Oligodeoxynucleotides containing unmethylated cytosine-guanine motifs are effective immunostimulants against pneumococcal meningitis in the immunocompetent and neutropenic host.

Background: Bacterial meningitis is a fatal disease with a mortality up to 30% and neurological sequelae in one fourth of survivors. Available vaccines do not fully protect against this lethal disease. Here, we report the protective effect of synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides containing unmethylated cytosine-guanine motifs (CpG ODN) against the most frequent form of bacterial meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Metabarcoding of eukaryotic parasite communities describes diverse parasite assemblages spanning the primate phylogeny.

Despite their ubiquity, in most cases little is known about the impact of eukaryotic parasites on their mammalian hosts. Comparative approaches provide a powerful method to investigate the impact of parasites on host ecology and evolution, though two issues are critical for such efforts: controlling for variation in methods of identifying parasites and incorporating heterogeneity in sampling effort across host species. To address these issues, there is a need for standardized methods to catalogue eukaryotic parasite diversity across broad phylogenetic host ranges.

Does attrition affect estimates of association: A longitudinal study.

Survey research frequently involves missing cases attributable to refusals to participate, lack of success in accessing all potential respondents or loss to follow-up in longitudinal studies. There is concern that those not recruited or those lost are a select group whose absence from a study may bias the findings of the study. This study provides a test of the extent to which selective loss to follow-up in a longitudinal study may lead to biased findings.

Correction to: Clozapine-related neutropenia, myocarditis and cardiomyopathy adverse event reports in Australia 1993-2014.

The authors would like to change the statement found in the results section of the abstract from "There were five reported deaths from neutropenia and cardiomyopathy." to "There were five, 13, and two reported deaths from neutropenia, myocarditis, and cardiomyopathy, respectively."

Clozapine-related neutropenia, myocarditis and cardiomyopathy adverse event reports in Australia 1993-2014.

Rationale: Clozapine is the gold-standard medicine for treating refractory schizophrenia but there are some notable serious adverse events (AE). We aimed to analyse reported rates of clozapine cardiac and haematological AEs in Australia.

Methods: Using data from the Therapeutic Goods Administration, we examined all reported clozapine AEs (1993-2014) with a specific focus on neutropenia, myocarditis and cardiomyopathy.

Does leaving an abusive partner lead to a decline in victimization?

Background: This paper investigates gender differences in persistence of intimate partner violence (IPV), for those remaining or leaving an abusive relationship. We followed a sample of males and females to examine whether leaving an abusive partner may alter the continuity of victimization.

Methods: Data were taken from the 21 and 30-year follow-ups of the Mater Hospital and University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP) in Australia.

A presumed antagonistic LPS identifies distinct functional organization of TLR4 in mouse microglia.

Microglia as principle innate immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS) are the first line of defense against invading pathogens. They are capable of sensing infections through diverse receptors, such as Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). This receptor is best known for its ability to recognize bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a causative agent of gram-negative sepsis and septic shock.

Immune hyperreactivity of Aβ plaque-associated microglia in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is strongly associated with microglia-induced neuroinflammation. Particularly, Aβ plaque-associated microglia take on an "activated" morphology. However, the function and phenotype of these Aβ plaque-associated microglia are not well understood.

Does having a difficult child lead to poor maternal mental health?

Objectives: Considerable evidence suggests maternal psychopathology influences that of their offspring. The probability of a reverse causal pathway has been only rarely considered but is a concern, given around 10% of children manifest mental impairment during their early years. This study determines the extent to which child behavior problems at ages 5 and 14 years are associated with mothers' mental health at 21 years post birth.

Genetic factors associated with iron storage in Australian blood donors.

Background: Blood donors are at risk of developing iron deficiency and/or iron deficiency anaemia. This may affect their health and affect their eligibility to give subsequent donations. Investigating genetic factors that may predispose donors to high or low iron stores is of interest; this may assist with providing optimal management strategies for maintaining donor health.

Shifts in excitatory/inhibitory balance by juvenile stress: A role for neuron-astrocyte interaction in the dentate gyrus.

Childhood trauma is a well-described risk factor for the development of stress-related psychopathology such as posttraumatic stress disorder or depression later in life. Childhood adversity can be modeled in rodents by juvenile stress (JS) protocols, resulting in impaired coping with stressful challenges in adulthood. In the current study, we investigated the long-lasting impact of JS on the expression of molecular factors for glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) uptake and turnover in sublayers of the dentate gyrus (DG) using laser microdissection and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Investigation of relationship between social capital and quality of life in female headed families.

