Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Role Of Area-Level Access To Primary Care On The Geographic Variation Of Cardiometabolic Risk Factor Distribution: A Multilevel Analysis Of The Adult Residents In The Illawarra—Shoalhaven Region Of Nsw, Australia, Renin Melkias Baby Selvi Toms, Xiaoqi Feng, Darren J. Mayne, Andrew D. Bonney

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Background: Access to primary care is important for the identification, control and management of cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs). This study investigated whether differences in geographic access to primary care explained area-level variation in CMRFs. Methods: Multilevel logistic regression models were used to derive the association between area-level access to primary care and seven discrete CMRFs after adjusting for individual and area-level co-variates. Two-step floating catchment area method was used to calculate the geographic access to primary care for the small areas within the study region. Results: Geographic access to primary care was inversely associated with low high density lipoprotein (OR …

The Value Of Psychological Treatment For Borderline Personality Disorder: Systematic Review And Cost Offset Analysis Of Economic Evaluations, Denise Meuldijk, Alexandra Mccarthy, Marianne E. Bourke, Brin F. S Grenyer

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Aim Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a common mental health condition with high patterns of service utilisation of inpatient and community treatment. Over the past five years there has been significant growth in research with economic data, making this systematic review a timely update.

Methods Empirical studies written in English or German, published up to December 2015, and cited in major electronic databases were examined using the PRISMA systematic review method. Papers were included that had one of the following: data related to cost of BPD to society, the individual, the carer or families; cost benefits of interventions. Reported cost …

A Lipidomic Analysis Of Placenta In Preeclampsia: Evidence For Lipid Storage, Simon H. J Brown, Samuel Eather, Dilys J. Freeman, Barbara J. Meyer, Todd W. Mitchell

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

In preeclampsia, maternal insulin resistance leads to defective expansion of adipocytes, enhanced adipocyte lipolysis, up-regulation of very low density lipoprotein synthesis, maternal hypertriglyceridaemia and the potential for ectopic fat storage. Our aim was to quantitate and compare the total amount and type of lipid in placenta from pregnancies complicated with preeclampsia and healthy pregnancies. Quantitative lipid analysis of lipid extracts from full thickness placental biopsies was carried out by shotgun lipidomics. Placental lipid profiles from pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia (n = 23) were compared to healthy pregnancies (n = 68), and placenta from intrauterine growth restriction pregnancies (n = 10) …

An Automated Chromatography Procedure Optimized For Analysis Of Stable Cu Isotopes From Biological Materials, T. Gabriel Enge, M P. Field, Dianne F. Jolley, Heath Ecroyd, M H. Kim, Anthony Dosseto

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

An automated ion-exchange chromatography method is developed for the separation of copper (Cu) from biological samples prior to stable, naturally occurring, isotope analysis. The technique does not require Cu to be fully oxidized/reduced into either Cu+ or Cu2+. Distribution coefficients of Cu and other cations to the Cu-specific anion exchange resin enable the effective purification and separation of Cu from complex matrixes using a single, reusable chromatographic column, with the potential to be modified for varying sample types. The automated chromatography system (prepFAST-MC™) can process up to 60 samples per run at a rate of 36 samples per day on …

Analysis Of The Psychological Impact Of A Vascular Risk Factor Intervention: Results From A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial In Australian General Practice, Suzanne Helen Mckenzie, Upali W. Jayasinghe, Mahnaz Fanaian, Megan Passey, Mark Fort Harris

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Background Screening for vascular disease, risk assessment and management are encouraged in general practice however there is limited evidence about the emotional impact on patients. The Health Improvement and Prevention Study evaluated the impact of a general practice-based vascular risk factor intervention on behavioural and physiological risk factors in 30 Australian practices. The primary aim of this analysis is to investigate the psychological impact of participating in the intervention arm of the trial. The secondary aim is to identify the mediating effects of changes in behavioural risk factors or BMI. Methods This study is an analysis of a secondary outcome …

An Improved High-Throughput Lipid Extraction Method For The Analysis Of Human Brain Lipids, Sarah K. Abbott, Andrew M. Jenner, Todd W. Mitchell, Simon H. Brown, Glenda M. Halliday, Brett Garner

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

We have developed a protocol suitable for high-throughput lipidomic analysis of human brain samples. The traditional Folch extraction (using chloroform and glass-glass homogenization) was compared to a high-throughput method combining methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE) extraction with mechanical homogenization utilizing ceramic beads. This high-throughput method significantly reduced sample handling time and increased efficiency compared to glass-glass homogenizing. Furthermore, replacing chloroform with MTBE is safer (less carcinogenic/toxic), with lipids dissolving in the upper phase, allowing for easier pipetting and the potential for automation (i.e., robotics). Both methods were applied to the analysis of human occipital cortex. Lipid species (including ceramides, sphingomyelins, choline glycerophospholipids, …

Analysis Of Subcellular [57co] Cobalamin Distribution In Sh-Sy5y Neurons And Brain Tissue, Hua Zhao, Kalani Ruberu, Hongyun Li, Brett Garner

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Cobalamin (Cbl) utilization as a cofactor for methionine synthase and methylmalonyl-CoA mutase is dependent on the transport of Cbl through lysosomes and its subsequent delivery to the cytosol and mitochondria. We speculated that neuropathological conditions that impair lysosomal function (e.g., age-related lipofuscinosis and specific neurodegenerative diseases) might impair lysosomal Cbl transport. To address this question, an appropriate method to quantify intracellular Cbl transport in neuronal cell types and brain tissue is required. Thus, we developed methods to measure [⁵⁷Co] Cbl levels in lysosomes, mitochondria and cytosol obtained from in vitro and in vivo sources. Human SH-SY5Y neurons or …

Toward Consensus In The Analysis Of Urinary 8-Oxo-7,8-Dihydro-2′- Deoxyguanosine As A Noninvasive Biomarker Of Oxidative Stress, M D Evans, R Olinski, S Loft, M S Cooke, Jr P Rossner, R Sram, T Henriksen, H E Poulsen, Allan Weimann, A Barbieri, L Sabatini, F Violante, S Kino, T Ochi, K Sakai, M Takeuchi, H Kasai, J H N Meerman, D Gackowski, R Rozalski, A Siomek, Barry Halliwell, Andrew M. Jenner, H Wang, C Cerda, G Saez, S Haghdoost, P Svoboda, C-W Hu, M-R Chao, K-Y Peng, W-C Shih, K-Y Wu, H Orhan, N S Istanbullu, V Mistry, P B Farmer, J Sandhu, R Singh, C Cortez, Y Su, R M Santella, P Lambert, R Smith

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Of the DNA-derived biomarkers of oxidative stress, urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) is the most frequently measured. However, there is significant discrepancy between chromatographic and immunoassay approaches, and intratechnique agreement among all available chromatography-based assays and ELISAs is yet to be established. This is a significant obstacle to their use in large molecular epidemiological studies. To evaluate the accuracy of intra/intertechnique and interlaboratory measurements, samples of phosphate buffered saline and urine, spiked with different concentrations of 8-oxoG, together with a series of urine samples from healthy individuals were distributed to ESCULA members. All laboratories received identical samples, including 2 negative controls that …