Molecular aspects of tissue engineering in the dental field

Tissue engineering is a multidisciplinary field with the potential to replace tissues lost as a result of trauma, cancer surgery, or organ dysfunction. The successful production, integration, and maintenance of any tissue-engineered product are a result of numerous molecular interactions inside and outside the cell. We consider the essential elements for successful tissue engineering to be a matrix scaffold, space, cells, and vasculature, each of which has a significant and distinct molecular underpinning (Fig. 1). Our approach capitalizes on these elements. Originally developed in the rat, our chamber model (Fig. 2) involves the placement of an arteriovenous loop (the vascular supply) in a polycarbonate chamber (protected space) with the addition of cells and an extracellular matrix such as Matrigel or endogenous fibrin (34, 153, 246, 247). This model has also been extended to the rabbit and pig (J. Dolderer, M. Findlay, W. Morrison, manuscript in preparation), and has been modified for the mouse to grow adipose tissue and islet cells (33, 114, 122) (Fig. 3)...

The educational pipeline for health care professionals : understanding the source of racial differences

The underrepresentation of blacks in the healthcare professions may have direct implications for the health outcomes of minority patients, underscoring the importance of understanding movement through the educational pipeline into professional healthcare careers by race. We jointly model individuals' postsecondary decisions including enrollment, college type, degree completion, and choosing a healthcare occupation requiring an advanced degree. We estimate the parameters of the model with maximum likelihood using data from the NLS-72. Our results emphasize the importance of pre-collegiate factors and of jointly examining the full chain of educational decisions in understanding the sources of racial disparities in professional healthcare occupations.

The effects of rurality on mental and physical health

The effects of rurality on physical and mental health are examined in analyses of a national dataset, the Community Tracking Survey, 2000-2001, that includes individual level observations from household interviews. We merge it with county level data reflecting community resources and use econometric methods to analyze this multi-level data. The statistical analysis of the impact of the choice of definition on outcomes and on the estimates and significance of explanatory variables in the model is presented using modern econometric methods, and differences in results for mental health and physical health are evaluated. �� 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

The Hollywood effect : a comparative study of costume in Australia and the Proposition

This paper compares costuming practices in Baz Luhrmann���s Australia (2008) and John Hillcoat���s The Proposition (2005) and argues that high production values, such as in the blockbuster Australia, are not neutral mechanisms of production, but powerful prescriptive elements which do not result in a successful representation of cultural specificity. Australia is a typical blockbuster, it employs a large number of extras, it features compelling landscape shots, has been shot across four different locations and sets, and, importantly, is an international production with the 20th Century Fox. The film���s costumes were designed by Catherine Martin, who received an Oscar nomination in 2009. While global exposure of fashion in film and through celebrities��� endorsements has consolidated a historical synergy between the fashion industry and Hollywood, the Australian film and fashion industries have had a very limited exchange. Baz Luhrmann���s film is Australia���s first instance of promo-costuming and use of tie-in labels (Ferragamo, R.M.Williams, Prada, Paspaley). Catherine Martin thoroughly researched 1930s women���s wear, indigenous and stockmen���s clothing, and set up to make all costumes with a large team of costumiers and seamstresses, striving for authenticity. The Proposition won its costume designer Margot Wilson an AFI in 2005 for best costume, but compared to Australia the story, location and costumes are far harsher. Filmed around Winton in far west Queensland, the director John Hillcoat and Director of Photography Benoit Delhomme were insistent about realism, and emphasising the harshness of the Australian landscape. The realism of the costumes was derived from the fabrics and manufacturing, as well as the way they were shot, with the actors often wearing two or three layers of heavy wool during days of shooting in 50 degree heat, and the details of making and breaking down. The implication is that both films are culturally specific as they both deal with an Australian story. However, Australia is clearly produced according to a Hollywood blockbuster model, and closely matches Hollywood���s narrative and aesthetic characteristics, while The Proposition is a more modest film that eschews these conventions of beauty and glossed history. Despite its western genre-orientation, The Proposition is more successful than Australia when it comes to costuming, because its costumes are not only functional to the narrative, but, in Roland Barthes��� words, they also fulfil a prestation. This prestation highlights the social and cultural conflicts on which colonial Australia was founded, instead of gilding, and gliding, over them.

