Quantification of biological nitrogen fixation by Mo-independent complementary nitrogenases in environmental samples with low nitrogen fixation activity.

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) by canonical molybdenum and complementary vanadium and iron-only nitrogenase isoforms is the primary natural source of newly fixed nitrogen. Understanding controls on global nitrogen cycling requires knowledge of the isoform responsible for environmental BNF. The isotopic acetylene reduction assay (ISARA), which measures carbon stable isotope (13C/12C) fractionation between ethylene and acetylene in acetylene reduction assays, is one of the few methods that can quantify isoform-specific BNF fluxes. Application of classical ISARA has been challenging because environmental BNF activity is often too low to generate sufficient ethylene for isotopic analyses. Here we describe a high sensitivity method to measure ethylene δ13C by in-line coupling of ethylene preconcentration to gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EPCon-GC-C-IRMS). Ethylene requirements in samples with 10% v/v acetylene are reduced from > 500 to ~ 20 ppmv (~ 2 ppmv with prior offline acetylene removal). To increase robustness by reducing calibration error, single nitrogenase-isoform Azotobacter vinelandii mutants and environmental sample assays rely on a common acetylene source for ethylene production. Application of the Low BNF activity ISARA (LISARA) method to low nitrogen-fixing activity soils, leaf litter, decayed wood, cryptogams, and termites indicates complementary BNF in most sample types, calling for additional studies of isoform-specific BNF.

Carbon Monoxide Toxicity.

Carbon monoxide accounts for thousands of deaths worldwide each year. Clinical effects can be diverse and include headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, syncope, seizures, coma, dysrhythmias, and cardiac ischemia, and severe toxicity generally affects the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Because of its complex pathophysiology, effects of toxicity can be acute or delayed. The diagnosis can be elusive, as carboxyhemoglobin levels do not always correlate with the degree of poisoning. Even when the diagnosis is certain, appropriate therapy is widely debated. Normobaric oxygen is the standard therapy, and the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen is unclear.

Oral THC:CBD cannabis extract for refractory chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: a randomised, placebo-controlled, phase II crossover trial.

BACKGROUND: This multicentre, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, phase II/III trial aimed to evaluate an oral THC:CBD (tetrahydrocannabinol:cannabidiol) cannabis extract for prevention of refractory chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Here we report the phase II component results. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients experienced CINV during moderate-to-high emetogenic intravenous chemotherapy despite guideline-consistent antiemetic prophylaxis. Study treatment consisted of one cycle of 1-4 self-titrated capsules of oral THC 2.5 mg/CBD 2.5 mg (TN-TC11M) three times daily, from days -1 to 5, and 1 cycle of matching placebo in a crossover design, then blinded patient preference for a third cycle. The primary end point was the proportion of participants with complete response during 0-120 h from chemotherapy. A total of 80 participants provided 80% power to detect a 20% absolute improvement with a two-sided P value of 0.1. RESULTS: A total of 81 participants were randomised; 72 completing two cycles were included in the efficacy analyses and 78 not withdrawing consent were included in safety analyses. Median age was 55 years (range 29-80 years); 78% were female. Complete response was improved with THC:CBD from 14% to 25% (relative risk 1.77, 90% confidence interval 1.12-2.79, P = 0.041), with similar effects on absence of emesis, use of rescue medications, absence of significant nausea, and summary scores for the Functional Living Index-Emesis (FLIE). Thirty-one percent experienced moderate or severe cannabinoid-related adverse events such as sedation, dizziness, or disorientation, but 83% of participants preferred cannabis to placebo. No serious adverse events were attributed to THC:CBD. CONCLUSION: The addition of oral THC:CBD to standard antiemetics was associated with less nausea and vomiting but additional side-effects. Most participants preferred THC:CBD to placebo. Based on these promising results, we plan to recruit an additional 170 participants to complete accrual for the definitive, phase III, parallel group analysis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12616001036404; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=370473&isReview=true.

A patient-centered medical home model for comprehensive sickle cell care in infants and young children.