Background: Although most studies on female-headed families focus on women's access to social support, the associations between social capital and quality of life in these families are unclear in many societies (such as Iran). This study aimed to determine the associations between social capital and quality of life in Iranian female headed families.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 152 female-headed households supported by Tehran Municipality, district 9 from April 2011 to July 2012.

Social capital of Iranian patients living with acquired immune deficiency syndrome and associated factors.

This study investigated the social capital of Iranian patients living with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and the associated factors. In a cross-sectional study the Integrated Social Capital Questionnaire was filled by a sequential sample of 300 patients visiting a referral counselling centre in Tehran. The patients' social capital scores were around 50% in the trust, social cohesion, collective action and cooperation and political empowerment domains.

CD14 is a key organizer of microglial responses to CNS infection and injury.

Microglia, innate immune cells of the CNS, sense infection and damage through overlapping receptor sets. Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 recognizes bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and multiple injury-associated factors. We show that its co-receptor CD14 serves three non-redundant functions in microglia.

Do Participants With Different Patterns of Loss to Follow-Up Have Different Characteristics? A Multi-Wave Longitudinal Study.

Background: To identify patterns of loss to follow-up and baseline predictors of each pattern.

Methods: The Mater-University Study of Pregnancy collected baseline information for 7718 pregnant women who attended Mater Hospital in Brisbane, Australia, from 1981 through 1983. Follow-up data for 6753 eligible participants were collected at 6 months, 5 years, 14 years, 21 years, and 27 years after giving birth.

Long-lasting pro-inflammatory suppression of microglia by LPS-preconditioning is mediated by RelB-dependent epigenetic silencing.

Microglia, the innate immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS), react to endotoxins like bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) with a pronounced inflammatory response. To avoid excess damage to the CNS, the microglia inflammatory response needs to be tightly regulated. Here we report that a single LPS challenge results in a prolonged blunted pro-inflammatory response to a subsequent LPS stimulation, both in primary microglia cultures (100 ng/ml) and in vivo after intraperitoneal (0.

How confident are general practitioners in teaching medical students about ethical issues on general practice placements?

Background: Despite a paucity of evidence to guide teaching about medical professionalism and ethical issues, there is a widespread consensus that medical students should learn about these issues on clinical placements. Exploring the confidence of general practitioners (GPs) in teaching various topics will identify areas for further discussion, support and/or training.

Methods: A survey was developed and distributed to 65 teaching practices.

Ethics and professionalism in general practice placements: what should students learn?

Background: A diverse range of ethical and professionalism issues has been identified in Australian general practice.

Objective: To establish which of these issues general practitioner (GP) teachers and students consider the most important, to enable GP teachers to facilitate student learning in this domain.

Methods: A survey instrument was developed and distributed to GP teachers and medical students.

Transscleral diode laser photocoagulation for type 1 prethreshold retinopathy of prematurity.

Purpose: To report the outcomes of transscleral diode laser photocoagulation for treatment of type 1 prethreshold retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

Methods: In this prospective interventional case series, 139 eyes of 73 infants with type 1 prethreshold ROP underwent transscleral diode laser photocoagulation of the avascular retina under topical anesthesia without making a conjunctival incision. Supplemental transpupillary diode laser photocoagulation was used for zone 1 ROP in one eye.

N-truncated Abeta starting with position four: early intraneuronal accumulation and rescue of toxicity using NT4X-167, a novel monoclonal antibody.

Background: The amyloid hypothesis in Alzheimer disease (AD) considers amyloid β peptide (Aβ) deposition causative in triggering down-stream events like neurofibrillary tangles, cell loss, vascular damage and memory decline. In the past years N-truncated Aβ peptides especially N-truncated pyroglutamate AβpE3-42 have been extensively studied. Together with full-length Aβ1-42 and Aβ1-40, N-truncated AβpE3-42 and Aβ4-42 are major variants in AD brain.

Mental disorder assessed by General Health Questionnaire and back pain among postmenopausal Iranian women.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between mental disorder and back pain among postmenopausal Iranian women. Three thousand six hundred and fifty five postmenopausal women were interviewed in the second National Health Survey (2nd NHS) in the year 2000, in Iran. Of whom, 2953 women were included in this study.