Dietary and supplement treatment of iron deficiency results in improvements in general health and fatigue in Australian women of childbearing age

Objective: To examine the effects of iron deficiency and its treatment by iron supplementation or a high iron diet on fatigue and general health measures in women of childbearing age. Design: Randomised controlled trial to compare supplement and dietary treatment of iron deficiency. Subjects: 44 iron deficient (serum ferritin < 15 mug/L or serum ferritin 15-20 mug/L, plus two of the following: serum iron < 10 mu mol/L, total iron binding capacity > 68 mu mol/L or transferrin saturation < 15%) and 22 iron replete (hemoglobin greater than or equal to 120 g/L and serum ferritin > 20 mug/L) women 18 to 50 years of age were matched for age and parity. Interventions: Iron deficient women were randomly allocated to either iron supplementation or a high iron diet for 12 weeks. Measures of Outcome: Iron deficient and iron replete participants had iron studies performed and completed the Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS) and the SF-36 general health and well-being questionnaire at baseline (TO), following the 12 week intervention (TI) and again after a six-month non-intervention phase (T2). The SF-36 includes measures of physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) health and vitality (VT). Results: MCS and VT scores were lower and PFS scores were higher for iron deficient women (diet and supplement groups) than iron replete women at baseline. Both intervention groups showed similar improvements in MCS, VT and PFS scores during the intervention phase, but mean increases in serum ferritin were greater in the supplement than the diet group. PCS scores were not related to iron status. Conclusions: Treatment of iron deficiency with either supplementation or a high iron diet results in improved mental health and decreased fatigue among women of childbearing age.

Toxicity and uptake mechanism of cylindrospermopsin and lophyrotomin in primary rat hepatocytes

The toxicities and uptake mechanisms of two hepatotoxins, namely cylindrospermopsin and lophyrotomin, were investigated on primary rat hepatocytes by using microcystin-LIZ (a well-known hepatotoxin produced by cyanobacteria) as a comparison. Isolated rat hepatocytes were incubated with different concentrations of hepatotoxins for 0, 24, 48 and 72 h. The cell viability was assayed by the tetrazolium-based (MTT) assay. Microcystin-LR, cylindrospermopsin and lophyrotomin all exhibited toxic effects on the primary rat hepatocytes with 72-h LC50 of 8, 40 and 560 ng/ml, respectively. The involvement of the bile acid transport system in the hepatotoxin-induced toxicities was tested in the presence of two bile acids, cholate and taurocholate. Results showed that the bile acid transport system was responsible for the uptake, and facilitated the subsequent toxicities of lophyrotomin on hepatocytes. This occurred to a much lesser extent with cylindrospermopsin. With its smaller molecular weight, passive diffusion might be one of the possible mechanisms for cylindrospermopsin uptake into hepatocytes. This was supported by incubating a permanent cell line, KB (devoid of bile acid transport system), with cylindrospermopsin which showed cytotoxic effects. No inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A by cylindrospermopsin or lophyrotomin was found. This indicated that other toxic mechanisms besides protein phosphatase inhibition were producing the toxicities of cylindrospermopsin and lophyrotomin, and that they were unlikely to be potential tumor promoters. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dieting and health in young Australian women

This paper examines the prevalence of dieting behaviours and correlates with physical and mental health in young Australian women who are participants in the Australian Longitudinal Stud of Women's Health. A total of 14 686 women aged 18-23 years, randomly selected from the National Medicare database, with over-sampling from rural and remote areas, responded to a questionnaire seeking dieting and health information. The results showed that 66.5 percent of the women had a BMI within the healthy weight range (18- < 25 kg/m(2)). However only 21.6 percent of these women were happy with their weight and almost half (46 percent) had dieted to lose weight in the last year (also one in five who had a BMI < 18.5 kg/m(2)). High frequency of dieting (rather than dieting per se) and earlier dieting onset were associated with poorer physical and mental health (including depression), more disordered eating (bingeing and purging), extreme weight and shape dissatisfaction and more frequent general health problems. The results suggest that there is a need for programmes that will enhance self esteem and weight/shape acceptance and promote more appropriate strategies for maintenance of healthy weight. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins and Dibenzofurans in Butter from Different States in Australia

Nine samples of butter from producers in various states of Australia were analysed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). Detectable concentrations of 2,3,7,8-chlorine substituted PCDD/Fs were found in all samples. The mean PCDD/F concentration expressed as 2',3,7,8-TCDD equivalents (TEQs) was 0.19 pg TEQ g(-1) fat. The highest concentration (0.46 pg TEQ g(-1) fat) was observable in a sample from Victoria which is the most densely populated state. Overall the results indicate that PCDD/F concentrations in dairy products from Australia are low in comparison to the levels in dairy products of industrialized countries on the Northern Hemisphere. As expected, this study provides evidence that the environmental and consequently the human body burden of PCDD/ Fs to be relatively low in Australia.

