In this narrative review article, by critically appraising the Global Burden of Disease 1990–2017 data on stroke and currently used primary stroke prevention strategies, we show that the global burden of stroke will continue to rise unless new primary stroke and cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention strategies are urgently implemented. We provide an overview of the advantages and disadvantagesof

ABSTRACT This article provides insights into the ethnicity of people employed in Aotearoa New Zealand’s publicly-funded scientific workforce, with a particular focus on Māori and Pasifika scientists. We show that between 2008 and 2018, Māori and Pasifika scientists were severely under-represented in Aotearoa New Zealand’s universities and crown-research institutes. Despite espousals by these institutions

The body and brain work together to ensure that we evaluate and respond to environmental challenges in adaptive ways. Psychophysiology is the discipline that unites body and mind, by describing the relationship between psychological and physiological domains. In this tutorial review, we consider the physiological systems and psychophysiological methods that are most useful in understanding human emotional

One of the most fundamental features of the mammalian brain is its ability to encode, store and retrieve a large amount of information. The neurobiology of this ability has been studied for decades, and many brain areas and mechanisms have now been linked to the storage of a broad range of memory types. Even though there are still ongoing uncertainties about where and how memories are stored, one cellular

Forensic Neuroscience can be misused in the individual assessment context, but it actually has a much more important contribution to make for criminal behaviour and the law. Using neuroscientific methods to understand the underlying pathways of criminal and violent behaviour on a broader level can be fruitful in determining targets for prevention and intervention. This review makes some suggestions

Human cognition is supported by diverse brain networks that undergo change throughout adulthood and can be impacted by brain disease. This review summarises some of the significant progress made by cognitive neuroscientists in elucidating the impact of adult aging and age-related brain diseases on these complex cognitive networks, which are now known to also be affected by lifestyle choices. In combination

Long-term potentiation (LTP) at synapses within neural networks is the most likely candidate mechanism for learning and memory. LTP has been extensively studied in laboratory animals, but inquiry into the functional significance of LTP had, until the mid-2000s, been compromised by the lack of a human model. In this brief review, we describe the results of paradigms developed in our laboratory for inducing

Cognitive flexibility refers to the mental processes that allow us to adapt our behaviour as environmental circumstances change. In this paper, we describe various procedures that are commonly used to measure cognitive flexibility in humans. We then provide evidence of a relationship between cognitive inflexibility and various psychiatric disorders. In laboratory animals, behavioural flexibility is

This paper responds to an earlier one about mātauranga Māori by Dan Hikuroa [2017. Mātauranga Māori—the ūkaipō of knowledge in New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 47(1):5–10], in a spirit of koha (contribution) towards keeping alive this important discussion about the relationship between science and Māori knowledge. Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) has been discussed for many

Approximately half the world’s population can speak more than one language. In this selective review, we consider whether there is an advantage to bilingualism and whether the bilingual brain is different in terms of both executive functioning and lexical decision-making. We focus on two functional MRI studies from our lab where task performance and brain activation from late proficient bilinguals

Migration is a key social determinant of health affecting children’s life chances and health outcomes. Yet, relatively little is known about young migrants’ own health experiences. This paper reports findings from a systematic review examining the health experiences of children who migrated in the Western Pacific region. A systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature from 2007–17 was conducted

Background/purpose: Among certain academic disciplines there is a tendency to focus on underlying human attributes as primary contributors to resilience. In contrast, the concept of community resilience extends well beyond the capacities of the individual alone. This research aimed to offer diverse perspectives about resilience enhancement, including those concerned with broader socio-ecological circumstances;

The utilisation of solar resources has become of utmost importance for the transition of the global, carbon intensive economy. In New Zealand the uptake of solar energy has increased substantially, but the relative contribution to the overall energy mix is still small. Previous research efforts on the solar resource across the country are revisited with improved satellite-modelled data from Solargis

(2020). The intestinal microbiota in health and disease. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand: Vol. 50, Special issue: How the intestinal microbiota contributes to human health and disease. Guest Editors: Andrew Day, Gerald Tannock and Jacqueline Keenan, pp. 367-370.

ABSTRACT The majority of New Zealanders (approximately 80%) born in the 1970s report using cannabis at least once, despite its illegal status. Four-10% of past-year users were at risk of developing a cannabis dependence syndrome that impaired psychological, social and/or occupational functioning. There were negative psychiatric consequences for a subset of the population who began using cannabis in

Scientific research involves a statement involving quantities and their values with respect to three different conceptual spaces. There is theoretical space, containing explanatory statements involving non-observable quantities and values. On the whole, theoretical space is concerned with why things happen. There is methodological space, containing statements about what must be done. While methodological

Alzheimer’s disease is characterised by progressive mental deterioration, related to ageing and senility. Thirty methanol and ethyl acetate extracts from 15 native New Zealand trees and bushes were produced and tested for the inhibition of three enzymes related to neurotransmission: acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and beta-secretase (BACE). In addition the IC50 for the antioxidant

A perspective is given on human-induced climate change, contrasting two complementary approaches. The first is the conventional approach of using climate models as a means for developing understanding of the climate system variations and for projections of the future. Climate models have improved enormously, but even with the biggest supercomputers, models cannot resolve scales needed to depict many

(2020). Dental research in New Zealand, past, present, and future. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand: Vol. 50, Special issue: The future of dental research in New Zealand: Challenges, progress, and new technologies. Guest Editors: Jonathan Broadbent and Carolina Loch, pp. 1-3.

