Microcystin-LR activates serine/threonine kinases and alters the phosphoproteome in human HepaRG cells.

Microcystin-LR (MCLR) exposure has been associated with development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Many of the carcinogenic mechanisms for MCLR have been attributed to the induction of cell survival and proliferation through altered protein phosphorylation pathways by inhibition of protein phosphatases 1 (PP1) and PP2A. The current study determined MCLR effects on the phosphoproteome in human HepaRG cells.

Involvement of the p38/MK2 Pathway in MCLR Hepatotoxicity Revealed through MAPK Pharmacological Inhibition and Phosphoproteomics in HepaRG Cells.

Microcystin-leucine arginine (MCLR) is one of the most common and toxic microcystin variants, a class of cyanotoxins produced by cyanobacteria. A major molecular mechanism for MCLR-elicited liver toxicity involves the dysregulation of protein phosphorylation through protein phosphatase (PP) inhibition and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) modulation. In this study, specific pharmacological MAPK inhibitors were used in HepaRG cells to examine the pathways associated with MCLR cytotoxicity.

Activation Loop Dynamics Are Coupled to Core Motions in Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase-2.

The activation loop segment in protein kinases is a common site for regulatory phosphorylation. In extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2), dual phosphorylation and conformational rearrangement of the activation loop accompany enzyme activation. X-ray structures show the active conformation to be stabilized by multiple ion pair interactions between phosphorylated threonine and tyrosine residues in the loop and six arginine residues in the kinase core.

Activation loop dynamics are controlled by conformation-selective inhibitors of ERK2.

Conformational selection by small molecules expands inhibitory possibilities for protein kinases. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase ERK2 have shown that activation by dual phosphorylation induces global motions involving exchange between two states, L and R. We show that ERK inhibitors Vertex-11e and SCH772984 exploit the small energetic difference between L and R to shift the equilibrium in opposing directions.

A Preliminary Investigation of Health and Work-Environment Factors on Presenteeism in the Workplace.

Objective: This study investigates the health and work-environment factors that are associated with presenteeism.

Method: A self-report survey that measured presenteeism, 13 health conditions (eg, stress and allergies), and nine work-environment factors (eg, job strain and leadership) was completed by 229 workers.

Results: The most common health condition was stress, while the most common work-environment factor was job strain.

Are older Australians with chronic diseases online?

Issue Addressed: Health information can be easily and cheaply provided through the Internet. However, we do not know whether older adults, those people most likely to be living with a chronic disease, are online or whether they use the Internet to find health information.

Methods: In order to establish the proportion of older Australians online, the impact of their current health status and chronic disease diagnosis on Internet usage and whether they use the Internet to search for health information, a paper-based survey was developed and mailed to 9000 older adults, resident in New South Wales, Australia (response rate = 46.

Explaining variations in the findings of presenteeism research: A meta-analytic investigation into the moderating effects of construct operationalizations and chronic health.

The purpose of the present study is to theorize and test the moderating effects of two variables-the way presenteeism is operationalized and the presence of a preexisting chronic health condition-on the relationships between presenteeism and its antecedents (i.e., physical health, mental health, work factors, social factors, and personal factors).

Examining the influence of personal goal interference and attainability on psychological distress in non-metastatic breast cancer patients.

The present study investigated the relationship between two goal-related appraisals - perceived cancer-related interference and perceived attainability of important personal goals - and psychological distress among non-metastatic breast cancer patients across the short-term treatment and recovery period. Forty-five women completed self-report questionnaires at approximately 1 and 6 months following surgery. A mixed idiographic-nomothetic goal methodology assessed perceived cancer-related interference and attainability of self-generated important personal goals.

A Virtual Community of Practice for General Practice Training: A Preimplementation Survey.

Background: Professional isolation is an important factor in low rural health workforce retention.

Objective: The aim of this study was to gain insights to inform the development of an implementation plan for a virtual community of practice (VCoP) for general practice (GP) training in regional Australia. The study also aimed to assess the applicability of the findings of an existing framework in developing this plan.

Effective techniques for changing physical activity and healthy eating intentions and behaviour: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to review the evidence on the impact of a change in intention on behaviour and to identify (1) behaviour change techniques (BCTs) associated with changes in intention and (2) whether the same BCTs are also associated with changes in behaviour.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted to identify interventions that produced a significant change in intention and assessed the impact of this change on behaviour at a subsequent time point. Each intervention was coded using a taxonomy of BCTs targeting healthy eating and physical activity.

