The trophic effect of dietary fibre is not associated with a change in total crypt number in the distal colon of rats

Soluble fibres, such as guar gum, promote and wheat bran or methylcellulose protect from chemically induced colon carcinogenesis, relative to the effect of a fibre-free diet in rats. Mechanisms are poorly understood. Whereas all fibres are trophic to the colonic epithelium, the heterogeneity of effects on carcinogenesis may reflect different effects on the total number of crypts and, therefore, the size of the stem cell population. This study aimed to assess this hypothesis. Sprague–Dawley rats were fed one of fibre-free diets with or without 10% wheat bran, methylcellulose or guar gum for 4 weeks. The distal colons were stained with methylene blue and quantified for the number and density of crypts using an image analysis system. Epithelial proliferative kinetics was measured stathmokinetically. Methodology for quantifying crypts was valid and reproducible. Rats fed a fibre-free diet had atrophic distal colon, as shown by a decrease in crypt column height and a lower mitotic index. Fibre supplementation prevented the atrophy and was associated with crypt mouth areas that were 30–60% larger than those in the fibre-free group (P < 0.001, ANOVA), with the methylcellulose group being the largest (1.16 µm2). The crypt density of the fibre-free group was 16–19% greater than those in fibre fed groups (P + 0.006), due to the smaller size of the crypts. However, there was no difference in the total number of crypts across the four dietary groups (P > 0.1). Distal colons in all of the dietary groups contained ~105 crypts. In conclusion, although variation in the amount or type of dietary fibre exerts heterogeneous effects on the growth of the colonic epithelium and on colon carcinogenesis, the total number of crypts in the distal colon remains constant. It is, therefore, unlikely that fibres influence carcinogenic events by altering the size of the stem cell population.

Global inequality in well-being dimensions

This paper contributes to the literature on global inequality in multidimensional well-being by examining inter-country disparities in the longevity, knowledge and standard of material living components of the well-known and widely-used Human Development Index for the years 1992-2004. It differs from previous studies by examining global inequality in each of the components of this index alongside that of the index as a whole, thus side-stepping ambiguities over weighting that are inherent to multidimensional well-being indices. The Gini coefficient, both population and non-population weighted, is used to measure the extent of inequality. Results indicate that the different components often provide very different information to the index as a whole, especially with respect to changes in global inequality over time. Most component variables show declines in global inequality, whereas the longevity component exhibits increased inequality since 1992.

Annual high-dose vitamin D3 and mental well-being: randomised controlled trial

Background Epidemiological evidence supports a relationship between vitamin D and mental well-being, although evidence from large-scale placebo-controlled intervention trials is lacking.

Aims To examine if vitamin D supplementation has a beneficial effect on mood in community-dwelling older women; if a single annual large dose of vitamin D has a role in the prevention of depressive symptoms; and if there is an association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and mental health.

Method A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial of women aged 70 or older (the Vital D Study: ISRCTN83409867 and ACTR12605000658617). Participants were randomly assigned to receive 500 000 IU vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) orally or placebo every autumn/winter for 3–5 consecutive years. The tools utilised at various time points were the General Health Questionnaire, the 12-item Short Form Health Survey, the Patient Global Impression–Improvement scale and the WHO Well-Being Index. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were measured in a subset of 102 participants.

Results In this non-clinical population, no significant differences between the vitamin D and placebo groups were detected in any of the measured outcomes of mental health. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in the vitamin D group were 41% higher than the placebo group 12 months following their annual dose. Despite this difference, scores from the questionnaires did not differ. Furthermore, there was no interaction between those on antidepressant/anxiety medication at baseline and the treatment groups.

Conclusions The lack of improvement in indices of mental well-being in the vitamin D group does not support the hypothesis that an annual high dose of vitamin D3 is a practical intervention to prevent depressive symptoms in older community-dwelling women.

Breakfast size is related to body mass index for men, but not women

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of self-reported breakfast size, daily eating, and other health habits on body mass index (BMI). We hypothesized that a consumption of a substantial breakfast compared with skipping or small breakfasts would be associated with lower BMI. Three independent, cross-sectional, screening surveys were conducted by Sydney Adventist Hospital in 1976, 1986, and 2005 in the surrounding community. The archived survey forms of 384 men and 338 women in 1976, 244 men and 229 women in 1986, and 270 men and 62 women in 2005 were randomly selected. Body mass index was determined from height and weight measured by hospital staff. The reported amount consumed at breakfast was one of several eating habits that predicted BMI for men but not women. It explained 5% to 6% of the variance in male BMI in all 3 years examined. As the reported breakfast amount increased, men's BMI decreased. Lifestyle confounders including vegetarianism and physical activity did not affect this relationship. However, the consumption of breakfast was significantly positively associated with consumption of cereals, bread, fruit, and spreads, while coffee consumption was significantly associated with smaller breakfasts or breakfast skipping. The consumption of relatively large breakfasts may influence BMI in men, and its promotion may help reduce the prevalence of obesity in Australia and elsewhere.

