Patterns of alcohol consumption in young Australian women: socio-demographic factors, health-related behaviours and physical health

Objective: To determine which sociodemographic factors. health-related behaviours and physical health conditions are associated with non-drinking, binge drinking and hazardous/harmful drinking in young Australian women. Methods: Cross-sectional data were obtained from the baseline survey of 14,762 young women (aged 18-23 years) enrolled in the Women's Health Australia study in 1996. Associations between a range of drinking patterns and sociodemographic factors, health-related behaviours and health conditions were examined. Results: Half the women were 'low intake' drinkers, a third 'rarely drank' and 9% were non-drinkers; however, 70% reported binge drinking with one-quarter of the binge drinkers doing so at least weekly. Nondrinkers were more likely than drinkers to be married, pregnant, non-smokers, born in non-English speaking countries, to live in the Northern Territory, and to have lower levels of education, employment, and private health insurance. Low intake/binge weekly' drinkers (12%) and 'hazardous/ harmful' drinkers (5%) were more likely than 'low risk' drinkers to be unmarried; to live in shared accommodation, alone or with their parents; to live in rural or remote areas; to have ever had any sexually transmitted infection; to be current smokers or ex-smokers and to have used unhealthy weight-control practices. Conclusions: The results confirm findings from other countries about the importance of social conditions as determinants of alcohol consumption by young women. Implications: Health promotion to reduce young women's alcohol consumption needs to be carefully targeted to take account of their demographies, living environments and beliefs.

Physical properties and fluidization behaviour of fresh green bean particulates during fluidized bed drying

Changes in the physical properties (such as particle density, bulk density of the bed, shrinkage and bed porosity) of fresh green bean particulates were investigated during drying. Three length:diameter ratios (1:1, 2:1 and 3:1) were considered, using drying conditions of 50 +/- 2 degrees C and 13 +/- 2% relative humidity in a heat pump dehumidifier system. The fluidization behaviour was also evaluated at 10 levels of moisture content. The fluidization experiments demonstrated that the minimum fluidization velocity decreases as the drying proceeds due to the reduced moisture content and changes in the physical properties of the bean particulates. Empirical relationships of the following nature were developed for the change in shrinkage [VR = 1 - Be-kMR], particle density [rho(p) = A + BMR + C (exp)(-D MR)], bulk density [rho(b) = a(1) + b(1)MR + c(1)MR(2)] and bed porosity [epsilon = a(2) + b(2)MR + c(2)MR(2)] with the moisture content during fluidized bed drying.

Challenge of reducing drug-related deaths

The public-health attention given to deaths caused by illicit drug use in general, and by drug overdose in particular, should be commensurate with their contribution to premature death. For too long these deaths have been regarded as an unavoidable hazard of illicit drug use, their neglect abetted by the implicit view that the lives of illicit drug users are less deserving of being saved than those of others. In its report published this week,1 the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has rejected these implicit assumptions. Its view is that “drug-related deaths can, will and must in the near future be radically reduced in number”. It points out that the effort that society expends on preventing premature deaths “should apply no less to drug misusers than it does to other classes of people”.1

Five-year survival after first-ever stroke and related prognostic factors in the Perth Community Stroke Study

Background and Purpose-Few community-based studies have examined the long-term survival and prognostic factors for death within 5 years after an acute first-ever stroke. This study aimed to determine the absolute and relative survival and the independent baseline prognostic Factors for death over the next 5 years among all individuals and among 30-day survivors after a first-ever stroke in a population of Perth, Western Australia. Methods-Between February 1989 and August 1990, all individuals with a suspected acute stroke or transient ischemic attack of the brain who were resident in a geographically defined region of Perth, Western Australia, with a population of 138 708 people, were registered prospectively and assessed according to standardized diagnostic criteria. Patients were followed up prospectively at 4 months, 12 months, and 5 years after the index event. Results-Three hundred seventy patients with first-ever stroke were registered, and 362 (98%) were followed up at 5 years, by which time 210 (58%) had died. In the first year after stroke the risk of death was 36.5% (95% CI, 31.5% to 41.4%), which was 10-fold (95% CI, 8.3% to 11.7%) higher than that expected among the general population of the same age and sex. The most common cause of death was the index stroke (64%). Between 1 and 5 years after stroke, the annual risk of death was approximately 10% per year, which was approximately 2-fold greater than expected, and the most common cause of death was cardiovascular disease (41%). The independent baseline factors among 30-day survivors that predicted death over 5 years were intermittent clandication (hazard ratio [WR], 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2 to 2.9), urinary incontinence (HR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.3 to 3.0), previous transient ischemic attack (HR, 2.4; 95% CT, 1.3 to 4.1), and prestroke Barthel Index <20/20 (HR, 2.0, 95% CI, 1.3 to 3.2). Conclusions-One-year survivors of first-ever stroke continue to die over the next 4 years at a rate of approximately 10% per year, which is twice the rate expected among the general population of the same age and sex. The most common cause of death is cardiovascular disease. Long-term survival after stroke may be improved by early, active, and sustained implementation of effective strategies for preventing subsequent cardiovascular events.

