Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Serial Serum Procalcitonin Changes In The Prognosis Of Acute Stroke, Spyridon Miyakis, Petros Georgakopoulos, Maria Kiagia, Angelos Pefanis, Theodoros D. Mountokalakis, Olga Papadopoulou, Aristomenis Gonis

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

Inflammatory response is a principal early component in the pathophysiology of stroke [1]. Serum procalcitonin (PCT)-a marker of septicemia and infection severity [2]-has also been proposed as an indicator of systemic inflammatory response in noninfectious situations [3,4]. As no data exist thus far on PCT in stroke, this study aimed to evaluate serum PCT changes in the acute stroke setting, and to correlate them with clinical and laboratory parameters and patient's outcome.

Beta-2 Glycoprotein I And Its Role In Antiphospholipid Syndrome: Lessons From Knockout Mice, Spyridon Miyakis, Sarah A. Robertson, S A. Krilis

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

The antiphospholipid syndrome is characterized by the presence in serum of autoantibodies against h2GPI. Although the role of h2GPI in the pathogenesis of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is well recognized, its exact physiological functions still remain undisclosed. Several interactions of h2GPI with components of the coagulation cascade have been proposed, resulting in both procoagulant and anticoagulant effects. Additionally, h2GPI has been implicated in the mechanism of recurrent fetal loss entailed in APS. Recently, using a homologous recombination approach, reproduction of mice homozygous for deletion of the b2GPI gene has been feasible. h2GPI knockout mice offer a valuable tool for revealing …

Early Silurian Graptolites From Cadia, New South Wales, R B. Rickards, Anthony J. Wright

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

A low-diversity graptolite fauna is reported from the Ulah Formation at Cadia, central western New South Wales. The assemblage includes Testograptus testis, Monoclimacis flumendosae, fragments of Monograptus flemingii, possible Cyrtograptus and unidentifiable retiolitid meshworks, and is correlated with the lungrenitestis Biozone, of late Wenlock (Early Silurian) age.

Wenlock (Early Silurian) Brachiopods From The Orane District Of New South Wales, Anthony J. Wright, Des L. Strusz

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

Two late Wenlock (Early Silurian) brachiopod species from the Ulah Formation near Orange, New South Wales, are closely associated with graptolite faunas. Visbyella cumnockensis occurs in the testis Biozone on Wallace Creek in the Four Mile Creek area, and Strophochonetes melbournensis is recorded from the ludensis Biozone on Spring Creek. Poorly preserved but similar Visbyella? and Strophochonetes? From the Prídolí Wallace Shale at Cheesemans Creek are also illustrated. These occurrences provide significant new stratigraphic and distributional data for the species.

Silicified Early Devonian Trilobites From Brogans Creek, New South Wales, Gregory D. Edgecombe, Anthony J. Wright

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

Trilobites in an Emsian silicified fauna from the Carwell Creek Formation at Brogans Creek SE of Mudgee, NSW, include Acanthopyge (Jasperia) bifida, Dentaloscutellum hudsoni and Proetus nemus, all originally described from the Taemas area of NSW, together with Sthenarocalymene. Proetus nemus was known from limited material at Taemas, but is the most abundant species at Brogans Creek. Fuller description substantiates membership in Proetus (=Devonoproetus), rather than Ryckholtia, Longiproetus or Rhenocynproetus. Early ontogenetic stages of the trilobites are lacking at Brogans Creek, in contrast to Taemas. Conodonts co-occurring with the shelly fauna at Brogans Creek and at Taemas include Polygnathus nothoperbonus, …

Geomagnetic Activity Forcing Of The Northern Annular Mode Via The Stratosphere, Daniel Palamara, Edward Bryant

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

We consider various aspects of the link between solar-modulated geomagnetic activity and the Northern Annular Mode (NAM). Our results indicate that the geomagnetic forcing of atmospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere is temporally and seasonally restricted, modulated by the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO), and reliant on stratosphere-troposphere coupling. When the data are restricted to January values after 1965, for years in which the January QBO is eastwards, the correlation coefficient between the geomagnetic AA index and the NAM is 0.85. These results can account for many of the enigmatic features of Northern Hemisphere circulation.

