Diet, lifestyle and the risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in women

Background Previous studies have examined individual dietary and lifestyle factors in relation to type 2 diabetes, but the combined effects of these factors are largely unknown. Methods We followed 84,941 female nurses from 1980 to 1996; these women were free of diagnosed cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer at base line. Information about their diet and lifestyle was updated periodically. A low-risk group was defined according to a combination of five variables: a body-mass index (the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) of less than 25; a diet high in cereal fiber and polyunsaturated fat and low in trans fat and glycemic load (which reflects the effect of diet on the blood glucose level); engagement in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for at least half an hour per day; no current smoking; and the consumption of an average of at least half a drink of an alcoholic beverage per day. Results During 16 years of follow-up, we documented 3300 new cases of type 2 diabetes. Overweight or obesity was the single most important predictor of diabetes. Lack of exercise, a poor diet, current smoking, and abstinence from alcohol use were all associated with a significantly increased risk of diabetes, even after adjustment for the body-mass index. As compared with the rest of the cohort, women in the low-risk group (3.4 percent of the women) had a relative risk of diabetes of 0.09 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.05 to 0.17). A total of 91 percent of the cases of diabetes in this cohort (95 percent confidence interval, 83 to 95 percent) could be attributed to habits and forms of behavior that did not conform to the low-risk pattern. Conclusions Our findings support the hypothesis that the majority of cases of type 2 diabetes could be prevented by the adoption of a healthier lifestyle.

Dietary and supplement treatment of iron deficiency results in improvements in general health and fatigue in Australian women of childbearing age

Objective: To examine the effects of iron deficiency and its treatment by iron supplementation or a high iron diet on fatigue and general health measures in women of childbearing age. Design: Randomised controlled trial to compare supplement and dietary treatment of iron deficiency. Subjects: 44 iron deficient (serum ferritin < 15 mug/L or serum ferritin 15-20 mug/L, plus two of the following: serum iron < 10 mu mol/L, total iron binding capacity > 68 mu mol/L or transferrin saturation < 15%) and 22 iron replete (hemoglobin greater than or equal to 120 g/L and serum ferritin > 20 mug/L) women 18 to 50 years of age were matched for age and parity. Interventions: Iron deficient women were randomly allocated to either iron supplementation or a high iron diet for 12 weeks. Measures of Outcome: Iron deficient and iron replete participants had iron studies performed and completed the Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS) and the SF-36 general health and well-being questionnaire at baseline (TO), following the 12 week intervention (TI) and again after a six-month non-intervention phase (T2). The SF-36 includes measures of physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) health and vitality (VT). Results: MCS and VT scores were lower and PFS scores were higher for iron deficient women (diet and supplement groups) than iron replete women at baseline. Both intervention groups showed similar improvements in MCS, VT and PFS scores during the intervention phase, but mean increases in serum ferritin were greater in the supplement than the diet group. PCS scores were not related to iron status. Conclusions: Treatment of iron deficiency with either supplementation or a high iron diet results in improved mental health and decreased fatigue among women of childbearing age.

Dieting and health in young Australian women

This paper examines the prevalence of dieting behaviours and correlates with physical and mental health in young Australian women who are participants in the Australian Longitudinal Stud of Women's Health. A total of 14 686 women aged 18-23 years, randomly selected from the National Medicare database, with over-sampling from rural and remote areas, responded to a questionnaire seeking dieting and health information. The results showed that 66.5 percent of the women had a BMI within the healthy weight range (18- < 25 kg/m(2)). However only 21.6 percent of these women were happy with their weight and almost half (46 percent) had dieted to lose weight in the last year (also one in five who had a BMI < 18.5 kg/m(2)). High frequency of dieting (rather than dieting per se) and earlier dieting onset were associated with poorer physical and mental health (including depression), more disordered eating (bingeing and purging), extreme weight and shape dissatisfaction and more frequent general health problems. The results suggest that there is a need for programmes that will enhance self esteem and weight/shape acceptance and promote more appropriate strategies for maintenance of healthy weight. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Complex natural resonances of conducting planar objects buried in a dielectric half-space

