Reallocating desk workers' sitting time to standing or stepping: associations with work performance.

BACKGROUND: Studies have suggested that sitting time at work may lead to underperformance but they may underestimate the benefits to desk workers' performance of reducing occupational sitting time without considering the relative effects of the specific activities replaced. AIMS: To estimate differences in work performance (presenteeism, absenteeism and engagement) when occupational sitting time is reallocated to standing/stepping in desk workers. METHODS: Data for middle-aged desk workers were from a Japan-wide online survey (n = 2228). Self-report proportion of occupational sitting and standing/stepping, work hours and work performance indicators, including absolute (ratings relating only to self) and relative (ratings of self, compared to others) presenteeism and absenteeism, and dimensions of work engagement, were collected. Partition and isotemporal substitution models were used to investigate the associations of occupational sitting and standing/stepping time with work performance, including their reallocation effects. RESULTS: In partition models, longer occupational sitting time was associated with a lower absolute presenteeism score (i.e. less productivity), lower absolute absenteeism (i.e. longer-than-expected work hours), and lower engagement. Longer occupational standing/stepping time was associated with lower absolute absenteeism and more engagement. Isotemporal substitution models showed that each hour of occupational sitting reallocated to standing/stepping was favourably associated with overall work engagement (B = 0.087; 95% confidence interval 0.051, 0.122) and its dimensions (B ranged from 0.078 to 0.092), but was not associated with presenteeism or absenteeism. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that management support and practical initiatives to encourage desk workers to replace portions of their sitting time with standing/stepping may contribute to enhanced work engagement.

Efficacy and safety of multitarget therapy with cyclophosphamide and tacrolimus for lupus nephritis: a prospective, single-arm, single-centre, open label pilot study in Japan.

Background Pulsed cyclophosphamide or mycophenolate mofetil for lupus nephritis has limited efficacy. We previously reported a case of mixed-class IV + V lupus nephritis successfully treated with cyclophosphamide and tacrolimus. This study assessed the efficacy and safety of multitarget therapy with cyclophosphamide and tacrolimus for the treatment of lupus nephritis. Methods In a prospective, single-arm, open label pilot study, we recruited 15 patients aged 18-64 years with active lupus nephritis who met the American College of Rheumatology criteria for a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (1997). The treatment protocol was a starting dose of prednisolone of 0.6-1.0 mg/kg/day for 2 weeks and then tapered to a maintenance dose, intravenous cyclophosphamide (500 mg biweekly for 3 months) and tacrolimus (3.0 mg/day). Tacrolimus was continued as maintenance therapy. Complete remission was defined as a spot urine protein/creatinine ratio of < 0.5 g/gCr with no active urine casts and a serum creatinine level that was either normal or within 30% of a previously abnormal baseline level. We retrospectively compared results for the study patients with those of 18 historical controls conventionally treated with cyclophosphamide and prednisolone. Results At baseline, the mean patient age was 41.5 ± 14.6 years (male:female ratio 2:13), urine protein/creatinine ratio 3.9 ± 2.3 g/gCr and serum creatinine 84.6 ± 34.6 µmol/L. Lupus nephritis classifications included classes IV ( n = 8), III + V ( n = 1), IV + V ( n = 5) and unclassified ( n = 1). Eleven patients completed the treatment protocol and four withdrew. At 6 months, 12 of 15 (80.0%) had achieved complete remission using intention-to-treat analysis, significantly more than historical controls (seven of 18 patients, 38.9%). A transient increase in serum creatinine and gastric symptoms occurred in three cases. One patient withdrew due to cytomegalovirus antigenemia and severe diabetes, and one patient died of thrombotic microangiopathy. Conclusions Multitarget therapy with cyclophosphamide and tacrolimus can be a therapeutic option for lupus nephritis. Clinical trials registration Combination therapy of tacrolimus and intravenous cyclophosphamide for remission induction of lupus nephritis, UMIN: 000004893, URL: https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr.cgi?function=brows&action=brows&type=summary&recptno=R000005830&language=E . Date of registration: 18 January 2011.

Genetic epidemiology of tooth agenesis in Japan: a population- and family-based study.

