Chromosomal aberrations in squamous cell carcinoma and solar keratoses revealed by comparative genomic hybridization

OBJECTIVE: To identify chromosomal copy numbers of frequent genetic aberrations within squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and solar keratoses (SKs), and provide further evidence to support or challenge current dogma concerning the relationship between these lesions. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of genetic aberrations in DNA from SK and SCC biopsy specimens by comparative genomic hybridization. SETTING: University-based research laboratory in Queensland, Australia. PATIENTS: Twenty-two biopsy specimens from patients with diagnosed SKs (n = 7), cutaneous SCCs (n = 10), or adjoining lesions (n = 5). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Identification of frequent genetic aberrations both specific to SK and SCC and shared by these lesions to investigate their clonal relationship. RESULTS: Shared genomic imbalances were identified in SK and SCC. Frequent gains were located at chromosome arms 3q, 17q, 4p, 14q, Xq, 5p, 9q, 8q, 17p, and 20q, whereas shared regional losses were observed at 9p, 3p, 13q, 17p, 11p, 8q, and 18p. Significant loss of 18q was observed only in SCC lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that numerous chromosomal aberrations are shared by the 2 lesions, suggesting a clonal relationship between SK and SCC. Additionally, the genomic loss of 18q may be a significant event in SK progression to SCC. Finally, the type and frequency of aberrations suggests a common mode of tumorigenesis in SCC-derived tumors.

Ross River virus evolution : implications for vaccine development

Ross River virus is a mosquito-borne alphavirus that causes approximately 5000 cases of epidemic polyarthritis in Australia each year and has direct medical-associated costs of approximately US$15 million annually. While mosquito control programs are able, at best, to contain rather than prevent this disease, natural infection with Ross River virus confers lifelong protection against subsequent clinical infection. A killed-virus vaccine has been developed, which is in Phase III clinical trials. Analyses of intra-host genetic diversity and of long-term evolutionary changes in Ross River virus populations suggest that antigenic variation is unlikely to pose a threat to the efficacy of this vaccine.

Evaluating the dosimetric effect of treatment-induced changed in virally mediated head and neck cancer patients

Introduction Patients with virally mediated head and neck cancer (VMHNC) often present with advanced nodal disease that is highly radioresponsive as demonstrated by tumour and nodal regression during treatment. The resultant changes may impact on the planned dose distribution and so adversely affect the therapeutic ratio. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dosimetric effect of treatment-induced anatomical changes in VMHNC patients who had undergone a re-plan. Methods Thirteen patients with virally mediated oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal cancer who presented for definitive radiotherapy between 2005 and 2010 and who had a re-plan generated were investigated. The dosimetric effect of anatomical changes, was quantified by comparing dose volume histograms (DVH) of primary and nodal gross target volumes and organs at risk (OAR), including spinal cord and parotid glands, from the original plan and a comparison plan. Results Eleven 3DCRT and 2 IMRT plans were evaluated. Dose to the spinal cord and brainstem increased by 4.1% and 2.6%, respectively. Mean dose to the parotid glands also increased by 3.5%. In contrast, the dose received by 98% of the primary and nodal gross tumour volumes decreased by 0.15% and 0.3%, respectively when comparing the initial treatment plan to the comparison plan. Conclusion In this study, treatment-induced anatomical changes had the greatest impact on OAR dose with negligible effect on the dose to nodal gross tumour volumes. In the era of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), accounting for treatment-induced anatomical changes is important as focus is placed on minimising the acute and long-term side effects of treatment.

Fracture analysis of wind turbine main shaft

Shaft fracture at an early stage of operation is a common problem for a certain type of wind turbine. To determine the cause of shaft failure a series of experimental tests were conducted to evaluate the chemical composition and mechanical properties. A detail analysis involving macroscopic feature and microstructure analysis of the material of the shaft was also performed to have an in depth knowledge of the cause of fracture. The experimental tests and analysis results show that there are no significant differences in the material property of the main shaft when comparing it with the Standard, EN10083-3:2006. The results show that stress concentration on the shaft surface close to the critical section of the shaft due to rubbing of the annular ring and coupled with high stress concentration caused by the change of inner diameter of the main shaft are the main reasons that result in fracture of the main shaft. In addition, inhomogeneity of the main shaft micro-structure also accelerates up the fracture process of the main shaft. In addition, the theoretical calculation of equivalent stress at the end of the shaft was performed, which demonstrate that cracks can easily occur under the action of impact loads. The contribution of this paper is to provide a reference in fracture analysis of similar main shaft of wind turbines.

