Overweight and obesity prevalence in children based on 6- or 12- month IOTF cut-points: does interval size matter?

The International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF) recommends using age- and gender-specific body mass index (BMI) cut-points for defining the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children. These are given in both 6- and 12-month age intervals. Since the BMI-for-age curves are nonlinear, a degree of bias will be introduced when age intervals are wide. We aimed to quantify this bias in prevalence estimates in 2178 Australian children aged 4-12 years using 12- versus 6-month age intervals. Using the 12-month interval, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was underestimated by 1.4% compared to the 6-month interval estimates; however, this was age-dependent. It overestimated prevalence for 4-year olds, but underestimated it for older ages by up to 2.6%. Overweight prevalence was generally affected more than obesity prevalence. The use of different age intervals for IOTF cut-points introduces a small but systematic bias in prevalence estimates of overweight and obesity.

Mortality, malnutrition and the humanitarian response to the food crises in Lesotho

Background: At the height of the food crisis in southern Africa, the Government of Lesotho declared a state of famine and emergency in April 2002 and launched a Famine Relief Appeal for over $137 million. World Vision, in partnership with the World Food Program, became involved in December 2002 providing food aid to affected communities.
Objective: to document mortality rates, causes of death, malnutrition prevalence, and the proportion of lost pregnancies after almost three years of humanitarian response to the food crisis in Lesotho and to propose a way forward.
Design: A two-stage, 30 cluster household survey was undertaken in three districts from the 16th to the 26th of May 2005, with a sample size of 3610 people.
Results: The crude mortality rate (CMR) of 0.8/10,000/day (95%CI: 0.7-0.9). The reported CMR was significantly lower than the CMR emergency threshold (<1/10,000/day). Using 2000 as a pre-drought baseline, 38528 excess deaths occurred between 2000 and 2005. The under-five mortality rate (U5MR) of 3.2 deaths/10,000/day (95%CI: 2.8-3.6/10,000/day) was 4 times the reported CMR and 1.4 times higher the U5MR emergency threshold for sub-Saharan Africa (2.3/10,000/day). CMR was lower among food aid beneficiaries (0.68; 95%CI: 0.57-0.79) than non-beneficiaries (1.42; 95%CI: 1.13-1.70). This was also true for U5MR (2.94; 95%CI: 2.39-3.50 versus 6.44; 95%CI: 5.21-7.68). The prevalence of wasting increased from 5.4% to 12% while that of stunting declined from 45.4% to 36.2% between 2000 and 2005, but the nutritional status did not vary by beneficiary status.
Conclusion: Despite the alarming U5MR, findings suggest that the food aid program ensured survival mainly among adults. The situation could have been catastrophic in the absence of humanitarian assistance.

The PTT-20 : UK normative data for 5-11 year olds on a 20 item past tnese taskThe PTT-20: UK normative data for 5- to 11-year-olds on a 20-item past-tense task

Background: Grammatical morphology, particularly the use of the past tense in English, has been identified as a behavioural marker for specific language impairment. However, there is a dearth of instruments that assess key verb features, are short and easy to administer for clinical use, and have normative data for the UK population.

Aims: The present study aimed to develop a short version of a past-tense task (named the PTT-20) and to provide UK normative data for a large control sample of primary school-age children.

Methods & Procedures: The task consisted of 20 items taken from a well-known 52-item task developed by Marchman, Wulfeck, and Ellis Weismer in 1999, retaining the key features and variety of verbs of the original design. It was administered to 424 typically developing children aged 5;0 to 11;6 years.

Outcomes & Results: The short version reduced administration time by two-thirds to around 5–8 minutes. Normative data revealed developmental progression in performance throughout the primary school years, with the task exhibiting ceiling effects in 29% of children by age 11 years. Expected and impaired performance indicators are presented by age band, that is, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 years. Comparisons between identified children with specific language impairment and typically developing children revealed significant differences in performance. The PTT-20 correlated highly with the full 52-item task and had good internal consistency.

