Tobacco control interventions for populations living in subsidised, low-income housing: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: People living in subsidised low-income housing are more likely to smoke and experience secondhand smoke exposure compared to the general population. While tobacco control interventions have yielded substantial population health benefits, people living in subsidised housing experience a greater burden of tobacco-related harms. We synthesised existing peer-reviewed and grey literature to determine tobacco control interventions that have been implemented in subsidised housing globally, and to understand their impact on smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. METHODS: We searched five databases for peer-reviewed research, and Google Advanced for grey literature. We adhered to the JBI Scoping Review Methodology and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. RESULTS: Fifty-seven sources met the eligibility criteria. The most common type of intervention was mandatory smoking bans covering all indoor spaces (n = 32), followed by cessation-focused interventions (n = 19). Interventions that indirectly addressed smoking were the least common (n = 6). Our findings suggest smoking bans can increase smoking cessation and reduce secondhand smoke exposure, especially if implemented alongside cessation support strategies. CONCLUSION: Tobacco control interventions targeting subsidised housing demonstrate positive effects on tobacco-related outcomes for residents and provide an important opportunity to address health disparities. Future research should examine the long-term impacts of the interventions, including potential unintended consequences, in varied subsidised housing contexts.

Economic effects for citizens and the government of a country-level tobacco endgame strategy: a modelling study.

BACKGROUND: Aotearoa-New Zealand (A/NZ) was the first country to pass a comprehensive commercial tobacco endgame strategy into law. Key components include the denicotinisation of smoked tobacco products and a major reduction in tobacco retail outlets. Understanding the potential long-term economic impacts of such measures is important for government planning. DESIGN: A tobacco policy simulation model that evaluated the health impacts of the A/NZ Smokefree Action Plan was extended to evaluate the economic effects from both government and citizen perspectives. Estimates were presented in 2021 US$, discounted at 3% per annum. RESULTS: The modelled endgame policy package generates considerable growth in income for the A/NZ population with a total cumulative gain of US$31 billion by 2050. From a government perspective, increased superannuation payments and reduced tobacco excise tax revenue result in a negative net financial position and a cumulative shortfall of US$11.5 billion by 2050. In a sensitivity analysis considering future labour force changes, the government's cumulative net position remained negative by 2050, but only by US$1.9 billion. CONCLUSIONS: A policy such as the A/NZ Smokefree Action Plan is likely to produce substantial economic benefits for citizens, and modest impacts on government finances related to reduced tobacco tax and increases in aged pensions due to increased life expectancy. Such costs can be anticipated and planned for and might be largely offset by future increases in the size of the labour force and the proportion of people 65+ years old working in the formal economy.

Effect of bovine respiratory disease on the respiratory microbiome: a meta-analysis.

Background: Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the most devastating disease affecting beef and dairy cattle producers in North America. An emerging area of interest is the respiratory microbiome's relationship with BRD. However, results regarding the effect of BRD on respiratory microbiome diversity are conflicting. Results: To examine the effect of BRD on the alpha diversity of the respiratory microbiome, a meta-analysis analyzing the relationship between the standardized mean difference (SMD) of three alpha diversity metrics (Shannon's Diversity Index (Shannon), Chao1, and Observed features (OTUs, ASVs, species, and reads) and BRD was conducted. Our multi-level model found no difference in Chao1 and Observed features SMDs between calves with BRD and controls. The Shannon SMD was significantly greater in controls compared to that in calves with BRD. Furthermore, we re-analyzed 16S amplicon sequencing data from four previously published datasets to investigate BRD's effect on individual taxa abundances. Additionally, based on Bray Curtis and Jaccard distances, health status, sampling location, and dataset were all significant sources of variation. Using a consensus approach based on RandomForest, DESeq2, and ANCOM-BC2, we identified three differentially abundant amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) within the nasal cavity, ASV5_Mycoplasma, ASV19_Corynebacterium, and ASV37_Ruminococcaceae. However, no ASVs were differentially abundant in the other sampling locations. Moreover, based on SECOM analysis, ASV37_Ruminococcaceae had a negative relationship with ASV1_Mycoplasma_hyorhinis, ASV5_Mycoplasma, and ASV4_Mannheimia. ASV19_Corynebacterium had negative relationships with ASV1_Mycoplasma_hyorhinis, ASV4_Mannheimia, ASV54_Mycoplasma, ASV7_Mycoplasma, and ASV8_Pasteurella. Conclusions: Our results confirm a relationship between bovine respiratory disease and respiratory microbiome diversity and composition, which provide additional insight into microbial community dynamics during BRD development. Furthermore, as sampling location and sample processing (dataset) can also affect results, consideration should be taken when comparing results across studies.

