Development of the Workplace Health Savings Calculator: a practical tool to measure economic impact from reduced absenteeism and staff turnover in workplace health promotion.

Background: Workplace health promotion is focussed on improving the health and wellbeing of workers. Although quantifiable effectiveness and economic evidence is variable, workplace health promotion is recognised by both government and business stakeholders as potentially beneficial for worker health and economic advantage. Despite the current debate on whether conclusive positive outcomes exist, governments are investing, and business engagement is necessary for value to be realised.

Vaccination against influenza with recombinant hemagglutinin expressed by Schizochytrium sp. confers protective immunity.

For the rapid production of influenza vaccine antigens in unlimited quantities, a transition from conventional egg-based production to cell-based and recombinant systems is required. The need for higher-yield, lower-cost, and faster production processes is critical to provide adequate supplies of influenza vaccine to counter global pandemic threats. In this study, recombinant hemagglutinin proteins of influenza virus were expressed in the microalga Schizochytrium sp.

Characterization of both polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthetic pathways in Schizochytrium sp.

Schizochytrium produces long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) via a PUFA synthase. Targeted mutagenesis of one gene of this synthase was conducted to confirm PUFA synthase function and determine its metabolic necessity. The resulting mutants were auxotrophic and required supplementation with PUFAs.

Human herpesvirus 8 infection among various population groups in southern Israel.

Objective: To compare the prevalence of antibodies to human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) or Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus among Israeli and Ethiopian subjects.

Methods: Serum samples were obtained from 98 Israeli Jewish students aged 18-30 years, 100 HIV-1-seronegative Ethiopian immigrants to Israel of the same age, and 100 HIV-1-seronegative Ethiopian children 1-12 years old upon their arrival in southern Israel. Plasma samples were obtained from 3 hospitalized patients with multicentric Castleman disease (MCD) as positive controls.