Book review: McCance and Widdowson's the composition of foods - sixth summary edition

The sixth summary edition of McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods Tables, compiled by the Food Standards Agency and the Institute of Food Research was recently published. The initial endeavours of Professor McCance and Dr Widdowson in the 1930's have been extensively developed, and this work composes a valuable reference tool for all those with an interest in UK food and nutrient consumption. This review considers the changes observed in the latest edition of these tables

A review of the nutritional guidance for athletes to prevent eating disorders

Since the 1980s eating disorders (ED) have gained increasing prevalence, with athletes proving to be at a higher risk compared to non‐athletes. Eating disorders can significantly impact the health and performance of an athlete, however, certain guidelines are in place for prevention, treatment and management. NICE and UK Sport were two guidelines that were identified as being referenced within the UK. This paper aimed to evaluate their utility and establish whether modifications are required to prevent ED within athletic populations. A checklist was created based on peer‐reviewed recommendations and used in conjunction with conceptualised case studies based on information sourced from proposed key informant interviews. Whilst both guidelines are extensive in the identification of symptoms associated with ED, they lack recognised recommended screening methods. Furthermore, although both contain some form of validated treatment, NICE recommends cognitive behavioural therapy despite acknowledging the lack of evidence supporting its beneficial application. In contrast to recommendations regarding physical therapy, NICE also states to avoid certain treatments, such as yoga, despite beneficial evidence of its treatment/rehabilitation for ED. When applied to case studies, both guidelines demonstrated the need for refinement and improvement in recommendations relating to weight loss and screening methods. To form an accurate critique of the guidelines, an assessment of their applicability and suitability in the prevention, treatment and management of ED in a practical sporting environment involving consenting participants is required

Cadherin-5: a biomarker for metastatic breast cancer with optimum efficacy in oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancers with vascular invasion

Background: A glycoproteomic study has previously shown cadherin-5 (CDH5) to be a serological marker of metastatic breast cancer when both protein levels and glycosylation status were assessed. In this study we aimed to further validate the utility of CDH5 as a biomarker for breast cancer progression. Methods: A nested case–control study of serum samples from breast cancer patients, of which n=52 had developed a distant metastatic recurrence within 5 years post-diagnosis and n=60 had remained recurrence-free. ELISAs were used to quantify patient serum CDH5 levels and assess glycosylation by Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA) binding. Clinicopathological, treatment and lifestyle factors associated with metastasis and elevated biomarker levels were identified. Results: Elevated CDH5 levels (P=0.028) and ratios of CDH5:HPA binding (P=0.007) distinguished patients with metastatic disease from those that remained metastasis-free. Multivariate analysis showed that the association between CDH5:HPA ratio and the formation of distant metastases was driven by patients with oestrogen receptor (ER+) positive cancer with vascular invasion (VI+). Conclusions: CDH5 levels and the CDH5 glycosylation represent biomarker tests that distinguish patients with metastatic breast cancer from those that remain metastasis-free. The test reached optimal sensitivity and specificity in ER-positive cancers with vascular invasion

A Compact 3H(p,gamma)4He 19.8-MeV Gamma-Ray Source for Energy Calibration at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) is a new 1000-tonne D2O Cerenkov solar neutrino detector. A high energy gamma-ray source is needed to calibrate SNO beyond the 8B solar neutrino endpoint of 15 MeV. This paper describes the design and construction of a source that generates 19.8-MeV gamma rays using the 3H(p,gamma)4He reaction (``pt''), and demonstrates that the source meets all the physical, operational and lifetime requirements for calibrating SNO. An ion source was built into this unit to generate and to accelerate protons up to 30 keV, and a high purity scandium tritide target with a scandium-tritium atomic ratio of 1:2.0+/-0.2 was included. This pt source is the first self-contained, compact, and portable high energy gamma-ray source (E>10 MeV).Comment: 33 pages (including 2 table, 12 figures) This is the revised manuscript, accepted for publication in NIM A. This revision relfects minor editorial changes from the previous versio

Molecular analysis of fungal communities and laccase genes in decomposing litter reveals differences among forest types but no impact of nitrogen deposition

The fungal community of the forest floor was examined as the cause of previously reported increases in soil organic matter due to experimental N deposition in ecosystems producing predominantly high-lignin litter, and the opposite response in ecosystems producing low-lignin litter. The mechanism proposed to explain this phenomenon was that white-rot basidiomycetes are more important in the degradation of high-lignin litter than of low-lignin litter, and that their activity is suppressed by N deposition. We found that forest floor mass in the low-lignin sugar-maple dominated system decreased in October due to experimental N deposition, whereas forest floor mass of high-lignin oak-dominated ecosystems was unaffected by N deposition. Increased relative abundance of basidiomycetes in high-lignin forest floor was confirmed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and sequencing. Abundance of basidiomycete laccase genes, encoding an enzyme used by white-rot basidiomycetes in the degradation of lignin, was 5–10 times greater in high-lignin forest floor than in low-lignin forest floor. While the differences between the fungal communities in different ecosystems were consistent with the proposed mechanism, no significant effects of N deposition were detected on DGGE profiles, laccase gene abundance, laccase length heterogeneity profiles, or phenol oxidase activity. Our observations indicate that the previously detected accumulation of soil organic matter in the high-lignin system may be driven by effects of N deposition on organisms in the mineral soil, rather than on organisms residing in the forest floor. However, studies of in situ gene expression and temporal and spatial variability within forest floor communities will be necessary to further relate the ecosystem dynamics of organic carbon to microbial communities and atmospheric N deposition.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72825/1/j.1462-2920.2007.01250.x.pd

Is there an association between airborne and surface microbes in the critical care environment?

