Hypotensive effects of hawthorn for patients with diabetes taking prescription drugs: a randomised controlled trial

Background Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) leaves, flowers and berries are used by herbal practitioners in the UK to treat hypertension in conjunction with prescribed drugs. Small-scale human studies support this approach. Aim To investigate the effects of hawthorn for hypertension in patients with type 2 diabetes taking prescribed drugs. Design of study Randomised controlled trial. Setting General practices in Reading, UK. Method Patients with type 2 diabetes (n = 79) were randomised to daily 1200 mg hawthorn extract (n = 39) or placebo (n = 40) for 16 weeks. At baseline and outcome a wellbeing questionnaire was completed and blood pressure and fasting blood samples taken. A food frequency questionnaire estimated nutrient intake. Results Hypotensive drugs were used by 71% of the study population with a mean intake of 4.4 hypoglycaemic and/or hypotensive drugs. Fat intake was lower and sugar intake higher than recommendations, and low micronutrient intake was prevalent. There was a significant group difference in mean diastolic blood pressure reductions (P = 0.035): the hawthorn group showed greater reductions (baseline: 85.6 mmHg, 95% confidence interval [Cl] = 83.3 to 87.8; outcome: 83.0 mmHg, 95% Cl = 80.5 to 85.7) than the placebo group (baseline: 84.5 mmHg, 95% Cl = 82 to 87; outcome: 85.0 mmHg, 95% Cl = 82.2 to 87.8). There was no group difference in systolic blood pressure reduction from baseline (3.6 and 0.8 mmHg for hawthorn and placebo groups, respectively; P = 0.329). Although mean fat intake met current recommendations, mean sugar intake was higher and there were indications of potential multiple micronutrient deficiencies. No herb-drug interaction was found and minor health complaints were reduced from baseline in both groups. Conclusions This is the first randomised controlled trial to demonstrate a hypotensive effect of hawthorn in patients with diabetes taking medication.

From ideals to reality: The women's smallholding colony at Lingfield, 1920-39

The immediate impetus for the colony at Lingfield in Surrey was the desire by the Women's Farm and Garden Association to enable women who had worked on the land during the First World War to be able to farm on their own account. However the motivation for the colony can also be traced back to late nineteenth-century ideals. The colony soon ran into problems which were exacerbated by the adverse agricultural conditions of the early 1920s. The association responded constructively but the colony was wound down from 1929. At one level the colony could be seen as a failure, yet this article argues that the 19 colony provided a rural community where single women lived in a mutually supportive environment.

Hypotensive effects of hawthorn for patients with diabetes taking prescription drugs: a randomised controlled trial

Background: Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) leaves, flowers and berries are used by herbal practitioners in the UK to treat hypertension in conjunction with prescribed drugs. Small-scale human studies support this approach. Aim: To investigate the effects of hawthorn for hypertension in patients with type 2 diabetes taking prescribed drugs. Design of study: Randomised controlled trial. Setting: General practices in Reading, UK. Method: Patients with type 2 diabetes (n = 79) were randomised to daily 1200 mg hawthorn extract (n = 39) or placebo (n = 40) for 16 weeks. At baseline and outcome a wellbeing questionnaire was completed and blood pressure and fasting blood samples taken. A food frequency questionnaire estimated nutrient intake. Results: Hypotensive drugs were used by 71% of the study population with a mean intake of 4.4 hypoglycaemic and/or hypotensive drugs. Fat intake was lower and sugar intake higher than recommendations, and low micronutrient intake was prevalent. There was a significant group difference in mean diastolic blood pressure reductions (P = 0.035): the hawthorn group showed greater reductions (baseline: 85.6 mmHg, 95% confidence interval [Cl] = 83.3 to 87.8; outcome: 83.0 mmHg, 95% Cl = 80.5 to 85.7) than the placebo group (baseline: 84.5 mmHg, 95% Cl = 82 to 87; outcome: 85.0 mmHg, 95% Cl = 82.2 to 87.8). There was no group difference in systolic blood pressure reduction from baseline (3.6 and 0.8 mmHg for hawthorn and placebo groups, respectively; P = 0.329). Although mean fat intake met current recommendations, mean sugar intake was higher and there were indications of potential multiple micronutrient deficiencies. No herb-drug interaction was found and minor health complaints were reduced from baseline in both groups. Conclusions: This is the first randomised controlled trial to demonstrate a hypotensive effect of hawthorn in patients with diabetes taking medication.