A scheme is presented to incorporate a mixed potential integral equation (MPIE) using Michalski's formulation C with the method of moments (MoM) for analyzing the scattering of a plane wave from conducting planar objects buried in a dielectric half-space. The robust complex image method with a two-level approximation is used for the calculation of the Green's functions for the half-space. To further speed up the computation, an interpolation technique for filling the matrix is employed. While the induced current distributions on the object's surface are obtained in the frequency domain, the corresponding time domain responses are calculated via the inverse fast Fourier transform (FFT), The complex natural resonances of targets are then extracted from the late time response using the generalized pencil-of-function (GPOF) method. We investigate the pole trajectories as we vary the distance between strips and the depth and orientation of single, buried strips, The variation from the pole position of a single strip in a homogeneous dielectric medium was only a few percent for most of these parameter variations.

A purple acid phosphatase from sweet potato contains an antiferromagnetically coupled binuclear Fe-Mn center

A purple acid phosphatase from sweet potato is the first reported example of a protein containing an enzymatically active binuclear Fe-Mn center. Multifield saturation magnetization data over a temperature range of 2 to 200 K indicates that this center is strongly antiferromagnetically coupled. Metal ion analysis shows an excess of iron over manganese. Low temperature EPR spectra reveal only resonances characteristic of high spin Fe(III) centers (Fe(III)-apo and Fe(III)-Zn(II)) and adventitious Cu(II) centers. There were no resonances from either Mn(II) or binuclear Fe-Mn centers. Together with a comparison of spectral properties and sequence homologies between known purple acid phosphatases, the enzymatic and spectroscopic data strongly indicate the presence of catalytic Fe(III)-Mn(II) centers in the active site of the sweet potato enzyme. Because of the strong antiferromagnetism it is likely that the metal ions in the sweet potato enzyme are linked via a mu -oxo bridge, in contrast to other known purple acid phosphatases in which a mu -hydroxo bridge is present. Differences in metal ion composition and bridging may affect substrate specificities leading to the biological function of different purple acid phosphatases.

The use of liquid phase adsorption isotherms for characterization of activated carbons

The characterization of three commercial activated carbons was carried out using the adsorption of various compounds in the aqueous phase. For this purpose the generalized adsorption isotherm was employed, and a modification of the Dubinin-Radushkevich pore filling model, incorporating repulsive contributions to the pore potential as well as bulk liquid phase nonideality, was used as the local isotherm. Eight different flavor compounds were used as adsorbates, and the isotherms were jointly fitted to yield a common pore size distribution for each carbon. The bulk liquid phase nonideality was incorporated through the UNIFAC activity coefficient model, and the repulsive contribution to the pore potential was incorporated through the Steele 10-4-3 potential model. The mean micropore network coordination number for each carbon was also determined from the fitted saturation capacity based on percolation theory. Good agreement between the model and the experimental data was observed. In addition, excellent agreement between the bimodal gamma pore size distribution and density functional theory-cum-regularization-based pore size distribution obtained by argon adsorption was also observed, supporting the validity of the model. The results show that liquid phase adsorption, using adsorptive molecules of different sizes, can be an effective means of characterizing the pore size distribution as well as connectivity. Alternately, if the carbon pore size distribution is independently known, the method can be used to measure critical molecular sizes. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science.

Phylogenetic analysis of evolutionary relationships of the planctomycete division of the domain bacteria based on amino acid sequences of elongation factor Tu

