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PubMed2005

The effects of vitamin E supplementation on autoimmune-prone New Zealand black x New Zealand white F1 mice fed an oxidised oil diet.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of vitamin E supplementation on autoimmune disease in New Zealand blackxNew Zealand white F1 (NZB/W F1) female mice fed an oxidised oil diet. First, 5-month-old mice were fed an AIN-76 diet containing either 150 g fresh soyabean oil/kg (15S), 50 g fresh soyabean oil/kg + 100 g oxidised frying oil/kg (5S10F) or 5S10F supplemented with all-rac-alpha-tocopheryl acetate at 275 mg/kg diet level (5S10F5E) or 550 mg/kg (5S10F10E), respectively, in experiment 1. The results showed that mice fed the 5S10F10E diet had a lower anti-double-stranded DNA IgG antibody level and a longer lifespan than those fed the 15S and 5S10F diets. Therefore, the 5S10F and 5S10F10E treatments were repeated in experiment 2 for further analysis. The results showed that vitamin E supplementation in the oxidised oil significantly decreased thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance values in the kidney and spleen of NZB/W F1 mice. Interferon-gamma and IL-6 production by mitogen-stimulated splenocytes decreased in mice fed the 5S10F10E diet, whereas the secretion of IL-2 and IL-10 was not affected. The percentage of T-cells was significantly higher and that of MHC class II-bearing cells was lower in the spleens of the 5S10F10E group. The 5S10F10E group had a significantly higher linoleic acid (18 : 2n-6) composition than the 5S10F diet group. Therefore, vitamin E supplementation in oxidised oil might decrease oxidative stress, anti-double-stranded DNA IgG antibody, regulate cytokines and lymphocyte subsets, and subsequently alleviate the severity of autoimmune disease such as systemic lupus erythematosus under oxidative stress.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

The demographic characteristics of New Zealand medical students: the New Zealand Wellbeing, Intentions, Debt and Experiences (WIDE) Survey of Medical Students 2001 study.

AIMS: To develop and administer the first nationwide survey of all medical students in New Zealand. This paper reports the demographic characteristics of medical students and compares them with the general population. METHODS: A questionnaire was developed, with questions modelled on the New Zealand Census, and administered to all New Zealand medical students. Data were then compared with the New Zealand Census. RESULTS: The response rate was 83%. Female students made up 55.9% of the class. The ethnic composition of the class, Maori (6.8%), Pacific Islander (4.3%), NZ European (50.9%), Asian (31.4%), differed significantly from the general New Zealand population. Maori and Pacific Island students, and students from a rural background were significantly under-represented. Permanent residents represented 11.1% of the student population. Three quarters of medical students reported that at least one of their parents had a tertiary qualification. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students are more likely to be socioeconomically advantaged and from an urban community, and less likely to be of Maori or Pacific Island descent, than the general population. In the context of a shortage of practitioners in rural, lower socioeconomic and Maori or Pacific Island areas, these differences are worrying. The number of permanent residents and female students may have implications for the New Zealand medical workforce.

Asian People↗
PubMed2003

Findings from the International Adult Literacy Survey on the incidence and correlates of learning disabilities in New Zealand: is something rotten in the state of New Zealand?.

New Zealand data from the International Adult Literacy Survey were analysed to examine the incidence and correlates of self-reported specific reading learning disability (SRLD). The results showed that 7.7% of New Zealand adults reported having had a learning disability. The ratio of males to females with SRLD was 3:2. Between 40% and 50% of New Zealand adults performed below the minimum level of proficiency required for meeting the complex demands of everyday life in knowledge-based societies. For adults with SRLD, around 80% performed below the minimum level, and the literacy proficiency of adults with SRLD in younger age bands appears to have declined since the early 1960s. Almost 100% of adults with SRLD in the 16-20 years age range performed below the minimum level for document and quantitative literacy and 92% for prose literacy. Compared to non-SRLD adults, those with SRLD were found to leave school earlier, engage more often in manual occupations, are more frequently unemployed, and rely on more state assistance to bring their income levels closer to the levels enjoyed by non-SRLD adults. The results are discussed in terms of SRLD not being officially recognised or provided for in New Zealand, the lack of appropriate remedial provisions for children who experience difficulties with reading, and the effects of a strong whole language orientated approach to literacy instruction in schools that has been in place since 1963.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Where have all the doctors gone? Changes in the geographic distribution of general practitioners in New Zealand since 1975 (3): New Zealand and foreign medical graduates compared.

Since 1980 new immigration restrictions have reduced the inflow of foreign doctors into New Zealand. These moves not only have changed the composition of the general practitioner workforce, but also have affected its distribution. Data for 1976-87 suggest that market forces have yet to result in New Zealand graduates locating in large numbers in the rural and poorer urban locations that were once the main destinations of FMGs. Also any gains resulting from the targeting of smaller numbers of new FMGs into areas of need have been largely offset by the outmigration of already established foreign doctors. Therefore it is suggested that cuts in immigration are incompatible with market based policies which seek to improve the distribution of general practitioners since limiting the supply of foreign doctors can only slow the pace of any market led redistribution. Seen in this light, recent changes which have limited the inflow of FMGs into New Zealand may well be premature.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1993

Differences in expression of lupus nephritis in New Zealand mixed H-2z homozygous inbred strains of mice derived from New Zealand black and New Zealand white mice. Origins and initial characterization.

