Nitrogen deposition and prey nitrogen uptake control the nutrition of the carnivorous plant Drosera rotundifolia.

Nitrogen (N) deposition has important negative impacts on natural and semi-natural ecosystems, impacting on biotic interactions across trophic levels. Low-nutrient systems are particularly sensitive to changes in N inputs and are therefore more vulnerable to N deposition. Carnivorous plants are often part of these ecosystems partly because of the additional nutrients obtained from prey. We studied the impact of N deposition on the nutrition of the carnivorous plant Drosera rotundifolia growing on 16 ombrotrophic bogs across Europe. We measured tissue N, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) concentrations and prey and root N uptake using a natural abundance stable isotope approach. Our aim was to test the impact of N deposition on D. rotundifolia prey and root N uptake, and nutrient stoichiometry. D. rotundifolia root N uptake was strongly affected by N deposition, possibly resulting in reduced N limitation. The contribution of prey N to the N contained in D. rotundifolia ranged from 20 to 60%. N deposition reduced the maximum amount of N derived from prey, but this varied below this maximum. D. rotundifolia tissue N concentrations were a product of both root N availability and prey N uptake. Increased prey N uptake was correlated with increased tissue P concentrations indicating uptake of P from prey. N deposition therefore reduced the strength of a carnivorous plant-prey interaction, resulting in a reduction in nutrient transfer between trophic levels. We suggest that N deposition has a negative impact on D. rotundifolia and that responses to N deposition might be strongly site specific.

Red trap colour of the carnivorous plant Drosera rotundifolia does not serve a prey attraction or camouflage function.

The traps of many carnivorous plants are red in colour. This has been widely hypothesized to serve a prey attraction function; colour has also been hypothesized to function as camouflage, preventing prey avoidance. We tested these two hypotheses in situ for the carnivorous plant Drosera rotundifolia. We conducted three separate studies: (i) prey attraction to artificial traps to isolate the influence of colour; (ii) prey attraction to artificial traps on artificial backgrounds to control the degree of contrast and (iii) observation of prey capture by D. rotundifolia to determine the effects of colour on prey capture. Prey were not attracted to green traps and were deterred from red traps. There was no evidence that camouflaged traps caught more prey. For D. rotundifolia, there was a relationship between trap colour and prey capture. However, trap colour may be confounded with other leaf traits. Thus, we conclude that for D. rotundifolia, red trap colour does not serve a prey attraction or camouflage function.

SF-36 Health Profiles of Recently Discharged Hospital Patients in Australia.

This study investigated the characteristics and validity of the SF-36 (Australian version) health profile and summary scores for recently discharged hospital patients and compared this with US and Australian community samples with minor and serious medical conditions. Adult medical, surgical, obstetric and gynaecological patients from a large teaching hospital in NSW, Australia, completed a postal survey 1 week after discharge. The SF- 36 discriminated well among patient groups and performed well on most validity tests. Scale and summary scores varied by age, gender, seriousness of condition on admission, prior health status and hospital group. The findings highlight the potential of the SF-36 in monitoring the health status of Australian hospital patients and assessing the health-related support needed on discharge.

Evaluation of an easy, cost-effective strategy for cutting benzodiazepine use in general practice.

AIM: This study set out to assess the effect of a letter from the general practitioner, suggesting a reduction in the use of benzodiazepines, and whether the impact of the letter could be increased by the addition of information on how to tackle drug reduction. METHOD: Two hundred and nine long-term users of benzodiazepines in general practice were divided into three groups: two intervention groups and a control group. The first intervention group received a letter from their general practitioner asking that benzodiazepine use be gradually reduced and perhaps, in time, stopped. The second intervention group received the same letter plus four information sheets at monthly intervals, designed to assist drug reduction: The mean age of the 209 people was 69 years (age range 34-102 years). RESULTS: After six months, both intervention groups had reduced their consumption to approximately two thirds of the original intake of benzodiazepines and there was a statistically significant difference between the intervention groups and the control group. Eighteen per cent of those receiving the interventions received no prescriptions at all during the six month monitoring period. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that a simple intervention can have a considerable effect on the use of hypnotic and anxiolytic drugs, even with a sample of elderly users.

Solar protection behaviours: a study of beachgoers.

This study explored the prevalence and predictors of solar protection behaviour in a community sample of beachgoers. A total of 670 participants was randomly selected from six beaches in the Newcastle district. The solar protection behaviour of each participant was assessed by direct observation and interview. A subsample was also asked to complete a written questionnaire to assess attitudes to solar protection use, knowledge of skin cancer and awareness of recommended solar protection behaviours. Forty-five per cent of the beachgoers in this sample were using a high level of solar protection, and a substantial proportion (16 per cent) of the sample was not using any kind of solar protection. Sunscreen with SPF 15+ was applied to at least one body region by 69 per cent of the sample, 17 per cent of the sample were wearing a recommended hat, 15.1 per cent were using shade, and 3.4 per cent were wearing a recommended style of shirt at the time of observation. Chi-square analyses of the data for under-15-year-olds indicated that a significantly greater proportion of 0- to 9-year-olds were well protected compared to 11- to 14-year-olds, but there was no difference in use of protection by boys and girls under 15 years of age. Stepwise regression analysis of the adult sample (15 years and over) showed that the predictors of overall level of solar protection were marital status and frequency of skin self-examination in the past 12 months. The practical implications of these findings for future community-based skin cancer prevention programs are discussed.