Alcohol in the second half of life: do usual quantity and frequency of drinking to intoxication increase with increased drinking frequency?

We investigated if increased drinking frequency among adults in the second half of life co-occurred with increased usual quantity and increased intoxication frequency. Drinking frequency, usual quantity and intoxication frequency was measured by self-report in 2002/03 and again in 2007/08. Information about gender, age and level of education was obtained from the public register. Health was collected by self-report. Because of a significant gender × change in drinking frequency interaction effect on change in intoxication frequency (b = 0.02, P = 0.013), women and men were analysed separately. After adjusting for covariates, women who increase their drinking frequency showed a non-significant decrease in usual quantity [low initial usual quantity (LIUQ): β = -0.01, P = 0.879; high initial usual quantity (HIUQ): β = -0.06, P = 0.164] and a non-significant increase in intoxication frequency (LIUQ: β = 0.04, P = 0.569; HIUQ: β = 0.09, P = 0.251). Men who increased their drinking frequency showed a small decrease in usual quantity (LIUQ: β = -0.06, P = 0.049; HIUQ: β = -0.05, P = 0.002) and a small increase in intoxication frequency (LIUQ: β = 0.05, P = 0.035; HIUQ: β = 0.13, P = 0.004). Among Norwegian adults in the second half of life, increased drinking frequency appears to be associated with a small reduction in usual quantity, and a small increase in frequency of drinking to intoxication

Electrophoresis in the Comet Assay

The comet assay is a sensitive technique to measure lesions in DNA, based on electrophoretic separation of DNA from cells embedded in agarose. Movement of DNA fragments is determined by the potential (V/cm), the time, and the viscosity of the medium (agarose). There is historically considerable confusion as to other factors, that is, current, liquid depths, circulation of the liquid, and temperature. Lack of standardization of electrophoresis including suboptimal power supplies and electrophoresis tanks causes considerable variations within and between laboratories. Ring trials have not been able to clearly identify the cause(s) of variation. Comparison of comet data from cohorts of human blood lymphocytes is used in the COST project hCOMET to identify early biomarkers of the disease. This calls for standardization of analysis. We performed measurements of electric potentials in a tank using multiple electrodes. Variations (time/position) were reduced by circulating electrophoresis liquid at 10% (volume) per min; this also stabilized the temperature. Circulation was accompanied by only slightly reduced variation in DNA damage among 384 irradiated cell samples electrophoresed concomitantly. In conclusion, comparing data between laboratories and cohorts must give emphasis to electrophoresis conditions. Results should be specified with respect to voltage (V/cm), time, and agarose concentration. We expect that suitable correction factors for these parameters may reduce inter-laboratory variations in comet data, allowing more precise comparison of results from different human cohorts

Elderly people at village level in Botswana

The paper presents demographic and social data from an in-depth study of the situation of elderly people in a village in Botswana. Botswana is undergoing rapid economic and social change and this change also affects the elderly part of the population. While younger people  migrate to urban areas, the elderly are to a large extent left behind in the villages, often with responsibility for caring tor small grandchildren. We found that the majority of elderly people in the study village are women. The educational level of the elderly people of both sexes is low but the majority have undergone the traditional initiation schools, Bojale and Bogwera. All households are influenced by modernization in that they need cash for survival. They depend to a large extent on the support of their grandchildren for survival, a support which is not always given

Paternal Benzo[a]pyrene Exposure Modulates MicroRNA Expression Patterns in the Developing Mouse Embryo

