Best practice review of drink driving enforcement in South Australia

The Drug and Alcohol Task Force of the Road Safety Advisory Council has initiated this project to maximise the effects of drink driving enforcement in South Australia. This report describes the outcome of a review based on an international literature review, analysis of police data, comparisons with interstate data and discussions with personnel at varying levels within the hierarchy of the SA Police. Ways in which drink driving enforcement may be enhanced in South Australia are discussed.L.N. Wundersitz, J.E. Woolle

Validity of an upper-body-mounted accelerometer to measure peak vertical and resultant force during running and change-of-direction tasks

This study assessed the validity of a tri-axial accelerometer worn on the upper body to estimate peak forces during running and change-of-direction tasks. Seventeen participants completed four different running and change-of-direction tasks (0°, 45°, 90°, and 180°; five trials per condition). Peak crania-caudal and resultant acceleration was converted to force and compared against peak force plate ground reaction force (GRF) in two formats (raw and smoothed). The resultant smoothed (10 Hz) and crania-caudal raw (except 180°) accelerometer values were not significantly different to resultant and vertical GRF for all running and change-of-direction tasks, respectively. Resultant accelerometer measures showed no to strong significant correlations (r = 0.00–0.76) and moderate to large measurement errors (coefficient of variation [CV] = 11.7–23.9%). Crania-caudal accelerometer measures showed small to moderate correlations (r = − 0.26 to 0.39) and moderate to large measurement errors (CV = 15.0–20.6%). Accelerometers, within integrated micro-technology tracking devices and worn on the upper body, can provide a relative measure of peak impact force experienced during running and two change-of-direction tasks (45° and 90°) provided that resultant smoothed values are used

The benefits of measuring driving exposure using objective GPS-based methods and subjective self-report methods concurrently

Measurement of individuals’ driving exposure has traditionally relied on subjective self-report methods, which tend to be inaccurate and require substantial effort for the individuals volunteering for the study. The development of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology has provided a new option for accurately and objectively measuring exposure. However, some exposure information (trip purpose and driver identification) can most easily be obtained with self-report methods. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the concurrent use of GPS data loggers and telephone-based travel diaries for measuring driving exposure. The driving of 54 participants (aged ≥ 75) was monitored for a period of one week. The GPS data loggers provided standard exposure measures (distance driven, time spent driving, number of trips), as well as measures that cannot be obtained through self-report (travelling speed, driving route) for all participants. The distance measured by GPS corresponded with distances obtained from the odometers in the vehicles, which indicated that the GPS measurements were accurate. Furthermore, the trips that were recorded by GPS were matched to the information reported in the travel diaries and, therefore, the purpose and driver of a majority (95.2%) of the trips could be identified. Also, a subset of the participants who were interviewed (n = 16) provided favourable feedback regarding the data collection process. The findings indicate that GPS technology will advance the measurement of driving exposure but that self-report methods are still useful for obtaining certain exposure information. Therefore, GPS technology may not replace traditional methods but complement them.Thompson, J.P., Baldock, M.R.J., Mathias, J.L., Wundersitz, L.N.http://www.rsrpe2013.com.au/conference-papers/conference-papers.ph

Older drivers in rural and urban areas: Comparisons of crash, serious injury, and fatality rates

Previous analyses of crash statistics have indicated that older drivers (aged 65 years and older) have fewer crashes than other age groups. However, they have an elevated crash risk on a per kilometre driven basis and are at an increased risk of death and serious injury from crashes. Rural older drivers may be particularly at risk due to a greater dependence on driving, which may create a reluctance to cease driving. It is often dem onstrated that motor vehicle crash fatality rates are higher in rural areas than urban areas. However, more research that compares the crash, serious injury, and fatality rates of rural and urban older drivers is required. A database of police-reported road crashes in South Australia, the Traffic Accident Reporting System, was used to obtain crash, serious injury, and fatality data for 2004 to 2008. The crash involvement of drivers of various age groups from both rural and urban areas was adjusted for population and licensure exposure measures. Crashes involving rural drivers aged 75 and over were more likely to have resulted in a serious or fat al injury than crashes involving their urban counterparts. The results indicate that rural older drivers present a unique road safety problem.Thompson, J.P.; Baldock, M.R.J.; Mathias, J.L.; and Wundersitz, L.N.http://www.roadsafetyconference2010.com.au/program_new.htm

