Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Intraindividual Variation In Urinary Iodine Concentrations: Effect Of Adjustment On Population Distribution Using Two And Three Repeated Spot Urine Collections, Karen E. Charlton, Marijka Batterham, Li Min Buchanan, Dorothy Mackerras

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Objectives: To determine the effect of adjustment for intraindividual variation on estimations of urinary iodine concentrations (UIC), prevalence of iodine deficiency and population distribution of iodine status.

Setting: Community-dwelling older adults from New South Wales, Australia.

Participants: 84 healthy men and women aged 60–95 years were recruited prior to introduction of the mandatory iodine fortification programme. Primary and secondary outcome: measures UIC data were collected from three spot urine samples, each 1 week apart. Repeated measures analysis of variance were determined between-person (sb) and total (sobs) SDs. Adjusted UIC values were calculated as ((person's UIC−group mean)×(sb/sobs))+group mean, and a corrected …

Mechanism For The Synergistic Effect Of Rapamycin And Resveratrol On Hyperinsulinemia May Involve The Activation Of Protein Kinase B, J Chen, Xu-Feng Huang

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Dear Editor, We read with great interest Leontiev et al.'s paper entitled 'Resveratrol potentiates rapamycin to prevent hyperinsulinemia and obesity in male mice on high-fat diet' recently published in Cell Death & Disease.1 Their finding that rapamycin and resveratrol have a synergistic effect is important for treating insulin resistance. They showed that rapamycin inhibited mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activity, while resveratrol inhibited S6 kinase (S6K). We think that these compounds may exert their effects through activating protein kinase B (Akt), a key regulator of insulin sensitivity. Both the inhibition of mTOR by rapamycin and of S6K by resveratrol could …

The Effect Of Band-Tail States On The Thermal Stability Of The Infrared Stimulated Luminescence From K-Feldspar, Bo Li, Sheng-Hua Li

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The thermal stability of the infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signal from a sedimentary K-feldspar was investigated using isothermal decay study. It is observed that the isothermal decay of IRSL signal cannot be described using a first-order exponential decay function. Instead, the decay can be well described by considering the presence of band-tail states. Based on the isothermal decay results, a trap depth of ∼1.92 eV was obtained for the IRSL stimulated at 50 °C and the width of the band-tail states was found to be ∼0.37 eV below the conduction band edge. Deeper trap depths (up to ∼2.06 eV) were …

Effect Of Nrf2 Activators On Release Of Glutathione, Cysteinylglycine And Homocysteine By Human U373 Astroglial Cells, Megan L. Steele, Stacey Fuller, Mili Patel, Cindy Kersaitis, Lezanne Ooi, Gerald Munch

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Neurons rely on the release and subsequent cleavage of GSH to cysteinylglycine (CysGly) by astrocytes in order to maintain optimal intracellular GSH levels. In neurodegenerative diseases characterised by oxidative stress, neurons need an optimal GSH supply to defend themselves against free radicals released from activated microglia and astroglia. The rate of GSH synthesis is controlled largely by the activity of γ-glutamyl cysteine ligase. Expression of γ-glutamyl cysteine ligase and of the Xc- system, which facilitates cystine uptake, is regulated by the redox-sensitive transcription factor, nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). Compounds that can activate the Nrf2-ARE pathway, referred to as …

Effect Of 6 Weeks' Consumption Of Β-Glucan-Rich Oat Products On Cholesterol Levels In Mildly Hypercholesterolaemic Overweight Adults, Karen E. Charlton, Linda C. Tapsell, Marijka J. Batterham, Jane O'Shea, Rebecca Thorne, Eleanor Beck, Susan M. Tosh

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Several regulatory bodies have approved a health claim on the cholesterol-lowering effects of oat β-glucan at levels of 3·0 g/d. The present study aimed to test whether 1·5 g/d β-glucan provided as ready-to-eat oat flakes was as effective in lowering cholesterol as 3·0 g/d from oats porridge. A 6-week randomised controlled trial was conducted in eighty-seven mildly hypercholesterolaemic ( ≥ 5 mmol/l and < 7·5 mmol/l) men and women assigned to one of three diet arms (25 % energy (E%) protein; 45 E% carbohydrate; 30 E% fat, at energy requirements for weight maintenance): (1) minimal β-glucan (control); (2) low-dose oat β-glucan (1·5 g β-glucan; oats low – OL) or (3) higher dose oat β-glucan (3·0 g β-glucan; oats high – OH). Changes in total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) from baseline were assessed using a linear mixed model and repeated-measures ANOVA, adjusted for weight change. Total cholesterol reduced significantly in all groups ( − 7·8 (sd 13·8) %, − 7·2 (sd 12·4) % and − 5·5 (sd 9·3) % in the OH, OL and control groups), as did LDL-C ( − 8·4 (sd 18·5) %, − 8·5 (sd 18·5) % and − 5·5 (sd 12·4) % in the OH, OL and control groups), but between-group differences were not significant. In responders only (n 60), β-glucan groups had higher reductions in LDL-C ( − 18·3 (sd 11·1) % and − 18·1 (sd 9·2) % in the OH and OL groups) compared with controls ( − 11·7 (sd 7·9) %; P = 0·044). Intakes of oat β-glucan were as effective at doses of 1·5 g/d compared with 3 g/d when provided in different food formats that delivered similar amounts of soluble β-glucan.

The Effect Of A Tiered Body Armour System On Soldier Physical Mobility, Gregory Peoples, Aaron Silk, Sean Notley, Laura Holland, Brooke Collier, Daniel Lee

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Current military operations involve complex omnipresent threats, resulting in the need for all soldiers, regardless of occupational speciality, to wear body armour during operational deployment. Body armour is typically comprised of both hard and soft armour and is designed to provide ballistic, fragmentation and stab protection. The weight load and bulk of body armour, which is influenced by the materials used and extent of hard and soft armour coverage of the body, has the potential to affect a soldiers physical mobility on the battlefield. Intuitively it would appear logical that as the external load a soldier carries increases there is …

The Reduced Effect Of Serotonin On Oxygen Consumption During Muscle Contraction In The Autoperfused Rat Hindlimb, Andrew Hoy, Gregory E. Peoples, Peter L. Mclennan

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Serotonin (5-HT) has been shown to reduce skeletal muscle oxygen consumption cY 02) during resting conditions in a variety of animal models. It is thought to act through redistribution of blood flow within skeletal muscle directing flow away from muscle tissue (nutritive bed) towards less metabolically active tissue, adipose and septum (non-nutritive bed) by selective vasoconstriction. The aim of this study was to test whether the effects of 5-HT (previously observed under resting conditions) are reproducible during the increased metabolic demand of muscle contraction.

The Edge Effect And Ecotonal Species: Bird Communities Across A Natural Edge In Southeastern Australia, Jack Baker, Kris French, Robert Whelan

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Ecotones have been considered as unique environments, and the concepts of edge effect and ecotonal species have been widely used, especially in avian community ecology. We studied the patterns of bird densities across heath-wood edges at replicated sites in three locations in southeastern Australia. Multivariate analysis showed that the bird community in the ecotone was intermediate between the heath and wood communities, indicating that the ecotone contained a mixing of species rather than a unique bird community. ANOVA showed a modest increase in bird density at the wood side of the ecotone, which may be partly due to sampling biases …