Antimicrobial resistance of Escherichiacoli and Salmonella isolated from retail broiler chicken carcasses in Zambia

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of foodborne pathogens is of public health concern, especially in developing countries such as Zambia. This study was undertaken to determine the antimicrobial resistance profiles of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella isolated from retail broiler chicken carcasses purchased from open markets and supermarkets in Zambia. A total of 189 E. coli and five Salmonella isolates were isolated. Identification and confirmation of the isolates were done using Analytical Profile Index (API 20E) (Biomerieux®) and 16S rRNA sequencing. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests (AST) were performed using the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion technique using a panel of 9 antibiotics. WHONET 2018 software was used to analyze AST results. The E. coli isolates were mostly resistant to tetracycline (79.4%), ampicillin (51.9%), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (49.7%). Two of the five Salmonella isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic. This study has demonstrated the presence of AMR E. coli and Salmonella on retail broiler chicken carcasses from open markets and supermarkets, which is of public health concern.

A review of mother-child and birth cohort studies in the Middle East Area

Mother-Child and Birth cohort studies offer an excellent opportunity to evaluate the effects of ’early life’ exposures providing an insight in the etiology of chronic diseases. To our knowledge, this is the first study that aims to provide a comprehensive review of these studies in the Middle East Area (MEA). Authors searched to relevant registries, the Pubmed interface, internet search tools and had personal contact with study PIs. The search revealed 117 mother-child and birth cohort studies from 9 MEA region countries (Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar). Variability in the identified studies refers to the study design, objectives and the years of recruitment. Biological samples and data on environmental exposures were absent with the exception of limited studies (n = 44). This review revealed a sufficient number of available cohorts, however few have followed up children beyond the age of 2 years. Improved study designs focused on molecular and environmental data acquisition are required in a region that shares a set of unique characteristics in terms of landscape, climate, culture, and lifestyle. This review provides valuable information for planning future studies and set the grounds for collaborationswithin the MEA region and internationally.

Antibiotic-resistant Salmonella species and Escherichia coli in broiler chickens from farms, abattoirs, and open markets in selected districts of Zambia

Objective: Salmonella species and Escherichia coli are major bacterial enteropathogens of worldwide public health importance that cause devastating foodborne diseases, thereby contributing to increased human morbidity and mortality. Both pathogens have also been found to contribute towards the spread of antimicrobial resistance through the food chain, especially in poultry. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella spp. and E. coli in broiler chickens at farm level, abattoirs, and open markets in selected districts of Zambia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken in seven districts of Zambia to determine the resistance profiles of Salmonella spp. and E. coli obtained from broiler chickens at farms, abattoirs, and open markets. A total of 470 samples were collected which include; litter, cloacal swabs, and carcass swabs. Samples were inoculated into buffered peptone water and incubated for 24 hours then sub-cultured onto MacConkey and Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate agar plates. Identification of Salmonella spp. and E. coli was done using the API-20E kit and confirmation by 16S rDNA sequencing. Confirmed isolates were tested against a panel of 09 antibiotics using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and interpreted according to the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Data analysis of the antibiotic sensitivity test results was done using WHONET 2018 software.Results: Overall, 4 Salmonella spp. and 280 E. coli were isolated. One of the Salmonella spp. was resistant to ampicillin (25%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (25%), and cefotaxime (25%). E. coli antibiotic resistance was highest to tetracycline (81.4%) and 100% susceptibility to imipenem. The antibiotic susceptibility profile revealed 75.7% (237/280) multidrug-resistant (MDR). The highest MDR profile was observed in 8.2% (23/280) isolates in which 6 out of the 9 classes of antibiotics tested were resistant. Out of the 280 isolates, 11.4% (32/280) exhibited Extensive Drug resistance (XDR).Conclusion: The study found antimicrobial resistance to E. coli and Salmonella spp. in market-ready broiler chickens which were resistant to important antibiotics and is of public health concern.

Relationship between types of activity and subjective well-being in older adults living alone: Secondary analysis of the 2014 survey of attitudes towards older people living alone

Objective: In the contemporary aging society, subjective well-being is an important determinant of quality of life for older adults living alone. Although the association between improved health and subjective well-being in this population is well documented, the types of activities associated with subjective well-being are unclear.Methods: This study assessed the relationship between subjective well-being and activity types among older adults living alone based on a secondary analysis of the 2014 Survey of Attitudes Towards Older People Living Alone data. We conducted a Poisson regression analysis to determine the association between activity and subjective well-being.Results: After adjustment for age, sex, subjective physical health, subjective mental health, and income, higher levels of subjective well-being were significantly associated with spending time with family, meeting friends, playing with pets, eating, hiking, traveling, and watching sports.Conclusion: Going out and interactive activities, as well as individual activities outside the home, are associated with higher levels of subjective well-being. Promoting these activities has the potential to increase the subjective well-being of older adults.

