Explaining the difference in prognosis between screen-detected and symptomatic breast cancers.

Background: We analysed 10-year survival data in 19,411 women aged 50-64 years diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom. The aim was to estimate the survival advantage seen in cases that were screen detected compared with those diagnosed symptomatically and attribute this to shifts in prognostic variables or survival differences specific to prognostic categories.

Methods: We studied tumour size, histological grade and the Nottingham Prognostic Index in very narrow categories and investigated the distribution of these prognostic factors within screen-detected and symptomatic tumours.

A survey of β-glucan and arabinoxylan content in wheat.

Background: Dietary fibre lowers the risk of coronary heart disease and colorectal cancer. This survey quantifies mixed link β-glucan (MBG) and arabinoxylan (AX) in wheat and investigates relationships between the grain carbohydrates. MBG and AX contents were measured in 500 and 200 wheat accessions respectively, including diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid genotypes comprising primitive, synthetic and elite lines.

Using routinely collected health data to investigate the association between ethnicity and breast cancer incidence and survival: what is the impact of missing data and multiple ethnicities?

Objectives: The aims of this study were to: (1) investigate the relationship between ethnicity and breast cancer incidence and survival using cancer registry and Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data; and (2) assess the impact of missing data and the recording of multiple ethnicities for some patients.

Design: A total of 48,234 breast cancer patients diagnosed between 1997 and 2003 in two English regions were identified. Ethnicity was missing in 16% of cases.

Creative solutions for severe dementia with BPSD: a case of art therapy used in an inpatient and residential care setting.

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common, distressing and compromise care. Their diverse etiology necessitates targeted, individualized treatment. We present a case of an 82-year-old with severe dementia and BPSD, and with limited response to a range of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments.

Prognosis and pathology of screen-detected carcinomas: how different are they?

Background: It has been observed that screen-detected breast cancers have a better prognosis than symptomatic tumors, even after taking pathological tumor attributes into account. This has led to the hypothesis that screen-detected tumors are substantially biologically different from symptomatic cancers.

Methods: The pathology and survival by detection mode was investigated in 21,382 breast cancers diagnosed in women aged 50-64 years in the West Midlands, United Kingdom, between 1988 and 2004.

Measurement of stimulated Hawking emission in an analogue system.

Hawking argued that black holes emit thermal radiation via a quantum spontaneous emission. To address this issue experimentally, we utilize the analogy between the propagation of fields around black holes and surface waves on moving water. By placing a streamlined obstacle into an open channel flow we create a region of high velocity over the obstacle that can include surface wave horizons.

Comparison of a simple dose-guided intervention technique for prostate radiotherapy with existing anatomical image guidance methods.

Objectives: A simple dose-guided intervention technique for prostate radiotherapy using an isodose overlay method combined with soft-tissue-based corrective couch shifts has been proposed previously. This planning study assesses the potential clinical impact of such a correction strategy.

Methods: 10 patients, each with 8-11 on-treatment CT studies (n=97), were assessed using this technique and compared with no intervention, bony anatomy intervention and soft-tissue intervention methods.

Waiting times for radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery and the association with survival: a path analysis.

Aims: To investigate the association between radiotherapy waiting times and survival in women who have undergone breast-conserving surgery using data from two English cancer registry regions. The data were analysed using path analysis to account for the complex variable interrelationships within the data.

Materials And Methods: Cases of female invasive breast cancer diagnosed during the period 1 January 1998 to 31 December 2005 were identified and linked to an extract of Hospital Episode Statistics data.

Innocuous full-length botulinum neurotoxin targets and promotes the expression of lentiviral vectors in central and autonomic neurons.

Fragments of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) have been explored as potential targeting moieties and carriers of biomolecules into neurons, although with lower binding and translocation efficiency compared with intact proteins. This study exploits a detoxified recombinant form of full-length BoNT/B (BoTIM/B) fused with core streptavidin (CS-BoTIM/B) for lentiviral targeting to central and autonomic neurons. CS-BoTIM/B underwent an activity-dependent entry into cultured spinal cord neurons.

The dual role of vision in sequential aiming movements.

Previous research has demonstrated that movement times to the first target in sequential aiming movements are influenced by the properties of subsequent segments. Based on this finding, it has been proposed that individual segments are not controlled independently. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the role of visual feedback in the interaction between movement segments.

