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PubMed1979

Studies of congenitally immunologic mutant New Zealand mice. II. Absence of T cell progenitor populations and B cell defects of congenitally athymic (nude) New Zealand Black (NZB) mice.

Congenitally athymic (nude) mice on an NZB, NZW, and BALB/c background were produced by repetitive selective backcrossing. F'12 generation nude mice of these three strains were compared to their littermate nu/+ controls with respect to survival, histology, blood counts, splenic surface markers, response to mitogens, spontaneous plaque-forming cells, and appearance of naturally occurring thymocytotoxic antibodies (NTA). Under specific pathogen-free conditions, NZB nude mice survive less than 3 weeks, dying of a runting-like disease with infection by local normally noninvasive organisms. A contributing factor to his premature death is the relative absence of T cell progenitor populations in the NZB nude vs NZW nude or BALB/c nude groups. Furthermore, NZB nude mice have a significantly earlier appearance of NTA than nu/+ littermates and likewise appear to have heightened spontaneous polyclonal B cell responses against the haptens dansyl, nitroiodophenyl, trinitrophenyl,2,4 dinitrophenyl, and sulfonate. It is suggested that NZB mice have several critical immunologic defects, including abnormalities of thymic epithelial cells, T cell differentiation pathways, and chronically polyclonal activated B cell populations. These defects interact to produce the clinical expression of autoimmunity.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Season and ethnicity are determinants of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in New Zealand children aged 5-14 y.

New Zealand children, particularly those of Māori and Pacific ethnicity, may be at risk for low vitamin D status because of low vitamin D intakes, the country's latitude (35-46 degrees S), and skin color. The aim of this study was to determine 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and their determinants in a national sample of New Zealand children aged 5-14 y. The 2002 National Children's Nutrition Survey was designed to survey New Zealand children, including oversampling of Māori and Pacific children to allow ethnic-specific analyses. A 2-stage recruitment process occurred using a random selection of schools, and children within each school. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration [mean (99% CI) nmol/L] in Māori children (n = 456) was 43 (38,49), in Pacific (n = 646) 36 (31,42), and in New Zealand European and Others (NZEO) (n = 483) 53 (47,59). Among Māori, Pacific, and NZEO, the prevalence (%, 99% CI) of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency (<17.5 nmol/L) was 5 (2,12), 8 (5,14), and 3 (1,7), respectively. The prevalence of insufficiency (<37.5 nmol/L) was 41 (29,53), 59 (42,75), and 25 (15,35), respectively. Multiple regression analysis found that 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were lower in winter than summer [adjusted mean difference (99% CI) nmol/L; 15 (8,22)], lower in girls than boys [5 (1,10)], and lower in obese children than in those of "normal" weight [6 (1,11)]. Relative to NZEO, 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were lower in Māori [9 (3,15)] and Pacific children [16 (10,22)]. Ethnicity and season are major determinants of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D. There is a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in New Zealand children, which may or may not contribute to increased risk of osteoporosis and other chronic disease. There is a pressing need for more convincing evidence concerning the health risks associated with the low vitamin D status in New Zealand children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Results from the first year of the New Zealand cot death study.

New Zealand's high mortality rate from the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) prompted the development of the New Zealand cot death study. This report of the preliminary analysis of the first year of the data gives the major identified risk factors. One hundred and sixty-two infants who died from SIDS were compared with 589 control infants, who were a representative sample of all hospital births in the study region. Obstetric records were examined and parental interviews were completed in 96% and 89% of subjects respectively. Data were available for all the variables in this study in 95% of those interviewed, thus 128 cases and 503 controls make up the subjects of this report. As expected we confirmed many risk factors for SIDS including: lower socioeconomic status, unmarried mother, young mother, younger school leaving age of mother, younger age of mother at first pregnancy, late attendance at antenatal clinic, nonattendant at antenatal classes, Maori, greater number of previous pregnancies, lower birth weight, shorter gestation, male infant, admission to neonatal intensive care unit. In addition, however, we identified three risk factors which are potentially amenable to modification. These were the prone sleeping position of baby (odds ratio = 3.53, 95% confidence interval 2.26, 5.54), maternal smoking (1-9 cigarettes/day OR = 1.87, 95% CI = 0.98, 3.54; 10-19/day OR = 2.64, 95% CI = 1.47, 4.74; 20+/day OR = 5.06, 95% CI = 2.86, 8.95) and breast feeding (OR = 2.93, 95% CI = 1.84, 4.67).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Blister beetle dermatosis in New Zealand.

