Vaccination coverage for infants with CHD is unknown, yet these patients are at high risk for morbidity and mortality associated with vaccine-preventable illnesses. We determined vaccination rates for this population and identified predictors of undervaccination. We prospectively enrolled infants with CHD born between 1 January, 2012 and 31 December, 2015, seen in a single-centre cardiology clinic between 15 February, 2016 and 28 February, 2017. We assessed vaccination during the first year of life. Subjects who by age 1 year received all routine immunisations recommended during the first 6 months of life were considered fully vaccinated. We also evaluated influenza vaccination during subjects’ first eligible influenza season. We obtained immunisation histories from primary care providers and collected demographic and clinical data via a parent survey and chart review. We used multivariable logistic regression to identify predictors of undervaccination. Among 260 subjects, only 60% were fully vaccinated. Vaccination rates were lowest for influenza (64.6%), rotavirus (71.1%), and Haemophilus influenzae type b (79.3%). Cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass during the first year of life was associated with undervaccination (51.5% versus 76.4% fully vaccinated, adjusted odds ratio 2.1 [95% confidence interval 1.1–3.9]). Other predictors of undervaccination were out-of-state primary care (adjusted odds ratio 2.7 [1.5–4.9]), multiple comorbidities (≥2 versus 0–1, adjusted odds ratio 2.0 [1.1–3.6]), and hospitalisation for >25% of the first year of life (>25% versus ≤25%, adjusted odds ratio 2.1 [1.1–3.9]). Targeted quality improvement initiatives focused on improving vaccination coverage for these infants, especially surrounding cardiac surgery, are needed.

Breastfeeding may reduce obesity risk, but this association could be confounded by breastfeeding families’ characteristics. We investigated if body composition differs at birth among infants who were either exclusively breast- or formula-fed. We hypothesized the two groups would differ in body composition, even at birth, prior to their post-natal feeding experience. Healthy primiparous carrying singleton pregnancy were recruited at 15 weeks’ gestation. PEA POD® measured body composition within 72 hours of delivery and infant feeding was prospectively captured. Out of the 1,152 infants recruited, 117 (10.2%) and 239 (20.7%) went on to be either exclusively breast- or formula-fed, respectively. Breastfed infants were heavier at birth, but their percentage fat mass (FM) was lower than that of exclusively formula-fed infants (covariate adjusted β = −1.91 percentage points of FM; 95% CI −2.82 to −1.01). Differences in intra-uterine exposures, irrespective of early diet, may partly explain an infant’s obesity risk.

The longue durée of human activity on the island of Pantelleria represents an important locus of ancient cultural interaction in the Strait of Sicily. This narrow channel in the central Mediterranean has played a major and continuous role in human relations between Italy, Sicily and North Africa since the Neolithic period. Use or control of the Pantelleria has been pivotal for a number of cultures over time, each leaving a lasting impression on the landscape and the people of the island (Figure 1). The volcanic geology of Pantelleria has determined the shape of its landscape and is responsible for the creation of the collapsed-caldera basin and lake that form the study area of this project. The Brock University Archaeological Project at Pantelleria (BUAPP) is working in the Lago di Venere area, examining past human activity on the north-eastern lake shore. A previous project in the Lago di Venere area (1998–2002) interpreted the site as a Punic and Roman sanctuary (Audino & Cerasetti 2004; Cerasetti 2006). Our project complements this and other archaeological investigations of the island's classical past, including the ongoing excavations on the Acropolis, near the main harbour, which have revealed the remains of the island's Punic and Roman centre (Schäfer et al. 2015).

There is a need to further our understanding of the role that the equine hindgut ecosystem plays in digestive processes and diseases. The aim of the present study was to utilise the real-time PCR technique to determine the abundance of candidate cellulolytic (Ruminococcus flavefaciens; Fibrobacter succinogenes) and non-cellulolytic (Streptococcus bovis) bacteria in lumen contents from the caecum, ventral and dorsal colon, and rectum of healthy horses (n 14). Total DNA was extracted from frozen and lyophilised lumen contents, and PCR primers and Taqman® probes were designed based on 16S rDNA sequences for specific detection of candidate bacterial species. Overall, in frozen and lyophilised digesta, there were significantly (P < 0·01) fewer candidate bacteria in the caecum than the dorsal colon and rectum. In frozen digesta, candidate bacteria levels were similar between the ventral colon, dorsal colon and rectum, but in lyophilised digesta there were significantly (P < 0·05) higher levels of bacteria in the dorsal colon and rectum. Frozen digesta contained disparate levels of candidate bacteria such that R. flavefaciens > F. succinogenes > S. bovis (P < 0·05), while in lyophilised digesta R. flavefaciens was present in significantly (P < 0·05) greater amounts than F. succinogenes and S. bovis. R. flavefaciens and F. succinogenes were abundant at significantly (P < 0·05) greater levels in lyophilised digesta v. frozen digesta, with no difference in S. bovis levels. These data indicate that for these bacteria at least, faeces are a suitable model for studying the bacterial ecosystem within the equine colon. The present study also indicates that the preservation method of digesta affects levels of bacteria detected.