A vibrational spectroscopic study of the silicate mineral pectolite ��� NaCa2Si3O8(OH)

The mineral pectolite NaCa2Si3O8(OH) is a crystalline sodium calcium silicate which has the potential to be used in plaster boards and in other industrial applications. Raman bands at 974 and 1026 cm���1 are assigned to the SiO stretching vibrations of linked units of Si3O8 units. Raman bands at 974 and 998 cm���1 serve to identify Si3O8 units. The broad Raman band at around 936 cm���1 is attributed to hydroxyl deformation modes. Intense Raman band at 653 cm���1 is assigned to OSiO bending vibration. Intense Raman bands in the 2700���3000 cm���1 spectral range are assigned to OH stretching vibrations of the OH units in pectolite. Infrared spectra are in harmony with the Raman spectra. Raman spectroscopy with complimentary infrared spectroscopy enables the characterisation of the silicate mineral pectolite.

Treatment with the vascular disruptive agent OXi4503 induces an immediate and widespread epithelial to mesenchymal transition in the surviving tumor

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is considered an important mechanism in tumor resistance to drug treatments; however, in vivo observation of this process has been limited. In this study we demonstrated an immediate and widespread EMT involving all surviving tumor cells following treatment of a mouse model of colorectal liver metastases with the vascular disruptive agent OXi4503. EMT was characterized by significant downregulation of E-cadherin, relocation and nuclear accumulation of b-catenin as well as significant upregulation of ZEB1 and vimentin. Concomitantly, significant temporal upregulation in hypoxia and the pro-angiogenic growth factors hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha, hepatocyte growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta were seen within the surviving tumor. The process of EMT was transient and by 5 days after treatment tumor cell reversion to epithelial morphology was evident. This reversal, termed mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET) is a process implicated in the development of new metastases but has not been observed in vivo histologically. Similar EMT changes were observed in response to other antitumor treatments including chemotherapy, thermal ablation, and antiangiogenic treatments in our mouse colorectal metastasis model and in a murine orthotopic breast cancer model after OXi4503 treatment. These results suggest that EMT may be an early mechanism adopted by tumors in response to injury and hypoxic stress, such that inhibition of EMT in combination with other therapies could play a significant role in future cancer therapy.

Life story work and social work practice : a case study with ex-prisoners labelled as having an intellectual disability

In common with other professions social workers have the power to articulate certain ������truths������ about the people who use their services (Hare Mustin, 1994). These knowledge statements about people, often situated in case files may become the only background information of the lived experience for people with disability (Gillman, Swain, & Heyman, 1997). Social workers need to develop interviewing, assessment and recording practices that give precedent to the worldview of service users, if they are to truly understand and respond effectively to people's lives (Bigby, 2007). One such way of doing this is by adopting a life story approach to working with vulnerable people, which can provide a holistic stance to a person's social reality (Ortiz, 1985). This article outlines the use of this approach in research with Queensland ex-prisoners who were labelled as having an intellectual disability. By explaining the process used by the first author (hereafter known as the researcher), the methodological findings of this study illustrate how life story work can contribute to social work practice.

Effective responses to offenders with intellectual disabilities : generalist and specialist services working together

Despite policies of deinstitutionalisation, many people with intellectual disabilities in developed western countries continue to live in mainstream institutional settings, such as correctional facilities, rather than in the community with support from disability services. This paper reports on the life stories of 10 people with intellectual disabilities, who had been imprisoned in adult correctional facilities in Queensland. The pathways taken by these 10 people into and out of prison are marked by significant abuse, neglect, and poverty. Significant disparity and disconnection is also displayed between the policies and service approaches, particularly between the disability, mental health, and correctional systems in Queensland. Based on these findings, a framework for practice, which spans both generic and specialist services, is suggested.

Social work with marginalised people who have a mild or borderline intellectual disability : practicing gentleness and encouraging hope

People with mild or borderline intellectual disabilities are a group of people who usually do not meet the eligibility criteria for specialist disability services, yet are high users of many generalist services, such as mental health, child protection, and criminal justice systems. They may traverse many services, often entering, exiting, and returning to the same service providers with few positive results. This article explores the practice approach of the Meryton Association, a medium-sized nongovernment agency located in Brisbane, Australia. The Meryton Association provides social work support to people with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities, actively assisting this group to build relationships, resources, knowledge, and autonomy in their everyday lives. Using qualitative in-depth interviews with Meryton Association staff and secondary analysis of Meryton Association policy and practice documents, the challenges and opportunities of using this practice approach have been documented. The article proposes that specialist services are needed that use a developmental approach, stress the importance of relationship, and the need to practice gentleness and hope in social worker-client interaction.

