Alcohol marketing and drunkenness among students in the Philippines: findings from the nationally representative Global School-based Student Health Survey

BACKGROUND: A largely unaddressed issue in lower income countries and the Philippines, in particular, is the role of alcohol marketing and its potential link to early alcohol use among youth. This study examines the associations between exposures to alcohol marketing and Filipino youths’ drinking prevalence and drunkenness. METHODS: Cross-sectional analyses were used to examine the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) conducted in Philippines (2011). The self-administered questionnaires were completed by students primarily 13 to 16 years of age (N = 5290). Three statistical models were computed to test the associations between alcohol marketing and alcohol use, while controlling for possible confounding factors. RESULTS: Alcohol marketing, specifically through providing free alcohol through a company representative, was associated with drunkenness (AOR: 1.84; 95% CI = 1.06–3.21) among youths after controlling for demographic and psychosocial characteristics, peer environment, and risky behaviors. In addition, seeing alcohol ads in newspapers and magazines (AOR: 1.65, 95% CI = 1.05–2.58) and seeing ads at sports events, concerts or fairs (AOR: 1.50, 95% CI = 1.06–2.12) were significantly associated with increased reports of drunkenness. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant associations between alcohol marketing exposure and increased alcohol use and drunkenness among youth in the Philippines. These findings highlight the need to put policies into effect that restrict alcohol marketing practices as an important prevention strategy for reducing alcohol use and its dire consequences among vulnerable youth

Crystal structure of the CusBA heavy-metal efflux complex of Escherichia coli

Gram-negative bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, expel toxic chemicals via tripartite efflux pumps spanning both the inner and outer membranes. The three parts are: 1) a membrane fusion protein connecting 2) a substrate-binding inner membrane transporter to 3) an outer membrane-anchored channel in the periplasmic space. A crystallographic model of this tripartite efflux complex has been unavailable simply because co-crystallization of different components of the system has proven to be extremely difficult. We previously described the crystal structures of both the inner membrane transporter CusA1 and membrane fusion protein CusB2 of the CusCBA efflux system3,4 from E. coli. We here report the co-crystal structure of the CusBA efflux complex, revealing the trimeric CusA efflux pump interacts with six CusB protomers at the upper half of the periplasmic domain. These six CusB molecules form a channel extending contiguously from the top of the pump. The affinity of the CusA and CusB interaction was found to be in the micromolar range. Finally, we predicted a three-dimensional structure of the trimeric CusC outer membrane channel, and develop a model of the tripartite efflux assemblage. This CusC3-CusB6-CusA3 model presents a 750 kDa efflux complex spanning the entire bacterial cell envelope to export Cu(I)/Ag(I) ions

Crystal structures of the CusA efflux pump suggest methionine-mediated metal transport

Gram-negative bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, frequently utilize tripartite efflux complexes in the resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND) family to expel diverse toxic compounds from the cell.1,2 The efflux system CusCBA is responsible for extruding biocidal Cu(I) and Ag(I) ions.3,4 No prior structural information was available for the heavy-metal efflux (HME) subfamily of the RND efflux pumps. Here we describe the crystal structures of the inner membrane transporter CusA in the absence and presence of bound Cu(I) or Ag(I). These CusA structures provide important new structural information about the HME sub-family of RND efflux pumps. The structures suggest that the metal binding sites, formed by a three-methionine cluster, are located within the cleft region of the periplasmic domain. Intriguingly, this cleft is closed in the apo-CusA form but open in the CusA-Cu(I) and CusA-Ag(I) structures, which directly suggests a plausible pathway for ion export. Binding of Cu(I) and Ag(I) triggers significant conformational changes in both the periplasmic and transmembrane domains. The crystal structure indicates that CusA has, in addition to the three-methionine metal binding site, four methionine pairs - three located in the transmembrane region and one in the periplasmic domain. Genetic analysis and transport assays suggest that CusA is capable of actively picking up metal ions from the cytosol, utilizing these methionine pairs/clusters to bind and export metal ions. These structures suggest a stepwise shuttle mechanism for transport between these sites

