Dietary Supplementation with Soluble Plantain Non-Starch Polysaccharides Inhibits Intestinal Invasion of Salmonella Typhimurium in the Chicken

Soluble fibres (non-starch polysaccharides, NSP) from edible plants but particularly plantain banana (Musa spp.), have been shown in vitro and ex vivo to prevent various enteric pathogens from adhering to, or translocating across, the human intestinal epithelium, a property that we have termed contrabiotic. Here we report that dietary plantain fibre prevents invasion of the chicken intestinal mucosa by Salmonella. In vivo experiments were performed with chicks fed from hatch on a pellet diet containing soluble plantain NSP (0 to 200 mg/d) and orally infected with S.Typhimurium 4/74 at 8 d of age. Birds were sacrificed 3, 6 and 10 d post-infection. Bacteria were enumerated from liver, spleen and caecal contents. In vitro studies were performed using chicken caecal crypts and porcine intestinal epithelial cells infected with Salmonella enterica serovars following pre-treatment separately with soluble plantain NSP and acidic or neutral polysaccharide fractions of plantain NSP, each compared with saline vehicle. Bacterial adherence and invasion were assessed by gentamicin protection assay. In vivo dietary supplementation with plantain NSP 50 mg/d reduced invasion by S.Typhimurium, as reflected by viable bacterial counts from splenic tissue, by 98.9% (95% CI, 98.1–99.7; P<0.0001). In vitro studies confirmed that plantain NSP (5–10 mg/ml) inhibited adhesion of S.Typhimurium 4/74 to a porcine epithelial cell-line (73% mean inhibition (95% CI, 64–81); P<0.001) and to primary chick caecal crypts (82% mean inhibition (95% CI, 75–90); P<0.001). Adherence inhibition was shown to be mediated via an effect on the epithelial cells and Ussing chamber experiments with ex-vivo human ileal mucosa showed that this effect was associated with increased short circuit current but no change in electrical resistance. The inhibitory activity of plantain NSP lay mainly within the acidic/pectic (homogalacturonan-rich) component. Supplementation of chick feed with plantain NSP was well tolerated and shows promise as a simple approach for reducing invasive salmonellosis

The neighbourhood social environment and alcohol use among urban and rural Scottish adolescents

Funding for the Scottish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children was provided by NHS Scotland. This work was also supported by the 600th Anniversary Ph.D. Scholarship which was awarded to Gina Martin by the University of St Andrews.Objectives This research examined the relationship between neighbourhood social environmental characteristics and drinking outcomes among a sample of urban and rural adolescents. Methods From a sample of 1558 Scottish secondary schoolchildren, surveyed as part of the 2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study, we modelled three drinking outcomes on a variety of neighbourhood conditions, including social cohesion, disorder, alcohol outlet density, deprivation, and urban/rurality. Nested and cross-classified multilevel logistic regressions were specified. Results An urban-to-rural gradient was found with non-urban adolescents exhibiting higher odds of having ever drank. Neighbourhood social cohesion related to having ever drank. Among drinkers, those living in accessible small towns had higher odds of weekly drinking and drunkenness compared to urban areas. Higher odds of drunkenness were also found in remote rural areas. Those residing in the least deprived areas had lower odds of weekly drinking. Conclusions In Scotland, inequalities exist in adolescent alcohol use by urban/rurality and neighbourhood social conditions. Findings support regional targeting of public health efforts to address inequalities. Future work is needed to develop and evaluate intervention and prevention approaches for neighbourhoods at risk.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

The Glycosyltransferase Repertoire of the Spikemoss Selaginella moellendorffii and a Comparative Study of Its Cell Wall

