Getting the inactive active : implications for public health policy

Epidemiological data have established that a sedentary lifestyle increases the incidence of at least 17 medical conditions. The evidence is strongest for coronary heart disease. A sedentary lifestyle is now the normal lifestyle for the majority of the populations in developed countries and relapse from regular physical activity is also high. Thus there is clear need for public policy aimed at increasing the physical activity levels in the population. Policy makers have begun to respond to this need and recently Scottish and English plans for increasing physical activity levels in the populations have been published

Objective measurement of therapeutic response in breast cancer using tumour markers.

In 65 patients with systemic breast cancer, a biochemical response index using three tumour markers in combination, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), allowed objective biochemical assessment of response to endocrine therapy. Changes in these three markers at 2, 4 and 6 months showed a highly significant correlation with UICC assessed response at 6 months. At 4 months, changes in these three markers resulted in a selectivity of 93%, with a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 82%. Survival of groups of patients assessed biochemically or by UICC criteria for non-progression or progression showed no significant difference. The advantage of the biochemical assessment are that it is objective and reproducible. The assessment gives similar information to the UICC assessment but can be carried out earlier. Changes in the three markers appears to reflect the dynamics of change in tumour mass in response to systemic therapy in contrast to the UICC criteria which reflect structural change

Altering river flow impacts estuarine species and catches: lessons from giant mud crabs

Anthropogenic alterations to river flow could have repercussions for flow-dependent species downstream but few studies account for these dynamic relationships or quantify impacts of altered river flow. Scylla serrata—a widely distributed portunid crab—was used as an example of a flow-dependent species to model impacts of altered flow on species abundance and catch. Crab population dynamics were modelled across a large semi-enclosed tropical sea in northern Australia. Environmental drivers, primarily river flow, but also temperature and the Southern Oscillation Index were linked to crab dynamics to explain variability in historical catches. Catch and abundance could then be predicted under altered flow scenarios. River flow significantly improved the ability to explain historical catches for some regions but not all, and the strength of this relationship varied across catchments. Altered flows had negligible effects for perennial rivers but for ephemeral and temporally variable rivers, predicted decreases in abundance and catch ranged from 36 to 46% on average. Our modelling approach showcases a way to dynamically and rigorously quantify impacts of altered river flow on a key species with potential to help inform natural resource management, including policy decisions on the timing, quantity, and method of water removed from rivers