BACKGROUND: F1 hybrids of New Zealand Black (NZB) and New Zealand White (NZW) mice develop autoimmune glomerulonephritis resembling human lupus nephritis. Susceptibility to this complex autoimmune syndrome in humans and mice has been linked to genes mapping in or near the major histocompatibility complex that govern immune responses and levels of certain complement components. Previous studies showed that both parental strains contribute major histocompatibility complex-linked genes that are important for disease of the F1 hybrid. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: New inbred strains of New Zealand Mixed (NZM) mice were derived by selective inbreeding of progeny of a cross between NZB and NZW mice. Twelve of the 27 new NZM strains were selected for analysis. Mice were observed for up to 10 months of age to document the occurrence of nephritis and strain-specific differences in disease expression. H-2, Hc, and coat color loci were determined for each strain to establish homozygosity of NZB and NZW polymorphic markers. Strains were screened for the presence of anti-dsDNA autoantibodies. RESULTS: In some NZM strains early onset of lupus nephritis in females resembled the (NZB x NZW)F1 model, whereas in other strains early disease also occurred in males. Age at death and severity of nephritis vary among the lines; a few strains remain relatively free of glomerular lesions. Histocompatibility (H-2) typing showed that all strains are homozygous for the NZW haplotype (Ku, Au, Sz, Dz). Coat color analysis for four loci on chromosomes 2, 4, and 7 was consistent with specific reassortments and recombinations to explain the grey, tan, and white mice with red/pink eyes and the presence or absence of the fifth component of serum complement (C5) (Hc, chromosome 2). Anti-dsDNA autoantibodies were found in all but one of the NZM strains reported here. CONCLUSIONS: The NZM strains of mice are a unique set of inbred strains that have inherited various genomic segments of the two parental strains that lead to phenotypic differences in disease expression. These results indicate that the previously proposed strict requirement for H-2 heterozygosity for the development of nephritis in the (NZB x NZW)F1 hybrid mice may not be valid. It is assumed that both the Lpn-1 locus of NZB and the Lpn-2 locus of NZW and a sufficient number of other disease-associated genes of both ancestral strains have been recombined in these new strains to produce the various patterns of renal disease.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed1983

The effect of CCA (Lobenzarit disodium) on the suppressor T cell function and the production of autoantibodies in New Zealand black and New Zealand white F1 mice.

A newly synthesized agent, disodium 4-chloro-2,2'-iminodibenzoate (CCA; Lobenzarit disodium), which prevents the development of autoimmune disease in B/W mice, and inhibits adjuvant arthritis in rats, was investigated to clarify its mode of action in B/W mice. CCA protected against the age-related decline of the suppressor T cell activity which played an important role in the regulation of both humoral and cell-mediated immunity. CCA also decreased the production of naturally occurring thymocytotoxic autoantibody (NTA) preferentially cytotoxic against the thymocytes and suppressor T cells, and inhibited both the antibody production to double-stranded DNA and the appearance of ANA in B/W mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

An animal model for hemolytic disease of the fetus or newborn in New Zealand white and New Zealand red rabbits: newborn effects.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to study the neonatal effects of red blood cell alloimmunization in a rabbit model. STUDY DESIGN: Eighteen does were alloimmunized to incompatible red blood cells. Does were bred twice, once with a homozygous buck of incompatible blood type and once with a homozygous buck of compatible blood type. Fetal blood sampling was undertaken on day 27 of gestation (term 28 to 31 days). Does were delivered on day 30 and the neonatal pups were anesthetized. Direct cardiac samplings were performed for hemoglobin, reticulocyte count, and direct Coombs' test. Hepatic, splenic, and renal wet weights were measured. RESULTS: Twenty-two pregnancies (12 compatible and 10 incompatible) were studied. Neonatal hemoglobin was higher in the compatible litters (11.1 gm/dL [7.7 to 12.6 gm/dL] vs 4.9 gm/dL [2.1 to 9.1 gm/dL], P <.001), whereas no difference could be detected between the respective reticulocyte counts (34.0/100 red blood cells [27.3 to 36.1/100 red blood cells] vs 32.6/100 red blood cells [26.8 to 43.5/100 red blood cells], P =.55). The direct Coombs' assay was negative in 23 pups from 8 compatible litters and false positive (weakly positive result) in 2 pups of a ninth compatible litter. The Coombs' assay was positive in all 22 incompatible pups tested. Hepatosplenomegaly was noted in affected pups but not in controls. CONCLUSIONS: A disease analogous to human hemolytic disease of the newborn can be induced in the rabbit neonate.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Abnormalities of third-order suppressor T cells in old (New Zealand black x New Zealand white) F1 mice.