Conclusions & Implications: The PTT-20 can be a useful tool in the identification and assessment of young school-age children with suspected language difficulties. It can also be used in research and practice as a benchmark against which to compare the ability of children with identified language impairments.

Influence of stocking rate and mixed grazing of Angora goats and Merino sheep on animal and pasture production in southern Australia : 2 : liveweight, body condition score, carcass yield and mortality

The effects of animal species (AS; Angora goats, Merino sheep, mixed-grazed goats and sheep at the ratio of 1:1) and stocking rate (SR; 7.5, 10 and 12.5 animals/ha) on the liveweight, body condition score, carcass yield and mortality of goats and sheep were determined in a replicated experiment on improved annual temperate pastures in southern Australia from 1981 to 1984. The pattern of liveweight change was similar for both species with growth from pasture germination in autumn until maturation in late spring followed by weight loss. In winter, sheep grew faster than goats (65 versus 10 g/day, P < 0.05). In mixed-grazed treatments between November and December goats either grew when sheep were losing weight or goats lost less weight than sheep (P < 0.01). Both AS (P < 0.001) and SR (P < 0.001) affected liveweight of sheep and an AS SR interaction (P <  0.05) affected liveweight of goats. Mixed-grazed sheep were heavier than separately grazed sheep at all SR with a mean difference at 10 and 12.5/ha of 4.6 kg. Mixed-grazed goats at 10/ha were heavier than separately grazed goats from the end of the second year of the experiment, but at 12.5/ha, separately grazed goats maintained an advantage over mixed-grazed goats, with a 9.4-kg mean difference in December (P < 0.05). Body condition scores of goats and sheep declined with increasing SR; they were highest in late spring and were highly correlated with liveweight (r² > 0.8). Both AS and SR affected (P < 0.001) carcass weight and GR tissue depth as a direct result of differences in liveweight. Adjusting for differences in carcass weight negated AS effects on GR tissue depth. The carcass weights of sheep and goats increased by similar amounts for each 1-kg increase in liveweight. Mortality of sheep (3.1% p.a.) was unaffected by AS or SR. An AS SR interaction indicated mortality of separately grazed goats at 12.5/ha and mixed-grazed goats at 10 and 12.5/ha were higher (P < 0.05) than all other goat (29 versus 9%) and sheep treatments, primarily because of increased susceptibility to cold stress. Disease prevalence differed between sheep and goats. Mixed grazing of Merino sheep and Angora goats produced complementary and competitive effects depending upon the SR. Goats used summer pasture better but winter pasture less well for liveweight gain than sheep. Angora goats should not be grazed alone or mixed grazed with sheep on annual temperate pastures at SR greater than that recommended for Merino sheep and the evidence indicates a lower SR will reduce risks associated with mortality.

Balsamin, a novel ribosome-inactivating protein from the seeds of Balsam apple Momordica balsamina

Plant seeds, a rich source of proteins, are considered important for their application as functional ingredients in a food system. A novel ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP), balsamin was purified from the seeds of Balsam apple, Momordica balsamina. Balsamin was purified by ion exchange chromatography on CM Sepharose and gel filtration on superdex-75. It has a molecular weight of 28 kDa as shown by SDS-PAGE analysis. Balsamin inhibits protein synthesis in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate-based cell free translation assay with an IC50 of 90.6 ng ml⁻¹. It has RNA N-glycosidase activity and releases a 400-base long fragment termed the Endo fragment from 28S rRNA in the same manner as does saporin-6 from Saponaria officinalis. The N-terminal sequence analysis of the first 12 amino acids of balsamin revealed that it shares 83% similarity with type I RIP α-MMC from Momordica charantia and 50% similarity with β-MMC (from Momordica charantia), bryodin I (from Bryonia dioica) and luffin a (from Luffa cylindrica). Balsamin was further characterized by mass spectrometry. CD spectroscopic studies indicate that secondary structure of balsamin contains helix (23.5%), β-strand (24.6%), turn (20%) and random coil (31.9%). Thus RIPs activity expressed in vegetables like Momordica sp. advocates its usage in diet.

