Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is an inherited lysosomal storage disorder resulting from a functional deficiency of arylsulfatase A (ARSA), an enzyme that catalyzes desulfation of 3-O-sulfogalactosylceramide (sulfatide). Lack of active ARSA leads to the accumulation of sulfatide in oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells and some neurons and triggers progressive demyelination, the neuropathological hallmark of MLD. Several therapeutic approaches have been explored, including enzyme replacement, autologous hematopoietic stem cell-based gene therapy, intracerebral gene therapy or cell-based gene delivery into the central nervous system (CNS). However, long-term treatment of the blood-brain-barrier protected CNS remains challenging. Here we used MLD patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to generate long-term self-renewing neuroepithelial stem cells and astroglial progenitors for cell-based ARSA replacement. Following transplantation of ARSA-overexpressing precursors into ARSA-deficient mice we observed a significant reduction of sulfatide storage up to a distance of 300 µm from grafted cells. Our data indicate that neural precursors generated via reprogramming from MLD patients can be engineered to ameliorate sulfatide accumulation and may thus serve as autologous cell-based vehicle for continuous ARSA supply in MLD-affected brain tissue.

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One Health is a concept which fosters collaborative relationships between human health, animal health and environmental health partners. Diseases are emerging and re-emerging in South Asia due to poor sanitation, close proximity of people to livestock, deforestation, porous borders, climate change, changes in human behaviour and unhygienic food preparation and consumption practices. This review was completed in two stages. First, we conducted a review of peer-reviewed literature and grey literature available in Google search engine related to One Health in four countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal). Second, we used a structured questionnaire completed by the key stakeholders working on One Health for the collection of information related to the challenges in implementing One Health. Most of the One Health activities in South Asia are determined by donor preferences. Bangladesh and India did considerable work in advancing One Health with limited support from the government agencies. Weak surveillance mechanisms, uncertain cost-effectiveness of One Health compared with the existing approach, human resources and laboratory capacity are some of the factors hindering implementation of the One Health concept. Implementation of One Health is growing in the South Asia region with limited or no government acceptance. To institutionalise it, there is a need for leadership, government support and funding.

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Uncorrected QT measures are more reliable than QTcB and QT(CFrid). An average of three independent measures provides the most reliable QT and QTc measurements, with QTcH better than QTcB.

creening of healthy groups in the population and diagnostic testing on suspicion of disease are fundamental components of health care delivery and disease prevention. As the general media are important sources of health information for consumers, accurate and balanced reporting is essential. Media reporting of diagnostic tests is skewed towards screening tests, particularly cancer screening, and the quality of coverage appears poor. 1-3 However, there are no data on how well the media cover stories about diagnostic tests used to confirm disease. The statistics used to quantify diagnostic test accuracy (sensitivity, specificity and the predictive value of positive and negative tests) are difficult to understand, so conveying this information to the public is a challenging task for journalists. 3,4 In this article, we review stories written about diagnostic and screening tests in the Australian media, and propose some questions that journalists covering these topics could use.

Purpose Rural areas may face under‐recognized threats to air quality. We tested 2 hypotheses that 1) rural areas in New South Wales, Australia, would have better air quality than metropolitan Sydney, and that 2) the rural Upper Hunter region characterized by coal mining and coal combustion would have worse air quality than other rural areas of the state. Methods We analyzed 2017 daily mean values for New South Wales, Australia, for particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and NOx (sum of NO and NO2). Forty‐six air monitoring stations were grouped into 6 rural and urban regional areas. Linear regression models examined pollution levels in association with rural and urban regions and meteorological covariates. Results Findings show that daily mean pollutant levels in the rural Upper Hunter were the highest of all regions, and were significantly higher than metropolitan Sydney, with and without control for weather conditions, for every pollutant. For example, daily mean PM2.5 was 8.64 µg/m3 in the rural Upper Hunter, compared to 7.23 µg/m3 in metropolitan Sydney. Conclusions Results highlight the need to consider both urban and rural sources of pollution in air quality studies, and appropriate policy steps to address likely rural air pollution from coal mining.

lifestyle behaviours (e.g., physical activity) have shown promise for improving men's physical health, but the impact of these programs on psychological outcomes has not been evaluated. This systematic review was conducted to examine the impact of male-only lifestyle behaviour change interventions on men's mental health. Methods: This review adhered to the PRISMA guidelines. In March 2018, a systematic literature search with no date restrictions was conducted across four databases. All studies used a randomised design to evaluate the impact of a male-only lifestyle behaviour change intervention on one or more mental health outcomes (e.g., depression, anxiety). Risk of bias was assessed using criteria modified from the CONSORT statement and recent reviews. Where possible, fixed effects meta-analyses examined aggregated change effects for various mental health indicators. Results: The search returned 15,946 citations. After screening titles and abstracts, 775 full-text articles were retrieved. Ten studies were eligible for inclusion, representing 1,472 participants. In total, 9 of the 10 studies specifically targeted men's physical activity behaviour either alone or in combination with dietary changes. Three studies were sports-focused, three targeted the workplace, two tested e-health programs, and two were based at a clinic. In all studies, mental health indicators were secondary outcomes and no studies targeted men with pre-existing mental health conditions. Overall, significant between-group effects were reported for 18 of the 32 (56 %) mental health outcomes. Of interest, 7 of the 9 (78 %) studies that targeted physical activity reported a significant effect size for at least one mental health outcome. Study quality was generally high, though only one study included follow-up ≥12 months. Meta-analyses revealed small-to-medium effect sizes favouring intervention groups for self-esteem (n = 3, SMD = 0.51, 95 %CI 0.38, 0.64), positive affect (n = 3, SMD = 0.58, 95 %CI 0.45, 0.72), negative affect (n = 3, SMD =-0.15, 95 %CI-0.29,-0.02), and SF-12 mental scores (n = 5, SMD = 0.24, 95 %CI 0.13, 0.36). Discussion: This review provides novel evidence indicating that male-only lifestyle interventions improve men's mental health in some circumstances. However, high-quality studies that are powered to detect long-term mental health changes are required to identify which intervention components or targeted behaviours are most important for success. This is critical given men are reluctant to participate in traditional mental health treatments.