Project description:To explore the salt reductions made over time in packaged bread sold in the UK, the biggest contributor of salt to the UK diet. Cross-sectional surveys were carried out on the salt content of breads available in UK supermarkets in 2001(40 products), 2006 (138) and 2011 (203). The primary outcome measure was the change in salt content per 100 g over time. Further measures included the proportion of products meeting salt targets and differences between brands and bread types. The average salt level of bread was 1.23±0.19 g/100 g in 2001, 1.05±0.16 in 2006 and 0.98±0.13 in 2011. This shows a reduction in salt/100 g of ≈20% between 2001 and 2011. In the 18 products which were surveyed in all 3 years, there was a significant reduction of 17% (p<0.05). Supermarket own brand bread was found to be lower in salt compared with branded bread (0.95 g/100 g compared with 1.04 g/100 g in 2011). The number of products meeting the 2012 targets increased from 28% in 2001 to 71% in 2011 (p<0.001). This study shows that the salt content of bread has been progressively reduced over time, contributing to the evidence base that a target-based approach to salt reduction can lead to reductions being made. A wide variation in salt levels was found with many products already meeting the 2012 targets, indicating that further reductions can be made. This requires further progressive lower targets to be set, so that the UK can continue to lead the world in salt reduction and save the maximum number of lives.
Project description:Enterovirus 71 (EV71) and coxsackievirus A16 (CA16) are major causative agents for hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). In China, more than 70,756 children were infected and 40 died from the disease in recent years. This study aimed to develop a protein chip that can simultaneously detect and differentiate the antibodies induced by EV71 and CA16 simultaneously. The structure protein vp1 and vp3 from the two viruses were purified and spotted onto an aldehyde groupmodified glass slide at 1mg/ml. After that, the protein chip was reacted with the corresponding positive serum against these viruses, hybridized with a Cy3-labeled secondary antibody and scanned using the popular GenePix 4000B Microarray Scanner. In this study, Both IgG and IgM serum antibody to EV71 and CA16 were detected using protein Chip. The results showed that this method could hybridize specifically with the corresponding antibodies with strong signals and without cross-hybridization. The data also confirmed the proposed method's specificity, sensitivity, and convenience. In conclusion, this protein chip can be used to differentiate the antibodies induced by the EV71and CA16.
Project description:We describe a microscopy design methodology and details of microscopes built to this 'open' design approach. These demonstrate the first implementation of time-domain fluorescence microscopy in a flexible automated platform with the ability to ease the transition of this and other advanced microscopy techniques from development to use in routine biology applications. This approach allows easy expansion and modification of the platform capabilities, as it moves away from the use of a commercial, monolithic, microscope body to small, commercial off-the-shelf and custom made modular components. Drawings and diagrams of our microscopes have been made available under an open license for noncommercial use at http://users.ox.ac.uk/~atdgroup. Several automated high-content fluorescence microscope implementations have been constructed with this design framework and optimized for specific applications with multiwell plates and tissue microarrays. In particular, three platforms incorporate time-domain FLIM via time-correlated single photon counting in an automated fashion. We also present data from experiments performed on these platforms highlighting their automated wide-field and laser scanning capabilities designed for high-content microscopy. Devices using these designs also form radiation-beam 'end-stations' at Oxford and Surrey Universities, showing the versatility and extendibility of this approach.
Project description:The U.S. diet is high in salt, with the majority coming from processed foods. Reducing dietary salt is a potentially important target for the improvement of public health.We used the Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Policy Model to quantify the benefits of potentially achievable, population-wide reductions in dietary salt of up to 3 g per day (1200 mg of sodium per day). We estimated the rates and costs of cardiovascular disease in subgroups defined by age, sex, and race; compared the effects of salt reduction with those of other interventions intended to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease; and determined the cost-effectiveness of salt reduction as compared with the treatment of hypertension with medications.Reducing dietary salt by 3 g per day is projected to reduce the annual number of new cases of CHD by 60,000 to 120,000, stroke by 32,000 to 66,000, and myocardial infarction by 54,000 to 99,000 and to reduce the annual number of deaths from any cause by 44,000 to 92,000. All segments of the population would benefit, with blacks benefiting proportionately more, women benefiting particularly from stroke reduction, older adults from reductions in CHD events, and younger adults from lower mortality rates. The cardiovascular benefits of reduced salt intake are on par with the benefits of population-wide reductions in tobacco use, obesity, and cholesterol levels. A regulatory intervention designed to achieve a reduction in salt intake of 3 g per day would save 194,000 to 392,000 quality-adjusted life-years and $10 billion to $24 billion in health care costs annually. Such an intervention would be cost-saving even if only a modest reduction of 1 g per day were achieved gradually between 2010 and 2019 and would be more cost-effective than using medications to lower blood pressure in all persons with hypertension.Modest reductions in dietary salt could substantially reduce cardiovascular events and medical costs and should be a public health target.
Project description:Arterial stiffness is recognized as a risk factor for many cardiovascular diseases. Aldosterone via its binding to and activation of the mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) is a main regulator of blood pressure by controlling renal sodium reabsorption. Although both clinical and experimental data indicate that MR activation by aldosterone is involved in arterial stiffening, the molecular mechanism is not known. In addition to the kidney, MR is expressed in both endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), but the specific contribution of the VSMC MR to aldosterone-induced vascular stiffness remains to be explored. To address this question, we generated a mouse model with conditional inactivation of the MR in VSMC (MR(SMKO)). MR(SMKO) mice show no alteration in renal sodium handling or vascular structure, but they have decreased blood pressure when compared with control littermate mice. In vivo at baseline, large vessels of mutant mice presented with normal elastic properties, whereas carotids displayed a smaller diameter when compared with those of the control group. As expected after aldosterone/salt challenge, the arterial stiffness increased in control mice; however, it remained unchanged in MR(SMKO) mice, without significant modification in vascular collagen/elastin ratio. Instead, we found that the fibronectin/α5-subunit integrin ratio is profoundly altered in MR(SMKO) mice because the induction of α5 expression by aldosterone/salt challenge is prevented in mice lacking VSMC MR. Altogether, our data reveal in the aldosterone/salt hypertension model that MR activation specifically in VSMC leads to the arterial stiffening by modulation of cell-matrix attachment proteins independent of major vascular structural changes.
Project description:Chronic electric activation of the carotid baroreflex produces sustained reductions in sympathetic activity and arterial pressure and is currently being evaluated for therapy in patients with resistant hypertension. However, patients with significant impairment of renal function have been largely excluded from clinical trials. Thus, there is little information on blood pressure and renal responses to baroreflex activation in subjects with advanced chronic kidney disease, which is common in resistant hypertension. Changes in arterial pressure and glomerular filtration rate were determined in 5 dogs after combined unilateral nephrectomy and surgical excision of the poles of the remaining kidney to produce ≈70% reduction in renal mass. After control measurements, sodium intake was increased from ≈45 to 450 mol/d. While maintained on high salt, animals experienced increases in mean arterial pressure from 102±4 to 121±6 mm Hg and glomerular filtration rate from 40±2 to 45±2 mL/min. During 7 days of baroreflex activation, the hypertension induced by high salt was abolished (103±6 mm Hg) along with striking suppression of plasma norepinephrine concentration from 139±21 to 81±9 pg/mL, but despite pronounced blood pressure lowering, there were no significant changes in glomerular filtration rate (43±2 mL/min). All variables returned to prestimulation values during a recovery period. These findings indicate that after appreciable nephron loss, chronic suppression of central sympathetic outflow by baroreflex activation abolishes hypertension induced by high salt intake. The sustained antihypertensive effects of baroreflex activation occur without significantly compromising glomerular filtration rate in remnant nephrons.
Project description:ObjectiveThe WHO's global targets for non-communicable disease reduction recommend consumption of<5 g salt/day. In 2016, South Africa was the first country to legislate maximum salt levels in processed foods. South Africa's salt iodisation fortification programme has successfully addressed iodine deficiency but information is dated. Simultaneous monitoring of sodium reduction and iodine status is required to ensure compatibility of the two public health interventions.Design/setting/participantsA nested cohort design within WHO's 2015 Study on global AGEing and adult health (n=2887) including individuals from households across South Africa. Randomly selected adults (n=875) provided 24-hour and spot urine samples for sodium and iodine concentration analysis (the primary and secondary outcome measures, respectively). Median 24-hour urinary iodine excretion (UIE) and spot urinary iodine concentrations (UIC) were compared by salt intakes of <5g/day, 5-9g/dayand >9 g/day.ResultsMedian daily sodium excretion was equivalent to 6.3 g salt/day (range 1-43 g/day); 35% had urinary sodium excretion values within the desirable range (<5 g salt/day), 37% had high values (5-9 g salt/day) and 28% had very high values (>9 g salt/day). Median UIC was 130 µg/L (IQR=58-202), indicating population iodine sufficiency (≥100 µg/L). Both UIC and UIE differed across salt intake categories (p<0.001) and were positively correlated with estimated salt intake (r=0.166 and 0.552, respectively; both p<0.001). Participants with salt intakes of <5 g/day were not meeting the Estimated Average Requirement for iodine intake (95 µg/day).ConclusionsIn a nationally representative sample of South African adults, the association between indicators of population iodine status (UIC and UIE) and salt intake, estimated using 24-hour urinary sodium excretion, indicate that low salt intakes may compromise adequacy of iodine intakes in a country with mandatory iodisation of table salt. The iodine status of populations undergoing salt reduction strategies needs to be closely monitored to prevent re-emergence of iodine deficiency.
