Pittwater Online News

'Tis the season for youth to curb binge-drinking

December 9, 2014 - With the holidays around the corner, we're all a little more likely to indulge, especially when it comes to alcohol. While a few extra drinks might be brushed off as holiday cheer, they can actually signal a problem in young adults.

That's because the bad habits we pick up in our youth may stay with us later in life, according to a new study from Concordia, in collaboration with the Université de Montréal and University of Massachusetts.

Its findings, which were published recently in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, suggest that teenagers who regularly consume alcohol are more likely to binge drink, at least into their mid-20s.

Furthermore, young men -- those who left formal education behind at an early age and those who have a tendency toward impulsive behavior -- are more likely to sustain the drinking habits they formed in adolescence.

Defining the problem

"Most people don't even know when they're binge drinking," says Erin O'Loughlin, a co-author of the study and researcher with Concordia's Independent Program (INDI) and Department of Exercise Science.

"While they do know when they are wasted, the reality is that four consecutive drinks per sitting for a woman and five for a man constitutes binge drinking. And that means society is more tolerant of binge drinking than we think."

This lack of understanding what binge drinking actually is means that youth may not be tuned into how their personal habits are a cause for concern.

A history of bad behavior

These new findings emerged from the Nicotine Dependence in Teens (NDIT) Study, in which several Concordia researchers are involved. NDIT has been keeping tabs on the mental health, drinking habits and physical activity levels of 1,294 young people from the Montreal area since 1999, when they were 12 or 13 years old.

The NDIT study, which gathered data that can be used to study the relationship between alcohol consumption and health, suggests that of the 85 per cent of respondents who continue their heavy-drinking habits into early adulthood, some may face long-term consequences.

A reality check for parents

As this study suggests, the perception that binge drinking is something that adolescents are bound to grow out of does not match reality.

"Parents should be aware that if their teenager is binge drinking, they are more likely to sustain binging later in life," says O'Loughlin. "This challenges the belief that being exposed to alcohol early on means they will be protected from alcohol-related problems when they grow up."

"But just as a parent would never give their child a cigarette to try, the same view should perhaps apply to alcohol. Delaying that first taste of alcohol might be the best thing you can do -- even if it's New Year's Eve."

1. Robert J. Wellman, Gisèle A. Contreras, Erika N. Dugas, Erin K. O'Loughlin, Jennifer L. O'Loughlin. Determinants of Sustained Binge Drinking in Young Adults. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2014; 38 (5): 1409 DOI:10.1111/acer.12365

 New research could prevent unnecessary prostate cancer treatment

12 December 2014 - Radical treatments for prostate cancer could be avoided thanks to new research that links fat cells and obesity with the most common cancer among Australian men.

Led by the University of Adelaide, and including researchers from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre, the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Melbourne and KU Leuven in Belgium, a new multi-centre Australian research team believes the makeup of lipids in the prostate gland could indicate whether and how prostate tumours will respond to treatment.

They have received a $3.25 million Revolutionary Team Award from the Movember Foundation and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia over the next three years.

"The current treatments for early stage prostate cancer are very effective in eliminating cancer, but they also have major side effects that impact on quality of life," said Dr Andrew Hoy, from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre and Sydney Medical School.

"The key question is: does every man with prostate cancer need to go through that kind of radical therapy?"

As part of the Team Award, Dr Hoy's group at the University of Sydney is examining the impact of obesity on prostate cancer risk and the aggressiveness of prostate cancer tumours.

"Obesity doesn't necessarily increase your chances of getting cancer, but if you are obese and you do develop cancer, it is more likely to be fatal," Dr Hoy said.

"Obese people also seem to be less responsive to our current therapies for cancer. This means that as more and more of our population becomes obese, our strategies for managing prostate cancer will have to adapt."

According to Dr Hoy, the amount of fat around the prostate is a marker of disease aggressiveness. Furthermore, the types of fats (polyunsaturated, monounsaturated or saturated fats) dictate how the tumour cells will respond to treatment. By better understanding the influence of these fats on the behaviour of the cancer cells, the team hopes to improve the diagnosis of prostate cancer in the short term, enhance current treatments and develop new treatments in the long term.

"We think that these fat cells are providing a fuel tank for prostate cancer tumours. Given the tank of energy is much larger in obesity, the cancer cells have the potential to be much more aggressive and resistant to treatment.

"Thanks to the Movember Revolutionary Team Award, we can harness the collective new knowledge from the University of Adelaide, the University of Sydney, the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and KU Leuven to detect these fats using state-of-the-art imaging technologies with the goal of making a direct impact on clinical care for prostate cancer patients worldwide.

