Use of folic acid supplements, particularly by low-income and young women: a series of systematic reviews to inform public health policy in the UK

OBJECTIVE: To provide a basis for making recommendations on the potential to improve use of folic acid supplements in the UK, particularly among low-income and young women. DESIGN: Systematic reviews of relevant research from 1989 to May 2006 in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. RESULTS: Twenty-six systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses were identified from the wider public health literature, and eighteen studies on the effectiveness of preconception interventions were included. Ninety studies were identified which were directly relevant to folic acid supplement intake. There were factors that are particularly associated with lower rates of use of folic acid supplements. One of the most important of these is the link with unintended pregnancy, followed by age, socio-economic and ethnic group. Integrated campaigns can increase the use of folic acid supplements to some extent. Research trials indicated that: (i) printed resources and the mass media used in isolation are not effective in the longer term; and (ii) health-care-based initiatives can be effective and are more likely to be successful if they include making supplements easily available. CONCLUSIONS: Campaigns and interventions have the potential to exacerbate socio-economic inequalities in folic acid use. One way of addressing this is to include elements that specifically target vulnerable women. To achieve and maintain an effect, they need to be based on good health promotion practice and to be sustained over a long period. However, even high-quality campaigns that increase use result in under half of women in the target group taking supplements.     

Quantitation of 13 heterocyclic aromatic amines in cooked beef, pork, and chicken by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization/tandem mass spectrometry

The concentrations of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) were determined, by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS), in 26 samples of beef, pork, and chicken cooked to various levels of doneness. The HAAs identified were 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5- f]quinoline, 2-amino-1-methylimidazo[4,5- b]quinoline, 2-amino-1-methylimidazo[4,5- g]quinoxaline (I gQx), 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5- f]quinoxaline, 2-amino-1,7-dimethylimidazo[4,5- g]quinoxaline (7-MeI gQx), 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5- f]quinoxaline, 2-amino-1,6-dimethyl-furo[3,2- e]imidazo[4,5- b]pyridine, 2-amino-1,6,7-trimethylimidazo[4,5- g]quinoxaline, 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo[4,5- f]quinoxaline, 2-amino-1,7,9-trimethylimidazo[4,5- g]quinoxaline, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5- b]pyridine (PhIP), 2-amino-9 H-pyrido[2,3- b]indole, and 2-amino-3-methyl-9 H-pyrido[2,3- b]indole. The concentrations of these compounds ranged from <0.03 to 305 parts per billion (micrograms per kilogram). PhIP was the most abundant HAA formed in very well done barbecued chicken (up to 305 microg/kg), broiled bacon (16 microg/kg), and pan-fried bacon (4.9 microg/kg). 7-MeI gQx was the most abundant HAA formed in very well done pan-fried beef and steak, and in beef gravy, at concentrations up to 30 microg/kg. Several other linear tricyclic ring HAAs containing the I gQx skeleton are formed at concentrations in cooked meats that are relatively high in comparison to the concentrations of their angular tricyclic ring isomers, the latter of which are known experimental animal carcinogens and potential human carcinogens. The toxicological properties of these recently discovered I gQx derivatives warrant further investigation and assessment.     

High levels of habitat loss and fragmentation limit reproductive success by reducing home range size and provisioning rates of Northern saw-whet owls

Studies of the effects of habitat fragmentation have been heavily biased toward population and community questions, with less attention on the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on individual behaviour and reproduction. We studied the effects of habitat amount and configuration on the foraging behaviour, provisioning rates and physiological condition of breeding male northern saw-whet owls (Aegolius acadicus) nesting in the fragmented aspen parkland of central Alberta, Canada. We then examined the relationship between provisioning behaviour and both reproductive success, and juvenile physiological condition. Males nesting in areas with little forest cover and large inter-patch distances spent more time perching, maintained smaller home ranges, and provisioned their nests less frequently. However, home range size and provisioning rates levelled off in landscapes with moderate to high forest cover. Male owls breeding in areas with low forest cover, and those raising large broods, also exhibited higher levels of chronic stress, as measured by heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratios. Predictably, males that provisioned the nest less often fledged fewer young, which, in turn, exhibited higher variation in physiological condition. These results suggest that low levels of habitat loss and fragmentation may be beneficial to saw-whet owls, potentially by increasing prey abundance. However, high levels of habitat loss and fragmentation appeared to reduce the foraging efficiency of male saw-whet owls, increase their levels of physiological stress, and reduce their reproductive success. Increasing habitat loss and fragmentation may ultimately decrease population sizes of saw whet owls in this area and other species that are similarly affected by changes to in habitat composition or configuration.     