Age-related differences in patterns of criminal activity among a large sample of polydrug injectors in Australia

Background: The relationship between age and criminal activity among drug-using populations is poorly understood. Methods: Data from 10 years of repeat cross-sectional surveys of sentinel samples of regular people who inject drugs (PWID) across Australia (n=5844) were used to explore the relationship between age and past-month drug dealing, property crime and violent crime, and past-year arrest. Descriptive statistics were used to explore the prevalence and frequency of each outcome. The relationship between age and each outcome was measured using multivariable Poisson regression with robust error variance. Results: After adjusting for confounding factors, each 5-year increase in age was associated with significant reductions in drug dealing (adjusted incidence rate ratio [AIRR]: 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.87–0.94), property crime (AIRR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.82–0.89) and violent crime (AIRR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.70–0.85). Older participants were also significantly less likely to report being arrested in the past 12 months (AIRR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.88–0.93). Conclusions: Younger PWID are more heavily involved in criminal activity compared with their older counterparts. This study highlights the need for early intervention programmes to prevent offending behaviour becoming entrenched, as well as continued efforts to redirect young PWID away from the criminal justice system and into treatment and education programmes

Longitudinal rates of self-reported delinquency of at-risk and not at-risk Western Australian high school students

Two hundred and forty nine 12 to 13 year old at risk and not at risk male and female high school students randomly selected from five high schools in the Perth metropolitan area of Western Australia provided self-reported delinquency data for three consecutive years. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed at risk students self-reported significantly more involvement in delinquency at the first data collection point than their not at risk counterparts. Male 12-13 year olds self-reported significantly more involvement in car related crimes, assault, rule infractions, and vandalism compared to their female peers. For some delinquent activities there were significant increases in involvement over time (Motor Vehicle, Drugs, and Public Disorder Offences) while for others (Theft, Rule Infractions, and Vandalism) this was not the case. In the majority of categories of delinquency at risk students self-reported significantly higher rates of involvement

Short-chain fatty acid propionate protects from hypertensive cardiovascular damage

BACKGROUND: Arterial hypertension and its organ sequelae show characteristics of T cell mediated inflammatory diseases. Experimental anti-inflammatory therapies have been shown to ameliorate hypertensive end-organ damage. Recently, the CANTOS study targeting interleukin-1β demonstrated that anti-inflammatory therapy reduces cardiovascular risk. The gut microbiome plays pivotal role in immune homeostasis and cardiovascular health. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) are produced from dietary fiber by gut bacteria and affect host immune homeostasis. Here, we investigated effects of the SCFA propionate in two different mouse models of hypertensive cardiovascular damage. METHODS: To investigate the effect of SCFA on hypertensive cardiac damage and atherosclerosis, wild-type NMRI (WT) or ApoE(-/-) deficient mice received propionate (200mM) or control in the drinking water. To induce hypertension, WT mice were infused with Angiotensin (Ang)II (1.44mg/kg/d s.c.) for 14 days. To accelerate the development of atherosclerosis, ApoE(-/-) mice were infused with AngII (0.72mg/kg/d s.c.) for 28 days. Cardiac damage and atherosclerosis were assessed using histology, echocardiography, in vivo electrophysiology, immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry. Blood pressure was measured by radiotelemetry. Regulatory T cell (Treg) depletion using PC61 antibody was used to examine the mode of action of propionate. RESULTS: Propionate significantly attenuated cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, vascular dysfunction, and hypertension in both models. Susceptibility to cardiac ventricular arrhythmias was significantly reduced in propionate-treated AngII-infused WT mice. Aortic atherosclerotic lesion area was significantly decreased in propionate-treated ApoE(-/-). Systemic inflammation was mitigated by propionate treatment, quantified as a reduction in splenic effector memory T cell frequencies and splenic T helper 17 cells in both models, and a decrease in local cardiac immune cell infiltration in WT mice. Cardioprotective effects of propionate were abrogated in Treg-depleted AngII-infused mice, suggesting the effect is Treg-dependent. CONCLUSIONS: Our data emphasize an immune-modulatory role of SCFAs and their importance for cardiovascular health. The data suggest that lifestyle modifications leading to augmented SCFA production could be a beneficial non-pharmacological preventive strategy for patients with hypertensive cardiovascular disease