PAHs, PCDD/Fs, PCBs and HCB in leaves from Brisbane, Australia

The concentrations of SOCs in leaves of an evergreen Australian native tree (Melaleuca leucadendra) and grass collected in Brisbane, Australia were determined. The concentrations of PCDD/Fs and PAHs in the leaf tissue were comparable to those reported for urbanised areas in other industrialised countries. A distinct difference in the compound profiles between the leaves of the two species was observed, with higher concentrations of the lower molecular mass PAHs and PCDD/Fs and lower concentrations of the higher molecular mass PAHs and PCDD/Fs in the Melaleuca leaves relative to the grass leaves. The interspecies differences are explained on the basis of the larger size of the lipophilic compartment (for compounds with low K-OA) and the lower ratio of surface area to volume in the Melaleuca leaves. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identity and security in Korea

The summit meeting between the two Korean heads of state, which took place in Pyongyang in June 2000, constitutes a major turning point in the peninsula's history. As the effects of the meeting are gradually unfolding, a period of detente no longer seems impossible. But major difficulties remain unsolved and Korea will continue to be one of the world's most volatile areas. The task of this essay is to identify and analyse some of the entrenched political patterns that will challenge policy-makers in the years ahead. To do so it is necessary to portray the conflict in Korea not only in conventional ideological and geopolitical terms, but also, and primarily, as a question of identity. From such a vantage-point two components are essential in the search for a more peaceful peninsula. Substantial progress has recently been made in the first realm, the need to approach security problems, no matter how volatile they seem. in a cooperative and dialogical, rather than merely a coercive manner. The second less accepted but perhaps more important factor, revolves around the necessity to recognize that dialogue has its limits, that the party on the other side of the DMZ cannot always be accommodated or subsumed into compromise. Needed is an ethics of difference: a willingness to accept that the other's sense of identity and politics may be inherently incompatible with one's own.

Prediction of many new exons and introns in Plasmodium falciparum chromosome 2

The current prediction or genes in the Plasmodium falciparum genome database relies upon a limited number of specially developed computer algorithms. We have re-annotated the sequence of chromosome 2 of P. falciparum by a computer-assisted manual analysis. which is described here. Of 161 newly predicted introns, we have experimentally confirmed 98. We regard 110 introns from the previously published analyses as probable, we delete 3, change 26 and add 135. We recognise 214 genes in chromosome 2. We have predicted introns in 121 genes. The increased complexity or gene structure on chromosome 2 is likely to be mirrored by the entire genome. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

The plant isoflavenoid genistein activates p53 and Chk2 in an ATM-dependent manner

Genistein is an isoflavenoid that is abundant in soy beans. Genistein has been reported to have a wide range of biological activities and to play a role in the diminished incidence of breast cancer in populations that consume a soy-rich diet. Genistein was originally identified as an inhibitor of tyrosine kinases; however, it also inhibits topoisomerase II by stabilizing the covalent DNA cleavage complex, an event predicted to cause DNA damage. The topoisomerase II inhibitor etoposide acts in a similar manner. Here we show that genistein induces the up-regulation of p53 protein, phosphorylation of p53 at serine 15, activation of the sequence-specific DNA binding properties of p53, and phosphorylation of the hCds1/Chk2 protein kinase at threonine 68. Phosphorylation and activation of p53 and phosphorylation of Chk2 were not observed in ATM-deficient cells. In contrast, the topoisomerase II inhibitor etoposide induced phosphorylation of p53 and Chk2 in ATM-positive and ATM-deficient cells. In addition, genistein-treated ATM-deficient cells were significantly more susceptible to genistein-induced killing than were ATM-positive cells. Together our data suggest that ATM is required for activation of a DNA damage-induced pathway that activates p53 and Chk2 in response to genistein.

The effects of stress management on symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, secretory immunoglobulin A, and mood in young adults

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of a stress management programme on symptoms of colds and influenza in 27 university students before and after the examination period. Method: The incidence of symptoms, levels of negative affect, and secretion rate of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) were recorded for 5 weeks before treatment, for the 4 weeks of treatment, and for 8 weeks after treatment in treated subjects and in 25 others who did not participate in stress management. Results: Symptoms decreased in treated subjects but not in controls during and after the examination period. Although sIgA secretion rate increased significantly after individual sessions of relaxation, resting secretion rate of sIgA did not increase over the course of the study. Negative affect decreased after examinations in both groups, but was not affected by treatment. Conclusion: Stress management reduced days of illness independently of negative affect and sIgA secretion rate. Although the component of treatment responsible for this effect has yet to be identified, psychological interventions may have a role in reducing symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.