The effect of rice variety and parboiling on in vivo glycemic response

Improved and traditional rice varieties grown in Sri Lanka namely, Bg 300, Bg 352, Bg 358, Bg 406, LD 356, Rathkaral, Wedaheenati and Heendikwel were studied for their in vivo glycemic response. Proximate compositions and amylose content of rice were determined according to standard methods and available carbohydrate content was calculated using the difference method. The in vivo glycemic response of selected improved and traditional rice varieties was assessed by determining the glycemic index (GI) using ten healthy subjects. Further, the effect of parboiling of rice on glycemic response was also assessed. The crude protein content was higher in parboiled rice as compared to nonparboiled rice. According to the amylose content, rice varieties studied were classified as intermediate and high amylose rice. The amylose content of Bg 406 was the lowest (20.18% ±0.17) while Rathkaral showed the highest (29%±0.07). The Glycemic index of rice varieties studied ranged from 57±1 to 73± 2. The Wedaheenati variety exhibited the lowest GI while Bg 406 exhibited the highest GI value. Unparboiled Bg 406, LD 356 and parboiled Bg 406 were classified as high GI foods while the rest of the rice varieties studied were categorized as intermediate GI foods. Parboiled rice brought about a reduction in glycemic response in healthy subjects. The maximum reduction of 10% in glycemic index upon parboiling was observed with Bg 352. The traditional rice produced significantly lower (p<0.05) postprandial glycemic effect than did the improved rice. By their low post-prandial glycemic response they could be potentially useful in low GI diets.

It's the economy : the effect of macroeconomic variables of the rate of suicide

Background. There are a large number of factors mediating suicide. Many studies have searched for a direct causal relationship between economic hardship and suicide, however, findings have been varied.

Method. Suicide data was obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics for the period between January 1968 and August 2002. These were correlated with a suite of macroeconomic data including housing loan interest rates, unemployment rates, days lost to industrial disputes, Consumer Price Index, gross domestic product, and the Consumer Sentiment Index.

Results. A total of 51 845 males and 16 327 females committed suicide between these dates. There were significant associations between suicide rates and eleven macroeconomic indicators for both genders in at least one age range. Data was divided into male and female and five age ranges and pooled ages. Analyses were conducted on these 132 datasets resulting in 80 significant findings. The data was generally stronger for indices measuring economic performance than indices measuring consumers’ perceptions of the state of the economy. A striking difference between male and female trends was seen. Generally, male suicide rates increased with markers of economic adversity, while the opposite pattern was seen in females. There were significantly different patterns in age-stratified data, with for example higher housing loan interest rates having a positive association with suicide in younger people and a negative association in older age groups.

Conclusion. Macroeconomic trends are significantly associated with suicide. The patterns in males and females are very different, and there are further substantial age-related differences.

Children's literature in a global age : transnational and local identities

This essay explores the concept of transnationalism, defi ning this term in relation both to the lived experience of transnational subjects, and to transnational texts for children. It argues that rhetorics of globalization have over-emphasized the impact and signifi cance of global cultural and economic fl ows, although the production of children’s books is to some extent shaped by the internationalization of publishing houses and markets. The concept of transnationalism provides a way of thinking about how children’s texts address and are informed by diverse, complex infl uences, sometimes from a variety of cultures and languages. Transnationalism is not a new phenomenon but is visible in colonial texts which are shaped both by the particular, local ideologies of colonial nations, and also by the common concerns and interests of such nations. The essay draws on two contemporary texts to illustrate the workings of transnationalism: the fi lm Howl’s Moving Castle, and Shaun Tan’s picture book The Arrival. It concludes by considering the concept of transnational literacy as a way of approaching scholarship and teaching in children’s literature.

The influence of climate change on Thorthwaite moisture index on the design of light structures

Significant long term changes in the earth’s climate have occurred in the past but recently there has been more severe climate fluctuation than have occurred in the past few centuries. The effect of this climate change on the foundation conditions of roads and low-rise buildings is costing several hundred billion dollars world-wide. A method which tracks this climate change will be of great value for companies and governments. C.W. Thornthwaite (1948) defined the Thornthwaite Moisture Index (TMI) as the first base for his climate classification system and mapping in the United States. There are 3 important factors to predict ground movement: (a) the degree of moisture index change (b) the depth at which this change occurs and (c) the foundation soil type. The water budget model was used by Thornthwaite (1948) to calculate the moisture index. This paper also discusses two typical examples of the use of this model. Originally TMI’s were mainly used to map soil moisture conditions for agriculture but soon became a method to predict environmental and pavement foundation changes.

