Interventions to promote healthy eating habits: evaluation and recommendations.

Although in several EU Member States many public interventions have been running for the prevention and/or management of obesity and other nutrition-related health conditions, few have yet been formally evaluated. The multidisciplinary team of the EATWELL project will gather benchmark data on healthy eating interventions in EU Member States and review existing information on the effectiveness of interventions using a three-stage procedure (i) Assessment of the intervention's impact on consumer attitudes, consumer behaviour and diets; (ii) The impact of the change in diets on obesity and health and (iii) The value attached by society to these changes, measured in life years gained, cost savings and quality-adjusted life years. Where evaluations have been inadequate, EATWELL will gather secondary data and analyse them with a multidisciplinary approach incorporating models from the psychology and economics disciplines.

Complex mechanisms for the packaging of the UL16 tegument protein into herpes simplex virus.

The conserved UL16 tegument protein of herpes simplex virus exhibits dynamic capsid-binding properties with a release mechanism that is triggered during initial virus attachment events. In an effort to understand the capsid association and subsequent release of UL16, we sought to define the mechanism by which this protein is packaged into virions. The data presented here support a model for the addition of some UL16 to capsids prior to their arrival at the TGN.

Interaction domains of the UL16 and UL21 tegument proteins of herpes simplex virus.

The UL16 protein of herpes simplex virus is capsid associated and was previously identified as a binding partner of the membrane-associated UL11 tegument protein (J. S. Loomis, R.

Manipulation and characterisation of accumulation and coarse mode aerosol particles using a Bessel beam trap.

Micron and sub-micron sized aerosol particles are captured, manipulated and characterised in a Bessel beam optical trap. Bright field microscopy and elastic light scattering measurements are used in combination to interrogate trapped particles and explore the optical landscape of the trap. We conclude that the Bessel trap has a number of advantages over optical tweezers in terms of characterisation of accumulation mode particles, manipulation of particles over macroscopic length scales and effective control of the gas phase.

Myristylation and palmitylation of HSV-1 UL11 are not essential for its function.

All herpesviruses encode a homolog of the herpes simplex virus type-1 UL11 tegument protein. Deletion of UL11 disrupts virus envelopment, causes capsid accumulation within the cytoplasm, and reduces virus release. UL11 requires acylation with myristate and palmitate for membrane binding, lipid raft trafficking, and accumulation at the site of virus envelopment.

I wish you knew..

In 2001, Anne and Jeff Wills lost their son Ryan at just 9 months of age as the result of complications of pulmonary hypoplasia. In this article, they share their experiences and great wisdom to both acknowledge and educate nurses who care for children and their families. The Wills address the exhaustion, confusion, fear, anguish, sense of displacement, and sense of helplessness experienced by many parents of critically ill and hospitalized children.

Growing or connecting? An urban food garden in Johannesburg.

Issues of food security are of particular importance in urban areas in Africa and government policy advises on the household growing of vegetables for nutrition. The Siyakhana project is a food garden in the centre of Johannesburg which was established by a University Health Promotion Unit with the support of other stakeholders including the City authorities and a permaculture organization. It was set up with the objective of providing food for children attending early-childhood development centres and for the beneficiaries of non-governmental organizations providing home-based care for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Temperature measurement of single evaporating water droplets in a nitrogen flow using spontaneous Raman scattering.

The evaporation dynamics of stationary water droplets held within an electrodynamic trap are investigated in a nitrogen flow of variable velocity. In particular, the influence of the nitrogen gas flow on the temperature of the evaporating water droplets is studied. By applying a contact free measurement technique, based on spontaneous Raman scattering, time averaged and time resolved measurements of temperature in the droplet volume are compared.

Using optical landscapes to control, direct and isolate aerosol particles.

We demonstrate the ability to direct the flow of aerosol droplets through a trapping cell using a tailored optical landscape generated by spatial light modulation. Using an optical barrier, droplets held in an optical trap can be effectively isolated from other droplets within the aerosol. To illustrate the effective isolation we compare the influence of different optical landscapes on the flow of free aerosol around a trapped droplet.

'Just a lovely luxury?' What can public health attachments add to postgraduate general practice training?

Background: Changing trends in the role of general practice and general practitioners (GPs), including a focus on commissioning and practice population health needs, were reflected in the specialty training curriculum published by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in 2007. In response to these developments the London Deanery established training attachments to the public health departments of ten primary care trusts (PCTs) across London, incorporated into three-year GP specialty training programmes. These attachments were evaluated in 2008 by London South Bank University.

Exploring global consumer attitudes toward nutrition information on food labels.