"With our findings, we aim to be able to determine whether a man needs treatment or not and, if he does, to quickly assess if it is working. Ultimately this will better differentiate the types of cancer that for many men in Australia and around the world are currently being over-treated," Dr Hoy said.

Paul Villanti, the Movember Foundation's Executive Director of Programs, said the research will be the first of its kind and help men living with and beyond prostate cancer have the treatment and care needed to be physically and mentally well.

"Involving a trans-disciplinary team of experts at the forefront of their respective fields, this program will provide the first proof of whether such an approach can improve or add to the clinician's toolkit in predicting tumour behaviour and patient outcomes," Villanti said.

 Collaboration to tackle online copyright infringement

Joint media release: Attorney-General & Minister For The Arts, Senator the Hon George Brandis QC, Minister for Communications, The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP

10 December 2014 - The Government has today announced new measures to ensure Australians make informed choices when accessing online content and to strengthen the industry’s ability to tackle online copyright infringement.

Copyright protection provides an essential mechanism for ensuring the viability and success of creative industries by incentivising and rewarding creators. The rapid growth of the Internet has brought significant challenges to the protection of copyright, due to the ease with which material can be digitally copied and shared, at little or no cost. 

The Government has sought the least burdensome and most flexible way of responding to concerns about online copyright infringement, while protecting the legitimate interests of the rights holders in the protection of their intellectual property.

The Attorney-General and the Minister for Communications have written to industry leaders requiring them to immediately develop an industry code with a view to registration by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) under Part 6 of the Telecommunications Act 1997. The code will include a process to notify consumers when a copyright breach has occurred and provide information on how they can gain access to legitimate content.

The Minister and the Attorney-General expect strong collaboration between rights holders, internet service providers (ISPs) and consumers on this issue. A copy of the letter to the industry leaders is attached.

Failing agreement within 120 days, the Government will impose binding arrangements either by an industry code prescribed by the Attorney-General under the Copyright Act 1968 or an industry standard prescribed by the ACMA, at the direction of the Minister for Communications under the Telecommunications Act.

The Government will also amend the Copyright Act, to enable rights holders to apply for a court order requiring ISPs to block access to a website, operated outside of Australia, which provides access to infringing content.

In a world of rapid changes in technology and human behaviour, there is no single measure that can eliminate online copyright infringement. In light of this the Government will review the measures, 18 months after they are implemented, to assess their effectiveness.

The issue of affordability and accessibility of legitimate content is a key factor in reducing online copyright infringement. The Government welcomes recent action by content owners and expects industry to continue to respond to this demand from consumers in the digital market.

These measures, to be introduced in early 2015, follow extensive consultation with industry and consumer groups and evaluation of submissions to the Online Copyright Infringement Discussion Paper.

Letter to industry leaders

Dear

Over the course of this year, we have been discussing the best ways to reduce the high levels of online copyright infringement in Australia. We thank you for your input and co-operation in this process of consultation.

The Government recognises that addressing online copyright infringement is a complex task with shared responsibility between rights holders, internet service providers (ISPs) and consumers. We also appreciate that this is a dynamic issue, affected by changing technology and consumer behaviour. As such, the Government has sought the least burdensome and most flexible way of responding to concerns about online copyright infringement, while protecting the legitimate interests of the rights holders in the protection of their intellectual property. 

The Government understands the unique position of ISPs with respect to assisting rights holders to identify and communicate with people alleged to have infringed copyright. We recognise that, for various reasons, agreement has not been reached between rights holders and ISPs on efforts to address online copyright infringement. To overcome this, the Government asks that ISPs and rights holders develop a code with a view to registration by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) under Part 6 of the Telecommunications Act 1997 (the Telecommunications Act). 

We note that the existence of a code will be central to a court’s assessment of whether a party has taken “reasonable steps” under sections 36 or 101 of the Copyright Act 1968 (the Copyright Act) for the purposes of authorisation liability. 

We expect the code to address the following objectives:

• that ISPs take reasonable steps (including the development of an education and warning notice scheme) to deter online copyright infringement on their network, when they are made aware of infringing subscribers, in a manner that is proportionate to the infringement

• informing consumers of the implications of copyright infringement and legitimate alternatives that provide affordable and timely content

• providing appropriate safeguards for consumers

• fairly apportioning costs as between ISPs and rights holders

• ensuring smaller ISPs are not unfairly or disproportionately affected, and

• include a process for facilitated discovery to assist rights holders in taking direct copyright infringement action against a subscriber after an agreed number of notices.

Any code must be sustainable and technology neutral. It should be educative and attempt to address the reasons that people are accessing unauthorised content. Consumer interests must be given genuine consideration in your negotiations. 