Little attention has been given to how microRNA expression is affected by environmental contaminants exposure. We investigate the effects of paternal exposure to benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) on miRNA expression in the developing mouse embryo. Male mice were exposed to B[a]P (150 mg/kg i.p.), and their sperm was used four days later in in-vitro fertilization experiments. Twenty embryos each from 2-, 8-cell and the blastocyst stage were used for genome-wide miRNA expression profiling. Paternal exposure to B[a]P affected the expression of several miRNAs, and the target genes for some of the dysregulated miRNAs were enriched in many different pathways that are likely to be relevant for the developing mouse embryo. By linking the miRNA target genes to publicly available databases, we identified some miRNA target genes that may serve as global markers of B[a]P-mediated genotoxic stress. The dysregulated miRNAs may provide valuable knowledge about potential transgenerational effects of sublethal exposure to chemicals

Aktiv praksis i hjemmetjenesten. Å lage aktivitetsprogram for eldre brukere av hjemmetjenester økte sykepleierstudentenes interesse for eldreomsorg.

Dette samarbeidsprosjektet mellom studenter, lærer og praksisfeltet i kommunehelsetjenesten viser at studenter har mye å bidra med og lære av når de får arbeide selvstendig. Aktiviseringsprosjektet økte studentenes interesse for hjemmesykepleien, og for systematisk kvalitetsutvikling innenfor forebyggende helsearbeid og rehabilitering

Is video gaming, or video game addiction, associated with depression, academic achievement, heavy episodic drinking, or conduct problems?

Abstract Background and aims While the relationships between video game use and negative consequences are debated, the relationships between video game addiction and negative consequences are fairly well established. However, previous studies suffer from methodological weaknesses that may have caused biased results. There is need for further investigation that benefits from the use of methods that avoid omitted variable bias. Methods Two wave panel data was used from two surveys of 1,928 Norwegian adolescents aged 13 to 17 years. The surveys included measures of video game use, video game addiction, depression, heavy episodic drinking, academic achievement, and conduct problems. The data was analyzed using first-differencing, a regression method that is unbiased by time invariant individual factors. Results Video game addiction was related to depression, lower academic achievement, and conduct problems, but time spent on video games was not related to any of the studied negative outcomes. Discussion The findings were in line with a growing number of studies that have failed to find relationships between time spent on video games and negative outcomes. The current study is also consistent with previous studies in that video game addiction was related to other negative outcomes, but it made the added contribution that the relationships are unbiased by time invariant individual effects. However, future research should aim at establishing the temporal order of the supposed causal effects. Conclusions Spending time playing video games does not involve negative consequences, but adolescents who experience problems related to video games are likely to also experience problems in other facets of life

«Å gå på jakt i nynorsken» - Ein kvalitativ studie kring danningspotensialet i nynorskopplæringa

