Lipidomic Analysis of Plasma from Healthy Men and Women Shows Phospholipid Class and Molecular Species Differences between Sexes

The phospholipid composition of lipoproteins is determined by the specificity of hepatic phospholipid biosynthesis. Plasma phospholipid 20:4n-6 and 22:6n-3 concentrations are higher in women than in men. We used this sex difference in a lipidomics analysis of the impact of endocrine factors on the phospholipid class and molecular species composition of fasting plasma from young men and women. Diester species predominated in all lipid classes measured. 20/54 Phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) species were alkyl ester, 15/48 phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) species were alkyl ester, and 12/48 PtdEtn species were alkenyl ester. There were no significant differences between sexes in the proportions of alkyl PtdCho species. The proportion of alkyl ester PtdEtn species was greater in women than men, while the proportion of alkenyl ester PtdEtn species was greater in men than women. None of the phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) or phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) molecular species contained ether-linked fatty acids. The proportion of PtdCho16:0_22:6, and the proportions of PtdEtn O-16:0_20:4 and PtdEtn O-18:2_20:4 were greater in women than men. There were no sex differences in PtdIns and PtdSer molecular species compositions. These findings show that plasma phospholipids can be modified by sex. Such differences in lipoprotein phospholipid composition could contribute to sexual dimorphism in patterns of health and disease.     

The control of sea lice in Atlantic salmon by selective breeding

Sea lice threaten the welfare of farmed Atlantic salmon and the sustainability of fish farming across the world. Chemical treatments are the major method of control but drug resistance means that alternatives are urgently needed. Selective breeding can be a cheap and effective alternative. Here, we combine experimental trials and diagnostics to provide a practical protocol for quantifying resistance to sea lice. We then combined quantitative genetics with epidemiological modelling to make the first prediction of the response to selection, quantified in terms of reduced need for chemical treatments. We infected over 1400 young fish with Lepeophtheirus salmonis, the most important species in the Northern Hemisphere. Mechanisms of resistance were expressed early in infection. Consequently, the number of lice per fish and the ranking of families were very similar at 7 and 17 days post infection, providing a stable window for assessing susceptibility to infection. The heritability of lice numbers within this time window was moderately high at 0.3, confirming that selective breeding is viable. We combined an epidemiological model of sea lice infection and control on a salmon farm with genetic variation in susceptibility among individuals. We simulated 10 generations of selective breeding and examined the frequency of treatments needed to control infection. Our model predicted that substantially fewer chemical treatments are needed to control lice outbreaks in selected populations and chemical treatment could be unnecessary after 10 generations of selection. Selective breeding for sea lice resistance should reduce the impact of sea lice on fish health and thus substantially improve the sustainability of Atlantic salmon production.     

The impact of roasting on the ochratoxin A content of coffee

Roasting coffee led to a drop in the ochratoxin A (OTA) concentration, as measured by the reference method, especially for dark type roasts. The way the beverage was prepared also affected the OTA content, which could paradoxically be higher than that of the initial roasted coffee. Assays on the thermal stability of pure OTA showed that it ought to be found in larger quantities in roasted coffee. This suggested that OTA was masked by reactions with the substrate during roasting. The absence of OTA in green coffee is therefore the best guarantee of safety.     

Dietary disinhibition, perceived stress, and glucose control in young, Type 1 diabetic women.

Examining the relationship of stress, dietary disinhibition, and blood glucose control in diabetic young women was the goal of this study. 65 diabetic girls and women, ranging in age from 12 to 26 yrs, completed eating behaviors and perceived stress scales during regular clinic visits. Blood glucose control was assessed by concurrent glycosylated hemoglobin measurements. Multiple regression analyses indicated that high levels of perceived stress predicted dietary disinhibition and that within the age range studied, young women were more likely than early adolescent girls to perceive their life as stressful. Contrary to previous findings that failed to show that stress can indirectly affect glucose control by interfering with compliance behaviors, the present work indicated a Stress?×?Dietary Disinhibition interaction in predicting glucose control. Blood glucose control was poorest in those diabetic women who both perceived their lives as stressful and reported medium to high disinhibition. Blood glucose control was unrelated to stress in young women who reported low levels of disinhibition. These results have implications for the development of specific interventions for young diabetic women who perceive their lives as stressful and who may respond to stress by eating. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Primate research, family politics, and social policy: Transforming "cads" into "dads."

