The adjustment of children of Australian Vietnam veterans: is there evidence for the transgenerational transmission of the effects of war-related trauma?

Objective: The presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in trauma survivors has been linked with family dysfunction and symptoms in their children, including lower self-esteem, higher disorder rates and symptoms resembling those of the traumatized parent. This study aims to examine the phenomenon of intergenerational transfer of PTSD in an Australian context.

Method: 50 children (aged 16–30) of 50 male Vietnam veterans, subgrouped according to their fathers' PTSD status, were compared with an age-matched group of 33 civilian peers. Participants completed questionnaires with measures of self-esteem, PTSD symptomatology and family functioning.

Results: Contrary to expectations, no significant differences were found between the self-esteem and PTSD symptomatology scores for any offspring groups. Unhealthy family functioning is the area in which the effect of the veteran's PTSD appears to manifest itself, particularly the inability of the family both to experience appropriate emotional responses and to solve problems effectively within and outside the family unit.

Conclusion: Methodological refinements and further focus on the role of wives/mothers in buffering the impact of veterans' PTSD symptomatology on their children are indicated. Further effort to support families of Veterans with PTSD is also indicated.

Creatine and the creatine transporter: a review

The cellular role of creatine (Cr) and Cr phosphate (CrP) has been studied extensively in neural, cardiac and skeletal muscle. Several studies have demonstrated that alterations in the cellular total Cr (Cr + CrP) concentration in these tissues can produce marked functional and/or structural change. The primary aim of this review was to critically evaluate the literature that has examined the regulation of cellular total Cr content. In particular, the review focuses on the regulation of the activity and gene expression of the Cr transporter (CreaT), which is primarily responsible for cellular Cr uptake. Two CreaT genes (CreaT1 and CreaT2) have been identified and their chromosomal location and DNA sequencing have been completed. From these data, putative structures of the CreaT proteins have been formulated. Transcription products of the CreaT2 gene are expressed exclusively in the testes, whereas CreaT1 transcripts are found in a variety of tissues. Recent research has measured the expression of the CreaT1 protein in several tissues including neural, cardiac and skeletal muscle. There is very little information available about the factors regulating CreaT gene expression. There is some evidence that suggests the intracellular Cr concentration may be involved in the regulatory process but there is much more to learn before this process is understood. The activity of the CreaT protein is controlled by many factors. These include substrate concentration, transmembrane Na+ gradients, cellular location, and various hormones. It is also likely that transporter activity is influenced by its phosphorylation state and by its interaction with other plasma membrane proteins. The extent of CreaT protein glycosylation may vary within cells, the functional significance of which remains unclear.

Buxton silver gum reserve: using geographic information systems to investigate historic change in site integrity

Eucalyptus crenulata is a rare species known from only two populations. The Buxton Silver Gum Reserve was set aside in 1978 for the conservation of the species, but this objective may be compromised by changes in the integrity of the landscape immediately surrounding the Reserve. A time sequence of aerial photos and Geographic Information Systems technology has been used to identify patterns of landscape change, and aid in determining appropriate management strategies to minimize negative impacts caused by landscape fragmentation and habitat exposure

The impact of grazing by eastern grey kangaroos (macropus giganteus) on vegetation recovery after fire at Reef Hills regional park, Victoria

In southeastern Australia ecological burning is frequently used to maintain a number of plant and animal populations. However, many of these prescribed fires are small, and may focus intense grazing activity on new regrowth. At Reef Hills Regional Park, Victoria shrub species have senesced, presumably due to the absence of fire. Ecological burning may be necessary to promote regeneration, however, the population density of the Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) is high (approx 38 per km2), and grazing pressure presents a significant risk to postfire vegetation recovery. An assessment of grazing patterns and their effects on postfire recovery was carried out at Reef Hills Regional Park through grazing exclusion plots. Preferential grazing by Eastern Grey Kangaroos occurred on small burnt plots compared to adjacent unburnt areas as determined by faecal pellet counts. On burnt areas, there was a significant reduction in shrub diversity on grazed plots compared to ungrazed plots. Most observations of kangaroos were of animals grazing on farmland surrounding the Park, and it is likely that any burning might shift grazing from farmland to burnt areas when new growth occurs. This needs to be considered before any ecological burn plan is applied to manage vegetation communities, particularly if the plan requires small areas to be burnt. We recommended that a large area up to 200 ha area be burnt and monitored to determine whether burning larger areas disperses grazing pressure from macropods to a level where impacts on vegetation are reduced and localized plant extinctions do not occur.

Cognitive vulnerability and resilience to depressed mood

This study evaluated positive and negative attributional styles, sociotropy, autonomy and optimism as contributors to positive affect and negative affect. The two affect measures respectively separated depression from general psychological distress. Model fit for 168 adult women indicated that each attributional style contributed indirectly to depression via optimism. Further, negative attributional style directly contributed to psychological distress as did sociotropy and autonomy. Results also confirmed an interrelatedness between negative attributional style, sociotropy and autonomy. Discussion addresses interpretation of the model and implications for research.

Human skeletal muscle creatine transporter mRNA and protein expression in healthy, young males and females

The present study investigated whether there were any differences between males and females in respect to creatine transporter (CreaT) gene expression and/or total creatine (TCr) content in human vastus lateralis muscle. Skeletal muscle obtained from young healthy male (n = 13, age: 23.2 ± 5.0 years) and female subjects (n = 12, age: 21.7 ± 4.3 years) was analyzed for CreaT mRNA, CreaT protein and TCr content. Total CreaT protein content in the muscle was similar (p > 0.05) between the sexes. Two bands (~ 55 and 73 kDa) of the CreaT protein were detected in all muscle samples. Both the 55 and the 73 kDa bands were present in similar (p > 0.05) amounts in males compared with females. The 73 kDa band was in greater abundance (p < 0.05) than the 55 kDa band, irrespective of gender. In addition, CreaT mRNA expression relative to ß-actin mRNA and the TCr content (males: 117.8 ± 2.2, females: 125.3 ± 4.3 mmol.kg^–1 dry mass) were also unaffected (p > 0.05) by gender. These data demonstrate that gender does not influence skeletal muscle TCr content and CreaT gene expression in young human subjects.