Effects of continuity of care by a primary midwife (caseload midwifery) on caesarean section rates in women of low obstetric risk : the COSMOS randomised controlled trial

Objective  To determine whether primary midwife care (caseload midwifery) decreases the caesarean section rate compared with standard maternity care.

Design  Randomised controlled trial.

Setting  Tertiary-care women’s hospital in Melbourne, Australia.

Population  A total of 2314 low-risk pregnant women.

Methods  Women randomised to caseload received antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum care from a primary midwife with some care by ‘back-up’ midwives. Women randomised to standard care received either midwifery or obstetric-trainee care with varying levels of continuity, or community-based general practitioner care.

Main outcome measures  Primary outcome: caesarean birth. Secondary outcomes included instrumental vaginal births, analgesia, perineal trauma, induction of labour, infant admission to special/neonatal intensive care, gestational age, Apgar scores and birthweight.

Results  In total 2314 women were randomised–1156 to caseload and 1158 to standard care. Women allocated to caseload were less likely to have a caesarean section (19.4% versus 24.9%; risk ratio [RR] 0.78; 95% CI 0.67–0.91; P = 0.001); more likely to have a spontaneous vaginal birth (63.0% versus 55.7%; RR 1.13; 95% CI 1.06–1.21; P < 0.001); less likely to have epidural analgesia (30.5% versus 34.6%; RR 0.88; 95% CI 0.79–0.996; P = 0.04) and less likely to have an episiotomy (23.1% versus 29.4%; RR 0.79; 95% CI 0.67–0.92; P = 0.003). Infants of women allocated to caseload were less likely to be admitted to special or neonatal intensive care (4.0% versus 6.4%; RR 0.63; 95% CI 0.44–0.90; P = 0.01). No infant outcomes favoured standard care.

Conclusion  In settings with a relatively high baseline caesarean section rate, caseload midwifery for women at low obstetric risk in early pregnancy shows promise for reducing caesarean births.

The effect of double - blind carbohydrate ingestion during 60 km of self-paced exercise in warm ambient conditions

This study evaluated double blind ingestions of placebo (PLA) versus 6% carbohydrate (CHO) either as capsules (c) or beverage (b) during 60 km self-paced cycling in the heat (32°C and 50% relative humidity). Ten well-trained males (mean ± SD: 26±3 years; 64.5±7.7 kg and 70.7±8.8 ml.kg-1.min-1 maximal oxygen consumption) completed four separate 60 km time trials (TT) punctuated by 1 km sprints (14, 29, 44, 59 km) whilst ingesting either PLAb or PLAc or CHOb or CHOc. The TT was not different among treatments (PLAb 130.26 11.2 min, CHOb 140.5±18.1 min, PLAc 143.1±29.2 min, CHOc 137.3±20.1 min; P>0.05). Effect size (Cohen's d) for time was only moderate when comparing CHOb - PLAb (d = 0.68) and PLAb - PLA c (d = 0.57) whereas all other ES were 'trivial' to 'small'. Mean speed throughout the trial was significantly higher for PLAb only (P<0.05). Power output was only different (P<0.05) between the sprints and low intensity efforts within and across conditions. Core and mean skin temperatures were similar among trials. We conclude that CHO ingestion is of little or no benefit as a beverage compared with placebo during 60 km TT in the heat.

