Phenotypic and genetic factors associated with donation of DNA and consent to record linkage for prescription history in the Australian Genetics of Depression Study.

Samples can be prone to ascertainment and attrition biases. The Australian Genetics of Depression Study is a large publicly recruited cohort (n = 20,689) established to increase the understanding of depression and antidepressant treatment response. This study investigates differences between participants who donated a saliva sample or agreed to linkage of their records compared to those who did not.

The constitution of space in intensive care: Power, knowledge and the othering of people experiencing mental illness.

A sociological conceptualisation of space moves beyond the material to the relational, to consider space as a social process. This paper draws on research that explored the reproduction of legitimated knowledge and power structures in intensive care units during encounters, between patients, who were experiencing mental illness, and their nurses. Semi-structured telephone interviews with 17 intensive care nurses from eight Australian intensive care units were conducted in 2017.

A Fast Method for Estimating Statistical Power of Multivariate GWAS in Real Case Scenarios: Examples from the Field of Imaging Genetics.

In GWAS of imaging phenotypes (e.g., by the ENIGMA and CHARGE consortia), the growing number of phenotypes considered presents a statistical challenge that other fields are not experiencing (e.

Lingual Gyrus Surface Area Is Associated with Anxiety-Depression Severity in Young Adults: A Genetic Clustering Approach.

Here we aimed to identify cortical endophenotypes for anxiety-depression. Our data-driven approach used vertex-wise genetic correlations (estimated from a twin sample: 157 monozygotic and 194 dizygotic twin pairs) to parcellate cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA) into genetically homogeneous regions (Chen et al., 2013).

Informal caregivers of people with an intellectual disability in England: health, quality of life and impact of caring.

There is wide variation in reported impact of caring on caregiver well-being, and often a negative appraisal of caregiving. Researchers are beginning to question the robustness of the evidence base on which negative appraisals are based. The present study aimed to draw on data from a population-representative sample to describe the health, quality of life and impact of caring of informal caregivers of people with an intellectual disability.

Head Motion and Inattention/Hyperactivity Share Common Genetic Influences: Implications for fMRI Studies of ADHD.

Head motion (HM) is a well known confound in analyses of functional MRI (fMRI) data. Neuroimaging researchers therefore typically treat HM as a nuisance covariate in their analyses. Even so, it is possible that HM shares a common genetic influence with the trait of interest.

Australasian College of Sports Physicians-position statement: the place of mesenchymal stem/stromal cell therapies in sport and exercise medicine.

This Position Statement has been written expressly for members of the Australasian College of Sports Physicians (ACSP); however, it may also be of interest to the wider medical community, sporting organisations, athletes and the general community. It has been informed by a comprehensive review of the scientific literature and the opinions of kindred organisations. This statement outlines the use of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapies in the broad context of Sport and Exercise Medicine, recognising that every medical practitioner should respect: (1) the evidence for the therapeutic use of MSCs and (2) the priority for patient health and welfare.

New Insights on COX-2 in Chronic Inflammation Driving Breast Cancer Growth and Metastasis.

The medicinal use of aspirin stretches back to ancient times, before it was manufactured in its pure form in the late 19th century. Its accepted mechanistic target, cyclooxygenase (COX), was discovered in the 1970s and since this landmark discovery, the therapeutic application of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has increased dramatically. The most significant benefits of NSAIDs are in conditions involving chronic inflammation (CI).

A pilot trial of mobile, patient-performed teledermoscopy.

Background: Early detection by skin self-examination (SSE) could improve outcomes for melanoma. Mobile teledermoscopy may aid this process.

Objectives: To establish the clinical accuracy of SSE plus mobile teledermoscopy vs.

Measuring reliability and validity of the ActiGraph GT3X accelerometer for children with cerebral palsy: a feasibility study.

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to: 1) establish inter-instrument reliability between left and right hip accelerometer placement; 2) examine procedural reliability of a walking protocol used to measure physical activity (PA); and 3) confirm concurrent validity of accelerometers in measuring PA intensity as compared to the gold standard of oxygen consumption measured by indirect calorimetry.

Methods: Eight children (mean age: 11.9; SD: 3.

Characteristic DNA methylation profiles in peripheral blood monocytes are associated with inflammatory phenotypes of asthma.

Epigenetic changes including DNA methylation caused by environmental exposures may contribute to the heterogeneous inflammatory response in asthma. Here we investigate alterations in DNA methylation of purified blood monocytes that are associated with inflammatory phenotypes of asthma. Peripheral blood was collected from adults with eosinophilic asthma (EA; n = 21), paucigranulocytic asthma (PGA; n = 22), neutrophilic asthma (NA; n = 9), and healthy controls (n = 10).

