Developmental toxicity of pre-production plastic pellets affects a large swathe of invertebrate taxa.

Microplastics pose risks to marine organisms through ingestion, entanglement, and as carriers of toxic additives and environmental pollutants. Plastic pre-production pellet leachates have been shown to affect the development of sea urchins and, to some extent, mussels. The extent of those developmental effects on other animal phyla remains unknown.

The development of the adult nervous system in the annelid Owenia fusiformis.

Background: The evolutionary origins of animal nervous systems remain contentious because we still have a limited understanding of neural development in most major animal clades. Annelids - a species-rich group with centralised nervous systems - have played central roles in hypotheses about the origins of animal nervous systems. However, most studies have focused on adults of deeply nested species in the annelid tree.

Functional genomics in Spiralia.

Our understanding of the mechanisms that modulate gene expression in animals is strongly biased by studying a handful of model species that mainly belong to three groups: Insecta, Nematoda and Vertebrata. However, over half of the animal phyla belong to Spiralia, a morphologically and ecologically diverse animal clade with many species of economic and biomedical importance. Therefore, investigating genome regulation in this group is central to uncovering ancestral and derived features in genome functioning in animals, which can also be of significant societal impact.

Annelid functional genomics reveal the origins of bilaterian life cycles.

Indirect development with an intermediate larva exists in all major animal lineages, which makes larvae central to most scenarios of animal evolution. Yet how larvae evolved remains disputed. Here we show that temporal shifts (that is, heterochronies) in trunk formation underpin the diversification of larvae and bilaterian life cycles.

Handwashing practice and policy variability when caring for central venous catheters in paediatric intensive care.

It has been estimated that there may be as many as 150,000 healthcare associated infections (HCAI) in Australia each year, contributing to 7,000 deaths, many of which could be prevented through the implementation of appropriate infection control practices. Contact with contaminated hands is a primary source of HCAI. Intensive care staff have been identified as one of the least adherent groups of health care professionals with handwashing; they are less likely to practise hand antisepsis before invasive procedures than staff working in other patient care specialties.

Central venous access and handwashing: variability in policies and practices.

This study examined variability in handwashing policy between hospitals, variability in handwashing practices in nurses and how practice differed from policy in tertiary paediatric hospitals in Australia and New Zealand. Eight of the possible nine major paediatric hospitals provided a copy of their handwashing and/or central venous access device (CVAD) policies, and 67 nurses completed a survey on their handwashing practices associated with CVAD management. A high degree of variability was found in relation to all the questions posed in the study.

Vulval myxoid liposarcoma.

A 26 year old woman presented with a 4-year history of a gradually enlarging fluctuant mass on the left labium majus. Histologic examination following excision revealed myxoid liposarcoma. Following the diagnosis, further surgery was performed to ensure complete resection.

Cervical carcinoma with rhabdoid phenotype: Report of two cases.

This report documents two cases of cervical carcinomas having a prominent rhabdoid cell component. In one instance, rhabdoid cells were present as a component of endocervical adenocarcinoma, whereas in the other case, an undifferentiated cervical carcinoma developed a prominent rhabdoid phenotype on recurrence. Like tumors containing rhabdoid elements which have been described at other sites, these neoplasms behaved in an aggressive manner.

Cyclin E immunoexpression in breast ductal carcinoma: pathologic correlations and prognostic implications.

Abnormalities of the cell cycle are present in all neoplasms. Cyclin E, which regulates the G1/S phase transition of the cell cycle, plays an important role in many different cancers. To further investigate the role of cyclin E in invasive breast ductal carcinomas in South African women, representative sections from 157 mastectomy and axillary clearance specimens were stained with the cyclin E antibody.

Primary lumbosacral Wilms tumour associated with occult spinal dysraphism.

A 4-year-old child presenting with sudden-onset paraplegia and a sacral tumour in association with spina bifida occulta is reported. There were no stigmata of spinal dysraphism at birth. Imaging studies confirmed a sacral tumour with extradural extension up to T10 and spinal dysraphism.

An unusual presentation of solitary fibrous tumor.

Study Design: Case report of a lumbar extradural solitary fibrous tumor.

Objective: To describe the clinical manifestations and successful treatment of a patient with solitary fibrous tumor of the lumbar spine.

Summary Of Background Data: Solitary fibrous tumor usually occurs on the pleura but has been described in a growing number of sites.

Cyclin E in human cancers.

Regulators of the cell cycle such as cyclin E play an important part in neoplasia. The cyclin E protein forms a partnership with a specific protein kinase. This complex phosphorylates key substrates to initiate DNA synthesis.

Granuloma inguinale (donovanosis) presenting as a neck mass in an infant.

A case of granuloma inguinale (GI) presenting as a lateral neck mass in a 4-month-old, HIV-positive infant is described. The histological features of the mass were typical of GI, with numerous macrophages containing intracellular organisms with a "closed-safety-pin" appearance. This is a rare occurrence, and the mode of transmission of infection is discussed.

Cyclin D1 and human neoplasia.

Neoplasia is characterised by abnormal regulation of the cell cycle. Cyclin D1 is a protein derived from the PRAD1, CCND1 or bcl-1 gene on chromosome 11q13, which is involved in both normal regulation of the cell cycle and neoplasia. In the G1 (resting) phase of the cell cycle, cyclin D1 together with its cyclin dependent kinase (cdk) partner, is responsible for transition to the S (DNA synthesis) phase by phosphorylating the product of the retinoblastoma gene (pRB), which then releases transcription factors important in the initiation of DNA replication.

Rate of seasonal spread of respiratory syncytial virus in a pediatric hospital.

The rate of nosocomial respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection was measured in a large pediatric hospital using an incidence density method. The at-risk days for nosocomial RSV were summed during a defined winter period in which there were 54 admissions with community-acquired RSV infection giving a rate of 2.9 cases per 1,000 at-risk days (95% confidence interval, 0.

Perineurioma: an unusual cause of an external auditory canal polyp.

A 33-year-old woman presented with pruritus of the right ear and on examination was found to have 1 x 1 cm polypoid lesion in the external auditory canal. This was removed and histological examination revealed a well-circumscribed spindle cell lesion arranged in fascicles and whorls. Immunohistochemistry showed the tumor to be EMA-positive but S-100-, desmin-, actin-, and cytokeratin-negative.