Long-term marine litter monitoring in the remote Great Australian Bight, South Australia.

The Anxious Bay beach litter clearance is the longest running annual survey of ocean-based litter in Australia. It's remoteness from centres of human population and location (with respect to prevailing winds and currents) make it an ideal place for monitoring ocean or ship-based litter in Australia's southern oceans and particularly, the Great Australian Bight. Over the 1991-1999 period, a large but gradual decline in the amount of beach washed litter was recorded (with minor peaks recorded during the 1992 and 1994 surveys).

Adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation for fulminant hepatic failure.

The outcome of fulminant hepatic failure without timely liver transplantation is poor. We describe a 19-year-old woman with fulminant hepatic failure due to acute hepatitis B infection who received a living donor liver transplant from her sister. The donor's recovery was uneventful, allowing hospital discharge on Day 6.

Metal levels in seston and marine fish flesh near industrial and metropolitan centres in South Australia.

Port Pirie is the site of the largest lead smelter in the world, depositing 250 t of zinc, and 100 t of lead annually into Spencer Gulf. Barker Inlet is adjacent to metropolitan Adelaide, and receives unknown quantities of urban and industrial discharges. Both areas are sites of major commercial and recreational fisheries, contained within delicately balanced marine wetland ecosystems, comprising large areas of mangrove and seagrass habitats.

Neuropeptides and neurotransmitter-synthesizing enzymes in intrinsic neurons of the human urinary bladder.

The expression of neuropeptides, and the enzymes nitric oxide synthase and tyrosine hydroxylase were examined in intramural ganglia of human urinary bladder using single label immunocytochemistry. Scattered ganglia composed of between 1-36 neurons (median 4) were observed in all layers of the lateral wall of the bladder. These contained immunoreactivity to vasoactive intestinal peptide, nitric oxide synthase, neuropeptide Y, and galanin.

Regional differences in the innervation of the human ureterovesical junction by tyrosine hydroxylase-, vasoactive intestinal peptide- and neuropeptide Y-like immunoreactive nerves.

We have used double-label immunohistochemistry to examine the presence and pattern of colocalization of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), neuropeptide Y (NPY), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and protein gene product (PGP) in nerve fibers supplying the human ureterovesical junction (UVJ). Several populations of nerve fibers within the UVJ region were identified according to their expression of potential transmitter substances. Presumptive noradrenergic axons containing TH- and NPY-like immunoreactivity (LIR) and non-noradrenergic fibers containing VIP- and NPY-LIR accounted for most of the total (PGP-LIR) innervation and supplied all regions of the UVJ.

Colocalization of nitric oxide synthase with vasoactive intestinal peptide, neuropeptide Y, and tyrosine hydroxylase in nerves supplying the human ureter.

The distribution and patterns of colocalization of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), neuropeptide Y (NPY) and the catecholamine-synthesizing enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) were examined in nerve fibers supplying the human lower ureter using double label immunofluorescence. Many nerve fibers immunoreactive for NOS were observed within the ureter. Positive varicose fibers were seen running longitudinally within the smooth muscle bundles, particularly those of the inner layers of the ureter.

Patterns of neuronal colocalisation of tyrosine hydroxylase, neuropeptide Y, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P in human ureter.

The patterns of colocalisation of neuropeptides, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and protein gene product 9.5 (PGP), were studied in nerve fibres supplying the upper and lower human ureter using a double labelling immunofluorescence technique. The majority (85%-95%) of nerve fibres within the ureter contained neuropeptide Y-like immunoreactivity (NPY-LIR), in combination with other peptides.

Distribution of NADPH-diaphorase-positive nerves supplying the human urinary bladder.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPHd) histochemistry was used as a marker for neuronal nitric oxide synthase in human bladder tissue. A plexus of NADPHd-containing nerve fibres was observed in bladder biopsies taken from both the lateral wall and trigone regions. Varicose terminals were present in smooth muscle bundles of the detrusor and trigone, and more commonly within the submucosal layer.

Presence and regional variation in peptide-containing nerves in the human ureter.

The occurrence, distribution and regional variation of neurones immunoreactive for the neuropeptides, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), neuropeptide Y (NPY), enkephalin (ENK), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), and substance P (SP) were investigated in human ureters by indirect immunohistochemistry. In addition, immunoreactivities to tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), a marker of noradrenergic neurones and to protein gene product (PGP) 9.5, a general marker of neurones, were also studied.

A comparison of bladder neck incision and transurethral prostatic resection.

Between 1978 and 1988, 108 patients underwent bladder neck incision (BNI) for bladder outflow obstruction. These patients were compared to a similar group who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), during the same time period. Only patients with minimal prostatic enlargement (less than 10 g) with prominent bladder necks and small lateral lobes were included in the study.

Effects of chondroitin sulphate, human serum albumin and Tamm-Horsfall mucoprotein on calcium oxalate crystallization in undiluted human urine.

The effects of physiological concentrations of chondroitin sulphate, human serum albumin and Tamm-Horsfall mucoprotein on the crystallization of calcium oxalate in undiluted, ultrafiltered human urine were investigated using particle size analysis and scanning electron microscopy. Neither the amount of oxalate required to induce detectable calcium oxalate crystal nucleation nor crystal morphology was affected by the presence of any of these macromolecules. Chondroitin sulphate had no effect on the amount of crystalline material deposited or on the size of the particles precipitated in response to a standard oxalate load.

Macromolecules inhibit calcium oxalate crystal growth and aggregation in whole human urine.

Removal of macromolecules with Mr greater than 10,000 had no discernible effect on the detectable nucleation of calcium oxalate crystals from undiluted human urine, but promoted the deposition of crystalline material and markedly increased the degree of aggregation of the precipitated crystals. Calcium oxalate crystals and crystal aggregates precipitated from ultrafiltered urine were, on average, 68% larger than those deposited from whole urine. These findings suggest that urinary macromolecules play a key role in preventing calcium oxalate kidney stone disease by inhibiting the formation of large crystal aggregates and thereby reducing the probability of particle retention in the kidney tubules.

The effect of serum on the crystallization of calcium oxalate in whole human urine: inhibition disguised as apparent promotion.

The effect of serum on calcium oxalate crystallization was studied in whole human urine. At concentrations between 0.005% to 0.

The influence of serum and serum proteins on calcium oxalate crystal growth and aggregation.

The effects of serum, albumin, alpha-globulin, and a mixture of alpha- and beta-globulin on the growth and aggregation of calcium oxalate crystals were measured in a standard seeded crystallisation system. At concentrations below 0.01% blood, which corresponded to microscopic haematuria, all were potent inhibitors of crystal aggregation whilst only having a minor effect on crystal growth.

The effect of saline bladder washings on calcium oxalate crystal growth and aggregation.

Saline bladder washouts were obtained from 31 normal patients undergoing routine cystoscopy. A urine control was prepared by diluting a urine sample to the same creatinine concentration as the bladder washout. The inhibitory activities of the samples were then measured in a calcium oxalate seeded crystallization system.