Social desirability bias in the reporting of alcohol consumption: a randomized trial

OBJECTIVE: To investigate reporting of alcohol consumption, we manipulated the contexts of questions in ways designed to induce social desirability bias. METHOD: We undertook a two-arm, parallel-group, individually randomized trial at an Australian public university. Students were recruited by email to a web-based "Research Project on Student Health Behavior." Respondents answered nine questions about their physical activity, diet, and smoking. They were unknowingly randomized to a group presented with either (A) three questions about their alcohol consumption or (B) seven questions about their alcohol dependence and problems (under a prominent header labeled "Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test"), followed by the same three alcohol consumption questions from (A). RESULTS: A total of 3,594 students (mean age = 27, SD = 10) responded and were randomized: 1,778 to Group A and 1,816 to Group B. Outcome measures were the number of days they drank alcohol, the typical number of drinks they consumed per drinking day, and the number of days they consumed six or more drinks. The primary analysis included participants with any alcohol consumption in the preceding 4 weeks (1,304 in Group A; 1,340 in Group B) using between-group, two-tailed t tests. RESULTS: In Groups A and B, respectively, means (and SDs) of the number of days drinking were 5.89 (5.92) versus 6.06 (6.12), p = .49; typical number of drinks per drinking day: 4.02 (3.87) versus 3.82 (3.76), p = .17; and number of days consuming six or more drinks: 1.69 (2.94) versus 1.67 (3.25), p = .56. CONCLUSIONS: We could not reject the null hypothesis because earlier questions about alcohol dependence and problems showed no sign of biasing the respondents' subsequent reports of alcohol consumption. These data support the validity of university students' reporting of alcohol consumption in web-based studies.

Synthesis and reactivity towards DIBAL-H of Cyclo-Siloxanes cyclo-[R2SiOSi(Ot-Bu)2O]2, cyclo-(t-BuO)2Si(OSiR2)2O, and cyclo-R2Si[Osi(Ot-Bu)2]2O (R=Me, Ph)

The six-, eight- and twelve-membered cyclo-siloxanes, cyclo-[R₂SiOSi(Ot-Bu)₂O]₂ (R = Me (1), Ph (2)), cyclo-(t-BuO)₂Si(OSiR₂)₂O (R = Me (3), Ph (4)), cyclo-R₂Si[OSi(Ot-Bu)₂]₂O (R = Me (5), Ph (6)) and cyclo-[(t-BuO)₂Si(OSiMe₂)₂O]₂ (3a) were synthesized in high yields by the reaction of (t-BuO)₂Si(OH)₂ and [(t-BuO)₂SiOH]₂O with R₂SiCl₂ and (R₂SiCl)₂O (R = Me, Ph). Compounds 1 - 6 were characterized by solution and solid-state ²⁹Si NMR spectroscopy, electrospray mass spectrometry and osmometric molecular weight determination. The molecular structure of 4 has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction and features a six-membered cyclo-siloxane ring that is essentially planar. The reduction of 1 - 6 with i-Bu₂AlH (DIBAL-H) led to the formation of the metastable aluminosiloxane (t-BuO)₂Si(OAli-Bu₂)₂ (7) along with Me₂SiH₂ and Ph₂SiH₂.

"Sexually transmitted debts":the scope of defences to directors' liability for insolvent trading

The recent demise of prominent Australian corporations, such as GIO Australia Holdings Ltd, One.Tel Ltd, HIH Insurance Ltd and Ansett Australia Ltd, have highlighted the relevance of, inter alia, the Australian insolvent trading provisions embodied in the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (formerly Corporations Law). What may not be appreciated, however, is that insolvent trading is not only concerned with large public companies. Many of the insolvent trading cases that come before the courts involve small proprietary companies. Moreover, in many cases these are small “family” companies where there may only be one active director. This gives rise to a difficult issue as to the appropriateness of imposing liability for insolvent trading on a spouse who is, factually, merely a dormant director. This article explores the issue of spousal liability for insolvent trading, particularly focusing on the scope of the current defences to insolvent
trading under s 588H.

Design of LabVIEW® - based software for the control of sequential injection analysis instrumentation for the determination of morphine.