Tooth agenesis is one of the most common congenital anomalies in humans. However, the etiology of tooth agenesis remains largely unclear, as well as evidence base useful for genetic counseling. Therefore, we estimated the prevalence and sibling recurrence risk, and investigated agenetic patterns systematically. Tooth agenesis was classified into two subtypes: hypodontia (one to five missing teeth) and oligodontia (six or more missing teeth). The prevalence of these two subtypes were 6.8% [95% confidence interval (CI): 6.1-7.7%] and 0.1% (95% CI: 0.04-0.3%), respectively, and sibling recurrence risk of these were 24.5% (95% CI: 13.8-38.3%) and 43.8% (95% CI: 26.4-62.3%), respectively. This result suggests that the severe phenotype, oligodontia, might be mostly transmitted in a dominant fashion. Using a simple statistical modeling approach, our data were found to be consistent with a bilateral symmetry model, meaning that there was equal probability of missing teeth from the right and left sides.

Endogenously induced DNA double strand breaks arise in heterochromatic DNA regions and require ataxia telangiectasia mutated and Artemis for their repair.

Ataxia telangiectasia (ATM) mutated and Artemis, the proteins defective in ataxia telangiectasia and a class of Radiosensitive-Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (RS-SCID), respectively, function in the repair of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), which arise in heterochromatic DNA (HC-DSBs) following exposure to ionizing radiation (IR). Here, we examine whether they have protective roles against oxidative damage induced and/or endogenously induced DSBs. We show that DSBs generated following acute exposure of G0/G1 cells to the oxidative damaging agent, tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBH), are repaired with fast and slow components of similar magnitude to IR-induced DSBs and have a similar requirement for ATM and Artemis. Strikingly, DSBs accumulate in ATM(-/-) mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) and in ATM or Artemis-defective human primary fibroblasts maintained for prolonged periods under confluence arrest. The accumulated DSBs localize to HC-DNA regions. Collectively, the results provide strong evidence that oxidatively induced DSBs arise in HC as well as euchromatic DNA and that Artemis and ATM function in their repair. Additionally, we show that Artemis functions downstream of ATM and is dispensable for HC-relaxation and for pKAP-1 foci formation. These findings are important for evaluating the impact of endogenously arising DNA DSBs in ATM and Artemis-deficient patients.

Conservative seed fertility maintains hermaphrodites in gynodioecious Daphne jezoensis: a test of the sex-differential plasticity hypothesis.

Gynodioecy is assumed to be an evolutionary transition from hermaphroditism to dioecy. However, if hermaphrodites can better flexibly regulate seed production depending on resource availability than females, i.e. sex-differential plasticity (SDP), gynodioecy can be a stable state. In the gynodioecious shrub Daphne jezoensis, hermaphrodites generally exhibit low seed fertility and largely act as males. We examined the SDP hypothesis and the cost of fruit production to clarify why D. jezoensis did not evolve into unisexual morphs. We evaluated the size and resource dependency of reproduction in field experiments by manipulating soil nutrient and light conditions. We compared the plant size and pollen production among females, fruiting hermaphrodites and non-fruiting hermaphrodites. We then analysed the effect of current fruit production on subsequent flower production, i.e. the cost of fruit production. The fruiting ability was independent of plant size and resource availability in both sexual phenotypes, indicating the absence of SDP in D. jezoensis. Hermaphrodites produced larger-sized pollen and allocated more resources to pollen production in the non-fruiting year than in the fruiting year. In contrast, the cost of fruit production was not revealed for either sexual phenotype, even in the absence of pollen limitation, and even when fruit production was maximized. SDP could not explain the maintenance of hermaphrodites in D. jezoensis. Alternatively, the lower cost of fruit production in hermaphrodites due to their potentially low fruiting ability may hinder the evolutionary shift to dioecy.

Intraosseous carcinoma of the anterior maxilla identified as the occult primary tumour of carcinoma of unknown primary.

Carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP) is defined as lymph node metastasis without a detectable origin until after the initial treatment has been performed. The most common occult primary site in the head and neck, as revealed by a review of the published literature, is the oropharynx. An occult primary site in the oral region is extremely rare. We report a rare case of head and neck CUP (HNCUP) in a 69-year-old female patient, wherein the occult primary lesion was a primary intraosseous carcinoma (PIOC) invading the anterior maxilla. During the course of the initial diagnostic workup, no primary lesion could be identified; however, cervical lymph node metastasis to left levels IB and IIA were observed in the patient. A neck dissection followed by adjuvant radiotherapy was performed. However, the PIOC of the anterior maxilla was identified 6 months after neck treatment and was confirmed as the occult primary tumour of the HNCUP. This case is quite rare and required a comprehensive workup to guide optimal treatment. Careful follow-up or active biopsy should be considered if osteolytic changes are observed in the jaw.

