Determining the Research Priorities for Adult Primary Brain Tumours in Australia and New Zealand: A Delphi Study with Consumers, Health Professionals, and Researchers.

The aim of this project was to determine research priorities, barriers, and enablers for adult primary brain tumour research in Australia and New Zealand. Consumers, health professionals, and researchers were invited to participate in a two-phase modified Delphi study. Phase 1 comprised an initial online survey ( = 91) and then focus groups ( = 29) which identified 60 key research topics, 26 barriers, and 32 enablers.

Does insulin resistance influence neurodegeneration in non-diabetic Alzheimer's subjects?

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and AD brain shows impaired insulin signalling. The role of peripheral insulin resistance on AD aetiopathogenesis in non-diabetic patients is still debated. Here we evaluated the influence of insulin resistance on brain glucose metabolism, grey matter volume and white matter lesions (WMLs) in non-diabetic AD subjects.

Correction to: Evaluating the effects of the novel GLP-1 analogue liraglutide in Alzheimer's disease: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial (ELAD study).

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Evaluating the effects of the novel GLP-1 analogue liraglutide in Alzheimer's disease: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial (ELAD study).

Background: Liraglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue currently approved for type 2 diabetes and obesity. Preclinical evidence in transgenic models of Alzheimer's disease suggests that liraglutide exerts neuroprotective effects by reducing amyloid oligomers, normalising synaptic plasticity and cerebral glucose uptake, and increasing the proliferation of neuronal progenitor cells. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the change in cerebral glucose metabolic rate after 12 months of treatment with liraglutide in participants with Alzheimer's disease compared to those who are receiving placebo.

Health benefits of tai chi: What is the evidence?

Objective: To summarize the evidence on the health benefits of tai chi.

Sources Of Information: A literature review was conducted on the benefits of tai chi for 25 specific conditions, as well as for general health and fitness, to update a 2014 review of systematic reviews. Systematic reviews and recent clinical trials were assessed and organized into 5 different groups: evidence of benefit as excellent, good, fair, or preliminary, or evidence of no direct benefit.

Investigating the Primary Care Management of Low Back Pain: A Simulated Patient Study.

Unlabelled: A limitation of existing studies of primary care for low back pain (LBP) is that they are not based on direct observation of the clinical encounter and so may underestimate or overestimate the extent of evidence-practice gaps. This was a cross-sectional observational study that observed the management recommendations for LBP provided in primary care using a simulated patient approach. Trained actors requested an over-the-counter medicine or asked for management advice for 1 of 2 simulated patient scenarios: nonspecific LBP (NSLBP) or vertebral compression fracture.

Etanercept in Alzheimer disease: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase 2 trial.

Objectives: To determine whether the tumor necrosis factor α inhibitor etanercept is well tolerated and obtain preliminary data on its safety in Alzheimer disease dementia.

Methods: In a double-blind study, patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease dementia were randomized (1:1) to subcutaneous etanercept (50 mg) once weekly or identical placebo over a 24-week period. Tolerability and safety of this medication was recorded including secondary outcomes of cognition, global function, behavior, and systemic cytokine levels at baseline, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, and following a 4-week washout period.

Taoist Tai Chi® and Memory Intervention for Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Objective: It was hypothesized that a combined Taoist Tai Chi (TTC) and a memory intervention program (MIP) would be superior to a MIP alone in improving everyday memory behaviors in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). A secondary hypothesis was that TTC would improve cognition, self-reported health status, gait, and balance.

Method: A total of 48 individuals were randomly assigned to take part in MIP + TTC or MIP alone.

Class II correction prior to orthodontics with the carriere distalizer.

Class II correction is a challenge in orthodontics with many existing devices being complex, too compliance-driven, or too prone to breakage. The Carriere Distalizer allows for straightforward Class II correction prior to orthodontics (fixed or clear aligners) at a time when no other mechanics interfere, and compliance is at its best.

Methamphetamine-induced disruption of frontostriatal reward learning signals: relation to psychotic symptoms.

Objective: Frontostriatal circuitry is critical to learning processes, and its disruption may underlie maladaptive decision making and the generation of psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia. However, there is a paucity of evidence directly examining the role of modulatory neurotransmitters on frontostriatal function in humans. In order to probe the effects of modulation on frontostriatal circuitry during learning and to test whether disruptions in learning processes may be related to the pathogenesis of psychosis, the authors explored the brain representations of reward prediction error and incentive value, two key reinforcement learning parameters, before and after methamphetamine challenge.

The effect of processing techniques and brine formulations on the development of surface sheen in enhanced beef strip loin steaks.

The surface sheen phenomenon in enhanced beef steaks, packaged under modified atmosphere, was studied using various combinations of processing techniques and brine formulations. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of time between enhancement and when steaks were cut on surface sheen.

An overview and history of interpersonal psychotherapy.

Interpersonal psychotherapy is regarded as an effective psychotherapy particularly in the treatment of depression and has been around for more than 20 years. However, there is a paucity of information and discussion in the nursing literature. This article provides an overview of interpersonal psychotherapy, including its origins and historical background.

Human dimensions of forest disturbance by insects: an international synthesis.

