Are food exposures obtained through commercial market panels representative of the general population? Implications for outbreak investigations

Current methods of control recruitment for case-control studies can be slow (a particular issue for outbreak investigations), resource-intensive and subject to a range of biases. Commercial market panels are a potential source of rapidly recruited controls. Our study evaluated food exposure data from these panel controls, compared with an established reference dataset. Market panel data were collected from two companies using retrospective internet-based surveys; these were compared with reference data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). We used logistic regression to calculate adjusted odds ratios to compare exposure to each of the 71 food items between the market panel and NDNS participants. We compared 2103 panel controls with 2696 reference participants. Adjusted for socio-demographic factors, exposure to 90% of foods was statistically different between both panels and the reference data. However, these differences were likely to be of limited practical importance for 89% of Panel A foods and 79% of Panel B foods. Market panel food exposures were comparable with reference data for common food exposures but more likely to be different for uncommon exposures. This approach should be considered for outbreak investigation, in conjunction with other considerations such as population at risk, timeliness of response and study resources

Composición elemental de otolitos revela áreas de desove separadas de la anchoveta, Engraulis ringens, en Chile central y en el norte de la Patagonia

The anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) is widely distributed throughout the Humboldt Current (4°30′-44°S). In recent years, its eggs and larvae have also been found inside fjords and channels of northern Patagonia, close to the southern limit of the central-south Chilean fishery zone. Currently, it is unclear whether these southern individuals constitute an independent subpopulation. This study analysed the elemental composition of otoliths from 102 specimens from central Chile and northern Patagonia using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results indicated that the elemental composition of the otolith cores (Mg, Pb, Zn, Ba) differed significantly between sites, revealing the existence of two discrete spawning zones, one in central Chile and one in northern Patagonia. However, the low significant differences of elemental signatures of otolith edges suggest that either individuals from both areas move between spawning areas and mix at certain periods of the year, or they represent pocket units that form part of a larger stock that moves along the coast.La anchoveta (Engraulis ringens), está ampliamente distribuida a lo largo de la Corriente de Humboldt (4°30′-44°S). En años recientes, sus huevos y larvas han sido encontradas dentro de fiordos y canales del norte de la Patagonia, cerca del límite sur de la zona de pesca centro-sur chilena. Actualmente, no está claro si estos individuos del sur constituyen una subpoblación independiente. Este estudio analiza la composición elemental de otolitos de 102 especímenes de Chile central y Patagonia norte utilizando Ablación Láser con Espectrometría de Masas con Plasma Acoplado Inductivamente. Los resultados indican que la composición elemental (Mg, Pb, Zn, Ba) de los centros de los otolitos difieren significativamente revelando la existencia de dos zonas discretas de desove, una en Chile central y la otra en la Patagonia norte. Sin embargo, las escasas diferencias en las señales de los elementos en los bordes de los otolitos sugieren que los individuos de ambas áreas pueden moverse entre zonas de desove y mezclarse en ciertos periodos del año, o bien, que ellos representan unidades pequeñas que forman parte de un stock mayor que se mueve a lo largo de la costa

Exposures associated with infection with Cryptosporidium in industrialised countries: a systematic review protocol

BackgroundCryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite of humans and other animals worldwide and is one of the greatest contributors to human diarrhoeal illness. Transmission can occur indirectly via contaminated food or water, or directly via contact with animals or other infected people. Risk exposures are often identified from outbreak investigations, but a subset of cases remains unexplained, and sources for sporadic disease and pathways to infection are still unclear.Given the few systematic syntheses of reported evidence in industrialised populations, the aim of this review is to consolidate the literature to describe exposures associated with human cryptosporidiosis in industrialised countries, specifically including the UK, and describe any differences between outbreak-associated and sporadic disease.Methods/designWhere relevant, methods will follow the recommendations made in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Three steps will be used to identify the literature including electronic database searching using PubMed, Scopus, Embase and Web of Science; reference list trawling; and an exploration of the grey literature. Screening of results will be undertaken by two reviewers using pre-defined criteria. Studies conducted in industrialised countries and reporting on human subjects will be included. All observational studies will be included where they report exposures and relevant quantitative results.Data will be extracted using a standardised form. Study quality will be assessed using the ROBINS-I tool. Data will be summarised presenting the papers’ main findings including population under study, outcomes, and exposures, and whether these were considered outbreak or sporadic cases. A narrative summary will also be included. Where populations are appropriate, available data will be pooled in a meta-analysis combining the significant exposures across studies.DiscussionThis review aims to consolidate the evidence for transmission routes and exposures for Cryptosporidium in industrialised countries, with particular reference to how these may apply to the UK. In addition, the review will seek to describe differences between outbreak and sporadic cases. This will help to identify those most vulnerable, highlighting pathways where interventions and public health response may be appropriate.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO number CRD42017056589.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13643-018-0731-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

