Antimicrobial Resistance in New Zealand—A One Health Perspective

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasing global threat that affects human, animal and, often less acknowledged, environmental health. This complex issue requires a multisectoral One Health approach to address the interconnectedness of humans, animals and the natural environment. The prevalence of AMR in these reservoirs varies widely among countries and thus often requires a country-specific approach. In New Zealand (NZ), AMR and antimicrobial usage in humans are relatively well-monitored and-understood, with high human use of antimicrobials and the frequency of resistant pathogens increasing in hospitals and the community. In contrast, on average, NZ is a low user of antimicrobials in animal husbandry systems with low rates of AMR in food-producing animals. AMR in New Zealand’s environment is little understood, and the role of the natural environment in AMR transmission is unclear. Here, we aimed to provide a summary of the current knowledge on AMR in NZ, addressing all three components of the One Health triad with a particular focus on environmental AMR. We aimed to identify knowledge gaps to help develop research strategies, especially towards mitigating AMR in the environment, the often-neglected part of the One Health triad.Publishe

Inhibition of Serine Palmitoyl Transferase I Reduces Cardiac Ceramide Levels and Increases Glycolysis Rates following Diet-Induced Insulin Resistance

Objective: Diet-induced obesity (DIO) leads to an accumulation of intra-myocardial lipid metabolites implicated in causing cardiac insulin resistance and contractile dysfunction. One such metabolite is ceramide, and our aim was to determine the effects of inhibiting de novo ceramide synthesis on cardiac function and insulin stimulated glucose utilization in mice subjected to DIO. Materials and Methods: C57BL/6 mice were fed a low fat diet or subjected to DIO for 12 weeks, and then treated for 4 weeks with either vehicle control or the serine palmitoyl transferase I (SPT I) inhibitor, myriocin. In vivo cardiac function was assessed via ultrasound echocardiography, while glucose metabolism was assessed in isolated working hearts. Results: DIO was not associated with an accumulation of intra-myocardial ceramide, but rather, an accumulation of intra-myocardial DAG (2.63±0.41 vs. 4.80±0.97 nmol/g dry weight). Nonetheless, treatment of DIO mice with myriocin decreased intra-myocardial ceramide levels (50.3±7.7 vs. 26.9±2.7 nmol/g dry weight) and prevented the DIO-associated increase in intra-myocardial DAG levels. Interestingly, although DIO impaired myocardial glycolysis rates (7789±1267 vs. 2671±326 nmol/min/g dry weight), hearts from myriocin treated DIO mice exhibited an increase in glycolysis rates. Conclusions: Our data reveal that although intra-myocardial ceramide does not accumulate following DIO, inhibition of de novo ceramide synthesis nonetheless reduces intra-myocardial ceramide levels and prevents the accumulation of intra-myocardial DAG. These effects improved the DIO-associated impairment of cardiac glycolysis rates, suggesting that SPT I inhibition increases cardiac glucose utilization. © 2012 Ussher et al.published_or_final_versio

Tooth Brushing, Flossing, and Preventive Dental Visits by Detroit-area Residents in Relation to Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors

A survey was conducted to identify (a) factors that influence preventive dental behaviors and (b) target groups for interventions. Data were collected in face-to-face interviews with a probability sample of 662 dentate adults living in the Detroit tricounty area. The interviews included questions about demographic and socioeconomic variables and about three preventive behaviors: brushing, flossing, and preventive dental visits. All behaviors were positively associated with socioeconomic status. Females were more likely than males to perform each of the behaviors at the recommended frequency. The behaviors were only weakly associated with age. Whites were more likely than nonwhites to make regular dental visits, but frequency of brushing and flossing did not vary substantially across racial groups. The impact of race on frequency of dental visits was reduced when socioeconomic status was statistically controlled. Findings suggest that socioeconomic status, race, and sex remain important considerations when planning dental health education or other interventions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65274/1/j.1752-7325.1993.tb02692.x.pd

Physical activity as an aid to smoking cessation during pregnancy (LEAP) trial: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Many women try to stop smoking in pregnancy but fail. One difficulty is that there is insufficient evidence that medications for smoking cessation are effective and safe in pregnancy and thus many women prefer to avoid these. Physical activity (PA) interventions may assist cessation; however, trials examining these interventions have been too small to detect or exclude plausible beneficial effects. The London Exercise And Pregnant smokers (LEAP) trial is investigating whether a PA intervention is effective and cost-effective when used for smoking cessation by pregnant women, and will be the largest study of its kind to date. Methods/design: The LEAP study is a pragmatic, multi-center, two-arm, randomized, controlled trial that will target pregnant women who smoke at least one cigarette a day (and at least five cigarettes a day before pregnancy), and are between 10 and 24 weeks pregnant. Eligible patients are individually randomized to either usual care (that is, behavioral support for smoking cessation) or usual care plus a intervention (entailing supervised exercise on a treadmill plus PA consultations). The primary outcome of the trial is self-reported and biochemically validated continuous abstinence from smoking between a specified quit date and the end of pregnancy. The secondary outcomes, measured at 1 and 4 weeks after the quit date, and at the end of pregnancy and 6 months after childbirth, are PA levels, depression, self-confidence, and cigarette withdrawal symptoms. Smoking status will also be self-reported at 6 months after childbirth. In addition, perinatal measures will be collected, including antenatal complications, duration of labor, mode of delivery, and birth and placental weight. Outcomes will be analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis, and logistic regression models used to compare treatment effects on the primary outcome. Discussion: This trial will assess whether a PA intervention is effective when used for smoking cessation during pregnancy

