The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7381 p776
24/31 December 2005

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Why it does children good to go to school on foot more
These violent delights have violent ends more
The remarkable phenomenon of symbiosis and its vital role for many living organisms more
Thought for food / New year resolution more

Why it does children good to go to school on foot

There has recently been a great deal of interest in the problems of weight gain and general ill health in youngsters that may be associated with the current habit of taking them to school and home again by car. In addition to the difficulties of traffic congestion outside schools in towns, it is also claimed that the overall physical activity enjoyed by adolescents who use their muscles regularly defines their general fitness.

A study of the effects of moderate to vigorous physical activity in relation to school attendance has been published in the 5 November issue of the BMJ. Data were determined under the auspices of Edinburgh and Bristol universities, pupils being issued with precalibrated accelerometers that recorded physical activity accumulated each minute. The device was worn on the student’s hip from the time of waking in the morning until bedtime, except during showering, bathing, swimming and other water-based activities. Children answered questionnaires regarding the day’s walking, motoring, cycling, travel by bus or train, and repeated them after a lapse of 14 days.

The average age of the students was 13.8 years, and 103 participated, 58 of them boys. None failed to make a report, but too few cyclists took part to be included in the results.

Pupils who walked both to and from school, or walked only one way or travelled by car, bus or train were compared in terms of their total physical activity. Moderate to vigorous activity outside school hours was greater among those walking to and from school. It appears to be more important exercise for older than for younger children. In 10-year-olds, walking to school promotes overall physical activity at all times.

Differences in appreciation of activities and walking in the morning may stimulate further healthy active processes and improve social adjustment.

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These violent delights have violent ends

A study of violence against women by experts from the World Health Organization and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine appears in the 25 November issue of Science. It produces evidence that such violence is highly prevalent, with an estimated one in three women suffering some form of victimisation in childhood, adolescence or adulthood. Apart from human and emotional costs this has a direct economic impact, involving a high demand on direct medical and mental health care services.

In Victoria, Australia, violence by intimate partners is calculated to result in more ill health and premature death among women of reproductive age — more than hypertension, obesity and smoking. In many countries it may be responsible for 40–60 per cent of female homicides.

Policies to prevent violence include promoting social awareness to change factors that condone violence, equipping youngsters with skills for healthy relationships, expanding women’s access to economic and social resources and support services. A recently released WHO study on “Women’s health and domestic violence against women” is based on more than 24,000 interviews with women aged 15 to 49 from 15 areas in 11 countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, Japan, Namibia, Peru, Samoa, Serbia, Montenegro, Tanzania and Thailand. In 13 of the areas studied one third to three quarters of women had been physically or sexually assaulted since the age of 15. In 12 areas the offender was a current or previous partner. Results have suggested that women in industrialised societies may find it easier to escape an abusive relationship. Abused women were more likely to suffer ill-health, with pain, memory loss, dizziness and emotional distress that might persist long after the violence had ceased.

One salient finding of the WHO study was that partner violence was considered normal or justified in some cultures where certain rules were broken by a partner. The fact must be emphasised that violence is not acceptable as part of human relationships.

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The remarkable phenomenon of symbiosis and its vital role for many living organisms

In the 3 November issue of Nature there is an interesting discussion regarding the essential symbiosis between many algae and bacteria.

Algae are often rich in cobalamin (vitamin B12). An investigation involving 326 species of algae showed that 171 of those species investigated require exogenous cobalamin for growth. The role of this vitamin is supposed to be primarily as a cofactor for methionine synthase. Any alga unable to synthesise this factor must depend on supplies provided by a bacterium. As long as a century ago it was observed that attempts to cultivate algae in an ordinary culture medium failed unless a soil extract was added to provide a bacterial source for the essential vitamin.

Investigators of the problem in the University of Cambridge were aware that strict vegetarians often added seaweed to their diet to ensure that it would continue to sustain them. A search for the likely cobalamin source showed that sea or pond water in which algae normally lived did not permit their growth without further addition and that adding the bacterium Halomonas to the medium promoted algal development by providing the essential factor.

These findings illustrate the vital role of symbiotic processes in the maintenance of living organisms — not only algae but higher plants and animals also. Organisms do not live their lives independently, and even humans require resident bacteria in their guts if they are to thrive.

The precise mechanisms by which algae derive their essential vitamins from accompanying bacteria are undetermined. Further research into the remarkable phenomenon of animal and plant symbiosis is called for.

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And I quote …

Thought for food
“People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.”
—Anonymous

New year resolution
“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbours, and let every new year find you a better man.”
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90), US statesman and inventor

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