This study examined associations between pregnancy and infant birth outcomes with child telomere length at age 17 years; and investigated if there are sex differences between pregnancy complications and telomere length. We utilised the population-based prospective Raine cohort study in Western Australia, Australia. 2900 pregnant women were recruited at 16–20 weeks’ gestation (Gen 1), and their children (Gen 2) were followed up over several years. Generalised linear models were used to examine relationships between pregnancy or birth outcomes (gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, preterm birth, low birth weight, macrosomia), and as a composite, with telomere length, measured via a DNA sample from blood at 17 years of age. Analyses were adjusted for a range of confounders. Among the 1202 included children, there were no differences in child telomere length for any of the individual maternal or birth weight pregnancy outcomes nor were there any significant interactions between each of the complications (individual or composite) and the sex of the child. However, females born from any of the 5 adverse outcomes had shorter telomeres (estimated mean (SE) = -0.159 (0.061), p = 0.010) than females born in the absence of these complications. Specifically, females born from a pre-eclamptic pregnancy had shorter telomeres than females not born from a pre-eclamptic pregnancy (estimated mean (SE) = -0.166 (0.072), p = 0.022). No relationships were observed in males. Further longitudinal studies are needed to understand mediating factors that are important in predicting offspring telomere length and the necessity to investigate females and males independently.

In a representative nationwide survey, the Psychiatry and Migration Working Group of the German Federal Conference of Psychiatric Hospital Directors (Bundesdirektorenkonferenz) examined the use of inpatient psychiatric and psychotherapeutic services in Germany by patients of immigrant origin. Questionnaires were sent to a total of 350 general hospital psychiatric clinics throughout Germany, and 131 clinics responded. As shown by the 2005 Microcensus [22], almost one-fifth (18.6%) of the German population is of immigrant origin. In our study, persons of immigrant origin comprised 17% of patients in the responding facilities. This indicates that the percentage of inpatient psychiatric services used by patients of immigrant origin is almost proportionate to these patients’ percentage of the general population. The largest group of immigrant patients in our study were those of Russian heritage, followed by patients of Turkish, Arabic, or other origin. Almost two-thirds of the immigrant patients were born in Germany, and a considerably larger percentage were German citizens (74%). Sixty-two per cent of all patients of immigrant origin spoke a language other than German (e.g. Russian, Turkish, Polish) at home. Patients of immigrant origin were significantly more likely to receive an ICD-10 F2 diagnosis, and it was precisely patients with this diagnosis who were observed to experience difficulties in communication with caregivers.

The physico-chemical and interfacial properties of fat emulsions influence lipid digestion and may affect postprandial responses. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of the modification of the interfacial layer of a fat emulsion by cross-linking on postprandial metabolic and appetite responses. A total of fifteen healthy individuals (26·5 (sem 6·9) years and BMI 21·9 (sem 2·0) kg/m2) participated in a cross-over design experiment in which they consumed two isoenergetic (1924 kJ (460 kcal)) and isovolumic (250 g) emulsions stabilised with either sodium caseinate (Cas) or transglutaminase-cross-linked sodium caseinate (Cas-TG) in a randomised order. Blood samples were collected from the individuals at baseline and for 6 h postprandially for the determination of serum TAG and plasma NEFA, cholecystokinin (CCK), glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), glucose and insulin responses. Appetite was assessed using visual analogue scales. Postprandial TAG and NEFA responses and gastric emptying (GE) rates were comparable between the emulsions. CCK increased more after the ingestion of Cas-TG than after the ingestion of Cas (P< 0·05), while GLP-1 responses did not differ between the two test emulsions. Glucose and insulin profiles were lower after consuming Cas-TG than after consuming Cas (P< 0·05). The overall insulin, glucose and CCK responses, expressed as areas above/under the curve, did not differ significantly between the Cas and Cas-TG meal conditions. Satiety ratings were reduced and hunger, desire to eat and thirst ratings increased more after the ingestion of Cas-TG than after the ingestion of Cas (P< 0·05). The present results suggest that even a subtle structural modification of the interfacial layer of a fat emulsion can alter the early postprandial profiles of glucose, insulin, CCK, appetite and satiety through decreased protein digestion without affecting significantly on GE or overall lipid digestion.