Toll-Like Receptor 8 Agonist and Bacteria Trigger Potent Activation of Innate Immune Cells in Human Liver

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.The study was supported by a Grant core funding from the Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR, Singapore) and a Singapore Translational Research Investigator Award (NRMC/StaR/013/2012) to AB as well as NIHR Biomedical Centre, Oxford, WT 091663MA, NIAID1U19AI082630-01, Oxford Martin School funding and an NIHR Senior Investigator award to PK

Exercise counseling to enhance smoking cessation outcomes: the Fit2Quit randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Regular exercise has been proposed as a potential smoking cessation aid. PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the effects of an exercise counseling program on cigarette smoking abstinence at 24 weeks. METHODS: A parallel, two-arm, randomized controlled trial was conducted. Adult cigarette smokers (n = 906) who were insufficiently active and interested in quitting were randomized to receive the Fit2Quit intervention (10 exercise telephone counseling sessions over 6 months) plus usual care (behavioral counseling and nicotine replacement therapy) or usual care alone. RESULTS: There were no significant group differences in 7-day point-prevalence and continuous abstinence at 6 months. The more intervention calls successfully delivered, the lower the probability of smoking (OR, 0.88; 95 % CI 0.81-0.97, p = 0.01) in the intervention group. A significant difference was observed for leisure time physical activity (difference = 219.11 MET-minutes/week; 95 % CI 52.65-385.58; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Telephone-delivered exercise counseling may not be sufficient to improve smoking abstinence rates over and above existing smoking cessation services. (Australasian Clinical Trials Registry Number: ACTRN12609000637246.).This was an investigator-initiated study funded by a grant from the Health Research Council of New Zealand (09/338R) and a small project grant from the Heart Foundation of New Zealand (1405). RM was supported by a Heart Foundation of New Zealand Fellowship. VR was supported by a University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarshi

The impact of regular physical activity on fatigue, depression and quality of life in persons with multiple sclerosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to compare fatigue, depression and quality of life scores in persons with multiple sclerosis who do (Exercisers) and do not (Non-exercisers) regularly participate in physical activity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional questionnaire study of 121 patients with MS (age 25–65 yr) living in Queensland, Australia was conducted. Physical activity level, depression, fatigue and quality of life were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Health Status Questionnaire Short Form 36, Becks Depression Inventory and Modified Fatigue Impact Scale.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>52 participants performed at least two 30-min exercise sessions·wk^-1(Exercisers) and 69 did not participate in regular physical activity (Non-exercisers). Exercisers reported favourable fatigue, depression and quality of life scores when compared to Non-exercisers. Significant weak correlations were found between both leisure-time and overall reported physical activity levels and some subscales of the quality of life and fatigue questionnaires. Additionally, some quality of life subscale scores indicated that regular physical activity had a greater benefit in subjects with moderate MS.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Favourable fatigue, depression and quality of life scores were reported by persons with MS who regularly participated in physical activity, when compared to persons with MS who were classified as Non-exercisers.</p

Paradoxical Increase in TAG and DAG Content Parallel the Insulin Sensitizing Effect of Unilateral DGAT1 Overexpression in Rat Skeletal Muscle

BACKGROUND: The involvement of muscle triacylglycerol (TAG) storage in the onset of insulin resistance is questioned and the attention has shifted towards inhibition of insulin signalling by the lipid intermediate diacylglycerol (DAG). The enzyme 1,2-acylCoA:diacylglyceroltransferase-1 (DGAT1) esterifies a fatty acyl-CoA on DAG to form TAG. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate if unilateral overexpression of DGAT1 in adult rat Tibialis anterior (TA) muscle will increase conversion of the lipid intermediate DAG into TAG, thereby improving muscle insulin sensitivity. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The DGAT1 gene construct was injected in the left TA muscle of male rats on chow or high-fat (45% kcal) diet for three weeks, followed by application of one 800 V/cm and four 80 V/cm pulses, using the contralateral leg as sham-electroporated control. Seven days after electroporation, muscle specific insulin sensitivity was assessed with a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp using 2-deoxy-[3H]glucose. Here, we provide evidence that unilateral overexpression of DGAT1 in TA muscle of male rats is associated with an increased rather than decreased DAG content. Strikingly, this increase in DAG content was accompanied by improved muscle insulin sensitivity. Interestingly, markers of muscle lipolysis and mitochondrial function were also increased in DGAT1 overexpressing muscle. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that unilateral DGAT1 overexpression can rescue insulin sensitivity, possibly by increasing DAG and TAG turnover in skeletal muscle. In case of a proper balance between the supply and oxidation of fatty acids in skeletal muscle, the lipid intermediate DAG may not exert harmful effects on insulin signalling