Gender differences in alcohol consumption: effects of measurement

Data from a 1988 survey of US drinking habits and related problems revealed differences in male and female patterns of alcohol consumption. Men were more likely than women to be current drinkers (64 v. 41%), and beer accounted for a larger proportion of their overall intake. Men's average daily ethanol intake was about twice as high as that of women, 17.5 v. 8.9 g. Adjustment for differences in body weight and composition substantially reduced the male-to-female ratio of consumption. Men were more likely than women to be classified as heavy drinkers, and the excess proportion of males so categorized increased with the severity of the measure of heavy drinking.     

Fetal heart rate monitoring by telephone. I. Development of an integrated system in Cardiff

Summary. We report the development of a practical dedicated system for domiciliary fetal monitoring integrated in a scheme for its rational application. From experience of 1120 domiciliary recordings in 74 women (64 with high-risk pregnancies), we suggest that domiciliary monitoring applied within a structured clinical context should be as safe as monitoring in hospital.     

Polymer-tethered glyconanoparticle colourimetric biosensors for lectin binding: structural and experimental parameters to ensure a robust output

Glycan–lectin interactions play essential roles in biology; as the site of attachment for pathogens, cell–cell communication, and as crucial players in the immune system. Identifying if a new glycan (natural or unnatural) binds a protein partner, or if a new protein (or mutant) binds a glycan remains a non-trivial problem, with few accessible or low-cost tools available. Micro-arrays allow for the interrogation of 100''s of glycans but are not widely available in individual laboratories. Biophysical techniques such as isothermal titration calorimetry, surface plasmon resonance spectrometry, biolayer interferometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy all provide detailed understanding of glycan binding but are relatively expensive. Glycosylated plasmonic nanoparticles based on gold cores with polymeric tethers have emerged as biosensors to detect glycan–protein binding, based on colourimetric (red to blue) outputs which can be easily interpreted by a simple UV-visible spectrometer or by eye. Despite the large number of reports there are no standard protocols for each system or recommended start points, to allow a new user to deploy this technology. Here we explore the key parameters of nanoparticle size, polymeric tether length and gold concentration to provide some guidelines for how polymer-tethered glycosylated gold nanoparticles can be used to probe a new glycan/protein interactions, with minimal optimisation barriers. This work aimed to remove the need to explore chemical and nanoparticle space and hence remove a barrier for other users when deploying this system. We show that the concentration of the gold core is crucial to balance strong responses versus false positives and recommend a gold core size and polymer tether length which balances sufficient colloidal stability and output. Whilst subtle differences between glycans/lectins will impact the outcomes, these parameters should enable a lab user to quickly evaluate binding using minimal quantities of the glycan and lectin, to select candidates for further study.

Polymer tethered glycosylated gold nanoparticles are optimised to provide a starting point to evaluate glycan–lectin interactions.     

Relative frequency of heavy drinking and the risk of alcohol dependence

Data from a national representative sample of US adults were analyzed to determine the association between the relative frequency of heavy drinking (the proportion of drinking occasions on which 5 + drinks were consumed) and past-year alcohol dependence, adjusting for the influences of average ethanol intake and sociodemographic factors. Fifty-seven percent of current drinkers reported never drinking 5 + drinks, and 21% drank 5 + drinks at least once but on less than 10% of all drinking occasions. Nine percent reported drinking 5 + drinks on at least half of all drinking occasions. Average daily intake was positively correlated with the relative frequency of heavy drinking, and both consumption measures were positively associated with the risk of alcohol dependence. Increases in either relative frequency of heavy drinking or average ethanol intake reduced, but did not eliminate, the effect of the other on the risk of dependence. The excess risk of dependence associated with frequent heavy drinking varied among population subgroups and was increased by age, education, and female gender.     

Transcutaneous oxygen monitoring in acute asthma

Arterial blood oxygen tensions (Pao₂) were compared with simultaneously obtained transcutaneous oxygen measurements (T_co₂) in 15 children during an acute asthma attack and in 18 children with an illness other than asthma. A close correlation between T_co₂ and Pao₂ was obtained in the non-asthmatic group but not in the asthmatics. It is suggested that impaired cutaneous blood flow may explain this poor correlation.