Implementing evidence-based practices in supported employment on the Gold Coast for people with severe mental illness.

Aim: The aim of this project was to evaluate program outcomes following the implementation of an evidence-based approach to supported employment on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Method: A prospective observational design was used to evaluate employment outcomes and fidelity to the evidence-based principles and practices of a specialised form of supported employment. The cohort was defined as all those (n = 114) that entered the program at each of three sites within a 21-month period.

Acute and Late Bowel Toxicity in Radiotherapy Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review.

Aims: Inflammatory bowel disease has traditionally been considered a relative contraindication for radiotherapy due to a perceived increased risk of disease exacerbation and bowel toxicity. The aim of this review was to evaluate the current literature regarding rates of radiotherapy-induced acute and late bowel toxicity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and to compare these data with those of patients without the disease.

Materials And Methods: An Ovid Medline search was conducted to identify original articles pertaining to the review question.

Syntaxin1A-mediated Resistance and Hypersensitivity to Isoflurane in Drosophila melanogaster.

Background: Recent evidence suggests that general anesthetics activate endogenous sleep pathways, yet this mechanism cannot explain the entirety of general anesthesia. General anesthetics could disrupt synaptic release processes, as previous work in Caenorhabditis elegans and in vitro cell preparations suggested a role for the soluble NSF attachment protein receptor protein, syntaxin1A, in mediating resistance to several general anesthetics. The authors questioned whether the syntaxin1A-mediated effects found in these reductionist systems reflected a common anesthetic mechanism distinct from sleep-related processes.

The impact of a nurse led rapid response system on adverse, major adverse events and activation of the medical emergency team.

Aim: To identify the relationship between one example of a rapid response system (RRS), specifically, an after-hours Clinical Team Co-Ordinator (CTC), and the incidence of Medical Emergency Team (MET) activations and, adverse and major adverse events in medical patients.

Method: A retrospective chart audit of patients' medical records was undertaken. The intervention group consisted of 150 randomly selected medical patients admitted during three months after the introduction of the CTC after-hours service.

Impact of the Medicare Chronic Disease Management program on the conduct of Australian dietitians' private practices.

Objective: This study explored private practice dietitians' perceptions of the impact of the Australian Chronic Disease Management (CDM) program on the conduct of their private practice, and the care provided to patients.

Methods: Twenty-five accredited practising dietitians working in primary care participated in an individual semistructured telephone interview. Interview questions focussed on dietitians' perceptions of the proportion of patients receiving care through the CDM program, fee structures, adhering to reporting requirements and auditing.

Endogenous cellulase production in the leaf litter foraging mangrove crab Parasesarma erythodactyla.

The sesarmid crab Parasesarma erythodactyla consumes large amounts of mangrove leaf litter but its biochemical capacity for cellulose digestion is poorly known. We demonstrate the presence of endo-β-1,4-glucanase, β-glucosidase and total cellulase activities in the digestive juice of this crab. The highest total cellulase activity was observed at mildly acidic pH (5 to 6) and temperature between 30 and 50°C.

Burkholderia pseudomallei sequencing identifies genomic clades with distinct recombination, accessory, and epigenetic profiles.

Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp) is the causative agent of the infectious disease melioidosis. To investigate population diversity, recombination, and horizontal gene transfer in closely related Bp isolates, we performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on 106 clinical, animal, and environmental strains from a restricted Asian locale. Whole-genome phylogenies resolved multiple genomic clades of Bp, largely congruent with multilocus sequence typing (MLST).

Migrations of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) between nesting and foraging grounds across the Coral Sea.

Marine megafauna tend to migrate vast distances, often crossing national borders and pose a significant challenge to managers. This challenge is particularly acute in the Pacific, which contains numerous small island nations and thousands of kilometers of continental margins. The green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, is one such megafauna that is endangered in Pacific waters due to the overexploitation of eggs and adults for human consumption.

Novel target genes of RUNX2 transcription factor and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.

The RUNX2 transcription factor is indispensable for skeletal development and controls bone formation by acting as a signaling hub and transcriptional regulator to coordinate target gene expression. A signaling partner of RUNX2 is the nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR) that becomes active when bound by its ligand 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (VD3). RUNX2 and VDR unite to cooperatively regulate the expression of numerous genes.

