Intermediate and secondary school food environment in New Zealand: Food and drink menu assessment.

Issue Addressed: Nutrition-related obesity is rising among adolescents in New Zealand with an estimated one in eight children being obese. The school environment is an ideal community setting for encouraging a healthy lifestyle as schools contain a diverse population and involve students and parents. However, the healthiness of food available to intermediate and secondary school students (Years 7-13) is unknown.

Multivalent mRNA-DTP vaccines are immunogenic and provide protection from Bordetella pertussis challenge in mice.

Acellular multivalent vaccines for pertussis (DTaP and Tdap) prevent symptomatic disease and infant mortality, but immunity to Bordetella pertussis infection wanes significantly over time resulting in cyclic epidemics of pertussis. The messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine platform provides an opportunity to address complex bacterial infections with an adaptable approach providing Th1-biased responses. In this study, immunogenicity and challenge models were used to evaluate the mRNA platform with multivalent vaccine formulations targeting both B.

Crisis response in Texas youth impacted by Hurricane Harvey: A difference-in-differences analysis.

Background: Hurricane Harvey was the second costliest storm to impact the U.S. More research is needed to understand the mental health consequences of these extreme events in children and adolescents extending beyond the acute recovery period.

Short-term changes in mental health help-seeking behaviors following exposure to multiple social stressors and a natural disaster.

In 2020, unprecedented circumstances led to significant mental health consequences. Individuals faced mental health stressors that extended beyond the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including widespread social unrest following the murder of George Floyd, an intense hurricane season in the Atlantic, and the politically divisive 2020 election. The objective of this analysis was to consider changes in help-seeking behavior following exposure to multiple social stressors and a natural disaster.

Prevalence of incidental sonographic findings of hepatic steatosis in children under 4 years of age.

Background: The age of onset of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its prevalence in young children is incompletely understood.

Objective: We sought to evaluate the prevalence of ultrasound findings of hepatic steatosis in a cohort of children less than 4 years of age.

Materials And Methods: This is an institutional review board-approved retrospective review of ultrasounds performed on children less than 4 years of age from January 2022 to August 2022 at a single quaternary care center.

Detection of Alicyclobacillus spp. and Identification of Guaiacol Production Using the GENE-UP® PRO ACB, IFU Method No. 12, and Cosmo Bio Assays.

Some species of Alicyclobacillus spoil beverages by producing guaiacol. Current culture-based methods detect the presence of Alicyclobacillus spp. and a subsequent peroxidase assay determines if the isolate can produce guaiacol.

Cascading disasters and mental health: The February 2021 winter storm and power crisis in Texas, USA.

In February 2021, the state of Texas and large parts of the US were affected by a severe cold air outbreak and winter weather event. This event resulted in large-scale power outages and cascading impacts, including limited access to potable water, multiple days without electricity, and large-scale infrastructure damage. Little is known about the mental health implications of these events, as most research has predominantly focused on the mental health effects of exposure to hurricanes, wildfires, or other natural disasters that are more commonly found in the summer months.

Spatio-Temporal Clustering of Adolescent Bereavement in the United States During the Extended Response to COVID-19: A Follow-Up Study.

Purpose: This follow-up study investigated the spatio-temporal clustering of adolescent bereavement during the extended response to COVID-19 from October 2020-January 2022 in the continental United States.

Methods: Deidentified and anonymized bereavement data from Crisis Text Line (CTL), a text-based crisis intervention service, and SaTScan cluster analysis were used to identify space-time clustering of bereavement among adolescents, aged 24 years and less, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: Clustering of bereavement conversations occurred during waves of high COVID-19 case and death counts, with the highest risk occurring in the Southeastern United States during the fall of 2020 (relative risk: 5.

Crisis text-line interventions: Evaluation of texters' perceptions of effectiveness.

Objective: Crisis Text Line (CTL), the largest provider of text-based crisis intervention services in the U.S., has answered nearly 7 million conversations since its inception in 2013.

Understanding the concurrent risk of mental health and dangerous wildfire events in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Little research has examined the mental health risks of concurrent disasters. For example, disasters like wildfires have been shown to have a strong association with psychological symptoms-the 2020 U.S.