This work is an extension of our previous studies carried out to investigate the possible catalytic role of minerals in the abiotic synthesis of biologically important molecules. In the presence of montmorillonite, a member of the phyllosilicate group minerals that are abundant on Earth and identified on Mars, activated RNA monomers, namely 5′-phosphorimidazolides of nucleosides (ImpNs), undergo condensation reactions in aqueous electrolyte solution producing oligomers with similar structures to short RNA fragments. Analysis of the linear trimer isomers formed in the reaction of a mixture of activated adenosine and cytidine monomers (ImpA and ImpC, respectively) employing high-performance liquid chromatography, selective enzymatic hydrolysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectroscopy molecular weight measurements demonstrate that montmorillonite catalysis facilitates the formation of hetero-isomers containing 56% A- and 44% C-monomer incorporated in their structure. The results also show that 56% of the monomer units are linked together by RNA-like 3′, 5′-phosphodiester bonds. These results follow the same trend observed in our most recent work studying the reaction of activated adenosine and uridine monomers, and support Bernal's hypothesis proposing the possible catalytic role of minerals in the abiotic processes in the course of chemical evolution.

A series of experiments was conducted to determine the effects of a fibrolytic enzyme preparation (enzyme 1; E1) on the in vitro fermentation of lucerne incubated with equine faecal inocula. In experiment 1, high-temperature-dried (HT) lucerne was treated with five levels of E1 (0 to 2·4ml/g DM) and incubated at 50°C for 20h. Samples then received a simulated foregut digestion (SFD) treatment before DM and NSP analysis. In experiment 2, HT lucerne was treated with the same enzyme levels used in experiment 1. Samples were then split into two groups; plus or minus an SFD treatment before in vitro fermentation using an equine faecal inoculum. In experiment 3, fresh and wilted lucerne were treated with the same levels of E1 as experiments 1 and 2, incubated at 50°C for 20h, then fermented in vitro. For experiment 4, fresh and wilted lucerne were treated with low levels (0 to 0·008ml/g DM) of E1 before fermentation. E1 significantly (P<0·05) enhanced DM and NSP losses from HT lucerne following SFD treatment compared with the control. High levels of E1 significantly (P<0·05) enhanced the rate, but not extent, of fermentation of HT, wilted and fresh lucerne; however, low levels of E1 were ineffective. At higher application levels, E1 appears to have considerable potential to enhance the nutritive value of lucerne for horses. Information on the fermentation kinetics of the substrates was valuable; all end-point measurements showed no effect of enzyme treatment.

Reductions in red meat and increases in cereals in the diet may compromise the intake and bioavailability of Zn. In this cross-sectional study of 330 premenopausal New Zealand women aged 18–40 years, we have assessed the inter-relationships among dietary intakes (via computer-administered food-frequency questionnaire), biochemical Zn status, and anthropometric indices, and compared our results with earlier data. Fasting serum (12·00 (SD 1·36) ΜMOL/L) AND HAIR ZN (2·71 (sd 0·36) μmol/g) were lower than those for young Dunedin, New Zealand, women in 1973 (non-fasting serum Zn 18·6 (sd 4·6) μmol/l, hair Zn 2·99 (sd 0·35) μmol/g). Further, our mean serum Zn was at the 25th percentile of the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (1976–1980) reference sample for women aged 20–44 years. Meat–poultry–fish contributed only 28 % total Zn in the present study, a level comparable with that from cereals–nuts–legumes (27 %), compared to about 40 % in 1989. Significant negative correlations existed between serum Zn and dietary [phytate]:[Zn] molar ratios (r -0·163, P<0·01); 35 % had diets with [phytate]:[Zn] >15, a level said to compromise Zn status. Mean serum Zn of a subgroup of non-oral contraceptive users free of infection was higher in the red-meat eaters (n 149) compared with non-red-meat eaters (n 48) (12·2 v. 11·8 μmol/g, P<0·05). In contrast, serum Zn was lower in those with dietary [phytate]:[Zn] ratios >15 v. <15 (i.e. 11·9 v. 12·3 μmol/l, P=0·04). We postulate that the lower biochemical Zn status of these New Zealand women may be associated in part with changes in food selection patterns, which have led to a reduction in the bioavailability of dietary Zn.