A is for Anthropocene:An A–Z of Design Ecology

This paper lists in A to Z format the changing ecology of design in the Anthropocene. From twenty-six points of view the paper contrasts design’s search for a coherent ecology – how it looks like it looks – with its search for a familiar ecology – how it is understood today. Taking each letter of the alphabet to create individual reviews of the vicissitudes of design, the paper critiques how design has historically explained to itself, and anyone who has been listening, what it has been doing, and contrasts that with what needs to be done

Expression of the Neuroblastoma-Associated ALK-F1174L Activating Mutation During Embryogenesis Impairs the Differentiation of Neural Crest Progenitors in Sympathetic Ganglia.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is an embryonal malignancy derived from the abnormal differentiation of the sympathetic nervous system. The Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) gene is frequently altered in NB, through copy number alterations and activating mutations, and represents a predisposition in NB-genesis when mutated. Our previously published data suggested that ALK activating mutations may impair the differentiation potential of neural crest (NC) progenitor cells. Here, we demonstrated that the expression of the endogenous ALK gene starts at E10.5 in the developing sympathetic ganglia (SG). To decipher the impact of deregulated ALK signaling during embryogenesis on the formation and differentiation of sympathetic neuroblasts, Sox10-Cre;LSL-ALK-F1174L embryos were produced to restrict the expression of the human ALK-F1174L transgene to migrating NC cells (NCCs). First, ALK-F1174L mediated an embryonic lethality at mid-gestation and an enlargement of SG with a disorganized architecture in Sox10-Cre;LSL-ALK-F1174L embryos at E10.5 and E11.5. Second, early sympathetic differentiation was severely impaired in Sox10-Cre;LSL-ALK-F1174L embryos. Indeed, their SG displayed a marked increase in the proportion of NCCs and a decrease of sympathetic neuroblasts at both embryonic stages. Third, neuronal and noradrenergic differentiations were blocked in Sox10-Cre;LSL-ALK-F1174L SG, as a reduced proportion of Phox2b <sup>+</sup> sympathoblasts expressed βIII-tubulin and almost none were Tyrosine Hydroxylase (TH) positive. Finally, at E10.5, ALK-F1174L mediated an important increase in the proliferation of Phox2b <sup>+</sup> progenitors, affecting the transient cell cycle exit observed in normal SG at this embryonic stage. Altogether, we report for the first time that the expression of the human ALK-F1174L mutation in NCCs during embryonic development profoundly disturbs early sympathetic progenitor differentiation, in addition to increasing their proliferation, both mechanisms being potential crucial events in NB oncogenesis

A Study to Validate a Self-Reported Version of the ONS Drug Dependence Questionnaire

Aim: A prospective study to establish the reliability of a self-completion version of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) questionnaire for assessing drug dependence of substance misuse clients. Method: A total of 47 treatment seeking opioid-dependent clients completed the self-complete version of the ONS questionnaire (ONS-sc) followed by the interviewer-administered ONS questionnaire (ONS-ia) at a single clinic appointment. Scores for four Class A drugs (heroin, methadone, speed and crack/cocaine) from both formats were compared. Results: The observed agreement was 87% or more and Cohen's kappa was 0.7 (p < 0.001) or more for all four Class A drugs. Sensitivity for each Class A drugs was 56% or higher and specificity was 87% or higher. Sensitivity for severe heroin dependency was 98% (CI 89–100%). There was a 100% correlation between the ONS-sc and positive urine analysis for heroin use. However, methadone and crack/cocaine drug use appeared under reported. Conclusion: ONS-sc is a feasible, practical and time-saving alternative to a detailed interview on drug dependence. Further research with a larger sample size and non-opiate-dependent clients are needed, as this could prove a useful tool for monitoring clients in everyday practice, or for survey purposes where interviews are impractical