Widespread selective sweeps affecting microsatellites in Drosophila populations adapting to captivity: Implications for captive breeding programs

Many threatened species are being maintained in captivity to save them from extinction, often with the eventual aim of reintroduction. The objective of genetic management in captivity is to ‘freeze’ evolution i.e. to avoid genetic adaptation to captivity and to retain genetic diversity. Most current genetic management of threatened species addresses the latter, but does not explicitly address the former. The theory underlying current genetic management and its practical implementation assumes neutrality of loci. However, genetic adaptation in captive populations may cause non-neutral behavior at neutral loci due to selective sweeps (hitchhiking) caused by rapid allele frequency changes at linked fitness loci. We compared changes in microsatellite genetic diversity at eight non-coding loci with neutral predictions in 23 pedigreed captive populations of Drosophila melanogaster maintained with effective sizes of 25 (eight replicates), 50 (6), 100 (4), 250 (3) and 500 (2) for 48 generations. Loss of microsatellite heterozygosity was significantly faster (by 12%) than predicted by neutral theory, as assessed by regressing proportion of heterozygosity retained on pedigree inbreeding coefficients. Further, greater than neutral changes were observed for both variances in allele frequencies across replicates (by 25%), and for temporal changes in allele frequencies (by 33%). All eight microsatellite loci showed signals of selectively-driven changes. Rather than having their evolution ‘frozen’, captive populations are undergoing major genome-wide selective sweeps that affect not only fitness loci but linked neutral loci. Captive genetic management for threatened species destined for reintroduction requires modification to explicitly minimize genetic adaptation to captivity.     

Preliminary study of community development and scleractinian recruitment on fibreglass artificial reef units in the sedimented waters of Singapore

• 1. Fibreglass was used to make specially designed reef enhancement units (REUs) for three reef sites in Singapore. Units were established in areas measuring approximately 20 × 50 m.
• 2. The units are compact and light enough to be deployed from small boats by scuba divers, and are suitable for shallow reefs with limited visibility.
• 3. The design of the REUs precludes excessive sediment build‐up on the settlement surfaces, while allowing water currents to flow through the system.
• 4. The REUs were monitored monthly over two years to observe community development and scleractinian coral recruitment on the exterior surfaces. Recruitment was compared between REUs and rubble quadrats at one study site.
• 5. The REUs were colonized by turf algae within the first month, followed by crustose coralline algae, macroalgae, ascidians and hydroids. At the end of two years, the percentage cover of crustose coralline algae at all three sites was more than 50%.
• 6. The first incidence of coral recruitment was six months post deployment, and recruitment rates at the end of the monitoring period ranged from 0.10 to 4.75 recruits per square metre for the three sites. Recruits show better survival and growth on REUs compared to rubble areas.
• 7. The most abundant recruit was Pocillopora damicornis, followed by favids, acroporids and poritids.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Blackberry, black raspberry, blueberry, cranberry, red raspberry, and strawberry extracts inhibit growth and stimulate apoptosis of human cancer cells in vitro

Berry fruits are widely consumed in our diet and have attracted much attention due to their potential human health benefits. Berries contain a diverse range of phytochemicals with biological properties such as antioxidant, anticancer, anti-neurodegerative, and anti-inflammatory activities. In the current study, extracts of six popularly consumed berries--blackberry, black raspberry, blueberry, cranberry, red raspberry and strawberry--were evaluated for their phenolic constituents using high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) detection. The major classes of berry phenolics were anthocyanins, flavonols, flavanols, ellagitannins, gallotannins, proanthocyanidins, and phenolic acids. The berry extracts were evaluated for their ability to inhibit the growth of human oral (KB, CAL-27), breast (MCF-7), colon (HT-29, HCT116), and prostate (LNCaP) tumor cell lines at concentrations ranging from 25 to 200 micro g/mL. With increasing concentration of berry extract, increasing inhibition of cell proliferation in all of the cell lines were observed, with different degrees of potency between cell lines. The berry extracts were also evaluated for their ability to stimulate apoptosis of the COX-2 expressing colon cancer cell line, HT-29. Black raspberry and strawberry extracts showed the most significant pro-apoptotic effects against this cell line. The data provided by the current study and from other laboratories warrants further investigation into the chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects of berries using in vivo models.     

Stones and Organic Mulches Improve the Quercus Ilex L. Afforestation Success Under Mediterranean Climatic Conditions

This work studies the influence of two mulching treatments on soil properties and the field performance of afforested holm‐oak seedlings (Quercus ilex L. subsp. ballota (Desf.) Samp.) nine years after outplanting. Mulching treatments composed of stones, forest debris, and an untreated control were randomly applied to 180 seedlings (n = 60) in January 2001 at the bed level (1 × 1 m) in an abandoned agricultural field in SE Spain. Survival, growth measured by means of leaf area, and nutrient concentrations in leaves and soil were measured. Both mulches provided higher survival and greater leaf‐area growth than the control, but did not differ in leaf‐nutrient concentration. Most of the analysed soil variables were not affected by the mulching treatments at the end of the study period, and, therefore, the soil properties changes by mulching might be slower than expected under semi‐arid conditions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.