BACKGROUND: The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) has been proposed as a model for comprehensive care coordination and delivery for children with sickle cell disease (SCD), yet little is known regarding the implementation of PCMH core concepts on adherence to preventative care measures, health care utilization, and parent satisfaction. PROCEDURE: We implemented the newborn cohort clinic (NCC) to explore the application of the PCMH model for infants and children with SCD from birth to age 3 years in 2011. In July 2017, we conducted a retrospective chart review to evaluate subjects currently or previously followed in the clinic. We surveyed parents in the NCC to assess their satisfaction with their experience. RESULTS: A total of 112 patients have been managed in the NCC. All patients received penicillin prophylaxis, while 70% and 73% of patients, respectively, received the 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine and an initial transcranial Doppler by age 36 months. Most (92 of 112) of the subjects utilized the emergency department (569 encounters), with 86% of encounters for fever or other sickle cell-related complications. The majority of parents indicated satisfaction with the clinic, with 71% saying clinic providers always or usually spent enough time with their child, listened carefully to them (81%) and were sensitive to family values and customs (77%). CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive sickle cell clinic as a component of a PCMH is feasible and can achieve high levels of preventative care. Parents are largely satisfied with this model of care.

Dissecting genomic hotspots underlying seed protein, oil, and sucrose content in an interspecific mapping population of soybean using high-density linkage mapping.

The cultivated [Glycine max (L) Merr.] and wild [Glycine soja Siebold & Zucc.] soybean species comprise wide variation in seed composition traits. Compared to wild soybean, cultivated soybean contains low protein, high oil, and high sucrose. In this study, an interspecific population was derived from a cross between G. max (Williams 82) and G. soja (PI 483460B). This recombinant inbred line (RIL) population of 188 lines was sequenced at 0.3× depth. Based on 91 342 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), recombination events in RILs were defined, and a high-resolution bin map was developed (4070 bins). In addition to bin mapping, quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis for protein, oil, and sucrose was performed using 3343 polymorphic SNPs (3K-SNP), derived from Illumina Infinium BeadChip sequencing platform. The QTL regions from both platforms were compared, and a significant concordance was observed between bin and 3K-SNP markers. Importantly, the bin map derived from next-generation sequencing technology enhanced mapping resolution (from 1325 to 50 Kb). A total of five, nine, and four QTLs were identified for protein, oil, and sucrose content, respectively, and some of the QTLs coincided with soybean domestication-related genomic loci. The major QTL for protein and oil were mapped on Chr. 20 (qPro_20) and suggested negative correlation between oil and protein. In terms of sucrose content, a novel and major QTL were identified on Chr. 8 (qSuc_08) and harbours putative genes involved in sugar transport. In addition, genome-wide association using 91 342 SNPs confirmed the genomic loci derived from QTL mapping. A QTL-based haplotype using whole-genome resequencing of 106 diverse soybean lines identified unique allelic variation in wild soybean that could be utilized to widen the genetic base in cultivated soybean.

Expression of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) and hENT1 predicts survival in pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) tumour expression may provide added value to human equilibrative nucleoside transporter-1 (hENT1) tumour expression in predicting survival following pyrimidine-based adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: DPD and hENT1 immunohistochemistry and scoring was completed on tumour cores from 238 patients with pancreatic cancer in the ESPAC-3(v2) trial, randomised to either postoperative gemcitabine or 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid (5FU/FA). RESULTS: DPD tumour expression was associated with reduced overall survival (hazard ratio, HR = 1.73 [95% confidence interval, CI = 1.21-2.49], p = 0.003). This was significant in the 5FU/FA arm (HR = 2.07 [95% CI = 1.22-3.53], p = 0.007), but not in the gemcitabine arm (HR = 1.47 [0.91-3.37], p = 0.119). High hENT1 tumour expression was associated with increased survival in gemcitabine treated (HR = 0.56 [0.38-0.82], p = 0.003) but not in 5FU/FA treated patients (HR = 1.19 [0.80-1.78], p = 0.390). In patients with low hENT1 tumour expression, high DPD tumour expression was associated with a worse median [95% CI] survival in the 5FU/FA arm (9.7 [5.3-30.4] vs 29.2 [19.5-41.9] months, p = 0.002) but not in the gemcitabine arm (14.0 [9.1-15.7] vs. 18.0 [7.6-15.3] months, p = 1.000). The interaction of treatment arm and DPD expression was not significant (p = 0.303), but the interaction of treatment arm and hENT1 expression was (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: DPD tumour expression was a negative prognostic biomarker. Together with tumour expression of hENT1, DPD tumour expression defined patient subgroups that might benefit from either postoperative 5FU/FA or gemcitabine.

