Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Small Cohort Omega-3 Pufa Supplement Study: Implications Of Stratifying According To Lipid Membrane Incorporation In Cardiac Surgical Patients, Wendy T. K Ip, Chanchal Chandramouli, Julian A. Smith, Peter L. Mclennan, Salvatore Pepe, Lea M. D Delbridge

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Background: Epidemiological studies and randomised clinical trials (RCTs) report disparate findings in relation to omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) benefit for cardiac patients. With RCTs interpretation is potentially confounded by background n-3 PUFA intake. The goal of this pilot, small cohort, pre-surgical supplementation study was to evaluate post-operative atrial fibrillation (AF) and cardiac molecular expression profiles employing two data analysis approaches - by treatment randomisation and by stratification using measured n-3 PUFA. Methods: Patients (n=20) received 3g/day of fish or placebo oil (FO vs PO) in a double blind randomised protocol prior to elective coronary artery graft and valve …

Identifying Metabolic Syndrome In A Clinical Cohort: Implications For Prevention Of Chronic Disease, Allison Martin, Elizabeth Neale, Marijka Batterham, Linda C. Tapsell

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

In the clinical setting, calculating cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is commonplace but the utility of the harmonised equation for metabolic syndrome (MetS) (Alberti et al., 2009) is less well established. The aims of this study were to apply this equation to an overweight clinical cohort to identify risk factors for being metabolically unhealthy and explore associations with chronic disease. Baseline data were analysed from a lifestyle intervention trial of Illawarra residents recruited in 2014/2015. Participants were aged 25–54 years with a BMI 25–40 kg/m2. Data included MetS, CVD risk, insulin sensitivity, weight, body fat, diet, peripheral artery disease (PAD), physical …

Aligning And Synchronization Of Mis5 Proxy Records From Lake Ohrid (Fyrom) With Independently Dated Mediterranean Archives: Implications For Deep Core Chronology, Giovanni Zanchetta, Eleonora Regattieri, Biagio Giaccio, Bernd Wagner, Roberto Sulpizio, Alexander Francke, Hendrik Vogel, Laura Sadori, Alessia Masi, Gaia Sinopoli

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The DEEP site sediment sequence obtained during the ICDP SCOPSCO project at Lake Ohrid was dated using tephrostratigraphic information, cyclostratigraphy, and orbital tuning through the marine isotope stages (MIS) 15-1. Although this approach is suitable for the generation of a general chronological framework of the long succession, it is insufficient to resolve more detailed palaeoclimatological questions, such as leads and lags of climate events between marine and terrestrial records or between different regions. Here, we demonstrate how the use of different tie points can affect cyclostratigraphy and orbital tuning for the period between ca. 140 and 70 ka and how …

Comparative Mt Genomics Of The Tipuloidea (Diptera: Nematocera: Tipulomorpha) And Its Implications For The Phylogeny Of The Tipulomorpha, Xiao Zhang, Zehui Kang, Meng Mao, Xuankun Li, Stephen L. Cameron, Herman De Jong, Mengqing Wang, Ding Yang

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

A traditionally controversial taxon, the Tipulomorpha has been frequently discussed with respect to both its familial composition and relationships with other Nematocera. The interpretation of internal relationships within the Tipuloidea, which include the Tipulidae sensu stricto, Cylindrotomidae, Pediciidae and Limoniidae, is also problematic. We sequenced the first complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Symplecta hybrida (Meigen, 1804), which belongs to the subfamily Chioneinae of family Limoniidae, and another five nearly complete mt genomes from the Tipuloidea. We did a comparative analysis of these mt genomics and used them, along with some other representatives of the Nematocera to construct phylogenetic trees. Trees …

Reappraisal Of Uranium-Series Isotope Data In Kamchatka Lavas: Implications For Continental Arc Magma Genesis, Anthony Dosseto, Simon Turner

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Uranium-series isotopes can be used to determine constraints on the timescale of slab dehydration and melt production at subduction zones. However, interpretations of U–Th–Ra data suggest very different timescales of slab dehydration. Here, we present new U–Th–Ra data from Kamchatka along with a number of alternative models for production of radioactive disequilibrium. Variations in (226Ra/230Th) and (231Pa/235U) activity ratios are best explained by crystal fractionation with host rock assimilation for a duration of less than c. 6000 years. The association of the largest 226Ra excesses with high Sr/Th in the most primitive lavas suggests that Ra–Th fractionation is controlled by …

Cross Sectional Survey Of Human-Bat Interaction In Australia: Public Health Implications, Beverley J. Paterson, Michelle T. Butler, Keith Eastwood, Patrick M. Cashman, Alison Jones, David N. Durrheim

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Background Flying foxes (megachiroptera) and insectivorous microbats (microchiroptera) are the known reservoirs for a range of recently emerged, highly pathogenic viruses. In Australia there is public health concern relating to bats' role as reservoirs of Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV), which has clinical features identical to classical rabies. Three deaths from ABLV have occurred in Australia. A survey was conducted to determine the frequency of bat exposures amongst adults in Australia's most populous state, New South Wales; explore reasons for handling bats; examine reported practices upon encountering injured or trapped bats or experiencing bat bites or scratches; and investigate knowledge of …

Trace Elements And Metal Pollution In Aerosols At An Alpine Site, New Zealand: Sources, Concentrations And Implications, Samuel K. Marx, Karen S. Lavin, Kimberly J. Hageman, Balz S. Kamber, Tadhg O'Loingsigh, Grant H. Mctainsh

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Atmospheric aerosol samples were collected at a remote site in New Zealand's Southern Alps. Collected samples were found to be a mixture of New Zealand and Australian sourced sediment, using their trace element signatures. Aerosol concentrations and the relative contribution of different sources was found to be a function of specific air-mass trajectories influencing the study site, dust entrainment rates in source areas and rainfall. Results show that Australian dust is a major source of particulate matter in New Zealand, particularly in remote alpine locations; however, locally derived dust is also important. Metal pollutants, including Pb, Cu and Sn, were …

Novel Implications Of Lingo-1 And Its Signaling Partners In Schizophrenia, F Fernandez-Enright, J L. Andrews, K A. Newell, C Pantelis, Xu-Feng Huang

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Myelination and neurite outgrowth both occur during brain development, and their disturbance has been previously been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Leucine-rich repeat and immunoglobulin domain-containing protein (Lingo-1) is a potent negative regulator of axonal myelination and neurite extension. As co-factors of Lingo-1 signaling (Nogo receptor (NgR), With No Lysine (K) (WNK1) and Myelin transcription factor 1 (Myt1)) have been implicated in the genetics of schizophrenia, we explored for the first time the role of Lingo-1 signaling pathways in this disorder. Lingo-1 protein, together with its co-receptor and co-factor proteins NgR, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor orphan Y (TROY), …

Preventing Help-Negation For Suicidal Ideation: Implications For Thwarted Belongingness, Social Network Size And Frequency Of Social Interaction, Alexander Svenson, Coralie J. Wilson, Peter Caputi

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Poster presented at the National Suicide Prevention Conference, Melbourne Australia, July 2013

Help-negation is seen when the severity of an individual's suicidal ideation increases and they become less likely to seek help as a result of their condition. Research has implicated distorted affect regulation and perceptual processes related to social support in the development of help-negation among suicidal individuals (Wilson et al., 2013). Future research needs to focus on psycho-social factors that can be linked to neurological processes that differentiate suicidal individuals from controls and are directly implicated in the help-negation processes associated with suicidal ideation. As suicidal individuals have …

Novel Implications Of Lingo-1 And Its Signalling Partners In The Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex In Schizophrenia, Jessica L. Andrews, Kelly A. Newell, Xu-Feng Huang, Francesca Fernandez-Enright

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

No abstract provided.

The Significance And Vulnerability Of Australian Saltmarshes: Implications For Management In A Changing Climate, Neil Saintilan, Kerrylee Rogers

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

We review the distribution, status and ecology of Australian saltmarshes and the mechanisms whereby enhanced atmospheric carbon dioxide and associated climate change have influenced and will influence the provision of ecosystem goods and services. Research in temperate and subtropical saltmarsh has demonstrated important trophic contributions to estuarine fisheries, mediated by the synchronised mass-spawning of crabs, which feed predominantly on the C-4 saltmarsh grass Sporobolus virginicus and microphytobenthos. Saltmarshes also provide unique feeding and habitat opportunities for several species of threatened microbats and birds, including migratory shorebirds. Saltmarshes increased in extent relative to mangrove in Australia in both tide- and wave-dominated …