Predictability of the western North Pacific summer climate demonstrated by the coupled models of ENSEMBLES

The Asian monsoon system, including the western North Pacific (WNP), East Asian, and Indian monsoons, dominates the climate of the Asia-Indian Ocean-Pacific region, and plays a significant role in the global hydrological and energy cycles. The prediction of monsoons and associated climate features is a major challenge in seasonal time scale climate forecast. In this study, a comprehensive assessment of the interannual predictability of the WNP summer climate has been performed using the 1-month lead retrospective forecasts (hindcasts) of five state-of-the-art coupled models from ENSEMBLES for the period of 1960–2005. Spatial distribution of the temporal correlation coefficients shows that the interannual variation of precipitation is well predicted around the Maritime Continent and east of the Philippines. The high skills for the lower-tropospheric circulation and sea surface temperature (SST) spread over almost the whole WNP. These results indicate that the models in general successfully predict the interannual variation of the WNP summer climate. Two typical indices, the WNP summer precipitation index and the WNP lower-tropospheric circulation index (WNPMI), have been used to quantify the forecast skill. The correlation coefficient between five models’ multi-model ensemble (MME) mean prediction and observations for the WNP summer precipitation index reaches 0.66 during 1979–2005 while it is 0.68 for the WNPMI during 1960–2005. The WNPMI-regressed anomalies of lower-tropospheric winds, SSTs and precipitation are similar between observations and MME. Further analysis suggests that prediction reliability of the WNP summer climate mainly arises from the atmosphere–ocean interaction over the tropical Indian and the tropical Pacific Ocean, implying that continuing improvement in the representation of the air–sea interaction over these regions in CGCMs is a key for long-lead seasonal forecast over the WNP and East Asia. On the other hand, the prediction of the WNP summer climate anomalies exhibits a remarkable spread resulted from uncertainty in initial conditions. The summer anomalies related to the prediction spread, including the lower-tropospheric circulation, SST and precipitation anomalies, show a Pacific-Japan or East Asia-Pacific pattern in the meridional direction over the WNP. Our further investigations suggest that the WNPMI prediction spread arises mainly from the internal dynamics in air–sea interaction over the WNP and Indian Ocean, since the local relationships among the anomalous SST, circulation, and precipitation associated with the spread are similar to those associated with the interannual variation of the WNPMI in both observations and MME. However, the magnitudes of these anomalies related to the spread are weaker, ranging from one third to a half of those anomalies associated with the interannual variation of the WNPMI in MME over the tropical Indian Ocean and subtropical WNP. These results further support that the improvement in the representation of the air–sea interaction over the tropical Indian Ocean and subtropical WNP in CGCMs is a key for reducing the prediction spread and for improving the long-lead seasonal forecast over the WNP and East Asia.

British railways and the challenge from road haulage: 1919-39

Interwar Britain witnessed the rapid rise of road transport as a serious competitor to the railways. This article examines road–rail competition for freight traffic. It demonstrates that, contrary to previous accounts—which have been highly critical of the railway companies—their failure to prevent rapid loss of traffic to the roads was the inevitable consequence of the regulatory framework under which the railways had been returned to private control in 1921. Given the constraints imposed by this framework, price competition with road hauliers would have further depressed railway company profits. Railway policy thus concentrated on pressing for a revision of the legislative framework governing road–rail competition.

