Alcohol consumption patterns of shiftworkers compared with dayworkers

The detrimental effects of excessive alcohol consumption are well documented. There is some evidence that shiftworkers consume more alcohol than dayworkers as a sleep aid to compensate for sleep difficulties associated with work schedules. This study investigated drinking patterns between shiftworkers and dayworkers using the 2006 and 2007 waves from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics Survey. A subset of workers who were not in full-time study and had a single job were selected; participants who did not drink alcohol (n = 2090) were excluded. Using the 2001 Australian Government alcohol guidelines, alcohol consumption for risk of short-term harm (7+ standard drinks for men, 5+ for women) was investigated. The number of workers who drank alcohol "nearly every day" or "every day" was also examined. Some 13% of shiftworkers and 10% of those on standard schedules reported consuming alcohol at levels risky for short-term harm. Having a child less than 17 yrs (odds ratio [OR]?=?.39, 95% confidence interval [CI]?=?.22-.69), higher job demands (OR =?.71, 95% CI =?.58-.86), being female (OR =?.45, 95% CI=. 26-.79), and being older (OR =?.89, 95% CI =?.87-.92) significantly reduced, whereas being a shiftworker (OR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.08-4.12) significantly increased, the odds of drinking alcohol in short-term risky levels. Nearly 10% of shiftworkers and 8% of those on standard schedules reported consuming alcohol in short-term risky levels at least weekly. Having a child less than 17 yrs (OR =?.40, 95% CI =?.22-.74), higher job demands (OR =?.69, 95% CI =?.56-.86), being female (OR =?.28, 95% CI =?.15-.53), and being older (OR =?.92, 95% CI =?.89-.94) were associated with a significant reduction in the odds of consuming alcohol at risky levels at least weekly. Being a shiftworker was not associated with a significant increase in the odds of consuming alcohol at such risky levels at least weekly, but a trend was evident (OR = 1.47, 95% CI =?.73-3.00). Some 13.5% of shiftworkers and 21% of those on standard schedules reported consuming alcohol in any amount "near daily" or "daily." Working more hours than preferred (OR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.12-2.89) and being older (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.07-1.13) were associated with a significant increase, and being female (OR =?.18, 95% CI =?.10-.33), and being a shiftworker (OR =?.20, 95% CI =?.09-.45) were associated with a significant decrease in the odds of consuming alcohol "daily" or "near daily." Overall, the results suggest that shiftworkers may be more likely to consume alcohol at levels considered to be risky for health in the short term. In contrast, they appear less likely to drink alcohol daily. This pattern is suggestive of "binge drinking" behavior.     

Flavonoid-rich apples and nitrate-rich spinach augment nitric oxide status and improve endothelial function in healthy men and women: a randomized controlled trial

Flavonoids and nitrates in fruits and vegetables may protect against cardiovascular disease. Dietary flavonoids and nitrates can augment nitric oxide status via distinct pathways, which may improve endothelial function and lower blood pressure. Recent studies suggest that the combination of flavonoids and nitrates can enhance nitric oxide production in the stomach. Their combined effect in the circulation is unclear. Here, our objective was to investigate the independent and additive effects of flavonoid-rich apples and nitrate-rich spinach on nitric oxide status, endothelial function, and blood pressure. A randomized, controlled, crossover trial with healthy men and women (n=30) was conducted. The acute effects of four energy-matched treatments (control, apple, spinach, and apple+spinach), administered in random order, were compared. Measurements included plasma nitric oxide status, assessed by measuring S-nitrosothiols+other nitrosylated species (RXNO) and nitrite, blood pressure, and endothelial function, measured as flow-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery. Results are means and 95% CI. Relative to control, all treatments resulted in higher RXNO (control, 33 nmol/L, 26, 42; apple, 51 nmol/L, 40, 65; spinach, 86 nmol/L, 68, 110; apple+spinach, 69 nmol/L, 54, 88; P<0.01) and higher nitrite (control, 35 nmol/L, 27, 46; apple, 69 nmol/L, 53, 90; spinach, 99 nmol/L, 76, 129; apple+spinach, 80 nmol/L, 61, 104; P<0.01). Compared to control, all treatments resulted in higher flow-mediated dilatation (P<0.05) and lower pulse pressure (P<0.05), and apple and spinach resulted in lower systolic blood pressure (P<0.05). No significant effect was observed on diastolic blood pressure. The combination of apple and spinach did not result in additive effects on nitric oxide status, endothelial function, or blood pressure. In conclusion, flavonoid-rich apples and nitrate-rich spinach can independently augment nitric oxide status, enhance endothelial function, and lower blood pressure acutely, outcomes that may benefit cardiovascular health.     

