Heterogeneity in Alcohol Consumption: The Case of Beer, Wine and Spirits in Australia

This paper examines Australians participation in beer, wine and spirits consumption using a trivariate probit model and unit-record data from the National Drug Strategy Household Surveys. It estimates the effects of social, economic and demographic factors on an individuals decisions of alcohol participation. The trivariate probit formulation allows for the potential correlation across the demand for the three products through unobserved personal characteristics. All three beverages are shown to have negative own-price elasticities and to be substitutes in participation. An alarming proportion of young Australians are found to be drinking spirits regularly due to the increasing popularity of pre-mixed sweet drinks.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Alcohol Consumption in Australia: An Application of the Ordered Generalised Extreme Value Model

The adverse effects of excessive alcohol consumption are well-known. Of great concern to policy makers is to understand the potentially different drivers for consumers of different levels of alcohol consumption. Using unit record data from the Australian Drug Strategy Household Surveys, this paper estimates an Ordered Generalised Extreme Value model to identify the factors that influence differing levels of alcohol consumption. Unlike previous studies using inflexible approaches such as Ordered Probits/Logits or Multinomial Logits, the OGEV model is both flexible and consistent with random utility maximization. The results suggest that important drivers are: age; income; education; gender; and own and cross-pricDrug consumption, discrete ordered data, Ordered Generalised Extreme Value model, random utility maximisation, rational addiction.

The experiences of psychological therapy: perspectives from male Iranian survivors of torture

Volume I consists of the research component, including of the literature review, empirical paper and public domain paper. The literature review examined the cultural adaptions of cognitive behavioural therapy and the effectiveness of the culturally adapted cognitive behavioural therapy. The empirical paper used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to explore the experiences of psychological therapy from the perspectives of male Iranian survivors of torture. The Public Domain Paper encapsulates the empirical study using language accessible to the general public

Chikungunya Virus Infection during Pregnancy, Réunion, France, 2006

Except for prenatal hospital admissions for those infected, this virus had no effect on outcomes

Intensive Care Unit Admission for Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, Reunion Island, 2009

International audienceno abstrac

In Vitro Antioxidant and Anti-Proliferation Activities of Polysaccharides from Various Extracts of Different Mushrooms

Polysaccharides were extracted from eight kinds of Chinese mushrooms using three solvents and were evaluated for their total carbohydrate, polyphenolic and protein contents, and antioxidant and anti-proliferation activities. The results suggested that all the polysaccharides had significant antioxidant capacities (EC50 ranged from 1.70 ± 0.42 to 65.98 ± 1.74 μM TE/g crude polysaccharide inhibition of ABTS+, EC50 ranged from 5.06 ± 0.12 to 127.38 ± 1.58 mg VCE/g CP scavenging of OH· and EC50 ranged from 0.70 ± 0.04 to 33.54 ± 0.49 mg VCE/g CP inhibition of lipid peroxidation) (TE: trolox equivalent; VCE: VC equivalent; CP: crude polysaccharide). The acid extracts of Russula vinosa Lindblad had the highest ABTS+ scavenging activity. Aqueous extracts of Dictyophora indusiata and Hohenbuehelia serotina possessed, respectively, the highest OH· scavenging capacity and ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation. Mushroom extracts also inhibited proliferation of HeLa and HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicate that the mushroom polysaccharides might be potential antioxidant resources

Paraben exposure through drugs in the neonatal intensive care unit: a regional cohort study

Background and objectives: Environmental factors influence the development of very preterm infants (VPIs, born at less than 32 weeks of gestation). It is important to identify all potential sources of paraben exposure in these vulnerable infants. We aimed to quantify paraben exposure via drug administration in a cohort of VPI cared for in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).Methods: A prospective, observational study was carried out over a five-year period in a regional setting (two NICUs using the same computerized order-entry system). The main outcome was exposure to paraben-containing drugs. The secondary outcomes were: time of the first exposure, daily intake, number of infants exceeding paraben acceptable daily intake (ADI: 0–10 mg/kg/d), duration of exposure, and cumulative dose.Results: The cohort consisted of 1,315 VPIs [BW 1129.9 (±360.4) g]. Among them, 85.5% were exposed to paraben-containing drugs. In 40.4% of infants, the first exposure occurred during the second week of life. Mean paraben intake and duration of exposure were, respectively, 2.2 (±1.4) mg/kg/d and 33.1 (±22.3) days. The cumulative paraben intake was 80.3 (±84.6) mg/kg. The ADI was exceeded in 3.5% of exposed infants. Lower GA was associated with higher intake and longer exposure (p < 0.0001). The main molecules involved in paraben exposure were: sodium iron feredetate, paracetamol, furosemide, and sodium bicarbonate + sodium alginate.Conclusion: Commonly used drugs are potential source of parabens, and ADI can be easily exceeded in VPIs cared for in NICUs. Efforts are needed to identify paraben-free alternative formulations for these vulnerable infants

Pharmaceutical drug misuse: are industry of employment and occupation risk factors?

We explore the misuse of pharmaceutical drugs in the Australian workforce, focusing on whether any differences exist between workers in particular industries or occupations. In terms of industry, being employed in hospitality is positively associated with pharmaceutical drug misuse, while being employed in finance, insurance and retail is inversely related. In terms of occupation, we find that being a labourer is positively related to misuse of pharmaceutical drugs, while being employed in managerial, professional, sales, clerical or administrative roles is associated with a lower tendency. Further analysis of occupational effects revealed that being in a blue-collar occupation, as a whole, is positively related to pharmaceutical drug misuse relative to white-collar employment. Moreover, being employed in higher status roles is associated with a lower likelihood of such behaviour. Our findings imply that particular workplace pressures, cultural norms and/or working conditions might be influential factors behind workers' drug misuse

Multidisciplinary Prospective Study of Mother-to-Child Chikungunya Virus Infections on the Island of La Réunion

In a prospective study on the island of La Réunion, Marc Lecuit and colleagues find frequent transmission of Chikungunya virus by viremic mothers giving birth during an outbreak, resulting in serious infant illness

Research on Teaching and Learning Mathematics at the Tertiary Level:State-of-the-art and Looking Ahead

This topical survey focuses on research in tertiary mathematics education, a field that has experienced considerable growth over the last 10 years. Drawing on the most recent journal publication as well as the latest advances from recent high quality conference proceedings, our review culls out the following five emergent areas of interest: mathematics teaching at the tertiary level; the role of mathematics in other disciplines; textbooks, assessment and students’ studying practices; transition to the tertiary level; and theoretical-methodological advances. We conclude the survey with a discussion of some potential ways forward for future research in this new and rapidly developing domain of inquiry