The health impact of long COVID during the 2021-2022 Omicron wave in Australia: a quantitative burden of disease study.

BACKGROUND: Long COVID symptoms occur for a proportion of acute COVID-19 survivors, with reduced risk among the vaccinated and for Omicron compared with Delta variant infections. The health loss attributed to pre-Omicron long COVID has previously been estimated using only a few major symptoms. METHODS: The years lived with disability (YLDs) due to long COVID in Australia during the 2021-22 Omicron BA.1/BA.2 wave were calculated using inputs from previously published case-control, cross-sectional or cohort studies examining the prevalence and duration of individual long COVID symptoms. This estimated health loss was compared with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection YLDs and years of life lost (YLLs) from SARS-CoV-2. The sum of these three components equals COVID-19 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs); this was compared with DALYs from other diseases. RESULTS: A total of 5200 [95% uncertainty interval (UI) 2200-8300] YLDs were attributable to long COVID and 1800 (95% UI 1100-2600) to acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, suggesting long COVID caused 74% of the overall YLDs from SARS-CoV-2 infections in the BA.1/BA.2 wave. Total DALYs attributable to SARS-CoV-2 were 50 900 (95% UI 21 000-80 900), 2.4% of expected DALYs for all diseases in the same period. CONCLUSION: This study provides a comprehensive approach to estimating the morbidity due to long COVID. Improved data on long COVID symptoms will improve the accuracy of these estimates. As data accumulate on SARS-CoV-2 infection sequelae (e.g. increased cardiovascular disease rates), total health loss is likely to be higher than estimated in this study. Nevertheless, this study demonstrates that long COVID requires consideration in pandemic policy planning, given it is responsible for the majority of direct SARS-CoV-2 morbidity, including during an Omicron wave in a highly vaccinated population.

Epidemiologic and economic modelling of optimal COVID-19 policy: public health and social measures, masks and vaccines in Victoria, Australia.

Background: Identifying optimal COVID-19 policies is challenging. For Victoria, Australia (6.6 million people), we evaluated 104 policy packages (two levels of stringency of public health and social measures [PHSMs], by two levels each of mask-wearing and respirator provision during large outbreaks, by 13 vaccination schedules) for nine future SARS-CoV-2 variant scenarios. Methods: We used an agent-based model to estimate morbidity, mortality, and costs over 12 months from October 2022 for each scenario. The 104 policies (each averaged over the nine future variant scenarios) were ranked based on four evenly weighted criteria: cost-effectiveness from (a) health system only and (b) health system plus GDP perspectives, (c) deaths and (d) days exceeding hospital occupancy thresholds. Findings: More compared to less stringent PHSMs reduced cumulative infections, hospitalisations and deaths but also increased time in stage ≥3 PHSMs. Any further vaccination from October 2022 decreased hospitalisations and deaths by 12% and 27% respectively compared to no further vaccination and was usually a cost-saving intervention from a health expenditure plus GDP perspective. High versus low vaccine coverage decreased deaths by 15% and reduced time in stage ≥3 PHSMs by 20%. The modelled mask policies had modest impacts on morbidity, mortality, and health system pressure. The highest-ranking policy combination was more stringent PHSMs, two further vaccine doses (an Omicron-targeted vaccine followed by a multivalent vaccine) for ≥30-year-olds with high uptake, and promotion of increased mask wearing (but not Government provision of respirators). Interpretation: Ongoing vaccination and PHSMs continue to be key components of the COVID-19 pandemic response. Integrated epidemiologic and economic modelling, as exemplified in this paper, can be rapidly updated and used in pandemic decision making. Funding: Anonymous donation, University of Melbourne funding.

Archaea: An under-estimated kingdom in livestock animals.

Archaea are considered an essential group of gut microorganisms in both humans and animals. However, they have been neglected in previous studies, especially those involving non-ruminants. In this study, we re-analyzed published metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data sequenced from matched samples to explore the composition and the expression activity of gut archaea in ruminants (cattle and sheep) and monogastric animals (pig and chicken). Our results showed that the alpha and beta diversity of each host species, especially cattle and chickens, calculated from metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data were significantly different, suggesting that metatranscriptomic data better represent the functional status of archaea. We detected that the relative abundance of 17 (cattle), 7 (sheep), 20 (pig), and 2 (chicken) archaeal species were identified in the top 100 archaeal taxa when analyzing the metagenomic datasets, and these species were classified as the "active archaeal species" for each host species by comparison with corresponding metatranscriptomic data. For example, The expressive abundance in metatranscriptomic dataset of Methanosphaera cuniculi and Methanosphaera stadtmanae were 30- and 27-fold higher than that in metagenomic abundance, indicating their potentially important function in the pig gut. Here we aim to show the potential importance of archaea in the livestock digestive tract and encourage future research in this area, especially on the gut archaea of monogastric animals.

Weaning Time Affects the Archaeal Community Structure and Functional Potential in Pigs.

Archaea are considered a "keystone" of the gut microbiome and are linked with the host's energy harvest and health. Although a few studies have investigated the gut archaea in pigs, especially piglets, little is known about the effects of weaning on archaeal structure and function. In this study, we explored the effects of weaning on the longitudinal changes of archaeal composition, diversity, and functional potential in pigs overtime by re-analyzing a recently published metagenomic dataset that included 176 fecal samples collected from commercial pigs on days 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 70, and 140 after birth. Overall, the richness and diversity of archaeal species showed an increasing trend, and weaning significantly affected the richness of archaeal species. Methanobrevibacter A smithii significantly decreased and was replaced by Methanobrevibacter A sp900769095 within 2 weeks after weaning. For the functional potential, the richness of KEGG KOs increased over time. LEfSe analysis identified 18 KOs, including for example, ko04623 (cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway), ko00500 (starch and sucrose metabolism), and so on, significantly enriched in the weaning pigs, suggesting the involvement of archaea in the piglets' adaptation to the new diet after weaning. Correlation analysis based on Random Forest regression and Pearson correlation showed that archaeal species richness was significantly associated with pig bodyweight on both days 70 and 140. Methanobrevibacter A sp900769095 (R = 0.405, p = 0.040) and Methanobrevibacter A smithii (R = 0.535, p = 0.004) were positively linked with pigs' bodyweight on days 70 and 140, respectively. Our results revealed the dynamic changes of archaeal diversity and functions and demonstrated the effects of weaning on the gut archaea of pigs, suggesting archaea might play essential roles in swine nutrition, metabolism, and growth performance, especially during the critical weaning process.

Current Applications of Absolute Bacterial Quantification in Microbiome Studies and Decision-Making Regarding Different Biological Questions.

High throughput sequencing has emerged as one of the most important techniques for characterizing microbial dynamics and revealing bacteria and host interactions. However, data interpretation using this technique is mainly based on relative abundance and ignores total bacteria load. In certain cases, absolute abundance is more important than compositional relative data, and interpretation of microbiota data based solely on relative abundance can be misleading. The available approaches for absolute quantification are highly diverse and challenging, especially for quantification in differing biological situations, such as distinguishing between live and dead cells, quantification of specific taxa, enumeration of low biomass samples, large sample size feasibility, and the detection of various other cellular features. In this review, we first illustrate the importance of integrating absolute abundance into microbiome data interpretation. Second, we briefly discuss the most widely used cell-based and molecular-based bacterial load quantification methods, including fluorescence spectroscopy, flow cytometry, 16S qPCR, 16S qRT-PCR, ddPCR, and reference spike-in. Last, we present a specific decision-making scheme for absolute quantification methods based on different biological questions and some of the latest quantitative methods and procedure modifications.

The Diversity, Composition, and Metabolic Pathways of Archaea in Pigs.

Archaea are an essential class of gut microorganisms in humans and animals. Despite the substantial progress in gut microbiome research in the last decade, most studies have focused on bacteria, and little is known about archaea in mammals. In this study, we investigated the composition, diversity, and functional potential of gut archaeal communities in pigs by re-analyzing a published metagenomic dataset including a total of 276 fecal samples from three countries: China (n = 76), Denmark (n = 100), and France (n = 100). For alpha diversity (Shannon Index) of the archaeal communities, Chinese pigs were less diverse than Danish and French pigs (p < 0.001). Consistently, Chinese pigs also possessed different archaeal community structures from the other two groups based on the Bray-Curtis distance matrix. Methanobrevibacter was the most dominant archaeal genus in Chinese pigs (44.94%) and French pigs (15.41%), while Candidatus methanomethylophilus was the most predominant in Danish pigs (15.71%). At the species level, the relative abundance of Candidatus methanomethylophilus alvus, Natrialbaceae archaeon XQ INN 246, and Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii were greatest in Danish, French, and Chinese pigs with a relative abundance of 14.32, 11.67, and 16.28%, respectively. In terms of metabolic potential, the top three pathways in the archaeal communities included the MetaCyc pathway related to the biosynthesis of L-valine, L-isoleucine, and isobutanol. Interestingly, the pathway related to hydrogen consumption (METHANOGENESIS-PWY) was only observed in archaeal reads, while the pathways participating in hydrogen production (FERMENTATION-PWY and PWY4LZ-257) were only detected in bacterial reads. Archaeal communities also possessed CAZyme gene families, with the top five being AA3, GH43, GT2, AA6, and CE9. In terms of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), the class of multidrug resistance was the most abundant ARG, accounting for 87.41% of archaeal ARG hits. Our study reveals the diverse composition and metabolic functions of archaea in pigs, suggesting that archaea might play important roles in swine nutrition and metabolism.

