Utilization of surveillance after polypectomy in the Medicare population

Background: Surveillance in patients with previous polypectomy was underused in the Medicare population in 1994. This study investigates whether expansion of Medicare reimbursement for colonoscopy screening in high-risk individuals has reduced the inappropriate use of surveillance. Methods: We used Kaplan-Meier analysis to estimate time to surveillance and polyp recurrence rates for Medicare beneficiaries with a colonoscopy with polypectomy between 1998 and 2003 who were followed through 2008 for receipt of surveillance colonoscopy. Generalized Estimating Equations were used to estimate risk factors for: 1) failing to undergo surveillance and 2)

Entomopathogenic Fungi as Mortality Factors of Macadamia Felted Coccid, Eriococcus ironsidei (Hemiptera: Eriococcidae) in Hawaii

Entomopathogenic fungi are considered to play a vital role as a biologi- cal control agent of many insect populations. Different entomopathogenic fungi were observed infecting Eriococcus ironsidei Williams (Hemiptera: Eriococcidae) in a macadamia nut orchard in Honokaa, Hawaii. Here, we report the results of the isolation of the unidentified fungal pathogens observed infecting E. ironsidei on macadamia leaves and their identification using molecular techniques. We evaluated the susceptibility of E. ironsidei to the isolated fungi and to one com- mercial formulation of the entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana. To assess whether any of the isolated pathogens have potential to serve as biocontrol agents, E. ironsidei was exposed to isolated fungi. Identified entomopathogens were Chlorocillium griseum and Pleurodesmospora coccorum. Results of this study confirmed that C. griseum, P. coccorum, and B. bassiana cause mortality in E. ironsidei up to 67%, 78%, and 100%, respectively. The present investigation indicates that E. ironsidei is highly susceptible to these fungi and they may have a role in regulating insect pest populations

Exercise prevents obesity-induced cognitive decline and white matter damage in mice.

Obesity in the western world has reached epidemic proportions, and yet the long-term effects on brain health are not well understood. To address this, we performed transcriptional profiling of brain regions from a mouse model of western diet (WD)-induced obesity. Both the cortex and hippocampus from C57BL/6J (B6) mice fed either a WD or a control diet from 2 months of age to 12 months of age (equivalent to midlife in a human population) were profiled. Gene set enrichment analyses predicted that genes involved in myelin generation, inflammation, and cerebrovascular health were differentially expressed in brains from WD-fed compared to control diet-fed mice. White matter damage and cerebrovascular decline were evident in brains from WD-fed mice using immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. At the cellular level, the WD caused an increase in the numbers of oligodendrocytes and myeloid cells suggesting that a WD is perturbing myelin turnover. Encouragingly, cerebrovascular damage and white matter damage were prevented by exercising WD-fed mice despite mice still gaining a significant amount of weight. Collectively, these data show that chronic consumption of a WD in B6 mice causes obesity, neuroinflammation, and cerebrovascular and white matter damage, but these potentially damaging effects can be prevented by modifiable risk factors such as exercise

Personal values, marketing attitudes and nutrition trust are associated with patronage of convenience food outlets in the Asia-Pacific region: a cross-sectional study

Background: An online cross-sectional survey examined the relationships between the demographic characteristics, personal values, trust in sources of nutrition information and the use of convenience food outlets among middle-class household food providers in the Asia-Pacific region. Methods: The survey was administered to 3945 household food providers in Melbourne, Singapore, Shanghai, Vietnam and Indonesia in late 2013. Information about demographics, personal values, trust in sources of nutrition information and use of convenience food outlets was elicited. Exploratory factor analysis, two-step clustering and logistic regression were employed. Results: The analyses found that the use of convenience food outlets was positively related to hedonist values and trust in food industry sources of nutrition information. However, lesser use of convenience food outlets and trust in health sources of nutrition information was associated with traditional (community-oriented) values. Conclusions: Further replication and extension of these findings would be useful. However, they suggest that improvements in the quality of foods sold in convenience food outlets combined with stronger regulation of food marketing and long-term food education are required