On-road driver sleepiness : what are Australian drivers experiences and awareness of sleepiness while driving?

Objectives: Driver sleepiness contributes substantially to road crash incidents. Simulator and on-road studies clearly reveal an impairing effect from sleepiness for driving ability. However, drivers might not appreciate the dangerousness of driving while sleepy and this could translate to their on-road driving behaviours. This study sought to determine drivers��� on-road experiences of sleepiness, their sleep habits, and personal awareness of the signs of sleepiness. Methods: Participants were a random selection of 92 drivers travelling on a major highway in the state of Queensland, Australia, who were stopped by Police as part of routine drink driving operations. Participants completed a brief questionnaire that included: demographic details, awareness and on-road experiences of sleepy driving, and sleep habits. A modified version of the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) was used to assess subjective sleepiness during the last 15 minutes of driving. Results: Participants rating of subjective sleepiness was quite low with 90% reporting at or below 3 on the KSS. Participants were reasonably aware of the signs of sleepiness; with a number of these correlated with on-road experiences. The participants sleep debt correlated with their alertness (r = -.30) and the hours spent driving (r = .38). Conclusions: These results suggest that drivers had moderate or substantial experience of driving when sleepy and many were aware of the signs of sleepiness. As many of the participants reported driving long distances after suboptimal sleep durations, it is possible that their risk perception of the dangerousness of sleepy driving maybe erroneous.

Can larger cemented femoral components reduce periprosthetic fractures?

Introduction The risk for late periprosthetic fractures is higher in patients treated for a neck of femur fracture compared to those treated for osteoarthritis. It has been hypothesised that osteopenia and consequent decreased stiffness of the proximal femur are responsible for this. We investigated if a femoral component with a bigger body would increase the torque to failure in a biaxially loaded composite sawbone model. Method A biomechanical composite sawbone model was used. Two different body sizes (Exeter 44-1 vs 44-4) of a polished tapered cemented stem were implanted by an experienced surgeon, in 7 sawbones each and loaded at 40 deg/s internal rotation until failure. Torque to fracture and fracture energy were measured using a biaxial materials testing device (Instron 8874). Data are non-parametric and tested with Mann-Whitney U-test. Results The mean torque load to fracture was 154.1 NM (SD 4.4) for the 44-1 stem and 229 NM (SD10.9) for the 44-4 stem (p = 0.01). The mean fracture energy was 9.6 J (SD1.2) for the 44-1 stem and 17.2 J (SD2.0) for the 44-4 stem (p = 0.14). Conclusion the use of a large body polished tapered cemented stem for neck of femur fractures increases the torque to failure in a biomechanical model and therefore is likely to reduce late periprosthetic fracture risk in this vulnerable cohort.

Fracture load for short versus standard cemented hip stems : an experimental in vitro study

Introduction: In an attempt to reduce stress shielding in the proximal femur multiple new shorter stem design have become available. We investigated the load to fracture of a new polished tapered cemented short stem in comparison to the conventional polished tapered Exeter stem. Method: A total of forty-two stems, twenty-one short stems and twenty-one conventional stems both with three different offsets were cemented in a composite sawbone model and loaded to fracture. Results: study showed that femurs will break at a significantly lower load to failure with a shorter compared to conventional length Exeter stem. Conclusion: This Both standard and short stem design are safe to use as the torque to failure is 7���10 times as much as the torques seen in activities of daily living.

Emerging Opportunities for "Design Thinking" to Deliver Sustainable Solutions in the Built Environment

In the built environment sector, a range of innovations are delivering environmental improvements with mixed success worldwide. The authors of this paper argue that a more ���disruptive��� form of innovation is needed to bring about significant and systemic change within the sector. Critical to this transition is the development of new behaviours and values. In particular, built environment professionals need to become active change agents in cultivating these new behaviours and values through the development of collaborative visions, scenarios, practices, and ideas. This paper identifies and discusses the critical role that design (in its broadest sense) can play in this process. Drawing on a comprehensive review of literature, the authors highlight a number of transformational opportunities for cross professional learning and sharing between design and built environment disciplines in achieving environmental innovation (eco-innovation). The paper also considers several design-based concepts that have a potential application in the built environment sector including: design thinking, social innovation (human-centered), and disruptive innovation (transformational) approaches. The research findings will assist in building the capabilities of designers and innovators to create sustainable solutions to global problems, and in supporting the social diffusion of systems-changing ideas in the built environment sector.