BackgroundThere are few data and no accepted standards for air quality in the intensive care unit (ICU). Any relationship between airborne pathogens and hospital-acquired infection (HAI) risk in the ICU remains unknown.AimFirst, to correlate environmental contamination of air and surfaces in the ICU; second, to examine any association between environmental contamination and ICU-acquired staphylococcal infection.MethodsPatients, air, and surfaces were screened on 10 sampling days in a mechanically ventilated 10-bed ICU for a 10-month period. Near-patient hand-touch sites (N = 500) and air (N = 80) were screened for total colony count and Staphylococcus aureus. Air counts were compared with surface counts according to proposed standards for air and surface bioburden. Patients were monitored for ICU-acquired staphylococcal infection throughout.FindingsOverall, 235 of 500 (47%) surfaces failed the standard for aerobic counts (≤2.5 cfu/cm2). Half of passive air samples (20/40: 50%) failed the ‘index of microbial air’ contamination (2 cfu/9 cm plate/h), and 15/40 (37.5%) active air samples failed the clean air standard

Tunneling Violates Special Relativity

Experiments with evanescent modes and tunneling particles have shown that i) their signal velocity may be faster than light, ii) they are described by virtual particles, iii) they are nonlocal and act at a distance, iv) experimental tunneling data of phonons, photons, and electrons display a universal scattering time at the tunneling barrier front, and v) the properties of evanescent, i.e. tunneling modes is not compatible with the special theory of relativity

Field and Petrographic Analysis of the Indian Peak-Caliente Caldera Complex at Condor and English Canyons in Eastern Nevada

The Indian Peak-Caliente Caldera Complex, or IPCCC, is an ideal site to study how large-scale tectonic forces can influence mineralogy on a local scale. This research was completed and compiled by the Tectonics and Mineralogy classes at Southern Utah University during a joint class field study and subsequent laboratory analyses. During the field trip, the main focuses were to observe caldera collapse relationships and ignimbrite features and to collect samples at Condor Canyon and English Canyon, two sites near the border between Nevada and Utah within the IPCCC. After the field trip, the Tectonics class completed a detailed literature review of the overall tectonic evolution of the region while the Mineralogy students petrographically analyzed the collected samples. This report provides a summary of the results, including mineralogical descriptions; an interpretation of a piece-meal, or piston-like, collapse of the caldera complex; and a connection between the local geology and the regional tectonic setting

Relationship of dietary monounsaturated fatty acids to blood pressure: the international study of macro/micronutrients and blood pressure

Objective: In short-term feeding trials, replacement of other macronutrients with monounsaturated fatty acid reduces blood pressure. However, observational studies have not clearly demonstrated a relationship between monounsaturated fatty acid intake and blood pressure. We report associations of monounsaturated fatty acid intake of individuals with blood pressure in a cross-sectional study. Methods: The International Study of Macro/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure is a cross-sectional epidemiologic study of 4,680 men and women ages 40-59 from 17 population samples in China, Japan, United Kingdom, and United States. Nutrient intake data were based on four in-depth multi-pass 24-hour dietary recalls/person and two timed 24-hour urine collections/person. Blood pressure was measured eight times at four visits. Results: Mean monounsaturated fatty acid intake ranged from 8.1 %kcal (China) to 12.2%kcal (United States). With sequential models to control for possible confounders (dietary, other), linear regression analyses showed significant inverse relationship of total monounsaturated fatty acid intake with diastolic blood pressure for all participants; for 2,238 “non-intervened” individuals, the relationship was stronger. Estimated diastolic blood pressure differences with 2-SD higher monounsaturated fatty acids (5.35 %kcal) were -0.82 mm Hg (P<0.05) for all participants and -1.70 mm Hg (P<0.01) for non-intervened individuals. Inverse associations of dietary total oleic acid (main monounsaturated) with blood pressure in non-intervened individuals were not significant, but those of oleic acid from vegetable sources were stronger and significant (P<0.05). Conclusions: Dietary monounsaturated fatty acid intake, especially oleic acid from vegetable sources, may contribute to prevention and control of adverse blood pressure levels in general populations. Condensed Abstract The associations of monounsaturated fatty acid intake of individuals with blood pressure was investigated in a cross-sectional epidemiologic study of 4,680 men and women ages 40-59 from 17 population samples in China, Japan, United Kingdom, and United States. Linear regression analyses showed significant inverse relationship of total monounsaturated fatty acid intake with diastolic blood pressure. Inverse associations of dietary total oleic acid from vegetable sources with blood pressure in non-intervened individuals were stronger and significant. Dietary monounsaturated fatty acid intake, especially oleic acid from vegetable sources, may contribute to prevention and control of adverse blood pressure levels in general populations