If an industry code is not agreed by 8 April 2015, the Cabinet has determined that the Government will prescribe binding arrangements either by an industry code prescribed by the Attorney-General under the Copyright Act or an industry standard prescribed by the ACMA, at the direction of the Minister for Communications under the Telecommunications Act, on such terms as agreed by us. 

The Government has also decided to introduce legislation that will enable a court to order the blocking of overseas hosted websites that can be shown to be primarily for the purpose of facilitating online copyright infringement. 

The issue of price and availability of legitimate content in Australia was a key factor raised in the majority of submissions to the Online Copyright Infringement Discussion Paper. The Government notes recent efforts by the industry in this area, and expects industry to continue to respond to this demand from consumers in the digital market. 

The Government accepts that there is no single proven course of action to reduce levels of online copyright infringement and that as technology and consumer behaviour continues to change the options to respond to online copyright infringement will likely have to change. We will be working closely with other countries to get a better understanding of levels of online copyright infringement and the effectiveness of different approaches to respond to the problem. In light of this, the Government will review the effectiveness of efforts to reduce online copyright infringement within 18 months of a code or standard coming into operation. 

We strongly urge all parties to approach these discussions in good faith and in keeping with the common goal of reaching an agreement, without delay. It is better that this exercise be undertaken consensually, rather than prescriptively. 

We have also written to rights holders, ISPs and consumer groups to inform them of the Government’s decision. 

Yours sincerely

Malcolm Turnbull, Minister for Communications

George Brandis, Attorney-General

 Prenatal exposure to common household chemicals linked with substantial drop in child IQ

December 10, 2014 - Children exposed during pregnancy to elevated levels of two common chemicals found in the home--di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) and di-isobutyl phthalate (DiBP)--had an IQ score, on average, more than six points lower than children exposed at lower levels, according to researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

The study is the first to report a link between prenatal exposure to phthalates and IQ in school-age children. Results appear online in the journal PLOS ONE.

DnBP and DiBP are found in a wide variety of consumer products, from dryer sheets to vinyl fabrics to personal care products like lipstick, hairspray, and nail polish, even some soaps. Since 2009, several phthalates have been banned from children's toys and other childcare articles in the United States. However, no steps have been taken to protect the developing fetus by alerting pregnant women to potential exposures. In the U.S., phthalates are rarely listed as ingredients on products in which they are used.

Researchers followed 328 New York City women and their children from low-income communities. They assessed the women's exposure to four phthalates--DnBP, DiBP, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, and diethyl phthalate--in the third trimester of pregnancy by measuring levels of the chemicals' metabolites in urine. Children were given IQ tests at age 7.

Children of mothers exposed during pregnancy to the highest 25 percent of concentrations of DnBP and DiBP had IQs 6.6 and 7.6 points lower, respectively, than children of mothers exposed to the lowest 25 percent of concentrations after controlling for factors like maternal IQ, maternal education, and quality of the home environment that are known to influence child IQ scores. The association was also seen for specific aspects of IQ, such as perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed. The researchers found no associations between the other two phthalates and child IQ.

The range of phthalate metabolite exposures measured in the mothers was not unusual: it was within what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention observed in a national sample.

"Pregnant women across the United States are exposed to phthalates almost daily, many at levels similar to those that we found were associated with substantial reductions in the IQ of children," says lead author Pam Factor-Litvak, PhD, associate professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School.

"The magnitude of these IQ differences is troubling," says senior author Robin Whyatt, DrPH, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences and deputy director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health at the Mailman School. "A six- or seven-point decline in IQ may have substantial consequences for academic achievement and occupational potential."

"While there has been some regulation to ban phthalates from toys of young children," adds Dr. Factor-Litvak, "there is no legislation governing exposure during pregnancy, which is likely the most sensitive period for brain development. Indeed, phthalates are not required to be on product labeling."

While avoiding all phthalates in the United States is for now impossible, the researchers recommend that pregnant women take steps to limit exposure by not microwaving food in plastics, avoiding scented products as much as possible, including air fresheners, and dryer sheets, and not using recyclable plastics labeled as 3, 6, or 7.

The findings build on earlier, similar observations by the researchers of associations between prenatal exposure to DnBP and DiBP and children's cognitive and motor development and behavior at age 3. This September, they reported a link between prenatal exposure to phthalates and risk for childhood asthma.

It's not known how phthalates affect child health. However, numerous studies show that they disrupt the actions of hormones, including testosterone and thyroid hormone. Inflammation and oxidative stress may also play a role.

1. Pam Factor-Litvak, Beverly Insel, Antonia M. Calafat, Xinhua Liu, Frederica Perera, Virginia A. Rauh, Robin M. Whyatt. Persistent Associations between Maternal Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates on Child IQ at Age 7 Years. PLoS ONE, 2014; 9 (12): e114003 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114003