The suppressor T cell (Ts) function of old NZW, NZB, C57BL/6 and (NZB X NZW) F1 [B/W)F1), mice to the 2,4-dinitro-1-fluorobenzene (DNFB) hapten was studied. Intravenous administration of dinitrophenyl (DNP) coupled syngeneic lymphoid cells (which normally induce DNP specific suppression) did not result in suppression of DNFB-specific contact hypersensitivity (CS) responses in old NZB or (B/W) F1 mice. Nevertheless, when spleen cells from these old mice were injected into young mice (either (B/W)F1 or A/Sn), strong suppression of the induction phase of CS responses was observed. In addition, effector phase suppressor activity was also observed when splenic cells from tolerized old (B/W) F1 donors were transferred into young (B/W)F1 mice during the effector phase of the CS response. In both cases, the significant cells in the transfer were I-J+ T cells. Thus, the old mice retained functional Ts1 and Ts2 suppressor cells. However, the suppressive activity of the old mice could be reconstituted with spleen cells from primed young mice, suggesting that they have a defect in the Ts3 subset. This was further supported by the finding that the significant cells from the primed young mice were I-J positive and cyclophosphamide-sensitive.

Aging↗
PubMed1998

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase deficiency reduces the incidence of autoimmune nephritis in (New Zealand Black x New Zealand White)F1 mice.

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) enzyme activity in lymphocytes generates diversity in the Ag receptor repertoires by adding template-independent N nucleotides and disrupting homology-directed rearrangements. The importance of this diversity in vivo and the significance of the suppression of TdT during fetal life remain uncertain. Previous studies have shown that in TdT knockout mice (TdT(0)) 1) the T cell repertoire is less peptide oriented; and 2) natural autoantibody, particularly anti-DNA autoantibodies, are less polyreactive, and their mean affinities are reduced. Consequently, the suppression of TdT during early T/B cell ontogeny may participate in controlling autoimmunity. To study the impact of TdT suppression in autoimmune-prone mice, we introduced the TdT null mutation into the (NZB x NZW)F1 (B/W) mouse strain. We show that TdT deficiency significantly reduces the incidence of autoimmune nephritis and prolongs survival compared with those in control mice. Surprisingly, the long-term survivor TdT(0) mice produced amounts of anti-ADN and anti-histone autoantibodies similar to those of their TdT+ littermates. However, these TdT(0) mice showed no evidence of renal inflammation, and the immune deposits were restricted to the mesangium, whereas basal membrane deposits were clearly correlated with overt renal disease. The present study supports the idea that the absence of TdT enzyme activity in lymphocytes protects mice against autoimmunity and could offer a therapeutic approach to autoimmune diseases. Moreover, our results may help to unravel the mechanisms of lupus nephritis.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Relation between erythrocyte selenium concentrations and glutathione peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.9) activities of New Zealand residents and visitors to New Zealand.

1. Erythrocyte, plasma and whole blood selenium concentrations and glutathione peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.9; GSHPx) activities were measured (1) in 104 healthy New Zealand residents living in Otago, a low-soil-Se area (2) in sixty-four surgical patients, including nineteen patients on total parenteral nutrition and twenty-three cancer patients (3) in fifty-two 'overseas subjects' (twenty-five visitors to Otago from outside New Zealand and twenty-seven Otago residents on return from overseas travel). 2. Blood Se concentrations reflected dietary Se intake; means for Otago patients, healthy subjects and overseas subjects were different 0.043, 0.059, 0.136 micrograms Se/ml blood respectively) and mean for overseas residents was greater than for New Zealand overseas travellers. 3. Erythrocyte Se concentration was always greater than plasma Se, and plasma Se was a smaller proportion of erythrocyte Se for patients compared with the controls. 4. GSHPx activities were different in the three groups, and varied directly with erythrocyte Se until a plateau was reached at approximately 0.14 micrograms Se/ml erythrocytes. 5. Overseas subjects showed no relationship between erythrocyte Se and GSHPx activity. This agrees with some overseas studies and the significance of this finding is discussed. 6. Plasma Se concentration remained the most sensitivie index of short-term changes in Se status, and erythrocyte Se and GSHPx activities for long-term changes in New Zealand subjects. Use of these measurements for overseas subjects with higher blood levels is discussed.

Erythrocytes↗
PubMed2006

Entanglement of New Zealand fur seals in man-made debris at Kaikoura, New Zealand.

New Zealand fur seals in the Kaikoura region breed near a town with expanding tourist and fishing industries and commonly come ashore entangled in nets and plastic debris. However, the rate at which entanglement occurs was previously unknown. A decade of Department of Conservation seal callout data was analysed to determine the level of entanglement in the region and the most common debris type. Monitoring of adult female fur seals released from entanglement provided information on the potential for serious wounds to heal and survivorship of released individuals. Entanglement rates of pinnipeds in Kaikoura are some of the highest reported world-wide (average range: 0.6-2.8%) with green trawl net (42%), and plastic strapping tape (31%) together contributing the most to debris types. Nearly half of the reported entangled seals are successfully released (43%) and post-release monitoring shows that with appropriate intervention the chance of an individual surviving even with a significant entanglement wound is high. Our study demonstrates that while entanglement in the region is high, a successful intervention protocol may help reduce the potential for entanglement-related mortality in the region.

Animal Population Groups↗