Identifying potential high-risk zones for land-derived plastic litter to marine megafauna and key habitats within the North Atlantic.

The pervasive use of plastic in modern society has led to plastic litter becoming ubiquitous within the ocean. Land-based sources of plastic litter are thought to account for the majority of plastic pollution in the marine environment, with plastic bags, bottles, wrappers, food containers and cutlery among the most common items found. In the marine environment, plastic is a transboundary pollutant, with the potential to cause damage far beyond the political borders from where it originated, making the management of this global pollutant particularly complex. In this study, the risks of land-derived plastic litter (LDPL) to major groups of marine megafauna - seabirds, cetaceans, pinnipeds, elasmobranchs, turtles, sirenians, tuna and billfish - and a selection of productive and biodiverse biogenic habitats - coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass, saltmarsh and kelp beds - were analysed using a Spatial Risk Assessment approach. The approach combines metrics for vulnerability (mechanism of harm for megafauna group or habitat), hazard (plastic abundance) and exposure (distribution of group or habitat). Several potential high-risk zones (HRZs) across the North Atlantic were highlighted, including the Azores, the UK, the French and US Atlantic coasts, and the US Gulf of Mexico. Whilst much of the modelled LDPL driving risk in the UK originated from domestic sources, in other HRZs, such as the Azores archipelago and the US Gulf of Mexico, plastic originated almost exclusively from external (non-domestic) sources. LDPL from Caribbean islands - some of the largest generators of marine plastic pollution in the dataset of river plastic emissions used in the study - was noted as a significant input to HRZs across both sides of the Atlantic. These findings highlight the potential of Spatial Risk Assessment analyses to determine the location of HRZs and understand where plastic debris monitoring and management should be prioritised, enabling more efficient deployment of interventions and mitigation measures.

Body Fat Percentage and Blood Donation are the Strongest Determinants of Iron Stores in Premenopausal Women Joining the New Zealand Army.

INTRODUCTION: Suboptimal iron status is an issue for women joining the military because of its association with impaired aerobic performance, yet no studies have investigated dietary and non-dietary determinants of iron status simultaneously in this population. The purpose of this study was to explore associations between iron stores, dietary patterns (DPs), and potential non-dietary determinants of iron status in premenopausal women at the commencement of basic military training (BMT) in the New Zealand Army. METHODS: During week 1 of BMT, demographic, body composition, lifestyle, medical history, and dietary data were measured as potential determinants of serum ferritin (SF) in 101 participants. Following univariate analysis, age, body fat percentage, previous blood donation, at least 6 h of exercise per week that raised the heart rate, and a vegetarian DP were analyzed using a multiple linear regression model. RESULTS: An increase in body fat percentage was associated with increased SF (P < .009), although blood donation in the past year decreased SF (P < .011) compared to those participants who did not donate blood. There was no association between SF and a vegetarian DP or hours of exercise per week. The model explained 17.5% of the variance in SF at the commencement of BMT. CONCLUSION: Body fat percentage and blood donation in the past year were the strongest determinants of iron stores in healthy premenopausal women commencing BMT. It is recommended that women joining the New Zealand Army are provided information to maintain or improve their iron status based on these findings. This includes clinical screening of iron status, advice for women considering blood donation, and dietary advice regarding total energy requirements and iron bioavailability.

Multi-level network dataset of ten Swiss wetlands governance cases based on qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys.

The dataset of this paper originated from quantitative online surveys and qualitative expert interviews with organizational actors relevant to the governance of ten Swiss wetlands from 2019 till 2021. Multi-level networks represent the wetlands governance for each of the ten cases. The collaboration networks of actors form the first level of the multi-level networks and are connected to multiple other network levels that account for the social and ecological systems those actors are active in. 521 actors relevant to the management of the ten wetlands are included in the collaboration networks; quantitative survey data exists for 71% of them. A unique feature of the collaboration networks is that it differentiates between positive and negative forms of collaboration specified based on actors' activity areas. Therefore, the data describes not only if actors collaborate but also how and where actors collaborate. Further additional two-mode networks (actor participation in forums and involvement in other regions outside the case area) are elicited in the survey and connected to the collaboration network. Finally, the dataset also contains data on ecological system interdependencies in the form of conceptual maps derived from 34 expert interviews (3-4 experts per case).

Military nutrition research: Contemporary issues, state of the science and future directions.

