Coffee and alcohol consumption and the risk of pancreatic cancer in two prospective United States cohorts

Although most prospective cohort studies do not support an association between coffee consumption and pancreatic cancer, the findings for alcohol are inconsistent. Recently, a large prospective cohort study of women reported statistically significant elevations in risk of pancreatic cancer for both coffee and alcoholic beverage consumption. We obtained data on coffee, alcohol, and other dietary factors using semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires administered at baseline (1986 in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and 1980 in the Nurses’ Health Study) and in subsequent follow-up questionnaires. Data on other risk factors for pancreatic cancer, including cigarette smoking, were also available. Individuals with a history of cancer at study initiation were excluded from all of the analyses. During the 1,907,222 person-years of follow-up, 288 incident cases of pancreatic cancer were diagnosed. The data were analyzed separately for each cohort, and results were pooled to compute overall relative risks (RR). Neither coffee nor alcohol intakes were associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer in either cohort or after pooling the results (pooled RR, 0.62; 95% confidence interval, 0.27–1.43, for >3 cups of coffee/day versus none; and pooled RR, 1.00; 95% confidence interval, 0.57–1.76, for >=30 grams of alcohol/day versus none). The associations did not change with analyses examining different latency periods for coffee and alcohol. Similarly, no statistically significant associations were observed for intakes of tea, decaffeinated coffee, total caffeine, or alcoholic beverages. Data from these two large cohorts do not support any overall association between coffee intake or alcohol intake and risk of pancreatic cancer.

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.

Determination of reference values for glucose tolerance, insulin tolerance, and insulin sensitivity tests in clinically normal cats

Objective-To determine reference values and test variability for glucose tolerance tests (GTT), insulin tolerance tests (ITT), and insulin sensitivity tests (IST) in cats, Animals-32 clinically normal cats. Procedure-GTT, ITT, and IST were performed on consecutive days. Tolerance intervals tie, reference values) were calculated as means +/- 2.397 SD for plasma glucose and insulin concentrations, half-life of glucose (T-1/2glucose), rate constants for glucose disappearance (K-glucose and K-itt), and insulin sensitivity index (S-l). Tests were repeated after 6 weeks in 8 cats to determine test variability. Results-Reference values for T-1/2glucose, K-glucose, and fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations during GTT were 45 to 74 minutes, 0.93 to 1.54 %/min, 37 to 104 mg/dl, and 2.8 to 20.6 muU/ml, respectively. Mean values did not differ between the 2 tests. Coefficients of variation for T-1/2glucose, K-glucose, and fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were 20, 20, 11, and 23%, respectively. Reference values for K-itt were 1.14 to 7.3%/min, and for S-l were 0.57 to 10.99 x 10(-4) min/muU/ml. Mean values did not differ between the 2 tests performed 6 weeks apart, Coefficients of variation for K-itt and S-l were 60 and 47%, respectively. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-GTT, ITT, and IST can be performed in cats, using standard protocols. Knowledge of reference values and test variability will enable researchers to better interpret test results for assessment of glucose tolerance, pancreatic beta -cell function, and insulin sensitivity in cats.

A systematic study of the microwave and thermal cure kinetics of the DGEBA/DDS and DGEBA/DDM epoxy-amine resin systems

The microwave and thermal cure processes for the epoxy-amine systems (epoxy resin diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A, DGEBA) with 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl sulphone (DDS) and 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl methane (DDM) have been investigated for 1:1 stoichiometries by using fiber-optic FT-NIR spectroscopy. The DGEBA used was in the form of Ciba-Geigy GY260 resin. The DDM system was studied at a single cure temperature of 373 K and a single stoichiometry of 20.94 wt% and the DDS system was studied at a stoichiometry of 24.9 wt% and a range of temperatures between 393 and 443 K. The best values of the kinetic rate parameters for the consumption of amines have been determined by a least squares curve fit to a model for epoxy/amine cure. The activation energies for the polymerization of the DGEBA/DDS system were determined for both cure processes and found to be 66 and 69 kJ mol(-1) for the microwave and thermal cure processes, respectively. No evidence was found for any specific effect of the microwave radiation on the rate parameters, and the systems were both found to be characterized by a negative substitution effect. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

Eating 'Green': Motivations behind organic food consumption in Australia

Central to the development of green lifestyles is the consumption of foods that by dint of their status as chemical-free, locally produced and/or free of genetically modified ingredients, reduce the environmental impact of food provision. Yet there are many other factors, such as health concerns, that may also encourage the consumption of 'green' foods. This paper explores the ways in which Australian consumers construct organic food-a sector of the food industry that is currently growing at between 20 and 50 percent per annum but is struggling to keep up with rising consumer demand. In order to examine the significance of 'green' signifiers in the consumption practices of Australian consumers a series of focus group interviews and a national consumer survey were conducted. These examined both those characteristics of food that were valued in general, and those meanings that were associated with organic food in particular. In very general terms, analysis reveals that while consumers believed organic foods to be healthy and environmentally sound-both of which were considered desirable-these characteristics were subsumed by an overarching concern with convenience. This does not mean that consumers did not hold genuinely positive environmental attitudes. Rather, it reflects a range of contradictory beliefs and practices that appeared to derive from the discursive conflict between conventional and organic food industries over environmental, health and safety claims. The paper concludes by identifying the barriers and opportunities for expanding the organic industry in Australia in the context of the ways organics is constructed by consumers.

Marine and estuarine reservoir effects in central Queensland, Australia: Determination of Delta R values

As a component of archaeological investigations on the central Queensland coast, a series of five marine shell specimens live-collected between A.D. 1904 and A.D. 1929 and 11 shell/ charcoal paired samples from archaeological contexts were radiocarbon dated to determine local DeltaR values. The object of the study was to assess the potential influence of localized variation in marine reservoir effect in accurately determining the age of marine and estuarine shell from archaeological deposits in the area. Results indicate that the routinely applied DeltaR value of -5 +/- 35 for northeast Australia is erroneously calculated. The determined values suggest a minor revision to Reimer and Reimer's (2000) recommended value for northeast Australia from DeltaR = +11 +/- 5 to + 12 +/- 7, and specifically for central Queensland to DeltaR = +10 +/- 7, for near-shore open marine environments. In contrast, data obtained from estuarine shell/charcoal pairs demonstrate a general lack of consistency, suggesting estuary-specific patterns of variation in terrestrial carbon input and exchange with the open ocean. Preliminary data indicate that in some estuaries, at some time periods, a DeltaR value of more than - 155 +/- 55 may be appropriate, In estuarine contexts in central Queensland, a localized estuary-specific correction factor is recommended to account for geographical and temporal variation in C-14 activity. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals.

The differential role of alcohol expectancies, drinking refusal self-efficacy and coping resources in predicting alcohol consumption in community and clinical samples

This study explored the relationship between coping, alcohol expectancies and drinking refusal self-efficacy in predicting drinking behaviour in both community and clinical samples. These variables were found to have differential effects in their association with frequency and volume of alcohol consumption across the two samples. Generally, drinking refusal self-efficacy was a more salient factor in relation to frequency and volume of community drinking, while coping and expectancies were more strongly associated with frequency of drinking sessions by problem drinkers. The interaction between expectancies and drinking refusal self-efficacy was related to volume of consumption in both groups, while coping and expectancies interacted in their association with frequency in the clinical group. The findings are discussed with regard to the different patterns of cognitive variables governing the decision to drink and the amount consumed in each drinking session, which may differentiate community and problem drinkers.