Dietary patterns and longitudinal change in hip bone mineral density among older men.

Studying dietary patterns is often more informative than individual nutrients or foods. We found that a Prudent dietary pattern (rich in vegetables and fish) was associated with reduced loss of total hip BMD in older men. A Prudent dietary pattern may be a potential lifestyle strategy for minimizing bone loss. INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to identify baseline dietary patterns using factor analysis in a cohort of older men and to evaluate whether the dietary patterns were associated with bone mineral density change (%ΔBMD) at the total hip and femoral neck over time. METHODS: Participants (n = 4379; mean age 72.9 ± 5.5 years) were from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) prospective cohort study and had dietary data collected at baseline (March 2000-April 2002) and BMD measured at baseline and Visit 2 (March 2005-May 2006). Dietary intake was assessed with a brief Block food frequency questionnaire (FFQ); factor analysis was used to derive dietary patterns. BMD was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA); %ΔBMD was calculated from baseline to Visit 2. We used generalized linear regression to estimate least square (LS) means of %ΔBMD in quartiles of the dietary pattern scores adjusted for potential confounding factors. RESULTS: Two major dietary patterns were derived: Prudent (abundant in vegetables, salad, and non-fried fish) and Western (rich in hamburger, fries, processed meats, cheese, and sweets/desserts). There was an inverse association between adherence to the Prudent pattern and total hip %ΔBMD (p-trend = 0.028 after adjusting for age and clinical site; p-trend = 0.033 after further adjustment for smoking, calcium supplement use, diabetes, hypertension, and total energy intake). No other consistent associations between dietary patterns and %ΔBMD were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Greater adherence to a Prudent dietary pattern may attenuate total hip BMD loss (%ΔBMD) in older men.

Landscape of genomic diversity and trait discovery in soybean.

Cultivated soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is a primary source of vegetable oil and protein. We report a landscape analysis of genome-wide genetic variation and an association study of major domestication and agronomic traits in soybean. A total of 106 soybean genomes representing wild, landraces, and elite lines were re-sequenced at an average of 17x depth with a 97.5% coverage. Over 10 million high-quality SNPs were discovered, and 35.34% of these have not been previously reported. Additionally, 159 putative domestication sweeps were identified, which includes 54.34 Mbp (4.9%) and 4,414 genes; 146 regions were involved in artificial selection during domestication. A genome-wide association study of major traits including oil and protein content, salinity, and domestication traits resulted in the discovery of novel alleles. Genomic information from this study provides a valuable resource for understanding soybean genome structure and evolution, and can also facilitate trait dissection leading to sequencing-based molecular breeding.

On the local Mousterian origin of the Châtelperronian: Integrating typo-technological, chronostratigraphic and contextual data.

Across Europe the period 45-40 ka (thousands of years ago) is associated with several technological changes, including the emergence of the Châtelperronian technocomplex in France and northern Spain. The Châtelperronian, stratigraphically located between the Mousterian and Aurignacian, is characterized by Upper Palaeolithic features, such as volumetric blade reduction, curved backed blades, end-scrapers, bladelets, bone tools and ornaments. Concurrently, repeated, though debated, associations with Neanderthal remains and Mousterian elements suggest a local technological development. Following recent critiques and cumulating technological studies, this paper provides data-driven contextualisations of the Châtelperronian and late Mousterian archaeological records and a primary comparative assessment of a major linking element, backed knives, to re-assess the origin of the Châtelperronian. The results demonstrate the challenging nature of the 50-35 ka record, with many interpretive problems caused by poorly recorded excavations, resulting in only 25 well-contextualised assemblages from the claimed 143 Châtelperronian find spots. These 25 assemblages facilitate more detailed chronostratigraphic and typo-technological assessments and show that the Châtelperronian has a homogenous set of technologies and tools. A similar evaluation of the late Mousterian indicates a wide-ranging late Neanderthal skill set, commonly including laminar blank production and backing. Further, conceptual similarities were noted both in blank selection and edge modification between Mousterian and Châtelperronian backed knives, alongside their near-absence in other, contemporaneous technocomplexes. A Europe-wide contextualisation shows that while the current coarse-grained record still allows for several potential scenarios, the data throughout this paper point towards a most parsimonious model of a Châtelperronian made by Neanderthals, with roots in the late Middle Palaeolithic technological skill set. However, this change seems triggered by early arrivals of modern humans either indirectly, through stimulus diffusion, or directly, after ca. 42 ka. Fully testing this model requires an ongoing focus on site formation and assemblage integrity, alongside in-depth analyses of recently excavated assemblages and existing collections.

