Violence brief interventions: a rapid review

Provision of a Violence Brief Intervention (VBI) to young men undergoing treatment for a violent injury may represent a teachable moment for the prevention of future interpersonal violence in Scotland. Prior to intervention design, a rapid review of the research literature was necessary to examine existing programmes. After title and abstract screening, eight distinct VBIs were identified from full texts. Whilst none of the programmes were a perfect match for our intervention goals, they did demonstrate the potential effectiveness of brief interventions for violence prevention at both cognitive and behavioural levels. Key themes of successful interventions included brief motivational interviewing as an effective method of engaging with at-risk participants and encouraging change, the utility of social norms approaches for correcting peer norm misperceptions, the usefulness of working with victims of violence in medical settings (particularly oral and maxillofacial surgeries), the importance of addressing the role of alcohol after violent injury, the advantages of a computer-therapist hybrid model of delivery, and the need for adequate follow-up evaluation as part of a randomised control trial. This information has been used to design a VBI which is currently under evaluation

A survey of knowledge, attitudes, and practices in relation to mosquitoes and mosquito-borne disease in Western Australia

On average, more than 1,000 individuals will acquire a mosquito-borne disease in Western Australia (WA) each year. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) in relation to mosquitoes and mosquito-borne disease have not yet been investigated within Australia. A randomized telephone survey of 2,500 households across 12 regions in WA was undertaken between February and May 2014. The aim of the survey was to obtain baseline KAP data surrounding mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases in different regions of WA, across a range of age groups and between males and females. The results of this survey indicate that the majority of respondents are aware of the potential for mosquitoes in WA to transmit Ross River virus, while awareness of other endemic mosquito-borne diseases remains limited. Common misconceptions exist in relation to exotic mosquito-borne diseases, with respondents incorrectly identifying malaria and dengue as endemic diseases in WA. The survey also highlighted a range of important issues, such as limited awareness of the potential for backyard breeding in domestic containers, occupational exposure to mosquitoes in regions with a large employment base in the mining and resources sector, increased exposure to mosquitoes as a result of participation in outdoor recreational activities in the north of the State, and reduced awareness of mosquito-borne disease in individuals aged 18-34 years. The results of this study will be used to inform the development of a new communication strategy by the Department of Health, to further raise awareness of mosquito-borne disease in WA. The data will then provide a baseline against which to compare future survey results, facilitating the rigorous evaluation of new communication efforts

A multi-species simulation of mosquito disease vector development in temperate Australian tidal wetlands using publicly available data

Worldwide, mosquito monitoring and control programs consume large amounts of resources in the effort to minimise mosquito-borne disease incidence. On-site larval monitoring is highly effective but time consuming. A number of mechanistic models of mosquito development have been developed to reduce the reliance on larval monitoring, but none for Ross River virus, the most commonly occurring mosquito-borne disease in Australia. This research modifies existing mechanistic models for malaria vectors and applies it to a wetland field site in Southwest, Western Australia. Environmental monitoring data were applied to an enzyme kinetic model of larval mosquito development to simulate timing of adult emergence and relative population abundance of three mosquito vectors of the Ross River virus for the period of 2018–2020. The model results were compared with field measured adult mosquitoes trapped using carbon dioxide light traps. The model showed different patterns of emergence for the three mosquito species, capturing inter-seasonal and inter-year variation, and correlated well with field adult trapping data. The model provides a useful tool to investigate the effects of different weather and environmental variables on larval and adult mosquito development and can be used to investigate the possible effects of changes to short-term and long-term sea level and climate changes

Preliminary research informing policy on remote alcohol monitoring in criminal justice : the Scottish experience

This study was funded in part by a grant from the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit to Peter D Donnelly (no grant number) and partly by a grant from the Scottish School of Public Health to Fergus G Neville (no grant number).Objectives. To explore the views of Scottish offenders on the impact of alcohol on their experience of offending and their lives in general. Further, to explore their views on the concept of Remote Alcohol Monitoring (RAM) as a way to address alcohol misuse upon liberation from prison. Methods. A convenience sample of 12 serving offenders participated in one of three focus groups.Data were analysed using the principles of thematic analysis. Results. Analysis of the data revealed the significant impact of alcohol on the lives of the participants. Key themes included the amount and frequency of alcohol consumption; the association of alcohol with harm; the association of alcohol with offending; previous attempts to reduce alcohol consumption and possible reasons for failure; and the views of the participants on the utility of RAM in relation to crime prevention. Conclusions. This group of offenders had significant issues with alcohol misuse prior to incarceration that had impacted on their offending and resulted in a variety of health and social harms. Participants were generally positive but pragmatic about RAM, recognising that technology alone may not be enough to change deeply ingrained and addictive behaviours.PostprintPeer reviewe

Prebiotic Driven Increases in IL-17A Do Not Prevent Campylobacter jejuni Colonization of Chickens

