Evaluation of the relative sensitivity of carcase swabbing against belly strip excision for TVC, E. coli and Salmonella isolation

The standard US method of swabbmg p1g carcases (3x 100cm2) for determination of E. coli and Salmonella contamination was compared with a belly strip excision method (approx. 120cm2). Swabbing for Salmonella and E. coli detection was found to have a relative sensitivity equal to 1/ 7 and 1/ 2 respecl1vely, of the belly strip technique. Furthermore, swab sampling isolated 2 Salmonella serovars compared with 9 serovars by the belly strip technique. For studies on the effectiveness of carcass decontamination interventions or undertaking abattoir flow-through studies it is recommended that belly strip excision sampling be employed. This study also compared the use of a semisolid culture medium (MSRV) for Salmonella isolation developed for faecal samples with standard media. MSRV gave a result 24 hours faster but was not as sensitive as the standard medium (RV). Therefore, MSRV medium is not recommended for the isolation of Salmonella from carcases for regulatory purposes

Effect of pre-slaughter handling and serology on Salmonella in pigs

This study investigated the combined effect of herd sero-prevalence, time-off-feed prior to slaughter and transport distance to the abattoir on Salmonella spp. infection in slaughter pigs under Australian marketing scenarios. Ten herds situated either \u3c 125 km or \u3e 500 km from the abattoirs were monitored at slaughter over a 12-month period both serologically (Australian Salmonella spp. mix-ELISA) and by caecal culture. On 4 occasions (seasonally) each farm withdrew feed from three groups of slaughter pigs so they were off feed for 12-18 hours, 18-24 hours and \u3e24 hours prior to slaughter, including transport and lairage times. For herds \u3c125 km from the abattoirs, Salmonella spp. infection decreased significantly with an increase in the period between last feed and slaughter. For herds \u3e 500 km from the abattoirs, Salmonella spp. infection increased significantly with an increase in the period between last feed and slaughter, other factors apparently overriding the protective effect of fasting. Herd sero-prevalence was not a significant risk factor for caecal positivity

National baseline surveys to characterise processing hygiene and microbial hazards of Australian culled sow meat, retail pork sausages and retail pork mince

Pork products were sampled at retail to determine the impact of further processing on hazard levels to which consumers may be exposed, compared to carcases. Surveys of 116 fresh pork sausages and 148 fresh pork mince samples were purchased from supermarkets (n=87, n=105) and butcher shops (n=29, n=43), respectively. For sausages, concentrations of TVC averaged 4.6 log10 cfu/g

'Mindless markers of the nation': The routine flagging of nationhood across the visual environment

The visual environment has increasingly been used as a lens with which to understand wider processes of social and economic change with studies employing in-depth qualitative approaches to focus on, for example, gentrification or trans-national networks. This exploratory paper offers an alternative perspective by using a novel method, quantitative photo mapping, to examine the extent to which a particular socio-cultural marker, the nation, is ‘flagged’ across three contrasting sites in Britain. As a multi-national state with an increasingly diverse population, Britain offers a particularly fruitful case study, drawing in debates around devolution, European integration and Commonwealth migration. In contributing to wider debates around banal nationalism, the paper notes the extent to which nations are increasingly articulated through commerce, consumption and market exchange and the overall significance of everyday markers (signs, objects, infrastructure) in naturalising a national view of the world

Assessment of Visual Attention in Teams with or without Dedicated Team Leaders: A Neonatal Simulation-Based Pilot Randomised Cross-Over Trial Utilising Low-Cost Eye-Tracking Technology

\ua9 2024 by the authors.Background: Eye-tracking technology could be used to study human factors during teamwork. Objectives: This work aimed to compare the visual attention (VA) of a team member acting as both a team leader and managing the airway, compared to a team member performing the focused task of managing the airway in the presence of a dedicated team leader. This work also aimed to report differences in team performance, behavioural skills, and workload between the two groups using validated tools. Methods: We conducted a simulation-based, pilot randomised controlled study. The participants included were volunteer paediatric trainees, nurse practitioners, and neonatal nurses. Three teams consisting of four team members were formed. Each team participated in two identical neonatal resuscitation simulation scenarios in a random order, once with and once without a team leader. Using a commercially available eye-tracking device, we analysed VA regarding attention to (1) a manikin, (2) a colleague, and (3) a monitor. Only the trainee who was the airway operator would wear eye-tracking glasses in both simulations. Results: In total, 6 simulation scenarios and 24 individual role allocations were analysed. Participants in a no-team-leader capacity had a greater number of total fixations on manikin and monitors, though this was not significant. There were no significant differences in team performance, behavioural skills, and individual workload. Physical demand was reported as significantly higher by participants in the group without a team leader. During debriefing, all the teams expressed their preference for having a dedicated team leader. Conclusion: In our pilot study using low-cost technology, we could not demonstrate the difference in VA with the presence of a team leader

Paediatric tube-feeding: An agenda for care improvement and research.