The importance of diet and nutrition to military readiness and performance has been recognized for centuries as dietary nutrients sustain health, protect against illness, and promote resilience, performance and recovery. Contemporary military nutrition research is increasingly inter-disciplinary with emphasis often placed on the broad topics of (1) determining operational nutrition requirements in all environments, (2) characterizing nutritional practices of military personnel relative to the required (role/environment) standards, and (3) developing strategies for improving nutrient delivery and individual choices. This review discusses contemporary issues shared internationally by military nutrition research programmes, and highlights emerging topics likely to influence future military nutrition research and policy. Contemporary issues include improving the diet quality of military personnel, optimizing operational rations, and increasing understanding of biological factors influencing nutrient requirements. Emerging areas include the burgeoning field of precision nutrition and its technological enablers.

Driving evidence-based improvements for the UK's 'Stressed. Lonely. Overweight. Bored. Aggressive. Misunderstood but loved' companion animals.

BACKGROUND: The Five Welfare Needs in UK animal welfare legislation underpin a legal duty of care and are an animal welfare assessment framework. Health and welfare problems arise when these needs are unmet. The veterinary professions work with others to address these problems, but there is no publicly funded U.K. companion animal welfare surveillance to identify priorities, or promote and monitor change. METHODS: The veterinary charity, the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), together with the market research organisation, YouGov, has undertaken a longitudinal nationwide survey, assessing whether the U.K's pet dogs, cats and rabbits are having their Five Welfare Needs met. Data from nationally representative samples of pet-owning adults, drawn from YouGov's online survey panel, have been used to produce the PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report annually since 2011. RESULTS: Examples are given of how the PAW Report has been used to monitor trends in animal welfare problems, drive collaborative behaviour change campaigns, create evidence-based funding applications and inspire innovation in veterinary practice. CONCLUSION: The PAW Report has contributed to closing a gap in national companion animal welfare surveillance. When governments rely on non-governmental organisations to assist with animal welfare surveillance, reliable sources such as the PAW Report can inform research, policy and legislation.

A Wnt5a-Cdc42 axis controls aging and rejuvenation of hair-follicle stem cells.

Normal hair growth occurs in cycles, comprising growth (anagen), cessation (catagen) and rest (telogen). Upon aging, the initiation of anagen is significantly delayed, which results in impaired hair regeneration. Hair regeneration is driven by hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs). We show here that aged HFSCs present with a decrease in canonical Wnt signaling and a shift towards non-canonical Wnt5a driven signaling which antagonizes canonical Wnt signaling. Elevated expression of Wnt5a in HFSCs upon aging results in elevated activity of the small RhoGTPase Cdc42 as well as a change in the spatial distribution of Cdc42 within HFSCs. Treatment of aged HFSC with a specific pharmacological inhibitor of Cdc42 activity termed CASIN to suppress the aging-associated elevated activity of Cdc42 restored canonical Wnt signaling in aged HFSCs. Treatment of aged mice in vivo with CASIN induced anagen onset and increased the percentage of anagen skin areas. Aging-associated functional deficits of HFSCs are at least in part intrinsic to HFSCs and can be restored by rational pharmacological approaches.

Advancing animal welfare and ethics in veterinary practice through a national pet wellbeing task force, practice-based champions and clinical audit.

BACKGROUND: Veterinary animal welfare advocacy can be undertaken at individual, community, national and international levels. The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), a veterinary charity with 48 Pet Hospitals UK-wide, created a consultative staff network to put an explicit organisational focus on animal welfare-focused veterinary practice. METHODS: PDSA created a national internal committee-a Pet Wellbeing Task Force-composed of veterinary staff representatives. Together with recruited hospital-based Champions who serve as a focus for animal welfare and ethics within their clinical teams, the resulting staff network has described a vision of animal welfare and ethics within companion animal veterinary practice, with accompanying practice-level actions. These actions have formed the basis for national clinical audit, repeated three times since 2013. RESULTS: The audit, alongside targeted interventions, has driven organisational change (eg, new policies), led to measurable improvements in pet wellbeing (eg, improved pain assessment and management) and stimulated collaborative practice-based research with universities. CONCLUSION: A dedicated staff network has facilitated organisation-wide communication on animal welfare and ethics; offered a safe space to raise and discuss animal welfare and ethical issues; and fostered leadership, by working towards model veterinary practice with respect to animal welfare and ethics, with benefits for pet patients, staff and the wider veterinary and veterinary nursing professions.

Iron status and associations with physical performance during basic combat training in female New Zealand Army recruits.