Serotypes And Virulence Gene Profiles Of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli Strains Isolated From Feces Of Pasture-Fed And Lot-Fed Sheep, Steven Djordjevic, Vidiya Ramachandran, Karl A Bettelheim, Barbara A. Vanselow, Peter Holst, Graham Bailey, Michael A. Hornitsky

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

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains possessing genes for enterohemolysin (ehxA) and/or intimin (eae), referred to here as complex STEC (cSTEC), are more commonly recovered from the feces of humans with hemolytic uremic syndrome and hemorrhagic colitis than STEC strains that do not possess these accessory virulence genes. Ruminants, particularly cattle and sheep, are recognized reservoirs of STEC populations that may contaminate foods destined for human consumption. We isolated cSTEC strains from the feces of longitudinally sampled pasture-fed sheep, lot-fed sheep maintained on diets comprising various combinations of silage and grain, and sheep simultaneously grazing pastures …

Comparative Records Of Occupation In The Keep River Region Of The Eastern Kimberley, Northwestern Australia, Ingrid Ward

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

This paper considers the record of occupation in the Keep River region of the eastern Kimberley, and whether archaeological records are equally preserved within as well as between regions. Luminescence dating, radiocarbon dating and archaeological evidence from eight rock shelter sequences provide only late Holocene (5 - 0 ky BP) occupation sequences, whereas luminescence dating and archaeological evidence for three sand-sheet sequences indicate occupation dating to 18 ky BP. Given that rock shelters and sand sheet excavations can produce such different chronologies, it is questioned to what extent the representative records for the eastern Kimberley, and the adjacent western Kimberley, …

Fish Recolonization In Temperate Australian Rockpools: A Quantitative Experimental Approach, Shane Griffiths, Ronald West, Andrew R. Davis, Ken Russell

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

Understanding recolonization processes of intertidal fish assemblages is integral for predicting the consequences of significant natural or anthropogenic impacts on the intertidal zone. Recolonization of experimentally defaunated intertidal rockpools by fishes at Bass Point, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, was assessed quantitatively by using one long-term and two short-term studies. Rockpools of similar size and position at four sites within the intertidal zone were repeatedly defaunated of their fish fauna after one week, one month, and three months during two short-term studies in spring and autumn (5 months each), and every six months for the long-term study (12 months). Fish …

Plant Functional Traits In Relation To Fire In Crown-Fire Ecosystems, Juli G. Pausus, Ross Bradstock, David A. Keith, Jon E. Keeley

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

Disturbance is a dominant factor in many ecosystems, and the disturbance regime is likely to change over the next decades in response to land-use changes and global warming. We assume that predictions of vegetation dynamics can be made on the basis of a set of life-history traits that characterize the response of a species to disturbance. For crown-fire ecosystems, the main plant traits related to postfire persistence are the ability to resprout (persistence of individuals) and the ability to retain a persistent seed bank (persistence of populations). In this context, we asked (1) to what extent do different life-history traits …

Immune Responses Of A Liposome/Iscom Vaccine Adjuvant Against Streptococcal Fibronectin Binding Protein 1 (Sfb1) In Mice, Jason D. Mcarthur, K Schulze, James Chin, B J. Currie, K S. Sriprakash, S R. Talay, G S. Chhatwal, C A. Guzman, Mark J. Walker

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

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: The fibronectin binding protein Sfb1 of Streptococcus pyogenes is a well characterised antigen which induces protection against lethal challenge with group A streptococcus (GAS) when adjuvanted with cholera toxin B-subunit (CTB). As an alternative to CTB adjuvanted intranasal immunisations we investigated the immune responses generated in mice using Sfb1 incorporated in to the skin and mucosal adjuvant SAMA4. METHODS: Mice (BALB/c) were vaccinated intradermally with 100 microl of either SAMA4 (adjuvant only group) or SAMA4/Sfb1 and were boosted 7 days later. Mice vaccinated with CTB based vaccines were immunised by intranasal inoculation with a mixture containing 30 …

Fibronectin-Binding Protein Gene Recombination And Horizontal Transfer Between Group A And G Streptococci, Rebecca J. Towers, Daniel Gal, David Mcmillan, Kadaba S. Sriprakash, Bart J. Currie, Mark J. Walker, Gursharan S. Chhatwal, Peter K. Fagan

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

We report evidence of interspecies gene transfer between the important virulence factor genes sfbI and gfbA. Because the identified group G streptococcus gfbA types possess DNA cassettes that can be identified in a number of group A streptococcus strains, it appears that homologous recombination is occurring between these species.

