidate their precise role in malignancy. We present a comprehensive and timely review of the role of miRNAs in cancer: addressing miRNA function, their putative role as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, with a particular emphasis on breast cancer throughout. We discuss the recent discovery of quantifiable circulating cancer-associated miRNAs, which heralds immense potential for their use as novel minimally invasive biomarkers for breast and other cancers. Finally, we comment on the potential role of miRNAs in breast cancer management, particularly in improving current prognostic tools and achieving the goal of individualized cancer treatment

Circulating microRNAs miR-331 and miR-195 differentiate local luminal a from metastatic breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death in women, with metastasis the principle cause of mortality. New non-invasive prognostic markers are needed for the early detection of metastasis, facilitating treatment decision optimisation. MicroRNA (miRNA) are small, non-coding RNAs regulating gene expression and involved in many cellular processes, including metastasis. As biomarkers, circulating miRNAs (in blood) hold great promise for informing diagnosis or monitoring treatment responses. METHODS: Plasma extracted RNA from age matched local Luminal A (n = 4) or metastatic disease (n = 4) were profiled using Next Generation Sequencing. Selected differentially expressed miRNA were validated on a whole blood extracted miRNA cohort [distant metastatic disease (n = 22), local disease (n = 31), healthy controls (n = 21)]. Area Under the Curve (AUC) in Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses was performed. RESULTS: Of 4 miRNA targets tested (miR-181a, miR-329, miR-331, miR-195), mir-331 was significantly over-expressed in patients with metastatic disease, compared to patients with local disease (p \u3c 0.001) or healthy controls (p \u3c 0.001). miR-195 was significantly under-expressed in patients with metastatic disease, compared to patients with local disease (p \u3c 0.001) or healthy controls (p = 0.043). In combination, miR-331 and miR-195 produced an AUC of 0.902, distinguishing metastatic from local breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: We identified and validated two circulating miRNAs differentiating local Luminal A breast cancers from metastatic breast cancers. Further investigation will reveal the molecular role of these miRNAs in metastasis, and determine if they are subtype specific. This work demonstrates the ability of circulating miRNA to identify metastatic disease, and potentially inform diagnosis or treatment effectiveness

Effects of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on an Australian neonatal and paediatric retrieval service

First published: 28 February 2022Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic and associated travel and social distancing restrictions have reduced paediatric intensive care unit admissions for respiratory illnesses. The effects on retrieval (transport) services remain unquantified. Our study examined the utility of statistical process control in assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of neonatal and paediatric transfers in an Australian retrieval service. Methods: Data collected prospectively from the SA Ambulance Service MedSTAR Emergency Retrieval database in South Australia were analysed from January 2015 to June 2021. Statistical process control methodology, a combination of a time series analysis and assessment for common and special cause variation, was used to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on retrieval workload (primary outcome of interest). Results: A total of 5659 neonatal and paediatric transfers occurred during the study period and were included. A significant decrease in paediatric transfers occurred after the initial lockdown measures in March 2020 were announced in South Australia (special cause variation). However, a similar reduction was not observed for neonatal transfers (common cause variation). Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that statistical process control may be effectively used to understand the effects of external events and processes on usual activity patterns in the retrieval setting. We found a reduction in retrieval numbers for paediatric transfers but no effect on neonatal transfer numbers. The decline in paediatric transfers was primarily attributed to reduced respiratory cases.Amy Keir, Jeffrey Dutschke, Bron Hennebry, Kate Kerin and John Crave