Dietary intake in post-menopausal women

Si has been suggested as an essential element, and may be important in optimal bone, skin and cardiovascular health. However, there are few estimates of dietary Si intakes in man, especially in a UK population. Following the development of a UK food composition database for Si, the aim of the present study was to investigate dietary intakes of Si amongst healthy women aged over 60 years and to identify important food sources of Si in their diet. Healthy, post-menopausal female subjects (&gt;60 years of age; n 209) were recruited from the general population around Dundee, Scotland as part of an unrelated randomised controlled intervention study where dietary intake was assessed using a self-administered, semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire at five time-points over a 2-year period. Food composition data on the Si content of UK foods was used to determine the Si content of food items on the food-frequency questionnaire. Mean Si intake was 18&middot;6 (sd 4&middot;6) mg and did not vary significantly across the 2 years of investigation. Cereals provided the greatest amount of Si in the diet (about 30%), followed by fruit, beverages (hot, cold and alcoholic beverages combined) and vegetables; together these foods provided over 75% about Si intake. Si intakes in the UK appear consistent with those reported previously for elderly women in Western populations, but lower than those reported for younger women or for men.<br /

Beyond deficiency:Potential benefits of increased intakesof vitamin K for bone and vascular health

Vitamin K is wellknown for its role in the synthesisof a number of blood coagulationfactors.During recent years vitaminK-dependent proteins werediscovered to be of vital importancefor bone and vascular health.Recommendations for dietary vitaminK intake have been made onthe basis of the hepatic requirementsfor the synthesis of bloodcoagulation factors.Accumulatingevidence suggests that the requirementsfor other functions thanblood coagulation may be higher.This paper is the result of a closedworkshop (Paris,November 2002)in which a number of Europeanvitamin K experts reviewed theavailable data and formulated theirstandpoint with respect to recommendeddietary vitamin K intakeand the use of vitamin K-containingsupplements

Antioxidant vitamin intakes assessed using a food-frequency questionnaire: correlation with biochemical status in smokers and non-smokers

The increasing interest in the possible role of antioxidant vitamins in many disease states means that methods of assessing vitamin intakes which are suitable for large-scale investigations are now required. The suitability of the food-frequency questionnaire, which was developed by the Medical Research Council - Cardiff Group, for determining dietary intake of antioxidant vitamins in epidemiological studies was investigated in 196 Scottish men. The validity of the dietary data was assessed by comparison with serum vitamin concentrations, and separate analyses were performed for current smokers and non-smokers. The results showed that total energy intake and the percentage of energy derived from sugar were higher in smokers, and that both dietary and serum values of vitamin C, β-carotene and vitamin E were lower in smokers than non-smokers. After adjustment for serum lipids, energy intake and body mass index, correlation coefficients between dietary and serum vitamins C and E were similar for smokers (r 0.555 and 0.25 respectively) and non-smokers (r 0.58 and 0.32 respectively). Correlation between dietary and serum carotenes was reduced from 0.28 in non-smokers to 0.09 in smokers and correlations for retinol and total vitamin A were weakly significant only for non-smokers. The food-frequency questionnaire assigned > 70% of subjects correctly into the upper or lower plus adjacent tertiles of serum vitamin values, with the exception of β-carotene and total vitamin A for smokers. Thus, the food-frequency questionnaire appeared to be an adequate tool for assigning individuals into tertiles of serum antioxidant vitamins with the main exception of β-carotene for smokers. Marked differences do occur between the vitamins and between the smoking groups which may reflect reduced accuracy of reporting on the food-frequency questionnaire or differential absorption and metabolism of the vitamin

The magnetic Bp star 36 Lyncis, II. A spectroscopic analysis of its co-rotating disk

We report on the physical properties of the disk-like structure of B8 IIIp star 36 Lyncis from line syntheses of phase-resolved, high resolution spectra obtained from the IUE archives and from newly obtained ground-based H$\alpha$ spectra. This disk is highly inclined to the rotational axis and betrays its existence every half rotation cycle as one of two opposing sectors pass in front of the star. Although the disk absorption spectrum is at least ten times too weak to be visible in optical iron lines during these occultations, its properties can be readily examined in a large number of UV "iron curtain" lines because of their higher opacities. The analysis of the variations of the UV resonance lines brings out some interesting details about the radiative properties of the disks: (1) they are optically thick in the C IV and Si IV doublets, (2) the range of excitation of the UV resonance lines is larger at the primary occultation ($\phi$ = 0.00) than at the secondary one, and (3) the {\bf relative strengths of the absorption peaks} for the two occultations varies substantially from line to line. We have modeled the absorptions of the UV C IV resonance and H$\alpha$ absorptions by means of a simulated disk with opaque and translucent components. Our simulations suggest that a gap separates the star and the inner edge of the disk. The disk extends radially out to $\geq$10 R$_{*}$. The disk scale height perpendicular to the plane is $\approx$1R$_{*}$. However, the sector causing the primary occultation is about four times thicker than the opposite sector. The C IV scattering region extends to a larger height than the H$\alpha$ region does, probably because it results from shock heating far from the cooler disk plane.Comment: Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysic

Reporting of adenomyosis: a service evaluation

Background: Adenomyosis diagnosis is based on imaging alone[4]. Ultrasound demonstrates high accuracy with expert sonographers[3], however there is little knowledge regarding how well adenomyosis is identified and reported within daily clinical practice. Method: A retrospective service evaluation was undertaken which included (n=79) adult female participants with possible symptoms of adenomyosis who had undergone a transvaginal ultrasound scan during the first quarter of 2023. Patients were identified using the CRIS statistic module according to pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were anonymised and collected in a data collection form to include the patient age, symptoms, scan report and sonographer. The scan report and archived images were evaluated using the sonographic signs identified by the MUSA group[1] then compared to the original report. Statistical analysis for inter-rater agreement was conducted using Cohen’s Kappa[2]. Results: Results indicate that adenomyosis is not being effectively identified and reported upon. 21.5% (n= 17) of patients had signs of adenomyosis on image review. Of these, only 23.5% (n= 4) were reported as such. Conclusion: Most ultrasonic diagnoses of adenomyosis were not identified, which may be due to the lack of sonographer awareness and training, compounded by a lack of internationally agreed criteria for ultrasound diagnosis. Limitations include the small cohort of participants, the author working independently and limitations in reviewing static images

From Ambridge to the world? Class returns to rural population geographies

Via The Archers BBC radio show, this paper responds to Smith and Phillips call for investigating rural population change within the Global North from a class-foregrounded gentrification perspective and for undertaking it in an internationally comparative manner. Neither is sufficiently developed within scholarship to date. Although endorsing their call, this paper adds three contextual framings: describing and explaining the late blossoming of explicit ‘rural gentrification’ research; stressing the challenges presented to geographical transferability of concepts and terminology; and noting the not exclusive role class needs to play within critical discourse on contemporary rural populations

Exploring taboo issues in professional sport through a fictional approach

While the need to consider life course issues in elite sport research and practice is increasingly recognised, some experiences still seem to be considered too dangerous to explore. Consequently, stories of these experiences are silenced and the ethical and moral questions they pose fail to be acknowledged, understood or debated. This paper presents an ethnographic fiction through which we explore a sensitive set of experiences that were uncovered during our research with professional sportspeople. Through a multi‐layered reconstruction, the story reveals the complex, but significant, relationships that exist between identity, cultural narratives and embodied experiences. After the telling we consider how the story has stimulated reflective practice among students, researchers and practitioners. While there are risks involved in writing and sharing taboo stories, the feedback we have received suggests that storytelling can be an effective pedagogical tool in education and professional development

The magnetic Bp star 36 Lyncis, I. Magnetic and photospheric properties

This paper reports the photospheric, magnetic and circumstellar gas characteristics of the magnetic B8p star 36 Lyncis (HD 79158). Using archival data and new polarised and unpolarised high-resolution spectra, we redetermine the basic physical properties, the rotational period and the geometry of the magnetic field, and the photospheric abundances of various elements.}{Based on magnetic and spectroscopic measurements, we infer an improved rotational period of $3.83475\pm 0.00002$ d. We determine a current epoch of the longitudinal magnetic field positive extremum (HJD 2452246.033), and provide constraints on the geometry of the dipole magnetic field (i\geq 56\degr, $3210 {\rm G}\leq B_{\rm d}\leq 3930$ G, $\beta$ unconstrained). We redetermine the effective temperature and surface gravity using the optical and UV energy distributions, optical photometry and Balmer line profiles ($T_{\rm eff}=13300\pm 300$ K, $\log g=3.7-4.2$), and based on the Hipparcos parallax we redetermine the luminosity, mass, radius and true rotational speed ($L=2.54\pm 0.16 L_\odot, M=4.0\pm 0.2 M_\odot, R=3.4\pm 0.7 R_\odot, v_{\rm eq}=45-61.5$ \kms). We measure photospheric abundances for 21 elements using optical and UV spectra, and constrain the presence of vertical stratification of these elements. We perform preliminary Doppler Imaging of the surface distribution of Fe, finding that Fe is distributed in a patchy belt near the rotational equator. Most remarkably, we confirm strong variations of the H$\alpha$ line core which we interpret as due to occultations of the star by magnetically-confined circumstellar gas.Comment: Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysic