Implementation of the Adelaide Hills Palliative Care project.

The Rural Palliative Care Program (RPCP) is currently being implemented in eight pilot sites across Australia, under the banner of the National Palliative Care Program. It is one of a number of initiatives commissioned by the Department of Health and Ageing that are designed to achieve the goals of the National Palliative Care Strategy. Specifically the RPCP is testing service components that aim to improve access to palliative care for people living in rural and remote communities.

Cloning and characterization of the chromosomal arsenic resistance genes from Acidithiobacillus caldus and enhanced arsenic resistance on conjugal transfer of ars genes located on transposon TnAtcArs.

All strains of the moderately thermophilic, acidophilic, sulphur-oxidizing bacterium Acidithiobacillus caldus that have been tested contain a set of chromosomal arsenic resistance genes. Highly arsenic-resistant strains isolated from commercial arsenopyrite bio-oxidation tanks contain additional transposon-located (TnAtcArs) arsenic resistance genes. The chromosomal At.

Phenotypic and molecular characterisation of fish-borne Flavobacterium johnsoniae-like isolates from aquaculture systems in South Africa.

Fish infections caused by pathogenic Flavobacterium species are a major problem in the aquaculture industry worldwide, often leading to large economic losses. Thirty-two Flavobacterium spp. isolates, obtained from various diseased fish species and biofilm growth, were characterised genetically using 16S rDNA PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) PCR, repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP) element PCR, plasmid profiling, whole cell protein (WCP) and outer membrane protein (OMP) analyses.

The CARMA1 signalosome links the signalling machinery of adaptive and innate immunity in lymphocytes.

The recognition of antigen by B- or T-cell receptors initiates an intracellular signalling cascade that results in the nuclear translocation and activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). NF-kappaB is an important regulator of lymphocyte development and function, and its dysregulation is associated with many immune disorders. Defining the mechanisms that transmit signals from the antigen receptor to NF-kappaB is therefore an important goal for immunologists.

Mutifactorial analysis of risk factors for reduced bone mineral density in patients with Crohn's disease.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of osteoporosis in a cohort of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and to identify the relative significance of risk factors for osteoporosis.

Methods: Two hundred and fifty-eight unselected patients (92 M, 166 F) with CD were studied. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured at the lumbar spine and hip by dual X-ray absorptiometry.

HS1 functions as an essential actin-regulatory adaptor protein at the immune synapse.

HS1, the leukocyte-specific homolog of cortactin, regulates F-actin in vitro and is phosphorylated in response to TCR ligation, but its role in lymphocyte activation has not been addressed. We demonstrate that HS1-deficient T cells fail to accumulate F-actin at the immune synapse (IS) and, upon TCR ligation, form actin-rich structures that are disordered and unstable. Early TCR activation events are intact in these cells, but Ca2+ influx and IL-2 gene transcription are defective.

The BPQ: a scale for the assessment of borderline personality based on DSM-IV criteria.

The aim of the study was to develop a self-report measure that assesses borderline personality traits as defined by DSM-IV criteria, including separate subscales for each criterion. A sample of normal subjects from community colleges in the midwestern region of the United States was used to develop the scale. The psychometric properties of the scale were examined using an additional United States sample and student samples from England and Australia.

Organ doses from prostate radiotherapy and associated concomitant exposures.

In addition to the therapeutic exposure, a course of radiotherapy will involve the additional (concomitant) irradiation of the patient using CT, simulator or portal imaging systems, for localization of the target volume and subsequent verification of treatment delivery. The number of concomitant exposures is likely to increase as the developing technical capabilities for conformal, image-guided radiotherapy make target and critical organ definition an increasingly important aspect of radiotherapy. Estimation of doses and risks to critical organs in the body from all sources is thus necessary to provide the basis for adequate justification of the exposures as required by ICRP.

Resistance determinants of a highly arsenic-resistant strain of Leptospirillum ferriphilum isolated from a commercial biooxidation tank.

Two sets of arsenic resistance genes were isolated from the highly arsenic-resistant Leptospirillum ferriphilum Fairview strain. One set is located on a transposon, TnLfArs, and is related to the previously identified TnAtcArs from Acidithiobacillus caldus isolated from the same arsenopyrite biooxidation tank as L. ferriphilum.

Immunomodulation of transgene responses following naked DNA transfer of human factor VIII into hemophilia A mice.

A robust humoral immune response against human factor VIII (hFVIII) following naked DNA transfer into immunocompetent hemophilia A mice completely inhibits circulating FVIII activity despite initial high-level hFVIII gene expression. To prevent this undesirable response, we compared transient immunomodulation strategies. Eight groups of mice (n = 4-9 per group) were treated with naked DNA transfer of pBS-HCRHPI-hFVIIIA simultaneously with immunosuppressive reagents that included cyclosporine A (CSA), rapamycin (RAP), mycophenylate mofetil (MMF), a combination of CSA and MMF, a combination of RAP and MMF, a monoclonal antibody against murine CD40 ligand (MR1), recombinant murine Ctla4Ig, and a combination of MR1 and Ctla4Ig.

The biology and biochemistry of inflammatory signalosomes. Meeting on signaling networks in immunity and inflammation.

Meeting on Signalling Networks in Immunity and Inflammation

Escitalopram in adolescent major depression.

