Munch and Move: evaluation of a preschool healthy eating and movement skill program

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Early childhood services have been identified as a key setting for promoting healthy eating and physical activity as a means of preventing overweight and obesity. However, there is limited evidence on effective nutrition and physical activity programs in this setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate <it>Munch and Move</it>, a low-intensity, state-wide, professional development program designed to support early childhood professionals to promote healthy eating and physical activity among children in their care.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The evaluation involved 15 intervention and 14 control preschools (n = 430; mean age 4.4 years) in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and was based on a randomised-control design with pre and post evaluation of children's lunchbox contents, fundamental movement skills (FMS), preschool policies and practices and staff attitudes, knowledge and confidence related to physical activity, healthy eating and recreational screen time.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At follow up, FMS scores for locomotor, object control and total FMS score significantly improved by 3.4, 2.1 and 5.5 points more (respectively) in the intervention group compared with the control group (P < 0.001) and the number of FMS sessions per week increased by 1.5 (P = 0.05). The lunchbox audit showed that children in the intervention group significantly reduced sweetened drinks by 0.13 serves (i.e., 46 ml) (P = 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The findings suggest that a low intensity preschool healthy weight intervention program can improve certain weight related behaviours. The findings also suggest that change to food policies are difficult to initiate mid-year and potentially a longer implementation period may be required to determine the efficacy of food policies to influence the contents of preschoolers lunchboxes.</p

A farm transmission model for Salmonella in pigs, applicable to EU members states

The burden of Salmonella entering pig slaughterhouses across the European Union (EU) is considered a primary food safety concern. In order to assist EU Member States with the development of National Control Plans, we have developed a farm transmission model applicable to all Member States. It is an individual-based stochastic Susceptible-Infected model, that takes into account four different sources of infection of pigs (sows, feed, external contaminants such as rodents and new stock) and various management practices linked to Salmonella transmission/protection (housing, flooring, feed, All-In-All-Out production). A novel development within the model is the assessment of dynamic shedding rates. The results of the model, parameterized for two case study Member States (one high and one low prevalence) suggest that breeding herd prevalence is a strong indicator of slaughter pig prevalence. Until a Member States’ breeding herd prevalence is brought below 10% then the sow will be the dominant source of infection to pigs raised for meat production; below this level of breeding herd prevalence, feed becomes the dominant force of infection

The risk of infection by African swine fever virus in European swine through boar movement and legal trade of pigs and pig meat

African swine fever (ASF) is currently spreading westwards throughout Europe and eastwards into China, with cases occurring in both wild boar and domestic pigs. A generic risk assessment framework is used to determine the probability of first infection with ASF virus (ASFV) at a fine spatial scale across European Union Member States. The framework aims to assist risk managers across Europe with their ASF surveillance and intervention activities. Performing the risk assessment at a fine spatial scale allows for hot-spot surveillance, which can aid risk managers by directing surveillance or intervention resources at those areas or pathways deemed most at risk, and hence enables prioritization of limited resources. We use 2018 cases of ASF to estimate prevalence of the disease in both wild boar and pig populations and compute the risk of initial infection for 2019 at a 100 km2 cell resolution via three potential pathways: legal trade in live pigs, natural movement of wild boar, and legal trade in pig meat products. We consider the number of pigs, boar and amount of pig meat entering our area of interest, the prevalence of the disease in the origin country, the probability of exposure of susceptible pigs or boar in the area of interest to introduced infected pigs, boar, or meat from an infected pig, and the probability of transmission to susceptible animals. We provide maps across Europe indicating regions at highest risk of initial infection. Results indicate that the risk of ASF in 2019 was predominantly focused on those regions which already had numerous cases in 2018 (Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania, and Latvia). The riskiest pathway for ASFV transmission to pigs was the movement of wild boar for Eastern European countries and legal trade of pigs for Western European countries. New infections are more likely to occur in wild boar rather than pigs, for both the pig meat and wild boar movement pathways. Our results provide an opportunity to focus surveillance activities and thus increase our ability to detect ASF introductions earlier, a necessary requirement if we are to successfully control the spread of this devastating disease for the pig industry

