C-reactive protein, cardiovascular risk, and renal disease in a remote Australian Aboriginal community

Rates of cardiovascular and renal disease in Australian Aboriginal communities are high, but we do not know the contribution of inflammation to these diseases in this setting. In the present study, we sought to examine the distribution of C-reactive protein (CRP) and other markers of inflammation and their relationships with cardiovascular risk markers and renal disease in a remote Australian Aboriginal community. The study included 237 adults (58% of the adult population) in a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory of Australia. Main outcome measures were CRP, fibrinogen and lgG concentrations, blood pressure (BP), presence of diabetes, lipids, albuminuria, seropositivity to three common micro-organisms, as well as carotid intima-media thickness (IMT). Serum concentrations of CRP [7 (5-13) mg/l; median (inter-quartile range)] were markedly increased and were significantly correlated with fibrinogen and lgG concentrations and inversely correlated with serum albumin concentration. Higher CRP concentrations were associated with lgG seropositivity to Helicobacter pylori and Chlamydia pneumoniae and higher lgG titre for cytomegalovirus. Higher CRP concentrations were associated with the following: the 45-54-year age group, female subjects, the presence of skin sores, higher body mass index, waist circumference, BP, glycated haemoglobin and greater albuminuria. CRP concentrations increased with the number of cardiovascular risk factors, carotid IMT and albuminuria independently of other risk factors. These CRP concentrations were markedly higher than described in other community settings and are probably related, in a large part, to chronic and repeated infections. Their association with markers of cardiovascular risk and renal disease are compatible with the high rates of cardiovascular and renal disease in this community, and provide more evidence of strong links between these conditions, through a shared background of infection/inflammation. This suggests that a strong focus on prevention and management of infections will be important in reducing these conditions, in addition to interventions directed at more traditional risk factors.

Carotid intima-media thickness, cardiovascular risk factors and albuminuria in a remote Australian Aboriginal community

Background: Rates of cardiovascular disease and renal disease in Australian Aboriginal communities are high, as is the prevalence of some 'traditional' cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, such as diabetes and cigarette smoking. Recent work has highlighted the importance of markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), homocysteine and albuminuria as predictors of cardiovascular risk in urban westernised settings. It is not clear how these factors relate to outcome in the setting of these remote communities, but very high CRP concentrations have been shown in this and other Aboriginal communities. Methods and results: In a cross-sectional survey including 237 adults in a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory of Australia, we measured carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), together with blood pressure, diabetes, lipid levels, smoking and albuminuria, CRP and fibrinogen, serum homocysteine concentration, and IgG titres for Chlamydia pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori and cytomegalovirus. Median carotid IMT was 0.63 [interquartile range 0.54-0.71] mm. As a categorical outcome, the prevalence of the highest IMT quartile ('increased IMT', greater than or equal to0.72 mm) was compared with the lower three quartiles. Increased IMT was associated in univariate analyses with greater waist circumference, systolic BP, fibrinogen and serum albumin concentrations, urine albumin/creatinine ratio and older age as continuous variables. Associations of increased IMT with some continuous variables were not linear; univariate associations were seen with the highest quartile (versus all other quartiles) of CRP and homocysteine concentration and CMV IgG titre. In a multivariate model age, smoking, waist circumference and the highest quartile of CRP concentrations (greater than or equal to14 mg/l) remained significant predictors of IMT greater than or equal to0.72 mm. Conclusions: Measurement of carotid IMT was possible in this remote setting. Increased IMT (greater than or equal to0.72 mm) was associated with increased CRP concentrations over a range that suggests infection/inflammation may be important determinants of cardiovascular risk in this setting. The associations of IMT with markers of renal disease seen in univariate analyses were explained in this analysis by confounding due to the associations of urine ACR with other risk factors. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Suntans and sun protection in Australian teen media: 1999 to 2000

In this study, the portrayal of tanned skin and sun protection in magazines, television programs, and movies popular with Australian adolescents were analyzed. Images of models in magazines (n = 1,791), regular/supporting characters in television programs (it = 867), and regular/supporting characters in cinema movies (n = 2,836) for the 12-month period August 1999 to July 2000 were coded and analyzed. Alight tan was the most predominant tan level, and protective clothing was the most common sun protection measure displayed across all forms of media. There were significant associations between gender and tan levels in the television and movie samples. Although it is important to monitor the portrayal of tan levels and sun protection measures in media targeting adolescents, overall, the authors' findings revealed a media environment generally supportive of sun protection objectives.

Measuring the ability of school children with a history of otitis media to understand everyday speech

The present study compared the ability of school-aged children with and without a history of otitis media (OM) to understand everyday speech in noise using the University of Queensland Understanding of Everyday Speech Test (UQUEST). Participants were 484 children (246 boys, 238 girls) attending Grade 3 (272, mean age = 8.25 yr., SD = 0.43) and Grade 4 (212, mean age = 9.28 yr., SD = 0.41) at 19 primary schools in Brisbane metropolitan and Sunshine Coast schools. Children selected for inclusion were native speakers of English with normal hearing on the day of testing and had no reported physical or behavioral impairments. The children were divided into three groups according to the number of episodes of OM since birth. The results showed no significant differences in speech scores across the participant groups. However, a significant difference in mean speech scores was found across the grades and the noise conditions. Although children with a history of OM performed equally well at a group level when compared to the controls, they exhibited a large range of abilities in speech comprehension within the same group.

First development of a polyurethane keratoprosthesis and its Australian connection: An unbeknown episode in the history of artificial cornea

This paper is aimed at establishing a particular chronological priority issue in the convoluted history of artificial cornea. According to existing records, the first keratoprosthesis made from polyurethane was developed by Caldwell and Jacob-Labarre in the late 1980s. This paper demonstrates that in fact the first polyurethane keratoprosthesis was proposed and designed in 1985 by Lawrence Hirst, an Australian ophthalmologist then working in St Louis, USA. The first prototype was manufactured in January 1986 by Thermedics Inc according to Dr Hirst's instructions from Tecoflex, a transparent polyurethane developed by the same company. This keratoprosthesis, which also had a porous skirt, was inserted intralamellarly in a monkey cornea and followed up clinically for about 3 months. There were no significant postoperative complications, and the histology of the explant indicated proper biointegration of the prosthetic skirt within the host stromal tissue. Because of a delay in the manufacture of further prototypes and to Dr Hirst's decision to return to Australia, the project was eventually abandoned. As no report was published on this development, the present paper is entirely based on original documents held in Dr Hirst's archives.

Where Do Flappers Fit In?: The Photography of Modern Fashion in Australia

The visual technique of fashion photography is examined which taught Australian women to look modern. Especially fashion photography intervenes ambivalently into the story of Australian modernism and modernity. During 1920s and 1930s within the fashion press there were synergies and differences between commercial fashion photography, celebrity and cinematic portraiture, and social set endorsement. However, modernism was widely acknowledged in Australia during the 1920s through women's spaces, their fashions and culture of department stores.

Notes on the history of the mobile phone in Australia

The first automatic mobile phone service was launched in Australia in 1981, with the first cellular mobile service following in 1987. In 2003 there were over 14.5 million mobile phone subscribers, and the technology had become central to everyday life and culture. Despite the significance of mobile phones, little has been written about their Australian histories. This paper offers some notes on the history of mobile telecommunications in Australia. As well as reviewing the development of the mobile phone in Australia, it looks at the cultural representation of this technology.