General practitioner and registrar involvement in refugee health: exploring needs and perceptions.

Objective Despite the recognition that refugees should have equitable access to healthcare services, this presents considerable challenges, particularly in rural and regional areas. Because general practitioners (GPs) are critical to resettlement for refugees and play a crucial role in understanding their specific health and social issues, it is important to know more about the needs of GPs. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 GPs and GP registrars who trained with a New South Wales regional training provider with the aim of assessing the needs and attitudes of GPs in treating refugees and the perceived effect that refugees have on their practice.

Cross-sectional association between soda consumption and body mass index in a community-based sample of twins.

Background: Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda, have been shown to play an important role in weight gain. Although soda consumption has been associated with body mass index (BMI) in many studies, it has been difficult to ascertain a true causal relationship between soda consumption and BMI for two reasons. First, findings have been based largely on observational and cross-sectional studies, with much less evidence from randomized controlled trials.

Interfacial and Confined Colloidal Rod Diffusion.

Optical microscopy is used to measure translational and rotational diffusion of colloidal rods near a single wall, confined between parallel walls, and within quasi-2D porous media as a function of rod aspect ratio and aqueous solution ionic strength. Translational and rotational diffusivities are obtained as rod particles experience positions closer to boundaries and for larger aspect ratios. Models based on position dependent hydrodynamic interactions quantitatively capture diffusivities in all geometries and indicate particle-wall separations in agreement with independent estimates based on electrostatic interactions.

Increasing Inequality in Parent Incomes and Children's Schooling.

Income inequality and the achievement test score gap between high- and low-income children increased dramatically in the United States beginning in the 1970s. This article investigates the demographic (family income, mother's education, family size, two-parent family structure, and age of mother at birth) underpinnings of the growing income-based gap in schooling using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Across 31 cohorts, we find that increases in the income gap between high- and low-income children account for approximately three-quarters of the increasing gap in completed schooling, one-half of the gap in college attendance, and one-fifth of the gap in college graduation.

Myelinogenic Plasticity of Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells following Spinal Cord Contusion Injury.

Spontaneous remyelination occurs after spinal cord injury (SCI), but the extent of myelin repair and identity of the cells responsible remain incompletely understood and contentious. We assessed the cellular origin of new myelin by fate mapping platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRα), Olig2+, and P0+ cells following contusion SCI in mice. Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs; PDGFRα+) produced oligodendrocytes responsible for ensheathment of ∼30% of myelinated spinal axons at injury epicenter 3 months after SCI, demonstrating that these resident cells are a major contributor to oligodendrocyte regeneration.

Protein nanocages that penetrate airway mucus and tumor tissue.

Reports on drug delivery systems capable of overcoming multiple biological barriers are rare. We introduce a nanoparticle-based drug delivery technology capable of rapidly penetrating both lung tumor tissue and the mucus layer that protects airway tissues from nanoscale objects. Specifically, human ferritin heavy-chain nanocages (FTn) were functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) in a unique manner that allows robust control over PEG location (nanoparticle surface only) and surface density.

The impact of comorbidities on the benefits of prolonged androgen ablation in patients with T3-4 prostate cancer treated with external beam radiation therapy.

Purpose: To determine whether the survival benefit associated with prolonged androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and radiotherapy (EBRT) varies with baseline estimates of overall survival in cT3-4 prostate cancer patients (PCa).

Methods And Materials: In 1997, the BC Cancer Agency adopted as standard a policy of prolonged ADT (>18months) with EBRT for locally advanced PCa. Two cohorts of cT3-T4 PCa treated with EBRT were selected: 1993-1995 (early: N=725) and 1999-2001 (late: N=584).

Evidence-based anatomical review areas derived from systematic analysis of cases from a radiological departmental discrepancy meeting.

Aim: To produce short checklists of specific anatomical review sites for different regions of the body based on the frequency of radiological errors reviewed at radiology discrepancy meetings, thereby creating "evidence-based" review areas for radiology reporting.

Materials And Methods: A single centre discrepancy database was retrospectively reviewed from a 5-year period. All errors were classified by type, modality, body system, and specific anatomical location.

Myelin regulatory factor drives remyelination in multiple sclerosis.

Remyelination is limited in the majority of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions despite the presence of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) in most lesions. This observation has led to the view that a failure of OPCs to fully differentiate underlies remyelination failure. OPC differentiation requires intricate transcriptional regulation, which may be disrupted in chronic MS lesions.

ASCENDE-RT: An Analysis of Health-Related Quality of Life for a Randomized Trial Comparing Low-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Boost With Dose-Escalated External Beam Boost for High- and Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: To report the patient-reported health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) outcomes for a multicenter randomized trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of 2 different techniques for dose escalation.

Methods And Materials: A total of 357 men with intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer were stratified by risk group and randomized (1:1) to either a dose-escalated external beam (DE-EBRT) boost (n=177) or a low-dose-rate prostate brachytherapy (LDR-PB) boost (n=180) as part of combined modality therapy. The HR-QoL was assessed using the SF36v2 questionnaire, with additional scales for urinary, bowel, and sexual function.

Gait Rather Than Cognition Predicts Decline in Specific Cognitive Domains in Early Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Dementia is significant in Parkinson's disease (PD) with personal and socioeconomic impact. Early identification of risk is of upmost importance to optimize management. Gait precedes and predicts cognitive decline and dementia in older adults.

Does the sex of one's co-twin affect height and BMI in adulthood? A study of dizygotic adult twins from 31 cohorts.

