Chicken anemia virus : an understanding of the in-vitro host response over time

Chicken anemia virus (CAV) is an economically important virus affecting the chicken meat and egg industry. CAV is characterized by anemia, lymphoid depletion, and immunosuppression. Microarrays were used to investigate the response of MDCC-MSB1 cells (MSB1) to infection with CAV at 24 and 48 h post-infection (hpi). The major genes responding to CAV infection include genes involved in inflammation, apoptosis, and antiviral activity. Several cytokines were differentially regulated at either 24 or 48 hpi, including interleukin 2 (IL-2), interleukin receptors IL-1R, IL-22R, IL-18R, and IL-7R, and interferon-α (IFN-α). While there were many genes differentially regulated in this experiment, only two genes were common to both time points, suggesting a dramatic change in gene expression over the two time points studied. The present study is the first microarray experiment to investigate CAV, and we identified a number of key pathways involved in viral infection. Overall, there were more genes upregulated at 24 hpi than at 48 hpi, including genes involved in cytokine signaling, apoptosis, and antiviral activity. The two time points were vastly different in their gene expression patterns, in that at 24 hpi there were many genes involved in the response to infection, whereas at 48 hpi there were many genes associated with apoptosis and immunosuppression.

Changes in the rates of weight and waist circumference gain in Australian adults over time: a longitudinal cohort study

OBJECTIVE: To assess in a single cohort whether annual weight and waist circumference (WC) change has varied over time.

DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study with three surveys (1) 1999/2000; (2) 2004/2005 and (3) 2011/2012. Generalised linear mixed models with random effects were used to compare annualised weight and WC change between surveys 1 and 2 (period 1) with that between surveys 2 and 3 (period 2). Models were adjusted for age to analyse changes with time rather than age. Models were additionally adjusted for sex, education status, area-level socioeconomic disadvantage, ethnicity, body mass index, diabetes status and smoking status.

SETTING: The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle study (AusDiab)-a population-based, stratified-cluster survey of 11247 adults aged ≥25 years. PARTICIPANTS: 3351 Australian adults who attended each of three surveys and had complete measures of weight, WC and covariates.

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Weight and WC were measured at each survey. Change in weight and WC was annualised for comparison between the two periods.

RESULTS: Mean weight and WC increased in both periods (0.34 kg/year, 0.43 cm/year period 1; 0.13 kg/year, 0.46 cm/year period 2). Annualised weight gain in period 2 was 0.11 kg/year (95% CI 0.06 to 0.15) less than period 1. Lesser annual weight gain between the two periods was not seen for those with greatest area-level socioeconomic disadvantage, or in men over the age of 55. In contrast, the annualised WC increase in period 2 was greater than period 1 (0.07 cm/year, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.12). The increase was greatest in men aged 55+ years and those with a greater area-level socioeconomic disadvantage.

CONCLUSIONS: Between 2004/2005 and 2011/2012, Australian adults in a national study continued to gain weight, but more slowly than 1999/2000-2004/2005. While weight gain may be slowing, this was not observed for older men or those in more disadvantaged groups, and the same cannot be said for WC.

Family-based interventions for reducing sedentary time in youth: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Family involvement in interventions to reduce sedentary time may help foster appropriate long-term screen-based habits in children. This review systematically synthesized evidence from randomized controlled trials of interventions with a family component that targeted reduction of sedentary time, including TV viewing, video games and computer use, in children. MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycInfo, CINAHL and Embase were searched from inception through March 2012. Seventeen articles were considered eligible and included in the review. Studies were judged to be at low-to-moderate risk of bias. Despite inconsistent study results, level of parental involvement, rather than the setting itself, appeared an important determinant of intervention success. Studies including a parental component of medium-to-high intensity were consistently associated with statistically significant changes in sedentary behaviours. Participant age was also identified as a determinant of intervention outcomes; all three studies conducted in pre-school children demonstrated significant decreases in sedentary time. Finally, TV exposure appeared to be related to changes in energy intake rather than physical activity. Future studies should assess the effects of greater parental involvement and child age on success of sedentary behaviour interventions. More research is required to better understand the relationship between screen time and health behaviours, particularly energy intake.

Population-Based Randomized Controlled Trial of a Stage-Targeted Physical Activity Intervention

BACKGROUND: Intervention trials with self-selected participants have shown that mailed stage-targeted print materials can increase participation in physical activity in the short term. We examined the effects of a mailed stage-targeted print intervention designed to promote physical activity, in a random sample of adults living in a regional city.