Sequences from the tuf gene coding for the elongation factor EF-Tu were amplified and sequenced from the genomic DNA of Pirellula marina and Isosphaera pallida, two species of bacteria within the order Planctomycetales. A near-complete (1140-bp) sequence was obtained from Pi. marina and a partial (759-bp) sequence was obtained for I. pallida. Alignment of the deduced Pi. marina EF-Tu amino acid sequence against reference sequences demonstrated the presence of a unique Il-amino acid sequence motif not present in any other division of the domain Bacteria. Pi. marina shared the highest percentage amino acid sequence identity with I. pallida but showed only a low percentage identity with other members of the domain Bacteria. This is consistent with the concept of the planctomycetes as a unique division of the Bacteria. Neither primary sequence comparison of EF-Tu nor phylogenetic analysis supports any close relationship between planctomycetes and the chlamydiae, which has previously been postulated on the basis of 16S rRNA. Phylogenetic analysis of aligned EF-Tu amino acid sequences performed using distance, maximum-parsimony, and maximum likelihood approaches yielded contradictory results with respect to the position of planctomycetes relative to other bacteria, It is hypothesized that long-branch attraction effects due to unequal evolutionary rates and mutational saturation effects may account for some of the contradictions.

Population screening for HFE-associated haemochromatosis: should we have to pay for our genes?

Haemochromatosis associated with mutations in the HFE gene is the most common inherited disorder in Caucasian populations. Early diagnosis and treatment allows for normal life expectancy whereas there is considerable morbidity and early mortality in those patients diagnosed late or untreated. Unfortunately, the development of symptoms and signs in haemochromatosis is usually associated with significant iron overload. For this reason, many clinicians and geneticists have advocated population screening. The recent identification of the HFE gene and the availability of a simple DNA-based diagnostic test have led to international debate as to the most cost-effective means of population screening for HFE-associated haemochromatosis. The present paper summarizes the evidence in favour of population screening and analyses the relative advantages of genotypic (DNA test) versus phenotypic (transferrin saturation) testing.

Effect of hemochromatosis genotype and lifestyle factors on iron and red cell indices in a community population

Background: Heterozygotes for the C282Y mutation of the HFE gene may have altered hematology indices and higher iron stores than wild-type subjects. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 1488 females and 1522 males 20-79 years of age drawn from the Busselton (Australia) population study to assess the effects of HFE genotype, age, gender, and lifestyle on serum iron and hematology indices. Results: Male C282Y heterozygotes had increased transferrin saturation compared with the wild-type genotype. Neither male nor female heterozygotes had significantly increased ferritin values compared with the wild-type genotype. Younger (20-29 years) wild-type males, but not heterozygous males, had significantly lower ferritin values than wild-type males in the older age groups. Compound heterozygous subjects had increased means for serum iron, transferrin saturation, corpuscular volume, and corpuscular hemoglobin compared with the wild-type genotype, and the males also had increased ferritin values (medians 323 vs 177 mug/L; P = 0.003). In both male and female wild-type subjects, an increased body mass index was associated with decreased serum iron and transferrin saturation and increased ferritin values. There was a significant increase in ferritin concentrations in both genders with increasing frequency of red meat consumption above a baseline of 1-2 times per week and alcohol intakes >10 g/day. Conclusions: Male C282Y heterozygotes had significantly increased transferrin saturation values. Compound heterozygous (C282Y/H63D) subjects formed a separate category of C282Y heterozygotes in whom both iron and red cell indices were significantly increased compared with the wild-type genotype. (C) 2001 American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

Taeniogonalos raymenti Carmean & Kimsey (Hymenoptera : Trigonalidae) reared as a hyperparasite of Sturmia convergens (Weidemann) (Diptera : Tachinidae), a primary parasite of Danaus plexippus (L.) (Lepidoptera : Nymphalidae)

Taeniogonalos raymenti is confirmed as a hyperparasitoid of the tachinid Sturmia convergens which parasitises larval Danaus plexippus. Trigonalids are indirect parasitoids and in this case we have direct evidence that wasp eggs must have been laid on the caterpillar's host plant. Asclepias fruticosa. before the secondary host, but not necessarily before the primary tachinid host, was present. Levels of hyperparasitism during our sampling period were very low at less than two percent.