Does an increase in body mass index over 10 years affect knee structure in a population-based cohort study of adult women?

Introduction : Although obesity is a modifiable risk factor for knee osteoarthritis (OA), the effect of weight gain on knee structure in young and healthy adults has not been examined. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI), and change in BMI over the preceding 10-year period, and knee structure (cartilage defects, cartilage volume and bone marrow lesions (BMLs)) in a population-based sample of young to middle-aged females.

Methods : One hundred and forty-two healthy, asymptomatic females (range 30 to 49 years) in the Barwon region of Australia, underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during 2006 to 2008. BMI measured 10 years prior (1994 to 1997), current BMI and change in BMI (accounting for baseline BMI) over this period, was assessed for an association with cartilage defects and volume, and BMLs.

Results : After adjusting for age and tibial plateau area, the risk of BMLs was associated with every increase in one-unit of baseline BMI (OR 1.14 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.26) P = 0.009), current BMI (OR 1.13 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.23) P = 0.005), and per one unit increase in BMI (OR 1.14 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.26) P = 0.01). There was a trend for a one-unit increase in current BMI to be associated with increased risk of cartilage defects (OR 1.06 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.13) P = 0.05), and a suggestion that a one-unit increase in BMI over 10 years may be associated with reduced cartilage volume (-17.8 ml (95% CI -39.4 to 3.9] P = 0.10). Results remained similar after excluding those with osteophytes.

Conclusions : This study provides longitudinal evidence for the importance of avoiding weight gain in women during early to middle adulthood as this is associated with increased risk of BMLs, and trend toward increased tibiofemoral cartilage defects. These changes have been shown to precede increased cartilage loss. Longitudinal studies will show whether avoiding weight gain in early adulthood may play an important role in diminishing the risk of knee OA.

Changes in body mass index and health related quality of life from childhood to adolescence

Objective . To determine longitudinal relationships between body mass index (BMI) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in an adolescent population sample.
Design. Data collected in 2000 and 2005 within the Health of Young Victorians longitudinal cohort study.
Setting. Originally a community sample of elementary school students in Victoria, Australia. Follow-up occurred in either secondary schools or individuals homes.
Participants. Cohort recruited in 1997 via a random sampling design from Victorian elementary schools. Originally comprising 1 943 children, 1 569 (80.8%) participated in 2000 (wave 2, 8 – 13 years) and 851 (54%) in 2005 (wave 3, 13 – 19 years).
Main outcome measures. In both waves participants and their parents completed the PedsQL, a 23-item child HRQoL measure, and BMI z-scores and status (non-overweight, overweight or obese) were calculated from measured height and weight. Associations were tested cross-sectionally and longitudinally (linear regression, adjusted for baseline values)
Results. A total of 81.6% remained in the same BMI category, while 11.4% and 7.0% moved to higher and lower categories, respectively. Cross-sectional inverse associations between lower PedsQL and higher BMI categories were similar to those for elementary school children. Wave 2 BMI strongly predicted wave 3 BMI and wave 2 PedsQL strongly predicted wave 3 PedsQL. Only parent-reported Total PedsQL score predicted higher subsequent BMI, though this effect was small. Wave 2 BMI did not predict wave 3 PedsQL.
Conclusions. This novel study confi rmed previous cross-sectional associations, but did not provide convincing evidence that
BMI is causally associated with falling HRQoL or vice versa across the transition from childhood to adolescence.

Determinants of capital structure of A-REITS and the global financial crisis

This paper contributes to the capital structure literature by investigating the determinants of capital structure of Australian Real Estate Investment Trusts (A-REITs) over the period 2006-2009. By using a panel approach and a Global Financial Crisis (GFC) dummy variable, our analysis incorporates the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) shock which appears to have affected the market after December 2007. We find that A-REIT size, profitability, tangibility, operating risk and number of growth opportunities impact similarly to many previous studies of international entities upon the degree of leverage. We also find mixed support for prevailing capital structure theories of Pecking Order, Trade-off and Agency Theory, but find that Market Timing Theory can be rejected over our sample period. With specific focus after onset of the GFC, we find that the relationship between capital structure and our independent variables is somewhat distorted. Consequently, the postulations of theory also become distorted whereby changes to capital structure come about because of the primary goal to survive, rather than managerial opportunism.