Denne studien er ein kvalitativ intervjustudie, der observasjon er brukt som komplementerande forskingsmetode. Den tar føre seg det komplekse omgrepet danning i eit språkdidaktisk perspektiv, nærare bestemt nynorskopplæringa. I søk etter svar kring eit diffust omgrep, har eg utført tre kvalitative intervju av norsklærarar på ungdomstrinnet ved tre forskjellige skular. For å skape mest mogleg breidde i resultata er skulane plassert i tre ulike områder, der nynorsk har ulik status både på skulen, blant elevane og i samfunnet generelt. Funna frå undersøkingane viser ein generell positivitet kring nynorskopplæringa, uavhengig av informant og skulen hen jobbar på. Likevel viser funn at undervisinga kan vere utfordrande for nokre av informantane. Dette grunngjev hen med rammefaktorar som tid, ressursar, tilgjengeleg litteratur og læreverk. Tankane som informantane viser, kan likevel seiast å vere danningsfremjande. Ein føresetnad for realisering av dette i undervisinga, er dei didaktiske vala kvar lærar tar. Dette plasserer læraren i kjernen av skulen sitt danningsoppdrag og grunngjev utvalet av informantar til denne undersøkinga. I arbeid med å skape ein felles forståing for danningsomgrepet, har denne oppgåva i all hovudsak tatt i bruk teoriar frå Wolfang Klafki og Jon Hellesnes, med mellom anna Laila Aase som komplementerande teorisyn i arbeid med studien sin analyse og drøft. For å belyse nynorskopplæringa og setje studien sin norskfaglege relevans i fokus, presenterer studien vidare teori kring tospråklege fordelar i nynorskopplæringa, djupnelæring i skriftspråket, samt den kulturelle og historiske verdien gjennom språkleg identitet. Hovudfunna i analysen vert drøfta opp mot teorien og den tidlegare forskinga som vert presentert. Basert på dette er det grunn til å konkludere med at dei utvalde lærarane fremjar danningsorienterte tankar kring nynorskopplæringa, og i ulik grad viser det gjennom observasjonen. Dette er på bakgrunn av at lærarane ikkje vart spurd direkte om danningspotensialet, men heller verdiar og kompetansar som ifylgje denne studien fremjar det. Lærarane viser reflekterte tankar og haldningar til nynorsk, sjølv om tidlegare forsking seier noko anna. Dette gjev håp for nynorsken og framtida den har i eit bokmålsdominert samfunn.This study is a qualitative interview study where observation is used as a complementary research method. Through a language perspective, focusing on Norwegian Nynorsk, this study addresses the complex concept of Bildung, and it`s learning possibilities within the language learning outcomes. In search of answers regarding a vague concept, I have conducted three qualitative interviews with different Norwegian language teachers, at three secondary schools. A broad range of results are ensured by choosing informants from schools that are located in different areas, where Nynorsk has a various status within the school, among the students and also in the general society surrounding the school. The findings from the research indicate what I perceive as a general positivity when it comes to Nynorsk instruction. This is regardless of the location of the school the informant work at. However, the interviews reveal that teaching Nynorsk comes with some challenges for some of the informants due to factors such as lack of time to teach, resources, literature and textbooks available. Apart from that the informants can be said to promote Bildung based on their reflective thinking. A prerequisite for realizing this through teaching lies within the choices made by each teacher in their instructions. These findings place the teacher in the core of the school’s mission to promote Bildung, and justifies the choice of informants for this study. By primarily using theories from Wolfgang Klafki and Jon Hellesnes, I`ve tried to create a common understanding for the concept of Bildung. I have also used Laila Aase, among others, to provide complementary theoretical perspectives when analyzing and discussing the findings. To ensure the relevance to the field of Norwegian language education, and more specifically Nynorsk, the study further presents theories on bilingual advantages of Nynorsk, instructionmethods like deep learning, as well as the cultural and historical value raised through language identity. The main findings from the analysis are discussed in relation to presented theory and previous research. On these terms, it can be concluded that the informants promote Bildung based on their reflections regarding Nynorsk instruction and in various degrees this can be seen in the results from the observation. The conclusions made are based on the fact that the informants were not directly asked about the concept of Bildung. They were questioned about different competencies that, according to this study`s understanding of the concept, promotes it. The informants show reflective thoughts and opinions towards Nynorsk, even though previous research may suggest a tendency to show otherwise. That means there is still hope for the future of Nynorsk even though the society in general show a massive plural of Bokmål-users

Growth, Transpiration and Abscisic Acid Regulation in Cucumis sativus : The Influence of Air Humidity and Blue Light

