Urban agriculture and food security: a case study in Maringá, PR, Brazil

The urbanization resulting from Brazilian industrialization after World War II influenced the development and infrastructure aspects of urban centers. This generated a growth of the urban population, resulting in socioeconomic structural problems related to public health, education, food insecurity, among others. Urban agriculture consists of agriculture activities within urban spaces and can promote food security to those who practice it and to those who benefit from its access. In this sense, the objective of this study was to analyze the impact of urban agriculture on food security. The research was carried out in community gardens in the city of Maringá, Brazil, using the EBIA method, with procedures of descriptive statistical analysis and multiple linear regression. The results indicate that the activity did not contribute to the food security of people who depend on the resources generated, whether for consumption or income

Genomic epidemiology of methicillin-resistant and -susceptible Staphylococcus aureus from bloodstream infections

Background: Bloodstream infections due to Staphylococcus aureus cause significant patient morbidity and mortality worldwide. Of major concern is the emergence and spread of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in bloodstream infections, which are associated with therapeutic failure and increased mortality. Methods: We generated high quality draft genomes from 323 S. aureus blood culture isolates from patients diagnosed with bloodstream infection at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, New Hampshire, USA in 2010–2018. Results: In silico detection of antimicrobial resistance genes revealed that 133/323 isolates (41.18%) carry horizontally acquired genes conferring resistance to at least three antimicrobial classes, with resistance determinants for aminoglycosides, beta-lactams and macrolides being the most prevalent. The most common resistance genes were blaZ and mecA, which were found in 262/323 (81.11%) and 104/323 (32.20%) isolates, respectively. Majority of the MRSA (102/105 isolates or 97.14%) identified using in vitro screening were related to two clonal complexes (CC) 5 and 8. The two CCs emerged in the New Hampshire population at separate times. We estimated that the time to the most recent common ancestor of CC5 was 1973 (95% highest posterior density (HPD) intervals: 1966–1979) and 1946 for CC8 (95% HPD intervals: 1924–1959). The effective population size of CC8 increased until the late 1960s when it started to level off until late 2000s. The levelling off of CC8 in 1968 coincided with the acquisition of SCCmec Type IV in majority of the strains. The plateau in CC8 also coincided with the acceleration in the population growth of CC5 carrying SCCmec Type II in the early 1970s, which eventually leveled off in the early 1990s. Lastly, we found evidence for frequent recombination in the two clones during their recent clonal expansion, which has likely contributed to their success in the population. Conclusions: We conclude that the S. aureus population was shaped mainly by the clonal expansion, recombination and co-dominance of two major MRSA clones in the last five decades in New Hampshire, USA. These results have important implications on the development of effective and robust strategies for intervention, control and treatment of life-threatening bloodstream infections

Improving Safety for Pedestrians and Bicyclists Accessing Transit

Regardless of how a person began their trip; they walk, roll, or bicycle to access transit. Because of this, agencies should understand pedestrian and bicyclist characteristics and needs when planning and designing transit systems. This guide is intended for transit agencies, State and local roadway owners, and regional organizations involved with planning and designing transit stops and the roadway, pedestrian, and bicycle facilities that provide access to transit. The guide contains wide ranging topics related to pedestrian and bicyclist safety and access to transit

Multi-Polygenic Analysis of Nicotine Dependence in Individuals of European Ancestry

Introduction: Heritability estimates of nicotine dependence (ND) range from 40% to 70%, but discovery GWAS of ND are underpowered and have limited predictive utility. In this work, we leverage genetically correlated traits and diseases to increase the accuracy of polygenic risk prediction. Methods: We employed a multi-trait model using summary statistic-based best linear unbiased predictors (SBLUP) of genetic correlates of DSM-IV diagnosis of ND in 6394 individuals of European Ancestry (prevalence = 45.3%, %female = 46.8%, mu(age) = 40.08 [s.d. = 10.43]) and 3061 individuals from a nationally-representative sample with Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence symptom count (FTND; 51.32% female, mean age = 28.9 [s.d. = 1.70]). Polygenic predictors were derived from GWASs known to be phenotypically and genetically correlated with ND (i.e., Cigarettes per Day [CPD], the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test [AUDIT-Consumption and AUDIT-Problems], Neuroticism, Depression, Schizophrenia, Educational Attainment, Body Mass Index [BMI], and Self-Perceived Risk-Taking); including Height as a negative control. Analyses controlled for age, gender, study site, and the first 10 ancestral principal components. Results: The multi-trait model accounted for 3.6% of the total trait variance in DSM-IV ND. Educational Attainment (beta = -0.125; 95% CI: [-0.149,-0.101]), CPD (0.071 [0.047,0.095]), and Self-Perceived Risk-Taking (0.051 [0.026,0.075]) were the most robust predictors. PGS effects on FTND were limited. Conclusions: Risk for ND is not only polygenic, but also pleiotropic. Polygenic effects on ND that are accessible by these traits are limited in size and act additively to explain risk.Peer reviewe

The Genetics of Neuropathic Pain from Model Organisms to Clinical Application.

Neuropathic pain (NeuP) arises due to injury of the somatosensory nervous system and is both common and disabling, rendering an urgent need for non-addictive, effective new therapies. Given the high evolutionary conservation of pain, investigative approaches from Drosophila mutagenesis to human Mendelian genetics have aided our understanding of the maladaptive plasticity underlying NeuP. Successes include the identification of ion channel variants causing hyper-excitability and the importance of neuro-immune signaling. Recent developments encompass improved sensory phenotyping in animal models and patients, brain imaging, and electrophysiology-based pain biomarkers, the collection of large well-phenotyped population cohorts, neurons derived from patient stem cells, and high-precision CRISPR generated genetic editing. We will discuss how to harness these resources to understand the pathophysiological drivers of NeuP, define its relationship with comorbidities such as anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders, and explore how to apply these findings to the prediction, diagnosis, and treatment of NeuP in the clinic

Bridging Research, Practice, and Policy: The “Evidence Academy” Conference Model

Innovative models to facilitate more rapid uptake of research findings into practice are urgently needed. Community members who engage in research can accelerate this process by acting as adoption agents. We implemented an Evidence Academy conference model bringing together researchers, health professionals, advocates, and policy makers across North Carolina to discuss high-impact, life-saving study results. The overall goal is to develop dissemination and implementation strategies for translating evidence into practice and policy. Each one-day, single-theme, regional meeting focuses on a leading community-identified health priority. The model capitalizes on the power of diverse local networks to encourage broad, common awareness of new research findings. Furthermore, it emphasizes critical reflection and active group discussion on how to incorporate new evidence within and across organizations, health care systems, and communities. During the concluding session, participants are asked to articulate action plans relevant to their individual interests, work setting, or area of expertise

Reemerging Leptospirosis, California

Leptospirosis is a reemerging infectious disease in California. Leptospirosis is the most widespread zoonosis throughout the world, though it is infrequently diagnosed in the continental United States. From 1982 to 2001, most reported California cases occurred in previously healthy young adult white men after recreational exposures to contaminated freshwater. We report five recent cases of human leptospirosis acquired in California, including the first documented common-source outbreak of human leptospirosis acquired in this state, and describe the subsequent environmental investigation. Salient features in the California cases include high fever with uniform renal impairment and mild hepatitis. Because leptospirosis can progress rapidly if untreated, this reemerging infection deserves consideration in febrile patients with a history of recreational freshwater exposure, even in states with a low reported incidence of infection