Predictors of cycling performance success: Traditional approaches and a novel method to assess performance capacity in U23 road cyclists.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate predictors of cycling performance in U23 cyclists by comparing traditional approaches to a novel method - the compound score. Thirty male U23 cyclists (N = 30, age 20.1 ± 1.

Multicenter, Prospective, Controlled, Before-and-After, Quality Improvement Study (Stroke123) of Acute Stroke Care.

Background and Purpose- Hospital uptake of evidence-based stroke care is variable. We aimed to determine the impact of a multicomponent program involving financial incentives and quality improvement interventions, on stroke care processes. Methods- A prospective study of interventions to improve clinical care quality indicators at 19 hospitals in Queensland, Australia, during 2010 to 2015, compared with historical controls and 23 other Australian hospitals.

Comparative Analysis of the Glycosylation Profiles of Membrane-Anchored HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein Trimers and Soluble gp140.

Unlabelled: The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer, which consists of the gp120 and gp41 subunits, is the focus of multiple strategies for vaccine development. Extensive Env glycosylation provides HIV-1 with protection from the immune system, yet the glycans are also essential components of binding epitopes for numerous broadly neutralizing antibodies. Recent studies have shown that when Env is isolated from virions, its glycosylation profile differs significantly from that of soluble forms of Env (gp120 or gp140) predominantly used in vaccine discovery research.

CareTrack Kids-part 2. Assessing the appropriateness of the healthcare delivered to Australian children: study protocol for a retrospective medical record review.

Introduction: Australian and international clinical practice guidelines are available for common paediatric conditions. Yet there is evidence that there are substantial variations between the guidelines, recommendations (appropriate care) and the care delivered. This paper describes a study protocol to determine the appropriateness of the healthcare delivered to Australian children for 16 common paediatric conditions in acute and primary healthcare settings.

CareTrack Kids-part 1. Assessing the appropriateness of healthcare delivered to Australian children: study protocol for clinical indicator development.

Introduction: Despite the widespread availability of clinical guidelines, considerable gaps remain between the care that is recommended (appropriate care) and the care provided. This protocol describes a research methodology to develop clinical indicators for appropriate care for common paediatric conditions.

Methods And Analysis: We will identify conditions amenable to population-level appropriateness of care research and develop clinical indicators for each condition.

Marginal costs of hospital-acquired conditions: information for priority-setting for patient safety programmes and research.

Objective: To estimate the relative inpatient costs of hospital-acquired conditions.

Methods: Patient level costs were estimated using computerized costing systems that log individual utilization of inpatient services and apply sophisticated cost estimates from the hospital's general ledger. Occurrence of hospital-acquired conditions was identified using an Australian 'condition-onset' flag for diagnoses not present on admission.

NRF2 Oxidative Stress Induced by Heavy Metals is Cell Type Dependent.

Exposure to metallic environmental toxicants has been demonstrated to induce a variety of oxidative stress responses in mammalian cells. The transcription factor Nrf2 is activated in response to oxidative stress and coordinates the expression of antioxidant gene products. In this study, we describe the development of an Nrf2-specific reporter gene assay that can be used to study the oxidative stress response in multiple cell types.

Attenuated food anticipatory activity and abnormal circadian locomotor rhythms in Rgs16 knockdown mice.

Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) are a multi-functional protein family, which functions in part as GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) of G protein α-subunits to terminate G protein signaling. Previous studies have demonstrated that the Rgs16 transcripts exhibit robust circadian rhythms both in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the master circadian light-entrainable oscillator (LEO) of the hypothalamus, and in the liver. To investigate the role of RGS16 in the circadian clock in vivo, we generated two independent transgenic mouse lines using lentiviral vectors expressing short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting the Rgs16 mRNA.

Patient safety culture: factors that influence clinician involvement in patient safety behaviours.

Objectives: To develop an understanding of the factors that influence patient safety-related behaviours by nurses, doctors and allied health staff employed by Queensland Health, using a theory-driven behavioural model.

Design: Cross-sectional survey analysed with multiple logistic regression.

Setting: Metropolitan, regional and rural public hospitals in Queensland, Australia.

Patient safety -- a balanced measurement framework.

