Investigating the nutritional quality of charitable ready meals for people experiencing food insecurity-An Australian case study.

Aim: To analyse the nutritional quality of ready meals produced by a food relief charity in Melbourne, Victoria, to identify areas of nutritional strength and opportunities for improvement.

Methods: Data for this cross-sectional study were collected over 30 consecutive cooking days in January-February, May-June, and October-November 2023. Chefs used pre-specified, standardised forms to collect data such as raw ingredients and cooked weights.

A best practice guide for conducting healthy food retail research: A resource for researchers and health promotion practitioners.

Retail food environments play a pivotal role in influencing dietary behaviors, and therefore have huge potential as settings for promoting good nutrition and preventing obesity. Conducting research in retail settings can be challenging due to the varied motivations of the parties involved and the complex nature of retail environments. To improve the quality and consistency of research in this field, we have identified 16 thematic topics aimed at guiding researchers and public health practitioners on how to conduct healthy food retail research.

Effectiveness of an online food shopping intervention to reduce salt purchases among individuals with hypertension - findings of the SaltSwitch Online Grocery Shopping (OGS) randomised trial.

Background: Online grocery shopping is a growing source of food purchases in many countries. We investigated the effect of nudging consumers towards purchases of lower sodium products using a web browser extension.

Methods: This trial was conducted among individuals with hypertension who shopped for their groceries online in Australia.

Consolidating the evidence on the effectiveness of strategies to promote vegetable intake in priority settings: An overview of systematic reviews.

Background: Effective interventions to increase vegetable intake are urgently needed. This systematic rapid review aimed to summarise the effectiveness of interventions targeting increased vegetable intakes across diverse settings.

Methodology: The review was guided by the conduct of rapid reviews from the Cochrane Handbook.

Prescribing pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention: a cross-sectional survey of general practitioners in Australia.

Background Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a safe and effective medication for preventing HIV acquisition. We examined Australian general practitioners' (GP) knowledge of PrEP efficacy, characteristics associated with ever prescribing PrEP and barriers to prescribing. Methods We conducted an online cross-sectional survey of GPs working in Australia between April and October 2022.

Blood biomarkers of trans-fatty acid intake among Nigerian adults in the Federal Capital Territory: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Intake of trans-fatty acids (TFAs) is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In April 2023, Nigeria passed regulations limiting TFA content in foods, fats, and oils, but the current level of TFA exposure in the Nigerian population is unknown.

Objectives: To quantify trans-fatty acid (TFA) biomarkers in dried blood spots from Nigerian adults in the Federal Capital Territory before policy enforcement, establish baseline levels for future evaluations, assess subgroup variations by demographic and socioeconomic factors, and compare TFA levels with data from 30 countries worldwide.

Estimated health effect, cost, and cost-effectiveness of mandating sodium benchmarks in Australia's packaged foods: a modelling study.

Background: Excess dietary sodium is a leading cause of death and disability globally. Because packaged foods are a major source of sodium in many countries, including Australia, mandatory limits for sodium might improve population health. We aimed to estimate the long-term health and economic effect of mandating such thresholds in Australia.

Estimated health benefits, costs, and cost-effectiveness of implementing WHO's sodium benchmarks for packaged foods in India: a modelling study.

Background: Excess dietary sodium intake has been associated with death and disability. WHO has released global sodium benchmarks for packaged foods to support countries to reduce population sodium intake. This study aimed to assess the potential health effect, costs, and cost effectiveness of implementing these WHO sodium benchmarks in India.

Electrophotocatalysis for Organic Synthesis.

Electrocatalysis and photocatalysis have been the focus of extensive research efforts in organic synthesis in recent decades, and these powerful strategies have provided a wealth of new methods to construct complex molecules. Despite these intense efforts, only recently has there been a significant focus on the combined use of these two modalities. Nevertheless, the past five years have witnessed rapidly growing interest in the area of electrophotocatalysis.

Healthiness of food products promoted through placement strategies in Australian online supermarkets: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Prominent product placement is a core promotional tactic in retail food environments. How this practice has been adapted for online supermarkets, and the extent to which it is applied to healthier and less healthy food products in this setting, is largely unknown. We aimed to investigate placement-type promotions of food products in Australian online supermarkets.