Evidence for human T cell lymphoma-leukemia virus infection of family members of human T cell lymphoma-leukemia virus positive T cell leukemia-lymphoma patients.

Sera of family members of patients from the United States, the Caribbean, and Japan, with human T cell lymphoma-leukemia virus (HTLV) associated T cell malignancies, possess HTLV-specific antibodies directed against internal structural components of HTLV, p24 and p19. The prevalence of antibodies to HTLV is greater in family members than in random healthy donors, which supports the infectious nature of HTLV and its association with particular aggressive T cell malignancies. Expression of HTLV p24 and p19 has also been observed in cultured T cells of some healthy relatives, and intact virus particles have been released from cells of one possibly pre-leukemic family member.

Unique responses of differentiating neuronal growth cones to inhibitory cues presented by oligodendrocytes.

During central nervous system development, neurons differentiate distinct axonal and dendritic processes whose outgrowth is influenced by environmental cues. Given the known intrinsic differences between axons and dendrites and that little is known about the response of dendrites to inhibitory cues, we tested the hypothesis that outgrowth of differentiating axons and dendrites of hippocampal neurons is differentially influenced by inhibitory environmental cues. A sensitive growth cone behavior assay was used to assess responses of differentiating axonal and dendritic growth cones to oligodendrocytes and oligodendrocyte- derived, myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG). We report that >90% of axonal growth cones collapsed after contact with oligodendrocytes. None of the encounters between differentiating, MAP-2 positive dendritic growth cones and oligodendrocytes resulted in growth cone collapse. The insensitivity of differentiating dendritic growth cones appears to be acquired since they develop from minor processes whose growth cones are inhibited (nearly 70% collapse) by contact with oligodendrocytes. Recombinant MAG(rMAG)-coated beads caused collapse of 72% of axonal growth cones but only 29% of differentiating dendritic growth cones. Unlike their response to contact with oligodendrocytes, few growth cones of minor processes were inhibited by rMAG-coated beads (20% collapsed). These results reveal the capability of differentiating growth cones of the same neuron to partition the complex molecular terrain they navigate by generating unique responses to particular inhibitory environmental cues.

Isolation and characterization of avian influenza viruses from raw poultry products illegally imported to Japan by international flight passengers.

The transportation of poultry and related products for international trade contributes to transboundary pathogen spread and disease outbreaks worldwide. To prevent pathogen incursion through poultry products, many countries have regulations about animal health and poultry product quarantine. However, in Japan, animal products have been illegally introduced into the country in baggage and confiscated at the airport. Lately, the number of illegally imported poultry and the incursion risk of transboundary pathogens through poultry products have been increasing. In this study, we isolated avian influenza viruses (AIVs) from raw poultry products illegally imported to Japan by international passengers. Highly (H5N1 and H5N6) and low (H9N2 and H1N2) pathogenic AIVs were isolated from raw chicken and duck products carried by flight passengers. H5 and H9 isolates were phylogenetically closely related to viruses isolated from poultry in China, and haemagglutinin genes of H5N1 and H5N6 isolates belonged to clades 2.3.2.1c and 2.3.4.4, respectively. Experimental infections of H5 and H9 isolates in chickens and ducks demonstrated pathogenicity and tissue tropism to skeletal muscles. To prevent virus incursion by poultry products, it is important to encourage the phased cleaning based on the disease control and eradication and promote the reduction in contamination risk in animal products.

Serum levels of prostate-specific antigen among Japanese-American and native Japanese men.