Seroprevalence of human Brucellosis and associated risk factors among high-risk occupations in Mbeya Region of Tanzania

Background: Brucellosis is a bacterial zoonotic disease of public health and economic importance. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Mbeya region between November 2015 and January 2016 to investigate the seroprevalence of human brucellosis and identify associated risk factors among individuals in risky occupations. Methods: A total of 425 humans from six occupational categories were serially tested for Brucella antibodies using the Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and competitive Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (c-ELISA), for screening and confirmation, respectively. A questionnaire survey was also administered to participants to collect epidemiological data. Results: The overall seroprevalence among the occupationally exposed individuals was 1.41% (95% CI: 00.64-3.12). Seroprevalence was higher among butcher men 5.6% (95% CI: 1.68-5.26), herds men 1.35% (95% CI: 0.18-9.02); and abattoir workers 1.1% (95% CI: 0.26-4.22) although there was no statistical significance. (P value = .18). Seroprevalence was also higher among men (1.8%) compared to females (0%) (P value = .19). and also, among those aged < 11 years (2.5%). Individuals who consumed raw milk had a higher seroprevalence (1.56%) compared to those who drunk boiled milk while seropositivity was 0.88% among those who assisted animals during parturition (P value = .49). Butcher men were at higher risk of exposure compared to other occupational categories. Our findings show the presence of brucellosis in occupationally exposed individuals in Mbeya region.Conclusion: There is need to sensitize the concerned professions in order to reduce the risk of acquiring Brucella infections from animals and animal products This also calls for public health awareness about the disease, and implementation of measures to prevent further spread of brucellosis within and outside the study area.

The church bridge project: Lessons learned from comparing the outcomes of an adapted church-based weight management intervention targeting african american adults

Introduction: Church-based interventions improve weight-related outcomes among underserved populations. African Americans, particularly young to middle age adults, are seldom represented in the literature and are key health intervention targets to prevent obesity-related chronic disease. Thus, the objective of this study was to describe the lessons learned from comparing the intervention outcomes of a two-phase, weight management intervention targeting younger to middle aged adult African Americans in Mississippi.Methods: A weight management intervention was tested and data were collected over two phases using the Bridge2U platform. Descriptive methods examined retention and attendance rates, and anthropometric and demographic data; Wilcoxon signed-rank and Fisher’s exact tests examined group differences in pre and post outcomes.Results: Attendance rates were 39.9 and 55.4% for phases 1 and 2, respectively. Differences were noted between those who dropped out of the phase 1 intervention and those who remained. Weight loss was significant at 5.6 and 4.8% of baseline body weight for phases 1 and 2, respectively. Significant changes were also noted among other variables.Conclusions: Disease diagnosis, more intensive intervention format and technology-assisted delivery may be key factors for improved participation and engagement of young to middle aged African Americans in weight management interventions. This study provides future implications for weight management intervention and chronic disease prevention among young to middle aged adult African Americans in the Deep South.

Left ventricular hypertrophy and linked cardiovascular risk factors among Congolese licensed civilian aircrew

Objective: To assess the prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and linked cardiovascular risk factors in civilian aircrew.Methods: Cardiovascular risk factors were assessed among flight and cabin crew undergoing routine clinical and biological evaluation for initial or renewal of aeromedical license. The evaluation also included a standard 12-lead ECG and echocardiography. Echo-based LVH was LVM ≥ 49 g/m2.7 (men) or ≥ 45 g/m2.7 (women). LVH was categorized as mild (men: 49-55 g/m2.7; women: 45-51 g/m2.7), moderate (men: 56-63 g/m2.7; women: 52-58 g/m2.7), or severe (men: ≥ 64 g/m2.7; women: ≥ 59g/m2.7) according to Lang’s report.Results: Among the 379 aircrew members (70.4% men; 23% Caucasians; 62.5% flight crew; mean age 40.6 ± 12.8 years), LVH was present in 36 individuals (9.5%) with mild, moderate and severe pattern observed respectively in 19.4%, 33.3% and 47.2% of the cases. The rate of LVH amounted to 16.7% in normotensive subjects, 25.0% in those with prehypertension, and 58.3% among hypertensive individuals. In addition to age of 40-59y (OR: 8.48; 95% CI: [2.23-12.23]; p = .002) or more (4.22 [1.57-11.35]; p = .004), hypertension (3.55 [1.50 - 8.41]; p = .004), overweight/obesity (5.33 [1.14 - 25.05]; p = .034) and hyperuricemia (5.05 [2.11 - 12.09]; p = .001), all well-known constituents of the metabolic syndrome, were the main factors significantly associated with LVH.Conclusion: The frequency and link of LVH to the components of the metabolic syndrome highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to the management of cardiovascular risk factors in civilian aircrew.