A new approach towards the synthesis of pseudaminic acid analogues.

The pseudaminic acids are a family of 5,7-diamino-3,5,7,9-tetradeoxynonulosonic acids that are essential components of bacterial polysaccharides and glycoproteins. This paper describes our approach towards the synthesis of analogues of pseudaminic acid, and involves the efficient introduction of the requisite nitrogen functionalities from a readily available precursor.

Elucidation of the structure of the oligosaccharide from wild type Moraxella bovis Epp63 lipooligosaccharide.

Moraxella bovis is a Gram-negative microorganism that causes Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), colloquially known as 'Pink eye' in cattle worldwide. Lipopolysaccharides/lipooligosaccharides are the predominant glycans on the surface of Gram-negative microorganisms. Structural elucidation of the oligosaccharide structure of the rough phenotype of Moraxella bovis strain Epp63 was determined using GC-MS, methylation analysis, and NMR spectroscopy.

Does 'you are what you eat' apply to mangrove grapsid crabs?

In tropical mangroves, brachyuran crabs have been observed to consume high percentages of leaf litter production. However, questions concerning their ability to assimilate this low-quality food remain, as stable isotope analysis of C and N does not seem to support assimilation. Individuals of the common eastern Australian mangrove grapsid Parasesarma erythodactyla feeding on a mangrove leaf litter or mangrove+microphytobenthos diet developed a significantly higher hepatosomatic index than those with access to only sediment.

Phorbol ester reduces ethanol excitation of dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area: involvement of protein kinase C theta.

Neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) play a key role in the rewarding and reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse, including alcohol. Ethanol directly increases the firing rate of dopaminergic (DAergic) VTA neurons, but modulation of the firing rate of DAergic VTA neurons can be controlled by a number of factors, including some that are under the control of protein kinase C (PKC). Application of phorbol esters activates PKC and the present study assessed the effect of a phorbol ester, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), on ethanol-induced excitation of DA VTA neurons.

Assessment of the application of bioanalytical tools as surrogate measure of chemical contaminants in recycled water.

The growing use of recycled water in large urban centres requires comprehensive public health risk assessment and management, an important aspect of which is the assessment and management of residual trace chemical substances. Bioanalytical methods such as in vitro bioassays may be ideal screening tools that can detect a wide range of contaminants based on their biological effect. In this study, we applied thirteen in vitro assays selected explicitly for their ability to detect molecular and cellular effects relevant to potential chemical exposure via drinking water as a means of screening for chemical contaminants from recycled water at 9 Australian water reclamation plants, in parallel to more targeted direct chemical analysis of 39 priority compounds.

Galectin-3 interactions with glycosphingolipids.

Galectins have essential roles in pathological states including cancer, inflammation, angiogenesis and microbial infections. Endogenous receptors include members of the lacto- and neolacto-series glycosphingolipids present on mammalian cells and contain the tetrasaccharides lacto-N-tetraose (LNT) and lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) that form their core structural components and also ganglio-series glycosphingolipids. We present crystallographic structures of the carbohydrate recognition domain of human galectin-3, both wild type and a mutant (K176L) that influenced ligand affinity, in complex with LNT, LNnT and acetamido ganglioside a-GM3 (α2,3-sialyllactose).

1H NMR spectroscopic studies establish that heparanase is a retaining glycosidase.

Heparanase is an endo-β-glucuronidase that cleaves heparan sulfate side chains of proteoglycans in basement membranes and the extracellular matrix (ECM). Heparanase is implicated in several diverse pathological processes associated with ECM degradation such as metastasis, inflammation and angiogenesis and is thus an important target for anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory drug discovery. Heparanase has been classed as belonging to the clan A glycoside hydrolase family 79 based on sequence analysis, secondary structure predictions and mutagenic analysis, and thus it has been inferred that it is a retaining glycosidase.

Simultaneous measurement of trace metal and oxyanion concentrations in water using diffusive gradients in thin films with a Chelex-Metsorb mixed binding layer.

