Mortality attributable to higher-than-optimal body mass index in New Zealand

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the burden of mortality in New Zealand due to higher-than-optimal body mass index (BMI) in 1997, as well as mortality that could be avoided in 2011 with feasible changes in mean population BMI. SETTING: New Zealand. DESIGN: Comparative risk assessment methodology was used to estimate the attributable and avoidable mortality due to high BMI. Outcomes assessed were ischaemic heart disease (IHD), ischaemic stroke, type 2 diabetes mellitus, colorectal cancer and postmenopausal breast cancer. RESULTS: In 1997, 3154 deaths (11% of all deaths) in New Zealand were due to higher-than-optimal BMI (>21 kg m(-2)). This amounted to 83% of diabetes deaths, 24% of IHD deaths, 15% of ischaemic stroke deaths and 4% of all cancer deaths. If the projected increase in mean population BMI by 2011 was limited to 1.0 kg m(-2) rather than 1.3 kg m(-2), approximately 385 deaths could be prevented annually, mainly from diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: These results quantify the importance of higher-than-optimal BMI as a major modifiable cause of premature death in New Zealand. Intervention policies that would have only modest effects on slowing the rate of increase in mean population BMI by 2011 could still prevent hundreds of deaths annually.     

Characterization of vegetable oils: detailed compositional fingerprints derived from electrospray ionization fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Adulteration of vegetable oil is of concern for both commercial and health reasons. Compositional based fingerprints can potentially reveal both the oil source and its possible adulteration. Here, electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) resolves and identifies literally thousands of distinct chemical components of commercial canola, olive, and soybean oils, without extraction or other wet chemical separation pretreatment. In negative-ion ESI FT-ICR MS, the acidic components of soybean oil are easily distinguished from those of canola and olive oil based on relative abundances of C(18) fatty acids, whereas olive oil differs from canola and soybean oil based on relative abundances of tocopherols. In positive-ion ESI FT-ICR MS, the three oils are readily distinguished according to the relative abundances of di- and triacylglycerols with various numbers of double bonds in the fatty acid chains. We demonstrate the detection of soybean oil as an adulterant of olive oil, based on relative abundances of members of each of several chemical families. We suggest that the detailed chemical compositions of vegetable oils can be used to characterize them and to detect and identify adulterants.     

Tillage systems for a cotton–peanut rotation with winter-annual grazing: Impacts on soil carbon, nitrogen and physical properties

Integrating livestock with cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) production systems by grazing winter-annuals can offer additional income for producers provided it does not result in yield-limiting soil compaction. We conducted a 3-year field study on a Dothan loamy sand (fine-loamy, kaolinitic, thermic plinthic kandiudults) in southern Alabama, USA to determine the influence of tillage system prior to cotton–peanut planting on soil properties following winter-annual grazing. Two winter-annual forages [oat (Avena sativa L.) and annual ryegrass (Lolium mutiflorum L.)] and four tillage practices [chisel + disk, non-inversion deep tillage (paratill) with and without disking and no-till] were evaluated in a strip-plot design of four replications. We evaluated cone index, bulk density, infiltration, soil organic carbon (SOC), and total nitrogen (N). Paratilling prior to cotton or peanut planting, especially without surface soil tillage, reduced compaction initially to 40 cm and residually to 30 cm through the grazing period in winter. There were no significant differences in cone index, bulk density, or infiltration between forage species. No-tillage resulted in the greatest bulk density (1.65 Mg m⁻³) and lowest infiltration (36% of water applied), while paratilling increased infiltration in no-tillage to 83%. After 3 years, paratilling increased SOC 38% and N 56% near the soil surface (0–5 cm), as compared to concentrations at the beginning of the experiment, suggesting an improvement in soil quality. For coastal plain soils, integrating winter-annual grazing in a cotton–peanut rotation using a conservation tillage system of non-inversion deep tillage (paratill) with no surface tillage can improve soil quality by reducing cone index, increasing infiltration, and increasing SOC in the soil surface.     