Open-pollinated (OPs) and composite populations (CPs) represent a valuable resource for sunflower breeding programmes. However, little is known about the levels and distribution of genetic variation within each of these populations. In this study, quantitative and qualitative traits along with molecular markers were used to evaluate 14 populations from the Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) sunflower germplasm collection. These populations were chosen to represent historically important accessions that still play a central role within the INTA sunflower breeding programme due to their extensive variation in diverse agronomically important traits. Nine quantitative and eight qualitative agro-morphological descriptors were recorded and compared with those of a larger set of accessions representative of the phenotypic diversity of the sunflower collection. Molecular characterization was conducted on a total of 311 individuals using 16 microsatellite markers. Overall, the average gene diversity was 0.56 and the average number of alleles per locus was 6.25. No statistically significant differences in genetic diversity were detected between the OPs and CPs. Global estimates of FST revealed very high levels of differentiation among accessions (FST= 0.413, P< 0.05). Population structure analyses were consistent with the observed levels of differentiation and identified two major groups. The results of this work show that high global diversity is preserved within the accessions analysed here. Additionally, this study provides a set of reliable and discriminant markers for the cost-effective molecular characterization of sunflower accessions, along with the guidelines for the delineation of sampling strategies for OPs and CPs, thus aiding the efficient management and exploitation of sunflower germplasm collections.

Physico-chemical and textural properties of foods in addition to their chemical composition modify postprandial metabolism and signals from the gastrointestinal tract. Enzymatic cross-linking of protein is a tool to modify food texture and structure without changing nutritional composition. We investigated the effects of structure modification of a milk protein-based model food and the type of milk protein used on postprandial hormonal, metabolic and appetitive responses. Healthy males (n 8) consumed an isoenergetic and isovolumic test product containing either whey protein (Wh, low-viscous liquid), casein (Cas, high-viscous liquid) or Cas protein cross-linked with transglutaminase (Cas-TG, rigid gel) in a randomised order. Blood samples were drawn for plasma glucose, insulin, cholecystokinin (CCK), glucagon-like peptide 1 and peptide YY analysis for 4 h. Appetite was assessed at concomitant time points. Cas and Wh were more potent in lowering postprandial glucose than Cas-TG during the first hour. Insulin concentrations peaked at 30 min, but the peaks were more pronounced for Cas and Wh than for Cas-TG. The increase in CCK was similar for Cas and Wh in the first 15 min, whereas for Cas-TG, the CCK release was significantly lower, but more sustained. The feeling of fullness was stronger after the consumption of Cas-TG than after the consumption of Cas and Wh. The present results suggest that food structure is more effective in modulating the postprandial responses than the type of dairy protein used. Modification of protein-based food structure could thus offer a possible tool for lowering postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations and enhancing postprandial fullness.

At the 2003 Sydney IAU meeting, Marion Schmitz (Caltech, USA) took over the chair of the Commission 5 Working Group Designations, succeeding Helene Dickel. The Working Group Designations of IAU Commission 5 clarifies existing astronomical nomenclature and helps astronomers avoid potential problems when designating their sources. The most important function of WG Designations during the period 2003-2005 was overseeing the IAU REGISTRY FOR ACRONYMS (for newly discovered astronomical sources of radiation: see the website <http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/DicForm>) which is sponsored by the WG and operated by the Centre de Données de Strasbourg (CDS). The Clearing House, a subgroup of the WG, screens the submissions for accuracy and conformity to the IAU Recommendations for Nomenclature (<http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/iau-spec.html>). From its beginning in 1997 through August 2006, there have been 132 submissions and 111 acceptances. Attempts to register asterisms, common star names, and suspected variable stars were rejected. The past three years saw 61 acronyms submitted with 50 of them being accepted. (GIRL - yes; WOMEN - no).

To determine whether high plasma cortisol concentrations are a distinctive feature of depression or whether plasma cortisol is also elevated in other forms of psychosis, cortisol concentrations were measured in 59 patients with acute functional psychoses, six non-psychotic depressed patients and 37 control subjects, all free of antidepressant and neuroleptic drugs for at least three months. Patients with schizoaffective disorder, manic type, had the highest concentrations throughout the day and those with major depressive disorder, psychotic sub-type had higher concentrations than controls in the afternoon and evening. Manic and schizophrenic patients had cortisol concentrations above controls in the afternoon only. Elevated concentrations were not related to the presence of depressed mood or to duration of stay in hospital, and a return to normal occurred irrespective of the type of treatment used. Thus raised plasma cortisol concentrations are a feature of psychotic illness, but in drug-free patients are not specific for severe depression.

We report optical reflectance measurements on stage 1-4 graphite-SbCl5 intercalation compounds in the energy range 0.2 to 10 eV. The data are analyzed using a Kramers-Kroniq relation to determine the parameters describing the intraband and interband contributions to the dielectric functions ∊1(ω) and ∊2(ω). Structure in these functions are compared with recent band calculations by Blinowski et al.