Seventy-four New Zealand Army personnel with a distinctive bullous dermatosis caused by an endemic beetle are described. These are the first reported cases of this condition in New Zealand. The beetle, Thelyphassa lineata (Fabricius) belonging to the family Oedemeridae was shown to be a vesicant species, as skin contact induced blisters in volunteers. This is a previously unrecognised property of this species.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

The influence of race, religion, occupation and other social factors on cigarette smoking in New Zealand.

97% of the New Zealand population 15 years and over (2.1 million persons) responded to a question on cigarette smoking in the 1976 population census. 38% of New Zealand men and 30% of women other than Maoris or Pacific Islanders were cigarette smokers. 56% of Maori men and 59% of Maori women smoked regularly; the corresponding figures for Pacific Islanders, a relatively recent migrant population, were 46% and 24%. In all age groups more Maoris smoked than non-Maoris. More than two-thirds of Maori women aged 20-24 were smokers. Cigarette consumption rates were high; the men and over one third of the women smokers smoked more than 20 cigarette a day. Smoking was higher then expected among Roman Catholics and among those who objected to stating their religion. Those who were divorced or separated had smoking rates 38% to 56% higher than expected. Smoking was inversely related to the level of education attained. Those in the professions were least likely to be smokers (average 27%) whereas at least half those in labouring or unskilled occupations were smokers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

The Healthline pilot: call centre triage in New Zealand.

AIMS: To acquaint New Zealand doctorsabout nurse telephone triage using call centre technology, and to report the activities of Healthline, a pilot call centre telephone triage project in New Zealand. METHODS: Data for the second quarter of Healthline's activities are reported. RESULTS: Healthline received about 100 calls a day, mostly after hours, and typically from symptomatic patients seeking health advice. Women and children were the most frequent users; Maori used the service in proportion to their representation in the population. Common symptoms were to those encountered in primary medical care. Requests for specific health information were usually about the health issues of the day Callers were more often directed to contact general practitioners than any other careproviders. The triage advice provided was often different from the caller's original intention about the timing and and ofcare they would have sought. Satisfaction with the service among Maori and non-Maori callers was high. CONCLUSIONS: Healthline is providing a safe and acceptable primary care triage service in its pilot regions and appears to be meeting its first objective of providing timely and appropriate access to health advice and services.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1992

Sports medicine in New Zealand.

Sports medicine in New Zealand is characterized by a team approach. Experienced professionals work together to the benefit of athletes, be they elite performers or those in sport for purely recreational purposes. A no-fault accident compensation scheme is used to provide speedy access to treatment services for those injured in sport and also for advice on accident prevention. Recent initiatives include a task force on drugs in sport and the creation of regional sports foundations. Sports medical education is a prominent part of the New Zealand scene.

Athletic Injuries↗
PubMed2000

Foraging energetics and diving behavior of lactating New Zealand sea lions, Phocarctos hookeri.

The New Zealand sea lion, Phocarctos hookeri, is the deepest- and longest-diving sea lion. We were interested in whether the diving ability of this animal was related to changes in its at-sea and diving metabolic rates. We measured the metabolic rate, water turnover and diving behavior of 12 lactating New Zealand sea lions at Sandy Bay, Enderby Island, Auckland Islands Group, New Zealand (50 degrees 30'S, 166 degrees 17'E), during January and February 1997 when their pups were between 1 and 2 months old. Metabolic rate (rate of CO(2) production) and water turnover were measured using the (18)O doubly-labeled water technique, and diving behavior was measured with time/depth recorders (TDRs). Mean total body water was 66.0+/-1.1 % (mean +/- s.d.) and mean rate of CO(2) production was 0. 835+/-0.114 ml g(-)(1 )h(-)(1), which provides an estimated mass-specific field metabolic rate (FMR) of 5.47+/-0.75 W kg(-)(1). After correction for time on shore, the at-sea FMR was estimated to be 6.65+/-1.09 W kg(-)(1), a value 5.8 times the predicted standard metabolic rate of a terrestrial animal of equal size. The mean maximum dive depth was 353+/-164 m, with a mean diving depth of 124+/-36 m. The mean maximum dive duration was 8.3+/-1.7 min, with an average duration of 3.4+/-0.6 min. The deepest, 550 m, and longest, 11.5 min, dives were made by the largest animal (155 kg). Our results indicate that the deep and long-duration diving ability of New Zealand sea lions is not due to a decreased diving metabolic rate. Individual sea lions that performed deeper dives had lower FMRs, which may result from the use of energetically efficient burst-and-glide locomotion. There are differences in the foraging patterns of deep and shallow divers that may reflect differences in surface swimming, time spent on the surface and/or diet. Our data indicate that, although New Zealand sea lions have increased their O(2) storage capacity, they do not, or cannot, significantly reduce their at-sea metabolic rates and are therefore likely to be operating near their physiological maximum.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Chemistry of New Zealand Apiaceae: a rare phenylpropanoid and three new germacrane derivatives from Anisotome lyallii.

