Changes in weight and waist circumference over 9 years in a Scottish population

Objective: To document patterns of measured weight and waist circumference (WC) change and the increase in overweight and obesity over a 9-year period. Subjects/Methods: A total of 1044 subjects from two age-defined cohorts aged 39 and 59 in 1991. Height, weight and WC were measured in 1991, 1995 and 2000 and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Pattern of weight and WC change was studied over approximately 9 years. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity increased markedly and the younger cohort showed greater increases in weight and WC than the older cohort. There was no significant difference in mean BMI and/or mean 9-year weight change between men and women in either age cohort, and mean weight gain was similar for all occupational groups. Only 20% of subjects maintained a stable weight (plusminus2 kg), while 42.2 and 17.6% gained greater than 5 and 10 kg over the 9-year period, respectively. The rate of weight gain appeared to be relatively steady over the 9 years among younger subjects but declined in the older subjects in the second half of the observation period. Conclusions: Health promotion strategies to prevent weight gain need to be population-based, targeting all social and age groups, but particularly those in their early middle-age.

[P]lucky Jane et al: ideal types in the legal academy?

This article started as a response to a decision by Deakin University's Law School late last year to embark upon a major recruitment of new staff. That decision caused the writer to wonder what published sources of advice were available to assist aspiring legal academics in choosing and shaping a career. To date it would seem that whilst there is no dearth of sources about what law schools should teach, or on the content and structure of the curriculum, research on the selection and formation of academics is somewhat less common. This is changing. In 2003 a short biographical study of six law teachers, based on structured interviews, was published and in 2004, a major study of the identity of 54 law teachers became available. There have also been significant studies on the particular issues encountered by female academics in the legal academy.

Broadening conceptions of curriculum for young people : reports from three student - teachers on exchange

Research reports prepared by three Australian preservice teachers Paula Shaw, Chris Sharp and Scott McDonald undertaking their teacher education practicum in Canada, form the basis of this paper. The reports provide critical insights into three aspects of education for young people in both Canada and Australia. They also provide critical insight into the ways in which a practicum research project, along with the opportunities afforded through an international experience, enabled the preservice teachers to broaden their understanding of the curriculum for young people, of issues relevant to the diverse needs of young people, and of themselves and their priorities as teachers. The preservice teachers investigated three topics: attempts to reduce homophobia in schools; the presence or absence of Aboriginal content in the school curricula in British Columbia and Queensland; and “schools-within-schools” as a means to meet the needs of diverse student populations. Linda Farr Darling from the University of British Columbia provides a response to the three reports.

Genome - wide association study identifies novel breast cancer susceptibility loci

Breast cancer exhibits familial aggregation, consistent with variation in genetic susceptibility to the disease. Known susceptibility genes account for less than 25% of the familial risk of breast cancer, and the residual genetic variance is likely to be due to variants conferring more moderate risks. To identify further susceptibility alleles, we conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study in 4,398 breast cancer cases and 4,316 controls, followed by a third stage in which 30 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were tested for confirmation in 21,860 cases and 22,578 controls from 22 studies. We used 227,876 SNPs that were estimated to correlate with 77% of known common SNPs in Europeans at r² > 0.5. SNPs in five novel independent loci exhibited strong and consistent evidence of association with breast cancer (P < 10^-7). Four of these contain plausible causative genes (FGFR2, TNRC9, MAP3K1 and LSP1). At the second stage, 1,792 SNPs were significant at the P < 0.05 level compared with an estimated 1,343 that would be expected by chance, indicating that many additional common susceptibility alleles may be identifiable by this approach.

Jane Campion

Jane Campion, one of the most celebrated auters of modern cinema, was the first female director to be awarded the prestigious Palme d'Or. In this first detailed account of Jane Campion's career, Verhoeven examines how contemporary film directors 'fashion' themselves as auters- through their personal interactions with the media, in their choice of projects, emphasis on particular filmmaking techniques and finally in the promotion of their films. Through analysis of key scenes from Campion's films such as The Piano, In the Cut, Sweetie and Holy Smoke, Verhoeven introduces the key debates surrounding this controversial and often experimental director. Features a career overview, a filmography and an extended interview with Campion on her approach to creativity.

Training in flexible, intensive insulin management to enable dietary freedom in people with type 1 diabetes : dose adjustment for normal eating (DAFNE) randomised controlled trial

Objectives: To evaluate whether a course teaching flexible intensive insulin treatment combining dietary freedom and insulin adjustment can improve both glycaemic control and quality of life in type 1 diabetes.

Design: Randomised design with participants either attending training immediately (immediate DAFNE) or acting as waiting list controls and attending “delayed DAFNE” training 6 months later.
Setting: Secondary care diabetes clinics in three English health districts.

Participants: 169 adults with type 1 diabetes and moderate or poor glycaemic control.

Main outcome measures: Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), severe hypoglycaemia, impact of diabetes on quality of life (ADDQoL).

Results: At 6 months, HbA1c was significantly better in immediate DAFNE patients (mean 8.4%) than in delayed DAFNE patients (9.4%) (t=6.1, P<0.0001). The impact of diabetes on dietary freedom was significantly improved in immediate DAFNE patients compared with delayed DAFNE patients (t=−5.4, P<0.0001), as was the impact of diabetes on overall quality of life (t=2.9, P<0.01). General wellbeing and treatment satisfaction were also significantly improved, but severe hypoglycaemia, weight, and lipids remained unchanged. Improvements in “present quality of life” did not reach significance at 6 months but were significant by 1 year.

Conclusion: Skills training promoting dietary freedom improved quality of life and glycaemic control in people with type 1 diabetes without worsening severe hypoglycaemia or cardiovascular risk. This approach has the potential to enable more people to adopt intensive insulin treatment and is worthy of further investigation.

Gentle Jane : living the genteel life in Regency/Victorian England

This paper uses the concepts of cultural capital and embodied practice to demonstrate how Jane Austen's novels articulate the lived experience of Regency-early Victorian period middle class gentility. It is particularly informed by perpsectives on material culture as known in museum collections.

Jane Montgomery Griffiths’ Theatrical Poetics

An interview with Jane Montgomery Griffiths regarding her theatrical adaptation of Dorothy Porter’s verse novel Wild Surmise (2002).