METHOD: Participants (n = 462, 40-60 years of age) were randomly allocated to an intervention (n = 227) or control group (n = 235). Measures included validated 2-week physical activity recall and stage of motivational readiness for physical activity. The intervention consisted of a single mailing of a letter and full-color stage-targeted booklets (specific to precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, and action/maintenance) 1 week postbaseline. Follow-up interviews were conducted at 2 and 6 months postbaseline.

RESULTS: After 2 months, participants in the intervention group were significantly more likely to meet the current American College of Sports Medicine/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation for sufficient physical activity than those in the control group (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.40; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.44-3.99). After 6 months, intervention participants who reported receiving and reading the intervention materials were significantly more likely to be meeting the sufficient physical activity criterion compared with the control group (adjusted OR = 2.03; 95% CI = 1.16-3.56).

CONCLUSIONS: The stage-targeted print intervention was effective in promoting short-term increases in physical activity and was most effective for participants who recognized and used the materials. This low-cost, generalizable intervention has demonstrated potential as a practical population-based physical activity promotion strategy. Further research is required before widespread dissemination would be justified, as additional strategies may be required to ensure sustained change.

Occupant satisfaction with workplace design in new and old environments

Purpose: – The aim of this paper is to investigate time-factors in occupant-environment relationships.

Design/methodology/approach: – The paper analyses satisfaction ratings on 12 workplace environment features collected from more than 5,000 occupants in 48 office buildings in Australia. The database is divided into seven environment categories: first occupied after construction; new occupation after major update; recent relocation into an existing environment; re-occupying an environment after refurbishment; relocation of workspace in an existing environment; acclimatised occupation of a refurbished workspace; and continued occupation of an existing environment. Cumulative frequency profiles of the collected ratings for each of these categories are analysed qualitatively and quantitatively.

Findings: – The study shows that updated environments which are occupied by the same organisation before and after refurbishment are more successful than environments which are occupied by a new organisation after update. New buildings provide the greatest number of satisfied occupants. While many workplace design aspects are successfully addressed in newly designed and updated environments, satisfaction with acoustic and visual design features is equally poor in all investigated environment categories.

Originality/value: – The study develops understanding of which environment categories, defined by the duration of the occupant-environment relationships, are most successful in providing satisfying design features. The study thereby provides advice for facility management decision making.

The timing of Rapid-Response Team activations: a multicentre international study

Background:
Most studies of Rapid-Response Teams (RRTs) assess their effect on outcomes of all hospitalised patients. Little information exists on RRT activation patterns or why RRT calls are needed. Triage error may necessitate RRT review of ward patients shortly after hospital admission. RRT diurnal activation rates may reflect the likely frequency of caregiver visits.

Objectives:
To study the timing of RRT calls in relation to time of day and day of week, and their frequency and outcomes in relation to days after hospital admission.

Methods:
We prospectively studied RRT calls over 1 month in seven hospitals during 2009, collecting data on patient age, sex, admitting unit, admission source, limitations of medical therapy (LOMTs), and admission and discharge dates. We assessed the timing of RRT calls in relation to hospital admission and circadian variation; and differences in characteristics and outcomes of calls occurring early (Days 0 and 1) versus late (after Day 7) after hospital admission.

Results:
There were 652 RRT calls for 518 patients. Calls were more likely on Mondays (P=0.018) and during work hours (P<0.0001) but less likely on weekends (P=0.003) or overnight (P<0.001). There were 177 early calls (27.1%) and 198 late calls (30.4%). Early calls involved younger patients (median ages, 67.5 years [early calls] v 73 years [late calls]; P= 0.01), fewer LOMTs (P=0.029), and lower in hospital mortality (12.8% [early calls] v 32.3% [late calls]; P<0.0001). The mortality difference remained in patients without LOMTs (5.6% [early calls] v 19.6% [late calls]; P=0.003).

Conclusions:
About one-quarter of RRT calls occurred shortly after hospital admission, and were more common when caregivers were around. Early calls may partially reflect suboptimal triage, though the associated mortality appeared low. Late calls may reflect suboptimal end-of-life care planning, and the associated mortality was high. There is a need to further assess the epidemiology of RRT calls at different phases of the hospital stay.

DOC and UVA attenuation with soil aquifer treatment in the saturated zone of an artificial coastal sandfill

Results from a direct recharge experiment conducted in the field to investigate DOC and UVA(254) attenuation rates during the direct injection of UF treated wastewater into a artificial coastal sandfill are presented in this paper. Approximately 500 m(3) of ultra-filtered wastewater was injected into the saturated zone, over a period of 9 days. The movement of the plume was tracked over 80 days, during which time samples were obtained from multilevel samplers installed in transects across the drift axis of the plume. An analysis of fluorescein in the samples obtained during the drift of the UF plume showed that DOC and UVA were attenuated beyond rates predicted by conservative mixing, by up to a maximum of 45%. A degradation coefficient of 0.0175 day(-1) was found to be applicable for DOC degradation. After a drift period of 80 days, DOC and UVA reduced to approximately 4.5 mg/l and 0.100 cm(-1), respectively, from initial values of 8.06 mg/l and 0.199 cm(-1).