Spike mosses are among the most basal vascular plants, and one species, Selaginella moellendorffii, was recently selected for full genome sequencing by the Joint Genome Institute (JGI). Glycosyltransferases (GTs) are involved in many aspects of a plant life, including cell wall biosynthesis, protein glycosylation, primary and secondary metabolism. Here, we present a comparative study of the S. moellendorffii genome across 92 GT families and an additional family (DUF266) likely to include GTs. The study encompasses the moss Physcomitrella patens, a non-vascular land plant, while rice and Arabidopsis represent commelinid and non-commelinid seed plants. Analysis of the subset of GT-families particularly relevant to cell wall polysaccharide biosynthesis was complemented by a detailed analysis of S. moellendorffii cell walls. The S. moellendorffii cell wall contains many of the same components as seed plant cell walls, but appears to differ somewhat in its detailed architecture. The S. moellendorffii genome encodes fewer GTs (287 GTs including DUF266s) than the reference genomes. In a few families, notably GT51 and GT78, S. moellendorffii GTs have no higher plant orthologs, but in most families S. moellendorffii GTs have clear orthologies with Arabidopsis and rice. A gene naming convention of GTs is proposed which takes orthologies and GT-family membership into account. The evolutionary significance of apparently modern and ancient traits in S. moellendorffii is discussed, as is its use as a reference organism for functional annotation of GTs

Capacity model for ambulance dispatch centres 2022

Het RIVM heeft een model ontwikkeld dat kan inschatten hoeveel centralisten op een meldkamer voor ambulancezorg nodig zijn. Centralisten beantwoorden verzoeken van mensen die naar het alarmnummer 112 bellen met een acute medische vraag. Op basis van dit gesprek beoordelen de centralisten of een ambulance nodig is en hoe snel die ter plaatse moet zijn. Voor heel Nederland is het benodigde aantal centralisten op een meldkamer ambulancezorg op werkdagen overdag 122. Het model is ontwikkeld om bij de berekening van het nodige aantal centralisten beter rekening te houden met hun werkdruk. Het model houdt namelijk rekening met werkzaamheden met en zonder spoed, de werkdruk bij pieken en met hersteltijd na emotionele gesprekken. Het RIVM heeft dit model in opdracht van het ministerie van VWS ontwikkeld, samen met de Ambulancezorg Nederland (AZN) en Zorgverzekeraars Nederland (ZN).RIVM has developed a model to assess the number of operators required per ambulance dispatch centre. Dispatch centre operators handle calls from people who contact the 112 emergency number to request urgent medical assistance. Based on the information in the call, the operators determine whether an ambulance needs to be dispatched and how quickly it needs to be on site. The total number of operators required during the daytime on working days in all ambulance dispatch centres in the Netherlands is 122. The model was developed to better account for work pressure when calculating the required number of operators. It does so by taking into account the difference between urgent and non-urgent calls, as well as peak periods and recovery time after distressing calls. RIVM developed this model in cooperation with the Dutch Ambulance Sector Association (Ambulancezorg Nederland, AZN) and the Association of Dutch Health Insurers (Zorgverzekeraars Nederland, ZN)

