Knowledge gaps and acceptability of abbreviated alcohol screening in general practice: A cross-sectional survey of hazardous and non-hazardous drinkers

Background: General practice provides a unique setting where hazardous alcohol consumption can be screened for and behavioural interventions can be implemented in a continuous care model. Our aim was to assess in a general practice population, the prevalence of hazardous drinking, the knowledge and attitudes surrounding alcohol, and the acceptability of brief interventions in alcohol. Methods: A cross-sectional survey in a practice in South London, performed as part of a wider service evaluation. Questionnaires were offered to adult patients awaiting their appointments. Responses were stratified according to hazardous drinking, as per the abbreviated 'Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test' (AUDIT-C). Results: Of 179 respondents (30 % male), 34 % yielded an AUDIT-C ≥5 and 18 % reported that they never drink alcohol. Male and Caucasian patients were more likely to self-report hazardous drinking, who in turn were more likely to believe in the health benefits of moderate consumption. Little over half of patents thought that alcohol is a risk factor for cancer and were misinformed of its calorific content, suggesting two targets for future improvement. Patients' knowledge about what is a single 'unit' of alcohol was below that expected by random chance 66 % agreed that alcohol screening should feature in all GP consultations. Conclusions: While awareness of alcohol related health risks is generally good, future efforts may benefit from focusing on the association with cancer and calories. Our findings question the utility of the 'unit' system, as well as dissemination of suggested 'health benefits' of moderate consumption. General practice initiatives in screening and brief advice for alcohol deserve further study

Rapid synthesis of carbohydrate derivatives, including mimetics of c-linked disaccharides and c-Linked aza disaccharides, using the Hetero-Diels−Alder Reaction

In this work we demonstrate the value of performing a Hetero Diels-Alder reaction (HDAR) between Danishefsky’s diene and a range of aldehydes or imines, under microwave irradiation. By using a range of aldehydes and imines, including those derived from carbohydrates, access to functionalised 2,3-dihydro-4H-pyran-4-ones or 2,3-dihydro-4-pyridinones in good to excellent synthetic yields is possible. A particular strength of the methodology is its ability to access mimetics of C-linked disaccharides and C-linked aza disaccharides, targets of current therapeutic interest, in a rapid, convenient and diastereoselective manner. The effect of high pressure on the HDARs involving carbohydrate derived aldehydes and imines is also explored, with enhancement in yields occurring for the aldehyde substrates. Finally, HDARs using carbohydrate derived ketones, enones and enals are described under a range of conditions. Optimum results were obtained under high pressure conditions, with highly functionalized carbohydrate derivatives being afforded, in good yields, in this way

Differences in rehabilitation adherence and coping between male and female injured athletes

Although repeated taurine administration has been shown to benefit endurance performance in trained athletes (Lee et al., 2003: Korean Journal of Nutrition, 36, 711–719), little research exists on its acute effects. The present study aimed to investigate the acute effect of taurine on maximal 3 km performance in well-trained, middle-distance runners. Eight male competitive middle-distance runners (age: mean 19.9, s¼1.2 years; 800 m personal best times: mean 121.74, s¼5.01 s) participated in a randomised, double blind, crossover study approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee. Taurine (1000 mg) or placebo was ingested 2 h prior to testing. Following a standardized warm-up, a self-paced maximal 3 kmtime trial on a treadmill was completed. Three kilometre time and 500 m split times were recorded. Capillary blood lactate was measured pre- and post-3 km. EMG activity of the right rectus femoris, biceps femoris and gastrocnemius was recorded at 500 m intervals. Pairwise comparisons were conducted for overall 3 km time. Repeated measures ANOVA examined for differences in 500 m split times, blood lactate and EMG activity, followed by pairwise comparisons where necessary

Three-dimensional data capture and analysis of intact eye lenses evidences emmetropia-associated changes and strain-dependent differences in epithelial cell organization

Organ and tissue development are highly coordinated processes; lens growth and functional integration into the eye (emmetropia) is a robust example. An epithelial monolayer covers the anterior hemisphere of the lens, and its organization is the key to lens formation and its optical properties throughout all life stages. To better understand how the epithelium supports lens function, we have developed a novel whole tissue imaging system using conventional confocal light microscopy and a specialized analysis software to produce three-dimensional maps for the epithelium of intact mouse lenses. The open source software package geometrically determines the anterior pole position, the equatorial diameter, and three-dimensional coordinates for each detected cell in the epithelium. The user-friendly cell maps, which retain global lens geometry, allow us to document age-dependent changes in the C57/BL6J mouse lens cell distribution characteristics. We evidence changes in epithelial cell density and distribution in C57/BL6J mice during the establishment of emmetropia between postnatal weeks 4–6. These epithelial changes accompany a previously unknown spheroid to lentoid shape transition of the lens as detected by our analyses. When combined with key findings from previous mouse genetic and cell biological studies, we suggest a cytoskeleton-based mechanism likely underpins these observations