Middle Carboniferous-Early Triassic Eclogite-Blueschist Blocks Within A Serpentinite Mélange At Port Macquarie, Eastern Australia: Implications For The Evolution Of Gondwana's Eastern Margin, Allen P. Nutman, Solomon Buckman, Hiroshi Hidaka, Tomoyuki Kamiichi, Elena Belousova, Jonathan Aitchison

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The New England Orogen of easternmost Australia is dominated by suites of Palaeozoic to earliest Mesozoic rocks that formed in supra-subduction zone settings at Gondwana's eastern margin. On the northern New South Wales coast at Rocky Beach, Port Macquarie, a serpentinite mélange carries rare tectonic blocks of low-grade, high-pressure, metamorphic rocks derived from sedimentary and igneous protoliths. Dominant assemblages are glaucophane. +. phengite. ±. garnet. ±. lawsonite. ±. calcite. ±. albite blueschists and lawsonite-bearing retrogressed garnet. +. omphacite eclogites. In some blocks with sedimentary protoliths, eclogite forms folded layers within the blueschists, which is interpreted as Mn/(Mn. +. Fe) compositional …

Micro-Biomechanics Of The Kebara 2 Hyoid And Its Implications For Speech In Neanderthals, Ruggero D'Anastasio, Stephen Wroe, Claudio Tuniz, Lucia Mancini, Deneb T. Cesana, Diego Dreossi, Mayoorendra Ravichandiran, Marie Attard, William C. H Parr, Anne Agur, Luigi Capasso

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The description of a Neanderthal hyoid from Kebara Cave (Israel) in 1989 fuelled scientific debate on the evolution of speech and complex language. Gross anatomy of the Kebara 2 hyoid differs little from that of modern humans. However, whether Homo neanderthalensis could use speech or complex language remains controversial. Similarity in overall shape does not necessarily demonstrate that the Kebara 2 hyoid was used in the same way as that of Homo sapiens. The mechanical performance of whole bones is partly controlled by internal trabecular geometries, regulated by bone-remodelling in response to the forces applied. Here we show that the …

Streptokinase Variants From Streptococcus Pyogenes Isolates Display Altered Plasminogen Activation Characteristics - Implications For Pathogenesis, Simon M. Cook, Amanda Skora, Christine M. Gillen, Mark J. Walker, Jason D. Mcarthur

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus, GAS) secretes streptokinase, a potent plasminogen activating protein. Among GAS isolates, streptokinase gene sequences (ska) are polymorphic and can be grouped into two distinct sequence clusters (termed cluster type-1 and cluster type-2) with cluster type-2 being further divided into sub-clusters type-2a and type-2b. In this study, far-UV circular dichroism spectroscopy indicated that purified streptokinase variants of each type displayed similar secondary structure. Type-2b streptokinase variants could not generate an active site in Glu-plasminogen through non-proteolytic mechanisms while all other variants had this capability. Furthermore, when compared with other streptokinase variants, type-2b variants displayed a 29- …

Dietary Docosahexaenoic Acid (22:6) Incorporates Into Cardiolipin At The Expense Of Linoleic Acid (18:2): Analysis And Potential Implications, Colin Cortie, Paul L. Else

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Cardiolipin is a signature phospholipid of major functional significance in mitochondria. In heart mitochondria the fatty acid composition of cardiolipin is commonly viewed as highly regulated due to its high levels of linoleic acid (18:2n − 6) and the dominant presence of a 4×18:2 molecular species. However, analysis of data from a comprehensive compilation of studies reporting changes in fatty acid composition of cardiolipin in heart and liver mitochondria in response to dietary fat shows that, in heart the accrual of 18:2 into cardiolipin conforms strongly to its dietary availability at up to 20% of total dietary fatty acid and …

Will Climate Severity Ever Lead To Climate Action? Implications For Adaptation Policy And Practice, Bastian Seidel, Erica Bell

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

No abstract provided.