Cancer survival in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the UK, 1995-2007 (the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership): an analysis of population-based cancer registry data.

Background: Cancer survival is a key measure of the effectiveness of health-care systems. Persistent regional and international differences in survival represent many avoidable deaths. Differences in survival have prompted or guided cancer control strategies.

A dileucine in the protease of botulinum toxin A underlies its long-lived neuroparalysis: transfer of longevity to a novel potential therapeutic.

Blockade of neurotransmitter release by botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT(A)) underlies the severe neuroparalytic symptoms of human botulism, which can last a few years. The structural basis for this remarkable persistence remains unclear. Herein, recombinant BoNT(A) was found to match the neurotoxicity of that from Clostridium botulinum, producing persistent cleavage of synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) and neuromuscular paralysis.

Annual report: surveillance of adverse events following immunisation in Australia, 2009.

This report summarises Australian passive surveillance data for adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for 2009, and describes reporting trends over the 10-year period 2000 to 2009. There were 2,396 AEFI records for vaccines administered in 2009, the highest number reported, a 46% increase over the 1,638 in 2008. The increase was almost entirely due to reports related to the introduction of pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) 2009 influenza vaccine from September 2009 (n = 1,312) largely from the members of the public.

Classification of Rotylenchulus reniformis Numbers in Cotton Using Remotely Sensed Hyperspectral Data on Self-Organizing Maps.

Rotylenchulus reniformis is one of the major nematode pests capable of reducing cotton yields by more than 60%, causing estimated losses that may exceed millions of dollars U.S. Therefore, early detection of nematode numbers is necessary to reduce these losses.

Excitatory cholinergic and purinergic signaling in bladder are equally susceptible to botulinum neurotoxin a consistent with co-release of transmitters from efferent fibers.

Mediators of neuromuscular transmission in rat bladder strips were dissected pharmacologically to examine their susceptibilities to inhibition by botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) and elucidate a basis for the clinical effectiveness of BoNT/A in alleviating smooth muscle spasms associated with overactive bladder. BoNT/A, BoNT/C1, or BoNT/E reduced peak and average force of muscle contractions induced by electric field stimulation (EFS) in dose-dependent manners by acting only on neurogenic, tetrodotoxin-sensitive responses. BoNTs that cleaved vesicle-associated membrane protein proved to be much less effective.

Internalization of flax rust avirulence proteins into flax and tobacco cells can occur in the absence of the pathogen.

Translocation of pathogen effector proteins into the host cell cytoplasm is a key determinant for the pathogenicity of many bacterial and oomycete plant pathogens. A number of secreted fungal avirulence (Avr) proteins are also inferred to be delivered into host cells, based on their intracellular recognition by host resistance proteins, including those of flax rust (Melampsora lini). Here, we show by immunolocalization that the flax rust AvrM protein is secreted from haustoria during infection and accumulates in the haustorial wall.

Impact of faxed health alerts on the preparedness of general practitioners during communicable disease outbreaks.

The NSW Department of Health (NSW Health) faxed health alerts to general medical practitioners during measles outbreaks in March and May 2006. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of randomly selected general practitioners (GPs) (1 per medical practice) in New South Wales to investigate the effectiveness of faxing health alerts to GPs during a communicable disease outbreak. Fax transmission data allowed comparison of GPs sent and not sent the measles alert for self-reported awareness and practice actions aimed at the prevention and control of measles.

Differences in breast cancer incidence in Australia and England by age, extent of disease and deprivation status: women diagnosed 1980-2002.

Objective: To compare breast cancer incidence in England and Australia by age, extent of disease and deprivation.

Methods: We analysed data for women aged 15-99 years diagnosed with breast cancer in England or Australia during the period 1990 to 1994, and in West Midlands or New South Wales during the period 1980 to 2002. We calculated three-year rolling average incidence rates and incidence rate ratios (IRR) between West Midlands and New South Wales by age, extent of disease and category of deprivation.

Annual report: surveillance of adverse events following immunisation in Australia, 2008.

This report summarises Australian passive surveillance data for adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for 2008, and describes reporting trends over the 9-year period 2000 to 2008. There were 1,542 AEFI records for vaccines administered in 2008. This was an annual AEFI reporting rate of 7.