A Mixed-Methods Normative Case Study of Undergraduate Students\u27 Attitudes and Behaviors towards Influenza and Vaccination in the Post-2009 Influenza A(H1N1) Pandemic Era

The 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic caused high morbidity and mortality in young adults, prompting recommendation for extension of routine annual flu vaccination to all healthy adults younger than 65 years old who do not have contraindications. But despite this recommendation, flu vaccination rates remained suboptimal in university students. The purpose of this study was to determine (a) how undergraduate students perceive influenza as a risk in light of risk information communicated by authoritative bodies; (b) where they seek advice and access educational information about influenza and methods of flu protection; (c) what attitudes they hold towards influenza and vaccination; and (d) when and why they engage in risk response behavior? This social science study, which involved 303 undergraduate students, included a written questionnaire, infographics, and interviews. Four theories (cultural theory of risk perception; structural constructivism; symbolic interactionism; and applied phronesis) were used to interpret the data. The coding of students’ answers allowed for the identification of ten themes, such as authoritative powers, identity, beliefs, infoglut, and reacting to risk. Students ranked influenza at the lower end of various risks discussed, considered their personal doctors as the most trusted source for influenza information, and were against mandatory flu vaccination. Although 48.6% of students self-reported flu vaccination during the 2014-2015 influenza season, vaccination was inconsistent in prior years. Perceived good health, vaccine complacency, a busy class schedule, vaccination confidence and convenience, were identified as factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy. Students developed a habit of using non-pharmaceutical flu interventions during their middle/high schools years, which was seen as a reason why flu vaccination was not their primary choice to protect against influenza. Students reported that they would seek information pieces that matter to them in case of a major flu outbreak close to or on campus. However, infoglut would make it difficult to them to find the right information online. This study suggests a need for a stronger focus of influenza education on undergraduate students by considering the needs and wants of these young adults. Numerous suggestions were made for how authorities, especially the university, can play here a stronger role

Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health

Review of: Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health. Ann Aschengrau and George R. Seage III. Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning, 2014, 534 pp., $111.95. ISBN: 978-1-284-02891-

Effects of a saponin fraction extracted from Trigonella foenum-graecum L. and two commercially available saponins on sex ratio and gonad histology of Nile tilapa fry, Oreochromis niloticus (L.)

Over three million tonnes (t) of tilapia, mostly Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus, L.), are produced annually making it the second most abundantly produced freshwater fish (FAO, 2010). Tilapia are mouthbreeders that often produce stunted populations under pond conditions; one means of prevention is to produce all-male fish with the additional advantage that males usually grow faster than females. All-male populations can be achieved by supplementing feed with androgens such as 17-α-Methyltestosterone (MT) during days 10–25 post-hatch (Pandian and Sheela, 1995). However, MT is considered to be carcinogenic (Velazquez and Alter, 2004), and Hulak et al. (2008) also showed that effluents of systems in which carp were fed diets containing MT caused masculinization of female fish. Furthermore, in aquaculture the application of hormones to fish destined for human consumption is prohibited in the European Union under directive 96/22/EC, article 5, which also prohibits import of animal products produced with hormones. Kwon et al. (2000) showed that Fadrozole, a non-steroidal compound, caused masculinization in tilapia by inhibiting aromatase, which is the enzyme responsible for the conversion of endogenous androgens to estrogens. Steinbronn et al. (2004) were able to show that a dose of 2000 ppm Quillaja saponins (Sigma S-2149) inhibited reproduction of tilapia after dietary application for 32 days to first-feeding fry, suggesting saponins as a possible alternative to MT. These secondary plant compounds consist of either a steroid or triterpenoid basic structure (aglycone or sapogenin) plus one or more sugar side chains (Francis et al., 2002a). In a previous experiment a saponin fraction from the soapbark tree (Quillaja saponaria M.) inhibited aromatase in vitro (Golan et al., 2008). The fenugreek plant (Trigonella foenum-graecum L), widely cultivated in the Middle East and Asia, also has a high saponin content. The experiment was therefore conducted to test whether saponin fractions from Q. saponaria and from T. foenum-graecum were able to influence the sex ratio and gonad histology of Nile tilapia

Duckweed production on diluted chicken manure

The aim of this study was to test chicken manure as duckweed (Lemna minor) fertiliser. Duckweed was grown using three different concentrations (low, medium and high; dilution factors 1:16, 1:12 and 1:8, respectively) of previously solubilised chicken manure. Subsequently, duckweed was evaluated for its fresh and dry biomass production, protein content and protein production capacity. Ammonium-nitrogen (NH4-N) concentrations increased in all substrates during an experimental week, with the increase being steeper in the treatments with higher chicken manure concentrations. However, duckweed populations were unable to fully utilise all the provided nitrogen. As the concentration of chicken manure increased, growth and protein production decreased. Adding the highest concentration of chicken manure (1:8 dilution) led to nearly complete die-off of the duckweed population. The low concentrated (1:16 dilution) chicken manure fertilisation resulted in acceptable growth (1.85 g dry matter (DM) per m2 and day) and high crude protein content (42.8% DM). The medium concentration (1:12 dilution) of chicken manure still stimulated growth, although it was significantly lower compared to duckweed grown on the low concentrated poultry manure and declined towards the end of the experiment (0.88 g DM per m2 and day). The biomass from this treatment also contained slightly lower protein content (40.6% DM). Duckweed cultivated using low and medium chicken manure concentrations produced an average of 0.79 and 0.36 g protein per m2 and day, respectively. Although solubilised chicken manure can serve as a potential fertiliser for duckweed, balancing the amount of chicken manure necessary to obtain a target NH4-N concentration when compared to cow or pig slurries is challenging

Effects of Moringa oleifera Lam. dietary seed protein extracts on growth, nutrient utilization and blood parameters in common carp (Cyprinus carpio, L.) and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus, L.)

The drumstick tree, Moringa oleifera, is a multi-purpose plant showing several beneficial effects, depending on plant part origin. The seeds for example show potential anti-biotic activity against certain pathogenic bacteria species. Furthermore they can be used for water purification since they contain specific proteins with coagulation properties. In these experiments we tested the effects of dietary M. oleifera seed protein extracts (MPE) on growth performance, nutrient utilization and blood parameters of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio, and on Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, two of the most important freshwater aquaculture fish species. The MPE was added in three concentrations (carp: 200, 400 and 600 ppm; tilapia: 400, 800 1200 ppm) to the diets and fed, beside a negative control for eight weeks. During this period carp grew from initially 25.1 g to final body masses of 95.9 g (control), 97.2 g (200 ppm), 100.2 g (400 ppm) and 100.3 g (600 ppm) and tilapia from initially 5.49 g to final body masses of 46.6 g (control), 48.0 g (400 ppm), 42.4 g (800 ppm) and 49.4 g (1200 ppm). The feed conversion was best for carp fed with 400 and 600 ppm MPE (1.08 kg feed/kg body mass gain) and for tilapia fed 400 ppm MPE (0.84 kg feed/kg body mass gain). the best protein conversions in carp was achieved by the 600 ppm treatment (2.40 kg body mass gain/kg protein fed) while in tilapia the 400 ppm MPE treated group showed the highest protein conversion (3.00 kg body mass gain/kg protein fed). Higher supplementation levels with MPE resulted in higher red blood cell counts (RBC) in both species accompanied by increased hemoglobin concentrations and hematocrit in tilapia but not carp and in higher white blood cell counts in carp but not in tilapia. These results show that seed protein extracts from Moringa oleifera have potential as growth promoters in two of the world's most important freshwater aquaculture species by improving growth and nutrient utilization

Antifungal activity and chemical composition of Iranian medicinal herbs against fish pathogenic fungus, Saprolegnia parasitica

This study aimed to identify the chemical composition of essential oil of some Iranian medicinal plants and their antifungal activity against Saprolegnia parasitica in comparison to formalin as positive control under in vitro conditions. The essential oils of Eryngium campestre, Pimpinella affinis, Mentha piperita, Achillea wilhelmsii and Cuminum cyminum were analyzed for their activity by disk diffusion, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) methods. Also, the oil constituents of investigated plants were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The major constituent of the surveyed essential oils was bornyl acetate (17.9%) in E. campestre, Pregeijene (27.3%) in P. affinis, menthol (48.5%) in M. piperita, 1,8-cineol (25.2%) in A. wilhelmsii, and α-Pinene (29.1%) in C. cyminum. The MIC values for the surveyed essential oil were was 0.5 μg ml-1 for C. cyminum followed by M piperita and E. campestre both having 1 μg ml-1, for P. affinis 2 μg ml-1 and was 4 μg/mL for A. wilhelmsii. The MFC for the mentioned essential oil were with 0.5 μg ml-1 again lowest for C. cyminum, followed by M. piperita and E. campestre with 2 μg ml-1, for P. affinis MFC was 4 μg ml-1 while it was with 8 μg ml-1 highest for essential oils from A. wilhelmsii. The results indicate that the essential oils of C. cyminun, E. campestre and M. piperita could be potential candidates for new plant based antifungal components in aquaculture against S. parasitica

Utilization of duckweed as fish meal replacement in common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Duckweed, the family Lemnaceae, comprises a group of around 40 different aquatic flowering plant species. They can grow very fast, producing higher biomasses compared to terrestrial plants (up to 79 t DM ha-1 a-1, Leng et al. 1995). Furthermore, they are very efficient in uptake of nitrogen and phosphorous and are producing protein of high quality (Stadtlander et al. 2019). Protein contents usually range between 25 to 35% of DM (dry matter) but have been reported to be as high as 45% of DM. Duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza) has been successfully grown on diluted cow slurry and been fed to rainbow trout fry (Stadtlander et al. 2019). Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is among the most important cultured fish species in the world, with a production of 4.13 mio t in 2017, and cyprinids (carp-like fish) in general contribute around 50% of global aquaculture fish production. In this study, we tested two different duckweed (S. polyrhiza) meals, one dried (DWD) and one fermented (DWF), in three different concentrations in the diet of carp fry and compared results to a duckweed free control (C)

Effects of saponin fractions from fenugreek and the soap bark tree in the diet on performance of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.)