(40)Ar/(39)Ar ages and Sr-Nd-Pb-Os geochemistry of CAMP tholeiites from Western Maranhao basin (NE Brazil)

The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP), emplaced at the Triassic-Jurassic (T-J) boundary (-200 Ma), is among the largest igneous provinces on Earth. The Maranhao basin in NE Brazil is located around 700 km inland and 2000 km from the site of the earliest Pangea disruption. The CAMP tholeiites occur only in the western part of the basin and have been described as low and high-Ti. Here we document the occurrence of two sub-groups among the high-Ti tholeiites in the Western Maranhao basin. The major and trace elements and the Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic ratios define three chemical groups corresponding to the low-Ti (TiO(2)< 1.3 wt.%), high-Ti (TiO(2)-2.0 wt.%) and evolved high-Ti (TiO(2 >)3 wt.%) western Maranhao basin tholeiites (WMBT). The new (40)Ar/(39)Ar plateau ages obtained on plagioclase separates for high-Ti (199.7 +/- 2.4 Ma) and evolved high-Ti WMBT (197.2 +/- 0.5 Ma and 198.2 +/- 0.6 Ma) are indistinguishable and identical to those of previously analyzed low-Ti WMBT (198.5 +/- 0.8 Ma) and to the mean (40)Ar/(39)Ar age of the CAMP (199 +/- 2.4 Ma). We also present the first Re-Os isotopic data for CAMP basalts. The low and high-Ti samples display mantle-like initial ((187)Os/(188)Os)(i) ranging from 0.1267 to 0.1299, while the evolved high-Ti samples are more radiogenic (((187)Os/ (188)Os)(i) up to 0.184) We propose that the high-Ti WMBT were derived from the sub-lithospheric asthenosphere, and contaminated during ascent by interaction with the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). The evolved high-Ti WMBT were derived from the same asthenospheric source but experienced crustal contamination. The chemical characteristics of the low-Ti group can be explained by partial melting of the most fertile portions of the SCLM metasomatized during paleo-subduction. Alternatively, the low-Ti WMBT could be derived from the sub-lithospheric asthenosphere but the resulting melts may have undergone contamination by the SCLM. The occurrences of high-Ti basalts are apparently not restricted to the area of initial continental disruption which may bring into question previous interpretations such as those relating high-Ti CAMP magmatism to the initiation of Atlantic ridge spreading or as the expression of a deep mantle plume. We propose that the CAMP magmatism in the Maranhao basin may be attributed to local hotter mantle conditions due to the combined effects of edge-driven convection and large-scale mantle warming under the Pangea supercontinent. The involvement of a mantle-plume with asthenosphere-like isotopic characteristics cannot be ruled out either as one of the main source components of the WMBT or as a heat supplier. (C) 2010 Elsevier BM. All rights reserved.

U-Pb zircon and (40)Ar-(39)Ar K-feldspar dating of syn-sedimentary volcanism of the Neoproterozoic Marica Formation: constraining the age of foreland basin inception and inversion in the Camaqua Basin of southern Brazil

New U-Pb zircon and (40)Ar-(39)Ar K-feldspar data are presented for syn-sedimentary volcanogenic rocks from the Neoproterozoic Marica Formation, located in the southern Brazilian shield. Seven (of nine) U-Pb sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe analyses of zircons from pyroclastic cobbles yield an age of 630.2 +/- 3.4 Ma (2 sigma), interpreted as the age of syn-sedimentary volcanism, and thus of the deposition itself. This result indicates that the Marica Formation was deposited during the main collisional phase (640-620 Ma) of the Brasiliano II orogenic system, probably as a forebulge or back-bulge, craton-derived foreland succession. Thus, this unit is possibly correlative of younger portions of the Porongos, Brusque, Passo Feio, Abapa (Itaiacoca) and Lavalleja (Fuente del Puma) metamorphic complexes. Well-defined, step-heating (40)Ar-(39)Ar K-feldspar plateau ages obtained from volcanogenic beds and pyroclastic cobbles of the lower and upper successions of the Marica Formation yielded 507.3 +/- 1.8 Ma and 506.7 +/- 1.4 Ma (2 sigma), respectively. These data are interpreted to reflect total isotopic resetting during deep burial and thermal effects related to magmatic events. Late Middle Cambrian cooling below ca. 200 degrees C, probably related to uplift, is tentatively associated with intraplate effects of the Rio Doce and/or Pampean orogenies (Brasiliano III system). In the southern Brazilian shield, these intraplate stresses are possibly related to the dominantly extensional opening of a rift or a pull-apart basin, where sedimentary rocks of the Camaqua Group (Santa Barbara and Guaritas Formations) accumulated.