Background: The comparison of traits in twins from opposite-sex (OS) and same-sex (SS) dizygotic twin pairs is considered a proxy measure of prenatal hormone exposure. To examine possible prenatal hormonal influences on anthropometric traits, we compared mean height, body mass index (BMI), and the prevalence of being overweight or obese between men and women from OS and SS dizygotic twin pairs.

Methods: The data were derived from the COllaborative project of Development of Anthropometrical measures in Twins (CODATwins) database, and included 68,494 SS and 53,808 OS dizygotic twin individuals above the age of 20 years from 31 twin cohorts representing 19 countries.

Chloroviruses Have a Sweet Tooth.

Chloroviruses are large double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses that infect certain isolates of chlorella-like green algae. They contain up to approximately 400 protein-encoding genes and 16 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. This review summarizes the unexpected finding that many of the chlorovirus genes encode proteins involved in manipulating carbohydrates.

Cell transplantation therapy for spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury can lead to severe motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunction. Currently, there is no effective treatment for the injured spinal cord. The transplantation of Schwann cells, neural stem cells or progenitor cells, olfactory ensheathing cells, oligodendrocyte precursor cells and mesenchymal stem cells has been investigated as potential therapies for spinal cord injury.

ASCENDE-RT: An Analysis of Treatment-Related Morbidity for a Randomized Trial Comparing a Low-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Boost with a Dose-Escalated External Beam Boost for High- and Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: To report the genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) morbidity and erectile dysfunction in a randomized trial comparing 2 methods of dose escalation for high- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer.

Methods And Materials: ASCENDE-RT (Androgen Suppression Combined with Elective Nodal and Dose Escalated Radiation Therapy) enrolled 398 men, median age 68 years, who were then randomized to either a standard arm that included 12 months of androgen deprivation therapy and pelvic irradiation to 46 Gy followed by a dose-escalated external beam radiation therapy (DE-EBRT) boost to 78 Gy, or an experimental arm that substituted a low-dose-rate prostate brachytherapy (LDR-PB) boost. At clinic visits, investigators recorded GU and GI morbidity and information on urinary continence, catheter use, and erectile function.

Longitudinal whole-brain atrophy and ventricular enlargement in nondemented Parkinson's disease.

We investigated whole-brain atrophy and ventricular enlargement over 18 months in nondemented Parkinson's disease (PD) and examined their associations with clinical measures and baseline CSF markers. PD subjects (n = 100) were classified at baseline into those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI; PD-MCI, n = 36) and no cognitive impairment (PD-NC, n = 64). Percentage of whole-brain volume change (PBVC) and ventricular expansion over 18 months were assessed with FSL-SIENA and ventricular enlargement (VIENA) respectively.

Glutathione Primes T Cell Metabolism for Inflammation.

Activated T cells produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which trigger the antioxidative glutathione (GSH) response necessary to buffer rising ROS and prevent cellular damage. We report that GSH is essential for T cell effector functions through its regulation of metabolic activity. Conditional gene targeting of the catalytic subunit of glutamate cysteine ligase (Gclc) blocked GSH production specifically in murine T cells.

Structure of the N-glycans from the chlorovirus NE-JV-1.

Results from recent studies are breaking the paradigm that all viruses depend on their host machinery to glycosylate their proteins. Chloroviruses encode several genes involved in glycan biosynthesis and some of their capsid proteins are decorated with N-linked oligosaccharides with unique features. Here we describe the elucidation of the N-glycan structure of an unusual chlorovirus, NE-JV-1, that belongs to the Pbi group.

Decrease in Aβ42 predicts dopa-resistant gait progression in early Parkinson disease.

Objective: This prospective observational study investigates the role of CSF biomarkers in predicting progression of dopa-resistant gait impairments in Parkinson disease (PD) in the first 36 months from diagnosis.

Methods: Quantitative gait analysis was carried out longitudinally using an instrumented walkway (GAITRite) in 108 people with PD and 130 age-matched controls. A subgroup of 44 people with PD underwent lumbar puncture from which a battery of CSF biomarkers was measured: β-amyloid 1-42 and 1-40 (Aβ42 and Aβ40), total and phosphorylated tau protein (t-tau/p-tau), and α-synuclein (αSyn).

Neighborhood walkability moderates the association between low back pain and physical activity: A co-twin control study.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether neighborhood walkability moderates the association between low back pain (LBP) and physical activity (PA), using a co-twin design to control for genetics and shared environmental factors. A cross-sectional analysis was performed on 10,228 twins from the Washington State Twin Registry with available data on LBP from recruitment surveys between 2009 and 2013. LBP within the past 3months was our exposure variable.

Cerebral glucose metabolism and cognition in newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease: ICICLE-PD study.

Objective: To assess reductions of cerebral glucose metabolism in Parkinson's disease (PD) with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET), and their associations with cognitive decline.

Methods: FDG-PET was performed on a cohort of 79 patients with newly diagnosed PD (mean disease duration 8 months) and 20 unrelated controls. PD participants were scanned while on their usual dopaminergic medication.

Dynamics of 5-carboxylcytosine during hepatic differentiation: Potential general role for active demethylation by DNA repair in lineage specification.

Patterns of DNA methylation (5-methylcytosine, 5mC) are rearranged during differentiation contributing to the regulation of cell type-specific gene expression. TET proteins oxidize 5mC to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC), and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC). Both 5fC and 5caC can be recognized and excised from DNA by thymine-DNA glycosylase (TDG) followed by the subsequent incorporation of unmodified cytosine into the abasic site via the base excision repair (BER) pathway.