Decreases in Fe status have been reported in military women during initial training periods of 8-10 weeks. The present study aimed to characterise Fe status and associations with physical performance in female New Zealand Army recruits during a 16-week basic combat training (BCT) course. Fe status indicators - Hb, serum ferritin (sFer), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), transferrin saturation (TS) and erythrocyte distribution width (RDW) - were assessed at the beginning (baseline) and end of BCT in seventy-six volunteers without Fe-deficiency non-anaemia (sFer 10 mg/l at baseline or end. A timed 2·4 km run followed by maximum press-ups were performed at baseline and midpoint (week 8) to assess physical performance. Changes in Fe status were investigated using paired t tests and associations between Fe status and physical performance evaluated using Pearson correlation coefficients. sFer (56·6 (sd 33·7) v. 38·4 (sd 23·8) µg/l) and TS (38·8 (sd 13·9) v. 34·4 (sd 11·5) %) decreased (P<0·001 and P=0·014, respectively), while sTfR (1·21 (sd 0·27) v. 1·39 (sd 0·35) mg/l) and RDW (12·8 (sd 0·6) v. 13·2 (sd 0·7) %) increased (P<0·001) from baseline to end. Hb (140·6 (sd 7·5) v. 142·9 (sd 7·9) g/l) increased (P=0·009) during BCT. At end, sTfR was positively (r 0·29, P=0·012) and TS inversely associated (r -0·32, P=0·005) with midpoint run time. There were no significant correlations between Fe status and press-ups. Storage and functional Fe parameters indicated a decline in Fe status in female recruits during BCT. Correlations between tissue-Fe indicators and run times suggest impaired aerobic fitness. Optimal Fe status appears paramount for enabling success in female recruits during military training.

Interprofessional student-led clinics: An innovative approach to the support of older people in the community.

A student-led clinic was established to provide both an opportunity for interprofessional student education and the delivery of patient care. Fourth- or final-year students from allied health, medicine, and nursing worked in mixed professional teams to review the health of community-dwelling older people recently discharged from acute hospitals. We designed a prospective evaluation to study services delivered and their perceived value. Between 2011 and 2013, 98 patients who had been recently discharged from an acute medical ward attended the clinic. Students generated referrals for many services, most commonly physiotherapy, podiatry, and review by a general practitioner. Patient perceptions of consultations, measured with the Patient Experience Questionnaire, were gathered from 61 out of 96 (64%) participants and were generally favourable, with the communication domain scoring the most favourably. Undergraduate students, working in mixed professional teams, are able to deliver a useful additional health promotion service to older people.

The mixed-discipline aged-care student clinic: an authentic interprofessional learning initiative.

This paper describes the development, methods and results of a novel interprofessional student-led aged care clinic. The clinic was established to facilitate the interprofessional education of students approaching graduation in dietetics, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physiotherapy, podiatry, social work, and speech pathology. Students worked together in a primary care clinic established to support patients >70 years old who had recently been discharged home from an acute hospital admission. The students completed a screening interview of patients in mixed-discipline teams, established health care needs, and wrote referrals for appropriate support services. A mixed-methods evaluation approach was taken; the effects of the clinic on students (n=70) and educators (n=14) were evaluated. A subgroup of students (n=42) and educators (n=12) participated in focus groups designed to enable evaluation of learning outcomes. Students reported developing an expanded perspective of issues that affect the health of older people, felt that they gained knowledge about the practical roles and referral pathways of other disciplines, and described enhanced interprofessional communication skills. Educators reported that they observed the students' development of communication and referral skills and expanded awareness of health domains that they would not previously have considered.

Multiple proviral integration events after virological synapse-mediated HIV-1 spread.

HIV-1 can move directly between T cells via virological synapses (VS). Although aspects of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this mode of spread have been elucidated, the outcomes for infection of the target cell remain incompletely understood. We set out to determine whether HIV-1 transfer via VS results in productive, high-multiplicity HIV-1 infection. We found that HIV-1 cell-to-cell spread resulted in nuclear import of multiple proviruses into target cells as seen by fluorescence in-situ hybridization. Proviral integration into the target cell genome was significantly higher than that seen in a cell-free infection system, and consequent de novo viral DNA and RNA production in the target cell detected by quantitative PCR increased over time. Our data show efficient proviral integration across VS, implying the probability of multiple integration events in target cells that drive productive T cell infection.

The prevalence of mixed DNA profiles on fingernail swabs.