Variation of unsaturated fatty acids in soybean sprout of high oleic acid accessions.

Oleic acid and oleic acid rich foods may have beneficial health effects in humans. Soybeans with high oleic acid (around 80% in seed oil) have been developed. Soybean sprouts are an important vegetable in Korea, Japan and China. The objective of this study was to investigate the variation of unsaturated fatty acids, oleic, linoleic and α-linolenic acids, in sprouts from soybeans with normal and high oleic acid concentration. Twelve soybean accessions with six high oleic acid lines, three parents of high oleic acid lines, and three checks with normal and high oleic acid concentration were used in this study. The unsaturated fatty acid concentration in sprouts from each genotype was similar to the concentration in the ungerminated seed. The oleic acid concentration in the sprouts of high oleic acid lines (up to 80%) was still high (>70%) compared to the ungerminated seed. Thus, high oleic soybean varieties developed for sprout production could add valuable health benefits to sprouts and the individuals who consume this vegetable.

Increased concentration of iodide in airway secretions is associated with reduced respiratory syncytial virus disease severity.

Recent studies have revealed that the human and nonrodent mammalian airway mucosa contains an oxidative host defense system. This three-component system consists of the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-producing enzymes dual oxidase (Duox)1 and Duox2, thiocyanate (SCN(-)), and secreted lactoperoxidase (LPO). The LPO-catalyzed reaction between H2O2 and SCN(-) yields the bactericidal hypothiocyanite (OSCN(-)) in airway surface liquid (ASL). Although SCN(-) is the physiological substrate of LPO, the Duox/LPO/halide system can generate hypoiodous acid when the iodide (I(-)) concentration is elevated in ASL. Because hypoiodous acid, but not OSCN(-), inactivates respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in cell culture, we used a lamb model of RSV to test whether potassium iodide (KI) could enhance this system in vivo. Newborn lambs received KI by intragastric gavage or were left untreated before intratracheal inoculation of RSV. KI treatment led to a 10-fold increase in ASL I(-) concentration, and this I(-) concentration was approximately 30-fold higher than that measured in the serum. Also, expiratory effort, gross lung lesions, and pulmonary expression of an RSV antigen and IL-8 were reduced in the KI-treated lambs as compared with nontreated control lambs. Inhibition of LPO activity significantly increased lesions, RSV mRNA, and antigen. Similar experiments in 3-week-old lambs demonstrated that KI administration was associated with reduced gross lesions, decreased RSV titers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and reduced RSV antigen expression. Overall, these data indicate that high-dose KI supplementation can be used in vivo to lessen the severity of RSV infections, potentially through the augmentation of mucosal oxidative defenses.

Metagenomic exploration of viruses throughout the Indian Ocean.