Personal values, marketing attitudes and nutrition trust are associated with patronage of convenience food outlets in the Asia-Pacific region: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: An online cross-sectional survey examined the relationships between the demographic characteristics, personal values, trust in sources of nutrition information and the use of convenience food outlets among middle-class household food providers in the Asia-Pacific region. METHODS: The survey was administered to 3945 household food providers in Melbourne, Singapore, Shanghai, Vietnam and Indonesia in late 2013. Information about demographics, personal values, trust in sources of nutrition information and use of convenience food outlets was elicited. Exploratory factor analysis, two-step clustering and logistic regression were employed. RESULTS: The analyses found that the use of convenience food outlets was positively related to hedonist values and trust in food industry sources of nutrition information. However, lesser use of convenience food outlets and trust in health sources of nutrition information was associated with traditional (community-oriented) values. CONCLUSIONS: Further replication and extension of these findings would be useful. However, they suggest that improvements in the quality of foods sold in convenience food outlets combined with stronger regulation of food marketing and long-term food education are required

The Earth Regeneration Effect of Solar Neutrinos: a Numerical Treatment with Three Active Neutrino Flavors

We introduce an integrated algorithm for full scale investigation of the earth regeneration effect of solar neutrinos with all three active neutrinos. We illustrate that the earth effect on low energy solar neutrinos ($E_\nu < 20$ MeV) causes large variations in the survival probabilities for large values of the mixing angle $\theta_{12}$ for a given value of $\theta_{13}$. But it is maximal for small values of $\theta_{13}$ and diminishes for large values at a given value of $\theta_{12}$. The nadir angle dependence is sensitive to the value of $E'\equiv E/\Delta_{12}$. As far as low energy solar neutrinos are concerned we notice that the earth effect is more pronounced for core penetration. We confirm that the earth effect leaves the SMA region almost intact regardless of $\theta_{13}$ and that it is significant for high energy $^8$B and $hep$ neutrinos in the LMA region. We also show that for large values of $\theta_{13}$, the earth effect is significant for high energy neutrinos ($E'\gtrsim 10^9$) and it can be large at any nadir angle.Comment: 8 pages, 2 postscript figure

The message on the bottle:Rethinking plastic labelling to better encourage sustainable use

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordPlastic pollution continues to worsen globally in volume and complexity. The complexity in plastic production, use and disposal is significant, highlighting the importance of clear communication to consumers. Yet despite this, poor plastic labelling is clear, evident from poor waste management metrics even in the most equipped countries. Plastic labelling must change to contribute to a holistic intervention on global plastic mismanagement. Discussion on this topic leads to three key recommendations: 1. An accurate and clear “sustainability scale” to empower consumers to make decisions informed by environmental and human health implications; 2. Directions for appropriate disposal action in the region of purchase; 3. A comprehensive list of plastic composition, including additives.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)QUEX InstituteQueensland Health, AustraliaMinderoo Foundation, Australi

PhotoAffinity bits : a photoaffinity-based fragment screening platform for efficient identification of protein ligands

Advances in genomic analyses enable the identification of new proteins that are associated with disease. To validate these targets, tool molecules are required to demonstrate that a ligand can have a disease-modifying effect. Currently, as tools are reported for only a fraction of the proteome, platforms for ligand discovery are essential to leverage insights from genomic analyses. Fragment screening offers an efficient approach to explore chemical space, however, it remains challenging to develop techniques that are both sufficiently high-throughput and sensitive. We present a fragment screening platform, termed PhABits (PhotoAffinity Bits), which utilises a library of photoreactive fragments to covalently capture fragment-protein interactions. Hits can be profiled to determine potency and site of crosslinking, and subsequently developed as reporters in a competitive displacement assay to identify novel hit matter. We envision that the PhABits will be widely applicable to novel protein targets, identifying starting points in the development of therapeutic