Modifying the Health Star Rating nutrient profiling algorithm to account for ultra-processing.

Aim: To modify the Australian and New Zealand Health Star Rating to account for ultra-processing and compare the alignment of the modified ratings with NOVA classifications and the current Australian Dietary Guidelines classifications of core (recommended foods) and discretionary (foods to limit).

Methods: Data was cross-sectionally analysed for 25 486 products. Four approaches were compared to the original Health Star Rating: (1) five 'negative' points added to ultra-processed products (modification 1; inclusion approach); (2) ultra-processed products restricted to a maximum of 3.

Switches in food and beverage product purchases can reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Australia.

Switching between similar food and beverage products may reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe). Here, using consumer data linked to 23,550 product-specific GHGe values, we estimated annual GHGe attributable to product purchases consumed at home in Australia and calculated reductions from specific switches. Potential changes to mean Health Star Rating, mean energy density and the proportion of ultraprocessed foods purchased were assessed.

Reprograming Clots for In Vivo Chemical Targeting in Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a critical public health concern, yet there are no therapeutics available to improve long-term outcomes. Drug delivery to TBI remains a challenge due to the blood-brain barrier and increased intracranial pressure. In this work, a chemical targeting approach to improve delivery of materials to the injured brain, is developed.

Association of cardiovascular health metrics with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in chronic kidney disease: A cohort study.

Background And Aims: Since the global burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is rising rapidly, the study aimed to assess the association of cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality among individuals with CKD.

Methods And Results: The cohort study included 5834 participants with CKD from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2018. A composite CVH score was calculated based on smoking status, physical activity, body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol, diet quality, and glucose control.

An AAV capsid reprogrammed to bind human transferrin receptor mediates brain-wide gene delivery.

Developing vehicles that efficiently deliver genes throughout the human central nervous system (CNS) will broaden the range of treatable genetic diseases. We engineered an adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsid, BI-hTFR1, that binds human transferrin receptor (TfR1), a protein expressed on the blood-brain barrier. BI-hTFR1 was actively transported across human brain endothelial cells and, relative to AAV9, provided 40 to 50 times greater reporter expression in the CNS of human knockin mice.

Extent of alignment between the Australian Dietary Guidelines and the NOVA classification system across the Australian packaged food supply.

Aims: The Australian Dietary Guidelines are currently being revised and ultra-processed foods have been identified as a high priority action area. To better understand how well the current Dietary Guidelines align with level of processing classifications, the aim of this study was to assess the alignment between the Australian Dietary Guidelines and the NOVA classification system for classifying the healthiness of packaged foods.

Methods: Data were sourced from the Australian FoodSwitch dataset, which included 28 071 packaged food and beverage products available in major Australian supermarkets in 2022.

Integrating health, nutrition, and environmental impacts of foods: a life cycle impact assessment and modelling analysis of foods in Canada.

Background: Given the urgency of transitioning towards sustainable nutrition, dietary shifts that provide co-benefits to human health and the environment are imperative. There is currently no database of the environmental impacts of foods that reflects Canada's unique geographical and agri-climatic context and regional inputs and emissions. To determine sustainable diets, harmonising nutritional considerations with environmental impacts is also essential for an equitable comparison of foods.

The contribution of sodium reduction and potassium increase to the blood pressure lowering observed in the Salt Substitute and Stroke Study.

The Salt Substitute and Stroke Study (SSaSS) demonstrated significant reductions in systolic blood pressure (SBP), and the risk of stroke, major cardiovascular events and total mortality with the use of potassium-enriched salt. The contribution of sodium reduction versus potassium increase to these effects is unknown. We identified four different data sources describing the association between sodium reduction, potassium supplementation and change in SBP.

Near-to-patient-testing to inform targeted antibiotic use for sexually transmitted infections in a public sexual health clinic: the NEPTUNE cohort study.

Background: Empiric treatment of sexually transmitted infections can cause unnecessary antibiotic use. We determined if near-to-patient-testing (NPT) for , and (MG) improved antibiotic-use for a range of clinical presentations.

Methods: Clients attending with non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU), proctitis, as STI-contacts, or for an MG-test-of-cure (MG-TOC) between March and December 2021 were recruited.