Haemoglobin status of adult non-pregnant Kazakh women living in Kzyl-Orda region, Kazakhstan.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of anaemia among adult non-pregnant women in the Kzyl-Orda region of Kazakhstan, and to determine the association between haemoglobin concentration and anthropometric, socioeconomic, reproductive and dietary factors. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study using a randomly selected sample. Subjects were interviewed, and finger-prick blood samples and anthropometric measurements were collected. Associations between haemoglobin concentration and anthropometric and questionnaire data were evaluated by sequential linear regression analysis. SETTING: Health centres in Kazalinsk, Djalagash and Zhanakorgan districts of Kzyl-Orda region, Kazakhstan. SUBJECTS: Three-thousand six-hundred and twenty-five non-pregnant women aged 18-45 y randomly selected from health centre records. RESULTS: Iron deficiency anaemia, as reflected by low haemoglobin levels (Hb<12 g/dl), was detected in 40.2% of the total sample. There was a significant curvilinear relationship between haemoglobin concentration and age, with the nadir of the curve in the 30-40 y age-group. Haemoglobin concentration was found to be positively associated with body mass index (BMI) and socioeconomic factors. Significant negative associations were found between haemoglobin concentration and duration of menses, use of the intra-uterine contraceptive device and the consumption of tea. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that iron deficiency anaemia is present at considerable levels among adult women living in Kzyl-Orda region, Kazakhstan, and provides important baseline information for future research and public health interventions. SPONSORSHIP: Funding was provided by the United States Agency for International Development, Office of Nutrition, the United Kingdom Department for International Development, and the Polden-Puckham Trust

“The Socio-Cultural Impact of the War of American Independence on Liverpool, 1775-83.”

Much has been written about how the American Revolutionary War affected the British Isles. However, Liverpool (arguably the second city of empire) rarely features within such literature. This article redresses this oversight, and considers the socio-cultural impact of the war on the town. Liverpool will illustrate three key themes: first, that, contrary to some suggestions, eighteenth-century warfare did impact on British society; second, that both the localities and the central fiscal-military state influenced the agenda; third, that warfare generated division and unity. This third point has important implications for our understanding of British opinion, imperial ideology and national identity c.1775-83

Coupled techniques for arsenic speciation in food and drinking water: A review

Arsenic is ubiquitous in nature appearing in various chemical forms. The toxicity, environmental mobility and accumulation of As in living organisms depends on the form in which the element exists, thus requiring techniques which can identify specific forms whilst retaining their integrity during extraction and pre-treatment prior to measurement. Both organic and inorganic arsenic species may be present in food staples of both terrestrial and marine origin as well as natural waters, at sub ng l-1 to high mg l-1 levels. In this review, the speciation steps (sample preparation, species speciation and detection) most commonly used for the determination of As in food are described. High performance liquid chromatography separation with plasma source mass spectrometry is often the technique of choice due to its versatility, robustness and good detection limits. However, detection systems such as atomic absorption spectroscopy, atomic fluorescence spectrometry, and atomic emission spectrometry are also widely used and covered in this review together with some less utilised techniques. This journal i

The complete mitochondrial genome of a Buckfast bee, Apis mellifera (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Northern Ireland

We analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome of the ‘Buckfast bee’, Apis mellifera, collected from Northern Ireland, UK. It consisted of a circular molecule of 16,353 bp. The genome contained 13 protein-coding, 22 tRNA, and 2 rRNA genes, along with one A + T-rich control region. The average AT content was 84.9%. The genes ATP8 and ATP6 shared 19 nucleotides. A phylogenetic analysis, suggested that the matriline ‘Buckfast bee’ has remained most closely related to the A. mellifera ligustica race from which it originated in 1917, despite being cross-bred with many other A. mellifera races over the past 100 years

Atomic spectrometry updates. Review of advances in elemental speciation

This is the sixth Atomic Spectrometry Update (ASU) to focus specifically on advances in elemental speciation and covers a period of approximately 12 months from December 2012. This review deals with all aspects of the analytical speciation methods developed for: the determination of oxidation states; organometallic compounds; coordination compounds; metal and heteroatom- containing biomolecules, including metalloproteins, proteins, peptides and amino acids; and the use of metal-tagging to facilitate detection via atomic spectrometry. The review does not specifically deal with fractionation, sometimes termed operationally defined speciation. As with all ASU reviews 1-5 the coverage of the topic is confined to those methods that incorporate atomic spectrometry as the measurement technique. However, molecular MS techniques are covered where the use is in parallel or series with atomic spectrometry. As with previous years As and Se speciation continues to dominate current literature. However, research is moving further towards understanding the toxicological and beneficial mechanisms of these two elements. There is also in increase in macromolecular analysis, with a decrease in detection limits for some methodologies, which increases the potential clinical use of the techniques employed. The use of both atomic and molecular spectrometry is well developed in these fields, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of today's research environment. The trend towards lower cost more rapid analytical methods, often involving non-chromatographic speciation, also continues apace. This journal is © 2014 the Partner Organisations

Five things to watch out for at the Chinese Communist Party conference

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will soon embark on its own “Game of Thrones” as delegates gather for its 19th National Congress in Beijing. A variety of posts will be filled for the next five years – including the vitally important General Secretary of the CCP (President of the People’s Republic of China or PRC), as well as members of the Standing Committee (roughly akin to the UK Cabinet). These individuals will find themselves leading a massive organisation, which has more than 80m members, and running what is arguably the world’s largest economy. They will wield considerable powers but the incumbent leader is unlikely to relinquish his grip on power. So what should we look out for