Availability, formulation, labelling, and price of low-sodium salts worldwide

BACKGROUND: Regular salt is about 100% sodium chloride (NaCl). Low-sodium salts have reduced sodium chloride content, most commonly through substitution with potassium chloride (KCl). Low-sodium salts have a potential role in reducing population sodium intake level and blood pressure, but its availability in global market was unknown. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the availability, formulation, labelling, and price of low-sodium salts currently available to consumers around the world. METHODS: Low-sodium salts were identified through a systematic literature review, Google search, online shopping sites search, and inquiry of key informants. The keywords of "salt substitute", "low-sodium salt", "potassium salt", "mineral salt", and "sodium reduced salt" in six official languages of the United Nations were used for search. Information about the brand, formula, labelling, and price was extracted and analysed. RESULTS: Eighty-seven low-sodium salts were available in 47 out of 195 countries around the world (24%), including 28 high-income countries, 13 upper-middle-income countries, and six lower-middle-income countries. The proportion of sodium chloride varied from 0% (sodium-free) to 88% (as percent of weight, regular salt is 100% NaCl). Potassium chloride was the most frequent another component with levels ranging from 0% to 100% (potassium chloride salt). Forty-three (49%) had labels advising potential health risk, 33 (38%) labelling the advice of potential health benefits. The median price of low-sodium salts in high-income, upper-middle-income, lower-middle-income countries was USD 15.0/kg (IQR: 6.4 to 22.5), USD 2.7/kg (IQR: 1.7 to 5.5) and USD 2.9/kg (IQR: 0.50 to 22.2) respectively. The price of low-sodium salts was between 1.1 and 14.6 times that of regular salts. CONCLUSIONS: Low-sodium salts are not widely available and are commonly more expensive than regular salts. Policies that promote the availability, affordability and labelling of low-sodium salts should enhance appropriate uptake for blood pressure lowering and cardiovascular prevention. CLINICALTRIAL: INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT: RR2-10.1111/jch.14054

The Decline of University Patenting and the End of the Bayh-Dole Effect

University patenting has been heralded as a symbol of changing relations between universities and their social environments. The Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 in the USA was eagerly promoted by the OECD as a recipe for the commercialization of university research, and the law was imitated by a number of national governments. However, since the 2000s university patenting in the most advanced economies has been on the decline both as a percentage and in absolute terms. We suggest that the institutional incentives for university patenting have disappeared with the new regime of university ranking. Patents and spin-offs are not counted in university rankings. In the new arrangements of university-industry-government relations, universities have become very responsive to changes in their relevant environments

Quantitative Detection of Schistosoma japonicum Cercariae in Water by Real-Time PCR

In China alone, an estimated 30 million people are at risk of schistosomiasis, caused by the Schistosoma japonicum parasite. Disease has re-emerged in several regions that had previously attained transmission control, reinforcing the need for active surveillance. The environmental stage of the parasite is known to exhibit high spatial and temporal variability, and current detection techniques rely on a sentinel mouse method which has serious limitations in obtaining data in both time and space. Here we describe a real-time PCR assay to quantitatively detect S. japonicum cercariae in laboratory samples and in natural water that has been spiked with known numbers of S. japonicum. Multiple primers were designed and assessed, and the best performing set, along with a TaqMan probe, was used to quantify S. japonicum. The resulting assay was selective, with no amplification detected for Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosoma haematobium, avian schistosomes nor organisms present in non-endemic surface water samples. Repeated samples containing various concentrations of S. japonicum cercariae showed that the real-time PCR method had a strong linear correlation (R2 = 0.921) with light microscopy counts, and the detection limit was below the DNA equivalent of half of one cercaria. Various cercarial concentrations spiked in 1 liter of natural water followed by a filtration process produced positive detection from 93% of samples analyzed. The real-time PCR method performed well quantifying the relative concentrations of various spiked samples, although the absolute concentration estimates exhibited high variance across replicated samples. Overall, the method has the potential to be applied to environmental water samples to produce a rapid, reliable assay for cercarial location in endemic areas

Cost-effectiveness of reducing salt intake in the Pacific Islands: protocol for a before and after intervention study

