Countries, national alcohol limits and risk behaviours: results from the TEN D by Night project

Background: this paper re-analysed data from the international cross-sectional TEN-D survey to investigate the association between country or national alcohol limits and risk behaviours. Methods: data were collected on subjects aged 16-35 years owning a driving license and attending recreational sites during weekend nights in Belgium/Netherlands, Bulgaria, Italy, Poland and Spain. Each participant was administered a: questionnaire, driving simulation, breath alcohol concentration (BAC) and illegal drugs detection tests. Random-effect regression was used to identify independent predictors of 3 outcomes: high BAC (≥0.5 g/L); negative driving behaviours; self-reported illegal drug consumption. Results: the survey included 4 534 subjects (mean age 23.1±4.2 years; males 68.3%). Alcohol misuse was highest in Poland (65.1%) and Spain (83.7%), which also showed the highest frequency of negative driving behaviours (39.0%) and illegal drugs consumption (55.6%). Multivariate analysis confirmed country as a predictor of all outcomes, whereas no association was found with national alcohol limits. Conclusions: the absence of association between national alcohol limits and alcohol misuse or negative driving behaviours suggests that cultural factors might be predominant in explaining the differences across countries. Our findings are preliminary and further research is needed

How can we bring public health in all policies? Strategies for healthy societies

New scenarios are emerging in the European and worldwide context: the ageing of society, the climate changes, the increasing of health inequalities and the financial crisis. In this context, the scientific community and the decision-makers agree on the role of health in all policies (HiAP) strategy in improving the population’s health. The HiAP takes into account factors not strictly related to health but with important health consequences. To bring public health in all policies a change is needed, but there are some obstacles to overcome: for instance, the lack of evidence regarding the governance tools and frameworks for HiAP, the difficulty of convincing stakeholders and producing a cultural change in the political positioning of decision-makers. Consequently, it is necessary: i) to implement stronger and responsible decision-support approaches, such as health impact assessment and health technology assessment; ii) to encourage and coordinate all relevant sectors in playing their part in reducing health gaps within the European Union; iii) to strengthen cooperation and make better use of existing networks and existing public health and related institutions. The final aim will be to monitor the impact of the health determinants in order to promote the effective implementation of HiAP approach

Analysis of full-text publication and publishing predictors of abstracts presented at an Italian public health meeting (2005-2007)

BACKGROUND: In Public Health, a thorough review of abstract quality evaluations and the publication history of studies presented at scientific meetings has never been conducted. To analyse the long-term outcome of quality abstracts submitted to conferences of Italian Society of Hygiene and Public Health (SItI) from 2005 to 2007, we conducted a second analysis of previously published material aiming to estimate full-text publication rate of high quality abstract presented at Italian public health meetings, and to identify predictors of full-text publication. METHODS: The search was undertaken through scientific databases and search engines and through the web sites of the major Italian journals of Public Health. For each publication confirmed as a full text paper, the journal name, impact factor, year of publication, gender of the first author, type of study design, characteristics of the results and sample size were collected. RESULTS: The overall publication rate of the abstracts presented is 23.5 %; most of the papers were published in Public Health journals (average impact factor: 3.007). Non universitary affiliation had resulted in a lower probability of publication, while some of the Conference topics had predisposed the studies to an increased likelihood of publication as well as poster form presentation. CONCLUSIONS: The method presented in this study provides a good framework for the evaluation of the scientific evidence. The findings achieved should be taken into consideration by the Scientific Societies during the contributions selection phase, with the aim of achieving a continuous improvement of work quality. In the future, it would be interesting to survey the abstract authors to identify reasons for unpublished data

Phylogenetic relationships and revision of the genus Blastomussa (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Scleractinia) with description of a new species

The Indo-Pacific coral genus Blastomussa (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Scleractinia) includes three species, i.e., B. merleti, B. wellsi, and B. loyae. Following the re-examination of relevant type material, other museum specimens, and the study of newly sampled corals, the genus is revised and the new species B. vivida is described. The new species differs from its congeners by being encrusting, having coralla with a cerioid corallite arrangement and much larger corallites. In vivo, the expanded polyp mantle is fleshy and characterised by bright, vivid colours. Specimens were sampled in New Caledonia, northern Papua New Guinea, Sabah (northern Malaysia), Brunei Darussalam and the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Additional records from Southeast Asia and the western Pacific were obtained through the study of museum collections and published illustrations of living animals in situ: Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, and Australia. The new species appears widespread and has so far been misidentified as B. wellsi, which has smaller corallites, less septa, and a phaceloid corallite arrangement. The phylogenetic relationships within the genus Blastomussa and with other genera were investigated by analyses of their nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. These other genera are Parasimplastrea, Plerogyra, Physogyra, all currently incertae sedis in the Robust clade of Scleractinia as a result of molecular coral systematics, and Nemenzophyllia, whose phylogenetic position is examined for the first time. Representatives of all these genera are characterised by fleshy polyps with well-developed and expandable mantles. They are all closely related and form a strongly supported clade. The results of the molecular analyses provide evidence for Blastomussa's monophyly and show that the new B. vivida is a distinct species, which is most closely related to B. wellsi. Furthermore, the only known extant species of the genus Parasimplastrea appears to be embedded within the Blastomussa clade, thus prompting its taxonomic revision. Because Blastomussa is closely related to the monospecific Nemenzophyllia, the affinities of their polyp and corallite morphology are discussed. Although polyp morphology and molecular data suggest that Blastomussa, Plerogyra, Physogyra, and Nemenzophyllia could constitute a new scleractinian family, the macro and micromorphology of their skeletons need to be examined before a family diagnosis can be formulated