Algorithmic determination of source orientations for the CivaSheet directional brachytherapy device.

Purpose: The CivaSheet device uses multiple directionally shielded Pd-103 CivaDot sources to produce a directional planar dose distribution. In postplanning, manually digitizing the 3D source orientation is challenging because the 3D vector must be digitized by using 2D displayed images. The aim of this study is to develop an algorithm that will automatically determine the direction of each CivaDot source based on the location of sources adjacent to it.

Identification of novel peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) agonists using molecular modeling method.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) plays a critical role in lipid and glucose homeostasis. It is the target of many drug discovery studies, because of its role in various disease states including diabetes and cancer. Thiazolidinediones, a synthetic class of agents that work by activation of PPARγ, have been used extensively as insulin-sensitizers for the management of type 2 diabetes.

Protection of the membrane permeability barrier by annexins.

Biological membranes are exposed to a number of chemical and physical stresses that may alter the structure of the lipid bilayer in such a way that the permeability barrier to hydrophilic molecules and ions is degraded. These stresses include amphiphilic molecules involved in metabolism and signaling, highly charged polyamines, membrane-permeating peptides, and mechanical and osmotic stresses. As annexins are known to bind to lipid headgroups in the presence of calcium and increase the order of the bilayer lipids, this study addressed whether this activity of annexins provides a potential benefit to the membrane by protecting the bilayer against disruptions of this nature or can promote restoration of the permeability barrier after damage by such agents.

Anticancer activity of thymoquinone in breast cancer cells: possible involvement of PPAR-γ pathway.

Thymoquinone (TQ), an active ingredient of Nigella sativa, has been reported to exhibit anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities through mechanism(s) that is not fully understood. In this study, we report the anticancer effects of TQ on breast cancer cells, and its potential effect on the PPAR-γ activation pathway. We found that TQ exerted strong anti-proliferative effect in breast cancer cells and, when combined with doxorubicin and 5-fluorouracil, increased cytotoxicity.

Risk of uterine rupture in Australian women attempting vaginal birth after one prior caesarean section: a retrospective population-based cohort study.

Objective:   Higher risks of uterine rupture have been reported among women attempting vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) particularly following induction with prostaglandins, compared with women who do not labour. This study aimed to estimate these risks as well as that associated with oxytocin use.

Design:   Population-based retrospective cohort study involving all women who had their first births by caesarean.

A new cryo-STEM method for imaging food colloids in the scanning electron microscope.

A new cryo-scanning transmission electron microscopy (cryo-STEM) technique for imaging casein micelles in a field emission scanning electron microscope is presented. Thin films of micellar casein suspensions on lacey carbon grids were prepared using a modified sample holder developed by Gatan UK. Bright and dark field images were obtained at -135°C showing casein micelles in their frozen hydrated state and in the size range 30-500 nm.

Outreach obstetrics training in Western Australia improves neonatal outcome and decreases caesarean sections.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a multi-professional outreach obstetric training programme on perinatal and neonatal outcomes. This was a retrospective comparison of 5-min low Apgar scores, stillbirth, perinatal death and moderate/severe hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy rates in 127,753 infants born in Western Australia before and after the introduction of training in rural and remote areas. Following the introduction of the training programme, there was a highly significant (p = 0.

Efficacy of whey protein gel networks as potential viability-enhancing scaffolds for cell immobilization of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG.

This study investigated cell immobilization of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG in three separate protein products: native, denatured and hydrolysed whey protein isolate (WPI). Treatments were assessed for their ability to enhance probiotic survival during storage, heat stress and ex vivo gastric incubation. Spatial distribution of probiotic cells within immobilized treatments was evaluated by atomic force and confocal scanning laser microscopy, while cell viability was enumerated by plate count and flow cytometry (FACS).

Host-cell specific effects of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor chaperone RIC-3 revealed by a comparison of human and Drosophila RIC-3 homologues.

RIC-3 is a transmembrane protein which enhances maturation (folding and assembly) of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). In this study, we report the cloning and characterisation of 11 alternatively spliced isoforms of Drosophila melanogaster RIC-3 (DmRIC-3). Heterologous expression studies of alternatively spliced DmRIC-3 isoforms demonstrate that nAChR chaperone activity does not require a predicted coiled-coil domain which is located entirely within exon 7.

Identification of domains influencing assembly and ion channel properties in alpha 7 nicotinic receptor and 5-HT3 receptor subunit chimaeras.

Background And Purpose: Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 receptors (5-HT(3)Rs) are members of the superfamily of neurotransmitter-gated ion channels. Both contain five subunits which assemble to form either homomeric or heteromeric subunit complexes. With the aim of identifying the influence of subunit domains upon receptor assembly and function, a series of chimaeras have been constructed containing regions of the neuronal nAChR alpha 7 subunit and the 5-HT(3) receptor (3A) subunit.

RIC-3 enhances functional expression of multiple nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes in mammalian cells.

Recent studies have shown that RIC-3, originally identified in Caenorhabditis elegans as the protein encoded by the gene resistance to inhibitors of cholinesterase (ric-3), can enhance functional expression of alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). In the present study, the influence of C. elegans and human RIC-3 upon multiple homomeric (alpha7, alpha8, and alpha9) and heteromeric (alpha3beta2, alpha3beta4, alpha4beta2, alpha4beta4, and alpha9alpha10) nAChR subtypes has been examined in transfected mammalian cells by radioligand binding and functional characterization.

Synchrony between neurons with similar muscle fields in monkey motor cortex.

Synchronous firing of motor cortex cells exhibiting postspike facilitation (PSF) or suppression (PSS) of hand muscle EMG was examined to investigate the relationship between synchrony and output connectivity. Recordings were made in macaque monkeys performing a precision grip task. Synchronization was assessed with cross-correlation histograms of the activity from 144 pairs of simultaneously recorded neurons, while spike-triggered averages of EMG defined the muscle field for each cell.

Chlormethiazole inhibits epileptiform activity by potentiating GABA(A) receptor function.

Chlormethiazole has sedative, hypnotic, anticonvulsant and neuroprotective properties. Using in vitro grease-gap recordings, we show that it inhibits epileptiform activity in neocortical slices superfused with Mg(2+)-free medium (IC(50) approximately 200 microM). At an antiepileptic concentration (300 microM), chlormethiazole potentiated the action of exogenously applied GABA (1 mM) but did not affect responses to the glutamate receptor agonists N-methyl-D-aspartate (10 microM) or L-quisqualic acid (3 microM).

Postpartum thyroid dysfunction: clinical assessment and relationship to psychiatric affective morbidity.

Objective: Postpartum thyroid dysfunction (PPTD), diagnosed using biochemical criteria, is usually transient with a wide range of reported prevalence rates. The specific clinical and psychiatric morbidity associated with PPTD is still uncertain. The aims of the study were to determine the point prevalence of PPTD in Australian women at 6 months postpartum and to assess the specific clinical and psychiatric morbidity in these women.

Intermittent auscultation for the intrapartum assessment of fetal well-being in Western Australia.

In May 1995, in response to a decision of the Perinatal and Infant Mortality Committee of Western Australia, a survey of Western Australian hospitals was performed to ascertain what policies were in use for the monitoring of the fetal heart rate in labour and what proportion of these hospitals had access to electronic monitoring by cardiotocography. A response was received from 96% of the surveyed hospitals. More than half the births in this State (13,950 of 25,238) were monitored in labour using intermittent auscultation as the primary test; 7.

Hospitalization of infants for infections in Western Australia, 1980-91.

Rates of hospitalization of Aboriginal infants in Western Australia from 1980 through 1991 for infections were much higher than for other infants and were consistently higher in rural areas than in metropolitan areas. There were substantial declines in rates of hospital admissions and bed occupancy of rural Aboriginal infants for respiratory and gastrointestinal infections during the study period; changes in rates for other infections were less marked and less consistent. Despite recent improvements, Aboriginal infants are hospitalized much more frequently and for longer than other infants because of these diseases.

Analysis of pinch and grip strength after carpal tunnel release.

This study evaluates the time required for grip and pinch strength to return to preoperative levels after carpal tunnel release. Grip strength was 28% of preoperative level at 3 weeks; 73% by 6 weeks, and returned to the preoperative level by 3 months. At 6 months grip strength was found to increase to 116%.