Escitalopram is the purified functional isomer contained in citalopram. Escitalopram is now prescribed in 26 countries. In the United States, the only US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved selective serotonin reuptake inhibiter (SSRI) for adolescents is fluoxetine.

Low bone mineral density measurements in care home residents--a treatable cause of fractures.

Purpose: to assess predictors of fracture risk and treatment for osteoporosis among elderly care home residents.

Design: cross-sectional survey;

Setting: residents of care homes in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK;

Participants: representative sample from residential care (87), nursing homes (105) and specialist homes for elderly people with dementia [elderly mentally infirm (EMI)]: residential (124) and nursing (76);

Main Outcome Measures: dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry bone mineral density (BMD) at calcaneum; functional assessments, including cognition, using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Clifton Assessment Procedure for the Elderly-Behaviour Rating Score (CAPE-BRS) and Functional Assessment Staging Test (FAST) scores; current drug prescription.

Results: MMSE, CAPE, FAST (all ANOVA P < 0.

Phosphorylation of the CARMA1 linker controls NF-kappaB activation.

PKC isoforms and CARMA1 play crucial roles in immunoreceptor-dependent NF-kappaB activation. We tested whether PKC-dependent phosphorylation of CARMA1 directly regulates this signaling cascade. B cell antigen receptor (BCR) engagement led to the progressive recruitment of CARMA1 into lipid rafts and to the association of CARMA1 with, and phosphorylation by, PKCbeta.

Isolation, sequence analysis, and comparison of two plasmids (28 and 29 kilobases) from the biomining bacterium Leptospirillum ferrooxidans ATCC 49879.

Two plasmids, of 28,878 bp and 28,012 bp, were isolated from Leptospirillum ferrooxidans ATCC 49879. Altogether, a total of 67 open reading frames (ORFs) were identified on both plasmids, of which 32 had predicted products with high homology to proteins of known function, while 11 ORFs had predicted products with homology to previously identified proteins of unknown function. Twenty-four ORFs had products with no homologues in the GenBank/NCBI database.

An unusual Tn21-like transposon containing an ars operon is present in highly arsenic-resistant strains of the biomining bacterium Acidithiobacillus caldus.

A transposon, TnAtcArs, that carries a set of arsenic-resistance genes was isolated from a strain of the moderately thermophilic, sulfur-oxidizing, biomining bacterium Acidithiobacillus caldus. This strain originated from a commercial plant used for the bio-oxidation of gold-bearing arsenopyrite concentrates. Continuous selection for arsenic resistance over many years had made the bacterium resistant to high concentrations of arsenic.

Early warning signs of relapse following a first episode of psychosis.

Research in schizophrenia has provided empirical support for the use of self-report inventories for early warning signs of relapse, but to date no published studies have reported on the predictive validity of self-reported early warning signs of relapse in a first-episode cohort. Sixty patients, who had remitted following their first episode of psychosis, participated in a 9-12 month prospective follow-up study. Outcome data on putative prodromal symptoms was available on 46 participants.

A reliable DEXA measurement technique for metal-on-metal hip resurfacing.

Introduction: Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) has been used to measure bone mineral density (BMD) around total hip prostheses. With the recent increase in the use of metal-on-metal hip resurfacing, such as the Birmingham hip resurfacing (BHR), we aimed to produce a reliable method of measuring bone density around a metal-on-metal hip resurfacing.

Methods: We performed DEXA scans on 5 patients (7 BHRs), who had undergone resurfacing with the BHR within the past 2 years.

Lifecourse study of bone health at age 49-51 years: the Newcastle thousand families cohort study.

Objective: To quantify the direct and indirect effects of fetal (position in family, weight, and social class at birth), childhood (breast feeding, growth, infections, and social class in childhood, age at menarche), and adult life (social class, alcohol consumption, smoking, diet, reproductive history, exercise, hormone replacement therapy use), and adult size (height, weight) on bone health at age 49-51 years, as measured by bone mineral density, total scanned bone area of the hip and lumbar spine, and femoral neck shaft angle.

Design: Follow up study of the Newcastle thousand families birth cohort established in 1947.

Participants: 171 men and 218 women who attended for dual energy x ray absorptiometry scanning.

Differences in bone mineral density and geometry in men and women: the Newcastle Thousand Families Study at 50 years old.

In 1947 Sir James Spence initiated the Newcastle Thousand Families study, which recruited all 1142 children born in the city between May and June that year. At the age of 50 years, 832 survivors were traced and invited to attend for measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The aim was to compare BMD measurements of men and women in this cohort, before and after adjustment for skeletal size.

Characteristics and adaptability of iron- and sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms used for the recovery of metals from minerals and their concentrates.

Microorganisms are used in large-scale heap or tank aeration processes for the commercial extraction of a variety of metals from their ores or concentrates. These include copper, cobalt, gold and, in the past, uranium. The metal solubilization processes are considered to be largely chemical with the microorganisms providing the chemicals and the space (exopolysaccharide layer) where the mineral dissolution reactions occur.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase regulates immunoglobulin promoter activation in association with the transcription factor Bright.

Bright (B-cell regulator of immunoglobulin heavy chain transcription) binding to immunoglobulin heavy chain loci after B-cell activation is associated with increased heavy chain transcription. Our earlier reports demonstrated that Bright coimmunoprecipitates with Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) and that these proteins associate in a DNA-binding complex in primary B cells. B cells from immunodeficient mice with a mutation in Btk failed to produce stable Bright DNA-binding complexes.