Targeting EMT in cancer: opportunities for pharmacological intervention.

The spread of cancer cells to distant organs represents a major clinical challenge in the treatment of cancer. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has emerged as a key regulator of metastasis in some cancers by conferring an invasive phenotype. As well as facilitating metastasis, EMT is thought to generate cancer stem cells and contribute to therapy resistance.

Nurses' perceptions of their problem-solving ability.

A problem-solving approach to nursing practice has been advocated in the nursing literature for some time. However, the extent to which nurses perceive themselves as capable problem solvers or improve their problem-solving ability during their nursing education is not generally known. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between nurses' perceptions of their problem-solving ability and their course of study.

Optical design of intraocular lenses. III. On-axis performance in the presence of lens displacement.

The effect of intraocular lens shape on on-axis performance of model pseudophakic eyes was investigated, when lenses were displaced by tilting or decentration. Image quality criteria included an optimization procedure, spot diagrams, and the modulation transfer function (MTF). Displacement adversely affects image quality.

Optical design of intraocular lenses. II. Off-axis performance.

The effect of intraocular lens shape on off-axis performance of model pseudophakic eyes was investigated. Image quality criteria included an optimization procedure, spot diagrams, and the modulation transfer function (MTF). The optimum lens shape varies with lens fitting position, corneal asphericity, and pupil size.

Failure of a dengue 1 sub-unit vaccine to protect mice against a lethal dengue virus infection.

Mice immunized with DEN-1 pre-matrix protein produced antibody which reacted with dengue virus infected cells and intact virions but failed to neutralize virus in vitro or in vivo. Newborn mice passively immunized with anti-DEN-1 pre-matrix antibody also failed to survive intracerebral infection with 100 LD50 of any dengue virus serotype.

Kainic acid-induced eye enlargement in chickens: differential effects on anterior and posterior segments.

Intravitreal injections of kainic acid were used to examine the significance of normal retinal activity for eye growth in chickens, this acid being chosen because of its known, selective neurotoxic effects on cells in the chicken retina. A 6 nmole dose of kainic significantly reduces amacrine cell numbers when used in very young chickens, while higher doses of kainic acid also affect bipolar and horizontal cell numbers. The effects of intravitreal injection of kainic acid on eye growth were assessed 4 weeks after treatment.

Laboratory evaluation of blended lenticular aphakic lenses.

Six types of blended lenticular aspheric lenses for the correction of aphakia were assessed with respect to mass, spectacle magnification, off-axis power errors, peripheral distortion, visual field size and cosmetic appearance. Relative to spherical surfaced lenses, these lenses showed considerably reduced mass, reduced peripheral distortion, increased visual field size and improved cosmetic appearance. All but one type showed considerably reduced off-axis power errors, but none of the lenses showed much reduction in spectacle magnification.

Fluctuations in intra-ocular pressure with sleep: II. Time course of IOP decrease after waking from sleep.

Intra-ocular pressure (IOP) was measured immediately after normal subjects were woken from at least 5 hours sleep. Measurements were made at approximately 15 s intervals, for about 20 minutes. The IOP of all 14 subjects was elevated after sleep and returned to baseline levels with a time course which was approximately exponential; the longest time constant of return of IOP to baseline was 1056.

Fluctuations in intra-ocular pressure with sleep: I. Time course of IOP increase after the onset of sleep.

Ten normal subjects slept over a series of four nights for time periods of 30 minutes, 1, 2 and 4 hours. Intra-ocular pressure (IOP) measurements were made using a non-contact tonometer before and after sleep. The subjects showed a significant increase in IOP of 3.

Effect of magnification and field of view on reading speed using a CCTV.

Reading speeds were measured in 18 subjects with normal vision and 10 with low vision for each of 20 experimental conditions with different magnifications and field sizes on the Closed Circuit Television System (CCTV). There was a significant difference between the results for the two groups of subjects. These results suggested that in low-vision patients with faster reading speeds, minimum magnification for maximum field size on the CCTV would be valid advice.

Validity and reliability of visual acuity measurements.

A more scientific method than the Snellen chart for determining visual acuity is imperative for research studies and is desirable in many clinical situations. The psychometric method using the constant contour interaction S-chart of Flom has been regarded as an accurate and reliable visual acuity measure and has been used widely for research purposes. This paper compares visual acuity measured by the S-chart with that measured by the Snellen and Bailey--Lovie charts.