The effect of alcohol advertising, marketing and portrayal on drinking behaviour in young people: systematic review of prospective cohort studies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The effect of alcohol portrayals and advertising on the drinking behaviour of young people is a matter of much debate. We evaluated the relationship between exposure to alcohol advertising, marketing and portrayal on subsequent drinking behaviour in young people by systematic review of cohort (longitudinal) studies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>studies were identified in October 2006 by searches of electronic databases, with no date restriction, supplemented with hand searches of reference lists of retrieved articles. Cohort studies that evaluated exposure to advertising or marketing or alcohol portrayals and drinking at baseline and assessed drinking behaviour at follow-up in young people were selected and reviewed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>seven cohort studies that followed up more than 13,000 young people aged 10 to 26 years old were reviewed. The studies evaluated a range of different alcohol advertisement and marketing exposures including print and broadcast media. Two studies measured the hours of TV and music video viewing. All measured drinking behaviour using a variety of outcome measures. Two studies evaluated drinkers and non-drinkers separately. Baseline non-drinkers were significantly more likely to have become a drinker at follow-up with greater exposure to alcohol advertisements. There was little difference in drinking frequency at follow-up in baseline drinkers. In studies that included drinkers and non-drinkers, increased exposure at baseline led to significant increased risk of drinking at follow-up. The strength of the relationship varied between studies but effect sizes were generally modest. All studies controlled for age and gender, however potential confounding factors adjusted for in analyses varied from study to study. Important risk factors such as peer drinking and parental attitudes and behaviour were not adequately accounted for in some studies.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>data from prospective cohort studies suggest there is an association between exposure to alcohol advertising or promotional activity and subsequent alcohol consumption in young people. Inferences about the modest effect sizes found are limited by the potential influence of residual or unmeasured confounding.</p

Are megaprojects ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

Complex projects and megaprojects are increasingly shaped by new enabling technologies and new demands from businesses, including how people are treated when working on these endeavours. This is often referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Project leaders and practitioners are not fully leveraging the opportunities unlocked by the 4IR, and project performance shows little sign of improvement despite the highly innovative and collaborative environment that the 4IR stimulates. This paper discusses this challenge and concludes that a significant reason why these benefits are not being realised is because there is a competence gap in both the project leader and practitioner communities. These communities are attempting to deal with twenty-first-century issues using competences, toolsets and a mindset created 100 years ago. Significant developments in competences associated with the 4IR in general are required. In this paper, specific competences are proposed and justified: collaborative working including people, process and digital components; lean six sigma; and agile. Success will be to empower the people who deliver megaprojects such that they are able to deliver the planned social value to all stakeholders involved

Subcortical volumes across the lifespan: Data from 18,605 healthy individuals aged 3-90 years

Age has a major effect on brain volume. However, the normative studies available are constrained by small sample sizes, restricted age coverage and significant methodological variability. These limitations introduce inconsistencies and may obscure or distort the lifespan trajectories of brain morphometry. In response, we capitalized on the resources of the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium to examine age-related trajectories inferred from cross-sectional measures of the ventricles, the basal ganglia (caudate, putamen, pallidum, and nucleus accumbens), the thalamus, hippocampus and amygdala using magnetic resonance imaging data obtained from 18,605 individuals aged 3-90 years. All subcortical structure volumes were at their maximum value early in life. The volume of the basal ganglia showed a monotonic negative association with age thereafter; there was no significant association between age and the volumes of the thalamus, amygdala and the hippocampus (with some degree of decline in thalamus) until the sixth decade of life after which they also showed a steep negative association with age. The lateral ventricles showed continuous enlargement throughout the lifespan. Age was positively associated with inter-individual variability in the hippocampus and amygdala and the lateral ventricles. These results were robust to potential confounders and could be used to examine the functional significance of deviations from typical age-related morphometric patterns

Structure and function of LCI1: a plasma membrane CO2 channel in the Chlamydomonas CO2 concentrating mechanism

Microalgae and cyanobacteria contribute roughly half of the global photosynthetic carbon assimilation. Faced with limited access to CO2 in aquatic environments, which can vary daily or hourly, these microorganisms have evolved use of an efficient CO2 concentrating mechanism (CCM) to accumulate high internal concentrations of inorganic carbon (Ci ) to maintain photosynthetic performance. For eukaryotic algae, a combination of molecular, genetic and physiological studies using the model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, have revealed the function and molecular characteristics of many CCM components, including active Ci uptake systems. Fundamental to eukaryotic Ci uptake systems are Ci transporters/channels located in membranes of various cell compartments, which together facilitate the movement of Ci from the environment into the chloroplast, where primary CO2 assimilation occurs. Two putative plasma membrane Ci transporters, HLA3 and LCI1, are reportedly involved in active Ci uptake. Based on previous studies, HLA3 clearly plays a meaningful role in HCO3 - transport, but the function of LCI1 has not yet been thoroughly investigated so remains somewhat obscure. Here we report a crystal structure of the full-length LCI1 membrane protein to reveal LCI1 structural characteristics, as well as in vivo physiological studies in an LCI1 loss-of-function mutant to reveal the Ci species preference for LCI1. Together, these new studies demonstrate LCI1 plays an important role in active CO2 uptake and that LCI1 likely functions as a plasma membrane CO2 channel, possibly a gated channel