This article presents an agenda to improve the care and wellbeing of children with paediatric feeding disorder who require tube feeding (PFD-T). PFD-T requires urgent attention in practice and research. Priorities include: routine collection of PFD-T data in health-care records; addressing the tube-feeding lifecycle; and reducing the severity and duration of disruption caused by PFD-T where possible. This work should be underpinned by principles of involving, respecting and connecting families

Please mind the gap: students’ perspectives of the transition in academic skills between A-level and degree level geography

This paper explores first-year undergraduates’ perceptions of the transition from studying geography at pre-university level to studying for a degree. This move is the largest step students make in their education, and the debate about it in the UK has been reignited due to the government’s planned changes to A-level geography. However, missing from most of this debate is an appreciation of the way in which geography students themselves perceive their transition to university. This paper begins to rectify this absence. Using student insights, we show that their main concern is acquiring the higher level skills required for university learning

Cultural and serological analysis of the salmonella status of Australian pig production

The microbiological quality of food of animal origin is receiving widespread scrutiny as outbreaks of food-borne disease are increasingly reported in developed countries. In Australia, the pig industry has embarked on a national program to define and enhance the quality, including microbiological quality, of pig meat. The National Pig Meat Hygiene Program (PMHP) is part of this initiative, and aims to develop baseline data for microorganisms on pig meat, including public health pathogens, and to develop and implement management strategies to enhance the microbial quality of Australia\u27s pig meat production. The study reported here measured salmonella contamination on pig meat and carcases sampled nationwide, and adapted and validated an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for evaluating the salmonella infection status of pig herds

Unmet support needs in teenage and young adult childhood brain tumour survivors and their caregivers: “it’s all the aftermath, and then you’re forgotten about”

Purpose Teenage and young adult (TYA) survivors of childhood brain tumours and their family caregivers can experience many late effects of treatment that can hamper the transition to living independent lives. Yet, their long-term supportive care needs are largely unknown. We investigated the supportive care needs of TYA survivors and their caregivers and explored the role and perceived use of support. Methods Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with survivors aged 16–30 (n = 11) who were ≥ 5 years after diagnosis and caregivers (n = 11). Interviews were recorded and transcriptions thematically analysed. Results Four themes emerged: (1) preferences for support and support services (unmet needs). Concerns regarding mental health, employment and financial uncertainty, the desire to live independently, and lack of support were emphasised. (2) Decline in support. Caregivers noted a drop-off in support available when transitioning to adult services. (3) Reasons for not obtaining adequate support. Several barriers to accessing support were raised, including distance and aging out of services. (4) The role of long-term hospital-based follow-up care. Participants highlighted the importance of, and reassurance from, long-term follow-up care but noted a more all-inclusive approach is required. Conclusions Even many years after diagnosis, TYA childhood brain tumour survivors and their caregivers continue to have unmet supportive care needs. Both TYA survivors and their caregivers can benefit from support to meet their unique needs and improve long-term quality of life. Understanding unmet needs and recognising what services are required due to the late effects of treatment is critical to improving long-term quality of survival

Treatment-resistant depression and peripheral C-reactive protein.

BACKGROUND: C-reactive protein (CRP) is a candidate biomarker for major depressive disorder (MDD), but it is unclear how peripheral CRP levels relate to the heterogeneous clinical phenotypes of the disorder.AimTo explore CRP in MDD and its phenotypic associations. METHOD: We recruited 102 treatment-resistant patients with MDD currently experiencing depression, 48 treatment-responsive patients with MDD not currently experiencing depression, 48 patients with depression who were not receiving medication and 54 healthy volunteers. High-sensitivity CRP in peripheral venous blood, body mass index (BMI) and questionnaire assessments of depression, anxiety and childhood trauma were measured. Group differences in CRP were estimated, and partial least squares (PLS) analysis explored the relationships between CRP and specific clinical phenotypes. RESULTS: Compared with healthy volunteers, BMI-corrected CRP was significantly elevated in the treatment-resistant group (P = 0.007; Cohen's d = 0.47); but not significantly so in the treatment-responsive (d = 0.29) and untreated (d = 0.18) groups. PLS yielded an optimal two-factor solution that accounted for 34.7% of variation in clinical measures and for 36.0% of variation in CRP. Clinical phenotypes most strongly associated with CRP and heavily weighted on the first PLS component were vegetative depressive symptoms, BMI, state anxiety and feeling unloved as a child or wishing for a different childhood. CONCLUSIONS: CRP was elevated in patients with MDD, and more so in treatment-resistant patients. Other phenotypes associated with elevated CRP included childhood adversity and specific depressive and anxious symptoms. We suggest that patients with MDD stratified for proinflammatory biomarkers, like CRP, have a distinctive clinical profile that might be responsive to second-line treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs.Declaration of interestS.R.C. consults for Cambridge Cognition and Shire; and his input in this project was funded by a Wellcome Trust Clinical Fellowship (110049/Z/15/Z). E.T.B. is employed half time by the University of Cambridge and half time by GlaxoSmithKline; he holds stock in GlaxoSmithKline. In the past 3 years, P.J.C. has served on an advisory board for Lundbeck. N.A.H. consults for GlaxoSmithKline. P.d.B., D.N.C.J. and W.C.D. are employees of Janssen Research & Development, LLC., of Johnson & Johnson, and hold stock in Johnson & Johnson. The other authors report no financial disclosures or potential conflicts of interest.This work was funded by a Wellcome Trust strategy award to the Neuroimmunology of Mood Disorders and Alzheimer’s Disease (NIMA) Consortium which is also funded by Janssen, GlaxoSmithKline, Lundbeck and Pfizer. Recruitment of patients was supported by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network: Kent, Surrey and Sussex & Eastern. SRC consults for Cambridge Cognition and Shire; and his input in this project was funded by a Wellcome Trust Clinical Fellowship (110049/Z/15/Z). ETB is employed half-time by the University of Cambridge and half-time by GlaxoSmithKline; he holds stock in GSK. In the last three years PJC has served on an advisory board for Lundbeck. NAH consults for GSK. PdB, DJ and WCD are employees of Janssen Research & Development, LLC., of Johnson & Johnson, and hold stock in Johnson & Johnson