Overseas visitors admitted to Queensland hospitals for water-related injuries

Objective: To determine the number of overseas visitors admitted to Queensland hospitals for water-related injuries over three years, the causes of their injuries, the resulting conditions treated, and the type of hospitals to which they were admitted. Design: Retrospective analysis of admissions of overseas visitors to Queensland hospitals over the three financial years 1995/96, 1996/97 and 1997/98. Patients: 296 overseas visitors admitted for water-related injuries, identified from hospital records by their usual place of residence. Main outcome measures: Number of admissions, causes of injuries, conditions treated. and bed days occupied by these patients at different types of hospitals (metropolitan, regional and rural public hospitals, and private hospitals). Results: The 296 overseas visitors accounted for a total of 596 separate admissions, many of these the result of patients with decompression illness being admitted several times to a regional hospital hyperbaric chamber for treatment as day patients. The largest number of injuries involved the use of diving equipment. The main conditions treated were decompression illness (54.7%), fractures and dislocations (15.5%), and drowning and non-fatal submersion (14.9%). Overall, overseas visitors admitted to hospital following a water-related incident occupied 1215 bed days; 90% of these admissions were to regional hospitals. Conclusions: The main reason for admission of overseas visitors is for decompression illness, suggesting that the prevention of injuries among scuba divers requires further coordinated efforts by health and tourism authorities.

Investigation of threat-related attentional bias in anxious children using the startle eyeblink modification paradigm

We used the startle eyeblink modification paradigm to investigate whether clinically anxious children, like high trait-anxious adults, display a bias in favour of threat words compared to neutral words. The present study included 16 clinically anxious children whose diagnostic status was determined using the parent version of a semistructured diagnostic interview as part of a larger childhood anxiety study. The children were presented with threat and neutral words fur 6 s each. A startle-eliciting auditory stimulus - a 100 dBA burst of white noise of 50 ms duration - was presented during the words at lead intervals of 60, 120, 240, or 3500 ms and during intertrial intervals. The overall pattern of startle eyeblink modification indicated inhibition at the 120 and 240 ms lead intervals and facilitation at the 3500 ms lead interval. startle-latency shortening during threat words at the :60 ms lead interval was larger than at other intervals, whereas there was no difference during neutral words. This result reflects an anxiety-related bias in favour of threat words occurring at a very early - and possibly preattentive stage - of information processing.

Foraging and vein-cutting behaviour of Euploea core corinna (W.S. Macleay) (Lepidoptera : Nymphalidae) caterpillars feeding on latex-bearing leaves

Caterpillars of Euploea core corinna (W. S. Macleay) sever leaf veins prior to feeding on their latex-bearing host plants, which restricts the flow of latex at feeding sites. The severing of leaf veins by insects feeding on latex-bearing plants is commonly referred to as 'sabotaging' and is thought to be an evolved response by the insect to counter the negative effects of feeding on latex-rich leaves. Sabotaging behaviour is described for all instars of E. core corinna, with particular attention given to neonates. Vein cutting by neonate E. core corinna caterpillars can occur within 2 h of hatching, with most caterpillars establishing feeding sites within 10 h. Commonly, first instars cut an are-shaped row of leaf side-veins parallel to the leaf margin, but they may also cut the leaf mid-rib in a fashion similar to older instar larvae. From a sample of 50 E. core corinna larvae, representing all instars, we found that the diameters of the veins cut by caterpillars are closely correlated to larval head width (r=0.90). Through manipulative experiments, we demonstrate for the first time that sabotaging behaviour in neonate caterpillars imposes no detectable short-term physiological costs on those caterpillars.