© Copyright © 2020 Flaujac Lafontaine, Richards, Connerton, O’Kane, Ghaffar, Cummings, Fish and Connerton. Worldwide Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of foodborne disease. Contamination of chicken meat with digesta from C. jejuni-positive birds during slaughter and processing is a key route of transmission to humans through the food chain. Colonization of chickens with C. jejuni elicits host innate immune responses that may be modulated by dietary additives to provide a reduction in the number of campylobacters colonizing the gastrointestinal tract and thereby reduce the likelihood of human exposure to an infectious dose. Here we report the effects of prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS) on broiler chickens colonized with C. jejuni when challenged at either an early stage in development at 6 days of age or 20 days old when campylobacters are frequently detected in commercial flocks. GOS-fed birds had increased growth performance, but the levels of C. jejuni colonizing the cecal pouches were unchanged irrespective of the age of challenge. Dietary GOS modulated the immune response to C. jejuni by increasing cytokine IL-17A expression at colonization. Correspondingly, reduced diversity of the cecal microbiota was associated with Campylobacter colonization in GOS-fed birds. In birds challenged at 6 days-old the reduction in microbial diversity was accompanied by an increase in the relative abundance of Escherichia spp. Whilst immuno-modulation of the Th17 pro-inflammatory response did not prevent C. jejuni colonization of the intestinal tract of broiler chickens, the study highlights the potential for combinations of prebiotics, and specific competitors (synbiotics) to engage with the host innate immunity to reduce pathogen burdens

Loneliness in men 60 years and over : the association with purpose in life

Loneliness as a consequence of getting older negatively impacts on the health and well-being of men as they age. Having a purpose in life may mitigate loneliness and therefore positively impact on health and well-being. Limited research into loneliness and purpose in life has been undertaken in older men. This study seeks to understand the relationship between loneliness and purpose in life in a group of older men. Using data from a cross-sectional survey of 614 men aged 60 years and over living in New Zealand, bivariate and multivariate analyses were undertaken to examine the relationship between loneliness and purpose in life using a range of demographic, health, and social connection variables. Bivariate analysis revealed that being unpartnered and having low socioeconomic status, limited social networks, low levels of participation, and mental health issues were associated with loneliness. Multivariate analysis showed that having poor mental health and lower purpose in life were indicators of loneliness. Consequently, improving mental health and purpose in life are likely to reduce loneliness in at-risk older men. As older men are a heterogeneous group from a variety of sociocultural and ethnic backgrounds, a multidimensional approach to any intervention initiatives needs to occur

Seventy years of sex education in Health Education Journal: a critical review

This paper examines key debates and perspectives on sex education in Health Education Journal (HEJ), from the date of the journal’s first publication in March 1943 to the present day. Matters relating to sexuality and sexual health are revealed to be integral to HEJ’s history. First published as Health and Empire (1921 – 1942), a key purpose of the journal since its inception has been to share information on venereal disease and its prevention within the UK and across the former British Empire. From 1943 to the present day, discussions on sex education in the newly-christened HEJ both reflect and respond to evolving socio-cultural attitudes towards sexuality in the UK. Changing definitions of sex education across the decades are examined, from the prevention of venereal disease and moral decline in war-time Britain in the 1940s, to a range of responses to sexual liberation in the 1960s and 1970s; from a focus on preventing sexually-transmitted infections, teenage pregnancy and HIV in the 1980s, to the provision of sexual health services alongside sex education in the 2000s. Over the past 70 years, a shift from prevention of pre-marital sexual activity to the management of its outcomes is apparent; however, while these changes over time are notable, perhaps the most striking findings of this review are the continuities in arguments for and against the discussion of sexual issues. After more than 70 years of debate, it would seem that there is little consensus concerning motivations for and the content of sex education

Cobalt complexes with tripodal ligands: implications for the design of drug chaperones

Extensive research is currently being conducted into metal complexes that can selectively deliver cytotoxins to hypoxic regions in tumours. The development of pharmacologically suitable agents requires an understanding of appropriate ligand–metal systems for chaperoning cytotoxins. In this study, cobalt complexes with tripodal tren (tris-(2-aminoethyl)amine) and tpa (tris-(2 pyridylmethyl)amine) ligands were prepared with ancillary hydroxamic acid, β-diketone and catechol ligands and several parameters, including: pKa, reduction potential and cytotoxicity were investigated. Fluorescence studies demonstrated that only tpa complexes with β-diketones showed any reduction by ascorbate in situ and similarly, cellular cytotoxicity results demonstrated that ligation to cobalt masked the cytotoxicity of the ancillary groups in all complexes except the tpa diketone derivative [Co(naac)tpa](ClO4)2 (naac = 1-methyl-3-(2-naphthyl)- propane-1,3-dione). Additionally, it was shown that the hydroxamic acid complexes could be isolated in both the hydroxamate and hydroximate form and the pKa values (5.3–8.5) reveal that the reversible protonation/deprotonation of the complexes occurs at physiologically relevant pHs. These results have clear implications for the future design of prodrugs using cobalt moieties as chaperones, providing a basis for the design of cobalt complexes that are both more readily reduced and more readily taken up by cells in hypoxic and acidic environments