Planter som er dyrket under høy relativ luftfuktighet (RF) utvikler spalteåpninger som mangler evnen til å lukke ved ytre stimuli. Hormonet absisinsyre (ABA) er et viktig signal for lukking av spalteåpninger. Denne studien har sett på effekten av blått lys (B) på plantenes innhold av ABA og dens metabolitter. I tillegg er det undersøkt hvordan B påvirker plantenes morfologi og klorofyllinnhold. RF og mengde B, og samspillet mellom disse, ble testet på planter av tomat (Solanum lycopersicum) og agurk (Cucumis sativus). Forsøkene ble utført i vekstkammer, og avsluttet før plantene hadde utviklet full fruktproduksjon. Under det to uker lange forsøket stod plantene i vekstkammer med 60 % RF eller 90 % RF, i kombinasjon med enten høytrykksnatriumlamper (SON-T, 5 % B) eller SON-T + B lysdioder (LED) (30 % B). Plantene som ble dyrket under 90 % RF hadde et lavere klorofyllinnhold og utviklet klorose. Det var en sammenheng mellom innholdet av klorofyll og nitrogen i bladene. Ved dyrkning under 30 % B ble den negative effekten under 90 % RF reversert ved å øke klorofyllinnholdet i plantene. Økt andel B økte transpirasjonsraten til plantene og dermed opptaket av viktige næringsstoffer som nitrogen og fosfor. Plantene dyrket under 60 % RF + 30 % B var minst og hadde en lavere tørrstoffakkumulasjon sammenlignet med de andre behandlingene. Under 90 % RF var det ingen forskjell i tørrstoffakkumulasjon når plantene var dyrket under de ulike andelene B. Det var ingen forskjell i mengde ABA mellom høy og moderat RF men planter dyrket med ekstra B inneholdt mindre ABA enn planter dyrket ved SON-T. Spalteåpningene var også mer åpne under ekstra blått lys. Ved dyrkning under 90 % RF ble plantene stimulert til å inaktivere absisinsyre (ABA) mot phaseinsyre (PA) og diphaseinsyre (DPA). Ved dyrkning under 30 % B ble plantene stimulert til å inaktivere ABA mot absisinsyre-glukosyl-ester (ABA-GE) som er en lagringsform av ABA, i motsetning til 5 % B som gav inaktivering mot PA og DPA. Resultatene tyder på at B øker plantenes mulighet til å oppregulere ABA raskt. Resultatene i denne studien viser at ekstra blått lys kan gi plantene mulighet til å utnytte de gode vekstvilkårene under høy RF, samtidig som de unngår problemer med spalteåpninger som mangler lukke-evne.Previously studies have shown that plants produced under high relative humidity (RH) develop malfunctioning stomata, which fail to close under stressed situations. The closing mechanism of stomata is largely regulated by the hormone abscisic acid (ABA). This study examined the effect of blue light (B) on ABA and its metabolites of the plant as well as the morphology of the plants. The combined effects of relative air humidity (RH) and the amount of blue light were tested on tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus). The experiments were conducted in four controlled environment growth chambers and repeated two times. Plants in growth chambers were either exposed 60% RF or 90% RF, and in combination with high-pressure sodium lamps (HPS, 5 % B) or HPS + light emitting diode (LED, 30 % B). The amount of chlorophyll was low in the plants grown under 90 % RH with HPS and they developed chlorosis. When the plants were exposed to 30 % B, the negative effects of 90 % RH were reversed by increasing the chlorophyll content in the leaves. 30 % B increased the plant transpiration, subsequently affecting uptake of important nutrient as nitrogen and phosphorus. The plants grown under 60 % RH + 30 % B were the smallest plants and they had the lowest accumulation of dry weight. This was not the case for 90 % RH + 30 % B, which showed almost similar dry weight accumulation as plants produced in 90% RF + HPS. The level of total ABA was highest in plants grown under 90% RH compared to 60 % RH. Plants developed under 30% B had a lower level of total ABA compared to 5 % B, in addition the stomatas had higher aperture when grown under 30% B. When plants were exposed to 90 % RH they inactivated ABA towards phaseic acid (PA) and diphaseic acid (DPA). Plants grown under 30 % B was stimulated to inactivate ABA towards abscisic acid glucosyl ester (ABA-GE), while 5 % B inactivated ABA towards PA and DPA. It is possible that the use of extra blue light improves the closing ability of the stomata caused by a high proportion of stored ABA-GE, which can be converted to active ABA. Use of extra B can enable the plants to better utilize the good growing conditions provided by high RH and in addition avoid the negative effect of high RH on the stomata.M-P