The ideology of fatherhood, as it is defined in Western, industrialized culture, assumes that fathers are biologically predisposed to be relatively uninvolved in infant care. This article summarizes recent revisions of both primate research and sociobiological theory. These new perspectives on male parenting behavior shift the focus from a narrow emphasis on the genetic relationship between male primates and their offspring to a broader focus that includes multiple social, demographic, and ecological variables. This paradigm underlines the behavioral flexibility, rather than the behavioral fixity, of male parenting behaviors. The relevance of this new theoretical consensus for social policy that could strengthen fathers' relationships with their children is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social support and survival among women with breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Two recently reported randomized trials, one among patients with advanced breast cancer and the other among patients with early stage melanoma, suggested that social support may affect survival favorably. This study assesses relationships of social support indicators with 7-year survival among women diagnosed with localized or regional stage breast cancer. METHODS: All newly diagnosed patients with surgically treated localized or regional disease in seven Quebec City hospitals in 1984 were considered for this analysis. Among 235 eligible patients, 224 (95%) participated in a home interview 3 months after surgery. This interview provided information on the use of confidants in the 3 months after surgery. Data on disease and treatment characteristics were abstracted from patients' medical records. RESULTS: Compared with women who used no confidant in the 3 months after surgery, the hazard ratio for the 7-year period was 0.61 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.33-1.12) among those who had used at least one confidant, 0.54 (95% CI, 0.28-1.06) in women who used two or more types of confidant, and 0.51 (95% CI, 0.22-1.18) among those whose confidants included either physician or nurse. These results were adjusted for age, presence of invaded axillary lymph nodes, adjuvant radiotherapy, and adjuvant systemic therapy (hormone or chemotherapy). CONCLUSION: These results support the view that social support may be associated with longer survival among women with localized or regional stage breast cancer.     

Type of mastectomy and quality of life for long term breast carcinoma survivors

BACKGROUND: Despite numerous studies of partial mastectomy and psychologic morbidity in the first 24 months following surgery, little is known about the long term psychosocial repercussions of partial and total mastectomy. METHODS: The effect of the type of mastectomy on psychologic adjustment was assessed among 124 breast carcinoma survivors, 47 of whom underwent partial mastectomy and 77 of whom underwent total mastectomy, 8 years after initial treatment. Interviews were also conducted 3 and 18 months after surgery. Psychologic distress was assessed using the Psychiatric Symptom Index. Other outcomes included physical symptoms, patients' perceptions of their own health, satisfaction with the type of surgery performed and with the appearance of the scar, and marital and sexual adjustments. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences between partial and total mastectomy were observed with respect to long term quality of life. Age at diagnosis modified the relation between the type of mastectomy and psychologic distress in both the short term and the long term (P = 0.04). Among women younger than 50 years, partial mastectomy appeared to be protective against distress when compared with total mastectomy. In contrast, among women age 50 years or older, partial mastectomy was associated with higher psychologic distress levels at all interviews. CONCLUSIONS: Assessed globally, partial and total mastectomy appear to be equivalent treatments in terms of patients' long term quality of life. However, both short term and long term distress levels after partial and total mastectomy may depend on patients' age at diagnosis. The findings of this study suggest that the increased use of partial mastectomy may lessen the negative effects of breast carcinoma on younger survivors' quality of life. Nevertheless, total mastectomy may be an appropriate initial treatment for some women who truly choose it.     

The effect of cooling rate on the impact performance and dynamic mechanical properties of rotationally molded metallocene catalyzed linear low density polyethylene

This article examines changes to the morphology of rotationally molded metallocene catalyzed linear low density polyethylene brought about by varying the cooling rate during processing. These changes in morphology lead to variations in the impact performance, which is reflected in the dynamic mechanical characteristics of the materials. Various analytical techniques are used in an attempt to explain the differences in impact behavior. Slow cooling is shown to result in high crystallinity, and in the formation of large spherulites, which in turn is detrimental to the impact performance of the material, particularly at low temperatures. The high crystallinity corresponds with a shift in the β transition of the material to a higher temperature, and is shown to result in a higher brittle–ductile transition. A case study was also carried out on samples from a finished part provided by an industrial molder, one section of which failed in a brittle manner when impact tested while the other failed in a ductile manner. Microscopy results showed that the brittle material had large spherulites at the inside surface, while the ductile material showed incipient degradation at this surface, which has previously been shown to be of benefit to impact strength in rotationally molded parts. Dynamic mechanical studies again showed a β transition at a higher temperature in the brittle samples. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1963–1971, 2006     

Host microhabitat location by stem-borer parasitoidCotesia flavipes: the role of herbivore volatiles and locally and systemically induced plant volatiles

The origin of olfactory stimuli involved in the host microhabitat location inCotesia flavipes, a parasitoid of stem-borer larvae, was investigated in a Y-tube olfactometer. The response of femaleC. flavipes towards different components of the plant-host complex, consisting of a maize plant infested with two or more larvae of the stem borerChilo partellus, was tested in dualchoice tests. The concealed lifestyle of the stem-borer larvae did not limit the emission of volatiles attractive to a parasitoid. A major source of the attractive volatiles from the plant-host complex was the stem-borer-injured stem, including the frass produced by the feeding larvae. Moreover, the production of volatiles attractive to a parasitoid was not restricted to the infested stem part but occurs systemically throughout the plant. The uninfested leaves of a stem-borer-infested plant were found to emit volatiles that attract femaleC. flavipes. We further demonstrate that an exogenous elicitor of this systemic plant response is situated in the regurgitate of a stem-borer larva. When a minor amount of regurgitate is inoculated into the stem of an uninfested plant, the leaves of the treated plant emit volatiles that attract femaleC. flavipes.