The economic impact of alcohol consumption: a systematic review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Information on the economic impact of alcohol consumption can provide important evidence in supporting policies to reduce its associated harm. To date, several studies on the economic costs of alcohol consumption have been conducted worldwide. This study aims to review the economic impact of alcohol worldwide, summarizing the state of knowledge with regard to two elements: (1) cost components included in the estimation; (2) the methodologies employed in works conducted to date.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Relevant publications concerning the societal cost of alcohol consumption published during the years 1990-2007 were identified through MEDLINE. The World Health Organization's global status report on alcohol, bibliographies and expert communications were also used to identify additional relevant studies.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria for full review while an additional two studies were considered for partial review. Most studies employed the human capital approach and estimated the gross cost of alcohol consumption. Both direct and indirect costs were taken into account in all studies while intangible costs were incorporated in only a few studies. The economic burden of alcohol in the 12 selected countries was estimated to equate to 0.45 - 5.44% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Discrepancies in the estimation method and cost components included in the analyses limit a direct comparison across studies. The findings, however, consistently confirmed that the economic burden of alcohol on society is substantial. Given the importance of this issue and the limitation in generalizing the findings across different settings, further well-designed research studies are warranted in specific countries to support the formulation of alcohol-related policies.</p

Genome-wide association analyses of physical activity and sedentary behavior provide insights into underlying mechanisms and roles in disease prevention

Although physical activity and sedentary behavior are moderately heritable, little is known about the mechanisms that influence these traits. Combining data for up to 703,901 individuals from 51 studies in a multi-ancestry meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies yields 99 loci that associate with self-reported moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity during leisure time (MVPA), leisure screen time (LST) and/or sedentary behavior at work. Loci associated with LST are enriched for genes whose expression in skeletal muscle is altered by resistance training. A missense variant in ACTN3 makes the alpha-actinin-3 filaments more flexible, resulting in lower maximal force in isolated type IIA muscle fibers, and possibly protection from exercise-induced muscle damage. Finally, Mendelian randomization analyses show that beneficial effects of lower LST and higher MVPA on several risk factors and diseases are mediated or confounded by body mass index (BMI). Our results provide insights into physical activity mechanisms and its role in disease prevention.Multi-ancestry meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies for self-reported physical activity during leisure time, leisure screen time, sedentary commuting and sedentary behavior at work identify 99 loci associated with at least one of these traits

Palatability enhancing nutrients for the European eel, <i>Anguilla anguilla</i> L.

Feeding experiments with European glass eels Anguilla anguilla L. demonstrated a high degree of attractiveness for the natural diets Tubifix and cod roe. Previous experiments had indicated that incorporation of bovine spleen and/or blood into paste feeds significantly improved the growth rate and survival. To increase feed consumption, the effect of some basic components available from the current generation of chemo-attractants were evaluated. Using a modified Omission Test Procedure, we focused on monosodiumglutamate, betaine, the nucleotides IMP and GMP, and fractions of cattle blood. These components were incorporated into non-attractive casein-based test diets and administered following standardized procedures to intensively cultured fingerling populations. These dose-response experiments revealed the Na-glutamate, betaine and the nucleotides IMP and GMP elicit feeding behaviour when administered separately. Only erythrocytes and the cell content of bovine blood induce an intensified feeding response. The effect of haemoglobin or organically-bound iron as attractant for eel is presently under investigation

The effect of <i>Artemia</i> -supplementation of dry foods on growth and survival of <i>Clarias gariepinus</i> (Burchell 1822) larvae

Two experiments were performed in order to determine the effect of supplementation of dry foods with live Artemia nauplii on the growth, survival, rate of cannibalism, and length-weight relationships of Clarias gariepinus larvae. It was found that Artemia -supplementation resulted in a significantly higher growth rate. The "condition", expressed as a length-weight relationship, was likewise altered after supplementation. The survival and rate of cannibalism were not influenced by supplementation. Artemia -supplementation of dry foods was compared with other approaches which are based on the concept of the 'adaptation weight'

Le financement des soins infirmiers à domicile en Belgique

D/2010/10.273/06info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe