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Summary: Background: Parental inability to recognize child overweight and physician reluctance to instigate discussion prevents behaviour change. Objective: To evaluate parental acceptance of child overweight status following screening. Methods: Interviewers used motivational interviewing or best practice care to discuss overweight status of 271 young children (BMI ≥ 85th) with parents using simple traffic‐light BMI charts. Follow‐up sessions two weeks later (n = 251, 93%) were coded qualitatively to assess parental reactions to the information (overweight diagnosis) and how it was presented (feedback condition). Results: Eight‐two percent of parents rated the charts positively with few (8–10%) feeling judged. Motivational interviewing parents viewed feedback as more empathetic (relative risk, 95% CI: 4.07, 1.64–10.09), but more uncomfortable (12.2, 1.48–100.1) than best practice care parents. Overall, 65.2% of parents accepted their child was overweight, 22.1% were ambivalent and 12.7% rejected the information. Although motivational interviewing parents were less likely to accept it (OR, 95% CI: 0.49, 0.37–0.64) and more likely to be ambivalent (2.01, 1.17–3.47), the most important predictor of acceptance was a positive experience of feedback (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Simple traffic‐light charts facilitate discussion of child overweight status with parents. Style of feedback is less relevant than ensuring a positive experience for parents to increase acceptance of the weight information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Objectives: Although monitoring is considered a key component of effective behaviour change, the development of apps has allowed consumers to constantly evaluate their own diet, with little examination of what this might mean for eating behaviour. The aim of this study was to investigate whether self‐monitoring of diet using the app MyFitnessPal or daily self‐weighing increases the reported occurrence of eating disorders in adults with overweight/obesity following a weight loss programme. Methods: Two hundred fifty adults with body mass index ≥ 27 kg/m2 received diet and exercise advice and were randomized to one of four monitoring strategies (daily self‐weighing, MyFitnessPal, brief monthly consults or self‐monitoring hunger) or control for 12 months. The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire 6.0 was used to assess eating disorder symptoms and behaviours for the previous 28 d at 0 and 12 months. Results: There were no significant differences in the global Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire score or the subscales between those in the four monitoring groups and the control at 12 months (all p ≥ 0.164), nor were there differences in binge eating, self‐induced vomiting, laxative misuse or excessive exercise at 12 months (p ≥ 0.202). The overall prevalence of one or more episodes of binge eating was 53.6% at baseline and 50.6% at 12 months, with no change over time (p = 0.662). Conclusions: There was no evidence that self‐monitoring, including using diet apps like MyFitnessPal or daily self‐weighing, increases the reported occurrence of eating disorder behaviours in adults with overweight/obesity who are trying to lose weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article discusses epizootic papillomatosis including the orocutaneous neoplasms in fish. It is suggested that the next generation sequencing (NGS) method is used to complete the investigation. Also included are envelope proteins amino acid sequence alignment and envelope protein sequences phylogenetic tree.

Background and objectives The ability of bioelectrical impedance ( BIA) to measure change in body composition in children has rarely been examined. Methods Body composition was estimated by BIA (Tanita BC-418) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry ( DXA) in 187 children aged 4-8 years at baseline and at 12 months. Change in body composition was compared between the two methods using mixed models. Results Estimates of change in fat mass did not differ between BIA and DXA for overweight girls (mean difference between methods, 95% confidence interval: 0.04 kg, −0.19 to 0.28) or boys (0.07 kg, −0.14 to 0.27). BIA was also able to accurately detect change in fat-free mass, with no significant differences between methods (−0.14 kg, −0.10 to 0.38 in girls and −0.07 kg, −0.35 to −0.20 in boys). Change in percentage fat produced similar estimates in both genders (0.18%, −0.82 to 0.46 in girls and 0.38%, −0.37 to 1.13 in boys). BIA/ DXA comparisons in normal weight children were also not significantly different, with the exception of percentage fat in girls, where BIA slightly underestimated change compared with DXA (0.7%, 0.02-0.37). Conclusion BIA performed well as a measure of change in body composition, providing confidence for its use as an outcome measure in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Previous studies have documented the prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm ( AAA) during transthoracic echocardiography, but the effect of such screening on subsequent vascular interventions remains unclear. Aim This study aimed to determine the utility of opportunistic selective screening for AAA in a contemporary large series of patients having transthoracic echocardiography. Methods Subjects aged 50 years or older having transthoracic echocardiography had scanning of the infrarenal aorta in a consecutive series of 10 403 men and women. Results The study subjects had a mean age of 70.2 ± 10.7 years, and 54.1% were men. There was a 3.5% (95% confidence interval ( CI) 3.2-3.9%) prevalence of AAA with a median diameter of 39 mm (interquartile range 32 mm-48 mm). In males ≥ 65 years the prevalence of newly diagnosed AAA was 6.2% (95% CI 5.5-7.0%). Of those with newly diagnosed AAA, 39.7% underwent AAA repair. Age and male gender were associated with AAA prevalence. After adjustment for age and gender, echocardiographic variables associated with AAA were left ventricular end diastolic dimension (odds ratio ( OR) 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.04), interventricular septum thickness ( OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.06-1.17), left ventricular posterior wall thickness ( OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.03-1.15), left atrial diameter ( OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02-1.07) and aortic root diameter ( OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.06-1.11). Conclusions This study revealed a high prevalence of newly diagnosed AAA in a group of older men having cardiac evaluation. There was a relationship of increasing age with AAA, and a significant proportion of newly diagnosed subjects were not suitable for AAA repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Diabetes rates are especially high in China. Risk of Type 2 diabetes increases with high intakes of white rice, a staple food of Chinese people. Ethnic differences in postprandial glycaemia have been reported. We compared glycaemic responses to glucose and five rice varieties in people of European and Chinese ethnicity and examined possible determinants of ethnic differences in postprandial glycaemia. Methods Self-identified Chinese ( n = 32) and European ( n = 31) healthy volunteers attended on eight occasions for studies following ingestion of glucose and jasmine, basmati, brown, Doongara® and parboiled rice. In addition to measuring glycaemic response, we investigated physical activity levels, extent of chewing of rice and salivary α-amylase activity to determine whether these measures explained any differences in postprandial glycaemia. Results Glycaemic response, measured by incremental area under the glucose curve, was over 60% greater for the five rice varieties ( P < 0.001) and 39% greater for glucose ( P < 0.004) amongst Chinese compared with Europeans. The calculated glycaemic index was approximately 20% greater for rice varieties other than basmati ( P = 0.01 to 0.05). Ethnicity [adjusted risk ratio 1.4 (1.2-1.8) P < 0.001] and rice variety were the only important determinants of incremental area under the glucose curve. Conclusions Glycaemic responses following ingestion of glucose and several rice varieties are appreciably greater in Chinese compared with Europeans, suggesting the need to review recommendations regarding dietary carbohydrate amongst rice-eating populations at high risk of diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is already known about this subject Factors associated with children's body mass index (BMI) include parents' BMIs, birth weight, maternal smoking, sleep duration and television watching., Few studies have attempted to quantify either changes in the association between risk factors and BMI or the contribution of changes in the risk factors to increases in BMI over a generation., What this study adds The magnitude of the association between most risk factors and children's BMIs has not changed over a 29-year period., Increases in the population level of mothers' body mass index (BMI) explains ∼20% of the increase in children's BMI whereas the smaller increase in fathers' BMI contributes only 6%., Maternal smoking, despite the decrease in prevalence, contributes ∼17%., Objective Using two cohorts born 29 years apart in Dunedin, New Zealand we aim to examine changes in risk factors and their associations with body mass index ( BMI) at ages 3 and 7 years, and estimate their contribution to the secular changes in BMI at age 7 years. Methods Birth weight and anthropometric measures at ages 3, 5 and 7 years were obtained for 974 participants in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study ( DMHDS), born in 1972-1973, and 241 in the Family Lifestyle, Activity, Movement and Eating Study ( FLAME), born in 2001-2002. Information about maternal age, education and smoking in pregnancy, as well as breastfeeding, children's television time and time in bed, was obtained by questionnaire. Results The increase in BMI over the 29-year period was 0.84 (95% CI 0.61, 1.06) kg m−2 at age 7. A 1-unit difference in the mother's BMI was associated with a 0.06 (0.03, 0.08) kg m−2 difference in offspring in both studies; the 3.4 (2.8, 4.0) kg m−2 increase in the mothers' BMIs accounts for a change of 0.19 kg m−2 in the children's BMI. The much smaller generational increase in fathers' BMI (0.7 kg m−2) correspondingly had a more limited effect on change in child BMI over time (0.06 kg m−2). Although smoking in pregnancy decreased by 15% (8, 21) its association with BMI increased from 0.20 (−0.01, 0.42) in the DMHDS cohort to 1.24 (0.76, 1.71) kg m−2 in the FLAME cohort, contributing 0.18 kg m−2 to the increase in children's BMI. Conclusions Societal factors such as higher maternal BMI and smoking in pregnancy contribute most to the secular increase in BMI, with changes in behavioural factors, including sleep and television viewing, having little effect in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabet. Med. 27, 1205–1208 (2010) Objective To compare postprandial glycaemic responses between Asian and Caucasian subjects. Research design and methods Postprandial capillary blood glucose concentrations were measured as 2-h incremental areas-under-the-curve (iAUCs) following consumption of a glucose beverage and a breakfast cereal in 27 Asians and 73 Caucasians. Results The mean difference in iAUC was 29% (95% CI 10, 51) and 63% (95% CI 32, 102) higher in the Asian compared with the Caucasian group following the glucose beverage and cereal, respectively. The glycaemic index (GI) of the cereal was 77 (95% CI 66, 90) in the Asian group and 61 (95% CI 55, 67) in the Caucasian group; the values were different ( P = 0.01). Conclusions The findings suggest that dietary recommendations for people with diabetes and those at risk of Type 2 diabetes may be more appropriate if based on research in the ethnic group for which they are intended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preterm birth (PTB) is a significant neonatal health problem that is more common in African-Americans (AA) than in European-Americans (EA). Part of this disparity is likely to result from the differing genetic architectures of EA and AA. To begin assessing the role of these differences, patterns of genetic variation in two previously proposed candidate genes, encoding interleukin 6 ( IL6) and its receptor ( IL6R), were analyzed in mothers and fetuses from 496 EA birth-events (149 cases and 347 controls) and 397 birth-events in AA (76 cases and 321 controls). IL-6 levels in amniotic fluid (AF) samples were determined in a subset of these pregnancies. Case-control comparisons revealed a single SNP in IL6R associated with PTB (p=0.04 for allelic and p=0.05 for genotype association). In addition, all of the SNPs studied showed significant frequency differences between AA and EA in at least one comparison, significantly in excess of that expected from general population databases. Higher IL-6 concentrations were associated with the IL6 SNP -661 in EA preterm samples (p=0.0056), and this result seems to be driven by microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity, indicating a gene by infection interaction. These findings indicate that, as a function of IL6 genotype, EA and AA women respond differently to infection with respect to their expression of IL-6. Our data support differential genetic control of levels of IL-6 in amniotic fluid between EA and AA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This was a cross-sectional study of stress in a stratified, random sample of New Zealand farmers (n = 1015). Data were obtained on farming-specific environmental stressors, demographics and farm information. The stressor questionnaire grouped questions into seven sections; policy and procedures, finance, time pressures, hazards in farming, unpredictable factors in farming, geographical isolation, and community issues. The response rate was 60 per cent of farms. The most stressful events were ‘increased work load at peak times’, ‘dealing with workers’ compensation', ‘bad weather’, and ‘complying with health and safety legislation’. There were differences between men and women regarding stress experienced. Factor analysis found that the proposed model of farm-specific stressors fitted the data moderately well. Age, being separated or divorced, being a deer farmer, the farm not making a profit in the last year, and supervising staff were independently associated with higher stress. The study highlights certain stressful factors that may be alleviated by action by farmer and government organizations as well as rural communities, including matters to do with staffing and health and safety, and financial and community support. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Association studies using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have the potential to help unravel the genetic basis of hypertension. Nevertheless, to date, association studies of hypertension have yielded ambiguous results. It is becoming clear that such association studies must be interpreted within the context of the genetic structure of the populations being studied, and patterns of variation within specific genomic regions. With this in mind we analyzed genetic variation in the G protein-coupled receptor kinase 4 ( GRK4) gene, a gene whose product has recently been shown to inhibit the dopamine receptor D1 (DRD1) from increasing sodium excretion. We genotyped three previously identified GRK4 SNPs, as well as ten additional SNPs, over 71.6 kb of the GRK4 locus in four populations: African Americans, Asians, Hispanics and Caucasians. Haplotype structure varied among populations, with Hispanics and Caucasians having the most linkage disequilibrium (LD) among SNPs. African Americans had three shorter haplotype blocks, while patterns of markers in the Asian populations demonstrated less LD among markers, a pattern inconsistent with block structure. We observed limited haplotype diversity in each of the four populations, with differing haplotype frequencies among the ethnic groups. We also found substantial evidence for population differentiation, with the largest differences between the African-American and Asian samples with FST values in the upper 90th percentile when compared to a genome-wide distribution. However, for all population comparisons, FST values decreased sharply in the 3′ region of the gene. This pattern of differentiation among populations is consistent with selection in this part of the gene maintaining similar patterns of variation among otherwise divergent populations. Our results document not only different allele frequencies between populations, but differences in haplotype structure that may be important in evaluating association studies between hypertension and GRK4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethanol enhances mesolimbic/cortical dopamine activity in reward and reinforcement circuits. We investigated the hypothesis that risk for alcoholism may be mediated by genes for neurotransmitters associated with the dopamine reward system as well as genes for enzymes involved in ethanol metabolism. DNA was extracted from brain tissue collected at autopsy from pathologically characterized alcoholics and controls. PCR-based assays showed that alcoholism was associated with polymorphisms of the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) TaqI B (P = .029) and the GABAA-β2 subunit C1412T (P = .012) genes, but not with the glutamate receptor subunit gene NMDAR2B (366C/G), the serotonin transporter gene (5HTTL-PR), the dopamine transporter gene DAT1(SLC6A3), the dopamine D2 receptor gene DRD2 TaqI A, or the GABAA α1(A15G),0 α6(T1519C), and γ2(G3145A) subunit genes. The glial glutamate transporter gene EAAT2 polymorphism G603A was associated with alcoholic cirrhosis (P = .048). The genotype for the most active alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme ADH1C was associated with a lower risk of alcoholism (P = .026) and was less prevalent in alcoholics with DRD2TaqIA2/A2 (P = .047), GABAA-β 1412C/C (P = .01), or EAAT2 603G/A (P = .022) genotypes. Combined DRD2TaqI A or B with GABAA-2 or EAAT2 G603A genotypes may have a concerted influence in the predisposition to alcoholism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the financial impact of childhood cancer on families.Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of parents caring for children who were diagnosed with cancer during the period 1990-1993. Self-administered questionnaires were completed by the parents of 237 children from throughout New Zealand with different types of cancer. Dollar amounts were adjusted to the equivalent of December 2000.Results: Eighty-six per cent of the 192 living children were well or in remission. A further 45 children had died. The average extra amount spent, because of the child's illness, by the family of a living child in the 30 days prior to participation in the study was NZ$220 (SD NZ$330). On average, this was 13% of the family income after tax. After reported entitlement to compensation from various sources was allowed for, families were left with a mean deficit of NZ$157 (SD NZ$278) for the 30 days. Twelve families had a shortfall of more than NZ$500, including three families that had a shortfall of more than NZ$1000. Expenditure was greater for those whose children spent more time in hospital (P = 0.003). There was no significant association between the total cost and the distance travelled to the treatment centre (P = 0.96). For 24 families, after-tax income in the month prior to participation in the study was at least NZ$500 lower than it had been in the month before the child's diagnosis. Thirty-seven per cent of families reported that they needed to borrow money because of the financial effects of the child's illness. Bereaved parents spent an average of NZ$3065 (SD NZ$2168) on funeral expenses.Conclusion: There is a large financial burden on families who have a child with cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While partial-mouth recording is often used in epidemiological studies of periodontal disease because of the efficiencies afforded in data collection, there has been no investigation of the extent to which information is lost in studies of young adults using the combined attachment loss (CAL) approach. Methods: A random sample of 25- and 26-year-olds was periodontally examined at 3 sites per tooth in all 4 quadrants. The analysis obtained full-mouth prevalence estimates for gingival recession (GR), probing depth (PD), and CAL. The half-mouth analyses took 3 forms: 1) estimates from each of the left and right sides were obtained and compared; 2) estimates were obtained separately and compared for quadrants 1 and 3 (upper right and lower left), and quadrants 2 and 4 (upper left and lower right); and 3) estimates were obtained from a diagonal half-mouth count, whereby quadrants 1 and 3 were analyzed for study participants whose identification number was odd, and quadrants 2 and 4 were analyzed for the remainder. The utility of the half-mouth and full-mouth approaches in analytical epidemiology was examined by estimating the strength of the association between periodontitis prevalence and smoking, male gender, and episodic use of dental care. Results: Of the 169 participants examined, 100 (59.2%) were female, 54 (32.0%) were smokers, and 78 (46.2%) were episodic dental visitors. The difference in prevalence estimates obtained from the different methods was considerably greater for GR than for PD and CAL. The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) for the prevalence of 1 or more teeth with ≥4 mm of CAL among smokers was 2.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0, 5.3) using the full data set and 2.4 (95% CI 0.9. 6.1) using the diagonal half-mouth approach. Similarly close odds ratios were observed for males and, to a lesser extent, for episodic dental visitors. Conclusions: Wherever possible, full-mouth data should be collected for descriptive epidemic logical studies of periodontal disease, but where resource and time constraints mean that half-mouth examinations must be used, analytical studies of periodontitis should not be unduly affected by the loss of information. However, where the primary focus of the latter is upon gingival recession, the full-mouth design should be used in order to capture all relevant information, and attention should be directed to making economies in other areas of the data collection process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: This study assessed the effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy on ventilatory and waking responses of infants to a respiratory challenge. This challenge mimicked the time-course and concentration of gases that an infant would experience rebreathing face-down into soft bedding. Control (C; n = 97) and smokers' infants (SM; n = 96) were studied at ages I and 3 mo. Asphyxial gas (hypercapnia/hypoxia) was delivered to the supine sleeping baby via a hood by slowly altering the inspired air: CO2 maximum 5% and O2 minimum 13.5%. Respiratory pattern was recorded by inductive plethysmography as the sum of ribcage and abdominal movements. The change in ventilation with inspired CO2 was measured over 5-6 min of the test. The slope of a linear curve fit relating inspired CO2 to the logarithm of ventilation was taken as a quantitative measure of ventilatory asphyxial sensitivity (VAS). Protective responses were graded from 1: no waking and an estimated arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) > or = 60 mmHg (least protective), to 4: fully awake (most protective). The results showed VAS was higher in SM infants than controls: +0.03 (p = 0.04). The oxygen saturation (SaO2) of SM infants fell -0.4% (p = 0.02) more than SaO2 of controls despite a greater tidal volume increase: +13.0% (p = 0.04). Overall protective responses were the same between groups, but grade 1, although rare, was found in 7 SM infants and only 4 control infants; this difference was not significant. Conclusion: The study did not confirm the postulate that infants of mothers who smoked during pregnancy have a reduced ventilatory response or raised waking thresholds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the prevalence of alveolar bone loss (ABL) in 5-year-old New Zealand children. The relationship of bone loss with the prevalence of caries, socio-economic status and ethnic origin was examined. Standardized bite-wing radiographs from 317 children were used to examine the alveolar bone in 1784 sites. Questionable bone loss (QBL) was evident in 8.5% of the children and definite bone loss (DBL) in 2.1%. The children with suitable radiographs had a mean dmft of 1.8 ±2.9 and mean dmfs of 2.7±5.0. When the children were divided into 3 groups having no bone loss (NBL), QBL only or DBL, analysis of variance on the logarithmic transformation of both the dmft and dmfs scores showed significant differences among the groups. Post hoc tests showed that the means for the DBL group were significantly different from those of the other 2 groups for both dmft and dmfs scores. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds ratio for having definite alveolar bone loss was slightly increased in children with a dmft of ≥ 9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim There is increasing interest in the role that peers may play to support positive health behaviours in diabetes, but there is limited evidence to inform policy and practice. The aim of this study was to systematically review evidence of the impact and effectiveness of peer support in adults living with diabetes. Methods We searched the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE and CINHAL for the period 1966-2011, together with reference lists of articles for eligible studies. Data were synthesized in a narrative review. Results Twenty-five studies, including fourteen randomized, controlled or comparative trials, met the inclusion criteria. There was considerable heterogeneity in the design, setting, outcomes and measurement tools. Peer support was associated with statistically significant improvements in glycaemic control (three out of 14 trials), blood pressure (one out of four trials), cholesterol (one out of six trials), BMI/weight (two out of seven trials), physical activity (two out of five trials), self-efficacy (two out of three trials), depression (four out of six trials) and perceived social support (two out of two trials). No consistent pattern of effect related to any model of peer support emerged. Conclusions Peer support appears to benefit some adults living with diabetes, but the evidence is too limited and inconsistent to support firm recommendations. There remains a need for further well-designed evaluations of its effectiveness and impact. Key questions remain over its suitability to the needs of particular individuals, populations and settings, how best to implement its specific components and the sustainability of its effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Vascular α2B adrenergic receptor (ADRA2B) mediate vasoconstriction and contribute to peripheral regulation of vascular tone. In vitro, ADRA2B undergoes agonist-induced desensitization and a common genetic variation, 301-303 deletion, was associated with loss of desensitization. We previously characterized variation in ADRA2B and observed 24 variant sites. This study examines the hypothesis that the 301-303del or other variants alter vascular desensitization in response to the selective ADRA2 agonist, dexmedetomidine (D) in vivo.Methods: Venoconstriction in response to D (0.01-1000 ng/min) was measured in the dorsal hand vein using a linear variable differential transformer in 40 healthy subjects (age 18-45 yrs). On a separate day, the dose that had caused > 50% constriction in the dose-response study was infused for 180 min and response measured. The area under the curve for response, normalized to the initial response (nAUC) was calculated. 5812 bp of contiguous sequence of ADRA2B were examined by bidirectional sequencing, and relationship of ADRA2B variants to nAUC determined.Results: Six variants (1 promoter, 3 coding, 2 3′ UTR) were found with an allele frequency> 5%. nAUC was 0.93 ± 0.22 (mean±SD). 301-303del or other common variant did not contribute to variability in nAUC.[Ins/Ins (n=22): 0.89 ± 0.23, Ins/del (n=11): 0.98 ±0.24, del/del (n=7): 0.98 ±0.16; pANOVA= 0.47].Conclusion: Common variants in ADRA2B do not contribute substantially to ADRA2B vascular desensitization in vivo.Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2005) 79, P31–P31; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2005.12.112 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The α2A-adrenergic receptor (ADRA2A) regulates systemic sympathetic activity and hence cardiovascular responses. The objectives of this study were to systematically search for variants in the ADRA2A gene, define its haplotype structure, and determine functional effects of genetic variants.Methods: We examined 5957 bp of contiguous sequence of ADRA2A (promoter, exonic, and 3'-flanking region) using bi-directional sequencing in 135 healthy subjects (85 Caucasian and 50 African-American). Haplotypes were inferred using an expectation-maximization algorithm. Plasma norepinephrine concentration, resting heart rate, and blood pressure were measured.Results: We identified 41 variants (24 novel); based on 9 selected markers, 11 haplotypes in 5 haplotype groups were inferred, representing 99% of the cohort. Two uncommon variants in complete linkage disequilibrium (G>C at -1903 and C>G at -1607, identified in 3 African-Americans) were associated with significantly increased plasma norepinephrine concentrations (376.7±6.1 vs. 218.4±95.0 pg/mL, p=0.011). There was no other significant association between genetic variants or haplotypes with phenotypes.Conclusion: We describe novel variants and the haplotype structure of the ADRA2A gene. Common genetic ADRA2A variants do not contribute substantially to baseline cardiovascular measures (plasma norepinephrine, heart rate, and blood pressure) in healthy subjects.Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2005) 79, P14–P14; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2005.12.049 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is known to occur more frequently at night. In two studies it has now been shown that a prone sleep position is more strongly associated with SIDS occurring during the day, whereas night-time deaths are more strongly associated with maternal smoking and illness., Conclusion: This variation, although unexplained, does suggest at least two SIDS subtypes: one related to sleep position and possibly a thermal mechanism, and one related to an uncontrolled inflammatory response to infection predominantly occurring at night. In addition, there are probably other mechanisms that do not show a circadian variation.