The transcription factor EB (TFEB) sensitizes the heart to chronic pressure overload

The transcription factor EB (TFEB) promotes protein degradation by the autophagy and lysosomal pathway (ALP) and overexpression of TFEB was suggested for the treatment of ALP-related diseases that often affect the heart. However, TFEB-mediated ALP induction may perturb cardiac stress response. We used adeno-associated viral vectors type 9 (AAV9) to overexpress TFEB (AAV9-Tfeb) or Luciferase-control (AAV9-Luc) in cardiomyocytes of 12-week-old male mice. Mice were subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC, 27G; AAV9-Luc: n = 9; AAV9-Tfeb: n = 14) or sham (AAV9-Luc: n = 9; AAV9-Tfeb: n = 9) surgery for 28 days. Heart morphology, echocardiography, gene expression, and protein levels were monitored. AAV9-Tfeb had no effect on cardiac structure and function in sham animals. TAC resulted in compensated left ventricular hypertrophy in AAV9-Luc mice. AAV9-Tfeb TAC mice showed a reduced LV ejection fraction and increased left ventricular diameters. Morphological, histological, and real-time PCR analyses showed increased heart weights, exaggerated fibrosis, and higher expression of stress markers and remodeling genes in AAV9-Tfeb TAC compared to AAV9-Luc TAC. RNA-sequencing, real-time PCR and Western Blot revealed a stronger ALP activation in the hearts of AAV9-Tfeb TAC mice. Cardiomyocyte-specific TFEB-overexpression promoted ALP gene expression during TAC, which was associated with heart failure. Treatment of ALP-related diseases by overexpression of TFEB warrants careful consideration

Sepsis induces interleukin 6, gp130/JAK2/STAT3, and muscle wasting

BACKGROUND: Sepsis and inflammation can cause intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICUAW). Increased interleukin-6 (IL-6) plasma levels are a risk factor for ICUAW. IL-6 signalling involves the glycoprotein 130 (gp130) receptor and the JAK/STAT-pathway, but its role in sepsis-induced muscle wasting is uncertain. In a clinical observational study, we found that the IL-6 target gene, SOCS3, was increased in skeletal muscle of ICUAW patients indicative for JAK/STAT-pathway activation. We tested the hypothesis that the IL-6/gp130-pathway mediates ICUAW muscle atrophy. METHODS: We sequenced RNA (RNAseq) from tibialis anterior (TA) muscle of cecal ligation and puncture-operated (CLP) and sham-operated wildtype (WT) mice. The effects of the IL-6/gp130/JAK2/STAT3-pathway were investigated by analysing the atrophy phenotype, gene expression, and protein contents of C2C12 myotubes. Mice lacking Il6st, encoding gp130, in myocytes (cKO) and WT controls, as well as mice treated with the JAK2 inhibitor AG490 or vehicle were exposed to CLP or sham surgery for 24 or 96 h. RESULTS: Analyses of differentially expressed genes in RNAseq (≥2-log2-fold change, P < 0.01) revealed an activation of IL-6-signalling and JAK/STAT-signalling pathways in muscle of septic mice, which occurred after 24 h and lasted at least for 96 h during sepsis. IL-6 treatment of C2C12 myotubes induced STAT3 phosphorylation (three-fold, P < 0.01) and Socs3 mRNA expression (3.1-fold, P < 0.01) and caused myotube atrophy. Knockdown of Il6st diminished IL-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation (-30.0%; P < 0.01), Socs3 mRNA expression, and myotube atrophy. JAK2 (- 29.0%; P < 0.01) or STAT3 inhibition (-38.7%; P < 0.05) decreased IL-6-induced Socs3 mRNA expression. Treatment with either inhibitor attenuated myotube atrophy in response to IL-6. CLP-operated septic mice showed an increased STAT3 phosphorylation and Socs3 mRNA expression in TA muscle, which was reduced in septic Il6st-cKO mice by 67.8% (P < 0.05) and 85.6% (P < 0.001), respectively. CLP caused a loss of TA muscle weight, which was attenuated in Il6st-cKO mice (WT: -22.3%, P < 0.001, cKO: -13.5%, P < 0.001; WT vs. cKO P < 0.001). While loss of Il6st resulted in a reduction of MuRF1 protein contents, Atrogin-1 remained unchanged between septic WT and cKO mice. mRNA expression of Trim63/MuRF1 and Fbxo32/Atrogin-1 were unaltered between CLP-treated WT and cKO mice. AG490 treatment reduced STAT3 phosphorylation (-22.2%, P < 0.05) and attenuated TA muscle atrophy in septic mice (29.6% relative reduction of muscle weight loss, P < 0.05). The reduction in muscle atrophy was accompanied by a reduction in Fbxo32/Atrogin-1-mRNA (-81.3%, P < 0.05) and Trim63/MuRF1-mRNA expression (-77.6%, P < 0.05) and protein content. CONCLUSIONS: IL-6 via the gp130/JAK2/STAT3-pathway mediates sepsis-induced muscle atrophy possibly contributing to ICUAW