Application of kernel smoothing to estimate the spatio-temporal variation in risk of STEC O157 in England

Identifying geographical areas with significantly higher or lower rates of infectious diseases can provide important aetiological clues to inform the development of public health policy and interventions designed to reduce morbidity. We applied kernel smoothing to estimate the spatial and spatio-temporal variation in risk of STEC O157 infection in England between 2009 and 2015, and to explore differences between the residential locations of cases reporting travel and those not reporting travel. We provide evidence that the distribution of STEC O157 infection in England is non-uniform with respect to the distribution of the at-risk population; that the spatial distribution of the three main genetic lineages infecting humans (I, II and I/II) differs significantly and that the spatio-temporal risk is highly dynamic. Our results also indicate that cases of STEC O157 reporting travel within or outside the UK are more likely to live in the south/south-east of the country, meaning that their residential location may not reflect the location of exposure that led to their infection. We suggest that the observed variation in risk reflects exposure to sources of STEC O157 that are geographically prescribed. These differences may be related to a combination of changes in the strains circulating in the ruminant reservoir, animal movements (livestock, birds or wildlife) or the behavior of individuals prior to infection. Further work to identify the importance of behaviours and exposures reported by cases relative to residential location is needed

Integration of contemporary art in pre-school education. Jules Verne trips through the artistic installation

Ante la necesidad de generar nuevos espacios de participación y creación de conocimiento, esta investigación propone un cambio que posibilite “la pasión de aprender”, analizando cómo el inconsciente desbarata las intenciones especulares del modelo tradicional” (Acaso, 2013), y para ello debe entrar a formar parte del aprendizaje el factor sorpresa, lo inesperado. Propuestas metodológicas y de evaluación que consideramos deben comenzar desde la base de la educación, desde Educación Infantil. Con esta finalidad nace este proyecto, planteando como objetivo principal introducir metodologías de trabajo activas, participativas y democráticas a través de la instalación artística. Para crear espacios donde se generan experiencias de aprendizaje interactivas y analizar sus posibilidades educativas y psicosociales transversales fundamentadas en la película de dibujos animados, "La vuelta al mundo en 80 días”, del escritor Julio Verne, viajes y aventuras que el niño/a “presenta” como creador y productor a través del arte de acción, fusionando el lenguaje audiovisual y corporal. Convirtiendo la clase, en “un lugar” habitado por niños y docentes” pasando del “simulacro educativo” a la “experiencia educativa”.Abstract: Facing the need to create new dialogue, participation and knowledge creation areas, the aim of this investigation is a change which will make possible a “Passion for learning, analyzing how the subconscious spoils the specular of the traditional method” (Acaso, 2013), being part of the learning process the element of surprise, the unexpected. Evolving changes in methodology and assessment should be carried out from the first moment the learning process begins, since pre-school education. This is the aim of this project, considering as the main goal the introduction of new active, participatory, democratic and working methodologies through an artistic installation. To create spaces where interactive learning experiences are generated and question their educational opportunities and psychosocial crusade based on the cartoon movie “Around the World in 80 Days", book written by Jules Verne, trips and adventures children “deliver” as creative and producer students through “Action Art”, fusing the visual and body language. Therefore, the classroom which will become “a place inhabited by children and teachers”, is changing this way from an “educative simulation” to the “educative experience”

Early impact of rotavirus vaccination in a large paediatric hospital in the UK.

The impact of routine rotavirus vaccination on community-acquired (CA) and healthcare-associated (HA) rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) at a large paediatric hospital, UK, was investigated over a 13-year period. A total of 1644 hospitalized children aged 0-15 years tested positive for rotavirus between July 2002 and June 2015. Interrupted time-series analysis demonstrated that, post vaccine introduction (July 2013 to June 2015), CA- and HA-RVGE hospitalizations were 83% [95% confidence interval (CI): 72-90%) and 83% (95% CI: 66-92%] lower than expected, respectively. Rotavirus vaccination has rapidly reduced the hospital rotavirus disease burden among both CA- and HA-RVGE cases