Butterfly community ecology: the influences of habitat type,weather patterns,and dominant species in a temperate ecosystem

We compared variation in butterfly communities across 3 years at six different habitats in a temperate ecosystem near Boulder, Colorado, USA. These habitats were classified by the local Open Space consortium as Grasslands, Tallgrass, Foothills Grasslands, Foothills Riparian, Plains Riparian, and Montane Woodland. Rainfall and temperature varied considerably during these years. We surveyed butterflies using the Pollard‐Yates method of invertebrate sampling and compared abundance, species richness, and diversity across habitats and years. Communities were most influenced by habitat, with all three quantitative measures varying significantly across habitats but only two measures showing variation across years. Among habitats, butterfly abundance was higher in Plains Riparian sites than in Montane Woodland or Grassland sites, though diversity was lowest in Plains Riparian areas. Butterfly species richness was higher in Foothills Riparian sites than it was in all but one other habitat (Tallgrass). Among years, butterfly abundance and species richness were lower during the year of least rainfall and highest temperatures, suggesting a substantial impact of the hot, dry conditions. Across habitats and years, butterfly abundance was consistently high at Plains Riparian and Foothills Riparian sites, and richness and diversity were consistently high in Foothills Riparian areas. These two habitats may be highly suitable for butterflies in this ecosystem, regardless of weather conditions. Generally low abundance and species richness in Montane Woodlands sites, particularly in 2002, suggested low suitability of the habitat to butterflies in this ecosystem, and this may be especially important during drought‐like conditions. Finally, to examine the effect that the presence of the very abundant non‐native species Pieris rapae L. (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) has on these communities, we re‐analyzed the data in the absence of this species. Excluding P. rapae dramatically reduced variation of both butterfly abundance and diversity across habitats, highlighting the importance of considering community membership in analyses like ours.     

PEGylation of protein-based MRI contrast agents improves relaxivities and biocompatibilities

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has emerged as a leading diagnostic technique in clinical and preclinical settings. However, the application of MRI to assess specific disease markers for diagnosis and monitoring drug effect has been severely hampered by the lack of desired contrast agents with high relaxivities, and optimized in vivo retention time. We have reported the development of protein-based MRI contrast agents (ProCA1) by rational design of Gd^3 + binding sites into a stable protein resulting in significantly increased longitudinal (r₁) and transverse (r₂) relaxivities compared to Gd-DTPA. Here, we report a further improvement of protein contrast agents ProCA1 for in vivo imaging by protein modification with various sizes of polyethylene glycol (PEG) chain. PEGylation results in significant increases of both r₁ and r₂ relaxivities (up to 200%), and these high relaxivities persist even at field strengths up to 9.4 T. In addition, our experimental results demonstrate that modified contrast agents have significant improvement of in vivo MR imaging and biocompatibilities including dose efficiency, protein solubility, blood retention time and decreased immunogenicity. Such improvement can be important to the animal imaging and pre-clinical research at high or ultra-high field where there is an urgent need for molecular imaging probes and optimized contrast agent.     

Multiple binding sites for fatty acids on the potassium channel KcsA

Interactions of fatty acids with the potassium channel KcsA were studied using Trp fluorescence quenching and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques. The brominated analogue of oleic acid was shown to bind to annular sites on KcsA and to the nonannular sites at each protein-protein interface in the homotetrameric structure with binding constants relative to dioleoylphosphatidylcholine of 0.67 ± 0.04 and 0.87 ± 0.08, respectively. Mutation of the two Arg residues close to the nonannular binding sites had no effect on fatty acid binding. EPR studies with a spin-labeled analogue of stearic acid detected a high-affinity binding site for the fatty acid with strong immobilization. Fluorescence quenching studies with the spin-labeled analogue showed that the binding site detected in the EPR experiments could not be one of the annular or nonannular binding sites. Instead, it is proposed that the EPR studies detect binding to the central hydrophobic cavity of the channel, with a binding constant in the range of ~0.1-1 μM.