Effects Of Ultraviolet Radiation And Visible Light On The Development Of Encapsulated Molluscan Embryos, Rachel Przeslawski, Andrew R. Davis, Kirsten Benkendorff

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

Benthic egg masses laid in intertidal habitats are exposed to numerous environmental stresses including potentially damaging ultraviolet radiation (UVR). We sought to determine the developmental effects of UVR and visible light on molluscan embryos within egg masses from habitats with differential UVR exposure. Capsular and gelatinous egg masses from 23 marine gastropod species were collected from 3 intertidal habitats: (1) full sun, (2) partial shade, and (3) full shade. Egg masses were then divided among 4 spectral treatments: full spectrum, no UV-B, no UV, and dark. An ANOVA confirmed that a significant interaction between original habitat and spectral treatment affected …

Where Do Clonal Coral Larvae Go? Adult Genotypic Diversity Conflicts With Reproductive Effort In The Brooding Coral Pocillopora Damicornis, David J. Ayre, Karen Miller

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

Earlier studies of the coral Pocillopora damicornis provide a conflicting picture of its use of sexual and asexual reproduction for population maintenance. In Western Australia, colonies are asexually viviparous, and populations appear to be maintained by localised asexual recruitment but founded by genotypically diverse colonists. However, on Australia¹s Great Barrier Reef (GBR), as in many other regions, populations display little or no evidence of any asexual recruitment. We used allozyme electrophoresis to test for asexual input into local populations of P. damicornis at One Tree Island on the southern GBR. Contrary to expectation we found that all of 136 planulae …

Effects Of Dexamethasone On Posterior Capsule Opacification-Like Changes In A Rat Lens Explant Model, Kylie Mansfield, Anna Cerra, Coral Chamberlain

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

Purpose: Many patients whose sight is initially restored by cataract surgery eventually suffer secondary loss of vision because of posterior capsule opacification (PCO; after-cataract), a condition in which lens epithelial cells left behind at surgery become aberrant and migrate into the light path. The aim of this study was to determine whether dexamethasone (DEX), an anti-inflammatory agent widely used before and after cataract surgery, influences the behavior of lens cells under conditions relevant to PCO development.

Methods: An established rat PCO model was used in which explanted epithelial cells attached to the lens capsule are exposed sequentially to TGFβ2 and …

High Prevalence Of Hepatozoon Spp. (Apicomplexa, Hepatozoidae) Infection In Water Pythons (Liasis Fuscus) From Tropical Australia, Beata Ujvari, Thomas Madsen, Mats Olsson

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

Molecular methods were used to identify blood parasites frequently observed in blood smears of water pythons (Liasis fuscus) captured in our study area in the Northern Territory of Australia. A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers amplifying the 18s ribosomal RNA (rRNA) nuclear gene resulted in a short PCR product (180 bp) matching this region in the genus Hepatozoon. However, because of the short sequence obtained. 2 new primers were designed based on 18s rRNA sequences of 3 Hepatozoon taxa available in GenBank. Using these primers, approximately 600 bp of the parasite's 18s rRNA gene was amplified successfully and …

Fgf-2 Counteracts Loss Of Tgfβ Affected Cells From Rat Lens Explants: Implications For Pco (After Cataract), Kylie Mansfield, Anna Cerra, Coral Chamberlain

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

Purpose: While cataract surgery initially benefits most patients, many suffer secondary loss of vision because of posterior capsule opacification (PCO). Lens epithelial cells left behind at surgery become aberrant and migrate into the light path. TGF-beta (TGFβ) appears to play a key role in this process by inducing the cells to undergo an epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Paradoxically, it also typically induces them to undergo apoptotic death. The present study was undertaken to investigate the hypothesis that FGF plays a role in PCO formation by promoting the survival of abnormal cells with PCO-like characteristics.

Methods: Rat lens epithelial explants were cultured for …

Sibudu Cave, Kwazulu-Natal: Background To The Excavations Of Middle Stone Age And Iron Age Occupations, Lyn Wadley, Zenobia Jacobs

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

Sibudu Cave excavations have yielded an Iron Age occupation directly overlying a long sequence of final Middle Stone Age (MSA) layers dating c. 61 000-26 000 years ago. Older, undated layers contain a Howiesons Poort Industry. A diverse animal population is represented in the final MSA. Proxy environmental data suggest cooler, drier conditions with a larger savanna component to the vegetation than at present.