Evidence of the unacceptably high incidence of patient harm associated with health care has resulted in patient safety becoming a major reform agenda. Despite significant investment by governments on strategies to reduce patient harm, confusion still exists on how to measure patient safety. While the goal of patient safety is harm prevention, most of the measurement focus has been on counting incident reports.

Practising Open Disclosure: clinical incident communication and systems improvement.

This article explores the way that professionals are being inducted into articulating apologies to consumers of their services, in this case clinicians apologising to patients. The article focuses on the policy of Open Disclosure that is being adopted by health care organisations in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia and other nations. Open Disclosure policy mandates 'open discussion of clinical incidents' with patient victims.

Proteolytic shedding of ST6Gal-I by BACE1 regulates the glycosylation and function of alpha4beta1 integrins.

Differentiation of monocytes into macrophages is accompanied by increased cell adhesiveness, due in part to the activation of alpha4beta1 integrins. Here we report that the sustained alpha4beta1 activation associated with macrophage differentiation results from expression of beta1 integrin subunits that lack alpha2-6-linked sialic acids, a carbohydrate modification added by the ST6Gal-I sialyltransferase. During differentiation of U937 monocytic cells and primary human CD14(+) monocytes, ST6Gal-I is down-regulated, leading to beta1 hyposialylation and enhanced alpha4beta1-dependent VCAM-1 binding.

Activation of the unfolded protein response by deltaF508 CFTR.

Environmental insults and misfolded proteins cause endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and activate the unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR decreases endogenous cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mRNA levels and protein maturation efficiency. Herein, we investigated the effects of the folding-deficient deltaF508 CFTR on ER stress induction and UPR activation.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress and the unfolded protein response regulate genomic cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator expression.

The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a cellular recovery mechanism activated by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The UPR is coordinated with the ER-associated degradation (ERAD) to regulate the protein load at the ER. In the present study, we tested how membrane protein biogenesis is regulated through the UPR in epithelia, using the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) as a model.

Establishment and characterization of a novel polarized MDCK epithelial cellular model for CFTR studies.

F508del is the most common mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene that is responsible for the genetic disease Cystic Fibrosis (CF). It results in a major failure of CFTR to traffic to the apical membrane of epithelial cells, where it should function as a chloride (Cl-) channel. Most studies on localization, processing and cellular trafficking of wild-type (wt) and F508del-CFTR have been performed in non-epithelial cells.

Failure of cAMP agonists to activate rescued deltaF508 CFTR in CFBE41o- airway epithelial monolayers.

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a cyclic AMP-regulated chloride channel. Mutations in the CFTR gene result in cystic fibrosis (CF). The most common mutation, deltaF508, results in endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) of CFTR.

Lentiviral mediated gene delivery to the anterior chamber of rodent eyes.

Purpose: To study the in vivo efficiency of lentiviral vectors in delivering genes to the trabecular meshwork (TM) of rodent eyes.

Methods: Lentiviral vectors were constructed using the elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1alpha) promoter driving expression of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene. The viral construct was injected intracamerally through the peripheral cornea into the anterior chamber of live rodent eyes.

Lentiviral vector-based models of amyloid pathology: from cells to animals.

Lentiviral vectors are efficient tools for the introduction of genes into a wide range of established and primary cells in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo, and also permit efficient transgenesis in a wide range of mammalian species. Our goals have been to apply the broad capabilities of the lentiviral vector system to AD research. Using a set of vectors expressing APP and PS1 genes, we demonstrated the efficiency and fidelity of the system for in vitro biochemical analyses of genes and pathways involved in plaque deposition.

Hypersialylation of beta1 integrins, observed in colon adenocarcinoma, may contribute to cancer progression by up-regulating cell motility.

Colon adenocarcinomas are known to express elevated levels of alpha2-6 sialylation and increased activity of ST6Gal-I, the Golgi glycosyltransferase that creates alpha2-6 linkages. Elevated ST6Gal-I positively correlates with metastasis and poor survival, and therefore ST6Gal-I-mediated hypersialylation likely plays a role in colorectal tumor invasion. Previously we found that oncogenic ras (present in roughly 50% of colon adenocarcinomas) up-regulates ST6Gal-I and, in turn, increases sialylation of beta1 integrin adhesion receptors in colon epithelial cells.