A new diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique with a mixed binding layer (Chelex-100 and the titanium dioxide based adsorbent Metsorb) is described for the simultaneous measurement of labile trace metal (Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Cd, and Pb) and oxyanion (V, As, Mo, Sb, W, and P) concentrations in freshwater and seawater. The mixed binding layer (MBL) DGT technique was evaluated against the Chelex-DGT and Metsorb-DGT techniques, and all elution efficiencies and diffusion coefficients have been remeasured for the above analytes. Diffusion coefficients (D) measured using MBL-DGT generally agreed well with those measured by Chelex-DGT (DMBL/DChelex = 0.

Does a socio-ecological school model promote resilience in primary schools?

Background: This research investigates the extent to which the holistic, multistrategy "health-promoting school" (HPS) model using a resilience intervention can lead to improved resilience among students.

Methods: A quasi-experimental design using a study cohort selected from 20 primary schools in Queensland, Australia was employed. Ten intervention schools using HPS protocols, with training support, were compared with 10 control schools in student resilience scores and protective factors.

The influence of cellular source on periodontal regeneration using calcium phosphate coated polycaprolactone scaffold supported cell sheets.

Cell-based therapy is considered a promising approach to achieving predictable periodontal regeneration. In this study, the regenerative potential of cell sheets derived from different parts of the periodontium (gingival connective tissue, alveolar bone and periodontal ligament) were investigated in an athymic rat periodontal defect model. Periodontal ligament (PDLC), alveolar bone (ABC) and gingival margin-derived cells (GMC) were obtained from human donors.

Assessment of glycan interactions of clinical and avian isolates of Campylobacter jejuni.

Background: Campylobacter jejuni strain 11168 was demonstrated to have a broad specificity for eukaryotic surface glycosylation using glycan array analysis. The initial screen indicated that sialic acid and mannose are important binding partners after environmental stress, while galactose and fucose structures are likely to be involved in persistent infection.

Results: In this broader study, five additional human/clinical isolates and six chicken isolates were fully assessed to determine their glycan binding capacity using an extended glycan array.

Physical activity levels and torso orientations of hospitalized patients at risk of developing a pressure injury: an observational study.

Pressure injury guidelines recommend regular repositioning yet patients' mobility and repositioning patterns are unknown. An observational study using activity monitors was undertaken to describe the 24 h activity patterns of 84 hospitalized patients at risk of developing a pressure injury. The vast majority of participants' time was spent in the sedentary activity range (94% ± 3%) followed by the light range (5% ± 4 %).

The role of support antecedents in nurses' intentions to quit: the case of Australia.

Aims: The study used Social Exchange Theory as a lens to examine associations between nurses' support antecedents (supervisor-nurse relationships and perceived organizational support) and their job attitudes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment and engagement).

Background: Similar to many other westernized countries, there is a shortage of nurses working as nurses in Australia. The attrition of nurses from the workplace continues to be a challenge for many countries, with resultant calls for improved retention rates.

Dominant negative MCP-1 blocks human osteoclast differentiation.

Human osteoclasts were differentiated using receptor activator of NFκB ligand (RANKL) and macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) from colony forming unit-granulocyte macrophage (CFU-GM) precursors of the myeloid lineage grown from umbilical cord blood. Gene expression profiling using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) showed more than 1,000-fold induction of chemokine MCP-1 within 24 h of RANKL treatment. MCP-1 mRNA content exceeds that of other assayed chemokines (CCL1, 3, 4, and 5) at all time points up to day 14 of treatment.

Exploring the validity of HPQ-based presenteeism measures to estimate productivity losses in the health and education sectors.

Background: Illness-related presenteeism (suboptimal work performance) may be a significant factor in worker productivity. Until now, there has been no generally accepted best method of measuring presenteeism across different industries and occupations. This study sought to validate the Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ)-based measure of presenteeism across occupations and industries and assess the most appropriate method for data analysis.

Carbohydrate binding and gene expression by in vitro and in vivo propagated Campylobacter jejuni after immunomagnetic separation.

Campylobacter jejuni is an important human food-borne intestinal pathogen, however relatively little is known about its mechanisms of pathogenesis or pathogen-host interactions. To monitor changes in gene expression and glycan binding of C. jejuni within a common avian host, an immunomagnetic separation technique (IMS) was utilised to directly isolate infecting C.