There is a general acceptance that cellular material will transfer from one person to another person's fingernails through everyday contact. However, the level or degree of contact required to transfer sufficient cellular material in order to obtain a DNA profile is not known. This study examined swabs from the fingernails of 40 volunteers and compared the DNA profiles obtained to the daily activities of that individual. The majority (78%) of high level profiles obtained were associated with recent intimate contact. However, high level profiles were also obtained from the fingernails of individuals who shared accommodation with their partner, flatmates and/or children. Low level profiles and single profiles were associated with all levels of contact.

Virological synapse-mediated spread of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 between T cells is sensitive to entry inhibition.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) can disseminate between CD4(+) T cells via diffusion-limited cell-free viral spread or by directed cell-cell transfer using virally induced structures termed virological synapses. Although T-cell virological synapses have been well characterized, it is unclear whether this mode of viral spread is susceptible to inhibition by neutralizing antibodies and entry inhibitors. We show here that both cell-cell and cell-free viral spread are equivalently sensitive to entry inhibition. Fluorescence imaging analysis measuring virological synapse lifetimes and inhibitor time-of-addition studies implied that inhibitors can access preformed virological synapses and interfere with HIV-1 cell-cell infection. This concept was supported by electron tomography that revealed the T-cell virological synapse to be a relatively permeable structure. Virological synapse-mediated HIV-1 spread is thus efficient but is not an immune or entry inhibitor evasion mechanism, a result that is encouraging for vaccine and drug design.

Cell-to-cell HIV-1 spread and its implications for immune evasion.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The ability of HIV-1 to move between cells via direct cell-cell transmission is currently receiving a lot of attention. This review will discuss cell-cell spread of HIV-1 in terms of cellular and molecular mechanisms and will consider the evidence for immune and therapeutic evasion. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies relating to the cell biology of HIV-1 cell-cell spread have sparked considerable renewed interest in the field. However, questions are being raised concerning both the mechanisms of viral spread between immune cells and the implications for immune evasion. SUMMARY: The re-emergence of HIV-1 cell-cell spread as a highly efficient mechanism for viral dissemination in vitro has raised the possibility that this finding may be central to viral spread in vivo and may strongly influence pathogenesis.

TSC1 and TSC2 mutations in tuberous sclerosis, the associated phenotypes and a model to explain observed TSC1/ TSC2 frequency ratios.

UNLABELLED: Tuberous sclerosis (TSC) is a multisystem disease with manifestations in the central nervous system, skin, kidneys, heart, and other visceral organs. The development of TSC is associated with alterations within a gene on chromosome 9q34 ( TSC1) and a gene on chromosome 16p13 ( TSC2). Most de-novo patients show a mutation in TSC2, whereas only 50% of all familial cases can be related to TSC2 mutations. In the present study, 68 unrelated patients with confirmed clinical manifestations of TSC were tested for mutations in the TSC1 and TSC2 genes. In total, we studied 59 sporadic cases and 9 familial cases, including one large family with TSC2 linkage. Two pathogenic mutations were found in TSC1. The TSC2 gene analysis revealed 29 mutations, including 3 large deletions and 26 small mutations, 15 of them truncating. CONCLUSION: the TSC1-TSC2 mutation ratio in our group of patients differs significantly from the 1:1 ratio previously predicted on the basis of linkage studies. There is an obvious paradox between the observed frequency of TSC1 mutations in familial cases and sporadic cases. An interestingly mild phenotype, observed in one of our TSC1 mutation carriers, led to the elaboration of a model that provides a plausible explanation for this paradox. We propose the presence of a very mildly affected patient group with TSC1-related disease who are not regularly detected by clinical diagnosis.

Functional analysis of mouse hepatocytes differing in DNA content: volume, receptor expression, and effect of IFNgamma.

Polyploidy and binuclearity are characteristics of the mammalian liver. Increasing polyploidisation occurs with age and after administration of various drugs and chemicals. This study was designed to examine the function of ploidy by addressing several questions: (1) Does the increase in size of polyploid hepatocytes have any physiological function by altering surface receptor expression such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1, CD54) or IFNgammaR? and (2) Do polyploid cells respond differently to inflammatory cytokines such as interferon gamma (IFNgamma)? We have developed a method to accurately measure the volume of live isolated hepatocytes using confocal microscopy and image analysis. Using flow cytometry, we have shown that the expression of ICAM-1 increases with increasing DNA content and IFNgammaR is not detectable on isolated mouse hepatocytes. Diploid (2n), tetraploid (4n) and octoploid (8n) hepatocytes were found to be equally susceptible to IFNgamma-induced apoptosis in vitro. Although the function of polyploidy remains unanswered, we have described some of the characteristics of polyploidy in isolated hepatocytes and in vitro.