What Are the Double Lines of the Fetal Cavum Septi Pellucidi on Ultrasound?

Objective: To demonstrate the significance of the double line appearance of the septi pellucidi laminae (SPL) on fetal ultrasound.

Method: A total of 522 uncomplicated singleton pregnancies (15 to 39 weeks' gestational age) with fetal ultrasounds were enrolled. The presence of a single versus double line SP as well as measurement of the cavum septi pellucidi (CSP) was determined retrospectively.

Spatial Clustering of Adolescent Bereavement in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Purpose: Few studies have examined grief and bereavement in the context of a pandemic, particularly among young people during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: The objective of this study is to examine spatiotemporal clustering of bereavement using data from Crisis Text Line, an SMS-based intervention with widespread usage among youth and adolescents in the United States from January 2017 to September 2020.

Results: Results found significant spatial clustering of bereavement during the pandemic period in the late summer months compared with the onset of the pandemic.

Validation Study for VERIPRO® SARS-CoV-2 Env Assay for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 from Stainless-Steel Environmental Surface Swabs: Emergency Response Validation-AOAC Performance Tested MethodSM 122001.

Background: The VERIPRO® SARS-CoV-2 Env assay uses reverse transcriptase (RT) PCR to detect SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, from stainless-steel environmental sample swabs.

Objective: To validate the VERIPRO SARS-CoV-2 Env assay as part of the AOAC Research Institute's Emergency Response Validation Performance Tested Method(s)SM program.

Method: The VERIPRO SARS-CoV-2 Env assay was evaluated for specificity using in silico analysis of 15 764 SARS-CoV-2 sequences and 65 exclusivity organisms (both near neighbors and background organisms).

Genome-wide identification of Streptococcus sanguinis fitness genes in human serum and discovery of potential selective drug targets.

Streptococcus sanguinis is a primary colonizer of teeth and is associated with oral health. When it enters the bloodstream, however, this bacterium may cause the serious illness infective endocarditis. The genes required for survival and proliferation in blood have not been identified.

Intracellular Metal Speciation in Establishes SsaACB as Critical for Redox Maintenance.

is an oral commensal bacterium, but it can colonize pre-existing heart valve vegetations if introduced into the bloodstream, leading to infective endocarditis. Loss of Mn- or Fe-cofactored virulence determinants are thought to result in weakening of this bacterium. Indeed, intracellular Mn accumulation mediated by the lipoprotein SsaB, a component of the SsaACB transporter complex, has been shown to promote virulence for endocarditis and O tolerance.

Laparo-endoscopic transgastric resection of gastric submucosal tumors.

Background: Laparoscopic and endoluminal surgical techniques have evolved and allowed improvements in the methods for treating benign and malignant gastrointestinal diseases. To date, only case reports have been reported on the application of a laparo-endoscopic approach for resecting gastric submucosal tumors (SMT). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and oncologic outcomes of a laparo-endoscopic transgastric approach to resect tumors that would traditionally require either a laparoscopic or open surgical approach.

Evaluation of the assurance GDS for E. coli O157:H7 method and assurance GDS for shigatoxin genes method in selected foods: collaborative study.

A multilaboratory collaborative study was conducted to compare the Assurance GDS for E. coli 0157:H7 method and the reference culture methods for the detection of E. coli 0157:H7 in orange juice, raw ground beef, and fresh lettuce.

Enumeration of total coliforms and E. coli in foods by the SimPlate coliform and E. coli color indicator method and conventional culture methods: collaborative study.

The relative effectiveness of the SimPlate Coliform and E. coli Color Indicator (CEc-CI) method was compared to the AOAC 3-tube Most Probable Number (MPN) methods for enumerating and confirming coliforms and Escherichia coli in foods (966.23 and 966.

Comparative validation study to demonstrate the equivalence of a minor modification to AOAC methods 996.09, Vip for EHEC and 996.10, assurance Eia EHEC with the reference culture method for the detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in beef.

The Visual Immunoprecipitate Assay (VIP) method for the detection of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (VIP for EHEC) and Assurance Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) method for the detection of EHEC (EHEC EIA) are AOAC INTERNATIONAL Official Methods 996.09 and 996.10, respectively.