Effectiveness of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against radiologically diagnosed pneumonia in indigenous infants in Australia

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) in preventing pneumonia, diagnosed radiologically according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, among indigenous infants in the Northern Territory of Australia. Methods We conducted a historical cohort study of consecutive indigenous birth cohorts between 1 April 1998 and 28 February 2005. Children were followed up to 18 months of age. The PCV7 programme commenced on 1 June 2001. All chest X-rays taken within 3 days of any hospitalization were assessed. The primary endpoint was a first episode of WHO-defined pneumonia requiring hospitalization. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare disease incidence. Findings There were 526 pneumonia events among 10 600 children - an incidence of 3.3 per 1000 child-months; 183 episodes (34.8%) occurred before 5 months of age and 247 (47.0%) by 7 months. Of the children studied, 27% had received 3 doses of vaccine by 7 months of age. Hazard ratios for endpoint pneumonia were 1.01 for 1 versus 0 doses; 1.03 for 2 versus 0 doses; and 0.84 for 3 versus 0 doses. Conclusion There was limited evidence that PCV7 reduced the incidence of radiologically confirmed pneumonia among Northern Territory indigenous infants, although there was a non-significant trend towards an effect after receipt of the third dose. These findings might be explained by lack of timely vaccination and/or occurrence of disease at an early age. Additionally, the relative contribution of vaccine-type pneumococcus to severe pneumonia in a setting where multiple other pathogens are prevalent may differ with respect to other settings where vaccine efficacy has been clearly established.

Design, construction, and analysis of cell line arrays and tissue microarrays for gene expression analysis

Cell line array (CMA) and tissue microarray (TMA) technologies are high-throughput methods for analysing both the abundance and distribution of gene expression in a panel of cell lines or multiple tissue specimens in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The process is based on Kononen's method of extracting a cylindrical core of paraffin-embedded donor tissue and inserting it into a recipient paraffin block. Donor tissue from surgically resected paraffin-embedded tissue blocks, frozen needle biopsies or cell line pellets can all be arrayed in the recipient block. The representative area of interest is identified and circled on a haematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained section of the donor block. Using a predesigned map showing a precise spacing pattern, a high density array of up to 1,000 cores of cell pellets and/or donor tissue can be embedded into the recipient block using a tissue arrayer from Beecher Instruments. Depending on the depth of the cell line/tissue removed from the donor block 100-300 consecutive sections can be cut from each CMA/TMA block. Sections can be stained for in situ detection of protein, DNA or RNA targets using immunohistochemistry (IHC), fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) or mRNA in situ hybridisation (RNA-ISH), respectively. This chapter provides detailed methods for CMA/TMA design, construction and analysis with in-depth notes on all technical aspects including tips to deal with common pitfalls the user may encounter. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011.

Parents’ perception about children’s academic stress and child care related issues

The present study intends to understand the parents' perception about children's academic stress and child care related issues. A group of 139 parents, 68 fathers and 71 mothers, participated in the study voluntarily and they were selected following convenience sampling technique. In order to achieve the objective of the study, a specially designed semi-structured questionnaire was used. Findings disclosed that about one-third of the fathers (29.4%) and one-tenth of the mothers (9.9%) frankly admitted that they could not provide quality care and guidance to their children and in this regard significant difference was observed between fathers and mothers (p<.05). More than four-fifth of the parents stated that they should be friendly with their children so that children feel comfortable to share their personal issues with them. More than one-fifth fathers (27.9%) and one-fourth mothers (16.9%) applied corporal punishment as they believed it is necessary to discipline them and/or for better academic performance.

Knowledge Management Strategies in Technopreneurial Firms

Intellectual capital is increasingly viewed as the single most important asset of organisations. While most large organisations have resources, staff and plans in place to support and develop intellectual capital, many smaller organisations do not. In particular technology-oriented young firms (technopreneurial firms), which play an important role in innovation and commercialisation of new ideas, do not have well developed strategies for managing their intellectual capital. These firms are often founded by engineers, scientists or academics who posses great scientific/technological knowledge, but limited know-how in other aspects of managing a business including knowledge management (KM). Successful managing and integrating their specialised knowledge is of particular importance when it comes to developing a new product or process. This article therefore focuses on developing strategies for knowledge management within technopreneurial organisations as they incorporate technology and strive to build and retain a productive and creative workforce.

Defense and counterdefense in the plant world

An important role of RNA interference (RNAi)-like pathways in plants is defense against viral infection. Viruses can overcome this defense by expressing proteins that suppress the pathway. A new study of Agrobacterium tumefaciens infection reveals that this plant pathogen, although a bacterium, also induces and then suppresses the host RNAi response. © 2006 Nature Publishing Group.

Containing Queensland prickly pear : buffer zones, closer settlement, whiteness

By 1925, the introduced prickly pear (Opuntia and Nopalea spp.) covered up to 60 million acres of Queensland and New South Wales in what was perceived as prime agricultural land. After 40 years of experimentation, all Queensland Government strategies had failed. Faced with this failure and a diminishing expectation that the land would ever be conquered, buffer zones were proposed by the newly formed Queensland Prickly Pear Land Commission. A close reading of government documents, newspaper reports and local histories about these buffer zones shows how settler anxieties over who could or should occupy the land shaped the kinds of strategies recommended and adopted in relation to this alien species. Physical and cultural techniques were used to manage the uneasy coexistence between prickly pear, on the one hand, and farmers and graziers on the other. Furthermore, this environmental history challenges the notion of racially homogenous closer settlement under the White Australia Policy, showing the many different kinds of livelihood and labour in prickly pear land in the 1920s.