Comprehensive Cultivation of the Swine Gut Microbiome Reveals High Bacterial Diversity and Guides Bacterial Isolation in Pigs.

Despite the substantial progress made in human gut culturomics, little is known about the culturability of the swine gut microbiota. In this study, we cultured swine gut microbiota using 53 bacterial cultivation methods with different medium and gas combinations from three pigs at four different growth stages. Both culture-dependent (CD; colony mixtures from each method) and culture-independent (CI; original fecal suspensions) samples were subjected to 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Increasing microbial diversities were observed in both CI and CD samples from successive growth stages. While a total of 378, 482, 565, and 555 bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were observed in the CI samples, higher microbial diversities (415, 675, 808, and 823 observed ASVs) were detected using the CD methods at the lactation, nursery, growing, and finishing stages, respectively. We constructed reference culture maps showing the preferred cultivation conditions for specific bacterial taxa and examined the effects of culturing factors such as oxygen, medium, donor pig age, antibiotics, and blood culture preincubation on swine gut microbiota cultivation. We focused on a wide range of beneficial bacteria, chose 1,299 colonies based on the reference map, and Sanger sequenced their 16S rRNA genes. These isolates clustered into 148 different bacterial taxa covering 28 genera. We observed 11, 19, 33, and 25 pairs of cooccurring ASVs in both CD and CI samples at four successive growth stages. This study provides guidance in culturing the swine gut microbiota of interest, which is critical when characterizing their functions in this important animal species. IMPORTANCE The swine gut microbiome has been the focus of many investigations due to the fact that pigs serve as both an excellent biomedical model for human diseases and an important protein source. Substantial progress has been made in swine gut microbiome studies using next-generation sequencing-based culture-independent approaches, but little is known about the culturability of the swine gut microbiota. To understand their roles in swine production, it is critical to culture bacterial strains of interest. In this study, we cultured the gut microbiota from pigs at different growth stages using 53 bacterial cultivation methods with different medium and gas combinations. This study provides evidence that the swine gut microbiota is much more diverse based on a culture-dependent approach than previously known. It provides preliminary guidance for isolating certain bacteria of interest from pigs, which is critical in establishing causal relationships between the gut microbiota and the health status of pigs.

Weaning Induced Gut Dysfunction and Nutritional Interventions in Nursery Pigs: A Partial Review.

Weaning is one of the most stressful events in the life of a pig. Unsuccessful weaning often leads to intestinal and immune system dysfunctions, resulting in poor growth performance as well as increased morbidity and mortality. The gut microbiota community is a complex ecosystem and is considered an "organ," producing various metabolites with many beneficial functions. In this review, we briefly introduce weaning-associated gut microbiota dysbiosis. Then, we explain the importance of maintaining a balanced gut microbiota. Finally, we discuss dietary supplements and their abilities to restore intestinal balance and improve the growth performance of weaning pigs.

Deconstructing a state-of-the-art review of the asbestos brake industry.

State of the art is a legal concept that describes what was known as knowable by experts including manufacturer's state of knowledge about the potential hazards of their product(s) at a point in time. In 2004, Paustenbach et al. published a state-of-the-art review that describes the development of knowledge about asbestos hazards to brake mechanics performing asbestos brake installation and maintenance. Paustenbach et al.'s review, however, omits important pieces of corporate knowledge, dismisses several historical scientific conclusions and ignores the way experts have applied the results of scientific research to protect workers and consumers handling asbestos brakes. By taking their state-of-the-art review out of the legal liability context, Paustenbach et al. create a misleading version of events that fails to properly address the question of what asbestos brake manufacturers knew or should have known about the potential hazards of their brakes to mechanics over time. Without proper presentation of this information, judges and juries cannot adequately assess whether these companies had a duty to warn or take other action to prevent injury to those exposed to their asbestos brakes.

Against anti-health epidemiology: corporate obstruction of public health via manipulation of epidemiology.

In response to several articles on corporate corruption of science that appeared earlier in this journal, a critic outlined an epistemological model based on an unsupported assertion that epidemiologic evidence is always required to support cause-effect relationships. This model, if adopted, would eliminate compensation to victims of toxic exposures and impede regulation of accepted hazards. Epidemiology is only one element in support of cause-effect determinations. The critic's proposal of an anti-health epidemiology was initially developed by corporations with the goal of providing defense in litigation, and is based not on science but on a corporate need to enhance profits at the expense of public health.