Restrictions in pub closing times and lockouts in Newcastle, Australia five years on.

In 2008 pub closing times were restricted from 5 am to 3:30 am in the central business district (CBD) of Newcastle, Australia. A previous study showed a one-third reduction in assaults in the 18 months following the restriction. We assessed whether the assault rate remained lower over the following 3.5 years and whether the introduction of a 'lockout' in nearby Hamilton was associated with a reduction in assaults there.

Analysis of 177Lu-octreotate therapy-induced DNA damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with neuroendocrine tumors

Ionizing radiation (IR)-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) can lead to cell death, genome instability and carcinogenesis. Immunofluorescence detection of phosphorylated histone variant H2AX (γ-H2AX) is a reliable and sensitive technique to monitor external beam IR-induced DSBs in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). Here, we investigated whether γ-H2AX could be used as an in vivo marker to assess normal tissue toxicity after extended internal irradiation with (177)Lu-DOTA-octreotate peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (LuTate PRRT) of neuroendocrine tumors.

Monitoring neuromuscular fatigue in team-sport athletes using a cycle-ergometer test

PURPOSE: To compare a novel sprint test on a cycle ergometer with a countermovement-jump (CMJ) test for monitoring neuromuscular fatigue after Australian rules football match play. METHODS: Twelve elite under-18 Australian rules football players (mean ± SD age 17.5 ± 0.6 y, stature 184.7 ± 8.8 cm, body mass 75.3 ± 7.8 kg) from an Australian Football League club's Academy program performed a short sprint test on a cycle ergometer along with a single CMJ test 1 h prematch and 1, 24, and 48 h postmatch. The cycle-ergometer sprint test involved a standardized warm-up, a maximal 6-s sprint, a 1-min active recovery, and a 2nd maximal 6-s sprint, with the highest power output of the 2 sprints recorded as peak power (PP). RESULTS: There were small to moderate differences between postmatch changes in cycle-ergometer PP and CMJ PP at 1 (ES = 0.49), 24 (ES = -0.85), and 48 h postmatch (ES = 0.44). There was a substantial reduction in cycle-ergometer PP at 24 h postmatch (ES = -0.40) compared with 1 h prematch. CONCLUSIONS: The cycle-ergometer sprint test described in this study offers a novel method of neuromuscular-fatigue monitoring in team-sport athletes and specifically quantifies the concentric component of the fatigue-induced decrement of force production in muscle, which may be overlooked by a CMJ test.

Fish responses to experimental fragmentation of seagrass habitat

Understanding the consequences of habitat fragmentation has come mostly from comparisons of patchy and continuous habitats. Because fragmentation is a process, it is most accurately studied by actively fragmenting large patches into multiple smaller patches. We fragmented artificial seagrass habitats and evaluated the impacts of fragmentation on fish abundance and species richness over time (1 day, 1 week, 1 month). Fish assemblages were compared among 4 treatments: control (single, continuous 9-m(2) patches); fragmented (single, continuous 9-m(2) patches fragmented to 4 discrete 1-m(2) patches); prefragmented/patchy (4 discrete 1-m(2) patches with the same arrangement as fragmented); and disturbance control (fragmented then immediately restored to continuous 9-m(2) patches). Patchy seagrass had lower species richness than actively fragmented seagrass (up to 39% fewer species after 1 week), but species richness in fragmented treatments was similar to controls. Total fish abundance did not vary among treatments and therefore was unaffected by fragmentation, patchiness, or disturbance caused during fragmentation. Patterns in species richness and abundance were consistent 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month after fragmentation. The expected decrease in fish abundance from reduced total seagrass area in fragmented and patchy seagrass appeared to be offset by greater fish density per unit area of seagrass. If fish prefer to live at edges, then the effects of seagrass habitat loss on fish abundance may have been offset by the increase (25%) in seagrass perimeter in fragmented and patchy treatments. Possibly there is some threshold of seagrass patch connectivity below which fish abundances cannot be maintained. The immediate responses of fish to experimental habitat fragmentation provided insights beyond those possible from comparisons of continuous and historically patchy habitat.

Estimating the risk of cardiovascular disease using an obese-years metric

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between obese-years and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.

SETTING: Boston, USA.

PARTICIPANTS: 5036 participants of the Framingham Heart Study were examined.