Modulation of Mouse P450 Isoforms CYP1A2, CYP2B10, CYP2E1, and CYP3A by the Environmental Chemicals Mirex, 2,2-Bis(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethylene, Vinclozolin, and Flutamide

Several environmental chemicals are disruptive to the reproductive and endocrine systems of many species, including humans. Mechanisms for endocrine disruption are presently under scrutiny. Xenobiotic inducible mammalian cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes metabolize a variety of substrates including environmental chemicals, pesticides, and drugs. The metabolism, and thus the effect, of endogenous chemicals including steroid hormones, vitamins, etc. that are transformed by CYP enzymes can be influenced by environmental exposure to CYP-inducing chemicals. This study demonstrated that structurally diverse environmental chemicals including mirex, 2,2-Bis(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethylene (DDE), vinclozolin, and flutamide are capable of inducing several mouse liver CYP isozymes. As demonstrated by Western blotting, mirex induced CYP1A2, 2B10, 2E1, and 3A and vinclozolin induced 1A2 and 2B10. The only isoforms significantly induced by DDE and flutamide were 3A and 1A2, respectively. Since some of these isoforms are known to be involved in metabolism of endogenous hormones, we also studied the effects of these CYP inducers on testosterone metabolism and seminal vesicle weights. Mirex and DDE treatments had profound effects on the metabolism of testosterone, resulting in 2.5- to 3-fold more hydroxylated products than controls. Lesser, but significant, increases in specific metabolites of testosterone were also observed following treatment with vinclozolin and flutamide. Seminal vesicle weights were lower for all treatment groups except DDE. Results of this study demonstrate that, due to their CYP-inducing potential, these chemicals may significantly impact testosterone metabolism and this may be a contributing factor in their antiandrogenic effects.     

Nitrogen dynamics of anaerobically digested slurry used to fertilize paddy fields

To determine nitrogen (N) fate and environmental impact of applying anaerobic digestion slurry (ADS) to rice paddy (Oryza sativa L.), a field experiment was established using three treatments based on contrasting N application rate. The ADS (with ammonium-N accounting for >80 % of total N) treatment at a conventional application rate of 270 kg N?ha^?1 was compared to a negative control (no N fertilizer) and a positive control of urea applied at 270 kg N?ha^?1. The N budget showed the following distribution of applied N from ADS and urea: 41.3?±?5.1 % for ADS and 36.6?±?4.4 % for urea recovered by the rice plant (including straw, grain, and root), 16.4?±?3.7 % for ADS and 7.4?±?1.8 % for urea lost via ammonia volatilization, 0.26?±?0.15 % for ADS and 0.15?±?0.12 % for urea lost by direct N₂O emission, 1.9?±?0.5 % for ADS and 2.3?±?0.8 % for urea leached downward, 0.70?±?0.15 % for ADS and 0.67?±?0.12 % for urea discharged with floodwater drainage, and 39.4?±?8.4 % for ADS and 53.0?±?9.1 % for urea retained by soil or lost by N₂ emission. Compared to urea application, ADS application impacts the environment mainly through gaseous N losses rather than water N losses. ADS application had a positive impact on rice grain yield and reduced chemical fertilizer use. Considering the wide distribution of paddy fields and the ever-increasing quantities of ADS, ADS may serve as a valuable N source for rice cultivation, although mitigating ammonia and N₂O losses should be further investigated.     

Diagnosis of tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis in New Zealand red deer (Cervus elaphus) using a composite blood test and antibody assays

A blood test for tuberculosis in deer was developed as an ancillary test to clarify the status of skin test-positive deer, with non-specific sensitisation following exposure to saprophytic mycobacteria. The blood test incorporates the measurement of the relative humoral and cellular immunological responses to Mycobacterium bovis and M. avium antigens to provia composite test with high levels of sensitivity (>95%) and specificity (>98%). The specificity of the test has allowed it to be used in parallel with the skin test to salvage thousands of tuberculosis-free deer with non-specific skin test-positive reactions, while its high sensitivity has consistently identified M. bovis-specific reactivity in tuberculous skin test-positive animals. The rules for establishing the diagnostic parameters for the cellular and antibody assays were developed by retrospective analysis of the laboratory results using blood samples from many thousand tuberculous or disease-free deer. The sensitivity of the blood test was tested in this study using 150 animals with tuberculosis diagnosed by the isolation of M. bovis. It had sensitivity values of 95.7–95.9% in herds with a low (<2.0% ) or a high (>30.0%) incidence of tuberculosis. The test had a specificity of 98.0% when tested on 218 disease-free animals, 118 of which were skin test-positive.

An antibody test was developed to diagnose M. bovis in skin test-negative “anergic” deer from tuberculosis infected herds. When this test was used with deer blood taken 10 days after reading the skin test, it had a sensitivity of 85.3% for 102 M. bovis-positive deer. When used in combination with skin test, the antibody test complemented the skin test to raise the sensitivity of the combined tests to 95.0%) when antibody-positive or skin test-positive tests were used to diagnose tuberculosis. The specificity of the antibody test was 100% when used to evaluate 218 disease-free deer from non-infected herds.