In many parts of the world, food companies, consumers, and governments are re-examining the provision of nutrition information on food labels. It is important that the nutrition information provided be appropriate and understandable to the consumer and that it impact food-choice behaviors. Potentially, food labeling represents a valuable tool to help consumers make informed decisions about their diet and lifestyle.

Placement of Polyflex stents in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer is safe and improves dysphagia during neoadjuvant therapy.

Background: Patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer who require neoadjuvant therapy have significant dysphagia.

Objectives: To prospectively evaluate Polyflex stents to treat malignant dysphagia and to ameliorate weight loss in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer who will undergo neoadjuvant therapy.

Design: A prospective nonrandomized study.

Comparison of esomeprazole to aerosolized, swallowed fluticasone for eosinophilic esophagitis.

Background: Both gastroesophageal reflux disease and allergy/atopy have been implicated in the pathogenesis of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). There are no prospective studies comparing treatment of EoE with acid suppression versus topical corticosteroids.

Objective: To determine the outcome of adult eosinophilic esophagitis patients treated with esomeprazole versus topical fluticasone.

Spectroscopic characterisation and manipulation of arrays of sub-picolitre aerosol droplets.

Arrays of optically tweezed aerosol droplets, each of sub-picolitre volume, are manipulated by holographic optical tweezers and characterised by cavity enhanced Raman spectroscopy. A spatial light modulator is employed to generate arrays of optical traps from a single laser beam and to control the array dimensions and relative trap positions. Comparative hygroscopicity measurements are performed concurrently on five trapped droplets by monitoring the evolving size of each droplet.

Structural rearrangement within an enveloped virus upon binding to the host cell.

We have made the surprising discovery that the interactions of herpes simplex virus with its initial cell attachment receptor induce a rapid and highly efficient structural change in the tegument, the region of the virion situated between the membrane and the capsid. It has been known for nearly a decade that viruses can trigger host signaling pathways when they bind to receptors on the cell surface; however, until now there has been no evidence that a signal can be sent in reverse--from the "outside in"--across a viral membrane. Evidence for this signaling event was found during studies of UL16, a tegument protein that is conserved among all the herpesviruses.

Analysis of the interaction between the UL11 and UL16 tegument proteins of herpes simplex virus.

The UL11 and UL16 tegument proteins of herpes simplex virus are conserved throughout the herpesvirus family. Previous studies have shown that these proteins interact, perhaps to link UL16-bound nucleocapsids to UL11, which resides on the cytoplasmic face of the trans-Golgi network, where maturation budding occurs. Little is known about the interaction except that it requires the leucine-isoleucine (LI) and acidic cluster motifs in UL11 and that no other viral proteins are involved.

Simulating ion beam extraction from a single aperture triode acceleration column: a comparison of the beam transport codes IGUN and PBGUNS with test stand data.

Ion beam extraction from two different ion sources with single aperture triode extraction columns was simulated with the particle beam transport codes PBGUNS and IGUN. For each ion source, the simulation results are compared to experimental data generated on well-equipped test stands. Both codes reproduced the qualitative behavior of the extracted ion beams to incremental and scaled changes to the extraction electrode geometry observed on the test stands.

Coat-colour dilution and hypotrichosis in Hereford crossbred calves.

Aim: To investigate cases of coat-colour dilution and hypotrichosis in a group of Hereford x Friesian crossbred calves, and to define the underlying molecular genetics of the disorder.

Methods: The investigation was predicated on the hypothesis that this disorder was similar to a known dominantly inherited disorder of calves of black breeds crossed with Simmental cattle, for which there were candidate gene mutations. Sequence analyses of PCR amplicons from exon 1 and exon 11 of the premelanosome protein 17 gene (PMel17) were carried out.

The AM05 density functional applied to solids.

We show that the AM05 functional [Armiento and Mattsson, Phys. Rev. B 72, 085108 (2005)] has the same excellent performance for solids as the hybrid density functionals tested in Paier et al.

A randomized, prospective trial of electrosurgical incision followed by rabeprazole versus bougie dilation followed by rabeprazole of symptomatic esophageal (Schatzki's) rings.

Background: Lower esophageal (Schatzki's) rings are a common cause of solid food dysphagia. Standard treatment involves passage of a single large bougie to disrupt the ring, but symptoms recur in the majority of patients. Electrosurgical incision of the ring may provide a longer duration of symptom improvement.

Sequences in the UL11 tegument protein of herpes simplex virus that control association with detergent-resistant membranes.

The product of the UL11 gene of HSV-1 is a small, membrane-bound tegument protein with features that are conserved among all herpesviruses. For all viruses examined, mutants lacking this protein (or its homolog) have budding defects and accumulate capsids in the cytoplasm of the infected cell. UL11 binds to the cytoplasmic faces of host membranes via N-terminal myristate and nearby palmitate moieties.