Search

Background Households represent important settings for transmission of influenza and other respiratory viruses. Current influenza diagnosis and treatment relies upon patient visits to healthcare facilities, which may lead to under‐diagnosis and treatment delays. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of an at‐home approach to influenza diagnosis and treatment via home testing, telehealth care, and rapid antiviral home delivery. Methods We conducted a pilot interventional study of remote influenza diagnosis and treatment in Seattle‐area households with children during the 2019‐2020 influenza season using pre‐positioned nasal swabs and home influenza tests. Home monitoring for respiratory symptoms occurred weekly; if symptoms were reported within 48 hours of onset, participants collected mid‐nasal swabs and used a rapid home‐based influenza immunoassay. An additional home‐collected swab was returned to a laboratory for confirmatory influenza RT‐PCR testing. Baloxavir antiviral treatment was prescribed and delivered to symptomatic and age‐eligible participants, following a telehealth encounter. Results 124 households comprising 481 individuals self‐monitored for respiratory symptoms, with 58 home tests administered. 12 home tests were positive for influenza, of which eight were true positives confirmed by RT‐PCR. The sensitivity and specificity of the home influenza test were 72.7% and 96.2%, respectively. There were eight home deliveries of baloxavir, with 7 (87.5%) occurring within 3 hours of prescription and all within 48 hours of symptom onset. Conclusions We demonstrate the feasibility of self‐testing combined with rapid home delivery of influenza antiviral treatment. This approach may be an important control strategy for influenza epidemics and pandemics.

BackgroundHouseholds represent important settings for transmission of influenza and other respiratory viruses. Current influenza diagnosis and treatment relies upon patient visits to healthcare facilities, which may lead to under-diagnosis and treatment delays. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of an at-home approach to influenza diagnosis and treatment via home testing, telehealth care, and rapid antiviral home delivery.MethodsWe conducted a pilot interventional study of remote influenza diagnosis and treatment in Seattle-area households with children during the 2019-2020 influenza season using pre-positioned nasal swabs and home influenza tests. Home monitoring for respiratory symptoms occurred weekly; if symptoms were reported within 48 hours of onset, participants collected mid-nasal swabs and used a rapid home-based influenza immunoassay. An additional home-collected swab was returned to a laboratory for confirmatory influenza RT-PCR testing. Baloxavir antiviral treatment was prescribed and delivered to symptomatic and age-eligible participants, following a telehealth encounter.Results124 households comprising 481 individuals self-monitored for respiratory symptoms, with 58 home tests administered. 12 home tests were positive for influenza, of which 8 were true positives confirmed by RT-PCR. The sensitivity and specificity of the home influenza test was 72.7% and 96.2%, respectively. There were 8 home deliveries of baloxavir, with 7 (87.5%) occurring within 3 hours of prescription, and all within 48 hours of symptom onset.ConclusionsWe demonstrate the feasibility of self-testing combined with rapid home delivery of influenza antiviral treatment. This approach may be an important control strategy for influenza epidemics and pandemics.SummaryIn this pilot study, 481 individuals self-monitored for respiratory symptoms. Of 58 home tests, 12 were influenza-positive. There were 8 baloxavir home deliveries within 48 hours of illness onset. A home-based approach to influenza diagnosis and treatment could be feasible.

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that Cu hydroxychloride (IntelliBond CII, Micronutrients, LLC, Indianapolis, IN) improves growth performance by upregulating the mRNA transcription of genes involved in lipid metabolism of pigs. Thirty-two pigs (15.05 ± 0.98 kg) were allotted to 2 dietary treatments with 2 pigs per pen for a total of 8 replicate pens per treatment. Pigs were fed a control diet based on corn, soybean meal, and distillers dried grains with solubles that included Cu to meet the requirement. A second diet was formulated by adding 150 mg Cu/kg from Cu hydroxychloride to the control diet. On the last day of the experiment, one pig per pen was sacrificed and samples from liver, skeletal muscle, and subcutaneous adipose tissue were collected to analyze relative mRNA abundance of genes involved in lipid metabolism. Data were analyzed using SAS with pen as the experimental unit. Diet was the fixed effect and replicate was the random effect. Results indicated that overall average daily gain and gain:feed were greater (P < 0.05) for pigs fed the diet containing Cu hydroxychloride compared with pigs fed the control diet (Table 1). Pigs fed the diet supplemented with Cu hydroxychloride had increased (P < 0.05) abundance of cluster of differentiation 36 in liver and increased (P < 0.05) abundance of fatty acid binding protein 4 and lipoprotein lipase in subcutaneous adipose tissue. Inclusion of Cu hydroxychloride also tended to increase (P < 0.10) abundance of fatty acid binding protein 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha, and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 B in liver, skeletal muscle, and subcutaneous adipose tissue, respectively. In conclusion, supplementation of Cu hydroxychloride to the control diet improved growth performance and may affect signaling pathways associated with lipid metabolism by upregulating abundance of some genes involved in post-absorptive metabolism of lipids.