Police-initiated diversion for youth to prevent future delinquent behavior: a systematic review

BackgroundOverly punitive responses to youth misconduct may have the unintended consequence ofincreasing the likelihood of future delinquency; yet, overly lenient responses may fail to serveas a corrective for the misbehavior. Police diversion schemes are a collection of strategiespolice can apply as an alternative to court processing of youth. Police-initiated diversionschemes aim to reduce reoffending by steering youth away from deeper penetration into thecriminal justice system and by providing an alternative intervention that can help youthaddress psychosocial development or other needs that contribute to their problem behavior.ObjectivesThe objective of this review was to synthesize the evidence on the effectiveness of pre-courtinterventions involving police warning or counseling and release, and cautioning schemes inreducing delinquent behavior.Search methodsA combination of 26 databases and websites were searched. References of relevant reviewswere also scanned to identify studies. We also consulted with experts in the field. Searcheswere executed by two reviewers and conducted between August 2016 and January 2017.Selection criteriaOnly experimental and quasi-experimental designs were eligible for this review. All quasiexperimentaldesigns must have had a comparison group similar to the police diversionintervention group with respect to demographic characteristics and prior involvement indelinquent behavior (i.e., at similar risk for future delinquent behavior). Additionally, studiesmust have included youth participants between 12 and 17 years of age who either underwenttraditional system processing or were diverted from court processing through a police-leddiversion program. Studies were also eligible if delinquency-related outcomes, includingofficial and non-official (self-report or third-party reporting) measures of delinquency werereported.Data collection and analysisThis study used meta-analysis to synthesize results across studies. This method involvedsystematic coding of study features and conversion of study findings into effect sizesreflecting the direction and magnitude of any police-led diversion effect. There were 19independent evaluations across the 14 primary documents coded for this review. From this,we coded 67 effect sizes of delinquent behavior post diversion across 31 diversion-traditionalprocessing comparisons. We analyzed these comparisons using two approaches. The firstapproach selected a single effect size per comparison based on a decision rule and the secondused all 67 effect sizes, nesting these within comparison condition and evaluation design.ResultsThe general pattern of evidence is positive, suggesting that police-led diversion modestlyreduces future delinquent behavior of low-risk youth relative to traditional processing.Authors’ conclusionsThe findings from this systematic review support the use of police-led diversion for low-riskyouth with limited or no prior involvement with the juvenile justice system. Thus, policedepartments and policy-makers should consider diversionary programs as part of the mix ofsolutions for addressing youth crime