Audit of the national meal guidelines for home‐delivered and centre‐based meal programs

Objective To evaluate the impact of the National Meal Guidelines on service providers and caterers involved in home‐delivered and centre‐based meal programs in Australia. Methods An anonymous online survey was conducted to explore the uptake of the guidelines by participants and evaluate the impact on their practice. Closed questions were analysed using χ2 and Fisher\u27s exact tests, while open‐ended questions underwent thematic analysis to identify key themes. Results A total of 101 out of 441 participants completed the survey (response rate of 23.0%). Most participants (69%) were currently referring to the guidelines, particularly for nutrition guidelines, menu planning and auditing tools. Key barriers to implementation were cost, supplier compliance issues and lack of staff education. Conclusions The National Meal Guidelines have been successfully implemented in many services around Australia. Further research should investigate their impact on customer satisfaction and external supplier compliance

Intercâmbio de conhecimentos sobre doenças fúngicas da soja e seu manejo integrado no Nordeste paraense.

Pibic

Biosensors in occupational safety and health management: A narrative review

A sensor is a device used to gather information registered by some biological, physical or chemical change, and then convert the information into a measurable signal. The first biosensor prototype was conceived more than a century ago, in 1906, but a properly defined biosensor was only developed later in 1956. Some of them have reached the commercial stage and are routinely used in environmental and agricultural applications, and especially, in clinical laboratory and industrial analysis, mostly because it is an economical, simple and efficient instrument for the in situ detection of the bioavailability of a broad range of environmental pollutants. We propose a narrative review, that found 32 papers and aims to discuss the possible uses of biosensors, focusing on their use in the area of occupational safety and health (OSH)

Active Self-Organization of Actin-Microtubule Composite Self-Propelled Rods

Spontaneous self-organization of active matter has been demonstrated in a number of biological systems including bacteria, cells, and cytoskeletal filaments. Cytoskeletal filaments act as active polar rods when they are propelled along a glass surface via motor proteins. Actin has previously been shown to display polar or nematic ordering, whereas microtubules have been shown to create large vortices. For the first time, we combine both the actin and microtubule gliding into a composite active system. In the absence of actin filaments, microtubule filament organization transitions from isotropic to nematic to polar as a function of filament density. We find that the presence of a crowder, methylcellulose, is essential for this transition. In the absence of microtubules, actin transitions from isotropic to nematic. In combination, microtubules are affected by the presence of actin and the overall density of the filaments, becoming entrained with the nematic alignment of actin. Actin filaments are not as affected by the presence of microtubules. These results serve as first step in exploring the rich emergent behavior that can result from composite active matter system with tunable particle properties, self-propulsion speeds, and interparticle interactions

Genotyping of Plasmodium falciparum infections by PCR: a comparative multicentre study

Genetic diversity of malaria parasites represents a major issue in understanding several aspects of malaria infection and disease. Genotyping of Plasmodium falciparum infections with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods has therefore been introduced in epidemiological studies. Polymorphic regions of the msp1, msp2 and glurp genes are the most frequently used markers for genotyping, but methods may differ. A multicentre study was therefore conducted to evaluate the comparability of results from different laboratories when the same samples were analysed. Analyses of laboratory-cloned lines revealed high specificity but varying sensitivity. Detection of low-density clones was hampered in multiclonal infections. Analyses of isolates from Tanzania and Papua New Guinea revealed similar positivity rates with the same allelic types identified. The number of alleles detected per isolate, however, varied systematically between the laboratories especially at high parasite densities. When the analyses were repeated within the laboratories, high agreement was found in getting positive or negative results but with a random variation in the number of alleles detected. The msp2 locus appeared to be the most informative single marker for analyses of multiplicity of infection. Genotyping by PCR is a powerful tool for studies on genetic diversity of P. falciparum but this study has revealed limitations in comparing results on multiplicity of infection derived from different laboratories and emphasizes the need for highly standardized laboratory protocol

COMT and MAO-A Polymorphisms and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Family-Based Association Study

ObjectiveObsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common and debilitating psychiatric illness. Although a genetic component contributes to its etiology, no single gene or mechanism has been identified to the OCD susceptibility. the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) genes have been investigated in previous OCD studies, but the results are still unclear. More recently, Taylor (2013) in a comprehensive meta-analysis of genetic association studies has identified COMT and MAO-A polymorphisms involved with OCD. in an effort to clarify the role of these two genes in OCD vulnerability, a family-based association investigation was performed as an alternative strategy to the classical case-control design.MethodsTransmission disequilibrium analyses were performed after genotyping 13 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (eight in COMT and five in MAO-A) in 783 OCD trios (probands and their parents). Four different OCD phenotypes (from narrow to broad OCD definitions) and a SNP x SNP epistasis were also analyzed.ResultsOCD, broad and narrow phenotypes, were not associated with any of the investigated COMT and MAO-A polymorphisms. in addition, the analyses of gene-gene interaction did not show significant epistatic influences on phenotype between COMT and MAO-A.ConclusionsThe findings do not support an association between DSM-IV OCD and the variants of COMT or MAO-A. However, results from this study cannot exclude the contribution of these genes in the manifestation of OCD. the evaluation of broader spectrum phenotypes could help to understand the role of these and other genes in the pathophysiology of OCD and its spectrum disorders.Brazilian governmental agenciesConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundo de Aprimoramento Academico (FUAA-Grant for Academic Improvement)Department of Psychiatry University of São Paulo School of MedicineUniv São Paulo, Fac Med, Dept & Inst Psychiat, São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Bahia, Serv Med Univ, Salvador, BA, BrazilUniv Pernambuco, Fac Ciencias Med, Recife, PE, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, BrazilBritish Columbia Mental Hlth & Addict Res Inst, Vancouver, BC, CanadaMassachusetts Gen Hosp, PNGU, Boston, MA 02114 USAMassachusetts Gen Hosp, Ctr Human Genet Res, Boston, MA 02114 USAUniv Calif San Francisco, Dept Psychiat, San Francisco, CA USAHosp Sick Children, Program Genet & Genome Biol, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, CanadaUniv Michigan, Dept Psychiat, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USASunnybrook Hlth Sci Ctr, Frederick W Thompson Anxiety Disorders Ctr, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, CanadaUniv Toronto, Ctr Addict & Mental Hlth, Toronto, ON, CanadaUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Psiquiatria, IPUB, Programa Ansiedade & Depressao, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Inst Math & Stat, Dept Stat, São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, BrazilCNPq: 573974/2008-0FAPESP: 2005/55628-08FAPESP: 2008/57896-8Web of Scienc

Evaluation of rK39 rapid diagnostic tests for canine visceral leishmaniasis : longitudinal study and meta-analysis

Canine visceral leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by the intracellular parasite Leishmania infantum. It is an important veterinary disease, and dogs are also the main animal reservoir for human infection. The disease is widespread in the Mediterranean area, and parts of Asia and South and Central America, and is potentially fatal in both dogs and humans unless treated. Diagnosis of canine infections requires serological or molecular tests. Detection of infection in dogs is important prior to treatment, and in epidemiological studies and control programmes, and a sensitive and specific rapid diagnostic test would be very useful. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have been developed, but their diagnostic performance has been reported to be variable. We evaluated the sensitivity of a RDT based on serological detection of the rK39 antigen in a cohort of naturally infected Brazilian dogs. The sensitivity of the test to detect infection was relatively low, but increased with time since infection and the severity of infection. We then carried out a meta-analysis of published studies of rK39 RDTs, evaluating the sensitivity to detect disease and infection. The results suggest that rK39 RDTs may be useful in a veterinary clinical setting, but the sensitivity to detect infection is too low for operational control programmes

A Sensitive Tg Assay or rhTSH Stimulated Tg: What's the Best in the Long-Term Follow-Up of Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma?

Sensitivity of thyroglobulin (Tg) measurement in the follow-up of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) can be optimized by using a sensitive Tg assay and rhTSH stimulation. We evaluated the diagnostic yield of a sensitive Tg assay and rhTSH stimulated Tg in the detection of recurrences in the follow-up of DTC. Additionally the value of imaging techniques for the localization of recurrences was evaluated. We included 121 disease free patients in long-term follow-up for DTC (median 10 years, range 1–34). Tg during thyroid hormone suppression therapy (Tg-on) and rhTSH stimulated Tg were measured with a sensitive Tg assay. Patients with rhTSH stimulated Tg ≥1.0 ng/ml underwent imaging with neck ultrasound, FDG-PET and post therapy 131I WBS. Sensitive Tg measurement resulted in 3 patients with Tg-on ≥1.0 ng/ml, recurrence could be localized in 2 of them. RhTSH stimulation resulted in Tg ≥1.0 ng/ml in another 17 of 118 patients. Recurrence could be localized in only 1 additional patient (1 out of 118 patients). Recurrence was localized by neck ultrasound in 1 of 3, by FDG-PET in 2 of 3 and by post therapy 131I WBS in 2 of 3 patients. In the detection of recurrences in DTC, rhTSH stimulation had very limited additional value in comparison to Tg-on measurement with a sensitive Tg assay. We consider this too low to justify rhTSH stimulation in all patients during long-term follow up. Neck ultrasound, FDG-PET and post therapy 131I WBS showed complementary value in localization of disease, but were only positive in a small fracture of all procedures