Ecological disturbances of forests by insects have a complex array of associated human dimensions presenting complications for natural resource decision making and relationships between stakeholders and managers. This article discusses the human context of forest disturbances by insects by reviewing four cases of bark beetle forest disturbance from British Columbia in Canada, Bavarian Forest National Park in Germany, the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, and the north central region of Colorado. Findings and lessons learned from these studies are outlined along with their implications for managing forest disturbances by insects in general.

Perceptions of ecological risk associated with mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) infestations in Banff and Kootenay National Parks of Canada.

Western Canada is experiencing an unprecedented outbreak of the mountain pine beetle (MPB). The MPB has the potential to impact some of Canada's national parks by affecting park ecosystems and the visitor experience. Controls have been initiated in some parks to lessen the impacts and to prevent the beetle from spreading beyond park boundaries.

Using expert judgments to understand spatial patterns of forest-based camping: a values-at-risk application.

Fire management agencies in Canada are mandated with protecting multiple forest values from wildfire. Deciding where to reduce fire hazard and how to allocate resources and fire suppression efforts requires an understanding of the values-at-risk from wildfire. The protection of recreation infrastructure is often assumed to provide adequate protection of recreation values.

Understanding self-evaluations of effectiveness by forestry advisory committee members: a case of Ontario's Local Citizens Committee members.

Researchers have devised many criteria that could assist with the development of an effective public participation process. Few studies, however, have linked these criteria to the effectiveness of decision-making resulting from these processes. We assess whether several criteria postulated by others for designing an effective decision-making process are associated with evaluations of the effectiveness of decision-making by advisory group members from a forest management planning process in Ontario, Canada.

Public perceptions of risk to forest biodiversity.

This study examines the perceived risks to forest biodiversity and perceived effectiveness of biodiversity conservation strategies among the general public. It tests the hypotheses that perceived risk to forest biodiversity is influenced by cognitive factors (value orientation and knowledge) and social-cultural factors (such as gender and environmental membership) and that risk perceptions influence other cognitive constructs such as support for natural resource policy and management. Data were collected from a sample of the general public (n= 596) in British Columbia, Canada by mail survey in 2001.

Organ and non-organ specific autoantibody titres and IgG levels as markers of disease activity: a longitudinal study in childhood autoimmune liver disease.

No longitudinal study has investigated whether autoantibody titres and serum IgG levels correlate with disease activity in autoimmune liver disease. To determine this, we investigated prospectively 19 patients on 254 occasions between 10 months to 5 years from diagnosis. Nine had anti-nuclear and/or anti-smooth muscle antibody (ANA/SMA) positive autoimmune hepatitis (type 1 AIH), 5 liver kidney microsomal type 1 (LKM-1) positive AIH (type 2 AIH) and 5 ANA/SMA positive autoimmune sclerosing cholangitis (ASC).

Specific liver autoreactivity in schistosomiasis mansoni.

To investigate the possible involvement of autoimmune mechanisms in the development of hepatosplenic schistosomiasis (HSS), 234 patients with chronic Schistosoma mansoni infections were screened for a wide range of non-organ-specific autoantibodies as well as for antibodies reacting with the GOR peptide and with a liver-specific autoantigen, the hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R). Thirty-five (15.0%) were seropositive for antinuclear, smooth muscle or gastric parietal cell antibodies at low titres (< or = 1:80), and 15/176 (8.

Alcohol dehydrogenase: a target of humoral autoimmune response in liver disease.

Background & Aims: Liver-specific membrane lipoprotein (LSP) is a heterogeneous liver preparation that has been widely used to study autoreactivity in liver disease. The aim of this study was to identify autoantigens in LSP.

Methods: Guinea pig anti-LSP serum was used to screen a human liver complementary DNA (cDNA) library.

Effects of blast chilling and postmortem calcium chloride injection on tenderness of pork longissimus muscle.

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of blast chilling of carcasses and injection with calcium chloride (CaCl2) at 24 h postmortem on Warner-Bratzler shear values (WBS) and moisture losses of pork longissimus muscles (LM). In a preliminary study, Exp. 1 was conducted to determine whether the injection procedure using 100% water had an influence on WBS of pork LM.

Autoimmune mechanisms in chronic hepatitis B and delta virus infections.

Objective: To investigate the possibility that hepatitis delta virus infection may be responsible for, or enhance, the autoreactivity seen in patients chronically infected with hepatitis B virus.

Design: Sera from 68 patients with chronic hepatitis B infection, 27 of whom had concomitant delta virus (HDV) infection and 19 of whom were infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), were screened for (1) the non-organ-specific autoantibodies usually associated with autoimmune hepatitis, (2) antibodies against the putative autoantigen, GOR, which have been described in patients with HCV infection and (3) antibodies against a hepatocyte-specific autoantigen, the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R).

Methods: Anti-GOR antibodies were detected using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay against a synthetic GOR peptide, non-organ-specific autoantibodies using standard indirect immunofluorescence and anti-ASGP-R antibodies using a radioimmunoassay.

Antibody-directed complement-mediated cytotoxicity to hepatocytes from patients with chronic hepatitis B.

The susceptibility of hepatocytes from patients with chronic hepatitis B to complement-dependent cytotoxicity mediated by heterologous antibodies to hepatitis B virus core (anti-HBc) and surface (anti-HBs) antigens and to hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor was examined using a microcytotoxicity assay. The anti-HBc-induced cytotoxicity was found to be markedly enhanced against hepatocytes isolated from patients with chronic active hepatitis (72.6 +/- 9.