Project description:South Africa implemented legislation in June 2016 mandating maximum sodium (Na) levels in processed foods. A pre-post impact evaluation assessed whether the interim legislative approach reduced salt intake and blood pressure. Baseline Na intake was assessed in a nested cohort of the WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health (WHO-SAGE) Wave 2 (Aug-Dec 2015). 24-hour urine samples were collected in a random subsample (n = 1,299; of which n = 750 were considered valid (volume ≥ 300 mL and creatinine ≥ 4 mmol/day (women) or ≥ 6 mmol/day (men))). Follow-up urine samples were collected in Wave 3 (Jun 2018-Jun 2019), with replacements included for those lost to follow-up (n = 1,189; n = 548 valid). In those aged 18 - 49y, median salt intake was 7.8 (4.7, 12.0) g/day in W2 (n = 274), remaining similar in the W3 sample (7.7 (4.9, 11.3) g salt/day (n = 92); P = 0.569). In older adults (50 + y), median salt intake was 5.8 (4.0, 8.5) g/day (n = 467) in W2, and 6.0 (4.0, 8.6) g/day (n = 455) in W3 (P = 0.721). Controlling for differences in background characteristics, overall salt intake dropped by 1.15 g/day (P = 0.028). 24hr urinary Na concentrations from a countrywide South African sample suggest that salt intakes have dropped during the interim phase of mandatory sodium legislation. Further measurement of population level salt intake following stricter Na targets, enforced from June 2019, is necessary.
Project description:We previously created a mandatory, inpatient, hepatology resident curriculum that immediately improved comfort, knowledge, and career interest in chronic liver disease (CLD). The durability of these effects needs to be known to use this intervention to address the hepatologist shortage. Thus, we aimed to assess this curriculum's long-term outcomes on internal medicine (IM) residents' CLD comfort, knowledge, and career interest. From 2015 to 2019 at a single institution, one IM resident was always assigned to the rotation. Similar anonymous assessments were administered to incoming postgraduate year (PGY)-1 residents and graduating PGY-3 residents, including a historic control cohort that graduated in June 2015. At residency completion, the intervention cohort (n = 61) had significantly higher comfort (1, not at all comfortable/strongly disagree; 5, very comfortable/strongly agree) with both hepatology (e.g., hepatitis C, 2.5 vs. 3.3, P < 0.001) and common IM topics (e.g., heart failure, 3.6 vs. 4.8, P < 0.001) but not specialty topics lacking curricula (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease, 2.8 vs. 2.7, P = 0.54). Compared to the historic cohort (n = 27), the intervention cohort was more comfortable in several CLD topics (e.g., cirrhosis, 3.2 vs. 3.8; P = 0.005) and answered more questions correctly (65% vs. 55%; P = 0.04), but career interest was unchanged (1.9 vs. 1.8; P = 0.45). Many residents (33%) would consider a hepatology career if training were separated from gastroenterology. Conclusion: With the completion of a mandatory hepatology curriculum, residents' CLD comfort and knowledge durably improved and exceeded that of historic counterparts. Initial career interest was not sustained, perhaps due to prerequisite gastroenterology training. These findings suggest IM educational initiatives may better address hepatology workforce needs by generating comanagers than by recruiting trainees.
Project description:IntroductionPediatric emergency medicine physicians struggle to maintain their critical procedural and resuscitation skills. Continuing professional development programs incorporating simulation and competency-based standards may help ensure skill maintenance. Using a logic model framework, we sought to evaluate the effectiveness of a mandatory annual competency-based medical education (CBME) simulation program.MethodsThe CBME program, evaluated from 2016 to 2018, targeted procedural, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) and resuscitation skills. Delivery of educational content included a flipped-classroom website, deliberate practice, mastery-based learning, and stop-pause debriefing. Participants' competence was assessed using a 5-point global rating scale (GRS; 3 = competent, 5 = mastery). Statistical process control charts were used to measure the effect of the CBME program on team performance during in situ simulations (ISS), measured using the Team Emergency Assessment Measure (TEAM) scale. Faculty completed an online program evaluation survey.ResultsForty physicians and 48 registered nurses completed at least one course over 3 years (physician mean ± SD 2.2 ± 0.92). Physicians achieved competence on 430 of 442 stations (97.3%). Mean ± SD GRS scores for procedural, POCUS, and resuscitation stations were 4.34 ± 0.43, 3.96 ± 0.35, and 4.17 ± 0.27, respectively. ISS TEAM scores for "followed standards and guidelines" improved significantly. No signals of special cause variation emerged for the other 11 TEAM items, indicating skills maintenance. Physicians rated CBME training as highly valuable (mean question scores 4.15-4.85/5). Time commitment and scheduling were identified as barriers to participation.ConclusionsOur mandatory simulation-based CBME program had high completion rates and very low station failures. The program was highly rated and faculty improved or maintained their ISS performance across TEAM scale domains.