BACKGROUND: Fourfold to sixfold higher prostate cancer rates in Japanese-American men in the United States compared with Japanese men in Japan have been cited to support a role for environmental risk factors in the etiology of the disease. To examine the hypothesis that part or all of the elevated prostate cancer rates in Japanese-American men may reflect more intensive prostate cancer screening in the United States than in Japan, we compared prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in community-based samples of serum from men without prostate cancer. METHODS: Japanese-American men aged 40-85 years and native Japanese men aged 40-89 years with no history of prostate cancer provided sera, respectively, in the United States from March 1990 through March 1992 (n = 237) or in Japan from January 1992 through December 1993 (n = 3522). Age-specific PSA levels were used to estimate the prevalences of undetected prostate cancer in the two populations. RESULTS: Age-specific mean PSA levels were significantly lower in Japanese-Americans than in native Japanese (two-sided P<.001). The prevalence of an elevated PSA level increased with age in both populations and exceeded 5% among men aged 60 years or more. Combined with data on prevalence of detected prostate cancer in the two populations, our data suggest that some 10.0% of Japanese-Americans aged 75 years have prostate cancer, with 31% of that fraction remaining undiagnosed. The corresponding estimates in Japan are a total cancer prevalence of 5.4%, of which 81% has not been detected clinically. CONCLUSIONS: The total cancer prevalence ratio 10.0/5.4 = 1.9 (95% confidence interval = 1.5-2.3) in Japanese-American men compared with Japanese men in Japan suggests an increased risk for Japanese-American men, but of less magnitude than the fourfold to sixfold increase indicated by the incidence data.

High frequency of chromosome 9p allelic loss and CDKN2 tumor suppressor gene alterations in squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder.

BACKGROUND: In the Western Hemisphere, 90% of bladder cancers are transitional cell carcinomas, while only 7% are classified as squamous cell carcinomas. In contrast, in Egypt and regions of the Middle East and Africa, where infection by the trematode Schistosoma haematobium is endemic, squamous cell carcinoma is the most common bladder cancer as well as the most common cancer in men. PURPOSE: We planned experiments to understand the genetic defects underlying the development of squamous cell carcinoma and to determine if the morphologically and clinically distinct squamous cell carcinoma and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder evolve following different genetic alterations. METHODS: Squamous cell carcinoma specimens from high-risk (Egypt, n = 19) and low-risk (Sweden, n = 12) populations were examined for genetic defects known to be involved in transitional cell carcinoma tumorigenesis. Homozygous deletions of the CDKN2 tumor suppressor gene were detected by comparative multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Mutations in the CDKN2 and p53 (also known as TP53) genes were analyzed by single-strand conformation polymorphism and DNA sequencing. Immunohistochemical staining of p53 protein was also performed. Allelic losses in chromosome arms 9p, 9q, and 17p were determined by microsatellite analysis. RESULTS: Homozygous deletions and sequence mutations in the CDKN2 gene were found in 67% (eight of 12) of squamous cell carcinoma specimens, a frequency three times higher than that reported for uncultured transitional cell carcinomas (P = .009). Hemizygous and homozygous deletions in 9p, where CDKN2 resides, were found in 92% (11 of 12) of uncultured squamous cell carcinomas, while only about 39% (35 of 90) of transitional cell carcinomas showed these losses (P = .001). Deletions in 9p with no change in 9q were found in 92% (10 of 11) of squamous cell carcinomas compared with only 10% (11 of 110) of transitional cell carcinomas (P < .001) reported in the literature. The frequency of p53 mutations in squamous cell carcinomas was similar to that reported for invasive transitional cell carcinomas (60%), but the type and position of mutations differed between the two tumor types. Allelic losses in chromosome arm 17p, where the p53 gene resides, were found to be less frequent in squamous cell carcinomas (38%) than in invasive transitional cell carcinomas (60%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that a putative tumor suppressor gene on 9p, possibly CDKN2, may contribute to squamous cell carcinoma tumorigenesis. Our data on squamous cell carcinoma and previously reported data on transitional cell carcinoma indicate that these two bladder carcinomas differ in their genetic alterations, suggesting that distinct underlying genetic defects may explain, at least in part, the pathological differences between the two tumors of the bladder epithelium. IMPLICATIONS: Development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder based on its distinct genetic alterations is warranted.

A case-control study of past history of nasal diseases and maxillary sinus cancer in Hokkaido, Japan.