BackgroundThere is broad consensus that diets high in salt are bad for health and that reducing salt intake is a cost-effective strategy for preventing chronic diseases. The World Health Organization has been supporting the development of salt reduction strategies in the Pacific Islands where salt intakes are thought to be high. However, there are no accurate measures of salt intake in these countries. The aims of this project are to establish baseline levels of salt intake in two Pacific Island countries, implement multi-pronged, cross-sectoral salt reduction programs in both, and determine the effects and cost-effectiveness of the intervention strategies.Methods/DesignIntervention effectiveness will be assessed from cross-sectional surveys before and after population-based salt reduction interventions in Fiji and Samoa. Baseline surveys began in July 2012 and follow-up surveys will be completed by July 2015 after a 2-year intervention period.A three-stage stratified cluster random sampling strategy will be used for the population surveys, building on existing government surveys in each country. Data on salt intake, salt levels in foods and sources of dietary salt measured at baseline will be combined with an in-depth qualitative analysis of stakeholder views to develop and implement targeted interventions to reduce salt intake.DiscussionSalt reduction is a global priority and all Member States of the World Health Organization have agreed on a target to reduce salt intake by 30% by 2025, as part of the global action plan to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases. The study described by this protocol will be the first to provide a robust assessment of salt intake and the impact of salt reduction interventions in the Pacific Islands. As such, it will inform the development of strategies for other Pacific Island countries and comparable low and middle-income settings around the world.<br /

Outcomes of a Comparison Study into a Group-Based Infant Parenting Programme

This paper reports on a quantitative evaluation of a group-based programme designed to promote parent-infant attachment and child development. Whilst group-based parenting programmes are recommended for treating and preventing conduct disorder in older children, there is, as yet, little evidence as to whether they have a positive effect on very young children and their carers’. Recent UK Government initiatives to support families and improve parenting skills in the first 2 years of children’s lives have increased the demand for the delivery and evaluation of community-based programmes. Eighty mother–child dyads were recruited from nine areas to intervention (n = 54) and control condition (n = 26). Baseline measures were collected in the children’s home when the infants were on average 3-months-old, and follow-up measures were collected 6 months post-baseline (N = 63). Mothers’ positive play behaviours were independently coded from video recordings taken in the home. Other measures included self-reported maternal confidence and mental well-being, assessed infant development and home environment. Socio-demographic data was collected once at baseline. After controlling for baseline scores, control mothers were observed to be significantly less sensitive during play with their baby at the 6 months follow-up with a significant increase in confidence. No differences were found between the groups on the other measures. This paper provides limited evidence for the effectiveness of the Incredible Years Parents and Babies group-based programme delivered in the first year of life. Further evaluation, particularly with parents at increased risk of poorer outcomes is needed to confirm and extend these results

Cytotoxicity and ion release of alloy nanoparticles

It is well-known that nanoparticles could cause toxic effects in cells. Alloy nanoparticles with yet unknown health risk may be released from cardiovascular implants made of Nickel–Titanium or Cobalt–Chromium due to abrasion or production failure. We show the bio-response of human primary endothelial and smooth muscle cells exposed to different concentrations of metal and alloy nanoparticles. Nanoparticles having primary particle sizes in the range of 5–250 nm were generated using laser ablation in three different solutions avoiding artificial chemical additives, and giving access to formulations containing nanoparticles only stabilized by biological ligands. Endothelial cells are found to be more sensitive to nanoparticle exposure than smooth muscle cells. Cobalt and Nickel nanoparticles caused the highest cytotoxicity. In contrast, Titanium, Nickel–Iron, and Nickel–Titanium nanoparticles had almost no influence on cells below a nanoparticle concentration of 10 μM. Nanoparticles in cysteine dissolved almost completely, whereas less ions are released when nanoparticles were stabilized in water or citrate solution. Nanoparticles stabilized by cysteine caused less inhibitory effects on cells suggesting cysteine to form metal complexes with bioactive ions in media