Motility of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is governed by a number of physiological mechanisms, including the bioelectrical slow-wave generated by the interstitial cells of Cajal, and innervation provided by the enteric nerves. Multi-channel mapping techniques involve the recording of both the temporal and spatial profiles of the physiological activities of the GI tract. The techniques have generated

Malignant tumour cells, including malignant keratinocytes of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), exist in conjunction with other functional cells and it is well recognised that interaction between these groups of cells is important in tumour progression. In addition to cells (tumour cells, immune/inflammatory cells, fibroblasts, vascular and lymphatic endothelial cells, adipocytes) the tumour microenvironment

Epichloë fungal endophytes that systemically colonise cool-season grasses have become an internationally well-researched symbiosis. While sexual species of Epichloë can cause choke disease of grass seed heads, asexual forms are symptomless endophytes that colonise embryos to become seed transmitted. In mutualistic associations, the grass benefits through greater tolerance of abiotic and biotic stresses

The human skeletal remains buried in the cave of Rima Rau on the island of Atiu, have long been a subject of speculation as to their origins. Oral histories of a massacre, battle, famine and cannibal feast surround the sacred site. The local Atiuan community invited a group of bioarchaeologists from the University of Otago to help shed light on the people buried in the cave. We examined nearly 600

In Aotearoa/New Zealand, tāngata whaiora (Māori mental health patients) have substantial unmet dental treatment needs. The study aim was to investigate the impact of a restored dentition on the oral health-related quality of life of a sample of tāngata whaiora. The participants who were recruited in a stable community setting in Tauranga. The Northern Y Ethics Committee gave ethical approval. The Oral

Inflammatory bowel disease is the umbrella term for a group of diseases whose incidence has been increasing over the past century. Although initial literature analyses had suggested a small number of genes, perhaps between 10 and 20, responsible for disease susceptibility, subsequent national and international collaborations have significantly modified those estimations to greater than 240, with more

Human infants are born with sparse microflora in their gastrointestinal tracts. Acquisition of pioneer bacteria and their initial colonisation are affected by a number of factors, including mode of birth, feeding practices, exposure to antibiotics, and environmental conditions. Subsequent diversification and development of the microbiota continues dynamically until it reaches maturity when the infant

Recovery after major disaster poses a unique set of challenges for the older population, including disruption of medical care for pre-existing conditions, functional limitations that impede recovery, and social isolation following involuntary resettlement. In this review, we summarise the lessons about disaster resilience that have been learned (so far) from a unique ongoing field study based in a

Longitudinal research is needed to better understand the natural history of oral conditions and long-term health and social outcomes. Oral health data has been collected periodically in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study for over 40 years. To date, 70+ peer-review articles on the Study’s oral health-related findings have been published, providing insight into the natural history

The Colombo Plan developed out of a conference of Commonwealth foreign ministers in 1950, with its main aim being to provide economic recovery aid to Asian countries affected by the Second World War, thus preventing the increasing influence (mainly from China) of communism within the continent. Little has been published about New Zealand’s contribution to the Colombo Plan, and even less is known about

The process of microbiota acquisition and microbiome development is complex and the perinatal period is key in both microbiome and immune development. In addition, the intestinal microbiome is increasingly being linked with later life morbidity and diseases such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). It is pertinent to investigate whether perinatal events may influence intestinal microbiome development

Cataract is the most common, reversible cause of visual impairment and blindness in the world. Cataract surgery in primitive form has been around for millennia but the last 50 years have witnessed a monumental revolution in cataract surgery making it the most common, and one of the most successful, operations world-wide. Major advances have included the development of phacoemulsification techniques

High-speed imaging of water drop impacts on a polymer surface have been used alongside two-dimensional Lattice Boltzmann simulations to investigate the conditions under which a spreading lamella submerges a small surface ridge. Three basic outcomes have been observed when the lamella comes into contact with the ridge: pinning, wetting and splashing. The effects of Weber number and the dimensionless

The 14th November 2016 Kaikōura earthquake was one of the most complex crustal earthquakes recorded in the modern era. The rupture propagated northward for more than 170 km along both mapped and unmapped faults causing widespread damage across central New Zealand. Field, Satellite Radar and GPS observations revealed ground displacements of up to 6 m (fault offsets of ∼12 m), extensive coastal uplift

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common, chronic and distressing functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) which is currently considered a dysregulation of the brain-gut axis (BGA). Multiple biological systems have been implicated in the pathophysiology of IBS, however there is currently no reliable biomarkers for this disorder and no cure. Observations that the gut microbiota of IBS patients

