Publications by authors named "A P Watt"

Seclusion is a restrictive intervention used in forensic mental health care to manage service user risk of harm. It has been associated with harmful effects for service users and consensus is that its use needs to be reduced. Research has identified that factors related to nursing staff influence the use of seclusion.

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Genomics is a cornerstone of modern pathogen epidemiology yet demonstrating transmission in a One Health context is challenging, as strains circulate and evolve within and between diverse hosts and environments. To identify phylogenetic linkages and better define relevant measures of genomic relatedness in a One Health context, we collated 5471 Escherichia coli genome sequences from Australia originating from humans (n = 2996), wild animals (n = 870), livestock (n = 649), companion animals (n = 375), environmental sources (n = 292) and food (n = 289) spanning over 36 years. Of the 827 multi-locus sequence types (STs) identified, 10 STs were commonly associated with cross-source genomic clusters, including the highly clonal ST131, pandemic zoonotic lineages such as ST95, and emerging human ExPEC ST1193.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The Australian Pathogen Genomics Program (AusPathoGen) was launched in January 2021 as a national partnership aimed at enhancing public health through pathogen genomics surveillance.
  • - Successful implementation of this program relies on collaboration among academia, public health labs, and agencies, while prioritizing public health needs and building national genomics capacity.
  • - Key components for success include data integration tools like AusTrakka, standardized bioinformatics procedures, ethics agreements, and training for public health officials to effectively use genomic data.
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In epidemiological investigations, pathogen genomics can provide insights and test epidemiological hypotheses that would not have been possible through traditional epidemiology. Tools to synthesize genomic analysis with other types of data are a key requirement of genomic epidemiology. We propose a new 'phylepic' visualization that combines a phylogenomic tree with an epidemic curve.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluated the vitamin D, folate, vitamin B, and iron levels in Old Order Anabaptist (OOA) pregnant and postpartum women by analyzing blood samples and dietary records from 50 participants.
  • Results showed that 20% of women had low levels of vitamin D, while 42% had inadequate dietary intake; however, all had sufficient RBC folate, and a minority had low iron levels.
  • Despite some deficiencies, overall, the dietary and micronutrient status of OOA women was similar to previous Canadian studies, highlighting the need for tailored dietary guidance for this group.
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