Gay And Lesbian Public History In Australia, Andrew Gorman-Murray

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

Although scholarly interest in gay and lesbian history broadly defined is relatively young, research has increased significantly since the early 1990s. This was largely stimulated by the gay liberation movements of the 1970s and 1980s which both encouraged collective self-awareness amongst gays and sought acceptance from the broader straight society. During the 1990s gays became a significant 'consumer' group targeted by various companies and non-commercial organisations as a niche market. One need only scan through gay community periodicals such as SX or Sydney Star Observer to appreciate the number of businesses and non-commercial groups servicing the gay community. ln light …

Estimated Intake Of Milk Fat Is Negatively Associated With Cardiovascular Risk Factors And Does Not Increase The Risk Of A First Acute Myocardial Infarction. A Prospective Case-Control Study, Eva Warensjo, Jan-Hakan Jansson, Lars Berglund, Kurt Boman, Bo Ahren, Lars Weinehall, Bernt Lindahl, Goran Hallmans, Bengt Vessby

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

Milk fat is high in saturated fatty acids (SFA) and high intakes of SFA are associated with cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present study was to prospectively evaluate the potential risk of a first-ever acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in relation to the estimated milk-fat intake, reflected as the proportions of pentadecanoic acid (15:0) and heptadecanoic acid (17:0) in serum lipid esters. This was evaluated in a study population selected within the Västerbotten Intervention Program and the northern Sweden ‘Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular disease’ survey populations. A prospective case–control design was used. The proportions of the biomarkers …

Mapping Tropical Cyclone Disturbance Of The Great Barrier Reef, Marji Puotinen

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

Tropical cyclones periodically cross the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The large waves they generate can damage coral reefs. This paper will describe the challenges of mapping cyclone disturbance across such a vast geographic region, and how cartographic visualisation can help us understand the implications of these challenges on the quality of the results.

Minimum Energy As The General Form Of Critical Flow And Maximum Flow Efficiency And For Explaining Variations In River Channel Pattern, He Qing Huang, Howard H. Chang, Gerald Nanson

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

Although the Bélanger-Böss theorem of critical flow has been widely applied in open channel hydraulics, it was derived from the laws governing ideal frictionless flow. This study explores a more general expression of this theorem and examines its applicability to flow with friction and sediment transport. It demonstrates that the theorem can be more generally presented as the principle of minimum energy (PME), with maximum efficiency of energy use and minimum friction or minimum energy dissipation as its equivalents. Critical flow depth under frictionless conditions, the best hydraulic section where friction is introduced, and the most efficient alluvial channel geometry …

Oxaliplatin, Fluorouracil, And Leucovorin As Adjuvant Treatment For Colon Cancer, Thierry Andre, Corrado Boni, Lamia Mounedji-Boudiaf, Matilde Navarro, Josep Tabernero, Tamas Hickish, Clare Topham, Marta Zaninelli, Phillip Clingan, John Bridgewater, Isabelle Tabah-Fisch, Aimery De Gramont

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

BACKGROUND: The standard adjuvant treatment of colon cancer is fluorouracil plus leucovorin (FL). Oxaliplatin improves the efficacy of this combination in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. We evaluated the efficacy of treatment with FL plus oxaliplatin in the postoperative adjuvant setting. METHODS: We randomly assigned 2246 patients who had undergone curative resection for stage II or III colon cancer to receive FL alone or with oxatiplatin for six months. The primary end point was disease-free survival. RESULTS: A total of 1123 patients were randomly assigned to each group. After a median follow-up of 37.9 months, 237 patients in the group …

Editorial Essay, Jennifer Cypher, Catherine Phillips

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

As we put this issue together the last days of 2003 swirled around us, with all the artifice and artifacts that this time of year seems to generate. The steamy-windowed café where we planned the final week of tasks was full of holiday greenery, all artificial. Part of our conversation revolved around the artifacts still to be purchased or made for friends and family. The reality of our intimate connections with artifacts and artifice seems heightened at this time of year. We buy and bake and celebrate, undeniably caught up in webs of things and crafts and greenery (artificial or …

Litho- And Chronostratigraphy Of Holocene Sedimentary Successions Preserved In Lake Illawarra, Nsw, Australia, Craig R. Sloss, Brian G. Jones, Colin V. Murray-Wallace