Lipoprotein biosynthesis as a target for anti-Wolbachia treatment of filarial nematodes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis are debilitating diseases caused by filarial nematodes. Disease pathogenesis is induced by inflammatory responses following the death of the parasite. <it>Wolbachia </it>endosymbionts of filariae are potent inducers of innate and adaptive inflammation and bacterial lipoproteins have been identified as the ligands that bind toll-like receptors (TLR) 2 and TLR6. Lipoproteins are important structural and functional components of bacteria and therefore enzymes involved in <it>Wolbachia </it>lipoprotein biosynthesis are potential chemotherapeutic targets.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Globomycin, a signal peptidase II (LspA) inhibitor, has activity against Gram-negative bacteria and a putative <it>lspA </it>gene has been identified from the <it>Wolbachia </it>genome of <it>Brugia malayi </it>(<it>w</it>Bm). The amino acids required for function are strictly conserved and functionality was verified by complementation tests in a temperature-sensitive <it>Escherichia coli lspA </it>mutant. Also, transformation of wild type <it>E. coli </it>with <it>Wolbachia lspA </it>conferred significant globomycin resistance. A cell-based screen has been developed utilizing a <it>Wolbachia</it>-containing <it>Aedes albopictus </it>cell line to assay novel compounds active against <it>Wolbachia</it>. Globomycin was screened using this assay, which resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in <it>Wolbachia </it>load. Furthermore, globomycin was also effective in reducing the motility and viability of adult <it>B. malayi in vitro</it>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These studies validate lipoprotein biosynthesis as a target in an organism for which no genetic tools are available. Further studies to evaluate drugs targeting this pathway are underway as part of the A-WOL drug discovery and development program.</p

Diagnosing plant diseases: what do we ask and why do we ask for it? [Online community]

Diagnosing a plant disease or other injury is like going to a medical doctor who must ask several questions before making an accurate diagnosis and recommending a treatment. If you withhold information, it can lead to a misdiagnosis. The same goes for crop diseases. Plant pathologists, specifically diagnosticians, are often asked “What is wrong with my plant; followed by, what can I do to manage the problem?” In most cases it may be too late to save the specific plant, but a correct diagnosis is important to prescribe methods that prevent the problem on other plants or in the future. So how do we go about diagnosing plant diseases? Proper identification of diseases and of the causal agents is vital in prescribing a sound disease management strategy, avoiding further losses and preventing the waste of time and money. Often, we rely on symptoms for the identification of a disease. As similar symptoms can be produced by different causal agents, the use of symptoms alone in most cases is an inadequate method for disease identification. While other methods for identification are available, it may also take a week or more to accurately identify the disease-causing agent. So, what can diagnosticians do? Asking many questions related to the plants’ environmental and cultural factors to help eliminate or identify possible causes of the problem. To help gather this information we provide disease diagnosis request forms for you to fill out when requesting our free diagnostic services. It is important that you use the form relevant to the laboratory you are submitting a sample to. QDAF Plant Disease Enquiry Form USQ Centre for Crop Health Plant Disease Diagnosis Submission Form Disease testing services around Australia Information gathered from these forms is crucial in helping narrow the problem down to a few suspects, which will require further study in the laboratory before making a final diagnosis. Regardless of the outcome, a recommendation will be given as to what should be done with the problem

Absence of Wolbachia endobacteria in the non-filariid nematodes Angiostrongylus cantonensis and A. costaricensis

The majority of filarial nematodes harbour Wolbachia endobacteria, including the major pathogenic species in humans, Onchocerca volvulus, Brugia malayi and Wuchereria bancrofti. These obligate endosymbionts have never been demonstrated unequivocally in any non-filariid nematode. However, a recent report described the detection by PCR of Wolbachia in the metastrongylid nematode, Angiostrongylus cantonensis (rat lungworm), a leading cause of eosinophilic meningitis in humans. To address the intriguing possibility of Wolbachia infection in nematode species distinct from the Family Onchocercidae, we used both PCR and immunohistochemistry to screen samples of A. cantonensis and A. costaricensis for the presence of this endosymbiont. We were unable to detect Wolbachia in either species using these methodologies. In addition, bioinformatic and phylogenetic analyses of the Wolbachia gene sequences reported previously from A. cantonensis indicate that they most likely result from contamination with DNA from arthropods and filarial nematodes. This study demonstrates the need for caution in relying solely on PCR for identification of new endosymbiont strains from invertebrate DNA samples

Tracking key virulence loci encoding aerobactin and salmochelin siderophore synthesis in Klebsiella pneumoniae.