A phytochemical investigation of the New Zealand endemic Apiaceae species Anisotome lyallii Hook.f. yielded (+)-alpha-angeloyloxylatifolone (1), 6-O-angeloyl-8-O-tigloyl-6beta,8alpha,11-trihydroxygermacra-1(10)E,4E-diene (2), 6-O-tigloyl-8-O-tigloyl-6beta,8alpha,11-trihydroxygermacra-1(10)E,4E-diene (3) and 6-O-tigloyl-8-O-tigloyl-1alpha,6beta,8alpha,11-tetrahydroxygermacra-4E,10-(14)diene (4). The structures were elucidated by HR mass spectrometry and 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy. A chemosystematic survey for compounds 1-3 in other New Zealand Apiaceae by HPLC-MS revealed that 1-3 were confined to A. haastii Cockayne & Laing and A. lyallii, and that some minor compounds in other species of Anisotome were isomers of 2 and 3.

Apiaceae↗
PubMed1999

Policy-induced changes in Maori mortality patterns in the New Zealand economic reform period.

New Zealand's pro-market reform process commencing in 1984, while generally popular, did not represent a net social benefit for all socio-economic, cultural and ethnic groups. The reforms imposed hardships on groups heavily dependent on manual jobs in the manufacturing sector, on groups experiencing above average rates of unemployment, and on groups dependent on social programmes for stability in income flows. One group possessing all three characteristics, and adversely affected, was New Zealand's aboriginal population--the Maori. Previous statistical analyses have established that the Maori are a low income group that suffered a substantial decline in relative income from 1984 to 1987. The statistical research in this study establishes that Maori aged 30-79 years also experienced an increase in mortality ratios relative to the rest of the population, commencing in 1987. It is postulated that the decline in economic stability was a source of stress for middle-aged Maori, and that this was a contributing factor to the increase in observed relative mortality.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

The impact of no-fault compensation on the regulation of medical practice in New Zealand.

On 1 April 1974 New Zealand's no-fault accident compensation scheme commenced. Since then doctors in New Zealand have been protected from civil claims for damages which arise directly or indirectly from medical misadventure. During this period disciplinary complaints against doctors have risen substantially but there is no empirical evidence that New Zealand's no-fault accident compensation scheme has adversely affected the regulation of medical practice in that country.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1989

Decentralisation trends in the management of New Zealand's health services.

New Zealand is in the process of implementing major changes in the organisation and funding of its health services. Central to these changes is a largely elected area health board responsible for the funding and coordination of all services for a defined population, both public as well as non-government. Four different models of decentralisation, deconcentration (administrative), devolution (political), corporatisation (functional) and privatisation (non-government), have been used to describe and analyse these changes. There is expected to be a major devolution of powers to area health boards from central government, reversing the centralising tendencies which have occurred over the past century. Within boards a pluralistic system of service management, incorporating the above models of decentralisation, is being implemented to replace the present system of institutional administration and to give greater decision-making responsibility to health professionals, non-government agencies and community groups. These initiatives are associated with population-based funding of hospital boards complemented by service planning guidelines. Of particular importance has been the recent government decision to place the funding and management of primary health care under area health boards. However, there are serious concerns as to whether such radical changes, which could put New Zealand ahead of the rest of the world in achieving an integrated health system, can be implemented given the management expertise needed.

Governing Board↗
PubMed2004

A novel locus regulates both retroviral glycoprotein 70 and anti-glycoprotein 70 antibody production in New Zealand mice when crossed with BALB/c.