LabVIEW^®-based software for the automation of a sequential injection analysis instrument for the determination of morphine is presented. Detection was based on its chemiluminescence reaction with acidic potassium permanganate in the presence of sodium polyphosphate. The calibration function approximated linearity (range 5 × 10 ^-10 to 5 × 10 ^-6M) with a line of best fit of y = 1.05 x + 8.9164 (R² = 0.9959), where y is the log₁₀ signal (mV) and x is the log₁₀ morphine concentration (M). Precision, as measured by relative standard deviation, was 0.7% for five replicate analyses of morphine standard (5 × 10^-8_M). The limit of detection (3 σ) was determined as 5 × 10^-11 M morphine.

Differential regulation of Adiponectin receptor gene expression by Adiponectin and Leptin in Myotubes derived from obese and diabetic individuals

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the regulation of adiponectin receptors 1 (AdipoR1) and 2 (AdipoR2) gene expression in primary skeletal muscle myotubes, derived from human donors, after exposure to globular adiponectin (gAd) and leptin. Research Methods and Procedures: Four distinct primary cell culture groups were established [ Lean, Obese, Diabetic, Weight Loss (Wt Loss); n = 7 in each] from rectus abdominus muscle biopsies obtained from surgical patients. Differentiated myotube cultures were exposed to gAd (0.1 mug/mL) or leptin (2.5 mug/mL) for 6 hours. AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 gene expression was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Results: AdipoR1 mRNA expression in skeletal muscle myotubes derived from Lean subjects (p < 0.05) was stimulated 1.8-fold and 2.5-fold with gAd and leptin, respectively. No increase in AdipoR1 gene expression was measured in myotubes derived from Obese, Diabetic, or Wt Loss subjects. AdipoR2 mRNA expression was unaltered after gAd and leptin exposure in all myotube groups. Discussion: Adiponectin and leptin are rapid and potent stimulators of AdipoR1 in myotubes derived from lean healthy individuals. This effect was abolished in myotubes derived from obese, obese diabetic subjects, and obese-prone individuals who had lost significant weight after bariatric surgery. The incapacity of skeletal muscle of obese and diabetic individuals to respond to exogenous adiponectin and leptin may be further suppressed as a result of impaired regulation of the AdipoR1 gene.

Factors affecting e-commerce adoption by SMEs : a meta-analysis

There have been a myriad of research studies concerning SME e-Commerce adoption. However, the findings of these studies with regard to adoption factors have often been fragmented and contradictory. This paper analyses the previous research and synthesises the findings into a cohesive model of factors affecting SME adoption of e-Commerce. Eight meta-factors were identified: (1) perceived relative advantage; (2) perceived compatibility; (3) perceived complexity; (4) pressures from trading partners; (5) pressures from competitors; (6) external change agents; (7) knowledge and expertise about e-Commerce; and (8) management attitudes towards e-Commerce. These meta-factors were further grouped into three contexts: technological, environmental and organisational.

The effect of calcium supplementation on bone density in premenarcheal females: a co-twin approach

The age and developmental stage at which calcium supplementation produces the greatest bone effects remain controversial. We tested the hypothesis that calcium supplementation may improve bone accrual in premenarcheal females. Fifty-one pairs of premenarcheal female twins (27 monozygotic and 24 dizygotic; mean ± SD age, 10.3 ± 1.5 yr) participated in a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial with one twin of each pair receiving a 1200-mg calcium carbonate (Caltrate) supplement. Areal bone mineral density (aBMD) was measured at baseline and 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. There were no within-pair differences in height, weight, or calcium intake at baseline. Calcium supplementation was associated (P < 0.05) with increased aBMD compared with placebo, adjusted for age, height, and weight at the following time points from baseline: total hip, 6 months (1.9%), 12 months (1.6%), and 18 months (2.4%); lumbar spine, 12 months (1.0%); femoral neck, 6 months (1.9%). Adjusted total body bone mineral content was higher in the calcium group at 6 months (2.0%), 12 months (2.5%), 18 months (4.6%), and 24 months (3.7%), respectively (all P < 0.001). Calcium supplementation was effective in increasing aBMD at regional sites over the first 12–18 months, but these gains were not maintained to 24 months.