Implied volatility smiles, option mispricing and net buying pressure : evidence around the global financial crisis

Using the recent global financial crisis as an exogenous setting, we examine the presence and source of implied volatility smile phenomena in Australian S&P ASX 200 index options. We find a pronounced implied volatility smile for index puts in both bull and bear markets and a smile for index calls in the bear but not bull market. Implied volatilities of out-of-the money puts tend to be upwards biased whilst those of calls tend to be downwards biased. We also find that the bias in implied volatilities yields excess returns based on unhedged and delta-neutral trading strategies, suggesting that implied volatilities are related to option mispricing. Net buying pressure from market participants appears to be a source of mispricing in the case of out-of-the-money index puts with excess demand particularly pronounced during the bull period before the global financial crisis unfolded.

The neighborhood social environment and body mass index among youth : a mediation analysis

Background

This study aimed to examine associations between aspects of the neighborhood social environment and body mass index (BMI) in youth both cross-sectionally and prospectively; and whether this association was mediated by physical activity, screen-time and sedentary time.
Methods

Data were collected in 2004 and 2006 in high and low socio-economic areas of Melbourne, Australia. In 2004, 185 children aged 8-9 years (47% boys) and 359 children aged 13-15 years (45% boys) participated. Parents reported their perceptions of aspects of the social environment (i.e. social networks and social trust/cohesion), and physical activity (i.e. time spent outdoors by their children; and their younger children's walking and cycling trips) and screen-time (i.e. TV viewing, computer use). The older children self-reported their walking and cycling trips and their screen-time. All children wore an accelerometer to objectively assess outside-school hours moderate- to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary time. BMI was calculated from height and weight measured in 2004 and 2006. Multilevel linear regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between the social environment and BMI. Mediation analyses using the products of coefficient method were conducted to determine whether associations between the social environment and BMI were mediated by the time spent in a range of physical activity and sedentary behaviors.
Results

Cross-sectional and prospective regression analyses showed that a more positive social network and higher social trust/cohesion was related to lower BMI among children. There was no evidence that time spent in physical activity or sedentary behaviors mediated this relation, despite significant associations between social networks and screen-time and between screen-time and BMI.
Conclusions

The findings suggest that the neighborhood social environment may be important for preventing overweight and obesity in children. Further research investigating the mechanisms through which the neighborhood social environment exerts its effect on BMI is needed.

Preliminary investigation of the responsiveness of the Melbourne low vision ADL index to low-vision rehabilitation

Purpose. To conduct a preliminary investigation on the ability of the Melbourne Low Vision ADL Index to detect changes in functional ability as a result of low-vision rehabilitation.

Methods. Twenty two subjects with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) who were newly referred to the Kooyong Low Vision Clinic were recruited. The Melbourne Low Vision ADL Index was administered prerehabilitation and postrehabilitation. Changes in scores and effect size statistics were analyzed.

Results. The median total score for the subjects prerehabilitation was 67, and the median total score postrehabilitation was 76. The difference in prerehabilitation and postrehabilitation scores was statistically significant (Wilcoxon signed rank test = 248.5, p < 0.001). The mean change score for the total Melbourne Low Vision ADL Index was 9.3 (SD, 5.6). Thus the overall effect size statistic (mean change score divided by SD of prerehabilitation score) was 0.78.

Conclusions. This preliminary investigation indicates that the Melbourne Low Vision ADL Index is responsive to a rehabilitation program for patients with ARMD. It has potential to be used as a measure of low-vision rehabilitation outcomes.

Effect of a telephone-delivered coronary heart disease secondary prevention program (ProActive Heart) on quality of life and health behaviours: primary outcomes of a randomised controlled trial

Background Participation in coronary heart disease secondary prevention programs is low. Innovative programs to meet this treatment gap are required.

Purpose To aim of this study is to describe the effectiveness of a telephone-delivered secondary prevention program for myocardial infarction patients.

Methods Four hundred and thirty adult myocardial infarction patients in Brisbane, Australia were randomised to a 6-month secondary prevention program or usual care. Primary outcomes were health-related quality of life (Short Form-36) and physical activity (Active Australia Survey).

Results Significant intervention effects were observed for health-related quality of life on the mental component summary score (p = 0.02), and the social functioning (p = 0.04) and role-emotional (p = 0.03) subscales, compared with usual care. Intervention participants were also more likely to meet recommended levels of physical activity (p = 0.02), body mass index (p = 0.05), vegetable intake (p = 0.04) and alcohol consumption (p = 0.05).

Conclusions Telephone-delivered secondary prevention programs can significantly improve health outcomes and could meet the treatment gap for myocardial infarction patients.