The characterization of global marine microbial taxonomic and functional diversity is a primary goal of the Global Ocean Sampling Expedition. As part of this study, 19 water samples were collected aboard the Sorcerer II sailing vessel from the southern Indian Ocean in an effort to more thoroughly understand the lifestyle strategies of the microbial inhabitants of this ultra-oligotrophic region. No investigations of whole virioplankton assemblages have been conducted on waters collected from the Indian Ocean or across multiple size fractions thus far. Therefore, the goals of this study were to examine the effect of size fractionation on viral consortia structure and function and understand the diversity and functional potential of the Indian Ocean virome. Five samples were selected for comprehensive metagenomic exploration; and sequencing was performed on the microbes captured on 3.0-, 0.8- and 0.1 µm membrane filters as well as the viral fraction (<0.1 µm). Phylogenetic approaches were also used to identify predicted proteins of viral origin in the larger fractions of data from all Indian Ocean samples, which were included in subsequent metagenomic analyses. Taxonomic profiling of viral sequences suggested that size fractionation of marine microbial communities enriches for specific groups of viruses within the different size classes and functional characterization further substantiated this observation. Functional analyses also revealed a relative enrichment for metabolic proteins of viral origin that potentially reflect the physiological condition of host cells in the Indian Ocean including those involved in nitrogen metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation. A novel classification method, MGTAXA, was used to assess virus-host relationships in the Indian Ocean by predicting the taxonomy of putative host genera, with Prochlorococcus, Acanthochlois and members of the SAR86 cluster comprising the most abundant predictions. This is the first study to holistically explore virioplankton dynamics across multiple size classes and provides unprecedented insight into virus diversity, metabolic potential and virus-host interactions.

Combinations of mutant FAD2 and FAD3 genes to produce high oleic acid and low linolenic acid soybean oil.

High oleic acid soybeans were produced by combining mutant FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B genes. Despite having a high oleic acid content, the linolenic acid content of these soybeans was in the range of 4-6 %, which may be high enough to cause oxidative instability of the oil. Therefore, a study was conducted to incorporate one or two mutant FAD3 genes into the high oleic acid background to further reduce the linolenic acid content. As a result, soybean lines with high oleic acid and low linolenic acid (HOLL) content were produced using different sources of mutant FAD2-1A genes. While oleic acid content of these HOLL lines was stable across two testing environments, the reduction of linolenic acid content varied depending on the number of mutant FAD3 genes combined with mutant FAD2-1 genes, on the severity of mutation in the FAD2-1A gene, and on the testing environment. Combination of two mutant FAD2-1 genes and one mutant FAD3 gene resulted in less than 2 % linolenic acid content in Portageville, Missouri (MO) while four mutant genes were needed to achieve the same linolenic acid in Columbia, MO. This study generated non-transgenic soybeans with the highest oleic acid content and lowest linolenic acid content reported to date, offering a unique alternative to produce a fatty acid profile similar to olive oil.

Serum and dietary vitamin D and cardiovascular disease risk in elderly men: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Recent research suggests that low vitamin D may be associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS AND RESULTS: We prospectively evaluated the association of dietary plus supplemental vitamin D intake and serum 25(OH) vitamin D with CVD incidence in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study. Vitamin D intake was measured using a food frequency questionnaire and self-reported supplemental intake in 3094 men (mean age 76.4 years). From a subset of this population, we measured 25(OH) vitamin D in 813 men. Median 25(OH) vitamin D was 25.3 ng/mL. During a median follow-up of 4.4 years, there were 472 CVD cases, including 371 from coronary heart disease (CHD) and 101 from cerebrovascular attack (CVA). In the 25(OH) vitamin D sub-cohort, there were 140 cases of CVD including 115 from CHD and 25 from CVA. We used a Cox proportional hazards regression to calculate hazard ratios (HR) for CVD by vitamin D quartile. After adjusting for age, season, and standard CVD risk factors, the lowest quartile of 25(OH) vitamin D (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.69-2.03) and vitamin D intake (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.56-1.04) were not significantly associated with CVD incidence, compared to the highest vitamin D quartiles. When 25(OH) vitamin D was further analyzed by sufficiency (≥30 ng/mL), insufficiency (≥15-29.9 ng/mL), and deficiency (<15 ng/mL), vitamin D deficiency was not significantly associated with CVD incidence compared to sufficiency (HR 1.34; 95% CI 0.65-2.77). CONCLUSION: Vitamin D intake and serum 25(OH) vitamin D were not associated with CVD risk.

A novel FAD2-1 A allele in a soybean plant introduction offers an alternate means to produce soybean seed oil with 85% oleic acid content.