METHODS: Obese-years was calculated by multiplying for each participant the number of body mass index (BMI) units above 29 kg/m(2) by the number of years lived at that BMI during approximately 50 years of follow-up. The association between obese-years and CVD was analysed using time-dependent Cox regression adjusted for potential confounders and compared with other models using the Akaike information criterion (AIC). The lowest AIC indicated better fit.

PRIMARY OUTCOME CVD RESULTS: The median cumulative obese-years was 24 (range 2-556 obese-years). During 138,918 person-years of follow-up, 2753 (55%) participants were diagnosed with CVD. The incidence rates and adjusted HR (AHR) for CVD increased with an increase in the number of obese-years. AHR for the categories 1-24.9, 25-49.9, 50-74.9 and ≥75 obese-years were, respectively, 1.31 (95% CI 1.15 to 1.48), 1.37 (95% CI 1.14 to 1.65), 1.62 (95% CI 1.32 to 1.99) and 1.80 (95% CI 1.54 to 2.10) compared with those who were never obese (ie, had zero obese-years). The effect of obese-years was stronger in males than females. For every 10 unit increase in obese-years, the AHR of CVD increased by 6% (95% CI 4% to 8%) for males and 3% (95% CI 2% to 4%) for females. The AIC was lowest for the model containing obese-years compared with models containing either the level of BMI or the duration of obesity alone.

CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that obese-years metric conceptually captures the cumulative damage of obesity on body systems, and is found to provide slightly more precise estimation of the risk of CVD than the level or duration of obesity alone.

Mortality trends among people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in Australia: 1997-2010

OBJECTIVE: With improvements in cardiovascular disease (CVD) rates among people with diabetes, mortality rates may also be changing. However, these trends may be influenced by coding practices of CVD-related deaths on death certificates. We analyzed trends of mortality over 13 years in people with diabetes and quantified the potential misclassification of CVD mortality according to current coding methods. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 1,136,617 Australians with diabetes registered on the National Diabetes Services Scheme between 1997 and 2010 were linked to the National Death Index. Excess mortality relative to the Australian population was reported as standardized mortality ratios (SMRs). Potential misclassification of CVD mortality was determined by coding CVD according to underlying cause of death (COD) and then after consideration of both the underlying and other causes listed in part I of the death certificate. RESULTS: For type 1 diabetes, the SMR decreased in males from 4.20 in 1997 to 3.08 in 2010 (Ptrend < 0.001) and from 3.92 to 3.46 in females (Ptrend < 0.01). For type 2 diabetes, the SMR decreased in males from 1.40 to 1.21 (Ptrend < 0.001) and from 1.56 to 1.22 in females (Ptrend < 0.001). CVD deaths decreased from 35.6 to 31.2% and from 31.5 to 27.2% in males and females with type 1 diabetes, respectively (Ptrend < 0.001 for both sexes). For type 2 diabetes, CVD decreased from 44.5 to 29.2% in males and from 45.5 to 31.6% in females (Ptrend < 0.001 for both sexes). Using traditional coding methods, ∼38 and 26% of CVD deaths are underestimated in type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: All-cause and CVD mortality has decreased in diabetes. However, the total CVD mortality burden is underestimated when only underlying COD is considered. This has important ramifications for understanding mortality patterns in diabetes.

Improving coronary heart disease self-management using mobile technologies (Text4Heart): a randomised controlled trial protocol

BACKGROUND: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a secondary prevention program that offers education and support to assist patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) make lifestyle changes. Despite the benefits of CR, attendance at centre-based sessions remains low. Mobile technology (mHealth) has potential to reach more patients by delivering CR directly to mobile phones, thus providing an alternative to centre-based CR. The aim of this trial is to evaluate if a mHealth comprehensive CR program can improve adherence to healthy lifestyle behaviours (for example, physically active, fruit and vegetable intake, not smoking, low alcohol consumption) over and above usual CR services in New Zealand adults diagnosed with CHD.

METHODS/DESIGN: A two-arm, parallel, randomised controlled trial will be conducted at two Auckland hospitals in New Zealand. One hundred twenty participants will be randomised to receive a 24-week evidence- and theory-based personalised text message program and access to a supporting website in addition to usual CR care or usual CR care alone (control). The primary outcome is the proportion of participants adhering to healthy behaviours at 6 months, measured using a composite health behaviour score. Secondary outcomes include overall cardiovascular disease risk, body composition, illness perceptions, self-efficacy, hospital anxiety/depression and medication adherence.

DISCUSSION: This study is one of the first to examine an mHealth-delivered comprehensive CR program. Strengths of the trial include quality research design and in-depth description of the intervention to aid replication. If effective, the trial has potential to augment standard CR practices and to be used as a model for other disease prevention or self-management programs.