Environmental and socio-economic resources at the landscape level - Potentials for sustainable land use in the Georgian Greater Caucasus.

Mountain regions cover one quarter of the Earth's terrestrial surface, and are both valuable and vulnerable areas with complex human-environmental interrelationships. In this coupled system, land-use changes induced by political or socio-economic transformations generate consequences for ecological landscape functions like soil productivity and species richness, and integrative land-use concepts provide the potential of a sustainable land development. In the Kazbegi region in the central Greater Caucasus of Georgia, these transformations further lead to landscape-structure change and population marginalization.

The benefit of the Mediterranean diet--considerations to modify German food patterns.

Background: In the early 1960s the occurrence of coronary heart diseases and cancer in Mediterranean countries was much lower than in other industrialised countries. The life expectancy of the Mediterranean population was higher, although medical care did not meet western standards. Studies showed that those findings were due to the Mediterranean diet and life style [1, 2].

Fruit and vegetable availability among ten European countries: how does it compare with the 'five-a-day' recommendation? DAFNE I and II projects of the European Commission.

Recasting the role of fruit and vegetables (F&V) in the diet, and planning national and international campaigns to enhance their consumption are major public health service objectives. The present study seeks to describe F&V availability patterns in ten European countries and examine compliance with current recommendations. The mean and median F&V availability (g/person per d) was estimated based on household budget survey data retrieved from the Data Food Networking (DAFNE) databank.

Household budget survey nutritional data in relation to mortality from coronary heart disease, colorectal cancer and female breast cancer in European countries. DAFNE I and II projects of the European Commission. Data Food Networking.

Objective: We have undertaken a study to examine whether Household Budget Survey (HBS)-derived nutritional patterns are related to mortality from diseases with strong nutritional components, namely coronary heart disease, colorectal cancer and cancer of the female breast.

Design: Ecological correlation study. In the context of the Data Food Networking projects of the European Union, raw data from the national HBS of 10 European countries were provided.

Availability of magnesium from various commercially available oral preparations in a variety of dosage forms: comparative in vitro study.

The relative dialysability of magnesium in a number of different inorganic and organic magnesium-containing compounds from ten commercially available products was investigated using an in vitro method. Reference values were provided by tests carried out in parallel using comparable quantities of pure magnesium compounds, as contained in the products. The results demonstrated that the excipients generally had a positive effect on the relative availability of magnesium.