Individual response to dietary interventions can be highly variable. The phenotypic characteristics of those who will respond positively to personalised dietary advice are largely unknown. The objective of this study was to compare the phenotypic profiles of differential responders to personalised dietary intervention, with a focus on total circulating cholesterol. Subjects from the Food4Me multi-centre study were classified as responders or non-responders to dietary advice on the basis of the change in cholesterol level from baseline to month 6, with lower and upper quartiles defined as responder and non-responder groups, respectively. There were no significant differences between demographic and anthropometric profiles of the groups. Furthermore, with the exception of alcohol, there was no significant difference in reported dietary intake, at baseline. However, there were marked differences in baseline fatty acid profiles. The responder group had significantly higher levels of stearic acid (18 : 0, P=0·034) and lower levels of palmitic acid (16 : 0, P=0·009). Total MUFA (P=0·016) and total PUFA (P=0·008) also differed between the groups. In a step-wise logistic regression model, age, baseline total cholesterol, glucose, five fatty acids and alcohol intakes were selected as factors that successfully discriminated responders from non-responders, with sensitivity of 82 % and specificity of 83 %. The successful delivery of personalised dietary advice may depend on our ability to identify phenotypes that are responsive. The results demonstrate the potential use of metabolic profiles in identifying response to an intervention and could play an important role in the development of precision nutrition.

According to many experts, a public health emergency arising from an influenza pandemic, bioterrorism attack, or natural disaster is likely to develop in the next few years. Meeting the public health and medical response needs created by such an emergency will likely involve volunteers, health care professionals, public and private hospitals and clinics, vaccine manufacturers, governmental authorities, and many others. Conducting response activities in emergency circumstances may give rise to numerous issues of liability, and medical professionals and other potential responders have expressed concern about liability exposure. Providers may face inadequate resources, an insufficient number of qualified personnel, overwhelming demand for services, and other barriers to providing optimal treatment, which could lead to injury or even death in some cases. This article describes the different theories of liability that may be used by plaintiffs and the sources of immunity that are available to public health emergency responders in the public sector, private sector, and as volunteers. It synthesizes the existing immunity landscape and analyzes its gaps. Finally, the authors suggest consideration of the option of a comprehensive immunity provision that addresses liability protection for all health care providers during public health emergencies and that, consequently, assists in improving community emergency response efforts. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2009;3:117–125)

Mass casualty triage is the process of prioritizing multiple victims when resources are not sufficient to treat everyone immediately. No national guideline for mass casualty triage exists in the United States. The lack of a national guideline has resulted in variability in triage processes, tags, and nomenclature. This variability has the potential to inject confusion and miscommunication into the disaster incident, particularly when multiple jurisdictions are involved. The Model Uniform Core Criteria for Mass Casualty Triage were developed to be a national guideline for mass casualty triage to ensure interoperability and standardization when responding to a mass casualty incident. The Core Criteria consist of 4 categories: general considerations, global sorting, lifesaving interventions, and individual assessment of triage category. The criteria within each of these categories were developed by a workgroup of experts representing national stakeholder organizations who used the best available science and, when necessary, consensus opinion. This article describes how the Model Uniform Core Criteria for Mass Casualty Triage were developed.

(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2011;5:129-137)

The main goal of this targeted agenda program (TAP) was the establishment of an international network that would be able to advise on how to improve education and training for chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN)) responders. By combining the members of the TAP group, the CBRN Task Force of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) and the European network of the Hesculaep Group, an enthusiastic and determined group has been established to achieve the defined goal. It was acknowledged that the bottlenecks for education and training for CBRN responders are mainly awareness and preparedness. For this reason, even basic education and training on CBRN is lacking. It was advised that the focus for the future should be on the development of internationally standardized protocols and standards. The face-to-face discussions of the TAP will be continued at future Hesculaep expert meetings. The intention is that during the 16WCDEM, the achievements of the established network will be presented.

This is a summary of the presentations and discussion of Panel 2.18, Logistics, Information Technology, and Telecommunication in crisis Management of the Conference, Health Aspects of the Tsunami Disaster in Asia, convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Phuket, Thailand, 04–06 May 2005. The topics discussed included issues related to logistics, information Technology (IT), and crisis communication pertaining to the responses to the damage created by the Tsunami. It iss presented in the following major sections: (1) issues; (2) lessons learned; (3)what was done well; (4)what could have been done better; and (5)conclusions and recommendations. Each major section is presented in four sub-sections: (1) needs assessments; (2) coordination; (3) filling the gaps; and (4) capacity building.

Prior planning to meet the physical and mental needs of medical and emergency services responder, is a practical measure to reduce staff stress. This has the potential to improve both the operational efficiency of a disaster response and reduce the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorders in responders. Research is needed to define which interventions provide the greatest benefits to local responders.