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that copper (Cu) hydroxychloride improves growth performance by upregulating the mRNA transcription of genes involved in lipid metabolism of pigs fed a diet based on corn, soybean meal (SBM), and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). Thirty-two pigs (15.05 ± 0.98 kg) were allotted to 2 dietary treatments with 2 pigs per pen for a total of 8 replicate pens per treatment. Pigs were fed a corn–SBM–DDGS control diet that included Cu to meet the requirement. A second diet was formulated by adding 150 mg Cu/kg from copper hydroxychloride to the control diet. On the last day of the experiment, one pig per pen was sacrificed, and samples from liver, skeletal muscle, and subcutaneous adipose tissue were collected to analyze relative mRNA abundance of genes involved in lipid metabolism. Results indicated that overall ADG and G:F were greater (P < 0.05) for pigs fed the diet containing copper hydroxychloride compared with pigs fed the control diet. Pigs fed the diet supplemented with copper hydroxychloride also had increased (P < 0.05) abundance of cluster of differentiation 36 in the liver and increased (P < 0.05) abundance of fatty acid-binding protein 4 and lipoprotein lipase in subcutaneous adipose tissue. Inclusion of copper hydroxychloride also tended to increase (P < 0.10) the abundance of fatty acid-binding protein 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1B in the liver, skeletal muscle, and subcutaneous adipose tissue, respectively. This indicates that dietary Cu may affect signaling pathways associated with lipid metabolism by improving the uptake, transport, and utilization of fatty acids. In conclusion, supplementation of copper hydroxychloride to the control diet improved growth performance and upregulated the abundance of some genes involved in postabsorptive metabolism of lipids.

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that Cu hydroxychloride improves nutrient digestibility and alters the concentration of microbial protein in the small intestine or large intestine by pigs fed a corn-soybean meal diet or a diet based on corn, soybean meal, and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). Twenty-four barrows (33.3 ± 3.4 kg) that had a T-cannula installed in the distal ileum were allotted to a 2 × 2 factorial design with 2 levels of DDGS (0% or 45%) and 2 levels of supplemental Cu from Cu hydroxychloride (0 or 150 mg/kg). A 2-period switch back design with the 4 diets and 6 replicate pigs per diet in each period was used resulting in 12 replicate pigs per diet for the 2 periods. The initial 9 d of each period was considered an adaptation period to the experimental diets. For each period, feces were collected on days 10, 11, and 12, and ileal digesta were collected for 8 h on days 13 and 14. Results indicated that inclusion of 45% DDGS to diets reduced (P < 0.05) the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of AA and the AID and the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter, gross energy, and crude protein. In contrast, inclusion of DDGS to diets increased (P < 0.05) the AID and the ATTD of acid hydrolyzed ether extract and the concentration of microbial protein in the hindgut (P < 0.05). However, the total concentration of volatile fatty acids (VFA) in ileal digesta and in feces from pigs fed the DDGS diets were not different from concentrations in pigs fed diets without DDGS. The AID and ATTD of dry matter, gross energy, and crude protein were not affected by dietary Cu concentrations, but the AID and ATTD of acid hydrolyzed ether extract were greater (P < 0.05) in diets supplemented with Cu hydroxychloride compared with diets without Cu hydroxychloride. There was also a reduction (P < 0.05) in the concentration of microbial protein and a tendency for a reduction (P < 0.10) in the total concentration of VFA in feces when diets were supplemented with Cu hydroxychloride. In conclusion, supplementation of Cu hydroxychloride to diets improved AID and ATTD of acid hydrolyzed ether extract and reduced the concentration of microbial protein in the large intestine and this effect was observed in diets containing DDGS as well as in diets without DDGS.

Coastal managers are increasingly challenged with implementing expensive restoration and on-going maintenance programs to reinstate the services and values of floodplains as important fish nursery areas, but access to long-term data to assist with supporting success is lacking. An environmental levy (funded by farmers, Burdekin Shire Council, a local Natural Resource Management group, and Lower Burdekin Water Board) was enacted in 2003 to fund (approximately $20,000/yr AUD) an ongoing aquatic weed removal program (consisting of an aquatic plant weed harvester that removes floating vegetation to a nearby truck for composting in conjunction with boat weed spraying) designed to maintain the delivery of irrigation water as well as promoting productive fish habitat. We repeated a fish and water quality survey first performed in 2001/2002 (September 2017, May 2018) at 10 lagoons (three clear and seven turbid) on the Burdekin floodplain (north Queensland, Australia) to examine whether these maintenance efforts continue delivering the initial values set nearly 20 years ago. A total of 2267 fish from 24 species were caught, May 2018 (post-wet season) survey yielded more fish (24 species) than the September 2017 (late dry season) survey (19 species) which is close to the results of the 2001/02 survey (post-wet season, 17 species; late dry season, 16 species). A Hydrolab (September 2017) revealed that turbid and clear water lagoons had a similar rhythmic diel temperature cycle that posed no thermal risks to fish. Dissolved oxygen had distinct diel periodicity, with clear lagoons having the widest range, reaching established critical minimum thresholds for some floodplain fish, while turbid lagoons were generally less variable (presumably due to less oxygen demand from biological activity). While as long as sugarcane production occurs, excessive nutrients will necessitate continuance of the aquatic weed program; therefore, the funding model in place must remain. This study advocates the need for long-term maintenance programs facilitated by long-term partnerships, and serves as an exemplar model for managers looking to restore coastal floodplains but are challenged with persistent aquatic weed management issues, not only in Australia but also on floodplains elsewhere.