The theory of planned behaviour and discrete food choices: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The combination of economic and social costs associated with non-communicable diseases provide a compelling argument for developing strategies that can influence modifiable risk factors, such as discrete food choices. Models of behaviour, such as the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) provide conceptual order that allows program designers and policy makers to identify the substantive elements that drive behaviour and design effective interventions. The primary aim of the current review was to examine the association between TPB variables and discrete food choice behaviours.

Supporting data for the characterization of PNA-DNA four-way junctions.

Holliday or DNA four-way junctions (4WJs) are cruciform/bent structures composed of four DNA duplexes. 4WJs are key intermediates in homologous genetic recombination and double-strand break repair. To investigate 4WJs in vitro, junctions are assembled using four asymmetric DNA strands.

An audit of skills taught in registered nursing preparation programmes in Australia.

Background: A competitive Carrick Institute Competitive Grant (CG7-523) was obtained to explore what skills were taught and what assessment of practice approaches were used in nursing programmes in Australia. The intention was twofold; firstly to identify what skills were being taught which would contribute to the development of an assessment of practice toolkit for eligibility to practice programmes in Australia. This paper specifically reports on the skills taught in nursing programmes in Australia.

Characterization of the structural and protein recognition properties of hybrid PNA-DNA four-way junctions.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the structure and protein recognition properties of hybrid four-way junctions (4WJs) composed of DNA and peptide nucleic acid (PNA) strands. We compare a classic immobile DNA junction, J1, vs. six PNA-DNA junctions, including a number with blunt DNA ends and multiple PNA strands.

The Theory of Planned Behaviour and dietary patterns: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Promoting adherence to healthy dietary patterns is a critical public health issue. Models of behaviour, such as the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) allow programme designers to identify antecedents of dietary patterns and design effective interventions. The primary aim of this study was to examine the association between TPB variables and dietary patterns.

The moderating impact of temporal separation on the association between intention and physical activity: a meta-analysis.

Previous meta-analyses have estimated that the intention-behaviour association in physical activity (PA) is large in magnitude. However, these prior meta-analyses have also revealed a large degree of heterogeneity, suggesting the presence of moderating variables. This study examines the impact of one such moderator, testing the hypothesis that the magnitude of the association between intention and behaviour decreases as the temporal separation between the two increases.

Area-Level Socioeconomic Gradients in Overweight and Obesity in a Community-Derived Cohort of Health Service Users - A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Overweight and obesity lead to higher probability of individuals accessing primary care but adiposity estimates are rarely available at regional levels to inform health service planning. This paper analyses a large, community-derived clinical database of objectively measured body mass index (BMI) to explore relationships with area-level socioeconomic disadvantage for informing regional level planning activities.

Materials And Methods: The study included 91776 adults who had BMI objectively measured between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2011 by a single pathology provider.

An integrative review: understanding driving retirement decisions for individuals living with a dementia.

Aim: To synthesise primary research exploring decision making practices used to determine the time to retire from driving for individuals living with a dementia.

Background: Driving requires complex cognitive and physical skills potentially compromised due to the progressive nature of dementia. Whilst on-road assessments are considered reliable indicators of driving capacity by clinicians, drivers with dementia disagree.

Exploring the nature of situational goal-based coping in early-stage breast cancer patients: A contextual approach.

Purpose: The psychosocial impact of breast cancer varies widely across patients and over time. Greater insight into goal-based coping processes theorised to underpin psychological resilience may inform efforts to support the maintenance and recovery of psychological wellbeing in the context of breast cancer treatment and recovery. This prospective study adopted a qualitative descriptive design to better understand the nature of situational goal-based coping in response to personal goal interference encountered across the six months following surgery for early-stage breast cancer.

Benefits of online health education: perception from consumers and health professionals.

With the advancement in technology and availability of the Internet, online health education could become one of the media for health education. As health education is to persuade patients on health behavioural change, understanding perceived benefits of online health education is an important aspect to explore. The aim of this study is to explore consumers and health professionals opinion on online health education.

The telehealth skills, training, and implementation project: an evaluation protocol.

Background: Telehealth appears to be an ideal mechanism for assisting rural patients and doctors and medical students/registrars in accessing specialist services. Telehealth is the use of enhanced broadband technology to provide telemedicine and education over distance. It provides accessible support to rural primary care providers and medical educators.

Relationships between work environment factors and presenteeism mediated by employees' health: a preliminary study.

Objective: This study investigates a research framework for presenteeism, in particular, whether work environment factors are indirectly related to presenteeism via employees' health.

Methods: A total of 336 employees, 107 from a manufacturing company in Europe and 229 from various locations across North America, completed a self-report survey, which measured the association between presenteeism (dependent variable) and several health and work environment factors (independent variables). These relationships were tested using path analysis with bootstrapping in Mplus.