The alteration of fatty acid profiles in soybean to improve soybean oil quality has been a long-time goal of soybean researchers. Soybean oil with elevated oleic acid is desirable because this monounsaturated fatty acid improves the nutrition and oxidative stability of soybean oil compared to other oils. In the lipid biosynthetic pathway, the enzyme fatty acid desaturase 2 (FAD2) is responsible for the conversion of oleic acid precursors to linoleic acid precursors in developing soybean seeds. Two genes encoding FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B were identified to be expressed specifically in seeds during embryogenesis and have been considered to hold an important role in controlling the seed oleic acid content. A total of 22 soybean plant introduction (PI) lines identified to have an elevated oleic acid content were characterized for sequence mutations in the FAD 2-1A and FAD2-1B genes. PI 603452 was found to contain a deletion of a nucleotide in the second exon of FAD2-1A. These important SNPs were used in developing molecular marker genotyping assays. The assays appear to be a reliable and accurate tool to identify the FAD 2-1A and FAD2-1B genotype of wild-type and mutant plants. PI 603452 was subsequently crossed with PI 283327, a soybean line that has a mutation in FAD2-1B. Interestingly, soybean lines carrying both homozygous insertion/deletion mutation (indel) FAD2-1A alleles and mutant FAD2-1B alleles have an average of 82-86% oleic acid content, compared to 20% in conventional soybean, and low levels of linoleic and linolenic acids. The newly identified indel mutation in the FAD2-1A gene offers a simple method for the development of high oleic acid commercial soybean varieties.

Mutant alleles of FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B combine to produce soybeans with the high oleic acid seed oil trait.

BACKGROUND: The alteration of fatty acid profiles in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] to improve soybean oil quality is an important and evolving theme in soybean research to meet nutritional needs and industrial criteria in the modern market. Soybean oil with elevated oleic acid is desirable because this monounsaturated fatty acid improves the nutrition and oxidative stability of the oil. Commodity soybean oil typically contains 20% oleic acid and the target for high oleic acid soybean oil is approximately 80% of the oil; previous conventional plant breeding research to raise the oleic acid level to just 50-60% of the oil was hindered by the genetic complexity and environmental instability of the trait. The objective of this work was to create the high oleic acid trait in soybeans by identifying and combining mutations in two delta-twelve fatty acid desaturase genes, FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B. RESULTS: Three polymorphisms found in the FAD2-1B alleles of two soybean lines resulted in missense mutations. For each of the two soybean lines, there was one unique amino acid change within a highly conserved region of the protein. The mutant FAD2-1B alleles were associated with an increase in oleic acid levels, although the FAD2-1B mutant alleles alone were not capable of producing a high oleic acid phenotype. When existing FAD2-1A mutations were combined with the novel mutant FAD2-1B alleles, a high oleic acid phenotype was recovered only for those lines which were homozygous for both of the mutant alleles. CONCLUSIONS: We were able to produce conventional soybean lines with 80% oleic acid in the oil in two different ways, each requiring the contribution of only two genes. The high oleic acid soybean germplasm developed contained a desirable fatty acid profile, and it was stable in two production environments. The presumed causative sequence polymorphisms in the FAD2-1B alleles were developed into highly efficient molecular markers for tracking the mutant alleles. The resources described here for the creation of high oleic acid soybeans provide a framework to efficiently develop soybean varieties to meet changing market demands.

Evaluating conservation program success with Landsat and SWAT.

In the United States, many state and federally funded conservation programs are required to quantify the water quality benefits resulting from their efforts. The objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of conservation practices subsidized by the Oklahoma Conservation Commission on phosphorus and sediment loads to Lake Wister. Conservation practices designed to increase vegetative cover in grazed pastures were evaluated using Landsat imagery and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Several vegetative indices were derived from Landsat imagery captured before and after the implementation of conservation practices. Collectively, these indicators provided an estimate of the change in vegetative soil cover attributable to conservation practices in treated fields. Field characteristics, management, and changes in vegetative cover were used in the SWAT model to simulate sediment and phosphorus losses before and after practice implementation. Overall, these conservation practices yielded a 1.9% improvement in vegetative cover and a predicted sediment load reduction of 3.5%. Changes in phosphorus load ranged from a 1.0% improvement to a 3.5% increase, depending upon initial vegetative conditions. The use of fertilizers containing phosphorus as a conservation practice in low-productivity pastures was predicted by SWAT to increase net phosphorus losses despite any improvement in vegetative cover. This combination of vegetative cover analysis and hydrologic simulation was a useful tool for evaluating the effects of conservation practices at the basin scale and may provide guidance for the selection of conservation measures subsidized in future conservation programs.