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

Using a Holocene barrier estuary, Lake Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia, as an example, a detailed litho- and chrono-stratigraphy of the Holocene estuarine deposits has been investigated. Forty kilometres of seismic surveys, 61 vibracores, supplemented by auger drill holes and trenches, and faunal analysis were used in this study. A detailed chronology of the infilling of the barrier estuary has been established using 121 aspartic acid derived ages and 14 radiocarbon ages. The results provide a detailed chronology for the deposition of marine transgressive deposits between ca. 8 and 5 ka years ago. Barrier growth, initiated with rising sea levels …

Trace Metals In Sediments From Lake Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia, Bryan E. Chenhall, Brian G. Jones, Craig R. Sloss, Mark O'Donnell, Marrack Payne, Mark Murrie, David Garnett, Helen Waldron

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

Sediments in Lake Illawarra have been investigated by deep and shallow coring to provide a comprehensive appraisal of the sediment-bound natural (background) and more recent (i.e., industrial era) trace metal concentrations. The distribution of Cu, Pb and Zn in the upper 20 cm of sediment is directly related to the proportion of mud-dominated sediment forming the central floor of the lake. Trace metal enrichment factors for Cu, Pb and Zn were generally less than 2.5 with the exception of the southern portion of Griffins Bay where the factors were greater than 1.8, 3.5 and 5.8 for Cu, Pb and Zn …

Recent Sedimentation And Geomorphological Changes, Lake Illawarra, Nsw, Australia, Craig R. Sloss, Brian G. Jones, Colin V. Murray-Wallace, Bryan E. Chenhall

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

Assessing recent changes in landforms associated with Lake Illawarra was achieved by identifying changes in geomorphological features observed in early mapping of the region, aerial photographs and satellite imagery. Quantifying rates of sedimentation associated with prograding fluvial bay-head deltas and within the central basin of Lake Illawarra was established within the framework of amino acid racemisation, radiocarbon, and cesium 137 dating. Results indicate that sedimentation rates associated with fluvial bay-head deltas range from 31 mm/yr proximal to the delta front and fall to between 3 and 7 mm/yr in the pro-delta region. This is a significant increase in sedimentation rate …

Ascorbic Acid Losses In Vegetables Associated With Cook-Chill Food Preparation, Karen E. Charlton, Paula Patrick, L Dowling, E Jensen

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

Objective. To assess ascorbic acid (AA) losses in four vegetables (broccoli, peas, cauliflower and cabbage) at each production stage in a cook-chill food service system. Setting. A long-stay psychiatric hospital in Cape Town. Design. Cross-sectional analytical study. On two repeat occasions, three samples of each vegetable were taken at the following stages: (i) delivery (day 1); (ii) after preparation (day 2); (iii) after cooking (day 5); (iv) after blastchilling (day 5); and (v) in the holdroom and after regeneration over a 4-day period (days 6 - 9). AA content of each sample was assessed in duplicate using the 2,6 dichloroindophenol …

Full Term, Peri-Urban South African Infants Under Six Months Of Age Are At Risk For Early-Onset Anemia., Lindi Sibeko, Ma Dhansay, Karen E. Charlton, Timothy Johns, M Van Stuijvenberg, Katherine Gray-Donald

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

Objective: There is a paucity of data on the micronutrient status of low-income, lactating South African women and their infants under 6 months of age. The aim of this study was to elucidate the level of anaemia and vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in peri-urban breast-feeding women and their young infants.

Design: Cross-sectional study including anthropometric, biochemical and infant feeding data.

Setting: Peri-urban settlement in Cape Town, South Africa.

Subjects: Breast-feeding women (n = 113) and their infants (aged 1–6 months) attending a peri-urban clinic.

Results: Mean (standard deviation (SD)) haemoglobin (Hb) of the lactating mothers was 12.4 (1.3) gdl …

Sources And Credibility Of Nutrition Information Among Black Urban South African Women, With A Focus On Messages Related To Obesity., Karen E. Charlton, Philippa Brewitt, Lesley T. Bourne

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

Objectives: (1) To identify the major sources of nutrition information, and the perceived credibility thereof, among urban black South African women; and (2) to determine the level of knowledge regarding nutrition, particularly regarding the topic of obesity. Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study that was both qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative (individual questionnaires). Three hundred and ninety-four black women aged 17-49 years were conveniently sampled from the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces in South Africa. Methods: Four focus groups were held with 39 women to identify common themes relating to nutrition knowledge. Based on these data, a questionnaire instrument was developed …