Reactions to tick antitoxin serum and the role of atropine in treatment of dogs and cats with tick paralysis caused by Ixodes holocyclus: a pilot survey

Objective To determine the incidence and nature of adverse reactions of dogs and cats to tick antitoxin serum and to re-evaluate the role of atropine in the treatment of tick paralysis. Design A retrospective questionnaire of veterinarians. Procedure Questionnaires were posted to 320 veterinarians in tick-endemic regions of Australia. Questions referred to dogs and cats treated for tick paralysis over a period of three years: the number treated, treatment protocols and adverse systemic reactions to tick antitoxin serum. Ninety completed questionnaires were returned and responses analysed. Results Veterinarians reported that approximately 3% of dogs exhibited adverse reactions immediately following treatment with tick antitoxin serum, Eighteen percent of these reactions were described as anaphylaxis, with the remaining 82% attributed to the Bezold-Jarisch reflex. Six percent of cats treated with tick antitoxin serum reacted adversely and the majority of reactions (63%) were ascribed to the Bezold-Jarisch reflex. Atropine was used routinely by 10% of responding veterinarians in the treatment of dogs and cats with tick paralysis. A similar number of veterinarians used atropine only in selected cases. Most veterinarians (76%) reported that they never used atropine in the treatment of tick paralysis in either dogs or cats. Within the survey population, premedication with atropine reduced the number of Bezold-Jarisch reactions following tick antitoxin administration approximately five-fold in dogs and four-fold in cats. Conclusions Data from this pilot survey indicate that more cats than dogs have adverse systemic reactions to tick antitoxin serum and that the majority of these reactions in both dogs and cats could be related to the Bezold-Jarisch reflex. The number of reactions to tick antitoxin serum in dogs and cats could be significantly reduced by the routine use of atropine prior to administration of tick antitoxin serum.

Prospective survey of tick paralysis in dogs

Objective To obtain information on tick paralysis in dogs, including the nature of disease, host signalment, tick-host relationship, treatment, disease progression and recovery, and preventive measures. Design A prospective survey of 577 dogs affected by tick paralysis was conducted during 1998. Forty-two veterinary clinics along the eastern coast of Australia were instructed to complete survey forms for the first 15 dogs that presented with tick paralysis during September to November. Results Five percent of dogs died from tick paralysis. Younger dogs were more likely to survive. Long coat length was associated with a greater tick burden but not greater tick size, whereas coat thickness had no bearing on either. Dogs with mild disease recovered more quickly from tick paralysis. Respiratory and gait scores reflected disease severity and were good prognostic indicators. The size of the tick did not reflect the severity of the clinical condition it induced in the host. No method of tick removal or in situ treatment improved recovery time or reduced mortality. However, the time spent in hospital was significantly less for dogs from which the live tick was manually removed. Inspiratory strider. evident in some dogs with tick paralysis, was not related to tick attachment on the neck. The use of acepromazine maleate or dexamethasone did not reduce recovery time or mortality. Increasing the dose of tick antitoxin serum (TAS) above 0.1 mL/kg had no effect on mortality or recovery time. Dogs with severe disease that received an additional dose of TAS were significantly less likely to survive. Subcutaneous use of TAS at the site of tick attachment was of no benefit in reducing mortality or time to initial clinical improvement. A registered preventative product had not been used on the majority of dogs. Clipping the coat to search for ticks did not reduce mortality. Conclusions Therapy needs to address cardiopulmonary dysfunction that may be due directly to the effect of tick toxin and not just respiratory compromise caused by progressive respiratory muscle failure.

Growth regime map for liquid-bound granules: further development and experimental validation

