A Devil of a Transmissible Cancer.

Devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) encompasses two independent transmissible cancers that have killed the majority of Tasmanian devils. The cancer cells are derived from Schwann cells and are spread between devils during biting, a common behavior during the mating season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a parasite as "An organism that lives on or in a host organism and gets its food from, or at, the expense of its host.

Emergency first aid readiness in Antarctica: Australian Antarctic expeditioners' first aid credentials and self-efficacy.

Introduction: To help prevent future morbidity and mortality, this study examined Australian Antarctic expeditioners' first aid credentials and self-efficacy in providing emergency first aid in extreme environments.

Methods: A mixed method survey assessed Australian personnel working on Antarctic stations. Volunteer participants (n = 83) provided data on first aid training, self-confidence of first aid readiness, and first aid preparations.

Two Decades of the Impact of Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease.

The Tasmanian devil, a marsupial carnivore, has been restricted to the island state of Tasmania since its extinction on the Australian mainland about 3000 years ago. In the past two decades, this species has experienced severe population decline due to the emergence of devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), a transmissible cancer. During these 20 years, scientists have puzzled over the immunological and evolutionary responses by the Tasmanian devil to this transmissible cancer.

Opportunities in oral health policy for Timor-Leste.

Timor-Leste faces an urgent set of challenges in oral health. The impact of oral diseases in terms of reduced quality of life and cost of treatment is considerable. This paper reviews progress on policy recommendations since the National Oral Health Survey in 2002, the first such national survey.

A Review of Mercury Exposure and Health of Dental Personnel.

Considerable effort has been made to address the issue of occupational health and environmental exposure to mercury. This review reports on the current literature of mercury exposure and health impacts on dental personnel. Citations were searched using four comprehensive electronic databases for articles published between 2002 and 2015.

Mitogen-activated Tasmanian devil blood mononuclear cells kill devil facial tumour disease cells.

Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) is a transmissible cancer that has brought the host species, the Tasmanian devil, to the brink of extinction. The cancer cells avoid allogeneic immune recognition by downregulating cell surface major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I expression. This should prevent CD8(+) T cell, but not natural killer (NK) cell, cytotoxicity.

Alcohol Consumption and Parkinson's Disease Risk: A Review of Recent Findings.

Background: The association between Parkinson's disease and lifestyle exposures such as smoking, coffee and alcohol consumption have been the focus of research for several decades, with varying and often conflicting results.

Objective: This paper reviews the key features of observational studies investigating the relationship between alcohol drinking and PD risk, to determine potential sources of variability between the results.

Methods: Relevant literature from 2000-2014 was systematically retrieved using three databases.

Mouse Model of Devil Facial Tumour Disease Establishes That an Effective Immune Response Can be Generated Against the Cancer Cells.

The largest carnivorous marsupial in Australia, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is facing extinction in the wild due to a transmissible cancer known as Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). DFTD is a clonal cell line transmitted from host to host with 100% mortality and no known immunity. While it was first considered that low genetic diversity of the population of devils enabled the allograft transmission of DFTD recent evidence reveals that genetically diverse animals succumb to the disease.

A preliminary study on travel health issues of medical students undertaking electives.

Background: With the inclusion of elective programs, often overseas, in many medical courses, it was decided that a preliminary retrospective analysis of health problems associated with these programs in medical students from the University of Tasmania would be desirable.

Methods: A questionnaire covering general travel health issues was distributed to all medical students in the University of Tasmania, on return from their elective. They were asked to complete the questionnaire and return it on an anonymous and voluntary basis.