A case-control study of maxillary sinus cancer was performed in Hokkaido with 116 cases and 232 controls matched for sex, age (within 5 years), and residence (same health center region). Preliminary univariate analyses showed that a history of chronic sinusitis [relative risk (RR) = 3.1]; nasal polyps (RR = 5.7); an occupational history of being a carpenter, joiner, furniture maker, or other woodworker (RR = 2.9); and a history of current or past cigarette smoking (RR = 3.3) were statistically significant risk factors for men. No single item was a significant risk factor for women.

Male-biased hermaphrodites in a gynodioecious shrub, Daphne jezoensis.

Gynodioecy, a state where female and hermaphrodite plants coexist in populations, has been widely proposed an intermediate stage in the evolutionary pathway from hermaphroditism to dioecy. In the gynodioecy-dioecy pathway, hermaphrodites may gain most of their fitness through male function once females invade populations. To test this prediction, comprehensive studies on sex ratio variation across populations and reproductive characteristics of hermaphrodite and female phenotypes are necessary. This study examined the variation in sex ratio, sex expression, flower and fruit production and sexual dimorphism of morphological traits in a gynodioecious shrub, Daphne jezoensis, over multiple populations and years. Population sex ratio (hermaphrodite:female) was close to 1:1 or slightly hermaphrodite-biased. Sex type of individual plants was largely fixed, but 15% of plants changed their sex during a 6-year census. Hermaphrodite plants produced larger flowers and invested 2.5 times more resources in flower production than female plants, but they exhibited remarkably low fruit set (proportion of flowers setting fruits). Female plants produced six times more fruits than hermaphrodite plants. Low fruiting ability of hermaphrodite plants was retained even when hand-pollination was performed. Fruit production of female plants was restricted by pollen limitation under natural conditions, irrespective of high potential fecundity, and this minimised the difference in resources allocated to reproduction between the sexes. Negative effects of previous flower and fruit production on current reproduction were not apparent in both sexes. This study suggests that gynodioecy in this species is functionally close to a dioecious mating system: smaller flower production with larger fruiting ability in female plants, and larger flower production with little fruiting ability in hermaphrodite plants.

Physical Activity, Television Viewing Time, and 12-Year Changes in Waist Circumference.

PURPOSE: Both moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior can be associated with adult adiposity. Much of the relevant evidence is from cross-sectional studies or from prospective studies with relevant exposure measures at a single time point before weight gain or incident obesity. This study examined whether changes in MVPA and television (TV) viewing time are associated with subsequent changes in waist circumference, using data from three separate observation points in a large population-based prospective study of Australian adults. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity, and Lifestyle study collected in 1999-2000 (baseline), 2004-2005 (wave 2), and 2011-2012 (wave 3). The study sample consisted of adults age 25 to 74 yr at baseline who also attended site measurement at three time points (n = 3261). Multilevel linear regression analysis examined associations of initial 5-yr changes in MVPA and TV viewing time (from baseline to wave 2) with 12-yr change in waist circumference (from baseline to wave 3), adjusting for well-known confounders. RESULTS: As categorical predictors, increases in MVPA significantly attenuated increases in waist circumference (P for trend < 0.001). TV viewing time change was not significantly associated with changes in waist circumference (P for trend = 0.06). Combined categories of MVPA and TV viewing time changes were predictive of waist circumference increases; compared with those who increased MVPA and reduced TV viewing time, those who reduced MVPA and increased TV viewing time had a 2-cm greater increase in waist circumference (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Decreasing MVPA emerged as a significant predictor of increases in waist circumference. Increasing TV viewing time was also influential, but its impact was much weaker than MVPA.

The local anesthetic tetracaine destabilizes membrane structure by interaction with polar headgroups of phospholipids.

The effect of the local anesthetic tetracaine at less than 10 mM on the water permeability of the phospholipid membrane was examined using liposomes composed of various molar ratios of negatively charged cardiolipin to electrically neutral phosphatidylcholine by monitoring their osmotic shrinkage in hypertonic glucose solution at 30 degrees C. The concentration of tetracaine causing the maximum velocity of shrinkage of liposomes increased with increase in the molar ratio of cardiolipin. Tetracaine increased the zeta-potential of the negatively charged liposomal membrane toward the positive side due to the binding of its cationic form to the negatively charged polar headgroups in the membrane. The maximum velocity of water permeation induced by osmotic shock was observed at essentially the same tetracaine concentration giving a zeta-potential of the liposomal membrane of 0 mV. These concentrations were not affected by change in the sort of acyl-chain of phospholipids in the liposomes when their negative charges were the same. These results suggests that the membrane integrity is governed mainly by the electrical charge of phospholipid polar headgroups when phospholipid bilayers are in the highly fluid state, and that positively charged tetracaine molecules neutralize the negative surface charge, lowering the barrier for water permeation through phospholipid bilayers.