Factors influencing citrus fruit scarring caused by Pezothrips kellyanus

[EN] Kelly s citrus thrips (KCT) Pezothrips kellyanus (Bagnall) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is a recently recorded cosmopolitan citrus pest, causing fruit scarring that results in downgrading of fruit. Due to the detrimental effects caused on fruits by KCT, we wanted to study some of the factors influencing fruit scarring. Specifically, the objectives were: (1) to determine the fruit development stage when citrus fruits are damaged by KCT and the population structure of KCT during this period, (2) to study the influence of temperature on intensity of damage, and finally, (3) to identify alternative host plants. KCT populations on flowers and fruitlets and alternate plant hosts were sampled in four citrus orchards from 2008 to 2010. The percentage of damaged fruits was also recorded. The exotic vine Araujia sericifera (Apocynaceae) was recorded as a new host for KCT. Thrips scarring started to increase at 350 650 degree-days (DD) above 10.2 C, coinciding with a peak abundance of the second instar larval stages over all 3 years of the study. The maximum percentage of larval stages of KCT was observed in the 3 years at about 500 DD, a period which corresponds to the end of May or early June. Variation in the severity of fruit scarring appeared to be related to air temperature. Temperature likely affects the synchronisation between the peak in abundance of KCT larvae, and the period when fruitlets are susceptible to thrips damage. Temperature can also influence the survival and development of KCT populations in citrus and other host plants in the citrus agro-ecosystem.The authors thank Alejandro Tena for his valuable suggestions and two anonymous referees for their careful review and helpful comments. We also extend our thanks to the owners of the commercial orchards for giving us permission to use their citrus orchards. The first author was awarded an FPI fellowship from the Polytechnic University of Valencia to obtain her PhD degree.Navarro Campos, C.; Pekas, A.; Aguilar Martí, MA.; Garcia Marí, F. (2013). Factors influencing citrus fruit scarring caused by Pezothrips kellyanus. Journal of Pest Science. (86):459-467. doi:10.1007/s10340-013-0489-7S45946786Baker GJ (2006) Kelly citrus thrips management. Fact sheet. Government of South Australia, primary industries and resources SA. http://www.sardi.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/44875/kctfact_sheet.pdf . Accessed 16 July 2012Baker GJ, Jackman DJ, Keller M, MacGregor A, Purvis S (2002) Development of an integrated pest management system for thrips in Citrus. HAL Final Report CT97007. http://www.sardi.sa.gov.au/pestsdiseases/horticulture/horticultural_pests/kelly_citrus_thrips/research_report_1997-2000 . Accessed 16 July 2012Bedford ECG (1998) Thrips, wind and other blemishes. Citrus pests in the Republic of South Africa. 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Measurement of the cross-section of high transverse momentum vector bosons reconstructed as single jets and studies of jet substructure in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents a measurement of the cross-section for high transverse momentum W and Z bosons produced in pp collisions and decaying to all-hadronic final states. The data used in the analysis were recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 7 TeV;{\rm Te}{\rm V}$and correspond to an integrated luminosity of$4.6\;{\rm f}{{{\rm b}}^{-1}}$. The measurement is performed by reconstructing the boosted W or Z bosons in single jets. The reconstructed jet mass is used to identify the W and Z bosons, and a jet substructure method based on energy cluster information in the jet centre-of-mass frame is used to suppress the large multi-jet background. The cross-section for events with a hadronically decaying W or Z boson, with transverse momentum${{p}_{{\rm T}}}\gt 320\;{\rm Ge}{\rm V}$and pseudorapidity$|\eta |\lt 1.9$, is measured to be${{\sigma }_{W+Z}}=8.5\pm 1.7$ pb and is compared to next-to-leading-order calculations. The selected events are further used to study jet grooming techniques

Observation of associated near-side and away-side long-range correlations in √sNN=5.02 TeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector

Two-particle correlations in relative azimuthal angle (Δϕ) and pseudorapidity (Δη) are measured in √sNN=5.02  TeV p+Pb collisions using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using approximately 1  μb-1 of data as a function of transverse momentum (pT) and the transverse energy (ΣETPb) summed over 3.1<η<4.9 in the direction of the Pb beam. The correlation function, constructed from charged particles, exhibits a long-range (2<|Δη|<5) “near-side” (Δϕ∼0) correlation that grows rapidly with increasing ΣETPb. A long-range “away-side” (Δϕ∼π) correlation, obtained by subtracting the expected contributions from recoiling dijets and other sources estimated using events with small ΣETPb, is found to match the near-side correlation in magnitude, shape (in Δη and Δϕ) and ΣETPb dependence. The resultant Δϕ correlation is approximately symmetric about π/2, and is consistent with a dominant cos⁡2Δϕ modulation for all ΣETPb ranges and particle pT