Cytotoxicity of topical antimicrobial agents used in burn wounds in Australasia

BACKGROUND: Burn sepsis is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in patients with major burns. The use of topical antimicrobial agents has helped improve the survival of these patients. Silvazine (Sigma Pharmaceuticals, Melbourne, Australia) (1% silver sulphadiazine and 0.2% chlorhexidine digluconate) is used exclusively in Australasia, and there is no published study on its cytotoxicity. This study compared the relative cytotoxicity of Silvazine with 1% silver sulphadiazine (Flamazine (Smith & Nephew Healthcare, Hull, UK)) and a silver-based dressing (Acticoat (Smith & Nephew Healthcare, Hull, UK)). METHODS: Dressings were applied to the centre of culture plates that were then seeded with keratinocytes at an estimated 25% confluence. The plates were incubated for 72 h and culture medium and dressings then removed. Toluidine blue was added to stain the remaining keratinocytes. Following removal of the dye, the plates were photographed under standard conditions and these digital images were analysed using image analysis software. Data was analysed using Student's t-test. RESULTS: In the present study, Silvazine is the most cytotoxic agent. Seventy-two hour exposure to Silvazine in the present study results in almost no keratinocyte survival at all and a highly statistically significant reduction in cell survival relative to control, Acticoat and Flamazine (P<0.001, P<0.01, P<0.01, respectively). Flamazine is associated with a statistically significant reduction in cell numbers relative to control (P<0.05), but is much less cytotoxic than Silvazine (P<0.005). CONCLUSION: In this in-vitro study comparing Acticoat, Silvazine and Flamazine, Silvazine shows an increased cytotoxic effect, relative to control, Flamazine and Acticoat. An in-vivo study is required to determine whether this effect is carried into the clinical setting.

Blurred lines : reconsidering the concept of ‘diversion’ in youth justice systems in Australia

This article revisits ‘diversion’ in the context of youth justice in Australia. Although ‘diversion’ is omnipresent in youth justice, it is rarely subject to critical examination. This article raises four interrelated questions: what young people are to be ‘diverted’ from and to; whether young people are to be ‘diverted’ from the criminal justice system or from offending; whether young people are to be ‘diverted’ from criminal justice processes or outcomes; and whether ‘diversion’ should be considered distinct from crime prevention and early intervention. The article concludes that the confusion about youth ‘diversion’ may foster individualised interventions in young people’s lives.

Myosin light chain kinase regulates synaptic plasticity and fear learning in the lateral amygdala

Learning and memory depend on signaling mole- cules that affect synaptic efficacy. The cytoskeleton has been implicated in regulating synaptic transmission but its role in learning and memory is poorly understood. Fear learning depends on plasticity in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala. We therefore examined whether the cytoskeletal-regulatory protein, myosin light chain kinase, might contribute to fear learning in the rat lateral amygdala. Microinjection of ML-7, a specific inhibitor of myosin light chain kinase, into the lateral nucleus of the amygdala before fear conditioning, but not immediately afterward, enhanced both short-term memory and long-term memory, suggesting that myosin light chain kinase is involved specifically in memory acquisition rather than in posttraining consolidation of memory. Myosin light chain kinase inhibitor had no effect on memory retrieval. Furthermore, ML-7 had no effect on behavior when the train- ing stimuli were presented in a non-associative manner. An- atomical studies showed that myosin light chain kinase is present in cells throughout lateral nucleus of the amygdala and is localized to dendritic shafts and spines that are postsynaptic to the projections from the auditory thalamus to lateral nucleus of the amygdala, a pathway specifically impli- cated in fear learning. Inhibition of myosin light chain kinase enhanced long-term potentiation, a physiological model of learning, in the auditory thalamic pathway to the lateral nu- cleus of the amygdala. When ML-7 was applied without as- sociative tetanic stimulation it had no effect on synaptic responses in lateral nucleus of the amygdala. Thus, myosin light chain kinase activity in lateral nucleus of the amygdala appears to normally suppress synaptic plasticity in the cir- cuits underlying fear learning, suggesting that myosin light chain kinase may help prevent the acquisition of irrelevant fears. Impairment of this mechanism could contribute to pathological fear learning.

Technology : A mobilising force for a radical design pedagogy [Editorial - Special Issue]

This special issue of the Journal of Learning Design, led by Jill Franz and Lindy Osborne, from the School of Design in the Creative Industries Faculty at the Queensland University of Technology, is grounded in Design Education. Its papers are drawn from differing fields of design: digital media, architecture, and environmental design. Each makes use of technologies in differing ways but all share the singular purpose of achieving enhanced learning outcomes from students.