Frame of reference for distribution and availability of ambulance care 2019

Dit rapport bevat een erratum d.d. 02-12-2019 na pagina 46. Op basis van ritgegevens over het jaar 2018 heeft het RIVM berekend hoeveel ambulances er in Nederland nodig zijn. Op werkdagen overdag zijn er 626 ambulances nodig, twaalf meer dan uit de doorrekening over 2017 bleek. De berekeningen wijzen uit dat er op zaterdagen overdag twaalf en op zondagen overdag elf ambulances meer nodig zijn dan in het referentiekader-2018 was bepaald. De stijging op landelijk niveau van twaalf ambulances is groter dan in het referentiekader-2018. Toen waren er nog vijf ambulances meer nodig ten opzichte van het voorgaande jaar. De toename komt doordat er 2 procent meer spoedeisende inzetten waren dan in 2017. Ook steeg de gemiddelde ritduur in 2018: met 3,2 procent voor inzetten voor levensbedreigende situaties (A1-urgentie), met 2,4 procent voor inzetten voor niet levensbedreigende situaties (A2-urgentie), en met 5,8 procent voor planbare inzetten. Het aantal inzetten in de planbare ambulancezorg daalde met 3,0 procent. De benodigde capaciteit van de ambulancezorg in Nederland wordt berekend met behulp van een zogeheten referentiekader. Dit kader definieert het aantal ambulances waarmee de ambulancezorg in Nederland kan worden uitgevoerd. Dit gebeurt op basis van een aantal randvoorwaarden, zoals de tijd na een melding waarbinnen een ambulance ter plaatse moet zijn en de spreiding van de standplaatsen over het land. In opdracht van het ministerie van VWS heeft het RIVM het referentiekader in 2019 geactualiseerd met cijfers over het gebruik van ambulancezorg in Nederland in 2018.This report contains an erratum d.d. 02-12-2019 after page 46. Based on production data for 2018, RIVM calculated how many ambulances are needed in the Netherlands. On workdays 626 ambulances are needed during the day, twelve more than calculated for 2017. On workdays in the evening, nine more ambulances are needed. On weekends, this varies between five and twelve ambulances, depending on the day and time. The increase of the number of ambulances needed is more than in 2017. In 2017, compared to the year before, five more ambulances were needed. The slight increase in the number of ambulances needed is related to the increase in the number of emergency ambulance services and the average service time in 2018. The number of emergency services increased by 2.0 percent, the number of planned services decreased by 4.0 percent. The average service time increased by 3.2 percent for emergency services with A1-urgency, by 2.4 percent for A2-urgent services and by 5.8 percent for planned services. The required capacity of ambulance care in the Netherlands is calculated using a national ambulance plan. This is a framework that defines the number of ambulances with which ambulance care can be carried out in the Netherlands, given a number of preconditions, such as the time after notification within which an ambulance must be on site and the distribution of the stations. On behalf of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, RIVM updated the national ambulance plan in 2019 with figures on the use of ambulance care in the Netherlands in 2018.Ministerie van VW

2022 reference framework for the distribution and availability of ambulance care

Het RIVM berekent elk jaar hoeveel ambulances in Nederland in het volgende jaar nodig zijn. In 2023 zijn dat er op werkdagen overdag 692; 40 meer dan in 2022. Ook op zaterdagen en zondagen zijn overdag meer ambulances nodig dan dat er voor 2022 was berekend met het referentiekader-2021, respectievelijk 40 en 35. Dat komt omdat ambulances er langer over deden om hun bestemming te bereiken. Ook vragen mensen de laatste jaren steeds vaker om een ambulance. Het RIVM berekent deze aantallen ambulances in Nederland met het ‘referentiekader spreiding en beschikbaarheid ambulancezorg’. Dit model is gebaseerd op een aantal uitgangspunten voor de Nederlandse ambulancezorg. Een voorbeeld is de tijd na een melding waarbinnen een ambulance ter plaatse moet zijn. Het model schat het benodigde aantal ambulances in op basis van het aantal ambulanceritten en de duur daarvan in het jaar ervoor. Om de duur van een rit goed te kunnen berekenen, wordt een rijtijdenmodel gebruikt dat om de vier jaar wordt ge?pdatet. Dit jaar is met een geactualiseerd rijtijdenmodel gewerkt, dat goed blijkt aan te sluiten op de praktijk. In opdracht van het ministerie van VWS heeft het RIVM het referentiekader in 2022 geactualiseerd met cijfers over het gebruik van ambulancezorg in Nederland in 2021.Every year, RIVM calculates how many ambulances will be needed in the Netherlands in the following year. In 2023, some 692 ambulances will be needed in the daytime hours on working days – 40 more than in 2022. More ambulances will likewise be needed on Saturdays and Sundays during daytime hours than had been calculated for 2022 using the 2021 reference framework, i.e. 40 compared to 35 respectively. This is due to the fact that ambulances took longer to reach their destination. Recent years have also seen an increase in the number of ambulance requests made by the general public. The ambulance numbers in the Netherlands are calculated by RIVM using the ‘reference framework for the distribution and availability of ambulance care’. This model is based on a number of key principles for Dutch ambulance care, one of which being the response time within which an ambulance must arrive on site after a call has come in. The model estimates the required number of ambulances based on the number of ambulances rides and their duration in the previous year. A driving time model is used to calculate the duration of a ride accurately – the model is updated every four years. This year’s reference framework relied on an updated driving time model, which appears to be in line with practice. On behalf of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, RIVM has updated the reference framework for 2022 with figures on the use of ambulance care in the Netherlands in 2021