At the end of the day: Macmillan's account of the Cuban missile crisis

Pre-publicity for the final volume of Harold Macmillan’s memoirs, At the End of the Day, stressed that it would provide the British side of the Cuban missile crisis for the first time. The Churchillian model chosen, changes required by the Cabinet Office and Macmillan’s desire to rebuke those political opponents who claimed that the crisis demonstrated a lack of British influence in Washington, however ensured a focus on his personal relationship with President Kennedy. His larding the text with contemporary observations from his diaries also skewed Macmillan’s account and, in particular, underplayed the significance of British moves at the United Nations in New York to secure a credible United Nations inspection regime and a US guarantee of the inviolability of Cuba. Careful reconstruction of Macmillan’s real-time experience of the Cuban missile crisis demonstrates the limitations of his own account of this event

Calcium, vitamin D, casein and whey protein intakes and periodontitis among Danish adults

Objective: To investigate whether intakes of Ca, vitamin D, casein and whey are associated with periodontitis and to investigate the possibility of interactions between them. Design: Cross-sectional study. An Internet-based, 267-item FFQ was used to assess dietary intake. Intakes of casein (32·0 g/d), whey proteins (9·6 g/d) and vitamin D (5·8 μg/d) were classified as within v. above the 50th percentile. Ca intake was classified as within v. below age-specific recommendations. Severe periodontitis was defined as having ≥2 inter-proximal sites with clinical attachment loss ≥6 mm (not on the same tooth) and ≥1 inter-proximal site with pocket depth ≥5 mm. Since vitamin D influences Ca absorption, models were stratified by lower and higher (<5·8 v. ≥5·8 µg/d) vitamin D intake. Setting Danish Health Examination Survey (DANHES) 2007–2008. Subjects Adult participants (n 3287) in the oral health study of DANHES 2007–2008. Results Intakes of Ca within recommendations (OR=0·76; 95 % CI 0·58, 0·99), whey ≥9·6 g/d (OR=0·75; 95 % CI 0·58, 0·97) and casein ≥32 g/d (OR=0·75 95 % CI 0·58, 0·97) were associated with lower likelihood of severe periodontitis after adjustment for age, gender, education, smoking, sucrose intake, alcohol consumption, number of teeth, daily brushing, regular visits to the dentist and chronic illness, irrespective of vitamin D intake levels. Intake of vitamin D alone was not associated severe with periodontitis. Conclusions Intakes of Ca, casein and whey protein were inversely associated with periodontitis. Consumption of foods rich in Ca, casein and whey (e.g. dairy foods) should be promoted, as they may contribute to the prevention of periodontitis. Further longitudinal studies are required to confirm these associations.

Calcium, vitamin D, casein and whey protein intakes and periodontitis among Danish adults

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether intakes of Ca, vitamin D, casein and whey are associated with periodontitis and to investigate the possibility of interactions between them. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. An Internet-based, 267-item FFQ was used to assess dietary intake. Intakes of casein (32.0 g/d), whey proteins (9.6 g/d) and vitamin D (5.8 mug/d) were classified as within v. above the 50th percentile. Ca intake was classified as within v. below age-specific recommendations. Severe periodontitis was defined as having >/=2 inter-proximal sites with clinical attachment loss >/=6 mm (not on the same tooth) and >/=1 inter-proximal site with pocket depth >/=5 mm. Since vitamin D influences Ca absorption, models were stratified by lower and higher (<5.8 v. >/=5.8 microg/d) vitamin D intake. SETTING: Danish Health Examination Survey (DANHES) 2007-2008. SUBJECTS: Adult participants (n 3287) in the oral health study of DANHES 2007-2008. RESULTS: Intakes of Ca within recommendations (OR=0.76; 95 % CI 0.58, 0.99), whey >/=9.6 g/d (OR=0.75; 95 % CI 0.58, 0.97) and casein >/=32 g/d (OR=0.75 95 % CI 0.58, 0.97) were associated with lower likelihood of severe periodontitis after adjustment for age, gender, education, smoking, sucrose intake, alcohol consumption, number of teeth, daily brushing, regular visits to the dentist and chronic illness, irrespective of vitamin D intake levels. Intake of vitamin D alone was not associated severe with periodontitis. CONCLUSIONS: Intakes of Ca, casein and whey protein were inversely associated with periodontitis. Consumption of foods rich in Ca, casein and whey (e.g. dairy foods) should be promoted, as they may contribute to the prevention of periodontitis. Further longitudinal studies are required to confirm these associations.

A randomized trial to assess the potential of different beverages to affect hydration status: development of a beverage hydration index

Background: The identification of beverages that promote longer- term fluid retention and maintenance of fluid balance is of real clinical and practical benefit in situations in which free access to fluids is limited or when frequent breaks for urination are not desirable. The postingestion diuretic response is likely to be influenced by several beverage characteristics, including the volume ingested, energy den- sity, electrolyte content, and the presence of diuretic agents. Objective: This study investigated the effects of 13 different com- monly consumed drinks on urine output and fluid balance when ingested in a euhydrated state, with a view to establishing a beverage hydration index (BHI), i.e., the volume of urine produced after drinking expressed relative to a standard treatment (still water) for each beverage. Design: Each subject (n = 72, euhydrated and fasted male subjects) ingested 1 L still water or 1 of 3 other commercially available beverages over a period of 30 min. Urine output was then collected for the subsequent 4 h. The BHI was corrected for the water content of drinks and was calculated as the amount of water retained at 2 h after ingestion relative to that observed after the ingestion of still water. Results: Total urine masses (mean 6 SD) over 4 h were smaller than the still-water control (1337 6 330 g) after an oral rehydration solution (ORS) (1038 6 333 g, P , 0.001), full-fat milk (1052 6 267 g, P , 0.001), and skimmed milk (1049 6 334 g, P , 0.001). Cumulative urine output at 4 h after ingestion of cola, diet cola, hot tea, iced tea, coffee, lager, orange juice, sparkling water, and a sports drink were not different from the response to water ingestion. The mean BHI at 2 h was 1.54 6 0.74 for the ORS, 1.50 6 0.58 for full- fat milk, and 1.58 6 0.60 for skimmed milk. Conclusions: BHI may be a useful measure to identify the short- term hydration potential of different beverages when ingested in a euhydrated state.