An attempt was made to quantify the boundaries and validate the granule growth regime map for liquid-bound granules recently proposed by Iveson and Litster (AlChE J. 44 (1998) 1510). This regime map postulates that the type of granule growth behaviour is a function of only two dimensionless groups: the amount of granule deformation during collision (characterised by a Stokes deformation number, St(def)) and the maximum granule pore saturation, s(max). The results of experiments performed with a range of materials (glass ballotini, iron ore fines, copper chalcopyrite powder and a sodium sulphate and cellulose mixture) using both drum and high shear mixer granulators were examined. The drum granulation results gave good agreement with the proposed regime map. The boundary between crumb and steady growth occurs at St(def) of order 0.1 and the boundary between steady and induction growth occurs at St(def) of order 0.001. The nucleation only boundary occurs at pore saturations that increase from 70% to 80% with decreasing St(def). However, the high shear mixer results all had St(def) numbers which were too large. This is most likely to be because the chopper tip-speed is an over-estimate of the average impact velocity granules experience and possibly also due to the dynamic yield strength of the materials being significantly greater than the yield strengths measured at low strain rates. Hence, the map is only a useful tool for comparing the granulation behaviour of different materials in the same device. Until we have a better understanding of the flow patterns and impact velocities in granulators, it cannot be used to compare different types of equipment. Theoretical considerations also revealed that several of the regime boundaries are also functions of additional parameters not explicitly contained on the map, such as binder viscosity. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Post-fledging care, philopatry and recruitment in brown thornbills

1. We describe patterns of post-fledging care, dispersal and recruitment in four cohorts of brown thornbills Acanthiza pusilla. We examine what factors influence post-fledging survival and determine how post-hedging care and the timing of dispersal influence the probability of recruitment in this small, pair breeding, Australian passerine. 2. Fledgling thornbills were dependent on their parents for approximately 6 weeks. Male fledglings were more likely than female fledglings to survive until independence. For both sexes, the probability of reaching independence increased as nestling weight increased and was higher for nestlings that fledged later in the season. 3. The timing of dispersal by juvenile thornbills was bimodal. Juveniles either dispersed by the end of the breeding season or remained on their natal territory into the autumn and winter. Juveniles that delayed dispersal were four times more likely to recruit into the local breeding population than juveniles that dispersed early. 4. Delayed dispersal was advantageous because individuals that remained on their natal territory suffered little mortality and tended to disperse only when a local vacancy was available. Consequently, the risk of mortality associated with obtaining a breeding vacancy using this dispersal strategy was low. 5. Males, the more philopatric sex, were far more likely than females to delay dispersal. Despite the apparent advantages of prolonged natal philopatry, however, only 54% of pairs that raised male fledglings to independence had sons that postponed dispersal, and most of these philopatric sons gained vacancies before their parents bred again. Consequently, few sons have the opportunity to help their parents. Constraints on delayed dispersal therefore appear to play a major role in the evolution of pair-breeding in the brown thornbill.

Fate of urea nitrogen applied to a banana crop in the wet tropics of Queensland

This paper reports a study in the wet tropics of Queensland on the fate of urea applied to a dry or wet soil surface under banana plants. The transformations of urea were followed in cylindrical microplots (10.3 cm diameter x 23 cm long), a nitrogen (N) balance was conducted in macroplots (3.85 m x 2.0 m) with N-15 labelled urea, and ammonia volatilization was determined with a mass balance micrometeorological method. Most of the urea was hydrolysed within 4 days irrespective of whether the urea was applied onto dry or wet soil. The nitrification rate was slow at the beginning when the soil was dry, but increased greatly after small amounts of rain; in the 9 days after rain 20% of the N applied was converted to nitrate. In the 40 days between urea application and harvesting, the macroplots the banana plants absorbed only 15% of the applied N; at harvest the largest amounts were found in the leaves (3.4%), pseudostem (3.3%) and fruit (2.8%). Only 1% of the applied N was present in the roots. Sixty percent of the applied N was recovered in the soil and 25% was lost from the plant-soil system by either ammonia volatilization, leaching or denitrification. Direct measurements of ammonia volatilization showed that when urea was applied to dry soil, and only small amounts of rain were received, little ammonia was lost (3.2% of applied N). In contrast, when urea was applied onto wet soil, urea hydrolysis occurred immediately, ammonia was volatilized on day zero, and 17.2% of the applied N was lost by the ninth day after that application. In the latter study, although rain fell every day, the extensive canopy of banana plants reduced the rainfall reaching the fertilized area under the bananas to less than half. Thus even though 90 mm of rain fell during the volatilization study, the fertilized area did not receive sufficient water to wash the urea into the soil and prevent ammonia loss. Losses by leaching and denitrification combined amounted to 5% of the applied N.