The aim of this study was to explore whether the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) associated with prone sleeping position and other risk factors varies with season. The study was a large nation-wide case-control study, which compared 485 cases with 1800 controls. Parents of 393 (81.0%) cases and 1591 (88.4%) controls were interviewed. Obstetric records were also examined. Infants dying in winter were older and had lower birthweights than those dying in summer. The increased risk of SIDS associated with prone sleeping position was greater in winter than in summer. In contrast, the increased risk of SIDS associated with excess thermal insulation and bed sharing was less in winter than in summer. Prone sleeping position accounts for about half of the difference between the mortality rate in summer and that in winter. This suggests that some factor related to season modifies the effect of prone sleeping position.

Aims: Because of the importance of treating dyslipidaemia in the prevention of ischaemic heart disease and because patient selection criteria and outcomes in clinical trials do not necessarily reflect what happens in normal clinical practice, we compared outcomes from bezafibrate, gemfibrozil and simvastatin therapy under conditions of normal use., Methods: A random sample of 200 patients was selected from the New Zealand Intensive Medicines Monitoring Programme's (IMMP) patient cohorts for each drug. Questionnaires sent to prescribers requested information on indications, risk factors for ischaemic heart disease, lipid profiles with changes during treatment and reasons for stopping therapy., Results: 80% of prescribers replied and 83% of these contained useful information. The three groups were similar for age, sex and geographical region, but significantly more patients on bezafibrate had diabetes and/or hypertension than those on gemfibrozil or simvastatin. After treatment and taking the initial measure into account, the changes in serum lipid values were consistent with those generally observed, but with gemfibrozil being significantly less effective than expected. More patients (15.8%S) stopped gemfibrozil because of an inadequate response compared with bezafibrate (5.4%) and simvastatin (1.6%). Gemfibrozil treatment was also withdrawn significantly more frequently due to a possible adverse reaction compared with the other two drugs., Conclusions: In normal clinical practice in New Zealand gemfibrozil appears less effective and more frequently causes adverse effects leading to withdrawal of treatment than either bezafibrate or simvastatin.

Pigeons key pecked for grain on a fixed-ratio 100 schedule; electric shocks occurred intermittently at the fifteenth or eighty-fifth response in the ratio. In Experiment I, shock was at the fifteenth response for two birds, and at the eighty-fifth response for two others, in every sixth, twelfth, or eighteenth ratio. Rate of responding decreased as frequency of shock increased, and the pattern of responding included an increased initial pause and low rates or pause-run sequences that extended further into the ratio when shock was at the fifteenth response than when it was at the eighty-fifth response. Shock early in the ratio engendered longer initial pauses than shock late in the ratio. In Experiment II, four birds responded on a two-component multiple schedule in which shock occurred at the fifteenth response of the third ratio in the presence of a white keylight and at the eighty-fifth response of the third ratio in the presence of a green keylight. The overall rates of responding decreased as shock intensity increased. All four birds responded differentially to the white and green keylights, but with a pattern that varied between birds. In general, punishment reduced the probability of responses that preceded it, regardless of the ordinal position of those responses. Both studies confirm that the probability of responding is reduced less by aversive stimuli produced late in a fixed-ratio than by aversive stimuli produced early in a fixed-ratio.