The effect of maternal health conditions on maternal morbidity in women with a prior cesarean: the role of elective repeat cesarean delivery

Background: We evaluated women with a prior cesarean delivery (CD) who were eligible for elective repeat CD or trial of labor to test whether the risk of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) was: 1) directly associated with important pre-existing and gestational conditions or 2) indirectly associated (significantly increased or decreased) with the decision to undergo elective repeat CD.Methods: Women with a prior CD who had inborn, liveborn, term, singleton, vertex deliveries were identified in California 2010-2011 hospital discharge datasets. Using discharge codes, this population was stratified into two groups: attempted labor and elective repeat CD. A mediation model (stratified by younger vs. older women [>35 years]) was built for each of the following maternal conditions (exposure): chronic/gestational diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic/gestational hypertension, heart disease, obesity, and mental health diagnoses. Elective repeat CD was the mediator and SMM was the outcome.Results: Of 141,535 eligible deliveries, 72.7% had an elective repeat CD; 2.3% had SMM, which occurred in 2.2% of younger vs. 2.6% of older women. For younger and older women respectively, the modeled total effect odds ratios (95% CI) for heart disease were: 10.7 (8.5, 13.5) and 8.8 (6.4, 12.2); for hypertension: 1.7 (1.4, 1.9) and 2.0 (1.6, 2.4); and for mental health diagnoses: 1.9 (1.6, 2.3) and 1.7 (1.3, 2.3). Neither DM nor obesity demonstrated a direct effect. Odds ratios for indirect effects were negligible for all models.Conclusion: Among women with a prior CD, in the presence of important health conditions, the increased risk of SMM mediated by an elective repeat CD was negligible.

Epidemiological characteristics and morbidity of Snake-bites in Zunyi city, China

Objectives: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and morbidity of the snake-bite injury in Zunyi city, China, so as to provide the first aid guidance and public education for the prevention and treatment strategies of snake-bite injuries.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, and 548 cases of snake-bite were observed in this study between January1, 2015 to December 31, 2017. They were identified form the Emergency Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University. A retrospective epidemiological survey was conducted to collect their information on sex, age, occupation, bite location, bite year and season, specific bite cause.Results: The number of the patients of snake-bite was increased; however, the fatality rate gradually was decreased year by year during the investigating period. Seven patients died during year 2015-2017 and the 3-year total mortality was 2.9%. Among the dead, 59.31% were male and 40.69% were female. 19.70% of patients were between 41 and 50 years old, 17.70% were between 51 and 60 years and 16.79% of patients were between 61 and 70 years old. Moreover, 66.97% of patients were on the lower extremity and 31.93% of patients on the upper extremity. 83.39% of patients were bitten while farming and 12.04% of patients were bitten while walking. Most cases occurred during summer and autumn (7-9 months) seasons. The regional distributions of 548 snake-bites were 44.34% in the County and 33.94% in districts of Zunyi city.Conclusion: Target preventive measures should be conducted in high risk populations in Zunyi city, especially in spring and summer.

Absence of paramyxovirus RNA in non-human primate sanctuaries and a primatology center in Gabon

The viruses of the Paramyxoviridae family are known to infect a wide range of animals, including primates, birds, rodents,carnivores, bats, ungulates, snakes, cetaceans and humans. This study aims to investigate the circulation of paramyxoviruses in five potential host species groups (humans, non-human primates, rodents, shrews, and bats) living in the same environments in three conservation programs dedicated to non-human primates, namely the Lékédi park, the primatology center of the International Center for Medical Research of Franceville and the Gorilla Protection Program, located in Gabon. We tested 35 workers, 343 NHPs (8 species), 141 bats (4 species), 420 rodents (5 species) and 10 shrews, sampled between 2013 and 2014. Faecal and organ samples were analyzed using three heminested reverse transcription-PCR (hnRT-PCR). All the 1884 samples tested were negative for PV detection. Further studies spanning a greater period of time are needed to investigate PV circulation patterns in theseconservation programs.