Colorectal cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in New Zealand and while the overall incidence of CRC is declining, the changing population demographics means that the prevalence is increasing. Most of these cancers are considered sporadic and current thinking is that their development is driven by an environmental and/or lifestyle factor(s) that promotes chronic inflammation and/or

The advent of DNA profiling in the 1980s has revolutionised forensic science. Forensic DNA profiling is a powerful tool that is used to both exonerate and implicate persons of interest in criminal cases. The technologies used to recover and detect DNA from crime scene stains have evolved over time. Whereas 30 years ago most forensic profiles were generated from visible stains such as blood or semen

Probiotics for preventing illness or improving health have become increasingly popular with consumers, researchers, and producers, both dairy companies and alternative medicine providers. They are widely available in foods such as yoghurt and as freeze dried capsules. They are used both for their general health effects on the gut including reducing travellers and antibiotic related diarrhoea. Their

All-ceramic dental restorations are now regularly being used in clinical situations. Forces applied to ceramic dental restorations can result in failure due to cracking. Dental restorations may be subjected to significant loads in the mouth and small contact points between opposing teeth may result in markedly high stress when a high bite force is encountered. This study recorded maximum voluntary

The human oral cavity is home to one of the most diverse, dynamic and complex collections of microbes (the ‘oral microbiota’) with an estimated 700–1,000 different microbial species inhabiting a variety of ecological niches, such as the teeth, tongue, gums and saliva. Despite decades of research, much is still unknown of the functions and activities of the oral microbiota as many species, particularly

Although dental practitioners orthodontically move teeth on a daily basis, questions persist regarding the complex biological mechanisms involved. The importance of knowledge about the mechanobiology of tooth movement is ever-increasing as orthodontics is undergoing a shift from a focus on ‘biomechanics’ to ‘biology’. As in other areas of healthcare, practitioners aspire to provide individualised treatment

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of flame and furnace soldering methods on the stress corrosion, fatigue resistance and fracture toughness of a ‘Dolder’ bar soldered to a non-oxidising gold cylinder using a gold solder. Two bars were soldered to opposite sides of a cylinder using the two techniques. Fatigue cycling one side of the bars was undertaken, with one group in a wet

ABSTRACT Allopolyploids arise when two or more species hybridise to form an entirely new species with a duplicated genome. Although initially met with an array of potentially catastrophic challenges triggered by the combination of two diverged parental subgenomes within a single cell, countless allopolyploids worldwide demonstrate exceptional biological resilience by not only living under these unique

Mesenchymal stem cells in dentistry have multiple potential applications including alveolar ridge preservation and repair, cleft palate reconstruction, sinus grafting and ultimately pulp and dentine regeneration. The autologous application of tissue resident stem cells for regeneration is a relatively new field of research focus. Clinical application of these stem cells with multi-lineage capability

New Zealand English is well-known for its heavy borrowing of words from Māori. This lexical component, unique to New Zealand English alone has been studied intensely over the last 50 years, particularly in newspaper media. Current research suggests the use is still increasing today, primarily in Māori-related contexts. Here, we analyse a surprising and unexpected use of Māori loanwords in science digital

Based on summary information concerning approximately 1600 maritime accidents that occurred from April 2015 to March 2018 in New Zealand, the distribution and correlation of maritime accidents in relation to three factors, namely, ship group, water area and season, was analysed using grey relational analysis, and percentage analysis was used to indicate accident type distribution. In terms of accident

This study investigated New Zealand dentists’ oral self-care behaviour and delivery of advice to patients. A nationwide electronic survey was conducted with 700 general dentists randomly selected from the 2018 New Zealand Dental Register. The questionnaire sought information on dentists’ demographic characteristics, oral self-care behaviours and delivery of oral health care advice. Most respondents

The human colon contains a complex microbial community (the microbiota), composed mostly of bacteria, that degrades and ferments indigestible polysaccharides known collectively as dietary fibre. Acting as a co-operative society and using specialised biochemical mechanisms, the microbiota processes the dietary fibre and produces short-chain (volatile) fatty acids (SCFAs) as fermentation products. Mucosal

Feedback plays an important role in students’ learning. The clinical dental teaching and learning environment is challenging; tutors supervise students undertaking irreversible procedures on patients. Situations arise where ‘good’ teaching practices may take second place to ensuring patient, student, and tutor safety. This research aimed to investigate the specific factors impacting clinical tutors’

Infection with Helicobacter pylori is the strongest modifiable risk factor for stomach cancer. Nine out of 10 people who develop stomach cancer in the distal part of the stomach have been infected with H. pylori. Infection of the gastric mucosa with H. pylori most commonly occurs during childhood and if not treated can cause chronic inflammation and gastric carcinogenesis. Stomach cancer is a major

The last 25 years have seen considerable strides made in the development, validation and field use of self-report oral health scales. New Zealand researchers have played important roles in that work, particularly in respect of child-focused measures. This paper provides an overview of that contribution by describing first the work on child informant scales, followed by an overview of New Zealand researchers’