BACKGROUND: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a recognised agent of multidrug-resistant (MDR) healthcare-associated infections; however, individual strains vary in their virulence potential due to the presence of mobile accessory genes. In particular, gene clusters encoding the biosynthesis of siderophores aerobactin (iuc) and salmochelin (iro) are associated with invasive disease and are common amongst hypervirulent K. pneumoniae clones that cause severe community-associated infections such as liver abscess and pneumonia. Concerningly, iuc has also been reported in MDR strains in the hospital setting, where it was associated with increased mortality, highlighting the need to understand, detect and track the mobility of these virulence loci in the K. pneumoniae population. METHODS: Here, we examined the genetic diversity, distribution and mobilisation of iuc and iro loci amongst 2503 K. pneumoniae genomes using comparative genomics approaches and developed tools for tracking them via genomic surveillance. RESULTS: Iro and iuc were detected at low prevalence (< 10%). Considerable genetic diversity was observed, resolving into five iro and six iuc lineages that show distinct patterns of mobilisation and dissemination in the K. pneumoniae population. The major burden of iuc and iro amongst the genomes analysed was due to two linked lineages (iuc1/iro1 74% and iuc2/iro2 14%), each carried by a distinct non-self-transmissible IncFIBK virulence plasmid type that we designate KpVP-1 and KpVP-2. These dominant types also carry hypermucoidy (rmpA) determinants and include all previously described virulence plasmids of K. pneumoniae. The other iuc and iro lineages were associated with diverse plasmids, including some carrying IncFII conjugative transfer regions and some imported from Escherichia coli; the exceptions were iro3 (mobilised by ICEKp1) and iuc4 (fixed in the chromosome of K. pneumoniae subspecies rhinoscleromatis). Iro/iuc mobile genetic elements (MGEs) appear to be stably maintained at high frequency within known hypervirulent strains (ST23, ST86, etc.) but were also detected at low prevalence in others such as MDR strain ST258. CONCLUSIONS: Iuc and iro are mobilised in K. pneumoniae via a limited number of MGEs. This study provides a framework for identifying and tracking these important virulence loci, which will be important for genomic surveillance efforts including monitoring for the emergence of hypervirulent MDR K. pneumoniae strains

Identification of intraneuronal amyloid beta oligomers in locus coeruleus neurons of Alzheimer's patients and their potential impact on inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors and neuronal excitability

The author's final peer reviewed version can be found by following the URI link. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Aims Amyloid β oligomers (AβO) are potent modulators of Alzheimer’s pathology, yet their impact on one of the earliest brain regions to exhibit signs of the condition, the locus coeruleus (LC), remains to be determined. Of particular importance is whether AβO impact the spontaneous excitability of LC neurons. This parameter determines brain‐wide noradrenaline (NA) release, and thus NA‐mediated brain functions, including cognition, emotion and immune function, which are all compromised in Alzheimer’s. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the expression profile of AβO in the LC of Alzheimer’s patients and to probe their potential impact on the molecular and functional correlates of LC excitability, using a mouse model of increased Aβ production (APP‐PSEN1). Methods and Results Immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy, using AβO‐specific antibodies, confirmed LC AβO expression both intraneuronally and extracellularly in both Alzheimer’s and APP‐PSEN1 samples. Patch clamp electrophysiology recordings revealed that APP‐PSEN1 LC neuronal hyperexcitability accompanied this AβO expression profile, arising from a diminished inhibitory effect of GABA, due to impaired expression and function of the GABA‐A receptor (GABAAR) α3 subunit. This altered LC α3‐GABAAR expression profile overlapped with AβO expression in samples from both APP‐PSEN1 mice and Alzheimer’s patients. Finally, strychnine‐sensitive glycine receptors (GlyRs) remained resilient to Aβ‐induced changes and their activation reversed LC hyperexcitability. Conclusions The data suggest a close association between AβO and α3‐GABAARs in the LC of Alzheimer’s patients, and their potential to dysregulate LC activity, thereby contributing to the spectrum of pathology of the LC‐NA system in this condition