Rapid Regolith Formation Over Volcanic Bedrock And Implications For Landscape Evolution, Anthony Dosseto, Heather L. Buss, P O Suresh

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The ability to quantify how fast weathering profiles develop is crucial to assessing soil resource depletion and quantifying how landscapes evolve over millennia. Uranium-series isotopes can be used to determine the age of the weathering front throughout a profile and to infer estimates of regolith production rates, because the abundance of U-series isotopes in a weathering profile is a function of chemical weathering and time. This technique is applied to a weathering profile in Puerto Rico developed over a volcaniclastic bedrock. U-series isotope compositions are modelled, revealing that it takes 40–60 kyr to develop an 18 m-thick profile. This is …

Re-Creating The Rural, Reconstructing Nature: An International Literature Review Of The Environmental Implications Of Amenity Migration, Jesse B. Abrams, Hannah Gosnell, Nicholas J. Gill, Peter J. Klepeis

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The term 'amenity migration' describes a broad diversity of patterns of human movement to rural places in search of particular lifestyle attributes. This review of international literature, drawn from the authors' own prior research and searches on relevant databases, synthesises findings on the implications of amenity migration for the creation and distribution of environmental harms and benefits. Further, we critique common framings of amenity migration-related environmental transformations and offer suggestions for future research. Analysis is positioned within a review of five common themes reflected in the cases we consider: land subdivision and residential development; changes in private land use; cross-boundary …

Amyloid Beta Selectively Modulates Neuronal Trkb Alternative Transcript Expression With Implications For Alzheimer's Disease, J Wong, M Higgins, G Halliday, B Garner

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Dysregulation in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/full-length TrkB (TrkB-TK+) signaling is implicated in promoting neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD). BDNF/TrkB-TK+ signaling can be modulated by the presence of truncated TrkB isoforms (TrkB-TK-, TrkB-Shc). All TrkB isoforms are encoded by different alternative transcripts. In this study, we assessed if expression of the three main TrkB alternative transcripts, TrkB-TK+, TrkB-TK-, and TrkB-Shc are altered in AD. Using a cohort of control and AD brains (n=29), we surveyed the hippocampus, temporal cortex, occipital cortex, and cerebellum and found specific increases in TrkB-Shc, a neuron-specific transcript, in the AD hippocampus. No significant changes were detected …

Srp20 Regulates Trkb Pre-Mrna Splicing To Generate Trkb-Shc Transcripts With Implications For Alzheimer's Disease, Jenny Wong, Brett Garner, Glenda M. Halliday, John B.J Kwok

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Previously, we reported elevated levels of the neuronspecific tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) transcript, TrkB- sarc homology containing (Shc) in the hippocampus of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brains. In this study, we determined how TrkB-Shc transcripts are increased in AD. Utilizing a TrkB minigene transiently transfected into SHSY5Y cells, we found increased exon 19 inclusion in TrkB minigene transcripts (to generate TrkB-Shc) following cellular exposure to amyloid beta 1–42 (Ab42). As this suggested altered TrkB pre-mRNA splicing in AD, we conducted an in silico screening for putative splice regulatory protein-binding sites in the intron/exon splice regulatory regions of exons 18 and …

Parallel Processes In Clinical Supervision: Implications For Coaching Menthal Health Practitioners, Trevor P. Crowe, Lindsay G. Oades, Frank P. Deane, Joseph Ciarrochi, Virginia C. Willliams

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

The Older Patient, The Doctor And The Trainee: Patients' Attitudes And Implications For Models Of Care, Andrew Bonney, Sandra Jones, Donald Iverson

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Aims & rationale/Objectives Population ageing poses major challenges for health systems. Additionally, training future general practitioners in the management of older and chronically ill patients is potentially hampered by the reluctance of these patients to consult trainees for chronic care. This paper reports a cross-sectional study investigating the attitudes of older patients to trainees, to inform strategies to improve older patient-trainee interaction. Methods The survey instrument was distributed to 1900 patients aged 60 and over from 38 training practices from five Australian states using a stratified, randomised cluster sampling process. Generalised estimating equation models were used for analysis. Principal findings …

Rethinking Scholarship: Implications For The Nursing Academic Workforce, Kylie M. Smith, Patrick A. Crookes

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Australian Red Meat Consumption - Implications Of Changes Over 20 Years On Nutrient Composition, Peter Williams, Veronique Droulez

