The Christchurch mutation (R136S) on the APOE3 (E3S/S) gene is associated with low tau pathology and slowdown of cognitive decline despite the causal PSEN1 mutation and high levels of amyloid beta pathology in the carrier1. However, the molecular effects enabling E3S/S mutation to confer protection remain unclear. Here, we replaced mouse Apoe with wild-type human E3 or E3S/S on a tauopathy background. The R136S mutation markedly mitigated tau load and protected against tau-induced synaptic loss, myelin loss, and spatial learning. Additionally, the R136S mutation reduced microglial interferon response to tau pathology both in vivo and in vitro, suppressing cGAS-STING activation. Treating tauopathy mice carrying wild-type E3 with cGAS inhibitor protected against tau-induced synaptic loss and induced similar transcriptomic alterations to those induced by the R136S mutation across brain cell types. Thus, cGAS-STING-IFN inhibition recapitulates the protective effects of R136S against tauopathy.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the safety and clinical outcomes of outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) for patients with infective endocarditis (IE) in Christchurch, New Zealand.
METHODS: Demographic and clinical data were collected from all adult patients treated for IE over 5 years. Outcomes were stratified by receipt of at least partial OPAT vs entirely hospital-based parenteral therapy.
RESULTS: There were 172 episodes of IE between 2014 and 2018. OPAT was administered in 115 cases (67%) for a median of 27 days after a median of 12 days of inpatient treatment. In the OPAT cohort, viridans group streptococci were the commonest causative pathogens (35%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (25%) and Enterococcus faecalis (11%). There were six (5%) antibiotic-related adverse events and 26 (23%) readmissions in the OPAT treatment group. Mortality in OPAT patients was 6% (7/115) at 6 months and 10% (11/114) at 1 year and for patients receiving wholly inpatient parenteral therapy was 56% (31/56) and 58% (33/56), respectively. Three patients (3%) in the OPAT group had a relapse of IE during the 1-year follow-up period.
CONCLUSIONS: OPAT can be used safely in patients with IE, even in selected cases with complicated or difficult-to-treat infections.

The Christchurch groundwater system is an exceptional water resource with very high drinking water quality supplying all the water requirements of the city. The groundwater system has changed over the years because of rising groundwater abstraction due to increasing population and development. The present (2017) data revealed slightly older 14C ages and increasingly steep west-east age gradients compared to the earlier work from 1976 to 2006, showing continued upflow of deep water into the exploited aquifers which is much older on the east (coastal) side than on the west (inland) side. In addition, the 3H ages for wells on the west side of the system are often much younger than their 14C ages showing that there is input of young shallow water to the wells in addition to the deep water input. Application of a binary model identifies the ages and amounts of the two components, showing that the young component is becoming younger although smaller as a proportion of the flow, and the old component from depth is becoming larger. Newly completed wells near the Waimakariri River have allowed identification of the young component, which is almost entirely composed of very young Waimakariri River seepage at all depths and therefore has very little chemical loading. Instead any chemical input (e.g. chloride, nitrate) to the Christchurch aquifers is being brought in by the old deep component which on the western side of the Christchurch system is derived from rainfall recharge on the developing Ashley-Waimakariri Plains area (plus river seepage). Chemical traces of this deep input from the northwest are at present very subtle, although more appreciable signals are seen in some wells further to the north of Christchurch. In the future, slowly increasing chemical input to the Christchurch aquifers on the west side of the system is to be expected as abstraction increases.

In March 2019 the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons held its annual conference in Christchurch, New Zealand, a normally peaceful city that was in the process of rebuilding following the devastating earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. Then the day after the conference concluded a horrendous atrocity was committed in two nearby mosques which presented the hospital with 25 years of major gunshot injuries in just one hour. The remarkable response of the hospital and its staff, the victims and the broader community are outlined. Although the surgical response was impressive, lessons could still be learnt. These related to the consequences of the lack of warning as the ED was flooded with casualties, the effects of scoop and run when a disaster occurs near a hospital, limitations around record keeping, the rapid arrival of expert support into ED, pre-empting pressure points, designation of two key destinations and avoiding patient return to ED after imaging, the importance of flexibility and collaboration between services, the consequences on normal hospital activity in the weeks following the incident and the behaviour of victims. The response of PAPS to the event was no less impressive: consistent with its longstanding commitment to the care and welfare of children around the globe, our organisation, donated over $40,000 through the Christchurch Foundation towards scholarships for the children of the victims to support their higher education. Out of tragedy can emerge the finest human qualities.

This project is a case study of postdisaster housing recovery in Christchurch, New Zealand, after the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010 and 2011.
In this qualitative study, we analyzed the statutory framework governing the process of postdisaster housing recovery and its impact on local democracy. We also explored the role of communities and the third sector in housing and urban renewal. This aim was to contribute to the development of a critical theoretical understanding of community resilience as an inherently political concept. Community resilience is influenced by causal factors or generative mechanisms that affect the relations between people in a particular social context.
We completed a narrative synthesis of textual data from the thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with key informants, related policies, media, and fieldwork.
A centralization of government authority over housing recovery resulted in an erosion of democracy and representative government at a local level. This centralization had major impacts on communities and their voice in the process of postdisaster housing recovery. Communities, however, never relented and worked tirelessly among themselves and with other social sectors to make a positive impact on postdisaster housing and urban recovery against difficult odds and stretched resources. This immense social capital and inspiring sense of community must be fostered and given the opportunity to democratically participate in the development of recovery policy as a key element of community resilience.

We present the clinical and neuropathological findings of a patient with early onset Alzheimer\'s dementia (AD), heterozygous carrier of the rare Apolipoprotein E Christchurch (APOEch) variant. The patient did not harbor any pathogenic mutation in known Mendelian genes related to AD or other neurodegenerative disorders. A sibling of this patient, also carrying the APOEch variant, developed AD at the age of 66 years old. Our data suggest a possible deleterious effect of this variant, which contrast with the protective role that has been previously shown in a subject homozygous for the APOEch with he Paisa PSEN1 mutation.

Learning after a disaster is crucial in creating more resilient places. However, many societies are repeatedly overwhelmed by disasters. This can be because of missed opportunities to learn in post-disaster settings or because of actions implemented that seem to be highly relevant to recovery in the short term, but potentially constrain aspirations in the longer term. This paper assesses learning processes among state and non-state actors and the ways in which these are bridged and scaled up to wider improvements in governance. Aiming to enrich understanding of post-disaster learning, it explores different actors\' response actions after the earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2010 and 2011. On the one hand, \'learning by doing\' is occurring, yet, on the other hand, systemic learning is hindered by mismatches between top-down steering and bottom-up initiatives. The study concludes that better linking and synergising of learning processes among different levels is vital for enhancing resilience in post-disaster societies.