Usage of herbal medications in patients undergoing IVF treatment in an Irish infertility treatment unit.

BACKGROUND: Usage of herbal and complimentary medicines by patients presenting for procedures that require the use of anaesthetic agents is common. AIMS: To determine the prevalence of herbal medication usage among female patients attending for assisted reproduction procedures involving the use of sedative or hypnotic agents. METHODS: Questionnaire-based survey carried out over a 6-month period from January to July 2007. RESULTS: Forty-six percent of patients admitted regular use of herbal medications, with 38% of patients having taken herbal preparations in the 3-month period prior to their attendance for treatment. No patient taking herbal preparations had discussed the use of these products with the attending anaesthetist or fertility specialist prior to attending for the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: The usage of herbal medications with potential for serious adverse effects is high in this unique patient population. Education of both healthcare providers and patients is indicated.

Effects of estradiol on food intake and meal patterns for diets that differ in flavor and fat content.

Apart from the well known inhibitory effects of estradiol on food intake, meal size, and body weight in female rats that have been documented over the past thirty years, a more recent report presents the opposite finding; that a large dose of estradiol can increase food intake and weight gain in gonadally intact female rats presented with a palatable diet. The purpose of the present experiment was to further examine this hypothesis by evaluating the ability of estradiol to influence feeding behavior in ovariectomized rats presented with diets that differ in flavor and fat content. Female rats were given a cyclic regimen of estradiol benzoate treatment (5.0 or 20.0 microg) or the oil vehicle and were presented with the standard chow diet or a diet with a higher fat content and chocolate flavor. Food intake, meal size, and meal number were monitored three days after the first injection of estradiol or oil. Compared to the chow diet, food intake increased when animals had access to the chocolate/fat diet during the vehicle treatment condition. Both doses of estradiol significantly decreased food intake, meal size, and body weight gain when animals were presented with either the standard chow diet or the chocolate/fat diet. These findings indicate that estradiol does not stimulate the intake of a palatable diet in ovariectomized rats, and suggest that previous results showing that estradiol enhanced eating and weight gain stemmed from a disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis when intact females received a large dose of exogenous estradiol.

Demographic factors associated with the diet quality of older US men: baseline data from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) study.

OBJECTIVE: Throughout the world, the proportion of the male population aged 65 years and older is increasing. Yet, we have limited information regarding diet quality and predictors of diet quality in this segment of the population. The objectives of the current analyses are to describe the diet quality of a cohort of men >65 years of age, and identify lifestyle factors associated with poor diet quality. METHODS: We present a cross-sectional analysis of the diet quality of 5928 men, aged 65-100 years, who are participants in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) cohort study. Dietary intake was determined using a modified Block 98 food-frequency questionnaire. Diet quality was calculated using the previously validated Diet Quality Index-Revised (DQI-R). Univariate and multivariate modelling was used to estimate the variance in diet quality predicted by a number of sociodemographic factors, including age, race/ethnicity, body mass index (BMI), marital status, education, smoking status, physical activity, self-perceived health and nutritional supplement use. RESULTS: Overall, we found that in this geographically diverse group of older men, diet quality was low, with a mean modified DQI-R for the entire study population of 62.5 (standard deviation 13.1) out of an ideal of 100. Further, younger age, very low total calorie intake (< or = 1187 kcal day- 1), higher BMI, residence in a North or Southeast community, being of African-American or Hispanic race, being less educated, not using dietary supplements and smoking were each significant independent predictors of a poorer diet. CONCLUSION: These data may prove useful in both understanding the dietary intake of older US men as it relates to published dietary guidelines, and for targeting future dietary intervention programmes.