Size-based predation by kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae) on lizards (Eulamprus tympanum : Scincidae): what determines prey vulnerability?

Lizards and birds are both popular model organisms in behavioural ecology, but the interactions between them have attracted little study. Given the putative importance of birds as predators of diurnal Lizards, it is of considerable interest to know which traits (of lizards as well as birds) influence the outcome of a predatory attempt. We studied predation by giant terrestrial kingfishers (kookaburras, Dacelo novaeguineae: Alcedinidae) on heliothermic diurnal lizards (highland water skinks, Eulamprus tympanum: Scincidae), with particular reference to the role of prey (lizard) size. Our approach was twofold: to gather direct evidence (sizes of lizards consumed in the field, compared to those available) and indirect evidence rite-related shifts in lizard behaviour). We quantified the size structure of a natural population of skinks (determined by an extensive mark-recapture program), and compared it to the sizes of wild lizards taken by kookaburras (determined by analysis of prey remains left at the birds' nests,. Kookaburras showed size-based predation: they preyed mainly on small and medium-sized rather than large lizards in the field. However, the mechanism producing this bias remains elusive. It is not due to any distinctive behavioural attributes (locomotor ability, activity level, habitat usage) of the lizards of the size class disproportionately taken by the kookaburras. The greater vulnerability of subadult lizards may reflect subtle ontogenetic shifts in ecological and behavioural traits, but our data suggest that great caution is needed in inferring patterns of vulnerability to predation from indirect measures based on either the prey or the predator alone. Instead, we need direct observations on the interaction between the two.

Use of an Arrhenius model to predict rheological behaviour in some Australian honeys

Rheological properties of nine unprocessed unifloral Australian honeys (bloodwood, blue top iron bark, gum top, heath, narrow leafed iron bark, stringy bark, tea tree yapunyah and yellow box) were analysed over a range of temperatures (1-40 degreesC) The temperature effect on the viscosity follow ed an Arrhenius-type relationship and ail honey varieties exhibited Newtonian behaviour. if the Arrhenius equation constants (mu (0) and E-a) for a particular honey are known, the Arrhenius model can be used to calculate the viscosity of these honeys at specific temperatures, negating the need for tedious viscosity determination. (C) 2000 Academic Press.

Age-related differences in physical activity levels of young adults

Purpose: To examine age-related differences in the physical activity behaviors of young adults. Methods: We examined rates of participation in vigorous- and moderate-intensity leisure-time activity and walking, as well as an index of physical activity sufficient for health benefits in three Australian cross-sectional samples, for the age ranges of 18-19, 20-24, and 25-29 yr. Data were collected in 1991, 1996, and 1997/8. Results: There was at least a 15% difference in vigorous-intensity leisure-time physical activity from the 18-19 yr to the 25-29 yr age groups, and at least a 10% difference in moderate-intensity leisure-time physical activity. For the index of sufficient activity there was a difference between 9 and 21% across age groups. Differences in rates of walking were less than 8%. For all age groups, males had higher rates of participation for vigorous and moderate-intensity activity than did females, bur females had much higher rates of participation in walking than males. Age-associated differences in activity levels were more apparent for males. Conclusions: Promoting walking and various forms of moderate-intensity physical activities to young adult males, and encouraging young adult females to adopt other forms of moderate-intensity activity to complement walking may help to ameliorate decreases in physical activity over the adult lifespan.

