Explore the vast range of titles available.

BackgroundPeople with lung diseases are vulnerable to climate change, yet metered dose inhalers (MDIs) have significant climate impacts. We sought to understand inhaler users’ perspectives on climate change and awareness of inhaler climate implications.MethodsCanadians (aged ≥16 years) who reported using an inhaler in the previous 6 months were invited via health organisations’ newsletters to complete an online survey (November 2024–March 2025). Multivariate regression models assessed the association between sociodemographic factors and climate change risk perception, disposal practices and awareness of inhaler climate implications.ResultsThere were 343 respondents (median age 71 years (IQR: 64–76 years), 65% female, 80% MDI users). Individuals were concerned (45%) or very concerned (39%) about climate change, but only 20% were previously aware of inhaler climate implications. Advancing age (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.74) was associated with being unaware of inhaler climate implications, while a university education (OR 4.86, 95% CI 1.77 to 16.62) and living in a large urban area (OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.21 to 7.45) were associated with greater awareness. Most respondents reported disposing of their inhalers in garbage or recycling bins (70%) and provincial pharmacy return programmes were underused (27%) when available. Nearly all MDI users (92%) were willing to switch to a lower carbon footprint device. Advice from healthcare providers was valued in supporting treatment decisions.InterpretationInhaler users are concerned about climate change but lack awareness of inhaler climate impacts. Sustainability interventions that promote education, safe use of low carbon devices and recycling could reduce inhaler-related climate impacts.

Micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) deficiencies may exacerbate prevalent health conditions occurring in long-term care (LTC) residents, and current food provision may potentiate this problem. A micronutrient-focused, food-first approach to menu planning may address this gap by emphasizing nutrient-dense foods. The objectives were to determine if: (i) selected LTC menus met micronutrient and Canada's Food Guide (CFG) recommendations, and (ii) recommendations can be met through food alone with strategic menu planning. Regular, nontherapeutic menus (week 1, all meals) from diverse LTC homes (n = 5) across Canada were analyzed for micronutrient content using Food Processor and CFG servings. Site dietitians confirmed menu analyses. Five super-menus were created and analyzed for comparison. The nutrient content of the menus varied significantly across homes. Micronutrients of greatest concern were (mean ± SD) vitamin D (8.90 ± 5.29 µg/d) and vitamin E (5.13 ± 1.74 mg/d). Folate, magnesium, and potassium were also below recommendations. Super-menus of equal food volume met recommendations for all micronutrients except vitamin D (56%), vitamin E (84%), and potassium (85%). Meeting most micronutrient recommendations is possible with creative and deliberate menu planning. Knowledge translation of best practices is needed.

The dietary specialist fruit fly Drosophila sechellia has evolved to specialize on the toxic fruit of its host plant Morinda citrifolia. Toxicity of Morinda fruit is primarily due to high levels of octanoic acid (OA). Using RNA interference (RNAi), prior work found that knockdown of Osiris family genes Osiris 6 (Osi6), Osi7, and Osi8 led to increased susceptibility to OA in adult D. melanogaster flies, likely representing genes underlying a Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) for OA resistance in D. sechellia. While genes in this major effect locus are beginning to be revealed, prior work has shown at least five regions of the genome contribute to OA resistance. Here, we identify new candidate OA resistance genes by performing differential gene expression analysis using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) on control and OA-exposed D. sechellia flies. We found 104 significantly differentially expressed genes with annotated orthologs in D. melanogaster, including six Osiris gene family members, consistent with previous functional studies and gene expression analyses. Gene ontology (GO) term enrichment showed significant enrichment for cuticle development in upregulated genes and significant enrichment of immune and defense responses in downregulated genes, suggesting important aspects of the physiology of D. sechellia that may play a role in OA resistance. In addition, we identified five candidate OA resistance genes that potentially underlie QTL peaks outside of the major effect region, representing promising new candidate genes for future functional studies.

A health belief survey of 70 community-dwelling Chinese older people was carried out in five general outpatient clinics in the Kowloon East hospital cluster of Hong Kong. Subjects were asked about their susceptibility to influenza, their perceptions of its severity, and benefits of and barriers to vaccination. Beliefs in their own good health, the effectiveness of cultural measures adopted to prevent influenza and its curability may be among the reasons why those who decline the vaccination thought they were unlikely to catch the virus. Community nurses should help modify people's health beliefs to motivate them to take up vaccination.

Nanoparticles exhibit unique physical properties and chemical properties and hence have received much attention from scientists and researchers in different areas of biological sciences. Nanoparticles are employed in a wide range of applications causing large quantities of these materials to be released into the environment. Yet, issues related to how and where these particles are released into the porous media still remain as major challenges. The objective of this research is directed toward the study of oxide nanoparticles transport in low-porosity sand pack and determine the distance transport by the nanoparticles in the absence and presence of oil. The nanopowders were dispersed in de-ionized water, and the horizontal column was packed with low-porosity sand (30–40% porosity) of the size of 500 µm. This experiment was carried out with four different pore volume of nanoparticle suspensions ranging from 0.25 to 1.0 PV. The column effluents were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy to determine the morphology of the elements existed in the effluents. The resistivity of four different sections (metal rod 1,2, metal rod 2,3, metal rod 3,4 and metal rod 1,4) were measured using a multimeter. The transport of nanoparticles was the smoothest in paraffin oil, followed by water. In the absence of paraffin oil, the conductivity and resistivity value in water were 0.022 S/m and 44.90 Ω m, respectively, after 1.0 PV injection. In the presence of paraffin oil, the conductivity and resistivity reading were 0.026 S/m and 38.66 Ω m, respectively, after 1.0 PV injection. This indicated that the transport of nanoparticles in the presence of oil had lower resistance compared to the resistance in the absence of oil and thus, the distance transported by nanoparticles in the presence of oil was longer compared to the distance transported in the absence of oil.

Drosophila sechellia is a dietary specialist fruit fly that evolved from a generalist ancestor to specialize on the toxic fruit of Morinda citrifolia. This species pair has been the subject of numerous studies where the goal has largely been to determine the genetic basis of adaptations associated with host specialization. Because one of the most striking features of M. citrifolia fruit is the production of toxic volatile compounds that kill insects, most genomic studies in D. sechellia to date have focused on gene expression responses to the toxic compounds in its food. In this study, we aim to identify new genes important for host specialization by profiling gene expression response to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA). Recent work found it to be highly abundant in M. citrifolia, critical for reproductive success of D. sechellia, and supplementation of diet with the downstream pathway product dopamine can influence toxin resistance phenotypes in related species. Here we used a combination of functional genetics and genomics techniques to identify new genes that are important for D. sechellia ecological adaptation to this new niche. We show that L-DOPA exposure can affect toxin resistance phenotypes, identify genes with plastic responses to L-DOPA exposure, and functionally test an identified candidate gene. We found that knock-down of Esterase 6 (Est6) in a heterologous species alters toxin resistance suggesting Est6 may play an important role in D. sechellia host specialization.

I AM writing for a group of residents living tn Tsz Oi Estate, Oi Fu House, Kowloon. They express dissatisfaction...

JUDITH Heath wants the Government to reverse its decision to GMT+9 (S.C.M, Post, August 18). But has...