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Trimming fat off meat is recommended for reducing intake of saturated fat. This paper reviews trends over 20 years that have influenced the red meat supply in response to consumer and health professional demands for lean meat, drawing on published survey data, marketing information, analysis of meat content and qualitative research commission by Meat and Livestock Australia. Separable fat is the greatest determinant of the saturated fat in Australian red meat, and changes in processing and butchering practices have combined to produce red meat today with significantly lower saturated fat. Nutrient analyses in 2002 showed that the separable fat on …

The Use Of Female Sexuality In Australian Alcohol Advertising: Public Policy Implications Of Young Adults' Reactions To Stereotypes, Sandra C. Jones, Amanda Reid

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Coinciding with the rise of raunch culture, a new female stereotype has emerged in advertising - the lusty, busty exhibitionist who exudes sexual power and confidence. Previous research has generally found that women react less positively to female sexual images in alcohol advertising than males, but different sexual stereotypes have not been explicitly examined. The present study utilizes different types of sexual appeals in three televised advertisements for alcohol brands and investigates the relationship between types of sexual imagery and attitude to the advertisement, stated reasons for (dis)liking the advertisement and purchase intention (PI) among 268 Australian university students. Surprisingly, …

Thermal Load And Physical Mobility Implications Of Body Armour Systems With Different Levels Of Protection, Daniel C. Billing, Jace R. Drain, Anne Van Den Heuvel, Gregory E. Peoples, Aaron J. Silk, Nigel A.S Taylor, Mark J. Patterson

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Legal 'Highs' Available Through The Internet-Implications And Solutions?, Alison L. Jones

Graduate School of Medicine - Papers (Archive)

Prescription drugs are purchased via the Internet, but the consistent finding across many different populations is that the Internet appears to be a relatively minor source for illicit purchases of prescription medications by individual end users, the obvious exception being phosphodiesterase inhibitors for erectile dysfunction. In contrast, the world of escalating availability of illicit drugs via the Internet is paralleled by escalating availability of ‘legal highs’ via the Internet. These sites represent an important public health challenge, not least because of the ease of purchase but also because of the ‘relative anonymity’ for the purchaser.

Variation In Seagrass Biomass Estimates In Low And High Density Settings: Implications For The Selection Of Sample Size, Mustafa K. Hossain, Kerrylee Rogers, Neil Saintilan

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Few seagrass biomass monitoring studies have considered the adequacy of monitoring intensity in their design. Power analysis is now widely used in ecological monitoring to determine sample size (replication) and the power (probability of not making a Type II error) of the monitoring design to detect change (effect size). We investigated seasonal variation of above-ground biomass of Zostera species at Woolooware Bay, Botany Bay, NSW and Ukerebagh Channel, Tweed River, NSW to show that seagrass biomass varies significantly between sites and seasonally. By conducting preliminary power analysis at each study site we found that our sampling design would only detect …

Casualisation Of The Teaching Workforce: Implications For Nursing Education, Elizabeth J. Halcomb, Sharon Andrew, Kath Peters, Yenna Salamonson, Debra Jackson

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Internationally, nursing faculty shortages have been reported and there is a potential for them to worsen into the next decade as existing faculty age. To, in part, address this issue, across disciplines there is clearly an international trend towards the increasing casualisation of the higher education workforce. Despite the potential impact of this two-tiered workforce structure, there has been limited examination of the discipline specific issues related to the employment of a growing number of sessional nursing staff. This paper provides a critical review of the literature related to the employment of sessional teachers in higher education. The paper advances …

Aripiprazole Differentially Affects Mesolimbic And Nigrostriatal Dopaminergic Transmission: Implications For Long-Term Drug Efficacy And Low Extrapyramidal Side-Effects, Xu-Feng Huang, Chao Deng, Mei Han

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Aripiprazole has been used effectively to treat schizophrenia in the clinic ; however, its mechanisms ofaction are not clear. This study examined how short- and long-term aripiprazole treatment affects dopaminergic transmission in mesolimbic and nigrostriatal pathways. For comparison, the effects of haloperidol and olanzapine treatment were also examined. Aripiprazole significantly increased D2 receptor mRNA expression and decreased tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA expression in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) after 1- and 12-wk treatment, but had no effect in substantia nigra (SN) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). Aripiprazole also decreased dopamine transporter (DAT) binding density in NAc (for 1- and 12- wk …