Radon surveys in Brazil using CR-39

In this work results of two radon daughters survey in Brazil are presented and discussed. Some methodological problems concerning the first survey are pointed out which were corrected for the second survey in order to make a realistic long-term measurement of radon decay products in the air. The technique employed in both surveys was the alpha-spectroscopy using CR-39. The reliability of this technique as well as the results of the second survey are discussed, which indicate a poor correlation between radon and its decay products in the air at the researched dwellings. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mensuração da qualidade de vida de indivíduos com a doença de Parkinson por meio do questionário PDQ-39

INTRODUÇÃO: A doença de Parkinson (DP) é caracterizada por uma degeneração progressiva seletiva de neurônios localizados na pars compacta da substância negra. Ela compõe-se por um conjunto de quatro sintomas motores: tremor, rigidez, bradicinesia e instabilidade postural. OBJETIVO: O estudo objetivou investigar os fatores relacionados à queda na percepção da qualidade de vida de indivíduos com DP. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Participaram deste estudo 25 indivíduos com diagnóstico de doença de Parkinson, classificados entre os estágios um e cinco da escala de estadiamento de Hoen e Yahr, tendo a sua qualidade de vida avaliada segundo o Parkinson Disease Questionary-39 (PDQ-39). RESULTADOS: Os 25 indivíduos (12 homens e 13 mulheres) apresentaram idade média de 71,2 ± 8,5 anos, variando entre 53 a 85 anos, e tempo de evolução da doença de 6,54 ± 7,71, variando entre 1 e 39 anos de doença. Verificou-se que as piores percepções sobre a qualidade de vida estão relacionadas ao domínio mobilidade, com média de 55% de comprometimento, e ao domínio atividade de vida diária, com 52,78% de comprometimento. Ficou também constatada uma alta correlação entre o escore total do PDQ-39 com os domínios atividade de vida diária, bem-estar emocional e mobilidade. CONCLUSÕES: A partir dos resultados obtidos, é possível constatar que carências de origem motora associadas aos sinais e sintomas e às complicações secundárias da DP interferem negativamente sobre a percepção da qualidade de vida dos indivíduos.

Fraturas vertebrais em grandes animais: estudo retrospectivo de 39 casos (1987-2002)

Realizou-se estudo retrospectivo (1987-2002) dos aspectos clínicos das fraturas vertebrais em eqüinos, bovinos, ovinos, caprinos e suínos atendidos no hospital veterinário da FMVZ-Unesp de Botucatu. Todos os casos tiveram confirmação radiográfica ou post-mortem. Segundo a espécie, a ordem de acometimento foi: bovina, eqüina, ovina, caprina e suína. As lesões ocorreram desde os 12 dias de idade até os 10 anos, com maior freqüência até os 12 meses. O segmento torácico foi o mais comprometido seguido dos segmentos lombar, cervical e sacral. As fraturas vertebrais devem fazer parte da lista de diagnósticos diferenciais de animais em decúbito, independente da espécie, sexo ou idade.