Delayed onset of electromyographic activity of vastus medialis obliquus relative to vastus lateralis in subjects with patellofemoral pain syndrome

Objective: To determine whether electromyographic (EMG) onsets of vastus medialis obliquus (VMO) and vastus lateralis (VL) are altered in the presence of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) during the functional task of stair stepping. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: University laboratory. Patients: Thirty-three subjects with PFPS and 33 asymptomatic controls. Interventions: Subjects ascended and descended a set of stairs-2 steps, each 20-cm high-at usual stair-stepping pace. EMG readings of VMO and VL taken on middle stair during step up (concentric contraction) and step down (eccentric contraction). Main Outcome Measures: Relative difference in onset of surface EMG activity of VMO compared with VL during a stair-stepping task. EMG onsets were determined by using a computer algorithm and were verified visually. Results: In the PFPS population, the EMG onset of VL occurred before that of VMO in both the step up and step down phases of the stair-stepping task (p < .05). In contrast, no such differences occurred in the onsets of EMG activity of VMO and VL in either phase of the task for the control subjects. Conclusion: This finding supports the hypothesized relationship between changes in the timings of activity of the vastimuscles and PFPS. This finding provides theoretical rationale to support physiotherapy treatment commonly used in the management of PFPs.

Oxidation of oxa and thia fatty acids and related compounds catalysed by 5-and 15-lipoxygenase

The modified fatty acids, (Z,Z,Z)-(octadeca-6,9,12-trienyloxy)acetic acid, (Z,Z,Z)-(octadeca-9,12,15-trienyloxy)acetic acid, (all-Z)-(eicosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenyloxy)acetic acid, (all-Z)-(eicosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenylthio)acetic acid, 3-[(all-Z)-(eicosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenylthio)]propionic acid, (all-Z)-(eicosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenylthio)succinic acid, N-[(all-Z)-(eicosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenoyl)]glycine and N-[(all-Z)-(eicosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenoyl)]aspartic acid, all react with soybean 15-lipoxygenase. The products were treated with triphenylphosphine to give alcohols, which were isolated using HPLC. Analysis of the alcohols using negative ion tandem electrospray mass spectrometry, and by comparison with compounds obtained by autoxidation of arachidonic acid, shows that each enzyme catalysed oxidation occurs at the omega -6 position of the substrate. In a similar fashion, it has been found that (Z,Z,Z)-(octadeca-6,9,12-trienyloxy)acetic acid, (Z,Z,Z)-(octadeca-9,12,15-trienyloxy)acetic acid, (all-Z)-(eicosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenylthio)acetic acid and N-[(all-Z)-(eicosa-5,8, 11.14-tetraenylthio)]propionic acid each undergoes regioselective oxidation at the carboxyl end of the polyene moiety on treatment with potato 5-lipoxygenase. Neither (all-Z)-(eicosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenylthio)succinic acid nor N-[(all-Z)-(eicosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenoyl)]aspartic acid reacts in the presence of this enzyme, while N-[(all-Z)-(eicosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenoyl)]glycine affords the C11' oxidation product. The alcohol derived from (Z,Z,Z)-(octadeca-6,9, 12-trienyloxy)acetic acid using the 15-lipoxygenase reacts at the C6' position with the 5-lipoxygenase. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Movement-related potentials in Huntington's disease: movement preparation and execution

Movement-related potentials (MRPs) reflect increasing cortical activity related to the preparation and execution of voluntary movement. Execution and preparatory components may be separated by comparing MRPs recorded from actual and imagined movement. Imagined movement initiates preparatory processes, but not motor execution activity. MRPs are maximal over the supplementary motor area (SMA), an area of the cortex involved in the planning and preparation of movement. The SMA receives input from the basal ganglia, which are affected in Huntington's disease (HD), a hyperkinetic movement disorder. In order to further elucidate the effects of the disorder upon the cortical activity relating to movement, MRPs were recorded from ten HD patients, and ten age-matched controls, whilst they performed and imagined performing a sequential button-pressing task. HD patients produced MRPs of significantly reduced size both for performed and imagined movement. The component relating to movement execution was obtained by subtracting the MRP for imagined movement from the MRP for performed movement, and was found to be normal in HD. The movement preparation component was found by subtracting the MRP found for a control condition of watching the visual cues from the MRP for imagined movement. This preparation component in HD was reduced in early slope, peak amplitude, and post-peak slope. This study therefore reported abnormal MRPs in HD. particularly in terms of the components relating to movement preparation, and this finding may further explain the movement deficits reported in the disease.