A combined single high-dose rate brachytherapy boost with hypofractionated external beam radiotherapy results in a high rate of biochemical disease free survival in localised intermediate and high risk prostate cancer patients.

Introduction: Dose escalation has been shown to improve biochemical outcome in localised prostate cancer. An HDR brachytherapy boost is an effective strategy for dose escalation, since it exploits the low α/β ratio in prostate cancer, allowing the delivery of a high biological dose to the tumour. We sought to evaluate the biochemical disease free survival in patients with intermediate and high risk localised prostate cancer treated with EBRT plus HDR brachytherapy as a boost, in our institution.

Influence of deficit irrigation strategies on fatty acid and tocopherol concentration of almond (Prunus dulcis).

The effects of deficit irrigation on almond fatty acid and tocopherol levels were studied in a field trial. Mature almond trees were subjected to three levels of deficit irrigation (85%, 70% and 55% of potential crop evapotranspiration (ETo), as well as control (100% ETo) and over-irrigation (120% ETo) treatments. Two deficit irrigation strategies were employed: regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) and sustained deficit irrigation (SDI).

The MCH navigator: tools for MCH workforce development and lifelong learning.

Maternal and child health (MCH) leadership requires an understanding of MCH populations and systems as well as continuous pursuit of new knowledge and skills. This paper describes the development, structure, and implementation of the MCH Navigator, a web-based portal for ongoing education and training for a diverse MCH workforce. Early development of the portal focused on organizing high quality, free, web-based learning opportunities that support established learning competencies without duplicating existing resources.

Defining and incorporating basic nursing care actions into the electronic health record.

Purpose: To develop a definition of basic nursing care for the hospitalized adult patient and drive uptake of that definition through the implementation of an electronic health record.

Design And Methods: A team of direct care nurses, assisted by subject matter experts, analyzed nursing theory and regulatory requirements related to basic nursing care. The resulting list of activities was coded using the Clinical Care Classification (CCC) system and incorporated into the electronic health record system of a 170-bed community hospital.

Design and implementation of an integrated, continuous evaluation, and quality improvement system for a state-based home-visiting program.

To describe the design and implementation of an evaluation system to facilitate continuous quality improvement (CQI) and scientific evaluation in a statewide home visiting program, and to provide a summary of the system's progress in meeting intended outputs and short-term outcomes. Help Us Grow Successfully (HUGS) is a statewide home visiting program that provides services to at-risk pregnant/post-partum women, children (0-5 years), and their families. The program goals are to improve parenting skills and connect families to needed services and thus improve the health of the service population.

Seven-month pilot of an integrated, continuous evaluation, and quality improvement system for a state-based home-visiting program.

The objective of this study is to report the findings of a 7-month pilot for an integrated system evaluating a state-wide home visiting program. A cross-sectional study design was used to determine baseline process and outcome measures for Tennessee's home visiting program which provides services to families, from pregnancy through 5-years-old. Baseline process measures included: time to initiate service after referral; frequency, duration and intensity of visits; completion of continuous assessment; and time from identification of a need to referral.

A cyclic GMP signalling module that regulates gliding motility in a malaria parasite.

The ookinete is a motile stage in the malaria life cycle which forms in the mosquito blood meal from the zygote. Ookinetes use an acto-myosin motor to glide towards and penetrate the midgut wall to establish infection in the vector. The regulation of gliding motility is poorly understood.

Proposal of Xanthomonas translucens pv. pistaciae pv. nov., pathogenic to pistachio (Pistacia vera).

Strains of Xanthomonas translucens have caused dieback in the Australian pistachio industry for the last 15 years. Such pathogenicity to a dicotyledonous woody host contrasts with that of other pathovars of X. translucens, which are characterized by their pathogenicity to monocotyledonous plant families.

Student life - Mutually supportive.

Mentoring pre-registration nursing students is an important role for almost all registered nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses.

An investigation of nurse educator's perceptions and experiences of undertaking clinical practice.

Educational policy (DOH, 1999. Making a difference: strengthening the nursing, midwifery and health visiting contribution to health and healthcare. Department of Health, London; UKCC, 1999.

Gametogenesis in malaria parasites is mediated by the cGMP-dependent protein kinase.

Malaria parasite transmission requires differentiation of male and female gametocytes into gametes within a mosquito following a blood meal. A mosquito-derived molecule, xanthurenic acid (XA), can trigger gametogenesis, but the signalling events controlling this process in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum remain unknown. A role for cGMP was revealed by our observation that zaprinast (an inhibitor of phosphodiesterases that hydrolyse cGMP) stimulates gametogenesis in the absence of XA.

Analysis of prostate-specific antigen bounce after I(125) permanent seed implant for localised prostate cancer.

Background And Purpose: To report on the incidence of benign prostate-specific antigen bounce following permanent I(125) prostate brachytherapy, to describe the associations in our population and review the relationship of bounce to subsequent biochemical failure.

Materials And Methods: From February 2000 to May 2005, 374 patients with localised prostate cancer were treated with I(125) permanent prostate brachytherapy at a single institution. A prospectively collected database was used to identify cases of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) bounce, defined as a rise of 0.

Disruption of a Plasmodium falciparum cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase gene causes aberrant gametogenesis.

Phosphodiesterase (PDE) and guanylyl cyclase (GC) enzymes are key components of the cGMP signalling pathway and are encoded in the genome of Plasmodium falciparum. Here we investigate the role of specific GC and PDE isoforms in gamete formation--a process that is essential for malaria transmission and occurs in the Anopheles mosquito midgut following feeding on an infected individual. Details of the intracellular signalling events controlling development of the male and female gametes from their precursors (gametocytes) remain sparse in P.

Effect of crew resource management on diabetes care and patient outcomes in an inner-city primary care clinic.

Background: Diabetes care in our inner-city primary care clinic was suboptimal, despite provider education and performance feedback targeting improved adherence to evidence-based clinical guidelines. A crew resource management (CRM) intervention (communication and teamwork, process and workflow organisation, and standardised information debriefings) was implemented to improve diabetes care and patient outcomes.

Objective: To assess the effect of the CRM intervention on adherence to evidence-based diabetes care standards, work processes, standardised clinical communication and patient outcomes.

A collaborative approach to developing "learning synergy" in primary health care.

Supporting and enhancing clinical learning for pre registration nursing students continues to be a challenge for nurse educators. The drive of recent and contemporary nurse education policy in the United Kingdom (UK) has re-emphasised the need for nurse educators to be instrumental in the support and development of clinical learning [United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC), 1999. Fitness for Practice (The Peach Report).

Improved synchronous production of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes in vitro.

The sexual stages of the Plasmodium falciparum life cycle are attractive targets for vaccines and transmission blocking drugs. Difficulties in culturing and obtaining large amounts of sexual stage P. falciparum parasites, particularly early stages, have often limited research progress in this area.

Improving diabetic retinopathy screening ratios using telemedicine-based digital retinal imaging technology: the Vine Hill study.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a telemedicine, digital retinal imaging strategy on diabetic retinopathy screening rates in an inner-city primary care clinic.

Research Design And Methods: This retrospective cohort study included all diabetic patients aged > or = 18 years (n = 495) seen at Vine Hill Community Clinic between 1 September 2003 and 31 August 2004. Patients were offered ophthalmology referral or digital screening.

Managing infants with pyrexia.

The management of pyrexia and fever is one of the most common childhood problems faced by parents and health professionals, both in hospital and primary healthcare settings. Cathy Taylor discusses the advice that should be offered to parents. She identifies that the evidence base that supports this advise is patchy.

Student life - Plotting your pathway.

It is never too early to start planning your career. Being aware of your interests, which specialties appeal and what is important to you will help you take control of your future.

Lactose intolerance in infants.

Cathy Taylor describes the pathophysiology and aetiology of lactose intolerance and how to diagnose and treat it. Management of the infant by the primary health care team is discussed, with emphasis on advice and nutritional support that can be recommended to parents.

Developments in child health surveillance programmes.

The promotion of good health and well-being for children is essential to improve adult health. Child health surveillance has been crucial in attempting to achieve this goal. The National Service Framework for Children promotes a new child health programme.

Clustering of U.S. women receiving no prenatal care: differences in pregnancy outcomes and implications for targeting interventions.

Objectives: Prenatal care is an established mechanism for identifying and managing risk factors impacting pregnancy outcomes. Despite aggressive efforts in the United States (US) to assure that all women begin care in the first trimester, every year about 70,000 women in the US receive no care prior to delivery. We hypothesized that US women receiving no prenatal care comprise clusters (subgroups) with distinctive behavioral, socio-demographic, and medical risks and that birth outcomes differ among the clusters.