Lupus-prone New Zealand Black and New Zealand White mice produce high serum levels of the endogenous retroviral envelope protein gp70 and develop an Ab response to this autoantigen as part of their autoimmune disease. Linkage analysis of two crosses involving New Zealand and BALB/c mice mapped these traits to a group of overlapping loci, including a novel locus on proximal chromosome 12. This locus was linked with serum gp70 and the autoimmune response against it. The linkage of serum gp70 levels to a previously described locus on distal chromosome 4 was also confirmed. Sequence analysis of a candidate gene on distal chromosome 4, Fv1, provided support that this gene may be associated with the control of serum gp70 levels in both New Zealand Black and New Zealand White mice. Linkage data and statistical analysis confirmed a close correlation between gp70 Ag and anti-gp70 Ab levels, and together gave support to the concept that a threshold level of gp70 is required for the production of anti-gp70 Abs. Serum levels of anti-gp70 Abs were closely correlated with the presence of renal disease, more so than anti-dsDNA Abs. Understanding the genetic basis of this complex autoantigen-autoantibody system will provide insight into the pathogenesis of lupus in mice, which may have implications for human disease.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

A 10-year serogroup B meningococcal disease epidemic in New Zealand: descriptive epidemiology, 1991-2000.

OBJECTIVE: New Zealand has experienced an epidemic of meningococcal disease since 1991. This paper describes the characteristics of this epidemic during its first 10 years (1991-2000), current control measures, and potential future interventions. METHODOLOGY: Meningococcal disease surveillance in New Zealand uses combined notification and laboratory data. Population census data from 1991 and 1996 were used to calculate disease rates. RESULTS: The annual incidence of meningococcal disease increased from 53 cases (1.6 per 100 000 population) in the pre-epidemic year of 1990 to a peak of 613 (16.9 per 100000) in 1997, followed by consistently raised rates. Over the 1996-2000 period, there was an average of 502 cases per year (13.9 per 100 000). The epidemic has resulted in 3547 cases since 1991 approximately 3000 in excess of the number expected based on pre-epidemic disease incidence. Of the total cases, 158 (4.5%) were fatal. A disproportionately large number of cases have been in Maori and Pacific Islands children in the northern part of the North Island of New Zealand. Since 1991, the epidemic has increasingly been dominated by serogroup B meningococci with subtype P1.7b,4, which by 2000 accounted for 84.6% of all cases for whom this testing was carried out. The majority of these organisms were characterised as B:4:P1.7b,4. CONCLUSION: Meningococcal disease rates are likely to remain elevated in New Zealand for at least several more years. A vaccine which could induce immunity to the P1.7b,4 PorA subtype may have a role in controlling this epidemic. Efforts are underway to obtain and trial such a vaccine. Measures are also underway to reduce overcrowded living conditions which are contributing to the epidemic. Early recognition and antibiotic treatment of cases improves outcomes and should continue to be promoted. Integrated notification and laboratory-based surveillance of meningococcal disease provides relatively complete surveillance of this disease in New Zealand and has supported the development of public health interventions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

A challenge to the cross-cultural validity of the SF-36 health survey: factor structure in Maori, Pacific and New Zealand European ethnic groups.

This paper reports on a principal component factor analysis of the SF-36 health status questionnaire in the three major ethnic groups in New Zealand (New Zealand Europeans, Maori and Pacific). The SF-36 is hypothesised to have a two-dimensional structure with distinct (weakly correlated) mental and physical health components, and support for this structural model has generally been found cross-nationally. However, in Maori and Pacific models of health mental and physical dimensions are not generally seen as separable, or independently functioning. This raises the possibility that the questionnaire's hypothesised structural model would not be supported among Maori and Pacific ethnic groups. This study evaluated that possibility. The results of the analysis showed a similar factor structure among New Zealand Europeans, and younger Maori (<45 years) to that reported by Ware et al. for Western European countries. Among Pacific people and older Maori (45 years and over), however, the factor structure did not clearly differentiate physical and mental health components. Implications are discussed both specific to the SF-36 (and in particular the use of principal component summary scores), and more generally for the cross-cultural validity of self-reported health status measures.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

The impact of changes in private health expenditure on New Zealand households.

The proportion of New Zealand's total health expenditure financed by the public sector has fallen from 87% in 1983/84 to 77% in 1997/98 in real per capita terms. In the paper, we firstly describe changes in private health expenditure in New Zealand and compare these changes with trends in private and public health expenditure in a number of OECD countries. Secondly, we find that in New Zealand, there have been increases in both out-of-pocket payments and membership of private health insurance funds over the period from 1983/84 to 1997/98. We analyze the relationship between out-of-pocket expenditure, insurance expenditure, and household income across income deciles and across time. We find that out-of-pocket payments are regressive but the regressivity did decline in 1993/94 in response to a government initiative to improve the targeting of government subsidies towards lower income households.

Australia↗