Significant stabilization of the phosphatidylcholine bilayer structure by incorporation of small amounts of cardiolipin.

The effects of the negatively charged phospholipid cardiolipin on the structural properties of egg-yolk phosphatidylcholine (EyPC) liposomal membranes were studied by monitoring the water permeability of the liposomes caused by osmotic shrinkage in hypertonic glucose solution. Incorporation of small amounts of bovine heart cardiolipin (BhCL) into the EyPC membranes caused a significant decrease in their water permeability associated with stabilization of the membrane structure. Much evidence obtained by attenuated total reflection IR spectroscopy suggested that incorporation of BhCL into the EyPC membranes causes a cooperative conformational change in the EyPC polar head groups, but does not alter the fluidity of the bilayer structure in the fluid liquid crystalline state. Incorporation of small amounts of BhCL stabilized the intermolecular hydrogen-bonded network including water molecules of the hydration layers at the bilayer surface that are important for the stable bilayer configuration of the EyPC molecules. The antisymmetric PO2- frequencies of the EyPC membrane with incorporated BhCL suggested that the BhCL content of 50 mol% induced a change in the phase behaviors of mixed BhCL/EyPC membranes.

Polymerization of amino acid under liposomal environment.

N-Carboxy anhydrides of amino acid derivatives with hydrophobic side chains, N-carboxy anhydrides of gamma-dodecyl L-glutamate and gamma-benzyl D-glutamate, were polymerized in bilayer membrane of large unilamellar liposomes prepared by the injection method. Infrared spectra indicated that polypeptides isolated from the liposomes existed in two different conformational forms, namely the alpha-helix and the beta form. Studying osmotic shrinkage of liposomes, it was found that liposomal membrane was highly permeable to glucose in the presence of polypeptides in the membrane.

Anesthetic-protein interaction. Random versus helix polylysine monolayers and interaction with 1-alkanols.

Penetration of 1-alkanols into monolayers of hydrophobic polypeptides, poly(epsilon-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-lysine) and poly(epsilon-benzyloxycarbonyl-DL-lysine), was compared with their adsorption on the air/water interface in the absence of monolayers. The polypeptide prepared from L-lysine is generally considered to be in the alpha-helical form whereas DL-copolymer polypeptide contains random-coiled portions due to the structural incompatibility between the two isomers. The free energy of adsorption of 1-alkanols on the air/water interface at dilute concentrations was -0.68 kcal X mol-1 per methylene group and 0.15 kcal X mol-1 for the hydroxyl group at 25 degrees C. In the close-packed state, the surface area occupied by each molecule of 1-alkanols of varying carbon chain-lengths showed nearly a constant value of about 27.2 A2, indicating perpendicular orientation of the alkanol molecules at the interface. About 75% of the water surface was covered by 1-butanol in this close-packed state. The mode of adsorption of 1-alkanols on the vacant air/water interface followed the Gibbs surface excess while the mode on the polypeptide membranes followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, indicating that the latter is characterized by the presence of a finite number of binding sites. The free energies of adsorption of 1-alkanols on the L-polymer monolayers were more negative than those on the vacant air/water interface and less negative than those on the DL-copolymer monolayers. Thus, the affinity of 1-alkanols to the interface was in the order of vacant air/water interface less than L-polymer less than DL-copolymer. The difference between the air/water interface and L-polymer was about 0.54 kcal X mol-1 and that between L-polymer and DL-copolymer was 0.17 kcal X mol-1 at 25 degrees C: the adsorption of 1-alkanols to the DL-copolymer was favored compared to the L-polymer. The polar moieties of the backbone of the DL-copolymer may be exposed to the aqueous phase at the disordered portion. Dipole interaction between this portion and 1-alkanol molecules may account for the enhanced adsorption of the alkanols to the DL-copolymer.