Saponins are generally regarded as anti-nutritional factors in aquaculture diets. However, previous experiments have shown that low dietary levels of saponins derived from Quillaja saponaria Molina do have growth promoting effects on common carp and Nile tilapia. Based on these experiments, we conducted an experiment in which we fed eluated saponin fractions from Q. saponaria and Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (fenugreek) to Nile tilapia in a respirometric system allowing for continuous measurement of oxygen consumption. Saponins were eluated with consecutive methanol/water concentrations (v/v, 40/60, 60/40, 80/20) resulting in three different eluates for each plant. Fractions chosen were the 80% methanol eluate from Q. saponaria (80QS) and all three eluates from T. foenum-graecum (40TS, 60TS and 80TS). Three fish each were fed with low levels (150 mg kg-1 diet) of saponins in the diet and a control diet without saponins. Growth, feed and nutrient utilization, proximate composition, oxygen consumption and metabolic performance were evaluated. The fish grew between 224% (40TS) and 266% (Control) over the eight week period. Feed conversion ratios were between 0.94 (80TS) and 1.15 (40TS) and protein efficiency ratios between 2.54 (80TS) and 2.16 (40TS). Due to low sample sizes, no statistical differences were found between control fish and saponin fed fish. However, numerically one of the tested saponin fractions (40TS) showed inferior performance (Table 1). It is concluded that the tested saponins in the tested concentrations are no potential growth promoter for Nile tilapia. On the contrary, one fraction appears to be a growth inhibitor

Marimastat as maintenance therapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer: a randomised trial

This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was designed to evaluate the ability of the orally administered matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor, marimastat, to prolong survival in patients with non-resectable gastric and gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Three hundred and sixty-nine patients with histological proof of adenocarcinoma, who had received no more than a single regimen of 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy, were randomised to receive either marimastat (10 mg b.d.) or placebo. Patients were treated for as long as was tolerable. The primary endpoint was overall survival with secondary endpoints of time to disease progression and quality of life. At the point of protocol-defined study completion (85% mortality in the placebo arm) there was a modest difference in survival in the intention-to-treat population in favour of marimastat (P=0.07 log-rank test, hazard ratio=1.23 (95% confidence interval 0.98–1.55)). This survival benefit was maintained over a further 2 years of follow-up (P=0.024, hazard ratio=1.27 (1.03–1.57)). The median survival was 138 days for placebo and 160 days for marimastat, with 2-year survival of 3% and 9% respectively. A significant survival benefit was identified at study completion in the pre-defined sub-group of 123 patients who had received prior chemotherapy (P=0.045, hazard ratio=1.53 (1.00–2.34)). This benefit increased with 2 years additional follow-up (P=0.006, hazard ratio=1.68 (1.16–2.44)), with 2-year survival of 5% and 18% respectively. Progression-free survival was also significantly longer for patients receiving marimastat compared to placebo (P=0.009, hazard ratio=1.32 (1.07–1.63)). Marimastat treatment was associated with the development of musculoskeletal pain and inflammation. Events of anaemia, abdominal pain, jaundice and weight loss were more common in the placebo arm. This is one of the first demonstrations of a therapeutic benefit for a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor in cancer patients. The greatest benefit was observed in patients who had previously received chemotherapy. A further randomised study of marimastat in these patients is warranted

Fluorescence in situ hybridisation analysis of chromosomal aberrations in gastric tissue: the potential involvement of Helicobacter pylori

In this series of experiments, a novel protocol was developed whereby gastric cells were collected using endoscopic cytology brush techniques, and prepared, such that interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) could be performed. In total, 80 distinct histological samples from 37 patients were studied using four chromosome probes (over 32 000 cells analysed). Studies have previously identified abnormalities of these four chromosomes in upper GI tumours. Using premalignant tissues, we aimed to determine how early in Correa's pathway to gastric cancer these chromosome abnormalities occurred. Aneuploidy of chromosomes 4, 8, 20 and 17(p53) was detected in histologically normal gastric mucosa, as well as in gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia and cancer samples. The levels of aneuploidy increased as disease severity increased. Amplification of chromosome 4 and chromosome 20, and deletion of chromosome 17(p53) were the more common findings. Hence, a role for these abnormalities may exist in the initiation of, and the progression to, gastric cancer. Helicobactor pylori infection was determined in premalignant tissue using histological analysis and PCR technology. Detection rates were comparable. PCR was used to subtype H. pylori for CagA status. The amplification of chromosome 4 in gastric tissue was significantly more prevalent in H. pylori-positive patients (n=7) compared to H. pylori-negative patients (n=11), possibly reflecting a role for chromosome 4 amplification in H. pylori-induced gastric cancer. The more virulent CagA strain of H. pylori was associated with increased disease pathology and chromosomal abnormalities, although numbers were small (CagA+ n=3, CagA− n=4). Finally, in vitro work demonstrated that the aneuploidy induced in a human cell line after exposure to the reactive oxygen species (ROS) hydrogen peroxide was similar to that already shown in the gastric cancer pathway, and may further strengthen the hypothesis that H. pylori causes gastric cancer progression via an ROS-mediated mechanism