Fine structure of Mytella falcata (Bivalvia) gill filaments

Bivalve filter feeders are sessile animals that live in constant contact with water and its pollutants. Their gill is an organ highly exposed to these conditions due to its large surface and its involvement in gas exchanges and feeding. The bivalve Mytella falcata is found in estuaries of Latin America, on the Atlantic as well as the Pacific Coast. It is commonly consumed, and sometimes is the only source of protein of low-income communities. In this study, gill filaments of M. falcata were characterized using histology, histochemistry and transmission electron microscopy for future comparative studies among animals exposed to environmental pollutants. Gill filaments may be divided into abfrontal, intermediate and frontal zones. Filaments are interconnected by ciliary discs. In the center of filaments, haemocytes circulate through a haemolymph vessel internally lined by an endothelium and supported by an acellular connective tissue rich in polysaccharides and collagen. The abfrontal zone contains cuboidal cells, while the intermediate zone consists of a simple squamous epithelium. The frontal zone is composed of five columnar cell types: one absorptive, mainly characterized by the presence of pinocytic vesicles in the apical region of the cell; one secretory, rarely observed and three ciliated with abundant mitochondria. All cells lining the filament exhibit numerous microvilli and seem to absorb substances from the environment. PAS staining was observed in mucous cells in the frontal and abfrontal zones. Bromophenol blue allowed the distinction of haemocytes and detection of a glycoprotein secretion in the secretory cells of the frontal region. The characteristics of M. falcata gill filaments observed in this study were very similar to those of other bivalves, especially other Mytilidae, and are suitable for histopathological studies on the effect of water-soluble pollutants. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Population structure, distribution and abundance patterns of the patagonian smoothhound Musmlus schmitti springer, 1939 (Chondrichthyes,Elasmobranchii, Triakidae) in the rio de la plata and inner continental shelf, SW Atlantic ocean (34 degrees-30'-39 degrees-30's)

A total number of 4824 Mustelus schmitti was sampled. Females ranged from 25 to 93 em in spring and from 28 to 90 cm in summer. Males ranged from 34 to 82 and from 28 to 77 cm, respectively. Length composition of the population showed significant differences between spring and summer being females larger than males. Total length distribution did not show significant differences between cruises. Males density varied significantly between cruises while for the females no significant variation was observed. In the spring cruise, both sexes occurred at depths lower than 50 in. Females occurred in the whole area with adult occurrence only above 35 degrees 30'S. Mature males occurred throughout the area, immature males occurring in two trawls in Samborombon Bay. The summer cruise showed a discontinuous distribution of the species along the study area resulting in spatial segregation in two groups with immature females predominating in both of them.

Size at maturity and egg capsules of the softnose skates Bathyraja brachyurops (Fowler, 1910) and Bathyraja macloviana (Norman, 1937) (Elasmobranchii: Rajidae) in the SW Atlantic (37 degrees 00'-39 degrees 30'S)

P>The softnose skates Bathyraja brachyurops and Bathyraja macloviana represent an important portion of the skate catches of the Uruguayan trawling fleet in the southwestern Atlantic. From March to October 2004, specimens of these species were collected at 75-200 m depth range in the area situated between latitudes 37 degrees 00'-39 degrees 30'S. For B. brachyurops, total length at which 50% of the specimens were retained by the gear was 68.0 cm for both sexes; T(L50) was estimated at 65.4 cm for males and 67.0 cm for females. For B. macloviana, total length at which 50% of the specimens were retained was 56.0-57.0 cm for both sexes; T(L50) was estimated at 53.5 cm for males and 52.0 cm for females. Egg capsule length varied from 79-91 mm in B. brachyurops and 69-75.5 mm in B. macloviana. In both species, capsules displayed striated surfaces and similar gross morphology, although egg capsules of B. macloviana had more robust anterior horns and a smaller size than those of B. brachyurops. Egg capsules of the latter also exhibited microscopical prickles. Capsule edges were laterally keeled with a groove along the keel, and a straight and transverse velum was present in the egg capsules of both species.